Beth
I didn’t sleep much that night, I was too busy thinking about Mason and Lily and my grand plan that seemed so hugely flawed once the sun had set. I’m not sure if it’s this particular case or because it’s my first, even if it will be this way every time, but now I’ve honed in on one I can’t stop channelling their feelings, grief and loss and sickly despair that made my stomach nauseous.
When the sun rose through the window I got up out of bed and pulled on Jim’s shirt from last night and headed down stairs, curling up in a little ball in the armchair that faced the glass wall. Seeing the woods outside calmed me and it made me want to shift into my wolf to enhance the effect. I was worried though that it was still too dangerous with Jim, and then I wouldn’t be able to think straight if I was in wolf form either.
Which wouldn’t be helpful to me since I have so much to think about now, like my conversation last night with Jim about kids. I guess I wasn’t exactly surprised that he asked about it, from the beginning he made it clear that he was in it for the whole package.
To be honest though, I know that I told him I can’t have kids because of the training and fighting and that’s all true but, it’s also true that I’ve got a few years before Dad steps down and I know he wouldn’t push me to do it if I wanted a baby, the thing is, I’m not sure that I do, at least not yet.
I love Jim and I want a family with him someday, just not right now and I know that it’s selfish of me considering how far apart our biological clocks are but I just don’t feel ready, it kind of scares me to picture myself as a Mother, a real one – everyone knows there’s way more to being a Mom than just having the baby, it’s a whole life commitment.
Some people, like Jim I guess – grow up knowing that they want a big family and they go through life searching for the person that they want that with, some people don’t even think about it and then they have a baby and can’t imagine doing anything different, some people have doubts and then as soon as they hold their baby the doubts just fade away, but I don’t want to chance it. What if I have a baby and hope that everything will fall into place only for the moment to come and I’m holding a tiny person in my arms that I brought into the world and feel nothing for it?
I couldn’t do that, it wouldn’t be fair on the baby or on Jim. I want to make him happy and I’m hoping that some more time of being together as we are will assure me that a family is what I want, that it’ll be me asking Jim about us having kids the next time.
I’m not sure where my reluctance is coming from... maybe my ideals from being in the human world are still too strong, maybe I’m just not a maternal person – the trouble is I know that that’s not true. I love babies, they’re adorable and fascinating and I can’t resist holding one if I get the chance, and then there’s how I always seemed to be the Mother figure in my group of friends, if something was wrong they would always come to me.
Maybe it’s something as simple as I feel too young to be a Mom, that a Mom in my mind is someone who has lived already, whose experiences are kept and remembered to help her children when they need it even if they don’t know they need it themselves.
I mean what can I offer a child in way of experience? What can I give them to face the world with? I was lucky, I had two parents who were born to be just that, parents. I can’t expect Jim to do all the work and I wouldn’t want him to, but I don’t want to be useless either. If I have a baby, I want it to grow up knowing that they have me no matter what, that they can always come to me with anything but what if they don’t want to? What if they think I’m useless?
I don’t know, I think time will be my best bet. I’ve spent my whole life being shoved from pillar to post because it’s what someone else wanted for me – when I was a kid I’d go between my parents and grandparents, even some friend's parents, then I got shipped away for eight years into a place so annoyingly safe and regimented that nothing truly interesting has ever happened to me. I haven’t done anything resembling life except meeting Jim and that was by accident, I’ve never done anything because it’s what I wanted, it was always for someone else or by a twist of fate.
It’s why I wanted to travel, I thought by taking on the world on my own it would force me to grow up and be independent, to see things and feel things and make memories of my own for my own. I thought that in some ways it would make me a better person, it would make me less ignorant of the world that to me had never existed outside of where I happened to be at the time. I thought it would make me less ignorant of myself, it would challenge me and I'd make mistakes and that within all that I’d learn things.
I know I should’ve talked to Jim about this last night... but then maybe it’s something I need to figure out for myself. I love Jim but I don’t trust him to tell me the complete truth, he’d probably tell me what would make me happier and I don’t want that, not this time.
