Working It Out

[Sonshine]

I've been reading your story and I have to say that I also have July 4th birthday. It is cool! My folks wanted to go to the fireworks show, but I had other ideas, LOL

[Ally3772]

I've been reading your story and I have to say that I also have July 4th birthday. It is cool! My folks wanted to go to the fireworks show, but I had other ideas, LOL

No fireworks for you mom and dad haha! That is neat that you also have that birthday!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Thirteen: Glow Up

"What is going on in here?" I asked.

I walked into Lucas' room where there was a bunch of screaming and giggling going on. Nathan and I sat down with Lucas to discuss the new rules of Samantha being her more often now that they seemed to be getting pretty serious. The bedroom door was to stay open at all times no questions asked. His homework, along with hers, cannot fall behind due to being distracted. If he was going to be at her house or go out on a date we had to know where and when he'd be home. Those were the three simple rules we set and he agreed to all of them. We also had the lovely talk about being safe and what consent was for both parties.

"That's not fair!" Samantha squealed.



"Careful, the boys in this house tend to not play fair when it comes to pillow fights." I warned her.

"I resent that!" Nathan called from the kitchen.

I chuckled.

"He is cheating Raegan!" Samantha said.

"Am not!" Lucas gasped.

"Oh yeah? Let's go then!" She said.



"OUCH!" Lucas said.

"I'll leave you guys to it then, Sam you staying for dinner?" I asked.

"That would be great if that's okay!" Samantha said.

"Of course just let you mom know, okay?" I said.

I walked out into the living room. We made a decent size change to the house this past week with the living room and kitchen. We decided to tear the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room down and put in a half wall with a nice trim. It gave the space a more open floor plan feel so that who ever was cooking could be involved with whoever was in the living room.

"Sam staying for dinner?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, are the girls still okay?" I asked.

"Sound asleep." He told me.



"Good, would you mind if I work out a little?" I asked.

"Can I watch?" He asked, smiling.

I scoffed before going to get changed into my workout clothes.

"So, what are you making anyway?" I asked once I was done.

"It's a surprise!" Nathan told me.

"I do like surprises!" I said.

"Phil says hi by the way." Nathan said.

"How's he doing?" I asked.

"Still watches me like a hawk, but doing well." He told me.

"He was worried about you, I'm sure he will eventually ease up." I said.

I flipped the television on and switched the channel to my favorite work out show to watch.




"Dinner was lovely Nathan." Samantha said.

"Well thank you Samantha." Nathan said, smiling.

After I worked out I took a shower and by the time I got out Nathan was finishing up dinner. It turned out to be his famous chicken alfredo which was the first thing he had made me and I was hooked at first bite. Over dinner Samantha and Lucas talked about school and the upcoming dance that they decided to skip. Samantha helped with the clean up before she had to go home for the night. I walked into the bedroom to see Nathan standing there holding Sophia giving her a bottle.

"Are they doing okay?" I asked.

"Olivia is starting to fuss I think she might be hungry too." Nathan told me.

"Lucas, can you bring a bottle in?" I asked, sticking my head out the door.



Lucas walked in with the bottle handing it to Nathan before leaning over to check on Sophia who was still a little fussy.

"What is wrong little one?" Lucas asked.

"You can go back to whatever you were up too." Nathan told him.

"I don't mind helping." Lucas said.

Nathan smiled over at him as he held Olivia. I watched them as they took care of the girls with a serge of pride at the fact that this was my family.



A Few Days Later

You home? -R

Yeah, Lucas is helping me bathe the girls. They decided to have blowouts at the same time. -N

I swear they plan that lol -R

You almost home? -N

Yeah! I have a surprise for you -N

I put my phone back in my purse and smiled before looking at myself in the mirror again. I treated myself with a spa and shopping day since Nathan and Lucas were both at home because I needed a break. I loved Sophia and Olivia and I wouldn't trade them for the world but I was going stir crazy. I got my hair touched up and the dead ends cut off, I thought about getting it cut short but decided against it. I found this cute maroon sweater top that had a V-Neck that had strings going across. I also found a cute pair of black jeans with holes on the thighs and paired them both with a pair of maroon ankle boots. Before I knew it I was walking up the porch to the house.

"Nathan?" I called.



Nathan walked out of the bedroom and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Whoa." He muttered.

"Is that a good whoa?" I asked.

"Whoa." He repeated.

I laughed, "Nathan!"

"That is a very good whoa." Nathan said.

I giggled as he came over to me and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.

"How are the girls?" I asked.

"They are fine, you look beautiful." He told me.

"Thank you." I said.

"Whoa mom! Look at you!" Lucas gasped.

"See, I told you." Nathan said.

"Well you know Finley, she's going to want photos when I tell her." I said.

"Let's go take them then!" He said.

We headed into the living room and Nathan told me to get by the wall that didn't have anything on it.

"Alright, ready when you are." Nathan said.





"I love that last one." I said.

We were looking at the photos that Nathan took on his phone before they were sent to Finley who absolutely loved the new look.

"Me too, we should frame it." Nathan said.

"I'm feeling great. I wasn't expecting to lose the baby weight this fast." I told him.

"You look incredible, not that you didn't before babe. You just had a glow up!" He said.

I smiled and gave him another kiss.

"Come on, let's go see the girls." I said.

I grabbed his hand and we walked into the bedroom.

Just a small little update!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Fourteen: Opening Up

Tigger Warning: VERY light mentions of emotional abuse by parents.

"The girls are officially down." I said.

Nathan sat on the couch in the living room staring at his phone.

"Nathan?" I asked.

No response.

"Nathan?" I repeated.

He jumped, "Huh? What?"

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

I sat down next to him on the couch as he put his phone down and sighed.

"My sister texted me." He told me.

"Jessica? What does she want?" I asked.

"My moms in town. She texted me to warn me." He said.

