FicWad

“Hello everyone! For those of you that are new here, welcome! For those of you that have been here before, welcome back! I’m Moon and this is my channel Adventures with the Girl in the Moon. The family and I are still in South Carolina. The kids are having the best time being able to run and play. And I love that they're getting the chance to be county kids. It’s a nice change from being in the city.” I said into my camera. I was outside on the porch steps with the twins playing in the yard just a few feet from me. I turned the camera to show the twins playing in a mud puddle. They were both covered in dirt and mud and it made me unbelievably happy. “Jupiter! Do not eat the worm. Put it down. It’s icky.” I said as he tried to put a worm in his mouth. He gave me a pained look because he really wanted to eat that worm, but he put it down.

I turned the camera back around to face me. “Yesterday was Father’s Day. We did a nice cookout to celebrate Dad, Pete, and my step brother Tim. I think they all had a good day. Pete got a very nice and unexpected surprise. Bronx showed up yesterday. Now that he has Luna, he decided to spend the summer on an adventure before going to college.”

Bronx was actually sitting with me as I filmed. “I do have a quick announcement to make. You all know my bonus son Bronx.” I showed him sitting with me on the steps. He waved at the camera. “Well, he’s starting his own channel. If you liked my videos from when I traveled all the time in Luna or if you like our camping videos, you should go watch his channel. I’m going to leave a link in the description box below. He’s calling his channel The Adventures with The Boy in the Moon. Go check him out. Give him a like and subscribe.”

“Thanks for checking out my channel.” Bronx said into the camera. He smiled his charming, charismatic grin at the camera.

I glanced up at the twins to see what they were up to. “Jupiter! I said put that worm down.” I handed Bronx my camera with, “Here, hold this for me.” And went to pull the worm out of Jupiter's mouth. I crouched down so I was level with my son. “We do not eat worms. That’s icky. Worms are not food.” I told him and made sure to toss what was left of the poor worm into the flower bed where he couldn’t get to it. Jupiter screwed up his face and was thinking about making a fuss. But decided it wasn’t worth it when his sister handed him another worm. “Star! No worms!” I said as I took it from her.

I heard giggles behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Bronx still sitting on the steppes, giggling and filming the whole thing.

“You know, I love the fact that they’re getting the opportunity to be kids like this. But I wish Jupiter didn’t put everything in his mouth.” I said to Bronx and the camera.

“Ok, so. I’m going to insert some of yesterday’s fun in here. This was Father’s Day on the farm.” I knew I would edit the video and put in some of the footage I had from the cookout. But I continued on because I wanted to get this filmed before I had to leave.

“So, that was yesterday. Today, Bronx and I are going up to Charleston to pick up Abby. She’s flying down to spend a few weeks here before her folks come down for the 4th of July. She’ll go home with them when they leave. She doesn’t know Bronx is here so that will be a big surprise for her. But we’re going to need to leave here soon. I’ll catch up with you all later.”

I turned off my camera and asked Bronx if he was ready to go. I popped my head into the house and called for Pete so he could come and watch the twins.

Abby didn’t know that Bronx was here so he wanted to surprise her. They considered each other cousins and best friends. He was really looking forward to seeing her and spending time with her.

We got to the airport and waited for her at baggage claim. I saw her coming and waved at her.

“Hey Abby!” I called out to her.

“Aunt Gracie!” She said when she saw me. And then she saw Bronx. “Bronx! Oh my God! I didn’t know you were out here! I’m so glad to see you.” She said before hugging him tight. I got my hug after she let him go.

We went and got her luggage off the conveyor belt while she and Bronx got caught up. The two of them sat in the backseat together. Once we got on the road Abby informed us she had a boyfriend.

“Do you remember the group of my friends that came up to us the first night of the talent show?” She asked us.

“Yeah.” Bronx said.

“I remember them.” I said

“Well, Marco, do you remember him?”

“Yeah, he’s good looking.” Bronx said with an appreciative smile.

“He’s a cutie.” I said as I glanced up into the rear-view mirror.

“He asked me to prom! And we’ve been going out since then.” She told us with a little giggle.

“That’s great. He seemed like a nice kid.” I said.

