10.

~FriYAY~

"Why are you standing here like a creep?"

Austin startled, not hearing Dakota walk up to him. "Lower your voice," he warned to Dakota. Austin leaned his head against the door frame to Hayes' bedroom watching Glen and Hayes sleep soundly.

"Why? What'cha looking at?" Dakota asked, keeping his voice at normal level. Austin rolled his eyes and moved over a little for Dakota to peek in. In the early hour of the morning when Austin was doing his bed checks for each of his siblings before going on his run, he found Glen asleep in Hayes' room. Austin assumed Hayes must have had a nightmare at some point in the night and went to Glen for comfort. He could see remnants of what used to be a pillow barrier between the two scattered around the bed. Hayes was curled up into a ball against Glen's back. "Well ain't that just fucking adorable." Dakota muttered.

"They are cute," Austin agreed, before letting out a heavy sigh. "I just wish I knew what her nightmares were about. But she won't tell me. It's fucking killing me to not be able to help her. To take away her nightmares or anything to stop her pain. They are both suffering right in front of my eyes and I can't do anything about it."

"That guy, uh what's-his-name, didn't tell you anything?"

"Stephen? A little, but he didn't know much either. The kids kept it closed lip."

Dakota heard the anguish in Austin's voice. He wasn't used to Austin opening up to him. He knew Austin talked to Baker about that kind of stuff and vice versa. "Trust me, you are helping." Dakota replied, stiffly crossing his arms.

"What do you mean?" Austin furrowed his eyebrows glancing down at Dakota, who stared pointedly ahead.

Dakota took his time gathering his thoughts. Likewise, he wasn't one to freely share his feelings either, but he knew in that moment Austin needed to be reassured that he wasn't messing up their lives. "I don't know. Just you being here for them, is helping," Dakota shrugged, "You showed up. I should know since you did the same for me." What he didn't say, was how grateful he was for Austin showing up. Austin and Baker basically saved his life. Dakota had fallen hard into the pit of depression after the car accident and losing their baby siblings, and they pulled him out. The brothers left no one behind.

Austin remained quiet, letting Dakota's words sink in.

"Thanks Kota." Austin finally replied.

"Yeah, sure." Dakota coughed, uncomfortable, and backed up a couple steps turning to leave. "You ready to go? It's almost 7:30." That was the reason why Dakota was looking for Austin in the first place. Austin dropped Dakota off at the construction site on his way to the office every morning. Dakota had his driver's license and a car, he just would rather not be behind the wheel. Too many bad memories.

"Already?" Austin looked at his watch. Sure enough, it was 7:30 right on the dot. "Wow, look at that. Yeah let's go." Austin quietly closed the bedroom door behind him and followed Dakota down the stairs.

🎶Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. That's why I poop, on company time!🎶

-----

"America could have chosen any sport as their greatest pastime, and they picked fucking baseball." Dakota scoffed, shaking his head as he climbed up the bleachers to where his siblings were sitting. He had left to use the bathroom a little while ago and then got distracted by Francis and Glen who were messing around on the other side of the field. "Dumb fucks."

"A pleasure as always," was Austin's sarcastic reply.

"I'm a fucking ray of sunshine." Dakota stated. He plopped down on the bleachers next to Hayes, stretching out his legs and leaning back against the next row to get comfortable. Hayes raised her eyebrows, begging to disagree. Excuse you Dakota, she was Sunshine.

"Stop staring at me, kid." How did he even know that? His eyes were closed!

Hayes slid closer to Austin, not trusting Dakota's unpredictable attitude. Austin's arm landed around her waist and tucked her into his side, safe and sound.

"You could at least be a little supportive of Emerson, considering he is your brother, you know." Colton couldn't help himself.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"You are." Austin noted making Colton snort. Dakota had thrown a hissy fit when it was time to leave complaining about how hungry he was since he just got home from work. Colton had told him to simply shut the fuck up and get in the car which led to bickering between the brothers. Thankfully Austin, being the mature adult that he is, quickly solved the problem by making Dakota a sandwich for the road. Hayes was going to ask Glen to switch seats with her for the 2 hour car-ride, but when they were all walking to the car, Dakota claimed her as his seat buddy, taking away that option. It ended up being no big deal since Dakota was annoyed with Colton and not his little sister. Plus Hayes dozed off as soon as they got on the highway so she couldn't bother him anyways even though she did fall asleep using his shoulder as her pillow. But Dakota was happy by then. He had his sandwich.

