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"But she has been so I know that Laurel temper she carries." Max offered a smile, "Not all hope is lost. That's what you thought with Eli and here you are, better than before." She brought up a good point, "She won't take kindly to being lied to. But is she ready?"

Eli stayed quiet as he chewed on everything that had been said. He shared a look with his brother before he spoke to his wife. "No. Leave that to me, please. I got things to say to him, and I know what he wants from you." He didn't spend nearly the entire twenty four hour day in Amarillo for his dumb ass meeting. "Let me handle that. As for Isa," he watched their girl smiling and playing around with her aunt and uncle. When You're So Vain popped into the kitchen speaker, Eli winced. He knew Laurel also knew that the song was so pointed at Isa. "No. She's pissed. Isa, let her cool off. You're only gonna push her further away if you talk to her. Adding in explaining what Claire said will only hurt your case." A hurtful statement knowing that no one especially Isa needed that warning.

Cece loved to sing top of her lungs when songs had her in a tizzy. "Sheryl Crow next, no," Eli wanted to laugh but didn't. "Are we raising an angry teenager gearing up to go to Lilith Fair." He pushed off his chair and grabbed his wifes hand. "Ilia. You ready?" she hummed and asked if Uncle Isa was then yeah. "Are you gonna be okay going?"

"You laugh because our niece isn't upset with you," he shot back, though there was not bite behind his words. He was annoyed, but not at Max. All his irritation was directed at Claire Henderson, and anyone who agreed with her. "I didn't say it didn't bother me, I just hate that all my progress went down the drain." Laurel just shook her head at her brother, but a small smile gave her away - in agreement with him.

"Well, normally I'd say maybe not, but she deserves to hear the truth. Not, grocery store gossip. Cece is smart, I don't think lying or covering it up is the solution here." Laurel nodded to confirm her brother's question. "Yeah, he said he wanted to talk business," she used air quotes for that. "I've been pushing it off, but I think it's set for this week." She heard Cece running down the hall, and she turned to see Eli coming over to join them. Laurel couldn't make out what he initially said, but when he arrived, she joined Max's sigh. Catching him up would not be fun. With their daughter walking away with Max, she patted the empty spot for Eli to sit down before she began catching him up on everything her brother had mentioned. "That's why she's been so quiet with Isa," she concluded. "I don't know how much else Claire Henderson is spreading, but it's hurtful to her, and damaging to their relationship. I can talk to Jr, tell him to put a stop to that woman's stupidity." Perhaps that meeting would be productive after all.

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-> @kit-mcgrady

The first week back at school and Cece had a project to do. Naturally, Max had suggested going to talk to Kit. Who better to write a report about Rodeo than Kit McGrady. So, Cece came along with her twin siblings in tow. Rosaline wore tiny glittery cowboy boots, and Luke wore a sunhat and a heat scowl that was reminiscent of his father. Cece opted for her riding boots and her jean jacket, sunglasses covering her eyes. She had mustered up the courage to walk into the ranch with her crush being around.

"There's the man of the hour. Howdy Kit." Max started and saw Rosaline wave and stomp her pretty boots on the ground. "How busy are you, and are you willing to help out a freshly minted seventh grader?" As it was, Cece had skipped a grade, much to no one's surprise.

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Max couldn't help but laugh at Isa's outburst. "Listen. I know this is bad, but if it isn't fun to see you, Deveaux's angry. Everyone in town has seen your sunny sides, well, Isa, whatever you know what I mean. The funniest is seeing how alike you and Eli are." He'd spent time seeing them feed off each other when they weren't angry with each other. "It clearly bothers you. Don't lie, dude. If it didn't, Cece's indifference to you wouldn't hit so hard." Another thing she and Eli had in common. When they both showed indifference that was when people felt it the most.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Explaining what Claire told her? Good luck with that. Also, didn't you say Jr was trying to get in touch with you, Lau?" Cece was heard running down the hall to meet her papa and excitedly started telling him what the plans were. Eli's groggy voice was too soft for everyone to catch and worse for Max, who had his back turned. A few seconds later, Eli showed up with Cece in arms. "Who's doing ridiculous town gossip?" Max let out a sigh and shook his head. "Here, Cece, let's see if Tia Izzie will let us bring gummy worms." And patted Eli's shoulder.

