Chapter Twenty-Four

Brooklyn

KYLER AND MIA have been with us for almost two weeks now. We've been working on getting them into some kind of routine that makes everything easier on them and us. I have them going to bed at the same time every single night and wake them up if they're still sleeping earlier in the morning than what we've been getting up. Mia is eating more baby food to go with her formula after Doc assured us it would be okay to start adding it into her diet. Right now it's trial and error to discover what she does and doesn't like. When Mia doesn't like something, she's not shy about letting us know. More often than not I've ended up covered in baby food that she spits out or because she hits the spoon away from her mouth. Jayce and Gavin always get a good laugh when I'm covered in baby food. So, today, they get to be the ones to feed her and I'm going to laugh my ass off when they end up looking the same as I usually do.

Theo picked out some books for Kyler and all of them are to help with various aspects of learning and have a ton of different activities in them we've been working on together while Mia has her early morning nap. This has gotten me thinking about things. Kyler is five years old and he should be enrolled in some type of school at his age. I know he just turned five and we have all the paperwork—birth certificate, immunization record, health insurance, and paperwork stating Gavin is his legal guardian now. This is something we'll have to figure out now since the school year has already started. I don't want to be away from Kyler, but we have to follow the law at the same time.

"Little Warrior, what's got that look of concentration on your face?" Jayce asks me, walking into the kitchen and sitting at the table with Kyler and I as he works on coloring the page we chose for today.

"Well, I just realized that Kyler's five and should be enrolled in school. I'm not sure if he's ready for kindergarten at this point, but he should be going somewhere. He needs to socialize with kids his age and get in a structured learning environment. We can't put it off just because of everything that's happened recently," I answer Jayce as Gavin enters the kitchen and listens to me answer Jayce.

"Shit. You're right, Love. I'll call our caseworker now and find out what we have to do to get him enrolled. I'm surprised she never mentioned it when she came out to the house yesterday," Gavin says, pulling out his phone and heading for the living room to make the call.

Honestly, I'm surprised Mrs. Deville, our caseworker, didn't say anything either. It's not something any of us thought of until this moment. Kyler is the oldest kid here and none of the other ones are in school yet so there wasn't someone right around us having to get their kids to school each day. This makes me feel horrible to realize we should've been doing this shit since we got back in Odin's Gap. We've just been so focused on everything else and didn't really think about the school thing. Everything here has been insane and Mrs. Deville got to see a little bit of that yesterday.

When Mrs. Deville showed up for an unscheduled visit to our home yesterday, we were in the middle of lunch. I had Mia in the high chair and Kyler was sitting next to me at the table. Kyler was eating his peanut butter and jelly sandwich before moving on to his string cheese and the apple slices I cut up for him. He's got a cup of milk to drink with his meal. While I keep an eye on him eating, I feed Mia her baby food. We tried a new one and I was covered in a bright orange mess when Mrs. Deville was led into the kitchen by Jayce and Gavin. She started laughing at me when Mia hit another spoonful of food away from her mouth and it ended up all over my face and in my hair. I'm going to be dreaming of bright orange stuff covering me from head to toe at night.

Mrs. Deville laughed and told me that no one would expect any different when feeding a baby new food they may not like. She told us she often looked the same way as she was raising her children who are now parents themselves and going through the same thing. Gavin and Jayce led her through our home and showed her the kids' bedrooms as I finished up lunch with the kids. Mrs. Deville talked to Kyler for a few minutes in the living room while we waited in the kitchen with Mia. I wrote out the schedule I'm trying to get them on for her to look over and make any suggestions she might have. Our caseworker told me she likes the schedule if I can pull it off considering we really don't know what Gavin's dad and stepmom did before the accident. She wasn't discouraging at all, but was trying to keep things realistic for us. She reminded me that a lot of parenting is learning to be flexible, which makes sense. I honestly appreciate that more than her trying to feed me what I want to hear.

"I hungry," Kyler says, making me look at my phone to see it's time for lunch.

"I've got him. You get Mia and we'll have them eatin' while Gavin figures out what's goin' on with the school thing. I'm glad you thought of it, Brooklyn, because I sure as hell didn't think of it," Jayce tells me as he starts to pick up the crayons and books in front of Kyler while I get up and head for the nursery and Mia.

Walking into the room, I find her already awake in her crib. She's laying under the mobile and looking up at it while jabbering away in her baby talk. Mia can say mama and baba but everything else is nothing but gibberish no one can understand. We all talk to her as if we're having conversations so she's used to hearing our voices and us talking to her. I lift her into my arms and hold her close while moving to the changing table. Quickly changing her diaper, I put her in a little dress and pair of tights we picked out while shopping. Instead of sitting in the rocking chair with Mia as normal, I carry her back downstairs so we can feed her lunch before listening to what we have to do to get Kyler enrolled into school.