I looked at him questioningly wondering what was so wrong with his mother being in town. Nathan didn't speak about his family much which I thought was strange, but we all have our reasons for things so I didn't push too much. I knew that he had two brothers Tommy and Steven and his sister Jessica. Then from what I remember his parents live out of state but they never speak to one another. I've always wondered why but figured that he would tell me when he was ready.

"Nathan, I know you never speak of it, but why is that a bad thing? I would love to meet her." I said.

"No you wouldn't, my mom... she isn't a nice person." He said.

"How so?" I asked.

"She just isn't, okay?!" He snapped.

I flinched.

"Rae- I'm sorry. I just don't want her here." He said.

"Then she won't be here." I assured him.

He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm going to go check on the girls." I told him.

I stood up from the couch and headed towards the nursery where the girls should be sleeping. They were infants now and I couldn't believe how big they have gotten! I felt so bad because both girls had both my hair color and my eye color. Olivia had her short hair tied up in a little pink bow and I found this cute little pale pink tank top and short outfit to match it. I bought simple white sandals to go with the outfit. I was able to somehow get Sophia's hair in pig tails with bangs. She has a white long sleeve shirt on with dots on them and a purple overall dress over it. I found these cute little Velcro sneakers that matched the purple dress. 

"What are you doing on the floor?" I cooed.

Olivia squealed and kicked her legs up at me from her mat.

"They woke up a little bit ago." Lucas said.

He had been standing by the shelf putting their bottles back.

"That wasn't a very long nap." I said.



I walked over to Sophia who was babbling to herself.

"And what do you have to say for yourself little miss?" I asked.

She kicked her legs at me and reached up for me.



"You and your sister are going to be cranky later." I said.

"Is it alright if I go over to Sam's later?" Lucas asked.

"Is your homework done?" I asked him.

"Yep! Along with my paper for English." He said.

"Then you may go over there, tell her I said hello." I said.

I bent over and scooped Sophia up before tossing her in the air causing her to squeal.

"You're flying Soph!" I said.



Nathan walked into the room.

"Our baby is flying?" He questioned.

"That she is." I said.

As if she knew he walked into the room Olivia started to fuss on the floor.

"No fussing, we can't have fussy baby girls." He said.

He picked her off of the floor and began to rock her back and forth. She immediately calmed down as she stared up at him. The girls may look like me but they were one hundred percent daddy's girls through and through. I watched him as I rocked Sophia back and forth with a smile on my face. Until I felt a disgusting splurge of poop from Sophia's diaper along with the sound that came with.

"Oh noooo." I groaned.

"What?" Nathan asked.

"Your daughter just had an explosion." I said.

I walked over to the changing table and carefully laid her down. She immediately started to cry because she hated having to lay still while we changed her diaper.

"I know honey, it'll be over before you know it." I soothed.



I finished up changing Sophia before turning around to find Nathan looking at his phone again but this time looking angry.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"My sister gave my mother our address." Nathan scowled.

I walked over to Sophia's crib and laid her down gently before turning around and taking Olivia from Nathan's arms before laying her down in her crib. I turned back around to face Nathan as I thought carefully about what I was going to say without upsetting him further.

"Did she say why she did?" I asked.

"No, just that she wouldn't stop asking and she caved." He told me.

"Nathan, are- are we in any danger?" I asked carefully.

He looked at me, "Of course not, sweetie I didn't mean to worry you."

"Okay, I hated to ask but I was just thinking of the children." I said.

He walked over to me and gave my forehead a kiss. I could still tell he was upset, but he didn't seem to be upset that I had asked if I should be worried. I didn't know anything of his parents but I would not allow our children to be hurt in any way.

"I'm going to walk Oliver." Nathan said.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine." He said.

...

I walked into the bathroom that was attached to our bedroom to find Nathan bathing Oliver.

"Did he roll in the mud again?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't have the heart to stop him he enjoys it so much." Nathan said.



I smiled and leaned against the wall.

"She did some things that a mother shouldn't do." He said quietly as he continued to bathe Oliver.

"Did she ab-"

"No, she didn't touch me. It was all emotional." He said cutting me off.

I walked over to him and lightly rubbed his back for support.

"It's why I separated myself from them. I know dad doesn't deserve it but I'm angry with him for letting it happen." He said.

"I'm sorry, it's something no child should know." I said.

He turned the water off before grabbing the towel to dry Oliver.

"It's why I refuse to be anything like them. My children will never know the feeling of anything other than being loved." He told me.

"They know, the girls may be young but they love you. They adore you, and Lucas looks up to you in so many ways." I said.

"You've raised an amazing kid." He said.

He quickly wiped away a tear so that I didn't see, I saw it but decided to pretend otherwise.

"He's your kid too, and you're doing amazing being his father when you didn't have to be." I told him.

He smiled up at me as he continued to dry Oliver.

"I'm home! Going to go work out!" Lucas called.

"That was fast." I said.

I headed out of the bathroom to find Lucas headed to the extra bedroom where we kept the treadmill.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

Lucas got onto the treadmill and turned it on, "Fine."

"Lucas, what happened? I'm your mother I know when something is wrong." I said.

"I think there's another guy." He said.

"Another guy? You mean with Sam?" I asked.

"She told me this football player hit on her at school today but she told him to beat it." He told me.

"So there's no issue." I said.

"I'm too scrawny I need to buff up." He said.



"Lucas, you do not need to change yourself in order to impress a girl. Especially not one who clearly already loves you." I said.

He ignored me as he sped up the treadmill.

"Lucas!" I scolded.

"Leave me alone mom, I need to work out." He said.

I walked over to the treadmill and turned it off.

"Mom!" He yelled.

"Do not yell at me Lucas. I will not let you run your self esteem into the ground because some footballer at school! If Sam doesn't like you for who you are then that's on her. Got it?" I asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I just don't get it." He said.

"You said Sam turned him down which means she is not interested. So that means she likes you more." I told him.

"Heard loud and clear, thanks mom." He said.

I gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

"You are my boy, I will be here whenever you need me." I said.

