38.

~ back in action, baby ~ Merry almost Christmas and happy all the holidays ~

Sunday morning, 14 October

"Last chance for the bathroom," Austin announced as he smoothly pulled the car into the driveway of Baker's cute two-story home before turning his attention to the two kids.

Sorry, teens. Geez he was getting old.

When no one responded, he addressed them directly. "Smiley?"

"I'm good," Glen declined, not even bothering to turn his gaze away from his phone. He was in the middle of a very important, very intense game of clan battles on FunRun. His right pointer finger was somehow nimbly pressing on the screen as his player dodged the bomb that Francis placed only to run into the electric trap set by Dakota.

Welp, you win some, you lose some.

One may ask, it's only 10 in the morning, on a Sunday no less, so who would Glen possibly be playing with?

Surprisingly, all the occupants of Austin's home were awake and functioning before the trio had left the house for the start of their so called 'road trip'. So Glen was currently battling against Francis, Emerson, and Dakota. The youngest brother refused to go down without a fight.

Which, wasn't really hard to achieve because Francis seemed to be losing every other round thus far.

Truth be told, everyone was awake because none of the brothers felt particularly good about letting Glen and Hayes go on this special field trip. They most certainly weren't about to let them walk out the door without many hugs and kisses.

The kisses were basically all reserved for Hayes, though Colton did catch Glen after a short chase around the dinner table. It was all in the name of love.

Nonetheless, Austin was the boss and a man of his word, so off they went. The car was packed in no time and they hit the road to go swing by Baker's. It was to be a stress-free Sunday drive, giving them plenty of time to get settled at the hotel before the dreaded trial started Monday morning.

"Sunshine?" Austin asked, glancing over his shoulder at the girl as he unbuckled his seatbelt, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. "Need to use the bathroom?"

"I'm okay," Hayes chirped from the back seat. Her leg bounced up and down a million times a minute, giving away the slight anxiety she was already starting to feel. Her hands fumbled with the blanket that rested in her lap, still folded up.

"Hayes," Austin narrowed his eyes, not buying her answer. Even Glen didn't believe her, turning around in the passenger seat to give her a look of disbelief.

"I don't have to go."

"Hayes."

"What?" Hayes whined, crossing her arms. "I peed before we left the house."

"Dude, you always have to pee when we get in the car," laughed Glen, calling her bluff. "You got the tiniest bladder known to women."

Hayes huffed, stubbornly averting her gaze from her annoying brothers to stare at the front door of Baker's home. Her forehead leaned against the clean window as she watched for any signs of life from the residence.

"Do not," mumbled Hayes.

But really, maybe she did have to pee just a teensy bit. Stupid nervous bladder. But that meant going inside by herself and possibly running into Peyton and Hayes didn't particularly want that to happen.

It was nothing against Peyton. The young girl was working really hard to not fear her sister-in-law, truly she was, but unfortunately women just frightened her, especially in situations where it was close quarters.

"Achooo!"

...

"Achooo!"

Austin was about to say something but Glen held up one finger. His mouth opened wide, poised for another sneeze attack.

...

...

"Achooo!"

"God bless you," Austin said, laughter in his voice. "You okay there, buddy?"

"Whew, thirds time the charm." Glen sniffed, sucking up the remaining boogers in his nose.

Hayes wrinkled her nose. Guys were gross.

"Nice," Austin commented with a shake of his head at his antics. Could have been worse, though Glen's dramatics were getting right up there next to Francis and Emerson. It was fun watching his personality settle in. "Next time try a tissue, yeah? Now maybe you should go wash your hands. I think Baker should be out any second so the door will be open. If not, knock and tell him to hurry up."

Glen looked up from his hands which he just sneezed into, humor written all over his face. "Want a high five?" He held up his left hand to Austin while his fingers of his right hand rubbed away any residue from under his nose. The friction from his cast gave him the urge to sneeze again.

Gosh, he couldn't wait for the day he gets the cast on his arm removed.

