A/N: Meowser asked, and I came through. This is for you girl xx Mariah :)
Katherine let two days pass before she felt like it would be less intimidating for her to introduce herself to the new neighbors. She had actually waited until she knew that her husband would be at work and daughter would be at school to walk over.
In the past couple of days, Katie had also learned the names of the household members. Dr. Nicholas and Isabel Thomas were their names. Their five-year-old daughter was named Haley. The women gushed over the new family on their regular weekly Tuesday night get together. Katherine, who truly did not gossip, actually listened as they chattered this time. She was just as interested as everyone else, perhaps if not more. She really wanted to reach out to this woman and become friends.
She craved companionship, probably even more so now that she was home alone for the majority of the day. Her mother's company is always nice, but she could only handle so much of her mother sometimes. She needed a friend who didn't give birth to her or be like the rest of the women around town. They were gossipy, which bothered her, so she kept them at arm's length.
Isabel seemed different.
"She has very kind eyes," she had told Ned that night before bed.
Of course, he laughed and kissed her shoulders and up her neck, but Katie knew that he was just was interested in the family as she was. Yes, the gathering had provided many details that may or may not have been true. The women talked of the furniture that they had seen being hauled inside before the family arrived, or what they saw Josie wearing, or how often Nicholas went to work, or more importantly, the fact that they owned one car, despite that they were both in the medical profession.
Katie didn't see why it was such a big deal that they had one car. There were only four families in the town that had the money to afford such a luxury. Mayor Foster and his family, her parents, the Davis' and her and Ned. It was so rare in their town, a luxury that most families liked to spend on vacations or new clothes. The people who inhabited the town of Ashwick Valley were not wealthy by any means, but most had great lives with what they had. They were mostly high middle-class workers with comfortable positions.
"Living the American dream," Ned liked to joke every time she handed him another beer with a kiss.
It was close to noon when Katherine walked over, a homemade apple pie in her hands. She climbed the two white wooden steps that led to the porch and knocked on the door. It took a moment for someone to respond, but soon enough the door opened and Isabel stood with a very polite smile plastered on her face. She noticed that she looked tired and her eyes may have been a touch red, but she automatically assumed that was from the pregnancy.
Katherine smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Katherine Banks. I live next door."
The woman smiled and took her hand to shake it. "It's very nice to meet you, Katherine. I'm Isabel Thomas." Isabel's smile never faded. She noticed the basket and released her hand. "Is that for me? You really shouldn't have."
Katherine flipped the towel back, revealing the still warm apple pie in its tin. "On behalf of the block. We want you all to feel welcome."
"Well, that is very kind of you. Would you like to come in?" Isabel took a step back, angling her body so that Katherine could fit through the doorway.
"I would like that very much, actually." Katherine looked around the lavish, yet homey house. She was completely taken aback. It was so beautiful. Isabel motioned to the kitchen. "What a beautiful home, you and your husband have."
"Thank you. How about some tea or coffee to go with the pie?" Isabel asked, starting to walk to where she'd pointed. "We can go to the kitchen. It's right this way."
"Tea sounds wonderful," she nodded and smiled as best as she could.
Katie followed Isabel into the kitchen. She sank down onto the dark wood and watched as Isabel moved to the stove, grabbing two mugs.
"You know, I probably shouldn't eat a piece of pie for lunch, but I have been craving carbohydrates lately," Isabel said as she set the kettle on the stove. The woman moved over to the chair across from Katherine and sank down into it.
"That's part of the reason I decided to make these." Katherine watched as Isabel's face contorted into a look of confusion. "Well, not that I knew you were craving… but because this is what I craved the whole time I was pregnant with my youngest. I made my husband take me to an out of town fair so that I could try the sweets there. I know everyone's cravings are different, but something about an apple pie that just makes the world seem a little better."
"It smells wonderful. Mind if I have a slice now?" Katherine looked down at the pie and then back at Isabel quickly. "I don't mean to be rude."
"Oh yeah, of course, have as much as you like. It's for you!" She flipped the towel back once more and slid the basket a little closer to her.
"I don't know about that," Isabel laughed, "I'll try to limit myself to a small sliver." She took a small bite and smiled. "Oh, it is delectable, Katherine. You really didn't have to go through the trouble of making it."
"I've been baking for so long it feels like nothing. I'm glad that you like it and call me Katie, we are neighbors after all." She smiled. "So how far along are you?"
Isabel placed her hand on the top of her stomach. "Approximately 32 weeks."
"Not much longer then. And you have another child, right?" Katherine feigned ignorance so Isabel wouldn't know just how much the neighborhood was talking about her.
"My husband and I have a daughter too, yes." Isabel smiled at her.
"How old is she?" Her lips curved into a smile as she finished chewing.
