Family Life Part 91
Love
By Patt
Word Count: 2,193
Summary: It’s Valentines Day for everyone.
Notes: Thank you to Bee for suggesting that I do holiday stories from time to time. This is for her.
Jim and Blair:
Jim whispered upstairs to Blair in case the boys were still awake. It sounded like their heartbeats were settled down, but he couldn’t always be sure. “So what are we going to do for the kids for Valentines Day? I think instead of focusing on us, we should focus on them. I know that Max has Misty and he’ll need to shop for something appropriate, but what about the other two. Drew still isn’t dating anyone and Sam, well she’s five. What do we do for them?”
Blair turned and looked at his lover and loved him all the more for thinking of the kids first. “So you’re saying, forget about us?”
“Just this year, Blair. I think that they could all use some Valentine gifts from us. Face it, we’re good at Valentines gifts,” Jim answered.
“On one condition,” Blair said quietly.
“What?” Jim asked, knowing this might be good.
“We get to celebrate, just the two of us later on. Like the weekend after Valentines Day, you’re going to take me to a Hotel and we’re having a weekend away from the kids. We need it. We could ask your dad to watch them, couldn’t we?” Blair wondered.
“I think we could ask Rafe and Simon to watch them. They would love to. The last time we needed someone, they got their feelings hurt because we didn’t ask them.”
Blair smiled. “Okay, Simon and Rafe it is.”
“Do you want me to plan our Valentine’s Day and you plan the kids’?” Jim asked.
“Yes, that sounds like a fair deal. I have some things already for the kids,” Blair admitted.
“What do you have already?”
“I have picture frames that I’m going to put our family picture in, I have wonderful boxes of chocolates and I have an ice cream cake ordered in that new flavor, called Red Velvet Cake,” Blair said.
“I’ve never tried that, it sounds good. I love Red Velvet Cake,” Jim replied.
“What else do you think I should do for them?” Blair wondered.
“I think that’s enough. We’ll take them to Claim Jumper for dinner and then dessert at the house from ‘31 Flavors’.”
“Okay, then that just leaves you to plan our weekend, do you think you can handle that?” Blair asked.
“I think I can handle that just fine. It’s going to be great. You just wait and see,” Jim assured him.
Blair curled into Jim’s body and started to fall asleep, but Jim was thinking about his plans for the two of them. It was going to be fantastic. Jim loved Cascade Towers and so did Blair. He would get one of the rooms with the Jacuzzi in it and room service would already be planned. Yes, Jim knew that he was going to show Blair a good time that weekend. And he also knew that the kids were going to have a good Valentines Day because Jim and Blair would make it so. Jim did know that he needed to see if Max needed any extra money for Valentines Day with Misty. Now that he was thinking about it, Max probably wouldn’t be with them for dinner at all. Max was 16 and was past the stage of celebrating occasions with family instead of girlfriend. It would still be a great night with Drew and Samantha. Jim smiled as he pulled Blair closer to his body and started to fall asleep himself.
Happy Valentines Day, Jim and Blair.
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Simon and Rafe:
Simon knew that he was taking Rafe out to dinner on Valentines Day, but he had no idea what to get him for the occasion. Simon wasn’t great at putting a lot of thought into presents. He was going to have to ask Blair for some tips. He always seemed to know the right things to do for any occasion. Simon made a note on his desk to talk to Blair as soon as possible. There was only a week left.
Simon had thought about getting Rafe a ring. A simple band, but didn’t know if that was too much. He really didn’t know what he was doing most of the time and could sure use some Sandburg help. Sighing, he got up and got ready to go home. He thought about Rafe waiting at home for him and smiled. He was so in love with Rafe it was unreal. Damn it, Simon thought, I am going to get him the ring. Anyone that brings such a smile to my face after the hell day we had is worth a ring in my book. Simon felt better that he had made a decision without having to ask Jim or Blair for help. Simon realized he was doing just fine.
Rafe sat at home, putting all of the things he had bought for Simon in a box. He had to keep them hidden until Valentines Day. He had bought a beautiful frame for his picture of Daryl. Then he bought a gorgeous frame for the picture he had photo-shopped of the two of them. It turned out really nicely. Rafe could hardly wait to give him that. Then of course he got him a new coffee maker for his office and a case of fancy coffee. So Rafe felt secure in his gift choices for Simon. He hoped that Simon would give him something to let him know how serious they were. Rafe didn’t like to make any judgments on his own. He felt like they were going to be together forever, but Simon never said that, so he was hoping. Rafe put the box away before Simon came home from work. He wondered what was taking him so long to get home. He had called about two hours before that. Maybe traffic was just that clogged up. He had no idea that Simon was picking a ring out and having it engraved at the moment.
Happy Valentines Day, Rafe and Simon.
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Mason and Megan:
Mason was still out shopping for Megan’s Valentines gift. He knew that she had gotten something for him and Jade already, but he hadn’t gotten anything for either of them as yet. He walked into the jewelry store that night and told the man he wanted a heart necklace for both his wife and his baby daughter. The jeweler talked Mason into buying a pair of heart earrings for the baby and matching earrings and necklace for Megan. Once he was done picking everything out, then he had the necklace engraved. He was told he could pick it up the next day. Mason was thrilled. Megan wasn’t going to outdo him this time. She always bought the best presents and for a change, he wanted to surprise her. On his way home, he saw the 31 flavors shop advertising the Valentines Day Ice Cream Cake. So he stopped in there, picked out her favorite flavor, ordered one and was told when he could pick it up on the 14th. Mason felt good about this. He had spent more then he expected to, but they were both worth it. They were his life and he wanted them both to know it.
Megan was wrapping a present for Jade as she sang a little love song. She always thought of love songs because of Mason. He was such a romantic. And he always included their daughter, somehow. Megan got a babysitter for the 14th and couldn’t wait to take Mason out for his dinner. He loved Sullivan’s Steak House and that’s where they were going. Megan glanced at the box that was in her purse and smiled. He was getting a new watch. Megan wanted to get a fancy one for him and have it engraved. She had saved for a long while to do it for this special day. He was going to be surprised, because she had bought him an Ironman watch for Christmas. So she knew he wouldn’t be expecting another one so soon, especially one this nice. She heard him come in the front door and walked out of Jades room to greet him.
Both of them were beaming with joy, not knowing what the other one had planned. It was going to be great.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mason and Megan.
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Max and Misty:
Max had been shopping for two hours before he found the perfect necklace for Misty. Thankfully, his dad had given him some extra money or he would have been short. The necklace was lovely. It was nothing flashy, just intertwined hearts. He knew she would love it. Then he planned on taking her to Claim Jumper for dinner. He had already made the reservation and now he just needed to find the perfect card. He found one that wasn’t too mushy, because he wasn’t a mushy kind of guy. But he knew it would make her happy.
Misty was shopping for something, anything that would make Max happy for Valentine’s Day. She wanted to give herself to him for that special day, but she knew she would chicken out but Max never pressured her in any way. She was very thankful for that. She sometimes wondered if guys felt pressured about sex too. She continued looking at things for Valentines Day and found a really nice key chain with Max on it and she had ‘I love you’ engraved on the back of it. She decided that this was the most appropriate gift. They were only 16 years old. They had a long time to plan out their sex lives. She then chose a card that wasn’t too mushy, because he wasn’t a mushy guy. Once she was done, she felt better about the holiday. She was looking forward to seeing what Max got for her.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Max and Misty.
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William and Sarah:
Sarah had been saving for six months for this gift she had picked out for William. He had a terrible allergy to penicillin and needed to wear a bracelet. He hated the darn thing, so Sarah got him a dog tag necklace instead. And on the back of it, she put, ‘I love you… Sarah’. It was gold plated and really, really nice. She got it from a company called American Medical ID. They did the engraving and everything. It was quite expensive, but it was worth it, to her to make him happier about the damn bracelet that he wore. She also got him an expensive box of chocolates, just to be naughty. She was going to feed them to him that night. She had a room reserved at Cascade Towers and the boys were going to stay at home and watch Mary all night long. She would ask Jim and Blair to be backups, but she felt confident with the boys taking care of Mary. Sarah was very excited about the 14th. She knew that William was getting each of the kids something for Valentine’s Day, so she didn’t have to. It was relaxing to only have to worry about one person.
