~* Motherhood *~ “I love you both,” he whispered back. “And God willing, you might have a baby brother or sister to share your love with.” I looked slowly up at him. Was he saying what I thought he was? Mom giggled. “Ash, hush. It’s too soon to tell her!” she teased. She had a bright, beautiful smile as I looked back at her. “Mom? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

---

Author's Note:
This chapter is dedicated to Piper and Catrina for their help and inspiration, and of course, to my number one fan girl for lifting my spirits when I very much needed it. Thank you, Ashly!
Love,

Zoe

---

“Morning sweetheart,” Mom offered cheerfully as I came padding down the stairs at Ash’s. Since getting my license, this new arrangement became much easier to work with.

“Morning Mom,” I managed despite the intrusive yawn that demanded to escape right at that moment, and approached to wrap her in a tight hug, leaning up to kiss her cheek. She smiled, a little surprised, as she held me close to her, and I let my head rest on her shoulder.

“What was that for?” she asked. I closed my eyes as she slowly stroked my hair.

“For being so understanding and for loving me for me, for accepting me as your daughter… For lots of things.”

“Robin, honey, is this about LeAnn?”

I should have figured Mom knew all about it. I nodded slowly. “I just can’t imagine what her sister’s been through to push her to that point. Even when I was at my worst I could never consider … ‘that’ as an alternative. I just want to scoop her up in my arms and tell her it’ll be okay.”

“Oh, honey,” she answered softly. She looked up, and I turned around to see Ash standing in the doorway. He smiled as he approached.

“May I?”

Mom nodded.

“Robin, you have a big heart. It’s one of your most endearing traits. When you stood up for Jason even after everything he put you through, it really showed me something about your character, and your mother’s, to have raised such a strong, mature daughter.” He paused to smile as he put his strong arms around me, and for a moment I lost myself in his embrace. I couldn’t help but smile as I leaned into him.

“You can only do so much for others before you start to spread yourself too thin, though. You wrote a letter to her, didn’t you?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, Kelly told me she passed it on to LeAnn, and that she sent it off right away.”

“Then you’ve already helped. You’re a shining example of what could be.”

“But I was lucky, Dad,” I stated desperately, only realizing after I’d said it that I called him what I had been thinking for awhile. Mom shook her head quickly.

“Honey, no, you weren’t lucky. You persevered. You fought to be who you are even when the school board and even Director Meredith had their doubts. You proved to them that you are Robin Smith, and you made these things happen. People believe you because you believe in yourself.”

Ash smiled proudly. “Remember, I had trouble believing what you were telling me before too. You believe with such conviction that you are who you are. You project yourself as female, you look, dress, act, and talk like any other teenage girl because that’s who you are. That’s who LeAnn’s sister can be if she works hard like you did.”

“But I had the benefit of a summer to get used to being ‘out’, plus an amazing support group to catch me when I fell. And I have an accepting family that loves me for me. Do you think her mom will come around?”

Mom nodded. “For me, it was as though the last puzzle piece clicked into place. When I saw you that first day, it was like meeting you for the first time. Kelly prepared me for it, but until I saw you I didn’t know what to expect. It was like a terrible fog had been lifted. I had my baby back, and she looked so happy, how could I not love her?”

By now Mom and I were both in tears. Even Ash’s cheeks were stained just a little bit. I wished in that moment that everyone could have a dad like him. He smiled down at me.

“When did you start calling me ‘dad’ anyway?” he asked. I giggled.

“You’ve been ‘Robin’s dad’ ever since I joined the cheer squad. I’ve just been too afraid to say it myself. You’re the daddy I always wanted though,” I managed to whisper before completely choking up. He squeezed me closer.

“I love you both,” he whispered back. “And God willing, you might have a baby brother or sister to share your love with.”

I looked slowly up at him. Was he saying what I thought he was? Mom giggled.

“Ash, hush. It’s too soon to tell her!” she teased. She had a bright, beautiful smile as I looked back at her.