"Haley is five. She'll be six soon. Why don't you have some? It is delicious." She pushed the tin closer to Katie. "Don't make the pregnant woman eat alone." Isabel laughed and her whole face lit up. She was right. She expressed everything through her eyes. She cut a slice, placing it on the plate she had given her and took a bite, and Katie had to admit, she was a pretty good baker, but she had her mother to thank for that. "There you go. Now I don't feel nearly as indulgent. You have two daughters and a son, don't you?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Looks like she wasn't the only one who has been spying. She must've seen them sometime. They are always running around in the yard. "They haven't been too loud, have they?"
"Oh," Isabel placed her hand over her mouth as she chewed. "I was in the yard the other day when they returned from school. I should have mentioned that. What are their names?"
"Oh no! They seem wonderful," Isabel said. "What are their names?"
"Their names are Henry, Danielle, and Josephine, but our littlest we call Josie." The kettle began to whistle and Isabel rose slowly from the kitchen chair.
"Oh, how adorable! I can't wait to meet them, neither can Haley. She loves making new friends." The woman pulled the kettle from the stove and pulled the two cups she'd grabbed earlier to her. Katie watched as she carefully placed two tea bags in the cup and poured the water over them. She noticed how light and delicate her touch was as if she felt that everything she touched would break if she were not careful. "Actually, Haley does not go by her given name, either. Most of the time we call her Hales."
"That's one of the sweetest names I have ever heard," Katie said as she took the cup from Isabel.
"Thank you. Nic and I both liked it very much. How old are your three?" Isabel sat down carefully, eyeing her tea as it steams on the table.
"Henry is nine, Danielle is eight, and Josie is five," Katie smiled as she began to bob her tea bag up and down into the scalding water.
"Oh, so this is your first year with them all in school. How is that?" Isabel began to mimic the motion with her tea bag.
"My days are different… very quiet. I'm a mother of three and there is a quietness that always has me on edge. I've been thinking of going back to work now that everything is such a normal routine." Katie smiled, but it faded.
She missed having a tight schedule to follow with Josie every day. She missed the time she'd had with Ned when they first were married. She could get so lonely when no one was home.
"I bet it's nice to have some peace and quiet now. They are all relatively close together in age." Katie found it hard not to tell this woman who seemed so trustworthy and kind everything that she had been feeling lately, but somehow she managed. She contorted her feelings into a smile. "Where did you work before?"
"It's just a change. My life was so hectic for awhile, and now it's almost as if I have nothing to do. I find myself cleaning things that have already been cleaned earlier in the day just because I have run out of things to do." She laughed. "I used to be a nurse down at Mercy. I was an ER nurse to be more exact, but I still had my general nonchalant patients."
"I'm a nurse too. I met Nic in med school and am his favorite nurse to work on all his patients." Isabel seemed to brighten up more so than before. "Well, now you have something to do. You can come over and chat with me during the day. Or we could run our errands together. I always find going to the grocery store to be especially lonely. I would very much like someone to go with."
There it was.
Katie knew that this woman needed a friend just as much as she did. She wanted to go over and hug her for that.
"That sounds wonderful," she gushed. "It will be nice to be around someone who doesn't call me, 'honey' or 'mama'."
Isabel erupted in laughter. "I know exactly what you mean. It would seem as though I have undergone a name change since Haley was born. Sometimes I find myself not answering to 'Izzy' or 'Isabel' because I'm not used to hearing it."
She joined in, laughing harder than she had in awhile. "Yes! I did that in the supermarket the other day! No joke, the woman down the street, Mrs. Thorne, you'll meet her eventually, called me by my name in the meat aisle the other day and I just stood there. She had to all but yell, 'Katherine!' three times to get my attention."
"That very same thing happened to me with my mother-in-law about a month ago! She found it completely absurd." Isabel cleared her throat through her laughter, but her tone dropped slightly. "You know, it's like one day you're a teenager running around having fun, and the next day you are married with children."
She nodded, knowing exactly the sentiment. "Big change from the backseat bingo days in high school at the drive-in. Or Ned and I used to go swimming a lot in a hidden pond near my childhood home when we first got together." Her cheeks flushed when she thought about the dozens of times her and Ned had snuck down to swim at night. It had been so scandalous. She was always scared they'd be caught, but they never were. Isabel stared at her for a moment. She noticed the confusion. "Backseat bingo means, you know, like necking…in the back of the car. Didn't you ever do that?"
She suddenly felt stupid for saying something so crass. Isabel must way too proper to know what that meant, but she began to laugh once more.
"Of course I did. I wasn't a complete prude!" Katie laughed again, thinking of all the things she'd done with Ned. Some people would be ashamed to know of how many times they'd been together before marriage. "I have just never heard it called that before. I've never been very good with slang." The women's laughter echoed throughout the kitchen. They could not stop laughing. Both knew a void was being filled. They needed to laugh, they needed to feel better, and they were there to help each other out. Isabel's face grew serious. "Is this what you always envisioned yourself doing, Katie? Becoming a mother and…a wife, I mean."
