FicWad

As I turned onto the long drive that led from the country road to the house, I turned off the music and spoke up so everyone in the camper could hear me.

“We are officially on the farm.” I announced.

“We are? This is your Dad’s place?” Bronx excitedly asked.

“We are. His land started back there where we turned. This is the front Forty we’re driving through right now. The house is just up around that next bend in the road.”

Everyone took more of an interest in what was outside the windows. On either side of the drive were low fields of soybeans. We rounded the curve in the drive and the house came into view. The house is an old farmhouse. But Dad’s kept it up and had made a number of improvements to it over the years. It’s actually pretty modern on the inside. It’s a large house, two stories, five bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. It’s painted a crisp white, and has a large wrap around porch.

I pulled up the driveway to the side of the house. Before I could come to a complete stop and park the camper, the door to the house flew open and my Dad came out to greet us. Amy was right behind him.

“Gracie! It’s so good to see you!” Dad was saying as he came over to the camper and opened my door.

“Dad!” I exclaimed as I slid out of the driver's seat and into his arms. Dad gives the best hugs.

“Introduce me to your new family.” Dad said as he ended the hug.

“But not before I get my hug.” Amy interjected.

“Hi Amy.” I said as I hugged her too.

I turned around to see Pete and all three kids lined up behind me.

I grinned at them and then started the introductions. “Dad, Amy, this is Pete, Bronx, Saint, and Marvel.” I pointed out each family member as I named them. “Everyone, this is my Dad John, and my Stepmother Amy.”

Dad stepped forward and shook Pete’s hand. “Pete, it’s a real pleasure to finally meet you face to face.”

“Thank you, Mr. Campbell. It’s nice to finally meet you too.” Pete said as he shook Dad’s hand. “Grace has been looking forward to this trip. I know she’s been missing you.”

Dad still had Pete’s hand in his. “Please call me John. You and the kids are family now.”

Pete flashed his grin at Dad and said, “Thank you, John.”

Amy stepped forward and when Pete offered his hand to her she just opened both arms and said, “We’re family, family hugs.” And she embraced him with a good hard hug. “I’m so happy y’all are here. And it’s nice to meet you finally, Pete.”

“Dad, this is Bronx. You two are going to have so much fun together. Bronx is very interested in camping and hiking. He’d like to learn more about living off the land.”

“Hello Mr. Campbell.” Bronx said as he held out his hand to shake.

“Bronx, it’s so good to finally meet you. Gracie has told me all about you. And please call me John or Pops.”

Bronx smiled at Dad and just nodded. “Pops it is. You can’t have too many grandparents.”

“You can call me Amy or Granny. All the kids call me Granny and I like it.” Amy told him and then hugged him.

Dad looked over at Saint and Marvel who were both holding back by Pete. Saint seems to be a bit overwhelmed by the size of Dad.

“Come on over and meet my Daddy.” I said to them then waved them over.

Marvel has no fear and came over to meet Dad and Amy.

“Oh my goodness, aren’t you just adorable?” Amy exclaimed as Marvel approached us.

“Hi Moony’s Daddy.” Marvel said to Dad once she was next to me.

“Hello Marvel. You can call me Pops.” Dad squatted down so he was eye level with her. “Moony tells me you want to ride the horses. I’ll take you out riding tomorrow. How does that sound?”

Marvel grinned at him and nodded. “Can I meet the donkey too?”

“Taco? Yes, of course. She likes getting treats. We can bring some apples out and you can give them to her and the horses.”

“The donkey is named Taco?” Saint asked. He was still halfway hidden behind Pete.

“Yep, her name is Taco. We didn’t name her, she had the name when she came to live on the farm. But we like it and think it’s funny.”

“It is a funny name for a donkey.” Saint finally came over and stood by me. He reached up and took my hand.

“Saint, I would like for you to meet my Daddy. Dad, this is Sir Saint. He likes to draw and he likes to read and he would like to ride the horses too.”

“Hello Saint. Moony has told me all about you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I hope you have a lot of fun while you’re here.”

“Hello John.” Saint said.

“And this is Amy. She’s my stepmom. Like I’m your stepmom.”

“Hello Amy.”

Amy just beamed at him. “Hello Saint. It’s so nice to have you here. I hope you have fun while you’re here.”

