Reconnecting the Dots

Something that surprised him, though, were his feelings towards Kevin. For those two years after he signed the papers, Jake wanted to finish what he started the day he caught them. But as time went on, he forced himself not to think about him. Kevin wasn't worth his time or energy. And now, if he wanted to, he could spend some money to find that asshole, wherever he was, and give him what he deserved. But he wasn't going to do it.

Screw that piece of shit. He shook his head and smiled.Claire really has rubbed off on me.

In the past, he would have let anger rule. But not anymore. He had a dream life, which had just gotten even better with the return of his little girl, and he wasn't going to jeopardize it for that asshole. Kevin might have won back then, but now he was the winner. Plus, he didn't want to go back to jail. He shivered, thinking of his time behind bars.Never again.

Gathering up his tools, Jake gave the mulch bed a final once-over. Satisfied that it met his standards, he walked around the side of the house to return the tools to their rightful place in the shed.

Returning to the house, he washed his hands in the kitchen sink, walked to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, then sat down at the kitchen table. Taking a sip, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Was it only yesterday that all this happen?

He could still hardly believe it. So much had happened in such a short period of time. It still seemed like a dream. And then the scene from dinner the night before popped into his head.

He could see Carter's shocked reaction to the news. He could see Claire and Kara's tearful faces as he recounted everything Ashley had been through. He could still feel the sense of relief when they all came together at the end and promised they would help her as a family. "No matter what it took," was what Claire had said.

Afterwards, Carter went about his business, and as predicted, just went with the flow. Kara, on the other hand, couldn't contain her enthusiasm. At one point, she even brought up the idea of waking Ashley. She wanted to meet her badly. She kept repeating, "I can't believe I have an older sister." And when Jake would remind her that Ashley was only two months older, and didn't think that constituted classifying Ashley as her older sister, Kara would roll her eyes and say, "Semantics, Dad." He could do nothing but laugh at that.

Then his mind wandered to that morning. Jake had made sure to get up earlier than usual. He didn't want Ashley waking up to a sleeping house. And it was a good thing he did. Sitting in his office, he heard noise coming from her room around 6:00. Crossing the hallway, he knocked lightly on her door. Even though she had slept for fourteen hours, and should've been well rested, she still looked wrung out. And to say she was nervous was an understatement. Jake tried everything he could think of to calm her down. It took the arrival of Claire and Kara, and lots of consoling hugs, to finally start easing her nervousness. Claire and Kara immediately took Ashley under their combined wing and made her feel right at home. By the time they all made it to the breakfast table, his-little-chatter-box had Ashley chuckling, albeit a little nervously. It was obvious she wasn't used to a loving family environment.

Even Carter made an attempt to make Ashley feel welcome. He promised to take her around and show her all the fun places to hang out. And throughout it all, Claire was amazing. She took control of the whole situation. She even insisted on making omelets—Ashley's favorite—only after expertly coercing it out of her, though.

Jake, Claire and Kara had all decided to take the day off work. Carter however, couldn't. Once he left, Claire and Kara set about planning a shopping trip all while Ashley quietly sat trying to take everything in. At one point, Jake put his arm around her, and to his surprise, she welcomed it. Claire and Kara both saw the gesture, and the next thing he knew, they were sandwiched by a Claire and Kara hug. Thinking back to that moment made Jake smile.

His cell buzzed snapping him back to reality. He opened his eyes and checked his phone. Kara had texted him:

Pulling in now. Need help with the bags ;)

Uh oh, he thought to himself with a grin. Knowing Kara, if let loose, she could do some real damage at the mall. When she had turned sixteen and was forced to start paying for her own clothes—except for the basics—she learned real quick how to budget herself. But on those rare occasions when mom or dad let her loose on their dime, she took full advantage of it.

Claire's SUV was pulling in as Jake stepped into the garage. He wasn't surprised to see Claire and Kara beaming, but his heart jumped for joy when he saw Ashley. She was laughing.

Claire opened the driver's side door, stepped out, and gave Jake a kiss that made his knees buckle.

"Get a room, you two," came Kara's voice, snapping them back to reality.

Jake and Claire separated and grinned at the two girls. Kara had a grin of her own—she was used to her parents' behavior. Ashley, on the other hand, looked a little uncomfortable.

