FicWad

The day after my birthday was the day my brother and his family were to arrive at the farm. I was really looking forward to seeing them and introducing them to Pete and the kids. I know Lisa was also looking forward to meeting Pete. She had told me at Thanksgiving that anyone that made me as happy as he did was someone she wanted to meet.

The kids wanted to work on their fort. After breakfast I packed them a bag of snacks and drinks, told Bronx to keep an eye on the time, lunch was at 1:00. Then I sent them off to play. I actually needed to do some editing for the next video. Pete said he also needed to get some work done. We ended up sitting together on my bed and working that morning. But we both got a lot done. My video was ready to go on Wednesday. Pete ended up having to jump into a meeting via a Zoom call.

After we were done, we headed downstairs for lunch. The kids arrived back to the house in time for lunch. They told us all about the fort they’re building. Saint was so into this. More so than I’d seen him get excited about anything else on the farm.

“Mom, Dad, you gotta come and see! I made another room! It’s so cool. Bronx couldn’t figure out how to keep the roof up. But I knew what to do. And it worked!” He told us excitedly. He was so proud of himself and what they had built.

“We’ll come and see after lunch, ok? I really want to see it.” I told him as he sat down to eat.

“Mommy, do I hafta take a nap? I’m not tired.” Marvel asked me. But I could see just how tired she really was.

“Yes, you still need to take a nap. But, when you wake up I’ll take you back out so you can play with your brothers.” I told her.

“Marvel, I know you’re getting bigger, but you still need your nap.” Pete told her. She pouted a bit when he told her that.

“Dad, have you heard from Scott today? Any idea when they’ll get here?” I asked.

“Yeah, they should be here before dinner. They left yesterday and spent the night with some friends in Baltimore.”

“How old is Abby?” Bronx asked.

“She’s thirteen.” Dad told him.

“Cool, another teenager.” He said.

After lunch I put Marvel down for her nap and then Pete and I went to see the fort. I was impressed with what they had built. I think Saint may end up being an architect. We left the boys to it and went back to the house.

Since the boys were playing, and Marvel was napping, I got my computer and started looking for adult toys on Amazon. I found a few things I wanted and put them in the cart. Then I found Pete and had him look at what I was thinking about.

“Here, take a look at this and pick what you want.” I told him as I handed him my laptop.

“Did you already find something?” He asked me.

“Sure did. I added them to the cart. Keep in mind, they aren’t all for you.” I told him with a sly smile.

He just grinned back at me and started looking at the site I was on.

“Hey, Babe, are you sure you want more than one?”

I looked at him and simply said, “Order what you want to play with in the next few weeks. I promise to rock your world when it comes in.”

He gave me that ‘I’m about to ravish you’ look and said, “Ok.” He had my laptop for a few more minutes before he handed it back to me. “Everything I want is in the cart.”

I looked to see what he had added. “Is that all you want?”

“For now. When we get back home we can see about adding more to the collection.”

I did notice one thing was missing from the order. I added that and then checked out. I set it for delivery the next day.

When Marvel woke up Pete took her out to play with her brothers. He stayed out there for a little while just to spend time with them.

Scott, Lisa, and Abby arrived later in the afternoon. Dad was out the door before the car came to a complete stop. He greeted my brother and his family as warmly as he had greeted us.

I went out with Dad and Amy to welcome them. I pulled Pete out with me so I could introduce him.

Scott greeted Pete with a huge smile and a handshake. “It’s good to meet you Pete. Anyone that makes my big sister as happy as you do is welcome in my family.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person too.” Pete said as he shook Scott’s hand.

Lisa was right behind Scott to greet us. She hugged me and then greeted Pete. “Grace told me all about you and the kids at Thanksgiving. I’m so glad we finally get to meet you. Where are the kids?”

“Making a fort in the woods.” I told her.

“Not surprising. Abby spends all her time here outside.” Lisa said.

We helped them take their bags inside.

“Abby, we put Marvel in the room with you. But if you need us to, we can have her sleep with us while you’re here.” I told my niece.

“That’s ok, Aunt Grace. She can room with me. It’ll be like having a little sister for the week.” Abby said.

“Thank you.” I said as I smiled at her.

After the bags were put in everyone’s rooms Abby wanted to head out to meet and play with my kids. She was super excited to meet them. She’s wanted siblings and cousins forever. I offered to take her out and introduce her to them. With permission from Scott I took her out to the fort and introduced them.

