Friday, January 18, 2019

Laura's Birthday...Part 2...(S10-E2)


Picking up where we left off last week it is still Sunday January 6th, Laura's birthday. Luke went to pick up some coffee and sweet treats while Laura and the boys waited. 
First we begin back in the record shop. Laura is now working and chatting with Jacob. He showed up for work just a few minutes ago and now has Fin sitting on his lap while he draws.
 *Jacob* "So do you and Luke have plans for your birthday today?..."
*Laura* "If we do he's kept it a secret from me, but I think we're just
 kinda gonna have a family day out..."
*Jacob* "Oh well that will be nice, just you and the boys..."
*Laura smiles* "Yeah I think so too. So how about you?
Anything exciting happening in your life? How's Colton?"
Colton is Jacob's long time boyfriend. He is also a 
part of the very large Trudeau family. One 
of Benjamin's younger siblings. 
*Jacob* "Well...Colton might be leaving to study fashion abroad for several years.
 Erica pulled some strings and got him an internship and he has asked
 me if I want to go with him..."
Laura is immediately excited. Going to Europe 
is something she would love to do eventually. A romantic getaway with Luke would be a dream come true. Her sister got to go 
on an extended honeymoon with Benjamin they traveled all over.
 *Laura* "Really?! Oh my god that's wonderful! Where?"
*Jacob* "In France....I haven't told Luke yet. I'm not sure what to do!"
*Laura* "When is Colton leaving?..."
*Jacob sighs* "In the spring....So I have to decide quickly."
*Jacob* "I plan to tell Luke soon I just feel so bad. If I leave, you guys will
be swamped, I know Luke needs me and I love working here...but..."
Laura looks up at him from the work she has been doing. She understands following Colton means everything to Jacob they have been very serious for some years now. But having to decide between your dream job and the love of your life is hard.
 *Laura* "Don't worry about us...Luke will bounce back. We will find someone
 in the meantime. You have to do what is best for you.
What will you do while you're living there?"
*Jacob* "That's thing I dunno! I might go stir crazy...That's why I'm having trouble deciding."
*Laura* "Don't worry you'll figure it out. Maybe talking to Luke will help."
*Jacob* "Yeah I will...speaking of Luke where is he?"
Meanwhile back at the coffee shop...
Luke stands and waits while Natalie gets the order ready. It's not too busy here yet so it should not take her long. Luke grabs 
his phone from his pocket to pass the time.
As he is on his phone scrolling through he cannot help but
 feel that feeling that someone is staring dead on at him.
 Like a tractor beam locked in and pulling 
his attention in the direction they are sitting.
Luke stops what he is doing and looks up. His suspicions 
were correct, he finds a very familiar face staring
 back at him. Large sunglasses frame their face
 but there is no doubt in his mind who it is. 
Surprise and disbelief flash across his face, then Luke 
propels himself forward and begins walking
 towards the familiar face. An angry scowl now 
in place his mouth and jaw set into rigid form...
His heavy boots hitting the floor Luke nearly stomps his 
way over disrupting the quiet ambiance of the coffee shop, 
making his presence known in the small space. He blurts 
out a question in an accusatory tone.
*Luke* "Are you fucking stalking me again?!..."
The stalker in question takes a sip from her coffee cup and braces herself for an intense conversation. Luke is immediately on the defense as soon as he saw her sitting there. She knew that would happen. She knows him well but she is not too sure how well he will take what she is about to ask him. Seeing his face again brings back a whole flood of memories both good and bad, but mostly bad. Heartbreak and misery was how they left things nearly 5 years ago. She has some closure on it now but still the pain of loosing her baby comes back as she looks him straight in the eyes. Rufus struggles to get words to form.
 So Luke demands a reply again.
*Luke* "Ru? Fucking answer the question!..."
*Rufus* "No! No, I am not fucking stalking you. Get over yourself, 
cause I damn sure am..."
*Luke* "Then what the fuck do you want? And what's with the incognito shit?..."
Luke does not buy into her actually completely and fully being 
over him. The scar runs too deep for her he is ingrained in her and 
vise vera. The two share a complicated past.
*Rufus in a hushed tone* "Because I'd prefer to not be recognized
 you buffoon! Now sit down..."