Kara chuckled. "Don't worry, Ash. You'll get used to them. They're like a bunch of horny teenagers."

Ashley was speechless.

"OK. Let's see what the damage is," Jake said with amusement. All three ladies kept quiet.

His eyes bulged when he saw how many bags were in the trunk. There were at least a dozen bags filled to the brim—maybe more.

"I'm sorry. I told them it was too much," Ashley said in a rush. She had seen Jake's reaction.

Startled, he turned towards her. She looked ashamed. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm not mad, I—"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Oh, ignore him," she said, grabbing a few bags. "He's just being a party pooper. He'll get over it." She turned to go inside, but not before winking at her parents.

Grabbing a few bags of her own, a still sheepish looking Ashley followed.

Jake and Claire chuckled. They both knew what Kara was doing. She was diffusing the situation. In many ways she was just like her mother.

Once the girls entered the house, Jake asked, "Have a good trip?"

"Mmm hmm. She's such a doll. She kept insisting we were getting her too much."

He chuckled. "Well, it looks like you bought out the whole mall."

"Only half," she joked. "We got everything she needs, though."

"Good. So, what'd you girls talk about?"

Claire grinned. "Stuff."

Jake's brow furrowed. "Stuff?" She was being cryptic, which only peaked his interest. "What type of stuff?"

"Stuff. But," she said, changing the subject, "there's...this hesitancy about her. We could get her to come out of her shell, but then after a while, she would retreat right back into herself."

Jake grimaced. It was to be expected, but it still hurt to hear it. If her behavior at breakfast was any indication, it would take a lot more than a day for her to feel comfortable with a real support system.

Claire put her hands on either side of his face. "Don't worry, baby. We'll be there for her. Remember. Whatever it takes."

Jake could only nod.

"Come," she said. "Grab the bags and let's go inside. I think it's time we get the rest out of the way."

She was right. It was time. He sighed, grabbed the remaining bags, and followed her into the house.

"So, you going to tell me what you talked about?" he asked.

Claire turned her head and just smiled.

-----

Upon entering the kitchen, Jake placed the bags on the floor, however, the girls were nowhere in sight. "Where'd they go?" he asked.

"Probably upstairs," Claire said.

"I'll get them." Jake walked to the bottom of the stairs, and yelled, "Girls. Come down. We need to talk to you."

"Be there in a minute," came Kara's muffled voice.

Returning to the kitchen, Jake saw Claire rummaging through the pile of shopping bags. She eventually pulled out a stylish, brown button down shirt, and handed it to him. "Here. We saw this and thought it might look good on you."

If it wasn't for Claire and Kara, he'd probably wear the same five or six things over and over again. They were always buying him clothes. He learned long ago to shut his mouth and listen to his wife and daughter when it came to fashion.

"You like?" asked Claire.

"I do."

"Good, because Ashley picked it out."

Jake's eyebrows shot up.

Claire chuckled. "We wanted to get you something, so we told her to pick something out."

Jake smiled. "Come here, sexy." Claire came into his arms and their lips locked.

To Jake, Claire was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was attractive—not classically beautiful; more pretty—but it wasn't her looks that made him love her so much. It was her heart. She was always thinking of others, and in this case, he knew her actions served two purposes. The first: to get him something nice. Whenever she went shopping, whether it was for herself or the kids, she always made sure to get him something, as well. But secondly, and more importantly, she made sure Ashley was included in the decision, which would only make her feel more welcome. God, he loved her.

"Oh, jeez. See Ash," came Kara's voice. "What did I tell you? Like a bunch of horny teenagers."

Jake and Claire once again broke apart and turned to the two girls. Kara, as expected, had a grin on her face, but surprisingly, Ashley had one as well. It wasn't as big as Kara's, but it was an improvement from before. Kara must be working her hard, thought Jake. He and Claire were always very affectionate towards one another, and to Kara and Carter it was no big deal. But for someone like Ashley, who wasn't used to high levels of PDA, it could definitely be uncomfortable.

Claire separated herself from Jake. "Sit down girls. We have a few things we want to go over."

"Do you like the shirt, Dad?" Kara asked, while they all sat.

He looked at Ashley. "I do. Thank you."

Ashley blushed.

"Good. Ash picked it out," Kara said, "but I guess Mom told you already from your reaction."

"She did."

