southern belle

“I’m glad to hear that,” he smiled at Logan as she said that she was taking it easy. He knew that the woman deserved it. “That’s a triple win,” he chuckled softly, turning his attention to his kids as they zoomed around the park with Logan’s children. Fallbrook, in his eyes, was the perfect place to raise kids. He grew up here and he wanted his children to know the same joys he had from living in the town. “How far along are you now?” He questioned Logan with a smile. “I’m doing,” he paused, a brighter smile taking up residence on his lips. “I’m doing really good. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors of Stevie and I,” though he wasn’t sure what the rumor mill had spit out this time around. “things are going good between us. We have our first date coming up. I’m just happy to be back around all my family, you know?”

...

Logan let a smile come along her features as she rested her hand on her bump. “We’re trying.” There were only a handful of people who were fully aware of the risks of this pregnancy and that’s how she was going to keep it. The last thing she wanted was for more people to fuss over her. She lifted her eyes up towards the children running around the playground, breathing in when she heard the question as she brushed her bump. “We are twenty-six weeks and counting,” she turned her head to look over at him as she raised an eyebrow as his expression lightened up. “I’ve heard.” She nudged him a little. “I’m happy to see you guys working things out. Sometimes... Life has a way of bringing people together.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way” Jack said, setting the bear down on a nearby table. “I think I can try that, I won’t blame her if she is too bored by me though” He joked and walked over to Lily, sitting down next her. He glanced down at the cover, and smiled at the recognition. It was something he had read when he was a kid too. “You know, if you don’t come with me to help your mom with the sandwiches, I’ll spoil the ending” He said, his voice being a touch higher, acting as a warning signal.  He laughed at her annoyed expression, before taking her hand and standing with her. Jack may or may not have used the excuse to take a quick pulse check on her as they did. “We have come to take over, we will now be your personal chefs while you sit down and rest” Jack announced as they entered the kitchen. 

...

Logan let a smile come along her features. “We wouldn’t either,” truthfully, it was always nice when Jack came by and hung out with the kids. They all enjoyed his company and talked about it for hours after he left. She heard Lily gasp with a you wouldn’t before the book thudded closed. The brunette shifted through the kitchen and began to get the stuff out for the sandwiches. She turned her head to look over at the two of them walk across the threshold, keeping her eyes on Lily for a second as if she was just visually checking her at. “Alright, alright.” She put the mayonnaise down and raised her hands, backing away from the counter playfully. “Lily does make a mean bologna sandwich. You’ll have to show Uncle Jack what you do.” Lily giggled as she walked over to her step stool and pushed it towards the counter. “It’s all in the spices, Uncle Jack.”  

“I do enjoy it, yeah. Kids are a lot of fun. I can’t say that I was that much fun when I was that age,” he laughed, “I took baseball pretty seriously, my dad putting a lot of pressure on me.” At the time he thought it was because he wanted him to be good, but now he realized it was because of all the fighting, the arguing going on at home. He needed to put that frustration elsewhere and Mateo was the prime candidate for that. “I can’t either,” he shook his head in disbelief before a grin slipped across his face. “Hey, consider me anytime you need some help. Even if it’s taking the other kids out for the day. Get them all tired out for ya.” Mateo didn’t think he’d ever be having kids of his own but he was always happy to play the part of fun uncle.

...

Logan let a smile come along her features as she turned her head to look over her shoulder towards her family. Lily, Matty and Theo. She was extremely blessed to have the children she did and the fact they were able to have another even though it might come with some complications. It was hard to feel less than grateful for everything she had. “Well, you know if you ever want to come over and hang out with the three of them. They will eat you alive.” She teased, nudging him gently but then her head turned to look over at him. “My kids got lucky,” she said softly, looking over at her husband. “Adam is the best father in the entire world and I count every single star in the sky because I don’t know what I would have done if I had followed that saying... That daughters always end up marrying their fathers.” She smiled. “I’ll take you up on that... with the new baby coming they will need some extra attention.” Of course, only the family knew how complicated it could get.

