It Takes A Village

by Rontora

When her son vandalizes Evans Farm, Mercedes has her son go back to clean up his mess, but when she meets the owner, Sam, the instant attraction and seeing how he was with her son draws her closer to him. Sam prides himself on loving and leaving them, but unfortunately for him, Mercedes seems to be an addiction he can't get enough of. And her son is the icing on that cake.

2. Chapter 2

Hey guys so here is another chapter! You can thank Kesh for getting me to crank these out. So much so you might get an additional chapter...we shall see. I love you all and stay blessed!

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Sam Evans stared at the bill in front of him; he couldn't believe that those boys had caused that much damage. And the fact that the parents wanted to throw money at the problem made him angrier.

"Sam, we need to discuss this."

"No!" He said as his younger sister and Evan's Farm CFO walked into the room. "I want no part of this."

"Sam, come on, you are the owner; you need to show your face and talk to those families."

"Stace, I don't. That's what I have you for. This is about money. Did you see how much damage they did?"

"I did," Stacey said, sitting next to him. "Over Fifteen thousand dollars. And from what Finn told me, most of the parents want to pay to see that this goes away."

"Ha, of course, they do…wait, what do you mean most of them?" Sam said looking at her.

"Finn told me that for most of the kids, this meeting is a formality, but there is one new parent around here who wants her son to work off his debt."

"If it's cause she can't pay, just waive it and be done with it. I don't want one of those hoodlums running around here."

Stacey sighed. "Sam, you can leave your flavor of the week alone for one day so you can show your face."

Sam cut his eyes at her. "Don't you dare try to guilt me into something I don't want to do? Handle it, Stacey. I'll be back first thing in the morning to tend to everything."

"Sam!"

"Seeya, sis."

Sam walked out of the room, knowing she was going to be pissed, but he didn't care. He only had one day to enjoy himself. Sunday. Then it's back to the grind. Yes, he had a staff member who cared for the Farm, but he liked getting his hands dirty.

The Farm had been his dream since he was a young boy working on his Grandfather's Ranch. It gave him such pride and taught him the value of hard work. However, that wasn't all he learned from his Grandfather.

Sam was the oldest son of Dwight Evans and stepson of Mary Dwyer-Evans. His biological mother left him on his father's doorstep, not wanting any part of raising that child. Mary accepted him with open arms, and Sam gladly called her mom. He never looked at her as anything but his mother.

But when Sam was ten, his brother Stevie was seven, and his sister Stacey was four, they lost their parents to a car crash, and their summer visits to see their Grandfather turned into a permanent living environment for Sam. At the same time, Stacey and Stevie moved to live with Mary's parents.

The adults made sure the Evans children always saw each other. They lived about an hour apart, so Sam stayed with the Dwyer's every other weekend so he could have time with his siblings, and in the summer, they spent time on the Farm.

Sam loved staying with his Grandfather. Randall Evans was a lady's man; he worked all day and found love in the arms of different women each night. And Sam practically Idolized that man. He benefited from the different women who loved his Grandfather because they made him sweets and helped him with his clothes and schoolwork.

Sam used what he learned from his Grandfather to make his life easier as he got older. He would date a girl so she would do his homework. She'd get to say he was her boyfriend for a week, and he got that companionship. But as his Grandfather said, why stop with one when you can sample different platters?

Though his dad had a wary past, hints towards Sam's mother, when he met Mary, his life changed. Dwight would tell Sam that, when Sam asked why Randall wasn't married, Sam, in his thirty years, had never found one woman who made him reconsider his stance.

Well, that was a lie; there was one. He had met her a year ago; she was beautiful and strong-willed. Some guy was pushing on her, and she punched him in the face when he grabbed her ass.

Sam had bought her a drink, and one thing led to another, and they had a fantastic night together, and then she was gone. Not that he was surprised; his MO was one night of fun and then on to the next. However, after he had a taste of that mystery woman, he couldn't get enough. He went back to the bar three nights in a row, but she didn't show up.

Sam sighed, walking to his car; his sister was half right; he was going out with his flavor of the week, but sadly, he was confident it would end the way the others had, leaving him unsatisfied.

