Chapter 59
Alex texted Sita and Theresa asking if they're busy this weekend and both of them weren't so everything was still on track. They were going to spend the two nights at Theresa's house Sita will come over there. She's busy with renovations and said they're welcome to come over there but she didn't want to inconvenience them and have Phoebe around in the dust. So they agreed that the stay at Theresa's would be fine for all of them and there'll be more than enough hands to help out when little miss gets fussy.
The next morning Alex was awoken by Ryan talking to Phoebe. He managed to get her out of the crib and laid her in between them, her little legs kicking and eyes fixed on her father who's talking to her. "We're going to visit Nanna and Granny this weekend. And all your crazy aunts. Are you excited?" He asked and Alex smiled from her side of the bed where she laid with her back turned towards the two of them. When Alex stirred and turned around to face them he looked up at her with an apologetic smile. "Sorry , I didn't mean to wake you." He apologized quickly but she shook her head. "No it's fine." She said kissing Phoebe's little nose and stoking her fingers through her dark brown curls. Her attention shifted from where she was staring at her father to acknowledging the other person in the room who just kissed her. "Good morning baby girl." Alex greeted her daughter extending a finger in her reach as she wrapped her little hand around her mother's finger. "What did Liam say last night?" Alex asked looking up at her husband. "We're good to go. I'll probably have a lot of catching up to do on Monday so I might have to go in earlier than usual. But, that is not important right now." He said looking up at her. "What do you want for breakfast?" Ryan asked checking the time. "Anything is fine with me. That is if there is anything left in the kitchen, we really need to go grocery shopping when we get back." Alex said more to herself than to Ryan.
Downstairs Ryan settled for omelets with ham and cheese filling. He took the two plates upstairs and placed one on Alex's bedside table making himself comfortable in bed again. "What time do you want to leave?" Alex asked looking over at him while he is channel hopping. "Anytime is fine with me. I'm not in a hurry, as long as we get there before sundown." He commented still looking for something interesting to show up on the TV mounted on the bedroom wall.
Alex laid Phoebe back down in between them and reached for her omelet finishing it while watching some car show Ryan found interesting. She had no idea what horse power or turbochargers are but the presenters seemed pretty passionate about it.
"Can I ask you something?" She looked up at him, not tearing his eyes away from the screen to make eye contact with her. "Mmmm." He responded. "What's horse power?" She asked. "The power of the engine is measured in that terms." She accepted that brief bit of information. "Turbo engines?" She pushed again. He sighed heavily before answering the question, clearly not amused by his wife and all her questions while he was trying to focus on the cars they're reviewing. "Turbocharger." He corrected. "It like a turbine that increase engine efficiency and power. It forces extra air into the combustion chamber." He answered the question looking at her to check if she understood or if she was really interested. "So horsepower and turbochargers aren't the same thing?" She was confused. Ryan looked at his wife amused and had to try really hard not to laugh. "No. All a turbo does is add more oxygen to the combustion chamber by densifying the air. You still need the volume and speed to handle the extra flow , as well as more fuel and the strength in the engine to handle the increased pressure that comes along with the horsepower. You get it right?" He looked at her expectantly but she had no idea what Ryan just told her. "I'll stick to driving the car and not caring about what's going on in the engine." Alex left it at that and decided not to ask any more questions , but to go into the nursery and started packing Phoebe's clothes.
"Alex you do know we're only going away for a weekend right?" Ryan asked when he saw the bags she packed. "Two bags are for Phoebe, because babies are messy. A vanity case, my hand bag, a bag with my clothes in you only packed three of everything so I managed to put your in there as well." She explained why there were so many bags, in her eyes it wasn't even that much Ryan was over exaggerating again like always. "Okay." He mumbled picking the bags up and taking it to the silver SUV. Once they were all in the car and made sure he house was locked and the alarm set, Alex got in the back with Phoebe in case she becomes fidgety, and Ryan made the two hour drive to their hometown.
Phoebe slept most of the way and only woke up once for a feeding. Staring out of the window seems to be her new hobby since that is what she's been enjoying the cars that drove by them. After she tired out of that she fell asleep again and woke up when the car came to a halt outside her father's childhood home at 7PM Alex send her mother a quick text to let her know they've arrived safely and Sita replied saying she'll come over and see them tomorrow.
It was a double story house with five bedrooms. Painted a cream color with marble steps leading them to the wooden front door. They've barely reached the door when someone peeked through the window and the door swung open to view a smiling grandma holding her arms out to take her granddaughter. "Hello Nana's princess!" Theresa greeted taking Phoebe from her mother and hugging her daughter in law, leaving the door open so Ryan can bring their baggage inside.
