Author's note at the end.

Kitty walked up the dark wooden staircase and down the hallway to the bedroom her daughters shared. A warm smile graced her lips as she leaned up against the doorpost, watching both little girls sleep. She stood there for a few moments taking in the precious sight.

With a smile, she walked over to the window and opened the window shade. The bright morning sunlight filled the room, yet neither of the girls stirred. Kitty chuckled. Sarah was right; the girls were tired from yesterday.

Kitty's heart swelled with contentment as she looked at both young sleeping beauties.

She made her way over to Maddie's bed first.

Sitting down gently and began to rub the three-year-old's back.

The child let out a soft moan in protest, for she was not ready to wake up.

Kitty could not help but smile as she reached down and kissed the youngster's soft cheek,

"Madeline Joy Russell Dillon,"

She said softly,

"Come on, Sunshine. It's time to wake up."

Little Maddie's eyes fluttered open when she recognized that voice. She turned to see her mother's blue eyes and her red hair.

"Mama!"

Maddie gasped as she scrambled out from under her blankets, then threw her little arms around Kitty's neck.

"Oh, Mama. I've missed you so much!"

Kitty smiled, holding her child close and kissing her on the top of her head,

"I've missed you too, sugar plum."

She rocked the child in her arms for a moment before letting her go.

Maddie looked over to her sister, who was still sleeping soundly,

"Mama?" Maddie asked as she looked back over to her mother.

"Yes, honey?" Her mama replied.

"Who's going to wake Bethany?" Maddie's pale blue eyes locked on her mother's,

"You know, mama. She can be awful hard to wake up."

"Yes, I know she can be; she takes after me. Like you take after your daddy."

Kitty smiled as she took her index finger and ran it down the bridge of Maddie's tiny nose,

The three-year-old batted her eyes as a sly smile spread across her face, "Can I wake her up?"

Kitty laughed. It was hard to resist those blue eyes Maddie inherited from Matt. Along with her smile, her curly dark hair, and her dimples that appeared when she would smile.

"No, sweetie. I want you to go downstairs to help your auntie Sarah with breakfast. I'll wake up your sister,"

Kitty winked at her young daughter. Maddie sighed, then nodded her head.

"Good girl," Kitty gave her an Eskimo kiss before setting her down on the floor. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too, mama."

After Kitty helped young Maddie with her housecoat,

the young child raced out of the room as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Kitty smiled when she could no longer hear Maddie in the hallway. She knew she made the right decision in moving here.

With a sigh, she stood up and walked to the foot of Bethany's bed.

Kitty admired her oldest for a few moments.

Bethany was a mirrored image of Kitty when she was 10. It was hard to believe in less than a month, Bethany would be 10.

Was in it just yesterday that she held this child in her arms?

Kitty shook the memoirs from her mind as she sat down on the left side of the bed.

She brushed a lock of hair from her daughter's face and smiled,

"Bethany Hope Russell Dillon, time to wake up."

The only reply Bethany gave her mother was rolling over in her bed.

A gentle smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she thought how Matt would say,

"She takes after you. She is your daughter."

Kitty chuckled at the thought of him meeting the girls and everything, but now was not the time to daydream.

She then rubbed the girl's back,

"Come on, Hopie girl."

There was no reply, not even a sound. Softly laughing, Kitty stood up and pulled the covers back to reveal two bare feet.

She looked up at the red hair that peeked out from under the covers and pooled over the pillow,

"Sorry, girlie, I know you are not going to like this but," Kitty said as she reached down to the child's feet, then with her long fingernails, she ran them along the bottoms of both feet, "Beth, it's time to wake up."

A louder moan came out from the girl as she tried to tuck her feet in from the imposter that tickled her.

"My name is Bethany, not Beth!"

Bethany said with her eyes still closed,

Kitty chuckled, "I know, I was the one that named you."

Bethany's eye's widened when she realized it was her mother.

"Oh, Mama, I'm so happy it's you! I thought that it was auntie Sarah or Maddie calling me by..."

Bethany could not bring herself to say the name without cringing.

Then Bethany wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and held tight. Kitty returned the warm embrace.

"I'm so happy I was able to wake you. I would have thought that you and Maddie would have greeted me when I arrived."

"Well, we would have, but we had a picnic yesterday. So we played and played and played until it was time to come home, take a bath and go to sleep."

"Sounds like you two had a big day."

"uh-huh... Mama?"

"Yes, Sweetie."

"Will you be staying here forever, or a short time like you usually do?"

Kitty sighed. She was not ready for such a serious question at this moment,

"Well, baby, I can make this promise to you, I will not be going anywhere for a long time, and if I do ever leave, I'm taking you and Maddie with me."

"Is that a promise?"

Kitty slowly nodded, hoping and praying that her daughters would never have to relive the type of life that she did and that she would be able to keep that promise.

It was hard to lose her mother at the age of ten and to be on her own. "Yes, my sweet girl, I'm not going to leave you ever again."

Bethany smiled wide as she squeezed her mother before pulling back.

The aroma of eggs, toast, bacon, and other food filled the house with pleasant aromas.

"Smells like Auntie Sarah and Maddie have breakfast ready,"

Kitty stood up and took hold of the child's housecoat that hung on the bedpost.

Bethany smiled as her mother helped her with the royal blue coat,

"Mama, I'm so glad you're here to stay."

Kitty leaned down and kissed her child on the cheek,

"Me too, Hopie girl, Me too."

Hi everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Don't worry there is more to come, I just work on it and write some more. I do apologize that this chapter is so short but at least it's a chapter and you got to meet Bethany and Maddie.

That being said, I am working on the other chapters and will post them when I'm done with them.

Thanks, guys for all the sweet and kind comments. I appreciate them :)