Freeeeedom!

"No, thank you," Austin passed on the gesture, instead reaching his left hand back to press the button to unlock the car.

Getting the hint, Glen went to unbuckle his seatbelt before halting. "Umm, little help please?" He asked, a sheepish look overtaking his face now. He managed to catch his three sneezes in his hand and didn't exactly want to be completely inconsiderate by touching everything in the car.

Now that would just be rude.

Heh heh.

With the attention off of her for the moment, Hayes scooted to the edge of her seat, quietly intrigued as she watched Austin dutifully press the button, releasing the seatbelt, as well as taking the initiative to pick up Glen's phone from his lap and transferring it to the open cup holder between the two front seats.

Hayes bit her lip, hiding her smile. Austin was too good to them.

"Thanks," Glen shot him a smile of appreciation before looking at the next challenge... how to open the door. His eyes flickered to his contaminated hands then back to the door handle. He shrugged and opened the door, quickly hopping out of the car.

Can't say he didn't try.

Glen stuck his head back in the car, "come on HayHay, let's go find Chubba."

"Okay," Hayes had no hesitations as she undid her own seatbelt before bustling out of the car. She'd never miss an opportunity to see the dog. She turned around to gently shut the door, missing the conspiracy wink that was passed between Glen and Austin.

Pushing his own door shut by his hip, Glen spun around and strolled off like he owned the place, leaving Hayes to catch up behind him.

A few feet away, the front door suddenly opened and Baker walked out. He had a duffle on his right shoulder and a pillow tucked under his left arm.

Having just gotten off night shift an hour earlier, he was ready to knock the fuck out for a couple hours and get some much needed sleep.

Seeing the kids approaching, he assumed they were going to use the bathroom or something non-mischievous and left the door wide open for them. "Hey kids!"

"Snot five?" greeted Glen, holding up his left hand to his brother.

Unable to fully comprehend what Glen said, Baker instinctually held up his right hand, awkwardly smacking Glen's hand.

"Ew, what the fuck, Smiley?" Baker immediately grimaced, pouncing on Glen to wipe his hand on his shirt sleeve. "Why's your hand wet?"

Glen's answer was pure boyish laughter that was contagious, making Hayes giggle.

Hearing his sister laugh, Baker's attention swiveled to Hayes, allowing Glen to run off unharmed. Sensing his ulterior motive, Hayes dodged Baker's attempt at a hug, not wanting him to pass Glen's germs on her. She wasn't born yesterday.

Just 14 years and one day ago.

"Give me a hug," Baker demanded, laughing as she danced around his outstretched arms. Giving up,  he went to smack her butt but she was quick on her feet this morning. He hit nothing but air.

"Too slow," Hayes teased, spinning in a circle. She stumbled for a brief second in dizziness before charging on towards the open door. She could see Glen just inside the foyer, squatting down to pet the good doggy.

She bet he didn't even wash his hands yet.

Nasty.

"Careful, little girl," Baker called after her, shaking his head as he started walking towards the car where Austin patiently awaited. Hayes was a walking hazard, able to literally trip on air.

"Hey man," Baker pulled open the passenger door, dumping his pillow on the seat.

"Hey B," he heard Austin's response as he rounded the car to the back. Baker pressed the magic button next to the license plate, automatically opening the trunk and revealing his siblings' duffle bags. He quickly shoved his bag on top before closing the lid so nothing fell out.

Baker patted the side of the car, whispering, "good car," before walking back to the passenger side. Laying his palms on the edge of the seat, he took the time to stretch his legs, working out any lingering soreness in preparation of sitting for the next however many hours.

He had just enough time from the moment he got off work until now to take a shower, pack a bag, and kiss his wife 'adios' in passing. He happened to be walking in the front door at the same time that Peyton was off to have her monthly breakfast date with her parents.

"Sooooo, how are the babies this morning?"

