New Beginnings {ACM}

Chapter 21

"Hey, mom. I'm coming to get Lucy if that's alright with you. We're going to Leah's softball game and Sheridan wants to see her."

"Oh, sure thing. I think she's missed you."

"I miss her, even though it's only been four hours," I smiled. "I'll be there in fifteen."

"I'll have her ready. See you in a bit."

I hung up and continued down the highway. When I arrived at my moms, she was walking with Lucy down the porch stairs.

Lucy's eyes lit up when she saw me and she shrieked. "Momma!"

I smiled as she walked with my mom towards me and I bent down to hug her. "Hi, sweetie. Did you have fun at grandma's?"

She smiled in response and I picked her up. I turned to my mom. "Thanks again, mom. I really appreciate it."

"You're most welcome, honey. I always love having her here," she looked at me with sympathy. "I saw the news story."

I groaned. "I wish that never showed. I guess we should have been more careful; it didn't even cross my mind that we might have been followed."

"It'll blow over soon. Just focus on Lucy and everything will be fine," my mom told me. "Consider her your little supporter."

"I am, trust me. We better go; I've got to get Taylor still."

"Alright, honey. Call if you need anything." My mom pecked Lucy's cheek. "Bye, darling."

"Can you say bye to grandma?" I asked Lucy.

"Bye gamma!" She piped from my arms.

I smiled. "I'll see you later, mom."

"Bye, honey." I waved and put Lucy into her car seat in the back before sliding behind the wheel and pulling out of the driveway.

"Guess who you get to see today, Lucy?" I said as I glanced in my rear-view mirror. She was busy sucking on her thumb staring at me. "You get to see Sher and Auntie Quinn!"

We called Sheridan 'Sher' around Lucy because it was the only thing she could say when she tried to say Sheridan's name. Since Austin and I didn't have any siblings, we considered Quinn and her siblings, and Taylor and Alex, vLucy's aunts and uncles.

She clapped happily. "Sher!"

I laughed and continued towards Taylor's. She was waiting outside when I pulled up to the curb and she got in.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be waiting already," I said. "That did not take you thirty minutes."

She shrugged. "I didn't have anything else to do."

"No jobs to get fired from lately?"

"I got fired yesterday from Jenna's Jewels. Apparently dressing up in the jewerly and taking pictures of myself on the job is frowned upon."

"Well, no kidding."

"Hey, I looked fabulous in those diamonds!" Taylor turned in her seat. "Right, Lucy? Auntie Taylor looks fabulous? Ha, she nodded at me."

I just shook my head. We got to the high school ten minutes later and parked close to the ball diamond. The teams were warming up.

"There's Quinn and Sheridan," Taylor pointed towards the bleachers as I pulled Lucy out of her seat and got her stroller out of the trunk.

"Perfect," I said, setting her inside and strapping her in. I passed her monkey to her. "Here, Luce."

"Ooooh," she gurgled, taking it from me happily.