A Baker's Summer

Chapter VI

The next morning, I got up before anyone else so I could get my morning cup of coffee in peace. Dad, Kyle, and Nigel came outside in shirts with one, fourteen, and fifteen.

"You could only get two?" mom asked.

"Everyone else seems to be mad at me still. Daphne. Are you sure you don't want to go?" he asked.

I pause for a second thinking about it.

"I'll go as long as you stop making Lorraine stay here and you leave Sarah and Elliot alone."

Dad smiled.
"Figured you'd say that." He hands me a sticker with Baker number four written on it. I placed it on my t-shirt and went to put away my empty coffee cup.

"I didn't think you'd agree," mom whispers.

"I.......did a lot of thinking overnight. Maybe what he did was not cool in the slightest but at least he had a good exclamation to do so."

I put an arm around Kyle, dad doing the same to Nigel as we walked to the car, me taking the front seat, the boys in their car seats.

"I owe you a big apology," dad says after we're all buckled in.

"It's whatever," I shrug. "Mom told us what you were trying to do and I want you to know I can never forget about the man who raised me to be the girl I am today."

"I don't think even I could raise you to be so amazing," dad says, placing a hand on top of mine carefully.

He brought it up to his lips and kissed it gently as we got ready to go to the biggest competition of our lives.

~~~~
Once we arrived, I grabbed Kyle by the hand and dad grabbed his brother as we walked over to where everything would be taking place. We overheard Jimmy coach his kids. Kenneth stared at us.

"What happened to the Bakers?" he asked. Jimmy stopped the warm-up and walked towards us.

"Your kids betrayed you, huh?" he asked.

I glared at him.

"There may only be four of us but let me tell you that we'll take you down Murtaugh," I tell him.

Dad gives me a pat on the shoulder and nods in agreement.

"What she said," he told him.

"All right ladies and gentlemen! Here comes the moment we've all been waiting for," Mike yelled through his microphone. "Welcome to the 46th annual Laber Day Cup!" We all clapped excitedly. "Now we have seven families and ten events here today and as per usual, the family winning the main events will win the cup. So let's get to it, everyone! Contestants! The events start momentarily."

Dad bends down to the boys.

"Alright, guys. You may be little but show them what you're made of Nigel Lake, Kyle Winnetka, and Daphne Clara."

All of a sudden, we hear honking from a car and shouting.

"Dad! Over here," Nora shouts.

I couldn't believe it.

Our team was complete!

Mom was number two, Nora number three, Charlie number five, Lorraine six, Henry seven, Sarah number eight, Jake nine, Mark wearing number ten, Jessica eleven, Kim twelve, Mike thirteen, and finally, Bud sixteen.

"BAKER! BAKER! BAKER! BAKER!" everyone shouted running to us. Mike leaped on my back as I laughed.

Dad grabbed him from me as I hugged my older sister, younger siblings, and brother-in-law.