Simone, Nadia and Amorey soon appeared from where they were hiding in their rooms and hugged their sister in law. Soon asking where their niece was and took a seat next to their mother on the couch to coo over the baby. Ryan lingered against the wall after he put the baggage in his room waiting for someone to acknowledge that he was there too. Theresa was he first to get up and greet her son handing Phoebe over to the next available aunt, as they made turns greeting their brother. He fell flopped down on the couch next to his youngest sister to annoy her. "What's up pipsqueak?" He asked ruffling Amorey's hair knowing how much she hates it. "Ryaann. You gotta stop calling me that." Amorey whined. "Did she tell you about Sheldon?" Nadia asked wanting to stir up some trouble and make Ryan become the overprotective big brother. "Who's Sheldon?" Ryan asked looking at her. "I also want to know." Theresa answered looking at her youngest daughter. "It's just a friend I know doing his first year in university, we've been studying together after school in the library downtown." Amorey defended herself. "Just a friend, that's what I also said about Ryan and look where we are now." Alex smiled at her sister in law. "Lexi I thought you we on my side." Amorey said looking over at where Alex and Nadia were slumped down on the long brown couch. "I am I'm just saying, friends can quickly turn into something else." Alex winked at her and they all laughed when Amorey's face turned three different shades of red. "Oh mom , I forgot to tell you, since Ryan and Lexi is here for the weekend Nadia and I have decided that we're also here for the weekend." Simone said smiling. "You do know your apartments is thirteen blocks away? But you two are more than welcome to stay for the weekend." Theresa said smiling happy to have all her children back under the same roof again. "We're just here to make sure you don't spoil Ryan since he's the only one who doesn't live close." Simone explained but in actual fact they really missed him and Alex. "Because I'm mom's favorite. Right mom?" Ryan asked looking over his shoulder to his mother where she went into the kitchen to get dinner. "Whatever." Theresa laughed from the kitchen.
After dinner the al the girls helped to clean up, sending Teresa out of the kitchen since she was the one doing all the cooking. Ryan's room was the only rom that was downstairs, and e preferred it that way. Far away from all the girl trouble he might come across. He went to go shower after dinner. He walked into his old bedroom and his childhood memories came flooding back, the good and bad. He looked around on the desk that was still standing against the wall and saw the calendar pasted onto the white board from when he was still in the military. Seeing how his family counted down the days until he came home, and how his mother hadn't thrown it away yet after all these years. There really is no place like home he thought to himself, moving towards the bathroom next to his room to take his long awaited shower.
After they were done, Theresa offered to bathe Phoebe since it was way past her bedtime already and she became fussy. The girls finished up downstairs before going up to sit in Theresa's bedroom while she does her grandma magic. "Ooohh nice Nana." Theresa cooed as she washed her granddaughter splashing water over her and seeing how she instinctively closes her eyes whenever the water splashes. "All done. Nice and clean, time to get out now princess." Theresa said. "She's going to start crying now." Alex said and on cue the moment she was out of the water the crying started. "Aaaauuwww." Nadia said kissing her cheek trying to get her to calm down but it didn't work. "That is not necessary, not while Nana is here." Theresa put her back in the water the moment she was lifted from the bath and she started crying. Back in the water her crying subsided leaving all of them laughing at Phoebe's adorable behavior.
After her bathe and bottle she was asleep and Amorey carried her down to her father's bedroom laying her in the middle of the bed. They still talked for a while in the lounge before all of them went into their separate bedrooms. Alex walked into Ryan's room and tried to remember how it looked like the first time she came over to meet his family. Most of the posters he had up on the wall was not there anymore, but the calendar above the desk against the wall remained. She pulled the brown wooden box resting in the corner closer and opened it slowly. She jumped when she looked up to see Ryan standing in the doorway. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be inquisitive." She apologized closing the box without even looking at the content that it held. "It's okay." He smiled and walked over to her. She pulled out the chair and sat down, taking the box in her hand again opening it, to see all the shiny medals it held. She smiled looking as she took some of them out turning it around in her hands reading the inscription written on it. "You did karate?" She was amused since he has never mentioned any of it. "Yup, but it ended on a bad note. Tore a tendon in my right knee, trying to block a punch at a championship. Had to have it operated and I didn't go back again after that." He said looking over her shoulder at some of the medals. "I'm sorry. I never knew I had my own Mr. Miyagi." Alex laughed Ryan smiling at her comment. "And the calendar? I remember it's always been here since the first time I came over to meet your family. What are all these crossed out dates?" She asked pointing towards the calendar. "Back when I did my first tour in the military, they've counted down the dates until my return. Haven't taken it off since." He answered looking at the circled date and all the little messages his mom and sisters wrote n there for when he came back.
"I honestly thought that Spice Girl posters and Baywatch girls would still be on the walls." Alex said as she packed the medals back into the box and put it back in the corner of the desk. "I was in a phase of noticing my hormones change okay, that's why it was there." He justified. "As if Back Street Boys and Westlife weren't on your walls." He laughed. "I was in a boy band phase. Shut up." She smiled. Standing up and he leaned into her, capturing her lips before they head for bed.
I have no idea about engines and turbos and stuff I had to Google that part. My guy friends always raves about things like that but being a female I'll leave it at driving my stick shift and not caring about the engine parts. Also, I wanted Alex to spend some time with her in laws Sita will feature in the next chapter. Thank you for reading :D Lovies-S.