As he walked outside the ranch-style house that he had gotten when his Grandfather gifted it to him, he stopped seeing Finn Hudson walking towards him.

"Still so weird to see you in uniform, Finn."

Finn shrugged. "It's only cause you've known me practically my whole life. It wasn't long ago we were the ones doing the vandalizing."

Sam laughed. "We tried to tip a cow, and we TP'd someone's house a few times; we never caused more than a couple hundred dollars worth of damage."

"I know. I wish you were staying; I am sure I could use your help with the parents."

Sam shook his head. "From what Stacey said, you pretty much know they are going to throw money at the problem. So what do I need to be there for."

Finn ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, real talk; I spoke to all three families about what happened. And yes, two of the parents want to settle with checks, but I am not sure about the wild card."

"Wild card?"

"Yeah." Finn sighed. "Ms. Jones, she's like one of those old-school parents. She's not going to want to throw money at an issue. She said as much."

"Look, I am not needed for this; it's parents throwing around their weight and money in this town. So if she can't pay, tell her to keep a better eye on her son and keep him away from my Farm."

"Ummm no…there is no way in hell I am telling that woman she needs to keep a better eye on her son. Dude, she gave him one look, and the kid asked me to put him in jail." Finn snickered.

"You think it's abuse?"

"Nah, nothing like that. When the St. James kids were brought in, and Rachel and Jesse showed up, their boys literally laughed in their faces when Rachel said there were consequences. And don't get me started on what happened when Quinn picked up her kids. They told her it was time to go. But when Ms. Jones came in, even I didn't want to mess with her. No, it's not abuse, it's damn good parenting."

Sam pulled his keys from his pocket as Finn walked with him towards his truck. "Yeah, well, if that's true, it would be a first around here. Those kids act as if they have no home training."

Finn sighed. "Speak of the little devils. Here they come." He pointed to the four cars pulling into the Farm parking lot. "You sure you gotta go?"

"I need to cut and run now. I got a pretty little thing by the name of Harmony waiting for me."

Finn smirked. "It's not like you are gonna have sex with her."

"Don't be jinxing me, man!" Sam said shoving him.

"You are the one who told me that you haven't been able to get your bat out of the dugout lately. Maybe you are tired of screwing around and actually want something of substance. I mean, you've screwed damn near every woman around."

"Not every woman; I do have standards."

"Hey, heads up, here comes Ms. Jones and all her fineness."

Sam followed Finn's gaze, and his eyes widened. "Fuck!"

"I know. She pretty."

Sam shook his head. "Pretty is putting it lightly. Try gorgeous."

Finn looked at him. "Uh uh, stop trying to imagine her naked."

"Bruh, I don't have to imagine. I have not only seen her naked, but I have had the luxury of having those lips all over me."

"No…No! Tell me you're lying."

Sam shook his head. "Nope, I'm serious."

"Do you even know her name?"

"It's not like we did a lot of talking; she was too busy screaming, and I had my mouth and hands full. I may not know her name, but I know that she tastes better than any woman I have ever been with…and I know that she loves to respond to good girl." Sam said with a smirk.

"Well damn, some men have all the luck; how many times did you go back?"

Sam sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I didn't. We didn't exchange names, and unlike most women in town, she didn't come looking for me."

"Are you gonna talk to her?" Finn asked as she walked past them, arm wrapped around her son as they entered the Ranch home.

Sam watched as her son made a joke, and Mercedes laughed. It was such a beautiful sound. One he thought about often. "No. What's the point? It was a one-night stand, and she got a kid. I don't do kids."

"Well, I gotta get in there; you go have fun with Harmony." Finn patted him on the back before walking towards the Ranch. Sam sighed, unlocking his door and stepping inside his truck. It took him three seconds before he left his seat and walked into the house.

Though half of his Ranch house was normal, four bedrooms, three baths, with a kitchen, a living room, and a den, he had an addition built on to where that half of the house was blacked, and the other half was a greeting and reception area for guests of the Farm, a small shop that would allow people to buy their products, such as fruits and milk, farm fresh eggs.

