Bradley Residence:
"Blake, Thunderboy you home!" Tori called walking in the house caring several shopping bags. Blake came down the stairs.
"Hey blue! Have a fun day?" He asked giving her a sweet kiss on the lips.
Tori nodded. "Yeah. The kids will be joining us for dinner." She said putting her bags in the hall closet.
Blake smiled. "So what was wrong with Aubrey?"
"Oh nothing, just feminine issues sweetie. I promise she's ok." Tori said casually. She knew her daughter wanted to give him the news in her own way.
Blake nodded. "Ok. So what are we having for dinner?" He asked following Tori into the kitchen.
"I was thinking beef skewers on the grill with cooked baby…" Tori paused at that so she could compose herself and then continued. "Carrots, sorry dry throat there for a second. And baked potatoes." She offered.
Blake was oblivious to her pause. "Sounds good. I'll go fire up the grill."
"Thanks thunderboy." Tori said as she started walking around the kitchen and gathering everything she would be preparing for the meal. This will be a night he adds to his 'I'll never forget' collection. Tori mused to herself as she washed her hands and began skewering chunks of raw beef onto skewers with small tomatoes and canned baby corn.
Lily/ Adam:
"Adam sweetie!" Lily called walking into their apartment. They were in the midst of packing, they would be moving in to their house about five minutes from Tori and Blake's in a few days.
Adam smiled poking his head around the door jam of their bedroom down the hall. "Hey Lil, where'd you go today?" He asked.
"Shopping with your mom and sister!" She told him smiling brightly. "And we are going over for dinner tonight."
"That's cool. Could you come in here for a sec though?"
"Adam you aren't fooling me, we'll start making out and then fall into a box and start…"
"No I just need your help to get a box out of the closet. I can't reach so I was going to lift you up." Adam said smiling.
Lily smiled and headed back walking around the packed boxers that littered the apartment all over. "Good cause my back is still sore from the box collapsing last night." She giggled walking in to their room and giving Adam a soft kiss.
Adam chuckled. "But it was fun, you have to admit that much." He said teasingly.
Lily grinned at her husband. "I admit it was fun, but let's not fall on boxes anymore, well at least not unless you break the fall instead of me." She mocked him playfully back.
Adam nodded. "Agreed." So they got to the task at hand.
Bradley Residence:
"Mom! Dad!" Aubrey called walking in to her parents place.
"Kitchen!" She heard her mother! Jarred wrapped his arms around Aubrey's waist and they both headed into the kitchen.
"After dinner." Aubrey whispered to Jarred turning her head and kissing his cheek. Jarred nodded as they reached the kitchen.
"Hi guys!" Blake said walking in the sliding glass door holding a plate of beef skewers. "Lily and Adam just called they should be here in about ten minutes." He told Tori kissing her temple as he walked by.
Tori nodded. "Ok." She said. Blake walked behind her heading for the sliding glass door and slipping out and Tori grabbed the baked potatoes from the oven.
"So mom what's for dinner?" Aubrey asked and Jarred went to join Blake out on the back porch at the grill.
"Beef skewers, with baby corn cooked baby carrots and baked potatoes." Tori said grinning at her daughter.
"You had to do the baby stuff." Aubrey giggled.
"Baby stuff?" Blake asked having walked in unnoticed.
Aubrey and Tori turned to him quickly. "Uh, yeah you know baby corn and carrots…it's just funny that's all." Tori said.
Blake looked at them skeptically. "Ok something's going on. One of you tell me what it is right now." Blake said crossing his arms over his chest as Jarred came in carrying a plate.
"What if we…" He trailed off seeing the silent stand off between the girls and Blake.
Aubrey smiled brilliantly. "Daddy I was just making a joke. It's funny baby carrots, baby corn…they were my favorite growing up as a kid because they were small like me remember?" She asked sweetly.
Blake pursed his lips frowning at her skeptically and then sighed and smiled. "Yeah I remember." He said thoughtfully.
"See that's all it was thunderboy. I tried to tell you." Tori said smiling at him. Blake walked over and kissed her lips and then gave Aubrey a swift fatherly kiss on the cheek.
"Sorry it just sounded like you were talking about something else. I'll butt out." He said walking back to Jarred and patting his shoulder as they headed out the sliding glass door together.
