Go Baby Grow
Chapter 37 – Rites of Passage
Friday, June 5th
Even though it was not Ryder's school, he knew a number of people from soccer. As they approached the venue, he pointed out friends again and again.
"I think you know more people at my school than I do, Ry," Julie quipped with sarcasm.
"If they don't know you, Julia Caldwell, they've really missed out," Ryder winked. "Thanks for friending me tonight."
"Thanks for friending me tonight," she smiled broadly. "Knowing I don't have to fend off some horny guy who expects to get laid just because it's Prom Night is a huge relief."
It's not that I don't want to get laid…but, yeah… Ryder thought. "Glad I can be of service… or be not of service… or something like that."
The two stood in line and chatted as they waited to go inside. St. Stephens' chaperones were searching handbags to ensure an alcohol free event. As they approached the front of the line, Julie watched the Dean pull a flask out of another student's purse. Not only would she face consequences from the school, but the Seattle PD happened to be at the table for just such an occasion.
Loudly, to make her reason for leaving the line known, Julie gasped, "Ryder! You asked me to lock the door to the Boxster and I think I forgot."
Dense, Ryder failed to play along. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key fob. "I clicked it," he confirmed.
"No… remember?" Julie said as she turned to him and widened her eyes intently, "You asked me for the fob and asked me to click it. Then I handed you the fob. I'll be worried all night. Let's go double check."
Not risking Ryder's potential cluelessness, Julie stepped out of line and pulled Ryder toward the car. When they approached the car, Ryder tried to open the door and pointed out, "See? Locked. Goofball."
Julie, standing next to him, mumbled, "I have your flask from last week in my purse. We were really close to being busted."
"F %$#... bye bye Academy," Ryder moaned softly. "I'm glad you remembered."
"Miss Caldwell," one of Julie's teachers stated as she walked by. "Good evening."
"Hello, Ma'am," Julie smiled. "I can't find my lipstick," she giggled unconvincingly.
Ryder opened the door and pretended to look for it. As Julie leaned in to watch, she 'accidentally' dropped her purse in the car. Ryder's skillfully slid the flask out of the purse and under the car mat, then handed Julie her purse. "You silly klutz," Ryder joked for the sake of anyone who might be nearby.
The two walked back to the line and Ryder kept mumbling, "Stop acting anxious. You're like a lighthouse. Breathe deep and act casual."
"I'm trying," Julie said through a fake smile.
"Try harder," Ryder grinned.
"You're back," the Dean commented when he saw the couple again. "Who was right? Was the door locked or unlocked?"
"The lady was correct," Ryder confessed with fake embarrassment. "I should have known…"
In an uncharacteristic move, the Dean winked at Ryder and joked, "The lady, Son, is always correct."
"Noted, Sir," Ryder nodded.
Julie pulled Ryder around, introducing him to her friends. To his credit, he only asked two of them for their numbers and he did so with discretion rather than in front of their dates. The two danced and danced throughout the night, although Ryder's moves were a bit more mainstream than he'd shown at his prom. Rather than taking breaks during the slow dances, as Ryder had tended to do the week prior, he embraced his date. Surprising her, he actually knew what to do and led her perfectly as they glided along the dance floor.
As she rested her head on Ryder's shoulder not long before the night came to an end, Julie confided, "This is a wonderful moment that I'll never forget."
Touched by her dreamy voice and words, Ryder kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Me, too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
When Nolan arrived home on Friday night, he was exhausted. After spreading himself so thin all week, he was looking forward to sitting outside on the back porch and playing with Molly. When he drove up, Owen was on his way to the Lake House. He stopped and rolled down the window.
"Good to see you, neighbor," Owen chuckled.
"You, too, Dad. You're just getting home?" Nolan asked.
"I'm picking up Ryder, then we're heading to the Caldwell's. He's taking the Boxster to the prom and I'll ride home with Mom. She's primping with Julie, I guess," Owen explained. "How about you? Any plans this weekend?"
