(A special thanks to those of you that reviewed my first chapter. I love you guys. =)
Chapter Two
We continued to sit on the couch until the end of the game, about three hours later.
"Are you guys hungry? I was going to make some spaghetti for dinner," I say, rubbing my hands together and I pick myself up off of the couch.
"Sounds good," both Ian and Tyler say at the same time.
I make my way into the kitchen, passing the dining room and the pantry. I open a cupboard to take out a pot and take it over to the sink to fill it with water. The water is cold and I stand here for a minute, waiting patiently for it to warm up. I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around to see Ian. He sets a glass down on the counter and hops up to sit there. The water is warm now so I fill the pot three quarters of the way full and turn the faucet off. I take the pot over to the stove and turn it on high.
"So how did Melanie say she was doing?" Ian asks me. I could tell he had been wanting to ask this for a while, but was waiting for the right moment.
"She sounded like she was doing pretty good. I didn't get to really talk for that long, she was getting ready to go to Jamie's game." I open another cupboard to find the spaghetti and set it on the counter.
Ian has his legs dangling and one hits the side of the counter. "That's good...really good. What about Kyle?" His voice is more concerned as he asks this.
"I didn't talk to him this time." I open the fridge to get out some butter for the bread. "But I'm assuming he is doing just fine." I let the door shut on its own.
He jumps off the counter to go stir the water in the pot, which is now boiling. "Did Mel mention anything about Kasey?"
"No, but she sounded really busy. I'm sure everything is fine over there, Ian." I say with compassion in my voice. Ian had been really worried about them all since the accident. It happened a little over a year ago, but it never got any easier for any of us.
Ian continues to stir the water in the pot and opens the bag of spaghetti to pour some in. I smile. I had taught him well.
"When is it we are seeing them? Saturday? That gives us some time to get everything ready. I'll have to see if I can get tomorrow off." Ian works as a pediatrician and is always busy with patients. Sometimes I wish he would quit so we could spend more time together, but the money is good.
"Are you sure? I don't mind getting it all ready," I say as I finish buttering the bread.
He opens the oven door for me and I stick the pan in, setting it to broil. "I'm sure. The rest of the guys can keep up with the work for one more day." He had taken today off because he was not feeling well. The flu is going around and I hope that neither of the kids catch it.
Everything is ready now, except for the spaghetti. I take the knife I used to butter the bread to the sink to wash it. Ian comes up from behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. "Wanda, I love you," He says as he kisses my cheek. This makes me blush, I still have yet to overcome that little inconvenience.
"I love you too honey," I say as I turn around to face him. He keeps his hold on me and pulls me closer. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I am," Ian kisses me on the forehead then adds, "I'm actually kind of excited to see them all again."
"Me too!" I hear Tyler say from behind me. I turn my head to see him sitting on the counter. I give him a slightly confused look; he always hated having to stay home on the weekends. Tyler loved to hang out with him friends and skateboard. He even broke his arm a year ago because of it. I didn't want him to continue, but Ian objected saying that he should be able to stick to his hobby. He also added that it was good exercise for him. I understood the pros of it, but I am now always nervous when he goes outside. I do not want to see him get hurt again. "I want to hang out with Uncle Kyle. Last time he was here he taught me how to do a 360 kick flip," Tyler says excitedly.
"Where did he learn how to do that?" Ian asks, surprised that his brother could skateboard.
I giggle, "Is someone jealous?"
He raises his eyebrows at me just as we all hear the doorbell ring. We all look towards the front of the house to see who it could possibly be, even though there was more than one wall in the way. It's funny how people always do that. I take a quick peek at the stove, where the water is boiling again. "Honey, could you get the door?" I ask Ian.
"Sure," he answers with a smile. I turn my attention back to the spaghetti and I pick up a fork. I cut a piece of the spaghetti in half to see if it is soft enough. The spaghetti easily cuts in two so I decide it is ready. I go to the cupboard to pull out the drainer and set it in the sink. I go back to the stove where I pick up the pot of spaghetti and take it back to the sink to pour out the water. The steam rises as I pour the spaghetti out. I ask Tyler to take the bread out of the oven and he agrees.
"Yeah, we have been doing great," I hear Ian's voice getting closer. "Wanda is just inside the kitchen cooking dinner." I turn just in time to see Ian enter the kitchen with Melanie.
"Melanie!" I jump up and run over to where she is standing. I wrap my arms around her body and pull her into a bear hug.
"Wanda! Oh it's so good to see you!" She says as she wraps her arms around me. We stay like this for a minute, both of us with huge smiles on our faces.
"I thought you weren't coming till Saturday?" Ian asks politely. He is leaning against a could in the living room with his feet crossed.
I still have my arms around Melanie as I turn our bodies so I can face him. "Ian! Who cares! I am so happy that you came early Mel!" I say excitedly.
Ian puts his hands up defensively, "I'm glad she is here too, don't get me wrong. I just thought we would have more time to get things ready." He chuckles, "Where is the rest of the gang?"
I finally loosen my grip on Melanie and she does the same. We hold each other at arms length to get a better look. It really does feel great to see her wonderful face again. It had been too long since we had last seen each other face to face. She looks really good too, having the same skinny, athletic body as always. Her hair is long and curly, complimenting the gorgeous blue blouse and dark blue jeans she has on.
"Yeah, is Kyle here?" Tyler pipes up. Ian shoots him a look so he adds, "So we can all play football...or something?"
This wasn't the exact answer Ian had been looking for, but he was satisfied. I can tell that is a little jealous that his son likes his uncle so much. He wants to be the only one that Tyler looks up to. Old brother rivalry I'm guessing.
"Kyle is actually still at the stadium waiting for Jamie. We won, 4-2, but I'll let him tell you all about that himself." She smiles. I can tell she is just as excited as I am that she is here.
"And Kasey?" I ask, my hand still in hers.
"She wanted to stay with her dad. She is still a little nervous to leave his side, but I think that's normal. After everything that happened, anyway," Mel says, her voice a little shaky.
I pat her hand, "Are you hungry? I just made some spaghetti. We should probably eat before it gets cold."
We all start to make our way into the kitchen. When I arrive I pick up four plates from inside a cupboard and set them on the counter.
[A/N: It was actually me who couldn't wait till Saturday for them all to come over. So I decided to make them come over earlier. Haha. So, I already know what happened to Jodi, but does anyone have any ideas about what should have happened to Jared? I have a couple theories, but I'm not sure if I like them or not. Don't forget to tell me what you think – all reviews are appreciated. =D]