Her daughter's head was still against her belly, and Laurel was thankful for it because it let her communicate with Max without her seeing. Her brows furrowed at the mention of the Hendersons. Their mom quickly came to mind, pious woman with a mouth. Her dad had received a story or two about her from the woman, but he never paid attention. It hadn't occurred to her that she was still spreading her stories. She smiled at her daughter as she went off with her aunt, nodding to confirm she'd stay right here waiting for her to come back.

The moment the pregnancy scares and Isa got mentioned, she sighed, knowing what story she was retelling. Laurel remembered all that going down, Isaac had been more pissy than usual at the time. "That makes more sense, I don't even want to imagine what she said about Isaac...their family in general." Looking over at Isaac who had a scowl, she sighed once more. She didn't read minds but it wasn't necessary when her brother in law looked like he might spontaneously combust at any moment. "I haven't done anything, it's whatever esa vieja loca told her," he finally said, words seething. "I'll talk to Cece, Isa you'll probably need to do the same - explain whatever Claire failed to." And, she wasn't a fan of the suggestion, but she relented, knowing this would just continue if left untouched.. "We'll need to talk to Claire, or her kids. See if someone could give her something to stay busy, besides ridiculous town gossip."

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Max sighed and signed hendersons'. It was something that happened at the grocery store. Izzie has the details. But, shit was said that wasn't for her ears. Izzie noticed the siblings talking and made her way over to Cece. Being at eye level with her she asked if she wanted to get her dad's snacks ready. Cece kissed her mama's bump and pushed herself away just to go to the other side of the kitchen. That way Max could talk freely since she had told him everything.

Sharing a look with Isa who now scooted closer, he looked over and shrugged. "Uh pregnancy scares and how Isa had his girlfriends. I think Claire isn't all there with the details since she loved to shit talk everyone. Especially Deveauxs'. Surprised she hasn't gotten her teeth sunk into Inez or Maggie yet. Honestly? I don't know what cece's deal is. But she won't stay in the same room with him." He looked over just to confirm that was right. "Oh and she's skipped two lessons with Beck. She said she didn't wanna go. But coincides those were days Isa was free to take her."

"Okay my honeybee, we'll pack snacks when dad wakes up." But, even as her daughter participated and suggested ideas for their picnic day, Laurel could hear her dim tone. The soft smile was not accompanied by the bright green eyes they usually did.

Laurel looked up at the staircase, the floor was still fairly quiet. He still had a lot of rest to go. "Perhaps, another hour or two. Honestly, by the time we're done preparing everything, he might be waking up." She continued running her hand through her daughter's hair, her heart breaking as she saw her expression. She just seemed so deflated, and she wondered if it was related to yesterday's experience with her dad, but peeking over at Isa, Laurel knew there was more to it. "Mhm, of course babygirl. Little one missed you." Even the bedtime story Cece and her siblings began gathering for at night, retelling them to their newest baby sibling in her belly. Looking over at Max, she silently asked if he knew what was wrong with her daughter.

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Max's smile widened into a beaming one. He loved sharing silly facts. Inez encouraged them so naturally she was his flower fun fact girl. "The purple coneflower is scientifically known as Echinacea purpurea. They have a flowerhead that is shaped like a cone and is surrounded by white or light purple petals-like rays. These flowerheads are 6.5 to 10 cm in width and are radially symmetrical. The flower that blooms has a spiny central cone that is surrounded by bristle-tipped petal-like rays that are drooping downwards and grow from the under portion of the cone. Due to their spiny central disk, their generic name Echinacea is derived from the Greek word ‘ekhinos’ which means ‘sea urchin.’"

