Three

- - -

I drove behind everyone as we drove through the mountains and to the lake house. Everyone parked their cars and got out. Once I got Mia out of her car seat I held her hand and walked behind my dad and siblings.

"It's cute. It'll do for one night." Roxanne told my dad. I rolled my eyes. Her stupid Milan trip is all she cares about and Mia and I aren't invited to go with them. I wasn't even shocked when she told me.

The bug zapper went off, catching the kids attention.

"Daddy what's that machine doing?" Becky asked.

"It's getting rid of the moths honey." Dad answered.

"Where's it taking them?"

"Hell." Marcus replied.

"Don't say that Higgins." Dad told him.

"I'm sorry not hell, Mexico." 

I laughed a little which made Roxanne glare at me.

"Wa wa." Mia pointed out to the water. I lifted her up onto my hip.

"That's right. It is wa wa." I smiled. I felt eyes on me and turned around to see Lucas looking at me but he quickly looked away when I caught him staring.

"They're dying!?" I looked over at Donna and Charlotte after Dad said that it's electrocuting the bugs.

"No!" Dad protested.

"Daddy, no!" Becky exclaimed. Dad ran up and unplugged the bug zapper.

"They're all alright see?" he picked one up and threw it making it land on the ground. "He's still sleeping."

"It's dead Dad." Greg and I deadpanned. Roxanne pinched him and sent me a warning look.

"Ooo. A porch swing." Deanne's mother pushed Keithie to the ground and walked up the steps. "I know what I'm doing this weekend."

Lucas held out a hand to help Keithie up. "You okay little man?"

"Yep." Keithie pulled himself up using Lucas's hand.

We all walked up the steps and Rob opened the doors to the lake house.

"Welcome to 1978 everybody. The lake house." he announced.

I looked around at the huge lake house. It's beautiful. Mia was looking around in amazement and pointing at different things. I took her little hand in mind and gave it a kiss making her giggle.

"Is this like an outward bound thing dad?" Greg asked.

"It's like an episode of lost." Keithie said.

"Oh god." I groaned. Lucas laughed as he came up beside me.

"So listen guys, who's getting what room?" Dad asked.

"Actually, I made a map of who gets which room." Rob informed us. "I took the liberty of reserving the room with the waterbed for Gloria and myself."

"Ooo. You're gonna do the backstroke tonight baby." Gloria moved her hips suggestively.

I scrunched my face up and Lucas covered Mia's ears making her giggle and look up at him.

"I wanna go swimming with you guys tonight." Donna said.

"Oh honey, we're not really swimming. What I meant was--" 

"Ah. Ah. Ah." Lucas cut in. "Children in the room."

Sally covered her daughters ears. "That's okay. She doesn't need to know what you mean. I don't even know what you mean."

"Oh I know what she means." Marcus said then pretended to throw up.

"Anyways, let's get back to the room picking. Rob will you show us a tour?" Sally asked.

Rob led us all through the house and I tried to ignore the butterflies in my stomach when Lucas put his hand on my lower back to lead me down the small hallway behind our parents.

"Okay, here's the big daddy." Rob pulled open a door. "The master bedroom."

"You know what, Lenny should have that." Eric spoke. Roxanne didn't think twice before making her way towards the room.

"Honey, honey. Let the kids have it." Dad stopped her. "It's a fun time for the kids to be together and they can do kids things. Come on, go share it. Share the master bedroom."

All the kids ran into the room and Mia squirmed out of my grip to run after them. I know she's not gonna be sleeping in there but there's no harm in letting her have fun with them.

"Hey Dad. What's this big box that's attached to the back of the TV?" Greg asked.

"That's the rest of the TV dumbass." I told him as I crossed my arms. Lucas snorted from next to me and shook his head.

"They didn't always have flat screens there, sport." Dad said.

"There's another room just down the hall that has two beds and enough room if you two want that one." Rob told me and Lucas.

"Sure." we both shrugged.

After Mama showed us all her bunions I made the decision to leave and get my stuff from the car. No offence to her. I had one suitcase and then a smaller one for Mia.

After I brought everything in the room I saw Lucas laying on the bed. One bed. Not two like Rob said.

"Apparently Rob got it wrong and there isn't enough beds for everyone." he sat up and sighed. "I'll sleep in the chair or on the floor and you and Mia can sleep on the--"

"No, no. It's okay." I told him. "We can share the bed. It's not the end of the world."

"You sure? What about Mia?" he asked.

This is like the classic one bed trope in all those romance books I've read. The ones where it's two people who don't like each other but they end up having to share a room but there's only one bed and then they wake up in each others arms. Yeah, that one.

I unzipped my suitcase and pulled out her foldable pack and play which is basically a crib that can fold up and fit in your suitcase.

I unfolded it and set it up right next to the bed. "Ta da!" I held me arms out playfully.

"So you're okay with sharing the bed? If it makes you uncomfortable--"

"Lucas. It's fine." I smiled at him. "As long as you do not grope me in my sleep we'll be fine."

"I would never." he gasped dramatically making me laugh. "You've gotta not grope me in my sleep. I'm pretty irresistible."

"Sure you are." I laughed.

Okay maybe this trip won't be so bad.

- - -

The kids were all in the master bedroom playing video games and on their electronics. I don't get why they aren't outside having fun in the lake. I got Mia dressed in her cute little bathing suit and then we went outside.

I was wearing a simple black bikini and with high waisted bottoms. It hid my left over pregnancy fat which wasn't much but sometimes it makes me self-conscious.

"Wait for me!" I heard someone shout as I walked down to the lake. I turned around and saw Lucas running towards us while pulling off his shirt. Mia giggled when he almost tripped and fell.