Tori released a deep breath. "Wow, for a guy that didn't pick up on anything while I told him what dinner was he was very perceptive just now." She giggled.
Aubrey smiled. "You know daddy. In one ear out the other at times and other's he's a peeping, eavesdropping little kid." She joked.
Tori nodded. "But that's your father and that's why we love him."
Aubrey smiled. "Yeah. So I am going to call Sam tonight, she's still in England and I want to tell her so bad."
"Well just be sure to call your grandparents, Aunt and Uncle at some point so when she talks to them and mentions it, it wont be the first time they've heard about it."
"I know." There was a loud knock and then the door opened.
"Hey guys!" Adam called dragging his wife into the kitchen.
Tori smiled at her son and daughter in law. "Hey you two. Just in time the food is ready to go. Bre go get your father and Jarred away from the manly grill." Tori kidded.
Aubrey went to the sliding glass door and opened it sticking only her head through. "Jarred? Daddy? Mom says get away from the grill and come eat." She said teasingly. Blake snorted softly and he and Jarred went inside.
"Hey Adam!" Blake and Jarred said at the same time. "Lily!" They said each giving her a quick hug.
"Jarred, Blake…" She smiled at him as he grinned knowing that it had been a difficult task for her to call him by his first name.
The family sat around the dinning table ready for their deliciously prepared meal and chatted about the last few weeks' events. Aubrey reiterated a race she had entered piece by piece since her father had been out of town at the other storm chargers and unable to attend. Jarred told them that he had been promoted and Lily had said the same, Adam told them he was just shy of making vet now and he was almost there.
After Eating:
Gathering in the living room Blake and Aubrey pulled out a couple decks of cards and the group gathered on the floor to play a game, any game would do, but Aubrey had to tell her father and brother about her good news. "So dad?"
"Yeah Bre?" Blake asked focusing on his cards.
"You might want to polish the rust off your shovel." She giggled as Jarred shoved her somewhat teasingly.
Blake looked up from his hand. "What for?" He asked.
Aubrey smiled. "Cause bird brain here got me pregnant and I figured you'd murder him." She joked giggling.
Blake sat in stunned silence and so did Aubrey's little brother. "You…you're…but I'm too young…what…when did…how did…wait I don't want to know." Blake stuttered making everyone laugh except Adam who was in the same phase.
"Blake your daughter is telling you she's pregnant. Shouldn't you congratulate her?" Tori asked of her husband.
Blake seemed to smile in a daze. "I'm going to be a…"
"Grandfather?" Aubrey asked smiling. "Yes you will. And yes my kid will be a motorcrosser boy or girl." She said happily.
Blake smiled warmly at his daughter and they reached over the cards arranged on the floor and hugged gently. "I'm so happy for you." He said kissing her temple.
"Thanks dad." She whispered. Once they were back in there own space Aubrey looked over at Adam. "Little Bro you ok?" She asked seeing him just staring into space.
Adam looked at her and nodded blinking. "I, you know what I don't even need to say it." He said cheerfully.
"Yes you'll be an uncle and no, you can not spoil our child." Jarred interrupted.
Adam seemed to pout fakely. "No fair." He whined jokingly, but reached over to hug his sister kindly. "This is wonderful news." He whispered to her.
Aubrey smiled and broke away. "You can spoil our kid as much as you want." She whispered and then heard a protest of 'Hey' from Jarred jokingly. "Oh honey it's their right as family to spoil their niece or nephew, or grandchild…" Aubrey said turning to her parents.
Tori smiled. "Now the thing to make it perfect like me and Peyton would be if Lily got pregnant shortly after you had your child." Tori said jokingly.
Lily snorted. "Ha, the rate…never mind." She said not wanting everyone to know about her sex life with her husband. Everyone chuckled but Blake and Tori cringed somewhat.
Something hit Blake. "Tori what's today?" He asked.
Tori looked at her watch that also told the date. "March 14 why?" She asked.
Blake smiled. "Fourteen." He said softly.
Tori smiled getting what he was saying. "Just makes that number more special then it already was." She said kissing his cheek.
Blake nodded. "Yep, now who's ready to lose?" He kidded. And everyone started talking all at once as the game continued on.
