AFOC Chapter 7
Chapter 7
EPOV
I miss my wife. It’s been a long time since we’ve been apart for more than a day. It’s now been four days since the call that changed our happy family vacation into a massive upheaval.
Sarah’s grandparents passed away in their sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning. We don’t have all the details because their deaths are still being investigated. Sarah is putting on a brave face, but I know she’s hurting. That’s more my wife’s area, but she’s in Michigan along with Irina, getting everything together for the funeral.
The first hurdle to deal with is custody of Sarah. Linda and Barry’s will states they want Sarah to come live with us. It’s not an issue to us; it’s mostly a formality for the caseworker. Bella has to deal with that plus funeral arrangements to the specifications left in their will.
My hurdle is taunting me from the bed; four half-packed bags for our children under five. I need to pack for at least ten days. Ten fucking days, and was I given specifics of what I needed to pack? No, I wasn’t. At least the oldest kids have been helpful. Damon has stepped up with helping me when he isn’t hovering over Sarah and being her shield. To be honest, it’s as if they had a meeting and each one took assignments. Lucian cooks, Mike cleans, Damon watches the little ones, and Julie does what we ask of her.
My phone dings as I’m shoving more clothes in each bag. I answer quickly, my sexy wife greeting me with tired eyes.
“I thought I would never get on the phone with you,” my love greets me.
“Rough day?”
She gives a humorless chuckle. “You could say that. Sarah’s birth mom is giving us trouble about custody and contesting the will. Linda and Barry left everything to Sarah, and Gail is just…” She scoffs, looking off screen. “Selfish, she’s really selfish, Edward. I’m pretty sure we’ll end up going to court. Right now we have custody of Sarah; we won that battle. But Gail is fighting tooth and nail for the estate and any inheritance they planned for Sarah.” She growls, running her fingers through her hair.
Trying to lighten the mood, I say, “Well, she might change her mind when we all show up tomorrow.”
Bella snorts. “I can only hope so, because I worry about how this will affect Sarah.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll help her together as a family.”
“Damn straight we will. When do you land?”
I double check the flight information laying on the dresser. “Around ten. We take off at five.”
She relaxes against a pillow. “How’s the packing going?”
I narrow my eyes. “All the older kids are good to go. I suck at packing our youngest children’s bags.”
She shrugs. “As long as there are two nice outfits, the rest doesn’t matter.”
I scoff. “Remember you said that when you see what I packed tomorrow.”
Bella laughs. “It’ll be fine, baby. Oh, before I forget, Julie’s grandmother said she can stay for the rest of the summer. They need to talk to us once we get home from Michigan.”
My brows furrow. “Did they say what about?”
She shakes her head. “No idea, but I can’t worry about it right now. We have to get through this.”
I nod. “Okay, I have to finish packing and then go to bed. You should do the same, love. You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”
Her eyes droop down for a moment before opening back up. She gives me a wry smile. “All right. I love you, and I can’t wait to see you and my babies tomorrow. I miss you all so much.”
“I love you, too. Try to get some sleep, love.”
She nods, blowing me a kiss and ending the call.
The alarm goes off way too early.
I chartered us a private jet to take us into Detroit where Irina and Bella are picking us up. It’s a long five hours. As we get off the plane, it takes a lot for me not to kiss the fucking ground. Wyatt cried for the first hour, Maddi and Masen wouldn’t sit still, and my little Lilypad whined about her ears. Lucian and Mike did their best to distract the twins while I tried calming Lily and Wyatt the best I could. Tanya had her hands full. This was Thomas and Kenny’s first flight, and Sam was helping keep Thomas busy as Kenny clung to Tanya.
Once inside the airport, the kids scream in glee as they run to their mom. Bella’s face breaks out into a smile, bending down to hug all the little devils while Wyatt tries squirming out of my arms to get to her.
“I missed all of you so much.”
They all talk over each other as she stands up, taking our youngest away from me and pecking my lips. “Are you ready for this?”
I smile. “As I’ll ever be.”
There’s a decent crowd during the viewing, and it remains drama free. I couldn’t help be thankful for Sarah’s sake.