"How funny. We both seem to have purple on the brain." He saw how intricate the arrangement had become. It was a little comical how each of the Deveaux siblings had a thing. Something that made all so uniquely them but also united them all as siblings. Precision seemed to be in their DNA. Which, of course, made him snort out a laugh. "Are they trying to apologize for a fuck up or? Maybe you have a cheater trying to make amends?" Now that would be juicy Texas chatter. "Who are they going to anyway?" Max looked up and held a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. "Only fair, you laughed. What an odd request. But now I'm even more curious why twelve purple roses. Not even lavender or the same color family. But specific."

"Always now," she said without looking in Max's direction, adjusting the flowers in an arrangement ever so slightly as though the tiny imperfections she saw would ruin everything if not corrected. Logically, Inez knew that Max was entirely off limits. He was married, for one, and that was tragic all on its own. The messier side of things was that he was the brother of her sister-in-law, which meant there were all sorts of complications when it came to having a teensy little crush on the man ever since she'd first met him. They'd been kids, she figured she'd grow out of it. It wasn't like it was her fault he'd only gotten hotter with age, and of course, with more reasons not to act on her feelings. These days, she mostly tried to avoid being alone with him, but here she was: talking to Max in her shop while people came and went. The moments in between customers were the ones she trusted herself the least, but they were becoming the most entertaining ones, too.

"Someone wanted three dozen purple roses delivered this afternoon," she replied after finally finishing the touches on the arrangement she was looking at, slowly turning it to make sure it was perfect. "They called an hour ago, and said it had to be delivered by three. For those of you following along at home, that is, in fact, a four hour turnaround window. For something specific and unique like purple roses. I laughed on the phone, unfortunately. I am only so strong."

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"It's stupid sometimes. Though the free concerts do make up for it. I always tell her she's got the patience of a saint to handle all of that. Now, if you see those apology statements, just know it's Izzie behind those words. Speaking of which, are you and Aslan gonna be free in December?" Max shook his head and laughed. "That office is now a shrine to Mickey, though, right?" Shrugging his shoulders, he smiled. "This is why you have nieces and nephews. Maleficent just needed to get that invite, and Aurora would have been fine. Would you make people prick their finger on a wheel, then?"

"Thank you," she said with complete sincerity. "Oh, god, that sounds like a nightmare. I can barely stand them from a safe distance, I can't imagine working with celebrities—especially in PR like that." A shudder ran down her spine at the thought of it, and Mickey instantly had more respect for Max's wife than she already had before this conversation. "Good, she and I will have the time of our lives." Mickey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as a playful smirk slid into place across her features. "Oh, not the chairs, but I'm pretty sure that office is plenty broken in to make up for it." She laughed, giving him a similar narrow-eyed look as he talked about the villain lore. "I'd clown you but that's actually kind of valid," she admitted, "I also have FOMO, so I can't say I blame her for it."

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Cece leaned on her mom and smiled softly. "Sounds good. We will get snacks later when dad is up." That was the best she could do. Max noted the expression and threw an apologetic smile towards his brother in law's way. Far as he knew, Isa and Cece were best friends. This was the fourth time she opted not to go to Beck for her lessons if Isa was the only one who was available.

Turning his head, he scooted his chair back for his wife to sit and wrapped his arms around her stomach. "A beach day. We haven't been down to the lake in so long. When do you think Eli is gonna be up?" Cece peeked over at her Uncle Isa. Her expression was heartbroken. Like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't. She just couldn't understand how her uncle, the one who loved her deeply, could turn around and be a, she tried to think of the word. A fuckboy. The word had stayed with her. A word she didn't repeat around her parents, but that stayed with her.

He didn't look like one but then again, her dictionary didn't have fuckboy as an actual word. She released a sigh and poked her mom's belly. "Can I talk to my little one?"