“Mom? Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

She nodded. “I’m ‘late’,” she answered. I didn’t have the benefit of The Talk from a girl’s perspective, and barely got the boy’s perspective, but thanks to some trashy teen dramas, I knew exactly what that meant.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. She giggled as I threw my arms around her. “That’s great!”

“I’m so happy to hear you say that sweetheart. I didn’t know how you would react, and you’ve just been through so much that I didn’t know how I was going to tell you.”

“Mom of course I’m happy! You know how much I love Amanda, but even if it’s a boy I’ll still love him,” I giggled. “Wow. You guys really know how to make a girl feel better though. Is there anything I can do?”

“Just continue to be you, honey. I may need some help with the housework in the coming months, but right now I have everything in-hand. Kelly and I have already discussed work schedules in advance of my eventual maternity leave.”

Ash, or should I say Dad, now grinning, placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to need some help decorating the new nursery. I understand you and your friends have some experience with that?”

“You bet! We’ve been working on plans to redecorate my room here to be more like my room at Margie’s, and we’re pretty adept at finding inexpensive furniture. I might try a daybed here though. But I’d love to help with the nursery. How soon can we know if we’re decorating for a boy or a girl?”

Dad seemed to defer that question to Mom.

“Somewhere around the five month mark is when most women have an ultrasound. It’s mainly to look for birth defects, but there are certain signs the technician looks for too.”

“So, sometime in June or July? I hope I’m not at camp. I’m thinking about going for both sessions of Girl Scout camp this year, plus I’ll have cheer camp in July.”

“I’ll be sure to record the ultrasound so you can see it, if you’re not here,” Mom reassured then added, “Can I make you two some breakfast?”

“Oh no you don’t,” I answered, motioning for her to go sit down. “You guys go relax. I’ll take care of breakfast.”

~oOo~

Even though I had my license and my own car, it had still become a bit of a tradition for Nicole to drive us all to the school for our Girl Scout meetings. Most of the monthly meetings involved helping the younger girls plan activities, and while Allison and Tracy had really been picking up the slack lately, I still felt guilty about not really getting anything to happen since the cancer walk.

I pulled into Margie’s driveway with those thoughts still fresh in my mind. Apparently I had come early though, as Nicole hadn’t arrived yet. Allison opened the door to her house, stepping outside to wave me over. I hit the car alarm button on my keychain, hung the keys just inside the front door of Margie’s house, and then raced over to grab Allison in a hug.

“Wow,” she squealed as I nearly lifted her off the ground. “You’re sure in a good mood! What’s up?” she giggled enthusiastically. So did I.

“Mom’s late,” I answered.

Allison’s jaw slid open as her eyes widened. “You mean … late, as in ‘late’ late? Ohmygod. Robin congratulations! How soon will you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Sometime this summer. They promised to save me a recording of the ultrasound if we’re at summer camp, or if I’m at cheer camp,” I added as Allison ushered me inside.

“Oh, hey, um, you know how next weekend is April First, right?” she asked nervously.

“Yeah. Didn’t your last prank war start with this same conversation?” I teased, adding, “At least that’s what Jen told me.”

She giggled. “Yeah. I didn’t know if you’d want to prank your own girlfriend, but Nikki would never suspect you, which is what makes it so perfect.”

“What do you have in mind?”

She started giggling. “Well you know how she’s sort of into the macabre. She loves a good ghost story, but she doesn’t talk about it much anymore. I think she’s afraid she’ll freak you out or something. I keep telling her you love her for who she is though.”

I gave Allison a slow nod. “I do. I’m honored that she wants to protect me, but really, I think ghost stories are kind of neat too.”

“You do?”

“Uh huh. So what did you have in mind?”

“Well I was thinking we could give her a good scare. I know a great one she hasn’t heard about yet, but the only problem is we’d need a little girl to help us pull it off.”

“I could ask Angela if we could borrow Amanda,” I offered, shooting her a sly grin. She squealed.