“Hey guys.” I called out as I got close to where they were.

“Hey Moon.” Bronx called back.

“Abby’s here and wants to meet you guys.” By this time Abby and I were in the fort area.

Marvel ran up and excitedly greeted Abby. “Hi Abby. You wanna come see the fort?”

“This is Marvel.” I told Abby.

“Hi Marvel!”

“Hi Abby, I’m Bronx.” Bronx and Saint had come up to us.

“Hi Bronx.” Abby flashed him a bright grin.

“Abby, this is Saint.” I said as Saint came up to me.

“Hi Saint!”

“Hi.” He said shyly.

“You wanna come see the fort? We’re still working on it. Do you know anything about building one? This is the first time we’ve ever been somewhere where we could build one.” Bronx said as he waived her over.

“Yeah, but not this big before. You know Pops always has boards and nails and tools in the barn. I can show you.” Abby was telling him.

“Nothing sharp!” I yelled over to them. The two teens turned back to me. “Marvel’s only five. If it were just you two I wouldn’t be concerned. But nothing sharp around her. And stay out of the barn until tomorrow when Pops, Scott, or I can take you.”

“Ok, Moon. We won’t go in the barn.” Bronx promised me.

I looked at Abby and she nodded. “I promise too, Aunt Grace.”

“Bronx, do you have an alarm set?” I asked.

“Yeah. We’ll be back in time for dinner.” He promised.

“Ok. Have fun!” I called out as I turned to leave. I went back to the house to visit with Lisa and Scott. When I got back I found everyone sitting on the porch with glasses of tea or lemonade.

“Are the kids still having fun?” Pete asked me.

“They sure are. And they were happy to have Abby join them.” I said as I took a seat joining everyone.

We all sat and chatted, letting Scott and Lisa get to know Pete. And just catching up with them. It was nice.

“So, Pete, are you going to join me and Dad tomorrow night?” Scott asked.

“What’s tomorrow night?” I asked. I hadn’t heard anything.

“Dad and I were talking about taking all the kids out to the back pasture and camp out for the night.” Scott told me.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Dad told Pete.

He looked at me, giving me a slightly panicked look.

“I don’t think you’ll want Marvel with you guys tomorrow. And I want Pete here.” I spoke up.

“You can keep him, but we’re not gonna leave Marvel out. That wouldn’t be fair to her. One of us can always bring her back to the house if we need to.” Dad declared.

“She can go. She’s gone camping enough times, she won’t be scared.” Pete said. “And I don’t want her to feel left out.”

I wasn’t about to argue with him. I just nodded agreement.

The kids came back in time for dinner. Amy went above and beyond again. She cooked up a big Sunday roast with all the sides. And she had a cherry pie with ice cream for dessert. It was delicious.

We let the kids stay up later than normal because they were having so much fun with Abby. But Pete decided it was time to put the younger ones to bed when Marvel fell asleep leaning against him.

We adults enjoyed a few adult beverages while Bronx and Abby had sodas. It was nice to visit with my family. I had missed them. We all headed to bed before it got too late.

The next day the kids all wanted to spend all their time outside playing. Dad took them to the barn and let them pick a few pieces of wood he had out there to take and use on the fort. He also took some nails and the hammer and helped them with that. Dad spent all morning with them. He brought them back at lunch time. We let them go back out to play after lunch. And since we didn’t want Marvel to be cranky that night, we made her take a nap.

That afternoon I saw the Amazon truck coming up the drive. I went out front to get my delivery. I took the box up to my room and left it there. I would open it later with Pete.

That evening after dinner Dad and Scott got the kids together and packed up the tents, sleeping bags and everything else they needed for a camp out. They left for the back pasture.

Amy, Lisa, Pete and I stayed up chatting for a while. Lisa really liked Pete. They were getting along so well. But before it got too late I excused us and took him to bed. We had some new toys to play with. I had promised to rock his world.

When we got to my room I pulled out the box and opened it. I could see the excitement in his eyes as we looked at what we had bought.

“Are you sure you’re ok with this?” Pete asked me as we opened everything.

“Of course I am. Why? Are you unsure about it?” I wanted to be sure he was comfortable. After all, he was the one that was going to get fucked with the toys.

“No, I’m ok. Looking forward to it actually. But, I just don't want you to be uncomfortable.” He sounded half embarrassed and half excited by this.

