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Kissing the top of his curly head, she was aed to do with a houseful of preschoolers Scotty had only been with her a couple of hours and already she was emotionally and physically exhausted

Andrew arrived just then, leaning indolently against the door frarin "It looks like you could use a nap yourself"

"No one ever told ," Leah ad Scotty fro around her husband, Leah turned back the sheets and Andrew carefully laid the sleeping child onto thehiodson’s forehead

Neither Andrew nor Leah were in any hurry to leave the roo next to her husband, she nestled in the warainst the solid wall of his chest

"He’s really so, isn’t he?" Andrew said softly, so as not to disturb Scotty’s sleep

"He’s a ball of energy"

Andrew kissed the side of her neck "Come on, I think we could do with a nap ourselves"

Fro was the last thing on her husband’s retfully, "Andree can’t"

"Why not?"

"Scottyand Pam worry about that? Besides, I can be real quiet, and with so her toward their bedroom

So up and down at the foot of her bed She rolled onto her back to find Scotty doing a aroo

"Hi, Scotty"

He was holding onto his front with both hands, his eyes wide and appealing

"Scotty?" she asked, sitting up, clenching the sheets to her breasts "Do you need to go potty?"

"That would be"Co the boy into his arrabbed her sweater and finished dressing "How’s everything going in there?" she called out

"Not good He see"

"What?"

Scotty apparently didn’t trust Andrew to properly relay the e "I need my blankyI need my blankyI need my blanky"

Leah retrieved the yellow monstrosity in record ti Scotty over the toilet seat The boy grabbed the blanket, and held it against his face As soon as the blanket was in position, he released a long, grateful sigh and relaxed

When Scotty finished, Andrew sagged onto the side of the bathtub "What was that all about?"

"Pa his toilet seat Heperched up there"

Andrew looked at Leah and she looked at hiles

"I’ht proud of hi with theirs

Monica was convinced Michael would guess that Chet was hiding behind the door in the other room Why Chet felt he needed to disappear, she could only speculate

The man was a fool to show up at the church this way She’d wanted to shout at hi cabinet in his face Heaven knew he deserved that and far worse Why, she should have slapped him silly

She would have, too, if she hadn’t been so pleased to see him

"Your hair looks especially nice today," Michael said with glowing approval

"Thank you" Knowing Chet, it was probably all he could do to keep fro that he’d been the one to suggest the change

"I’ the piano for the Methodists’ church cantata this evening," Michael was saying "Their regular pianist caht I’d stop by and see if you’d like to co for tiet out of this date, but nothing readily presented itself

"Ito your father and he said you didn’t have anything planned," Michael pressed

"No, I don’t believe I do" So her father had put him up to this She should have realized that sooner

Michael hesitated, glancing at her as if he aiting for her to say so more Uncertain, Monica steadilyabout dinner?"

"Dinner?" She knew she was beginning to sound like a parrot "Why, yes Dad did say so you over for dinner so We’d be ht?"

"Tonightwhy, suretonight would be perfect, wouldn’t it, since I’ll be there for the Methodists’ cantata"