Families Are Forever

(Reade's POV ~ 11:00am)

I woke up to the sun shining brightly in through the windows. Groaning, I rolled over to check the time. It's 11, but it feels like six in the morning. I had to get up because today, Tasha, the kids, and I are going to meet Jane, Kurt, and their son Roman at Patterson's for dinner. The plan is to arrive early, so all the kids have time to play.   I threw the covers off and rolled out of bed, literally rolled onto the floor in a push-up position. I stood up and went to the closet to grab a shirt. First a white sleeveless shirt, then an undershirt to one of my suits. I headed down stairs to find the house empty. I grabbed an apple out of our fruit basket in the kitchen and heard laughing and screaming from outside. I looked out our sliding glass door that leads to the backyard and saw my girls. Tasha was pushing Grace and Leah on the swings with the biggest smile. I have never seen Tasha so happy in all the time I've known her, these are the kind of moments I live for. They are so precious, every single one of them. Grace has curly black hair, her face is all Tasha, but with my eyes. Leah has wavy dark brown hair, my facial features, and Tasha's eyes. Grace is 3 and Leah is 2. I could look at them all day. After letting out a deep sigh, I went to get my tie, then headed outside. 
"Daddy!!" Both girls screamed in unison. They ran up to me and I lifted them both, one in each arm. 
"Hey, you two! How are my babygirls?" I kissed them both on the cheek.
"Mommy push us on the swing! You want to join us?"
"Of course I do!" I laughed and let them down to run back to the swings. Tasha was leaning up against the swing-set looking at me. I walked over and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.
"I love you." I said kissing her again and kissing the top of her head.
"I love you."
There is that smile again. Her smile is gorgeous and contagious, just like her laugh. Whenever she does, I do.  My other two girls were waiting for me to push them.
"Okay, three pushes each. Then we have to go to Aunt Patterson's house for dinner and you can play with Luna."
Luna is Patterson's daughter, she's one. She's looks just like Patterson, blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and even has her nose. I gave Grace and Leah three more pushes, then helped them off the swings.
"Race you to the house, Mommy!!" They shouted and took off running towards the door. Tasha jogged behind them, letting them win. 
"Oh man, you beat me! You two ladies are fast."
She put her hands on her hips and laughed with them. 

(Jane's POV ~ 12:00pm) 

We were supposed to be at Patterson's by now, but I seem to be the only one ready. I hate being late. Kurt is on his phone and Roman, my son, is playing a game. I had asked Kurt to pack a bag of clothes for Roman, just in case he needed them. It has yet to be done, is that just a typical guy thing? I am starting to get irritated. How am I supposed to get myself ready, pack the things we were asked to bring, and get two other people ready?
"Kurt, honey, what are you doing?" I smiled at him, trying to be nice. 
"Nothing, just chillin'. What's up?" Clearly he had forgotten what I asked of him. Which is not a problem, I'd just like to leave. 
"Roman's bag.. Did you pack it?" 
"Oh, sorry, no. I forgot all about it. I'll do it now, babe." 
He's so kind and I'm glad he puts up with me. I can be a total bitch sometimes. 
"Thank you." I sighed.
I walked into the living room to check on Roman. He's the cutest little guy ever. He has black hair that I like to spike up in the front, Kurt's blue eyes, my facial features. He's three and a half. I got him this learning tablet for his birthday and he absolutely loves it. I sat down next to him and put my arm around him.
"Hey there little guy, you about ready to leave?"
"Yeah! Where we going, Mommy?" 
He shut his tablet off and jumped into my lap. He's got the biggest grin on his face.
"Aunt Patterson's, remember?" 
Roman loves hanging out with all the girls. He's quite the gentleman. 
"Yay!! Is Grace and Leah coming too?"
He started bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Yes, they are."
I laughed with him as he pulled me into a big hug. 
"Let's go get Daddy." 
I picked him up and carried him to the kitchen. I grabbed the bag of food and went to find Kurt. Just in time, he came down the stairs carrying Roman's bag and wearing different clothes. He seemed a little out of breath. I smirked at him,
"Ready?" 
"Ready." He laughed. 

