She's Mine to Protect(Lucas Baker Fanfic)(A Baker's Flower Series #1)

The Move

Three months later

    Since the Bakers had returned home to Louisiana to fix up their property, Chrys had moved back into the house that she used to share with Jeff, her first husband. It had been long since abandoned by him and it was the only place Chrys could think of to go with her kids. They had stayed at her parents house, along with the Bakers, for a few days before leaving, much to her mother's begging for them to stay. Magnolia knew that that house brought nothing but bad memories for Chrys and the kids because of Chrys' ex-husband but she needed some time with just her children. At first, the house made both her and her daughter Celes feel uncomfortable since they had so many bad memories of the place, but the lack of Jeff being there helped a little. Knowing it was most likely a temporary fix helped too.

    Celes sat in a kitchen chair as her mother braided her hair; she was enjoying the absence of her younger brothers and Toby who were out fishing with their grandfather. Despite the contentment she felt with getting some alone time with her mother, she still felt uneasy. Her hands nervously played with the elastics that would eventually tie off the ends of the pigtail braids, something was weighing on her mind.

    "Mommy, can I ask you something?"

    "Sure Baby, what's up?"

    "Is Lucas gonna come back?" She asked, a slight trembling in her tone, and Chrys knew exactly why. Every new father figure in the little girl's life seemed to disappear just as soon as they came around, destroying her trust in men. Chrys was aware that she was partly to blame for Celes' distrust; was it not her own fault that she had married two different men that both ended up being abusive and dangerous? As much as she believed Celes didn't have to worry with Lucas, Chrys couldn't even blame the poor girl.

    "Of course he is, Sweetie. Lucas is different, he actually does care for me and-"

    "You mean unlike my daddy, and the other guy." She retorted, not bothering to use either of their names.

    "That's not what I was going to say Celes. You don't even know Lucas yet, but you'll like him, trust me."

    "You're just saying that because he put a baby in you. Grandma always said that carrying a baby made you dumb." Celes raised her voice as she spoke. Chrys couldn't believe what she heard her daughter say.

    "Celes Sierra Woods, that is enough!"

    "So I'm a Woods again? Since when did you want me to have Daddy's name?"

    "I said enough!" Chrys yelled at her daughter. The topic of what the little girl's last name was was a delicate one; neither of them wanted to be reminded of the man they never wished to see again, but it wasn't that simple, or cheap, to have her name changed. Chrys had enough trouble with trying to get her own last name changed back to her maiden name, she guessed it might be worse to change a child's.

    Celes gave her mother one more angry stare before jumping off the chair and running out of the room into the entry hallway and up the stairs that were just outside the kitchen. Chrys listened to her daughter's stomping as it made its way into her bedroom down the hall upstairs and slamming the door. Chrys breathed a heavy sigh of frustration before leaving the kitchen and standing at the bottom of the stairs, juggling the thought of going up there herself to talk to her daughter. Deciding it would be best to give Celes some time to calm down, Chrys slowly made her way across the hall and into the living room to sit in her comfy recliner.

    "If I wasn't four months pregnant right now I'd so be down for a drink right now." She grumbled to herself as she rubbed her growing stomach. Chrys rarely drank and even if she did, it was only after a really bad day; as frustrated as she was with the argument with Celes, it wasn't enough to drive her to drink, however it was enough to warrant a relaxing long nap. She was about to lean back and close her eyes when there was a loud knock at the front door.