“Oh, she’d be perfect!” She paused, nodding toward the door. “I hear Nikki’s Mustang outside. Let’s play it cool for now, and I’ll start buttering her up for it next weekend. Once I tell her it was your idea, only you didn’t want to freak her out, she’ll fall right into our- hey Nikki, Jen!” she abruptly changed her tone, catching Nicole in a hug as she and Jennifer entered. They both stepped closer to hug me next.

“Hey guys,” Nicole answered cheerfully but paused. “Okay, what’s with the creepy grin?”

Allison giggled. “Um, should I tell her or do you want to do the honors?”

Nicole shifted her gaze to me, and I smiled proudly. “You’re going to be an aunt,” I teased. She blinked a couple of times before it properly sank in.

“Oh my Gawd. Congrats!”

~oOo~

“So we’re basically being invited to completely convert one of my dad’s spare bedrooms into a nursery, on top of redecorating my room. That’s if you guys want to of course,” I added, as we strolled into the high school auditorium.

“You know me, Robin,” Jennifer answered first, “I love this sort of thing. Of course I’ll help.”

Allison and Nicole answered a ‘Me too!’ in unison, looked at each other, and giggled.

“With your permission though I’d like very much to bless the house,” Jennifer added softly. The four of us paused as I turned to her.

“How so?”

“It’s nothing big. I’m not like a witch or anything weird. It’s a blessing and cleansing ritual to honor the new arrival and to ward off evil spirits.”

“Is that why your house always feels so… peaceful?” I finally asked. She smiled as she turned to continue toward the stage.

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” She gave a verbal pause and giggled as she continued to walk. “I don’t pretend to understand everything my Grandfather’s taught me over the years. I just know that it works, and that I believe in the spirits, good and bad.”

I reached out to squeeze her hand, and she smiled back at me. “Jen, I love you. You’re a wonderful friend. I don’t pretend to understand half of what you say, but I do know that you’re usually right about these things. I’d be honored if you would perform a blessing for us. Just give me a chance to clear it with Mom and Dad first,” I added with a giggle.

“Clear what?” Tracy asked as we approached. She reached her hand out to catch Jennifer’s, giving it a playful squeeze. “Great job yesterday, by the way.”

“Thanks,” we answered in unison as we took our seats, and Jennifer explained to Tracy what we had been talking about. Tracy just smiled and nodded, but did congratulate me on the future sibling. We sort of mingled and chatted about everything from nothing in particular to nothing of consequence while we waited for Coach Greer’s arrival.

I heard Amanda’s rapid approach first, and looked back in time to see her come running over to us.

“Hey little sister,” I teased, tickling her sides and causing her to squeal with delight as I hugged her.

“Hi Spirit!” she chirped.

I smiled as I ruffled her curls then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Amanda giggled as I gave her another hug before letting her run off to sit with her friends; meanwhile Coach Greer knelt beside us for a moment.

“By the way, do you think I could get you to babysit next weekend? I know it’s asking a lot, but there’s been a family emergency. Next weekend is the earliest either of us can get away, but it’s going to be a long, boring weekend at a hospital for Amanda.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear. I’d love to take care of her for the weekend though.”

“Great!” she answered, a mix of both joy and relief. “I knew I could count on you. I promise to make it worth your trouble.”

“Nonsense. I love Amanda. I’m happy to help,” I answered. Tracy placed her hand on my arm to get my attention as Coach Greer stood to take her place in front of us.

“Let me know if you need any help okay? I don’t doubt your mad babysitting skills,” she teased, “But you’re ‘one of us’ now, and we look out for each other, hey?”

“One of us?”

“Ch’ya. Like, cheerleader? And you call yourself a valley girl,” she teased in what I could only describe as an awful approximation of Valley speak, causing Jennifer and Allison to burst into laughter.

“Okay, ladies, as you know the weather is finally starting to warm up, which means it’s time to start discussing and planning outdoor activities.”

