14

❦𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮❦

"And den guess what?" Cole says excitedly as he tells me about this last week.

Bob has to work out of town for a few days. He originally said no to the job, but when I offered to stay with the kids and then they attacked him with pleas. He ended up taking the job.

He grumbled about how they don't love him anymore until they showered him with hugs and I love yous.

He really needed to take this job though, it's one of the best paying gigs he's gotten offered in a long time.

"What?" I smile as I pick him up and set him on my lap.

"Den dad took us on a walk, and there was a huge dog." He draws out the huge and speeds his arms wide to show me how massive this dog was. "He was bigger than me!" He giggles.

The kids have always wanted a dog, like most kids do. But dogs are expensive and Bob, broken heartedly, always has to tell them no when they ask.

Lilly walks into the living room from the kitchen where she was getting lunch ready. "Sandwiches are on the table, let's eat, Cole." She wipes her hands on her shirt, smearing jam across the light pink material.

I love it when she does things like that, she's so grown up but then does things like smearing food all over her clothes instead of getting a napkin. Cole hops down off of my lap and runs to his sister.

"Did you put chips in mine?" He asks expectantly. She nods her head yes with a smile, Cole then does his little happy dance that is basically just a crouched butt wiggle then runs off into the kitchen.

"He won't eat pbj's without barbecue potato chips in the sandwich. It's disgusting." Lilly says to me as her nose twists up in disgust. "He also likes to drink orange juice with it instead of milk." She shivers. "I think there might be something wrong with him, but don't tell anyone, I love him just the way he is." She whispers to me.

"Ok, I won't." I whisper back following her into the kitchen.

"Here I made one for you." She slides a sandwich across the table to me, and I'm happy to say it's a regular PBJ.

"Thank you. So what are the plans for today? What should we do? Your dad comes back tomorrow so this is the last full day we get to spend together." I say and take a bite out of the sandwich. Lilly makes a mean PBJ.

"Awww, but I want you to say forever!" Cole whimpers.

"I know, but that can't happen, so we should make the best out of the time we have together, right?" I offer hoping to brighten the mood.

He nods his head in agreement and his very distinct thinking face appears. "What about if we go to the park? The one with the wooden dinosaurs!" He says ecstatic.

"Does that sound good to you Lilly?" I ask.

"Yeah, and we could get ice-cream after! Dad left us some money and we haven't used any yet!" She rushes out of the room and comes back with a twenty and smacks it down on the table. "He said to have fun. And ice-cream and the park sounds fun, right, Cole." She looks over at him waiting for his approval.

"Yes, fun. Fun. Ahhh can we go now?" He begins fidgeting in his seat, excitement nearly causing him to combust.

"After lunch." I agree.

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The kids and I have been at the playground for a few hours, and I've been yelled at by a few moms saying I'm too old to go down the slide, but screw them because Cole asked me to. And it's not my fault that those ladies are too stuck up to play with her own kids.

Poor kids.

My phone dings twice in my pocket as I chase the kids around the playground trying to tag them.

"Timeout I gotta check this." I huff as I reach into my pocket. How do their little legs go so fast?

From: My Best Friend

HELP! BLAKE IS GOING TO KILL ME!

The next message contains a picture of Blake's coffee table but the leg is broken off. How did he even do that?

To: My Best Friend

Do you need me to fix it?

I've done woodwork before so I could definitely fix it, it's just a regular shaped leg. So I could pick up a piece of wood similar and cut it down to size then replace it. Blake would have a heck of a time noticing a difference.

From: My Best Friend

YES! ASAP BLAKE AND ACE ARE GONE BUT GOING TO BE BACK IN A FEW HOURS.

Oh, he needs it fixed now. I look up at Lilly and Cole who are swinging on the tire swing and shigh. Maybe Bob would be ok if I took them to do this? Otherwise Isaiah is going to have to fend for himself.

To: My Best Friend

Let me see if I can come over.