“Oh, sweetie.” Leanne frowned, her eyes full of sadness. Seeing Logan cry and hearing her worries was nothing short of heartbreaking. She used her thumbs to dry Logan’s eyes and then offered her arms for a hug. “It’s not easy, especially with the baby coming soon. Your going to need Adam’s support, and mine.” Their was surely a sense of impending dread hanging over her head. The birth drawing closer could be seen as time running out if things went bad. “Maybe we are? But what other choice have we got? We could plan your funeral? I could proof read your final letters to the kids and Adam. We could cry about it, but that doesn’t sound very enjoyable or protective.” She laughed darkly, her face hallow. “I know you will. You’re a tough cookie.” She squeezed her hand. “Until then though, let’s just try to focus on enjoying every moment. Let’s finish these cookies up and then go out play with those kids.” She nodded to them out the window, happily oblivious.

...

Logan knew this was the only place she would be able to show this kind of emotion, say these things. Her feet scuffled, closing the space between her and Leanne. She wrapped her arms around her, closing her eyes at her words as she nodded her head at her words. “I don’t want him resenting this baby, Leanne. If something happens to me, I need him to love the baby as much as he loves all of us.” She pulled back, wiping her eyes to stop the tears from strolling down her face. “That sounds like a good idea,” she said as she turned her head to look over her shoulder towards the window, watching her children playing blissfully. “I’m scared, Leanne...”

Jack knew that there was a lot of familial anxiety surrounding the incoming new Valentine. He had been helping out as he could, but he also sometimes couldn’t deal with the atmosphere that he felt had started to bloom since the announcement had gone out. Jack hadn’t been in town when Henry was born, but he knew that it had been scary. So, he had decided to stop by the house today and do what he could. On the way there, he had stopped by one of the baby stores and picked up a stuffed bear. Did the baby probably have a bajillion toys already? Yeah. But what was one more? When the door opened in front of him, he smiled back at Logan, bringing the bear up. “Ah, well, can’t say that wasn’t one of my motives” He winked, following her inside “But I am always down to hang out with my favorite niece.” Jack waved to where Lily was sat before turning back to Logan “Plus, I’m here to help with whatever you need”

...

Logan always loved seeing the Valentine siblings and lately it felt like each of them always took a turn coming to pay the family a visit. Her eyes dropped down to the stuffed bear in his hands, a smile coming along her features. “You know the moto, the door is always opened.” It was true. Her and Adam always tried to offer a safe haven for their siblings and other members of the family. She opened the door wider, gesturing towards the couch. “Lily is in there engrossed in one of her newly found series. Maybe you can get her to pull her nose out of it while I make some sandwiches?”

Leanne would always be there for Logan, Adam and the kids. It wasn’t even a question in her eyes. “I really feel honored you asked me. I know what it’s like to.. be in that headspace.” She wasn’t going to make this about her, she’d lived through her trauma, but she wanted Logan to know she supported her and understood how hard this all was. “You will be.” Her voice was strained as she fought the tears that prickled in her eyes. “You have to be.” She closed her eyes and sighed, knowing Logan had a point. They could speculate and make empty promises but no one knew for sure. “What’s not fair is imagining life without you.” She shook her head, wiping at her eyes before laying s hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Promise me you won’t give up? You fight, and if it’s gets too hard and you have to go then… I’ll make sure Adam is looked after, and this little one know how wonderful and brave it’s mother was. All the kids will know what a bad ass their mom was.”

...

Logan felt tears start to fill her eyes as she turned her head, brushing her fingers under her eyes to stop them from falling. “I don’t know how to get out of it.” She confessed quietly, thinking about how much it had been keeping her up at night and she had been trying to keep it swallowed in so she didn’t worry Adam. She cleared her throat as she brushed her hands along the bowl in front of her, wondering if it would be the last time she made cookies for the baking sale. Closing her eyes at Leanne’s words as she breathed in. “What if we are putting too much hope in this?” She said as she glanced over at Leanne, biting on her lower lip. “I am going to fight. I promise. After everything my family has been through the last few months... I have to fight.”

