Joe parked his car in the garage and hopped out to grab the grocery bags " You need some help with those honey ? " it was the cheery voice of Joe's young mother Marilyn " Oh mom , thanks but I got this . I'm the young man of the house remember ? " he joked and grabbed a couple of bags " and what does that mean ? gosh you are so much like your father , so stubborn " she shook her head " He has taught me well " Joe grunted and carried the bags out of the garage " If you say so " she laughed and followed behind him. " Look at the strength on that boy " Sika stepped outside and met his son half way " Thanks pop ! much appreciated " he smiled and headed inside . " You know you are no help " Marilyn playfully slapped her husband against his chest which just left him laughing.
Joe placed the bags on the counter and then washed his hands at the sink " Hot as hades out there " he wiped his hands and headed towards the refrigerator for a glass of grape juice . " So honey did you hear that Luna is in town with her daughter ? " Sika asked " They stopped by while you were at work , Julissa was excited to see you Joe but you were at the supermarket . " those words almost caused Joe to spit out his drink , he ran into her but she didn't tell him she had stopped by his home " Oh for real ? " he tried to play it off " Yes , she seemed like a nice girl and you two were very cute together . Perhaps this is meaningful " Marilyn nodded . Joe leaned up against the counter and took another sip of his drink " It's not meaningful when she went through my own cousin mom , did you guys forget that ? " he rolled his eyes " Oh son , I'm sure that she and Alfonse both regret it … well anyways not wanting to date her is understandable but I invited her and the family to our gathering on labor day . " Joe rolled his eyes once again , the last thing he needed was for Julissa to be around especially if there was a chance that Harlee would be there " Speaking of labor day , Mark called and he is finally coming down after all of the years " Marilyn began unbagging the groceries . Now that is what Joe wanted to hear , but just because Mark was coming it didn't mean that he would bring Harlee with him " But he always says that " Sika laughed " Yes well he said this time he was sure to come , apparently it's his niece's birthday and he figured she would enjoy herself so he wants to keep his promise to her " Joe couldn't help but smile and the news , there was so much he wanted to say but he couldn't express himself to anyone other than Matt " Hmph , should be a fun holiday " he placed his cup on the sink " I'm gonna head up to my room now " he tried to hide the red in his face as he bypassed his parents . " Poor kid , he's so red …. and still hooked on Julissa " Sika laughed not realizing how wrong he was .
Fast forward to September 1st 2001
" Is everything in the trunk ? " asked Celeste " I think that's about it " Julia who was the wife of Mark closed up " Okay family , buckle up . Harlee are you ready ? " Mark asked as he got behind the wheel " Yes ! I'm so excited " she pulled her hair into a ponytail and plugged her headset into her disc man . Celeste took a seat next to her daughter " I can't believe my baby is turning 14 … I know I am not always around , but I wouldn't miss this for the world " she kissed Harlee's cheek " Mom … " she smiled happily .
Two hours had passed and Harlee had fallen asleep while listening to her music , Celeste couldn't keep her eyes off of her and thought about how tough it was missing her grow up due to her work schedule . She grabbed a blanket and placed it over her due to the air conditioning in the car " My little girl …. mommy loves you no matter what " she gently caressed her face and smiled . Harlee began yawning in her sleep and stretching a bit " I missed you too Joe …. " she spoke in her slumber , Celeste raised an eyebrow at first and then soon thought nothing of it . " Harlee had a really good time at Summerslam , so I know that she is going to be ecstatic about hanging out with Sika and his family . They all seem to adore her , his boys treat her like a little sister " Mark nodded " Hmph , that's good . She's as precious as they come , so I'm glad his boys were so good to my baby " she exhaled and stared ahead . " Mark … Julia … do you two think that I'm too hard on Harlee ? am I keeping her from growing up ? " she began to twist her wedding ring " What do you mean peaches ? " Julia asked . " Well …. I have a feeling she thinks I'm just a bitchy mom … she's just about14 now and she's at that age where she's going to be interested in boys … I just don't ever want her to think she has to settle you know ? I don't want her to latch on to the first boy she meets so that she can feel important " Mark bobbed his head a bit and yawned " I think she's going to be just fine , just because she is at the age to date it doesn't mean to she has to. It's fine to forbid her to date , but just let her know that you are doing it to look out for her …. " Celeste slowly nodded and looked bad down at her daughter sleeping peacefully .
