Tales From The Baker Family

I could hear someone playing the piano. I rolled over and discovered Briley was not in the same bed as me. I sat up and examined the room. It was spotless. Briley had organized it while I was sleeping. I climbed out of the warm bed and wrapped myself up in her blanket.

I walked down the hall. Everyone else must've been sleeping. I walked down the stairs and towards the pretty sound. She was sitting and playing. Her headphones were in and she was smiling. I sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace. It was warm.

I watched her. She looked so serious. Then she discovered I was here.

"Good morning. I figured I'd let you sleep," she turned and faced me.

"I got lonely," she moved on the floor and towards me.

She kissed my cheek.

"Cuddle on the couch?" I smiled and took her hands.

She turned on the TV and put it on some random channel. It was cartoons.

"Courgae," she laid down and motioned for me to lay on her.

I laid my head on her stomach and wrapped my arms around her. She ran her fingers through my hair.

"I have a question," I looked up at her.

"What's up?" I responded.

"What was it like without me?" I saw a distance in her eyes.

"Waking up and not having you to hold when I'm upset was like the worst feeling ever. Slim and Dubo all had girls they were talking to and all I wanted was you," she cupped my face.

"I would go to sleep some nights and think about us. When I'd help out at the coffee shop, I'd go and try to talk to people to keep my mind off of it. Then one lady caught me in my act. She was elderly. She looked at me and she was like I know your running from something. Is it an old boyfriend? I told her that it was. She asked me a few questions and made it plain that I still had feelings for you. She was obviously right when I started showing her pictures and some video clips I had," I snuggled back into her tummy.

"Interviewers would hound me about it. The first month all of my questions were around you. I remember getting asked one that like I had to walk away from. She asked me what is your biggest influence and why. When I said Briley she was asked me is she here tonight? I looked at her and like you could see that I was ready to snap. Then the next interviewer asked me do I have anyone special that I go home to, like a girlfriend. I knew instantly I wanted to say yeah I do, but I shook my head and looked down. She and I ended up talking a lot. Most of it was about you and her ex who walked out on her. We became pretty good friends, then she ended up in the hospital and I haven't talked to her since," she wrapped the blanket tighter around us.

"Keisha always had me updated on you. She scared me though. Slim called me from her phone. They thought you killed yourself. I cried and cried for hours. I sat my car for almost two and a half hours before Marcus came home. He asked me what wrong and I lied straight to his face. He tried getting into my pants and I told him no and made up some story that I was a virgin waiting for marriage. He believed it, that's what's so fucking funny," she giggled.

"Every girl I saw was you. Whether or not they looked like you or not. They just couldn't make me feel it. I couldn't even sleep with a big boobie girl. I told her what was up and she smiled and said you were lucky. I spent that whole night in my bunk, snuggling your pillow," I felt tears welling up.

I wrapped my arms tighter around her. She kissed my head and moved down so she could make herself more comfortable. She started humming.

"You sleep like a baby jackass now," I looked up at her.

"I have nightmares. They freak me out and I feel like your not there," she kissed me.

"I'm always there," she smiled.

"You weren't this morning," I nudged her hand with my nose.

"I had to pee and you were sleeping so peacefully," she kissed my nose.

"Positive?" she laughed.

"Yeah I am."

I snuggled back against her warm body and closed my eyes.

-Briley's POV-

I heard footsteps creeping down the stairs. Colson had fallen asleep. My mom walked in. She was in her pink jammie pants and her white t-shirt.

"Morning," she sat in her recliner.

"Hello," I looked at her.

"You two are comfortable," she winked.

"Morning conversations," I giggled.

She gave me a look that said she thought otherwise.

"We had a serious conversation. We have them very frequently. He's actually sleeping," I kissed his hands.

"He hasn't been sleeping?" she had a sly grin.

"It's not like that mom. Stress is taking a toll on us both. I've been off and on sick. He's been in and out of the studio. We haven't had much sexy time," I watched his face crease.

"He's quite talkative," she took the remote and put it on some lovey dovey movie.

"He's always talkative. He's been tired and mad. Ever since an interviewer upset him. She had said something about why would he be with me after I hurt him and he's actually looked at her and walked away from the interview," his grip around my hips tightened.

