Chapter Forty-Eight
"Oh, Gwen," Sheridan gushed as she hugged her friend in congratulations. "I'm so happy for you. You too, Hank," she said. Hugging him as well. "Yeah," he joked. "It only took two tries and almost six years for her to realize she couldn't live without me. Piece of cake," he laughed. "Besides. Somebody has to torture good ole Becs."
"Hank!" Sheridan gasped in surprise. Choking on her own laughter. "Okay, Buddy. What have you done now?" Luis asked. Looping his arms around Sheridan's waist and pulling her back against him. Playfully kissing her neck. Causing her to laugh more.
"Nothing," Hank said with a grin. "The only thing I did was ask her daughter to marry me. How was I supposed to know she was standing behind me?" "She wasn't!" Gwen laughed at Sheridan's open-mouthed expression. "Oh, but she was. The look on her face when I said 'yes' was priceless. Of course, that was before she fainted."
Sheridan burst into uncontrollable laughter at the image of Rebecca Hotchkiss passed out cold on the floor at the Seascape. "I'm sorry, Gwen. It's just..." "Too funny," Hank supplied. "It was quite...hilarious," Gwen said. Smirking. "Well," Luis asked, "what did she say when she woke up?"
"That's a complete mystery. We left," Hank said. "You just left her there?" Luis asked in disbelief. A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He chuckled when Gwen and Hank looked at each other. Smiled. And said, "We left her there." "Hey, Uncle Luis," Jake said. Startling them all. They didn't realize he was standing there. "Want to see me do my impression of Grandma?"
"Luis. Buddy. You have to see this. The kid's good. Real good," Hank said. Proudly. Luis looked to Gwen. She just smiled back at him. "Okay, Jake. Give it your best shot." Jake's brown eyes twinkled with mischief as he raised a hand to his chest dramatically. Shrieked in a high pitched voice "Oh my god!" And fell in a heap to the soft grass below. Eyes rolling back in his head.
All four of them burst into fresh laughter. Jake scrambled to his feet and took a bow. Hank gave him a high five before he left to rejoin Ali across the yard. He turned back around. "Chip off the old block. Oh man. There's Grace," he groaned. Sheridan and Luis waved at her. Gwen looked down at her feet in embarrassment. Hank looked over at Jake. Just in time to see the stricken look on his face. "What?" Sheridan innocently asked.
"Let's just say after the great babysitting adventure, it's hard to look my sister-in-law in the eye," Hank said sheepishly. "You think that's some sort of punishment," he said. Nodding his head at the cake in her hands. Luis's face blanched when he recognized the offending item. "Isn't that..." "What, Luis? What are you talking about?" Sheridan asked in confusion. "Tomato soup cake!" he and Hank said simultaneously. Noses wrinkled in disgust.
Gwen covered her eyes. Horrified. "Tomato soup cake?" Sheridan said. Incredulously. "God bless those poor children," she whispered. Looking at Kay and Jessica who followed their mother just a few short steps behind with their families. "Dad!" Jake yelled. Running up to them. With Ali by his side. "Do I have to eat anymore of that stuff?" Ali's big blue eyes were even wider than usual. "It sounds so gross," she said with a shudder.
"Not if I can help it. Come here. I got a proposition for you two," he said. Kneeling down so that he was eye level with them both. "What's a prop..prop..." Ali asked. Stumbling over the big word. "I want you guys to do something for me." Jake held out his hand. "Oh god," Gwen groaned. "Hank, you are such a bad influence." He laughed as he pulled two fives out of his wallet and handed Jake--and Ali--one. "I know. But you love me anyway."
He leaned over and whispered something first in Jake's ear. Then Ali's. "You guys think you can handle that? Good," he said. When Jake shook his unruly mop of brown hair in agreement. Ali was a little more hesitant. Twirling a strand of her long blond hair nervously. Big blue eyes looking up to her parents. Waiting for their approval. "Mama'd kill me if she knew I was doing this," Luis mumbled.
"It's okay, AliCat. Isn't it, Mommy?" he said. Casting a pointed look at Sheridan. Sheridan glanced once more at the cake that now sat on the picnic table. Gulped. Then nodded her head at her daughter. "Hank?" she asked. "What have you put them up to?" as they watched their children walk away. "You don't want to know, Sheridan. You don't want to know," he said with a laugh.