"Gonna keep us company?" I asked over my shoulder as we continued down to the water.

"Why not?" he shrugged. "Better than listening to your brothers yelling at their video games."

"You're right." I laughed. I set Mia down and she walked over to the water. I pulled my shirt off making Lucas whistle and me roll my eyes.

"How can you have a kid and look that good?" he asked.

"It's called a gym Luke, ever heard of it?" I asked playfully and then turned to look him up and down. "Probably not." 

"Hey, I almost have an eight pack." he smirked. "And have you seen these babies?" he flexed his biceps.

"Whatever. I've gotta watch my baby." I pointed at Mia who splashed her feet in the water and giggled.

"So how old is she?" he asked as we walked in. 

"Two and a half." I answered. 

"So you had her when you were seventeen?" he asked. 

"Yeah. I found out I was pregnant when I was sixteen though. Let's just say my dad and Roxanne were not happy." I sighed. 

"That bad huh?" he raised his brows and kneeled down to splash Mia.

"Yeah. Roxanne tried to kick me out but my dad didn't let her. Now I just live in a house with a toxic step-mom. You learn to live with it though." I said. He nodded with a sympathetic look on his face.

I looked down at him as Mia made a big splash of water hit his face. He pretended to fall back making her giggle and put her hands on her cheeks.

"See dat mama?" she asked while jumping up and down and pointing at him. I laughed and nodded.

"You little stinker." Lucas told her and splashed her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and spit the water out making us laugh. 

"Look see! Your sister is being a normal teenager!" we heard my dad say from the house.

I looked up and saw him putting Greg and Kiethie down from their spots on his shoulder. Kurt came out shortly after with Charlotte and Andre.

"I'm nineteen." I mumbled making Lucas snort.

"Yeah, look at her and Lucas." Kurt pointed at us and we waved.

"Well that's because she has a hot boy to hang out with." Charlotte pointed out making Lucas smirk.

"Ew." Donna scrunched her face up.

"At least someone noticed your almost eight pack." I patted Lucas on the back and he rolled his eyes.

"You guys wanna go on a hike with us?" Dad asked. We both looked at each other and shrugged.

"Sure."

- - -

"Hey Greg, Abby, when we were kids your dad used to talk us into doing the craziest stuff." Kurt told us as we walked along a trail through the woods.

I was holding Mia on my hips while Lucas walked right beside me holding Bean's hand. She was pointing at stuff in the trees and looking up at the birds that would fly above us.

"I remember one time, we got our shower curtains and went shopping cart sailing." Kurt continued.

"Wait, how did you steer?" Andre asked.

"Well, we didn't." Eric said.

"How'd you stop?" Kiethie asked.

"You just smashed into something. That was the fun part." Dad said.

"We used to shoot bottle rockets at each other." Higgins spoke up from the back. "You always go for the guys face because you wanna blind them."

"Okay, that's a little much pal." Dad told him.

"No. No, I know. Kids, don't do that. You know, erase, reboot." he made a weird reverse noise.

"It's a wonder you guys are all alive today." I commented. Eric and Kurt snorted from behind me.

"Okay look, look. Make a tree fort. I'll get you started." Dad picked up a branch off the ground and held it up to a tree.

"Rob lived in one of those for a year." Eric remarked.

"Why?" Greg questioned.

"My dad took away my roller skates." Rob said solemnly.

"Uh oh, Vietnam flashbacks." Lucas commented making me laugh.

"Wait a minute, are you kidding?" Dad suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" everyone asked as Dad walked over to a rope swing on a tree.

"Rope on a tree baby." Eric said. "You know what that means."

"We get to hang ourselves?" Charlotte asked. Lucas and I stifled laughs and he put his face in my shoulder to stop himself. Mia giggled and pulled his hair making him hiss in pain. 

"You see a rope and a lake and that doesn't make you wanna go nuts?" Dad asked.

"Makes me wanna go nuts." I laughed. "Hold my baby." I told Lucas and handed him Mia. He laughed and propped her up on his hip.

I pulled my shirt off and totally didn't miss the way Andre ogled at my boobs through the bikini top. I went down to my dad and grabbed the rope.

"Okay please don't die. I don't feel like taking care of this mini monster." Lucas called to me as Mia pulled his hair again.

I moved back a little before jumping off the rock and swinging on the rope. Once I was over the lake I did a backflip off the rope and landed in the water.

I heard everyone clapping and cheering as I resurfaced.

"Go Abby!" I heard Kiethie shout.

"Mama!" I heard Mia cry. I looked up and saw her looking at me with a frightened expression.

I climbed out of the water and climbed back up the small hill to get to them.

"Hey baby, I'm okay." I took her from Lucas and cradled her to my chest. She cried a little and I rubbed her back. Gosh, I should have thought before doing that. I didn't even think about the fact that she might think I was getting hurt.

"That was awesome!" Kiethie shouted making me look down at Eric who failed to swing on the rope.

"Oh god. Oh god! My legs snapped! Oh my god the bones sticking out!" Eric yelled making Mia start crying into my shoulder. He continued 'crying out in pain' before he started laughing. "It's a stick. I gotcha."

"Yeah congratulations you scared the shit out of Mia." Lucas told him and rubbed my daughters back.

"Daddy that bird is hurt!" Becky pointed at a bird that was flopping around on the ground with a hurt wing.

"Oh my god, I'll go get a shoebox." Dad said before running off. Mia held onto my neck with a death grip and I just rubbed her back.

"Let's head back, yeah?" I asked everyone and they all nodded.

Maybe I spoke too soon.

- - -