Dakota sat up straight, getting fired up. "Plus who do you think went to all his games in high school. That's right, me." Hayes inched a tiny bit closer to Austin. "Fucking talking about support him. I served my time." Dakota muttered, slouching back down. He lowered the brim of his hat to block out the sun and closed his eyes. It was a jab at Austin but he didn't bite.

"And we appreciate you." Austin calmly replied. It took a lot to get under his skin. Dakota huffed but didn't respond, signaling he was done with the conversation.

Hayes turned her head from Dakota to Austin to Colton, confused on what just happened. She didn't understand brother talk, at all. She swore they were all getting along when they first got to the game. Who knew boys were so moody.

They all went silent for a while enjoying the sounds of the game, each sibling lost in their own thoughts. Austin and Colton would cheer every now and then, but Hayes had no idea why. She attempted to pay attention to the game in the beginning, but to be honest, she agreed with Dakota. Baseball was boring unless you were the one playing. Speaking of, Hayes surveyed the field, looking for her brother. Out in right field, Emerson looked like he was having a grand ole time, dancing to the batters' walk-up songs. Thank God for Francis pointing him out to her and Glen in the beginning because she would never have been able to pick him out of the line up. Now all she had to do was look for lucky #13. That was her and Glen's favorite number, too.

The sun was starting to set as it approached 7pm. Hayes let out a yawn, leaning her head against Austin's shoulder. Sun down, Hayes down. Thankfully the game was approaching the end because she was so sleepy. And hungry. And did she mention bored? It was not a good mix.

"Don't fall asleep Sunshine, the game is almost over. Promise." Austin kissed her head. Hayes internally rolled her eyes. He had said that a couple minutes ago. But this time he meant it because it was the bottom of the 8th inning.

To keep awake, Hayes swung her legs back and forth, casually glancing around at her surroundings. She stopped at Dakota who was still sitting with them and was quite possibly truly asleep. He hadn't moved in some time but he also had earphones in so maybe he was just listening to music.

Hayes mused over this, feeling the need to fulfill her duty of a little sister arise. It was a small nudge that was getting stronger everyday.  She knew Colton and Austin were preoccupied with the game so they wouldn't be able to stop her. Additionally, Francis and Glen had their backs to her since they were sitting in the row in front of them so they couldn't see the wheels of mischief turning in her head, either.

Ah, what the heck.

Quick as a whip, Hayes formed a fist, sticking out her pointer finger and leaning over, she poked Dakota deep in the side where she deemed most ticklish.

Dakota flinched almost falling down between the two rows. "What the fuck!" his fierce blue eyes found hers in an instant. She'd be lying if his glare didn't scare her a teeny bit. Hayes scooted backwards into Austin's stomach, who automatically wrapped an arm around her waist to stabilize her.

"Dakota, we're in public," Austin hissed at his outburst. It didn't really have an effect on Dakota since the last remaining people in the bleachers didn't even bother to look at them.

"Are you kidding me? It was her!" He pointed at Hayes, who immediately put her head down.

"Hayes," Austin lightly admonished the young girl. He wasn't upset with her, just surprised that she was involved.

"Sorry," Hayes whispered, shoulders caving in on herself. She didn't like Austin's disappointed tone of voice. She was in trouble now.

Before her mood could hit rock bottom of anxiety awaiting her punishment, hands grabbed hers and pulled her into a standing position. "Come on Trouble, let's go walk that energy out," Colton intervened. Knowing the game would be over any moment, he figured the walk would buy Austin some time to deal with Dakota as well as give him the opportunity to turn down Emerson's energy level a notch before meeting the kids. Austin was definitely the peacekeeper of the siblings, the perfect fit for being the head of their family. Hayes latched onto Colton's hand as he tugged her over to the stairs.

"Wait for me,"

"I'm coming too," Glen got up with Francis and bounded down the bleachers to meet them at the bottom. They had come back during the 6th inning trying to shake down Austin for money to spend at the concession stands. They didn't succeed.