"Promise?" He asked.

"In a heart beat." I whispered.

The girls have grown up! Also how is it March already?!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Fifteen: Cutting Ties

"Lucas! Can you get that?" I asked.

Lucas was on the couch and I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when the door bell rang. Nathan was in the nursery putting Sophia down to sleep, and Olivia for some reason insisted on sleeping on the hard floor by the play pin. I put her into the play pin to sleep and she cried, but lay her on the floor and she is fine.

"Sure mom." Lucas said.

I watched as he got off of the couch and walked over to the front door.

"Hi, can I help you?" He asked.

"I need to speak to Nathan." A woman said.

I stopped cleaning to listen to whoever was at the door.

"Can I ask who you are?" Lucas asked, politely.

"Can I ask who you are?" She said in a passive aggressive tone.

"I'm his son." He told her.

"Nathan doesn't have any children, especially none your age I would know at least that much?" She said.

I stepped around the counter and walked into the living room to see that the lady has somehow invited herself into our house.

"I am his son." Lucas repeated.

"You're delusional is what you are child." She said.



She had short white hair but was still pretty young looking. She wore this weird grey quilted material outfit and looked like she thought she owned the world. I could feel the mama bear claws coming out as I watched the interaction play out.

"Look lady, I don't know who you are but I promise you that I'm his kid." Lucas said.

"Watch your tone with me brat!" She snapped.



"And you watch your tone with him!" I snarled.

She clearly didn't see me or even care to look beforehand because she almost jumped.

"And you might be?" She asked.

"His mother." I hissed.

"Right, do help me will you dear?" She said.

"Who are you and why are you in this house?" I asked.

She put her hands on her hips as if to intimidate me so I mocked her by doing the same. She was in my house and I she would be absolutely wrong if she thought I was about to allow her to speak to my children like that.



"Mom?"

I turned around to see Nathan standing a little ways away looking like a ghost.

"Nathan, thank heavens! These people are insane." The lady said.

"Those people are my family, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"Ah, so the kid is telling the truth then? You somehow hid my grandchild away from me while you still lived at home?" She asked.

"His name is Lucas and he is my son. Period." Nathan said.

I could cry at the feeling that bubbled up in my chest just now. Obviously Ian was Lucas' biological father and always would be, but Nathan accepted him without a question as his own blood. After losing Ian I accepted the fact that Lucas was going to be brought up without a father. Until Nathan came along and gradually earned Lucas' trust, and now the two were father and son. This lady sure as heck wasn't about to come in here and ruin that for them.

"This is your mother?" I asked.

"Unfortunately." Nathan said.

"Oh Nathan stop that, what makes you say that? You had a great childhood!" She told him.

I watched Nathan's face go red, "I did, did I?"



I will keep what was said, or screamed, between them private. But I learned that her name was Mary and she was still oblivious on how she treated him growing up. I never doubted Nathan when he said she wasn't a good mother, and this little visit gave me more insight of just how bad she was and is to him. Olivia started crying at the sudden outburst of screams and Lucas walked over and picked her up to take her to the nursery.

"Who keeps their babies on the floor?" Mary scoffed.

"I do, it's where she preferred to sleep." I said flatly.

"I'm guessing you're claiming that is your kid too?" Mary asked Nathan.

"She is my daughter along with her twin sister." Nathan said, crossing his arms.

"Hmph. I see." She said.

"Why are you here Mary?" Nathan asked.

"Your sister gave me your address, I just thought I'd check in on my son." She told him.

"If you really cared about your son then you would know he has children and a wife." I snarled.

"Was I speaking to you?" She snapped.



"ENOUGH!" Nathan roared.

I even jumped a little.

"That is enough. I do not know why you decided to show up to my home Mary, and frankly I do not care. I have nothing to say to you and as far as I'm concerned after today we are through. You can claim you are my mother all you want and play the victim to whoever you want after today. I am through letting you drag me around for your own pleasure. I have a family now and I promise you that my children and any future children will never know even an ounce of how you made me feel. They are amazing kids and apart of me will always be sad for them that they won't know their grandmother, but you will not be in their lives as long as Raegan and I are alive." Nathan declared.



I was frozen in place as I carefully watched Mary and how she reacted to his speech.

"Well, if that's how you feel Nathan after I've given you everything in your life." Mary scoffed.

"That is how I feel, and I would appreciate it if you would get out of my house now." He told her.

"You are a ungrateful little brat, always have been." Mary screamed.



All it took was seeing Nathan flinch, even just a little, before I was finished.

"You have over stayed your little visit Mary." I said.

"Oh, now you speak?" She asked.

"I have stayed silent because this is between you and Nathan. You have hurt him in ways that I can't even grasp, but I'm his wife now and I am not going to stand around and let you hurt him anymore. It is time that he learned what being loved is and you will not come in here and ruin that for him." I snapped.

"Oh, I have hurt him? Really?" Mary asked.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" I screamed.



Nathan walked over to stand behind me as if to tell her he supports my decision.

"If I need to get the police involved then I will call them right now." Nathan said calmly.

"No, I will be leaving. But this is it Nathan, this will be the last time you hear from me or your father." Mary warned.

"Don't threaten me with a good time." I muttered.

Nathan chocked out a laugh before suppressing it just as fast to be serious again.

"Goodbye then." Mary said.

Nathan watched her straight faced as she turned around and walked out of the house. I quickly walked over and locked the door so that she couldn't turn around and come back inside. I slowly turned around to see Nathan standing frozen in shock over what all just happened. I walked over to him slowly before taking his face in my hands and looking into his eyes not saying a word. Very slowly I watched his face morph into pain and then quickly he started crying. I could see not only adult Nathan in pain but his child form also needing to let this out.

"Oh baby." I whispered.

