Five Years Later

Chapter 53

It was one of the best days Mike had had in a long time. After visiting with Jeremy, they headed to the mall. He and Hannah both went through the obstacle course and despite they were both adhering to the no teasing rule; it brought out their competitive natures. Once they both got back to full health, they had decided that they would be trying the rock climbing wall just to see who could get to the top fastest. Mike had experience on his side, and Hannah had energy and a small stature. Bumper cars made Mike realize that he was not going to have much fun teaching Hannah to drive in a year or two. She was a horrible driver. They also played several arcade games. Hannah somehow got Mike talked into going through a photo booth too. Considering the total lack of pictures that he had with Hannah, they were some of his favorites.

He did think to bring her locket with him and was able to find a chain to replace the broken one. She had gone to find a bathroom while he was making the purchase and so he decided to wait to give it back to her. They did a little window shopping and bought Grace's birthday present, a perfume that she absolutely loved but would not buy for herself. They were both starving by the time they got done.

"So I promised to feed you, where do you want to go?"

"Anything I want?"

"Yep. So what? Sushi? Some fancy health food?"

"Barbeque. I want barbeque."

"Girl after my own heart. Seriously though, it's my favorite but that doesn't mean you have to eat it on my account. I told you I would take you anywhere."

"I know, Daddy. I want barbeque. Specifically pulled pork and maybe brisket. I haven't decided."

"Brisket, pulled pork, ribs…all sounds good to me. I haven't had barbeque in years. Since the last time you're mom took me."

"You lived in St. Louis for how long and you never went for barbeque? There are some good places up there."

"I was deployed a lot but when I was there it never felt right. It was not your mom's favorite but it was something we did together."

"You'll be okay to eat barbeque with me?"

"You bet I will. Perfect barbeque date. I found a place. About a mile from here."

"Let's go."

"Now remember, these places aren't generally fancy dining."

"Yeah definitely not my thing. It was either barbeque or pancakes."

"Barbeque is good. Pancakes maybe next time."

The place he found was totally appropriate for him to be in. His fourteen year old…not so much. Not well lit, loud music, a bar. He was regretting his decision but the food was delicious. Despite his poor judgement in regards to his choice in restaurants, it was a fun time and he loved it. He wouldn't be bringing her back to that particular place but the time with her was valuable. The place also had a dancing floor and somehow she roped him into "teaching" her to dance. He could dance but she had two left feet.

Their day was coming to an end but Mike was trying to come up with ways to extend it. They went to a pet store to pick up toys for the puppies and did get her some new clothes at a nearby clothing store. She was wearing down quickly and Mike hated it. He wanted more time with her.

She fell asleep in the truck which made the ride seem longer. He hadn't thought about what she had said the day before at all. But he had thought about how close he had gotten to losing her. It made him regret how firm he had been with her. He felt horribly about it.

They got to Polly's in the late afternoon. The boys both ran up to Mike wanting hugs. Gabby saw Hannah and immediately started waving her arms and smiling at her. Grace had texted him that she and Ryan were headed home and would be back by about nine. Hannah laid down on Polly's couch to nap and the boys were playing in Max's room. Gabby was in her bouncy seat on the kitchen island playing with a toy.

"So you had a good day?"

"It was great. I didn't want it to end."

"I was thinking, we both take a day out with the kids separately once a month. Even Grace. You'll want the time with her too especially when she moves out. When I went to the store I bought a dry erase calendar. With five kids we will need to have it scheduled out. Gabby won't really need a day out but the other four will. It may not be a full day. May just be dinner, a movie, or an activity. Depends. Grace is a little complicated because it sounds like her time is going to be filled. She's enjoying the fact that she has some freedom now. I know you and she have planned a lunch or two a week and we would all eat dinner as a family once a week. I put that on Sunday evenings. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. And it's the kid's choice?"

"Mostly, yes."

"Okay, well we have baseball games on Saturday. Church on Sundays. Grace has class four nights a week and on Friday evenings and Saturday she is working at Maggie's. She has an art class on Saturday nights, is that something you want to do with her?"

"Yeah, I would. I'm not the artist she is but it sounds fun and we will do dinner."

"Okay. She and I have decided to do breakfast or lunch on Mondays and Thursdays."

"Got it."

"I signed Matty up for swim lessons, it's on Thursday nights. Does Max know how to swim? I refuse to not be there when Matty learns. It's an eighteen year old teaching them and I am not completely comfortable with it. I don't have access to a pool or I would just teach him myself."

"Max knows. So that's Thursday night for Matty and you. He mentioned wanting to take karate class and it's something I'm interested in. It's Monday night at six. Max isn't interested in it. We need to block Wednesday night and Sunday morning for church."

"Okay, you know I can teach self -defense right?"

