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Roe sighs and tension bleeds from her small body as she begins to relax, her momma’s promises finally seeping in and easing her anxiety. Maybe the trench coats weren’t such a bad idea after all. My fingers tap out a beat on the table as I begin to contemplate it.
Scarlett gives me an amused smirk as if she can read my mind, but it’s Luca who catches my eyes and shakes his head. Okay, maybe not staking out the school. Might be a little over the top. But I am going to need those feeds on my phone. I wonder if we could get our own cameras in their classrooms to make sure she’s okay during class.
There’s an idea.
Scarlett and Noah may have already set it up. I’ll have to remember to ask them later.
The rest of dinner passes without any more worries and Roe is quick to snap back to her normal self. She laughs and plays with the boys until it’s time to get ready for bed. The four of them are used to sleeping in the same room, but not a single one of them puts up an argument when we separate them tonight.
They really are growing up so fast, their minds developing at speeds that are hard to keep up with. How much longer will they stay this little? It feels like time is slowly slipping through our fingers.
Rowan is quick to fall asleep in her bed after we all take turns reading her a bedtime story and Scarlett sings her a lullaby. Her soft voice makes Roe’s eyes flutter and my heart skip a beat when watching them.
Scarlett brushes hair off of Roe’s face as her little hand tightens around her momma’s. I arch a brow and silently ask if she’s asleep, getting a nod in response, but none of us move. Moisture builds in my pretty girl’s eyes as she stares lovingly at our daughter. Hushed tension balloons in the room around the six of us as we stand around Roe’s bed, a content sigh passing her lips as she drifts off into her dreams. The conversation at dinner still weighs heavily on my mind.
“What if she grows up and realizes we’re the monsters?” The question is full of doubt and pain, years of believing she isn’t worthy of love.
Ryder is the first to move, but the rest of us are quick to follow, falling at Roe’s bedside next to Scarlett. I press a gentle kiss to her temple.
“We’re not the kind of monsters she’s scared of,” I say.
Ryder grins. “We’re the kind she and her momma hold the leashes for.”
I roll my eyes at him, but his words get a wry grin from our girl. “You don’t think she will grow up to hate us?”
Noah squeezes her leg. “She is going to be a teenager one day,” he teases.
Kade and Luca look stricken by that realization and I have to cover my mouth to stifle my laugh to not wake our baby up. Noah’s smile softens. “But no, baby girl. I don’t think she will hate us for the monsters we’ve become. She will be her own brand of destruction, one wrapped in sugar and spice, but destructive nonetheless. She’s already seen the worst of the world, survived fighting demons. She’s already marked in more ways than the scars on her skin. I hate that she will, but she’ll understand the darkness in all of us because she’s already survived it.”
Tears stream down Scarlett’s face and it takes me a moment to realize, she’s not the only one silently crying. “I don’t think that makes me feel any better,” she admits in a heavy whisper.
“Me either,” Noah agrees, squeezing her thigh once more. “But she’s a part of us.”
Kade takes her hand in his large one. “She has what we never did, Ladybug. Just like you said at dinner. She’s got a whole family behind her, supporting her, loving her. She’ll grow to appreciate the sharp edges she got from her momma.”
Luca leans over Scarlett and kisses Roe’s head before kissing Scarlett’s cheek. “A rose, thorns and all.”
* * *
The morning isas hectic as the night prior was emotional.
Wrangling four hellions is harder than any of us had anticipated, even with all the adults we have. It almost made it harder, bumping into someone with a lone sock in hand, every time we turned around. Charlene sat back and laughed as the chaos ensued. How does she manage to do this on a daily basis?
I run my hands over my face and stare at Kai and Roe as they eat the pancakes Scarlett made everyone. “How did you two manage to switch your shoes?” Not even both shoes, just the one. Each kid has one black tennis shoe and one teal blue one.
“Kai, how did you even get this on your foot?” I ask as I pull off Roe’s shoe from his foot and his from hers to put them on correctly. He gives me a little shrug as he stuffs another bite into his mouth and Rowan giggles at his side.
“One bite at a time,” Ian scolds as Kai shoves another bite in and I shake my head.
Kade stands behind Roe, brush in hand as he twists her hair into braids and pulls the hair off her face. Her legs swing back and forth as soon as I finish putting her shoe on the right foot. No sign of her panic from last night.
“All ready, butterfly,” Kade declares.
Scarlett comes around and beams. “You look beautiful, Roe baby!”
Roe’s giggle soothes the frazzled edges of this chaotic morning, making it all worth it. “Thank you, Momma.”
The kids all finish eating and we pile into separate cars and strap the kids in with promises of seeing each other again at the school. Kade climbs behind the wheel and Scarlett sits next to Roe, the rest of us falling into familiar seats in the car.