To: Bob

A friend of mine needs me to help fix a table before the owner of that table comes home. Would it be ok if I take the kids over there? I understand if you don't want me to, I'll say no if you have any worries about it.

"Rose! Can you push us?" Lilly yells while she tries to climb onto the tire with her brother.

"Yeah, of course." I jog over to them and help Lilly up then give them a huge push just as my phone dings again.

From: Bob

Yeah, as long as the kids are ok with it, it's fine. Just keep them safe please.

To: Bob

Of course. I'll have them call you before bed tonight.

"Higher!" Cole yells. I push them higher and give the tire a little spin causing both kids to burst out in a fit of giggles.

"A friend needs my help. Would you guys be ok if we leave and go help him? We can get ice-cream after?" I ask.

"Yeah, just one more push please?" Lilly immediately requested.

"One more, one more." Cole adds in.

"Ok, one more push it is then." I grab the tire and give them a big push with a spin and they start laughing all over again.

To: My Best Friend

I'll be over in a bit. Got to stop by the hardware store on the way over.

My phone dings multiple times as a bunch of 'you're the best' 'how could I live without you' and 'you're a lifesaver' variations come in from Isaiah.

I slip the phone back in my pocket just as the tire swing comes to a stop and the kids jump off, only to fall to the ground from being too dizzy.

"You guys ok?" I laugh as their bobble heads nod yes. I offer my hands to them and help them up, get them loaded in the car and head off to the hardware store.

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I knock on Blake's door, two munchkins are hiding behind my legs, nervous to meet Isaiah. The door opens and I quickly start to speak. "I have two helpers today, so no cussing." I tell Isaiah firmly.

I won't have these kids returned to their dad with a bunch of new words learned.

"Uh ok, where are they?" He questions. His face is scrunched in confusion as he looks around but sees no one.

"Oh, they're here. Just being shy." I smile. Isaiah gives me a skeptical look then gestures for us to enter.

"Oh, alright then. Come on in... all of you?" He says.

Oh my gosh he thinks I'm insane and have imaginary friends. I hold back a laugh and shuffle my way in, Lilly is gripping the back of my shirt, and Cole the back of hers as we file into Blake's home.

Isaiah shuts the door after us and I kneel down pulling the kids out from behind me and to my sides.

"Isaiah, this is Lilly and Cole. Kiddos, this is Isaiah." I introduce them to each other. Isaiah sucks in a loud breath.

"Oh my gosh. Child labor laws, Rose! You can't just hire children to work for you!" He begins.

"And look how cute they are, what the heck kind of operation are you running." He scolds me.

I can tell he's playing around, but Cole doesn't get the memo and gets worked up over it.

He steps in front of me and points an accusing finger at Isaiah. "You no be mean to Rose!" Cole protested.

Isaiah throws his hands up in the air mumbling a sorry. "Yeah, Isaiah, be nice." He sends me a glare and Cole backs up to me covering my face so I can't see.

"No." He says quite strongly to Isaiah. I grip Cole's hands and lower them, smiling as I do so. "I should get started on the table." Isaiah nods as he moves around us to the table.

"I stepped on it... ok, I jumped on it and the leg broke." He says scratching the back of his neck after I give him a look.

"Why? Nevermind, I don't even want to know." I start. "Hand me the stuff and I'll get started." I pointed to the bag I brought in.

Isaiah hands me it and I get to work. The whole time I'm working on it, Cole stays put between Isaiah and I, his arms are crossed and his facial expressions let Isaiah know he's not particularly liked at this point in time.

Lilly is helping me with the parts she can handle and she actually is doing a great job. I should have guessed since her dad is in the same line of work as me, and Lilly loves to help out with anything and everything.

Lilly tightens the last screw as I explain to Isaiah that we have to let the wood glue dry and then it's finished.

I stand up and brush my hands off on my overalls just as the door opens up and two large men come walking into the house. Blake's eyes shift to the table then to the tools that have yet to be picked up yet.