"I did. I love it." She smiled. "I started dating Ned the summer after our final year of high school, even though I had previously been dating a boy who I grew up with on the same block for the entirety of my life it seemed like. There was a lot of heartache because of William, but I married Ned so quickly because I loved him and had never felt the way I had before. Not long after we got together, he was drafted and I couldn't let him leave without marrying him first, then I found out I was pregnant with Henry not long after we were married. Ned was injured in combat and came home after seven months. He started working with my father at the dealership and now we're here still going strong ten years later." She contemplated asking Isabel the same question. She was interested, but of course, she assumed the answer would not be an unhappy one. "Did you always see yourself as a housewife?"
Isabel looked was taken aback by the question. She should have known better than to ask that question, some part of her was hoping that Isabel was indeed happy. She needed to hear happy stories more than anything right now.
"Not at all," Isabel stared down at her fingernails, fidgeting slightly as her eyes began to fill with tears.
Katie nodded, not knowing how to respond. She never expected such an emotional response. "I'm sorry, there's just a lot going on right now, with the move and the baby." Isabel's voice caught at the end of her sentence. "I'm a mess lately."
Her maternal instincts got the best for her and she reached across the table, placing her hand on top of Isabel's fidgeting ones.
"It's okay. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Isabel's hands were cold, yet soft.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know this was going to happen." Isabel shrugged.
"Hey, it's okay. We don't have to talk about it." She nodded and smiled at Isabel.
"Thank you." The two shared a smile. Isabel gave Katie's hands a light squeeze before pulling away to wipe away the tears that were resting on her cheeks. "I have really enjoyed your company."
"I can honestly say the same, Isabel. I wish I could stay longer but I have to get home and pick up before my mother comes over for lunch." She stood to leave and Isabel followed. "I don't have many friends that are genuinely nice and fun to be around. You're just so nice and you actually care about the answer to a question I give you. You're not just asking to tell everyone else."
"I know. Women can be so rude each other." Isabel sighed. "And I hope you know I'm serious about the supermarket thing. I don't want to go alone."She smiled brightly, almost as if the previous crying spell never existed. "I know that everyone is whispering about us. There are too many people I notice peeking whenever I happen to be outside."
She nodded as she made her way to the front door. "We will go. How about tomorrow afternoon? Josie's birthday is next Friday and I need to pick up a few things for the party. You all are more than welcome to come if you'd like. You could meet everyone."
"I think that would be delightful. We'll be there." Isabel pointed to her stomach and smiled before wrapping Katie into a hug. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Katie."
"The same to you." They smiled one last time at one another and she began to walk over into her yard, sidestepping so she could continue to see Isabel. "Would you like to come over to my porch and just sit and talk some more?"
"I'd love to," Isabel grabbed herself a light coat and met where Katie had strolled away too.
The light spring breeze whipped at her curls and Isabel had a fleeting thought of how beautiful her new friend, Katie was. She remembered studying each child as they walked home yesterday, noticing all three's aesthetic beauty. She could see where it came from now. All three had the same face structure as their mother, along with her dark hair, eyes, and complexion. She had never seen their father, Katherine's husband, but upon seeing her, she was certain that her DNA had reigned supreme with all three children. She wondered if it was the same with Katie's mother also.
A car pulled into the driveway just as they sat down on the porch.
"Who's that?" Isabel asked as a man turned the car off and got out.
He was very tall. Blond, so Isabel had been right about Katie's genes winning out with her children. Each of their children had dark hair. The man was dressed well, in a pair of ironed work slacks and crisp white shirt. He'd left his jacket in the car, she could see it hanging on the seat. He wore dust-ridden shoes, and she wondered what kind of work he did. She noticed he walked with a limp and that Katie was meeting him at the stairs for a kiss. She had said he was injured in the war.
Had he lost a toe? That could make a man limp, right?
"That would be my dashing husband," she smiled and he cut her off, stealing a second kiss from her and coughing her to laugh. "Ned, I thought you were stuck in the office..."
Isabel glanced at Ned, noting the nice clothes that they were both wearing and that the automobile they had was particularly newer.
Was he a salesman?
That would explain the dust on his shoes. Her father had worked near a car lot when she was little and had remembered seeing men dust off the cars at the beginning and end of the day.
"Your father kicked me out," he shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Something about hearing from Melinda that you were disappointed."
"I was," she shook her head and sighed "But he didn't have to let you come home. My mom was going to come over."
"She was just coming in when I was leaving," he said with a knowing smile and they chuckled. He noticed the woman behind her and he smiled. "Hello, I'm Ned. Katie's husband."
"Oh, I'm terrible! Meet our new neighbor Isabel." She said, turning to face Isabel. "We were just sitting down after I brought her over a pie."
"It's nice to meet you," Ned held out his hand and shook hers. "A pie? Did you make two?"
"I only had enough crust for one," she hummed, turning to Isabel. "Are you hungry? I'm sure Ned here is starving."
"No, I'll leave you two to your lunch." Isabel smiled and went to push herself up from the chair. Ned helped her up, his hand firmly on her back to support her. He'd gotten used it with Katie while she was pregnant. "Oh thank you. That was a feat. I was worried I wouldn't have been able to get up."