“It’s not the first time for me. And, I want to do this with you.” I smiled at him. “I get to make you cum, and you know what that does to me.”

He just looked at me like I was the best thing he had ever seen. “How the fuck did I get lucky enough to meet you?”

I flashed him my half smile. “I ask myself the same thing. How did I get lucky enough to find you? I didn’t realize it when we first met, but there isn’t anyone else that could be a better match for me than you.”

He didn’t say anything, just pulled me to him and kissed the breath out of me. As I had promised him, I did everything to rock his world. And got mine rocked too. I’ve been having sex since I was seventeen, and never have I been with someone that matches so well with me. Even our kinks matched up.

After I had made him come undone and we had cleaned up, we lay together in bed. He wrapped himself around me and said, “You’re the best I’ve ever had.”

“Really? Cause you’re the best I’ve ever had too.”

He lifted his head off my shoulder to look at me. He smiled and just kissed me.

The next morning I woke up before he did. I left him to sleep and quietly got dressed and went downstairs. Amy was the only one up. I got a cup of coffee and joined her at the table.

“Good morning.” I said with a smile.

Amy just looked me over and asked, “Should you really be having coffee?”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Caffeine isn’t good for the baby.”

“What baby?”

Amy just gave me a very level look and said, “I was a nurse in an OB/GYN office for almost thirty years. I can see the signs. You’re glowing. Have you taken a test?”

“I’m glowing because I got lucky last night.” I laughed.

“I think you should take a test just in case.” She said as she sipped her coffee.

Lisa joined us at that point. “Gracie, what were you doing to Pete last night? I heard him all the way in our room.” She laughed at the face I made.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we were that loud.” I know I had flushed a dark pink.

Lisa laughed and said, “Don’t be embarrassed! Hell, if I had someone as sexy as Pete in my bed, I’d be making him moan like that too.” She got a cup of coffee and joined us at the table. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Scott and making him moan.” She flashed a knowing smile at me.

Amy looked at her and asked, “Don’t you think she’s glowing? I think she’s pregnant.”

“I’m not pregnant. At least I don’t think I am. I just had my period…” I had to stop and think about that. It was before we left for the trip. In fact it was while Pete was away. That was only three weeks ago. “Three weeks ago. Maybe a little longer. But I’m not late.”

“Well that’s too early to take an at home test. But I still think you’re pregnant.”

“Would that be a good thing? If you are?” Asked Lisa.

“Yes, it would be. I’d love to have a child of my own. Pete would like more kids. But, it’s not necessary for us. Not like it was, you know, before.” I told them.

“I still think you are. But we’ll have to wait another week at least before we can tell for sure. Unless you’d like to go see Dr. Carroll? I could give the office a call and see if we can get you in.”

“Let’s give it a week or so and see. I’ll take a test if I haven’t gotten my period by the end of the week. But do me a favor, don’t mention this to Dad or Scott or Pete. Especially not to Pete. I don’t want to get him excited over nothing.”

Amy gave me a hard look, but just said, “Alright, I won’t say anything.”

“Thanks. Besides if it turns out I am. I want to be the one to tell him. And everyone else. I don’t want him or the kids to hear it from anyone except me.”

“That’s fair.” Lisa said. Then she grinned, “Oh I hope you are. Another baby in the family would be so nice. And you already know he makes beautiful babies.”

The three of us sat and sipped our coffee together. Eventually Pete came downstairs and joined us. Not too long after that, Dad, Scott, and the kids came back. We cooked them breakfast. The four kids told us all about their night. They had so much fun. They asked Dad if they could do it again.

Over the next couple of days the kids built their fort and played in it every day. They also went camping again. On July 3rd, my step brother Tim brought over his two kids, Katie is ten and Robbie is six. Both of them fit right in with the other four. I volunteered to take all six kids out to the back pasture for the night before the 4th of July. Pete decided he would come with us. He told me later that he came because he didn’t want to spend too many nights away from the kids or me. He didn’t sleep well, but we liked having him with us.

Dad always had a big cook out on the 4th. He invited friends from town, neighbors, and family. There could be anywhere from 20-30 people there. He cooks a bunch of hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and smokes wigs, and a pork roast then pulls it and serves it with different sauces. He and Amy do a bunch of other things too. They offer a variety of things to eat and drink.

