In the morning, the silence worried me more than what it did when the kids were screaming their heads off. I checked the time on my phone, wondering why Collins hasn't come into the room to start trouble. She wakes up, choosing to terrorize the house every morning. That is how I know she is Kinnick's kid.

Kinnick stirred next to me until a kiss was pressing to the side of my face, and a good morning was floating through my ears. Just like it did every morning, his voice sent shivers down my spine. Waking up next to the love of my life was the best way to wake up. It assured me every day is going to be a good one.

I slid out of bed to open the curtains. The June weather sent rays of sunshine into our bedroom. I could feel the warmth kissing my skin as I stood in front of our balcony windows. I told Kinnick I would meet him downstairs.

The moment I stepped into the hallway, I heard giggles from downstairs. Everyone was sitting at the table, eating some kind of cereal. Collins was sitting next to Aurora and not next to Chase like she usually does.

Maverick was sitting on the couch, watching Paw Patrol with a book in his lap. Even though he couldn't read, he never stopped trying. I have been working with him on it. Reading has helped him announce his word correctly.

We bought all of the books for Collins first. Before she was born, I filled her room with books. She never read as much as Maverick did. It was the one thing that Maverick and I bonded over. Whenever he saw me reading, he would grab his own book to join me.

The moment he saw me, he shot up from his seat to wrap me in a hug. "Good morning, love bug."

"Hi, mommy," his arms tightened around my neck. "Missed you."

"I missed you," I placed a kiss on the side of his head. "Why are you out here all alone?"

"Reading."

"How about we go make some breakfast?"

Everyone said good morning as we walked into the dining room. Maverick climbed into a chair as I set him down. The second I asked if everyone wanted me to make breakfast, they were cheering.

The moment I started cooking french toast, Collins shot off of her seat to wake her daddy. If anybody was going to wake him up, it was her. She wouldn't stop until he was out of bed and holding her hand while they came down the stairs together. The moment I heard her screech, I knew Kinnick was awake.

"What do you need help with, momma?" Chase came beside me. "I can mix more eggs."

I kissed the side of his head as I flipped the french toast. "That would be perfect."

"Aurora would help, but she has no idea how to cook."

She gasped behind me as Chase snickered. I listened to them bicker back and forth as I piled up the plates full of food. Bacon baked in the oven as Chase worked on cooking eggs. Aurora was in between his arms as they spun them around together.

They reminded me of Kinnick and me. My tattooed husband treated me with such love and gentleness that I never experienced at the hands of anybody. It meant a lot to me to see that after four years, they were still together. The love they had for one another only grew more with every day.

She was next to me at every fight. Kinnick said she would come during practice. It was as if John has us at his gym all over again. History was repeating itself, except I wouldn't let anything bad happen to Chase, nor will I come in between him and Aurora. I loved what they had and I would support it as long as it benefited both of them.

We had rules in our house. Chase could visit Aurora as much as he liked as long as his homework was done and his room stayed clean. We never had to worry. Raising Chase was easier than breathing. He met the world to me.

I heard Collins laughing which only met my man was coming down. Arms circled around my waist as his heavy footsteps came toward me. I leaned into his hold as he kissed the side of my face.

"What more could a man ask for? Not only do I get an amazing breakfast, but my pregnant wife is waddling around the kitchen as my kids scream their heads off."

"Except for this kid," Chase pointed to himself as he picked up a piece of french toast. "I am the only normal one in the family."

"Cept for me," Maverick's eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at us with sadness. "I normal."

"Of course, baby," I turned to look at him. "You are very normal."

"Normal is boring," Collins rolled her eyes. "And you are very boring."

Maverick turned to her. "Your ugly."

"I'll beat your ass."

"Collins!" I snapped. "We do not curse."

"Daddy curses all of the time!"

"Daddy is an adult," Kinnick looks at her. "You are not."

"You don't act like it," she grumbles as she crosses her arms.

"What is wrong?" I turned to her. "Why are you getting upset?"

Instead of putting our kids in timeout, we asked our kids what was wrong. It gave us the opportunity to listen to their side of things. We had the chance to talk it out with them instead of punishing them solely for the purpose of them saying something we didn't like or agree with. It worked out better for us than putting them in time out and after what happened with my dad, we would never spank our kids.

With Collins, we figured out what worked best for her. If we could calm that little ball of fire, we could calm any of our kids. The methods we used with her seemed to work on Maverick. When we asked them what was wrong instead of punishing them right away, it made them understand talking is okay.