“They are something special,” he had been a kid once upon a time and maybe not always the best one, but he was a kid. He was still learning. “Having siblings is great,” he nodded his head, “even as an adult, I know I can go to Teodora if I need something.” Despite her being his half-sister, a fact he rarely acknowledged, he had always been close with her. Their father’s affair may have ended the marriage but Mateo had never put blame on Teodora, he couldn’t. “She was, yeah,” he nodded his head, “it didn’t last too long,” he told Logan, “Alicia came pretty quickly after,” at least, it had felt quick. He couldn’t imagine Stevie was saying the same.” He chuckled softly, “I’m excited then, for you both, you know I can’t get enough of the babies around here.” Even if he didn’t have any of his own, Mateo thrived in an uncle position. 

...

“You must enjoy teaching kids,” the woman said as she walked with him towards the food truck. She stood in line, turning her head to look over at him. Sometimes she felt like she was failing her sister and sometimes her brother especially now she was pregnant again. Her head turned to look over at him, pressing her lips together as she nodded her head. “I feel the same way about my siblings but I think sometimes I take it for granted.” She confessed as she brushed her hands along her bump. “I can’t believe she already had her baby.” She said as she took a step towards the window. “Well I might need a ton of help once this little one comes...” She teased.

Logan had felt like the closer she was getting to giving birth to this baby, the more faces she had seen. A knock came, lifting her eyes from the book in her hand. Her head turned to look over at Lily who was reading her own book and the boys had gone out for ice cream with Seth, giving the girls some time to do whatever they wanted together. “I got it, Lilypad. You keep reading.” She smiled as she closed the book, slowly getting up from the couch. She put her hand on her lower back, hissing softly with pain. She walked over to the front door and grabbed the knob, turning it and pulling it open to find Jack standing there. Smiling, the Valentine woman pulled the door open wider. “I hope you weren’t coming to steal your nephews... My brother just came and took them but if you want to come in and hang out with Lily and I...” She suggested, opening the door wider. 

“I love that,” he grinned at the woman, her words putting warmth in his chest. While he didn’t have kids of his own and didn’t know if he ever would, but he liked hearing about them from Logan. “I know if I had an older sibling, I would do the same. I can only hope I was a good role model for my siblings,” he shrugged his shoulders. “Yes, as long as they can, that’s usually good.” He chuckled, “Stevie got put on bedrest and I can tell ya, I was so worried. I’d hate for anything to happen to her or her baby.” Mateo shook his head. Stevie was one of his best friends. “A surprise, yeah? That would be exciting, I think the anticipation would get to me. I don’t know if I could hold out.” He admitted with a laugh.

...

Logan chuckled. “Kids are amazing.” All she could think about how lucky she had been to be the mother of three beautiful kids with one on the way. She turned her head to look over at him, pressing her lips together. “I can only hope that my kids learn to lean on one another for the rest of their lives. I feel like I can always do better by my own so...” She mused as she turned her head to look over at him when he brought up how Stevie was put on bedrest. “Stevie was put on bedrest? God, being pregnant is such a delicate process.” She said softly as she put her hand on her bump, nodding her head. “I think it might be our last so... I think a surprise would be fun this time.”

Leanne hummed in response, hardly catching her joke as she kept her eyes trained on Logan. She could see the tension in her posture and feel the anxiety in the air. Mentally, she was preparing herself for the worst. When she asked her to be there for Adam Leanne inhaled sharply and leaned into the counter, her fingers gripping the edge to stop herself from tearing up. To ask something so personal wasn’t easy. It was both an honor and a punch to the gut. “You know I would, in a heartbeat.” She’d been like an aunt to Adam his whole life after all. “I’m not going to have too though. You’ll be here.” She declared so strongly it was as if she was willing it into existence. “I understand how scary this is. As a mother, you want to put them first and make sure their looked after, but I’m more concerned with you right now. Your the one who’s going through it.” She’d almost died when Sam was born. Three days in a coma. Months after she had nightmares so she understood better than anyone what this was like.. “You’ve got to go into this with the will to fight.”