Around five minutes later the sound of thunderous footfalls on the wooden stairs and yelling roused my attention until Jim ran to me and crashed to his knees on the floor in front of my chair.
Panting like a mad man, Jim took my face firmly in his hands. “Beth, you can’t do that to me”.
I turned my head in his hands and kissed his palm gently. “Do what to you”?
“Leave me like that without telling me”.
“I didn’t want to wake you, it’s really early – like a quarter to six, go back to bed silly” I laughed a little at his still shocked face.
“No, not out without you. What’s wrong? Why are you up so early”?
“I couldn’t sleep, do you have any ginger ale”?
Jim nodded. “Yeah, we bought some yesterday. Still feelin’ queasy”?
“Mm, it’s this damn Alpha female crap, I’d rather take the bone crushing shift over this... but I guess it’s good to have an eye on Mason and Lilly in any case”.
Jim took a hand off of my face and stroked his fingers gently through my hair. “I’m not sure I like this, you’re a little pale... I’ll go get you that ginger ale ok”?
“Ok”.
I watched him leave the room and go into the kitchen, watched him open the fridge door and scan the contents before he pulled out a can of ginger ale, my Grandma would always give me ginger ale when I felt sick, ginger naturally settles the stomach. I'm just glad I thought of it yesterday. When he came back Jim handed me the can that he’d opened for me already and I took a big swig before settling back into the chair, trying to ignore Jim’s worried stare and failing miserably at it.
“Jim, go back to bed” I sighed, looking out of the window.
“No... would you mind if I called the pack doctor”? My eyes snapped to him immdiately.
“Yes I would, very much”.
“Baby, you’re sick”.
“No I’m not, I told you already it’s this new installation of my wolf inheritance, I’ll be fine in a couple days”.
“I want you to talk to the pack Doctor, if your Mom were here it would be different because you could ask her about it, I want you to see the Doctor”. I stared at him specuatively, watching as his concern was being taken over by his 'dominerring' side.
“If it’s assurance you want call the pack historian, he’ll know better”.
“Beth –“
“No Doctors”.
Jim was in a mood with me but silent treatment wasn’t his strong point, he still hovered around me and would accidently kiss me or go to hold me before he realised he was still mad. I’d had a shower since then and wound up in more of Jim’s clothes but I wasn’t complaining today because they’re comfy and God knows that comfort is what I need right now. I was hoping to just fall into oblivion soon so that I didn't have to suffer for a little while.
Jim had finally stopped his sulking and laid us down on the couch to watch a movie together when there was a knock at the door. When I looked up at him he looked confused like he thought maybe he hadn’t heard right but I knew it was the door, so I got up from the couch only to get caught in his arms and pulled away.
“You aren’t going to the door”. He said it like I was an idiot.
“Why not”?
“Because it could be anybody and you’re far too sexy wearing my clothes”. I rolled my eyes and tugged him towards the door anyway before whoever it was thought no one was home and went away. I held onto Jim’s arm and stayed behind him with my head peeking around his side as he opened the door, I think both of us stopped breathing.
“Can I come in”? My Dad asked softly, asking Jim more than me. I felt my mate snake an arm behind him and around me, bringing me closer into his back like he thought I was about to get snatched. Jim looked down at me then for my answer, I know that he doesn’t want him here, I’m not entirely sure that I do but he’s here now and I can’t deny that I’m curious, so I nodded up at him.
Without saying anything to my Dad, Jim picked me up in his arms and carried me back to the couch, he sat us down and kept hold of me on his lap, tucking me up in his arms completely, only resting when he had his chin on top of my head, I felt like I was in a living crate and I couldn't help both snuggling in tighter and rolling my eyes to the heavens.
Dad stood around in the door way for a second looking awkward before he closed the door and walked though, perching himself on the edge of the armchair I’d been in this morning. We sat there, no one daring to look at anyone else, all unsure of what to say or who should start. The silence was resounding and pressed on my ears until thankfully, my Dad started talking.
