❛𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒... ❜ | 𝟏𝟖+

𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉ℯ𝓇 𝒻ℴ𝓇𝓉𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝓇ℯℯ | 𝓎ℴ𝓊 𝒶𝓇ℯ 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝓉ℯ𝓇𝓈

Anna's POV:
Trembling nerves that were settled only what seems like minutes ago seem to quickly fire back up again, just when a loud voice bellows down the echoing hallway the morning after we arrived home, my emotions still running rancid in my stomach... "Kelsey! Can you come in here please?!" without hesitation, she compliantly replies, "Coming!" Sam takes a seat beside me on the couch, gazing into my eyes and kindly taking my hands between hers, the heat of her warm palms quelling the coolness brushed against the back of my hands, "Everything will be fine." "Sam, you've been suspended... your career is in tatters." "I don't care about my career. I have two girls to take care of, and that's all i want to focus on." halting our conversation in its entirety, we hear Kelsey's bedroom door widely open, her miniature feet pitter pattering down the hallway to join us both, unaware and innocent to the world around her. "Hey, bug. Did you sleep well?" she rubs her eyes and wraps one arm around her moms neck, as Sam hugs her waist in a morning wake up call, which she lovingly leans into. "I guess so. What's up?" "You see, babe... momma's gonna take a bit of a break from work." a sweetened look of relief and confusion spreads across her red-dotted face, the unheard news coming to light in different waves of realisation. "Really? Why?" "Because i want to spend time with my beautiful girls, that's why." Kelsey's no fool... she's smart, too smart for her age, or her own good... She eyes her mother in a particularly quizzical way, one that could only suggest someone isn't telling the full truth about certain abundances... "It's because you love Anna, isn't it? You broke a work rule, didn't you mom?" Sam sighs, knowing she was never going to get through this conversation the 'easy' way... pff, as if that even exists anymore... "Fine. You're right. Because Anna was my employee, that goes against the company's Code of Conduct, and the board has suspended me until further notice." "How did they even find out? I thought you weren't gonna tell anyone until after Anna left!" we both share a concerned look... do we tell her? Do we not? The conflicting thoughts in the air as to how deliver the best possible news to Kelsey, without making her upset... but we have to deal with it. Our mess, our problem. But the only thing that matters is Kelsey, and that's something we can easily agree on, blood-related or not... "Someone found out that we were dating and decided to tell on us. Like when you stole Mickey's chocolate bar at school and Isobel told on you." her face scrunches up in annoyance at the memory, in a way that despite the aura in the room, i find particularly cute and easy to chuckle at. "I didn't steal it!" rolling her eyes in an exhausted way, and clearly noticing the entire focus of the conversation is about to be thrown out of the window, Sam replies. "That's besides the point, Kels. Me and Anna did something wrong... and now we have to own up to it. But hey, it won't be so bad. I can be a stay-at-home mom for you, and Anna can find another job as a chemist somewhere." the look which flitters across Sam's face is one i've noticed often, the look in which she realises that this could be an incredibly valued teaching moment for her daughter... it would be extremely helpful if more than one benefit came from this entire mess, because so far our love is the only thing keeping me together... "I don't want you to ever give up on any situation, Kels. Because they're is always a good solution, you just have to search for it. Got it?" seeming to find this morning chat boring more than innovative, she merely nods tiredly, her head drooping lowly at her lack of sleep, something her mother hasn't helped in. "Can i go back to my room now?" "One more thing... mom wanted me to tell you something." my head whips directly toward Sam at the mention of her late wife, a feeling that a secret is being exposed creeping up on me... "What do you mean?" Kelsey eagerly asks, her forgotten tiredness seeming to drift away as her interest is peaked, just as much as mine is... "I had a dream about her... she wanted me to tell you to be sensational. She wants you to succeed in life, she wants you to turn out better than i did, in every way. That's exactly what i want too... so you gotta promise us both that you won't let anything in life get you down. You'll always strive for the highest, even if i'm not here to kick your ass to make you do it." i feel my chest flutter at the sweet moment spent between them both, their mother-daughter relationship clearly like no other. "I promise, momma... i'll make you and mom proud..." wondering if my presence here is accepted, they both share a hug, one that clouds it's own aura with a sense of security, emotionality, empathy, and proudness. "Mom, i have a question," "Go for it, honey." before i can continue contemplating whether i should leave the pair for a moment alone or not, Kelsey abruptly turns to face me, her head tilted thoughtfully, she chews cutely on her lower lip as she ponders a thought crested deep within her big beautiful mind. "What do i call Anna?" "Oh! Erm... i- i mean... uh... how- how about you just call me whatever you're comfortable with?" slowly detaching herself from her mother's grasp, Kelsey takes the liberty of sitting in my open lap, snuggling comfortably into my collarbone and inhaling my scent. "Well... i already have a mom... she's in heaven now... i don't wanna upset her by letting someone take her place." "I promise you sweetie, i could never take the place of your mother. She's very special to you, and i wouldn't want you to forget her." i take a glance over to Sam, eyes searching for some kind of seal of approval from her to continue... Sam and Kelsey had a life before me... they had Ember... this is the best way to move forward, in any way we can. We chose to surrender to our desires, to society, to this relationship... we clean up the mess, staring with the most important part. "How about this... maybe we can create another place in the family for me, instead of filling old ones?" her little face seems to light up at the brilliant idea, the thought that i'd become her parent whilst her old one would be a lost and forgotten memory, to never be mentioned again, is a sentiment definitely likely to cause some kind of uproar, and we've had more than enough of that to last us a lifetime...