A Womb With A View by Kakie
Chapter 9
"Thanks for coming over," Ally told Renee and John. It was Sunday night and she had been back in town for twenty-four hours.
Renee tucked her feet underneath her. "I hope you start with why you took off without a word to me and where you went."
"I think I know the answer to that one," remarked John as he sat at the opposite end of the couch.
Ally wrapped herself in a blanket and curled up in her favorite chair. "And you would be right, John."
He closed his eyes. "I was afraid of that."
Renee looked from John to Ally and back again. "I don't get it."
Ally cleared her throat. "Renee, I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Detroit....with Larry."
"You did what?" she exclaimed as she jumped up. "You accepted an invitation from that louse?"
"I wasn't invited. I just sort of landed on his door step."
Renee shook her head. "You have definitely gone over the edge. I've seen you get closer and closer to it but now you have done it."
"Renee, I'm not crazy. Larry and I had a lot to discuss and with the due date getting closer, we were running out of time."
Renee turned to John. "You knew about this and did nothing to stop it?"
He shrugged. "It's his baby too. He deserves to be a part of Kelsey's life."
"What he deserves is a big fat kick in the."
"Renee, stop it," Ally said. "Larry is the love of my life and the father of my child. I would appreciate you not trashing him like that."
Renee turned to her best friend in horror. "How can you defend him after what he did to you?"
Ally sighed and wished she were back in Detroit in front of that fire. "Renee, he did things to me, I did things to him. Neither of us is blameless. But what we found out this weekend is that we still love each other and we want to be a family. We are going to be a family."
Renee's eyes narrowed. "What exactly does that mean?"
"We're getting married in a few weeks."
Both John and Renee were speechless.
"Married?" asked Renee.
Ally sat down between her two best friends and took their hands. "I love you both so much and I know you want what's best for me and that's Larry. I'm not blind to what happened before but there are some things you don't know." She proceeded to tell them about the dessert and the ring.
John listened to the story and felt sorry for Larry. He knew what it was like to make the wrong decisions about love when you are trying to do the right thing. "Ally, how do you know he won't leave again?"
"I don't, John, but in my heart I believe this is forever. We aren't the same people we were before. In a way, his leaving was a good thing because we each got a chance to look at what we had, what we missed and what we want for the future. We want to be together and raise Kelsey. For the first time, I know what I want. I have no doubts, no qualms, and no insecurities. I'm going to have the life I always wanted."
Renee squeezed her hand. "Honey, are you sure about this? It's one thing to try and be a family but marriage is a whole other animal."
"Yes, I'm sure. I've never been more positive in my life."
Renee leaned over and kissed Ally on the cheek. "Then I wish you good luck."
"Thanks." She looked over in the other direction. "John?"
"If this is what you really, really want and you're sure it's what Larry wants, then I'm behind you all the way."
She grinned. "I have the two best friends in the whole world. So you'll forgive me when I say that neither of you are invited to my wedding."
"I beg your pardon?" asked Renee.
"Larry and I have decided to forgo a big wedding in favor of a JP with just the two of us."
Renee looked at her questionably. "I don't understand..."
Ally explained her reasoning to both of her friends but although they said they understood she wasn't sure they did.
Meanwhile in Detroit, Larry helped Sam load the dishwasher.
"How about some hot chocolate with marshmallows?" asked Jamie as she finished putting the leftovers up.
"That sounds great," exclaimed Sam. "How about it, Dad? You up for some hot chocolate?"
"Sure."
"Three hot chocolates coming up." As Jamie began to prepare them, Larry led Sam to the table.
"I can't wait until tomorrow to tell all my friends that I'm getting a baby sister. When did you say she would be here?"
"Not until February, son."
"You miss, Ally, don't you?"
"Very much."
"Since you two are having a baby and all, does this mean you're moving back to Boston?"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jamie freeze. "Yes, I will be moving back to Boston. I'm not sure when. We have a lot to work out." Larry took a deep breath and continued. "That's sort of why I wanted to have dinner with you tonight. Ally and I made some decisions while she was here and you need to know about them."
"Like what?" Sam asked as Jamie placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of him.