"What the f-" I quickly cover the kids ears, one of their ears with my hand and the other by my stomach for Lilly and my leg for Cole. "-uck is going on?" Blake growls out.

His eyes hadn't even made it past the table and Isaiah, to the far end of the room where the kids and I were standing. So as his eyes scan the room and find us, he takes a step back in shock.

I'm not sure if it was just at me being here, or maybe because there are two kids in his house, or it could be that I'm giving him a nasty glare for cussing in front of them.

"No cussing in front of them." I grit out. Blake nods his head in understanding, not taking his eyes off the kids.

"Ok, I didn't see them. Sorry." He apologies.

I let go of the kids' ears and lean down so I'm more on their level.

"Blake, Ace, this is Lilly and Cole. Kiddos this is Blake and the big guy behind him is Ace." I introduce them all to each other and the kids give tiny waves to the two guys.

"Uh, nice to meet you." Blake says looking way out of his element.

Ace steps out in front of him and crouches down. "I like your light up shoes." He says to Cole who smiles brightly at him and stomps his foot on the ground causing the lights to flash.

"Daddy got dem for me." He says proudly.

"And that hair clip of yours is very beautiful." He says to Lilly.

"Thank you! Rose got it for me!" She tugs on my hand with a huge smile on her face. Well he sure did win them over quickly.

Isaiah tries to walk over to us but Cole puts his hand up telling him to stop. "No." He proclaimed.

Then Cole looks over at Ace. "He mean to Rose."

Ace's eyes shoot up in surprise. "Isaiah." His voice turns cold as he speaks to him.

"I wasn't mean!" He defends himself.

"He yelled at Rose!" Cole says, his voice getting louder with anger. Uh oh.

"Guys it's fine." I try to interpret but Blake steps forward and grips the back of Isaiah's shirt and drags him over to the door, shoves him outside, and locks the door after.

Isaiah bangs loudly on the door shouting to be let back in.

"There, that solves that problem." Blake says as he walks over and gives Cole a fist bump.

"Guys, he was joking. No need to throw him out." I try to reason with the three boys in the room. Blake shrugs his shoulders as he walks into the kitchen.

"He mean. He can stay away." Cole states.

"I agree." Bake adds as he walks back into the room handing both kids a popsicle. They accept, of course, and I usher them to the kitchen so they don't make a mess all over the living room.

"I'm going to go let Isaiah back in now." I declare as I head out of the kitchen. Cole is too focused on the popsicle to care, Blake gives me a look but I ignore it and Ace just looks extremely amused by the whole situation.

I unlock the door and open it. "Be careful, I think it's pick on Isaiah day." I whisper and laugh as I let him inside.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He rolls his eyes. "Is he gonna hate me forever?" He questions.

I start picking up the tools laying around the living room. "Just don't be mean to me and he'll forget about it." I say with a smirk.

"I wasn't even mean though! I was joking." He exclaims.

"Well then, maybe don't joke around him like that?" I offer.

"Ugh, ok. Gosh he sure does suck the joy out of my humor." He says dramatically. I drop the now packed bag of tools over by the door and walk back into the kitchen. My eyes catch the time on the oven, we are cutting it close if we want to go get ice-cream and have time to make dinner before bed.

"Are you guys ready to go? You need dinner and I promised you ice-cream. We have to leave soon in order to get you to bed on time." They had finished their popsicles and Ace was handing them wet napkins to clean their hands and face.

"Oh no!" Lilly scrambles out of her chair. "I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer before we left!" She gasps.

"Hey, it's fine. I'm sure we can find something else to whip up at home." I reassure her.

"Or," Isaiah pipes up. "I could take you all out to eat. A thank you for helping today?" He offers.

"Can we go to a kids place?" Cole asks hopefully.

"A kids place?" I question.

"Like a place with a playground." Lilly clarifies.

"There's a burger joint that has a playground across the street. Would that work? We could get our food and. eat at the picnic tables?" He questions, looking to me for approval.