7 ½ Months Later:
"Aubrey honey just one more push!" Jarred coaxed. "One more that's all we're asking.
Aubrey groaned. "You try pushing something the size of a football out of a whole the size of a golf ball and tell me to keep pushing then." She said bitterly.
Jarred snorted back laughter. "Honey I promise you can use me as a punching back for the next few weeks but you really need to push now." He said.
"Aubrey he's right you need to push! Your baby needs you to push!" Dr. Lang instructed. She was performing the birth due to Aubrey's request for a familiar doctor.
Aubrey felt hot tears running down her cheeks. "I can't." She complained sniffling.
Jarred took a hold of her hand and she squeezed it tightly. "You can! I promise, promise you can do this. Aubrey now push!" He almost ordered and she did so screaming in agony, but those screams seemed to die out at the first cries of her baby.
Aubrey let out a relieved breathless chuckled as the doctor helped Jarred to cut the cord and then he returned to her side immediately as the baby was whisked away for cleaning. "What is it?" Aubrey asked looking up into Jarred's eyes.
"It's a beautiful baby boy." He smiled.
Aubrey grinned happily. "A boy. We have a little boy?" She asked. He nodded and the next event confirmed her husbands words were true. The nurse came over holding their baby in a blue blanket. "Oh my god." She wept as the nurse handed her, her son. "He's beautiful."
Jarred kissed her temple. "I love you."
"I love you too, both of you." Aubrey smiled at him as he took their son from as her eyes started to droop and the drugs were starting to kick in.
Next Day:
October 15
Groggy and a little disoriented Aubrey brought a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes. When she removed her hand she lifted her eyelids and yawned. "Jarred?" She whispered.
"Hey sleepy head." Jarred kidded walking over to his wife holding their son. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. "Sleep well."
"Yeah. That a surprise?" She kidded. "How is he?"
"Good, no name yet, but good." Jarred said sweetly.
Aubrey smiled. "Let me run this by you and if you don't like it we'll go back to our original ideas."
"Ok." Jarred said sweetly.
"Brayden William Thomas?" Aubrey asked.
Jarred smiled brightly at her. "When did you think of that?" He asked.
Aubrey sighed. "A couple days ago. I miss my grandfather a lot and I thought that adding William would be a good choice, but nothing we had picked out really went with the name."
Jarred nodded. "I like it. Brayden William. But what made you think of Brayden?"
"I sort of wanted a B for my father and I went through the baby name book and found Brayden. It fits with William and it's not common." Aubrey explained.
"Then we have a name for him. Brayden William Thomas." Jarred said brightly. Aubrey held out her arms and Jarred gently laid the baby in her arms and she cradled the infant to her chest.
"My parents here?" Aubrey asked.
"Are you kidding? My parents, yours, your family…I mean your whole family. And Sam called Hunter and said she was getting on a flight and would be here as soon as she could oh and something about bringing a surprise." Jarred informed her.
Aubrey smiled. "So my parents or yours first?"
"Mine just cause they have that flight to catch." Jarred said skeptically.
Aubrey giggled. "That's fine. Because my whole family is going to want to file in after my parents. Trust me yours first is best."
Jarred nodded and left the room to get his parents. When he came back in they were with him. "Oh Jeff look." Cheryl smiled at her grandson.
Aubrey offered over her son carefully and Cheryl took him. "What's his name?" Jeff asked.
Jarred looked to Aubrey to give that information. "We decided on Brayden William Thomas." Aubrey told them.
"Good name. Different." Jeff said.
Aubrey smiled. "Your not mad he isn't named after anyone special on your side?" She asked nervously.
Cheryl giggled watching her grandson. "Oh honey heaven's no. Jasper and Clyde aren't the best names." She said jokingly.
Aubrey smiled and looked at Jarred. He smiled back and they continued to talk with his parents for a few minutes before they decided they really needed to be getting to the airport. "I'm sorry we have to go." Jeff said handing his grandson back to Jarred.
"It's ok. Really we know you guys have to go for work." Aubrey said.
Cheryl gave Aubrey a slight hug and a kiss on the forehead. "We'll be back in three weeks. You two think you can manage?" She joked playfully.
Aubrey giggled. "We'll be fine."