Just as Colton predicted, by the time they made it to the other end of the baseball park, the game was over. Hayes guessed Emerson's team won from the shouts of glee coming from the stands. "That's the ball game, Folks! Thank you all for coming out tonight. Have a safe drive home and we hope to see you next time!" The announcer signed off.

The four of them hung out by the fence separating the spectators from the field, giving the crowd time to disperse. They were in no hurry, having to wait for Emerson to get released from the team anyways. Hayes propped her arms on the fence, staring out on to the field. Walking had given her her second wind and now she was antsy-pantsy. She was tempted to live up to her new-found name of Trouble by running free on the field. Just kidding, she'd probably pee her pants if Austin got mad at her.

"That's a terrible idea," Colton dutifully shouted as the older brother. Hayes frowned. She hadn't said that out loud so who else had a terrible idea? Hayes glanced at her brother who had his back against the fence. He was watching Francis and Glen as they lined up at the bottom of the bleachers.

"Nobody asked you, Cole," Francis yelled back. Hayes scowled. Unbelievable, they were about to race and didn't even invite her. It was probably for the best since she'd probably trip over her feet. Austin wouldn't be too happy if she reopened her healing scab again not even four days later. She should at least aim for 5 days before getting hurt, again. Intrigued, she turned around mimicking Colton's position to watch. They could hear Francis doing a countdown.

"On your mark, get set, go!" Both brothers took off, using the bleachers as their steps instead of the actual stairs. It was a tight race to the top, but Glen was able to turn quicker, taking the lead coming back down. Hayes wasn't surprised, he was very nimble.

"Best of 3," Francis suggested, hands on top of his head to catch his breath. Glen mirrored his position, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah!"

"Come on Francis, you're such a turtle." Hayes laughed, egging him on. Colton quickly covered her mouth, pulling her head against his chest. "Mhfffhph."

"Don't encourage him, Sunshine," he muttered against her head, sealing his request with a kiss on top.

Francis and Glen lined up again. "On your count this time," Francis told Glen.

"Okay. 3, 2 - " a shrill whistle cut him off, making the boys stand up immediately. With sheepish expressions on their faces, they slowly turned to face the whistler. Who to expect but Austin.

"Really guys?" He questioned giving them a stern face, then he looked at Colton. "Really? Did you even try to stop them?"

"Of course I did," Colton sounded offended but the twinkle in his eyes gave him away. If Hayes hadn't been standing there, he probably would have joined in. Colton may be 26 years old, but he was still a kid at heart. His siblings kept him young. It was a miracle that parents trusted him to be their child's teacher 5 days a week.

"Such a shitty liar." Austin replied, shaking his head. "Anyways, come on. Someone wants to meet ya'll." He directed the comment to Glen and Hayes.

"Emerson?" Glen exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Let's go, let's go, let's go."

"He's with Dakota by the picnic tables-, hold up!" Austin grabbed Francis by the upper arm before they could run off again. He muttered something into Francis' ear which made Francis frown. Nodding he muttered something back before Austin released him. Francis nudged Glen and the two of them walked off, at a much slower pace this time

"What was that?" Colton asked.

"Nothing. Just a friendly reminder that the Coach was always watching and could rescind his baseball offer at anytime."

"Shit, sorry Austin I wasn't thinking." Colton grimaced. He would hate himself if Francis' scholarship got taken away because of something he could have prevented.

"Not your problem. Francis needs some room to grow a little bit. Plus, Coach Moore loves the kid. I think he'd be more upset at me for even saying that to Fran." Austin chuckled.

As Colton and Austin conversed some more about how excited the Coach was to have two Powers siblings on his team next year, Hayes ducked out of Colton's embrace and walked to Austin. She couldn't explain why, but all of a sudden she got extremely nervous. Hayes knew Emerson was her brother and technically she's already met him so she had nothing to be afraid of. But rationality didn't stop her mind from racing. She wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling close to him. Without missing a beat, Austin hugged her tight.

"What's this for?" He questioned. When she didn't respond, he frowned in concern. "Sunshine, what's wrong baby?" He rubbed small circles on her back trying to coax her to speak. She shook her head no and shoved her face against his chest.

Hayes was overwhelmed.

Austin changed tactics to running a hand over her hair. For some reason, it had always been a more soothing motion to the young girl since she was a baby. It started to work within seconds. Hayes' breathing began to slow down and her mind started to clear. Austin shared a look with Colton, the both of them trying to think about what to do.