William was at the jewelry store making sure that everything had gone as planned. He got her an engagement ring and hoped he wasn’t moving things too fast for her or the kids. It was quite stunning, but very tasteful at the same time. She was quite easy going when it came to jewelry, so he asked a jeweler to help him pick one out. He was quite happy with it and thought she would indeed love it. They hadn’t talked about marriage in ages and she probably thought he had forgotten all about it, but he was just saving for the right holiday to spring it on her. William then stopped at a card shop and got a perfect card for the occasion and then shopped for a card for each of the kids, too.
William bought each of the boys a dog tag necklace with their names on it, with ‘love, mom and William’ on the back. He got Mary a necklace that was both lovely and exciting at the same time. It was hearts and diamonds. William ended up spending quite a bit on the jewelry for the kids, but they were worth it. This was a special occasion and he wanted it to be right for all of them. He had already told the kids what he planned on asking their mom for Valentine’s Day and they were pleased. William was so happy. These kids were the best in the world. Their father all but deserted them and yet they still had love in their hearts for William. This was going to be the best Valentine’s Day any of them ever had.
Happy Valentine’s Day, William and Sarah.
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Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. I know I’m a little early, but that couldn’t be helped. I was afraid I wouldn’t have time next month.
PattRose1@aol.com
Family Life Part 92
Love, Actually
By Patt
Word Count: 3870
Summary: What actually happens on Valentine’s Day?
Notes: I got questions about what happened on Valentines Day, so I wanted to finish it up. Have fun.
Simon and Rafe:
Simon drove to the jewelry store to pick up the band for Rafe on the way home. He had it engraved. It said, ‘Mine Forever, Simon’. That’s about all he could come up with. He was sure that Brian would love it, so he didn’t know why it worried him. He had reservations at Saccony’s for dinner and Simon knew how that was going to end. Brian always loved Italian food and there was something about it that made him hornier then hell. All the more reason for Simon to choose that place. He drove home with a smile on his face and a good feeling in his heart.
Brian was waiting for Simon to arrive home. Simon was taking him to Saccony’s and Brian couldn’t wait. He loved Italian food. For some reason it made him horny. Maybe it was just the company. He wasn’t sure. He had all of Simon’s gifts wrapped and ready for him to come walking through the door. He was worse then a child waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. This ran a very close second.
Simon came walking through the front door and looked at the huge box on the table and said, “Wow!”
“Believe me, it’s not that exciting, Simon.”
“Do we get to open presents up before we go out?” Simon asked.
Rafe smiled at his lover. “We sure do.”
Simon went over and kissed Brian and said, “Happy Valentines Day, Brian. It’s been a very good year, hasn’t it?”
Brian kissed him back with much need and love and replied, “This has been the best eight months of my life.”
Somehow, Simon knew he had chosen the right thing. He pulled out his card and gave that to Rafe first. Then he pulled the ring box out and opened it and gave it to Brian. Brian couldn’t believe it. This is what he had wanted forever and now he finally had someone to love him totally.
Rafe looked at the inscription and then slid the ring on his finger. It fit like a glove. He was so moved, he was fairly close to tears. He then kissed Simon again and again.
“Hey, knock it off, babe or we’ll never get to dinner. Besides, I want to open my presents,” Simon stated.
“Now don’t hold your breath or anything, because mine isn’t too romantic, it’s more something you need, then something you want,” Rafe said softly as Simon started to unwrap the frame with Daryl inside of it.
“This is a gorgeous, frame. You knew I wanted a picture of him up in the house didn’t you?” Simon asked.
“Yes, I got the hint,” Rafe teased.
Simon kissed Brian and said, “Thank you.”
Then Simon opened up the next frame and saw the picture that Brian had photo-shopped of the two of them. It looked almost like they were kissing. Simon loved it. It was very large and would look perfect in their bedroom. “Thank you, babe.”
“You are most welcome. I loved the frame and I thought it would look nice in the bedroom, don’t you?” Brian asked.
“I was just thinking that,” Simon answered.
Simon opened up the third box and saw a fancy coffee maker and laughed for a moment and then smiled and said, “Have I been complaining about my old one not working right?”
“You might have mentioned it once or twice,” Rafe joked.
Then Simon opened the last gift and saw the case of fancy coffee and said, “This is worth the wait. I love this. I loved all of it. You really know me well and for that, I thank you. I love you, Brian.” Then Simon kissed Brian passionately and didn’t come up for air for quite some time.
“Are we ready to go to dinner? I love Italian and then I’ll give you your last present tonight when we’re in bed,” Brian said coyly and then winked.
“That is if we make it through dinner,” Simon said as he pulled the love of his life back into his arms again. “Do you really love the ring?”
“Simon, you have no idea how much I love the ring. It tells me exactly how you feel about me and where I belong in your life,” Rafe explained.
“You belong with me. By my side and together, forever,” Simon said softly.
“God, I love you, Simon.”
“Come on, let’s get to dinner before they close,” Simon stated as they walked towards the front door.
Both men looked happier then they ever had and they both knew what was in store later that night.
Simon was never so happy for Valentines Day in his life.
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Mason and Megan:
Mason stopped at the jewelry store on his way home and picked up the earrings and necklace. The one heart was engraved. It said, ‘Forever Yours, Mason’. The earrings he had chosen for Jade were precious. They were itty bitty hearts that had a diamond in the middle of each heart. He knew that she was going to look darling in them as well as he knew that Megan would love them too. The earrings he got for Megan matched her necklace, so it was a really nice set. Mason had spent a little more then he had planned, but they were worth it, damn it. He then stopped by the ‘31 Flavors’ and picked up the ice cream cake he had ordered. He knew that both Megan and Jade would love it. He whistled all the way home in his SUV. This was going to be his first Valentines Day with someone he really loved. Before Megan, he had never felt real love. Then they had Jade and he was in love with her too. Mason knew that this was going to be a great night.
Megan had romantic music playing on the CD player and was feeling Valentines Day in full force. She was so in love with Mason, that sometimes it almost scared her. The babysitter was going to be there soon, so she hoped that Mason arrived before that. She wanted to give him her gift from his girls. She was so excited about the watch. He was going to be very surprised. She had ‘I love you, Megan’ put on the back of the watch. She could hardly wait to go out to eat. They didn’t get out enough and have Mason and Megan time, so tonight, it was going to be nice. They were going to Sullivan’s Steak House and she knew that Mason would be thrilled. This was his favorite place to go in the world. Other then to bed with her. She smiled at the thought of sex and realized they didn’t make enough time for that either. She was going to have to work on that and so was Mason. It was important to make time for the other one in your life.
When Mason walked through the door, Megan flew into his arms.
“What’s wrong?” Mason asked nervously.
“I missed you today and I just couldn’t wait for you to get home,” Megan explained.
“You always know the perfect thing to say to me to make me feel like a million bucks. I love you, Megan.”
“I love you, Mason. Now sit down so I can give you your present,” Megan said as she pushed him into the dining room chair.
She grabbed the wrapped box and handed it to him and he smiled. “It almost looks like a watch box, but I know it’s not that.” He unwrapped the present, opened the box and saw the watch that was his dream watch for the last four years. He had mentioned it in passing to her once, she must have remembered it. He took off his Ironman watch and put his new one on his wrist. Then he pulled Megan into his lap and said, “Thank you. I can’t believe you got me this for Valentines Day. You’re the best wife I could ever hope for. Most people wouldn’t have even remembered that I wanted this watch. Thank you, baby. I love it, to say the least.”
He then pulled out the jewelry box for Megan and gave it to her. She opened it and immediately teared up. She didn’t like losing control, but this was gorgeous and it proved that he loved her as much as she thought he did. She turned the heart around and saw what he had put on it and buried her face into his neck and sniffled a few times.