But our luck isn’t with us today as Sarah’s mom shows up during the service. Sarah is sitting between Lucian and Damon with the latter on the end closest to the aisle. He’s not having it when Gail tries to squeeze in between him and Sarah, who clings to Lucian.
“She’s my daughter,” she hisses loudly.
“Bitch, please,” Damon snorts, blocking her from sliding past him.
Her eyes pop out at his dismissive manner. “Listen here, you little bastard.”
Bella stands up, Irina and Tanya right behind her. “This is not the place for this,” she growls, trying to put a lid on the building explosion.
Gail stomps her foot but finds another seat. Damon’s eyes remain forward, but his body tenses, his hand clenching into fists. Bella takes her seat next to me, leaning on my shoulder. “I was hoping she wouldn’t show up.”
“Let’s just get through this so we can go to the house and figure out our next move,” I whisper in her ear as the priest begins the service.
Our little ones stay put for the forty-five minutes for the service to take place. Sarah, Bella, Lucian, and Damon go in the stretch limo to follow the hearse to the cemetery. The rest of us follow in our rented vans.
Sarah still clings to Lucian, her eyes red from all the tears as we watch the caskets being lowered in the ground. I do what I can by getting Mike and Damon to help me with the little ones so Bella can support Sarah.
When we drive up to the house Sarah grew up in, Gail is standing there visibly shaking and looking like she’ll lunge at any moment.
Bella and Tanya approach her, and I pass Wyatt off to Damon and join them. When I pass Irina, I see she has her phone up to her ear.
“Ms. Goldsmith, I have already told you that everything was left to Sarah. You can’t be here.” My wife’s tone is low and controlled.
“This is bullshit! If I can’t be here, then neither can you!”
From where I’m standing, I see her dilated eyes. “Bella, maybe we should just stay at the hotel and come back tomorrow with the cops. Today has been too much on Sarah as it is.”
At the mention of cops, Gail pushes past us in a sprint, leaving without another word.
“That won‘t be the last of her.” Tanya shakes her head, walking back over to Sam to take Kenny from her.
Bella buries herself in my chest as I hug her. “Sarah really wants to stay here with us tonight. Irina has already let the authorities know of our current predicament.”
“Okay.”
Sarah shows us around, telling us all about her memories of growing up here. She drags Julie, Lucian, and Damon around more to show them her room and the clubhouse that her grandpa built when she was little.
Mike and Sam volunteer to watch the little ones while the adults work on packing things and making piles such as Goodwill donations, what we want to save for Sarah as an adult, and Sarah’s current belongings.
Days go by like this. After about the fourth day, my siblings go home, leaving my parents, Tanya, and Irina here while we clear out the house. Most things we’re sending to a storage place in Seattle for Sarah when she’s older. We’ll keep the house in case Sarah wants it when she’s an adult, or she can sell it.
Gail stayed away after we called the cops when she tried breaking in.
By the fifth day, we’ve cleared out the house and a moving company comes to take Sarah’s things to our home in one truck and the things to the storage facility in another one.
“Can I have a goodbye party so I can see my friends before we go back home?” Sarah asks.
Bella looks at me. “What do you think?”
I look at my newly adopted daughter who has big brown eyes; Puss in Boots comes to mind. “Let’s have a pool party at the hotel.”
She cheers, hugging me tightly before grabbing her phone. “When?”
“Friday night. We can book a couple more rooms and some of your closest friends can stay the night.”
She squeals as she types into her phone; I assume she’s inviting people.
Bella chuckles as we watch Sarah run off to Julie.
“We better start buying stuff for the party,” she muses.
“I’ll do that. I have to make some phone calls, make sure the office isn’t on fire since I’ve been gone almost a month.”
Bella groans. “I know, Leah called to tell me I better hire a PA and a receptionist because the grant came through for the clinic and the works program is in full swing.”
“Housekeeper, too,” I add to her list.
She growls and gives me a look. “It’s too much.”
“It’ll help when school starts.”
“Fine! We can do a housekeeper. But our three teens and a preteen will help clean. We would only need one a few times a week.”
I internally fist pump. “I have a list of people you can interview for PA and housekeeper. I’ll ask Angela about receptionists.” I quickly kiss her and take my leave before she can yell at me.