"Not really. I'm hoping I can avoid any calls from the office over the weekend. It's been a tough week for Lissa. We need some down time," Nolan shared.
"How is she?" Owen checked.
"She's hanging in there. She's trying to be upbeat and be herself, but I think she's frustrated that she can't just decide to be happy. The depression sneaks up, grabs her, and pulls her down. It's tough to watch," Nolan disclosed.
"It takes time. And, you're right, it is tough. Your job is to support her without draining yourself dry. Depression affects the whole family," Owen advised. "She's taking her meds? Any side effects?"
"We're on Day 5. Dr. Robbins said it takes a few weeks to two months to fully kick in," Nolan sighed.
"You guys should come over to the house. A change of scenery might be a welcome change. What's Monday look like?" Owen wondered.
"Monday's open. We'll be at Ryder's graduation on Sunday, too," Nolan pointed out.
"How's the nanny?" Owen inquired.
"Great," Nolan smiled. "Hard worker but relaxed approach, very open to suggestions or to pitching in. I think Lissa's been a little snappy to her… we'll have to work on that. Otherwise, if she's willing to deal with us long-term, I think we're ready to hire her."
"Fantastic. How are my adorable granddaughters?" Owen asked as he glanced quickly at his watch. He wished he had more time to chat.
"Great. The babies are starting to get into more of a routine. I swear they're growing overnight. Molly is discovering more and more words. Unfortunately, 'no' and 'mine' are part of her vocabulary now," Nolan chuckled.
"Remember what I did when the Littles were little? I'd ignore any whining or crabby tone of voice and say that I didn't speak those languages. It worked great with Ria and Lucas, but it only infuriated Anna," Owen admitted. "I wish I had more time to chat, Nolan. Let's try to connect this weekend and spend some time together. I want to hear more about your job and… well, just be with you in general. Maybe over a beer, huh?"
"I'd love that, Dad. Let's try to make that happen," Nolan grinned as he patted the side of the car and stepped away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Knowing the Captain would likely be watching the clock a bit more carefully after Julie's early morning arrival the previous week, Ryder made sure to have Cinderella home by midnight. He walked her up to the front door and grinned. "I had a great time tonight, JJ," he shared.
"I had a fantastic night. Thanks, Ryder," she smiled gently.
Ryder furrowed his brow but accompanied it with a silly grin. He observed, "Even though it's us… you and me… it feels weird to walk a girl up to her front door and not kiss her goodnight."
Laughing softly, Julie offered no verbal comment. She gazed up at him with her deep brown eyes.
Fumbling, Ryder blathered, "I'm not trying to come on to you or be like Mr. Suave and Cool Guy or anything. Really, it was a random observation that I knew I could say aloud to you. Normally, I wouldn't have said a word. But you're you and I'm me and we're us and…"
Julie placed her hands on either side of Ryder's face and pulled him to her lips. For a brief fifteen seconds, they kissed. Ryder had enough time to shift his focus from his run on sentence to the task at hand and consciously kept his hands flat on Julie's back as they embraced.
She pulled away gently and placed her hand on the doorknob, whispering, "Good night, Ryder."
"Night, JJ," he sputtered as his brain attempted to steady from the lovely surprise. "Sleep well." He walked down to the car, not noticing that Julie stood at the window watching him drive away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Ryder arrived home a few minutes later and parked the car outside. Since many of the bedrooms were over the garage, opening the door would wake up his siblings. He stepped out of the car and whistled for the dogs, unsure if Lucas or Anna had brought them in for the night or not. From inside, he heard Barkley bark and he cringed. Having to go to the hospital early Saturday morning, Owen would not appreciate her middle-of-the-night wake up call.
Sliding in the front door as quietly as possible, Ryder removed his tuxedo jacket after taking his phone from its pocket. He slipped off the rented, barely comfortable shoes and left them in the entry. Then he unraveled the bow tie and opened a few buttons at the top of the shirt.
The night had not been wild or out of control, two barometers Ryder usually used to assess an event. The laughter had been more tender and gentle than raucous. Even the conversation seemed softer. Rather than coming home keyed up, he eased onto the couch with a sense of peace.
