Best Friends to Lovers

Chapter 16

The next day we get woken up by the twins crying. Hayden goes in to change their diapers and brings them to me. Once they are fed, we get them dressed for the day and head down to let the pups out. We cooked breakfast; then, I called Maddison to check on her. Her cell phone rang and rang, so I had Hayden call Brenden.

"Brenden, what in the heck is wrong with Maddison? She didn't answer her phone," Hayden says.

"I turned the volume down so she could sleep in. She was up and down all night with Alli. She will be home at about one o'clock. How are the pups doing with the Twins?" Brenden asked.

"Man, let me tell you, Rex is very protective of the twins. I handed Mason one of them last night in front of him. Rex growled at Mason. Mel had to tell Rex that Mason wouldn't hurt him before Rex quit growling. Not only that, but wherever they are, he is there with them, watching. I am surprised that he has taken a liking to them. Now your pup follows right behind Rex and does the same thing. I think these pups are going to be great with the kids as they grow," Hayden says. 

"I am glad that they are taken to the boys. I hope they are the same way with Allison," Brenden states. 

"I am sure they will. The pups are so young and already this protective. I feel sorry if someone is trying to hurt these kids." Hayden says, laughing. "So, how did the first night go with Alli?" 

"It went great considering she was up every two or three hours. Maddison was tired from the labor, to begin with, then getting up and feeding Alli. After that, I decided to let her sleep for a while until Alli got hungry. So how was the boys' first night home?"

"It went great. We tag-teamed. I got up, changed the twin's diapers, then Mel would feed them, and I would put them back to bed while Mel pumped for a few minutes. We got up about an hour, let the dogs outside, cooked and ate breakfast. Then Mel wanted to call and check you guys," Hayden says, "I am sure you need more sleep. I will let you go. Have Maddison call when she has time." He adds after hearing Brenden yawn.

"All right, talk to you all later, take care, man, give the boys kisses from us," Brenden says again, yawning.

"We will and you do the same," Hayden says.

"Hayden, I need to call my mom and let her know that the twins are home. She and father may want to stop in later," I say.

"That is fine, baby doll. They are more than welcome if they want to come and spend time with their Grandbabies. Just let them know Rex is protective of them, so we may need to hand the twin over to them and tell Rex what is going on." Hayden says.

"I will. I am going to let the pups back in and feed them. Then call my parents," I say, standing up, walking to him, and bending down to kiss him.

I walk to the door and let the pups in. They check to see if the babies are where they last saw them. "Hey, you two want to eat? Follow me," I say to the pups, then head back to the kitchen to pour their food in their bowls. To my surprise, only Rex followed me. He ate then, went back to the living room, then came the other pup. If I didn't know better, they would work in shifts.

I pulled my phone out and called my parents house. My mom answered the phone; I let her know the twin came home yesterday, and they were more than welcome to stop by the house whenever they wanted. She told me they were just about to head to the hospital to try to catch us so they could see the boys and would be over in a few.

After getting off the phone with my mom, I went back to the living room and found all three of my guys asleep in the recliner. Hayden has the boys lying on his chest so that they can touch each other and he can hold them both with one arm. I pulled out my phone and took a few pictures,

As I watched my guys sleep, I couldn't help but cry. This time last year, I was stuck in an abusive relationship trying to figure out how to get out of it. Then, finally, seeing my way out after catching Tanner in bed with another woman. Little did I know that the man I have always loved would end up being my saving Grace. I am now a wife and mother of twin boys.

There is a knock on the door. I wipe my eyes, get up and answer the door. "Hi, Momma and Daddy, come in. Hayden and the boys are asleep. Follow me. We will wake Hayden from his nap." I say.

"Why don't you give us a tour first? Then we will wake the guys up. They look so peaceful." My mom says. 

