FicWad

The morning we left Savannah Mom insisted on making us breakfast. She sent us off with full bellies, and promises of coming out to visit us. And a promise that when she did come for a visit she would spend lots of Grandma time with them. Disneyland was brought up. The kids all gave her hugs and thanked her for letting us stay there. Marvel even gave her a kiss before we left.

“Grace, have a safe trip. I wish you could stay longer. I miss you so much.”

“I love you too, Mom. I’ll keep in touch every day. I promise.” I told her as I hugged her goodbye.

Then Mom turned to Pete. “Pete, I’m so glad you all came to visit. It’s been a real pleasure getting to know you and the children. Please take care of her. I know you all love her, it’s easy to see that. But she’ll do for others and not take care of herself if you let her.”

“Don’t I know it? I’ve told her before she does that. I promise I’ll take care of her. I love her very much.” Pete told Mom.

Mom just smiled at him and then hugged him goodbye.

We got on the road, but before we left Savannah we stopped at a grocery store so we could stock up for the trip. Once we were truly on the road, I told Pete and the kids to pick some music and turn it up. We traveled northwest towards Tennessee singing along (badly in Pete and Bronx’s case) to what they had picked.

Once we reached our first destination, we got our camp set up. I was tired, but I think that had more to do with not getting much sleep the past two nights than anything else. Pete offered to cook for us that night. Bronx wanted to light the fire for us.

“Moon, where are we going next?” Bronx asked me as he sat next to me. Pete was cooking and the two little ones were playing with the cats and the dog. All of them needed to burn off some energy.

“Tomorrow we will be in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. There’s a hiking trail we can take as a family. With a nice view mid hike.” I told him.

“Oh, that sounds like fun. I think we should hike at every place we stop at. We’re still gonna climb Mt. Rainier and we need all the training and hiking we can get.” He was still very interested in climbing mountains and we talked about it often. He had a check list of 14ers in the U.S. and wanted to summit all of them. I wanted to summit them with him.

I smiled at him and agreed we did need to keep up the hiking. I was going to need to do something to keep in shape and healthy for the next few months. Walking is always good exercise.

Dinner was ready at this point so we sat and ate. After dinner and we had cleaned up, we sat around the fire together. Pete was next to me. He reached over and took my hand.

“How’re you feeling?” He asked low so only I would hear.

“Good. A little tired, but good.” I smiled at him and then asked, “Do you want to tell them?”

He nodded and turned to the kids. “Hey, you guys. I have something to tell you.” They all looked at us. “I asked Grace to marry me. ”

Bronx had an excited look on his face. “You’re getting married!?” He asked.

Pete and I grinned at each other and then he looked at Bronx. Nodding, he said, “Yes, we are.”

Marvel was too young to really understand, but both of the boys did. Both of them were really excited and happy about it.

“That’s great! Really, that’s awesome! When are you gonna do it?” Bronx was so excited.

“Well, I just asked her yesterday. We haven’t decided anything yet. But I want to do it as soon as we can.” Pete told his son.

“Does this mean you’re really gonna be our Mom?” Saint asked me.

“It means your Dad and I plan to spend forever together. And I did tell him what you and I talked about. We’re going to see what we have to do so I can adopt you and Marvel. But it’s going to take some time to work everything out.” I told Saint.

“There’s something else we need to tell you.” Pete said once everyone had calmed down. Once again, all eyes were on him. “We’re going to have a baby too.”

“A baby? Really?” Saint asked.

“Yes. You’re going to have another little sister or maybe a little brother. How do you feel about that?” I asked him.

Saint looked at me in a way that reminded me of Pete when he was thinking over a problem. “I don’t know,” he finally said.

I only smiled at him and said, “That’s ok. You don’t have to know right now. Remember what I said about love growing?”

He nodded. “You won’t love me less because there’s another person to love.”

“That’s right. I can’t love you or Marvel or Bronx or your Dad any less just because we’ll have another person to love.” I told him with a soft smile. He of all the children would need the most reassurance.

Bronx only smiled at me. “I told you. I told you! You and Dad needed to be together. I told you you would make him happy. I knew it the first day we met you. I’m so glad you’re gonna get married and have a baby. I hope it’s another girl.” Then he got up and came over and hugged me fiercely.

“Why do you want a girl?” Pete asked him.

“It would even things out. Marvel was the only girl for a long time.” Bronx said with a shrug of his shoulders.

I chuckled at that. “Well, I don’t care if it’s a girl or a boy. As long as they are healthy and happy.” I said.

“Mommy, when will the baby get here?” Marvel asked.

“I still need to go to the doctor when we get home to find out for sure. But I think it will be in February.” I told her.