“There are matching earrings. Here they are,” Mason said smiling.
She took the earrings she had in her ears out, and put these in right away. “I love them, baby. You did an excellent job picking them out.”
They then gave each other the cards they had chosen and there was more sniffling and kissing and hugging.
Mason showed Megan what he had gotten for Jade and Megan kissed him again. “She’s going to look beautiful in them, Mason. Thank you.”
“Thank you for giving her to me. She’s the best thing in my life, other than you.”
“You are going to get so lucky tonight when we get home from dinner,” Megan said smiling.
“Happy day to both of us then.” Mason ran upstairs to change his clothing really fast and wait for the sitter. He saw that Megan had already put his clothes out on the bed for him to wear that night. He was so lucky to have such a caring wife. A lot of the guys at work were married to hags. He lucked out the day he met Megan.
When he walked down, Megan had Jade in her arms and she was wearing her new earrings. She did indeed look darling. Just as both of them had imagined. This was one Valentines Day they would never forget.
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Sarah and William:
Sarah was so excited to give William his present that she could hardly see straight. The saving had been worth it, she received the dog tag necklace for William, with the Penicillin allergy listed on it. It was beautiful and she knew he was going to love it. He hated the bracelet that he wore. And on the back, she had engraved, ‘I love you, Sarah’. She knew that would make William happy. She made a homemade card on her photo program. She put pictures of the two of them all over the front of the card. It was a very romantic card by the time she was done with it. She wrapped the chocolates and knew that he would share with everyone, but also knew that he would hate doing that. He had one weakness and that was his love of chocolate. They were going to Cascade Towers and the boys were going to take care of Mary. This night couldn’t have happened at a better time. She had noticed that William seemed a little antsy lately and thought maybe he needed some alone time with her. Well, he was getting it that night, that was for sure.
William was at the Jewelry store picking up everyone’s gifts. He looked over the ring for Sarah and was quite pleased with the outcome. Then he picked up the boys’ dog tag necklaces with their names on it, engraved, ‘love, mom and William’. Mary’s necklace was lovely and he knew she was going to be thrilled with it. William couldn’t wait to ask Sarah to marry him. He was so excited, it was like the first time. Everything with Sarah was like the first time. He loved her so much and he adored and loved her children too. He had hoped that they would call him dad someday. But he wasn’t going to push it. After all, they had a dad, not a good one, but they still already had one. He walked into the condo and smiled as he saw everyone sitting around the table doing homework. William walked up and gave each of the children their gift in the boxes and waited for their reactions. He didn’t have to wait long. The boys jumped up and gave William a hug very quickly. William could tell they really liked them. The woman at the store had promised that at their age, this would be a perfect gift. He guessed that the woman knew her business. Then he waited for Mary to open her gift and she squealed with delight. She loved it. She hugged on William for a good long time. Then William got down on one knee in front of Sarah and pulled out the ring box. He said, “Sarah would you do me the honor of marrying me and making me even happier then I already am?”
She opened up the box and saw a gorgeous ring in it. She couldn’t believe her luck. She started to cry and William got up and took her in his arms. “Tell me this is a good cry.”
“It’s a very good cry. I would love to marry you, William. Thank you for making our lives wonderful. Group hug, kids,” Sarah said as everyone hugged on William at the same time.
Mike said, “I want to ask our dad to give up his rights to us, so you could adopt us. Would that be alright with you, William?”
“That would be just terrific, but he might not do it. People don’t like to give their children up. Either way, you’re the two boys I would have chosen to bring up this late in life. Is this all right with you too, Mark?” William asked.
“It sure is and I know that Mary could care less about dad. He’s not seen us in eight months. He doesn’t care about us. Mom we could tell him that he has to pay child support if he doesn’t give you the papers,” Mike suggested.
“Good idea, honey. But don’t get your hopes up,” Sarah said.
Sarah then handed William’s gift over to him and he was so thrilled with it, he just kept smiling and smiling as he put it around his neck and took the damn bracelet one off. “I never even knew you could get them like this.”
“I take it you like it?” Sarah asked.
“I love it, Sarah, almost as much as I love you and the kids.”
Sarah kissed him and then pulled back for air.
“Why are you so dressed up, Sarah?” William wondered.
“I wanted to take you out for dinner. Just the two of us,” Sarah explained.
“Sounds good to me, just let me change my clothes. Are the boys babysitting?”
“Yes, and we’re staying at Cascade Towers. We’re having a night to ourselves. This couldn’t be a more perfect night, William,” Sarah admitted.
William changed his clothing and saw the bag packed for him and Sarah and smiled. This was a perfect night. He loved this family and that included his first two sons too.
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Max and Misty:
Max had made reservations at Claim Jumper and knew that he and Misty would have an excellent evening. He had picked up the necklace and it was gorgeous, so he was on the road to being a very happy young man. He had the card and the necklace in the car, for when he went to pick her up. He was going to dress nicely for a change and wear his suit and tie. He knew that his dad and pop would tease him about it, but Misty loved when he dressed up and after all this night was for her.
Misty was waiting at her house for Max to pick her up when Max called. “I just wanted to be sure that things were still on for tonight.”
She laughed at the idea of them not going out. “Of course everything is still on for tonight. I can’t wait to see you. Hurry up and get here.”
“I wanted to warn you that my dad, pop, Drew and Sam will probably be at Claim Jumper too, but hopefully nowhere near us,” Max said.
“It wouldn’t matter, Max. This evening is going to be perfect, so don’t worry about a thing,” Misty said happily.
Max hung up and left for her house.
Misty wrapped the keychain and got the card all ready and waited patiently for Max to show up. Her family of course had to tease her because she was all dressed up. She didn’t care if they teased her. She wanted this night to be like something from a movie and it was.
Max arrived and picked up Misty and they drove to Claim Jumper. “Are you sure you don’t mind going to the same place as my dads?” Max asked.
“I happen to love your dad’s, so stop worrying.”
“Does your family think they’re weird because they’re gay?” Max asked.
“It took them awhile to come around, but they did. That’s what’s important. They like Jim and Blair too.”
“Good, I’m glad,” Max said.
“Can we give each other our gifts before we go into the restaurant?” Misty wondered.
“Sure, we’ll exchange them in the car, it’s well lit in the parking lot, so not a problem,” Max answered.
When they arrived, Misty pulled the gift and card out of her purse and set it between the two of them. Max parked and pulled the wrapped box out of his jacket pocket and pulled her card out too. Then he flipped on the overhead lights in the car so they could read their cards. He waited while Misty read hers and she of course, teared up and kissed him happily. “I love you so much, Max.”
“I’m glad, I love you, too,” Max replied just as happily.
She then opened the box and made all of the right noises of being thrilled with it. He put it around her neck and she took off her other necklace. She really did love it. It was perfect, just like they were.
Max opened his card and read it slowly and kept smiling at Misty the entire time. When he was done, he pulled her into another kiss and said, “Thank you, I love you.”
“Open your gift,” Misty ordered teasingly.
He opened it up and said, “Oh man, this is the coolest key chain I have ever seen. I love it. I love you. This is perfect.”
“I was just thinking that about us. We’re perfect together. It’s no wonder we’re so in love, Max. This is a wonderful night. Thank you.”
“Come on, let’s go and have some food,” Max said as he got out and opened her door and helped her out of the passenger side.
They walked joyfully into the restaurant and knew that it was indeed a perfect night.
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Jim, Blair, Drew and Samantha:
Jim walked upstairs to see if Blair was ready for their dinner arrangements and smiled and then burst out laughing. Blair was standing there wearing nothing but a tee-shirt that said, ‘I love being gay’. Jim pulled him into his arms and said, “You’re a little underdressed aren’t you?”
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“Does Claim Jumper have a dress code?” Blair joked.
“Not that I mind the view, but I don’t want anyone else having that same view, so I’d say get some pants on. Are you wearing the shirt?” Jim kidded.
“I’m wearing it as my undershirt. It’s chilly tonight and I thought you could think of it all night long while we’re there. Then you can take it off me when we get home. How does that sound?” Blair asked.
