Julie looked at wall of photos in her and Dave's house that they had got after they returned from their road trip four years earlier, the house was about the same size as their other house, with plenty of room for what seemed to be thier continuely growing family. She and Dave had just celebrated their 34th wedding anniversery, this year had been espically special since for once all their children had been there, and all thier grandkids. Rachel and Jake had gotten married in the same month that they had arrived back from their road trip, and now had nine month old twins, Mila Grace and Marcus Tyler, Rachel had also got an executive position at an advertising company back in Sydney. Once Ben had came back from overseas, he had gotten back in contact with Donna, and basically had picked back up from where he had left off at the boat club, and had been recently asked by Donna to partner with her in managing the place, along with that he had got a small apartment near the boat club, wasn't much but just big enough for him, he and Emma had never got back together when her and Buzz had started dating and getting serious, he had never got back into a relationship, but was fine with being the cool Uncle. It had now been three years since Carbo and Retta had gave birth to a beautiful and healthy little girl, Sadie Rose, and where now expecting their second child in just a couple of months, and along with Ben's uncle duties, he was also the godfather to their children, Carbo had gone back into the landscaping business with Emma and Retta, and while it had been slow at the beginning it had really took off in the last couple years and was now a rapidly growing business. And as for Nathan, to no suprise about a year after he and Edward had moved back to Sydney, he and Saskia had gotten divorced, Edward was now a thriving three year old with plenty of energy to spare, and after a couple years of Sammy coming back to the states for good her and Nathan had started out as good friends that had blossomed back into a relationship, and as everyone had seen coming, had got married again within the last few days , it wasn't a formal ceremony like the first time, they just had a simple ceremony by the water near the boat club, however everyone was convinced that they were just not meant to have a honeymoon since on the night after the wedding Nathan had got appendicites, and had just got out of the hospital the day before and was still at home recuperating. And along the lines of weddings and engagements, Coby had popped the question to Frankie a couple months earlier and of course she had accepted. But the year was not all good, as five months before, after a long battle with dimensia, Ted had passed away. And as for her and Dave, they kept plenty busy between Dave still running his business with Frankie, Coby, Matt and Jake still working for him and now Sammy who was the book keeper, and she was just enjoying being a grandmother and still being a mother to Ruby who was now eight years old and taking care of her grown children when they needed her, both the offical and unofficial , and since she didn't work she enjoyed having a full house as she watched all the kids during the day while their parents where at work.
As she comes out of her thoughts she hears a cry come out from the other room, she recognizes Mila to be the source, though knowing if she was crying that Marcus wouldn't be to far behind as she gets up to go into the room where they are napping
"What's wrong darling?" She says as she picks Mila as she sways her back and forth in her arms trying to calm her down, as she glances over at Marcus who is still asleep as she takes a sigh of relief that she doesn't have to calm them both down "Let's see if a bottle will make you feel better" she says as she carries Mila out and into the kitchen
"Mum, Edward won't give me Mel back!" She hears Ruby yell from her room, at first it had thrown everyone off, espically Ben when she had said something about Mel as though she was there, till they realized she had named the doll that she had recieved for her first birthday that Mel had ordered before she was killed in the car accident
Just then Edward comes busting out of Ruby's room running with the doll that clearly had seen better days, but was still Ruby's faviorte as Ruby comes running out behind him "Give her back" Ruby yells out again as Sadie comes running behind her trying to go as fast as her little legs will carry her
"Hey what's going on?" Julie says as she looks down at her oldest grandson as she warms up Mila's bottle
"They're not letting me play with them nanny" Edward says whining as he looks up Julie
"Well how about this, you give Mel back to Ruby, she is very important to her" she says still making sure she has his gaze "And then you can help nanny feed Mila and we can watch a movie before nap time"
"Okay" Edward says as he gives the doll back to Ruby as he runs into the living room as Ruby and Sadie run back into her room
"Hi Julie" Sammy says as she comes through the kitchen door a while later wearing running gear
"Sammy!" Edward says as he comes squealing through the living room into the kitchen as he runs into Sammy's open arms, they had decided when Nathan and Sammy had started getting serious again that Edward should just keep calling her by her first name instead of calling her mum, they figured they at least owed Saskia that little respect
"There's my big guy" Sammy says as she lifts Edward up into her arms "Have you been good for nanny?" she says smiling at him as she starts to tickle him as he lets out a squeal
"He's been fine" Julie says as she gives Edward a kiss on the forehead as he continues to laugh in Sammy's arms "How's Nathan?"
