Penny had been pretty quiet the rest of our shift. I blamed it on everything changing so quickly for her. I could understand her. On Sunday she offered to play my girlfriend and two days later she actually was it for real. She have had to listen to my parents' jokes and experienced their pranks firsthand, only to have to renounce more and more of her usual life two days later and many allusions to our future together. While she had been alone before, everything had changed in four days and she had not only me but the entire Jones family on her hands.

"How about if I drive you home later and sleep on the couch?" I asked her, hugged her from behind and blew a kiss on her neck. We had just gotten home from work and Mum had summoned her straight into the kitchen as soon as she had changed, where she, Bronwyn and Sarah were already standing at the stove. Today they wanted to organize a women's cooking group, she said. Tomorrow it would be our men's turn.

"Why do you want to sleep on the couch?" she asked skeptically, but leaned against me and placed her hands on mine.

"So you can get some time for yourself. You've been so calm since the emergency. I thought you might be missing something to just take a breath."

"That's right. We really went from 0 to 100 in record time, but that doesn't mean I need time to myself. I much prefer having you around and want to enjoy every moment with you." She turned in my arms and wrapped her arms around me before kissing me. We quickly forgot everything around us and just let ourselves go, kissed each other tenderly and enjoyed it thoroughly.

"Bah, grandma, you were right." We jumped apart to see Sarah yelling down the hall. "They're doing it again!"

"Sarah, haven't you heard of knocking?" I asked her and put my hands on my hips, which she immediately followed suit.

"I did, but you apparently didn't hear it. Maybe at some point I'll understand what you adults think is so great about making out," she replied annoyed and we followed her as she went back towards the kitchen. But the thought of a boy kissing Sarah made me mad, though.

"Well, I hope that doesn't happen too soon. You can give it at least another 15 years!" I warned her sternly.

"Sam, she's already 10," Penny reminded me, smiling now.

"I know," I replied, making it clear that the issue was over for me as we entered the kitchen.

"Well, well, well. No men allowed!" Mom shouted to me from the stove. "Please go into the living room with the other gentlemen of creation and be patient. It's your turn tomorrow."

"Mom, you're about to throw me out of my own kitchen," I protested, but I promptly lost this round thanks to a nasty look from my mother. So I decided to really retreat and went to Dad, Charlie and James, who were playing cards in the living room.

"Dad, you're not teaching James to play poker, are you?" I asked him when I realized what they were doing.

"It doesn't hurt if children also master one or two games of chance."

"Remember that gambling is prohibited. So never play with stakes, James."

"Are you a firefighter or a police officer?"

"Give it up, Dad. Sam has become a real moralizer since he became a firefighter. You can't have much fun with him anymore," Charlie chimed in.

"You know full well that I have to lead by example!"

"Oh, do you play poker?" Penny asked as she walked up to us. "I've always enjoyed playing that."

"Well, come and sit down, little one. We'll play a game and see what else you can do," Dad turned to her enthusiastically.

"I actually just came to ask Sam where we can find the dessert bowls," she now turned to me.

"In the tall cabinet at the back on the left. Should I pick you up?" I replied with a grin, as I always liked to use every opportunity to tease her because she was half a head shorter than me.

"Thanks, but I'll manage it." She elbowed me in the side and turned around.

"There are enough chairs in the kitchen if necessary," I couldn't stop myself from saying and she gave me another flashing look. Revenge was sweet, especially Penny's. I was looking forward to it.

Less than 20 minutes later we were allowed to gather at the kitchen table and sat down. This time Sarah sat next to me and immediately turned to me while we were filling our plates.

"Uncle Sam? You always know everything, right?"

"I wouldn't say everything, but a lot of things. What would you like to know, Sarah?"

"What's an Adonis?" she asked and I looked around in surprise as Penny next to me dropped the knife onto her plate with a loud clink. My Mom tried to hold back a laugh and Bronwyn also tried to suppress it with a snort.

"That comes from Greek mythology. Adonis is said to have been a beautiful youth. He is the symbol of a beautiful man."

"Ahhh," Sarah said, putting the first bite into her mouth. I heard Penny breathe a sigh of relief next to me. I gave her a questioning look, which she only acknowledged with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders and also began to eat. "Now I know what Penny meant when Mum asked her what you looked like without anything on," Sarah then threw out as she had swallowed the first bite and everyone started laughing loudly while Penny choked in shock again and reached for her water. Girl talk had never been my thing, but this one made me grin. Who didn't like hearing that the love of their life is pleased about you in every way?!

"Love makes you blind, right?" Charlie teased, grinning.

"You're just jealous," I replied, making a face at him.

"Why should I be jealous of you?"