Walking into the reception room, he sat in the back to avoid disturbing anyone. He watched as Stacey spoke to the parents there. Most he noticed from his childhood.

He met Quinn through her ex-husband Noah Puckerman, who was currently stationed in Guam, when they were in the 8th grade, and had it not been for the bro code, he definitely would have given in when Quinn wanted revenge on Puck in the twelfth grade.

Rachel and Jesse met when they got to high school. Rachel wanted him, and he was turned all the way off. And seeing how she was with her children, he was glad to know he made the right choice.

His eyes drifted to Mercedes; she wore a form-fitting dress the night he met her that left nothing to the imagination. Today, she wore a pair of curve-hugging blue jeans, thigh-high flat boots, and an off-the-shoulder, 'girl's run the world' shirt. Her hair was atop her head with a high ponytail and two tendrils falling down her face. She looked beautiful.

"As you know, your children snuck onto the Farm and did fifteen thousand dollars worth of damage. The way they flipped the tractor caused significant damage to the gear shift and the levers. The broken fence caused us to lose at least three of our sheep and a horse. Thankfully, my brothers are skilled in retrieving animals and were able to get them back safely."

"Can we just get over this?" Rachel St. James said as she stood. "Look, we are sorry that our boys did the damage. I always wanted a girl, but such is life." She said, looking at her two boys, Edward or Eddie, who was Seventeen, and Ryan, who was fourteen. Named after Eddie Ryan from Funny Girl. "Can we just pay you off and be done with this."

"Yes, I have my checkbook right here." Jesse St. James said next to his wife.

Quinn Fabray looked over to her three boys, Jackson, who was seventeen, Paxton, who was fourteen, and Harley, who was twelve, before nodding. "I have my checkbook too."

"No," Mercedes said, to everyone's surprise. "I am not writing a check."

Rachel smirked, looking over to her. "It's okay, Ms. Jones; if you don't have the money, dear, we can cover it."

Her boys snickered as Mercedes stood. "Excuse you, I can afford it, but I will not write a check and take away from the wrong that was done here. These boys destroyed property, and I am not going to sweep it under the rug; that's not how I am raising my son."

"Spoken like someone who doesn't have money." Ryan snickered.

"Oh, you don't want me to come for you, little boy," Mercedes said, and the boy frowned. "Now I think we should replace the tractor parts and then have the boys repaint the house and barn and fix the fences."

"Manual labor? Why not just send them off to a sweatshop." Rachel said dramatically.

"I am not doing any of that shit; shut her down, Rachel," Eddie said to his mother.

"Don't worry, dear, I won't."

Mercedes laughed, shaking her head. "You are seriously gonna let him talk to you like that?"

"I talk to her how the hell I want. And I will talk to you the same." Eddie said, standing. "I did my time one night in that damn cell; I am a grown man; you have no power here."

Cameron balled his fists, standing. "You better not talk to my mom like that!"

"Oh? What you gonna do?"

Mercedes looked at him. "Oh, you don't need to worry about what my son will do to you, but you better be worried about me."

Sam raised an eyebrow, about to step up, but Mercedes didn't back down. "Let me explain something that your parents must not have taught you. You will not disrespect me. I am a grown-ass woman, and I am not about to let you come for me like you are grown. You are a child. So unless you want to come at me, I advise you to sit your ass down and listen to what I have to say."

Eddie stared at her as she stared him back down. "I said now!" Mercedes spoke, and Eddie slowly sat back down.

"What you did was wrong. You came onto someone else's property and destroyed it—fifteen Thousand dollars worth of damage. A night in jail and having your parents pay them off is not teaching you anything. They need to take responsibility for what they did, or you need to press charges. Because that amount of damage done is considered a felony, which means that is up to two years in jail."

"Mom…you can't let her do this," Paxton said.

"I-" Quinn started but couldn't say anything.

"Mom!" Paxton and Jackson said together.

Mercedes shook her head. "Getting scared? Because you are starting to realize how serious this is?"

Ryan folded his arms across his chest. "It was a damn joke. And if they press charges, my family will destroy them."

Finn looked at him. "Is that a threat, young man? Because I can haul you in right now."