My hand shot up, which I think surprised everyone since I’d been relatively quiet the last few meetings. Coach Greer nodded toward me. “Robin?”

“What about a community clean-up project? Earth Day is coming up next month so we could get a jumpstart on it.”

“That’s a great idea,” Allison chimed in.

“What about a garden?” Jennifer added. “Allison’s boyfriend’s Mom is a florist so she could probably be coaxed into giving a little presentation about what kind of flowers grow well here.”

Jennifer reached her hand out to squeeze Allison’s arm, giving her a reassuring smile, and at that moment I realized this was her way of letting Allison know she really was okay with her dating Josh. Allison blushed bright red as the younger girls snickered and giggled. I thought I heard Amanda whispering “Ally’s got a boy-friend!” in a sing-song tone.

Allison laughed outright. “Okay girls, yes I’m dating someone, and yeah, his mom’s really sweet. She’s the one who provided us with the flowers for Crystal’s lei at camp last summer. I’m sure she’d love to help us.”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about that too,” Tracy perked up now. “Some places actually do an entire Earth Week focused on Earth awareness type celebrations. Since we’re talking about it a month ahead of time anyway, could the Girl Scouts sponsor something like that here in Alpine Springs?”

Coach Greer nodded almost immediately. “That’s an excellent idea. Not only would it raise awareness about global conservation concerns, but it would also raise awareness about the Girl Scouts as more than just a source of cookies.”

Everyone burst into giggles at that. She added a moment later, “It’s going to be hard work though. There’s going to be a lot of planning involved for you older girls, and coordinating the younger girls’ involvement as well. If you’re up for it we could even end the the week with a festival at the old city fair grounds.”

“That sounds awesome,” I offered. “We’ll have to get parents involved too though. I mean, I don’t want to make anyone feel guilty or like they have to get involved of course, but we need more adult supervision too.”

“I’ll see if any of the counselors from camp are free to volunteer too. Mer will have her hands full, but I might get Alice or Cynthia on-board to help.”

~oOo~

Later that week Nicole took me out to dinner, though it was nothing fancy, just hamburgers and onion rings at our favorite fast food spot. The food was great, and the company, divine. She kept staring at me though, and then down at her hamburger, so I finally asked.

“What’s up?”

“Ally told me you wanted to show me something this weekend,” she offered nervously.

“Oh, yeah.” I had already concocted my little white lie, and rehearsed it enough that I could repeat it convincingly without breaking into a cold sweat. I smiled as I reached out to take her hand. “I heard a neat ghost story about a little spot off the main highway. Ally’s offered to take Amanda for an hour or two if you… you know, wanted to check it out?”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh my Gawd,” she whispered. “Yeah, I’d love to! I love this stuff, but I…” She paused. “I know you keep telling me you love me for me, and that I don’t have to change who I am for you. I’m just really insecure. I’ve never been with anyone this long before, and I’m so scared I’m going to do something to mess it up.”

By now she was nearly in tears. I slid right out of my side of the booth to sit next to her, pulling her close. She immediately rested her head on my shoulder and shut her eyes tightly.

“Nikki, it’s okay. I understand exactly how you feel.”

“You do?”

“You bet I do. It’s okay to feel insecure or scared. This is all new territory for both of us. I mean, we’ve been dating for … ten months now, I think?”

She giggled. “Nine, but close enough to count,” she offered as she snuggled deeper into my arms.

“All I know for certain is that I can’t imagine being with anyone but you.”

She opened her eyes wide and smiled up at me. “Do you really mean that? Because… I totally feel the same way, but I didn’t want to say anything. Oh Robin,” she whispered, leaning up to kiss me. “Don’t ever let me go.”

I smiled as I squeezed her close. “I won’t.”

After a momentary pause, I decided to press the subject I had been floundering on for most of the week. “Since we’re being honest, um…”

She glanced up at me and smiled fondly. “Mmm?”