“Where is the baby now? Why do we hafta wait for it?”

“The baby is growing inside me right now. And we have to wait until it’s big enough to come out. And that takes time.” I tried to explain to her.

“How did the baby get inside you?” She asked, looking up at me with her big eyes.

I glanced up at Pete unsure how to answer her question. He had more experience in this area. He’d had to explain it before to Bronx and Saint.

“Well, when two people like me and Moony love each other, they can decide to have a baby. And to make that baby the Daddy and the Mommy have to do something very special. And then the baby starts.” Pete tried to explain in a way a five year old would understand without getting into details.

Marvel just looked confused and then she said, “But how does the baby get inside Mommy? And how does it come out?”

“Well, the baby will come out when I give birth to it. Remember the piglets that were born when we were at the farm?”

She nodded. She had seen them being born. “You mean, it’s gonna come out of you like the piggies came out of the mommy piggy?”

“Yes. But just one baby and not ten like the pig. And your Daddy put the baby in me.”

“How did he do that?” She was very interested in the whole baby in me thing.

“In a very special way that I’ll tell you all about when you’re older.” Pete told her.

I guess this was a good enough answer for her because she asked, “Where is the baby now?”

“Right here.” I told her as I patted my abdomen.

She reached out one of her small hands and touched me in the same place. “Hi Baby!” She said to my tummy.

I smiled indulgently at her. “I don’t think the baby can hear you just yet. But you can still talk to it whenever you want.”

The kids asked a few more questions about the baby and what will happen when they arrive. Saint wanted to know if he was going to have to share a room with the baby. We assured him that he would not have to share a room.

Eventually the kids settled down and were ready to go to bed. We put the youngest two down in the tent and sat up with Bronx for a while. He was super excited about both the baby and us getting married. We were sitting by the fire just hanging out together.

“Bronx, would you be my Best Man?” Pete asked his son.

“You want me and not Uncle Patrick?” Bronx asked in disbelief.

“Yes, I do. I want you to stand up there with me. You were the one that made me realize what Grace meant to me. If you hadn’t pushed me, I never would’ve asked her to meet up with us again. And we wouldn’t have ended up together. It would really mean a lot to me if you were there with me.”

Bronx blinked hard a few times before saying, “Dad, I’d be honored to stand up with you.” Then he got up and hugged his Dad hard and long. I’m pretty sure both of them shed a few tears.

I went to bed shortly after that. I was tired and needed to sleep. Pete and Bronx stayed up a little longer. I was asleep when Pete crawled into the bed with me. I vaguely remember him cuddling up next to me and telling me he loved me.

The next day we made it to Daniel Boone National Forest. There was a nice campground there that we stayed at. I took the family on the hike I had told Bronx about. We had a few more questions about the baby from Saint and Marvel. But they both seemed to be accepting the idea of a sibling.

On the third day of our trip home we stopped in Indiana, just outside of Terre Haute. We were only a few hours away from Chicago and Pete’s parents. He still didn’t know we were going there for a visit. Neither did the kids. I had been in touch with Dale every night and she was excited for us to get there.

The morning of the fourth day of the trip I got everyone up a bit early and told them I had a surprise for them, but they needed to get up so we could get on the road. They all asked questions on where, who, what, and when, but I refused to say more than, “I know you’ll like it. Just trust me.”

Once we got on the road, Pete looked over at me and asked low enough that only I heard, “Hon, where are we going?”

“You’ll see. I promise you’ll be happy with this surprise.” I flashed him a smile.

But, once we got on the road and he could see the signs on the highways, he realized we were heading north towards Chicago. About halfway there he turned his head to me and said, “Are we going where I think we’re going?”

“I don’t know. Where do you think we’re going?”

He mouthed “Chicago?” at me trying not to let the kids in on the secret.

I smiled and nodded at him. He flashed his trademark grin at me and then sat back in his seat. An hour later we were pulling into the driveway of the Wentz’s home. The kids all recognized where we were before we got to the house, so the last few miles were noisy as they all started talking about seeing their Grandparents.

We stopped at a red light before turning into the neighborhood Pete grew up in. He turned in his seat to look at the kids. “Guys, I need to ask you all a favor. Please don’t say anything to your grandparents about the baby or us getting married until we tell them. Ok?”

“Sure, Dad.” Bronx readily agreed.

Saint only nodded his head. Marvel looked a little confused. “But why not, Daddy?” She asked.

“Because Moony and I want to tell them the good news. Don’t worry, we’ll tell them today. But let us tell them.”

She finally nodded and said, “ok”.