Dad told everyone to come over later in the afternoon since the point of the party is really the fireworks. Scott always stops at a place in North Carolina and buys a bunch of fireworks. They’re legal there. Not so much in South Carolina. Dad and Tim also go around our area and buy a bunch of fireworks that are legal in the state. With everything combined it usually takes well over an hour to set everything off. Then, that’s it, party over and everyone leaves.

This year I was thankful the party started late. When we took the kids back to the house for breakfast I wanted a shower and some real sleep. We handed the kids off to Pops, Granny, Uncle Scott and Aunt Lisa while we slept for a few hours.

When we got up a few hours later, Marvel was being fussy. She hadn’t had a nap the day before, and she didn’t sleep very long the night before. I ended up taking her to our room and put her down for a nap. Robbie needed one too, but April couldn’t get him to settle down. He did end up falling asleep on Dad and Amy’s bed a few hours later. Marvel woke up just before people started to show up.

Bronx and Pete took all the new people in stride. No one there outside of the family knew who Pete was and what he did. Everyone else just thought he was my new boyfriend that I had brought home from that distant land called L.A.. My older neighbors and the family friends weren’t too in touch with pop culture. None of them really understood what I had been doing for the last six years. They all thought I did something with computers. When they asked him what he did, he just said he was in the music industry. If they pushed and asked more, he told them he was a producer, and then told them he gave bands money to make albums. Then they paid him back with interest and a cut of the record sales. That they kind of understood and respected.

Bronx is just as charismatic as his father and has the same charming smile. He made friends easily. I’m pretty sure the granddaughter of our closest neighbor had a crush on him before the end of the day.

Marvel was a bit shy with all the new people. And all the older ladies wanted to hug and pinch her. She wasn't used to so many people wanting to touch her. I ended up holding her for the first hour or so to keep her away from them. Then I was able to get the kids to group up and play together. That kept her and Saint away from the nosey adults that don’t know them.

Saint was being shy and kept to Pete or Bronx or me. But he had a better time once all the kids started to play. And Abby noticed how uncomfortable he was and decided to kind of watch out for him all afternoon. Those two were becoming very good friends. Abby and my kids were all having so much fun together. She and Bronx had already exchanged numbers and social media so they could stay in touch.

As the afternoon went on, the kids ate as they wanted just like everyone else. The younger ones finding a parent to help make plates and get drinks as needed. Pete, Lisa, April, and I all checked in on them. Making sure they were ok, had eaten, didn’t need anything. A few times Pete and I went to check on them just to get away from the crowd.

Once darkness fell, Dad and Tim started setting off the fireworks. Pete and I had our three with us on a blanket in the yard. We had a nice view of the show. Scott, Lisa, and Abby were next to us. Bronx and Abby were sitting next to each other talking. Marvel was sitting in Pete’s lap. Saint was cuddled up in mine.

We took the little kids in as soon as the fireworks were over. They were very tired and needed to go to bed. Abby and Bronx were allowed to stay up. But both of them were ready to be inside in the air conditioning. They both headed to bed on the early side. It had been a long day. I fell asleep almost as soon as I laid down.

The rest of the week went pretty much the same. The four kids played together outside all day. In the evenings they were exhausted but happy. Saint had emerged as the group architect. The others followed his lead and they built a fantastic playhouse, fort area. And the most important thing was, they all had fun.

We adults worked as we needed to. Pete and I worked the most because we had to. But even Scott had to put in a little time. We spent time together. Everyone really had time to get to know Pete and the children. My family loved them. And I think they were starting to love my family.

Two days before Scott and family were scheduled to leave, Dad and Scott wanted a day or an afternoon with just the two of them and Pete. They wanted some “guy” time with him. They took him out on the horses. Amy decided she needed to run into town to pick up a few things. She brought back a home pregnancy test and insisted I take it. The guys were still out, the kids were at the fort playing. Amy and Lisa convinced me to take it right than while everyone else was out of the house.

I went into the bathroom off of Dad and Amy’s room and peed on the stick. Waiting the ten minutes to see the results was nerve racking and brought back a lot of bad memories. I watched the clock as I waited. I didn’t want to look at the test.

The timer went off to let me know the ten minutes were up. I looked at the test to see the results. Negative. My heart broke a little bit. Lisa and Amy were outside the door when I opened it.

“Well?” Lisa asked. I could see the excitement in her eyes.

I just handed her the test.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said as she looked at the stick. “We really thought you were.”