(Patterson's POV ~ 1:30pm )

Everything is good, so far. Almost too good to be true, to be honest. Luna has been great today. No tantrums and no accidents. She even let me put a bow in her hair, she hates bows! My husband, Tyler, actually got up early to help set up. Tasha, Reade, and their girls are here. Reade took the girls outside to play with my dog and Tasha is helping me with last minute things. Jane, Kurt, and Roman aren't here yet. I hope they're still coming. It's been a while since we all got together because we've been working late. Luna came running into the kitchen yelling, 
"Momma, momma, momma! Wear this, wear this!"
She was waving her Catwoman costume in the air, I got it for Halloween this year. I didn't want to tell her no because she's so cute and happy. Laughing, I bent down and helped her into the costume. She took off, throwing her arms in the air.
"She's getting so big!" Tasha said, amused.
"Yes, she is! Ugh, too fast."
I loved watching her get older and smarter, but I wish time went slower. There was a knock at the door and Tyler jumped up off the couch to answer it. It was Jane and the boys, I ran to greet them and Tasha followed behind me.
"Hey! Sorry it took so long for us to get here, it was a crazy morning."
Jane hinted at the boys being boys. That poor girl.
"Uh, yeah, sorry." Kurt said laughing.
"Hey, hey! No problem, you're here now and that's all that matters. "
I pulled Jane in for a hug. Tasha beat me to Roman, of course. I love seeing her with kids though.
"Hey, you!" She smiled, picking him up.
"Hi, Aunt Zapata!" He gave her a big kiss on the cheek and wrapped his arms around her. He loves her to pieces. Mostly because she gets him everything he asks for, but because she's awesome too.
"Uh, my turn!" I laughed reaching my arms out. He leaped from Tasha to me.  "Hey, monkey."
I squeezed him tight and spun him around.
"Hi, Aunt Patterson!" He gave me a kiss and hug as well, but of course he had bigger concerns.
"Where are the girls?" 
"Well, Luna is in her room and Grace and Leah are outside with Uncle Reade." I laughed, he has such a big heart. He jumped down and ran to get Luna. He held her hand and walked her outside to play with the other girls.
"We should probably head out there before Reade loses his mind with all those kids." Tasha said making everyone laugh in agreement. We made our way outside and sat at the picnic table. Reade came over to join us and the dog followed him. 
"I see you've made a friend." Tyler joked with him. Tyler got along with everyone pretty well. I love watching him laugh, I love looking at him in general. He has dark brown hair, green eyes, the brightest smile, and the nerdiest glasses. He is my other half.
"Yeah, this guy is great." Reade said, rubbing the dog's head.
"Who's ready to eat?"
I asked and everyone thought it was a great idea. We all got up and got the kid's plates first, then ours. It felt great to be at this point in life. Happy, surrounded by my family, and settled in. There is no greater feeling in the world. We all cracked jokes on each other and talked about our kids as we ate.  

(6:00pm)

The sun was starting to set and Tyler wanted to set off fireworks. As he went in to gather them, I started to clean up. I took my time and watched the others interacting with each other. At first, I watched Tasha and Reade. Reade had a rose behind his back. I don't know where he got it, I have no rose bushes. He went up to Tasha, said something, and slid the rose behind her ear. She laughed and pushed him on the shoulder. She always made fun of him for being such a romantic. Although, every time he was, she smiled like an idiot and blushed. She took the rose out of her hair and put it in the pocket of Reade's suit. I love that they're happy. They have such a strong relationship. I moved my attention to Jane and Kurt. They were laying on the hammock, watching the sun set. Every once in a while, Kurt would make the hammock tilt, freaking Jane out. They always laughed the most when they were together, happiness is key. I focused on the kids. They were sitting in a circle listening to Roman talk about his cars. When any of the girls got bored they would talk over him about something they felt was more important. They are the cutest kids in the world. Tyler came back with the fireworks and went far out into our gigantic yard to light them. We called for the kids to come up by the house to watch. Tasha and Reade sat next to each other on the ground, Tasha leaning into him. Grace sat in Reade's lap and Leah sat in Tasha's. I sat next to Reade and we waited. Within minutes the sky was full of colors and different sounds. The kids cheered and clapped, making us all laugh. I am so thankful for them, my family, and I am so very thankful for this life.