Bradley

Hazel had chocolate chip cookies on a plate and brought them to the table when she spotted the twins. They ran toward her to get a cookie. Odin and Sofie set them in a chair and handed them one. Hazel poured two small cups of milk for them.

Odin and Sofie sat at the table with us while Thor and Loki enjoyed their cookies. The front door opened and closed.

"Anyone home?" Jordin yelled.

"In the kitchen!" I yelled back.

Jordin and Mercedes entered, with Jordin holding Grace.

"Cookies!" Grace squealed and wiggled in Jordin's arms.

Jordin set her in an empty chair and handed her a cookie. "What do you say to Uncle Bradley and Aunt Hazel?"

"Tank you," Grace said to us.

"You're welcome," I said.

Hazel grabbed another cup of milk for Grace while Jordin and Mercedes joined us.

"How's fatherhood going?" Jordin asked me.

"It has its moments." I shrugged.

"Is that because of Julia's crush on Jace?" Odin asked.

"That too."

Everyone laughed.

"At least you don't have to worry about your boy liking older girls," Odin said.

I chuckled because of Caspiam's crush on Charlie.

"I think it's cute," Sofie said.

"You would, my little spy," Odin said.

We laughed as Sofie shrugged.

The back door opened as a little one ran into the house. We watched Jas snatch a cookie from the plate, put her finger to her lips, and crawl under the table.

A few minutes later, Dexter entered with a panicked expression. "Has anyone seen Jas?"

"I haven't seen Jas." I looked at the others. "Have you?"

They shook their heads. "Nope."

"Oh, God." Dexter started pacing. "Marla will kill me."

"Why?" Sofie asked.

Dexter stopped and whirled on Sofie. "She left me in charge. I lost our child! What part don't you get?"

We heard giggling under the table.

"Wait. Who giggled?"

"No one giggled," Mercedes said.

Giggle.

"I heard someone giggle. Who was it?" Dexter asked us.

"You must be hearing things," Jordin said.

Giggle.

"Who's giggling?"

Odin pointed underneath the table.

Dexter kneeled to find Jas sitting under the table, giggling. "Jas!"

"Hi, Daddy." Jas waved at him while laughing.

Dexter pulled her out from under the table. "Peanut, you can't run off on Daddy. Mommy will hurt Daddy."

"I didn't run off. I saw Uncle J and Aunt M." Jas pointed to Jordin and Mercedes.

Dexter shook his head and set Jas in the chair with Grace since they could fit in. The girls talked to each other while we chuckled.

Dexter snatched a cookie from a plate and took a bite.

"By the way, where is your wife?" Mercedes asked.

"Dealing with Julia and her obsession with Bradley's boy."

"It's not an obsession. It's just a little crush," I reassured everyone. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about Jace and Julia.

"There's nothing wrong with a crush. Jace had one on me," Sofie said.

"I'm not sure if that makes me feel better." I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or not.

*******
Jace

While everyone was busy, I went to Julia's house to hang out with her. I knocked a few times and entered since no one answered. I looked around as I walked around the house.

"Jace?" Julia asked me.

I spun around and gestured at the door. "I knocked. No one answered."

"So, you let yourself into my house?" Julia raised a brow.

"Did you want me to stand outside?" I shrugged.

"No, that's weird."

"Exactly."

"Julia, have you seen your sister and dad?" Marla asked, walking into the living room and stopping when she spotted me. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you want me to leave?" I thumbed at the door.

"No. But do your parents know where you are?"

"They're busy with visitors." I waved off Marla, walked to the couch, and sat down.

"Make yourself at home."

"I thought you would never ask." I leaned back and relaxed.

Marla and Julia exchanged glances.

"I'll make some sandwiches." Marla left the living room and headed into the kitchen.

Julia walked over and sat down beside me. "Not that I mind you coming over, but why are you here?"

I looked at Julia. "I needed a break from everyone."

"Why?"

"It gets a bit much keeping everyone in line." I scrunched my face.

"Okay." Julia shrugged.

As weird as it seemed, Julia calmed me when things got too much. People would think it's strange that I enjoy hanging out with an eight-year-old. But Julia seemed older than her age. Plus, she was my friend.

"Hungry?" Marla asked from the doorway.

We nodded, got up, and headed into the kitchen to eat. Julia and I sat beside each other while Marla sat with us.

*******
Bradley

I checked on the kids to make sure they were okay. Hazel calls me a worried wort, but I can't help it. I finally had a family after years of struggling. It wasn't like my family, where fear was prevalent. Once Conner found the courage to leave, so did I. Anything was better than living at home with a tyrant, even a homeless shelter.

I work jobs and take community college courses to earn a degree in carpentry. Kain helped me find a workshop so I could sell my product to people. He offered to help me financially, but I refused. I didn't want to owe anyone anything.

I knocked on doors to different businesses with my portfolio, hoping to sell my cabinets to them. Some would buy them while others declined. I even met with Owen Harper, hoping he would buy my cabinets. He refused without looking at my portfolio or listening to my pitch. I begged him, but it didn't matter. He turned me away.

All I wanted was to show people I had changed. I wasn't the cocky asshole anymore.

Then, the people who bought my cabinets canceled their orders. It deterred me until I offered to sell dollhouses to families with children. I still had hope that someone would want my cabinets. And one day, I got a call from Tori. It was a blessing and curse when I discovered Elias was the one who blackballed me with customers. I realized the Harpers would never give me a chance. Boy, how I was wrong.

I broke out of my revere when I realized Jace wasn't in the backyard with the others. It didn't take a genius to figure out where he was, so I headed next door to Dexter and Marla's house and knocked on the front door.

Marla answered it and let me inside. We headed into the kitchen to find Jace and Julia eating lunch at the kitchen table.

"I figured I would find you here," I said.

"Sorry, I didn't tell you I was coming here," Jace said.

"Do me a favor and tell me the next time. I don't want anything to happen to you or your brothers."

Jace nodded in agreement.

"My husband and child wouldn't be at your house, would they?" Marla asked.

"Jas saw Jordin and Mercedes visiting us," I said.

"I didn't know Uncle Jordin and Aunt Mercedes were next door," Julia said.

"Did you want to see them?"

"Heck, yeah." Julia got up from her seat. "Come on, Jace."

Jace got up and followed Julia to my house.

I looked at Marla. "I'm sorry about Jace's intrusion."

"Don't worry about it." Marla waved me off. "We like the boys. Plus, Jace protects the girls from people messing with them."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you think Julia's crush on Jace will continue as she ages?"

"Are you worried that Julia will get crushed later on?"

"I don't want Julia to get her heart broken. I know how it feels. It's not pleasant."

"It doesn't matter. Heartbreak is inevitable when you're growing up."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"It'll be okay, Bradley. The kids are young."

I nodded in agreement.

Marla and I headed to my house before everyone polished off the cookies.

I understand what Marla is saying about heartbreak. But it sucks when it happens. You don't ever think you'll meet anyone. When I met Hazel, I had to distance myself from her. I didn't like it, but I waited a long time for a stable job. Do you choose between your heart or dreams? That's a tough one. Luckily for me, I didn't have to choose between either. Maybe Julia won't either.

But then again, we didn't know what the future held.

A/N: Expect time jumps in this book as the kids grow older. You will see what happened from the Harper Family wedding book towards the end of that book.

Bradley and company will navigate parenthood while dealing with their relationships, especially Bradley and Hazel. Yes, you'll see a romantic side to Bradley that you never saw before.