“I know how you feel about churches, and I don’t want you to feel at all obligated to even consider saying yes, but… Well, Dad invited me to come to Easter Sunday service. It’s going to be right after Earth Week stuff, so I’m thinking about accepting his offer just as a chance to sort of unwind and be with family. Do you want to come too?”

“You wouldn’t feel weird?” she asked softly. I quickly shook my head.

“Why would I feel weird?”

“Well, you know, goth, lesbian, not exactly a ‘traditional’ church-goer.”

I tried not to giggle as I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Nikki, I love you. I wouldn’t have even asked if I thought for a minute that either of us would feel we were being judged. I talked to Dad about it quite a bit. He says Reverend Payne has known all along that you and I are dating, and he’s okay with that.”

“Really? I like him already,” she almost squeaked. “Yes, I’d love to come with you.”

“Great. It’s mostly just some more bonding time with them, and we’re going to have a big Sunday dinner afterward. Mom really loved the idea of having you there to share it, after the way your family took me in at Thanksgiving.”

“Aww. Your mom’s so sweet. I can’t wait, but does this mean I have to wear an Easter dress?” She wrinkled her nose then giggled. “Wait, don’t answer that.”

I started to say something, but she picked up my hamburger, hovering it in front of me. I smiled back at her and took a bite.

~oOo~

The weekend of April first got off to quite a hilarious start on Friday. Allison with Jennifer’s help had rigged Nicole’s locker at school so that it would spray silly string as soon as she opened it. The lock jammed though, so when the maintenance guy came along to fix it, he instead got a faceful of the stuff. At least it was non-toxic.

The idea though was to make Nicole think that this was her prank for the year. Once Nicole had gotten her back by putting an open vanilla pudding cup in her purse, she let her guard down.

I had been waiting at Margie’s early Saturday morning when Coach Greer drove up in her minivan. Amanda bounded out from the sliding passenger door, a Barbie sleeping bag under one arm, and a matched duffle bag dragging the ground slung over her shoulder. Even so, she managed to reach the door first.

We had already talked to Amanda of course, and okayed it with Coach Greer. She thought it was hilarious, and made us promise to tell her all about it later, and of course Amanda leapt at the idea of getting to pull a prank on Nicole. We even got Kelly involved so we could have a supervising adult there, even though there was literally nothing harmful that could go wrong, that any of us could figure out.

“Hi Spirit!” Amanda squealed happily. I knelt to wrap my arms around her.

“Hi sweetie. Are you ready for a fun weekend?”

“Uh huh!” she nodded enthusiastically.

“I hope you don’t mind that we’re staying at my sister’s though. But this way you can sleep in the extra bedroom if you want — or you can sleep in my room too.”

“I want to sleep in your room,” she answered immediately. I giggled as I stood to exchange a hug with Coach Greer. She handed me a piece of paper with several phone numbers on it.

“That’s the number of the hotel we’ll be staying at, that’s our cell phone numbers, Meredith’s number in case of emergency, a list of foods she’s allergic to, but you already have that memorized,” she teased.

“And Kelly has the weekend off so she’ll be right next door.”

“It must be wonderful having a registered nurse next door.” She paused and smiled, “I don’t know how to thank you Robin. I promise I’ll find a way to repay you.”

I shook my head. “Really, it’s okay.” I knelt to hug Amanda again, smiling up at Coach Greer. “She really is like a sister to me. I’m excited to spend some quality time together this weekend.”

Coach Greer knelt to hug Amanda next. “You be good for Robin, okay honey? We’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay Mommy,” she answered, kissing her cheek. “Give Aunt Georgina a hug for me!””

Coach Greer smiled softly as she nodded. I could see the sadness in her eyes, but she put on a brave smile for Amanda. I carefully picked up the girl’s duffle bag and carried it inside while they talked for a few seconds more.

Inside Margie smiled as she poked her head around the doorway. “Hey kiddo. I was just about to head out. Are you sure you’re okay by yourself?”

