Chapter 12
"They don't seem to be coming down," Seth comments as he, Marissa and Anna sit around the dinner table waiting for Kirsten and Sandy's appearance.
"Do you think everything is alright?" Marissa asks.
Seth shrugs, "I dunno, probably. Let's just eat, they'll come down when they come down."
"You guys can go ahead and eat," Sandy appears then with Aurora's baby carrier, "can you keep her down here with you?"
"Sure," Seth nods, "is everything alright?"
Sandy nods, ,"yeah everything's fine, your Mom and I just need some alone time."
"So," Seth begins once Sandy has left, "when are your dad and Hailey getting married, Marissa?"
Marissa shrugs, "I'm not sure on the exact date. Before Christmas, I guess Hailey wants to have the wedding outside so..."
"Where does she want to have it?" Anna inquires.
"At the new house," Marissa responds.
"You realize that having Hailey living across the street is going to drive my mom insane, right?" Seth asks.
Marissa smirks, "I know."
"Surprise," Jimmy walks into his house to find Hailey asleep on his couch.
"You're home, where were you?"
"Finalizing the paperwork for our new house," Jimmy grins.
Hailey sits up quickly, "we got it?"
"We got it," Jimmy responds.
"That's great," Hailey squeals throwing her arms around Jimmy neck and kissing him.
"What have you been up to?" Jimmy asks when they settle on the couch.
"Trying to make some decisions about the wedding," Hailey responds.
"Have you decided anything?"
Hailey sighs, "no. It's very complicated, especially when it comes to inviting people. I mean as much of a bear my dad is I still want him to give me away, but I don't want Julie there, but I can't just not invite Julie..."
Jimmy kisses Hailey's temple, "talk it over with Kirsten, she's used to planning things like this, with people who hate each other, granted there are a lot of fist fights but she can probably tell you how to handle all of these situations."
"Don't you care?" Hailey asks.
"I want this wedding to be about you," Jimmy responds. "I've been married before, this is your day. If you have to invite Julie to invite your dad then I can deal with that."
"Well one thing I do know is I want Kirsten and Marissa to be my bridesmaids and Kaitlin can be the flower girl...but other than that I've got nothing."
"Well we don't have to rush any of this, we have time," Jimmy replies, wrapping a comforting hug around Hailey's shoulder.
"Well, actually," Hailey pulls out of Jimmy's grasp and sits cross-legged facing Jimmy. Letting out a deep breath she states, "okay I'm just not going to jump around about this."
"About what?"
"I'm pregnant," Hailey states quickly.
"Pregnant?" Jimmy stumbles over the word.
Hailey nods, "I just found out today, the doctor called while we were out and left me a message to call her back...and I did...."
"A baby?" Jimmy asks.
Hailey nods, "a baby, in like 7 months."
"A baby?"
"Jimmy, are you okay?"
"A baby?"
"Yeah, Jimmy breath."
"I won't allow this!" Julie exclaims. "She's living with us, I won't allow her to move back in with Jimmy and have him turn her against me again"
"JuJu, dear, we don't have a choice." Caleb responds, "I've spoken to my lawyer, he says that Jimmy has a very strong case against us and that when children get to be the age Marissa is they usually grant custody to the parent the child picks. If given the choice Marissa would pick to live with Jimmy, we both know this."
"But I just got her back!"
"Mom?" Kaitlin walks into Caleb's office, drawn to the yelling.
"Kaitlin, darling, why don't you go up to bed? I'll be up to tuck you in soon."
"Are you guys fighting about Marissa?" Kaitlin asks.
"We're just having a discussion Kaitlin, it's no big deal, I'll be up."
"Wait."
"What is it?" Julie questions.
"It's just," Kaitlin bites her lip. "Marissa doesn't like it here."
"How do you know?" Julie asks quickly. "Has she said something to you?"
"No," Kaitlin shakes her head, "I hear her in her room sometimes, she cries and she breaks things on the wall."
"How come you never said anything to me about this before?" Julie asks.
"I didn't want to make you sad," Kaitlin responds. "But I don't want Marissa to be sad anymore either. You don't want to make her sad, do you Mom?"
"I..." Julie stutters, "of course I don't want her to be sad but..."
"Then shouldn't you give her what she wants? And let her live with Dad?"
"But she's my daughter," Julie argues.
"She's Daddy's daughter too," Kaitlin points out with wisdom surpassing her age, "and she wants to live with him. Shouldn't you let her?"
Julie kneels in front of Kaitlin, "you're not going to leave me, are you baby?"
Kaitlin shakes her head, "I'm not going anywhere, Mom."
"Good," Julie nods, "that's my girl. Now get to bed and I'll be up."
"I'm sorry things have turned out like this JuJu, I know you wanted to have your daughters here with you." Caleb states, "but I'm sure that she will come back to visit."