“I have things all set up for this weekend, Blair. So that’s our gift to each other, right?” Jim asked hopefully.
“Are Rafe and Simon watching the kids?” Blair asked.
“Yes, they both jumped at the chance. I told you they wanted to do it from time to time. You didn’t answer me about that being our gift to each other, right?”
“Yes, Jim. I didn’t buy you a present other then I’m going to give you non-stop sex all weekend. It’s going to be fantastic. I can’t wait.”
“Blair, do you have the gifts ready for the kids?”
“Sure do. I’m no slacker,” he joked.
They got downstairs and both Sam and Drew were dressed nicely for an evening out. Jim and Blair were taking them to Claim Jumper and hopefully wouldn’t run into Misty and Max.
Blair handed a gift bag to each of the kids and said, “Happy Valentines Day from me and your dad.”
They both saw the picture frames with family pictures in them and Sam was very happy with it. “Is this for my room, poppy?”
“It is for your room. Do you think it’s pretty?”
“Oh yes, poppy, I do. Drew, let me see your frame?” Sam squealed with delight.
Drew showed her and she said, “It’s not as pretty mine, Drew, but it’s still pretty nice.”
They each got a really good box of chocolates to share with the dads. And finally Blair got them each a gift card for something. Drew’s was for Starbucks and he had no idea that it was for $50.00 or he would have hugged them even more. Drew loved his coffee in the morning at Starbucks. Samantha’s gift card was for McDonalds, because that’s where she liked to go the most. So hers was a $50.00 gift certificate for there. Both kids hugged Jim and Blair and told them how much they loved everything.
They all got ready and left the loft for the restaurant. Everyone was happy and they knew that this was a good night.
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Jim and Blair:
The following weekend, Jim and Blair left the kids in Simon and Rafe’s capable hands and drove to Cascade Towers. Blair was so excited, he felt like he was going to come in his pants with no help at all.
“You’re buzzing over there, lover, better slow down,” Jim teased.
“I know, I’m ready to come from your voice alone,” Blair said.
“Well, don’t do that. I paid for a fantastic weekend and I want to be able to use it wisely. We have a Suite with a Jacuzzi in it and we’re going to have room service as many times as we need it. Get ready to see no daylight, my love,” Jim stated.
“Oh my God, you are such a romantic. This is going to be the time of our life. It’s been awhile since it’s just been the two of us. Are we sure we remember what to do?” Blair joked.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for action and I remember just fine,” Jim said coyly.
“I love you, Jim.”
“I love you, Blair.”
They both knew that they were in for the time of their lives and they were happy with that time alone.
The end
Happy Valentines Day, everyone.
PattRose1@aol.com
Family Life Part 93
I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
By Patt
Word Count: 3242
Summary: William and Sarah decide they don’t want a big wedding and this is what they do.
Notes: Does anyone have any simple story lines for me to work stories around? I could use the help. I have some from Bee, but a lot of them are complex and I want easy, breezy and quick. LOL Thanks ahead of time.
William pulled Sarah into his body and said, “So do we need to start planning the wedding soon? Everyone keeps asking us when the big day is and I feel like we’re dragging our feet on it.”
Sarah cuddled closer into William’s body and kissed his neck and chest. “I hope you won’t get angry, but I’ve sort of decided that I don’t want a big wedding. I don’t even want a small one. I already had a big one and it was a disaster, as you well know. I would like to get married by the Justice of the Peace instead. We don’t even need to bring witnesses, they have them there. What do you think of my idea?”
“Are you sure you won’t look back in a year or two and regret not having a big wedding? And as far as I’m concerned, I agree with you about the big wedding. I also had a large one and it too was a disaster. I think your idea is a solid one, but I don’t want you to regret it later on in life,” William said.
Sarah smiled and said, “Let’s get married today, after the kids leave for school. What do you say? Then we can send out very simple announcements and tell everyone the news but ask for no gifts. I don’t want anyone giving us anything. We have enough, William and I feel like we shouldn’t mess with the balance of life.”
William smiled and said, “Get the kids ready to go, and we’ll get ready to go to the court house. Oh wait, we need to have three days to do the blood tests. Let’s go to the doctor today and get that done and then Friday will be our big day. How is that?”
“William, I already called the court house and they told me, no blood test is needed for this state. So we’re set to go. We just need a marriage license and we’re ready.”
William got up, put his robe on and walked down the stairs with Sarah to help get the kids on their way. Today was going to be their wedding day. February 22nd seemed like a good day to get married, William thought.
The two of them got the kids up, fed and off to school in no time and went upstairs to get ready for the big day. They showered together and Sarah kept giggling when William kept kissing and snuggling with her while trying to take a shower.
“This is the happiest day of my life, other than giving birth to my children, William. I’m so happy, I want to sing. It would be nice if I could sing, but I can’t. So we’ll have to settle for talking ourselves silly,” Sarah said.
They both chose something fantastic to wear to the court house. William found out where you got the license and they drove off happily looking forward to being Mr. and Mrs. William Ellison. Sarah was so excited. William was thrilled that she was as happy as she seemed. He had another surprise for her when they were going to actually be getting married. He had a song, and he was going to sing to her before they said the vows. He didn’t care how dorky it was, he was going to make this day special for her. Jim wasn’t the only one that could sing in the family, but no one knew that. Today he would let the secret out.
They picked up their license and went to the court house to sign in for weddings and asked if they could have witnesses. They told them they had people that would stand as their witnesses and it wasn’t a problem. They asked for the license, William handed it to them and they were led into a room where there were four other couples waiting.
William was actually relieved that they would be last, so he wouldn’t embarrass Sarah with his singing. Even if he did it well, he wasn’t sure she would appreciate it as much as he thought she might.
They sat down and waited. They watched each couple get married and said their congratulations to each pair as they were leaving the room after signing the paperwork needed to make it legal. Then four more couples came in and William sighed. He didn’t know if he had enough nerve to go through with this or not.
Sarah smiled at William at that moment and said, “We’re next William. I’m going to belong to you and you to me. I’m so excited. I love you more then anyone could ever love you. You’re the best thing in my life. Thank you.”
They called them up and William asked the judge if he could sing something short to Sarah for their special day.
The judge smiled and said, “Go for it, William.”
William smiled back and then turned to Sarah and started to sing,
“Love me or leave me, make your choice but believe me
I love you
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
I can’t conceal it, don’t you see, can’t you feel it
Don’t you too
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
Oh, I’ve been dreaming through my lonely past
Now I just made it, I found you at last
So come on, now let’s try it, I love you, can’t deny it
‘Cos it’s true
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
Oh, no hard feelings between you and me
If we can’t make it, but just wait and see
So come on now, let’s try it, I love you, can’t deny it
‘Cos it’s true
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
So love me or leave me, make your choice but believe me
I love you
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
I can’t conceal it, don’t you see, can’t you feel it
Don’t you too
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do…”
The people that were going after them clapped and patted William on the back. He then knew that it wasn’t so dumb.
Sarah wiped tears from her eyes and kissed him. The judge smiled and said, “That part comes later.”
Both William and Sarah laughed. They liked this man. They were glad they chose this day. The 22nd of February was forever going to be a special day.
The judge and the witnesses all did their job just perfectly and before long, William and Sarah were walking out of the courthouse holding hands. They kept kissing the entire way down the stairs.
Sarah kept looking at the wedding band that went with her engagement ring and couldn’t get over how lovely it was as the set. It was truly beautiful. She was so proud to be William’s wife.
They weren’t paying attention to anyone else and almost ran into Jim and Blair on the stairs.
“Dad, what are you guys doing here, getting married or something?” Jim teased.
William blushed and Jim said, “Oh my God, you did get married. Why didn’t you tell us?”
Blair was already into the hugging mode, first Sarah and then William. Then Jim did the same.
“Congratulations, William and Sarah,” Blair said bouncing with happiness. He loved them as a couple and was so pleased for them.