EPOV
I miss my wife. It’s been a long time since we’ve been apart for more than a day. It’s now been four days since the call that changed our happy family vacation into a massive upheaval.
Sarah’s grandparents passed away in their sleep from carbon monoxide poisoning. We don’t have all the details because their deaths are still being investigated. Sarah is putting on a brave face, but I know she’s hurting. That’s more my wife’s area, but she’s in Michigan along with Irina, getting everything together for the funeral.
The first hurdle to deal with is custody of Sarah. Linda and Barry’s will states they want Sarah to come live with us. It’s not an issue to us; it’s mostly a formality for the caseworker. Bella has to deal with that plus funeral arrangements to the specifications left in their will.
My hurdle is taunting me from the bed; four half-packed bags for our children under five. I need to pack for at least ten days. Ten fucking days, and was I given specifics of what I needed to pack? No, I wasn’t. At least the oldest kids have been helpful. Damon has stepped up with helping me when he isn’t hovering over Sarah and being her shield. To be honest, it’s as if they had a meeting and each one took assignments. Lucian cooks, Mike cleans, Damon watches the little ones, and Julie does what we ask of her.
My phone dings as I’m shoving more clothes in each bag. I answer quickly, my sexy wife greeting me with tired eyes.
“I thought I would never get on the phone with you,” my love greets me.
“Rough day?”
She gives a humorless chuckle. “You could say that. Sarah’s birth mom is giving us trouble about custody and contesting the will. Linda and Barry left everything to Sarah, and Gail is just…” She scoffs, looking off screen. “Selfish, she’s really selfish, Edward. I’m pretty sure we’ll end up going to court. Right now we have custody of Sarah; we won that battle. But Gail is fighting tooth and nail for the estate and any inheritance they planned for Sarah.” She growls, running her fingers through her hair.
Trying to lighten the mood, I say, “Well, she might change her mind when we all show up tomorrow.”
Bella snorts. “I can only hope so, because I worry about how this will affect Sarah.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll help her together as a family.”
“Damn straight we will. When do you land?”
I double check the flight information laying on the dresser. “Around ten. We take off at five.”
She relaxes against a pillow. “How’s the packing going?”
I narrow my eyes. “All the older kids are good to go. I suck at packing our youngest children’s bags.”
She shrugs. “As long as there are two nice outfits, the rest doesn’t matter.”
I scoff. “Remember you said that when you see what I packed tomorrow.”
Bella laughs. “It’ll be fine, baby. Oh, before I forget, Julie’s grandmother said she can stay for the rest of the summer. They need to talk to us once we get home from Michigan.”
My brows furrow. “Did they say what about?”
She shakes her head. “No idea, but I can’t worry about it right now. We have to get through this.”
I nod. “Okay, I have to finish packing and then go to bed. You should do the same, love. You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”
Her eyes droop down for a moment before opening back up. She gives me a wry smile. “All right. I love you, and I can’t wait to see you and my babies tomorrow. I miss you all so much.”
“I love you, too. Try to get some sleep, love.”
She nods, blowing me a kiss and ending the call.
The alarm goes off way too early.
I chartered us a private jet to take us into Detroit where Irina and Bella are picking us up. It’s a long five hours. As we get off the plane, it takes a lot for me not to kiss the fucking ground. Wyatt cried for the first hour, Maddi and Masen wouldn’t sit still, and my little Lilypad whined about her ears. Lucian and Mike did their best to distract the twins while I tried calming Lily and Wyatt the best I could. Tanya had her hands full. This was Thomas and Kenny’s first flight, and Sam was helping keep Thomas busy as Kenny clung to Tanya.
Once inside the airport, the kids scream in glee as they run to their mom. Bella’s face breaks out into a smile, bending down to hug all the little devils while Wyatt tries squirming out of my arms to get to her.
“I missed all of you so much.”
They all talk over each other as she stands up, taking our youngest away from me and pecking my lips. “Are you ready for this?”
I smile. “As I’ll ever be.”
*AFOC*
There’s a decent crowd during the viewing, and it remains drama free. I couldn’t help be thankful for Sarah’s sake.