Ryan's jaw dropped, and Rachel gave an exacerbated cry. "Finn!"

"No! Ms. Jones is right. And I have no issue arresting you right here and right now."

Mercedes smiled, seeing the stunned look on everyone's face. "I don't know how you guys want to raise your boys, but I am raising mine to accept responsibility." She said, looking at Cameron. "He's a good kid who made a mistake, but that being said, I will not condone what he did. And he won't either because he knows he is better than that."

Cameron looked over to Stacey. "I really am sorry for my part in what happened. I wanted the guys to like me, so I went along with it, even though my mom taught me right from wrong. I will accept any measure you want to take for me to make amends."

Stacey smiled as she looked at Cameron and then at Mercedes. "You have done a wonderful job with your son."

Sam laughed; he had to agree. Mercedes Jones was certainly not like anyone else. He must have laughed out loud because Stacey caught sight of him.

"Well, speaking of manual labor, my brother Sam can tell you what will be expected of you."

Sam rolled his eyes as he moved to the front; she wasn't slick; Stacey knew exactly what she was doing. He moved to the front and looked at Mercedes, who didn't seem shocked to see him.

"Well, if you all are determined to work off your debt, then we would just have you do as Ms.? Mrs.? Jones?" He looked at Mercedes, and she offered him a smile.

"Mercedes is fine."

Sam nodded. "Okay, well, you would do as Mercedes said. Paint the house and barn, and fix the fence. That and the replacement of the tractor should suffice. As long as you are here with them working, it shouldn't be a problem."

Jesse stood. "Look, if you want to make them work off their debt, fine, but I work; I can't be here monitoring them."

"And their dad is deployed, and I work as well. I can't." Quinn added. "I would for sure if I could."

"Well, I just don't want to, so I am not. Why not make Mercedes do it since she's so concerned with our kids."

Mercedes shrugged. "If that was a slight at me, then you missed the mark. Your kids need some discipline, so I am okay with getting my hands on them."

Sam nodded. "Well then, Mercedes and I will come up with times, and the kids will work off the debt."

Mercedes nodded. "Now, if everyone wants to get out their checkbooks, we can pay for the tractor and be on our way."

Stacey smiled. "I think I should put her on the payroll." She whispered to Sam.

Sam moved over to Mercedes and Cameron as the kids stood from their chairs arguing with their parents.

Cameron frowned. "I am really sorry that I joined in."

Sam bent down to him. "I know it's tough being a kid; you are in a new place and want to fit in with your new friends. But I am glad to see that you are a young man who takes responsibility for his mistakes."

"My mom told me it takes a big man to accept responsibility."

"Well, your mother is right. Your mom and dad should be proud."

Cameron frowned. "It's just me and mom."

Mercedes looked down at Cameron, who surprisingly was almost as tall as her 5'3 height. "You have a school project to work on, so we should get going." She looked at Sam. "Mr. Evans, I work four days out of the week and am off Saturday through Monday. So since the kids have school, I was thinking we could meet up Saturday morning; I can pack lunches for the kids."

"Pack lunches?" Sam asked.

"Well, they will be working through lunch, and I didn't think you wanted to hear six young boys complaining about being hungry."

Harley walked over to Merceddes with his head down. "Ms. Jones, I am really sorry about getting Cameron in trouble. When we heard about what my brothers and everyone were doing, I just wanted to be a part of it, and I begged Cam to help. Please don't stop us from being friends."

Mercedes smiled softly. "Thank you, Harley, for apologizing; I am glad to know that Cameron has a friend who knows how to accept responsibility like he does."

"He didn't help tip anything over neither. Just spray painted." Harley assured her.

"I appreciate the heads up. Cam, I will give you five minutes to talk to Harley while I finish working out the details with Mr. Evans, but you are still grounded, so no sleepovers. Don't even ask."

"Yes, ma'am."

Cameron walked off with Harley, and Mercedes turned to Sam. "Okay, so, if you tell me what I need to bring for the boys to use, I will grab it this week because Lord knows their parents won't."

Sam stared at her momentarily, confused about why she was acting as if they had never met. He stepped closer to her. "Do you not remember me at all?"