"I've got her, Love," Gavin says, taking Mia from my arms and putting her in the high chair before sitting down in front of her. He's already got her baby food sitting in front of him and one of the spoons I bought and washed for her.

"So, what did Mrs. Deville say?" I ask, taking a seat across from Kyler who's eating dino nuggets with macaroni and cheese and a mandarin orange cup.

"She's gonna meet me at the school after Kyler gets done eatin' lunch. We have to get him enrolled in the school district and then we'll meet with a few of the kindergarten teachers and one from the preschool for an assessment to see where he needs to be. I can't find a record of him bein' in school while he was with Carrie and Dad. Hulk couldn't find anythin' either. There's no record of him bein' enrolled so I'm not sure what they were doin'. He'll either be in preschool five days a week for half days or in kindergarten five days a week. He'll go three days that are full and then two that are half days," Gavin tells us as Jayce walks over with a sub, chips, and apple slices for me to eat for lunch.

"Okay. Do you want any of us to go with you?" I ask him before taking a big bite of the sub and looking at my husband and his baby sister as he fastens the bib around her neck before picking up one of the containers of baby food. I'm wondering if perhaps we should be wearing one of those adult bibs so we aren't wearing the food she flings.

"No. I think I want this to be some time for Kyler and me only. It will give us time to bond some more and hang out. If it gets to be too much, I'll call one of you to come with us. Thank you for the offer though," he tells us, taking a large leap much quicker than we thought he would.

Gavin has been helping out with the kids on a daily basis and is right there with Jayce and myself for the late nights, lack of sleep, tantrums, and all the good moments in between. At night when we're in our room alone, that's when Gavin breaks down and lets the emotions he's pushed down throughout the day escape and Jayce and I take care of him. Only one time in the last two weeks has he disappeared on us. Goliath called us and let us know he was at the clubhouse and needed to get away for a while. Hulk, Goliath, and Country took care of him and made sure he was brought home in the middle of the night drunk as fuck. Jayce took care of him and got him to bed while I got up and took care of Mia when she woke up.

"Okay. We'll finish takin' care of stuff here and then all meet up here for dinner later on today. I'm cookin' tonight and no one's comin' over." Though, I imagine Fetch will show up with Jethro at some point to play with Kyler. I'm not sure which one of them enjoys play time more—Jethro or Kyler and Fetch.

We all finish up lunch and Gavin helps Kyler change into a different outfit to wear while they're going to the school for the day and does his hair before the two of them leave the house. Jayce and I play with Mia for a while and then put her down for her afternoon nap with a bottle before we have dinner. We've gotten Mia so she takes a nap in the morning after breakfast, one after lunch and some time playing, and then she goes to bed relatively early instead of taking another nap during the day. It's been hell, but Mia is slowly getting on the schedule I've set for her as I enjoy spending each and every day with her and Kyler. I don't want to be a missing parent to our kids. Kyler and Mia might not be ours by blood, but they are our children now and I will be there for them every second they need me regardless of what's going on around me.

All day long I've been thinking of how much I've enjoyed being home with the kids and spending every second with them. I know it will change with Kyler going to school, but Mia still needs me. She doesn't deserve to be shuffled from one person to the next while I'm at work with Gavin and Jayce has things to do for the club. Kyler doesn't deserve it when he's home either. The only thing I have running through my mind is that I want to be home with them. I don't want to go back to work at Soul Escape and have to take time away from them. That's how I feel now. I imagine it's only going to get worse when our twins are born.

Kyler will be starting kindergarten at the beginning of next week. The school and Mrs. Deville want us to have the time to get him ready to attend school and be away from home before we throw him in the deep end with no discussion. We talked to him at dinner about starting school and he's actually excited to go. He got a small taste of it when they were giving him the assessment today and wants to go back. Kyler wants to make friends and learn. It warms my heart so much because this is exactly what we want for him. And to see him excited about something is so nice as he's been slowly coming out of his protective shell at home.

Gavin isn't too sure about things, but he got to meet Kyler's teachers and look around the classroom while they were at the school. He brought all the paperwork home for us to fill out and have ready for Monday morning. Right now, Kyler will go full days on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Tuesdays and Thursdays being half days. It works because Gavin will be able to pick him up from school while I feed Mia her lunch and start her play time before Kyler gets home. Then we can have lunch with him and go over any work he needs to do before he has the rest of the day to play. On his full days, we'll have him do his homework while he has his snack and then he'll have until dinner to play and do whatever the guys have planned. Once dinner is eaten, it's time to slow down and start to get ready for a bath, story time, and then bed. Fetch hasn't even been bringing Jethro over after dinner the last few days as we try to get the kids on a new schedule. Weekends are a different story and Kyler will be able to play with Jethro all day long.