But our luck isn’t with us today as Sarah’s mom shows up during the service. Sarah is sitting between Lucian and Damon with the latter on the end closest to the aisle. He’s not having it when Gail tries to squeeze in between him and Sarah, who clings to Lucian.
“She’s my daughter,” she hisses loudly.
“Bitch, please,” Damon snorts, blocking her from sliding past him.
Her eyes pop out at his dismissive manner. “Listen here, you little bastard.”
Bella stands up, Irina and Tanya right behind her. “This is not the place for this,” she growls, trying to put a lid on the building explosion.
Gail stomps her foot but finds another seat. Damon’s eyes remain forward, but his body tenses, his hand clenching into fists. Bella takes her seat next to me, leaning on my shoulder. “I was hoping she wouldn’t show up.”
“Let’s just get through this so we can go to the house and figure out our next move,” I whisper in her ear as the priest begins the service.
Our little ones stay put for the forty-five minutes for the service to take place. Sarah, Bella, Lucian, and Damon go in the stretch limo to follow the hearse to the cemetery. The rest of us follow in our rented vans.
Sarah still clings to Lucian, her eyes red from all the tears as we watch the caskets being lowered in the ground. I do what I can by getting Mike and Damon to help me with the little ones so Bella can support Sarah.
When we drive up to the house Sarah grew up in, Gail is standing there visibly shaking and looking like she’ll lunge at any moment.
Bella and Tanya approach her, and I pass Wyatt off to Damon and join them. When I pass Irina, I see she has her phone up to her ear.
“Ms. Goldsmith, I have already told you that everything was left to Sarah. You can’t be here.” My wife’s tone is low and controlled.
“This is bullshit! If I can’t be here, then neither can you!”
From where I’m standing, I see her dilated eyes. “Bella, maybe we should just stay at the hotel and come back tomorrow with the cops. Today has been too much on Sarah as it is.”
At the mention of cops, Gail pushes past us in a sprint, leaving without another word.
“That won‘t be the last of her.” Tanya shakes her head, walking back over to Sam to take Kenny from her.
Bella buries herself in my chest as I hug her. “Sarah really wants to stay here with us tonight. Irina has already let the authorities know of our current predicament.”
“Okay.”
Sarah shows us around, telling us all about her memories of growing up here. She drags Julie, Lucian, and Damon around more to show them her room and the clubhouse that her grandpa built when she was little.
Mike and Sam volunteer to watch the little ones while the adults work on packing things and making piles such as Goodwill donations, what we want to save for Sarah as an adult, and Sarah’s current belongings.
Days go by like this. After about the fourth day, my siblings go home, leaving my parents, Tanya, and Irina here while we clear out the house. Most things we’re sending to a storage place in Seattle for Sarah when she’s older. We’ll keep the house in case Sarah wants it when she’s an adult, or she can sell it.
Gail stayed away after we called the cops when she tried breaking in.
By the fifth day, we’ve cleared out the house and a moving company comes to take Sarah’s things to our home in one truck and the things to the storage facility in another one.
“Can I have a goodbye party so I can see my friends before we go back home?” Sarah asks.
Bella looks at me. “What do you think?”
I look at my newly adopted daughter who has big brown eyes; Puss in Boots comes to mind. “Let’s have a pool party at the hotel.”
She cheers, hugging me tightly before grabbing her phone. “When?”
“Friday night. We can book a couple more rooms and some of your closest friends can stay the night.”
She squeals as she types into her phone; I assume she’s inviting people.
Bella chuckles as we watch Sarah run off to Julie.
“We better start buying stuff for the party,” she muses.
“I’ll do that. I have to make some phone calls, make sure the office isn’t on fire since I’ve been gone almost a month.”
Bella groans. “I know, Leah called to tell me I better hire a PA and a receptionist because the grant came through for the clinic and the works program is in full swing.”
“Housekeeper, too,” I add to her list.
She growls and gives me a look. “It’s too much.”
“It’ll help when school starts.”
“Fine! We can do a housekeeper. But our three teens and a preteen will help clean. We would only need one a few times a week.”
I internally fist pump. “I have a list of people you can interview for PA and housekeeper. I’ll ask Angela about receptionists.” I quickly kiss her and take my leave before she can yell at me.
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