Mother Faker

May 25th

Shayla: I’m dying. <laughing emoji> Beckett just fell through the loose step.

Me: OMG! Is he okay?

Shayla: He’s fine, but guess who has a new step? So long Trippy. We’ll miss you!

Delia: I’ll kill him if he destroyed the original oak.

Dylan: It looks good actually and Shayla is right we found Becks with his leg stuck in Trippy. It was hysterical.

Shayla: Dylan has literal tears streaming down her face.

June 8th

Cannot believe you did that.

Beckett: What? Brought my wife a soda?

Benny was not hitting on me, you insane person! There was no need to growl at him to back up.

Beckett: You look too gorgeous today.

You can’t growl at every person I talk to.

Beckett: Can’t wait for date night tonight.

Beckett!

Beckett: Livy!

<Eye roll emoji> You’re insane.

But I can’t wait, either, baby.

June 10th

Dylan: pretty sure junior is nesting

Beckett: What the duck does that mean?

Delia: Means it’s time to call the damn exterminator.

Me: DELIA!

Beckett: Does she need a midwife? Do baby raccoons need a special kind of milk?

Beckett: Can one of you care about this, please?

Shayla: I’m not going anywhere near that animal.

Dylan: OMG I just googled baby raccoons they are the cutest! <Picture of baby raccoon attached>

Shayla: Okay, well, that is cute.

Finn is gonna lose it! They’re adorable.

Beckett: Anyone? Does anyone care that we need to figure out how to BIRTH those things?

Delia: LOL. A man concerned about birth. That’s a first. Don’t worry, Beckett, the women will handle everything, like always.

June 10th

I’m sorry.

Beckett: I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me.

Me: LOL I’m sure you can.

Clicking off the blow dryer, I glance at Dylan’s phone. “How much longer do we have?”

We’re getting ready for Winnie’s art show in her bathroom. Beckett insists the entire family go. He even arranged for a limo to bring us. He’s ridiculous, but Winnie is over-the-moon excited, so I didn’t tease him too much. Unsurprisingly, when I told Drake that the art show fell on his weekend, he said he wouldn’t mind switching. I don’t imagine he’ll show up tonight.

“Shit, the limo is going to be here in twenty minutes. I better go check on the kids.”

As I hand the blow dryer over to Dylan and she turns it on, the fuse makes a buzzing sound and everything goes dark.

“Dammit!” Shayla screams from the other room. “I was so close!”

Dylan and I burst into giggles. Shayla needs to find a man. Her obsession with her battery-operated toys has gone a bit too far.

“You girls okay down there?” Beckett hollers. I peek out of the bathroom and find him standing at the top of the stairs. There’s just enough light that I can make out what he’s wearing. Damn, he fills out a pair of jeans perfectly. He’s got on a light pink shirt that I believe used to be white and a navy blazer. He looks hot.

I sigh. “Yeah, I think we blew a fuse.”

“I’ll take care of it,” he offers, jogging down the steps. “Just tell me where the fuse box is.”

Dylan nudges me, and I inwardly groan. Why is nothing in this house simple?

Behind Beckett, Finn clambers down the stairs holding a flashlight. Both of my boys stop in the hall and look at me expectantly.

“The fuse box, Livy. Where is it?”

Dylan smiles. “Over there.”

“As in through that door?” Beckett points the flashlight on his phone toward the opening at the end of the hall. It’s like a half door meant for a dog, or maybe an elf. We discovered it the first weekend we moved in and forced Liam to reset the circuit. Since then, we’ve been pretty good about getting ready in shifts so as not to trip it again. Old houses, old electric.

Although Beckett’s been slowly getting things fixed around the house, the electric is absolutely a huge project. We’re nowhere near ready to tackle that nightmare yet.

He eyes the door, then frowns back at us. “We’ll go to a hotel until I can get someone out here.”

My lips quirk. “You want to stay in a hotel rather than reset the circuit?”

He rubs a hand over his jaw. “Livy, do you see that room?” He aims the flashlight at the cobwebs in the crawl space.

I bite my lip to try to keep from laughing. “I’ll handle it.”

Finn grabs my wrist. “Bossman, what do you always says?”

“We men take care of the girls,” he grumbles.

Finn smiles at Beckett like he’s a proud parent. “I’ll holds the flashlight, and you do the crawling.”

Five minutes, one girly scream, and a slew of curse words later, power is restored. As Beckett crawls back out, his face ashen, I try hard to hold back my laughter. He swipes at his jeans, which are covered in dust. “Better call the exterminator, unless we want Finn to have snakes for pets.”

I blanch. Absolutely not.

As Beckett takes my hand to lead me up the steps, Shayla appears in the door with a wand in her hand. “Thanks, Beckett!”

Under his breath, he murmurs, “Please tell me that was a curling iron.”

Winnie guides us through the throng of students. To no one’s surprise, Drake couldn’t be bothered to show up. But that’s okay, because Winnie has quite the entourage, and Beckett is the loudest of us all.

“This is amazing, Bear. Livy, we gotta bring this girl to Paris.”

Winnie’s cheeks pink under his praise. She drew the exterior of the brownstone. In the foreground, she added her “Four moms.” We’re all facing the house so all onlookers can see is our backs. I don’t think it’ll be hanging at the Louvre anytime soon, but it’s adorable.

When her art teacher walks by, clipboard in hand, Beckett waves her down. “How much for this piece?”

The woman is short, with black hair tied in the back with two chopsticks. She tilts her head, her brows pinched together. “Excuse me?”

