"You seriously need to cheer up," Zoe told her husband, coming to sit at the bar in front of him. She had just come from her father's place; he wanted to watch Eliza until after the movie was over with saying that a movie was no place for a movie and since him and Norma weren't going they'd be more than happy to watch their youngest granddaughter. How could Zoe refuse that?
"I am happy," he scowled his eyes never leaving their place they were locked on. He thought he had been okay to handle his daughter hanging out with a boy that she had a crush on and ever since they had came in after school, he had wanted to go over there and put Ryker in his place and tell him to keep his hands to himself. Countless times he would watch as Ryker would put his arm around his daughter and she would slightly lean in to him. When they weren't touching, they would be flirting and he didn't like it.
"No you're not," Zoe stated, glancing at the four kids, two of them that were hers. "I thought they were going to be in a bigger group?" She questioned turning her attention back to her husband.
"According to Braxton the rest of them will be meeting them at the movie," Wade grumbled. "I really don't like this," he whined, looking at his wife. "They're too young to be dating," he grumbled.
"I'm very pleased that you feel that way about Braxton as well and not pulling the whole stupid double standard when it comes to him, but they are growing up and it's bound to happen," she told him, reaching out for his hand.
"I know, I just have to deal with it," he sighed, playing with her fingers. "Yeah because that's fair," he retorted, shaking his head. "I don't like the idea of him go on dates either, he can get himself into the same amount of trouble as Ariel can, why would I be okay with that?" He asked his wife.
"Just remember that Ariel and Braxton are good kids and that Ryker hasn't done anything wrong so you have no reason to worry," she told him, glancing behind her to see who was sitting next to Braxton. "Is that Wren?" She asked looking back at her husband.
"That's her," Wade confirmed. "I guess whatever had went on with her and Ariel they had fixed it," he commented. "They haven't fought or anything like that since coming in here. What was going with them?" He questioned his wife.
"I don't know, Ariel never really told me, but it's good to see that they're getting along again. I just didn't think that Braxton would take an interest in her. He was so adamant about his friends not liking his sister and he goes and starts to like one of his sister's friends, I do find it funny," she mussed.
"It is on the ironic side of things," he replied. "I can't take watching them any longer, I've got to trust them and you said so yourself, we have good kids, so why don't we go take a walk and let them have at least a bit of privacy," he suggested.
"Who do you have spying on them for you?" She questioned with a smile getting up and holding her hand out for her husband. Wade easily slipped his hand into hers walking around the bar.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He teased, walking up to the table his kids were at. "Be good and we'll see you after the movie," he informed them.
"Have you finished your homework?" Zoe asked them, before Wade was able to pull her off before he lost his nerve in giving his kids a little room to have fun without him hovering over them.
"We did it yesterday after school, Mom, promise," Braxton told her.
"You best have finished it yesterday," she remarked. "Because if you didn't, you won't get to go out and have fun with your friends tomorrow," she finished, walking off with her husband. "You doing okay?" She questioned as they walked in no real direction whatsoever, just them alone and oddly enough she was okay with that.
"I have no reason not to be okay," he retorted. "They're growing up and I guess it's taking me just a bit longer to come to the realization that they are. It feels like just yesterday I was dealing with a baby Braxton that had been shipped home from the hospital and now he's practically on a double date with his sister."
"We've raised them as best as we could to this point and they're not going to do anything stupid, they're still coming to terms with all these new feelings inside of them and what they mean. You remember what it's like at the age, don't you?" She asked him.
"I would like to forget how awkward I was at that age," he groaned. Zoe from feeling how much of a discomfort it was to him couldn't hold her laughter in. "Hey now, I bet you weren't any better," he stated with getting his wife to stop laughing.
"It was weird and awkward and I thought I was going to die," she confessed. "But you couldn't have been that bad, especially with how you are now," she countered with.
"I don't even want to talk about it," he stated with a shutter, happy that part of his life was over with and he didn't have to go through it ever again. Talking to Braxton about it would be easier than having to deal with puberty all over again. "I bet you were really cute at that age," he winked.