She let out a low sigh, shaking her head in feigned disappointment. "I'll remember this for your husband ledger," she teased, feeling his smile on her lips. "I know, no rushing it. But, your nieces and nephews make it hard." Though, she joked, Izzie didn't feel rushed for children. They did get enough adventures with his family. "Maybe so, home remedies really do have some truth to them." Which always amused her greatly, considering her line of work was so science heavy.

Seeing her husband and daughter in her room settled Laurel's heart. She could feel her shoulders fall, the tension she had been feeling all night subsiding. Feeling Eli's lips on hers brought her back to life. Cece snuggling up to her and her belly made her feel all was okay. "You did promise honey, I am really glad you're both back. Go, shower and rest. Hm, the meeting...okay, but later," talking business in front of their kids was not preferred. "Unless you need a time sensitive decision," as she spoke, she softly stroked her daughter's hair. Cece's cheeks were so warm as she rested on Laurel's chest, she rubbed her back and laid back on the headboard. "Yes babygirl, your wish is my command. We can make banana pancakes or blueberry, chocolate chip maybe. All three, but then you need to rest up for a bit. Okay?"

After pancakes, Laurel spent the rest of the morning with Cece while Eli slept. The house was eerily quiet, and she couldn't help but furrow her brows when she saw the awkward interaction between Isa and Cece. That one was still a bit rocky, but Laurel couldn't place why. "Hm, that could be fun. I think we need the break, it's been an eventful last couple of hours." She knew Max and Izzie probably felt that much more too. "What do you think Cece? We could prepare some snacks. Dad might be awake too."

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"That she is. She reminds me of Laurel a lot. Luke is the calmer of the two, which , thank goodness. I don't think I have enough energy for three hyper kids. One has to be the middle ground." Max hummed. "Maybe because you are a big kid yourself. They tend to like the people who don't think they're loveable."

It was then that Izzie came into the living room and overheard the conversation. She made a face to her husband and sighed. "Before you think it was eli or nate. It wasn't. It was a pregnancy you had. She was talking shit about you disrespecting women. You had dos pasteles and one fork. Cece tried to defend you. You know how she gets, but Claire didn't stop. She kept going and said Elise raised a womanizer, so of course it'd track. Some other shit, I got Cece away, but it wasn't fast enough. She has kept her distance because that makes it easier for you to leave." Izzie put her hand on her hips. "If you tell her I told you. I will lose her as a friend. I will not be her aunt."

"I mean, between two uncles, I'd hope that we could hold the fort down. Our niece Rosebud though, man she is a hoot." Isaac chuckled in response, shaking his head when Max bumped his shoulder. "Kids do love me, can't quite pin why."

Isaac frowned when Max seemed to indicate he knew what was wrong. "What the fuck's Henderson's problem," he muttered under his breath. "Negative light," he tried thinking back to what shit could possibly be said about him. He didn't really spend any time with the Hendersons, their son always irritated the shit out of him, so he stayed away in general. "I can't think of what it could be, I mean I haven't done much crazy shit in town these days. Or, do you think it was about high school? But, who would've told Claire Henderson anything? I mean, some of the shit I did...no one really knew except Eli and Nate."

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"I'd pay good money to see that." Was it a little bit mean, sure. But he wasn't actually kidding. A match of the ages it seemed. "Serious question, though. Who do you think would win? Taking out military strength and whatnot." Max agreed. He didn't think he'd met anyone who didn't like bacon. Well, actually. "I know one. But on a technicality. He's allergic to bacon. You're speaking in Christmas goodies to me. Maple makes everything better. I'll have to put in my request for the holiday advant bakery goods, Eli does for the holidays. At least one of those twelve days would bring out my request." Luke grinned and agreed as he made a show of clapping his hands. "Choco milk! Tres leches." The boy repeated as his new favorite word. "Arroz con leche!" Max just laughed as he was sounding off his favorite things with milk. "Ever tried it?"