“He is. He’s very sweet and really good to me. Dad’s not too happy I have a boyfriend. But Mom said I was sixteen now, so it’s normal to have a boyfriend.”

We spent the ride back to the farm talking about what Abby wanted to do while she was here. Camping out with all of her cousins was top of her list.

When we got there, the kids were outside waiting for us. They were very excited about Abby coming. Marvel was so looking forward to seeing her. She really looks up to Abby.

When she saw us coming up the drive she started to jump up and down. “Abby! Abby! You’re here!! I missed you!” Marvel was saying as we got out of the car.

Abby hugged her and then hugged Saint. They helped her with her bags and got everything inside. Dad, Amy, Pete and the twins all greeted her with open arms.

Amy had food ready when we got there. Feeding people is her love language. She likes cooking and she loves feeding people. So she had Abby’s favorite meal, a pork roast with all the trimmings and a cherry pie cooking. It was a delicious dinner.

Bronx offered to move into the main house and bunk with Saint if Abby wanted the guesthouse. But she said she had been looking forward to bunking with Marvel. That made Marvels summer.

That night the kids, all six of them, piled up on the big bed in Saints room and watched a movie together. The twins fell asleep and so did Marvel. The teenagers put the twins to bed for me and then let Pete and I know. Bronx put Marvel in her bed for us as well.

Saint stayed up with Abby and Bronx for a while longer before the three of them all decided it was time to turn in for the night.

For the next few weeks the kids all had a fantastic time on the farm. Even Bronx did a lot of running and playing with the kids.

My Mom got released from the hospital after only a few days. Ryan was keeping Dad and our attorney informed on what was happening. She was released, but her doctor was seeing her every day. And he had started her on some different medications. They were keeping an eye on her. She wasn’t leaving the house without Ryan.

When I first found out she wasn’t in the hospital anymore, I wanted to leave for the west coast. Pete was 100% on my side and was ready to pack us up and leave for the airport that night. However, Dad and Bronx talked us into staying. They insisted we were safe on the farm. And the kids were having a blast. I called Todd and asked if he would be able to have a deputy drive down our road every so often just to keep an eye on things. He was happy to help and did the patrol himself a few times. Even coming up the drive to check on us.

In the second week Abby and Bronx were there, they asked if they could take all the kids out for a camp out. They wanted to drive Luna to the far back pasture and set up camp there. They had thought about it and were going to let Star and Jupiter sleep in Luna with Abby while Bronx, Marvel, and Saint slept outside. They also were going to use the mini fridge in Luna to keep the milk cold for the twins bottles. They really only took a bottle at night anymore. And the two of them wanted to cook dinner and breakfast for all of them. Bronx had bought a projector so he could watch movies on the side of Luna or on a pull down screen. They wanted to do a ‘movie under the stars’ night. They had thought a lot about it and were prepared. They called it sibling and cousin bonding time.

It took Pete getting involved for me to agree to it. I wasn’t ready to let Jupiter out of my sight. But I eventually gave in. It was two things actually that convinced me to let the babies go. First, Muffin would be going with them. I knew she would protect all of them with her life. And second, they were on the property, if they needed to come back to the house they could.

“Honey, Bronx and Abby will be fine with them. Let them have fun. Star and Jupiter have been camping and going on adventures since they were 3 months old.” Pete said, trying to convince me to allow it. “Besides, this will be a good practice run. We need time together without the kids.”

“Ok, ok.” I said as I looked at my bonus son and my niece. “You guys can take the twins. But, I want at least one update from each of you before they go to sleep. And, if they get too fussy, you bring them back.”

“Moon, we’ll be fine.” Bronx said with a grin. “Don’t forget, I’m Star’s favorite person. She’ll do anything I ask her to. And Jupiter always listens to Saint. We can handle them.”

“Aunt Gracie, I promise we’ll be fine. And I’ll update you a few times. I promise we’ll take good care of them.” Abby assured me.

They all want camping in the far back pasture that night. Both Abby and Bronx did send me updates and to be fair, all six of them seemed to be having a great time. The last update I got that night was a picture of both babies sound asleep on the bed in Luna.

