Mei knew that the kids just wanted to be close to them, and wanted to spend time with their moms. Mei and Carmen loved every second of it when they could, but this time alone was just so refreshing with just the two of them. " Please don't worry about me babe, I'm fine. " Mei's words were soft as she placed another soft kiss on her wife's lips, leaning in closer. laying her head on her wife's shoulder. " We are both okay. " There were still bad days but now it was more good days than bad. " I don't think we would have made it without you or your special tea. " Mei joked since she was living off the special tea blend Carmen had made, ginger ale and crackers until recently. " What about you, what do you need? "

closed starter for @meicarrillo at the community garden

Mei loved to get outside to help out the community when she could tho it was rare she did enjoy it. Now with the weather becoming slightly warmer, the community has started preparing the garden for spring. Mei was beside Yasmine taking a break from pulling the weeds when she heard her mention a weekend away. As nice as that did sound, Mei wasn't sure how she would feel being away from her wife and kids, even for one night. Though she knew Carmen would let her if she had asked. " That sounds fun. " Mei was happy that her friends were going out to enjoy themselves because damned if they didn't deserve it. " I don't think I will do much of dancing if I go. As of lately, the baby thinks eight is bedtime. " Mei though she was feeling much more like herself as of lately was defiantly becoming more tired as the day went on. " I would have to talk to the wife, but if anything I could do a day trip. " She offered because she would love to go with Yas and Cleo.

dominic didn't want to take her time away from her own kids and so, of course he appreciated the offer but he wanted to do something that would make things good for both parties. "you don't have to do a sunday. i know you probably want that time for your own family. we can find a way to make it work otherwise. maybe a friday would be best and i can pick her up after you two are done or you can drop her off at home. whatever you're most comfortable with." he nodded as she confirmed the amount of kids she had and he was happy that she got the family she always wanted. "three. i have two boys after maia. oliver and kai." he announced, pausing for a few moments. "i know they'd love to meet you."

Mei's schedule during the week was normally pretty busy. With Benjamin's hockey and their daughter having physical therapy three days out of the weekdays it was hard for her to find a day besides Sunday. " It's okay. Sunday would be better honestly for me. I have to take my daughter to her appointments on Fridays. " Mei added not going much into details of what they were because as of right now she was comfortable sharing that about her family. It would take time to get there with Dominic. Her expression softened that she had two nephews and how badly she wanted her kids and them to be able to spend time together eventually. " I would love to meet them, I really would. " She had just such a s soft spot for kids, she always had which is why she was in the profession. " Carmen and I have twins, Benjamin and Bristol. " Mei felt the need to tell him his niece and nephew's name.

Xiu could see that Mei was worried about her son, it made her feel small and threatening at the same time, neither of which was how she saw herself normally. Her siblings were having that effect on her recently, making her feel like a criminal, which was rather ironic given her job. She knew they were mad, and they had ever right to be, they wanted nothing to do with their parents, a choice they were more than welcome to make. She just wasn’t quite sure how that had led to her tiptoeing around her home town completely on edge, worried about upsetting someone by just being there. It was not a feeling she enjoyed and it all felt fruitless, it was clear from her conversation with her brother that she didn’t have a lot of control in this situation, their minds were made up.

Mei knew that in the end, their conversation might be short-putting as they were not on the best terms. As of right now, her focus is on her son and his safety. Mei had spent the last ten years working on fixing her past, getting and working through how she had been treated. In a way, she knew she shouldn't be taking out on her Xiu, she didn't deserve it. It was just she was in this sudden defense mose the second it came to her family. She had spent so much time building the life she had now the last thing mei wanted was to put it into jeopardy.

"Yeah, what have you guys been doing this week besides this? Have you had time for much of things?" She knew Mei was an extremely busy woman as was her wife, so Rachel wasn't sure just how much the two had been able to do with their kids or if they'd been able to do much of anything. She felt pretty fortunate that she had the time, and though it'd been pretty much part of her job last year to partake in the festivities as a journalist at The Peak Times, she'd been glad to enjoy this year as just a fellow citizen.

