FicWad

On the Wednesday we were at the beach I woke up in Luna with a naked Pete in my bed. It was early enough that even the kids weren’t up yet. I briefly thought about waking him up for a little bit of adult alone time. But he looked so peaceful I couldn’t do it. I knew he had some sleep problems so I didn’t want to disturb him. Instead of being selfish, I quietly slipped out of bed and pulled on some clothes.

I grabbed my laptop and sat in the front seat to log into YouTube. I activated my video for the day and then went back to the bed area. The kids were still in their tent. If no one else was up yet, I was going to take advantage of the quiet time. I slipped back into bed next to Pete and curled up next to him.

I didn’t go back to sleep fully, I was half awake listening to him breathing, and the sounds from outside. When I heard the kids starting to get up I picked up the cats and their leashes and went outside. Marvel and Saint were up and they were hungry.

Trying to let Pete sleep I quietly went back into Luna and grabbed something for the kids to eat. I got them started with some bananas and cereal. They were happy enough with that. Bronx woke up as the kids were eating. He joined them and had cereal too.

“Moony, are we gonna go to the beach today?” Saint asked.

“I think so. Would you like that?”

“Yeah! Can we spend all day there?”

“I don’t know. But we can try to. Do you have a lot of school to do?”

He shook his head and said, “I got a bunch done yesterday.”

I decided to ask Pete about that when he got up. “We’ll see how the day goes. We’ll see how long we stay on the beach.”

Pete came out of Luna around this time. I got him set up with a cup of coffee and some breakfast. I sat next to him as he woke up and sipped his coffee. He smiled at me when I sat down. Leaning in, I kissed him good morning.

“I missed waking up with you,” he said to me.

“I heard the kids so I got up. But I stayed next to you for as long as I could.” I said quietly so only he would hear. Then, speaking loud enough for the kids to hear, I said, “We want to spend all day at the beach. How ‘bout we head there after breakfast, and have lunch in town? Then we can go back to the beach for the afternoon. It’s supposed to be really hot today. How much work do the boys have for school today?”

Bronx spoke up and said, “I don’t have anything else due until Friday. And I’m almost done with that essay. I got a lot done yesterday.”

Pete had been helping Saint when he needed it, said “Actually, Saint got most of his work done yesterday too. They can both take the day off from school work. I think a full day at the beach sounds fun.”

That’s what we did. We had a fantastic day at the beach. Lunch in town and then back to play in the water some more. We didn’t head back to camp until we wanted dinner. The kids were very tired, but happy. We got back and made dinner. I wanted to wash off the sand and saltwater. I told Pete I was going to shower and offered to take Marvel with me. He decided that the boys needed to get cleaned up too. So all five of us ended up heading to the showers to get the day washed off. Once we got to our campsite we had a fire. Marshmallows were of course there for the kids to roast and snack on.

We had all just sat down with cocoa for the kids, adult beverages for Pete and I, when I remembered we hadn’t read that day. “Hey, do you guys want a chapter tonight? We can stay out here around the fire and get one chapter in before bed.” I said to the group.

Everyone wanted the next chapter so I got the book and turned on one light by Luna so I could see to read. I ended up reading two chapters that night. At the rate we were going through the book, we’d be done before the end of the week. I had all seven books with me so I would be ready when we got to book two.

“Moony? Are Fred and George named after Fred and George in the book?” Saint asked me after we had finished reading for the night. Fred had been sitting in his lap that evening.

“Yes they are.” I smiled and answered him.

“I thought so.” He said with a very serious look on his face. Then he yawned a big yawn.

Marvel didn’t have a nap that day so she was already almost asleep leaning against Bronx.

Pete looked at her then at Saint and said, “I think it’s bed time for you.” He got up to pick up Marvel. She didn’t really protest it and let him put her to bed. Saint followed him into the tent to be tucked in.

Bronx stayed up for a little while with us. But he too had had a long day, he had been running and playing in the water all day. He went to bed on the early side.

I looked at Pete once Bronx was in his tent. “Would you like to share a joint?” I asked.

He grinned and nodded. “Fuck yeah I would.”

I got one of the pre-rolleds I had picked up a few days ago and brought it out. We shared it and talked about just us and our lives.

