9.

Austin had a lot of respect for parents, especially when trying to round up everyone to leave the house on time.

"I'm leaving in 5 minutes, with or without you!" Austin yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Various responses from the brothers were heard throughout the house ranging from a sprightly "Sir, yes sir" to a snarky "don't get your panties in a twist," plus or minus a few curse words.

As Glen and Hayes passed by Austin on their way down the stairs, Glen shot him a thumbs up and Hayes gave a small smile to acknowledge that they heard him. Reaching the main floor, the two moseyed on into the dining room to wait until the departure.

"Sunshine?" Colton addressed his sister. He held up an iphone that had been abandoned on the kitchen table. "Are you missing something?"

"No?" She replied, pulling out a seat to put on her shoes. It was Thursday night which meant dinner at Baker's house. Glen and Hayes were pretty stoked for their first official family outing. Thursday was the only consistent night Baker had off of work each week and he made it a priority to spend it with his siblings, and his wife, of course. Baker lived for being involved with his siblings' lives even though he didn't live with them anymore. Like Austin, they were his babies, his pride and joy.

"You sure? Who else would this green swirly phone case possibly belong to?"

"Was that a sexist joke? Because it's actually mine. Thanks Colton." Glen made to take the phone but Colton slapped his hand away.

Hayes glanced up at them thru her eyelashes. "Oh, yeah. I've been looking for that." Glen snickered at her lie. She had not been looking, at all.

Colton glanced at her to the phone still in his hand and back to her, confused. "Sooo do you want it? Because I'll take it if you don't. I've been meaning to upgrade my phone for a while."

"Oh yeah, thanks." She muttered, taking it from his hand and putting it on the table next to her. She'd conveniently forget to take it when it was time to go.

These new phones were a generous gift from Austin. He surprised Glen and Hayes when they woke up that morning by taking them to the Apple store and buying iPhones, a huge step up from their previous off-brand cellular devices. Glen was super appreciative. The first thing he did besides bear hug Austin, was log into his social media account to reconnect with his buddies from back home. He had missed talking to Lewis and Patrick everyday. Hayes thanked Austin and then proceeded to leave her phone around the house. She wasn't interested in it. Why bother when it could be taken away in a blink of an eye?

"You're a weird kid, Sunshine." Colton leaned his hip against the table watching her tie her shoes.

"Thanks?" She wrinkled her nose at him not sure if that was an insult or not. Deciding she didn't care enough to find out, Hayes stood up to go wait on the rocking chairs out front instead.

"Wow, that was mean of you." Glen sided with Hayes.

"What? No, no wait! Don't walk away. I meant it in a good way. I'm sorry Sunshine, please come back." Colton backtracked. He reached out with his long arms before she got too far away and playfully tugged her over to him. She tried to resist him but Colton easily overpowered her and wrapped his arms around her locking her against his chest. His evil plan worked. Hayes melted into his embrace, all the while cursing hugs for being her weakness. "I just meant that most kids would be obsessed with the newest iPhone and you're not." Colton clarified.

Hayes shrugged. So she wasn't like most kids, there was nothing wrong with that.

"Maybe you're the weird one.  Have you met yourself?" Glen asked Colton. He sat down in Hayes' abandoned chair.

"Yes, and I happen to be very cool, thank you very little." Colton scoffed.

"Yeah, Constipated, over-rated, out of style, loser." Hayes mocked quietly.

Colton's jaw dropped. She wasn't quiet enough. "Excuse me, Sunshine. What did you say?" Colton dug his fingers into her side to tickle her. The sudden attack made Hayes squeal in laughter as she tried and failed to break free. "I don't hear an apology," he teased, unrelenting in tickling.

"Glen, help me!" Hayes begged.

"I'm good," Glen declined, crossing his legs to get comfortable.

"Stoooop, You're gonna make me pee," Hayes laughed squirming against his hold. She tried elbowing him but that did diddly squat.

Hayes' bright laughter filled the whole house and soon enough all her brothers were standing around watching. Seeing her laugh so freely like a child made Austin's day. Heck, his year. It was also a very contagious laugh. the brothers couldn't help but chuckle along. Hayes took note that none decided to help her, those butt heads. Have no fear, she'll get her payback.

"I'm gonna pee, Colton! I'm gonna pee!"

"All right, ease up Cole." Austin finally intervened, still chuckling. Hayes was a sight to see - face was flushed, hair more messy than usual, she was breathing heavily, and most importantly, there was a smile on her face.

Colton stopped his attack, letting his sister stumble out of his grasp. She took a couple unbalanced steps backwards towards where Austin stood. He steadied her to let her catch her breath. She had her hands on her knees, slightly bent over.