As soon as we had pulled in Dale came out the back door to greet all of us with hugs. Peter wasn’t back from his morning round of golf. But he was expected back very soon.

We got everyone inside and in their rooms. The kids were talking a mile a minute telling their Grandma all about the trip. Marvel kept telling her about all the animals on the farm. Saint was telling her how brave he had been riding the horse and that he actually liked it. Bronx was telling her about building the fort and meeting Abby.

When she finally got the chance to greet Pete and I she gave us each a hard hug and told us how happy she was we were there.

“I didn’t know we were headed here until today. Grace kept it a secret. She’s a little too good at surprising me.” Then he barked out his hearty laugh. “Maybe that’s a good thing. She’s gonna keep me on my toes.”

Dale looked surprised. “You kept that a secret all this time?” She asked me.

“I knew they’d be happy to come here. It was a fun surprise.” I told her.

“Wait, how long have you been planning this?” Pete asked me. His face showed his surprise.

“Since before we left home. I always planned on coming here. We spent almost a month with my family. It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t spend some time with yours. Bronx hasn’t been here in over a year. And I wanted to visit again too.”

Pete just gave me a very sweet smile. “You amaze me.”

“And that’s why you love me.” I answered with a smile.

“That is one of the many reasons why.” He said as he put his arm around my shoulder.

After everyone had put their bags in their rooms Dale offered to make us lunch. We were hungry and agreed. However, before she could start cooking, Peter called to see if we had gotten there yet. Once he knew we were there he offered to bring home lunch. Dale took him up on the offer. A little while later Peter showed up with pizzas and breadsticks. The kids were happy with their lunch.

The seven of us were sitting around the dining table eating and catching up.

“So. You two.” Dale said as she looked at her son. “Any news you want to share?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, there is.” Pete said. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he said. “I asked Grace to marry me and she said yes.”

“Oh my God!” Dale squealed. “When did you ask? Let me see the ring.”

Pete smiled at his mother and said, “I just asked her. It was the last day we were in Savannah. We haven’t shopped for a ring yet.”

“But, you have to have a ring. Didn’t you get down on one knee?” Dale seemed a little disappointed in how he had asked. But I wasn’t. He asked in a moment of true love and tenderness. I didn’t need a big show. I had had that before. A big show of a proposal and a big wedding didn’t mean a good marriage. But an act of true love was a good indicator of a good relationship.

“No, I told him he didn’t need to. He asked and I said yes. And we want to do it pretty quickly.”

“But, you need time to plan the wedding. That can take a year.” Dale was saying.

“No. We’ve both done the big wedding before. Neither of us want that again. We want it to be small and intimate. Just us, the kids, and our families.” Pete told her. She looked to me for confirmation. I nodded.

“My mother insisted on the huge white wedding the first time. And although I did have a nice wedding, it wasn’t what I wanted. It was what Mom wanted. I just want to marry him with the people we love the most there.”

Dale started to cry just a little bit. Peter looked a bit taken aback by his wife’s reaction. “Hon, this is good news. Why the tears?” He asked as he reached out and placed his hand on hers.

“Happy tears. These are happy tears. This is wonderful news.” She said as she sniffled and wiped her eyes.

“Then you’ll be thrilled with our other news. We’re having a baby too.” Pete told them.

“Another baby?! Oh, Pete, that’s great news! Congratulations!” Peter said with a huge smile. He actually stood up and shook Pete’s hand and then hugged his son.

Dale just dissolved into full on crying. “Oh, that’s wonderful.” She sobbed out.

“Grandma? Are you ok?” Marvel asked. Dale's tears had upset her.

“I’m fine Sweetie, just very happy about the baby and your Dad and Moony getting married.” She assured her granddaughter.

“When are you due?” Peter asked me as he gave me a hard hug.

“I’m not sure yet. I just took the test the day before we left Savannah. I’ll be seeing my doctor when we get home. But, if my math is correct, probably in February.”

“Did you ask her to marry you because of the baby?” Dale asked.

“No, he asked before we found out about the baby.” I told her.

“I’d been planning on asking her when we got home.” This surprised me. I didn’t know he was planning that. We hadn’t really talked about getting married.

“Really? Where you planning something special?” I asked.

He looked at me fondly and smiled. “I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. But I hadn’t decided on which one. Each thing I thought of was more elaborate than the one before. And none of them felt right. Not right for you.” He told me. “But I’ve known for a while now that I was gonna ask.”

I gave him a half smile. “The answer was always going to be yes no matter how you asked.”

“Do you guys have any idea when you want to get married?” Dale asked.

