'Michonne I don't know if you've heard, but the grill is for meat only. Ribs, steaks burgers. Why you bringing all those vegetables over here to put on it? Michonne gave Shane a side eye and then smiled as she handed the tray of asparagus, corn and zucchini to Rick.
"Thanks for the info Shane, but since you're not the grill master today, it doesn't really matter what you think goes on there, besides it's what I want." Rick looked at Shane and shrugged his shoulders taking a sip of his beer, unable to come to his defense against his wife. "Just call me when they're done, they shouldn't take too long." She said to Rick.
"You ready to eat?" Rick asked her
"I'm fine, but this baby is craving veggies." Michonne said as she patted her belly over her shirt that was covering her bikini.
"Is he now? Carl craved fruit and this one craves vegetables." He set his beer down and rubbed her belly. "And what do you crave?"
"Hmm. You know exactly what I crave." She leaned her head up and kissed Rick's lips. His hands wrapped around her waist and inched down to her ass.
"Need luck again Rick?" Andrea asked walking up to them.
"Not anymore." Rick said giving Michonne's cheeks a final squeeze.
"Can you two ever stop? Keep this up and y'all will be responsible for half the population of King County." Shane said to them.
"Here Rick, your mama said to put these hot dogs on and make sure you burn hers." He nodded, taking them from her and setting them to the side until he had room on the grill to cook them.
"Ladies, your pool is ready, Maggie's waiting for you. Your daiquiris are on the table, virgin for the moms to be and extra rum for Andrea."
"Oh. Thank you Glenn. Come on Andrea, let's get Carl and hop in the pool." Rick watched as Michonne walked away towards the house to get Carl who was with Ms. Evelyn already in his swim trunks. Rick and Michonne were hosting 4th of July and although the heat was bearable, Rick didn't want the pregnant women getting too hot so he bought a large inflatable pool for them to dip into when they felt like it. It also gave Michonne a reason to put on her bikini, which Rick really enjoyed looking at.
"So she's really making you put a pool in?" Glenn asked
"Yeah. She said no child of hers is swimming in a pond full of insects and amphibians. Probably get it put in next year. Happy wife and all."
"Smart man. Don't be shocked when you come home and were swimming in your pool, uninvited." Glenn said.
"Sounds like a whipped man to me." Shane added. "Michonne asks for it and you get it."
"What did your wife ask you for Shane?" Rick asked him sipping from his beer again. Shane just glared at him.
"Fuck you man." Shane said to Rick and then walked off towards the kitchen. Glenn laughed as he walked off.
"So Rick, be honest with me, how much is my life gonna change when the baby comes?" Glenn watched Rick as he gathered his thought before he spoke.
"Well Glenn, you know how this morning the sun came up and it was a circle in the sky. When the baby comes it's no different than that, except when you look at it, you notice the sunrays that surround it, you might have to squint to see them, but you do see them. And you notice the different colors of reds orange and yellow that make it so beautiful. Having a baby gives you a new perspective on everything. You work harder to make sure they don't have to squint to see the sunrays."
"Alright Carl, you ready for your first swim?" Michonne handed Carl over to Andrea who was standing beside the pool so that she could get in. When her feet were in the pool she sat down beside Maggie who was enjoying the water that came up to the top of her belly. "Come here pumpkin." Andrea handed Carl to Michonne who kissed his slobbery lips before touching his toes to the water. She laughed when his little legs bent and then splashed down in the water again. "Do you like that?"
"I think he does. Being born in the water, he must be natural swimmer." Maggie said handing Carl a little rubber ducky.
"I would hope so, if ya'll are getting a pool, he'll be training for the Olympics in no time. Plus he's got enough sun block on him for all three of us, is that really necessary Michonne?" Andrea said. Michonne just rolled her eyes at her.
"Speaking of sun block, can you hand me his hat please." Andrea handed the little blue hat to Michonne as she got into the pool.
"Damn. We need a pool boy; I forgot the drinks on the table." Maggie, Michonne and Andrea all looked back at the little table behind them as if they could will the table to move closer with their minds.
"There's Shane, call him over here." Michonne suggested.
"Shane!" Maggie and Andrea shouted in unison.
"Yeah?" He asked from the porch.
"Can you bring us our drinks please?" Andrea asked him, pointing to the table.
"Sure." He stomped down the steps to where the women were and picked up the tray of drinks.
"The one in the red glass is mine." Andrea said to him.
"Well don't you two look like a couple of book ends." Shane said to Maggie and Michonne as they both sat in the pool wearing bikinis around their protruding bellies. "Carl, one day you'll get to hang with the guys and not have to be around all these women."
"Oh whatever, you'd love to be invited in the pool with us." Andrea told him. He looked her in the face and then let his eyes roam the rest of her body.
"You doing the inviting?" He asked her.
"Thank you Shane." Michonne said to him, getting his attention off of Andrea.
"Don't mention it. So who else is coming to this shindig? Shane asked Michonne.