"Yep, I know. It's just what he wants to do."

"Alright now, Max. I'm not counting the baseball so I need something with him. What are you doing?"

"He likes to go to scouts. That's Tuesday night and I will go with him. He has a thing for movies and the local theater does a kid's matinee on Saturday afternoons from one to three. Maybe take him for ice cream after?"

"Sounds good. Hannah is the wild card."

"She likes girly stuff. Manicures and/or pedicures on Friday evenings with me. Leaves Sunday afternoons for her and you."

"What time is dinner?"

"Six."

"Okay, we get out of church and she has from noon until four or five."

"Yep. I would almost guarantee she will want to see Jeremy during her time."

"Okay. Provided there are not any major issues, we should be good. You said once a month and it's once a week."

"Yeah, won't hurt anything."

"I would like to make a point for you and I have to have a date night at least once a month. No kids."

"Does it have to be nighttime?"

"Not necessarily but we have to find a babysitter for Gabby."

"Maggie has decided to take a day off during the week and has already said she wanted to keep Gabby that day. She's going for Tuesday's because it's a slow day at the restaurant. We can take a date day that day. What will that consist of?"

"Lunch out. Whatever we want to do. Private Mommy and Daddy time. Can you get Tuesdays off?"

"Oh yeah. Private Mommy and Daddy time? What's that consist of? Am I walking into deep waters?"

"Well it's not something that we've done yet but will, or I hope, we will next Saturday night."

"I knew what you meant; I was just curious how you would explain it."

"I figured."

"The only thing I have to say about that, is that it won't be the only 'private mommy and daddy time' we have during the week."

"I hope not. But it will be without the concern of a kid walking in on us."

"You have big plans. How do you know that you will even like 'private mommy and daddy time' with me?"

"With all this build up? I'll love it. I have no doubts. Are you worried about something?" They were talking quietly so that the kids didn't overhear them.

"It's just that most men have a type. I've seen pictures of Christine. She was tiny. I'm not. I still have stretch marks, and baby weight. I may not be your type and because of the rules that I've set, you and I will be married before you figure out that our private time may not be something you will enjoy."

"When I ask this, I am not suggesting this because I know you have religious reasons for not having sex before marriage. If you could ensure that I will like that time by having sex before we got married would you?"

"No. It's something I feel strongly about."

"Alright. As far as the stretch marks and baby weight, don't forget that Christine and I had four kids so we obviously had sex after she had Grace. I remember her worrying about the same things and for the first two years after, she never would let me take her nightgown off. And it got worse after she had Hannah and Lucas. She was not confident. I thought her body was even more beautiful. She had given birth to my children. Nursed them. To me there was nothing more beautiful. You've done the same with Max and Gabby. Biologically, they aren't mine. But I love them exactly the same as I do my own biological children. Yeah, Christine had a small stature. And it worried me at times. I didn't fall in love with her body type and I didn't fall in love with yours. I fell in love with you because of your heart, your personality. As far as your body is concerned, what little bit I've seen, makes me want to see more. This week is going to go by ridicously slow. But our wedding night is not all that I'm anticipating. It's being married and having someone to talk to twenty four hours a day. Having someone to talk to and laugh with and cry with. That is what I am really anticipating. The sex is an added bonus that has mutual benefits for the both of us."

"You are being very profound tonight."

"Don't get used to it. It'll be rare. Seriously, Polly, don't worry about it. I am not perfect either. I have plenty of scars and I'm not twenty anymore. My days of having a six pack are long gone. I like food too much."

"You kidding me? I've seen you without a shirt. Trust me; I didn't mind massaging your shoulder that day. I am going to have a rule for when we get married and are having 'private time', no shirt. And I do plan on using you as a pillow."

"If I had a choice I wouldn't wear a shirt to bed at all. But I also didn't want to explain the scars to Matty. I was afraid it would scare him."

"Makes sense. Had the girls seen you without a shirt before everything?"

"Yeah, plenty of times. But I didn't have that many scars then either."

"He's young enough; he may not understand what they are. They are a part of you. Hannah didn't mention them the other day when she saw you without a shirt. She apparently didn't notice them."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"Mike, the girls both have some pretty nasty scars now. You aren't the lone wolf. Although we won't be seeing most of theirs."

"They have almost identical scars on their heads. Only difference is Grace's hair is still growing back. Hannah still has her's."

"It's kind of odd really. How are you doing with what was said yesterday?"

"I'm fine with what was said, the hurt is gone. Taking her and spending time with her was just what I needed. I am still struggling a bit with how close I've come to losing her and what I said to her last night. I was really firm. I'm not regretting what I said but I'm not sure how to explain it. I just know I feel horribly about it. In the times before this when it's just been her and I, I've been bored. Today I was trying to find something to do to make the day last longer. I do know I need to be a bit more selective in my choice of restaurants."

