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The summer holidays were drawing to a close, and the mishmash Rafter/Karandonis family made their way home from the beach. Retta had acquired a severe sunburn (Carbo used two and a half bottles of Banana Boat aloe vera spray, soaking her to the bone in the cooling spray), while Ellie's skin had tanned nicely. But apparently, two weeks at the beach wasn't enough for Nathan and Sammy, and they drove away for a day trip.
"Dad, when's Uncle Nathan gonna come back?" Ellie wanted to know, leaning on her elbows at the kitchen table. "He promised he'd watch The Wizard of Oz with me!"
"He'll probably come back late tonight, Ell", Ben said, as he placed a plate in front of her.
"I wish I coulda gone too".
"They're boring, Ell, I bet you had more fun here", Ben said, ruffling her hair and taking a seat beside her. She grinned, leaning against him as she picked up her fork.
"Prob'ly".
As Ellie lay on the lounge (her bedtime temporarily forgotten for the holidays), dozing in and out of sleep in front of the movie she and Carbo were watching, the phone rang, making her jolt.
Ben grabbed it on his way past, plopping down on the seat beside his daughter. "Hello?"
"Hey Ben, its Nathan!" the younger Rafter said brightly. "Guess what?"
"What?"
"Actually, can you go over to Mum's and call me back?"
"Dude it's like nine o'clock, what is it? Also, Ellie's not talking to you because you didn't watch The Wizard of Oz like you promised". He grinned, almost seeing his brother's face fall.
"They're old, but they're not that old. Just go over there and call me back!"
"They're coming over here", Ben decided, before hanging up on his brother. Calling the neighbouring family over (little Ruby padding over in her pyjamas and slippers), he called him back and put the phone on speaker.
"Hey guys, guess what?" Sammy called, and Julie looked at Ben expectantly.
"Hey, don't look at me, I don't know what they're raving on about!" he protested, and Retta giggled.
"Just guess!"
"Sammy's pregnant?" Rachel said over Ben's speakerphone (with their three kids on bed, Rachel had firmly told her younger brother that he was completely insane when he told her to come over).
"I am not pregnant", Sammy said, trying to bite back her laughter. "Nathan, just tell them".
"No, you tell them!"
"Just freaking tell us before I hang up on you", Ben warned.
"Ben!" Dave smacked his chest, making Ellie and Retta giggle.
"We got married!"
There were several screams (Ben wasn't even sure who they were from) and Rachel shrieked through the phone.
"And I didn't get invited? I'm your favourite sister!"
"Hey!" Ruby protested.
"Your favourite big sister!"
"Why didn't I get invited?" Ellie questioned, her mouth an inch away from the mouthpiece of the phone. "You promised I'd get to be a flower girl like at Uncle Carbo's and Aunty Retta's wedding!"
"Ooh, Nathan!" Carbo chuckled. "Congratulations! Also, this is the second promise you've broken to a six year old in the space of twelve hours!"
"I didn't even get to wear my penguin suit!" Jake protested, and Retta's eyebrows furrowed questioning.
"You hate the penguin suit", Ruby reminded him.
"I know! That's not the point!" Jake defended himself to his tiny sister in law. "It's the point of the matter, Ruby Louise, the point!"
After a few moments of more screaming and cheering and congratulating the couple, they hung up (on both Nathan and Sammy and Jake and Rachel), Ben turned to his parents.
"Well, half of us are married, Mum. Again".
(Although Nathan and Sammy had had the big wedding before their divorce, Ben had expected more than a phone call to say they were eloping. He thought maybe their family and Sammy's parents, but no. not Sammy and Nathan. They went from one extreme to another.)
Julie had laughed and cried in the space of five minutes and wrapped her arms around Ben. "Your time will come, darling".
"I can't believe Uncle Nathan didn't invite me to the wedding!" Ellie turned to her father, absolutely outraged.
"You know what you've got to do now Ell?" Carbo giggled. "You've got to not invite him to your wedding! Not that you're getting married, right baby?"
"Boys are gross".
"Good girl". Ben kissed the top of her head, before lifting her into his arms. "I love you, Ellie belly. You're my number one girl, aren't you?"
"Yes!"