Am I growing up and 'maturing' – whatever the hell that means? Or am I aware that not drinking changes dynamics? I guess I'd better find a way to enjoy myself without alcohol for the next few years anyway. Tonight gives me some hope that I can have fun without it. His mind wandered, but not from any specific topic to another. A smile remained on his face, even though he sat alone. I guess I wasn't bs-ing when I told JJ that I'd remember tonight, he chuckled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Saturday, June 6th
Saturday was spent preparing the Lake House for the graduation party that would be held the following afternoon. Owen separated the kids into pairs, with Ria and Amelia assigned the task of preparing trays of food while sitting at the Dining Room table. Ryder and Lucas set up extra tables and chairs outside while Anna and Olivia made sure the coolers were moved from the garage to the back porch. Once those tasks were accomplished, another set of tasks were assigned. The process was set up efficiently and was completely quickly. The whole family would have some time to relax on Saturday afternoon.
At one point, Owen suggested everyone take a break. Ryder had not had a chance to tell his parents about Olivia's escapades with Gwen earlier in the week. He felt strangely obligated to let them know.
"Mom?" Ryder sounded gently as he pulled out a chair and sat next to her.
"Hi, Baby Bear," Amelia smirked. "Dad wearing you out?"
"We're on a break," Ryder chuckled. He stared at his mom and was aware that Ria was within earshot.
"Umm… Mom… I need to speak with you privately," Ryder mumbled.
"I won't listen. I promise," Ria assured her brother after struggling to overhear the conversation across the table.
Ryder shot his little sister a glare and looked at Amelia, "It's kind of urgent."
Amelia caught his eye and thought aloud, "It's easier to relocate you and I than to move Ria. Let's slip into Dad's office."
Even though she was fully capable to standing up on her own, Ryder offered his mom a hand and she took it. The two walked into the office and closed the door. Facing each other, Amelia sat in one chair that was placed in front of the desk and Ryder sat in the other.
"I feel like we're about to be on a TV game show," Amelia laughed. "Remember Password or $20,000 Pyramid?"
"No," Ryder replied, having no idea what Amelia was referencing.
"You little brat," she grimaced. "They were shows on TV before you were born. Now I feel old."
Ryder grinned then his eyes scanned the room anxiously. When he started tapping his foot, Amelia inquired, "What's up, Ryder?"
"I need to tell you something and I have mixed feelings about telling you," he confessed.
Amelia grasped one of his hands and reminded him, "You know you can talk to me, Bear. Did something happen between you and Julie last night?"
"No, we had a great time. The prom was great," Ryder corrected. "It's about Olivia."
"If the two of you aren't getting along, you're both old enough to work it out yourselves, Ryder," Amelia insisted.
Shaking his head but not making eye contact, Ryder clarified, "It's not that kind of problem."
Amelia leaned over so Ryder would be forced to make eye contact. She smirked slightly and raised her eyebrows, "What's the deal, Seal?"
"This isn't time for cutesy rhymes, Mom," Ryder pointed out.
"Then spit it out," Amelia urged.
"The other day when you found out about Ree's surgery and Olivia and Lucas stayed home…" Ryder began.
"What about it?"
Ryder continued, "I came home and found Lucas locked in on Spongebob. I sent him outside. Not a huge deal. Then I went upstairs and took a shower. When I came out, I heard giggling. Like, in stereo. Which I guess is good because one girl giggling all alone would be kind of weird…"
"Stick to the story, Ry," Amelia redirected.
After I threw on some clothes, the giggling was still going on so I walked down the hall. The door to Livie's bedroom was wide open but she and Gwen were fooling around," Ryder disclosed.
"Fooling around? They're teenage girls. Isn't that what they do? Hang out and goof off?" Amelia pressed.
"Mom… neither one had their bikini top on and they were rolling around all over each other. They were… their hands were all over the place and they were making out," he described.