“I’m sorry”, he was looking at me when he said it, taking extra notice of Jim’s possessive hold on my body.
I nodded casually. “What exactly for”?
Dad pushed his hands together like he was praying. “How I behaved, you didn’t deserve that Beth”.
“I know, neither did Jim, are you going to apologise to him”? My tone was gettting noticably sharper by the second, but I couldn't help it - I never realised I was so angry. Dad's eyes were looking at me with his apology but I was tired of him ignoring the big issue, I don't care what he says or does to me but what he said and did to Jim was beyond crossing a line, it was spitting on the line and then setting it on fire.
Dad looked at Jim then. “...I’m sorry Jim”.
I frowned. “Is that it? Do you have any idea what you put us through? Do you even care how much you hurt us”?
“Of course I do Beth! It got out of hand – I got out of hand. It was a shock, when you told me, it was right after the attack and I didn’t know what was going to happen and then you tell me that your mates and – it was too much, knowing what I know about Jim –“
“Which you lied about! Jim was never married”. Jim's arms tightened and I wondered why until I looked down and saw myself leaning out of his hold like I was going to pounce, so I sat back.
“I know –“
“You were happy to let me think otherwise though, have me think that my mate loved somebody else – that my own feelings were stupid and didn’t mean anything –“
“I know and I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Princess”.
“Not to mention the oversized skunk you turned me into”.
Dad sighed again and this time he really did look like an old man, sad and full of regrets. “I didn’t mean for that to happen Beth – I had no idea that it would happen, I didn’t think about your Alpha half, I didn’t think it was even present in you yet”.
Jim hadn’t said anything yet and I thought that out of the both of us he would be the one to lose his temper but I got that the wrong way around. I was waiting for him to say something, anything, but I think that he was trying purposefully to keep himself quiet, whether for my sake or because he wanted to seem like the whole thing was beneath him and it didn't touch him I wasn't sure, but I felt like I was fighting for him so that was ok.
“Tell me what I can do Beth, to try and make it up to you”. I knew what I wanted from him and it was simple really, it's what I had always wanted.
“Tell me that you’re happy for me, that you’re happy Jim is my mate”.
Dad stared at me for a second. "Are you happy”?
“Yes”.
“Then I’m happy for you”.
“Do you really mean that”?
Dad nodded. “Yes, can I please have a hug now”.
I thought about it for a minute, could I really just let it go? I'm happy now, I have Jim and he has me... that's all that matters, if anything Dad just proved how strong we are. So I squirmed out of Jim’s arms and went over to hug my Dad, I had missed him so much, even though he was once again being a butthead I love him and I always will. Dad's arms were like a vice around me, but I didn't mind so much. It was nice to have him back, even just having his scent was comforting. I didn't completely let go but I leant back so that I could get his attention.
“Now that you’re here Dad, I need to ask you something”.
“Anything Princess” he murmured with a kiss to my head.
“Well, do you know Mason Armstrong”?
He nodded. “Sure, he’s a good kid – couple years older than you right”?
“One but yes, did you know that his parents passed away”?
“No"! Dad looked shocked, I guess it must be unusal for Dad not know when something like that happens. "When”?
“A few days ago, he’s on his own trying to look after his little sister, she’s only threeyears old, practically a baby and he’s finding it really hard and, you’ve got that huge pack house with no pack and, you get kinda lonely... I was thinking that maybe you could give them a couple rooms and keep an eye on them? I mean you know what it's like to lose someone who's really important and you can help him with Lilly too.
Dad smiled a little. “...Where did this come from”?
“I don’t know, yesterday we were in the grocery store and I just, found him I guess... I felt how sad they were and how lonely they are and they are part of the pack and that house is ridiculously huge for one person”.
His eyes gleamed. “You’re starting to get your gift aren’t you”?
“That’s what I think it is", I could feel Jim about to open his mouth about it so I added. "It’s making me feel kinda crappy though”.
