"Mom's pissed," Dennon comments and I glare at him. He shrugs, "What? She is."
"Yeah and so would you be if you had to deal with all of you and your stupidity," I fire back.
"I'm not stupid," Finley says and David chuckles.
"Of course you're not sweetie." Mia says softly and I smirk.
"See at least someone agrees with me."
Mia smiles. "Yeah, stupid isn't someone who gets their head stuck down the toilet," her tone filled with sarcasm.
Something that's lost on my son. "Thank you," he says with a smile.
"Mom, are you okay?" Dennon asks, he's a mommy's boy. He'll do anything and everything for her, just like his dad will.
"No, I'm not." She takes a seat beside me and huffs, she looks tired. "I'm trying to put your brother to sleep and all we can hear is your sister and father screaming." She turns to glare at me. "He cries, you're going to settle him." My eyes widen before I slowly smirk. "Hudson, this isn't funny."
"No baby, I never said it was."
Her eyes narrowed into slits. "So why the hell are you smirking?"
"What's going on?" Finley asks.
"Mom's pregnant again," David responds, shaking his head.
"Eww." Haley says and I sit back in my seat and smirk when Mia spins her head to glare at our oldest daughter. Thank fuck I'm out of the hot seat.
"Eww? I'm not even forty yet Haley," Mia says affronted.
Haley takes a step back knowing that she's skating on thin ice. "Mom, I didn't mean it that way, just eww that you and daddy are still doing it."
"Doing what?" Lorna asks curiously.
I turn to my eight year old and her twin sister. "Nothing that concerns you."
Maya scrunches her nose up, "I bet it's kissing. They're always doing that."
"Anyway," Mia says changing the subject. "Want to tell me where you're going?" She asks Haley.
"I told you mom, I'm going to the mall."
Mia's eyebrows practically hit her hairline. "Dressed like that?" She points at the tiny belt that Haley calls a skirt and a tank top that doesn't even cover her stomach.
She puts her hands on her hips, she's so much like her mom. "Everyone wears these."
"Only the slutty ones," Dennon murmurs but we all hear him.
"Dennon!" I yell.
Mia shakes her head. "Apologize to your sister now."
"I never called her one."
"Dennon," Mia's tone is full of anger. "You're grounded for two weeks."
"What? That's unreasonable," he says outraged.
"Three weeks," Mia returns.
"Mom!" He doesn't learn, never argue with Mia, you won't win.
"A month." She's daring him to continue.
"Bu..."
"Dude, shut up." David elbows him in the gut.
"Finished?" Mia asks and Dennon nods. "Good, now Haley, do you think I was born yesterday?"
Haley thinks about her answer, smart girl. "No mom, I know you weren't but I'm really going to the mall."
"With who?" I ask, she's not fooling anyone with her innocent act.
She crosses her arms over her chest, "Cassie, Maria, Taylor, and Allie."
"Oh shit," Dennon mutters. "You're throwing Allie under the bus."
David's eyes flash with anger but he doesn't say anything. There’s something going on between those two but neither of them are saying anything.
"You want to go to the mall?" Mia asks and Haley nods. "Then go upstairs and change."
"Ugh!" she cries, "Fine, I'll go and change."
"Good, then your father can take you and your sisters to the mall." Mia smiles sweetly at her.
"Oh daddy, we're going to the mall?" Maya asks excitedly whereas Lorna looks annoyed, she's her father's daughter. Hates the mall just as much as I do.
"No, we're not," Haley says. "I hate you." She narrows her eyes at me and I shrug, I've heard it a hundred times before. The first time stung like crazy but now I'm used to it and she only says it when she doesn't get her way.
"You want to spend time with Taylor?" Mia asks and I glare at her wondering where the hell she's going with this.
"Yes," Haley says solemnly.
"Then invite him here and you can watch a movie."
Haley's eyes light up, "Really?"
Mia nods. "Yes but in here with the door opened."
Haley jumps up and down on the spot and rushes over to hug Mia, "Love you mom." Before rushing out of the room to no doubt call that asshole Taylor.
"Why did you invite that moron here?" I ask and the boys laugh.
"Because I'd rather have them here under our supervision than for her to sneak out and meet him, or her lie to us about where she's going."
"Mia, that's not going to happen."
She smirks at me, "And how was it that we met again?"
"Fair point. You are to stay with her,” I tell my boys. "He doesn't get to touch her."
Mia stands up and shakes her head. "I'm not part of this, I'm going to make dinner. Lorna, do you want to help?"
"Yes mommy." She wiggles off the sofa and rushes out of the room behind Mia.
"Maya baby, go help your mom."
She glares at me as she gets off the sofa. "You're so sexist dad. You never ask any of the boys to help."
"Why are all these females full of attitude?" I ask wondering when my baby girl started back chatting me.
"I can hear you!" Mia says, "And your daughter is right. You've never once asked the boys to help me do dinner, you always make the girls." She doesn't have any heat in her voice.
"They are to be separated at all times," I instruct my boys.
Dennon and Finley smirk, enjoying the task that I've set them. "On it dad." Dennon replies, he's fourteen and thinks he's God's gift to women. Mia tells me that he takes after me but I don't see it. Finley is the calmer of my boys, he's so laid back. But he'll knock you out with one punch if you piss him off enough. He's thirteen and takes after his mom looks wise.
"Dad, can I have a word?" David asks and I nod for him to follow me.
Sitting down in my office I wait for him to spill whatever is on his mind. "I know that you and mom spoke about me finishing school and college first before joining the family."
"Yeah," I say carefully wondering where he's going with this and why he's not having this conversation with his mom as well.
"I don't want to go to college, in fact, once I graduate I want to join the family." He graduates in less than two months.
"What's brought this on?"
He shrugs. "I've been thinking about it a lot. All of us want to join the family."
"All of you?"
He nods. "Yeah, Haley, Dennon, and Finley."
"Have you spoken to your mom about this?"
"Yeah dad, I told her earlier today and she told me that it was my choice as I'm eighteen now. She'd prefer it if I went to college but she can't stop me from doing what I want. As long as I'm happy then she is."