“We have court, dad, so we can’t talk. Call me tonight. Tell me what’s going on,” Jim suggested.
“I’ll call you later on tonight, Jimmy. We just wanted it to be quiet for a change. Please understand,” William said.
“Oh, we don’t care if there was a wedding, we just care that you’re married. I now have a stepmom. Wow, I never thought that would happen, dad.”
“Get to court, you two,” William ordered.
They practically ran up the stairs, because they didn’t want to be late for this hearing.
“That went pretty well, don’t you think?” William asked Sarah.
“William, I think everyone is going to be happy for us. The only one that might have wanted us to have a wedding would have been Megan. She’s been talking about it for ages. But I really didn’t want one. Not like that, anyway. I hope she understands. I’ll call everyone and tell them tonight. Okay?”
“That sounds good to me. I love you so much, Sarah. This is the happiest day of my life other then having two sons born to me. Now we’ve got to see about adopting the kids.”
“William, my ex-husband will make problems. I already know it, so I think we should just keep things the way they are. He’ll be hateful to me and the kids and I really don’t want to put them through it.”
“Sarah, if I can’t talk Mitch Benson into giving up his children, I’ll leave well enough alone, but I do have to try. I promised the boys I would.”
“Whatever you think is best. I’ll stand behind you, but just know that he’s ugly and hateful towards me for making a good life, when his has gone to shit,” Sarah remarked.
“Don’t worry about it, darling. I’ll take care of things. Now you are in charge of calling every single person we know and telling them we’re married. Oh, and call the newspaper too,” William suggested.
“They told me at the court house that it’s already going to be in the newspaper. So we don’t have to announce it there, it’ll be there tomorrow,” she assured him.
“Good. I want everyone I used to be friends with to know that my life has just gotten better and better,” William said happily.
They got into the car and started for home. It was nice that they owned their own company and could take off as much time as they pleased. They loved having their own business. Sarah loved making artwork for publishing companies. William helped her, but it was mostly her baby. She loved doing her thing at the house and getting paid really well to do it, too.
@@@@@
At home when the kids got home, they saw William and Sarah just standing there waiting for them and knew something was up.
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked.
“We got married today. William is now officially your step-dad.”
They all jumped around making noises and hugged both of them over and over again. William was so happy that they took it well.
Mark said, “Are you going to have some type of reception here at the condo?”
William thought and said, “You know, we could do that and put the boys to work.”
Sarah smiled and said, “Boys, we really don’t want anything. We have enough in our life as it is. We want nothing but each other and you kids. That’s what will make us the happiest.”
“Whatever makes you happy mom, God knows you deserve it after being with our dad for as long as you had to put up with him,” Mike said.
“Don’t bad mouth your dad. It’s not polite, Mike,” Sarah snapped.
“How would you guys like to be in charge of making dinner tonight? No, on second thought, let’s go out to eat tonight and we’ll make it a wonderful night for all of us. This has been the best day in the world for the two of us and we’d like to share that feeling with the three of you,” William said.
“Oh… I would love to go out to eat with all of you,” Mary said happily, “can I call you daddy now?”
William looked at Sarah and didn’t know what to answer.
“Yes, if you want to call William daddy, that would be fine,” Sarah decided.
“Then we’d like to call you dad, dad,” Mark said teasingly.
“It would make me most proud. Thank you, kids for being so good to us. Now let’s get ready for dinner,” William replied.
They got ready to go and all went out to Claim Jumper for a family meal and a celebration.
@@@@@
That night in bed, William asked, “Did you get everyone called?”
“Yes, William, I did. Everyone was so happy for us. They weren’t that surprised. They said they had never seen you this happy before, so they knew it was coming. That makes me feel like a million bucks.”
William made sweet love to his new wife and was thrilled that he still didn’t have trouble getting it up. He couldn’t do it as much as he would like to, but he did it just fine that night and that’s all that mattered.
@@@@@
Sarah was in her office working hard the next day and didn’t have a clue as to what William was up to.
William was in his office calling Mitchell Benson. He knew it had to be done. He knew that he had lost his job, so he would probably be at home, so he called there.
“Hello?” Mitch answered.
“Hello, Mitch, this is William Ellison, your wife’s new husband. I wanted to talk to you about some things and get some things settled between us.”
“What the fuck could you possible have to discuss with me? What are you wondering when I’ll pay the back child-support? You’re a fucking greedy bastard, is what you are. Does Sarah know you’re calling about support?” Mitch shouted.
“First of all, it’s not about child support. Would you like to hear me out or not?” William said as calmly as he could.
“So what is it about?” Mitch asked, sounding somewhat calmer for a change.
“The children would like for me to adopt them, since you have no contact with them and therefore you wouldn’t have to pay back child support at all,” William threw it out there and waited for his answer.
“How much is it worth to you, Ellison?” Mitch spat out.
“How much do you owe on your condo?” William asked.
“I’m about to lose it. I still owe $60,000.00 on it. What? You’re going to offer me a measly 60 grand for the life of my children? Get a grip old man. I won’t let you have them for less then 100 grand,” the awful man said.
“Done. I’ll have the paperwork drawn up and we’ll have it signed in front of a judge. You won’t be able to see the children ever again, so I suggest you think about it for a day or two,” William said.
Mitch said, “I don’t need to think about it. I was never even sure they were mine. She’s a fucking whore and you’ll find that out as time goes on. You’re going to have your hands full with the three kids and her. I think that I just got the better end of the deal. When will the papers be ready and where do I sign them?”
William couldn’t believe this man was going to let his children go that fast. “I’ll have the papers drawn up and get the appointment with the judge in the next two days. I’ll call you then.”
“So when do I get the money? And you know what? Maybe I settled for too little. Maybe I want more. Maybe I want 200 thousand for them. What do you have to say to that?”
William tried to hold him temper but it wasn’t working. “You have no right to sell your children. You’re an animal. It’s 100 or nothing. Make up your mind now. I’m going to hang up soon.” William realized that he was almost as bad, for buying them.
Mitch thought about it for a second and said, “Okay, draw the papers up and we’ll take care of this as soon as possible.”
William slammed down the phone and took deep breaths to try and calm down. He couldn’t believe he had to talk to that slime bucket. He wasn’t worth spit and even the kids knew it. Soon, they would be rid of him, but William found small comfort in that. He called his lawyer and got the check set up for Mitch and then asked his lawyer if he could get an appointment with Judge Harrison in the next day or two. The lawyer knew everything would be all right, but he hated seeing that man get 100,000 bucks just because. It didn’t seem right. Everything was set up and William walked into Sarah’s office about two hours after that. It took him that long to just calm down.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” Sarah asked.
“I’m doing fine. We’re getting the kids. I just talked to Mitch and he came to an agreement in exchange for a monetary amount. He’ll be happy and the kids will be happy. The only ones that will be pissed off are me and you,” William pulled her out of her chair and kissed her soundly.
“He asked for money?” Sarah said sounding so sad.
“More or less, Sarah. It’s time to forget him, not think about it. As of tomorrow, the kids will be mine. Well, not legally yet. That will take about another week or two to draw up all of the papers for that. But he’ll have his name off of everything from then on. He’ll be out of their lives. He’ll be out of our life. This is going to be perfect,” William said smiling.
“William, you are the best man, I ever could have found. I love you, the kids love you and I love your sons, like they were my own. I know that sounds stupid because of the age difference, but I feel like I could be their mother. I’m so happy William. Thank you very much.”
“You are very welcome, Sarah.”
“Do you love me as much as I love you?” Sarah asked.
“Love me or leave me, make your choice but believe me
I love you
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
I can’t conceal it, don’t you see, can’t you feel it
Don’t you too
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
Oh, I’ve been dreaming through my lonely past
Now I just made it, I found you at last
So come on, now let’s try it, I love you, can’t deny it
‘Cos it’s true
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
Oh, no hard feelings between you and me
If we can’t make it, but just wait and see
So come on now, let’s try it, I love you, can’t deny it
‘Cos it’s true
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
So love me or leave me, make your choice but believe me
I love you
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do
I can’t conceal it, don’t you see, can’t you feel it
Don’t you too
I do, I do, I do, I do, I do…”
The end
Family Life Part 94
My Turn
By Patt
Word Count: 2407
Summary: Steven is coming back into town and he’s not alone.