...

Logan pressed her lips together as she nodded her head slowly. A part of her knew that Leanne would be one of the many people that would step up to help Adam with the kids if anything were to ever happen to her. Hell, they proved it to the woman when Adam was in commission for all those months. Her hand held onto the bowl in front of her as she kept her eyes on the dough because she wasn’t sure how to look up at Leanne after asking that selfish question. Here she was asking someone who was grieving that missing part of her life a favor she wasn’t sure how to ask anyone else. She had been trying to act like this entire thing wasn’t the most terrifying experience for her. She lifted her eyes up towards the woman, pressing her lips together as she nodded her head at her words. “What if I’m not though, Leanne?” She swallowed. “I can’t stand here and make promises to people when I have no idea what’s going to happen. It’s not fair...” 

Chelsea was trying to fix things, but everything in the room felt frozen in time. She could tell that her father and Logan knew the gravity of what had just happened, despite Chelsea’s instinct to try and clean up the mess altogether. But this wasn’t good. This wasn’t good for Logan. She couldn’t take on the stress of this. And not only that but she wasn’t safe in the house with the state their father was in. Chelsea wanted to protest Logan but knew that there was no fighting it. And if it got Logan out of the house faster, then that was all that mattered. So she nodded softly. She looked from her father to Logan and back to her father as though she was watching a tennis match. Her eyes welled up with tears fearing the worst for everyone involved. It was all too much. And if it was too much for her…she looked down at Logan’s stomach briefly. He saw her reach out for her wrist in that moment, and lunged to try and protect Logan. “Dad no, stop. She’s pregnant stop.” She sobbed out to both of them. “Please.” But before she even had a moment to come up with a way to separate them, her attention was turned to Logan and she could see the pain radiating on her face. “Logan!” She gasped out, moving to hold her from the back. “I don’t need anything, I don’t need anything. Let’s just go okay, let’s just go.”  She said as she tried to direct towards the door.

...

Gwendolyn understood the protective instinct that came with the baby bump Logan was growing. She had gone through it ten times to deliver eleven babies with one set of twins. She knew the risks of pregnancy, but so did Logan and that kept her a little more relaxed. If Logan was out and about town then Gwen knew it was because Logan knew she could be. She trusted her to ask for a break or head back to the car and go home when she needed to, but she was still trying to do as much with the kids to tire them out for her before they all headed home. She smiled at what Logan said and took the picture when Theo was ready. The little one ran to his grandma and she picked him up in her arms so they could head to the next thing, hot chocolate. “I hope it’s because he’s trying to get everything done so he can be home with you and the new baby later.” Or else she would have to have a talk with Adam, but she didn’t tell Logan that part. The group arrived at the hot chocolate stand and she made sure to get all of them little lids so there would be no accidents or meltdowns over spilled drinks. “Let’s get them to play on the playground there and we can get to talking like us girls do.” She smiled at Logan. She wanted to know how she was really feeling about everything, but also how her family was doing. 

...

Logan didn’t know how Gwen was able to have eleven babies. It seemed so out of reach for her and Adam especially since they were about to have their fourth and the doctors were already trying to make plans for the worst case scenarios, making sure they walked her through every single thing she needed to keep a look out for if anything were to go downhill. Truthfully though the one part she missed the most was being able to pick up Theo who had been doing his best to understand the fact she couldn’t. She turned her head to look over at Gwen as a smile came along her features. “Your son is the best husband and father a woman could ask for.” It was the truth. Adam had been doing everything he could to be supportive, loving and perfect. She followed to the hot chocolate stand, taking her own cup. “Yeah, Lily has been dying to read the book she brought with her.” She gestured to LIly who was already making her way to a bench. “Okay boys, go play.” She told them as she watched them run off. Her head turned to look over at Gwen. “Before you say a thing. I feel good. Better than I would have thought.”