“Thank you.” Saint was just a little shy, but I knew he would warm up to Dad and Amy. He held my hand tightly and half hide behind me,

“Well, let’s get your things and head in. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying. Bronx, Saint, I hope you don’t mind sharing a room. My son Scott and his family will be coming in a few days and we need to keep a room open for them.” Dad was saying as he helped with our bags and led the way into the house.

“Grace, I’m putting you and Pete in your old room. The boys are gonna be across the hall in the guest room. And Marvel will be next door to them in Grandma's old room. Scott and Lisa will be in Scott’s room. And I think Abby and Marvel can share for the week they’ll be here.”

“They should be fine together. And if Abby needs us to, Marvel can sleep with us.” I said.

We took the kids and our bags upstairs and got everybody settled in. Once everyone had claimed a bed, put their bags away and used the bathroom, I took them downstairs to the kitchen.

Amy was there fixing something for us to eat. “Did you guys stop for lunch?” She asked us.

“No, I was in a rush to get here. Breakfast has worn off. We’re all hungry.” I told her.

“Good, cause I’ve made lunch.” Amy opened the oven to pull out a baking sheet of fresh homemade biscuits. Then she set a plate piled high with fried chicken on the table. She also had chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, and home canned slow cooked green beans. And of course, because this was the south, sweet tea and lemonade to drink. A true southern comfort meal.

“Oh, you didn’t. Amy, I love your fried chicken.”

“I know you do, that’s why I made it.” She told me with a smile. “Sit! I’ll call John to the table.”

I ushered the kids to seats at the table and Pete followed my lead. Before we were all seated, Amy came back in with Dad in tow. The seven of us sat and had a wonderful meal together. All three of the kids proclaimed that Amy’s fried chicken was the best they’d ever had. Even Marvel had seconds of everything. She normally wasn’t a big eater.

Dad started a line of questions with Pete about his work with the band and his other ventures. They started an easy conversation just getting to know each other. Amy and I talked more about what was going on around the farm and with the family.

After lunch Marvel wanted to see all the animals. Pete, Bronx, and Saint all expressed an interest in seeing the rest of the farm and meeting the animals too.

Dad and I both grabbed a few apples and carrots before leaving and then took the family out to the barns. Marvel fell in love with every animal there. But the horses were her favorite. She instantly wanted to pet them and sit on them. She giggled when they sniffed her over for more treats. She wasn’t intimidated by their size at all.

Unfortunately, Saint was very overwhelmed by the size of the horses. But, he liked Taco. She isn’t as tall or as big as the horses, and she’s very friendly. Taco followed Saint around the barn and yard. Once you give her an apple, you have a friend for life.

Dad showed Marvel how to collect the eggs from the chickens. They were fine with her. But one of the roosters didn’t like Bronx or Saint. That little fucker chased them and tried to peck them. Saint screamed and ran as fast as he could from the rooster. After that, Saint had had enough and wanted to go inside. I didn’t blame him and took him in with me. Bronx decided to come in with us.

Amy was inside already working on dinner when Saint, Bronx, and I came in.

“Hey! What did you think of the horses?” Amy asked them.

“I can’t wait to go riding tomorrow. Pops said we could go see the creek and the swimming hole. And that we can go swimming and maybe camp out there.” Bronx was so excited about being on the farm.

“What about you Saint? What did you think of them?”

He just shook his head. “Too big. And the rooster attacked me!” He exclaimed.

“The big white one?” Amy asked him.

Saint just nodded.

“That rooster is a jerk. But he’s very good at taking care of the hens. I’ve been wanting to turn him into chicken and dumplings for a while now. Did he hurt you? If he did, I’ll have Pops take care of it and I’ll cook him up for you.”

“You eat the chickens?!!” Saint asked.

“Well, yes. That’s why we have them. That and the eggs.” Amy was a bit more matter of fact than I think Saint was ready for.

“Saint, this is a farm. And farms are where our food comes from. You saw the cows and pigs. All of them will end up on the dinner table at some point.” I told him.

The look he gave me was of someone that just decided to be a vegetarian. “I don’t want to eat them!”

“Ok, you don’t have to.” I told him.

“I don’t care if you turn that rooster into dinner. I’ll eat him. He was mean!” Bronx said.