Dad nodded. “It will at first, your Mother found herself dragged down a lot whenever she focused too hard on a person. You’ve learnt how to hold them, you need to learn to let go now honey or you will make yourself sick”.
“I know but I can’t, I feel like I need to keep an eye on them, him especially... his mind is a very dark place”.
Dad tutted gently. “But you’ll make yourself sick sweetie, I’ll make you a deal, you learn to let this one go and I’ll go over and talk to him about this moving in thing, ok”?
I smiled big. “Ok”.
I felt the dam bust in Jim's head then, right before his arms wrapped around me and he turned me to face him. “It’s not ok, you’re already making yourself sick and you refuse to let me call the pack doctor”.
“Yes, because I’m fine" I turned to look at Dad then with pleading in my eyes "– tell him Dad, he won’t shut up about it”.
Dad laughed loudly and shook his head, holding his hands up high in some kind of white flag gesture. “Oh no, I’m not taking sides with you two, it’d be like being between a rock and a hard place, you two figure it out for yourselves”.
Rolling my eyes, I settled into Jim's chest. “Whatever, will you go see Mason please”?
Dad nodded. “Yeah, I know where his parents place is”.
“Call me and tell me how it went”.
Dad's eyebrows knit together. “You’re not coming with me”? I guess I should, Mason might be a little freaked if my Dad comes knocking.
“... I guess it is kinda my job, and I did tell him I’d find him... yeah ok, but can we go to the house so I can get my own clothes, I feel like I’m drowning”. I complained, swishing around in Jim's clothes, I mean I'm small already and Jim, well Jim is huge.
Jim shook his head and held me tighter. “Beth you’re sick, stay home and rest”.
I pushed myself away from him in a hurry. “No, I’m busy, you go and rest”.
“Beth –“
“Sorry, I’m needed – goodbye”. I ran out of the house before my Dad so that I wouldn't get pulled back inside again.
“He’s is going to be a grouch when I get home now” I muttered to no one in particular, even though it was only me and Dad in the Jeep.
“So, you’re staying with Jim now”?
I turned my head to face my Dad. “I won’t if you don’t want me to”.
“I’m not going to ask you to do that for God’s sake, I know I haven’t done much to prove it but I’m not evil. I know you’ll be happier if you stay with him, besides it would be that or nailing your bedroom window shut so he couldn’t climb up the side of the house. When I said that I’d be happy if you stayed close that’s all I meant, I didn’t mean you had to stay in the house with me, just nearby enough to stop in –“
“And I will, you can’t stop me”.
He chuckled. “Good, besides looks like I’m about to get some new guests anyway... it was a good idea you had, the house was originally for the pack... maybe you should do a little more recon in future, just keep an eye out, ok Princess”?
“Be happy to. I just want to get this one over with, I’m losing sleep over it and now I’m fighting with Jim over it”.
“Why”?
“It’s just making me a little under the weather and I’m all 'where’s the fire'? when he starts panicking, he doesn’t appreciate my lack of concern”.
Dad's eyes flicked to me then and back to the road. “When you say, under the weather”?
“Tired and not being able to sleep, queasy too, not all the time though”.
“Don’t shoot me now, but maybe you should see the Doctor Sweetie”.
I groaned; not him too? Seriously? “No, what is it with you people? Honestly, men are all babies”.
“Oh really”?
“Yes really, I’m the one that’s going through the motions here and do you hear me complain about it? No, but you two are like little old ladies”.
“You shouldn’t complain at people who care about you Beth, especially not me... or Jim, he’s responsible for you now Beth and if he slips up there will be blood”. It scared and annoyed me that he was serious, but Dad doesn't know Jim when he's with me yet so he's just going to have to get used to it and admit that Jim wouldn't hurt me, just like I wouldn't hurt him.
“Dad”!
“What? I’d say it about any guy that turned out to be your mate”.
