"Do you want me to walk you to the door, Erin?" Penelope asked as she put her car in park. Erin turned to look at the woman, shaking her head a little before bending to pick up her bags. "All right, I'll stop by at some point tomorrow to check in with you. I'll try to make it look official, so that people won't gossip about it, but I will still feel better about things if I can see you doing better."

"That will be fine, Penelope." She gave the woman a small smile before exiting the car and making her way up to the door. Karen had it open before she could even raise her hand to knock, wrapping her up in a tight hug. Erin turned back to see if Penelope was still there, somewhat relieved to find out that she was the type of person who waited until her friend was inside the house before leaving, and she gave her a little wave before guiding her daughter inside. "Kare, what is it?"

"Dad called me earlier today and told me that he was pressing for shared custody of us, since he found a way to fast track your divorce. I thought that he understood that we were happy with you and Dave. We've just gotten used to being here." Karen burst into tears as she held Erin all the tighter, shifting her body around Erin's baby bump so that she could get as close as possible. "I haven't told Bruce or Tabitha yet, because I didn't know if you knew about the divorce or not, but when you called Dave, I knew. I don't want to miss out on any time with you, Mama."

She stroked Karen's hair lightly as she brought her into the living room. David was sitting on the sofa, Tabitha curled up against his side as they talked animatedly about something related to school, and she cleared her throat a little to get their attention. "I hate to interrupt, Tabby, but I think that I need to talk to David for a few minutes and then we'll have to have a family discussion following supper. Why don't you get Bruce and make something for us?"

"All right! Do you mind if we raid the kitchen, Dave?"

"I trust you munchkins enough to not burn the house down," he replied as he shooed Tabitha away from him. Karen squeezed her once more before pushing Tabitha out of the room. Erin heard her eldest child yell out for her brother as they made for the kitchen, and she let out a watery little chuckle as she made her way over to David and carefully sat down, feeling every creak of her bones. "How is the baby doing?"

"Okay, I think. I am definitely entering the next phase of this pregnancy, though. Eighteen weeks along today, and Haley is twenty weeks. I keep thinking about time, and how it appears to be running out. He served me with divorce papers at work, and then Karen told me that he's pressing for custody of the children. I haven't read the decree yet, but I'm assuming that he's using the part of Virginia law where if a spouse can prove adultery, they can get a divorce without waiting the requisite year before taking such an action. I, I don't know what I'll do if I lose the children at this point, darling." She started to cry once more as she pulled the manila envelope out of her bag and handed it over to him. "Please, look at that and tell me what my next, best, course of action should be."

Erin pulled the knitted blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her body as she curled into the softness of the sofa. "Well, first thing I can tell you, before even looking at these papers, is that I will fight tooth and nail to see that we retain physical custody of the children. If that means we have to get married as soon as the ink is dry on the divorce decree, so be it. You're all my family now, and I will do whatever I have to, in order to make that happen."

"That sounds a lot like love," she whispered before she could check her tongue, and from the corner of her eye, Erin watched him nod without hesitation, feeling the breath sucked from her lungs. "It's only been three months. How can you be that certain?"

"Because you haven't asked me for anything beyond a safe harbor for your bambina. Because your children have brought a life to this house that I never thought it would have. Because holding you in my arms as we go to sleep is enough for me until you're ready, and I've never felt that way in a relationship before, Erin. Usually, I end up screwing my date on the first night, but I haven't felt that desire with you. I don't want to screw this up." He reached out to caress her hair before leaning down and pressing his lips against the crown of her head, drawing in a deep breath that told her he wanted to say more, but a loud shout from the kitchen caught both of their attention.

"Mom! Tell me that Karen is lying!" Tabitha wailed as she raced into the living room and threw herself onto the floor at their feet, reaching out to grab her hand tightly. "I don't want to go live with Dad! He has a two bedroom apartment, which means, Karen and I are going to have to share a room, and Bruce will have to sleep on the couch. I don't want to go back to that. Or spending a week at his place in rotation, since there's only one bedroom. Please, tell me that you won't let that happen!"

Erin had always known that Tabitha was given to being overly emotional, and this was definitely the case here. But before she could say anything, Bruce and Karen were joining their little sister in the living room, looking equally unhappy with the news. She glanced at David, giving him a small shrug, hoping that he would be able to help her explain that it wouldn't be up to her, that it would be the courts deciding how the custody process would go. He gave her a small nod before gesturing for Karen and Bruce to take seats as well.

"Look, kiddos, you've only been here for a few months, but you already feel like my family. And I would do anything for my family. However, this might be something even out of my control as a famous author. I do have a lawyer on retainer, so my next step will be to contact her and have her go over the paperwork that your father sent over today. I won't give up on you without a fight, I can promise you that. Now, how is supper going?"

"The casserole is in the oven, and will be done in about thirty minutes. We have to set the table yet, but…"

"Can we just eat in here and watch a movie on tv? Please?"

Somehow, Erin knew that Tabitha knew she had David wrapped around her little finger when she asked that question, so she was unsurprised when he nodded in response. "Choose a movie, Tabby girl, and make yourselves comfortable. I know that your mother already is."

She chuckled as she cuddled closer to him, resting her head on his chest as her children began to get settled around them, knowing that while the fight might not be over yet, tonight's battle had been won.