"Sounds like it'd also be a fight to the finish." Matt snickered, shaking his head. "May the best crappy--sorry, trashy-- parent win." He followed Luke's pointing and let out a low whistle, impressed. "I can never say no to bacon. It's very on brand for the male species, unless you're a vegan--though frankly, I've not yet met a man who won't throw down for it. Bonus if it's covered in maple." Even just thinking about it made Matt's mouth water. "I'm so glad I'm not lactose intolerant. All the things I'd be missing out on--milkshakes, flan, tres leches cake." Matt liked the company--most of all, he liked that he didn't feel the need to perform constantly, or be on for anyone. "If it's a milkshake, it's gotta be chocolate."

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"Phew. Just barely. I'm glad we were able to hold the fort down. Hey, also, you're quite a natural with the kids. You big softie." he bumped his shoulder and sighed. The dreaded question he was afraid of being asked. "Not to me. Izzie." he looked up as if to see that they were out of earshot. "You're not gonna like this. Apparently, there's been some rumors going around about you that Mrs. Henderson has been spreading. She didn't hold back when Cece overheard her when she went grocery shopping with Izzie. What was said, I have no idea. Neither girl has shared that. But the assumption I've got is that it must have painted you in a deeply negative light. Unsurprising since her family and yours don't get along."

"We barely survived last night, huh?" He said to Max as he plopped down on the couch next to him. Isaac had run into his brother in the hallway as he made his way to the shower and he looked as rough as he sounded. His niece had waved at him, but not much else. It worried him. Isaac had been on his, making amends tour, and yet Cece didn't budge. "Speaking of which, has Cece mentioned anything? She's barely talks to me, not even to scold me"

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"Sounds like your dad and my mom would get on great." It wasn't a compliment towards his mother, not in the least. "Match made in," he signed bitch. "Heaven." Luke scooted closer and looked at his menu. He didn't know how to read, but he went on vibes. "Now, see. Sounds just like mom. She hated having a sass off but jokes on her for having sassy kids." He looked down at his nephew and laughed. "That 2% of the time they're being hellish demons. Oh, okay. You want the real experience. Alright, how about a smoked burger, fries, and a milkshake?" Luke pointed at the bacon burger instead and looked at Matt. "This one."

Matt huffed out a little laugh. "My dad would find the dumbest thing to nitpick, and then nitpick it in such a condescending way into the next decade. Trust me, I am keeping you far away from him because I don't think he could handle your sass without feeling like he's gotta have the last word." He shook his head, then smiled back at Luke. "Imagine not liking kids. They're innocent beings 98% of the time." He turned back to Max, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hm. You like a challenge? Pick for me."

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"Oh, that's right. Snacks. Total failure on the husband ledger. Next time." he smiled into her lips and kissed her. He knew where her mind went and took her hand. "If it's meant to be, baby. We can't rush the process. It took Lau and Eli years to get that one. Then Cece. Since we're back home, we can maybe start with those remedies to make it easier? You gotta get out of your head." That beautiful big brain of hers wasn't always very kind.

Eli kissed his wife and felt the weight of being outside wear off. Cece had gone from his arms to her mom's and felt amused that her butt could sit on her belly. "Like promised. Let me grab a shower and a quick nap, and then I'll be able to remember all that went down on that dumb meeting." Cece sniffled and laid her head on her chest. "You said something about pancakes?"

The morning was a blur. Half the household was awake, and two were asleep, deeply asleep. Cece had been better but still refused to go anywhere without mom. She saw Uncle Isa and waved, but other than that, it wasn't much of an interaction. Max knew this family needed a refresh. Laurel and him shared a look and then poked Izzie. "It's a good not too sunny day. Checked the waters, and it's pretty good to go out and swim. How about it? It's also the day the winery is closed, so no one is needed here to oversee a thing. Bakery can survive without Eli for today." There was hope that Isa and Cece could bond again. Eli and Isa had fixed their shit it seemed but now Cece was the one who didn't want much to do with her uncle.