“Yeah except you look like you wouldn’t mind a fight with Jim. You know I could’ve killed him that night, when you made me shift, I ran because I knew that if I stayed I would’ve hurt him, I could’ve killed him and I would’ve blamed you”. I was being honest about that, he should know what he did or I'll never really forgive him.
“I would too, I'm so sorry I just – he knows how much you mean to me –“
“ – you can’t blame him Dad, mates aren’t a choice – you really think he’d look at me twice if I wasn’t”?
“Enough of that talk right now, he’s a lucky son of bitch to have you and so would anyone else – you’re beautiful, just like your Mother, you’ve even got a few of my smouldering good looks too, how could anyone resist you”? I shook my head at his flattery, the funny thing was that he even managed to complement himself when he was trying to make me feel better, typical Dad.
“You know this doesn’t count, you’re my Dad so you have to say that”.
“No I don’t – I could tell you that you came from the top of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, but I’m not going to lie to you again so there’s no point”.
I laughed so hard, my feet were stamping on the floor of the Jeep. “The top of the ugly tree”?
He shrugged. “What? It’s something I heard your Grandma say once about something, it was the funniest thing I’d ever heard her say at the time so I guess it stuck”.
“I love Grandma”.
“Me too, she makes a mean apple crumble”.
“Dad"! I chided.
“What? It’s true, she knows I love her. So are you really happy with Jim”? I could tell he was being serious now and part of me was annoyed he had to ask but he is my Dad and he always said that he wants me to be happy, I guess after everything that hasn't changed.
“Yeah... I wasn’t at first. I was taken off guard, I mean I’d just got back into town, ready to leave at the drop of a hat and twenty minutes after I walk through the front door, I have my mate staring me in the eyes; it really messed up my mind – I tried to reject him but I couldn’t, I was so scared and I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. Don’t get me wrong, Jim didn’t push me but he never gave up either... I guess he knew what he wanted, it confused me at first but now I know what he gave up to find me, it kinda makes sense”.
“What did you say when he told you about it”?
“That I didn’t know if I should kiss him or tell him that he’s a terrible person, and be it because of the bond or just because I love him so much, I can’t hold it against him for long, not when I think about what we have and I know that in itself is terrible but – I don’t care – I mean how many people wouldn’t have done that to find their mate”? Dad nodded.
“That’s the only reason I didn’t hold him and get his pack to form a mob and take him back, because I thought of your Mother and I knew without a skip of a heartbeat that I would do anything for her and for an Alpha of all people to even consider leaving his pack that’s saying something”.
“Just don’t be too hard on him Dad” I begged.
“I’ll try”.
“Why were you so angry if you agreed with his choice”?
He sighed deeply. “I guess I felt a little betrayed, everyone knows how much I wanted you back and just when I thought I had you I find out you belong to someone else, taken right out of my hands before I even knew you were gone”.
“I’m not gone, and Jim’s got another thing coming if he thinks I belong to him, what am I, a football”?
He laughed. “I do love you Beth, you have a knack for saying the right things”.
“Well, I have pretty awesome parents”.
“No disagreement there; but I am glad that you’re happy, and, however grudgingly it may be, I’m glad Jim’s happy too, miserable bastard, maybe he’ll smile a little now”. We both laughed at that.
It had taken so long to get from where home is now and back into town that I told Dad not to worry about me picking up more clothes and that we’d do it on the way back, that way we could get to Mason and Lilly quicker.
I was feeling anxious to get to them as quickly as possible, there was something about Mason that unsettled me. I’ve lost one parent and I was distraught and I know that Mason lost both but there’s something more there, something so blue that he felt cold to me when I knew that isn’t possible.
The house looked perfect, blissfully simple and generic. It was a gleaming white in the late morning sunshine, with hunter green shutters on either side of all the windows. It had a small gravel drive way with no car and it wasn't hard to realise for me that that's how they lost their parents and how Dad had missed it since it wasn't because of the usual - hunters and rogues. The grass was cut with a few small toys dotted around here and there, obviously dropped for something more exciting. The house had a large open porch with a cute swing, set into far left corner. It looked lived in and full of memories, like such a happy place.