It was Sunday afternoon in Pensacola and Joe had just comeback from the mall with Matt whom had Leary in his arms " Thanks for helping me pick something out for Harlee , I think she's really gonna like these gifts " he smiled looking into the gift bag " .. and thank you for not telling Mom and dad … I'm still so upset with them " she shook his head " Why did they have to invite Julissa ? it's bad enough I had to be around Alphonse recently … why her ? " " I'm sorry man , but you should be fine … I mean do you really wanna plug a girl that your cousin already went through ? " Matt shrugged and began to burp his child " Chill man , it's not even that … it's just … gosh I don't want this to ruin Harlee's birthday . Do you see what Julissa looks likes ? " he was practically drooling " Do you hear yourself my man ? " Matt chuckled " Don't be that kinda dude Joe … infact you know what I'm gonna keep you in check " " I don't need you to keep me in check man , I'm good … " he laughed and walked ahead of Matt . " That boy needs jesus " he took a seat on the patio and held Leary across his lap " Your crazy uncle needs jesus Leary , I don't know what I am going to do with that boy " he tickled her belly a bit when suddenly he heard a car honking in the front " Hmmm … let's see who that is munchkin " he kissed her cheek and carried her outside of the gate " Oh hey look ! It's Mark and the family " he waved in excitement " Sup Uce ! " Mark laughed happily as he and the family got out of the car " Hey Matt " Harlee waved and ran over to him " Hey there little one " he took her under his arm " Hi Leary ! Such a big girl you are " she tickled her bootie . " After 6 years I finally made it to one of these ! lord have mercy ! " he stood and caught his breath " Oh Matt , this is my wife Julia and my sister Celeste … Harlee's mom " the women introduced themselves and Harlee stood excited . " Come on inside you guys , mom and dad are not home yet but I can fix ya'll something real nice " they family followed Matt inside of house " This is a really nice place , wow " Celeste said in admiration " Thanks on behalf of my mom and dad , I miss this place sometimes . But I'm a family man now … right baby ? " he placed soft kisses on Leary's plump cheeks when suddenly Joe stormed into the living room " Matt it's mad hot outside , if you need me I'll be at the pool " he strolled in bare chested with swim shorts on , he had no idea there was company in the house " You hear me - " Joe walked into a room with 3 and a half women , Celeste and Julia tried to hold in their laughter while Harlee was instantly distracted my his physique " Oh .. I didn't realize we had company .. " he didn't have too much shame because he knew he was attractive but out of respect he threw his towel around his neck to cover his chest a bit .
His eyes locked with Harlee's and he slowly licked his bottom lip " Hello everybody …. Harlee , it's so good to see you again " he wanted to do more than wave to her , Harlee slowly rubbed her knees and remained in bliss " Hey Joe ….. " they were both hesitant to approach one another with so many people standing around and the constant staring was becoming awkward " I'm so sorry , yes I'm Joe it is nice to meet you all " he walked over and shook hands with Julia and went over to Celeste " Hi Joe , I'm Harlee's mother …. I hear that you and Matt have been very good to her … thank you " she nodded " No problem , it was my pleasure … you have a very sweet daughter ma'am " he looked down at Harlee who grinning from ear to ear " Thanks Joe " she sucked in her bottom lip.
" I'm going to head over to the pool now , so I'll you guys a little later … bye Harlee " it hurt him to put on a front and the disappointment in her eyes made things worse for him .
Joe went outside and dived into the pool for a relaxing swim , he had become frustrated knowing that Harlee was so close but so far . Privacy was about to become truly difficult for the two of them , he leaned on the edge of the pool and thought about what he was going to do . Once again that familiar voice appeared " Hey Joe ! " he began swearing amongst himself due to Julissa's presence , she had been waving wearing a short red sundress showcasing her long legs and fabulous shape . Joe knew that she looked amazing but he had to behave himself " He gave her a shady head nod but that didn't stop her from coming over " What are you doing in the pool all alone ? " she asked " … I'm swimming ? what does it look like ? " he quickly hopped out and dried his face off " Oh … well your mom and dad just got back and they tagged me along " she said as she mentally salivated over his build " So … sorry I had to run the other day , I'm sure you are still mad at me about what happened with Alfonse … I just wanted to properly apologize to you " she placed her hands behind her back and stepped up and down on her tip toes . Julissa was a true stunner which is why he did not trust himself around her , she was indeed his weakness " That was a long time ago , I'm not dwelling on it and neither should you " he threw the towel to the bench and made an attempt to go by put she grabbed hold of his arm " I can't help it Joe … I felt so bad about doing that to you and I really want to make it up to you " she drew in closer and her lips began to tremble , Joe felt less nervous after her last sentence " You felt bad … that's why you were in contact with Alfonse recently ? " he raised his eyebrow " Look Julissa , don't make this awkward … like I said I am not dwelling on it and neither should you … excuse me " he pulled away and headed back inside of the home leaving Julissa feeling embarrassed and disappointed .
Uh oh Julissa try to get some Joe again ! But readers keep in mind that she doesn't know about Harlee right now . There will be hugs and kisses in the next chapter ^_^