"He's fine, though I don't think you can keep him down very long, I found him in the bedroom this morning with his laptop open and on the phone trying to get donations" Sammy says looking at her in disbelief
"Yea that's my son, the go-getter, even if he did just get out of the hospital yesterday" Julie says looking at her "y'all should be enjoying a few days to yourselves right now and yet here you are"
"Somehow the universe is still trying to tell us not to take the honeymoon, maybe we would have a better chance of just having a weekend away when Nathan feels up to it" Sammy says looking at her "You know I really feel like it's all going to be alright this time, we've both grown and matured alot, and Nathan basically gives a look of disgust anytime I mention real estate, the music industry or anything to do with gambleing"
"Yea before we left on our holiday, trying to find a place, we asked him to talk to the real estate agent for us and I thought he was going to get sick" Julie says looking at her
"It's amazing what changes come in a few years" Sammy says smiling at her "But your definatly the best one" she says looking at Edward
"Can we go see Uncle Ben now?" Edward says looking excitedly looking at Sammy, a couple times a week Sammy would take Edward to the boat club to see Ben when he worked the evening shift, for the main reason to let Nathan get caught up on some work
"Yea we're getting ready to go, just be patient for one minute" Sammy says giving Edward a look
"Oh one more thing before you go, since Nathan is still recovering, do you want to have the weekly dinner at y'alls place tommorw night, I can cook the food here and bring it over" Julie says as Sammy grabs Edwards things to get ready and leave, every week they had a meal where everyone got together
"Yea it's fine with me, I'll have to run it by Nathan but i'm sure he'll be fine with it to" Sammy as she heads toward the door with Edward "Tell nanny bye"
"Bye nanny" Edward says as him and Sammy start out the door as Julie smiles at them as they head to the car
"Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben!" Edward says as he runs into the boat club, startling Ben who is standing behind the bar concentrating on something on the clipboard as he looks up to see his nephew busting through the resturant
"Hi Buddy" he says coming out from behind the bar as Edward runs into him is he bends down nearly knocking Ben over "What did nanny give you today, a whole bar of chocolate"
"Well whatever she gave him, it's going to be fun getting him to go to sleep tonight" Sammy says as she walks up behind him
"I have something to ask you for tommorw, do you want to come with me to send Aunt Mel some flowers off and then we can spend some time at the beach" Ben says looking at him, on certain occasions he would take Edward out to the ocean and let him scatter flowers across the water in honer of Mel "And maybe if your good you can spend the night with me tommorw night"
"Sammy can I" Edward says turning around to give Sammy a pitful look he almost perfected to make any of them crack
"We need to ask your dad first" Sammy says trying not to crack "But before anything how about we get some food in you"
"Well I finally got him asleep" Sammy says as she walks into her and Nathan's room where Nathan is already laying down in the bed with his laptop pushed off to one side "And hows my other big kid feeling?" she says as she kicks off her slippers and climbs into bed
"I'm feeling good now" Nathan says as Sammy slides over closer to him "whoever makes pain meds really know what their doing"
"Well I do have a couple things to ask while your still half with me" She smiling at Nathan who she can tell is trying to focus in on what she is saying "Your mum wants to know if we want to have dinner over here tommorw night and Ben wants to know if Edward can hang out with him tommorw and spend the night with him"
"Yes to both" Nathan says as he slowly dirfts the rest of the way to sleep till Sammy can finally hear him snoring before she curls up to go to sleep