Luke cannot argue with that but still why is she here? Luke knows something is up, she's not here to shoot the shit with him. Shaun swore up and down she was doing better. Luke can't help but hear Peter's words now echoing in his thoughts about Rufus screwing shit up again.
*Luke* "Come to pay me royalties..."
*Rufus* "What?! Fuck you, Cooper. You're lucky I never ratted
you or your degenerate friend to the police..."
*Luke* "Get to the fucking point or I'm walking..."
Rufus again sips her coffee, this place does make a good cup of joe, she can see why Luke likes it here. She sets the cup down on the table and looks up at him. Time to cut to the chase as to why she is here.
*Rufus* "I'm here about your father...."
*Luke* "The bastard finally kick the bucket?..."
*Rufus* "No, he's very much alive and well."
*Luke* "Then why do you think I give a fuck about what he does?..."
Rufus knows he wants nothing to do with his father. She can't really blame him. David Cooper is a mess, and Rufus is drawn to it
 like a moth to a flame. Play with fire and you get burned. 
*Rufus* "Luke please just sit down..."
*Luke* "Just fucking spit it out, Ru! I don't
 have time for your drama."
*Rufus* "Sit the fuck down, Cooper! This will only take a 
moment of your time."
*Luke* "You're already wasting my time. My wife and kids are waiting for me."
Rufus pinches the bridge of her nose. Her 
emotions run high when around Luke. She is frustrated, she knew coming down here wouldn't be easy but she didn't 
have any other options. It needed to be done face to face.
 Luke finally takes a seat and concedes. 
*Luke* "Okay fine...I'll give you two minutes. Say 
what you gotta fucking say."
*Rufus* "I'll try to make this as brief as possible..."
*Rufus continues* "While on tour your father managed to find his way back into my life. We started secretly texting each other. I was skeptical at first considering what had happened between us and how I didn't need to fall back into the same patterns again...You see..."
Rufus pauses pushing her sunglasses up onto her nose. She 
is nervous. Rufus doesn't like showing weakness but she is not 
doing this for her. Luke lets her continue on...
*Rufus* "It has taken me a long time to get my life back under control. The only thing that has kept me going is Ruby. I was severely devastated after I lost our second child. I'm sure 
you know if you have listened to any of the new music. I'm on medication now. 
It helps a lot but it's still a daily struggle..."
*Luke*  "Why the fuck would you let him back in your life, Ru?! "
*Rufus* "Because I thought he had changed...He seemed so 
genuinely interested in me..."
*Luke* "Oh, come on! That is the lamest shit I have ever heard come out of your mouth!"
Rufus knows why she has a weakness when it comes to the Cooper men, they are her kryptonite, but she will never admit that to Luke. Some people just like the adrenaline rush from crazy, dysfunctional relationships. Luke sighs he still doesn't understand why she is here and what she wants...
*Luke* "Can you get to the fucking point. You're time is up."
*Rufus leans in* "So you're dad convinced me to go in on some what I thought
 was a legit business deal. He made it seem like a great idea, but that is not the part that deeply worries me. He showed up unexpected about a month ago demanding some more money for
 the deal. He has never seen Ruby before I had kept her away from him. He immediately got
 suspicious Luke and I told him that Ruby was your child not his...It took some
convincing but I think he finally believed me."
Luke smacks his hand against his forehead. Rufus is trying to pass off Ruby as his child again! No way! No fucking way is he falling for this ridiculous story. She may look and sound better but she is still the
 conniving, manipulative person she has always been to him.
*Luke* "Here we fucking go again! You're in need some real help."
*Rufus* "Luke I'm serious! This is not a game...I think your father owes money to some 
very bad men. I don't want to get involved anymore I need to protect Ruby!"
*Rufus* "And I need you to consent to agreeing to being her father, please!"
Luke's eyes get wide, first this morning Laura is practically begging him to have another baby and now he is sitting here across from Rufus his mental Ex and she is begging him to agree to this crazy scheme she has cooked up.
*Luke* "No! No fucking way am I agreeing to that shit!..."
*Rufus* "She is your sister! She's family..."
Luke is a bit shocked she actually admitted to that. She is right though she is family, Luke is just not used to having siblings. Rufus
 wanted to believe for so long that Ruby was his child, she even 
went as far as to tell Ruby that Luke was her father.
*Luke* "Listen, I'm glad you're doing better. I really am, but I can't fucking agree to this. You really think I'm gonna fall for your fucking games again?!...I have my own family to take care of."
