Fall - A Rocky Lynch Story

Chapter 3

"Juliette, Mason took my care bear pencil!" Avelyn yelled from the back seat of the car.

I rolled my eyes at the name calling and eyed her in the rear view mirror. "My name is mommy. Mom for short. Nothing else. Deal?" I waited for a response and then called to Mason. "Mase give it. When you learn to write, we'll get you your own, okay?"

"Fine," he said sassily and I suppose he handed it back to her because I heard no further complaints. The phone began to ring in the car and I pressed the answer button to hook it up to our bluetooth. "Hello?"

"Hey, It's Karlee. I'm at your house!" She sounded happy.

"Oh dang, okay, um..." I had forgotten she was coming over to talk about wedding plans. "Okay, just let yourself in with your key and I'll be home as soon as I drop off Alice and Brooke at their house."

"Sounds like a plan," Karlee said. "See you soon."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and looked over to an unusually quiet Carter next to me. "What's up, dude?"

"Not much, mom." He looked out the window and sighed.

"Anything on your mind?" I asked him.

"Nothing I'm gonna talk about with little miss blabber mouth in the back seat." He looked at Avelyn and turned back to the front of the car.

"Car, that's not very nice," I reprimanded him. "She's young."

"I didn't do that kind of stuff," he defended.

"Oh, really? You never spoke out?" I huffed and turned into Rydel's driveway. "I beg to differ."

"I beg not to differ-"

"Auntie Jules, will you unlock the door?" Brooke asked me kindly.

"Yes," I shook my head. "Sorry sweetie. Bye you guys. See you both tomorrow I'm sure." The two girls got out of the full car and I pulled out of the driveway to go two streets over to our own house.

Sure enough, Karlee's car was parked in our driveway as we pulled up. I unbuckled Mason and got Ellie out of her seat. Carter and Avelyn jumped out of the car and hugged Karlee as we came in.

"No Ryland?" I asked her as Ellie begged to be handed over to her favorite soon-to-be-aunt.

"He had some business to catch up on," she explained. "But I brought a couple of magazines!" she showed me excitedly.

"And I have my binders from Andi and Ross' wedding. Have you talked to them recently?" I asked her.

It had been about four weeks that they'd been gone travelling. "Last I heard they were hiking in Scotland," she sighed contently. "What a life to live, am I right?"

"For sure." I handed Ellie a sippy cup and gave Mason some carrots to eat at the table. Avelyn spread her homework on one side of the breakfast room and Carter had disappeared into the living room to watch TV.

"I hope you don't mind I invited Jenna over," I told her. "She does all of the behind the scenes work for that bridal parlor downtown. She'll know all kinds of things about weddings and where to get the best of everything if I don't already," I joked. "She's bringing Ian and Hallie."

"Sounds like a party to me," Karlee said. "Bring on the in-laws."

"Did you say Ian is coming over?" Carter called out.

"Yes!" I said happily.

"Oh joy..." Carter said sarcastically.

"Carter, be sweet. He's 11. They're all like that," I reminded.