William called Jim one Sunday morning because he was worried and needed Jim to tell him that there was no reason to worry.
“Ellison.”
“Jimmy, I wanted to ask you if you’ve heard anything from your brother in the last six months. We haven’t and we even sent him an announcement about our wedding and still no word. I wonder when it’s time to worry about not hearing from him,” William said.
“As a matter of fact, I ran a couple of traces on him a week ago to make sure he was still alive and well. I talked to him in Japan and he said that he would be calling us one of these days. He sounded good, dad and very busy. So hopefully, one of these days he’ll be back in Cascade and we won’t have to worry about him so much,” Jim assured his father.
“Did he say he might be coming?” William wondered.
“No, he just said he would be calling one of these days. Do you want me to call him and try getting a hold of him again?” Jim asked.
“Yes, and tell him we want to see him.”
“Dad, if we really wanted to see him, the road goes both ways to see him too,” Jim said.
“Can you imagine what it would cost to fly the family to Japan first class? I guess I could go alone, if Sarah wouldn’t mind me leaving her alone,” William thought.
“Dad, I’ll call him and ask him if he plans a trip back anytime soon and call you right back, okay?”
“Thank you, Jimmy. I worry about him. He’s all alone and you know he’s not as grounded as you are. Life has always been harder for him.”
“Try not to worry, I’ll call him and as soon as he calls me back, I’ll let you know. Talk to you soon,” Jim said as he hung up the phone.
“Was that your dad?” Blair asked.
“Yes, he’s worried about Steven and hasn’t heard from him in six months and wants him to come home for a visit. I told him I’d try and call him. You know even the kids have asked about him. He should really try and visit more then once a year,” Jim said.
“Well, maybe he thinks that you should go visit him there. Why don’t you? There is no reason you couldn’t go for a visit. You could see his office in Japan and meet his friends and stuff like that. We could only afford to send one of us, so that would be you,” Blair suggested.
“Let me call him first,” Jim said as he picked up the address book with Steven’s Japanese number in it. He dialed the number and prepared himself to leave a nice message when he heard, “Hello?”
“Steven? I wasn’t expecting you to answer. How are you?”
“Hi, Jim, I’m fine. I’m doing really well. I finished my work here and will be returning to Cascade in a week. It was a surprise but since you took the time to call, I figured I could tell you ahead of time.”
“Steven, that’s fantastic. The boys have been asking about you all the time and they miss you. Maybe you’ll find some time for them when you get back. And then there is always Miss Samantha. She’s growing by leaps and bounds. I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear you’re coming back. Everything was successful?”
“Oh yeah, everything went well. It was a long year, but thankfully I stayed very, very busy. I even have a new partner in my business and she’ll be moving back to Cascade too. She was running the company here, but she decided not to stay. You’ll like her, she’s really nice,” Steven said.
“Did you get dad’s wedding announcement?” Jim asked.
“He got married? To Sarah? Wow, that’s wonderful. I really like her and the kids seem to be really nice too. I bet dad had a very nice wedding,” Steven guessed.
“Nope, they got married at the courthouse and no reception or anything. They wanted to start out quietly and end with a bang,” Jim teased.
“This is great news, Jim.”
“How do you feel about having step-brothers and sister?” Jim asked.
“I’ll have to wait and see on that one. How do you feel about it?” Steven inquired.
“I get along really well with the kids, so what’s not to like? Dad is happier then I’ve ever seen him, until I call and tell him you’re coming home. He’s been so worried about you and missed you a lot. We all did. We can’t let another year go by like that again. I should have come out and visited you while you were there. I’m sorry, Steven.”
“Don’t worry about it. If you would have come, I would have been too busy to spend any time with you, so this works out better anyway. I can’t wait to see my niece and nephews. I bet they’re growing like weeds.”
“Have you been getting the pictures that Blair sends to you every month?” Jim asked.
“Yup, Blair is a life saver. I would feel homesick and I would get a letter from him with pictures of everyone and a news report about the family to boot. You’re married to one of a kind,” Steven said.
“I couldn’t agree with you more. He’s not only my best friend, but he’s my other half. I know that sounds corny, but I mean it.”
“Well, let’s get off of here and I’ll see you in a weeks time,” Steven said.
“Goodbye, Steven. Can’t wait to see you,” Jim said before he hung up the phone.
He turned to Blair and said, “Steven is coming home in a week. He didn’t say much about it. It was like he was hiding something. But I don’t care; at least he’ll be back in the states again. Let me call my dad and let him know.”
Jim dialed the number and William answered, “You couldn’t get a hold of him, right?”
“Oh yee of so little faith. I talked to him and he’s coming home for good in a week’s time. So you won’t have to worry about him in Japan any longer. He said his work is done there and he’s back to stay. He sounded good and said he was anxious to see everyone. He didn’t know about you and Sarah, so I filled him in on that. So you can relax now,” Jim said.
“Thank you, Jimmy. That takes a lot off of my mind. I was really worried about him.”
“We’ll talk to you later, dad. Relax and enjoy your family,” Jim ordered.
“Yes, sir,” William teased and said his goodbyes.
Jim got off the phone and smiled at Blair. “I didn’t realize how much I missed my brother until this very moment. And he sounded odd, so I’m wondering what’s going on with him.”
“He might just be excited about getting home, babe. Don’t go worrying when you don’t have to. The important thing is, he’s coming home. I can’t wait to tell the kids,” Blair commented.
“Tell us what?” Max asked as all three kids walked down the stairs from the boys’ room.
“Uncle Steven is coming back into town in a week,” Jim said.
“Oh, that’s great. Is he staying more then a week?” Drew wondered.
Sam had a confused look on her face and said, “I don’t remember Uncle Steven.”
“He’s dad’s brother, you wouldn’t remember him. He left right after you came to live with us,” Max said.
“Are you happy, daddy?” Sam asked.
“I’m very happy. I love my brother just like you love your brothers. It’s been a long year. Well, not actually a year, because it was right around your birthday that he left. So he’ll be here for your next one. He’s moving back from Japan and will be staying in Cascade again,” Jim said.
“Poppy, do you like Uncle Steven?” Sam questioned.
“Oh yeah. Very much. He’s a really nice man and once you get to know him again, you’ll remember him. Now who wants to help me with dinner?” Blair asked as he headed into the kitchen.
Drew said, “I’ll help. I have a new recipe I thought I would ask you if we could try.”
“Oh goody, something new. It’s never boring around here, that’s for sure,” Blair said.
They all went off and did their Sunday things and before long it was bedtime.
@@@@@
One week later:
Everyone had just finished eating dinner and cleaning up when there was a knock on the door. Jim went to go answer it with Samantha not far behind. He opened it and there stood Steven and a gorgeous woman.
Jim pulled Steven into a hug and said, “You are a sight for sore eyes. Samantha, this is Uncle Steven. Now you won’t have to wonder about him any more.”
“Hi Uncle Steven. Who is this pretty lady. She’s prettier then anyone I’ve ever seen before,” Sam said sweetly.
The woman laughed softly and said, “Samantha, that was very kind of you to say. Thank you. My name is Paige.”
“I like that name very much,” Sam said as she hugged Paige’s legs.
Steven said, “Where is Blair. I wanted to do the introductions with him here too.”
“Blair, Steven wants you by my side,” Jim bellowed and made Paige smile.
Blair and the boys came out. Max and Drew hugged Uncle Steven and stood there waiting to be introduced to the woman.
“I would like you all to meet the new Mrs. Steven Ellison. Well, that’s not exactly true. She kept her last name, which is Donovan, so she’s my wife but has a different last name. We got married six months ago. I was saving it as a surprise for everyone.”
Blair and Jim were hugging them both like crazy and Drew and Max did too. Samantha said, “So are you my Auntie Paige now?”
