The Wood Family Legacy

Theodore heads over to visit Alexandria, who’s living with her father Beau (you readers may remember Delaney meeting him at the pool) and her son Brant. He has decided to move ahead with their relationship whether Alex is evil or not, and Brant takes a liking to him almost immediately.

Beau, on the other hand, does not. He sets into a speech about Brant and seems to feel that Theodore is overstepping his bounds. Alex looks on with an evily pleased grin as Theo deflates, disappointed. Oh well, it’s not Beau’s life. Theodore decides he isn’t going anywhere.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the triplets dive in to some new hobbies to try better to distinguish themselves. Miranda buys a guitar with her allowance and begins to practice in the front yard. No shame, there!

Madeline follows in her mom’s footsteps and tends the garden, enjoying being outside and basking in the sun.

And Mallory begins to watch Cooking Cable religiously, hoping to learn all she can about the culinary arts. Meanwhile, Theodore has some other ambitions on his mind.

Theo invites Alexandria home. She graciously accepts the invitation and leaves Brant with Beau. Once back in Theodore’s room, things get steamy. This time, she doesn’t deny his advances.

For some reason, Alexandria traipses downstairs in her underwear – what, does she think she owns the place? Evangeline is on her immediately, calling her trash and telling her she doesn’t deserve Theodore. They get into a fight again, and Alex leaves without saying goodbye to her boyfriend.

The next day, Theodore works through a book his boss gave him. An elderly Hank Goddard (another one of Delaney’s past conquests) watches on with pride.

Miranda brings a friend home from school and spends hours talking with him. They seem to be somewhat compatible, but Miranda also wants to focus on her guitar. Might be too soon for a relationship. Luckily, Delaney doesn’t interview him.

Evangeline decides to sleep on a bench outside of the school that evening, tired of going home every night and getting into fights with people. She doesn’t think she ever wants to go home again. Soon she decides to shatter curfew, and heads out of town.

Evangeline runs and runs until she can barely run anymore, all the way to the Recurve Strand. She’s completely exhausted, but for once she also feels completely free. She doesn’t think she’ll ever go home again.

Evangeline stays at the Strand until the sky begins to lighten. Only then does she head on her way. She doesn’t know where she wants to go, but she knows it isn’t home. Too bad she sees the cop that had been waiting for her all night as she rounds the corner.

Evangeline is taken home against her will. In the cruiser, she contemplates her life. She doesn’t know why she feels so unsettled, why she feels the need to act out. She doesn’t know why she feels so much hatred towards everyone. But she does know one thing – Delaney isn’t going to be happy about repeating this situation, not at all.

Delaney and Evangeline look at each other for a long time in silence after she gets home. Evangeline has never seen her mother so angry. It almost gives her a bit of smug satisfaction.

The argument escalates until Delaney is fuming. Evangeline’s hard nature wavers for a moment and she seems, for once, almost vulnerable. Still, she can’t help herself, and continues the fight. She brings it inside the house, where she makes sure to push all of her mother’s buttons, hitting her where it hurts. This time, Delaney hits back.

Evangeline gets the slap she deserves after the language she’s thrown at her mother, but goes to bed unashamed.

The next day, Gage decides to stay after work and get some fishing in. I wouldn’t trust what he find in that water. Could be a disaster! Speaking of disasters, here is why Benjamin should never cook:

Attempting to make dinner, Benjamin prompty sets the stove on fire. Not very lucky today, are you, Benny? He frantically calls for help, and soon the entire 8-person family is hooting and hollering over the burning appliance.

A distraught Benjamin holds his head in disbelief. For a genius, he isn’t very good with simple machines. Fortunately, he knows whatever mistakes he makes are nothing compared to Evangeline. This gives him a small relief.

The next morning, Theodore keeps a watchful eye on Benjamin before he heads off to work as a traffic cop. He doesn’t want to come home to burned-out shell of a house! He thinks again of Brant, and wonders if he’s ready to a father himself.

Delaney uses some time off to begin work on a novel, her first ever. She entitles it And Baby Makes Six. It’s based on true events.

Soon it’s time for Evangeline to enter the realm of adulthood, joinging Theodore. She’s way excited – no more stupid school, no more stupid homework and, most importantly, no more stupid curfew!

As a young adult, Evangeline has decided (randomly) to become a vegetarian. Maybe she’s becoming mindful of her health again? After all the drama in her life, her lifetime wish is to become an Illustrious Author. She can write about her life and her troubles so all the world can understand. Maybe she and Delaney are more alike than they know.

Then again, maybe not.