"Great, now that everyone's accounted for, get in the car. Here," Austin tossed his keys to Colton, "I'll lock up once Hayes recovers."

"Shot gun!" Francis called and ran out the front door. Glen immediately jumped up and took off after him.

"I live with a bunch of fucking children," Dakota muttered, following behind his younger brothers at a normal walking pace. Hayes wondered why he was always so grumpy.

"It's like they forgot I have the power." Colton grinned, shaking the keys in his hand. The front seat was all his.

"Nothing ever changes around here." Austin chuckled. "Have fun with that one." He patted Colton on the back as he passed by. Colton turned around to shoot them a thumbs up before walking outside, shutting the door behind him.

Turning his attention back to his sister, he chuckled. "You okay there, babe?"

"Just peachy," Hayes replied, still a tad breathless. "Be right back."

"Take your time."

When she came back from the bathroom, her face was still a little red and her hair still a lot messy, but Austin thought his little sister looked perfect. Happiness suited her.

"Ready?" Austin asked.

"Ready."

"Come here for one sec," he stopped her as she went to walk by.

"What?" Hayes looked up at him with her bright blue eyes. There was a twinkle in them that he hadn't seen yet. Austin tucked the wild strands of hair behind her ears, resting his hand on the back of her neck.

"What's wrong?" she asked again, when he didn't say anything.

"Nothing, Sunshine. Absolutely nothing is wrong." Austin responded. He was simply reminiscing the past when she was a baby and tickling was a common occurrence. Austin pulled her in for hug, resting his chin on the top of her head. They stood in a peaceful silence enjoying each other's presence. "I love you, Sunshine" he whispered into her hair. Hayes' heart glowed. It was the first time he had actually said the words aloud.

Beeeeeeeeeeeep beep beeeep beep beep

" The day Francis acts his age will be the day pigs fly." Austin groaned. Hayes giggled. That day wasn't happening anytime soon.

Austin kissed her head twice before spinning her around and walking them outside to the car.

Hayes had no hesitation getting in the car this time, since Austin had chauffeured them around the past 2 days. She trusted his driving, and more importantly, she trusted him. Hayes was forced to climb over Francis' legs to sit in the back row with Dakota for the 10 minute trip. Dakota was slouched, leaning his head against the window with his eyes closed. He looked peaceful, a welcomed break from his usual grumpy self.

Not wanting to disturb him, Hayes remained quiet, taking the seat next to the other window, leaving the middle seat open. After buckling up, She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on her knees so she could look out the window too. In the reflection she could see the remnants of a tiny smile that remained. Hayes would never have predicted she'd be this comfortable with her brothers by now. It had only been 4 days and Glen and her spent most of it with Austin. Her smile widened. Austin loved her. Hayes knew all her brothers loved her, actions spoke louder than words, but to hear it said aloud made it so much more real, so much more meaningful.

Wow. What a turnaround in her life. And now Glen and her were going to have their first official family dinner! She couldn't wait to see Baker again. Or maybe it was his dog she was excited to meet. Well technically it was his wife's dog, she had been told.

Hayes felt her heart start to race. How did she forget about Baker's wife? She remembered Emerson saying her name was Peyton or something like that. They were going to meet her tonight. Of course they would, it was her house too.

Her fingers started to tremble as she thought about worse case scenarios. Was it too late for Austin to turn back around and leave her at home?

Someone grabbed her left hand making her flinch but the person didn't let go. Hayes quickly turned her head to see Dakota in the same position as before except that now his hand completely covered her tiny one with his strong grip, relaxed on his leg. As if he could sense her staring at him, he gently squeezed her hand once. It did the trick. Dakota provided her with a calming presence. A distraction from her own dangerous mind.

Dakota could practically hear her heart beating outside of her chest. He had figured she'd be nervous, it was just a matter of time before it kicked in. Yesterday Austin and Baker talked and requested that the brothers wouldn't bring up Peyton unless Glen or Hayes brought it up first. They wanted to see how it would play out, within reason, to see what demons they were up against. While Dakota didn't necessarily agree with that tactic, he trusted Austin and Baker. Well, he at least trusted them to be able to handle the situation should it turn wary. They had a lot of practice dealing with emotionally unpredictable siblings. He'd admit, it was mostly him, but Francis and Emerson had their bad moments too.

Hayes felt herself begin to unwind a tiny bit, enough to remember that she wasn't alone in her battles as Glen liked to say. She had 6 brothers who would never let Peyton or anyone else for that matter, hurt her or Glen.

