Family Reading Night Novels & Stories

"Yeah, right, like that counts as something in this country. Seriously you can get in big trouble if there's ever an emergency and no one can get to you." "If you're worried about me, Dr Benson, you should move in. It's heavenly waking up next to you." Derrick winked. Valery scratched the back of her neck swiftly. "That's a discussion we can have in a year or two," she said. Weeks Later... It was a short drive to the venue. Five nuclear families came together to celebrate their source at the family house. Days like these reminded them that no matter the different paths they took in life, there would always be one giant family tree waiting to shield them with love and support.

POV: JAXON "Can we have movie night?" Nova asked at dinner. "a family movie night?" The words hit me square in the chest. A family movie night. Isla's eyes met mine across the table. "Please?" Rowan added. "We never had movie nights before. Just me and Nova and Mommy. But now Daddy's here and we can all watch together!" "I don't know if…" Isla started. "Please, Mommy?" She looked at their hopeful faces and caved. "Okay. One movie. Then bed."

4 weeks later *Willa* Tonight we have hosted a cozy couples’ night, inviting some friends over for dinner and a movie… a delightful small escape from the whirlwind of parenting our three little shrimps. This was our first social gathering since the babies were born, and let me tell you, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Sure, we’re still parents, and the kids are always on our minds, but for those few hours, we actually got to discuss something other than diaper changes and nap schedules… though, admittedly, there was still quite a bit of talk about kids.

I say. Bobby speaks up. “We have a family video call every night, before bed. We never miss it. No matter where we are.” I nod. “That’s right. And this is our first family trip but not our last. The kids have chores. Bobby gets out in the garden and he’s great at landscape design. We just find ways to drown out the negative white noise with positive family energy.” The day finally comes to an end and cameras capture it all. The smiles, the laughter, the easy dynamic we’ve spent years building. I’m proud of us. Sofia was right. This was a good idea.

I'm at home and will be heading to Luxford tomorrow. He sighed, realizing how he had pushed his daughter away. "They're still outside—the governor and his family, I mean," Riley said, looking out the window. Their room faced the backyard and had a perfect view of the outdoor table where they had dinner. Adrian got up from the bed to see for himself. He checked the time and noted, "It's almost midnight." All of a sudden, they heard music playing in the background. It was a song by Black Eye Peas. The Carrington family, including Taylor, Tristan, Grayson, Serena, Eric, and even the governor and his wife, started a dance formation.

The next day after school, the house felt alive in that warm, familiar way I’d missed our parents had declared it a family night — no school the following day, so why not catch up properly? Everyone quickly agreed,well, almost everyone. Jayden leaned back on the couch with a lazy grin. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we just played video games?” Marbel immediately kicked his leg. “No way we’re actually talking tonight, you gamer addict.” Mom laughed and brought out a tray of snacks — crispy spring rolls, sweet pastries, and fresh fruit arranged beautifully.

I walked to the old refrigerator to get him a glass of cold milk. "Mom, are we still going to The Houston apartment tomorrow for game night?" Savvy asked. The Houstons were a family of four we spent every Friday with for game night. Their children were nine and eleven by age, but they were the only family we associated with. I limited the people I talked to because the fewer people knew about me, the less opportunity for them to figure out who I was.

What followed was rushed and desperate reconnecting physically as reminder they were still them, still together, still functioning as couple despite extended family and legal catastrophe and everything else demanding attention. “Better?” he asked afterward, both of them still breathing hard. “Much better. Thank you for knowing I needed that.” “I needed it too. Days of family management without actual connection were killing me.” They returned downstairs separately Damien first, Seraphine five minutes later after fixing her appearance. Film Maya caught her eye and smirked knowingly but said nothing. The evening continued children playing while sugar crashed from pie, adults talking and laughi

Eventually i just decided to wait it out. And then came movie night. For fucks sake it's the most wholesome part of our family. How could I fuck it up? It's literally dinner with the whole family, sometimes we order out, other times we make it. Then we watch one or two movies. Often bad. And its nice. Everyone puts aside what they're doing for a short amount of time and we are all together. I used to hate it when I was thirteen or fourteen but now it seems like one of the best parts of the week.

Then Meadow takes her, giving her a bottle of breast milk that Maeve pumped earlier today. I help Maeve finish dinner then the four of us sit down to eat, leaving Felicity in the small crib that now resides in the living room. I’ve started following in my father’s footsteps by using dinner as a time to bring everyone together. It’s a time for all of us to talk and discuss what’s going on in our lives. Much like my father, I go around the table and ask everyone about their day, what they did, how school was, any number of things to make it feel like a family. Tate still struggles the most with our little family, but I keep trying.