I leave work Thursday with Mia. We are side by side walking to our cars that sit beside each other.

"So I have to ask... what do you think about Blake?" I say, looking sideways to her.

"He's... very handsome" Mia replies "and although I was up for discovering the other team... I can't say his efforts last night weren't in vain"

I look to her with a smile and shake my head. "He hooked you didn't he. My god I'm not sure how my little brother does it. He could charm the birds from the trees"  I say amazed.

"I am still up for being your human shield though, and pretend date" she confirms.

I reach my car and drop my bag down beside it "Good. I may need you for a few more family events. Just don't forget yourself and flirt with Blake at the dinner table. Our family are out there sometimes but we don't partake in partner sharing. We draw the line there" I say teasing.

She smiles. "Do you still want to go to the bar Friday night?" she asks.

We had planned to have our first hunting expedition out on the scene this Friday. I was going to introduce Mia to a few gay bars whilst Annie came into town and took the kids for the weekend. She had missed them, and asked if she could have a weekend of which of course I agreed because they missed her too. I had always been happy to share them regularly like this. I had just wanted them to be settled in one spot, and it would be much easier now that Annie was moving to Arizona for longer periods of time. This weekend she would show them her new home, an apartment in phoenix.

"Yes most definitely. I need to meet women. I need someone who is happy to take my mind off of my crappy life for five minutes... but do you still want to go?! I mean now you have flirty eyes for Blake?" I ask.

She smiles "Yes I still want to go... to help you. Plus...I'm still interested in exploring myself. I mean I liked Blake but I don't even know him. I'm not closed off to dating. I'm ready to mingle" she confesses.

I pick back up my bag and take out my car keys "okay...it's a date" I say playfully.

She walks to her cars drivers side and looks to me over the hood "a date" she confirms with a wink, and we wave and get into our cars before exiting the school lot for another day.

***
I place the last of the dinner serving plates down on the table and the kids all reach into the middle taking food.  A bread roll, a slice of meatloaf and mashed potato with green beans and carrots.

"So, how is everyone's first week back at school going?" I ask.

Gage lights up, his fork is covered in mashed potato's. "Good mom... i love my new teacher"

"I don't love mine" Asher interjects.

I look to him with a slight frown "why" I ask.

He chews on his meatloaf, swallowing it before answering "she is really strict"

I take a sip of water and look to him "well some teachers are. Some have to be, to get you guys to focus and learn. I'm sure you will get used to her"

He shrugs what I say off, and I look to Jamie at the other end of the table who is ignoring us and trying to pretend she's not looking at her phone that's hidden under her plate. I clear my throat to get her attention and her eyes snap back up to me "no phone at the dinner table" I remind her.

She sighs dramatically and pushes it into her pocket "fine" she says.

"How has your week been my girl" I ask.

She looks up casually "fine" she begins "I like our new schedule. It's much better, no more calculus of a Monday morning, and gym is now at the end of the day so I can just leave and come home to shower"

"That sounds great" I return, and then we all look sideways to the sound of the door bell. I stand up and walk through the kitchen and out into the hallway, checking the security screen.

"Teddy" I say with confusion, and I open the door to an unamused expression on the dimple poppers face "oh look...you are quite alive" she says sarcastically as she steps inside.

I shut the door. "And you are mad about that" I ask.

She looks to me like I'm about ten, hands on hips. "Morgan I've been trying to reach you for weeks ... Why won't you take my calls" she asks.

I roll my eyes "Teddy I texted back" I reply "it's not as if you didn't hear from me"

"You are family Morgan, family needs to know you are okay, and one word replies was not making me feel better. I worry about you"

I reach out squeeze her arm "I'm sorry I worried you" I confess regretfully. "I never meant to" I add.

"Ted" I ask frowning "why the hell are you in Arizona... it's a long way to come to check on me"

Teddy shirks her leather jacket down her shoulders and drapes it over her arm revealing her strong and well defined biceps. "We are moving to the West coast in six weeks" she announces with a beaming smile.

I excitedly swipe her arm "no way" I say squealing "where" I ask.

"We found a house in Oregon... I'm going to be playing for the Portland Fire, they are back in the league. So, we are finally returning home... and I had to come back and sign some paperwork before we move so I decided to take a little detour and find out if my Morg was still alive and kicking" she says looking to me with an accusatory stare "and also... to see if you needed a hug or for me to fight someone for you. I know I am friends with Leah but if you need me to... I would take her down... you know that right? That I love you and want you to be happy... and I'm here for you"

I reach out and hug her tightly, her dark curls falling over me "I love you too Ted... and yes I need a hug... god I missed you" I say releasing her eventually.

"Aunty Teddy" Jamie calls as she comes to find out where I went.

"Hey Jameson" Teddy says reaching out to hug her. "I came by to see you guys I haven't seen this house yet and I missed my Keaton- Bonettis"

"Are you staying over" Jamie asks excitedly.

They both look to me as Teddy raises her eyebrows "what do you think Morg... do you have a guest room for a little over night guest" she asks.

I can't help but laugh at their pleading stares and I nod "of course I do..."

"Yes" Jamie says thrilled "then Aunty Teddy can take me to school in the morning... my friends will not believe it"

I look to Teddy "only if she has time Jameson" I remind her.

Teddy places her arm around Jamesons shoulders "of course I will" she says.