Sooner than she would have liked, they arrived at Baker's house. Everyone clambered out of the car, ready to eat some dinner. It was a cute, petite home with a massive backyard. First ones out of the car, Glen and Francis raced to the front door. Hayes could hear them cracking up as she slowly trekked behind, trying to postpone the inevitable . Glen and Francis had been whispering to each other the entire ride over so Hayes knew they were up to something. Like two peas in a pod.

She watched as Francis started rapidly pressing the doorbell with Glen snickering beside him. There was shouting mixed with a dog barking heard from inside the house. Right before the door opened, Francis and Glen quickly swapped spots so Glen was standing next to the doorbell with his hand poised as if going to ring the doorbell.

"Holy shit Francis, you're seventeen not seven!" Baker exclaimed, swinging the door open. He opened his mouth to complain some more before realizing who he blamed wasn't where he thought he would be. Baker looked momentarily confused before rolling his eyes and slapping Francis on the back of the head, muttering something. Francis laughed and retaliated by elbowing Baker in the gut as he went inside.

"Hey B," Colton greeted with a bro-hug. "Smells good, Peyton!" Colton followed the source of the smell to the kitchen.

"Sup Fucker." Dakota patted Baker on the shoulder and strolled on by.

"Nice to see you too, Kota." Baker responded. Dakota held up a peace sign over his head as he made his way to the television. There was a soccer game to watch.

And then there were four.

Hayes finally made it to the front porch with Austin right beside her. Even though his presence had a natural gift of making her feel at ease, Hayes struggled to control her instincts to tuck tail and run.  Dakota helped in the car but once they got out, her anxiety came back with a vengeance. She fumbled with the sleeves of her sweatshirt to hide her still slightly trembling fingers.

"Hey buddy," Baker nudged Glen's arm. Glen hadn't moved since Baker opened the door. He had heard a woman's voice in the house and it was like it sucker-punched him back in time. His whole body became tense and his hands clenched into fists.

"Hey," Glen forced out, less enthused than his normal self. Baker observed his on-edge body language before addressing the last arriving siblings.

"Hey bro, Hi Sunshine."

"Hi." She longed to run into his arms for a hug but instead she seeked out protection from Glen, stopping slightly behind his back, clenching his shirt in her hand.

Austin and Baker exchanged a look. The prospects of having an easy night didn't seem too certain anymore. Baker stepped fully outside and closed the door behind him, providing some privacy from the rest of the family. Glen and Hayes watched him cautiously and curiously.

"Okay so here's the deal," Baker spread his arms out, palms up. "Austin and I would never ever purposefully put you in a situation to hurt you. Ain't that right, Austin?"

"Right." Austin agreed. He was curious to see where Baker was going with this.

"Good good. Now I have a story to tell." Baker rubbed his hands together. "It's about two fucking amazing kids, let's say we call them Smiley and Sunshine." Glen snorted. "Shush kid. You'll want to hear this." Baker cleared his throat. "these kids, Smiley and Sunshine, went through a lot of shit growing up, having to think they were alone in fighting the scary world. And for too many years, they were. They saw demons that no kid should have to see." Hayes' hold on Glen's shirt tightened. "But then one fateful day, Smiley and Sunshine met a knight and his 5 loyal servants."

"Loyal servants?" Austin asked.

"Sorry, my peasants." Baker corrected making Austin roll his eyes. "They met the knight and his peasants and their lives were drastically changed. Now, the knight didn't know what these kids had been thru. He knew from experience that scars could be physical and mental. So he took it day by day, moment by moment, to make the kids feel safe in his palace. And in the end, his home became their home. The end." Baker bowed.

"That, was it?" Glen raised his eyebrows. Listening to Baker talk had slowly unwound his tense muscles. The power of brothers. He began to return to his normal self. "Dude that was so anti-climatic."

"That, was a fucking master piece. A classic bedtime story. A legendary tale." Baker pointed a finger at Glen. "You best appreciate it, Smiley."

"What Baker means in all that, is we don't want to pressure you two into doing something you don't want to do." Austin thought it best if he took over. "As much as Baker and I would love to know what you're thinking, we're pretty much in the dark here. So the ball is in your court. If you want to go inside, great. If you want to stay out here, great. We'll be right here with you the whole time."

"Whatever the fuck our mother did or whoever it was that hurt you guys, I so wish I could make it all go away. But what I can tell you is that Peyton is absolutely nothing like those fuckers. I may be bias, since I married her and all, but she's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. And she's super excited to meet you. But that doesn't have to happen tonight. There's no pressure." Baker added.

"Yeah, I bet she's super cool." Glen said, winking at Hayes when she looked up at him. Hayes hid her face in Glen's back, making Glen laugh. Leave it to him to crack a joke at stressful times.

