Hidden Burdens (working title)

Chapter Thirteen

"You're human, Ben," she reminded him. "We all make mistakes." The reminder prompted Kayla to apologize for getting on his case. "Mary and I talked as well, and I plan on calling Jennifer myself tomorrow. As for the visits, make sure you pay close attention while Miguel is visiting with his father. If any red flags do come up, document it."

"So, you think we should keep the visits?" he asked.

She shrugged. "The man has a right to see his kids. I get where Mary's coming from and if it is unsafe for the visit to happen, we should consider the risks. But if Jennifer says the visits will happen, that's all we can do."

Ben stared at the floor for a moment. "Miguel does seem really excited," he said, as if to sound positive. He then headed back around the bed and into their bathroom to brush his teeth and to splash water on his face.

While he was brushing his teeth, Kayla called to him, "Are you going to the men's breakfast in the morning?" The men's breakfast was a bible study group their church held every Thursday at sunrise for the guys, like Kayla's women's group that meets Monday nights. Except they serve dessert.

He spit into the sink so he could answer. "What about Kimmy?"

"I asked my mom if she could come over in the morning when I leave to take the other kids to school," she explained. "She said she didn't mind."

Ben stared at his reflection while brushing his teeth, thinking how much all their kiddos had loved Grandma Joy and how much she loved every single one of them. She was always willing to step in to help whenever Ben and Kayla needed the extra help, even though they weren't biologically her grandkids. If only his mom would feel the same way.

Kayla cut through his thoughts, asking if he had heard her.

Ben spit once more. "If she's able to. Yeah, I'll go."

"Great, because you could use the 'guy time.'" Kayla laughed.

He rinsed his mouth out with water before grabbing a hand towel beside his sink. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He dried his hands and face off.

"I mean, you now live with four girls and the only other guy is under the age of five."

Ben left the bathroom, shutting off the light, including the closet. He stopped beside the bed, placing his hands on his sides once more, as he scowled at the woman.

Kayla just laughed some more.

To get even since she had been teasing him all week, Ben hopped on the bed and pinned Kayla down to tickle the life out of her as punishment. He knew where every ticklish spot to reach for, too. The only reason Ben stopped was because Mary and Claudia had heard Kayla laughing and pleading, and thought they were doing something else.

-- & --

Claudia's alarm clock went off once again the next morning.

Kimmy jumped out of a sound sleep, shooting into a sitting position. She peered over at the digital alarm clock on the girl's nightstand, echoing throughout the room. Her heart had skipped a beat at the sudden loud noise.

Unfortunately, Claudia did not wake up right away, nor did she make haste to turn it off when she finally woke up. Instead, she turned over slowly and groped through the air before finding the clock. Her hand hit the snooze bar, so five minutes later, just as Kimmy was dozing off back to sleep, the annoying buzzing alarm went off again.

Thankfully, Kayla had come to the door to get Claudia up. "Let's go, Claudia." She switched on the bedroom light and wouldn't stop until the girl was sitting up and had her feet on the floor.