Gardenia invited sister April over to tell her the bad news of being fired. Also to ask her to move in for help. But as they were talkign things over, Gardenia's boyfriend Francis popped by too.
So...
Gardenia asked him to move in instead. She figured it would be better for Todd too to have a father figure. And Francis' own son was a teen already so...

She also got her job back. This time she'll have more time to focus on it and hopefully get ahead and do a good job.
Francis got a job as a secret agent. He was a negative sim though, meaning he'd ruin relationships. Well... looks like it. He was also a scholar - loved to read and learned skills fast when reading. But he was tone deaf too, so no singing with Gardenia during holidays. And gregarious just like Gardenia though as he had the same friend of the world aspiration.
Francis' wife must not have known what he was up to with Gardenia.

Anyway, the future seemed a little bit more secure for now.
The weather was back to nice and warm too.
Todd could enjoy the summer fun too.
And the regular water fun too, in the cleaning-off-the-muck kinda way.
He and mum were doing good. Gardenia had fallen absolutely in love with her kid, no sending him off to live with dad. Todd was the heir, still little and needed to be cared for. The initial anger Gardenia had during pregnancy was all gone.

Francis got a makeover and got to know the kid too.
Bed time stories always work.
Seems like the boys were all good too.

Francis was doing very well with Gardenia too. He too wanted to get married to her now. Eventhough he was still married to Madeline.

Gardenia got a phone call once asking for a donation for a charity. This is a burden when you're a good reputationed sim living in poverty. And it was the former ghost girl Vanessa's dad too who asked for it.
She got fanmail too for being the hero of Strangerville. She was sent a future cube and a fruitcake.

Todd loved to play with the building blocks on the front porch at all hours. He's hyper so hopefully his energy will go towards education.