"You should totally wrestle him sometime, he won't hog bath time ever again," she teased, patting the free area so she could sit with Max, now that she had her baby boy with her. Her smile was warm when Luke laid back into her belly, softly running her hands through his hair before brushing it through. "You are my best boy," she told him, nuzzling his face for a moment. "Rosebud just loves messing with your uncle Isa, hm and you are very very warm! You'll keep me warm bubba?" She reached for his toes, gently pinching them. "Oh, I love your jammies! Daddy...yes he's heading home, he'll be here very soon." After brushing Luke's hair, and being next to his warmth (he was right that the bath was warm), she snuggled closer to him and felt her eyelids getting heavier, eventually dozing off.

Izzie leaned on Max's shoulder, a quiet laugh falling. "All nighter brings back memories, though you didn't bring me snacks this time," she joked. "Mhm, good call on calling off work. We got a good taste of the baby life. What do you think, now that you've spent time with your sister in the pregnancy phase? Baby will come when we're ready," she said quietly. It hadn't happened to them yet, but it was a reminder for her too. Maybe they just weren't ready now.

Laurel hummed in her sleep as she felt herself getting shaken. She heard Max's words, and that helped her wake up fully. She took her brother's hands and stood up from bed, wiggling slightly so her pajamas adjusted. "Understandable. He needs to rest, I'll go see Cece and Eli," she walked alongside her brother as they walked to her daughter's room. "Thank you again, for looking after me last night. You two should go rest. I've kept you up long enough."

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Izzie laughed and shook her head. "I'm a little sad. Isa did not let up. I thought I was gonna wrestle him for a chance." Luke grinned and laid back into her mama's belly as she played with his hair. "I did not! I was a good boy. Rosebud did." The little boy giggled and nodded. "Bath was warm. I liked it. I got my foostie jammies!" He showed them off and fanned his feet. "Daddy coming home soon?"

Hearing her mama's voice made Cece cry. Eli soothed her back and gave her a kiss. "She's so proud of you. You're gonna give her a big hug when we get home." Cece's tears subsided and nodded as she laid her head against his chest. "Guy, please get us home."

Max sat next to his wife now that the entire house was quiet. Kids were asleep, and Laurel was dozing. He had covered her with the blanket, but it was like a game of how many times she'd kick them off when he wasn't looking. "This is the first time since college we have pulled an all-nighter. Good thing we don't have work later. I am exhausted." Reaching over for his wife's hand, he sighed. "Sun will come up in two minutes. The grounds are gonna be open like that's insane. So, now that you've seen the chaos over handling two at a time. How about getting on that baby?" he, of course, joked. They weren't ready to add to their brood, and stealing the spotlight from his sister was gonna be a big no.

He watched Izzie get up and assumed the door was opening. "Oh, thank God. I'll get Laurel up." Izzie went over to Eli, Guy, and Cece, who was in her dad's arms. Guy looked exhausted, and Eli looked so done. She tried to get Cece, but she refused. Eli smiled apologetically. "She's just extra clingy right now. I got it. Thank you." Turning to Guy, Eli pointed to the upstairs bedroom. "You can wash up there, and I think you and Isa are the same size. He'll let you borrow a set." Guy made his way upstairs, squeezing Izzie's shoulder and climbed up those stairs.

Max shook her a little and whispered a soft he's home. He reached for her hands to help her up and smiled. "I saw Guy come up, so I'm assuming he's staying over."