"Oh, Gwen," Sheridan gushed as she hugged her friend in congratulations. "I'm so happy for you. You too, Hank," she said. Hugging him as well. "Yeah," he joked. "It only took two tries and almost six years for her to realize she couldn't live without me. Piece of cake," he laughed. "Besides. Somebody has to torture good ole Becs."
"Hank!" Sheridan gasped in surprise. Choking on her own laughter. "Okay, Buddy. What have you done now?" Luis asked. Looping his arms around Sheridan's waist and pulling her back against him. Playfully kissing her neck. Causing her to laugh more.
"Nothing," Hank said with a grin. "The only thing I did was ask her daughter to marry me. How was I supposed to know she was standing behind me?" "She wasn't!" Gwen laughed at Sheridan's open-mouthed expression. "Oh, but she was. The look on her face when I said 'yes' was priceless. Of course, that was before she fainted."
Sheridan burst into uncontrollable laughter at the image of Rebecca Hotchkiss passed out cold on the floor at the Seascape. "I'm sorry, Gwen. It's just..." "Too funny," Hank supplied. "It was quite...hilarious," Gwen said. Smirking. "Well," Luis asked, "what did she say when she woke up?"
"That's a complete mystery. We left," Hank said. "You just left her there?" Luis asked in disbelief. A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He chuckled when Gwen and Hank looked at each other. Smiled. And said, "We left her there." "Hey, Uncle Luis," Jake said. Startling them all. They didn't realize he was standing there. "Want to see me do my impression of Grandma?"
"Luis. Buddy. You have to see this. The kid's good. Real good," Hank said. Proudly. Luis looked to Gwen. She just smiled back at him. "Okay, Jake. Give it your best shot." Jake's brown eyes twinkled with mischief as he raised a hand to his chest dramatically. Shrieked in a high pitched voice "Oh my god!" And fell in a heap to the soft grass below. Eyes rolling back in his head.
All four of them burst into fresh laughter. Jake scrambled to his feet and took a bow. Hank gave him a high five before he left to rejoin Ali across the yard. He turned back around. "Chip off the old block. Oh man. There's Grace," he groaned. Sheridan and Luis waved at her. Gwen looked down at her feet in embarrassment. Hank looked over at Jake. Just in time to see the stricken look on his face. "What?" Sheridan innocently asked.
"Let's just say after the great babysitting adventure, it's hard to look my sister-in-law in the eye," Hank said sheepishly. "You think that's some sort of punishment," he said. Nodding his head at the cake in her hands. Luis's face blanched when he recognized the offending item. "Isn't that..." "What, Luis? What are you talking about?" Sheridan asked in confusion. "Tomato soup cake!" he and Hank said simultaneously. Noses wrinkled in disgust.
Gwen covered her eyes. Horrified. "Tomato soup cake?" Sheridan said. Incredulously. "God bless those poor children," she whispered. Looking at Kay and Jessica who followed their mother just a few short steps behind with their families. "Dad!" Jake yelled. Running up to them. With Ali by his side. "Do I have to eat anymore of that stuff?" Ali's big blue eyes were even wider than usual. "It sounds so gross," she said with a shudder.
"Not if I can help it. Come here. I got a proposition for you two," he said. Kneeling down so that he was eye level with them both. "What's a prop..prop..." Ali asked. Stumbling over the big word. "I want you guys to do something for me." Jake held out his hand. "Oh god," Gwen groaned. "Hank, you are such a bad influence." He laughed as he pulled two fives out of his wallet and handed Jake--and Ali--one. "I know. But you love me anyway."
He leaned over and whispered something first in Jake's ear. Then Ali's. "You guys think you can handle that? Good," he said. When Jake shook his unruly mop of brown hair in agreement. Ali was a little more hesitant. Twirling a strand of her long blond hair nervously. Big blue eyes looking up to her parents. Waiting for their approval. "Mama'd kill me if she knew I was doing this," Luis mumbled.
"It's okay, AliCat. Isn't it, Mommy?" he said. Casting a pointed look at Sheridan. Sheridan glanced once more at the cake that now sat on the picnic table. Gulped. Then nodded her head at her daughter. "Hank?" she asked. "What have you put them up to?" as they watched their children walk away. "You don't want to know, Sheridan. You don't want to know," he said with a laugh.