"I don't know about cute," she responded, rolling her eyes. "But I'll take it," she smirked at him.
"What do you say we let the town keep an eye on what the kids at the movie, and we have an adventure of our own?" He questioned her coming to small lake.
"That's new," she said. "What made you change your mind all of a sudden?" She asked, she didn't mind, she trusted her kids and she knew that they wouldn't run off and get into trouble. They hadn't done so yet and Ryker and Wren were both good kids, she was afraid that Ariel and Braxton were the bad influences out of the four of them.
"I trust them to an extant but I remember being that age and I feel certain that they won't try to do anything and they do believe that we're going to be there watching them so they'll be too scared to try anything even as little as hand holding," he explained.
"What do you have in mind?" She asked him, questioning him further on if he was sure he wanted to skip out on the movie in town was for the best, she wasn't going to say anything to make him paranoid in thinking that their kids were more than capable of holding hands. She had her first kiss when she was Ariel's age and it was all sorts of awkward and she had already seen Ariel and Ryker holding hands, but she wasn't going to say anything, she didn't need her husband to get worked up over nothing, she herself thought it was cute.
"We need to cool down," he smirked pulling his shirt over his head, toeing his shoes off. "Thought we could go for a little swim," he stated wiggling his eyebrows at his wife as he undid his jeans letting them along with his boxer's pool around his feet. "You in?" He questioned in a teasing manner, stepping out of his clothes, pulling his socks off as he ran and jumped into the water.
"You're crazy," she called after him. She looked around, shaking her head. "I'm crazy," she muttered under her breath, stripping out of her clothes, leaving them in a pile next to his, jumping into the luke warm lake water. "We're married and have three kids and yet we're skinny dipping," she laughed, emerging from the water.
"We need to have a little fun as well," Wade smirked, pulling her close.
Zoe shook her head, dunking him under the water. Wade popped back up grabbing Zoe by the waist and launched her into the water. Nothing was wrong in letting go every now and again, they needed to have their own little fun, even if it was in ways that could get them into trouble.
"Do you think any of them would tell Dad and Mom if we split up?" Braxton asked his sister.
"You're really funny, Brax asking a question like that," Ariel laughed. "I bet you he as the whole town on spy duty for him," she suggested, looking around. "Mom I would like to think would've been okay with it but Dad, he's afraid to let us grow up, at least that's what I get," she tacked on with a shrug. "Not only will they find out if we split up but they're going to find out that it's only going to be the four of us at the movie because the rest of them bailed on us for some party," she reasoned with him. They too wanted to go to the party but they couldn't get out of going to the movie to go to the party and they weren't sure how to even ask their parents on if it was okay if they could go to a party.
"At least your parents care enough to keep an eye on you that you're not doing who knows what, I swear I could do whatever I wanted and my parents wouldn't even notice," Wren pointed out. "They've been too busy fighting about everything and anything that they have forgotten that I exist," she sighed.
"I'm sorry you're going through that Wren," Ariel told her friend. "What about your parents, Ryker?" She asked turning to look at her newly made boyfriend.
"As long as I'm staying out of trouble they don't care what I do, they ask and I tell them what's going on, but otherwise they tend to stay away, they've been through all of this before with my older brother so they're more relaxed when it comes to me, which is good because they were nuts with my brother," he laughed.
"Lucky you," Braxton muttered. "You guys want to get out of here?" He asked then, getting up.
"Where big brother do you have in mind in going?" Ariel asked, getting up as well. The center of town was being taken over by everyone getting things set up for the movie that night.
"My parents are helping in getting things set up for the movie, we can hang at my place," Ryker offered. The other three teens agreed and walked out heading in the direction that Ryker's house was at.
The walk to his house with filled with laughter. Braxton was holding Wren's hand; their connected hands were swinging between them as they followed behind Ryker and Ariel. Ryker had tossed his arm over Ariel's shoulder and she had moved closer to him smiling as they joked around. Braxton seeing how happy his sister was let it all go; it was all he could do because he wasn't going to be the reason on why his sister was upset and sad.