They all came back the next morning. Abby declared that they all had a lot of fun. Then she asked if they could do it again. Since they had had fun, and I had also made it through the night without running out there to check on them, I agreed to allow it again before we left.

Pete had made sure I was occupied that evening so that I didn’t end up going out to check on everyone. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Bronx and Abby. I did. Bronx had babysat the twins and Marvel and Saint for us a number of times. It was just the first time I had spent the night away from the twins.

A few days after all the kids went camping, I was sitting on the steps on the back porch watching the four younger kids run around the yard. I was just sipping a glass of iced tea and kind of working on my next book. Really, I was just enjoying the summer day.

Pete came out of the back door and dropped an overnight bag on the porch floor behind me. He sat down next to me.

“Hey Baby.” He said and then leaned over to drop a kiss on my cheek.

“Hey. You going somewhere?” I asked teasingly.

He gave me an appraising look and asked, “Do you trust me?”

“More than anyone.” I told him.

“Will you please do me a favor?” He asked me, still without answering me.

“Ok, what’cha need?” I asked him.

“I need you to go pack a bag. You’ll need clothes for two days. Don’t worry about pajamas, you won’t need them. And don’t ask questions.” He said with a grin. That grin told me he was up to something.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I said no questions. Go pack a bag. We need to get on the road in about 30 minutes.”

“I don’t have anything fancy with me. Will that be an issue?”

“No, we won’t need to dress up. But you will need a swimsuit. Now, go pack. We’re running out of time. Go on.” He said. “Oh, bring your camera.”

I got up and after giving him a look that said, ok, I’ll go along for now, and headed upstairs to pack a bag. I packed what I hoped would be all that I would need. Made sure I grabbed my toiletries and my camera, then headed back downstairs. Pete was waiting for me on the back porch where I had left him. Dad, Amy, and the teenagers were there too.

“All packed up?” Pete asked when I came out.

“I guess so. Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?” I asked.

Pete only flashed his grin at me and said, “I’m taking you away for a few days. Just us.”

“But…” I started to object.

“We’ll be fine. Go and enjoy yourself.” Dad said.

“Moon, we’ve got it. Don’t worry about the kids or the twins.” Bronx said.

“I don’t want to leave the twins.” I said. I was not ready to leave them for so long.

“They’ll be fine with us.” Amy said. “They have all six of us to take care of them.”

“But, I’ve never been away from them for so long. They won’t understand.” I said.

“Aunt Gracie, you and Uncle Pete never have any time together, just the two of you. Go have a good time. We can take care of Star and Jupiter. Saint and Marvel will help too.” Abby said very seriously.

“I…I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle being away from them. I know y’all can take care of them. But, with everything that’s happened with Mom…I worry.” I told my family.

“I can understand that. But we’re well protected here. Gracie, please go and have a good time. You and Pete need this.” Amy said.

I looked at Pete knowing he wasn’t going to be any help. But I still needed his reassurance.

“We won’t be too far away. If we need to, we can be back here in under two hours.” He told me.

I took a deep breath and nodded. We did need time together without the children. But I was still not comfortable with leaving the babies. Mostly because I was still worried about my mother just showing up.

“Ok. But I want to say goodbye before we leave.”

Pete’s smile widened. “Of course we’ll say goodbye.” Then he turned to the four that were still playing in the yard. “Saint, Marvel, come say goodbye. Bring the twins with you please.”

They both grabbed a hand of one of their siblings and came over.

“You guys getting ready to leave?” Saint asked.

“Yeah, we’re heading out. But we wanted to say goodbye before we left.”

We said goodbye to the children and my folks. I got lots of hugs and kisses. The twins didn’t really know what was going on. But I still hugged each of them and assured them that Dad and I would be back. Then we got in the car and left the farm.

Pete stopped the car at the end of the driveway. He turned around and pulled something out of his bag in the back seat. He handed me two folders. A yellow one and a blue one.

“I know you’re not thrilled about leaving the kids. But we need time together. I need time with just you. I’m sorry if surprising you with it wasn’t the best way to go about it. But I was worried you wouldn’t want to go if I just asked.” He told me.

“You’re right, I probably would’ve tried to talk you out of it.” I agreed.

He smiled at me and put the car in drive. We left the farm and headed west.