*Rufus* "I'm not asking you to leave your wife an kids! I just want to 
protect Ruby. This is not about me!..."
*Luke laughs* "It's always about you...fucking narcissist!"
*Rufus* "I am not a narcissist! This is about my daughter..."
*Luke* "Then hire more body guards and make sure she is safe."
*Rufus* "I don't want to scare her...She's a very perceptive 8 year old."
*Luke* "I...No! No!...You're fucking crazy I can't do this! I can't fucking
 agree to something like this!"
*Rufus* "I need someone I trust. Luke I have no other 
family to go to you know that!"
Rufus turns and digs into her bag. She pulls out a 
folder that has some papers inside it.
*Rufus* "Please just sign this paperwork. If anything ever happened
 to me she would be in your care...As her father as next of kin."
Natalie calls over the counter, it took her a tad longer to get the 
order together but it is now ready. Luke comes here often
 so a lot of the employees know him.
*Natalie* "Mr. Cooper your to go order is ready!..."
Back at the small table Rufus tries hard to convince Luke
 this is not a game. He continues to refuse to believe her. It seems Rufus will do anything to convince herself that Ruby is Luke's even though DNA has already proven that David is her father.
*Rufus* "I know it sounds crazy but please, please take the papers and
look them over. I'll be in town till the end of the week. Bring your wife we can all talk it over."
*Luke laughs* "Fuck no! Laura doesn't need to know my crazy
deranged ex is back in town again. You're sick you know that, right?"
*Rufus* "Luke I know you don't trust me but I'm telling you the fucking truth!
The papers will make sense if you just have a look..."
Luke stands up, he has let this conversation go on long enough, 
now she is trying to show him papers. He doesn't know what 
to think anymore, but he knows for sure he needs to
 get back to his waiting family.
*Luke* "Don't fucking bother...I'm not falling for this shit. You and my shitty
father both think you can manipulate me...I'm done playing
those games. Now I gotta go..."
Rufus gets upset she is not getting through to him! She has tried to keep her cool. They would always butt heads, never could the two of them agree on any one thing. Talking it out was never their strength in their former relationship. 
*Rufus* "And you're still an asshole just like your father!..."
*Luke* "Fucking fine by me!..."
*Rufus* "Luke, don't make me take further action!..."
*Luke* "So you think threatening me is gonna get your way? Fuck off! I'm done here!"
*Rufus* "Ugh! you are making this worse by being a
belligerent asshole! Just take the papers, Luke!"
*Luke* "No!...hasn't that registered in your fucking brain after all these years?! We are done!
We have been for nearly 10 years now! Get a fucking life!..."
 Then Luke turns and heads back to the order counter to get
 his food. By now he is so angry he is shaking.
 Natalie smiles, but it looks a bit worried.
*Natalie* "Is everything okay?..."
*Luke* "Oh...um..yeah...Just an old friend..."
*Natalie* "Oh! okay...have a nice day then."
Luke thanks her then heads out the door with the coffees and sweets. He is surprised Laura hasn't called wondering what is taking so long. A few moments later Rufus gets up and heads out the door, this time she is the one stomping angry mad. Luke refused to listen, she was hoping he would be more receptive considering the fact he is now a father. She was hoping he would understand, but if you know Rufus then you know there is always more to the story. And Luke is not buying it.
*Natalie* "Bye, ma'am have a nice day!..."
Rufus does not respond back or turnaround to acknowledge
 the barista she heads out the door and into a waiting car. 
Luke walks the few blocks over back to his record shop. All the while making sure Rufus did not follow him. He figures she will pop 
up again. He is gonna have to find some way to tell Laura. 
Just not today not on her birthday.
*Jacob* "Hey...handsome...We were just talking about you."
Luke sets the food down on the counter. He mumbles something about being back finally and then goes to opening the bag. Phoenix immediately jumps up. He wants a treat. 
*Laura* "Yeah...we're just talking about you...Was it busy?..."
*Luke* "huh?..."
*Laura* "The coffee shop, was it busy?..."
*Luke* "Oh! yeah, yeah it was and they only had one girl working the counter."
Luke tries to mentally shake off his unexpected run in with Rufus. He looks down at Phoenix who is trying to climb the counter. The child Laura was pregnant with when Rufus first came to town to stir trouble.  Luke knows he has to tell her he can't keep this a secret this time.
