Shelby was three months old when Winnie wanted another one. I worried it was too soon after her C-section and we were still getting the hang of one baby. Winnie refused to budge and Shane was born ten months later.
The boss man in me liked knowing our family was complete. The only child in me worried the kids wouldn’t have enough siblings to enjoy what I missed growing up. Fortunately, Shelby and Shane were crazy about each other. Shy like their mom, the kids enjoyed each other’s company more than other kids. Even the crew’s kids were kept at arm’s length for years except for River. Vaughn and Raven’s oldest boy spent hours at our house, playing in the backyard with his best friends.
Raven decided to homeschool her army of blond kids after attending River’s kindergarten orientation. Apparently, the other moms sucked. She worried her kids might end up polluted by the same lameness if they attended public schools. Despite Winnie being homeschooled, I thought the Rogers were nuts. Hell, everyone did. We mocked Raven and Vaughn constantly about their baby factory, hippy van, and of course the names. Cavalry? Oh, and Denver! They’d never even been to Colorado! Their last baby was lucky enough to be named Sylvie, though she ended up with the nickname “Eight is Enough.” Homeschooling was another wacky thing the V-Team did that I didn’t understand.
Yet on Shelby’s first day of kindergarten, our Winnie look-alike stared at her brother and I knew we were in trouble. She burst into tears, causing her mini-me Shane to do the same. Soon, Winnie was sobbing too. No way could we arrive at school on time and showing up late was out of the question for a shy kid. By the next day, Winnie was their teacher and I suffered ribbing from Nick for following in the hippies’ footsteps.
Along with teaching the kids, Winnie acted as my office manager. She also helped Bailey run an array of businesses for the Johanssons. The club had trouble finding someone to do their financials and trusting the person wouldn’t hurt the Reapers. Winnie was someone they could trust and she loved helping the club who gave her a second chance.
Once Cooper realized Winnie had a knack for organizing such things, he handed her more and more work. She loved doing it too because she handled it all from home. Seeing her so confident inspired me to find her space to spread out.
We moved into our new house when Shane was ready for kindergarten. Like his sister, he preferred a home setting. Our new home had space for a classroom, a playroom for the piles of toys, and an office for Winnie. We also got a hot tub that I spent many evening in with my pretty lady while the kids played nearby.
Not long after we moved into the house, my mother finally met Winnie and the kids. I’d managed to avoid seeing Larry around town, but eventually Mom nagged me into having her visit.
Mom patted the kids on the heads and looked at Winnie like she was the maid. I worried they might be hurt by her coldness. Oh, they had her number.
Once Mom met Toad and claimed the sleeping dog looked dangerous, Winnie rolled her eyes and gave up on making a good impression. An hour later, Shelby explained the bulldog tattoo on my arm was named Frog to go with the real bulldog’s name. My mom shook her head and said she didn’t understand. At that point, the kids lost interest in her. She tried to get them to care about her opinions, but they only humored her. I guess I raised them too well or they took after their mom too much. Either way, the kids merely tolerated her and Mom never visited again.
Her absence meant the same as Larry’s. Nothing. I had a huge family with the Todds, the church parishioners, the Reapers, and of course the crew. Our house never went without visitors. We were always hosting sleepovers for River or dropping by someone’s house for meals.
After a lifetime feeling like I didn’t belong, I suddenly couldn’t turn around without bumping into someone I considered family. I was truly blessed. In fact every night, I tucked my kids in bed then kicked the dog out of my bedroom followed by the cat. Finally, I was alone with Winnie. Each time, she looked at me as if confused about what I might want. Hell, if even after all these years together, she still didn’t make me beg.