"Oh…" Amelia paused. Stunned, Amelia attempted to clarify, "Just the tops were off… they weren't naked?"
"Right," Ryder nodded.
"And… umm…" Amelia sputtered. "Thanks for letting me know, Ryder. Does Olivia know you're telling me this?"
"No," Ryder answered.
"If you're willing, what I'd like you to do is tell Olivia that either you're going to tell Dad or she is," Amelia shared. "Give her until Monday to decide. If she doesn't tell him by dinnertime Monday night, the four of us will sit down after dinner."
"I can do that," Ryder agreed.
Later that afternoon, Ryder escaped for a few hours to attend Julie's graduation. He sat next between Sam and Adam, feeling flanked by the Caldwell Protective Service. The three managed to hold brief conversations before and after the event. Just as Julie would do the next day at Ryder's graduation, Ryder served as unofficial photographer. Somehow, Julie had convinced her brother and father to wear civilian clothes rather than uniforms. The picture of the guys sandwiching their girl would resemble anyone's post-graduation picture: people milling in the background and a family all wearing smiles. For Julie, a non-military family picture was rare. It would spend the next year in her locker at the Academy, reminding her that life was more than simply being in the Navy.
After graduation, Ryder worked out with Julie and Nate. Since she wasn't having a graduation party, Julie suggested that they might as well work out. Again, Nate had driven Julie to the park. When Ryder arrived, he spotted held hands and more giggling. The way Julie dipped her head and then gazed at him through her top eyelids confirmed Ryder's suspicions that the two were becoming more than friends.
After the workout, Ryder mumbled to Julie, "Hey, let's talk soon."
"What about?" she inquired, sensing he had a specific topic in mind.
"We need to connect… I'll try to call you later," Ryder responded before leaving the park.
When Ryder returned home, Olivia happened to be heading upstairs.
"Livs," Ryder called out. "I need to talk to you."
"Why?" Olivia asked with suspicion.
"Come to my room for a sec," he urged.
"But you stink. You're all sweaty. I don't want to be close to that stink in your already smelly boy room," Olivia commented.
"Get your ass in my room," Ryder growled.
"Fine. Geesh…" Olivia surrendered.
Ryder closed the door and sat down on his bed. He motioned to his desk chair and invited Olivia to have a seat. She folded her arms and regarded him impatiently.
"The other day… you know, when I saw you and Gwen…" he began.
"You need to forget about that. How many times have I covered for you, Ryder?" Olivia challenged.
"Umm… like, none," Ryder scoffed.
"Still…" Olivia grumbled.
"Here's the deal, Livie. It's not something minor, like you left your shoes in the entry or didn't hang up your backpack. You broke a bunch of pretty clear rules," Ryder pointed out, feeling awkward in the more parental position.
"Oh, yeah?" she dared to press.
"Yeah… like making out, being half naked, letting Lucas watch TV. You know all of those are big time rules around here," Ryder emphasized.
"If I'm ever a parent, I'm going to be free-range. Do you know what that is? That's what Gwen's parents are. They believe kids learn by exploring the world and having freedom," Olivia attempted to debate.
"Whatever…" Ryder shook his head. "We're not being raised by Gwen's hippie, free love, war-protesting parents. Livs, I'm giving you until dinner Monday night. Either you tell Dad or I will."
"No way," Olivia argued.
"You really crossed the line, Red," Ryder declared, finishing with his gathered lips moving toward one cheek.
"I hate you, Ryder. I really, really hate you," Olivia stewed as she stood and walked out of the room. She slammed his door and pounded down the hallway, purposely closing her own door gently.
Owen's gifted hearing knew the source of the slam. Lucas was downstairs, Ryder was upstairs and the sound came from their end of the house. Jumping up the stairs two at a time, Owen knocked firmly on Ryder's door just as Ryder was heading to the shower.
"What's going on?" Owen pressed.
"Huh?" Ryder asked, thoroughly confused.
"I heard the door slam," Owen pointed out as he stared at his son.