"It's no problem," Ned smiled at her as he sat in the chair Katie had sat in before.
"I have some cleaning I need to get done before Haley comes home from school," Isabel said to Katie then.
"Alright, if you say so." She smiled, helping her down the stairs. "I'll see you tomorrow for the shopping trip?"
"Yes, tomorrow." Isabel touched Ned's shoulder. "It was nice to meet you, Ned."
They watched as she disappeared into her home next door before looking at each other.
"She seems nice," Ned smiled and kissed his wife, picking her up. "Now about lunch. I'd like you for lunch instead of food."
"I like the sound of that," she giggled as she guided him inside their home. "Now come on, I know you're starving." She walked into the kitchen and bent over to look into the fridge. "Do you want like sandwiches and chips? Or something bigger?"
"I want you," he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, closing the fridge with her body.
He let his gaze travel up the length of her legs as she lounged against the fridge, her warm skin shining as the sunlight splayed on it. Pausing a moment to swallow, he studied the peak between her thighs, in the shadow of her blue dress, before glancing up and finally settling on her eyes that were doing nothing, but provoking him.
Katie pressed her hands down and brought herself to his face until her nose touched his. "I won't beg, Ned," she taunted and he noticed the faint jump of one eyebrow.
God, he would never let her go.
A surge of hot air blew across her face as he leaned onto her, but she welcomed him eagerly, moaning against his kiss, greedy and hot in a way she'd hadn't since they first were together.
"You don't have to beg for a damn thing, I'm all yours, Katherine." His words growled against her throat as his mouth descended. "I'll do anything you want."
She exhaled a slight whimper and he felt her arch her back off the fridge door. "The way you're talking to me is getting me so turned on, Ned." Her confession was merely a wisp of air, but her words still managed to leave a warm presence in his body as they left her mouth. "I feel like we are seventeen again, newly married and just together. I want you to take off my dress, please."
His hand slid up her back, almost lingering too long on her rear and slid the zipper on her side all the way down. "I want to get you off so bad," he murmured against her skin as the dress slid down her curves.
"I'm all yours too, Ned." She laughed as he kicked the dress to the side as soon as it touched the floor.
Katherine redressed long before Ned did and went to make him lunch, feeling his eyes on her from the floor.
"What's the plan for dinner tonight?" Ned asked as he grabbed his work trousers and stood up.
"I've got everything to make two pans of lasagna and the kids' favorite cheesy bread I make." She smiled. "I ended up using all of the pie crust, so the pot pies are out of question."
"I think that everyone loves that cheese bread of yours, darlin'." He kissed her and reached down for his undershirt. "Need me to grab anythin' for the market?"
"Can you stop by the bakery and get a fresh loaf of bread?" She asked. "That would be great."
"Sure thing," he kissed her lips before she handed him his dress shirt. "I'd lose my head if weren't for you."
"I know," she grinned and handed him a sandwich. "Eat that before you go back."
"Yes'm." He buttoned his shirt up and fixed his collar before grabbing his tie and situating it. "I bet it's delicious."
"Then eat up," she pushed him down into a chair and placed another sandwich on the table before sitting on his knee.
"You missed a button," he said pressing a kiss to the small piece of shown skin before buttoning it and taking a bite of his sandwich. " I adore this dress on you," he grinned at her, lettuce in his teeth.
"Well no wonder I felt like wearing it today," she blushed and picked the lettuce from between his front teeth. "Now don't forget to remind my father of our dinner plans tonight or he will forget to remind my mother and then she will not remember."
"Yes, I know." He laughed and finished off his sandwich. "They forget dinner plans easily. I must get going before you father writes me up for being late."
"We both know that if you say it was because of me kissing you too long, that he won't," she kissed him, her arms snaking around his neck.
"Okay, I'll tell him that if he asks." He breathed against her lips, kissing her again. "I love you."
"I love you too," she replies and moved off his lap, letting him stand.
5:30 on the dot, there was a knock at the door.
Katherine had everything finished, but she still felt unprepared. She focused on steadying her breathing while Ned got the door. She moved from the kitchen, a smile plastered on her face, her hands absently smoothing a nonexistent wrinkle from her new dress.
Delia Banks stepped into the entryway, eyes scanning every surface possibly as Shirley, Joey and Nan followed behind her quietly. Each of them tightly hugged their older brother, before hugging her, less tightly, except Joey.
He had always liked her. The girls tended to side with their mother, to Katherine's dismay. She had been preparing herself for the onslaught of criticism that would surely follow this visit all week, but she was still worried. Even though Delia loved her daughter-in-law, she was always critical of what she did. It didn't matter what the topic was, Delia was never afraid to bring it up. Whether it was what Katherine wore or how she chose to raise Ned's children. Delia had never said the words their children, only Ned's. Like she was just an object. Not like she was the woman who'd carried and birthed them.