She turned to Ashley. "You see. I told you he'd like it."

Ashley just nodded.

"You have fun shopping, sweetheart?" asked Jake.

"Yeah," Ashley said a bit sheepishly. "But, no...nobody has ever bought me so much before. I don't know how to thank you."

He smiled. "It's our pleasure. We're happy to. It's our job to support you. But that leads to something else." He paused and turned to Claire. When their eyes met, she nodded in encouragement. She knew where he was going with this. Looking at Ashely again, he continued: "But just to let you know, we won't be doing this all the time."

Ashley looked a little confused, so he carried on: "Me and Claire talked, and we decided to offer you the same deal as we did Kara and Carter. You see, we don't allow any freeloaders in this house. We believe that by the age of sixteen, a kid should start learning how to provide for themselves."

"But not completely," added Claire. "As parents, we still have to supply you with food, a roof over your head, basic clothing, anything regarding school—those kinds of things."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Ashley said at once. "I've been supporting myself for years. I got my first job when I was fourteen. I won't be a burden."

That took Jake aback. She wouldn't be a burden? He needed to nip this in the bud, but Claire beat him to it.

"You're not a burden, Ashley. We're more than happy to support you. So please don't ever feel that you are."

Ashley looked uncomfortable, so Jake added, "Like I said yesterday, you're welcome here for as long as you want. This is your home now. You'll never be a burden." Then he smiled. "And just so you know, I got my first job at fourteen, too?"

Ashley gave a slight smirk at that.

"Wow, that's so creepy," murmured Kara. They all looked at her. She had an incredulous look on her face. "That smirk. It's like the same as yours, Dad."

Jake looked to Ashley, and when their eyes met, they chuckled in unison. They were both remembering Sophie pointing out the same thing yesterday.

"What's so funny?" asked Kara.

"Nothing," Jake and Ashley answered simultaneously, which caused them both to laugh.

Kara rolled her eyes. "Oh no, Mom. It looks like we've got another weirdo like Dad here."

Claire chuckled. "But that's why we love him so much, isn't it?"

"You see what I have to go through, Ashley," Jake said through his mirth.

Ashley stared back with a grin on her face. It warmed his heart to see her coming out of her shell.

"Don't worry," said Kara. "We'll get her on our side soon enough."

Ashley started giggling, causing Claire and Kara to giggle as well.

But then Jake noticed something. All three ladies were shooting each other looks he couldn't place. He became suspicious, so he asked, "What's going on? I think I'm missing something here?"

They just giggled harder, which turned into outright laughter.

Jake grinned and shook his head. There was obviously some inside joke going on between them. He looked at Claire. "Let me guess. This has to do with what you talked about at the mall, right?"

She just nodded, causing him chuckle.

Uh oh, me and Carter are definitely outnumbered now.

"OK, ladies," Jake playfully scolded. "Pipe down. We still have some things to cover."

When their laughter eventually died down, Claire said, "Your dad's right." She looked at Jake. "Where were we, baby?"

"You were talking about the deal," Kara said, still slightly giggling.

"Oh, right." He looked at Ashley. "So, we'll support you, but you'll also be responsible for certain things." Then a question came to mind. "Do you have your license?"

Ashley nodded.

"Good. The same goes for a car. We'll go halves with you on a nice, safe, used car."

"But that's not fair," interjected Kara. "Carter and I had years to save up our half. Ash hasn't. How can she go halves? Maybe you—"

"We know that," said Claire. "That's why your dad and I have decided to put up the money and Ashley can pay us back her half little by little." She looked at Ashley. "Is that all right with you?"

Ashley stared wide-eyed. She was speechless. Jake could tell it didn't escape her notice that Kara was sticking up for her. She looked at Kara with what Jake took to be disbelief. And just like that, she retreated back into herself, causing his heart to drop. Only a few minutes ago she had come out of her shell, but as Claire had pointed out, they couldn't keep her there for long. Now she looked uncomfortable.

But even though Ashley was speechless, Kara wasn't. "Ohmygod! That's so cool! We can go car shopping together and find you something really cute. Maybe you can find a Jetta like me. Or a Honda hatchback. They're sooo cute. Or how bout a Bug? I almost got one of those until I found my Jetta. What do you think?"

"I...um...I...can't afford any of that," Ashley replied.