We taught them it was okay to explain how you feel. In the future, they won't feel as if they have to conceal their emotions. I don't want my kids to hide away as I did. It nearly cost me my life twice. Kinnick didn't want them to grow angry with the world as he did. So, we made a more positive solution. We asked what was wrong because, in our life, that was all we wanted. Someone to care.

"He called me ugly," she sniffled. "It hurt my feelings."

"You are not ugly," I promised. "You are beautiful, but you called your brother boring. That is not nice - it probably hurt his feelings. What do we say when we hurt each other's feelings?"

"Sorry," Maverick said first.

Collins sighed, dropping her hands. "I am sorry too."

"Does your daddy deserve an apology for you getting upset too?"

She nodded before getting down to walk toward Kinnick, where she could kiss his cheek. "Sorry, daddy."

"Thank you," I told her as she came to hug my leg. "Did that make you feel better?"

She sucked in a deep breath. "Mhm. I love you, mommy."

And my heart melted. "I love you most, flower."

Everyone gathered at the table as I sat down their plates. Chase helped fill sippy cups and hand out forks. They fell silent as they shoveled food into their mouth. My eyes lifted to look at Kinnick as he made eye contact with Chase. I furrowed my eyebrows as Kinnick nodded toward me.

"What is going on?"

"Momma," Chase gulped as his face turned white. "I have something to tell you."

"Is everything okay?" I felt the uneasiness in my stomach. "Please, tell me everything is okay."

He couldn't hold eye contact, and my hands started shaking. "I found an apartment. They accepted my application and I can move in next week."

A smile pulled across my lips, even if I wasn't happy about the situation I was happy for him. I know he was waiting for me to say something, but I couldn't. I excused myself before I pushed out of my seat. I knew this was going to happen, but I didn't think it was going to happen so soon.

When I thought about him leaving, I wondered if he would ever come to see us. My hand rubbed over my forehead as I stood in the bathroom. Tears fell down my cheeks. My first baby was moving out.

A knock came from outside of the door. "Momma?"

"I am okay," I sniffled, wiping my nose. "I will be out in a minute."

"Can I come in?"

"I am okay -"

The door opened up to reveal Chase with remorse on his face. I didn't want him to be upset. I wanted him to be happy about everything. This was a great opportunity for him. He pulled me into a hug.

"Everything is going to be okay," he promised as his arms tightened around me.

"What if you don't need me anymore?" I choked on a sob. "You would have no reason to come see me."

"I am always going to need you, momma," he mumbled. "And I am going to visit you every chance I get."

"Promise?"

He pulled away to lace our pinkies. "I promise. I also have something else I need to tell you."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I am not sure if I can take any more surprises."

He reached into his pocket to grab a silver box. "Oh fuck, you are proposing?"

His laughter echoed in the bathroom. "No, it's a promise ring. Would you be upset if I was proposing?"

"Not at all," I let out a deep breath. "I just thought you would talk to me about it before you proposed."

"Of course, I would."

"It is beautiful," I told him as I stared at the rose gold diamond. "She will love it."

"I don't know how to give it to her," he ran his fingers through his hair. "Did dad get you a promise ring?"

I shake my head. "No, he just proposed."

"How did he do it?"

"The first or second time?"

"He proposed twice," his face paled. "Do I have to do that?"

I laughed. "Of course not. The first time was on the front porch. He just got back from the gym, and I saw him sitting outside on the porch. When I went to check on his, he handed me a smoothie from Scooters and the ring was dangling on the straw. But your dad didn't think that was good enough, so he proposed again in Las Vegas at the Marvel Station."

"She is nervous I am going to find somebody better," he frowns. "She was in a bad relationship. He was so mean to her, momma. I just wish I could shout it to the world that she is my girl, you know? It would soothe her worrying mind."

"Is she okay?"

He looked up at me. "I think so. She is seeing a therapist."

"Good," I nodded. "What if you do it at your fight? After you win, you can give it to her."

A grin pulled across his lips. "That would be perfect."

"Listen, you will know when the right time is," I tell him. "All of those days you question yourself, you will be in the middle of doing something with them, and you will just know."

"I love you, momma," he smiled. "I am definitely coming to visit you after I move."

I gasp. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I was on the fence earlier. The deal breaker was if you could or could not help me."

I shoved his shoulder as he laughs. "Kidding, momma. Definitely just kidding."

My head moved back and forth as he ran down the hall, trying to get away from me. "Sarcastic asshole!"

The moment I said it, I regretted it. I heard Collins gasp. "Momma said asshole!"