“Why yes, I guess I would be. I like the sounds of that. Jim or Blair, do you think I could have a glass of water?” Paige asked sweetly.
“Come on in, sit down and I’ll get some refreshments. You must be exhausted, hungry and thirsty. Would you like something to eat?” Blair asked.
“No, we stopped and had dinner before we came. Thank you, some water would be nice,” Steven stated.
They all sat down while Drew and Max got the glasses of water.
“So tell us how you like working with your husband,” Blair said.
“I love working with him. You must know that sometimes people can live together and work together and get along just fine. We have an off day now and then, but the making up is fun,” Paige said.
“Jim starts fights on purpose so that we can make-up,” Blair joked. Everyone laughed but Sam. She just kept staring at Paige.
“Did anyone ever tell you how pretty you are?” Sam asked.
“Why Samantha, that is so sweet. No one has ever said it like that. You have made my night,” Paige said smiling.
“So where are you going to live?” Max asked as he brought the refreshments out with Drew.
“I kept my Condo, so we’ll stay there until we decide where we want to live. I guess we should go see dad soon. He’s probably wondering where I am,” Steven said.
“Just relax, I can call Dad and the family over to meet Paige here, if you want me to,” Jim suggested.
“No, I think we should go over to his house, but I need the address. I forgot to write it down before we left,” Steven said with a chuckle.
Blair got up and got the address for Steven and handed it to him.
“So how long did you two know each other before you got married?” Blair asked.
“About four months, I think, don’t you agree, Steven?”
“Yes, about four months. I figured it was time I settled down. I was the only family member that didn’t have anyone and I figured that it was my turn. And then Paige came into my life. It’s been heaven ever since,” Steven admitted.
They all said, “Awww.”
They talked some more and then they left for the evening so they could see William and Sarah. Jim hated to see them go. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed his brother. He was so happy to have him back home again.
Once they were gone, Blair said, “Wow, she’s a beautiful girl, don’t you all think so?”
“I think she’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my life,” Drew confessed.
“She seemed really nice too,” Max said.
“Hopefully we’ll see more of them now that they are back in the city. But Steven has never been as much for family as we all are. But maybe that’s changing with him taking a wife,” Jim said.
“Taking her where?” Sam asked.
They all laughed and talked more about Steven and Paige until it was bedtime for the kids.
@@@@@
At 11:00, Jim and Blair were kissing in bed; just getting started with something more and the phone rang. Jim answered, “What?”
“Jimmy, am I bothering you?” William asked.
“Sorry dad. I was almost asleep and the phone startled me,” Jim answered and Blair whispered, “Liar.”
“Steven looks wonderful and his new wife is so nice, we really liked her. Do you think she’s all right?”
“Dad, she seemed just fine. Stop worrying. He’s back in Cascade, he now has a wife and maybe a family some day. Let’s count our blessings and not worry about anything.”
“You’re right, Jimmy. You go and sleep well. Tell Blair I said hello and to call me for lunch next week,” William ordered.
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Jim kidded.
“I meant both of you. Goodnight, Jimmy,” William said.
“Goodnight dad,” Jim said before he hung up the phone.
“Was he happy?” Blair asked.
“He was already worried about if she was a nice girl or not. Dad always worries, he’s going to give himself a heart attack,” Jim said.
“Now, how about we go back to what we were doing before,” Blair suggested.
And they did just that.
The end.
PattRose1@aol.com
Family Life Part 95
Joy
By Patt
Word Count: 2725
Summary: Jim and Blair hear from Rucker and Andy and they have good news to share.
Notes: Thank you so much Kittycat for the idea for this story. I hope you like it. Only five more stories to go before the series ends. So anyone with ideas now would be a perfect time.
Blair was cleaning the kitchen while Jim was cleaning the bathroom. Blair knew he had gotten the better end of the deal on that. Blair was humming as he polished the refrigerator and the phone rang and surprised him. He jumped and sprayed the shine all over the counter. Laughing he went to pick up the phone.
He saw it was Rucker’s number and smiled as he picked it up. “Hello?”
“Oh Blair I have such wonderful news,” Andy began.
“So tell me,” Blair replied.
“We’ve been on a waiting list for adoption of older children, but we wanted a family, hopefully. We’re getting a family of three. Two girls and a boy. Hope is 12, Cassidy is 8 and Ryan is 6. Their parents are both in prison for life and there is no other family. We went and met them and they agreed to come and see our island. They know that they’ll have to go to school by boat every day and that seemed all right with them. They checked out our new house, did I tell you that we had a new house built? Anyway, they loved the house, loved that they would each have their own room and we still have the guest house out back for company, hint, hint, hint.”
“This is fantastic news, Andy. I can’t believe how fast this has all went. When in the world did you have time to have a house built?” Blair wondered.
“Two months ago. It’s just finished. I mean, brand spanking new.”
“This is so cool. What does Rucker think?” Blair asked.
“Rucker wants me to be happy, so he would go along with anything, but these kids are really nice. They have lived apart for six months and were so sad being separated. They are thrilled at the idea of being together again. They like Rucker and they seem to like me too,” Andy said happily.
“So when do they move in?” Blair inquired.
“They moved in a week ago. I just haven’t had time to call, because we had a lot to get done. I had to register them at school, shop for school supplies, shop for groceries that they like and then we went and bought all new clothes and shoes. It’s been quite a week. We’re all exhausted. Rucker takes them every day to school and I pick them up. They seem to like living with us so far. At least they seem to like it. And in case your wondering, we’re going to be able to adopt them, their parents signed away their rights when they went into prison. So when can you come for a visit? We have a two bedroom guest house and a sleeper sofa. Rucker is so excited to show off his new family. Do you think you can come?”
“I’ll talk to Jim about it, but I think we can take some time off work next week and make it a long weekend. That way the kids won’t have to miss much school. We’ll be waiting on the other side for our ride to Casa de Ellison,” Blair teased.
“You just tell us when you’ll be there and Rucker will be there. He couldn’t wait for me to call and tell you about this. He tries not to act all excited, but he is. He really likes these kids and the girls have him wrapped around their fingers already. I’ve got to go and make lunch for the troops. See you soon,” Andy said before she hung up.
Jim came walking out of the bathroom and said, “So they have a new family?”
“It amazes me even now, how much you can hear. You were in a closed bathroom, with running water and you still heard the conversation. That must rock,” Blair said in awe.
“Sometimes and sometimes it’s a pain in the butt. So, just remember the times I complain about it too. That’s wonderful news about Andy and Rucker. They deserve happiness. She sounded like she was filled with joy. I liked hearing her so happy,” Jim admitted.
“Me too, so do you think we could take off on Thursday and stay until Sunday?”
“Chief, we have the time coming, so what’s to worry about? Just call and ask Simon right now. That way we can plan for it. I hate to take the kids out of school for two days, but we’ll tell them we want their work ahead of time and that way they won’t be behind.”
Blair walked over and looked at the calendar and said, “Okay, now I’m happy. Next week and the week after, they are out for their break. So they won’t have to miss school. We could leave whenever we wanted to. Let me call Simon and see how long we can take off?”
Blair called Simon and figured out what day they could leave and wrote it all down on the calendar. Jim went and got the kids and had them come downstairs to hear the news.
When Blair got off the phone, the kids were all sitting there waiting to hear some good news. Blair filled them in on the story and they were thrilled for them. Samantha said, “Now we have more cousins?”
“Yes, Sam, now you have more cousins. Ryan is almost your age,” Blair pointed out.
“Oh goody, I can’t wait to meet them. When are they coming?” Sam asked jumping up and down.
“We’re going to see them on Tuesday and staying until Sunday. Won’t that be nice?” Blair asked.
Max said, “Can we bring our Wii, just in case they don’t have one?”
Jim laughed and said, “I think you all are hooked on the Wii. Yes, you can bring it, but chances are they already have a system. Why don’t you call and ask Rucker?”
“Could I call right now?” Max asked.
“Yes, call him now and then let me talk to him,” Jim said.