*Luke* "Phoenix you need to get down before you fall..."
*Phoenix* "Can I have cookie?..."
*Luke* "We better ask the boss first..."
Luke looks up at Laura who is hard at work organizing. 
Laura loves to organize she's good and fast at it.
*Luke* "Babe? You care if the boys have a cookie?..."
*Laura* "No it's fine. Better now than later."
Luke hands out one cookie each to the boys then instructs them to go sit on the floor and eat them so they can leave in a few 
minutes. Luke is ready to get out of the area as far
 away from you know who!
*Phoenix* "No, Fin dat my toy...."
*Phineas* "I pay?!..."
*Phoenix* "No, Fin...No play...Daddy said eat your cookie..."
Luke grabs a coffee for Laura and walks over to her. She 
will want to organize the whole shop if
 he doesn't stop her, hehe...
 *Luke* "Here babe, you've done enough. Jacob can finish the rest."
*Laura* "I'm just trying to help..."
*Luke smiles* "I know. Where do you want to go?
We should head out before the noon traffic hits."
*Laura* "I dunno somewhere outdoors maybe where the boys
 can run around and play. It's turning out to be a beautiful day."
Luke is anxious about being out in public. Rufus has
 totally ruined his day, but he is trying to hold it
 together. Laura and the kids matter first.
*Luke* "Uh...yeah...okay...sure."
*Laura* "What's wrong?...You have something else in mind?"
*Luke* "Um...no, no whatever you want, babe."
Laura can tell his thoughts are on something else. Something 
changed between here and the coffee shop. Her woman's 
intuition is telling her something.
 *Laura* "Luke?...What's wrong?"
Luke plasters on a smile and tries to push the
 flustered feelings towards the back of his mind. Laura is 
worried he is still upset about this morning's conversation...She pressured him hard about another baby.
*Luke* "Nothing, babe...I'm fine just thinking about 
where we should go..."
*Laura* "Are you still mad about earlier?"
*Luke* "What?! No!...I'm not mad just a lot on my mind.
 Lets get the boys and go."
*Laura* "Okay..."
Will Luke tell Laura that Rufus showed up on him in the coffee shop?
 Is Rufus telling him the truth or is she just playing
 another game to torment him?
To Be Continued!
Thanks so much for tuning in and as always taking the 
time to comment and let me know how 
much you enjoy the blog!
^_^

Friday, January 11, 2019

Laura's Birthday...(S10-E1)



It's early Sunday morning on January 6th, Laura's birthday. The sun is starting to break on the horizon and Luke is climbing 
back into bed after a trip to the bathroom. 
He stares across the bed at Laura who is cuddled up under the blankets. It's slightly chilly this morning but feels great to Luke. He was 
used to much colder winters living up in the northwest coast. Now 
down here in the south, the winters are much more mild.
 Luke scoots in close and leans over Laura who is still 
sleeping but then easily awakes as she feels 
the bed shift with his weight. Laura is a light sleeper. 
Luke smiles down at her.
*Luke* "Hey....Happy Birthday, babe..."
*Laura* "Mmnn hey...already? What time is it?..."
*Luke* "It's about 5 minutes till 7..."
*Laura* "You sure are chipper this morning...Did you sleep okay?"
*Luke* "Yeah I slept fine, babe. You?..."
*Laura* "Yeah, me too...It's chilly in here."
*Luke smiling* "Not really but I can warm you up..."
Luke leans in farther down and kisses her softly. Laura reaches up and twists her fingers into his hair, kissing him back. The soft smack 
of their lips as they meet, Luke pulls her hip in against his
 body and kisses her again this time a little harder...
 *Laura* "Mmmm...Are you already naked?..."
Then comes another soft smack of a kiss before Luke 
replies back. His voice low and close as 
their lips are still parting...
 *Luke* "Uh..huh..."
*Laura* "Mmmn....Lucky me."
Luke continues to kiss her as his hand slides down the inside 
of her thigh pushing her legs open. Laura now knows why
 he felt so chipper when she opened her eyes and saw 
him smiling over her. He had S-E-X on the brain.
*Laura* "Luke, what if the boys wake up?..."