Saint gave his brother a disbelieving look. “How can you say that?”

“He tried to peck you! I’d eat him just for that. Besides, you just ate chicken for lunch. Where do you think it came from?”

Saint looked horror stricken. Amy glanced up at me and I shook my head.

“Did those chickens come from here?” Saint asked Amy.

“No, that chicken came from the grocery store.” She assured him. That seemed to appease him.

Marvel, Pete, and Dad came back in at this point. Marvel had the egg basket and brought it over to Amy.

“Granny, Pops said to bring you the eggs!” She said as she handed the basket over.

“Thank you Marvel.” Amy said as she took the eggs. “Did you like meeting the animals?”

“Yeah! Pops put me on Mary’s back and let me ride around the yard. And I gave Taco a carrot. She ate right out of my hand! And I got the eggs. But the rooster didn’t chase me, only the boys. I don’t think he liked the boys. And I saw the piggies. And the cows!” She was so excited about the animals.

“Go wash your hands. The chickens are dirty.” I told her. Pete took her to the bathroom and got her washed up. She was tired, but was fighting a nap. I finally took her up to her room and got her to lay down. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Saint and Bronx went and washed up too. Then they just hung out on the porch with some lemonade. Pete and I finally had a few minutes to ourselves.

“So, what do you think of the farm so far?” I asked him. I was genuinely curious about what he thought. He is such a city boy.

“It smells more than I thought it would.” He said after giving it some thought.

I laughed at that. Yes, it does smell like animals. “Any other first thoughts?”

“It’s very peaceful here.” He said.

We spent some time with Dad and Amy just visiting and letting Pete get to know them. Everyone seemed to get along.

Once Marvel woke up we let her and the boys play outside until dinner was ready. Amy made pulled pork sandwiches and a bunch of sides. She made more food than we could eat. But it was delicious.

After dinner we all sat around the living room just chatting. The kids all laughed at the funny stories Dad told. And Amy was just smitten with Saint. She had offered to show him some toys they had at home for her grandkids. He found a puzzle and it kept him and Marvel occupied for the rest of the evening. We ended up putting both of them to bed around their normal bedtime. The rest of us stayed up until we were all yawning.

All of us were getting tired and ready to head to bed. Bronx, Pete and I all went upstairs. Dad and Amy’s room is on the ground floor. We had the upstairs to ourselves as a family.

I wanted to get a shower before going to sleep. Pete said he’d get one in the morning, but he did brush his teeth and wash his face. When I got back to my room, he was sitting up, waiting for me in my old bed. From the look on his face, and the fact he was shirtless, I knew I was in for some fun.

I smiled at him and shut the door. I slipped off my robe and crossed over to the bed.

“So, this is your old bedroom. When was the last time you lived here?”

“Oh, about twenty two years ago. I stayed here for about a year after college before I went back to Savannah.” I told him as I climbed into bed.

He pulled me to him, kissed me and than asked, “Ever fucked a boyfriend in this bed?”

“I’m about to. But no, I never brought anyone home except my ex. And he was so scared of Dad he wouldn’t touch me. And that was after we were married.”

Pete laughed and said, “I can understand that. Your Dad is a bit intimidating at first look. But he’s a nice guy and very interesting to talk with. I like him and Amy. I see where you get your sense of adventure and your kindness from.”

Smiling at him I moved so that I was straddling his thighs. I was right, I was in for some fun, he was totally naked. I liked sitting in his lap like this. Some of our best makeout sessions have been with me in his lap. I rested my hands on his chest, my fingertips resting just below his twisted thorns tattoo.

“I’m glad you like Dad. I knew he’d like you.”

“I hope he likes me. I want him to like me and the kids.” Pete said earnestly.

“Don’t worry, he does. He was predisposed to like you.” I told him.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because, he’s seen just how happy I've been this past year. And he knows it’s because of you.” I leaned in and kissed him after I said that.

Pulling back from him I wiggled a little against his lap. “So, you gonna be the first boyfriend to fuck me in my old bed?”

He gripped my hips and growled out, “Yeah, yeah I am.” He kissed me hard and pulled me close.

As we were cuddled up together after sex he was running his hand up and down my arm. He said, “I like it here. Thanks for bringing us out here. I think we’re gonna have a good time.”