Austin lifted his head up from where he was double checking the maps route on his phone. "Which ones?" Austin asked with a hint of a smirk.

Baker laughed, "the older ones threw a fit?"

"Just about," Austin's smirk turned into a grin of amusement as he rubbed his mouth.

"Yeah, well..." Baker hummed, switching the leg that he was stretching, "can we blame them?"

"Nope. And the kids have been fine so far," Austin thought about it, replaying the morning events in his head. Nothing really stuck out to him as a red flag. He shrugged, "we'll have an eye on them the whole time. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Jeez, AJ, don't jinx us now," Baker quipped making Austin roll his eyes. Standing up straight, he twisted his body to the left and then the right, cracking his back.

"I'm betting when we get closer to Florida, we'll see a change.

"You mean how Hayes gets in one of her silent moods and Glen becomes hyper aware of every little thing?"

"Exactly that. It'll be interesting," Austin remarked, "Did I tell you that Stephen Rayon invited us over for dinner tonight with his family?"

"No you didn't, but I mean, I figured they'd want to see the kids at some point. Gotta give them credit for raising them. No harm there," Baker shrugged.

Austin rested his phone against his chin.

"What?" Baker questioned right away, "spit it out."

"Stephen also said we're able to go to the house and get any belongings that the kids may have left behind."

Baker paused and cocked his head to the side. "The house?"

"Yeah," Austin exhaled, his arm dropping to his lap. He mindlessly flipped the phone over repetitively in his hand. "I haven't said anything to Glen or Hayes yet, though."

Baker nodded, pressing his lips together as he played out what may happen in his head. Honestly, he had no clue, it was fifty-fifty what the kids would say.

But really, if he was in their shoes, would he want to go back to a place that held such unpleasant memories? Can't say that he would.

It's been almost two months. The kids obviously didn't need whatever was still at the house. Baker voted for 'fuck it.'

"I'm sure they'll surprise us with whatever they decide. They always do," Baker finally replied as he yawned. He turned his head to his front door, ready to get this show in the road so he could go to sleep. "What are they even doing in there?"

"Hopefully Hayes used the bathroom so we don't have to stop for a couple hours."

"And Glen?"

Austin laughed, "he's probably raiding your food pantry for any snacks."

"Emerson told him about my super secret stash of powdered donuts, didn't he?" Baker groaned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Austin said, but the twitch of the lips told Baker all he needed to know.

"Fucking Sonny," Baker moped like a little kid, "last time I help him with anything."

Austin chuckled, his attention drifting to the house when he heard a dog bark. Sure enough, the eldest brothers watched as their baby siblings came tumbling out with, of course, the dog right behind them.

"Baker!" Hayes' sweet voice reached their ears, "Chubba said he wants to come!"

Baker's pout turned into a genuine smile as he laughed, this time successfully gathering his little sister in his embrace when she came within arms length. "I didn't know you speak dog."

"That's because she doesn't," Glen answered on Hayes' behalf, taking advantage of the distraction to slide back into the passenger seat. He shoved Baker's pillow on to the dashboard before turning his head towards Austin, where he met his watchful gaze with a grin.

Sure enough, a fresh bag of donuts was gripped in Glen's hand.

Mission success.

"Yes, I do," Hayes argued back, "and he said he wants to come."

"Sorry Sunshine, the dog has to stay and keep Peyton company. She gets lonely when I'm not home." Baker spun Hayes around, maneuvering so her back was against his chest. His arms wrapped securely around her stomach as he rested his chin on her head. He had missed her and was still pissed that he had to dip out early during her birthday celebration.

"Aw shucks," Hayes muttered in defeat.

"But next time - "

"No," Austin didn't let Baker finish his thought. No need to get the girl's hopes up, even if that meant he had to be the bad guy for the moment.

"Such a buzzkill, brother," Baker joked, planting a kiss on Hayes' head before letting her go. "Come on Chubba, back in the house you go." Baker started walking backwards, whistling for the dog who was sniffing a nearby tree.

