Harper POV.

It's been a week since I went out with Steph and the other girls. Meri insists on being over at the Fullers' when I'm at work or busy. She loves it there ever since that night. She's not as sad as she was about Alex and Nicky being away, and about Maddy being at work most of the time. She loves watching Tommy with Steph, and she loves playing with Jackson and Ramona, and is even starting to help clean with Max and DJ. She's in good hands. So why am I worrying about her as I am walking down the city sidewalk, on my way to meet Bob and some old friends of mine? Because that's just what I do. I make my way into the small cafe and find only Bob, sitting at a small table by a window, our friends must have been busy today.

"Hey Bob." I greet with a smile as I sit across from him.

"Hey Harp. How's the two rascals?" He asks, stirring his coffee.

"Meri and Cadence are fine." I tell him with a smile.

"I meant Maddy and Cadence." He says softly. "Kidding."

"Haha. You're always kidding about them. I shouldn't be surprised."

"Eh, you love the way I am, Love." He says in his fake British accent.

"Mmmm..." I hum as I take his coffee and drink it. He chuckles before ordering another. "Mmmm, lots of sugar, you were expecting me to take your coffee today, weren't you, Mr. Bob Stone?"

"You caught me red handed." He holds his hands up. "Don't look now, but I think we're being tagged." He says in a quiet whisper.

"Really?" I whisper back, glancing over my shoulder, acting like I was searching for a waitress. "Oh, maybe we should order now?" I suggest, loud enough for our follower to hear me as I look at the menu.

"No, I think I know a better place we can go to, Yeah?" He acts before standing up and holding a hand out to me. "C'mon, Love."

"Alright." I take his hand and he leads us through the crowded streets before we make it to the almost barren park nearby. "Think we're still tagged?"

"There's the guy now." He nods his head to a man who's just walking into the park. He's wearing a hoodie, but I recognize the hoodie and his shoes.

"Let's go to the Fullers', Maddie would want to see her uncle Bob."

"Alright." He nods and we walk the city streets, heading to the Fullers'. "Do you know that guy or something? Cause normally you wouldn't lead a strange stalker to where you and your loved ones live."

"Oh, come on, Bob, I got you to protect me and my family." I nudge his shoulder, or try to, due to our height gap. "Yeah, I know him."

"Knew it." He says before we walk into the Fuller house, making everyone freeze what they were doing in the living room, surprised we hadn't knocked. Jackson, Ramona and Steph were sitting on the couch with Tommy and Cadence, Cosmo was laying under the table, Max and Meri were dusting the shelves with DJ and Kimmi helping with the higher shelves. "I feel like I've walked into a house full of those angels from Dr. Who. Don't blink, Harper, they'll come closer and turn us to stone or something."

"Uncle Bob!" Meri cheered, the first to move from the frozen state.

"Princess Merida!" He cheers, lifting her up and tossing her in the air before placing her on his hip and placing a kiss to her red hair. "Where's your crown, Princess? I thought you liked wearing them?"

"Silly Bobby! Merida doesn't wear crowns!" The little girl giggles.

"But what happened to the crown I gave you for your birthday?" He pouts jokingly, his eyes latched onto her giggling freckles face.

"I don't want to ruin it! Momma helped me put it up so I can look and touch it every day I want!" Meri cheers, leaning in my direction causing her to lean towards the ground if Bob hadn't been as strong as he is, keeping her from falling till I take her. "Hi Momma!"

"Hi baby." I kiss her cheeks before setting her down as the other kids rush to hug me and Steph, Kimmi and DJ stand by, monitoring Bob. "Guys, this is my close friend, Bob Stone. Bob, this is DJ, Stephanie, Kimmi, DJ's three boys, Jackson, Max and Tommy, and Kimmi's daughter Ramona."

"It's wonderful to meet you all." He says, shaking hands with them all, even as Meri latches onto his right leg, expecting him to walk with her on it. He does with little struggle, walking around with the giggling red haired princess, Max soon joining with Bob's insisting offers.

"Sorry we came unannounced. Someone had been following us from the cafe we were meeting at with some other friends who didn't show. We led him to a secluded park before I realized who it was, then came here so Meri could see Bob." I explain to the three woman who still stare at Bob.

"And is Bob..." Steph trails off, leaving an obvious suggestion.

"No. He's just a really close friend. When I had finished highschool, he had disappeared before showing up a couple years ago as a bodyguard on my tour, we've been close friends ever since, completely a brother-sister platonic love between us." I assure the blonde woman who smiles fondly.

"Good. Wouldn't want a certain someone to misread your relationship." Kimmi nudges me from my right as DJ takes my left side.

"It's... safe for the kids to be around him, right?" DJ asks softly, watching as Bob holds his strong, muscle-clad arms out as Ramona and Jackson hand from them like monkeys as Meri and Max stay glued to his legs as he walks this way and that around the living room.

"Completely. He may look like a big, burly, menacingly looking man, but really he's a big, soft, cuddly and friendly teddy bear. Especially around kids of all ages." I assure the two mothers and aunt. DJ sighs, relieved.

"Hahahaha!" Bob laughed as the two older kids start swinging softly, legs tucked upward so as not to kick the younger of the four or break anything.

"Okay kids, let's all settle down and get ready for lunch, Yeah?" I offer, Jackson and Ramona nod, hopping down as Max gets up, dusting his sweater vest off. Meri laughs as Bob picks her off his leg and tickles her as she lays like a baby in one arm with his other tickling her. "Bob, you too."

"Yes, Harper." Bob says dejectedly. "Hey, you two play football?"

"No."

"Yes!!!"

Max and Jackson say in unison, Jackson getting exited.

"Do you have a ball we can toss, Mrs. Fuller?" He asks politely to DJ.

"Oh! Uh, Jackson has one in his and Max's room." She nods as Jackson runs to get his football upstairs.