Mei leaned back, a sigh escaping her lips as if releasing a week's worth of pent-up energy. "But days like this, where we can just relax and enjoy the city? They're like a breath of fresh air." She grinned at Rachel's comment about having a hard time finding energy to go out. "I get that. It can be tough, especially when you’re juggling so much. But these community events help, right? They’re like little oases in the middle of our crazy lives."

When Xiu had seen her sister enter the burger joint she had immediately planned to leave, but her meal wasn't ready yet so she needed to wait. She kept herself at a distance, hoping that her younger sister wouldn't notice her. Then Benji did, and he waved, which was where the trouble began. Xiu kept herself away from Mei, which had become more difficult ever since Mei had moved back to town, but she did it, out of respect. Of course it wasn't appreciated, which was made very clear by the fact that Mei was now approaching her, accusing her of some kind of spy craft.

Mei's eyes were on her son, watching him like a hawk to ensure he was safe as she stepped away from him to talk to her sister. Not that she was far from Benjamin, she was just so protective of her kids. Being their mom was always her first priority now. To this baby too. As her sister switched to Chinese, Mei quickly adjusted herself though she would admit she was a little rusty since it wasn't something she used anymore. Not like they did when they were kids. She was shocked to hear that her wife hadn't told her that Xui had seen their kids at the game. Mei was supposed to have gone that day but ended up not feeling well and went home. Carmen knew that if there was one thing she had ever wanted for their children, it was for her family to be around them. Even if it was harder to know that they were in a much smaller town and not in Denver.

"Fate, got it," she said as if that was a practical plan that she could follow to achieve what she wanted. Though in all honesty Emily wasn't sure what she wanted, being alone was no fun, but committing to someone also felt like the scariest thing a person could ever do. "Hey, you should know me well enough to know that it's highly likely I'll walk straight past whomever fate tries to put in my way," she admitted.

Mei gave a small, encouraging nod, her eyes reflecting understanding and a touch of mischief. "Well, if you need a guide through this whole fate thing, you know where to find me," she said, leaning back with an easy smile. "I mean, I can't promise I'll be a great navigator, but I can definitely help you notice if you’re about to walk into a wall—or straight past your future soulmate." She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "And if you need a wingwoman, I'm pretty good at that, too. I can make sure you don't accidentally trip over your 'special someone' without realizing it. Sound like a plan?" Her voice was light, but there was warmth behind it, a sense of camaraderie that could ease the apprehension of commitment.

dominic was willing to do whatever it took to make things right between the two of them but he just wasn't sure what that was going to take. he did want his sister and his daughter to have a relationship, especially since maia didn't have anyone to turn to but he wasn't sure if he were willing to actually take her out of school. her education was important to him. "maybe just once. i don't want it to be a regular thing but it'd be nice for her to be able to spend some time with you. she'd appreciated that more than you'd know." it'd be hard for him not to attempt to make this work. "just tell me what day and i'll pull her out of school early to see you." he paused as she mentioned her own kids and he couldn't help but smile at the woman in front of him, "kids? how many do you have?" he wasn't sure she was willing to open up that much for him but he figured he'd ask anyways.

Mei understood where Dominic was coming from but she was willing to bring her back to school when her lunch break was over. " Of course, whatever you want to do. " Mei said quickly not able to think of how hard it was for Maia to lose her mother at such a young age. She couldn't imagine it with her own children, nor did she want to. " Usually I am free Sunday, so why don't we aim for Sunday? " Mei was willing to drive across town to take her niece out, she needed her, just as did her own family. " Two, I have two they're six. " Mei said softly grappling with herself to show her brother one of the many photos she had of Bristol and Benny on her desk. " You? "Remembering he also stated he had more than just Maia who didn't know her. Mei knew she could trust Dominic with information but still, she wanted nothing about her kids to get back to their parents. Those were her babies and unlike how she was raised, she wanted to make sure they were raised with love.

dominic knew that they weren't going to be able to move on so easily. after all, he knew what he did and his wife had made sure that he never forgot it. she always loved mei and accepted her as a sister of her own before she passed away. he wanted to do right by her and fix things. it was the right thing to do and it was something he wanted to do. he nodded, "i know you would." he remembered the words that came out of her mouth the day maia was born. that day had been so special to him and the bond that the other was bound to have with her aunt was something he was looking forward to seeing, especially now that he was working on fixing things.