"Livie did it. It was no big deal, Dad. We were talking and she was ticked. She didn't mean to," Ryder explained.
"You want me to believe that Olivia was in your room right after you worked out? I'm not stupid, Ryder," Owen huffed.
"Olivia!" Ryder bellowed.
"What?" she yelled from inside her bedroom.
"Come here," Ryder screamed.
Knowing Owen was upstairs, Olivia walked out calmly and commented with charm, "No need to yell, Ryder."
"Would you please tell Dad who slammed my door?" Ryder pressured.
Looking directly at Owen, Olivia boldly lied, "Ryder did, Daddy. He asked me to come in his room and I told him I wouldn't because it stinks like boy in there and he is all sweaty. He got mad and slammed the door in my face.
"Dammit, Ryder," Owen exhaled loudly.
"Dad, she's lying. She's looking you in the eye and totally lying," Ryder protested. He looked at Olivia as Owen turned toward her. Ryder narrowed his eyes and mouthed, You little bitch.
"I'm sorry, Livs. Thanks for coming down here, honey," Owen told his daughter.
Turning back to Ryder, Owen took two deep breaths. "I don't know what happened, but it was your door that was slammed. Go get what you need to remove it, take it off, and put it in the garage. We'll put it back on next Saturday."
"Dad, she is a complete liar," Ryder insisted.
"Your door. Your responsibility, Ry," Owen stated as he turned around and walked down the stairs.
After Ryder had showered, he dressed and sent a text to Julie. Time to talk?
Not really. Can text a little, she responded.
Ryder typed, Last night was incredible. Still thinking about our goodbye and how beautiful you are
Umm...thanks, Julie wrote, anticipating that the words were a set up to a joke.
Ryder didn't want to write 'didn't that kiss last night mean anything' because he knew that sounded reactive and desperate. At the same time, seeing Julie flirt with Larson when he arrived at the park only made Ryder more confused and frustrated. He wondered, Is she into Nate? Into me? Just a flirt? No, JJ's not like that. She's not a flirt for the sake of stringing guys along. That's not who she is. But she's looking at him all googly eyed and pulling me in for a kiss. It's like her hormones have gone into overdrive this week. What the hell?
Struggling to figure out a response, Ryder typed and deleted many phrases. Finally, he settled on, You're welcome. What I wrote is from the heart. Can't get you out of my mind… and don't want to.
I'm sitting at a restaurant with Sam and Nate, Ry. Can we speak on the phone later? Texts aren't going to do this topic justice.
Ryder sighed and wrote, Call me when you can. I'm around all day/eve. He typed out one last message before dealing with his door, Looking forward to seeing you at my grad tomorrow. Congrats on yours. Was nice day.
As he stewed, Ryder removed his door and carried it downstairs. Amelia, resting on the sofa, called out, "Oh, Baby Bear… what happened?"
"Olivia," Ryder growled.
"Huh?" Amelia attempted to clarify.
Ryder took the door to the garage, then returned and sat next to Amelia. "I gave her the ultimatum like you and I talked about. She threw a snit and slammed my door."
"That's her mistake. Why is your door the one that's off?" Amelia tried to sort out.
"Because Dad didn't believe me. He completely bought her blatant lie," Ryder huffed.
"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, Ryder. Olivia wouldn't lie like that," Amelia stated.
"You don't believe me either?" Ryder sighed as he looked in Amelia's eyes.
"I didn't say that, Ryder," Amelia clarified.
Ryder breathed deeply and stared out the picture window. What is up with all the chicks in my life? He wondered. He gazed down at his shoes and then stood up, convinced speaking to Amelia about his plight would do no good. As he stepped away, he muttered, "Whatever, Mom."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
Nolan and Lissa, 22
Molly 15 months
Emily and Elizabeth (born 3/15) 12 weeks
Ryder 18, Julie 18 (almost high school graduates)
Olivia 15 (incoming sophomore in high school)
Ria and Anna 10
Lucas 8 ½
Baby Hunt – due October 25. 20 weeks gestation.