"So...how was it?" Stacie asked as I put my keys on the counter. "It was fine. He's very nice and wants to go on a second date but I can't." I said and crossed my arms.
"Aww, Jules! Why?" She asked and pouted her lip out.
"Because it was nice of you to watch the kids tonight but it's not your responsibility." I said and ran my fingers through my hair.
"I don't mind, Jules. They're good kids and you're a good friend." Stacie said then got me a glass of water.
"They were good for you, right? Like I don't have to kick their butts or anything?" I asked causing her to laugh.
"No, they were perfect. Jenna and Carter are still up. The other two are in bed." Stacie said as I took a sip of water.
"That's good. Sam has some insomnia issues so I'll probably check on him when you leave." I said then leaned on the counter.
"So did he kiss you?" Stacie asked with a giggle. "He tried to but I turned it into an awkward cheek kiss." I said with a sigh.
"I thought you liked him!" She said as I nodded. "It's just not that easy. I don't know if I'm ready." I said as she frowned.
I told her vaguely what happened with Colby but obviously couldn't go into extreme detail due to his career.
Granted, he was a fucking dick and deserved to be outed as a criminal but I didn't want his blood on my hands. I've already been the cause to too many deaths.
"It was a long time ago, Jules. You deserve to be with someone who won't throw you away like you're nothing." She said as I shrugged.
"We'll see. I have too much on my plate anyways. Gotta figure out this insurance shit, and the speeding ticket, oh and my mom is trying to take the kids from me." I said and closed my eyes, feeling my heart race.
"Wait, really?" Stacie asked as I nodded. "Well just tell her to fuck off! She abandoned those kids." She said as I nodded.
"She's their legal guardian. There's literally nothing I can do." I said quietly. "You're just gonna give them up to her?" She asked as I shook my head.
"No. She'll have to fight to get them back." I said as Jenna came into the room.
"Oh, hey." I said as she looked at me. "How was your date?" She asked and came to give me a hug.
"It wasn't a date but it was good." I said and rested my cheek on her head as I hugged her.
"Finish your homework?" I asked as she nodded. "It took forever." She said as Stacie grabbed her bag.
"Heading out?" I asked as she nodded. "Parker made some delicious food so I want to get home and take my pants off." She said causing me to laugh.
"Thanks again, girl. I appreciate you." I said as she waved. "Any time and I mean any time." She said then winked and went to leave.
"So it really wasn't a date?" Jenna asked as I shook my head. "It wasn't." I said causing her to look up at me.
"It wouldn't be so bad if it was, ya know." She said causing me to raise my brows.
"Oh?" I asked as she pulled away. "Yeah. You need a boyfriend. I'm afraid you're becoming a loser." She said and crossed her arms.
"Gee thanks, Jen." I said and hopped onto the counter.
"See? Not a loser." I said and gestured to myself. "That's exactly what a loser would do." She groaned.
"I just don't think it's a good idea to delve into that life. Especially with everything that's going on." I said with a sigh.
"Like mom trying to get us back." She said causing my heart to sink.
"You heard that?" I asked causing her to nod. "I don't want to go back to her. You take better care of us anyways." She said as I nodded.
"I don't know what I can really do about this situation but I promise I'll fight for you guys. At the end of the day..I legally have to give you up to her." I said took her hand.
"Why though?! She left us!" Jenna said angrily as I hopped off of the counter.
"Because your big sister is a fuck up and has an addiction. I'm working on it but it's not easy to get custody after that." I said as she shook her head.
"You're better now though! You don't even take your seizure meds, Jules. You take care of us." She said, tears in her eyes.
"I know, Jen, I know." I said and hugged her. "Nothing is set in stone right now so try not to worry about it. I'm gonna take care of everything." I said and scratched her back.
It broke my heart that Jenna was stressed out about all of this.
It broke my heart how much she hated my mother and how badly she wanted to be with me rather than her.
It made this situation harder.
I knew that I would fight for them and that I wouldn't just let her take them because it was legally correct.
No matter how hard I fought though, I knew what the outcome would be.
It wasn't fair considering she abandoned them, but since she was their legal guardian she could really do whatever she wanted.
It just really fucking sucked.
I stayed up with Jenna for a while before She went to bed.
Luckily it was Friday so they didn't have school in the morning.
I still had to work tomorrow night but sleeping in was going to feel nice.
Before I went to bed I went to check on Carter, who was fast asleep, then went to Sam's room.
He was sitting up, reading a book. "Hey, bud." I said and walked into the room.
"Hi, Jule." He said with a smile. "Can't sleep?" I asked as he nodded.
"Wanna talk about it?" I asked as he sighed. "I just miss dad." He said causing me to frown.
"I know. You were so young when he died." I said as he nodded. "She never told us how he died. I always wondered." He said as I sighed.
"He was in an accident. Ironically the same accident I was in. Remember when I was injured?" I asked as he nodded.
"We thought you were gonna die." He said as I sat on the bed, laying next to him.
"Yeah. I couldn't leave you guys." I said and looked at the ceiling.
"I know that all of this has been super hard for you...losing dad..not seeing mom.." I said and trailed off.
"Losing Colby and his friends." He finished as I closed my eyes. "You really liked them that much?" I asked as he turned and cuddled into me.
"They were so nice. Plus I liked how happy he made you." Sam said as I chewed my lip. "It didn't last long though." I said with a sigh.
"Yeah. He left us, too." Sam mumbled. "Yeah. That's okay though because we have eachother." I said then scratched his back.
"Love you, Jule." He said as I nodded. "I love you more, kid." I said with a sigh.
"Try to get some sleep. Okay?" I asked as he nodded. "Yeah, just wanted to wait until you got home." He said which warmed my heart.
"I'm home and very tired." I said then sat up. "I'll see you in the morning. I can try to make some pancakes. How does that sound?" I asked as he nodded.
"Sounds good." I said then blew a kiss. "Love you." I said then left the room.
Before going to bed I checked on Juniper to make sure she was okay.
I was grateful she wasn't a fussy toddler because I don't know if I could handle that.
Luckily she was okay and fast asleep, because I was exhausted and I wanted to just go to sleep.
I thought about what Jenna said though. Maybe it would be okay to bring a guy back into my life. Sam was clearly craving a male figure in his life and I couldn't really blame him.
Carter was such a great kid and tried to be the 'man of the house' but Sam needed someone to look up to.
Mike was nice and didn't seem like he would mind taking that role on. Maybe I was meant to find Mike so he could make our family feel more complete.
I wouldn't take any big steps any time soon but maybe it wouldn't be so bad having a guy around.
It felt like I was meant to get pulled over and I was meant to meet him.
This was going to be a good thing for us.
Or at least I hoped it would be.