"Mike, please tell me you didn't take your fourteen year old daughter to a strip club?"

"NO! She wanted barbeque. I just did an internet search on my phone and the place I came up with had a bar without realizing it. The music wasn't bad but it was definitely a bar setting. Even had a dance floor. She seemed to love it. The food was absolutely delicious though."

"That is funny. Odd that she choose barbeque?"

"Yeah she said that's what she wanted. Or pancakes. It was the first time in years that I had had barbeque. She seemed to really enjoy it."

"Was it for your benefit or was it her?"

"That's debatable. I'm not sure. I did tell her we didn't have to eat where I liked but she was adamant. I do know, I enjoyed it. She even talked me into teaching her how to dance."

"I bet that was fun. You dance?"

"I can. She has two left feet."

"But you gave her a fun memory. Focus on that."

"It was fun. I have bruises on my feet. But it was a blast."

"Alright, supper is about done. Can you get her woke up and the boys washed up?"

"Yep. Hey, I love you." He bent over and kissed her.

"I love you too. Gabby, let's get you to your high chair. You've had enough time in your bouncy seat."

Mike walked in and got the boys headed for the bathroom to wash their hands and faces. It took all of about a minute. He was thankful they played so well together. It made things easier. They helped Polly "set" the table. Hannah was completely out. He almost hated waking her up. He knelt down next to her and brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her on the forehead.

"Sissy, time to wake up. It's suppertime."

"Uh. Do I have to?"

"If you're hungry, it's a good idea." Hannah seemed to be contemplating her options and laid there for a minute. She didn't do well when she first woke up. He needed to get up and help Polly but he also was fixated on the scar on the side of her head. She hadn't complained of any pain from it but she may not have felt comfortable with everything that had been said the day before.

"Hey, I was going to ask you, is your head hurting?"

"A little. But I didn't want to complain. I've caused enough problems lately."

"Sis, I don't want you in pain. If you're hurting I need you to tell me. There isn't a lot I can do but I do want to know about it."

"Okay. I just didn't figure it would matter because of what I said."

"Oh, sweetie. It matters. I was a little hard on you last night and I shouldn't have been. I was upset with you but I would never, ever want you in pain."

"I deserved it."

"The pain or how rough I was?"

"Both." She had sit up and Mike sit down beside her. He and Polly exchanged a look and she was stalling supper. He didn't want to stop the conversation. He put his arm around Hannah and pulled her to where she had her head on his chest.

"Sweetie, I love you. I should have been a bit easier on you last night. I wanted to get the point across that you had hurt me but in turn I hurt you by how rough I was in telling you. I would never, ever wish you pain. Ever. No matter how badly I was hurt. Now is there something I can do to help you with the physical pain?"

"I love you too. My head just hurts a bit. I am hungry."

"Okay. Just remember I don't want you in pain. I am sorry for how I treated you last night. I do have something for you. It's not new. I just fixed it." He pulled the necklace box out of his pocket and took the locket out. He hooked the necklace around her neck and he could tell she was happy. He kissed her on the side of head and held her for a minute like that.

"I thought it got lost and I was afraid to ask about it. I guess you caught it?"

"I did. You ready to eat? Max and Matty are about to have a food fight if we don't."

"Yeah, I am hungry. Thanks, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie."

They sit down for dinner, the blessing was said and food was passed around. Max sit next to Polly and Matty next to Mike so that they had an adult to help them with their food. Gabby was in her high chair between Mike and Polly and Hannah were between the boys. Hannah told Polly about the barbeque place and told her that she wanted to go back which made Mike rub his face with his hands. She was excited for Jeremy's awards ceremony Monday. She still didn't have a clue that she would also be receiving an award.

He helped Polly get supper cleaned up while Hannah played with the baby. The boys were playing in Max's room. Grace had texted that she and Ryan were stopping for supper and would be home later. She had mentioned moving out now that the investigation was complete that morning. He was dreading it but he knew she needed it. He had a meeting with Alec Tuesday to go over the investigation and they would check Grace's apartment over. There was a strong possibility she would be moved back in by the weekend.

He got the kids home about eight and gave Matty his bath. Hannah was working on homework in her room and it gave him some one on one time with Matty. He read to him and Matty went to sleep on his chest. He enjoyed it. He hadn't thought about it being Matty's way of bonding. It was something he wanted desperately. Grace got home at all most ten and helped Mike get Matty settled in his own bed. She was tired and gave Mike a hug and kiss and headed to bed. Hannah had fallen asleep at her desk and he got her woke up and headed to bed. It had been an exhausting but fun day and one he wanted to repeat.