Chubba acknowledged Baker with a tilt of his head before lifting his leg and peeing on the tree. His dominance had been asserted.

"Any time now, stubborn ass dog," Baker grumbled, his crankiness peeking out a little.

"Bye Chubba," Hayes said sadly, waving to the dog. She still held onto the idea that it would have been much more fun if Chubba was able to come.

"Alright everyone in the car." Austin drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. Hayes' nervous energy must of been passed on to him as he suddenly felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. Austin took an intentional deep inhale before breathing out all the stress.

Hayes listened to her eldest brother, flinging open the back door and climbing in. Her designated seat was behind the passenger seat, where Glen was still currently sitting.

"Smiley, in the back, Bud."

"But I was here first," Glen swiped his hand through his hair before daringly crossing his arms, a wicked glint in his eyes. He was just playing around, knowing he was already doomed to the back due to the law of older brothers.

But because his focus was on Austin, he didn't realize Baker had already locked the front door and returned to the car.

"Sucks to suck, Smiley," Baker declared, wrapping a strong arm around Glen's waist and pulling him out of the car before Glen even processed what was happening.

"Hey!" Glen gasped, caught off guard as he tried to hold back his laughter. Even at the sweet age of 15, the boy wasn't immune to being tickled as Baker's fingers dug into his sides.

The tickling abruptly stopped, taking Glen by surprise as Baker jumped into the front seat and quickly closed the door. For extra measure, he made sure to push down on the lock so Glen couldn't open it again.

Satisfied with himself, Baker buckled his seatbelt and laid his hands on his lap before looking expectantly at Austin.

"Does Peyton know you're such a man child?" Austin asked.

Baker nodded seriously, "It's part of my loving charm, don't you think?"

"No," Austin said dryly.

A giggle escaped Hayes as she pulled her feet onto the chair, allowing Glen to clamber past her to the open seat. Apparently it would have been asking too much for him to walk around the car to the other side like a normal person. But at least he shut the door after him, saving Hayes the trouble of having to stretch uncomfortably against the seatbelt to grab the door handle.

Baker turned around, leaning his body around the headrest to face his sister. "Do you have something to say, Sunshine?"

Hayes shook her head, unable to stop her cheeks from turning a nice rosy blush. Her feet slid back down to the floor as she crossed her arms and ducked her chin against her chest to avoid his eyes.

"Uh huh," Baker commented, turning back around with a light huff, "That's what I thought." He grabbed his pillow off the dashboard and propped it against the window. "Good morning and good night, family."

Hayes giggled again, mixing together with her other brothers' chuckles. She loved when her brothers were goofy with each other.

"Everyone buckled?" Austin checked as he reversed out of the driveway. Switching gears, the car started rolling forward.

And they were off!

"Oh Baker," Hayes suddenly exclaimed not even two minutes later, her brothers all flinching at the loudness. Her feet bounced against the floor a bit in excitement as her hands rested under her thighs, gripping the seat.

"Oh Sunshine," Baker replied, mimicking her excitement. He turned around once again to look at her, this time seeing a beaming smile on her face.

Suspicious.

"Thanks for your piece of ice cream cake last night. It was really good!"

Now it was Baker's turn to actually gasp, his jaw dropping down in disbelief. What a little trouble maker. "You ate my slice?"

"Mhmm," Hayes rubbed her tummy for extra emphasis.

Austin glanced at his little sister through the rearview mirror, "I don't recall letting you have two slices of cake."

Oops.

Hayes shrunk back into her seat, though her grin didn't falter. The damage was already done and boy was it absolutely delicious.

What was the saying?

Do first, ask for forgiveness later?

"That's because she had three," Glen said with a cheshire grin on his face. He just couldn't help himself.

Hayes punched him in the arm, hard.

One hour later...

"Are we there yet?"

"We're not playing this game."

"Are we there now?"