Pete and I looked at each other. I spoke up and said, “I want to be married before the baby comes. I think in the next few months. I was thinking about it and I want to get married in the fall, outside, someplace beautiful.” I paused and then said, “Honestly, if I had my way, we’d get married on the farm in the back pasture.”

“With the Honeysuckle?” Pete asked me with a knowing smile.

“That won’t be in bloom in the fall. But that place by the river I took you to. If I could, I would like to marry you there.” That place was special to me, to us.

Pete looked at me with a thoughtful expression. “I like that idea. Hmmmm...” He looked deep in thought, but dropped the subject.

“Well, you let us know when and where and we’ll be there.” Peter told us.

I smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, Peter. It means a lot to us, we really want you both there. And as soon as we know something, we’ll let you know.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Dale stated. “What does your family think of this? Are they happy about the baby and wedding?”

“I’m sure they will be. We haven't told them yet.” I confessed to her.

“Why not?” She asked in surprise.

“Well, since it was the last day with my Mom when we found out about the baby and he asked, I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want our last day with her to be all about what we, or really I, needed to do for the baby. Who I just have to invite to the wedding. Most of them being her friends that I’ve never met. I didn’t want to argue with her. I love my mother, but she can be stubborn. I’ll tell her after we get home and I’ve seen the doctor.”

Dale hummed and nodded. “You know your family better than anyone else. But, she’ll be happy about this?”

“Oh, yeah, she’ll be very happy. She likes Pete and the kids. She likes me with him.”

We talked more to his folks about what our planes were for the next few days and weeks. We didn’t have anything really figured out other than we wanted to get married before the baby came.

The kids had to tell Peter all about our visit to the farm. They went on and on about how much fun they had and who they met. They told their grandparents about building the fort, horseback riding, camping out back, and playing with Abby.

“Wow, sounds like you all had a lot of fun on the farm.” Peter told them after listening to them go on and on.

“We did!” Saint agreed. Then he turned to me and asked, “Mom, can we go back again next summer?”

“I’d like to, but we’ll have to see. I don’t know what will be going on next summer yet. But if we can, we will.”

I noticed Dale flash a look at Pete when Saint called me Mom. By this time we were done eating and the kids wanted to get up from the table. We let them go and play while we kept visiting with his parents. The afternoon went by quickly and before we knew it, it was time for dinner. I helped Dale in the kitchen. She and I were talking about the kids. She asked when Saint had started calling me Mom. I told her the timeline. And that on this trip he had really stopped calling me Moony and started on Mom. Marvel was about 50/50, but she was using Mom more and more.

While Dale and I made dinner, Pete talked to his father. He was asking for some advice regarding the possibility of me adopting the kids. Of course Peter could only give advice, he didn’t practice law in California. But he did know some people that could help us out there and gave Pete their names and numbers.

Pete also called Patrick and told him and Elisa the news. They were very happy for us and asked if we could meet up the next day or sometime before we left so we could celebrate together. Then he called Joe and Marie to let them know. Andy and Merideth were also informed of the happy news. Since the two of them were newlyweds themselves they were extra excited.

That night after getting the kids down and then getting ready for bed ourselves, I was ready to just be alone with Pete for a little bit. I just wanted to spend a little bit of time with him.

“So tomorrow, we’ll go over to Patrick’s and visit with them. I think Joe and Marie will be there too.”

“That’ll be nice. I like Elisa and Marie. And it will be good to see all the Fall Out Babies again.” Pete grinned at that. He always does.

“We’ll be adding to the list of Fall Out Babies soon. I know you probably don’t, but do you have any names in mind?”

“Well, with siblings named Bronx, Saint, and Marvel, we can’t go with anything traditional like James or Elizabeth.” I grinned at him.

“No, nothing boring and traditional.” He agreed. “We’ll think about it. We have time to decide.”

“Do you want a boy or a girl?” I asked him.

“Doesn’t matter to me. I just want a healthy baby. You?”

“Healthy is all that matters to me. But, another girl would be nice. Bronx is right, it would even things out.” I smiled at him.

Pete just chuckled a little and wrapped his arms around me. “I love you. Thank you for bringing us here. It means a lot to me that you like my family too. They adore you, you know.”

“I really like them. You know your Mom and I have stayed in touch since last fall when you went to Europe. We talk every few days.”

“I didn’t know you talked to her that often. I guess that’s how you managed to keep this visit a secret.”

We settled down and tried to get to sleep. But I had baby names on my mind. After a while I whispered, “Pete?”

He was almost asleep but answered with a “hmmm?”

“I’m Moon, so maybe the baby should be the stars or the planets.”

He reached for me in a very sleepy way and just mumbled, “Star. I like that.” And then he was asleep.