Warnings: Angst, profanity

Word Count: 2118

Author's Note: I'm back from my little break! Thank you for letting me take a weekend off from posting, I'll make sure to make this weekend's posts extra good! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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The sun was shining as you pulled up along the curb outside Carter and Marenna's house. Since Tyler was out at meetings and the two of them had somehow managed to get a coinciding day off, you had decided to spend the afternoon with them and your nephew. It was something that you were looking forward to, especially since your busy schedules didn't often allow for days like today.

Carter was already at the door as you walked up the front steps, leaning against the doorframe. He straightened up as you got closer.

"Y/N," he smiled. "I'm glad you were able to make it over today."

"Me too," you said, returning his smile. "It's been awhile since I've been able to come visit."

The sound of tiny footsteps running along wood floors became audible the moment that you stepped in the door. A moment later, a tiny figure wearing a brightly colored dinosaur shirt and jeans came around the corner, making a beeline straight for you.

"Auntie!"

Your legs were attacked by a small pair of arms the moment that he was close enough to do so, making you wobble a little bit. Once you were steady, you bent over and scooped Max up, ruffling his hair once he was comfortably in your arms.

"Somebody is happy to see you," Carter smiled as he closed the front door.

"I'm happy to see him too."

After giving Max a proper hug, you set him back down onto the floor. As soon as his legs were on the ground, he took off at a run towards the living room.

"How are you doing?" you asked, now pulling Carter into a hug.

"I'm doing alright. Work has been kicking my ass lately, but I'm getting through it."

"I'm proud of you, bud."

"Thanks."

Carter gave you a pat on the back as you pulled away from the hug. You quickly set your things by the door and followed him into the living room. Marenna was already in there, sitting on the couch and playing with a very giggly Max. She looked up when you entered the room.

"Y/N!" she smiled. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too!"

You walked around the couch so that you could give Marenna some form of half-hug, which was quickly interrupted by Max wiggling in between you two and demanding that he should get a hug too. Marenna gave him a quick talking to while you got comfortable on a different part of the couch.

"Do you need anything to drink?" Carter asked.

"Could I have a root beer, please?" you said.

"Not a vanilla Coke?"

"Do you actually have some?"

"Yes, because somebody demanded that we keep a box here," he laughed.

"Right," you laughed along with him. "Then one of those, please."

"Ren? Do you want anything?"

"I'm ok, but can you grab some juice for Max?"

"Juice!"

"Coming right up."

Max started to get off the couch so that he could run after his dad, but Marenna quickly caught him and pulled him back into her lap. He fought for a moment before dramatically flopping into her arms, finally realizing that it was a losing battle.

"How was your weekend, Y/N?"

"It was really nice! Obviously I had a lot of fun at the wedding, and then Tyler and I did some errands and had a relaxed night last night after he finished some work. How were things here?"

"Oh my gosh, I cannot even begin to tell you how relieved I was when we got home Saturday night. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we had the wedding that we did, but I never want to be involved in planning another one in my life."

"What is all this talk about weddings? Is Y/N finally getting married?"

"Shut it, Car," you laughed as he passed you your drink. "We've talked about this."

"Yeah, yeah, Joseph is busy, no time for planning, I've heard it all."

Carter took a seat next to Marenna and started to open Max's juicebox. Max, upon noticing this, climbed over Marenna's arms and quickly made himself comfortable in Carter's arms. He had a huge smile on his face as he was finally presented with his juice.

You were distracted from the conversation by something rubbing up against your legs. There was barely enough time for you to register it before Georgie was in your lap, stretching out and making himself comfortable.

"Hi, Georgie-bean," you cooed, scratching at his ears. "I've missed you."

He acknowledged you with a little headbutt to your palm before returning to finding a comfortable position on your lap. You never quite realized how much you missed having Georgie around until you were in his presence again.

"Speaking of Joseph, where is he?"

You pressed your lips together for a moment before speaking. "He's out at a meeting for their tour. I guess everything is going wrong so there's a ton of last minute things they have to do and it's all on the brink of falling apart. He's been super stressed about it, and this is only the first of three meetings this week, and that's only as of right now. Who knows if they'll decide to schedule more or not."

"Oh no," Marenna frowned. "That sounds awful."

"It is. I, um," you idly played with the tab of your soda can. "Yeah."

You met Carter's eyes, only to see that his eyebrows were furrowed. He was always able to tell when you were upset, no matter how hard you tried to hide it.

"Something more is going on here," he said, shifting Max in his lap.

"It's nothing."

"Y/N," Marenna chimed in. "This is a safe place, you can talk about things that are bothering you."

"I guess it's just... this was supposed to be our break, you know? And of course I knew there would be meetings, that's a given before any tour, but I didn't know it was going to be quite like this. I mean, he was gone for an entire month and it still feels like he's on tour sometimes, or when he is home he's just on his computer doing even more catch up for the next meeting. I know he can't control the fact that everything is going wrong, but it hurts to still be spending so much time alone."