Glen and Hayes shared a look with matching mischievous twinkles in their eyes at the sound of Austin's cough. It was very obviously a coverup of his laugh, which got the kids snickering.

Austin readjusted his position in the driver's seat before his gaze flickered to the rearview mirror to give his siblings a dose of the evil eye. "What are you two doing back there?"

"Nothing," came the innocent resounding answer.

Double trouble.

Austin's eyes crinkled as he found himself smiling at their response.

They were good kids.

Whereas Baker fell asleep as soon as Austin hit the highway, Glen had occupied himself on his phone once again and Hayes pulled out her new book to begin reading. It was one of her birthday gifts from Colton, and if he remembered correctly, it was some historical fiction book.

Right up Cole's alley.

The second part of Colton's gift, which Hayes was currently utilizing as well, was a Comfy. It looked like a giant navy blue hoodie blanket, best Austin could understand or explain.

She sure did look comfy, so it got the job done.

"You guys doing okay?"

Hayes yawned as Glen nodded affirmative.

"If you're tired, why don't you close your eyes, Sunshine?" Austin suggested, "Now that I know you were probably up half the night from a sugar rush, I bet you're exhausted."

"I wasn't up half the night," Hayes weakly disagreed, her droopy eyelids telling otherwise.

"She was up the whole night," Glen cheekily supplied, wincing when Hayes smacked his arm.

"Hands to yourself," Austin warned, stopping Glen's retaliation.

But it didn't stop the verbal attacks, "Shut up, Glennard!"

"I'm not even doing anything."

"Stop," Austin's sharp voice cut of their bickering, "Baker is sleeping."

"I went to bed, Austin, I promise," Hayes vowed, glaring at Glen. How dare he try to get her in trouble, again.

"I know you did, Sunshine, you slept in my bed, remember?"

Hayes stuck her tongue out at Glen.

Glen rolled his eyes, "I was just joking."

"Well you aren't funny."

"Yeah I am. You don't know what funny is."

"You're funny looking."

Glen mocked her voice, "you're funny looking, ha ha ha."

"Do I need to turn this car around?"

Both kids silenced immediately.

No, they shared another look, he most certainly did not need to do that.

🎶The phone

The phone is ringing

The phone

We'll be right there

The phone

The phone is ringing

There's an animal in trouble

There's an animal in trouble

There's an animal in trouble somewhere🎶

Austin's phone was automatically connected to the car via Bluetooth, playing the song clearly through the speakers as someone was apparently calling.

Surprisingly though, Baker didn't even flinch from the abrupt intrusion.

Glen cracked up, holding his stomach as he bent over in a fit of laughter, "I can't believe he actually freaking did it."

Hayes rolled her eyes at Glen's overreaction, biting her lip to contain her grin. She didn't think it was that funny. Completely random and totally like one of her brothers - yes, but Glen looked like he was about to pee his pants.

Maybe it was one of those 'should have been there' moments.

Probably a stupid dare that they liked to do.

Hayes stayed away from those because it always ended with someone getting in trouble.

Austin's tongue kissed his teeth as he glanced down to see the caller ID.

And why was he not surprised?

Pressing the green button on the steering wheel, Austin answered the phone. "Hi, Francis. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, per say," Francis mitigated, "But hypothetically, if I was a plunger, where would I be?"

"What?" Austin deadpanned.

Hayes bit her lip harder, her shoulders curling inward as her chest now shook with laughter. Okay, she had to admit, that was actually funny. Her eyes flickered to Glen whose face was completely red with legit tears sneaking down his cheeks.

"I said, hypothetically, if I was - "

"I heard what you said," Austin swapped hands on the wheel, his right hand rubbing right in the center of his forehead as he tried to prevent a headache from forming.

"I didn't mean to clog the toilet," Francis whined, "It's Sonny's fault actually! He wanted McDonalds and you know that shit goes right through me. I think I lost five pounds."

"Are you being for real, Francis?"

"As real as a donut."