"Baby look at me," Austin said. Hayes tilted her head back a little to see him. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. "What's on your mind?"

Hayes opened her mouth to respond before closing shut. Now that she could think clearly again, she just felt plain silly.

"Come on, try me." Austin prompted.

"Whatifhedoesn'tlikeme?" Hayes rushed out making Austin's eyebrows rise. He mentally patted himself on the back for being able to understand her.

"What kind of question is that?" He asked.

"Emerson is probably bouncing off the walls waiting to meet you right now." Colton said. "Trust us, you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, what he said." Austin agreed, poking Hayes in the side making her squirm a little. "In fact, I think it's time we rescue Smiley from the Energizer Bunny, don't you think?

"Probably. Dakota can only provide so much interference." Colton chuckled, poking Hayes on the other side. A giggle sneaked out of her as she tried to escape Colton.

"Ahh, there's my girl." Austin internally breathed a sigh of relief. "Think you're ready to go meet the man of the hour?" Hayes twisted her lips to the side, but there was nothing to think about. She nodded. Yes, she was ready.

Colton jostled her shoulders playfully, pulling her out of Austin's grasp. "Let's go then. Sooner you meet Em, sooner we get pizza." Colton said, bringing a smile to Hayes's face. Pizza sounded amazing right now.

She grabbed Austin's hand that he held out for her and together the three of them walked to where the rest of their siblings were hanging out. Hayes felt her confidence build as she walked side-by-side with her brothers.

"Fucking finally," Dakota greeted them, having been the first to spot the group. "I'm starving." Standing with Dakota were Glen, Francis, and a blonde Jolly Green Giant who she could only assume was Emerson. Said Giant spun around at Dakota's announcement wearing a smile that lit up his whole face. Before she knew what was happening, he had her wrapped in a bear hug and was spinning them around.

"Don't break her," Austin cautioned. He had just managed to free his hand before Emerson swooped in. Thankfully he could hear Hayes' laughter so he knew she was okay.

"No promises," Emerson laughed, setting Hayes back on her two feet. She swayed, a little dizzy. He took a step back, while keeping his hands on her shoulders, in order to get a good look at his little sister.  Hayes stared back at him, memorizing his happy face. She may have been imagining it, but it looked like Emerson was going to cry. He blinked away the tears before she could really tell. "I've really missed you, Sunshine." He hugged her again. Hayes thought he was never going to let go, but she didn't mind a single bit. Emerson was now at the top of her list for best hugs, only behind Austin and Baker. She couldn't possibly have a 7-way tie, but 4-way was do-able. Glen needed to step it up a bit.

"Where's my hug?" she heard Colton ask jokingly. Emerson immediately looked over her head and spotted Colton standing slightly behind her. It had been a month since Emerson had seen his brothers in person so he was excited to see everyone.

"Hey Cole!" Emerson released Hayes, albeit somewhat reluctantly, before bounding over to Colton. Hayes blinked twice. Wow, the similarities between him and Glen were endless.

She felt Austin's hands on her shoulders, giving them a light squeeze for reassurance. He was proud of her for handling the situation so well, even with the minor freeze attack just minutes ago. She had been able to bounce back from the funk pretty quickly.

"If that's it, can we move this hug fest to the pizza joint, please?" Dakota impatiently asked.

Austin could only shake his head. Same ole' Dakota.

-------

"We want pizza. We want pizza." Francis chanted, banging his fists rhythmically on the table. Glen joined in on the beat and Emerson attempted to rap, creating a catchy little tune. Even Dakota was in on it, filming them with his phone.

"Knock it off," Austin ordered, placing a pizza tray on the table. Colton was right behind him with the second tray. The brothers had ordered a mix of plain cheese, some pepperoni, and of course, chicken for their Sunshine. After making sure everyone had a slice, Austin sat down next to Hayes, taking the end seat. Colton slid in next to Dakota on the other side to complete their circular table.

Hayes leaned back in the booth to make eye-contact with Glen behind Emerson's back. Emerson had claimed as he put it, "one baby sibling," on each side of him since he had the least amount of time with them thus far. Glen looked back at her, the two wearing matching silly grins with a twinkle in their eyes. Was it possible to be any more in love with their family?