“Will you tell me where we’re going?” I asked as we got on the road.

“Well, I wanted to take you away for your birthday. I know you like spending the actual day with us, so that’s why we’re doing it now. I thought about taking you to Charleston, checking us into a five star hotel. Taking you out to a fancy dinner, you know, all that kind of stuff. But, I also know that if given a choice between a fancy hotel and a cabin in the woods with an outhouse, you’d pick the outhouse.”

I started laughing because he was right. I would pick the cabin over the fancy hotel. I just don’t feel comfortable in fancy.

“You know me very well.” I told him with a smile.

“I, on the other hand, do not want to deal with an outhouse. But, I found a cabin to rent that’s secluded, but has all the amenities. It even has a hot tub.” He glanced over at me and grinned. “That’s why you need a swimsuit. The yellow folder has all the info on the cabin. Take a look."

I did look through the information. It looked like a nice place and there was a pond, hiking trails, and everything else we could want.

“Do we have food? Or do we need to stop on the way?” I asked him.

“John and Amy packed up a cooler for us. But we’ll stop for a few things.”

“What’s the other folder?” I asked.

“Something I’d like you to read. I’d like your opinion on it.” He told me. Out of sheer curiosity I opened the blue folder. It was full of his poetry. Most of them I hadn't read before.

“Are these all new?” I asked him. I knew he hadn’t shown me all of his poetry, but over the last few years he had let me read a lot of them. Most of these I had never seen before.

“Some of them are. But most are older. Things I’d written over the years and were forgotten about in old journals. Ones I never gave to Patrick to turn into songs.” He told me as we drove

“What are you planning on doing with them?” I asked him after a few minutes.

“You told me I should publish a book of poetry. I’ve been thinking about that since you mentioned it. I think that’s what I’m going to do. After you and the kids left, I gave it a lot of thought. I want to release a book of poetry. I wrote the entire time we were apart. I’ve been writing since I got to the farm too. And I went through a lot of my old notebook and journals. Found a lot of things I wrote a long time ago. Things I’ve never shared before. I’d like your opinion and your advice. You’re the writer in the family.”

“You’re a writer too.” I answered.

He smiled at that and said, “Ok, you’re the published author in the family.”

“That’s not true. You’re published too.”

“I’m not talking about songs. You have multiple books out.”

“I’m not talking about the songs either. I’ve read your books.” I told him.

“You know about my books?” He asked surprised.

“I found a copy of Gray in a used book store about a year before we met. I think I was in Idaho. Maybe it was Montana. But, anyway, I was just browsing and saw your name. So I picked it up and read the back cover. I bought it and read it. And I read The Boy With a Thorn in His Side years ago.”

“You’ve read my books? I didn’t know that.” Pete asked me, surprised.

“Of course I have.” I answered without thinking too much about it.

“What did you think of them?” He asked me.

I thought about that before answering. “It’s been years since I read Thorn. I checked it out from the library. I know I liked it, but I don’t remember it very well. And Gray was interesting. I found the girl to be pretty one dimensional. But, I felt a lot of...hmm. The lead character, Pete, I assumed it was really you?”

He nodded and said, “A lot of him was me. I mean, it was pretty autobiographical. But there was also a lot of exaggeration too. I wasn’t that much of a cheating manwhore. And although I did self medicate with the drugs, I was never addicted. But I did, well, let’s just say I wasn’t in the best place mentally when we first got famous. I had a bad time of it for a few years.”

“I felt bad for how self-destructive he was. How self-destructive you were back then. I found myself hoping he got help for it and realized his worth.” I hadn’t liked Gray as much as I had hoped I would. “I like your poetry more.” I told him.

“I did get help. I’m in a much better place now than I was then. Why do you like my poetry so much?” He asked.

I had to think about my answer. “I like the way you use symbolism and metaphors. The pictures you paint with them are…relatable.”

I looked over at him. He was concentrating on the road. His hair was down and he had a soft smile on his face. The gray at his temples was showing. He needed to get the blond touched up. His crow’s feet showed how much he smiled. His face showed how much he had matured in the last twenty years.

“I still have that copy of Gray. I thought about asking you to sign it when we first met. But I was too embarrassed to ask.” I said with a chuckle.