He waited until Jamie finished serving the drinks before continuing. Knowing what he had to say next, he didn't want a cup of hot chocolate "accidentally" spilled in his lap. He saw Jamie cleaning up the stove but he knew she was listening as intently as she could.
"Sam, Ally and I have decided to get married."
"Really?" Excitement showed in his face. "That's great. Can I be your best man?"
"Sammy, you will always be my best man but there isn't going to be a wedding."
Sam frowned as he tried to compute. "I don't get it. You said you're getting married."
"We are but you don't have to have a wedding to get married. Ally and I have decided to get married, just the two of us."
Sam thought for a second. "Are you eloping?"
"Yeah, we are. I don't want you to be upset."
"I'm not upset."
"Sam," he said covering his son's hand with his own, "I need you to be okay with this. You mean everything to me."
Larry could see the hurt in his son's eyes. "But I will need a best man in the spring."
"What for?"
"Because after Kelsey is born, the two of us are going to get married again and have a wedding reception. I will need my best man and Kelsey will need her big brother there to help."
Sam's eyes lit up. "That would be great. Thanks, Dad."
Larry returned to the kitchen after putting Sam into bed. He found Jamie at the kitchen table. "So, whose idea was it to elope and exclude Sam? I doubt it was yours. You would never be that cruel."
"That's enough, Jamie. The elopement was Ally's idea and I am behind it 100%."
"Why would you agree to that? You knew how upset it would make Sam."
"Sam's a big boy. He'll be fine."
"So, when's the big day?"
"Christmas."
"That's really soon. Why doesn't she wait until after the baby's born?"
"We want to get married before that happens."
"Since when have you been a stickler for tradition? I don't remember you pushing me to get married when I was pregnant with Sam."
"I'm not going down that path with you again. The point is I'm getting married next month. I'm not naïve enough to expect you to be happy for us but for Sam's sake I hope you'll be civil."
"But why so soon? Is she afraid you'll leave her again?"
Larry grabbed his coat off the coat rack. "You just had to stick that in there somewhere, didn't you? For your information, I have no intention of leaving her ever again. This is the life I want with the woman I want. I'm sorry if you can't handle that." He grabbed his car keys and left.
Chapter 9
"Thanks for coming over," Ally told Renee and John. It was Sunday night and she had been back in town for twenty-four hours.
Renee tucked her feet underneath her. "I hope you start with why you took off without a word to me and where you went."
"I think I know the answer to that one," remarked John as he sat at the opposite end of the couch.
Ally wrapped herself in a blanket and curled up in her favorite chair. "And you would be right, John."
He closed his eyes. "I was afraid of that."
Renee looked from John to Ally and back again. "I don't get it."
Ally cleared her throat. "Renee, I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Detroit....with Larry."
"You did what?" she exclaimed as she jumped up. "You accepted an invitation from that louse?"
"I wasn't invited. I just sort of landed on his door step."
Renee shook her head. "You have definitely gone over the edge. I've seen you get closer and closer to it but now you have done it."
"Renee, I'm not crazy. Larry and I had a lot to discuss and with the due date getting closer, we were running out of time."
Renee turned to John. "You knew about this and did nothing to stop it?"
He shrugged. "It's his baby too. He deserves to be a part of Kelsey's life."
"What he deserves is a big fat kick in the."
"Renee, stop it," Ally said. "Larry is the love of my life and the father of my child. I would appreciate you not trashing him like that."
Renee turned to her best friend in horror. "How can you defend him after what he did to you?"
Ally sighed and wished she were back in Detroit in front of that fire. "Renee, he did things to me, I did things to him. Neither of us is blameless. But what we found out this weekend is that we still love each other and we want to be a family. We are going to be a family."
Renee's eyes narrowed. "What exactly does that mean?"
"We're getting married in a few weeks."
Both John and Renee were speechless.
"Married?" asked Renee.
Ally sat down between her two best friends and took their hands. "I love you both so much and I know you want what's best for me and that's Larry. I'm not blind to what happened before but there are some things you don't know." She proceeded to tell them about the dessert and the ring.
John listened to the story and felt sorry for Larry. He knew what it was like to make the wrong decisions about love when you are trying to do the right thing. "Ally, how do you know he won't leave again?"