"Oh, that right, you only saw the downstairs come up here with me," I say. I look over at my father. Dad was in the process of playing with the pups trying to get them to follow us up the stairs. "Dad, they won't leave the Twins. They follow us around with them. Maddison's pup is here because She had her baby yesterday. So, we were pup sitting. She stayed in here with the twins when I fed them. Rex ate and came back here; then she went to eat. It was like they tag-teamed," 

"Good, they are going to be good watchdogs for the kids," Dad says, smiling at me.

"Yes, they will. The pups will also be good babysitters. They won't let them get hurt if they can help it." Mom adds.

"I am glad. With the two boys running around in a few years, I may need their help," I say as I laugh.

I showed my parents the three guest rooms and the boy's room. Then I showed them my room and then bathrooms, "Wow, I love this house, princess. It is beautiful. You and Hayden are really in love, aren't you? I can tell because of the way the two of you act together." dad says.

"Yes, daddy, we do. Umm… I need to tell you something that will make you mad. So why don't we go down to the living room? That way, you can hold one of the twins and try to stay calm." I tell my parents and head down the stairs.

After getting my parents comfortable and some sweet tea, I wake Hayden. "Babe, my parents are here. I will take the boys over to them," I say, picking up Xander and bringing him to my dad. Then I go pick up Xaidyn and hand him to my mom. "Dad, you are holding Xander, the oldest. Mom, you are holding Xaidyn. So I want to let you two in on some things in my relationship with Tanner.

"When Tanner and I started dating, he was great. A few months later, he began to get me to have s*x with him. I refused. One night at a party, I was blackout drunk. When I came to, he was having s*x with me. We fought and argued. I didn't talk to him for a while and then we made up. Later in the relationship, I noticed that money was coming up missing out of my pocketbook. When I confronted him, he ended up beating me. When I told him I was pregnant, he beat me so bad that I was hospitalized, losing the baby. I couldn't get him to leave. So when I caught him in my bed with another woman, it was my chance to get him out. You both know the rest of the story," I say, wiping tears away.

My mom was crying," Melinda Lynn, if you would have told us you were being treated like that, we could have found a way to get him out of your house." mom says.

"Mom, if I had told you, you would have become targets right along with me. The woman that shot me is the woman I caught Tanner in bed with," I say. 

"Excuse my french baby boys, but pappy is going to cuss," dad says, looking at both the boys, "That sorry excuse for a man what in the hell was he think. He needs a f*****g bullet in his head. Where is he?"

"He is in jail waiting to be tried for the murder of the unborn baby and a host of other things. We were able to get him admitted to beating Mel to force her to lose the baby. The reason he stated was so she wouldn't get fat." Hayden says.

"He better pray he gets life, or I die before he gets out because I will hunt him down and kill him. NObody hurt my baby girl and got away with it," my dad says. Looking at the boys

"I am sure you saw the guards outside and around the gate. They are there to keep my family safe. I didn't want to take a chance of him hurting my wife and kids," Hayden says. 

"Ah, now I understand why there were so many men out there. I am glad that you are watching out for my daughter and grandsons," Dad says.

With that being over, we enjoyed the company of my parents for the rest of the morning. My mom and I went to the kitchen and sat at the table, where she cried for a while. "I can't believe I didn't see what was going on with Tanner. That man killed a grandchild of mine and could have easily killed you." 

"Mom, Now you see why I was so dead set on never taking him back. I couldn't live that way anymore. Hayden treats me better than I have ever been treated by a man other than daddy. I couldn't ask for a better husband and father for my kids," I tell her with a smile on my face.

"I figured he treats you right. This home you guys have here is impressive. The way Hayden looks at you, it is like you are his queen."

"And he is my king momma. I love him more and more every day. I don't have to work outside of the home and spend all my time raising the boys. I could ask for a better life,"

"I am so glad that you are truly a happy woman. Now when are Maddison and her man getting home? I want to see my granddaughter," mom says with a smile. 