Katherine could already tell Delia was most certainly already cataloging items in the house and preparing a way to bring them up later in the conversation. Her scrutiny did not keep her from a proper greeting, however.
Delia pulled her son into a large hug, kissing him on the cheek. He was the favorite of the three sons, even though Chris was no longer here, he was still around, in spirit, that much was obvious. And Delia never failed to remind Ned of her eldest son's ultimate sacrifice, like Ned hadn't sacrificed enough. Would she rather him have been blown to pieces with the rest of his leg?
"Where are my beautiful grandchildren?" Delia said a little louder than necessary as the doorbell rang again and Katherine went to go answer it.
Each of the kids came running to her, and she gave them each their own hug and kiss.
She opened the door to see her parents, Micah tucked between them. He hugged his sister quickly before rushing off to find Henry.
"Mom," Katie grinned, hugging her immediately. "I'm so glad you came."
"We always come for family dinners," Melinda smiled and she went to her father next, as her mother stepped inside. She heard the hug and kiss Ned gave her mother and the excited squeal of Danielle when she saw that Melinda had in fact came.
"Nana!" Danielle had never taken to Delia, seeing right through her parlor act around her mother and Delia had never been as fond of the older girl anyway. She looked too much like her mother. All of the kids did in Delia's opinion. "I'm so happy you came."
"Hi daddy," Katie kissed his cheek and he hugged her tighter.
"On edge?" Jim asked
"As always," she sighed and let him in, closing the door.
Danielle and Josie both ran straight into the arms of their grandfather. Even in his late forties, he threw both of the girls in the air like he always had and smothered their cheeks with kisses. He sneaked them both a piece of candy, catching Katie's eye roll as she and Melinda snuck into the kitchen.
"There's the little sweetheart! How's my best girl?" Josie smiled, kissing Delia's cheek.
"I have been good. I've already made so many new friends, and I love my new school." Josie beamed at her grandma.
Katine watched as Delia's face fell momentarily, unable to hide their opinion. She knew that she hated the idea of her granddaughters in public school. Neither of her girls was enrolled at school at all. Delia taught them at home, and she had wanted Katherine to do the same. But Katie didn't. She wanted her girls to get just as much of an education as anyone.
"That's so good, Josiebear. You're too sweet for anyone to ever dislike." Delia pinched her cheeks lightly, giving her a peck on the forehead before turning to Katherine, who she finally noticed. "Hello, dear, you look well." She kissed Delia's cheek lightly and felt Delia lightly squeeze her. "Good thing considering you're going to be carrying the next Banks baby. You two are to have another child soon, right?" Delia said, placing her hand on her flat abdomen, lips curved into a tight smile. "I think it'd be best before Josiebear gets too much bigger."
"Ma, we haven't talked about it or anything. But maybe in a few years once Josie is a bit further into school." Ned replied, going to shake Jim's hand.
Delia nodded, she only had no comment when it came to Ned it seemed like.
"You look well yourself." She grinned at her mother-in-law.
"I have been," Delia said. "The house is charming, quaint."
"Thank you." She couldn't tell if she'd meant what she said. "I best get back to check on dinner. Mama, come with me?"
"Of course," Melinda tucked her arm at Katherine's waist and they walked to the kitchen.
"Can't that girl cook on her own?" She heard Delia say to Ned.
"Ma, stop it off," Ned muttered. "Why do you have to be so critical?"
"I only criticize when I'm worried… and I worry that these kids aren't eating enough if she can't cook without her mother." Delia said.
It took everything for Katie to just listen to her from the kitchen. She bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood and then shook her head. "I can't do anything right to that woman," she muttered, going to check on lasagna and cheesy bread.
"Oh, I love when you make that cheesy bread." Melinda smiled, leaning on the counter to smell the food. The kitchen was filled was so many good smells and she could see that her mother was just as excited as Josie was for dinner. "It's just so darn good baby girl."
"Mama? Did you even hear what I said?" She asked, peeking to see that the lasagna had just started to crispen on top.
"I did, but that's how all mothers are. No girl is good enough for their perfect little boy. I can certainly say I will not be excited when Micah brings home a girl." Melinda replied. "Just like no boy is good enough for a daddy's perfect little girl and your father wasn't happy when you brought home Ned."
"Daddy likes Ned," she huffed. "And I didn't bring home Ned… he brought me home."
"I remember," Melinda hummed. "I was just starting to worry about letting you go with that damn Davis boy. Turns out my feeling was right, but when we hear that bobber outside I knew something happened. I didn't know if it was good or bad, but seeing you with Ned made me know that William wasn't going to be around and that boy was. Your father still took some time to warm up remember?"
Katherine looked at her mother and sighed. She was right. She was always right. She knew Delia wouldn't ever understand how much Katie loved her son, but this was what she wanted and decided to deal with when she married him. She wanted to be able to give him children and give them a life to look back on, a real family. Not like the childhood that Ned had had.