Max got out the address book and found Rucker’s name and phone number and dialed it quickly. “Hello?”
“Hi Andy, this is Max. I wanted to know if the kids already have a Wii system? Because if they don’t, we thought we’d bring ours.”
“They don’t have a Wii, they have an Xbox 360. Why don’t you bring yours, so you can play both systems?” Andy suggested.
“We will. Here is my dad, he wants to talk to you,” Max said as he handed the phone over to Jim.
“Hi Andy. We’re going to come for a visit on Tuesday and stay until Sunday, if that’s all right with you guys,” Jim said.
“Oh my God, this is so exciting. Rucker is going to be thrilled. Hope can’t wait to meet her new cousins and Cassidy and Ryan will warm up to you after a day or two. They’re a little shy,” Andy explained.
“We can’t wait to meet them, Andy. No one deserves to be happy more then you and Rucker do. I’m so pleased for you. Do you mind if we bring a present for the kids when we come?” Jim asked.
“You can do whatever you want. We love spoiling the kids, so it’ll be nice having someone else doing it too. Thank you, Jim. We’ll see you on Tuesday. What time?” Andy asked.
“We’ll be there at noon on Tuesday, so tell Rucker not to forget us,” Jim joked.
“As if,” Andy teased back.
“Talk to you on Tuesday,” Jim said before hanging up the phone.
Blair walked over to him and said, “So what are we getting the kids?”
“I thought we could get them a Wii system, so they have two systems. It couldn’t hurt. Then I thought we could get them each a really nice iPod Touch. The kids would love that. What do you think?” Jim asked.
“I think that these kids are going to be just as spoiled as our kids,” Blair joked.
Drew said, “Let’s go shopping now and that way we can put everything in the suitcases. Or are we just taking backpacks?”
“No, one small suitcase for each of us, should be fine. Get your jackets on and we’ll go shopping,” Jim said.
They all scampered and were giggling and laughing as they retrieved their jackets.
When they were ready they all went shopping. They found a few more things that the kids would love and got them too. Yes, the cousins were going to be spoiled too.
@@@@@
Rucker sat there waiting at the dock and saw Jim and the family drive up. He smiled when he saw them. Then he saw all of the luggage and presents being unloaded and wondered if there was going to be enough room for everyone and everything.
Rucker walked up to them and hugged all of them. “What do you think it is, Christmas?”
Jim looked down at all of the packages that they had wrapped so nicely and laughed. “No, it’s called spoiling the new family members.”
“Thank goodness I got the bigger boat last year, so we’ll have enough room to take everything and everybody across. Let’s load everything up,” Rucker ordered.
Once they were all settled, Jim sat in front with Rucker to talk to him while they sailed across the water.
“Jim, I really appreciate you coming so quickly. It made Andy feel so good.”
“Rucker, you did the same thing for us. This summer, we’ll see if your kids would like to come for a visit. It’ll be fun having the cousins growing up together. Life has been incredibly good to us, Rucker.”
“You can say that again.”
When they arrived, Andy was waiting at the dock with the three kids. Jim could see the kids were nervous. Then he noticed their kids were also a little excited. Jim just smiled at seeing them.
They got out and carried everything up to the house. Once they put everything in the guest house, Andy said, “Now it’s time for a proper hug.”
She hugged every one of them and then said, “We would like you to meet your new cousins, Hope, Cassidy and Ryan. Kids, this is Max, Drew and Samantha.”
All of the kids shook hands and said nice things to each other, but were very nervous. Jim said, “We brought presents.”
“Oh goody, we love presents, don’t we, kids?” Andy asked.
“I do,” Hope said smiling for the first time.
“So do I,” Cassidy said.
Ryan said, “I’m almost the same age as you, Samantha. Do you want to go play on my swing set?”
“Oh that would be fun, Ryan. I love swing sets,” Sam answered.
“First the presents, then you can go play on the swing sets,” Rucker said.
They all opened their presents and were very excited with the Wii system and games to go with it and then they opened the iPod Touch and they were thrilled. They all walked over to the main house and walked in.
“Wow, this is some nice house,” Blair said as he looked around the living room and dining room.
“We love it here,” Andy said.
“It has five bedrooms so I still have a bedroom to use as my office for work. We really like it here. The kids each have their own room,” Rucker stated.
“Would you like to play some Xbox 360 with us?” Hope asked.
Max smiled and said, “We would love to. Lead the way.”
The kids all disappeared and Rucker said, “They seem to be getting on just fine. We didn’t know how it would work since your kids are much older then ours. Well, I mean the boys.”
“They’re still cousins and that’s exciting to our kids. They didn’t have any family, so this is important to them,” Blair said.
Jim said, “I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how beautiful those kids are. They are just darling. And Andy, Hope looks a little like you, so it’s sort of funny.”
Rucker laughed and said, “I agree. I think even Cassidy looks a little like her. Thankfully none of them look like me.”
Everyone laughed and Blair said, “We wish sometimes that our kids would look like us, but instead they act like us.”
“Actually, I think that’s a better thing to have happen in a family,” Andy said.
“You all didn’t have to do all of this for the kids. It’s not like they’re going without,” Rucker said smiling.
“I’m hungry, how about we help make lunch?” Jim suggested.
Andy jumped up and said, “I knew I was forgetting something.”
They fed the kids and they were off and running as soon as they were done. There were no worries about anyone being shy, because they were all getting along beautifully.
Jim, Blair, Andy and Rucker played cards while they listened to the laughter of the kids coming from the den. It was such a nice sound and Jim was so glad they were all there to hear it.
@@@@@
“But I don’t want to leave. We were having fun,” Sam whined.
“Couldn’t we just stay for an extra day or two?” Drew asked.
“We have to go back to work, kids. Now let’s pack and get ready. Rucker is taking us to our SUV this morning,” Jim said.
“Could they come and visit us sometime?” Sam asked.
“I’m sure they will. We’ll make plans to come out again during the next break, how does that sound?” Blair said.
“That sounds good,” Sam answered, making everyone laugh.
They packed and got ready and took everything to the boat dock and loaded it into the boat. Then they went in to say their goodbyes
The kids all hugged one another and said that they would miss each one of them. Ryan looked like he was going to cry. Sam said, “Ryan, we get to come again during our next break.”
“Oh goody. I can’t wait for your next break, then,” Ryan replied.
Rucker said, “And we’ll go visit them in Cascade, too. So it’s not like you won’t see each other a lot.”
Andy kissed and hugged everyone and looked like ‘she’ was going to cry. Blair hugged her extra hard and said, “I’ll be sending you the pictures as soon as I print them up on our printer at home.”
“I can’t wait to start the family photo albums. It’s going to be such fun,” Andy confessed.
They all said their goodbyes and the Sandburg-Ellison’s all got into the boat for the trip across the water. They were sad to leave, but at the same time, happy that they had gotten to spend such a nice amount of time with everyone.
When they arrived at the other dock, Rucker helped them unload and put everything into the SUV. Then he hugged all of them and said, “Thank you for everything. We’ll see you soon.”
“Our house next,” Jim said.
“Okay, I’ll see when the kids are off. They seem to be on the same schedule as yours are, so that makes it nice. We’ll be making plans soon. Drive careful and be safe.”
They all got into the SUV and they were off. Jim was exhausted and they had just started the drive.
“Well, did you enjoy your new cousins?” Blair asked.
“Oh yes,” Sam said quickly.
“I loved all of them,” Max said.
Drew smiled and said, “They were all really nice kids. We had a good time with them. Hope can’t wait to come to Cascade to see us next time. We told them about the loft and they thought it sounded cool. It’ll be nice having cousins.”
“Yes, it will be,” Jim agreed.
The kids all got their iPod Touch out and started playing games for the drive home. Blair looked over at Jim and smiled. Jim smiled back and knew that Blair had had a good time, also.
Life was good.
They were all blessed.
The end
PattRose1@aol.com
I’m supposed to have five more stories, I just haven’t written them yet. Maybe someone could give me ideas. *grin*