"This afternoon, I think, Brenden said around one,"

"Good, why don't I cook lunch for us all while you keep me company in here. Your mommies need to eat. Since you both are breastfeeding." mom says as she looks in the freezer and pulls out frozen burgers and fries. "I have missed spending time with you. Once everything calms down with the boys, we should meet up a couple of weekdays for lunch or hang out and talk,"

"I would like that, mom. I have missed you as well. Plus, I may need your advice as the boys get older." I say, watching her move around my kitchen. She looks like she loves being here with me. "Momma, you look like you are over the moon happy today. Was there something bothering you before our talk about Tanner,"

"Yes, there was, honey. You see, the day after you canceled the credit card that Tanner had, he came by the house telling me that you had thrown him out of the house for no reason and canceled his card. Tanner told me he had no money to get a hotel room. I told Tanner that I was sure you would take him back if he talked to you. When Maddison said on the phone, I realized that Tanner wasn't the man I thought he was. I felt terrible that I had tried to force you to back together. I should have known you well enough to know that you wouldn't just kick him out and cancel the credit card without reason. For that I am sorry,"

"It's fine, mom. Tanner is in jail. I have Hayden now. All is well," I tell her standing up, walking to her and hugging her. "Now, you want any help, mom?"

"No, baby, I got this. Have a seat and relax,"

 "You sure?" I asked 

"Yes, I am sure I love cooking and miss cooking for more than your father and me," she says, flashing me a smile.

I sat back down and watched my mom cook. I realized that I had missed my mom more than I would have admitted to myself. Before I moved out, mom and I would sit in the kitchen and talk for hours about anything and everything. A knock on the door pulls me out of my thoughts. "I will get that," I say loud enough for the guys to hear me. I rush to the door and see Brenden and Maddison. Brenden was carrying the car seat. "Come in. My mom is in the kitchen fixing lunch. Hayden, my dad, and the boys are in the living room,"

"Good, I am hungry," Maddison says as she walks in and takes Allison out of the car seat. "Come on; I want to see your mom," 

One in the kitchen, I turned to Maddison and Allison from her. "How much did she weigh? She is so much bigger than the twins," I asked. 

"She weighed in at eight pounds and three ounces," Maddison chuckles. "She woke up every two hours last night. I would feed her; she would go back to sleep almost immediately. It would take me about twenty minutes to fall back to sleep. Brenden let me sleep until it was ten o'clock. Man, I am tired." she says, sighing and sitting down,

"You're a new mother. Being tired will be your new routine, Maddison. Melinda has twins. Just think you could have had twins," my mom says, smiling.

"Hey, I am tired as well. The boys woke up every two and a half hours. Hayden and I tag-teamed. He would change their diapers and bring them to me. I would nurse them. Hayden would put the boys in their bed while I would pump. By the time I would get back to sleep, it seemed it was only for minutes, then the process would start over. Hayden made breakfast this morning when I was pumped after the boys went back to sleep. I got to sleep a total of three hours and felt amazing when I woke up," I say, then add. I wouldn't change this for anything. I love my life,"

"Wow, I was expecting you to be all tired and cranky," Maddison says.

"Having the twins home after two months made me the happiest person in the world. I couldn't be cranky even if I wanted to. Having my babies were here after two months is awesome," I say.

"Well, after lunch, you girls should take naps, and I will help the boys with the babies," My mom says as she plated the food.

I took Allison to the living room and laid her in the bassinet we thought the boys would use. However, since they wouldn't sleep alone, it was not being used.

"Guys, lunch is ready; let's go eat before the kids wake up," I tell them, then kiss the twins on their heads. Then turns and walks back to the kitchen. Before I reached the kitchen, dad stopped me and hugged me. "I am sorry I didn't see what type of man Tanner had been. If I had, I would have killed him. But I am glad that you and Hayden are finally together. I have always liked that boy and thought you two would be a great couple. He will be a good father and husband," Dad whispers to me.

"Yes, that he is and will be. I love you, daddy," I say.

"I Love you too, princess,"