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12
Lucas woke up the next morning, not quite sure of what to do. With the exception of the few times Grant had stayed over, after tying one on, he had never entertained overnight houseguests.
He was always circumspect when it came to one-nighters, either staying at their house or better yet, a hotel. The last thing he was going to do was disrespect the position he held. The people of Wayward had voted him into office because he was determined, honest, and results driven.
Hell, he ran his campaign on integrity. There was no way he was going to let them down by being indiscriminate with his personal life.
This morning he had his first houseguest.
His daughter.
Lucas placed a cup on the Nespresso pad and chose his pods. He went with a dark roast and a shot of espresso to help his neurons to fire.
Mia would be up soon and he needed to be on point.
Fatherly.
Dad-like.
He eyed the frying pan on the stove. Maybe fixing her breakfast was a start?
Pulling the various items out of his spectacularly clean refrigerator, he tried to wrap his head around the fact he was a father. He had no idea how to be that. Having no role model to speak of and having been raised in foster care for most of his formative years, by a single woman.
Ironically, it was evident Birdie had broken the code to effective parenting.
As far as he could tell, Mia was a great kid. She was certainly smart and beautiful. Maybe a tad manipulative, a trait she’d must have inherited from her mother.
He checked the time. Shouldn’t she be getting up soon? Should he wake her up?
Wasn’t there some rule that you were never to wake a sleeping baby?
Mia was no baby. She was fourteen. The same age as when he and Birdie became… close.
A relationship which had only taken five years to develop.
They began as bullies in elementary. Turned into middle schoolers who began to explore feelings that had grown over time, and then, with whiplash speed, reverted back to mortal enemies again in high school.
His life seemed to run with a consistent theme. Nothing was forever, commitments were rarely kept, and Birdie Wellborn was as reliable as everyone else who had been a part of his life.
With the exception of Bernadette.
He remembered being sent to Wayward, to Bernadette’s home. A truly wonderful day that led to many more.
The previous foster care couple became pregnant and taking care of him and a newborn had been too much for them to handle.
Although they seemed to care about him, going so far as to treat him as if he were their very own child. Unfortunately for Lucas, as soon as they discovered they were pregnant, everything changed. Including their feelings for him. He ended up getting booted out. Again. For the fifth time.
It all ended up a blessing, as he moved to Wayward and into Bernadette’s home, her backyard butting up against the coastline and providing such a wonderful place to explore and grow up.
Grant, two years younger than Lucas, was already there when he arrived, and then two months later came Rachel. There had been a few other children who stayed with Bernadette for a short time. Children waiting for a family member to be located or another foster home to open up. As far as those who stayed for the long-term, Rachel had been the last.
Damn, she had been a cute baby.
Ten months old and perpetually happy.
There was no telling how many diapers he and Grant had changed. Not because they had to. Bernadette wasn’t like that. But because they wanted to be part of a family. And Bernadette always said what made a real family was more about sharing responsibilities and caring for one another than bloodlines.
With the odds stacked against them, Lucas later became the mayor of Wayward, while Grant became the town’s chief of police.
