36

"A visitor? Who?" Lucas questions as he walks to the front door.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?"

"Honestly, I'm not too sure. I guess I just wanted to see what was going on with him you know?"

"No, I don't. Because I wouldn't leave my child on some strangers doorstep." Lucas exclaims.

"You aren't a stranger you're his father!"

"It takes a lot more than just having a kid to make someone a father. I lost valuable months of his life and when I finally know he even exists, you weren't even there to explain anything."

"I'm sorry. I just, I wasn't in the right state of mind..." Lacey trails off.

Deciding to let them talk this out themselves I let Lucas know I'm taking the kids upstairs and walk towards the living room where we left them. Seeing that there are three kids and I only have two arms Lucas comes to help me while Lacey silently waits downstairs.

We let the kids play in Jakes room as Lucas pulls me off to the corner.

"I don't like this." Lucas tells me point blank.

"Well it's not like any of us expected her to come back or anything but I guess we're just going to have to roll with the punches and be very aware of what she's doing."

"I don't know how you're so calm about this, about everything. I'm just so thankful for you for sticking with me on this entire journey, no matter how messy it has been." Lucas smiles and gives me a kiss.

"Okay here's the game plan, you go downstairs and scope her out see what she wants but don't beat around the bush if you don't have to." I say in a semi-serious voice.

"Don't you worry, after everything this family has been through I refuse to let another person try and tear us apart." Lucas grabs my hands and places a kiss on my knuckles.

"Do you want me to stay here and wait or should I take the kids and go to your mothers house or something?"

"I want you here but I don't want to worry about the kids you know. If you do you I would rather you didn't stay out long like go to lunch or have coffee or something."

"Okay I'll call her and if she's free the kids and I will pay her a visit. Now you get downstairs, the sooner you start talking the sooner she'll leave."

"Alright, you call mom and I'll go back downstairs." Lucas gives me a chaste kiss before making his way out of the room and downstairs.

"Okay lady and gentlemen, I guess it's just us now." I say

The only one I get some sort of response from is Jake with a cute little squeal. Allowing them to play a while longer I take out my phone to give Lisa a call and see what she's up to.

The phone rings for a while before someone answers the line.

"Bob's Pizza may I take your order?"

I'm about to respond when I hear Lisa yelling in the background telling Maggie she can't answer the phone like that.

"Hey Maggie are you guys doing anything today?"

"Not that I know of, why do you guys wanna do something?"

"Well I was thinking of coming by and bringing the kids. Maybe grab a bite to eat and do some shopping."

"Wow you must be really desperate to get out of the house."

"Why would you think that?" I ask slightly confused.

"Because I've never heard of a mother who wants to spend the day out with three children under the age of one." Maggie says as if the answer was obvious.

"We can just stay at Lisa's house then. Have a little get together and you guys can spend more time with the kids."

"Yeah it isn't like we just saw you for Jakes birthday party or anything."

"I hope you know that I'm taking your responses as you telling me to come over because you're so bored and miss my presence."

"Take it as you wish. I'm coming to pick you guys up so see you guys soon!" Maggie says before hanging up the phone.

I put the phone down and sit with the kids playing on the floor.

"Alright let's get you guys ready to go see Aunt Maggie, Grandma Lisa, and Grandpa Jo."

Not that any of them really understand me but Jake, who smiles while bouncing in his spot and clapping his hands.

I started by getting the twins dressed in matching white onesies saying The Snuggle is Real except Alex's is in a pale pink with matching pants and Toby's is navy blue with matching pants and a hat that probably won't make it to the car still on his head.

For Jake I dress him in a black Adidas tracksuit with some sneakers and a cute hat. After dressing myself in capris pants and a plain t-shirt, I pack a diaper bag with extra clothes, diapers, and some toys I come across a problem.

How am I going to get snacks for the kids and leave without it being really awkward?

I strap the twins to my chest in a side - by - side carrier, grab the diaper bag with one hand and take Jake with the other. I take a deep breath and walk downstairs heading straight for the kitchen to grab sippy cups, apple sauce and some other snacks before going to the lobby to meet Maggie.

She must've taken Lisa's car because she's the only one other than us who has enough car seats for the kids.

After all the kids are securely buckled in I climb into the passenger side and Maggie drives off.

We spend the entire ride talking about miscellaneous things like the kids and how her classes have been going along with her relationship with Brian. Only when we reach the house and are sitting in the living room with the kids playing do I tell her and Lisa why I really came over.

"Who does she think she is just waltzing back thinking she could just pickup where she left off. Jake is a part of our family and he isn't going anywhere." Lisa says angrily.

"Well I'm not completely sure if that's why she came back but I already know there's no way I'm letting Jake go." I try to reason.

Maggie's about to give her input when the house phone starts to ring. Lisa answers the phone and I move to sit on the floor and play with Alex and Toby's feet while Jake decides to try and climb me.

"That was Lucas, he says he's on his way over now." Lisa says hanging up the phone.

"Alright, well I guess we're going to have some things to talk about then." I say shifting Jake to my lap so I can see him.