Everyone was enjoying themselves, talking about anything and everything. Per usual, Hayes preferred to listen more than contribute. Watching her brothers interact was free entertainment.

"Yo Austin, what day do you go back to work again?" Emerson asked, glancing over Hayes' head to speak to Austin.

"Bright and early Monday morning. Why?" He had taken the whole week off to get the kids acclimated, but alas the week was almost over. Hayes bit her lip when she realized that she didn't even know what Austin did for his job. She'd have to ask Glen later to see if he knew.

"No reason. I was just thinking about staying until Wednesday, if that's cool. Coach doesn't care as long as I'm back for Thursday's team meeting." Emerson replied. He took a bite of pizza, chewing as he continued to talk.  It grossed Hayes out. "Have you talked to Lotte recently? Think she'll stop by this weekend?"

Hayes didn't miss the quick headshake from Colton and Austin's swift subject change to Baker's absence. Weird, what was that about?

Unfortunately, Baker had let them Know that he couldn't get out of his monthly work training to come along for the trip. Speaking of Baker, Hayes thought about the picture she saw at his house with the mystery girl. She hadn't had time to talk to Glen about it yet since the two of them were never left alone for long, and she actually completely forgot about it until now. But Hayes didn't have time to ponder about it any longer because soon she was dragged into a very amusing conversation of breaking the news to Emerson that Chubba loved Hayes more.

"Chubba is such a traitor. So much for a man's best friend," huffed Emerson.

————

~Saturday~

Hayes was pretty certain that Francis and Emerson were suppose to be watching her and Glen, so she was a little confused watching them drive away. They didn't even offer for the kids to go with them. How rude.

Now that every single brother was gone from the house, it left the door open for her and Glen to get into mischief. And mischief they would do since they had the freedom to behave like actual teenagers and not have to be constantly on guard like when they lived with the Bear. It was all fun and games until someone poked their eye out. Not literally, but close enough.

"Come out, come out where ever you are!" Hayes sung, creeping around the corridors of the house. They had decided to continue their nerf gun battle, only this time they were fighting each other.

"Where is he?" She muttered, pausing when she heard his laughter. She tried to pinpoint where he was. Her best guess was the laundry room so she retreated back out of the family room. Since she had socks on, she found great joy in sliding across the dining room to the front of the house. The socks also muffled the sounds of her footsteps which she hoped would give her the element of surprise against Glen. Ironically, socks were what would also lead to her ultimate demise.

"Last chance, Smiley!" She taunted, "give up or face your doom!" She tiptoed her way across the open foyer to the laundry room door, hoisting up her gun to attack.

"Boo." The sound came from behind her.

Surprised, she spun around, a little out of control thanks to her socks, only to have the front door slammed open into her face.

Unable to catch her balance, the unexpected force of the door sent her sprawling into her back. She smacked her head onto the tile.

Glen froze, feeling like he watched the whole thing happen in slow motion.

"Ow," Hayes cried out, immediately curling up into a fetal position on the floor, overcome by the pain. Her nerf gun clattered to the ground beside her. She didn't know what hurt more, her forehead, the back of her skull, or her dignity. Her whole head was pounding.

"Oh shit." Glen snapped into action and hurried over to her.

"What the hell are you two doing?" A set of footsteps crossed the door threshold.

It was Colton, returning home from morning basketball practice. He kicked the door shut and upon seeing Hayes on the ground he dropped his gym bag and kneeled by her.

"Hayes, what hurts?"

"I think she hit her head." Glen stood next to Colton, nervously wringing his hands. He felt entirely at fault for this.

"Hayes," she whimpered when Colton ran his hand down the back of her head, "baby, is it just your head?" He didn't want to move her if her neck hurt.

"It hurts," she whispered, trying to fight off the pain. She wasn't one to admit defeat, but that was a doozy.

"I bet that hurt a lot, huh?" Colton wiped the tears off her face. "Glen, can you get her some ice?"

"Yep." Glen tore out of the foyer eager to help in some capacity.

"Do you want to sit up? It's probably a good idea to get away from this door. Sorry about that, kiddo." Colton brushed her hair away from her forehead to examine the redness from the door. "Actually, lets go to the kitchen." He moved into a squat position to pick her up. "I got'cha."