“I’m sure. I’ll probably take Amanda over to visit Ally for a little while before we prank Nikki.”

Margie giggled. “Do me a favor? Get Allison to record it on her cell phone if she can.”

I had to laugh. “Sure thing. Hey, do you still want me to stop by the store Monday afternoon?”

“Sure do, if you have time. I have a few cute dresses that I’d like you to model for me. Chelsea’s going to stop by too, so Regina and I are just going to set up a mini-studio for you both to work with. It won’t be any more formal than the other shoots though; just the lighting will be better.”

She paused to smile as Amanda peeked inside. “Well hi there. You must be Amanda?”

Amanda nodded timidly. Margie smiled as she stepped closer to kneel. “Well, I’m Robin’s big sister, Margie. She’s told me all about what an amazing girl you are though.”

Amanda’s eyes lit up and she wrapped her arms around Margie’s neck. “Thanks for letting me stay here,” she offered.

Margie giggled as she returned the hug. “You’re welcome sweetheart. I need to run to town, but I’ll be back this afternoon. Just ask Robin if you need anything, and make yourself at home otherwise, okay?”

She nodded emphatically. “Okay!”

Amanda followed me as I carried her duffle bag and sleeping bag up to my bedroom. I glanced back to see her staring in wide-eyed amazement. I had to giggle.

“You like it?”

“It’s pretty!” she answered, hesitantly stepping inside. I carefully set her things down and walked back over to her.

“Do you want something to eat or drink before we walk over to Ally’s?”

“Ally lives nearby?” she asked, hopeful. I nodded.

“She’s right next door. What we’re going to do is, when I go to pick up Nikki, Ally and her big sister Kelly are going to help you into your ghost costume and drive you out to where we’re going to scare her. You remember what to do when we get there?”

She giggled, nodding quickly. “This is going to be fun!”

~oOo~

The four of us — Allison, Kelly, Amanda and me, spent the morning chatting and giggling together, talking about how school was going for Amanda and how she wanted to be ‘just like Spirit!’.

Around ten, I left to pick up Nicole, making sure to give myself a few minutes so they had time to get Amanda ready for her role in our little prank. I pulled up the Morgans’ driveway around twenty minutes later. Nicole, dressed in an absolutely stunning floor length corset dress, bent over to kiss me before racing around to the passenger side to slide into the car.

“This is so cool,” she squealed as she pulled her seatbelt across.

“I ought to make you wear a blindfold,” I teased, “But in that dress people might just look at us funny.”

She giggled. “Maybe someday,” she shot back playfully. I could feel my cheeks burn, but I still giggled as I squeezed her hand. After turning around I pulled out into traffic. About halfway through town I stopped at a gas station to give the girls a little more time. By now they should’ve been at Jennifer’s house to pick her up.

Before long, we were back on the road again. We pulled off the main highway onto one of the side roads outside town. We had the perfect location picked out, pre-arranged it with the land’s owners and everything. It was a somewhat wooded area with plenty of places to hide, and a small, derelict barn in the distance. The setup was so perfect.

When we arrived at the designated spot, I pulled onto the roadside and stepped out. Nicole stepped out and walked around beside me, as we looked around the area.

“It’s so peaceful here,” Nicole mused. “Hard to believe there’s supposed to be a ghost here.”

Literally on cue, a twig snapped, catching our attention. “What was that?”

“I dunno,” Nicole whispered.

“I’m going to go check it out. Wait here just in case, okay?”

She nervously nodded. “Okay, but be careful.”

I silently breathed a relieved sigh that she hadn’t noticed how out of character it was for me to volunteer to go check out a spooky noise alone. I had no sooner disappeared from view when I could hear Allison doing her ghostly moan thing. It was faint and soft, but carried just enough to get Nicole’s attention.

“Who’s there?” I heard her call, and peeked around from behind my tree to see Amanda sneaking up on her. She stopped still in her tracks, waiting for Nicole to turn around. As soon as she did, a shrill, startled shriek rang out through the entire area.