I pulled him into my arms and let him sob into my hair as he squeezed me tightly. I saw Lucas walk back into the living room and I gave him a small smile to let him know everything was okay. He nodded sadly before walking into his bedroom to give us some privacy. Officially cutting ties with someone whether their friends or family was never easy no matter how toxic the relationship is. I knew that this was going to be hard for Nathan to work through, but I also knew that this was what was best for him and I hope he knew that too.

I was going to turn this into a long chapter, but I think I'll leave it there. I wasn't actually going to introduce Mary, but decided to open more into Nathan's side of his family. I hope I wrote it in a way that wasn't triggering for anyone. I always aim to keep my stories family friendly, but add a bit of "seriousness" in here and there.

[Metropolis Man]

High drama! Wow. When a child calls their parent by their first name instead of "mom," you know it cannot be good. Lol. Nice update, as always.

[Ally3772]

High drama! Wow. When a child calls their parent by their first name instead of "mom," you know it cannot be good. Lol. Nice update, as always.

Haha thank you! =]

[Ally3772]

Chapter Sixteen: Back to Normal

"Now, next time you decide to throw up all over yourself can you please wait until you've had the outfit on for more than thirty seconds?" I asked.

Sophia giggled from the bathtub as I carefully ran the wash cloth over her chest and stomach.

"Oh that's funny huh?" I asked, smiling.

I grabbed the rubber duck and held it up.

"What's this?" I asked.

She looked up at it with a big smile on her face.

"It's a duck! Yeah!" I cooed.



Things were getting back to normal after the whole incident with Mary showing up uninvited. Nathan was not happy with his sister Jessica, but he forgave her in the end because it wasn't her fault that Mary was the way she was. I carefully pulled Sophia from the bath tub and laid her down on the towel that I had ready on the floor. I carried her into the nursery where Nathan was feeding Olivia her bottle.

"How did it go?" Nathan asked.

"Perfect, now that she isn't covered in throw up." I said.

I laid her down on the changing table before working on getting her dressed.

"Mary left town." Nathan said.

"Good, now we can all get back to the swing of things." I said.

"It never should have happened." He said.

"I know but it isn't your fault. I'm sorry that you had to grow up like that." I said.

I picked Sophia up before carrying her over to the crib and laying her down.

"Me too." He whispered.

I walked over and gave him a kiss before heading out of the nursery. I knew Nathan was beating himself up over the whole encounter and I was trying my best to convince him that it wasn't his fault. I knew guilt though because I think apart of me will always blame myself for Ian's death. I may not have been the one to actually kill him but I could have stopped him from going. They were two different situations but guilt is guilt at the end of the day. Time would help Nathan move past it and until then I would help him as much as possible.

"Hey mom." Lucas said.

I walked past him as he sat at the island in the kitchen.

"What are you up too?" I asked.

I walked around the counter and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before walking over to him. He had an application of some sort in front of him and he was tapping his pen against the counter.

"I'm filling out an application for the burger place downtown." He said.

"You're applying for a job?" I asked.

"Yeah! A buddy of mine works there and told me to apply!" He told me.

"What are you going to use the extra cash for?" I asked him.

"To get a head start for my future." He said.

I gave him a questioning look.

"I think I want to be a vet mom." He told me.

"A vet?! Lucas that's great! You've always loved animals." I said.

"Samantha is going to be one too as you know, so we came up with an idea of eventually opening our own clinic!" He said, excitedly.

"That's really great." I told him.

"Are you okay with me getting a job?" He asked me.

"As long as your grades don't slip!" I said.

"Cool." He said.

He went back to filling out the application. I walked back around the counter and gave him a kiss on his head before heading back into the nursery. Nathan was standing over the girls taking pictures of them on the floor.

"Look at you guys!" I said.



"They are quite photogenic." Nathan said.

"I see that!" I said.

"Girls! Girls! Look up here!" He said.

Sophia rolled so that she was now on her stomach and I carefully flipped her so that she was facing Nathan.

"Look at daddy!" I cooed.



Olivia was starting to slowly be able to sit up on her own and she made these cute grunting noises as she did it.

"These are turning out great." I said.

"We have some cute kids." He agreed.

"Speaking of our kids, Lucas is applying for a job at the burger shop downtown." I said.

"He is?" He asked.

"Says he plans on becoming a vet and eventually owning his own clinic with Sam." I told him.

"And you don't want him too?" He questioned.

"No, I have no issues with it. As long as his grades stay up and he is doing it for the right reasons." I said.

"He's always loved animals, heck I almost convinced him to be a dog walker before we knew each other." He giggled.

"I forgot about that!" I said.

"I think it's a great idea! We'll make sure he isn't slipping at school or losing sleep." He told me.

"I agree." I said.

Olivia squealed breaking us out of our conversation.



"You and sucking on those fingers!" I giggled.

She smiled as she continued to suck on them.

"Well, at least she isn't her sister who is currently eating her shoe." Nathan said.

"Soph! What are you doing?" I giggled.

Sophia looked up at me like eating her shoe was completely normal.



Sophia gave a big yawn.

"Is it nap time?" I asked.

I scooped Sophia up before putting her down for a nap.

"Want me to get Olivia?" I offered.

"No, I think we're going to do tummy time." Nathan said.

"Alright let me know if you need me." I said.



"I'm going to go drop this off." Lucas said.

"Okay sweetie, please be careful." I said.

"I will! I love you mom." He said.

"I love you too baby." I said.

He waved before leaving the house and I smiled back.

"Watch over him." I whispered to Ian's urn.

I touched the urn lightly before heading into the kitchen to start lunch.

Hi guys!

I'm going to be going out of state on a vacation next week so replies may stop until I get back on April 1st! I will try to get another chapter out before hand, but if I'm not able too I just wanted to let you know! =] I hope you have a great weekend!

[Ally3772]

Chapter Seventeen: Behind Closed Doors

"There you are." I said.

I walked into the nursery after searching for Lucas.

"Shhh, she just went down." Lucas whispered.

I walked over to see Sophia asleep in his arms.

"You can put her in her crib." I said.

