With a small sigh of relief, "Ah, I wanted to see if the store was open..."Cari laughed nervously to herself.” I didn't know the hours..." She rubbed the back of her head although the voice on the other end of the phone wouldn't see the action. "Anyways, thanks for letting me know the hours you guys are open. I'll stop by later today." 

So...she was a bit awkward at talking on the phone. Soon she hung up with a simple goodbye and pocketed her phone before turning around and finding Reinier waiting for her. He smirked lightly and brought her into a hug. 

"You know...I think we should leave the kids here for a little while and go somewhere." He suggested with a widening smirk. "What do you say?" 

Cari sighed and pulled away from him. "Your mom might have work and I don't get to spend time with them." 

Reinier's brows knit together and his jaw stiffened. "Aw but babe, come on...we haven't spent much time together since arriving here or even before that. You were always busy with work and now you're too busy with the kids." He pouted. Reinier might have been able to drag Cari into a different town, and he might have had a greater sway over her than she realized but she drew the line at her niece and nephew being turned into the bad guys.

"You know how I feel about not being able to spend time with you..."

"I'm not in the mood right now Reinier. I don't get to see Finny and Ada everyday like I get to see you. I helped raise them and this is the longest I've been away from them..." Cari said as she made a move to get back into the house. 

Reinier growled and stomped his foot like a kid throwing a tantrum. "But Care...you talk to them all the time on the phone and you send them letters and drawings every other week. You even talk to them over-"

Cari usually had a crock pot type of anger - it took a long time for her to get pissed off but Reinier was really speeding the process along quite quickly. "I don't give a shit. I miss them and they miss me. I've told you countless times that they are both important to me." 

"Even more important than your boyfriend?" He spat as he turned to face her. 

"Yes." 

Reinier was getting pissed off that those little brats were taking the attention away from him. He hated children and had suggested to Cari that she go on the pill or opt for a permanent form of birth control so they wouldn't end up having children. He sure in the hell wasn't going to wear protection; he didn't see why he had to. He wasn’t the one going to carry a child for nine months. Reinier knew how baby-making worked but he would always pin the blame on Cari if she were to get pregnant. "What did you say?!" 

By that point the whole neighborhood could hear the screaming match, well it was a little more one-sided than anything else. Cari kept her voice low, at her normal speaking volume but her boyfriend was raising his volume at an alarming rate. 

Inside Marie had ushered the kids upstairs to wash their hands for breakfast. They didn't need to be hearing the yelling going on, and as soon as Marie could, she would go and try to break up the two arguing outside. 

This wasn't how the Christmas season was supposed to start.