Pete grinned at that. “I would have if you’d asked.”

I only smiled back at him and then went back to reading his poems. I loved his poetry.

“Is this one about me?” I asked after reading a few more.

“Which one?”

I read off the first few lines of the one I was asking about.

He smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s about you. I wrote that one while I was in L. A. before joining you guys out here. I did a lot of writing that week and a half.”

The poem that was about me was all about finding true love after searching his whole life for it. And how truly happy it made him.

“Have you sent any lyrics to Patrick about me?” I asked. To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about it until just then.

“Almost every song on the new album has lyrics about you.” He said.

“Really? I guess I hadn’t really thought about it. I’m very touched.” I said and rested my hand on his thigh.

“Of course you’re what I write about now. You, the kids, life, my own issues too. You know, things like dealing with my mental health, being a Dad, a son, a husband and a friend. But, you’re interwoven throughout all of it.” He told me matter of factly.

We had reached the little town the cabin was closest to. We pulled into the only grocery store there. We took our time and did a little shopping. We didn’t need too much, but we found a few small treats and a couple bottles of wine. After getting checked out we went to the rental office and picked up the keys to the cabin.

The cabin was way off the main road. It was a cute little log cabin. Just two bedrooms, a main living space, a kitchen and a bathroom all on one level. It was just big enough for us. There was a deck on the front that overlooked the pond. A family of ducks were swimming around on it. And there was a deck off the back that had the hot tub and a grill.

After looking around the cabin I turned to him and said, “This place is perfect.”

He smiled in relief. I think he had worried I wouldn’t like his birthday surprise for me.

“I’m really glad you like it. So, what do you want to do? Go for a hike? Soak in the hot tub?” He asked me.

“None of the above.” I said with a smile.

“Ok, so, what would you like to do?” He asked again.

“Let’s go see how comfortable the bed is.” I suggested.

He flashed me his smile I only see when we’re alone. The one that means I’m going to get my world rocked.

“We can do that.” He said as he crossed the room to me. He pulled me close and kissed me tenderly. “But, before we do, I have something else I want you to read.”

“Ok.” I said.

He moved back over to his bag and pulled out another folder and handed it to me. “I wrote you a story. It’s my side, or his side, of the story you wrote for me.” He told me.

“Oh, really? This should be good than.” I said as I opened it and started reading.

It was very erotic. He told the story from the husband's point of view. Being away and missing his wife and how she makes him feel. How he spent the night before seeing her pleasuring himself with memories of being with her. And then what they did when he finally got home. He went into detail about how it feels for him when we touch, kiss, have sex. How it feels to have me under him. How it feels when I take charge and use the toys on him. How it feels when I give him a blow job. How it feels for him to be buried inside of me.

“This is very hot. I like it. Wanna act it out?” I said after I had finished it. I was ready to go, it had turned me on so much.

“Absolutely.” He answered.

We spent some time together in bed. Sex with him really was the best I’d ever had. Everything about it was good. He always made sure I was well taken care of. And I did the same for him.

We got out of bed when we got hungry. He had brought stuff to make steaks, potatoes, and vegetables for dinner. All of it from the farm. He grilled the steaks and I roasted the potatoes and zucchini, and cut up the lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes for the salads. We shared a bottle of good red wine with dinner.

After dinner I did call Dad to check in. I was told not to worry, they would call if anything happened. They were all fine and having fun. And that I should be having fun too.

After that we soaked in the hot tub and relaxed. Pete surprised me with a few joints. I didn’t know he had them with him. But I wasn’t upset about it. By the time we got out of the hot tub I was more relaxed than I had been since the day I had gone to Savannah. The underlying worry about my Mom and what she might do to my family had kept me tense. Between the hot tub, the weed, and the wine I was feeling very good. We both were so relaxed we fell asleep almost instantly when we headed to bed.

The next morning we lingered in bed. Pete was delighted to be able to act out his favorite parts of both my story and his. I was very happy to oblige him. We had breakfast and went for a hike around the area. We spent some time that afternoon sitting on the deck watching the duck family swim around with the ducklings. But mostly, we just talked and enjoyed being alone together.