"The ultimate pass," she said with a dry chuckle, something Isaac often said to her. It wasn't so much that they were out late. On the contrary, Laurel loved the idea of Cece and him spending some one on one time together. Amidst the chaos of her baby siblings and the new one on the way, Cece had been a trooper and they wanted to ensure she didn't feel left behind. Still, the biggest area of worry for Laurel came from them being out in an unfamiliar place, even more so hearing that Cece had had that panic attack. "He does spoil me," closing the bakery early was not a request she voiced out loud, but she did have to admit she loved having him home earlier.

Laurel smiled widely when she saw her brother in pj's too, "nope, no nausea so I think—" her words interrupted when she saw her baby boy come in with Izzie. Her smile widened, eyes lighting up at the sight. "Hi bubba," she said softly when Izzie laid him beside her. When he grinned that way, god he looked so much like Eli. "Of course, always," she straightened up against the bed's headboard before taking the brush he offered. "Don't you feel lucky, being relieved of bath duty?" she asked Izzie. Laurel began brushing softly, his hair long and soft. "How was your bath bubba? Did you also splash uncle Isa?"

It took Laurel some time to hear her husband's next voicemail. Though not intentional, her son helped keep her mind at ease a bit more. When she finally did hear it, she went between frowns and smiles. Hearing her daughter's voice made her smile widen more.

It sucks but it's better than not knowing about you guys. Give my girl a big kiss for me, you guys are being so brave. Those hills are terrible, so narrow...they're not safe, but I'm glad you're okay and making good progress. See, now I owe Guy a case of wine. Isa, yep on twin duty and he's having fun, from what I can hear. I'll try, but no promises. You know I like sleeping with my best pillow. Be extra safe, I'll see you soon. Before finalizing the voicemail, she left a message just for her daughter. Hearing her voice earlier comforted Laurel, but she also felt terrible knowing her daughter was scared and she couldn't do anything to help. Babygirl, I love you so much and thank you for being so so brave. I will see you really soon, and we'll make your favorite pancakes. Alright? Take care of each other.

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That was good to know, and it became apparent by the smile that spread across his features. "I'm really happy for you. Truly, and this is me being one hundred percent cheesy, but it's the best feeling in the world to find your person. You glow. In a way, you two go." he laughed as another little sip was taken from his drink. "She's at work. Something flew off the handle and had to go put out the fire." he shook his head as a small laugh trickled out of him. "PR man, it's insane. Actually, celebs are nuts. She'll be back in a few hours. Thankfully, this time, HQ got relocated to Austin. She's gonna come seek you out to gang up on me. It's her favorite pastime. One stop shop. Can't say I blame you. Good drinks, fancy, lovely establishment, and eye candy for you only. Is there a Mickey plaque on any of these chairs yet?" Max hummed and narrowed his eyes. "I dunno about evil. Most of the villains just were type cast as evil because people didn't get to know them. Like Maleficent? Totally misunderstood. All she wanted was to be invited." Max laughed against his glass. "I know," he closed his eyes. "I know. I'm ready for you to clown me."

"Yeah, I am," she replied immediately, not even remotely trying to hide it. She didn't have to, not when it came to Max. She knew he was married, and happily so, which meant there was plenty of reason for him to see right through any of the bullshit she tried to spin. Besides, she was happy with Aslan. "Why didn't you bring your wife in? We could've ganged up on you, it'd be much more fun picking on you with a partner." Mickey laughed a little, grateful for Max's conversation even if it had been unplanned. "Apparently, I hear, anyway. I don't really go anywhere else these days, so I can neither confirm nor deny their existence." She'd been to just about every bar in town plenty of times, but she had a new favorite—for obvious reasons. "Mmm, probably neither. I'm more like the evil fairy in Sleeping Beauty, not one to be trusted."