"Jake can you give kisses? Huh? Can I have some kisses?" I say planting one on his face. I return I get a sloppy kiss on my cheek and what feels like him trying to eat my nose.

"Oh thank you buddy." I say giving him a smile. I turn to look at Lisa only to see that she's recording the whole thing. Mother and son are one in the same.

I'm about to comment when something amazing happens.

"Mama." I hear as two little hands squish my face together.

"Ahh, oh baby you just spoke!" I stand up and start dancing around with Jake.

"And guess who got it all on video! That's right the best nana ever did." Lisa say pointing to herself.

A few minutes after we started celebrating, each of us with a child in arms, the door opens and in walk Lucas.

"Hey guys what's going on?" he walks over and gives me a swift kiss on the lips.

"Well your son just said his first word and your mom got the whole thing on video. Isn't that great?"

"Awe why do I have to miss everything?"

*****

I was sitting on the couch in Lisa's living room next to a sulking Lucas and an exited Jake with the twins' attention being taken up by their Aunt Maggie and Grandma Lisa.

"I still can't believe I missed it, and only by a few seconds too. How, could you do this to me bud?" Lucas questions Jake who just answers with a giggle and a wet kiss.

"Oh don't worry your mom got it all on video and he'll probably say it again at some point." I snuggle up to his side.

"Well I'd like to think he got something right other than terrible timing."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" I ask combing my hand through Jake's hair.

"Well, I'd like to think he got the mom part right." Lucas says timidly.

Hearing our conversation Lisa and Maggie take the kids and try to subtly take the kids and go into another room although failing.

"I know we've never really talked about my position with Jake because you're obviously his father and I'm not completely sure where I stood with that but even with his biological mother showing up, I would like to consider myself his mother as well." I say only looking into his eyes when I've finished speaking.

"I'd like that and I'm glad that we're on the same page with this."

"To be honest with you I've thought of myself as Jake's mother for a while now, I just wasn't exactly sure how to talk to you about it; and with Lacey showing up I wasn't sure what was going to change."

"Listen nothing's going to change between us, we are a family; you, me, Jake, and the twins. Nobody can come between us, especially not after everything that we've been through." Lucas says pulling me onto his lap.

"Good, because believe it or not I actually enjoy spending time with you." I respond giving him a kiss on the jaw.

"Wow what a relief, my fiancée actually enjoys spending time with me."

"Shocker huh." I say laughing.

I sigh leaning against Lucas as he kisses my temple.

"Hey Jess?"

"Yes..."

"What do you think we should do about this whole Lacey mess?"

"Well what did she say when I left you guys to talk? Does she want to take Jake back or something, because if that's the case then I'm sorry but I don't think I can. How can she just want him back after literally dumping him on you with no explanation?" I rant.

"The first thing she did was apologize for leaving him without any warning or anything. She told me that she had post-partum depression and I guess she didn't feel he was safe with her and she saw you with me from before when we were at the doctor's office and decided to leave him with us.

So she left him and went to get help and now she's back and would like to be a part of Jake's life, and because she never actually gave up parental rights to him we can't stop her from requesting time without us going to court."

"Okay, I feel like this changes things but that doesn't mean I'm happy. I see where she's coming from as a mother because if our children were taken away from me, I would do anything to see them again and my sister went through post-partum for a little while too with her first child. Thankfully it wasn't as bad though, but what are we supposed to do?"

"All I know is that Lacey still has parental rights to Jake and I'm not sure if we can get full rights to him or if I even want to keep Lacey out of his life you know?"

"Yeah I understand where you're coming from. Although Lacey made bad decisions I feel like we shouldn't keep someone who is essentially half of Jake, away from him. I don't want him to resent us when he's older for not giving him the chance to know her."

"Okay, but I still want you to become one of his legal guardians, no matter what we decide because you could have walked away when you found out about him but you stuck with me and him and for that I am so thankful for you." Lucas squeezes me tight and rests his head in the crook of my neck.

We're quiet for a while; basking in the moment until Maggie and Lisa take that as their que to come back with the children

"So, who wants food?" Lisa asks while putting the kids on their play mat.

"Food sounds good right about now." I respond getting up and walking over to the kids.

"Alright let's head over to the kitchen and I can whip something up for all of us and Jake can have any of the soft foods you can find in the fridge he might like."

Everyone heads to the kitchen but I stay back to breast feed the twins. I call Lucas back to help me burp them to make things easier. He comes in and takes Alex out of my arms to burp her.

Once they both burp we walk into the kitchen to find Maggie making airplane noises while feeding Jake and Lisa is cutting up some sandwiches.

"Alright everyone take your pick there's many sandwich flavours to choose from." Lisa says putting a platter in front of us which as soon as Jake sees it, he begins to reach and whine. Only to whine even louder when he can't reach it.

"Here he can have a triangle of the tuna sandwich; it's pretty soft and easy to eat."

Conversation flows as everyone enjoys their food and each other's presence as we hadn't had the time to get together like this in a while with everything going on; but it is nice to just eat, talk, and relax.

But nothing lasts forever.

*****