Now that Phineas is almost able to climb out of the crib and 
Phoenix often sneaks into their room in the mornings, 
Laura can't help but worry. Luke runs kisses down
 her neck and shoulder.
 *Luke* "Just relax Babe, the boys are sound asleep."
All the while he continues to kiss her trying to get her to relax and let go. Laura begins to succumb to his touch and decides a morning in bed with Luke does sound absolutely perfect. Those days are few 
and far between now. It's her birthday live a little. 
Laura reaches up and fists her hands into his hair as she allows Luke to shift his body more over her and between her thighs kissing her deeper. He knows the simple gesture means she has decided to stay in bed with
 him a little longer this morning.
A short while later, the two lay in bed. Laura knows she is gonna need to get up and get her day going soon, but she is enjoying her
 moment with Luke way too much. She moans softly as she 
recalls just what happened only a few fleeting moments ago. 
*Luke* "What's wrong Babe? Did I not satisfy you?..."
Laura turns to look up at him. It's the complete opposite of that. Laura is so relaxed and satisfied, problem is she has to get up now. Face the day, take care of the two little ones. Not that she doesn't enjoy it but Mom's need a break every so often. Birthday's aren't always
 as fun once you get into your mid 30's. haha!
*Laura perplexed* "What do you mean? Of course I'm satisfied. I'm just sad that 
I can't spend the rest of the day here in bed with you...."
Then Laura turns her head to look away. 
*Laura* "I miss those days..."
*Luke* "Babe, you just had one of those days last week. Remember? New years?...
You had me all to yourself for a full 24 hours."
*Laura* "I know. It was wonderful."
*Luke* "What's wrong babe, feeling some birthday blues?..."
Luke is five years older than Laura so he understands birthdays can be a whole mix of feelings as you get older. They are so exciting as a kid but as an adult it's just another notch you gotta add to your belt.
*Laura* "Yeah I guess so....Just life seems to go by faster now. Fin is gonna be 2 next month and Phoenix will be 5 in July! My babies are growing up, Luke..."
*Luke* "That's part of life, Babe...Kids grow up. We get old."
*Laura* "I know...Just hate how fast it is going. I'm not ready to send 
Phoenix off to his first day of Kindergarten."
*Luke* "And you don't think that scares the shit out of me?..Don't 
worry we'll get through it together."
Laura turns on her back to face Luke. He understands but not fully, being a mother and watching your little ones grow 
can be both exciting and scary at times. Granted Luke is a father but mothers spend so much time nurturing in the early years.
*Laura* "Luke?..."
*Luke* "Yeah, Babe."
*Laura* "I wanna try for another, Baby. Before the
 boys get any older..."
Luke lets out a huge sigh, he had a feeling this was what she was gonna say. Not that he is completely opposed to it, he just feels 
like its just a tad too soon.
*Luke* "I dunno know, Babe...Doesn't feel like the right time right now."
*Laura* "Why not? Fin is only about 2 years younger than Phoenix. 
And he's gonna be 2 next month...It's the perfect time."
*Luke* "You sure this is not just because your sister and Ben announced
 a week ago they plan to start a family?"
Laura props herself up on her elbow so she 
can look him straight in the eyes.
*Laura* "Well it did get me thinking but you know I want another 
baby. I thought you did too?"
*Luke* "Yeah...but...I...You're really fucking serious about this?.."
*Laura* "Yes, I am!..."
Laura slides her hand down his chest, over his abs 
and down lower.
*Laura with a teasing pout* "You're gonna say no to me on my birthday?..."
*Luke chuckles* "I never said no, Babe...I said I dunno. I need
 a little more time to think about this."
*Laura teasing* "So you're willing to turn down lots and lots of sex,
 because you don't know?"
Laura is making it hard for him to resist but he is trying to look at it from a more responsible and financial stand point. Kids are expensive! Then suddenly little Fin's voice comes through the baby monitor.
"BA...BA...BA...!"
*Luke* "Fuck, Laura...I..."
Saved by the baby monitor both Luke and Laura pop up. This
 little discussion will have to take place at another time.  
Fin has been trying to climb out of his crib lately.
*Laura* "I better go get him..."
*Luke* "No. I'll go, you relax take a shower...."
*Laura* "Are you sure?...What about breakfast?..."
*Luke* "I'll feed them...I can handle it."
*Laura* "Luke it's no big deal I can..."
*Luke* "It got it, Babe!.."