"Francis."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Francis hurriedly spoke, feeling the pressure, "Is Glen there? Does he know where the plunger is?"

"I think it was in the pooperia last night," Glen was able to catch his breath, speaking up so the phone would hear him.

"But I checked there already," Francis grumbled, talking to himself. The phone went staticky as Francis was moving around the house. "Oh, whoops, there is it. Thanks baby bro, I owe you one!"

"Francis, if I come home and the house is a mess, you're going to owe me more than one."

"Don't worry, Austin," Francis appeased in a peppy tone, "nothing but tip top shape for you!"

"You make me worry," Austin scratched his head before placing his hand back on the wheel. His left hand rested on the window panel, his fingers tapping to an unknown beat.

"Aw, you love me."

"Yes, I love you,  now do you need anything else? Please go fix that toilet before you flood my house."

"Indoor swimming pool," Glen whispered to Hayes.

"Ew," She did a snort laugh as she wrinkled her nose.

"Nope, nope, all good in the hood." The trio heard a bang, making their eyebrows rise. "Oh, shit who put the wall there?"

"Bye, Fran." Austin needed to hang up before he heard Francis destroy something else.

"Don't miss me too much!"

Hour Three...

"Austin?"

"Hmm?" Austin picked his head up from where it was propped against his left hand, elbow on the door window panel. The traffic was flowing, making for a very boring but easy drive thus far. He certainly wasn't complaining. He had the radio playing to keep him entertained but not loud enough to disturb his sleeping brothers. Austin noticed that Glen passed out about an hour ago.

He caught Hayes' gaze in the rearview mirror. She didn't look too good.

"I think I'm car sick," Hayes whispered, her bottom lip forming a pout. She discarded the book about 10 minutes ago, hoping the feeling would go away if she took a nap but it didn't work.

"We're gonna stop at the next rest area for a bathroom break and gas. Think you'll make it?"

Hayes slowly nodded, "I think so."

Austin gave her a smile which she weakly returned.

Poor kid, Austin thought in realization, neither Glen nor Hayes were used to such long drives in one sitting. The only experience they may have had was when they visited Emerson's college for a game. And that was only a 2 hour drive at a time.

Plus, Austin saw that she was reading the book with her head down for the majority of the drive and he knew from his other siblings that it made them carsick as well.

Thankfully though, it only took five more minutes until the signs for the rest area appeared. Austin took the off-ramp, following behind a couple cars until it was his turn to park in an open space.

Once unbuckled, Hayes took off her Comfy, squishing it behind her on the seat. Her clothes were a little disheveled along with her hair.

"Oh good, I gotta piss," Baker mumbled, instantly awake out of no where. Must be a SWAT skill, because he was full of energy now.

And he spoke like a true man-child.

"You awake, Glen?" Austin asked, turning off the car.

"Yeah," Glen yawned, lifting his head off the window. He rubbed his eyes before scratching the back of his head.

Both the back doors opened as the eldest brothers helped their straggling siblings out of the car. Baker slung his arm around Hayes' shoulders, jostling her against him. "Nice hair," he commented on her messy ponytail, or what remained of it. She had loose strands flying all over the place.

Hayes shrugged, not really caring as she pressed her face closer to his side. His shirt was soft and he smelled good.

"You okay, baby?" Baker rubbed his hand up and down her right arm.

"I don't feel good," she mumbled, stumbling a bit on the sidewalk. Her legs were a little wobbly from not being in use for the past 3 hours.

"Oh no?" Baker gently ran his knuckles over her cheek, "you can sit in the front, maybe that'll help. Take a little nap, you'll be back to normal in no time."

How kind of him to offer up the passenger seat...

As one may have guessed, Glen did not approve of these new seating arrangements.

"I'd like the record to show that I called shot gun to begin with," he grumbled from where he remained in the back. Austin chuckled, overhearing his comment outside the car where he was finishing up pumping gas.