"I know, but she's so small and cute." He said.

I smiled as I watched her fast asleep in her older brothers arms.



"Your dad said you needed to talk to us about something?" I asked.

It was why I originally came to find him. Nathan told me that Lucas came up to him earlier looking very concerned about something but wouldn't say what it was. He just told him that he needed to talk to both of us later and went into his room.

"Yeah, maybe after dinner?" Lucas asked.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him.

"Not really, but I hope I can make it okay." He told me.

I bit my lip before telling him that we will talk after dinner. I was about to say something else when I heard fussing coming from the living room. I walked out to see Olivia who was now awake from her own nap and staring at the ceiling. I walked over to the playpen and scooped her out of it.

"Come here baby girl." I said.



"What's the matter?" I cooed.

I laid her on my shoulder and rocked her back and forth. She started to get fussy again and I rubbed her back while humming a song quietly hoping that it'd calm her down. It was hard to believe that they were going to be toddlers soon. That was when things would get interesting because they'd be walking and getting into everything and anything.

"You and your sister are going to be a handful aren't you?" I giggled.

"They will for sure." Nathan said.

He walked into the living room from the kitchen and came over and gave me a kiss.

"Lucas wants to talk after dinner." I said.

"I couldn't get it out of him about what it is." Nathan said.



"I couldn't either, but whatever it is seems to be bothering him." I said.

"I hope we can help." He said.

I nodded in agreement.

...

"We just ate dinner! You're eating again?!" I gasped.

"I'm hungry!" Lucas said, with a mouth full.

I laughed, this boy was going to eat me out of house and home.

"Olivia! Does brother have you on his back?" I cooed.

"She was fussy again." Luas told me.

"I think her tummy is bothering her." I told him.



"After you're done, will you take out the trash? Then we can talk if you want." I offered.

"Of course." He said.

Thirty minutes later I was sitting on the couch with Lucas and Nathan was leaning against the wall facing us.

"So, what is up kid?" Nathan asked.

"I have a big question to ask." Lucas said.

I as immediately on edge. Lucas was a simple teenager who literally asked for nothing.

"We're listening." I said.

Lucas took a deep breath and was silent for a few moments as he gathered what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it.

"Can Sam move in with us?" Lucas finally asked.

Of all the things I was expecting it wasn't that and judging by the look on Nathan's face it wasn't what he thought either. Samantha didn't talk about her parents a lot and when we asked her about it she would give generic answers about them being fine. I've only met her mother a few times but I never met or saw her father which I always felt strange about. I looked at Nathan who seemed to be at a loss for words and unsure what to say.

"I-Why does she need to move in?" I asked.

"Things aren't good at her home right now." Lucas said.

"With her parents?" I guessed.

"Yeah, her dad moved out last week. Her mother is losing it and has been screaming and throwing things at Sam when she's home." He told me.

I saw a shift happen and he was suddenly blinking back tears.

"Lucas?" I asked.

"She's homeless mom." He cried.

"What?!" I gasped.

"She's been sneaking back into the school at night to get some sleep and use the showers." He told us.

"Oh my!" I whispered.

I covered my mouth with a hand as I tried to imagine what she was going through.

"Everything seemed fine with her." Nathan whispered.

"She likes to keep her problems behind closed doors." Lucas told him.

It was such a huge burden to carry as a teenager, and one no one should have to carry alone. We had to help her somehow, but I needed to make sure that Nathan was up for it.

"I have to help her mom, please! I have to help her!" Lucas cried.

I pulled him into my arms and he started sobbing into my shoulder. I looked over to Nathan who stood up from the wall and ran his fingers through his hair. Once Lucas calmed down we had him go into his room while Nathan and I talked it over. It ended up being a long conversation because this was in fact a big ask as Lucas had told us it would be. In the end we both agreed that we couldn't just let her be without a home or the necessities. We would have to eventually talk to her mother because in the end Sam was her daughter and it would be wrong to not let her know where her daughter was. Something told me though her mom wouldn't mind which I couldn't wrap my head around still. The few times I met her she seemed like a normal loving mother, but maybe that was all just an act. I tried not to let my mind wander too far because what if she had mistreated Lucas all those times we let him go over there? Nathan reminded me that Lucas would have told us had something happened. After we ironed everything out it ended up being an hour or so after Lucas went into his room.

"Lucas! Come back out please." I called.

Lucas walked out of his bedroom and sat back down on the couch.

I took a breath before speaking.

"Your father and I have come to an agreement that we will help Sam." I told him.

"She can move in?!" Lucas gasped, his face lighting up.

"As long as it is okay with her mother, she can move in. But Lucas, there will be rules." I said.

"Of course, anything." He said.

"She'll be moving into the spare bedroom. She will absolutely not be allowed to sleep in your bed until you guys are older." Nathan told him.

Lucas nodded eagerly.

"School work will remain the same, it has to be done and grades have to stay up." I added.

"And if this doesn't work out for any reason we will come up with another solution." Nathan said.

"I agree." Lucas said.

"So, I will call her mother tomorrow and talk with her about it." I told him.

"Thanks mom, thank you so much." He said, relieved.



We wrapped up the conversation and Nathan and I went to check on the girls.

"Ew, what is that smell?" I gasped.

I covered my nose with my hand as we discovered that Sophia was lying in her crib with poop everywhere. We both just stood there for a moment not knowing what to do before we jumped into action. Nathan scooped her up and held her at arms length before going over to the changing table and getting to work.

"You eat the same thing every day, how did this happen?" Nathan asked.

"I'm going to run the bath." I said.

"Oh little girl this stinks." He told her.

Sophia was calm as he peeled her clothes off of her. He dropped them on the floor next to the changing table as he took what was once a clean diaper off of her.

"Bath is ready!" I called from the bathroom.

He walked in with her a moment later before gently laying her down in the baby bathtub.

"It's always you little one. Your sister doesn't get as many baths as you do." Nathan chuckled.