Laura leans back against the pillows after Luke kinda snapped
 back at her. Seems like he just wants out of the room 
seeing where their conversation was going only moments ago.
She watches Luke as he grabs the small blue condom box and sets it back in the shelf of his night table then gets up off the bed and walks 
over to grab his jeans and slide them on.
*Luke* "Hey, babe..."
*Laura* "Yeah?..."
Luke turns as he zips himself up into his blue jeans 
forgoing wearing any underwear. 
*Luke* "I need to stop at the shop before Jacob opens up at 11. Why don't you and the 
boys come with me, then we can spend the rest of the 
day together...Whatever you wanna do."
*Laura* "Okay, I'd like that."
*Laura* "You sure you don't want any help?..."
*Luke* "I got it covered, Laura. Go take a shower, relax a little."
*Laura* "I'm trying..."
Luke looks back at her before he heads out the 
door and down the hall to Fin's room.
*Luke* "I know you are..."
Then Phineas squeals out Mama over the baby monitor.
*Luke* "Fuck I better go..."
Luke heads down the hall his voice 
fading as he speaks again.
 "Go relax, take a shower, Babe...I got this!"
Laura gets up and grabs her favorite fuzzy warm robe and slips it on. Fighting the urge to make sure Luke doesn't need 
any help with the boys. 
She suddenly hears Luke's voice over the baby
 intercom. She forgot to turn it off. She pauses and listens. It feels weird eavesdropping on him but she can't help but wonder...
 *Luke* "Hey, good morning little man..."
*Phineas* "Dada! Dada! Ow-t...."
Phineas is trying to kick his leg over the railing of the crib. 
Luke quickly steps into the room to scoop
 him up before he falls over.
*Luke* "I think someone has about out grown his crib...Your mom 
is right time sure does fly....C'mon lets get your diaper changed."
*Phineas* "Dada..."
Laura sits at the edge of the bed while she 
listens to Luke talk to Finn. She should be hoping 
in the the shower by now.
 Phineas giggles and squeals with delight and Laura
 figures Luke must have picked him up and 
spun him around or something. The boys always
 love it when dad does those kind of things.
 *Luke* "First order of business, getting that diaper changed...Whoa! that thing is
sagging it's so loaded!  What the fu..eh..Okay, maybe its time
 we start getting you potty trained."
Phineas babbles back. He can say quite a few words now but is
 still working on it. Laura is beginning to feel really guilty now 
for listening in on him. As Luke changes Fin's diaper
 she can hear he is handling it just fine...
*Luke sighs* "Your mom is right you two are growing up too
fast...I don't know if I'm ready for that either."
*Phineas* "Dada....diaper...."
*Luke* "I know bud, hang on...I'm not as fast as mom..."
*Phineas* "Mama?..."
*Luke* "What? Dada not doing a good job?..."
*Phineas* "Na...na!..."
Laura smiles and continues to listen then suddenly
 a third voice comes into the room, Phoenix. 
He finally woke up. 
*Phoenix rubbing the sleep from his eyes* "Mama?..."
Luke stops and turns to look down at him. His firstborn son,
 the one who made him a father. Phoenix is so much like
 Luke personality wise but looks more like Laura.

*Luke* "Hey buddy, you finally wake up?...Kinda 
slept in today didn't you?...That's okay we got a busy day, gotta take 
Mommy out for her birthday."
Laura quickly clicks off the monitor. She doesn't want to
 know if Luke has any surprises in store for her. 
She has eavesdropped long enough.
*Laura* "Okay, time to go take that shower..."
Back in the nursery Luke is 
talking with Phoenix.
*Luke* "You hungry?..."
*Phoenix* "Uh..huh..."
*Luke* "Okay lemme finish with your brother first. Did you go potty yet?"
*Phoenix shakes his head no* "I got a pull up."
*Luke sighs* "Ah, sh..shoot. That's right. Does mommy usually help you?"
Phoenix nods yes this time. Finally after diapers and pull ups
 have been changed, teeth are brushed and hands are washed
 the boys head down stairs to start on some breakfast. Luke
 is finishing up with the last batch of pancakes when Laura 
finally comes down stairs.
*Laura* "Mm Mm smells good in here. Phoenix sit
up straight while you're eating, Pumpkin..."