"And you were overruled," Baker smirked, reaching over to ruffle his hair. Glen raised his arm, fending off the attack. Austin saw as he hopped back in the driver's seat, but said nothing, letting the brothers continue to goof off.

He'd rather Glen act like himself for as long as possible.

"I claim this is favoritism."

"On what grounds?" Baker questioned.

Glen shrugged, an idea coming to his head on how to get even with Baker.

It was a lightbulb moment!

Glen reached into the pouch that was on the back of the driver's seat and pulled out the bag of donuts. He casually shook the bag before tauntingly taking out a single donut and shoving the whole thing in his mouth. His grin was plainly visible as he chewed.

"Give me some," Baker held out his hand.

"Nu uh," Glen shook his head, holding the bag far away from Baker's reach. "Finders keepers."

"You took them from my house," exclaimed Baker, attempting to grab the bag but he was held back by the seatbelt.

"Hey, I'm driving here," Austin scolded the two of them. The traffic picked up once they crossed state lines into Florida so he had to pay more attention to the road, which meant less distraction from his backseat passengers.

Hayes was causing no problems as she was back to wearing the Comfy, all tucked up into a ball. The blanket was pulled over her legs, creating her classic rock formation and her arms were hugging Baker's pillow to her chest.

Austin hoped she'd fall asleep soon.

Another half hour went by in their road trip before Austin broke the silence with a sigh. It wasn't unusually loud or anything but since the car had been quiet, everyone head. Instantly there were three pairs of eyes focused on him.

When Baker's gaze connected with Austin's in the mirror, he knew it was time to tell the kids about what Stephen Rayon said. No time like the present, especially because the older brothers were picking up on the subtle changes that Glen and Hayes were starting to make.

Just like they predicted.

Glen's face had remained blank as he stared aimlessly out the window, watching cars pass in both directions. He kept crossing and then uncrossing his arms as he would catch himself scratching his inner elbow.

Hayes was honestly carsick and feeling a bit nauseous, but sitting in the front with the air-condition blasting on her helped a lot. Her demeanor became more clingy, as her body was oriented towards Austin. His arm was outstretched so his hand laid palm up on her lap. Both her hands kept playing with his fingers. Every now and then he'd murmur calming words to her to soothe her worried mind.

Austin caught one of Hayes' hands in his, lacing their fingers together and giving a little squeeze.

"We should be at the hotel in about an hour and a half," Austin reported. Live Oak was a small, almost rural of sorts, town so the siblings were staying in a nearby city. "You guys getting hungry?"

Hayes wordlessly shook her head, too wound up to eat, but Glen made a grumbling of sorts. The growing teen was always hungry, it seemed.

"Starving," Baker threw out his two-cents as he slouched down in his seat, stretching his legs out in front of him. He rested his hand on the top of Glen's chair.

"The Rayon family invited us over for dinner," Austin revealed, gaging Glen's and Hayes' reactions.

Hayes avoided his gaze by staring pointedly down at their connected hands. Glen showed a little more interest, the wheels turning in his head.

"That... that's cool," Glen decided.

"Yeah?" Baker flicked the back of Glen's neck, bothering the little baby hairs he had. "We don't have to go if you guys don't want too."

"No, I definitely want to go. It'll be nice to see them before tomorrow," Glen said, more convincing this time, "It'll be just like old times. We missed them. Right, Hayes?"

Hayes twisted her lips to the side. The insecurities were ringing.

"And then we'll go back to the hotel and find some ice cream to chow down before bed," Baker added.

Hayes breathed a little easier, Baker canceling out all the insecurities in that one statement. She didn't want to leave her brothers.

Austin gently shook his hand free from Hayes' grasp and nudged her chin so she'd look at him. He had to wait a beat before his eyes could flicker over to where she anxiously waited for whatever he was about to say.

"You're not leaving my side," he reassured her.

"Like glue."

"Yeah baby, stuck to me like glue," Austin fondly tugged her pony tail as his eyes returned to the road.