“It’s so sad” I cried, feeling tears pouring down my cheeks.
Dad looked around at me now the engine was shut off. “It’s just a house Sweetie, it looks fine” he said, confused.
I shook my head. “No, I can feel it, it’s rolling off of it like waves of heat”. I took in a few shuddering breaths trying to remind myself that what I was feeling wasn't my feelings, but someone else's, that it was going to be ok because we were here to help, that it was ok to let go now, but I couldn't.
He looked worried now. “Beth honey, maybe you should wait here”.
I shook my head firmly. “No, I promised – never go back on your promises, I’ll be fine – just don’t tell Jim” I joked, trying to lighten the mood again but Dad was far from impressed.
We got out of the car and wondered up the small path, right up the porch steps and knocked on the door. It took around twenty seconds before Mason opened it and I was glad he did because I was about five seconds away from knocking it down.
I surveyed him then, trying to see if he was taking care of himself because it wasn't until I really thought about that cold feeling, really let myself feel it fully that I understood he was contemplating suicide. That was why I'd been so anxious, why I couldn't sleep because in the back of my head I knew what was going on in his. I was his last hope, if I hadn't bumped into him in the store yesterday, it would've been too late.
“Hey” I murmured with a smile.
“Hi Beth, Alpha Hobbs, Sir”. He looked a little surprised to see my Dad but I was glad that he was here too, I needed to know that I had strength on my side too, I know that Mason isn't deranged or anything, he's just lost a lot of love and faith in a short space of time, but it still made me feel better that Dad was here.
“Mason, is it alright if we come in”?
“Uh, sure”. He nodded at me and stepped aside for me and Dad to pass before he shut the door.
I was expecting it to be messy, cluttered and chaotic like his mind but it was tidy, purposefully so, like he had been careful to not touch anything and anything that had to be moved was put back into the exact same position it was in before it had been moved. How a three year old child could not create mess I didn't know but it was like Lily didn't exist, she wasn't in the living room, or in her high chair in the kitchen where everything was spic and span once again.
I looked at Mason then. “Where’s Lilly”?
“In her room”.
“Is it alright if I go see her”?
He nodded. “Sure”.
I left him to talk to my Dad then and went in search of the tiny girl, she wasn't hard to locate because I was still so attuned to her mentally that she might as well have been screaming out to me. I walked out into the hallway and up the stairs, turning left and opened the only door there. This room was chaos, toys and blankets everywhere, but no baby, and then a little whimper caused me to turn my head and there she was, locked up in her little crib, stuck behind the wooden bars.
I know he's upset but there was no need for this, he'd shut her away to stop her changing the house. I understand that he doesn't want the house to change, that he wants to keep it exactly how his parents left it so that he can get lost in those few and far between moments when he forgets that they aren't here anymore and will walk through the front door again. The problem was that they won't come back and he's shutting away the only person he has left, someone who needs him just as much as he needs her.
I went straight to her and without hesitating picked her up in my arms. For a three year old she was tiny but she was gorgeous. Her eyes were still puffy and she clung to me like she was afraid I was going to put her back and shut the door on her again.
I looked her over and was pleased to see that she was at least well fed and cleaned and dressed; Mason would do what she needed him for to survive and then leave her here again. He didn't want to leave her but in his mind he thought it was best because she's a child who can't get distracted by phone calls and things that have to be taken care of, so the absence of their parents would be so much more obvious to her, he was trying to protect her from feeling the way he does.
"Hello Lilly" she stared at me with her big blue eyes for a second before she nestled her head into my neck. I was glad she felt some comfort, it's what I'm for after all.
I stood with her in my arms and gently swayed us side to side while I rubbed her back, and swept her thick blonde curls away from her neck since she was running a little warm. I wanted to talk to her but I'm not sure she can do sentences yet and she's painfully shy, but I was able to keep tabs on her feelings at least, she was calming now almost to the point of sleep.
