Chapter 6- The Box Marked Things

Dawn's POV "Found it!" Three heads turned toward me. Grant looked relieved. Chelsea looked suspicious. And Bull? Well, Bull just looked entertained. "Where?" Grant asked. "In a box." He stared at me. I smiled. "You're welcome." "Dawn." "Grant." "Which box?" I waved my hand toward the hallway. "The one marked Things." Silence. Complete and utter silence. Then Chelsea started laughing. Grant slowly closed his eyes. Bull tilted his head. "Things?" "Yep." "As in... things?" "That's generally what the word means, sweetheart." His lips twitched. Grant rubbed both hands down his face. "Please tell me you're joking." "Why would I joke about something as serious as furniture hardware?" Chelsea was practically wheezing. "Oh, my God! You actually labeled a box Things?" I folded my arms. "Listen, when you've spent days packing an entire house. "While dealing with two children, a dog, and approximately seven thousand other responsibilities. "Eventually you run out of creative names for boxes." Bull chuckled. "Fair enough." "Thank you!" Grant pointed toward the hallway. "Where's this magical box?" "Garage." "Of course it is." I followed the men downstairs, Chelsea trailing behind us. "Don't worry," I assured them. "I know exactly where it is." Bull glanced over his shoulder. "That supposed to make me feel better?" "Absolutely." "Somehow, it doesn't." Rude. ......................... Ten minutes later, we stood in the garage. Surrounded by boxes. Lots of boxes. Grant looked around. "Well?" I frowned. "What?" "Where's the box?" I gestured vaguely toward the far wall. "Over there." Bull walked toward the stack. "Which one?" "The one marked Things." He turned a box around. KITCHEN. Another. BATHROOM. Another. MISC. Then he stopped. Slowly, he looked at me. "Lady." "What?" He pointed. I leaned around him. There it was. Written across the cardboard in thick black marker. THINGS. I grinned. "See? Told you." Bull shook his head. "You're somethin' else." "So I've heard." Grant grabbed the box and carried it toward the workbench. "Let's just find the hardware before I lose my mind." He opened it. And stared. Chelsea leaned over his shoulder. Then started laughing again. "Oh, Dawn!" I frowned. "What now?" Grant reached inside and pulled out a roll of duct tape. Then a Christmas ornament. A measuring spoon. Three batteries. A screwdriver. And what appeared to be a single sock. Bull picked up the sock. "Missing its partner?" "Apparently." He examined it. "Why's it in here?" I shrugged. "Because it was a thing." Chelsea nearly fell over. Grant dropped his head. "Jesus Christ." "What? It's accurately labeled!" Bull laughed so hard his shoulders shook. Then he reached deeper into the box. A moment later, he pulled out a plastic bag filled with bolts and brackets. "These?" I pointed triumphantly. "YES!" Grant snatched the bag. "Thank God." I smiled sweetly. "You're welcome." He stared at me. "For what?" "Knowing where everything is." Bull started laughing again. ............................. An hour later, my bed was finally assembled. My beautiful, enormous, ridiculously heavy bed. I stood in the doorway admiring it. "Well, would you look at that." Grant tightened the last bolt. "There. Done." I clasped my hands together. "Oh, you wonderful, magnificent men!" Bull stood and stretched his back. "Glad you're happy." "Happy? Sweetheart, I'm ecstatic! "I get to sleep in an actual bed tonight instead of feeling like I'm camping in my own house." Chelsea leaned against the doorframe. "You're welcome, Punkin." I looked at her. "For what?" "For bringing the muscle." "Ah, yes. Your contribution was invaluable." She flipped me off. I blew her a kiss. Grant chuckled as he gathered his tools. "Anything else before we head out?" I froze. Oh. Right. There was one more thing. "Actually..." Grant stopped. Bull slowly turned his head. Chelsea grinned. I gave them my sweetest smile. "Since you're already here..." Grant groaned. "Oh, hell." "Would you mind helping me put Ana's bed together?" Silence. Bull looked toward the hallway. "Another bed?" "Technically." Grant narrowed his eyes. "What does technically mean?" I waved my hand. "Oh, it's nothing like mine." Chelsea suddenly looked interested. "Wait. Is this the new one you ordered?" "Yep!" Her eyes widened. "Oh, Grant, you have to see this thing!" Grant looked between us. "What thing?" I grinned. "Come on. I'll show you." ............................. Ana's bedroom was down the hallway. I'd already unpacked most of her belongings, arranging her favorite toys, blankets, and books where she could easily find them. Keeping things familiar was important, especially with so many changes happening around her. Her room was bright and cheerful, with plenty of space for her to play. And sitting against one wall were several enormous unopened boxes. Grant stopped in the doorway. Bull stepped beside him. Both men stared. "What the hell is that?" Grant asked. I smiled proudly. "A bed." Bull looked at the boxes. Then at me. "Another fortress?" "Better." Chelsea giggled. I walked over and tapped one of the boxes. "It's a loft bed." Grant nodded slowly. "Okay." "Five feet off the ground." His eyebrows rose. "Five feet?" "Yep." "Why?" I grinned. "Because it has a slide." Bull blinked. "A slide?" "And monkey bars underneath!" Grant stared at me. I beamed. "Isn't it awesome?" Bull looked toward Chelsea. Chelsea was already laughing. Grant rubbed his forehead. "Dawn." "What?" "You bought your six-year-old a bed that's five feet in the air, with a slide and monkey bars?" "Yes." "Why?" I stared at him. "Because she's my little parkour child." Bull's eyebrows rose. "Your what?" "Parkour child." He looked confused. I sighed. "Okay. Imagine a tiny redheaded tornado who believes furniture exists solely for climbing purposes." Chelsea nodded enthusiastically. "That's Ana." "Exactly!" I pointed at her. "This child climbs everything. Couches, chairs, tables, playground equipment. "If there's something she can climb, she's going to figure out how to get on top of it." Bull looked around the room. "So you bought her something to climb?" "Precisely." Grant scratched his head. "Wouldn't it be easier to get her a regular bed?" I shook my head. "Ana loves climbing. She loves moving. And she absolutely adores slides." I glanced toward the boxes. "I wanted her to have something special in her new room. Something she'd be excited about." Chelsea smiled. "She's going to lose her little mind when she sees it." "I know!" Bull studied the picture on the box. "Looks like a whole damn playground." "Pretty much." He nodded toward the unopened cartons. "How long's this supposed to take?" I hesitated. Grant immediately noticed. "Dawn." "What?" "How long?" I gave him an innocent smile. "According to the instructions..." Bull crossed his arms. "Yeah?" "Approximately three hours." Grant stared at me. Chelsea covered her mouth. Bull slowly looked toward the ceiling. "Three hours?" "Give or take." Grant shook his head. "You really know how to ask for a small favor, don't you?" I clasped my hands together. "Please?" He looked at me. Then at the boxes. Then back at me. Finally, he sighed. "Fine." I squealed. "THANK YOU!" Bull chuckled. "Guess we're building a playground." "An indoor playground," I corrected. "Right." I hurried toward the boxes. "Oh! And don't worry. I know exactly where the instructions are." Grant froze. Bull stopped smiling. Chelsea burst out laughing. Grant slowly turned toward me. "Dawn." I blinked. "What?" "Please tell me they're in the box." I smiled. "Of course they are!" He visibly relaxed. "Thank God." I reached for the nearest carton. "Well, unless I put them in the box marked Things." Bull threw his head back and laughed. Grant groaned. Chelsea nearly doubled over. And me? I just smiled. Because honestly, what was the point of having friends if you couldn't occasionally drive them completely insane?