"Which means, you and me, Smiley, will be stuck together like peanut butter and jelly," Baker grinned, playfully nudging Glen in the shoulder with his fist.

"Woo," Glen drawled, twirling a finger. The cheeky smirk on his face told Baker that he was hanging in there. "Wait, can we be marshmallows instead? That sounds way better than PB&J. Who even eats that crap?"

Baker chuckled at Glen's burst of excitement, "Sure, kid."

Before the conversation could continue to be sidetracked, Austin brought it back to the main focus. "Before we get carried away, there is one more thing we need to talk about."

"What?" Glen was curious.

"We have permission to go to your old house one last time, to get anything you may have left behind."

"But only if you want," Baker added when he saw Glen's expressive face begin to shutter back to blankness.

Austin and Baker didn't push it, letting the silence take over when finally Glen responded. "Can we think about it?" he asked quietly.

It wasn't a yes and it wasn't a no.

But, maybe?

Estimated time of arrival: 30 minutes...

Hayes gasped, super excited for what her eyes were seeing. She impatiently pressed the button multiple times to lower her window.

"Hayes, what the hell?" Austin asked, quickly casting a glance her way. He had to do a double take because there was no way that they were going 85mph on the highway and she suddenly thought it was a great idea to put the window down. "Put your window up."

Like, what?

"But there's cows!" Hayes shouted excitedly, her finger pointing to what she spotted. Cows were everywhere.

Whole fields of cows!

Just what she was waiting for!

"Babe, you can't just yell like that," Baker addressed her calmly, trying to keep Austin's last bit of sanity. A six hour drive was not fun, mainly because of the horrible Florida drivers on i-10, but he did it. "Especially not when someone is driving. It's distracting and can be very dangerous."

"Sorry," Hayes swiftly muttered, half listening and half too busy watching all the cows wander around and eat grass. Her arm hung out the window as she leaned over to stick her head out. Her hair blew messily in the wind. "Mooooo!"

"Hayes," Austin said sternly, ignoring the snickers coming from the back seat, "sit down and put your window up. I won't ask again."

This time, she did as she was told, sitting properly in her seat once again. A newly formed pout on her face and her arms crossed. Hayes definitely felt reprimanded.

"You crazy girl," Baker teased to ease the tension, reaching forward to squeeze her shoulders. Someone must be feeling better. "What are we going to do with you?"

Hayes raised her shoulders, trapping Baker's hands against her neck. His fingers were tickling her. "I'm sorry, Austin. May we please stop and see the cows?"

"Not today, Sunshine. I'm tired and hungry. Before we leave though, I promise." Austin reached over and gently squeezed her knee. He felt like he came off harshly there and didn't like the taste it left in his mouth.

This trip was already going to be hard enough, and she was just a kid. If something as small as making a pitstop to see cows was going to make her happy, then that's what they were going to do. She just happened to make that decision at not the best moment.

"Sorry," she apologized again. Hayes heard the hidden tension in his voice and felt bad for adding to his stress level.

"Wait, Sunshine did you 'Moo' at the cows?" Baker asked, a little befuddled. He'd never seen that before.

Flustered, Hayes muttered a soft "maybe."

"She did," Glen confirmed, further explaining, "It's a game. We try to see if the cows will 'moo' back at us, you know? By the way, you lost that round, Hayes."

"It was practice," Hayes declared.

Baker rubbed his hands together, "I want in. How about you, Austin? What do you say?"

"Sure," Austin lightly agreed, having nothing to lose. A healthy dose of competition was what made the world go round.

Hayes smiled. Yay!

Catching her grin in his periphery made Austin smile. How the littlest things made her so happy. "I love you, Sunshine." He murmured, their brothers' loud voices almost covering his words.

Hayes found his hand resting on the middle console, laying her hand flat on top. Her hand was much smaller compared to his. She heard him clear as day. "Love you most, Austin."

Next stop: Rayon Family Household for some din din.

~~~~~~~~~