Shannon was right there at the agreed time and she was wearing the same type of outfit she wore last Sunday. She had a smile on her face and appeared ...o be very happy this morning. She could smell the coffee perking and helped herself to a cup. Matt offered her some smoked salmon on a bagel with cream cheese and she accepted. He thought she presented a very interesting picture of a beautiful woman enjoying herself when she was eating."I am sorry I couldn't go out with you last night. It was my. " rationalised Steven, evenas his rationale began to seem more like delusion. Steven slipped on hisshoes and before he could even lace one up he realized that his toes werenowhere near the tip of the sneaker, it was like a child borrowing shoesfrom their parent. Steven tried to walk feeling them flop around on hisfeet. "This is ridiculous, how far they are willing to go for a prank"said Steven lamenting his terrible luck. As he reached for the doorknobhe was smacked with undeniable proof; his. He was having a nightmare, and I could only guess how bad it was by thescreaming...Not being sure what to do, I slipped into the bed and held him, andeventually he calmed down.Then he called me "mom."He obviously wasn't awake when he said it, but still, it hit me hard.I can't have kids, so I figured I would never be called "mom" in thislifetime.But his calling me that felt darn good...I woke before he did, so went to the main room of the cabin to slip backinto my clothes, as I had gone to sleep. . oooooohh, I need it so bad!"Mindy felt all the tension leaving her body. It had been a bit scary there at first, but now that they'd 'persuaded' Mom into joining their family fun, they were safe... or so she thought. None of them had the faintest idea that at that very moment, their father was about to make an entrance of his own.Ben Masters had planned a big surprise for his family that Friday afternoon. He'd just gotten a promotion and a raise, and he intended to celebrate by taking them.