"I don't, John, but in my heart I believe this is forever. We aren't the same people we were before. In a way, his leaving was a good thing because we each got a chance to look at what we had, what we missed and what we want for the future. We want to be together and raise Kelsey. For the first time, I know what I want. I have no doubts, no qualms, and no insecurities. I'm going to have the life I always wanted."
Renee squeezed her hand. "Honey, are you sure about this? It's one thing to try and be a family but marriage is a whole other animal."
"Yes, I'm sure. I've never been more positive in my life."
Renee leaned over and kissed Ally on the cheek. "Then I wish you good luck."
"Thanks." She looked over in the other direction. "John?"
"If this is what you really, really want and you're sure it's what Larry wants, then I'm behind you all the way."
She grinned. "I have the two best friends in the whole world. So you'll forgive me when I say that neither of you are invited to my wedding."
"I beg your pardon?" asked Renee.
"Larry and I have decided to forgo a big wedding in favor of a JP with just the two of us."
Renee looked at her questionably. "I don't understand..."
Ally explained her reasoning to both of her friends but although they said they understood she wasn't sure they did.
Meanwhile in Detroit, Larry helped Sam load the dishwasher.
"How about some hot chocolate with marshmallows?" asked Jamie as she finished putting the leftovers up.
"That sounds great," exclaimed Sam. "How about it, Dad? You up for some hot chocolate?"
"Sure."
"Three hot chocolates coming up." As Jamie began to prepare them, Larry led Sam to the table.
"I can't wait until tomorrow to tell all my friends that I'm getting a baby sister. When did you say she would be here?"
"Not until February, son."
"You miss, Ally, don't you?"
"Very much."
"Since you two are having a baby and all, does this mean you're moving back to Boston?"
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jamie freeze. "Yes, I will be moving back to Boston. I'm not sure when. We have a lot to work out." Larry took a deep breath and continued. "That's sort of why I wanted to have dinner with you tonight. Ally and I made some decisions while she was here and you need to know about them."
"Like what?" Sam asked as Jamie placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of him.
He waited until Jamie finished serving the drinks before continuing. Knowing what he had to say next, he didn't want a cup of hot chocolate "accidentally" spilled in his lap. He saw Jamie cleaning up the stove but he knew she was listening as intently as she could.
"Sam, Ally and I have decided to get married."
"Really?" Excitement showed in his face. "That's great. Can I be your best man?"
"Sammy, you will always be my best man but there isn't going to be a wedding."
Sam frowned as he tried to compute. "I don't get it. You said you're getting married."
"We are but you don't have to have a wedding to get married. Ally and I have decided to get married, just the two of us."
Sam thought for a second. "Are you eloping?"
"Yeah, we are. I don't want you to be upset."
"I'm not upset."
"Sam," he said covering his son's hand with his own, "I need you to be okay with this. You mean everything to me."
Larry could see the hurt in his son's eyes. "But I will need a best man in the spring."
"What for?"
"Because after Kelsey is born, the two of us are going to get married again and have a wedding reception. I will need my best man and Kelsey will need her big brother there to help."
Sam's eyes lit up. "That would be great. Thanks, Dad."
Larry returned to the kitchen after putting Sam into bed. He found Jamie at the kitchen table. "So, whose idea was it to elope and exclude Sam? I doubt it was yours. You would never be that cruel."
"That's enough, Jamie. The elopement was Ally's idea and I am behind it 100%."
"Why would you agree to that? You knew how upset it would make Sam."
"Sam's a big boy. He'll be fine."
"So, when's the big day?"
"Christmas."
"That's really soon. Why doesn't she wait until after the baby's born?"
"We want to get married before that happens."
"Since when have you been a stickler for tradition? I don't remember you pushing me to get married when I was pregnant with Sam."
"I'm not going down that path with you again. The point is I'm getting married next month. I'm not naïve enough to expect you to be happy for us but for Sam's sake I hope you'll be civil."
"But why so soon? Is she afraid you'll leave her again?"
Larry grabbed his coat off the coat rack. "You just had to stick that in there somewhere, didn't you? For your information, I have no intention of leaving her ever again. This is the life I want with the woman I want. I'm sorry if you can't handle that." He grabbed his car keys and left.