Sophia looked up at him with a smile.



"We should rename her stinky butt." I giggled.

"Should we?" Nathan cooed to Sophia.

I smiled as I listened to Sophia giggle. I watched for a few moments before walking into the kitchen to make the phone call to Samantha's mother.

Here goes nothing.

I'm back! It was a great vacation and I had a lot of fun but I'm glad to be home! I hope everyone had a good Easter =]

[Ally3772]

Chapter Eighteen: Emotions

It has been a whirl wind of a month. The conversation I had with Cindy, Samantha's mother, had been more emotional then I could ever imagine. It turns out that Frank, Samantha's father left them with no warning. She didn't go into specifics, but it sounded pretty bad. Cindy was fed up with Samantha and whatever phase she was going through dressing in all black and they were fighting constantly. Cindy didn't specifically say that she blamed Samantha for Frank leaving but that was the vibe I picked up from her. It made no sense to me because Sam was an amazing girl with big dreams, so what if she dressed in all black? I tried to remain unjudgmental as Cindy told me she was at the end of her rope with Sam. That's when I offered to take Sam for a little while so Cindy could get back on her feet. At first she objected claiming that she was Sam's mother and it was her responsibility to raise her despite Frank not being there. I had told her that I understood completely and I was in no way coming between them. I eventually got through to her and she agreed that the constant arguing wasn't doing their relationship any good. In the end she agreed to let Sam move in with us and I promised her that she would be safe with us.

"This is your room!" I said.

I turned around to face Sam who was holding a white suitcase, Lucas was standing behind her carrying a black suitcase in one hand and a red one in the other. They walked into the room after me and looked around for a moment. Sam put the box by the door and Lucas stacked the other one on top of it.

"We can change the wall color if you'd like, and I'll have Nathan move the treadmill somewhere else." I told her.

"No that's okay, the treadmill can stay I don't want to be any trouble." Sam insisted.

"If you change your mind, let me know." I said.

"Thanks mom." Lucas said.

I took that as my que to leave and walked out of the room. I glanced over my shoulder to see them start to unpack the boxes while talking in whispers.

"Is she all set?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, she doesn't seem to mind the treadmill in the room." I told him.

"What about the walls?" He asked.

"She said it's fine." I said.

Oliver came running in the doggy door absolutely covered in mud.

"Oh come on Oliver!" I gasped.

Oliver tilted his head sideways like he wasn't sure what the big deal was. I led him to our bedroom and into the bathroom before starting to give him the third bath of that week and I wasn't even joking. The first he decided the prance around in his own poop, and then the day after he decided to climb into the neighbors trash. He panted as I scrubbed the soap into his fir and I fake scolded him. I wasn't actually mad though because he was just being a dog.



After the bath I headed outside where Nathan was standing by the front gate in his uniform.

"You have to go in?" I asked.

Oliver ran over to him.

"Phil just called, he needs all hands on deck tonight." Nathan told me.

"Please be careful." I told him.

Nathan bent down and gave Oliver scratches on the side of his neck.



"I always am, I love you." He said.

Nathan kissed me.

"I love you too." I said.

I waved goodbye before walking over to Sam and Lucas who was handing Olivia over to Sam.

"This is Sam Olivia, she is really nice." Lucas said.



Sam has met the girls before but has always been a bit nervous about holding them.

"I'm going to drop her." Sam said.

"No you won't, just support her head and then hold her butt with your other arm." Lucas instructed.

"Like this?" She asked.

"Perfect." He told her.

"Careful, she is the wiggle worm." I said.

"My mom said I was a wiggle worm when I was little." She told me.

"It must be a little girl thing." I giggled.

"Where is Sophia?" She asked.

"In the nursery, do you want to try to hold her?" Lucas asked.

"I might as well get used to it." She said, nervously.

Sam walked over to me and handed Olivia to me as we walked into the house and into the nursery.

"I have always loved her pajamas." Sam squealed.

"She looks like a little bear, doesn't she?" I asked.

"Too bad we don't have any honey." She joked.

Lucas handed Sam Sophia and she seemed more comfortable this time.

"She is so cute! I can't wait to have kids someday." She cooed.

"Key word is someday, right?" I asked, laughing nervously.

"Of course." She said, smiling.



I wouldn't mind being a grandmother, but definitely not anytime soon. The twins were about to be toddlers and the thought of more little ones running around soon was overwhelming. Nathan and I agreed that we were fine with no more children. We were getting older too and our energy was going to be used chasing the girls around. Sophia gave a big yawn and stretched her arms above her head.

"Someone is tired." Lucas said.

"I think she's going through a growth spurt." I said.

"She has been sleeping a lot." He told me.

"Can I put her down for her nap?" Sam asked.

"Be my guest!" I said.

Sam carefully walked over to Sophia's crib and gently laid her down. It didn't take long for Sophia to stretch and then roll over on her side before closing her eyes. I had put Olivia in her crib when I walked into the nursery and she was already asleep.

"Are you all unpacked?" I asked Sam.

"Yeah, do you want to see?" Sam asked.

"Of course!" I said.

She led me to her room even though I obviously knew where it was. I expected that we would have to go pick up her bed at some point so I was going to tell her she could sleep on the couch. We walked into the room and my heart sank at the sight of the room. In one corner lay a black and gray sleeping bag with a cereal box and books laying on the floor next to it. Right across from it was the three suitcases she had stacked on each other. On top of the suit cases sat a old television like the one we had in the apartment with a lawn chair sitting in front of it. There was a portable stereo system with a pair of headphones sitting on the floor. Was this all she had?

"Sam... is this all of your things?" I asked.

"Yep! If it takes up too much room I can pack some of it up." Sam told me.

I tried my best not to gape at her, how could she think this was too much? By her reaction this was probably what her room looked like at home.

"Do we need to go get you bed?" I asked her.

"No, the sleeping bag is my bed." She said.

"You didn't have a bed?" I asked.