"God you're loud," he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he grinned.

He looked at me and laid back down.

"I heard you two did an interview together and people went nuts over it," I looked at my mom.

"What happened?" Colson's eyes went bright.

"We got asked what was the sex like. Briley decided to go detailed. She was like we have a wild and insane sex life. We are like pornstars. I'm laughing my ass off and she's having so much fun," I giggled.

"Oh no. The questions were dirty. He got asked what was the weirdest thing we've ever done by ourselves. He straight up said we've messed around in bathrooms and more. We got asked about the video of my twenty-first and he straight up said she had my dick so fucking hard I thought it was going to like... Yeah. We have the most entertaining interviews together," my mom's eyes were wide.

"I'm curious now. What is the wildest thing you two have done?" Colson looked at me.

"Got smashed and like completely made asses out of ourselves. It was right after we got back together. Well... The best thing about it was she got on a table and like strip teased and I decided to act like a complete horn dog and join her. This was all on stage one of my shows. She was so gone!" he was laughing.

"Your laugh cracks me up boo," he kissed me.

"I swear. My daughter can pick them. At least I like this one," I smiled at her.

"I picked her. That damn white dress and that devilish smile!" he started tickling me.

"You love me," he nodded and snuggled back under the blankets.

"I do," he bit my side.

"Dick! Ow!" I flipped him off.

"Bitch!" he straddled me and pinned my arms above my head.

My mom had slipped down to the video holder. I giggled and licked his nose. He was smiling.

"I love you Briley," he kissed my forehead.

"I love you too Kells," I winked.

"No lovey shit on my couch!" Max hopped over and sat on Colson and made him crush me.

I squeezed out from underneath the boys. I stared at them and started laughing.

"Today we set up the tree in the family room!" I followed my mom to the room with the fireplace and piano.

The tree container was thrown and the tree parts were out and splayed on the floor. I grabbed the base and sat it down on the floor. I noticed a book sitting next to the fire place. 'Colson and Briley's Love' was on the cover. I opened it to the first page.

'Colson and Briley and their first encounter'. There was a picture of him smiling at me while I was playing the piano. The bottom picture was of him and I on the tour bus making stupid faces at each other. There were hearts everywhere. I turned the page.

'Love is hard' was the title. It was a picture of Colson and I. They were separate pictures and they had dates. It was the day we stopped talking. I started to tear up.

I skimmed through the pages. They were filled with quotes. I got to one. It was my wedding day. It was Colson and I standing together, smiling at each other. 'What's a soulmate?' was the title. 'It's waking up and knowing that she will smile when she sees me. It's waking up and knowing I lived another night to kiss her and hold her. I love knowing that Briley gets up before me and watches me sleep. You would be shocked at all of the hate she gets, but she always brushes it off like dust. She changed me. She showed me that it's okay to be hyper, drunk and fun. She also taught me to love and be happy. She makes my heart pound and my stomach get all fluttery and shit. Her fucking attitude is so addictive. She's like heroin to me. She knows it too. When I made that reference she smacked the shit out of me, but I still kissed her. When she left, it was like a part of me ripped away. When she came back I cried that whole night because I was so fucking happy and shit. I love her.' it was by Colson in his hand writing.

"Colson!" I yelled for him.

I turned the page. It was a picture of him on the stage proposing to me. 'Love is happiness. Love is real. Love is the Baker Family.' He sat down next to me.

"Sam and I started this when I met him. It was his idea. He interviewed me on love for a school project. This is what I turned it into. Your mom got pictures and Sam gave me dates. I made the quotes," I kissed him.

There was no lust involved. It was a loving, passionate kiss. I felt my heart want to fly out of my chest and sparks fly.

"This is incredible," I wiped my eyes.

"I wanted you back so bad that I made it," I grinned.

"I would've taken you back so fast baby," I hugged him.

"That's what Sam said. He was like Briley loves you and she knows it. This is her denial," I watched his eyes gloss over.

In the corner of the room, you could see my mom with a camera taking pictures and possible recording a video. In my heart, I knew I was in love and ready to keep fighting it. I loved Colson Baker and he loved me.