Burnin' Love (1)

Derailed

♣️Season 2, Episode 7♣️

Nicole picks Ember up from her crib before heading downstairs, hearing a bunch of shouting, "What are those crazy boys up to? Hmm? Do you know, Emmy?"

Ember stares, wide-eyed, up at her mother before saying, "Aughw."

"Oh, yeah?" Nicole smiles, walking into the living room to see Griffin toss a football to Matt and as a result, Matt flip over the back of the couch.

Matt pops up, football in hand, "Touchdown!"

The Darden boys began cheering, Ember yelling along with them, not really making words.

In his excitement, Matt knocks over a glass on the table next to him causing Ben to say, "Broken glass- flag on play."

"Hey, no way. That was a touchdown," Matt argues, smiling, before noticing Nicole, "Oh, hey."

"Hey."

"We were, uh, just cleaning," Matt tells his fiancee.

"Really? With a football?" Nicole asks, walking through the living room to set Ember in her play pen before going to get a broom.

Ben teases, "Ooh, busted."

Matt holds the football up, "Hey, my house, I decide who's busted," He then throws a football to Ben but hits his army guy toy, "Oh, Ben, I'm sorry. Wait. Hold on," He rushes to pick it up, "Let me look. Maybe it's a sign GI Joe goes in retirement-"

"No!" Ben yells, making a grab for the toy.

"Okay, wait," Matt stops him from pulling away, "Nicole sees this kind of thing everyday. If you guys do the dishes, then she'll get him back in fighting shape. What do you say? Oh-kay."

As the boys go do the dishes, Nicole looks to Matt, "Your house, huh?"

Matt shrugs, pretending to look bashful as he wraps his arms around her, "My house, our house, either way, I wasn't busted."

"Oh, you totally were."

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Nicole sits at the kitchen table as she starts glueing GI Joe together, "You three are making quite the team."

"Yeah," He smiles, "But all five of us make a better one. Which reminds me," Matt grabs a brochure from a cabinet, "Cabin on Lake Carroll. Two days pulling large-mouth out of crystal clear water."

"Oh, man, they are going to love that. So will you," Nicole says, looking over to Ember as she starts to fuss.

"Yes, I will," Matt kisses the top of her head as he moves by her to pick up his daughter, "And someday, I'll take Em out with us. Fishing and swimming and all the fun outdoors stuff that you hate."

Nicole rolls her eyes, "I don't hate it. I just hate that Benny chose doing that stuff without me. He always invited Kelly right in front of me and then walked right past me like I didn't exist. I'm just glad that Ember has a dad who wants to do those things with her."

Matt smiles at his daughter, kissing the spot between her shoulders and cheek that makes her laugh, "Me too."

His phone starts to ring, "Hey."

Looking to Nicole, he listens to what the person on the other line says before calling for the boys into the room where he puts the phone on speaker, "Boys, I'm coming home," Heather Darden says.

"What?" 

"Really?"

Ben looks to his older brother, excited, "Mom's coming home!"