Luke turns to flip the last pancake onto the plate and 
finds Laura standing there at the kitchen island. All dressed
 up and ready to go. He smiles as he checks her out.
*Luke* "Hey you look beautiful...You hungry?"
Laura leans in to kiss him. She really does appreciate 
him going the extra mile so she can relax. She was worried for a bit he might be upset she brought up wanting to have another baby.
*Laura* "Starving..."
*Luke* "Good cause I made plenty..."
Luke flips the last one onto the 
plate as Laura watches and observes 
Luke's cooking skills.
*Laura* "So I was thinking about what we were
 discussing earlier this morning?..."
*Luke* "Uh..huh..."
Luke's response makes him sound like he's not
 sure he wants to talk about this right now, but 
Laura needs him to hear her out.
*Laura* "I'm sorry I sprung that on you so hard. If you're not ready I understand...You were so patient with me when I wasn't ready the second time around. So when you're
ready let's have that baby then."
Luke seems to visibly loosen up after he
 hears what she said. Having another baby at this point has got to be more planned out. Usually Laura is more of the planner but this time around they seemed to have swapped how they feel on that.
*Luke* "It's not that I don't, babe you know that. Just give me some time to figure
out the finances, get through tax season, then I'll let you know..."
*Laura smiles* "Okay..."
After that is settled and no longer feels like it's dangling there
 between them. The family all gathers around the table to 
finish the breakfast Luke has made.
*Laura* "These are yummy. Maybe I should let you
cook more often."
*Luke* "Wait a minute I thought I married you for your cooking
 not the other way around..."
*Laura* "Well there are some bonus points...I mean a hot, shirtless man
 in my kitchen...a girl could get used to that."
Laura forks another bite into her mouth. Luke smiles 
at her as he chews on some of the pancakes. 
Then replies back.
*Luke* "You know, babe...Phoenix helped me some so maybe
 that's why these taste so good."
*Laura* "Ah! That makes complete sense now. That must be why these
pancakes taste so good!"
Phoenix beams bright with a smile. He was excited
 to help dad out in the kitchen.
*Luke* "Yeah Phoenix even helped me add
 the secret ingredient...Right?"
*Phoenix* "Uh..huh! synonym!!!..."
*Laura giggles* "You mean cinnamon, Pumpkin?..."
Phoenix nods his head as he chews on his food.
Phineas grunts and raises his arms. He is done
 eating he wants to go play.
*Luke* "Already?...you barely ate."
*Laura* "Luke you put way too much food on his
 plate. I'm sure he is plenty full by now."
A couple hours later the Cooper clan makes it down to Vintage 
Vinyl record shop. Laura gets the boys situated and entertained 
while Luke carries a crate of new inventory out of the back.
*Laura* "So what do you need to do?..."
*Luke* "I need to sort these and a few other crates. So that way Jacob
 can label them and get them out on the shelves.
*Luke continues* "Also I wanted to stop at our coffee shop and get some
 pastries and coffee since Jacob agreed to work today..."
Luke usually alternates weekends with Jacob but since
 this one fell on Laura's birthday. Jacob agreed to switch. 
*Laura* "Oh, okay...Well go on and do that, I can handle things here."
*Luke* "Are you sure?..."
*Laura smiles* "Now you sound like me..."
She was worried this morning Luke couldn't handle the 
boy's morning routine, but he did just fine.
Luke sets down the records and walks over to Laura.
*Luke* "I'll be right back...I'll lock up behind me
 so no one can get in."
*Laura smiles* "Okay..."
Then Luke kisses her goodbye and heads out. When he meant "our coffee shop" he meant the one where they very first met each other on 
their blind date. He steps into the small, quaint little 
coffee shop and greets the girl at the counter.
*Luke* "Hi, Natalie...Lemme get 3 regular coffees and 4 pastries."
*Natalie* "Okay...to go right?"
While Luke is ordering the coffee and sweets. He has 
no idea a familiar face is watching him from the 
back of the coffee shop.
Whoever they may be, Luke has not yet noticed
 them. Prying eyes watch behind dark sunglasses.
*Luke* "Yes, to go..."
*Natalie* "Okay that will be $26.57...I'll have it all ready
for you in a few minutes."
*Luke* "Okay sounds good..."
Luke pays and then waits for his food.
Who is they mystery person and what do
 they want? Find out next Friday!
To Be Continued!

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