Chapter 2

Gabbie sat in her room after working in the cooking building on her recipe for finals. She had three weeks to perfect it, and she would need almost all of the time. She had designed the cake to be five layers of different flavors. She wanted to try something new, something that wasn't anything she had tried before. She designed the outside of it as simply as she could, but she knew she needed something that would set the whole thing apart from all the others. She continued to look at the design and knew it wasn't the design on the cake she wanted to think about. It was a certain blue-eyed man who had called a few days ago.

She had talked to her mother who laughed and said it, of course, would be okay if she spent the time over at Masa's house instead of the family's house. Her newest brothers and sister were still so young that she didn't know how to relate to them. The fact was that both of her parents had gone out of their way to make sure the older ones were still a part of the family even though the younger ones took most of their time. Gabbie had wondered what it would be like to have a few other siblings. She had found out it wasn't as fun as she had thought through the first was just now getting fun. She thought of her other brother, who was born a few months after their dad had adopted them. He was the spitting image of their dad. She could barely remember when boogs was that small. It was hard to believe he was going to be a teenager now if he would act like it.

She thought of the uncles she got out of the deal. She was grateful they were there. If she had a problem, they were always there for her or her siblings. Masamune she couldn't think of that way. He wasn't that much older than her. He was good to be around when he was in a good mood, which was most of the time. She had seen his other side as well, and though it could be bad at times, he was never something she was afraid of. She couldn't shake the feeling maybe it was a good idea to stay with him.

She wanted to be out from the shadow of her sister. She wanted to be her own person. She also knew that everything around her was still changing and she had time to find places for everything. Would she find a place for him in her life or would they drift away like two boats being pulled out to sea on different tides? She didn't want that. He had been her secret crush for years. Probably since the day she beat him to the floor with the strainer when they moved into her dads house. That had been fun. That had been the beginning. She didn't know the beginning to what though just that it had been a beginning.

Would she be able to let him go? The thought set her back as she stared at the piece of paper in front of her. The answer was clear though she didn't want to face it. She never wanted to let him go. She wanted him to be there for everything. She wanted him there. She wanted to be there with him. It was almost a slap in the face as she thought of it. It was cold water being dumped on her. Rin had Yukimura in the end, she wanted to have Masamune date for her own.

She had no idea how to get that, though. She didn't want to ask her mother. She didn't want to ask her sister. She had no idea who to ask. Then she began to think. She wasn't a planner as she liked living in the moment. She always tried to live in the moment. She wanted something now. She would have to try to get it.

Masamune left Yukimura's apartment that he had just gone to see if they would pair up in the battle for the sister's heart. He felt better, but he still had to figure out how to get Gabbie to agree to stay with him. It had become the idea that he could not forget. It was something he could not fail in. He wanted her for everything she was. Now to make her see it.

He still wasn't sure how to do that, but he knew she wasn't alone in that island. He looked at the time and knew he had to head out soon to get her. He looked around and saw the store and had an idea. He went into it and bought what he thought she would like and loaded it in the car. He then set his GPS and started his journey.

The time on the road let him think of a few things. He knew she would be busy. He knew she needed to be with her family. He started to make his plan, though. He didn't want this chance to pass him by as he knew the next might be far off. This was do or die. He needed to make a stand. He was worried, though because she was the more determined of the two young women. She could have already found someone and not told anyone. It made him break out in a cold sweat, just thinking of that. The battle would be over before it begun.

Masamune Date had a purpose now. He had seventy-two hours to make her see him for what he wanted to be. As he approached the campus that was known for its culinary arts program, he wondered if this would be the last time he made this drive or would he be picking her up more often. He hoped beyond all hope that it was the latter and not the former. It all hinged on one very stubborn eighteen-year-old girl. He was getting nervous.

He looked at the time again as he pulled into the college campus. He was looking for one women in particular. When he saw her sitting on the bench, his heart took off. He could feel the tension building. He was trying to keep his wilder side in check, but at the moment he could barely think. She was like the flame burning, and he was the moth. He knew he was going to get burned, but he didn't care. She must have spotted the truck when it pulled in as she stood and went to get her bag, but he was out the door and to her before she could see him. He reached for her bag and smiled, "Hello beautiful." he said as he wrapped an arm around her.

"Masa what are you doing?" Gabbie asked as she tried to steady herself against him and his arms of steel.

"This," he said without thinking, and he lowered his head and kissed her softly. It was everything he could have hoped for. She went soft under his mouth, but she didn't back away. He was over the moon about that.

Gabbie's hazel eyes turned green when he stood and looked at her. He could see a hint of something he didn't know in her eyes. A playful banter waiting to happen possible. She reached up and pulled him to her again. She kissed him the next time and smiled as she did. Masamune could not think. He could not process what was happening. He just looked at her. He thought she would shy away. Instead, she was leading him.

"Princess?" he asked as he looked at her.

"What?" Gabbie asked defiantly back.

"Is that you planning on staying with me this weekend?" he asked hopeful.

"I think I will." Gabbie said with a smile as she started headed off to his truck. Masamune stood there and wondered what the hell just happened as he watched her move. He walked slower to his truck, enjoying the view of her walking in front of him. He was mentally shaking his head at her, and then he smiled. She would indeed have the weekend of a lifetime. So would he. Good or bad, so would he.

"You are sure Masamune went to get Gabbie?" Kit asked Mitsuhide.

"Yes," Mitsuhide replied as he went to kitchen to get a bottle for the baby.

"Are you sure about this?" Kit asked again for the hundredth time.

"For the last time, I set this up perfectly. Sweetheart, this is now on them," he said as he sat back down next to her.

"This one is a girl," she said as the baby was failing around in her arms.

"How can you be sure?" he asked with a smile.

"He can't stand me," she replied.

"He loves his mommy, sweetheart," Mitsuhide said as he took the baby out of her arms. "He probably just thinks your not as comfortable anymore."

"Your fault," she said.

"It takes two to tango sweetheart," he said with a grin.

"As if I have any defenses against that grin," she said as she looked up.

"Sweetheart, they will be fine. All four of them will be fine. They all need to figure out their places. The guys will easy. They want one thing but get a whole lot extra. It is the girls who will make the decisions and we, mostly you have prepared them for that. This isn't a bad thing. It is a good thing. It will either blow up in their faces, or it will be the best thing ever for them. The girls are still young, but they are smart. They won't rush into anything." Mitsuhide said softly as he was lulling the baby to sleep.

"Do you not know your daughters?" she asked with a laugh.

"I do," he said.

"Mitsuhide they will run right into the fire it that is what they really want," she said.

"I know that too," Mitsuhide said with a smile at her.

"They won't rush?" she asked.

"Fire and rush are two different things. They need the fire. The guys will make sure they don't get burned too bad." Mitsuhide said with a smile as he laid the baby down in the corner of their room in his bassinet. "Now you, on the other hand, need the fire too."

"Do not look at me like that Mitsu," she said.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like you are the one hunting," she said.

"Like the guys sweetheart, I understand the pull. Now come here and let me rub your back."

"Sure back rub," she said with a sigh.

"Everything will be fine," he said. "In an hour I will go get Rin."

"Fine," she said.

"Everything will be the way it should be," Mitsuhide said calmly.