"What I'd say?" Baker asked Austin, curious about Hayes' behavior.

"Don't worry about it," Austin shook his head with a chuckle. Colton told him in the car about Hayes' quirky remark.

Baker opened his mouth to say something but a weird sniffing sound came from the front door. Baker laughed. "Easy Chubba, it's just me." He smiled at Glen and Hayes. "Wanna meet the best dog ever?" They nodded so Baker opened the door. Immediately, a fluffy golden retriever came flying out like a bullet.

"Oh my God, you're so cute!" Hayes squatted down attracting the dog's attention, her whole body language transforming in a matter of seconds. Dogs were amazing. Chubba ran over to her, a little too excited, pushing her onto her butt. She rocked backwards into someone's legs, saving her from banging her head against the ground. She tilted her head up to see Austin standing there. She should have known it was him because ever since they met him on Monday, Austin seemed to always be there to pick her up when she fell, literally and figuratively. He was like her own guardian angel.

Chubba licked her face, his body wiggling so fast that his hair was shedding everywhere. Hayes loved every bit of it. Glen squatted down next to her to give Chubba some pets as well.

"I think Chubba found his new love." Baker chuckled. "Emerson may be heart broken when he finds out."

"I think he'll live." Austin responded with a grin. He could imagine perfectly the betrayed look on Emerson's face when Chubba leaves him high and dry for Hayes.

"Hey my dudes and dudette," Francis appeared at the door. "Peyton said dinner's ready if you're ready. Please be ready, my stomach is the definition of anger right now."

"Francis! I told you I was doing it." Hayes recognized Colton's voice.

"Sorry, I forgot!" Francis yelled back to him. He grinned at them. "Oopsies. So, uh, what do you think? Hi, fat boy." He cooed at Chubba who quickly sniffed him before running back to Hayes.

"Leave them alone Fran. Seriously, Baker why'd you have to drop him on his head as a baby?" Colton questioned.

"Hey! I was not dropped as a baby." Francis complained. "I was born this amazing." Colton rolled his eyes and grabbed Francis's arm, pulling him away.

"Well come show Peyton how amazing you are." Colton's voice drifted down the hall.

With the comic relief gone, Baker and Austin looked back  down to Glen and Hayes. Like they said, it was the kids' decision on what to do.

Hayes knew everyone was looking at her for an answer, including Glen. He wouldn't do something if she wasn't on board with him. Hayes focused on petting Chubba, working hard to maintain her calm breathing while she thought about her decision.

"What do you think?" Glen quietly asked her.

"Don't leave me." She whispered.

"Never." It was a promise Glen had yet to break.

"Okay." Hayes made eye contact with him. Glen returned the look with a serious face.

"You sure?"

Hayes' stomach growled. Stupid stomach always making a scene at the wrong time.

"Guess Tommy says yes. Well that settles it then." Glen chuckled and punched her arm, incidentally a little too hard, causing her to fall back again into Austin's legs. "Heh whoops my bad Hayes." Maybe that wasn't the best idea. He stood up dusting off the dog hair before helping Hayes up as well. He turned back around to address their two eldest brothers. "So brothers, what's for dinner?" Glen asked with a cheeky grin.

———

Was it a coincidence that Peyton made chicken and pasta for dinner? Hayes didn't know but she was thankful for it. So far, dinner hasn't been as bad as the possibilities her mind conjured it could be. Peyton was informed ahead of time to give the kids their space which she had been sure to respect the whole time. Besides a tiny wave when Glen and Hayes finally made it inside, they kept their distance from her. From afar, Hayes didn't think she seemed like a bad person, maybe even cool as Baker said, but Hayes also learned the hard way that looks could be deceiving. And she wouldn't make that mistake twice.

"I don't know Franny, I think even Sunshine is stronger than you." Snickers came from all the brothers.

"Bullshit. She doesn't even weigh 100 pounds soaking wet. There's no way." Francis argued.

"According to Dakota, she could do pull-ups in her sleep." Colton replied.

"That is accurate." Dakota confirmed.

"Are you saying I can't do pull-ups? I'm offended, D. Truly, how little you think of me."

"Bet." Dakota smirked. He found great pleasure in riling up his younger brother.

"You're really challenging me against Hayes?" Francis scoffed. "Fine. Hayes - me, you. That bar. Right now."

A slight tug on her ponytail drew Hayes' attention. She looked questioningly to Austin who was sitting next to her with a smile on his face.

"You didn't hear a word that's been said, have you?" he laughed, knowing it was true. Hayes shook her head no. Austin saw how she had been preoccupied with her thoughts as well as petting Chubba who was very needy. His head was laid on her lap this whole time. Granted, Hayes encouraged it by sneaking him some pieces of chicken.