Mei knew she wanted to make things right, for Maia at least. She didn't deserve to be cut out like she had everyone else. It was just she was still a part of that part of her life that she wanted nothing to do with. That changed now, things were different and Mei's had grown a lot in those last ten years. Mei nodded in agreement to having time with her. She knew that Domonic like her would do anything when it came to their children.

it wasn't easy for him to do this, to face her after so long because the more he thought about it, the more he knew he was wrong for what he did. which, at the time, he'd only wanted to make his wife happy. he was willing to do anything back then to give her the life he thought she deserved and now, she was gone and he missed that relationship that he had with his sister. mei had been such a big part of his life for so long and he wanted that back, which was the main reason he was here outside of his daughter needing a female figure. he slowly took a seat across from her and took in a deep breath, "it's...alright." he sighed. it wasn't. he still missed his wife but there was nothing he could do about it except attempt to do his best. "yeah, already. i swear she was just a baby."

Mei knew that the past was the past and that it should be put behind her. She had grown up so much since then, she was a different person than she still was but it still hurt. It hurt more coming from Domonic not reaching out after everything that had happened at dinner. He out of anyone. Domonic had always been her biggest cheerleader, her support, and her protector. It had held such a sting to Mei even to this day when they were face to face. " I remember the day she was born. " Mei said after being silent trying to compose herself better. Mei went to sit at the chair at her desk ushering him to sit in a chair in front of him. " She was so small. " Mei added as she looked at a couple of photos of her own kids on her desk remembering how small they were.

"Good. I don't get to spoil people very often, so it's nice when I get the chance," she hummed happily. She did a lot for the people she cared about, as it was just something that gave her a sense of joy. Yas didn't need a lot herself, so being able to share what she had with the people in her corner was always something she tried to do. "Yeah, sometimes...it's hard to justify spending time on things other than work just because I know how important what I do is," she admitted with a shrug. There were definitely times she put her work before herself and her own personal life, something she'd had to learn to shift away from. Times like this, however, where all she wanted to do was stay busy and not think, it was hard not to let herself fully immerse in her job. "Oh, come on, I think I could handle it," she protested with a hand to her chest. "I'm totally ready to be a mom."

"Good. I don't get to spoil people very often, so it's nice when I get the chance," Mei hummed happily, a soft smile gracing her lips. Taking care of others brought her genuine joy, especially those dear to her heart like Yas. Despite her busy schedule, Mei always found time to extend her kindness and support to her loved ones. "Yeah, sometimes...it's hard to justify spending time on things other than work just because I know how important what I do is," she admitted with a slight shrug, reflecting on the delicate balance between her professional responsibilities and personal life. " It is hard, but it's the most rewarding. Their love is just something you can't get anywhere else. " Mei's eyes went to the twins who were close to her sides, Benny's hand in hers giving it a tight squeeze. " I think you will be such an amazing mom. Your baby will be so lucky. " Mei said heartfelt because she meant it.

Mei knew that the kids just wanted to be close to them, and wanted to spend time with their moms. Mei and Carmen loved every second of it when they could, but this time alone was just so refreshing with just the two of them. " Please don't worry about me babe, I'm fine. " Mei's words were soft as she placed another soft kiss on her wife's lips, leaning in closer. laying her head on her wife's shoulder. " We are both okay. " There were still bad days but now it was more good days than bad. " I don't think we would have made it without you or your special tea. " Mei joked since she was living off the special tea blend Carmen had made, ginger ale and crackers until recently. " What about you, what do you need? "