Cruz Family Vacation
Chapter 1
Author's Note: Fast Forward 7 years. Joe and Taylor are happily settled into married life and parenthood. After years of discussing when would be the right time to take the kids to Disney, they had agreed when Isabella was 4. This begins the adventures of the first ever Cruz family vacation.
Joe looked around at the pile of suitcases, backpacks, and Taylor's ever present tote bag and sighed.
"Are you sure we need all of this stuff?" he grumbled.
"Four kids, Joe. They have a lot of stuff."
"Yes, but some of this can be left home for a week, can't it?"
Taylor sighed. Joe just didn't get it. Packing for a vacation when you are a kid meant you had to take everything with you even though you wouldn't have time to use any of it. God forbid if you left it at home because, of course, then you would need it. She opened the front door and started rolling the suitcases to the van. She rolled her eyes at the van. She hated it. Her parents never had a van when she and her siblings were growing up. Everyone piled into the station wagon. The biggest thrill was sitting in the back area to watch where the car had been. Seat belts were never used, and car seats were unheard of. Sometimes, she wished for those days when cars were made like tanks and not out of the sheet metal and plastic that they were today.
Joe joined her and started loading the van. Taylor went back into the house to round up the kids. Michael and Gabriel were no problem. They were busy fighting in the living room. Luke was lying on his bed, nose stuck in his Kindle reading a book about baseball. Isabella was in her room trying on her princess crown and constantly asking if she would be allowed to wear it on the plane.
Taylor gently herded them to the van and buckled them in. "All present and accounted for," she told Joe.
Joe slammed the back door closed and checked the youngest two's car seats. He looked at Taylor. "You ready for this, Mama? First ever Cruz family vacation."
"As ready as I'm ever going to be," she said as she slipped into the passenger side. "The question is, are you ready for Princess Belle?"
Joe smiled. Their first Halloween after they reunited, Otis had the brilliant idea to throw a Halloween party at Molly's. Taylor had gone as Belle. Unfortunately, they had had a fight that night, which resulted in them breaking up for three weeks. Three weeks of hell, he remembered. They had reunited just before Thanksgiving. All these years later, he still couldn't figure out why Taylor wanted him.
He slid into the driver's side and started the engine. "You'll always be my princess," he told her.
"Don't tell your daughter that. She'll get upset. Seat belt," Taylor reminded.
He buckled his belt and pulled out of the driveway. Taylor checked the back seat. The twins were still fighting from their car seats. Luke was still absorbed in his Kindle. Isabella was trying very hard not to fall asleep.
"Gabriel! Michael! Stop it right now. There will be no fighting in the car or on the plane. Is that clear?"
They nodded.
Joe smiled and shook his head. He remembered many Cruz family vacations starting out the same way when he was a kid. He and Leon always seemed to be fighting about something. 'Brothers,' he thought.