Delia and Josie moved back into the living room at Josie's request. She had drawn them a picture earlier and wanted to show it off, knowing how she would "ooh" and "ahh" over it. Ned hung back with her father and Danielle disappeared to read a book like she knew she used to a child too.
Ned came into the kitchen with her father, pulling Katherine into a hug. She didn't know if it was because he knew what his mother was really saying to her, or he simply wanted to hold her. She hoped that it was because he had finally seen through his mother's fakeness toward her, but she knew better.
"What's this for?" She asked, hearing the timer go off.
She pulled from his arms and moved to pull the lasagna out, leaving the cheesy bread to bake another minute.
"I just love you, that's all." He kissed her then, earning a mild groan from her father.
"I love you too," she said against his lips and then he pulled back, kissing her cheek. "I'll get the kids to wash up."
"Okay," she said. "Send Dan into the dining room for me?"
He nodded and went to the living room, wrangling the kids all to wash up as she went to set the dining table. Delia tucked into the dining room as well.
"How are you feeling lately Katherine?" Delia asked, seizing the opportunity of talking while she was alone.
"Wonderful! Ned has been so great that I haven't been stressed about the big sales at all." She replied, trying to keep light conversation with her, but hoping to stay neutral. She went to the china hutch and pulled out twelve plates. They only eight places at their dining table and had to set up another table off to the side where the last four people would need to sit.
"That's always nice," Delia took the plates from her and Katherine grabbed the good silver next, grabbing twelve forks and knives. "I used to hate when the year review for the tire shop would come up. Thank goodness Charlie does all of that now. It's the only reason I stay married to that bastard."
"How have things been?" She asked, knowing Delia had recently, and finally, kicked her abusive husband to the curb. It was unheard of, especially down south, but Delia had done it and Katherine was happy. No matter how harsh Delia was, no one deserves to be treated like that. "Since Charlie left."
"You don't have to pretend to care," Delia huffed, placing the last plate down.
"I do genuinely care about you and your family Delia." She said, glancing warmly at the woman. "We're family. I love your son and he's given me everything I've ever wanted. I was just wondering how things have been."
Delia ignored her comment, grabbing five wine glasses. "I knew you were different when I first met you." Katherine stopped, setting a fork down and studying her mother in law's face carefully. "You were out of my son's league, but somehow when you saw our shack of a home, you still came in and you stayed with him. Any other girl like you would've run the second she heard his last name." Katherine continues placing pairs of silverware. Was this a compliment? Was Delia finally going to be nice to her? "You were gorgeous, smart and from a good background—you have proven to be a good match for Ned. He loves you, and I can tell it. I don't believe that you would ever wish ill upon our family, but I want you to know that by allowing the girls to be in public school… you have hurt me."
Katherine stood stock still, unsure of how to respond. This was definitely not what she was expecting. Delia had never been very warm or loving to her, but she had never treated her like this. She had always liked her, or so she thought.
"Don't look surprised, darling," Delia let out a little laugh before continuing. "Moving into this neighborhood when my son is not a North Ender by any means, insisting that not only Danielle but also having my Josiebear go to public schools. Naturally, I assumed it was part of the process after… you lost your fourth child when Josie was little." Her heart stung at Delia's mention of their lost child. That was not her right, by any means. "Now I know I cannot control what goes on in my son's life, but I can have an opinion. Those are my grandchildren and I am allowed to voice my concerns when it comes to them. They are Banks', and we Banks' are worried about their education and well being." Katherine had so many things to say, so many ways to defend her choices, but none came out. She merely stood eyes wide and jaw slacked. She let her eyes drift to the kitchen floor. "Don't take it too personally. We still accept you. You've given us a very precious gift and will again soon. I just know it. I've prayed every night for you to conceive again." She smiled at her as if nothing happened and placed the last wine glass. "Can you tell Ned that I'll be right back? I just realized that I forgot something in the car." Delia turned and headed into the entryway before Katherine responded.
Tears were already threatening to spill, but she fought them. Her mother came over and took the things from her hands. She must've heard everything. Her father came in next, with the lasagna dish. He had too, by the look on his face.
"You go take a breather," Melinda kissed her daughter's cheek, hugging her. "Clean up for dinner and just calm down. Okay? We'll talk later."
"But I have to-" She felt a tear fall and then her father wrapped in a hug after he placed the food dish down.
"We have this covered," Melinda said as Danielle came into the dining room. "Dani will help, right?"
Danielle only squeezed her mother from behind, not needing to know any details to know her mother was upset.
"Yeah, I'll go get glasses from the kitchen for all us kids," Danielle said, dashing from the room in a very Katie like way.
Katie would not allow herself to cry, not right now. She pulled back from her father's embrace and nodded, turning around and going to her and Ned's room.
She could never tell Ned any of this. He'd never understand.
Isabel. She could talk to Isabel. She suddenly wanted to rush over there and fall into her arms, but she didn't. Her emotions were running so high at the moment. There would be no way that she could keep from sobbing to her new friend.