"My dad took it with him, I found this old sleeping bag in the closet. It's pretty comfortable so I don't mind." She said.



"Sam, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but would it be okay if I buy you a bed?" I asked.

"No, Mrs. Williams I'm okay really." Sam insisted.

"Please, it's Raegan. It also isn't a burden at all. I would love to buy you furniture." I said.

"I'm okay." She said.

"Alright, but the offer stands." I said, smiling a little bit.

I didn't want to push her into anything that she didn't want to do, it just made me sad to see how little she owned. I would be patient with her as she adjusted to living with us and maybe she would come around. I left Sam to be in her room while Lucas followed me into the kitchen and sat at the small table by the backdoor.

"Have a lot of homework?" I asked.

"Not too much." Lucas told me.

"So, Lucas. Did you know her room looked like that at her house?" I asked.

"Mom, it's okay." He assured me.

"I just hate that she was living like that." I sighed.

"It was rough, but she is resilient." He told me.

"That she is." I said.



"Raegan?" Sam asked.

I turned around to see Sam confidently holding Sophia in her arms. My face scrunched up as the smell coming from Sophia caught up with my nose.

"I think Sophia had an accident." Sam said.

"I smell that, would you mind bringing her into my bathroom?" I asked.

"Of course." She said.

Sam followed me into the bathroom where I quickly made a bath as Sam undressed Sophia.

"Come here stinky girl." I said.



"This is a really nice bathroom." Sam said.

"Thank you." I said, smiling.

"If I didn't say it yet, thank you for letting me stay here." She told me.

"Of course honey, we couldn't let you not have a safe space." I said.

Sam started sniffing before bursting into tears, I wasn't expecting it so I turned around to see her covering her face with both of her hands. I called Lucas in to get Sophia and he immediately became alarmed at the sight of Sam crying. I told him that I had her and he grabbed a towel before grabbing Sophia out of the tub and left the bathroom. I pulled Sam into my arms and cradled her head as she cried into my shoulder.

"Why didn't they want me?" She sobbed.

"Oh honey." I whispered.

"I tried my best, I really did!" She cried.

"I know, shhh I know. You did nothing wrong, okay?" I said.

She slowly nodded as she sniffled.

"Sometimes parents get things very very wrong. We are in no way perfect, and I can't speak for your parents obviously, but I like to think that deep down they're trying their hardest. It may not seem like it right now, but you are safe. You are safe to feel everything you need to feel when you need to feel it." I told her.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"I am here anytime for whatever you need. We'll get through this together." I promised her.

...

"Hey Luc-"

I quickly stopped talking when I saw Lucas and Sam on the couch with their eyes closed.



"Isn't it too cute?" Nathan asked.

I jumped, not realizing he was home already.

"When did you get in?" I asked.

"Just a little bit ago. They were already asleep when I came in." He told me.

"She is exhausted, she had quite the emotional day." I sighed.

I sat at the island as Nathan poured himself a glass of milk.

"I can't imagine this is easy for her to handle." He said.

"She cried in my arms in the bathroom. All the emotions just hit her at once and she just broke." I told him.

He sighed, "Poor thing."

"Thank you, for being okay with her being here." I said.

"Of course, the thought of her sneaking in the high school for a place to sleep broke my heart." He said.

"I know." I agreed.

"How were the girls today?" He asked.

"Well, Sophia decided to poop all over the place. It was a nice change from it being Olivia getting the bath. Sam held both of them today also!" I said.

"Wow! She has been hesitant to do that." He said.

"Right? Then she said she couldn't wait for a baby and my eyeballs almost popped out." I chuckled.

"Yeah, that's not happening any time soon." He agreed.

I glanced over to Lucas and Sam sleeping on the couch and smiled. Lucas was becoming less of a teenager and more of a grown up in the way that he took care of Sam. It was disgustingly adorable in so many ways. I smiled remembering how Ian was with me throughout our relationship and I only hoped that he somehow was playing a part in how Lucas was with Sam.

So, somehow the aging seems messed up. Nathan and Raegan still have 30+ days of adulthood while Lucas has 13ish days until he is a Young Adult. So I may age Nathan and Raegan up before their time in game for the sake of the story. I haven't fully decided, but if it happens faster than you think it should that is why! I hope you guys enjoyed! =]

[Ally3772]

Chapter Nineteen: Peas in a Pod

"Look here! Olivia!" I cooed.

I was kneeling in front of the girls who were now toddlers. We had just cleaned them up from the cake fiasco that led to cake in places I didn't think were possible. Olivia has short hair with two braids on either side. I picked out a cute white sweater with a brown plaid skirt that had straps that go up over the shoulders. Then I found these cute little sneakers that were brown that went perfect with her outfit. Sophia had long hair that I put in a braid with a blue bow at the bottom and had a few strands of hair loose. I also put her in a dress that was light blue with flowers and bees on it. She wore a simple white shirt underneath with grey tights and these cute little white sandals.

"Girls! Over here!" I called.



"Perfect!" I said.

I snapped a few more pictures.

"They're so cute!" Sam said, walking into the living room.

"Especially when they do that!" I said.

Olivia and Sophia linked hands and were swinging them back and forth.



"Alright girls, I'm going to go get your lunches going." I told them.

"I can sit with them." Sam offered.

"Thank you sweetie." I said.

I offered her a smile before heading into the kitchen.

"Hey girls!" Sam sang.



Nathan walked through the front door as soon as I walked into the kitchen.

"Hey!" I said.

"Hi." He said, exhausted.

"How was your shift?" I asked.

"Extremely long." He said.

I walked over to him and hugged him as he sank into my arms.

"That ended up being a sixteen hour shift." I said.

"Yeah." He mumbled into my shoulder.

"They aren't suppose to work you over twelve." I reminded him.

"Jackson needed someone to stay a little over for him." He said.

I massaged the back of his neck as he groaned.

"You should take some time off." I told him.

He stood up straight slowly.