"Francis challenged you to a pull-up contest. He's worried a girl is stronger than him." Glen explained to her. He was sitting on her other side. Hayes' head swiveled to Francis who was seated on the other side of the table. She knew it wasn't a fair set-up considering Francis was obviously much stronger than her and figured it was a joke, but Francis looked super serious. Dakota, who was sitting next to Francis, caught her eye and winked, letting her know he believed in her. Hayes bit her lip unsure of herself.

"Are you gonna chicken out?" Francis taunted her.

"Leave her alone," Austin read the uneasiness in her body language. He kept his hand on the back of her neck, making circular motions with his thumb to calm her.

"I'll do it." Peyton volunteered in her place. She'd enjoy teaching Francis a lesson or two on picking on his little sister.

"Hell no!" Francis exclaimed, "you're a crazy pyscho work-out machine. I'm not stupid."

"Sounds like you're the chicken," Peyton mocked him. The brothers laughed at Francis' dispense as Francis gasped.

"Oh no you didn't." Francis pushed his chair back and stood up from the table.

"Oh yes I did." Peyton stood up from her seat.

"Sounds like a bet." The boys whooped. Baker, Colton, and even grumpy Dakota joined in on the action,  migrating into the family room. Baker had a pull-up bar contraption on the laundry-room doorframe. "You got this babe!" Baker cheered.

"Let's go watch, Hayes." Glen waited by his chair, looking at her expectantly.

"You go, I can see from here." Hayes declined. Austin remained seated as well to keep her company, continuing to run his thumb soothingly over her neck. If he wasn't careful, Hayes may even fall asleep to it.

After making sure she was certain, Glen nodded and went to go stand with Colton. Those two had a bond that was growing stronger each day. Glen definitely looked up to Colton as his role-model. Colton patted him on the back, welcoming him in to the circle. A show was about to go down and he wasn't going to miss it.

----

Peyton won.

But to be fair, Francis was right about Peyton being a work-out fanatic. While watching the battle from afar, Austin told Hayes about how she did cross-fit every morning before work and was in phenomenal shape. Her and Baker even competed in cross-fit competitions every couple of months. Francis, on the other hand, was also in great shape, but he had more baseball strength, whatever that meant. It sounded like Austin didn't want to hurt his feelings too much.

As the siblings were getting ready to leave, Hayes decided she wouldn't be able to hold her pee for the trip home, so she took the stairs two at a time to find the bathroom. Catching a glimpse in the mirror while washing her hands, she realized she looked exhausted. Welp, that was nothing new. That's what stress could do to someone. Thinking about her comfy bed that was waiting for her at home made her yawn. She rubbed her eyes, making her way back to the staircase, ready to go home. She lazily glanced around at the photos that she missed on her mission to the bathroom. As wall decor, Baker and Peyton had hung up some pictures of their family and friends. She recognized her brothers in some of them.

Wait just one second.

Hayes stopped walking, squinting to get a better look. Staring back was a photo of her smiling brothers and a girl who looked around her older brothers' age. She looked eerily familiar but Hayes couldn't place where she recognized her from. Hayes rubbed her eyes some more to clear her thoughts. It gave her the sense of deja-vu.

"Hayes, babe, it's time to go!" Austin called for her. Shaking her head, Hayes continued walking, taking the stairs fast.

"There she is." Baker was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Hayes walked into his open arms, wrapping her arms around him to finally receive the hug she had been craving since they arrived. "I'm glad you came tonight. Did you have fun?"

"uh huh," she mumbled against his chest. It was true, tonight turned out to be a good night especially because Francis got shown up by a girl. And she loved Chubba. She'd have to work on convincing Austin to get her a dog.

"You got to let her go eventually, B. She looks like she's going to fall asleep on her feet." Austin noted, squeezing Baker's shoulder. That was also true.

"If I must," Baker sighed, giving his sister one more tight squeeze. He kissed her head then released her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder instead. "I'll walk you guys out."

He helped her into the car, which was much easier this time because Glen swapped seats with her. He patted her good knee, wished everyone a good night and shut the door. Baker and Austin conversed for a moment outside and then they were off.

As soon as they got home, Hayes went upstairs and got ready for bed. Settled in bed with her eyes closed and safely cocooned in the comforter, she was sooo sleepy now. She crossed her fingers in hopes of finally having a full night's sleep. But when did that ever happen?

There was just something she couldn't shake off - who was that girl?

Hayes whimpered. The answer for why she looked familiar suddenly came to her. It was a carbon copy of their mother.

Oh God.