“Are you ok?” Amy asked me.

Nodding my head I said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” And then I smiled at her. I wasn’t fine, but she didn’t need to know that.

I hung out with them for a little while before I excused myself and went to my room. I told them that I was going to get a nap since the kids and Pete were all out. But really I just wanted some time to myself and wallow in some self pity. I did end up falling asleep though. Pete woke me up an hour or so later when he came in to change. He was trying to be quiet, but I still heard him.

“Hey Honey. How was your day with Dad and Scott?” I asked him from the bed.

He had only changed his pants at that point and was shirtless. He smiled at me and crawled into the bed with me. Wrapping his arms around me he said, “It was good. I’m sorry I woke you. Lisa said you weren’t really yourself this morning. You ok?”

“No, not really. Will you stay for a few minutes and hold me?” I asked him. I didn’t want to be clingy or whiny but I needed him.

“Of course I will. What’s wrong?”

“Amy was sure I was pregnant so she picked up a test. It was negative. I’m just feeling a bit down and a little disappointed. That’s all.”

He rubbed my back as he held me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t even know you were late. I could have been here with you when you took it.”

“Didn’t want to get any hopes up. Didn’t do a good job though. I got my hopes up.” I mumbled.

He started to run his fingers through my hair. “Grace, Baby, if you’re starting to obsess over this we can stop trying. I just want you to be happy.”

“I’m ok. It’s been months and you haven’t found me crying on the bathroom floor just because my period started. It’s just, Amy was so sure. I wanted it to be true.” I couldn’t help it, a few tears escaped my eyes.

“Please don’t cry. I won’t love you any less if we never have a baby together.” He said as he kissed my tears away.

“I know. This is just me having a pity party for myself. I’m ok.” I said as I buried my face in his chest.

Pete just held me as I got myself under control. Once I was, we got up, he pulled a clean shirt on and we headed downstairs.

As we headed downstairs Pete asked, “Do you know what your Dad told me today?”

“No, what did he tell you?”

“That I have his blessings.” Pete told me.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at him. “You have his blessings for what?”

“Anyway we want to be together. If that’s getting married or just living together. He told me that he thought he would never hear you called Mom. But hearing Saint and Marvel call you that was one of the best moments of this visit. He told me that he’s never seen you so happy. He said he knows it’s because of me and the kids and he’s so happy that you’ve found what you’ve been looking for your whole life.” Pete was grinning as he told me this.

I smiled back at him. “I told you he liked you.” I said.

All the kids came running through the back door calling for me and Granny. Saint had cut his hand.

I got to him before Amy could. “Mom, I cut my hand and it really hurts.” He told me as I got to him. He was holding his cut hand out for me to see.

“Let me see.” I said as soothingly as I could.

Saint was crying silent tears as I took his hand and looked it over. “Yeah, that’s a lot of blood. Sit down and I’ll get you all fixed up.”

It was a nasty cut, but I didn’t think it would need stitches. By the time Amy joined us in the kitchen I had Saint’s hand cleaned up and was putting some triple antibiotic ointment on the cut. Amy agreed that it didn’t look like it needed stitches. We bandaged him up and then I asked if he needed anything or wanted anything.

“Can I stay inside with you?” He asked me.

“Of course you can. Do you want some cuddles?” I asked.

He nodded his head and sniffled. I picked him up from the kitchen chair he was sitting in and took him to the living room. We sat together on the couch and watched some cartoons. Pete joined us and the three of us cuddled until Saint fell asleep. I let him stay on my lap as he napped. Marvel ended up in Pete’s lap because she was wanting some Daddy time. She also fell asleep.

Sitting there with both of the littles cuddling and sleeping on us was wonderful. I loved it when we spent time like this together. Pete leaned his head against my shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“I love you, you know?” He said to me.

“I know. I love you too.” I told him.

We stayed that way until it was almost dinner time. We woke up the kids and took them to the table. Marvel was a little cranky that night, but she had had a very long week and was just overtired and overstimulated. We put her to bed early that night. It took a song and some kisses to get her down, but she was sound to sleep before too long.

As we were putting Saint to bed for the night he asked me a very loaded question. “Mom, will you still love me when you have a baby?”

“Why do you think I’m having a baby?” I asked him. Pete just shot me a very concerned look. We hadn’t said a word to any of the kids about trying for a baby.

“I heard Granny and Aunt Lisa talking about it. Will you still love us when you have it?”