A long silence followed, and Nicole started giggling. “Wait a minute, Amanda?! Is that you?”

Amanda cracked up. “Sorry,” she offered between giggles. Nicole raced over and knelt to hug her.

“You look great! Did Robin put you up to this?”

She shook her head, still giggling. Kelly and Jennifer emerged from their hiding place first, followed by Allison, who had by now laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Allison offered, trying to stop laughing. “But that look on your face was so worth it. I hope you’re not mad.”

“Are you kidding?” she laughed. “That was great. I wish I’d thought of it!”

I stepped closer again as she stood, and wrapped her in a hug. “I really am okay with this sort of thing though, for what it’s worth.”

“Oh, next Halloween we are so taking the haunted graveyard tour!”

Jennifer giggled. “I can’t wait. Oh, hey Nikki?”

“Yeah?”

“Happy April Fool’s Day.”

“Thanks, guys.”

~oOo~

Nicole asked on the way back, if I minded her staying to hang out with Amanda. ‘She really is a cool kid,’ she added. Of course, I didn’t mind at all, so we spent most of the day together. Nicole, Allison, Jennifer, and I watched movies with her, and Allison even brought out some of her old board games from when she was younger.

All in all we had a great afternoon with our adopted sister, and of course, Amanda absolutely loved hanging out with ‘the big girls’ too. I left Amanda with Allison and Kelly so I could drive Nicole home that night. As we sat in her driveway, she gave a whimsical sigh, leaning over to steal a kiss.

“Thank you so much for today. Not just the April Fools thing either, but just, you know, getting to hang out with Amanda. I never got to be a kid like that and do silly stuff like playing board games or hide and seek. If you tell Ally or Jen, I’ll deny it, but I really had a lot of fun today.”

I smiled as I stepped out and walked around to open her door for her. I pulled her into a gentle hug as she stood, squeezing her close. “I’m glad you had fun too. I won’t tell the girls, partly because I’m the same way. I never got to play with dolls or anything, but I did have board games and Disney movies with Margie,” I giggled to myself. “And I know Amanda had fun. She really adores us.”

“She adores you,” Nicole corrected with a soft smile. “You’re going to make a great mother someday.”

“You don’t know how happy that makes me,” I offered softly as I put my head on her shoulder. She smiled as she kissed my cheek.

“Hey, I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. Lots of couples adopt, and I’m adopted too, remember?”

“It’s not just that, Nikki,” I answered. I pulled back to look her in the eyes. She looked so beautiful, bathed in the combination of moonlight and the Morgans’ security light “I mean, that you think I’d make a good mother. That means so much to me.”

“I love you Robin,” she whispered.

“I love you too. I always will,” I answered as I walked her to the door. She turned back to kiss me one last time.

“G’night cutie,” she teased. I couldn’t help giggling.

“Sweet dreams, vampire.”

I reluctantly pulled away, but I waited for her to get inside before getting back into my car to head home. Amanda raced out to meet me as soon as I pulled into the driveway. Apparently Allison had already made sure she got her bath, as her wet hair lay flat against her back, and she had on the most adorable pink night gown.

“Hey you,” I cooed as I scooped her up in a hug then set her down again, walking her back inside. “Are you as ready for bed as I am?”

She nodded sleepily. “I had so much fun today, but I’m sooo sleepy,” she murmured, yawning in the process.

“Let’s get you into your sleeping bag then. Tomorrow I’ll see if Kelly can give us a ride to the park.”

“Why can’t you drive us?” she asked as I carefully lay her sleeping bag over a couple of doubled-over blankets for extra comfort, and laid one of my pillows down for her to use.

“Well, I don’t mind driving my friends or myself around, but I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

She smiled and threw her arms around me. I scooped her up and held her for a minute as she whispered, “I love you Spirit.”

“I love you too sweetheart,” I whispered back, carefully setting her down again to help her into her sleeping bag.