Ch: 323 [Little family moments]
[A Few Days Later] [Sunday] [Early Noon, Wilson Estate Garden]
Max had already finished most of her walk, although she acted like Halle had forced her through an Olympic event with no food breaks. Doctors ordered her to do low-impact exercise like walking, prenatal yoga, and light strength or mobility work. She was nearly five months pregnant now.
She walked slowly between Halle and Chloe, one hand resting under the small curve of her stomach while the other held a water bottle. Every few steps, her eyes drifted toward the barbecue area where Alex and Caroline were working near the grill.
"I've been walking for almost half an hour, so I think somebody should hand me a medal and a plate of ribs," Max said as she looked toward Halle.
Halle smiled and stayed close beside her without making Max feel like she needed help. She had learned that Max listened better when nobody made a big deal out of taking care of her.
"You can have the ribs after one more short lap around the garden," Halle said as she gently touched Max's arm.
Max looked at her with deep betrayal written across her face. "You're using the doctor's advice against me, and I feel personally attacked right now."
Chloe laughed beside them as they kept walking at an easy pace. She had started settling into the mansion more over the months, although the size of the place still surprised her sometimes.
"You're doing really well, Max, even when you complain through the entire walk," Chloe said with a warm smile.
Max turned toward her and shook her head slowly. "I don't complain through the whole walk, Chloe. I bring attention to serious problems that everybody else ignores."
Halle laughed quietly while pointing toward the chairs near the flower beds. "You can sit for a few minutes, then we'll do the last part after you catch your breath."
Max immediately headed toward the chairs like somebody had just announced a holiday. "That sounds fair, because my body is currently busy building two tiny people with expensive taste."
Near the large tree, Evangeline sat on a blanket with Asher in her lap. She held his bottle carefully while he drank, his little hands resting against her fingers. Trixie sat beside them with a bright smile, gently touching Asher's hand whenever he reached toward her. Asher grabbed one of her fingers and held on with surprising strength.
"See, I told you I'm special," Trixie said as she leaned closer to him. "He really loves me because I love him so much."
Evangeline smiled as she adjusted the bottle. "Yep, he likes you, but he also enjoys grabbing anyone's fingers."
Trixie gave Asher a very serious look. "No, he knows I'm his big sister, and I'm gonna spoil him rotten."
Asher made a happy little sound around the bottle and held Trixie's finger tighter.
Max lowered herself into a garden chair and let out a long breath. "Look at him getting fans already, while I'm carrying two babies who will probably start asking for snacks before they can walk."
Chloe sat beside Max while Halle made sure her water bottle was close. For a moment, Chloe watched Trixie smiling at Asher, and her expression softened.
"Trixie's been happier lately, even though the school change has been hard for her," Chloe said quietly. "She keeps talking about her new teachers and all the places she wants to explore around here."
Halle rested a hand on Chloe's shoulder with a gentle smile. "She's adjusting because she feels safe here, and children always notice when things finally feel steady."
Chloe looked toward the mansion before turning back to the others. "I still catch myself waiting for something bad to happen, because that's how life felt for a long time."
Max reached over and squeezed Chloe's hand with surprising softness. "You were used to carrying everything by yourself, babe. Now you've got a house full of people who'll protect you, plus Moneybags got superpowers. So, nothing to worry about anymore. Just relax and chillax with a tub of ice cream. Humm... I want some strawberry ice cream."
Chloe smiled, noticing how Max went to the ice cream topic again, and this time it was strawberry, not chocolate mint.
Halle smiled as she looked toward the barbecue area. "He does know how to make people feel like they belong with him."
Nacho had finally claimed the one thing Trixie almost never gave him: uninterrupted peace. Curled beneath the large tree, the orange cat slept with one paw over his face and his tail tucked close to his stomach. His ears twitched whenever Trixie laughed too loudly, though he refused to open his eyes and admit that he was listening.
Trixie glanced toward him, then started to rise from the blanket with a mischievous little smile. Evangeline caught the look immediately and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let Nacho have his nap, sweetheart. He has earned a quiet afternoon after surviving all of your ribbon attacks."
Trixie looked back at the cat and folded her arms with exaggerated innocence. "I only chase him because he loves me, and he knows that our games are important."
Nacho opened one eye at the sound of her voice, decided the conversation was dangerous, and covered his face again with his paw. Chloe laughed softly as she watched him disappear back into sleep.
"See that," Chloe said with a warm smile. "He loves you enough to need recovery time afterward."
Trixie considered this with a serious expression, then nodded as though it made complete sense. "Alright, I'll let him rest until after lunch."
Max pointed at the sleeping cat with her water bottle. "Smartest creature in the whole mansion, and he does not even pay rent."
Meanwhile, Alex stood beside the barbecue with Caroline near the garden patio, turning the ribs while the rest of the food warmed beside the grill. Caroline had taken charge of the plates and drinks, although she kept glancing at the barbecue like she was deciding whether she could steal something before lunch started.
Alex caught her reaching toward the tray and gave her a look. "You've been hovering around the food for ten minutes, Caroline. Are you helping, or are you planning a robbery?"
Caroline pulled her hand back with a small smile. "I'm helping, obviously. I just don't trust you to save the best ribs for me."
Alex moved another piece of chicken away from the heat before looking at her. "You'll get food when everybody else gets food, so try to survive the next few minutes."
Caroline leaned against the outdoor counter and watched him work. "That's easy for you to say when you aren't listening to Max complain about being hungry every thirty seconds."
Alex glanced toward the shaded part of the garden, where Max sat between Halle and Chloe. "She's earned the right to complain, and I'm not saying that because I'm scared of her."
Caroline lifted an eyebrow while she placed napkins beside the plates. "You're definitely scared of her, Alex. You just hide it behind that calm CEO face."
Alex laughed quietly as he picked up the sauce bowl. "I'm smart enough to know when somebody has more power than me."
Caroline looked toward Max again, then back at him with amusement. "Pregnant Max with twins is probably the strongest person in this whole house, and nobody should test that theory."
Alex spread more sauce over the ribs.
After a while...
Caroline placed the last set of glasses on the table before looking toward the empty seats nearby. "It still feels strange when Angelina, Scarlett, and Rachel aren't around."
Angelina's been at the studios since this morning. The Justice League animated series finally started recording, and she was the voice of Wonder Woman. And Scarlett and Rachel are in Los Angeles for that charity event.
"Yeah, work is work. And I'm gonna cook for them when they come back from work," He said.
Alex finally pulled the ribs from the grill and carried the trays to the long garden table while Caroline followed with plates, drinks, and enough napkins to survive one of Max's sauce-related disasters. The smell brought everyone over quickly, including Trixie, who carefully woke Nacho and announced that lunch had started.
For a while, the mansion felt quiet in the best way.
They ate beneath the trees, talked about small things, and laughed whenever Max reached for another serving before finishing the first. Asher sat safely in Evangeline's lap, watching everyone with wide eyes while Trixie kept giving him tiny updates about every plate on the table.
Nacho got his special cooked chicken meat. So, he was also happy.
Alex looked around at the people gathered near him and let himself enjoy the simple afternoon. Work, problems, and the whole outside world could wait until everyone had finished eating together.
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