Mothers Eyes

Cumbersome dwellins

The ride to the Lawrins property was extremely quiet. Remi and Ryder had fallen asleep in Theo's arms in the back seat while Jewels drove, following Devin. Once the kids were asleep, Theo climbed into the front seat and began telling Jewels everything that had happened. As her emotions crashed down like a waterfall, tears streamed down her face from overwhelming sadness, anger, and worry. After Theo managed to calm down, she felt as though she had run out of tears. Jewels glanced over and said, "It's better to release all of that emotion rather than lock it inside and let it build up over time." Theo smiled softly at her. "I'm sorry to lay all of this on you."

"It's okay. I love you, and you need to let it out while the kids rest, without them seeing you upset and worrying about how hard this is on you. They will be okay, Theo. You all always have each other and will figure things out. Besides, you have your best friend here with you. I always have your back—front, bottom, and top." They both giggled quietly.

"Thanks, I needed that. How much further do you think we have to go?" No sooner than those words left Theo's lips did Devin turn on his turn signal. It was a gravel road, with wooden fences and beautiful flowers lining both sides. After a few more miles, Jewels and Theo saw a large Victorian-style farmhouse.

"It's beautiful," they both said in unison, stunned by the double balcony, wrap-around porch, large bushes, flowers, and fruit trees everywhere. As they approached the house, Theo noticed a gorgeous red barn with bountiful pastures full of horses. All Theo could think was that this must be Devin's place. Tate had never told her much about his family. She had met his dad a few times, but he passed shortly after they got together. As for Tate's uncle Charle, he had only mentioned him in passing and that he had worked with him from time to time. Theo felt confused as to why Tate had never shared anything about them or this stunning property. After the exhausting past forty-eight hours, her mind was racing, and she struggled to process all the information swirling around her like tar, weighing her down and sticking to her no matter how hard she tried to shake it off.

Suddenly, Jewels stopped the car, jolting Theo out of her thoughts. "Crap! Is everyone all right? A dog ran in front of the car!" Theo turned to Ryder and Remi. "We are okay, Mom! Are we there?"

"I'm not sure," Theo answered, and they all sat up quickly, gazing out the window in amazement.

"Wow," Remi said.

"Yeah, agreed," Ryder replied.

"Sit tight. I'm going to go talk to Devin," Theo said as she slid out of the car and approached him. "Where are we?"

He smiled and gestured toward the house. "This is the Lawrins family home. Welcome to your new house."

Theo's knees went weak in disbelief. "Are you messing with me?"

"No, ma'am. This estate has been in the Lawrins family since 1802, and now it’s your family's." Theo motioned for Jewels and the kids to join her. They stepped out of the car, just in time to hear Devin ask, "Would you like to see your new home?" He then turned toward the house and began moving.

Approaching the front door, feelings of anxiety, fear, nervousness, and excitement washed over her. Devin handed Theo a keychain with several keys attached and picked up a single key. Theo took the key, unlocked the large oak door, and slowly pushed it open. They stood in the doorway, awestruck by the house—it was more like a mansion. The entrance featured a large open room with marble flooring. The room was lined with white oak trim, and two curved staircases, also made of intricately carved white oak, that were open at the top. Hanging from the ceiling was a gorgeous crystal chandelier.

Devin placed a hand on Theo's shoulder. "Shall we look at the rest of the house?"

Theo nodded and slowly walked in, mumbling, "Stay with me, and don’t touch anything." To the left was a room filled with elegantly arranged chairs, couches, and stands. The walls and ceiling were painted a pastel green with gold trim and were lit by wall-mounted candles. The windows were at least twelve feet high and dressed with lace curtains.

To the right was a dining room that looked like something out of a fairy tale. The table was made of cherry wood, intricately carved in detail, with twenty matching chairs. Each chair bore a symbol that Tate had tattooed on his abdomen. That was when Theo noticed the same symbol worked into the carved details on the trim and light fixtures, even on the staircase.

She turned to Devin. "Why is this symbol everywhere? Is it a family crest?"

Devin replied, "You could call it that." He then walked beside one of the winding stairways, motioning for them to follow him. Theo took one last look at the beauty of the dining room, noting the three windows that wrapped around a family portrait, extending from floor to ceiling, gleaming under the light

At the end of the hall were two large swinging doors that opened to a kitchen fit for a five-star

restaurant, where two women were cooking something that smelled wonderful. The two ladies introduced themselves as Ann and Meg; they were the housekeepers and cooks. Ryder and Remi exchanged glances with Theo and whispered, then yelled, "We have someone to clean and cook!" Ryder excitedly asked, "Mom, does that mean no more chores?" "No, it does not," Theo stated. Devin snickered as he walked through the kitchen, waving them to follow. He pointed out the pantry and basement door while passing through the hallway that wrapped around the other side of the stairs.

Devin led the way up the winding staircase, which was lined with portraits that were generations old. At the top of the steps was a big double door. Devin pushed them open to reveal a huge library that was at least thirty feet high from the floor to ceiling, stocked to the brim with books. There were several chairs, a couple of small tables, and a very large dark oak desk. Devin turned to Theo, "We have some documents to go over if the rest of your family wants to look around while we review the papers. I can have George help them find their way."

Theo, confused, asked, "Who's George?"

"I apologize; he is the butler. His family has worked for the Lawrins family for generations. George and Meg are Ann's parents, and they live in a cottage at the back of the property. The cottage is the original home before this house was build in1802. The cottage was the lawrins's family home from 1761 to 1802. If you look out the library window, you can see the path to their house, as well as the gardens, fountain, and pastures."

"It's beautiful," Theo responded, staring out the window in awe at the array of flowering colors and types of plants, beautifully arranged around the fountain and trails. Archways marked the start of each path, each adorned with its own variety of flowers.

Devin interrupted Theo's focus, "Come have a seat, Theo." After one final glance out the window, she walked over and took a seat, releasing a contented sigh in the comfortable chair. "Let's get these documents taken care of, shall we?"