She sat on the bed and laid down, almost letting the tears spill. She began to think of her stitching technique she would use at the hospital, holding her position, moving her wrist as though she'd done one yesterday. It always calmed her down, the way the needle would work and pull a wound back together.
It took several minutes of silence before she worked up the nerve to go back out there.
Katie was able to pull herself together and get through dinner. She noticed that Delia carried on conversations as if nothing had happened between them in the kitchen. She merely kept her head down, responding only when necessary to keep up her polite facade. They discussed work with Ned, and school with each of the children. After dessert, she knew it was finally over.
She could breathe again.
Ned, Katherine, and each other children walked Delia, Melinda, and Jim to their cars. Josie cried a little as they each said their goodbyes. Melinda held her in her arms, rubbing small, soothing circles on her back.
"Hey, I'm pickin' you up from school tomorrow, aren't I? A day for just you, Dani and I." She handed the little girl back to Katherine. "I love you baby girl."
"I love you too mama," she kissed her mother's cheek before soothing Josie's cries. "Daddy, I love you too."
"I love you," he whispered and kissed her head. "Don't let anything she says tamper that smile of yours."
"I won't," she felt him squeeze her cheek before he climbed into the car.
Katherine turned to go back into the house before Delia even said goodbye, taking each of her children with her.
Henry had gone to his room to collect his puppy, which they had yet to name yet. They had decided they'd have to put a few different names in a bowl on slips of paper and pick one. They were just waiting until the weekend.
"Can I take him for a walk?" Henry asked as Katie entered Josie and Danielle's room. She set Josie on her bed, grabbing her a nightgown that was hanging up nearby.
"I'll be right back to read to you both," she said, ushering Henry out as she and Danielle change "And yes, but be quick. Just up and around the block please?"
"Thank you, mom," Henry set the pup down, hugging his mother. "Grandma Delia isn't right to talk to you like she did."
"Henry," she sighed, pulling him back at an arm's length. She had never meant for him to hear whatever he'd heard. She was never the type to corrupt her children for her own opinions on people. "Your grandmother… she means well. She can just be a little straightforward."
"No, she doesn't," Henry said, suddenly sounding too old to be her little nine years old. "I'm not a little kid anymore mom."
She knew that. He didn't have to remind her. She ruffled his hair, wishing it had stayed as light as it was when he was a toddler, but it'd darkened by the time he started school. "I know," she hugged him again and kissed his forehead as Josie opened the door, The Secret Garden in hand and ready for her to read to them. "Duty calls."
"Can I join you?" He asked, seeing that Ned had picked up the pup and he was now licking the man's face clean of all the leftover food on his lips.
"Of course!" Katie took the book from Josie and waved the girls over, hugging all of her children in a tight group hug.
"Group hug? We want in!" Ned yelled and dashed down the hallway, sneaking in with the puppy, who licked each other their faces.
Katie entered the kitchen, surprised to see Ned washing the dishes. He hated doing them and always complained whenever she asked him because he'd been forced to wash them his entire life.
And here he was. Finished with the dishes after a dinner gathering. Maybe she had changed him a little, for the better, like he always liked to say.
"Thought I'd do these while you read to the kiddos," he said. "I heard a lot of giggles."
"That's very sweet of you," she wrapped her arms around his lean stomach, kissing his shoulder. He's discarded his button-up and was in his tank top, his forearms deep in soapy water and his upper arm muscles rippling. "And yeah. It was nice to have all three of them snuggled with me in our bed. The kids did con me into three chapters. Josie was asleep halfway through the last and Danielle still wanted me to read. I almost read another, but Henry was yawning and I told them to get off to bed with a promise that we'd kiss them goodnight."
"As if you don't enjoy reading to them," he grinned at her as she took a plate from him and stacked it in with the rest, ready to put away in the hutch. "I knew I saw Henry tucked in with you. That's a surprise."
"He knew his mama missed him," she said. "And I did. I missed my baby boy."
"Everything tonight was perfect." He pulled the plug from the sink, the water draining as he dried his hands.
Katherine smiled at him, knowing where this would eventually lead and hoping to avoid a discussion with his parents. No matter how befuddling it was, she knew that he was unaware of his mother's coldness to her. During the course of their marriage, he had never once noticed and she never brought it up. He couldn't help the situation any more than she could. He began drying the dishes in silence. She knew he was hoping that she would talk about how he was feeling about his drinking, their fight, but she couldn't.
"You looked beautiful," he took the stack of plates and she grabbed the silverware.
"Thank you," she muttered, knowing that he wasn't going to stop there.
He placed the dishes in the hutch and took the silverware from her. "Dinner was absolutely perfect. Your cheesy bread perfectly complimented the seasoning of the lasagna as usual. Stellar baby." He kissed her, and she grasped his face.
She could use this. The way he made her feel, it would erase everything. Bring forth all good and pure emotions deep inside her.
"You did the dishes," she moaned, feeling his arms wrap around her waist.
