Our two days of prep passed in a blur, and we were finally lined up in the creepy basement, ready to go through the portal. I'd not been able to resist organizing everything. Lists were a weakness for me. Plus, I relished the opportunity to be involved in the kids' lives.
“Stephen. You were in charge of gaming systems. Do you have a charger for every system?”
He saluted me. “Yes ma'am. I even made a list and checked it off.”
Beaming, I moved on, but not before I saw the small blush across his cheeks. I was slowly making headway with him. “David?”
He stepped forward. “Yep?”
“You were in charge of board games, have you got a variety?”
He shook a large suitcase at his feet. “Yep!”
I chuckled. “Daniel?” He'd asked for a job, too. I'd planned on just giving them to the older boys but ended up including all but little Talem.
“Yes, Mommy!” He raised his hand high in the air.
“Did you have everyone pick out one movie to bring?”
“Yes!” He held up a small bag slung around his shoulder that I knew contained a case holding the movie discs.
Anthony leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “You know we have plenty of Wi-Fi and online streaming services for movies at the house?”
I shushed him and moved on to the girls, Kohbi and Jaime, and Charlie. “Did you make sure everyone packed at least two books?”
They all nodded solemnly. “Mommy, me and Jaime couldn't decide, so we brought a bunch.”
I laughed. “I did, too.”
Consulting my list, I addressed the room. “Did everyone pack underwear?” I paused a few seconds for anyone to shout if they didn't. “Toothbrushes, pajamas. Phones and tablets.” Nobody said anything. “Makeup, pads, or tampons.”
Stephen and Daniel groaned.
“Hush, it's a normal part of life and you have to get used to it.” I finished my list and we waited on Jaime to run all the way back up to her bedroom to get the stuffed bunny she liked to sleep with.
“Okay,” I said. “Forward march!”
Tammy led the way, Rose on her back, holding Talem's hand. Anthony followed, carrying all their bags. Then went all the kids, hand in hand with each other and eventually me. “Remember, don't let go and think about your Mamaw's house.” Tammy’s mind would be what transported them to the right place, but it was good practice for them for future portal use.
Each child was loaded down with suitcases and backpacks. Finally, I went, followed by Axoular and Elias, both also carrying several bags. I was lucky they let me carry my list and hold the kids' hands.
We walked into the large foyer of an open and airy home. As usual, it felt like we'd walked through a waterfall. By then, everyone had used the portal before, so there were no surprises, but it still shocked me every time to feel so wet but be dry. I shook it off.
“Okay, those of you that know where everything is, please show the other kids around. Stephen, can you please make sure all the bags get to the right places?”
He nodded and trooped all the children except Rose off to show them around. Rose stayed nestled on her mom's back.
The men followed the kids and stowed the bags somewhere. I turned in a slow circle while they were gone and looked around. “This house isn't just nice. It's... I don't even know what the word is.” It was beyond opulent. I thought I'd gotten a grasp on how much wealth I'd married into, but I was still shocked by the home, even with all the building up they'd done.
Tammy chuckled wryly. “Yeah, it's nice. Listen,” she lowered her voice, “what did they tell you about Michael's mom?”
“Delilah? Not much. That she wouldn't think badly of me for having multiple partners. That's about it.”
“I—”
She was cut off by a woman's rich voice. A blonde bombshell walked into the room.Oh, for Pete's sake. She looks younger than me.
I plastered a smile on my face and held my hand out, intently wishing I'd asked Tammy for information about the grandmother of my children before making this ridiculous journey.