He swooped her up easily and carried her into the kitchen. He went to put her in a chair but she clung to his shirt soaking in his comfort. Tears continued to run down her face and whimpers escaped periodically. She wished she'd stop crying. It made her feel weak.

"Here's the ice." Glen handed Colton the wrapped ice bag and stepped back a safe distance. Though he didn't have a reason to fear Colton, he couldn't forget the memories from being in trouble with the Bear.

"Thanks bud." He immediately put it on the growing bump on the back of her head. "Shh, you're okay." He tried to soothe her.

"Oh Siblings! Where art thou?" A new voice entered the home. "Francis and Emerson, you better be here!" He was the one who left them in charge.

There was some laughter. "Did you really expect Fran and Sonny to stay home?"

"They had one fucking job." The first voice replied.

"In the kitchen." Colton answered, tightening his grip on Hayes when he felt her flinch in his arms. He accidently shouted in her ear.

"Lunch is served- what the fuck happened?" Baker raised his eyebrows at the scene he was facing. Colton was sitting in a chair with a tear-stained Hayes and an icepack to her head and Glen was standing a couple feet away with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Glen never frowned hence why he was Smiley. Something was wrong.

"It was an accident. She hit her head pretty hard." Colton removed the ice so Baker could run his free hand over her head. When he touched the bump, Hayes tried to move away from him, shoving her face into Colton's chest.

"Concussion?"

"Not sure."

Baker nodded, putting the grocery bags on the counter. Him and Dakota had gone on a food run for the family. He grabbed a free chair and pulled it closer so he could sit in front of Hayes. He gently took hold of Hayes' face into his hands, making her look at him.

"Damn Smiley, what did you do?" Dakota joked, joining Glen by the counter.

"Leave me alone." Glen shoved Dakota's arm off his shoulder. He was not in the mood to be bothered by Dakota. Austin was going to have his head for hurting Hayes again.

"Jeez calm your tits." Dakota muttered. "I was just asking."

"Baby, can you tell me what happened?" Baker brushed her hair off her forehead to check for any bumps or bruising.

"I'm sorry." she sniffled, rubbing her eyes. By now thankfully, her tears stopped. All that remained was a runny nose.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Are we in trouble?"

"No, no baby. You're not in trouble." Baker suddenly realized why Glen was so tense, "No one is in trouble." He emphasized. Even though he didn't know what exactly happened, punishing Glen was not in the cards.

"Except Franny and Sonny Boy." Dakota grinned. He couldn't wait for them to get home from wherever they went. Watching his siblings get in trouble was his favorite form of entertainment. "You hungry?" He elbowed Glen and indicated to the bags of food.

Glen shook his head no. Who could have an appetite when he was awaiting his punishment from Austin. Even though Baker and Colton kept telling them that no one was in trouble, the decision ultimately laid in his hands since he was their guardian.

"Baby?"

"I- I didn't mean to. I didn't hear the door and I couldn't catch myself. I slipped." Hayes stumbled through her explanation.

"That's my fault." Colton took blame, " I didn't expect anyone to be standing there."

Baker watched Hayes' eyes not noting any abnormal eye movement or unequal pupil dilation. She was hard-headed, just like all her brothers.

"Let me just check the back of your head," he turned her head to face Colton's chest, "then we'll just keep the ice pack on for 20 minutes and reassess after."

She squeezed her eyes tight as Baker took her hair out of the ponytail and gently separated the strands of hair to get a better look.

"You got a good bump growing but no bleeding or anything." Baker kissed the top of her head before sitting back a little. "I think you may just live." He winked as he patted her leg before standing up. He deemed her in good hands with Colton so he went to check on Glen. The kid looked just as shaken up as Sunshine.

She gave a pathetic attempt for a laugh as she rubbed her nose against Colton's shirt. She was starting to feel a little bit better now that the ice had started to numb the pain.

"Ew, did you just wipe your boogers on me?" Colton was flabbergasted.

"Sorry." She sniffled again, giving him a weak smile in apology. She felt a little guilty, that probably was gross of her. But then again, he did change her diapers when she was a baby so a little snot wouldn't kill him.

"Oh Sunshine," he chuckled, running his thumb over her wet cheek, "what are we going to do with you?"

Love me forever, please.