"Tara and Denise will be here, they're bringing Eugene. Abraham is coming also; he's supposed to be bringing a date."
"I invited Beth and daddy." Maggie added.
"And Daryl and Sasha should be here later." Michonne said.
"No Aaron?" Andrea asked. "Figured our photographer would be here by now snapping away."
"He said he wasn't sure if they would be here or not. He was being kind of funny about it when we were talking. I think he's up to something." Michonne said as her eyebrows knitted in thought.
"Is the food ready yet?" Maggie asked. "Baby Rhee needs to eat soon."
"I'll go check on it for y'all." Shane said.
"And send Glenn over here to help me out of this pool." Maggie shouted.
"I'm so glad I don't have to depend on a man to get me out of an inflatable pool." Andrea said stepping out onto the grass. "You need some help Michonne?"
"No. Carl and I are still enjoying the water." She squeezed his rubber ducky to the delight of Carl who loved the high-pitched squeal the toy made. "You like that silly duck pumpkin? He's loud isn't he?"
"Hey, Shane said you needed me?" Glenn asked as he walked up to Maggie.
"Yep. Help me out of this pool please."
"Sure thing. Is this green towel your?"
"Yes." She said moving to her knees. Glenn helped her stand up and step out of the pool. "Is the food done? I'm starving."
"Yeah, he's taking the last of the meat off right now." They glanced over to the driveway seeing a car drive up. "Looks like Tara and Denise." Glenn said.
"Oh good. Is Eugene with them? He's supposed to be doing fireworks tonight." Michonne said.
"Is that safe?" Maggie asked.
"I hope so. Rick is setting him up way out there." She pointed with her finger to a spot far away from the house. "He soaked the area pretty good with the hose, so he shouldn't be able to set the grass on fire. But he's on his own if he blows off a finger." She turned her attention back to Carl who was hitting the top of the water with his hands now; shocked by the way the water droplets hit his face when he did.
"Looks like he's having fun." Rick said into her ear kneeling down beside the pool. Carl smiled at Rick.
"We both are, we'll have to get you in here soon. You all done?" Michonne asked him.
"Yeah, just came to get you two. Everyone is starting to eat. Didn't want you to miss out." Rick looked around to see who was near them, seeing no one he ran his finger along her bikini top. "I like this."
"Do you? It's one I brought for our honeymoon, but never got to wear, thanks to you. I'm filling it out a little different now though."
"I really appreciate how you fill it out."
"Are you trying to start something Mr. Grimes?" He leaned down and kissed her lips.
"I am, but we don't have time for everything I want to do to you right now. Later." He licked his lips and took a deep breath. "Come on, let's go eat." Rick helped Michonne up and out of the pool and carried Carl as they made their way into the house.
"Did he like his swim?" Ms. Evelyn asked tickling Carl's foot.
"I think he did, he's like a little fish out there. We're gonna go get changed, and I'm gonna nurse him a little before he gets his apples. We'll be right back." Rick watched her walk away enjoying the view.
"Rick, can you take this out to the table please." Ms. Evelyn needed him to carry the heavy bowl of potato salad and the pan of macaroni and cheese. She also needed to take his focus off of his half naked wife since they had a yard full of guests outside.
"Sure thing mama." Rick said blushing a bit.
"Ms. Evelyn, this macaroni and cheese you make has broken up a few of my relationships." Shane said.
"And how is that Shane?" She asked him. They were all sitting around the table outside eating. Abraham had arrived, bringing his girlfriend Rosita with him. She was new in town and worked at the dance studio. Hershel and Beth were there also, bringing with them a tomato and cucumber salad that Beth made. They were still waiting on Daryl and Sasha as well as Aaron and Paul.
"After I had yours for the first time, that was probably 15 years ago, I didn't want anyone else's. Girls would tell me they could cook and then they'd open a blue box and sprinkle that powdered stuff on it. That was all she wrote. I'd give them the break up speech and I'd move on to the next one."
"How did that speech go exactly?" Abe asked. "It's not me, it's your macaroni and cheese." Everyone laughed including Shane.
"Pretty much." Shane answered. "Ms. Evelyn, you just need to teach these ladies around here how to cook, get me off the market." He looked over at Andrea who rolled her eyes at him.
"You know what they say." Abraham lifted his beer bottle to the table. "The way to keep a man is to keep his belly full and his balls empty."
"Abe!" Rosita said slapping him on his arm.
"What? Am I lying Rick?"
Rick turned red and shook his head. He cleared his throat trying not to laugh. "Eugene you got everything you need for the fireworks?" Rick asked him deflecting from Abe's question.
"Affirmative. We will be ready to light up the sky in about an hour."
"Alright then. You need any help with anything?"
"No. I work better on my own. Ya'll just sit back and enjoy the festivities."
After everyone was done eating and the food put up, Aaron and Paul arrived with Sasha and Daryl behind them on Daryl's motorcycle.