"Yes," he picked her up and kissed her again, hard. She let out a soft moan and wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him against her. Her fingers tangled in his hair. He felt his growing erection pressed against her, eliciting a soft gasp. "The kids… you said you promised them a goodnight kiss."
She nodded. "Yes." He set her down. "The kids," and then kissed him again. "Then this…"
They went a kissed an already asleep Henry, Ned tucked him in and shut his light off. Danielle was sneaking in another page or two of her own chapter book that she was reading when her parents came in, kissing her cheeks and tucking her in before turning off her lamp.
The next few moments were quick. They went to the end of the hall, entering their room and locking the door behind them.
He kissed her as soon as she locked the door, picking her up and bringing her to the bed.
His hands ghosted over her shoulders, taking the straps of her dress she wore with them as they slid slowly down her arms. She could feel his hot breath against her neck and it made goosebumps rise, her nipples tightening into hard little nubs.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered against her skin.
She shivered, turning her head, her breath escaping with a soft sigh. His hand cupped her jaw, thumb rubbing lightly over the sensitive skin. Their mouths met in a hot, wet kiss that left her breathless with need. She felt his hips rock against her, the hard length of his erection pressing tightly against the side of her hip, left nearly bare by the dark green lace of the underwear she wore. The soft lace rubbed against her with every shift of his hips, heat seeping through her veins, licking fire in its wake.
"Need you," she gasped, breaking free of the scorching kiss, lifting her hands and winding them into the thick, blonde curls at his nape. "So much."
His hand splayed against her hip, holding her firmly against his body, thumb teasing at the elastic of her underwear. "Not yet," he whispered against her neck, biting lightly at her leaping pulse point. "Want to tease you some more."
"Please," the word was ragged and soft and filled with every ounce of desire that filled her at his touch.
She felt him grind against her skin and it made her angry, her nails digging into his forearm. He bit down harder and she moaned, his fingers dipping into the soft lace to press lightly against the soft brush of curls that shielded her most intimate place.
His long fingers dipped into her, running along the seam, spreading the slippery liquid that seeped in a steady flow. Without warning, he plunged two fingers into her slick entrance, thumb grazing against the tiny bud of her center, leaving her shuddering and breathless. Curling his fingers, he moved in her slowly, rocking his hips into her as well with every stroke. It was too much and not enough, every stroke of his fingers ratcheting up the tight coil of tension in her core.
His free hand found her breast, pulling and twisting the tight nub of her nipple until she was writhing and gasping against him, bucking her hips back into his, mewling helplessly as a heady miasma of pleasure and need to consume her. Flinging her head back, she came hot and hard, clenching around his fingers, nails digging into his forearm. Aftershocks of bliss coursed through her as she hung, limp and spent - her knees weak and refusing to hold her weight.
He pivoted, pushing her hungrily to the bed, stripping off the soaked bit of lace that hid her from his eyes.
She stared up at him languidly, her tongue sliding along dry lips as he stripped out of the only remaining barrier, kicking the tight boxer briefs aside before joining her on the bed. Palming her thigh, he lifted it high and entered her with a deep, heavy thrust, jerking her back up the bed with the force of it.
He pushed hard and fast, pulling out almost to the point of exit and then thrusting hard back in. She keened long and low, nails digging into whatever she could reach – his broad shoulders, skimming across the flat nipples, standing at attention between the thick curls of coarse hair on his chest, the solid thickness of his wrist. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist as she bowed upwards, meeting him stroke for satisfying stroke.
"Say my name," he grunted, lifting her and holding her up off the bed so that only her shoulders rested on the mattress.
A wicked grin curved her lips and she licked her lips again. "Ned," she purred, rolling her hips against him.
He groaned and dipped his head, pulling one tight nipple into the dense heat of his mouth, flicking it with his tongue before biting down on it and tugging. Her head dropped back, mouth opening soundlessly as pleasure screamed through her with every sensual tug and pull on her body.
Licking his way across her chest, he gave the other the same treatment, wincing as her nails dug into his shoulders, digging furrows down his back. "Who do you belong to?" he growled against her skin, licking a heated trail up her neck.
"You," she gasped, bliss spiraling through her as she came then. The color burst behind her closed eyelids, every nerve ending screaming as the all-consuming wave crested and broke, dragging her under its seductive pull. "Always you. Forever you Ned."
"Yes," he grunted, hips rising and falling against hers in an endless roll that dragged her deeper into the depths. "Oh, Katie… I can't-" He came and collapsed against her, his back heaving as he fought for breath, forehead pressed tightly against her chest.
He pressed kisses to the hollow of her throat, to the top of her breasts, to the curve of her hip, and she curled her fingers into his hair when he put his mouth on hers. His hands smooth up her legs and he kissed below her ear, on her jaw. She blinked dazedly when he looked down at her.
"I love you," he breathed, and she clung to him.
"I love you too," she told him back later that night when they've both finished again, but he's still inside her, nestled between her legs, his head on the pillow next to her and her head on his chest.