She's so exhausted, she doesn't understand why her brother shuts her away, she doesn't know where her Mommy and Daddy are and why they're letting him do it. She knows Mason is very sad, she hears him crying sometimes, especially at night when he realises again that they aren't coming home.
When she was asleep I couldn't bare to have her wake up alone again so I took her with me out of the room and back downstairs into the lounge. Dad and Mason were sat talking on the couch, both looked up at me and Lilly as I walked into the room with her in my arms.
"So"? I asked, wanting to know where this was going.
Mason soke to me first. "I'm really grateful for the offer, but I don't know".
"Why not"?
"I'm in collage, it's local but I'm gone during the day so I was just going to drop out and take care of Lily, it doesn't really matter, and I really don't want to put you out". I shook my head and went to sit down next him, he needs to understand.
"You wouldn't be putting anyone out Mason, we offered because we care and because we want to help. I know that it's a little soon and scary to think about leaving the house and no one is rushing you to do it, we just want you to know that you've got somewhere to go and people who just need a phone call and will be there to help when you need it.
As for collage, Dad is busy during the day with pack stuff, but I'd be happy to take care of Lily during the day, and you're not at Collage everyday, it's no trouble to me. You need Collage to get a good job and a living, you have a sister who needs you more than ever now and give her a few years and you'll have someone to talk to who understands and who can tell you how much they love you. I know you're afraid and that's ok, that's good it means you're thinking, but you don't need to feel alone anymore".
He nodded gently, looking between me and my Dad and then settled his gaze on Lily sleeping soundly on my arms. "Thank you... I think it will be good for us to get out of here, it's time to let go" and just as he said that, I let go too and felt like I could breathe again and I was ready to go.
"In that case, why don't you and Lily go stay at the pack house tonight, pick your rooms and get a feel for the place, you might even get a good nights sleep and an amazing dinner - Dad's quite the chef".
Dad nodded, a little smug now. "I don't like to brag but she is completely right, some may even call me an artist".
I snorted. "Yeah, some meaning the voices in your head" I laughed while Dad rolled his eyes and Mason managed a smile.
"Yeah that sounds good".
Dad stood then and clapped his hands together. "Excellent, why don't you pack yourselves a bag each and -"
"I got Lily's" I murmured with a sneaky smile and they laughed until I shushed them, pointing to the sleeping baby.
Once Mason had packed his bag we all set off in the Jeep and Dad took me home to Jim first, I kissed him goodbye and said my good lucks and goodbye to the other two before I told Mason that if she liked it to put Lily in my old room; with all it's pink I have a feeling that she'd love it and it was so much bigger than her room with a nice big window that she could look out of - the child safety locks are still there from when I was little. Dad gave me a proud smile and promised he'd give directions before I watched them drive away.
I breathed in a simple, free breath and stared at the car until it turned off of the drive and out of sight, swallowed by the forest again and jumped a mile high when strong arms wrapped around me from behind. I turned around in Jim's arms to see a pout on his face from earlier.
He tried to sound serious but it came out as more of a coo. "Naughty baby".
"What did I do now"?
"You didn't listen to me and you ran away from me without a kiss" Jim told me seriously, leaning so that his nose touched mine.
I giggled. "I'm very sorry".
He shook his head in mock sadness. "You see, i just don't believe you and there's really only one thing I can do about it".
"Which is"?
"I'm just going to have to punish you".
"Punish me"?! I faked horror.
"Mm, it's the only way you'll learn". I squealed as I was suddenly thrown over his shoulder in a fireman's lift, bobbing my way back into the house with a perfect view of his ass.
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THANKS FOR READING - PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT - I LOVE TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ALWAYS XD
LILDAYDREAMERXXXX
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO'S VOTED AND FANNED AND I'M NOT BEING HORRIBLE TO THOSE I HAVENT MANAGED TO FAN BACK I'VE JUST BIN A LIL BUSY BUT I WILL GET ROUND TO IT - THANK YOU XD