Braxton and Ryker got busy in playing video games and Ariel and Wren sat on the couch and gossiped about everything since they had gotten into a little fight over pretty much nothing. They had learned that it was stupid and they had missed each other more than anything else so they easily forgave each other and got back to being friends.
"Think you'd be willing to sneak out to go to the party?" Braxton asked the other three.
"I don't have to sneak out, my parents won't notice," Wren told them with a soft sigh. Having that much freedom should have felt liberating but she hated it; she wanted her parents to care about her.
"I can get out no problem," Ryker informed them, turning the game system off.
"I don't know about that, Brax," Ariel sighed. She wanted to do go to the party, their whole class and more were going to be there, but she didn't feel very comfortable in sneaking out of the house after her parents had went to bed.
"They won't ever notice," Braxton pleaded with her. "Please Ariel?" He begged her.
"I think it'd be cool, but I'd still be with ya if you didn't do it," Ryker told her with a shrug.
"If we get caught, I'm blaming you," she agreed looking pointedly at her brother. Braxton shrugged and they got busy on smoothing out the details for sneaking out of the house after their parents went to bed and where they'd meet up at once they were able to break free.
With what they had thought was the perfect plan they headed out to find the perfect spot to watch the movie. They had opted to sit on the ground near the front of the screen than in the chairs that had been set up. Ariel was sitting in between Ryker's legs leaning back into him, Braxton and Wren sitting next to them. They didn't even look around for their parents, they were going to enjoy the movie and worry about if they would be in any trouble when they got home after their parents found out it was only the four of them.
"How was the movie?" Zoe asked, not moving from where she was laying on top of Wade as they were cuddled on the couch watching a movie of their own.
"It was okay, it would've been better if the movie would've been in color and not black and white," Ariel replied with a shrug.
"It was alright," Braxton stated. "We're beat, night," he called out to his parents heading upstairs.
"Yeah, night," Ariel told them, following behind her brother, not waiting to see if they would be in trouble.
"Night," Wade and Zoe called after them.
"Think they're up to something?" Zoe asked, sitting up slightly to look down at her husband.
"When aren't they up to something?" He asked with a chuckle. "But whatever it is we'll figure it out in the morning," he said, turning the movie off. "Now that they're home, what do you say about that massage you promised me for watching your little girly movie?" He asked with a smirk.
"I think I'm too tired for that tonight," she smirked back getting up and faking a yawn.
"Yeah sure you are," Wade laughed, placing his hands on her hips as they walked to their bedroom shutting lights off as they went. "I will cash in," he promised her. She smiled, turning around to wrap her arms around his neck, standing on her toes to lightly peck his lips.
"I hope it's sooner rather than later," she husked into his ear, going to pull away from him, but Wade was quicker tightening his hold on her, bending down to nip at her neck, his hands sliding down from her hips to cup her ass, lifting her up.
"Are you sure about this?" Ariel asked her brother as they quietly snuck down the stairs. She still wasn't sure they should be sneaking out; she had nothing to prove and if Ryker didn't want anything to do with her because she refused to sneak out for a party than she was better off without him in her life as anything.
"I'm positive, they won't know anything, we'll be back before they're awake in the morning," he told his sister. "We need to have a little fun without them or the town watching us, Ariel. What's it going to hurt?" He asked trying to get his point across to his sister. "I'm not making you go with me, you can stay here and be the good little girl that you always are or you can come with on your own free will and have a little fun for once. Which is it going to be?" He asked her.
"Let's do this," she told him. She had assumed that when doing things behind your parents back it wouldn't feel right and that the struggle she was dealing with was always going to be there, but Braxton was right, she didn't want to be known as the good girl, she wanted to break a rule or two and have fun with her friends. Besides she didn't want to miss out on the party that everyone was going to be talking about all week at school, she wanted to be included in it as well.
Braxton smiled and continued on his way down the stairs making sure that the coast was clear. He had made sure to grab his house key before he left his room and he was certain that Ariel had her house key as well. As quietly as possible they had slipped from the house locking the door behind them. After getting a safe distance away from their house they started to laugh at how freeing it was to be breaking a rule, their parents never the wiser or so they thought.