"Up to you, kiddos." I shrugged, already knowing it's going to be a hard yes. They nod their heads, each grabbing one of my hands and dragging me to the door. Isaiah is out the door first, the kids out second and third and pulling me out after.

"Wait, my bag!" I giggle.

"I got it." Blake says from behind me. I look over my shoulder at him.

"Are you guys coming with us?" I ask when I see Blake already out the door with my bag and Ace shutting the door after he steps out as well.

"If that's ok?" He asks.

"Of course." I smile. I get to hang out with all my favorite people, why would I ever say no?

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We had to take two separate cars, so the kids and I rode in my car and the guys took Blake's rig. Once we arrived at the park the kids were too excited about the playground to even think about food, so Ace offered to go order everyone's burgers and bring it over so the kids could start playing.

"Rose?" Blake strolls over to me after Isaiah takes over pushing the munchkins on the swings.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to sound rude or anything, but are they yours?" He questions.

I would be surprised at his question if I didn't get asked if Cole was mine all the time. Because I look so young most people's assumptions are that I'm with a guy who already had a kid (Lilly) and then I got knocked up with Cole while I was like thirteen.

It's not like that doesn't happen, my mom got pregnant the first time when she was fourteen. So I get where people are coming from, but it ticks me off when strangers feel the need to point it out in public.

"No. I met their dad on a job a while ago, I help out when he needs someone to keep an eye on them." I explain.

"Gotcha, you just seem so close to them and they are to you too, that I thought maybe.. I'm sorry." Blake pinches the bridge of his nose.

"It's ok. I get asked that about Cole all the time." I nudge his arm. "They don't have a mom. I may only be twenty, but I'm the closest female adult to them, so I could see where the confusion might come from" Plus kids as young as they are think twenty year olds are really old, so I am an old adult to them. Yuck.

"Dinner is served." Ace yells from the picnic tables that are now filled with huge bags of food. Lilly immediately jumps down from the swing, but her brother starts to protest being done playing.

Isaiah goes to step forward to intervene, but as he looks at me I hold a finger up telling him to wait.

"Cole, Rose and her friends got dinner for us. They were even nice enough to us to let us play while they got food. You need to show manners and go eat that food like a big boy then maybe we can play after again. Ok?" Lilly says in her scolding but sweet older sister voice.

Cole nods his head and Lilly helps him off the swing, they walk over to the table holding hands.

"What kinda kids are those? Aren't little kids supposed to be bratty or something?" Isaiah exclaims. His face covered in utter shock.

"I don't hang around brats." I shrug and make my own way over to the table, I sit beside Cole and Lilly sits beside him. The other guys take a seat around the table and Ace starts handing out food. He got everyone at least one burger, fries and a drink.

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"Your friends are nice." Lilly yawns as I tuck her into bed.

"They are, aren't they." After dinner the kids played for a while longer, then we went to a frozen yogurt shop and the kids piled every topping the place had into their bowls.

I tried to stop them, but Isaiah encouraged them and said he was paying so they could get whatever they wanted. Their bowls came out to almost twenty dollars each but Isaiah didn't mind.

They somehow managed to eat it all, I say that lightly because what really happened is that I told them they needed to finish what they took.

And when they couldn't, the guys swooped in and finished their frozen yogurt and let the kids say that they finished it.

I wanted to be upset, but I couldn't.

Everyone was having a good time and no food got wasted so what's the harm?

"Do you think we could see them again? Isaiah said his mom would love us and they have a pool!" She says excitingly even though her eyes are drifting closed.

"Maybe, we'll have to see." I say softly as her eyes flutter shut.

"Ok." She whispers out, within seconds she's asleep.

Cole fell asleep on the car ride home, so I carried him in and put him to bed first. I flick off the lights and make myself at home on their couch, the activity filled day sneaking up on me as my body becomes tired all at once, I fall asleep soon after.