Through the Open Door || Change My Mind Sequel || SP

Sunday in The House with Sam

Sunday March 30th 2025

9:47 AM

Zeek sat at the breakfast table with his mother and sister's. "Mommy, are you going to give me a brother, like Jack?" Zeek asked, Sam choked on her water.

"Jack is having a brother?" Sam asked, ignoring her son's question. Zeek shrugged shoving a waffle into his mouth

"I don't know, really. Jack said his mommy and daddy have been trying to give him one. But I told him he should tell them to call the stork!" Zeek answered. Sam did her best not to laugh.

"What stork , Zeekie?" Sam asked.

"The stork in Boss Baby! He has all the babies in a factory!" He dramatically explained. Sam took a deep breath trying not to laugh and choke on her own waffle.

"And how does Jack know his parents are trying to give him a brother?" Sam asked. She was getting more from her child than Courtney would ever share.

"Because, mommy! Jack hears his mommy thanking God, like I hear you!" He said. Sam's eyes went wide. So either he wasn't asleep or she was way too loud. Honestly, both could be true.

"Uhh, sorry buddy. Daddy and I can't give you a brother or a sister," Sam said.

"Why not?" Ellanie asked, jumping in. She and Elora were just listening, but they wanted a sibling that wasn't Zeek and they made it known.

"Because, daddy lost the number to the stork," Sam explained. "And once you lose it, it's gone," Sam explained. Elora and Ellanie groaned as Zeek dug into his yogurt. The girls rolled their eyes making Sam chuckle. "Alright, guys finish up breakfast. GG will be here soon," Sam said, taking her empty plate to start the dishes.

"Mommy, why isn't daddy here?" Elora asked. Sam bit her lip.

"Umm, daddy is at work. He got called in, but he'll be at home at 4," Sam replied. She watched her children get slightly upset. "But, hey! I'm here! And GG will be here! We can have pizza for lunch and ice cream when we take Dale to the park," Sam enticed. She hated to see her kids upset and she could tell they missed having their father home.

"I gotta go potty!" Zeek yelled, getting up and running from the table. The girls grimaced, everything that Zeek did bothered them and Sam could not understand why.

11:23 AM

Gene laid on the couch next to her sister watching TV. The kids were in Ellanie's room playing while Sam and Gene hung out. "Have you talked to mom lately? She keeps calling asking for Avie's size," Gene asked. Sam shrugged.

"She calls to talk to the kids every now and then. She keeps asking if Matt and I are planning to have any more now that the kids are older," she said.

"She doesn't know he's fixed?" Gene asked, causing Sam to laugh.

"He's not a dog," the eldest Pauly child cracked up. "I told her he got a vasectomy after Zeek was born, but I guess she forgot. Honestly, I don't care," Sam cackled. "But, I just found out that Zeek has been listening to Matt and I during sex. When I say mortified... I-," Sam paused not having words. Gene ran her hand over her face.

"Bitch, you wanna talk about mortifying? Aviela walked in on me and Nick! I have never ran to the bathroom so fast in my life!" Gene said, dramatically falling onto her sister.

"Why didn't you just hide under the covers?" Sam asked.

"We weren't in the bed, you boring bitch," Gene replied. Sam pushed her younger sister off of her and grabbed her phone.

"Shut up! We aren't boring. We gave three kids and Dale 24/7," Sam excused.

"Sam, ya basic!" Regina quoted from a tv show. The special relationship they have would confuse anyone on the outside. And it was a sight to be seen.

3:51 PM

Ellanie and Elora played dolls with their cousin, while their brother played with his cars. "Guys! Pizza's here!" Gene called. The kids rushed out of the back and to the table. Sam watched the kids take their seats, while she snacked on some crackers. Her stomach was in knots.

"I'm going to go lay down. You got them?" Sam asked. Gene nodded, before watching her sister shuffle to the back.

-

In the office, Matt and Jill sat breathlessly in his office. "My wife will kill me if she finds out," Matt whispered leaning back undoing his tie some more.

"So will mine," she said. Matt took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Man, you remember when we first started this?" Jill chuckled. Matt thought back to his second month at the company when he met Jill.

"Yeah," he answered, matching her energy. Matt's phone went off seeing a sexy phone on his phone. It was clearly a photo taken on a different day, but a photo he loved nonetheless.

"Your girl?" Jill asked, seeing the goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah. She's missing me. But work has been in the way of our schedules," he mumbled. Jill pushed his phone down and brought her eyes back to her.

"You and me time. I gotta go soon," she said.

5:16 PM

Sam woke up from her unexpected nap. Doing rehearsals for the show so often had her extremely exhausted. They were in the studio every day at 8:30 and getting out at 8:30 sometimes even 9 or 10. She'd forgotten how draining it was, going from a nice off Broadway breeze back to this intensity.

When she got up, Matt's stuff was nowhere to be found. "Gene!" Sam called. She waited for the footsteps of her sister to reach her door before continuing. "Has Matt been home?" She asked. Regina shook her head.

"Nope. Was he supposed to be?" She asked. Sam sat up, pulling hair into a bun. Sam shook her head, knowing how well Matt got sucked into his work. She made a mental note to call him soon.

"What are the kids doing?" Sam asked, getting up and going to the bathroom to freshen up. Gene followed her, standing by the door.

"Ella is watching a movie, Avie and Elora are playing in Ellanie's room with her kitchen set, and Zeek is coloring at the table, don't worry he's on a newspaper," Gene said. Sam was proud. Her sister sounded calm and collected. Sam went to talk, but heard a loud crash. The moms ran to the living room to see her son on the floor. And her daughter standing by him.

"Ellanie Grace Sheehan, what did you do?" Sam asked, picking her son up and inspecting him for any bruises or cuts. The small child cried into his mother's shoulder as the eldest Sheehan shrugged.

"He wouldn't stop copying the tv, so I told-told him to stop. But he didn't, so I hit him and he just fell out of the chair," Ellanie explained. Sam took a deep breath.

"Ella, how many times do I have to tell you we don't hit? Daddy and I don't hit you, so we'd appreciate it if you didn't hit each other. You need to tell daddy and I when you're getting upset with your siblings," Sam reprimanded. "Apologize." Ellanie huffed.

"I'm sorry, Zeekie," she said, pulling her brother into a hug and kissing his head.

"Now, go to your room. Take a break for a while," Sam said. They didn't necessarily do time out, they just gave their children an opportunity to focus on something else that wasn't giving them frustration. It was a good parenting moment for her. She felt good.
For how long? That was the question.

To Be Continued.