“I’m not having a baby. I even took a test to make sure. But even if I was having a baby, I promise you I couldn’t love you any less.” I sat down next him on the bed and reached up to move some of his hair out of his face. Cupping his cheek I smiled at him and said, “One of the most incredible things about love is, there is always more of it to go around. It’s not like I only have so much to give and I have to take some away from someone to give it to someone new. It just grows and grows and there is always more to give. I love you to the moon and back, and I will never not love you.”

“Do you remember when Marvel was born? I didn’t love you any less just because she was here. It will be the same if Moon and I have a baby. I promise.” Pete told him

Saint thought this over for a minute and then asked, “Do you want a baby of your own?”

“I have always wanted to have children and be a Mom. But, I never had any. So I count myself to be very lucky that I met you guys. Because now I have three amazing kids in my life. I know I’m not your Mom, but I love you as a son. And I love Bronx and Marvel the same way.”

“Are you sad you never had a baby?” He asked me with big eyes. He’s such a sweet and sensitive soul.

“I used to be. But not anymore.” I told him truthfully.

“Why not?”

“Because I have you. Good night Kiddo, I love you very much. Sleep well and dream of big adventures.” I stood up, leaned over and gave him a goodnight kiss. Pete Kissed him too, telling him he was loved.

That night in bed I cuddled up to Pete and said, “When we get back home, I'm going to start taking my birth control again.”

“Why? Are you that disappointed about not being pregnant?”

“No. Well, yes, but mostly no. It’s just that tonight Saint reminded me, I have kids now. And I don’t want to keep doing this to myself. I can live with this. I don’t want to keep hoping every month and then being disappointed.”

Pete held me tighter and said, “Do whatever you need to do to be happy. I was hoping we’d have one, but I can live and be happy without another one. I just want you and I want you to be happy.”

The next day was the last day that Scott and his family would be at the farm. The kids decided they wanted to go swimming in the river. So we took them. All of us, everyone in the house was at the river. We had a lot of fun together. Before anyone was ready for it, the day and the week were over. The next morning my brother and his family were leaving.

The morning they were leaving we all had breakfast together. Abby and Bronx were talking a mile a minute together. They had become fast friends and were sad they had to part ways. They were promising each other that they would stay in contact.

We all said goodbye to them outside as they got in the car and headed home. We were only going to stay a few more days at the farm before heading to Savannah to visit my Mom and her husband. Our plan was to stay there for just under a week. And then we were going to head home. But, I had a surprise in store for all of them. I had made arrangements with Dale and Peter, we were going to stop and visit them on the way home. Even Pete didn’t know that. He had left all the planning for this trip to me. I had asked him to since it was my idea and I was the one that wanted to take them all home to meet my family.

After Abby, Lisa, and Scott left, the kids went down to the fort to play. Saint’s hand was still bandaged up and I reminded him to be careful of it so it didn’t get dirty. I had work to do for the channel and Pete had a meeting he had to call into about a new band he had signed to his label.

The rest of our time at the farm was pretty much the same. The kids played and explored. Pete and I worked as we needed to, and when we weren’t working or with the kids, we just spent time together. I took him on a ride around the farm and the neighbors farm. I also took the kids riding. Marvel always rode with me. But Saint had grown confident enough to ride his own horse.

When it was time for us to leave, all the kids begged to stay longer. They told us how much fun they were having. Marvel cried that she had to leave all the animals. She wanted to take Taco home with us. Dad had to explain that Taco wouldn’t like living in the city and that she would miss her friends the horses too much and she would be very sad.

We packed up the RV the morning we were leaving. Bowie had had the run of the farm with the kids and Dad’s dogs. He had the best time too. Fred and Geroge had stayed in the house while we were there. They didn’t like the other cats so I didn’t let them out. But they seemed to be happy to be back in the RV.

“Gracie, I wish you guys didn’t have to go. I’ve enjoyed having you all here. You have to come back soon.” Dad said as he gave me a big hug. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too Dad. And I’ll bring everyone back as soon as we can. I know the kids don’t want to go either.” I said as I hugged him back. Dad gave me a kiss on the cheek and then said goodbye to Pete and the kids. All three of the kids hugged Pops and Granny, thanked them for the fun visit, asked when they would be coming back and got promises of more campouts and forts next summer.

Then we got in the camper and I took us south to meet my Mom.