The kids are in bed and I make my way to the living room where Jayce and Gavin are sitting on the couch waiting for me after I took a quick shower. Sitting down between the two of them, I put my feet in Jayce's lap while Gavin pulls my head into his. They massage my legs and shoulders the best they can as I sink down between them while closing my eyes.

"Guys, I don't want to work anymore. I want to stay home with Mia and be here for Kyler if you guys have club business to take care of. They've both been through so damn much and don't need to be shuffled through our family here while we work and you guys have things for the club to do. My parents were never there for me and I don't know about the two of you, but I've always dreamed of being a stay-at-home mom. I want our kids to know we're here for them no matter what. I love them already and think of them as our own. Plus, I have a feeling once the twins are born, this feeling of needing to be home with the kids will only intensify. What do you think about that?" I ask my men as they stare at me with love shining in their eyes.

"Little Warrior, if you want to stay home with the kids, you can stay home with the kids. We'd honestly prefer you to stay home with them. It's not some caveman tendency or any of that bullshit, but Gavin and I also have this insane need and desire to be the ones to provide for our family. We want to be the ones out workin' while you and the kids are home creatin' memories and fillin' our home with love. I agree with you, Kyler and Mia are our children even if they only share blood with Gavin. When the twins get here, we'll have four kids who are ours to love, protect, take care of, and create as many memories as possible while they're young. So, I'm fully on board with you wantin' to stay home to be with them," Jayce tells me as he runs his hand up and down my leg that's the furthest from his body.

Looking up at Gavin, I watch as he smiles down at me. His face is full of love and he stares at me like I've just handed him the world on a silver platter to take as his own.

"Hearin' you say you feel like Kyler and Mia are your kids makes my heart beat faster as the walls of grief I've been buildin' up start to melt. Every single day, Kyler, Mia, you, and Jayce surround me with love and show me that I'm not alone and it's okay to feel the way I do. You support me and give me the time and space I need to wrap my head around everythin' that's takin' place in our lives. There is no way in hell I won't support your desire to be home with the kids if that's what you want to do. I'd rather you not be in Soul Escape while you're pregnant because the atmosphere isn't always the best. Like Jayce said, we need to protect you all and take care of you in all ways. This includes financially. So, whatever you choose to do, I will support you a hundred percent because you'd do no less when it comes to us and our kids. All of our kids," Gavin says as an even larger smile covers his face.

"Since we're talkin' about everythin' tonight," Jayce begins pulling our attention to him as he smiles at us with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I think it would be in our best interest to get a puppy for Kyler and Mia. You've seen how Kyler interacts with Jethro and Mia plays on the floor with him when he's here and she's awake. I never really thought of our family as dog owners, but with Brooklyn stayin' home with the kids and us home most of the time with her and the kids, I think this is somethin' we need to do. We can talk to Fetch and see where he got Jethro. Or maybe we can find a breeder in town who has the same kind of dog. I don't think we want anythin' different than Jethro after how we've seen him interact with the kids."

Gavin and I don't say anything for a while. I've thought about getting the kids a puppy, but it was always just kind of there in the back of my mind and not something I really gave any serious thought to. However, I think Jayce is right and this is something we need to do for the kids and us.

"I'm in. The only thing I'm going to say is that we need to fence off the back of the property so I can let our dog out if you two aren't here with me and I won't have to worry about them getting away from the house. Soon, we'll have four kids and I won't be able to go all over with a puppy every single day. And I won't be able to walk a dog once I get bigger and moving around becomes even harder than it is now," I tell them as we look up to see how Gavin feels about this.

"I'm glad you both agree. I might have already been in contact with a breeder just outside of Odin's Gap. They have Golden Retriever puppies that haven't been claimed because they didn't advertise this litter as they normally do. It will be two weeks before we can bring the one we choose home, but we can go tomorrow and pick one. Or, let Kyler pick one. I think it will be good for him to start helpin' us take care of a puppy. He helps Fetch and from what I understand, Kyler asked Fetch if he could help. I was plannin' on talkin' to you both about this, but then with the school stuff today, it kind of took a backseat," Gavin informs us as we all break out in laughter as I stifle a yawn from the long day we've had today.

"Let's get you to bed, Little Warrior. I have a feelin' our princess will be up before too long and I know you won't let us get her as normal," Jayce says, moving my legs and standing from the couch before he takes me in his arms and carries me upstairs to our bedroom.

Gavin grabs the baby monitor we have for Mia and goes through the house to make sure everything is locked up tight and the alarm is set for the night. By the time he joins us in bed, Jayce has me writhing under his touch. Gavin doesn't hesitate as he joins in and they both worship my body as we haven't had a chance to do since bringing Kyler and Mia home with us. This is something we all need to remember the love we have for one another. Plus, since getting pregnant, I always want my men and I'm not ashamed to admit that shit. The only thing I don't like is that we can't take our time as normal because we never know when Mia will wake up. Eventually, we'll get back to being able to take our time with one another and I can't wait.