“I want to make an offer before the bidding starts,” Beckett explains.

Delia snorts, and the art teacher shakes her head. “Sir, it’s not for sale.”

“Oh, I know how this works. Fine, you want to play hardball.” He smirks. “Fifty thousand.”

A shocked gasp escapes me, and my friends all snicker behind me.

The teacher frowns and hugs her clipboard to her chest. “No, seriously, we don’t sell it.”

“I’m not playing games. I need this painting.” Beckett pulls out his checkbook. “One hundred thousand. Should I make it out to the school?”

Nerves skitter down my spine and sweat begins to bead at my hairline when I realize that we’ve drawn a crowd.

“Sir, seriously,” the teacher tries, but she’s cut off by the principal.

“Oh yes,” she says, hurrying to stand beside the art teacher, “we could use it for the new⁠—”

“No,” Beckett says, sliding the check into her hand. “My only stipulation is that it’s used to fund the arts program exclusively.”

She nods, inspecting the check, and then looks back up at Beckett as if he’s an apparition. We all are. What the hell has gotten into him?

Winnie pulls on his arm. “You know the artwork is free, right?” She points across the room, where several kids are taking their artwork off stands and handing them to their parents.

Beckett crouches so they’re eye to eye. “I know that, Bear. But now there’s funding for the program you love.”

With tears in her eyes, my daughter throws her arms around Beckett and he squeezes her right back. When he stands and his eyes meet mine, shining with emotion, I know I’m done for. My heart never stood a chance against this man.

After the show, the limo takes us to an ice cream shop. Our family takes up three booths. Winnie and the twins have claimed a booth for girls only. Beckett’s fan club—Finn and Kai—beg him to sit with them, and to everyone’s surprise, Liam drops into the seat across from Beckett. They talk baseball, which gives me time to freak out to my friends in our own booth.

“He bought her artwork,” I hiss, leaning across the table to avoid being overheard.

Delia hums as she spoons her sundae. “The idiot is growing on me.”

My mouth falls open, but it’s Shayla who speaks first. “Cordelia Masters actually found a man she likes?”

Delia’s response is a glower. “I didn’t say I liked him. I said he’s growing on me. Fungus also grows on people. Let’s not get crazy here.”

Dylan laughs and licks at her soft serve cone. “She so likes him. Hey, Becks,” she hollers across the shop.

Beckett rolls his eyes, even as he smiles at her. “Yes, Dippy Do?”

She sits up straight and bounces on the bench seat. “Delia just said she likes you.”

He shakes his head, all charm. “Sorry to break your heart, Medusa, but mine is taken.” He winks at me, then turns back to his conversation, like everything that’s happening is normal.

Is it normal? Is this how it feels to be comfortable in a relationship? Secure? To be cherished? Surely, it’ll get old eventually. He’ll tire of me. This can’t last. But God, do I want it too. And part of me believes that if there was ever a man who could make it happen, it’s Beckett.

He’ll will forever into existence.

Back at the house, the group disperses. Bedtime routines must be followed, even on special nights like this.

Beckett and I climb the steps to our floor, and he offers to get Finn ready while I take care of Addie.

“Oh, Livy,” he says from my doorway once I’ve stepped inside. He’s holding a giggling Finn out like he’s Superman. “Could you grab a T-shirt for me from my room? Don’t want my shirt to get wet while this one takes his bath.”

With a nod, I set Addie on her feet. Immediately, she babbles and toddles toward Beckett. He’s her new favorite person, and he’s becoming mine too.

At the back of the closet, I push open the door Beckett had installed. I haven’t been in his room since the work was finished. When I cross the threshold and take it in, I can’t hold back my gasp.

Purple walls and ballerinas galore. A white toddler bed with the railing still up for protection. Stars glitter on the ceiling, and above the dresser, stenciled in white, are the words Little One.

My heart swells and tears fill my eyes. I blink them back, but the effort is futile. They’re coming too quickly. When I spin, Beckett stands behind me, holding Finn in one arm and Addie in the other.

“Why’s Mommy crying?” Finn asks. Wearing a frown, he reaches for me. My sweet boy is instantly prepared to comfort me.

I pull him into my chest and nuzzle his neck. He giggles. “Mommy, that tickles.”

When I look up, Beckett is closer, and then he’s stretching out his free arm and swiping away my tears. “Like it?”

I press into his chest, and with Finn on one side and Addie on the other, I fall apart. “Love it.”

Beckett sets Addie down. “What do you think, Little One? Want to stay in your room tonight?”

Finn’s brows knit together adorably. “But where will you stay?”

Holding back a smile, Beckett taps on his chin. “Hmm, maybe the roof?”

“That’s crazy!” Finn shouts, throwing his head back.

Beckett has to brace himself to keep Finn from tumbling to the floor. When he rights my little guy, he shrugs. “Your room?”

“I only have a tiny bed.” Finn shakes his head furiously. “You won’ts fit.”

“Fine. What do you say, Livy? Can I have a sleepover in your room?”

“I mean, I guess, since you went to all this trouble, we can put a pillow on the floor for you,” I tease.

“I gots a sleeping bag. It even has Spidey on it!”

Beckett barks out a laugh so big he jostles Finn. “Deal, Huckleberry. Now let’s go get that bath started.”

As he turns for the door, I grab his hand and squeeze.

Eying me, brows raised, he mouths, “No cockblock tonight.”

I laugh and mouth back, “Yes, baby. You are so getting laid.”