It felt nice to have Teddy here, a friendly face that knew me well, and an ear. She was someone who knew both Leah and I, and someone I could talk this all through with without the judgement. Teddy was always honest and always fair. I should have called Teddy sooner. I just didn't want to bother her, she had a busy life and a young family to keep up with.

***

Teddy helped me with the night routine with the kids and when they finally got over the excitement of her being here they fell asleep. I had to admit, Teddy's story telling with the boys was much more animated and fun than mine. I would have to up my game tomorrow night to seem even slightly good in comparison.

"You obviously read Wren and Olympia a lot of stories because your story telling back there will never be topped" I say taking the seat out back beside Teddy.

She looks up amused as we sit beside the fire pit with blankets on our laps. The night sky above us. I glance up momentarily but feel the familiar tug, because I knew if I looked up I would still see Leah there, and I didn't want her to be.

"Wren has me read five a night but I must admit I'm excited for her to move onto novels. I can't wait to dig into some adventure with her" she says wrapping her arms around her knees as she scoops them up and returns her attention to me "Morgan what happened with Leah" she asks.

I shrug "your guess is as good as mine" I return.

She shakes her head "I can't understand any of it" Teddy begins, and she looks up to the stars overhead and searches her mind for the answer as if the gods above would grant it like a wish, something I have often tried to conjure from the skies above, answers.

"I went to her home town right after" I confess.

Teddy looks sideways to me "you did" she asks.

I sip my warm tea and nurse the cup in between my hands "I did... and I shouldn't have gone... it was bad" I say wincing at the thought of it.

"Tell me" Teddy asks.

I lick my lips trying to moisten them, suddenly feeling as if my words are lost. The truth was they were reluctant, not lost, reluctant to voice the painful truth. Leah was with Spencer.

"Her momma was lovely" I say smiling thinking of her, perhaps the only thing from that visit that I had felt any warmth about, meeting Leah's mom.

"Sadie" Teddy muses with a smile "I've met her at games and shared a meal together a couple times with Leah... she's a gorgeous soul isn't she"

"Just as I thought Leah was too, in-fact meeting her mom and seeing the town, it was all making me feel as if I would find her and she would be so remorseful and the entire thing would end up being a mistake or something. I didn't think she could ever hurt me Teddy... Leah's energy was never dark... not like..." and I trail off because I didn't want to discuss Annie today.

Teddy didn't know the half of it with Annie. I had never revealed how bad it was at times, mostly because I didn't want to believe it myself. Annie always made me feel a little as if I was going insane and it was me, but also secondly because Teddy was protective, you couldn't reveal something like that to her, that someone had hurt me. She would have ended up in a battle with her and I didn't want that, for anyone else to be affected by my life.

"What happened did you meet up with her" Teddy asked.

I turn to her and shake my head "no" I reveal "I saw her best friend"

"Joplin" Teddy asks.

I nod "yes ... apparently Leah is now seeing Spencer her high school crush and friend" I state, and it's like the tip of a knife pushes slowly against my flesh, a searing pain following.

Teddy frowns "I'm sorry ... what?!" She says angering.

I take a large breath "yes my thoughts exactly"

"I've met Spencer. She came to a couple games with Joplin... there was no chemistry there at all... I would have noticed" she says looking completely confused by this news and angry if it was true. "Morgan ... I can't believe it"

I raise my eyebrows "I didn't either but why would Joplin lie to me" I ask.

Teddy's eyebrows knit together "I don't know but this whole thing gets more weird. Morgan I feel awful for ever introducing you to Leah but I swear to god she is a good person with a huge heart, otherwise I would never have let you fall for her... at-least I thought she was... I'm so sorry" Teddy apologises, leaning against me and wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

"Have you seen her or heard from her since new year" I ask.

Teddy shakes her head "she's hiding from me"

"She knows I will have her for this... she's let me down, and she's hurt my friend. You're my family. She knows she's not in my good books"

"I unfollowed and blocked her on everything... has she put Spencer on her social media yet" I ask, not wanting to know the answer but needing to. It may help me to move on.

Teddy takes her phone and finds Leah, she scrolls along "no nothing... she's not uploaded on here since Christmas"

I sit with that news and wonder if that's a good or bad thing. Perhaps she was so busy falling in love with Spencer and had no time to be online.

"Talking of social media... who is this Mia on yours" Teddy asks, and she scrolls along to my account and to the photo of Mia tagged with me sat on the bleachers at school. Her arm is wrapped around my shoulder, and we are both smiling into the camera "schools back in session bestie"  Teddy reads the caption.

I smile as I look down to it "Mia is my colleague and good friend" I reveal.

Teddy widens her eyes "a gay friend... one wonders" she asks playfully.

I laugh as she wiggles her eyebrows "bi curious I would say ... and very much the object of Blake's affections... not mine" I confess.

Teddy rolls her eyes back "You did not let Blake near this beautiful woman. My goodness Morgan that was an error in judgement" Teddy announces, and it's true, it kind of was.

"I had to take her to moms for Lydia's birthday as a pretend date because I didn't want to be hounded with questions of Leah" I confess.

Teddy looks amused but then remembers this isn't a fun subject. "So you took your queer colleague as a date to your parents... and you don't think this will go anywhere" she asks.

I confidently shake my head "not with me Teddy... she's just a friend. Blake though is besotted and has already text me today asking for her number. He's trying to find out if she liked him too"

"Well this about to get damn messy when your family all thinks Mia is yours and she becomes Blake's instead"

"I know it" I reply.