"Because a raccoon belly is only beautiful as long as it stays hidden under a sweater."

"That's probably why you never go swimming or show off yours anywhere, right?"

"I just don't like to brag," I replied coolly.

"Pah."

"We're welcome to go to the bathroom and I'll show you what I mean in a direct comparison!"

"Stop please!" Penny interjected and we both turned to her. "Do you really have to have this discussion? That's kind of strange."

"Do you want to be a referee?" I replied and Penny looked to my mother for help, but she seemed more interested in her food than in her sons' argument, although her broad grin was certainly not directed at the piece of roast in front of her.

"I certainly don't want that, Sam. You are two grown men. Bronwyn and I love you because of your character and inner values ​​and not because of your looks, especially not because of the shape of your abs!" Damn, she was right and even Charlie looked embarrassed when Bronwyn agreed with Penny.

"It's just like before. I remember catching them when they were comparing who had the bigger..."

"MOM!", Charlie and I immediately interrupted my mother's objection and immediately turned bright red.

"What?" She acted so innocent, but I could see from Penny's face that she knew what my mother was talking about, because she was having a great time when I interpreted her grin correctly.

"It's better if we eat now!" I muttered sullenly and we actually managed five minutes in silence.

"Grandma, Grandpa taught me poker."

"Oh James, that's wonderful. How many times have you won?"

"Not one at all," he replied disappointedly.

"You'll be fine if you practice hard. I couldn't do it either until grandpa taught me and today I win almost every game."

"Do you play for money too? Uncle Sam says it's forbidden."

"No, not for money James. But you can also play for cookies or gummy bears. That's not forbidden."

"Or clothes!" Dad interjected with a grin and I breathed a sigh of relief that the children hadn't noticed that because they were just starting to argue with each other.

"Padrig!" Bronwyn admonished him and pointed at the children with an inconspicuous nod.

"They already know more than you think. Don't act like that. Don't think that they haven't noticed that you're cuddling with each other too!" I held back, grinning. Now Charlie was finally in the crosshairs and I was going to enjoy it.

"Does every conversation with you have to turn in this direction?" Charlie now interjected in protest.

"You didn't complain when it was about your brother."

"He didn't have a love life until then, just a fake one. Ouch, Sam!" Charlie jumped up and looked at me furiously. He was sitting diagonally across from me and I knew that I had kept my legs to myself.

"That wasn't Sam," Penny objected and continued to eat calmly.

"Great. Now it's rubbing off on her," he just grumbled at me as he sat down again.

"If you don't know how to behave otherwise, you better be careful that I don't kick you too," Bronwyn ended the discussion and Charlie turned away from her so that his legs were no longer under the table.

"Penny and I also discussed how we're going to deal with the new situation here. Charlie and Bronwyn can have our bed. The children can sleep on air mattresses or on the couch. I'll get everything ready after dinner." While the children called loudly for the couch, everyone else looked up at me.

"And where do you want to sleep then?" Bronwyn asked surprised.

"We'll go to Penny's Cottage later."

"Sam, this is your house. We certainly won't chase you away from here."

"You don't chase me away, I'm happy to leave it to you."

"You just want to be alone. You tasted blood this morning, didn't you?" Dad interjected.

"If it shortens the discussion, then I agree with you, Dad," I replied simply and saw Penny give me a smile.

"But that you'll be there tomorrow at 8 a.m. for breakfast!"

"At 8 a.m.?!" I interjected in horror and the children also groaned in annoyance.

"Okay, at 9 o'clock. But you bring some rolls with you!"

"Roger that, Mom," I sighed resignedly, at least relieved that this discussion was over so quickly.

After dinner we played Monopoly with the children before I quickly packed a few things, remade our bed for Bronwyn and Charlie and grabbed Penny around half past eleven to run away with her.

It was only a 5 minute drive, but with every meter we got further and further away I found myself relaxing more and more and looking forward to spending time alone with her.

"What do you want with the cards?" I asked Penny, surprised, as we entered the house and she dug them out of a dresser in the hallway.

"Your Dad gave me an idea I'd like to try."

"You want to play strip poker with me?" I replied surprised.

"Why not? Or are you afraid I might be too good?"

"I'm just afraid that I won't be able to get the image out of my head since I know that my parents have already played it," I replied with a groan. "You're definitely not as good as me," I then added with a grin and she waved the cards in front of my face with a meaningful look.

"Then prove it!"

"It's going to be a long night, my angel," I objected and took her in my arms to kiss her, but she pulled away from me.

"We're alone. There's no one here who can throw us out of bed, so?!" she asked and held out the cards to me.

"I give," I replied with a grin and followed her into the bedroom, already impatiently shuffling the cards.

To be continued...