"I just need to be home with my girls." He said.

"I resent that." Lucas said.

He had just walked in from the living room.

"And son." Nathan chuckled.

...

"There's my girl! There's my Sophia!" Nathan sang.

He scooped Sophia off of the floor and threw her in the air before catching her.

"D!" Sophia said.

The girls couldn't say dad yet so they associated Nathan with just sounding the first letter out. We were working on teaching them how to say mom and dad but it was slow going so far. Nathan smiled at Sophia as she babbled nonsense but Nathan acted like he understood everything she was saying.




"She needs a nap." I said.

"Are you sleepy?" Nathan asked softly.

Sophia stuck her thumb in her mouth as Nathan turned to go put her down for her nap.

"Little miss Olivia, are you tired?" I asked.

I turned around to see Olivia by the television, she looked up at me and shook her head.

"You're not tired, go night night with your sister?" I asked.

She looked up at me with a blank expression.

"You're so silly." I said.



We didn't change the nursery too much, but some of it had to be change for obvious reasons. We picked out two purple beds that had butterflies on actual bed and the bedding that came with it had flowers and hearts on the blankets. I took the plants out of the corners and moved their stuffed cats where they used to be. In the middle of the beds I found this cute little doll house that I put next to the toy chest I found at the same store. I kept the changing tables for now seeing as they wouldn't be potty trained right away. I was excited to get rid of them though because that meant no more diapers.



After Sophia woke up from her nap it was time for dinner.

"We probably shouldn't of let her sleep." I said.

"I'm sure she'll go down fine." Nathan said.

Olivia kicked her feet to stop from being put down into the high chair.

"Come on sweetie, you need to eat." I told her.

She fussed and wiggled trying to get out of my hands.

"Olivia." I warned.



I finally managed to get her to sit down in the chair as she reached for Sophia's empty bowl that had applesauce in it.

"Hang on, brother is getting your cereal." I told her.

As if on cue Lucas walked over with a bowl of dry cereal and set it in front of Olivia.

"See!" I said.

She grabbed a handful of cereal as she studied the different colors.

"Pretty!" I cooed.



Olivia looked up at me and offered me her fistful of cereal.

"No thank you, that is yours." I told her.

She took her fist back and shoved it in her mouth.

"Careful." Nathan said.

She just looked at him with a blank stare as she shoved more in.

"Well, she is your daughter." He said to me.

"And what does that mean?" I huffed.

"She's stubborn and does what she wants." He told me.

I faked being insulted as I playfully slapped him in his chest.

"Hey Raegan?" Sam asked.

She was walking into the kitchen with a piece of paper and a pen.

"Yes sweetie?" I asked.

"Can you sign this permission slip? It's for a field trip to the zoo." She said.

"Oh yeah, I need a signature too." Lucas said.

"Of course!" I said.

I grabbed the form and signed it before handing it back to Sam.

"I have to get ready for work." Lucas said.

"Short shift tonight?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, just a few hours." He told him.

"Have good shift baby." Sam said.

She walked over to him and gave him a kiss. I smiled widely at Nathan as they kissed before breaking apart.

...

I looked out the window wondering there Lucas was only to find him outside taking a picture. I opened up the front door and stepped onto the porch before shutting the door behind me.

"Are you flexing?" I asked.

"Mooooom." Lucas groaned.

"Well, it's a fair question!" I giggled.

He sighed.

"How was the shift?" I asked.

"Great!" He told me.

Lucas kept up his bargain with keeping his grades up with having this job. My only problem was he came home smelling like burgers and fries which made me want some. It was a good thing he always made sure to bring me a mini burger and small fry after every shift.

"For you." He said.

I took the bag getting a whiff of both the wonderful smell mixed with the stinky smell that was my son.

"Thank you, now go shower." I joked.

"Hey! I happen to smell like a hard working man!" He insisted.

I giggled.



I walked back into the house following Lucas and heard squealing coming from the dining room.

"What is all this noise?" I asked, jokingly.

"Fwy!" Olivia said.

"Fly." Nathan repeated.

"FWY!" She said.

"Alright, fwy it is." He said.



I giggled.

"I hate to be the party pooper, but it is bed time for two cutie pies." I said.

"Alright you heard mama, bed time!" Nathan said.

I took Olivia from Nathan who told me he was going to go take a shower. I carried Olivia into their bedroom to find Lucas heading that way as well. I was about to question how he was already done showering, but he could get ready in two seconds if you needed him too so who was I to question it? We walked into the room to find Sophia playing with her toys.

"Time to pick pajamas!" I said.

She stood up shakily before heading over to the dresser. I set Olivia down on the floor next to her sister and they immediately grabbed each others hands. They were like two peas in a pod and I hoped they stayed this way.

"Bue fwish!" Sophia said.

I held up a dark blue tank top with a blue fish on it and she squealed. I threw it to Lucas who worked on getting her changed into that and a pair of blue spotted pants.

"What about you miss Olivia?" I asked.

She toddled over to me and grabbed the first thing she saw which was a yellow shirt and shorts, the shirt had what appeared to be a llama on it.

"How about we read a book?" Lucas asked Sophia.

"Book!" Sophia clapped.

"This book is very special to me, mama used to read this book to me when I was your age." Lucas told her.

Sophia had no clue what any of that meant, but it made my heart melt as he pulled out the dinosaur book.



"I can't believe you kept it!" I said.

"Of course I did, I'm saving it for when I have kids." He told me.

"How sweet, isn't your brother sweet?" I asked Olivia.

"Weet!" She said.

I laughed at her attempt of copying what I said.



"Alright, let's read this book and then sleepy time." I said.

Olivia crawled under the covers as Lucas and I read them their bedtime stories. Once they were asleep Lucas headed off to do his homework and I just sat there watching the girls sleep for a little while longer. Time was going by so fast at times, but for now I planned on enjoying the toddler stage as much as I possibly could.

Time for the real trouble to start now that they're mobile!