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He shook his head and smiled. "You don't need to be sorry. You're pregnant. That isn't a crime, and you're worried about your family. This is the first time Eli is out there past ten. I get why he closes the bakery early." As he put on his pj's, he also put in his aids just to hear his wife in case she needed anything. "How are you feeling? Any nausea?" Izzie had come in with a showered and happy Luke holding a tiny brush in his hand. She picked him up and laid him beside Laurel. "He requested mama brush his hair." He had grown his hair to almost his shoulders. That made him look like a mini Eli since he loved rocking the long hair. "Please?" he offered the brush to her and grinned. "Rosebud is still in the tub. She splashed Isa and thought that was hilarious."

Having to communicate through voice mail blows. Baby, please don't worry. We are okay. I just hate freak texas heat storms. Cece is okay now. It's just being extra clingy, but that's just how it goes. She only wants my arms. We went through a hilly spot, it was dark, and that freaked her out. Guy is a champ, though. Isa is on twin duty? Is he okay? Didn't think he had baby baths in him. We're at a gas station right now. Oh, wait. Mama? Hi. I love you too, baby. I mean it. Sleep. Let's not give our midwife any more concerns over you. Remind me to give Max a whole box of those mini cupcakes.

You guys really took all the notes from Eli. A half-smile followed, knowing her husband definitely provided all the notes. Very comfy pair of jammies, you changing too? Hey, I'm resting. I just feel terrible that I'm not with my kids, but they do enjoy spending time with Isa and dad. Isa's become a fan of kiddos and bath time. Once they sat down on the bed, Laurel half-listened to the sound coming from the tv. She leaned on her brother's shoulder and sighed. I'm sorry I'm all over the place Maxy, one hand resting over her belly. Half-comfort was settling in well.

The night was quiet, an occasional smile in response to the episode, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't stop thinking of Eli and Cece, not having them home continued to unsettle her. Especially when she wasn't sure they were okay. Then, she heard her phone beep and, as quickly as she could move, she reached for her phone. It was Eli! Her heart skipped a beat as she pressed play and pressed the phone close to her ear to listen. It was a rollercoaster ride, comfort and then worry, then back to where she started. "They're okay," she breathed out. Soon after, she moved to dial back, hoping her call would go through. The bad signal he mentioned didn't give her a lot of confidence.

—

The dial tone hit, voicemail. Eli, my love. Hi, hey I got your voicemail and I know signal sucks. I'm so sorry I've been absolutely blowing up your phone today. I'm not asleep, waiting for you two to come home, but I'm resting - I promise. Max is being a strict big brother here. Don't worry about us. Isa and dad are on twin duty, everyone's okay. Cece really doing okay? Please take care of each other, I love you so so much. Hope Guy and Marty are also okay. Come home soon, okay? I'm waiting for you, stay safe.

[wxndschxms]

"It's how I got that date with my future wife." Max laughed and knew he was ridiculous. "Come on, man. It's the least we can do. Maybe it might even make up a little bit of that second-degree burn you could have endured. Oh shit, then I'm glad Izzie didn't completely ruin your great grandfather's shirt. Your dad would care over your shirt?" Max thought that was a bit uptight, but he also had a mother who would act the same. "I can't say I'm surprised. My mother is like that." Luke smiled and laughed at the fist bump. "Yeah, you know how people tend to hate kids so they'd never sit next to them, so hence," he gestured around. "The good table. What do you want? It's on me."

"Oof." Matt raised his eyebrows, the residual sadness and anxious energy dissipating at the cheesiness of Max's line. "Go to a dentist, man, that was incredibly sweet. But nah, don't worry about it. Really. A shirt's a shirt. It's not like it was passed down from my great grandfather. You wouldn't hear the end of it, then. Me? I wouldn't care. My dad might, though." Crazy how he let his old man dictate his life, but whatever. Matt offered the kid a fist bump, then blinked back at Max. "Smart thinking. I like that. Sure, I'm free. Thank you."

[wxndschxms]

Writing on the Wall: TASK 2.

For the life of him, Max can't tell you why he writes the way he does. His dad says it's the engineer in him but beats him. It looks neater when he's not writing in a hurry, but even then, it looks like he tried.