"It's OK, sweetheart," Jake said. "If you want, you can come work at the bar. You can make some good money waitressing or bartending."

Ashley continued to stare wide-eyed.

"Is that what you want, Ashley?" asked Claire. "Because we can help find you a job somewhere else if you want.

"No, it's not that," Ashley blurted out. "I...I...this is just all too much. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Jake said reassuringly. "I know it's difficult to accept, but we're here for you."

"Yeah," added Kara. "We're family and family sticks together."

Claire nodded. "That's right."

"So, what do you say?" asked Jake.

Ashley stared back. She looked overwhelmed at everything that was going on. And it was only going to get worse with the next item on the agenda. She continued to stare, until finally giving a slight nod. "Tha...thank you."

"You're welcome." He looked at Kara. "So why don't you help her find something and then we'll go and buy it."

Kara smiled. "No problem. Ohmygod! This is going to be sooo much fun." She stood up. "Come on, Ash. Let's go start looking."

Jake put his hand up. "Hold on. We're not done yet. There are still a few more things to cover."

Kara sat, but couldn't sit still. She was too excited.

However, as Jake predicted, Ashley looked even more overwhelmed. "Th...there's more?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes," said Claire. She looked at Jake, and this time he gave her a nod of encouragement. She turned her attention to Ashley. "You're going to need car insurance, too. So, we'll get you a policy and we'll split that fifty/fifty as well. But gas is your responsibility."

Ashley nodded.

"And we'll get you a new cell phone and add you to the family plan," added Jake. "You'll also have to chip in every month."

"You should get the new iPhone6 like me," said Kara.

Once again, Ashley nodded.

"Now," Jake said, standing up, "the final thing we need to go over is this." He walked over to what they called the drunk-drawer, opened it, and removed a manila folder filled with documents. Yesterday, after Ashley had fallen asleep, he had stashed the folder in the drawer in anticipation of this moment. Returning to the table, he sat and looked at Ashley. He paused for a moment, then handed it to her. "Here."

She hesitantly reached out and opened it. They all watched as she took in the documents. After a few moments, her eyes bulged. "Wha..."

"It's a trust fund," Jake said gently.

She looked confused. "A...a what?"

"A trust fund. You see, years ago,"—he glanced at Claire—"we set up trust funds for all three of you."

"I...I...don't..." She paused at lost for words. "A...a what?"

"It's money for you to use for college or whatever else you want," said Jake. "But there's a stip—"

"I...I can't take this," Ashley blurted out as tears filled her eyes. "That's...it's too much money. I've never..." She was at a loss for words, again.

"It's not too much," Claire said reassuringly. "It's for your future. Nothing is more important than your future."

"Bu...but why?" she cried out, bursting into tears. "You didn't even know me. Why would you do this? I...I don't understand?"

All at once, Jake, Claire and Kara all stood and surrounded Ashley. Jake, being the tallest, ended up in the middle with Ashley in his arms, flanked by Claire and Kara.

We might have gone a little too far.

Last night in bed, Jake had brought up his concern of overwhelming her too quickly. He had witnessed firsthand what Ashley had gone through yesterday and suggested they should pace themselves. Claire however, recommended going all out. She had likened it to ripping off a band-aid—the quicker the better. Jake had resisted at first, but Claire eventually talked him into it. She was much better at judging these types of things. But he was still worried how Ashley was going to react to receiving such a large sum of money. Now he had his answer.

Ashley's sobs carried throughout the room. Jake could feel her shaking in his arms. He needed to say something to reassure her again, but it was Kara who broke the silence.

"You know something, Ash? If you don't want the money, I'll take it. I can buy like five hundred pairs of jeans with fifty thousand smackaroos." She said it so unexpectedly, nobody said a word at first. They were all shocked. And then to Jake's surprise, Ashley started giggling.

"Kara!" Claire said in scolding tones, which only caused Ashley to giggle even harder.

Kara pulled back with a cheeky grin on her face. "What? It worked."

She's right. It did work. Kara's done it again.

Jake looked down at a giggling Ashley, and when their eyes met, he chuckled, which caused Kara to start giggling. Claire held out for a few more moments, and then also joined in. And just like that, the tension was gone.

Ashley pulled back, wiped her eyes, and flung her arms around Kara. "Thank you." Ashley wasn't stupid. She knew what Kara was doing.