"Have you tried talking to him about all this?" Carter asked.

"A little. We talked about it briefly yesterday, but I really don't want to become another source of stress for him. I know this will all pass eventually. I guess, I know this is stupid, but I just miss when we were kids and the band wasn't some huge thing that took over our lives, you know? Now it's like everything has to be planned around his schedule. I miss when we could make last minute plans to go to the beach and not have to worry about everything else."

"That's not stupid," Marenna answered this time. "I think that's a reasonable concern to have."

"I agree, but at the same time, that's just how life goes. Relationship dynamics change and you have to change with them if you really want the relationship to work. You and Tyler care a lot about one another, so I'm sure you can figure out a solution if you just sit down and talk it through. There are still ways for you to have fun days and last minute plans, it just takes a little bit more work than it did before."

You began to chew on your bottom lip. "I guess."

"And you don't need to sacrifice your happiness for him, either," Marenna said. "I know the band is a big thing in his life right now, but you are too. He can find ways to balance those."

"I know, he said that last night."

"See, he's got a good head on his shoulders," Carter smiled.

"He does. And you're right, I just need to talk to him about all of this. I just don't want to upset him and make him feel like he has to make a choice, because he doesn't."

"You're smart, Y/N, you'll find a way to express that to him."

"Yeah, what he said," Marenna laughed.

"Thanks, guys," you said. "I've been holding that in for awhile, so it was nice to get off my chest."

"We're always going to be here for you."

"Auntie!" Max suddenly yelled.

He started wiggling in Carter's arms, eager to be free of them. Carter gently set him on the ground and Max was off, making his way around the coffee table to you. The sound of his little feet on the carpet was enough to wake Georgie, allowing him enough time to escape before Max was climbing in your lap and taking the spot where Georgie had previously been.

"Hi, little dude. What brings you over here?"

Max held out his arms, making little grabbing motions with his hands. You got the message and held him close, gently wrapping your own arms around him. He held onto you for so long that you thought he might have fallen asleep, but then he leaned back and sank a bit further into your lap.

"He's getting so big," you said, running a hand along his hair. "I remember when he was just a little baby."

"Tell me about it," Carter scoffed. "I see him every day and it still feels like he grows an inch overnight. Before you know it, he's going to be taller than me."

"Shh, I don't want to think about that," Marenna said, putting a hand on Carter's arm. "He's still my baby boy."

"He'll always be your baby boy, no matter how big he gets," Carter said.

"Are you guys going to have more kids, do you think?"

"Maybe in the future. I want to get a little more established at work before we start growing our family anymore, but it's definitely something we want. Right, Ren?"

Marenna nodded, "Definitely. I think having a big family would be really nice."

"Then I can bug you and all of your siblings," you said, tickling Max's side.

He giggled and tried to squirm away from you, but you caught him and pulled him close again. As retaliation, he reached over and started to "tickle" your side. You pretended to laugh and try to get away from him, making him laugh even harder.

"Hey, while we're on the topic of Max," Carter said. "Do you think I could ask a favor?"

"When do you need me to take care of him?"

"Wednesday afternoon. Marenna's parents wanted to take us and her siblings out to dinner, but it's a really nice restaurant and I don't want Max to cause a problem. I think he would just have more fun if he was with you and maybe Tyler."

"Unkie?" Max smiled.

"Yes, unkie will be there," you said.

"So is that a yes?"

You held back a sigh. Wednesday was supposed to be one of the free days that you had with Tyler this week, but you also knew how much it would mean if you were able to watch Max for them to go out and have a nice dinner. Tyler did enjoy having Max around, though, so maybe it wouldn't be a huge deal.

"Yeah, I think we can take him. I'll make sure to double check with Tyler tonight, but I don't think he'll mind."

"Thank you so much, Y/N," Marenna smiled. "It means a lot."

"Of course! I'm always happy to hang out with this little guy."

Max barely noticed that you were talking about him, he was too busy watching Georgie sniff around by the window. Even if you missed him, you did enjoy knowing that Max had a little companion around the house.

"Kitty," Max said, once again wiggling his way out of your arms.

He walked over to where Georgie was sitting in the window and started to reach for him.

"Gentle, Max," Carter warned.

Max turned to look at Carter for a moment before turning to look at Georgie again. As gently as his little hands could muster, he began to lightly pet Georgie's back.

"Good job, bud."

The three of you watched Max and Georgie interact for awhile longer before Marenna suggested that you all make some lunch. You were tasked with keeping Max entertained while Carter and Marenna made up some sandwiches and fruit for everyone. Your worries about Tyler were quickly forgotten as you became wrapped up in spending time with your family.

It was exactly what you needed.