We made dinner together in the tiny kitchen. It was barely big enough for the two of us. But we didn’t mind bumping into each other. We spent the evening relaxing in the hot tub smoking a joint and finishing the bottle of wine we had opened with dinner.

As we soaked in the tub, and smoked the joint, I asked him something I had been curious about since we had met. But until this weekend, it had never come up. After talking about his book, I thought it was time to ask.

I had taken a hit off the joint and passed it to him. “What made you get the help you needed? What made you stop the drugs and the self-destructive actions?”

He looked surprised at my question. But he answered quickly. “Bronx. Everything changed when I first heard I was going to be a father. I was so sure he was going to be a girl and I didn't want my daughter to end up with someone like me. So, I started taking my meds regularly and attending therapy again. When we found out he was a he, I was even more determined to be a good role model for him. I didn’t want my son to go through what I had. I didn’t want him to turn out like me. I want him, I want all of them, to be better people than I was.”

I thought that was an excellent reason to change for the better. I told him too. “I think you did the right thing. He’s an amazing young man and you’ve been a fantastic father to him. You’re a fantastic father to all of them. If you weren’t I’d never have married you or had the twins with you. I love the man you are now.”

“I think you're an amazing Mom. Not just to the twins, but to Saint and Marvel too. You didn’t have to step into that roll, but you did so effortlessly. Or it seemed that way. And they love you so much. The way you treat them, they know they matter, what they want and think matters, it’s so nice to watch. It’s been,” He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “It’s been amazing to watch the two of them blossom with the love you’ve given them. Saint was becoming withdrawn and quiet before we met you. And I worried about Marvel not having a motherly figure in her life. I love the woman you are and the mother you are.” He smiled sincerely at me. “You’ve been the best partner I've ever had.”

I smiled back at him and said, “You’ve been the best partner I’ve ever had too.”

He handed me the joint and took a sip of his wine. As I took a drag off the joint he said, “You know, it’s hard to believe we’ve only known each other for three years. It feels like I've known you much longer.”

I blew out the lungful of smoke and handed the joint back to him. “We have known each other longer than three years. We just met in person three years ago. I’ve known you for 22 years, you’ve known me for 8.” I answered.

He only gave me a puzzled look. So I explained. “I’ve known your words for over twenty years. And not just as the lyrics to some of my favorite music. But through your books as well. And you knew me from my videos. Meeting in real life was just the next step. I think we were supposed to meet. Don’t you?”

“I’ve never thought of it that way. But, yeah, you’re right. And yes, I do think we were meant to meet. I wish we had met earlier though. I think you would have been very good for me twelve years ago. I needed someone with your quiet strength. I didn’t find that in Meagan. And I never had that with Ashlee.”

“No. I wasn’t the same person twelve years ago. I’m not sure I would have been good for you. I was very very angry and bitter back then. I probably would have made things worse for you, not better. I didn’t like who I was or where my life was. I needed that time traveling alone in Luna to truly figure myself out. To learn how to love who I am. And I don’t think I could have been as good of a wife and mother if I hadn’t.”

He snubbed out the joint and swallowed the last of his wine. Then he moved from the corner of the tub he was sitting in to right in front of me. He reached for me under the water and rested both hands on my hips. Gently, he pulled the two of us together. He was soft and gentle as he kissed me, starting a slow but hot makeout session. We ended the night slowly making love before falling asleep tangled in each other's limbs.

When we left the next morning I was ready to see the children. I missed them all very much. Before becoming part of their family, I had no idea just how much a parent could miss being with their child. I had started to understand that more as I started parenting Saint and Marvel. And now that I had Star and Jupiter I knew the feeling well. I loved my family. They are my favorite people and I want to spend time with them.

We got back to the farm and were greeted excitedly by all six of the kids. Star and Jupiter were both insistent that we hold them. They didn’t care who had who, they just missed us and wanted to be held. Marvel and Saint wanted to tell us how good they did for Pops and Granny and how they had helped with the babies. Abby and Bronx just wanted to know if we’d had a good time. Dad and Amy were glad they were able to give us a short break. We were both happy to spend that afternoon hanging out with the kids. We loved our family and enjoyed their company.