Harper & Lee Plus Three

Eight Months

I cuddled on the couch next to Lee, watching my two eight-month-olds playing on the floor. Both of my girls had bright, golden curls, and blue eyes. Their skin was only a little lighter than Lee's. At first we thought it was some kind of genetic defect, but the doctors' said everything was fine. When I was pregnant, I imagined them looking totally different, but they're amazing and beautiful just the way they are.

"Momma! Ma ma ma!" Ella said, sitting up and waving her hands.

"What is it? Do you want to play?" I asked, walking over and scooping her up.

I tickled her belly and she laughed. I placed her down into one of the new jumpers we got. Right as I put her down, I heard a crash. I turned around and saw Zophia had pulled my laptop off the coffee table...again.

"Ugh, Zozo," I muttered.

I picked her up and put her in the other jumper. Her and Ella happily jumped up and down in them. I always tried to imagine them jumping together with Lukas. I was snapped out of my thoughts as the front door opened.

"I'm back!" Etsy said, walking in the front door with our lunch takeout.

"Eh Eh!" Ella said.

It was what she called Etsy. Ella was the vocal, sassy one. Zophia usually just kept to herself. She was babbling, but no big words yet.

"Yes, it's Etsy!" I said to Ella. I started clapping my hands. "Yay! Good job!"

"No!" Zophia said, putting her hands by her ears. She didn't like clapping for some reason.

I gasped. I looked at Lee, who was buried in his phone playing Candy Crush. Etsy and I glazed back and forth at each other before I finally said something.

"That was her first word!" I said.

"For reals? And I missed it?" said Etsy, running in.

I tried clapping again to see if she'd say it, but she just started crying. I picked her up and tried to console her, then walked into the kitchen with Etsy. We took the sandwiches out of the bag and tried to figure out whose was whose.

"Pastrami with light mayo. That's Lee's for sure," I said.

"Coming!" Lee said, running into the kitchen and taking the sandwich out of my hands.

Before I could even finish trying to unwrap my sandwich with one hand, Ella was calling me.

"Ma-ma! Ma-ma!" I heard from the other room.

I went over and picked her up with my other free arm. I'd become a champion at carrying two babies at once.

"Ba ba!" Ella said.

It was one of her only other words she said, besides dadda for Lee, who was now upstairs getting ready for work. I put both girls in their high chairs and got their formula bottles ready, then handed them to the girls.

"You're such a good mom. I don't know how you do it," Etsy said.

"I find a way," I said, chuckling. "I had to drop out of high school, but I did it."

"I still think you should go get your GED."

"I will. Just, when they're older or when we can at least afford to take them to daycare."

I heard shoes running down the stairs. Lee gave me a quick kiss and ran out the door. I looked down at my phone. He was definitely late.

We sat down at the table with the girls and I finally got to eat my sandwich. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I took that first bite. It was probably another morning where I'd forgotten to eat breakfast. I couldn't remember.

"So...do you ever think Lee is gonna pop the question?" Etsy asked.

"What? Why would you say that?"

"I dunno. You guys are practically married already. You live together and have two kids. Do you not want to?"

"Well...kind of...but I don't know. We're legit only seventeen now."

"You are. Lee will be eighteen tomorrow!" Etsy said.

I rolled my eyes. "Just because it's kind of legal doesn't mean I wanna do it. I want to have a big huge wedding with all of my new family and all my friends."

"You should go for it. Besides, after I leave, you'll have your own little house with your own little family!"

I made a pouty face at her. "But I don't want you to leave!"

"I know, but this scholarship is a big deal for me! I gotta go get educated so I can get a big girl job. You guys should be fine with bills since Lee got promoted."

I kept pouting. With Etsy going to college next week, she was going to be gone most of the year. She was going to be here on breaks, but we weren't going to make her pay for a place where she wasn't living full time. Long story short, I was losing my bff and half our rent money.

"Well. I gotta do some more packing," Etsy said.

"I'll come help," I said. "Can you grab one of the girls for me?"

"Of course!"

I picked up Zophia and she picked up Ella. We brought them upstairs and I grabbed their Bumbo seats from my room. I put Ella in the pink one and Zophia in the purple one. They sat and kept drinking their bottles.

I helped Etsy fold clothes as my phone started ringing. It was a number I hadn't seen in a long, long time. I picked it up.

"Hello? Harper? It's Detective Swan," he said.

Etsy dropped what she was doing and came over.

"Is this my monthly update? I'm guessing you still have no new leads," I said.

"Are you sitting down?" he asked.

"Uh...on the floor...yeah."

"Alrighty then. Harper, I have something better than just a lead for you. I have your son. We found Lukas." I fell onto my side, crying on the floor. "I'm guessing you're happy."

"Yes. Thank you so so so much!" I said, trying to catch my breath.

"Well, it actually isn't me to thank. It was through a private investigator hired by someone one the outside."

"What? A private investigator?" I said.

"Yes. A lovely local woman was following the case closely. Once our leads went cold three months in, she hired a team from DC. They located a woman in Orlando who was renting out a trailer. She said her tennant matched the description of Tracey Camo. The police went in and found Lukas. He was in good health and well cared for. She raised him like he was her own. They took a DNA sample and it matches the ones from you and Lee. It's your baby."

"When can we come get him?" Etsy said into the phone, putting it on speaker.

"A social worker will be flying in with him to the airport tomorrow morning. You can either pick him up there or at the station. There will probably be news media at both places."

"I don't care! I want to see my son as soon as possible. I don't need to wait for him to be brought down to the police station!" I said.

"Okay then. Meet me at the entrance to the Blue Terminal at the airport, tomorrow morning at six. His flight gets in at seven. I'll take you up past security so you can meet him at the gate. The social worker flying with him will bring him out. After that we'll need to head down to the station to do some paperwork."

"I'll be there," I said.

"And one more thing...the woman who hired the private investigator that found Lukas...she wants to know if you'd like to meet," Detective Swan said.

"Uh, sure! I should at least thank her for helping to bring my little boy back!"

"Perfect. I'll tell her to come down to the station in the morning. See you tomorrow."

"Thanks. Bye."

I hung up and hugged Etsy. It couldn't get any better than this. After eight long months, my little boy is coming home tomorrow!