"It's about time. We just put all the food up. It's in the kitchen if y'all are hungry." Michonne said to the late arrivals. The sun had just set and Rick turned on the twinkle lights around the yard and on the gazebo. "I didn't know you put lights on the gazebo. It's pretty." She looked at Rick in appreciation.
"Well get something in a minute." Daryl said. He looked at Rick and nodded, Rick gave him a knowing look and turned to smile at Michonne.
"Aaron, you and Paul finally decided to join us?" Michonne asked him.
"Yes we did, better late than never right?" He looked over at Daryl and Paul before pulling out his camera to start taking pictures.
"What's going on Aaron? You're hiding something." Michonne said to him.
"I'm not hiding anything, I'm taking pictures. Everybody say cheese!" He snapped a few pictures of the group as they all turned to the camera and smiled. "Let's go over by the gazebo, the lights make a great backdrop for pictures." Aaron said to the group. Everyone agreed and walked towards the gazebo, Daryl and Sasha lead the way holding hands, Jesus walked behind them and Aaron brought up the end, snapping pictures. Rick grabbed Michonne's hand and squeezed it. He was holding Carl and had a sly smile on his face.
"What's going on?" Michonne asked him quietly. He motioned his head to the gazebo and Michonne finally noticed. Paul had stepped into the center of the floor followed by Sasha and Daryl who were facing each other and holding hands. Sasha had on a simple white eyelet dress and Daryl was more dressed up than usual with his crisp white shirt under his leather vest. Michonne gasped as Paul started to talk.
"Tonight we come together to witness the union of Sasha Williams to Daryl Dixon."
"Woo hoo!" Shane yelled. Daryl blushed at the attention, but only had eyes for his bride to be.
"You knew about this?" Michonne whispered to Rick. Her eyes started to gloss from watching her friends commit to each other. Rick kissed her temple and pulled her close to him.
"I knew a little something." He whispered to her. By the time the I Do's were said Michonne and the other women were crying messes. Daryl kissed his bride when Eugene set off the first of the fireworks. It was the perfect ending to their surprise nuptials.
"I can't believe y'all knew about all this and didn't let me in on it." Glenn said. "How long have y'all been planning this?"
"About a month probably. And we didn't tell you because you're horrible at keeping secrets." Rick said to him. Michonne was running her fingers through his hair while she sat on his lap.
"It was a nice surprise dude. Congratulations." Tara told him.
"Thank you." Sasha said. She was sitting next to Daryl and kept glancing down at their matching wedding bands.
"How long have you been doing weddings Paul?" Michonne asked him.
"I got my license last year. I've done a couple for friends. I ran into Daryl one day and we got to talking and here I am."
"It's ironic if you ask me, a man getting married on Independence Day." Abraham said. "Damn shame."
"Good thing no one asked you." Maggie said.
"Ms. Evelyn, do we have a cake that they can cut?" Michonne asked her.
"There's a Red Velvet cake in there. It has blue stars sprinkled on the top. It's fitting if you ask me. Let me go get it." Ms. Evelyn went to get the cake and everyone gathered around the table again to watch the bride and groom feed cake to each other.
"Time for the first dance! Maggie yelled after Daryl swallowed his cake.
"We don't have any music." Michonne said looking around to see if they even had speakers outside.
"Beth can sing. She has a great voice." Hershel suggested.
"Y'all have any requests?" She asked quietly
"Daryl likes Elvis." Sasha said looking at her husband.
"Okay, we'll dance, but only if y'all join us." Daryl said, hating to be the center of attention. Rick grabbed Michonne and Tara held Denise's hand. Rosita pulled Abraham into her and Glenn and Maggie swayed to Beth's rendition of Can't Help Falling in Love. Shane looked over at Andrea and gave her a look that said why not and she took the last swig of her beer and walked to Shane to join in dancing with the other couples.
"You are just full of surprises. I can't believe that you kept this from me." Michonne smiled up at Rick as he held her close swaying to the sound of Beth's voice.
"They wanted something simple that didn't require a big fuss. Thought I'd help him out."
"You did good. They look so happy." Everyone looked to the sky as Eugene set off another round of fireworks.
"Y'all didn't give party in the back a limit? He's liable to be out there all night shooting off those things if we don't rein him in." Abraham said.
"But they're so pretty." Michonne and Denise said at the same time.
"Jinx!" Tara yelled.
"Come on Rosita, let's go bring him in." Beth had stopped singing, but Rick still held Michonne in his arms, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She surprised herself when she let out a yawn.
"Hey, none of that. We've got plans later." He told her.
"Tell me what these plans are and I might perk up a bit."
"I'd like to, but I can show you better than I can tell you." He squeezed her ass and leaned down to kiss her neck. "I just have to get rid of everybody."
"You are not kicking them out Rick. Everyone's having a good time. You can wait a little while longer." Rick gave her a pout, she knew he hated waiting. "You're such a big baby."
"You say that now, but later you'll be calling me big daddy."