“I know you might not answer this, but I have a personal question for you. Where is home for you? I still can’t figure out your accent. Sometimes I think you’re from the south and sometimes I think you're from out here.” He asked.

I smiled at him. He’s right, it wasn’t a question I wouldn’t have answered before. But I was ok telling him now. I hadn't really talked about my family or upbringing with him much. He knows the basics. I had two brothers. One full, one half from Mom’s second marriage. Youngest died in 2016. Other brother is married and has one daughter. My niece is 12. Dad never remarried, but has a long time girlfriend I like a lot. He never had any other kids.

“Georgia mostly. I grew up just outside of Savanna. My Mom and her husband are still there. Dad moved up to South Carolina. He has a farm up there. I grew up going between the two.”

“Your Dad has a farm? What does he farm?” Pete asked interestedly.

“Soybeans mostly. But he also raises his own meat and most of his own vegetables.”

“His own meat?” Pete was such a city boy.

“Chickens, pigs, and cows. He sends the pigs and cows to the butchers, but he slaughters and butchers the chickens.” Pete made a face at that. I smiled and chuckled. “That’s farm life.”

“Do you know how to do that?”

“Kill and butcher a chicken? Yeah, sure do. Not something I enjoy, but I can do it. I can fry it up for dinner too. I can also catch a fish, clean it and cook it up. And I know how to trap a rabbit and dress and cook it.”

“You learned all that from your Dad?” He asked, a bit awed at these facts.

“Yep, he’s always lived the outdoor life. Camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, working the farm. My Dad’s pretty laid back and cool, but he’s a big man and can be intimidating. He likes being outside and enjoys nature. He’s very open minded and has no issues with other beliefs or lifestyles. He’s been one of my biggest supporters the past five years. He has a very ‘you do you if it makes you happy and isn’t hurting anyone’ attitude.”

“Do you think your family will accept me and the kids? Will your Dad be ok with you dating me? I have a lot of baggage.” He looked very concerned about this.

I gave a hearty laugh and said, “Dad’s already asked when I can bring all of you to the farm. He can’t wait to meet the kids. He only has one bio grandkid. My niece Abby. But his girlfriend has two and he’s Pops to them just as much as he is to Abby. He’s gonna love you. All of you.”

“Did you get to spend much time with him as a kid?”

“I grew up spending the school year with Mom and summers at the farm. My brother Scott and I would go camping and fishing with Dad. He’s the one that taught us about camping, fires, cooking on a fire, how to use knives, and guns.”

“Guns?” He asked, interrupting me.

“Yes, guns. I know how to shoot for my supper and my protection. I’m a woman traveling alone. I have to protect myself, no one else will.” I gave him a very leveled look.

“I don’t think I ever gave that much thought.” He said, musing the idea over. “Do you have one with you now?”

I nodded and said, “Yes, but don’t worry, it’s unloaded, put away up high and locked away where the kids can't get to it.”

“Is it really so dangerous for you to travel like you do?” He asked all of a sudden with a lot of worry and concern.

“It can be. I’ve had run-ins with bears, wolves, and aggressive men. The two legged predators are scarier than the four legged ones. I also have bear spray with me all the time as well as a pocket knife.” He frowned when I told him this.

“You never show that on your channel.”

“No, it would scare my Mom too much.” I answered. And it would. I know my Mom watches all my videos. She worries about me and watching makes her feel better.

“As a parent, I understand that. But now I’m gonna worry about you when you’re away from me.”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m a big girl and I know how to take care of myself.” I told him.

“That’s not gonna happen. I know you’re able to take care of yourself. That’s part of what attracted me to you. But I like you too much to not worry about you when we’re not together.” He told me with a sincere smile.

I smiled back and leaned towards him. “Thank you for worrying. It’s nice to know you feel that way.”

He closed the distance between us and kissed me. “I can show you just how much I like you if you want.” He breathed into my mouth and then kissed me again.

“Yeah, come to bed and show me just how much you like me.” I said and then kissed him hard.

I pulled him into Luna with me. I had enough foresight to pick up a box of condoms on my way to meet with them. Turns out, he had too. Luna is a bit cramped, but we had enough room to do what we wanted. I was starting to get used to falling asleep next to him. That was a bit worrying as I knew we only had a few weeks together before he would leave to go on tour in Europe and the UK. And I would go back on the road. I was going to miss him. Him and the kids.