"They really need to learn how to be a bit quieter when they sneak out," Wade laughed, his fingers running along his wife's spine.
"We'll make sure to tell them that when we have a little talk to them," she promised with a laugh of her own. "How do you want to catch them?" She asked with a twinkle to her eye. She had a feeling that her kids were going to break a rule or two, it was going to happen, she had done it herself. She was just starting to realize that catching them was going to be the fun part of it.
"This once I think we'll wait until breakfast to confront them, I'm too comfortable to get out of bed to catch them coming home tonight," he informed his wife, pulling her on top of himself. She smiled placing a kiss to his chest.
"I feel the same way."
Not that they had gotten any sleep until they had heard their kids coming back in while after 2 in the morning. They shared an evil look with each other, before sleep was finally able to take over.
Wade and Zoe had spent more than one day with very little sleep and a cup of coffee was able to help them along. Together they had gotten Eliza ready for the day, letting their two oldest kids sleep just a few extra minutes. Wade was holding Eliza when they went in to wake Braxton up, he had pulled his blanket over his head, mumbling that he was still tired and wanted a few more minutes of sleep.
"It doesn't work that way," Wade smirked, handing his little girl to Zoe. He then pulled the blanket from the bed. Braxton whined, burying his head under his pillow. "If you want to play it that way," he laughed, tossing the pillow to the floor before lifting the mattress up, dumping Braxton on the floor.
"What the heck?" Braxton yelled from the floor, eyes still closed.
"You have 10 minutes to be up and dressed and at the table for breakfast and if you're not there I'll be back to dump a bucket of cold water on you," father promised son as they walked out of the room going straight to Ariel's room.
"Ariel come on time to get up," Zoe told her, lightly nudging the bed.
"No, sleeping," Ariel replied, rolling over and pulling her blanket tighter.
"Okay then," Zoe responded, taking her blanket away from her. Unlike Braxton, Ariel had jumped out of bed.
"What is the meaning to this?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Breakfast in 10 minutes, we need to have a little chat with you and your brother," Zoe told her daughter, walking out of the room behind Wade. If she would have been more awake she would have been able to put things together in her head, but she just wasn't that awake or alert yet.
Ten minutes later sat two very tired looking kids.
"How was your night last night after going to bed?" Wade asked looking at his wife with a smirk.
"My night was good, got plenty of sleep, unlike our kids, so please enlighten us on what you had done after going to bed that kept you up until nearly 3 in the morning?" She asked the kids, taking a seat at the table next to Wade.
"It was 2 when we went to bed and we didn't do anything," Braxton mumbled out, laying his head on the table.
"You went up to bed at 10 but didn't fall asleep until 2; something must've been keeping you awake, Ariel?" Wade asked.
"Nothing kept us up," she replied, resting her head on her hand.
"We beg to differ, were did you two sneak off too last night?" Zoe asked, nearly chocking on her coffee from laughter when both kids jumped up trying to sputter out some kind of an excuse.
"You can save it, we heard you not only leave but come home. The next time you try to sneak out, be quieter on the way out the door," Wade informed them. "While you were gone for the few hours no doubt at a party, we came up with a list of things for you to do today and for the next two weeks while you're grounded," he informed them both.
"But," Ariel tried. Zoe shook her head.
"But nothing, you went out and you got caught before you ever left the house, now you get to pay up for doing it, you both have a list of things to do," Zoe said, handing both of them a slip of paper with things they had to do for the day.
"Not fair," Braxton huffed, getting up from the table.
"Think about that the next time you go around breaking rules," Wade told him. "Come on Miss Eliza, let's go play," Wade cooed at his baby daughter, walking outside.
"I wouldn't sit around for long, those chores aren't going to do themselves," Zoe told them, taking her coffee outside.
Ariel glared at her Braxton, as much as she wanted to put all the blame on him, she couldn't because she had went out on her own, no one made her go out. She grabbed her list and looked through it to see what would be the easiest thing for her to do.
Not only was it going to be one long day but two very long weeks!