We stayed in the campground the rest of the week with plans on leaving Sunday morning and heading down to L.A. We had a routine down. Our days went pretty much as they had been. Breakfast at camp, spending the morning on the beach. Lunch was either in town or back at camp. Either way the afternoons were spent at camp. The boys finished up their school work for the week on Thursday so they had Friday off. Marvel napped, and sometimes so did Saint.

We read together. We finished the first Potter book and started on the second one. The kids and Pete were really enjoying the stories. And we all were enjoying the time spent together. We’d been spending at least an hour a day together like that. To me, it was very comforting and felt like family.

We had dinner together at camp and then usually had a fire where we sat and told stories, talked, and laughed. The kids would go down by 9. Bronx started up with us for a few hours and then Pete and I would have some alone time. We spent that time talking and just being together. We usually slept in Luna because she was more comfortable. Pete agreed with me on that one. My mattress was thicker and nicer and my bed was bigger. But both of us were looking forward to being in his king sized bed when we got to his place.

We hadn’t told the kids I was going to go home with them. We figured we’d keep it to ourselves until we got closer to leaving. We did this because we wanted to surprise them with it. And Pete had said if Saint got too excited he wouldn’t sleep. He was trying to keep Saint from having some of the same sleep issues he has had. They’re his kids so I follow his lead with them.

We finally told them on the Saturday before we left. It was Saturday afternoon and we had started to break down camp and get some of our things packed up. I had the ground cover and catio packed up. The chairs would be fast in the morning. I also don’t leave a lot of my things out in camp. I like to keep things where they belong so I always know where they are.

Saint was watching us clean up and pack up when he asked, “Dad, do we have to leave tomorrow?”

Pete turned to look at him. “Yeah, we need to head home tomorrow. This has been a fun week hasn’t it?”

“Yeah. But, I don’t want to go home.”

“Why not?” Pete asked his son.

“‘Cause now we have to leave Moony.” Saint said sadly.

“Well, what if she came home with us for a visit? How would you feel about that?”

“Really? Moony, are you gonna come home with us?” He asked excitedly.

“I am. The boys and I are gonna come and stay with you guys until you have to leave to stay with your grandparents.”

Pete wasn’t taking them with him when he went to Europe. He wanted to, but the other guys weren’t bringing their families on this leg of the tour so he wouldn’t have the help from Elisa or Marie. Bronx would be with his mom, and the little ones were going to stay with Pete’s parents. They were going to be with their grandparents for a while. Pete wasn’t planning on going to L.A. between the European leg and the Australian/South Pacific legs. They were just going to stay in Chicago for Thanksgiving. He was looking forward to seeing his sister and brother, their spouses and all the nieces and nephews. Then he was going to leave again. They would be back home a few weeks before Christmas. He has Bronx this year for Christmas and was looking forward to a nice holiday at home with his family.

We spent our last evening at the beach roasting the last of the marshmallows and telling spooky stories. Saint was very excited about me coming to visit and wanted to sit in my lap that night.

Our last morning there was Sunday. I had a video ready and made it live before we left. We had a good breakfast and then packed up the last of our camps. Pete made sure I had his address just in case we got separated on the trip down. I was going to follow him home.

We made one stop on the way to their house to let the kids use the bathroom and get something to drink. We made it to their place mid afternoon. They have a nice house in the valley. Lots of room for the family and a pool in the backyard.

Pete showed me to his bedroom so I could put my bag down. His bedroom was bigger than Luna. It felt strange to have so much room. But his bedroom had a huge tub that I wanted to use.

Pete asked me if I would watch the kids for him so he could get their dog Bowie from the kennel and pick up some groceries. I was happy to watch them while he did some errands.

Marvel and Saint wanted to show me around the house. I let them show me around while Pete and Bronx went to pick up food and Bowie. They showed me their rooms and all their things. They were very excited to show me around.

They got back about an hour later. They were all excited to introduce me to their furry family members. Mr. Fluff is a sweet gray tabby cat. He wasn’t happy about Fred and George being in his home. But we kept them separated. Bowie, their white husky, was very interested in the boys, but was very good about it. Before we left two weeks later all four of them were getting along fine.