"I blame you for this, you let Jimmy talk you into this and I blame you," Julie points an accusatory finger at Caleb.
"JuJu..." Caleb calls soothingly.
"Don't," Julie shakes her head, "don't. I just lost my daughter and I blame you."
"They don't seem to be coming down," Seth comments as he, Marissa and Anna sit around the dinner table waiting for Kirsten and Sandy's appearance.
"Do you think everything is alright?" Marissa asks.
Seth shrugs, "I dunno, probably. Let's just eat, they'll come down when they come down."
"You guys can go ahead and eat," Sandy appears then with Aurora's baby carrier, "can you keep her down here with you?"
"Sure," Seth nods, "is everything alright?"
Sandy nods, ,"yeah everything's fine, your Mom and I just need some alone time."
"So," Seth begins once Sandy has left, "when are your dad and Hailey getting married, Marissa?"
Marissa shrugs, "I'm not sure on the exact date. Before Christmas, I guess Hailey wants to have the wedding outside so..."
"Where does she want to have it?" Anna inquires.
"At the new house," Marissa responds.
"You realize that having Hailey living across the street is going to drive my mom insane, right?" Seth asks.
Marissa smirks, "I know."
"Surprise," Jimmy walks into his house to find Hailey asleep on his couch.
"You're home, where were you?"
"Finalizing the paperwork for our new house," Jimmy grins.
Hailey sits up quickly, "we got it?"
"We got it," Jimmy responds.
"That's great," Hailey squeals throwing her arms around Jimmy neck and kissing him.
"What have you been up to?" Jimmy asks when they settle on the couch.
"Trying to make some decisions about the wedding," Hailey responds.
"Have you decided anything?"
Hailey sighs, "no. It's very complicated, especially when it comes to inviting people. I mean as much of a bear my dad is I still want him to give me away, but I don't want Julie there, but I can't just not invite Julie..."
Jimmy kisses Hailey's temple, "talk it over with Kirsten, she's used to planning things like this, with people who hate each other, granted there are a lot of fist fights but she can probably tell you how to handle all of these situations."
"Don't you care?" Hailey asks.
"I want this wedding to be about you," Jimmy responds. "I've been married before, this is your day. If you have to invite Julie to invite your dad then I can deal with that."
"Well one thing I do know is I want Kirsten and Marissa to be my bridesmaids and Kaitlin can be the flower girl...but other than that I've got nothing."
"Well we don't have to rush any of this, we have time," Jimmy replies, wrapping a comforting hug around Hailey's shoulder.
"Well, actually," Hailey pulls out of Jimmy's grasp and sits cross-legged facing Jimmy. Letting out a deep breath she states, "okay I'm just not going to jump around about this."
"About what?"
"I'm pregnant," Hailey states quickly.
"Pregnant?" Jimmy stumbles over the word.
Hailey nods, "I just found out today, the doctor called while we were out and left me a message to call her back...and I did...."
"A baby?" Jimmy asks.
Hailey nods, "a baby, in like 7 months."
"A baby?"
"Jimmy, are you okay?"
"A baby?"
"Yeah, Jimmy breath."
"I won't allow this!" Julie exclaims. "She's living with us, I won't allow her to move back in with Jimmy and have him turn her against me again"
"JuJu, dear, we don't have a choice." Caleb responds, "I've spoken to my lawyer, he says that Jimmy has a very strong case against us and that when children get to be the age Marissa is they usually grant custody to the parent the child picks. If given the choice Marissa would pick to live with Jimmy, we both know this."
"But I just got her back!"
"Mom?" Kaitlin walks into Caleb's office, drawn to the yelling.
"Kaitlin, darling, why don't you go up to bed? I'll be up to tuck you in soon."
"Are you guys fighting about Marissa?" Kaitlin asks.
"We're just having a discussion Kaitlin, it's no big deal, I'll be up."
"Wait."
"What is it?" Julie questions.
"It's just," Kaitlin bites her lip. "Marissa doesn't like it here."
"How do you know?" Julie asks quickly. "Has she said something to you?"
"No," Kaitlin shakes her head, "I hear her in her room sometimes, she cries and she breaks things on the wall."
"How come you never said anything to me about this before?" Julie asks.
"I didn't want to make you sad," Kaitlin responds. "But I don't want Marissa to be sad anymore either. You don't want to make her sad, do you Mom?"
"I..." Julie stutters, "of course I don't want her to be sad but..."
"Then shouldn't you give her what she wants? And let her live with Dad?"
"But she's my daughter," Julie argues.
"She's Daddy's daughter too," Kaitlin points out with wisdom surpassing her age, "and she wants to live with him. Shouldn't you let her?"
Julie kneels in front of Kaitlin, "you're not going to leave me, are you baby?"
Kaitlin shakes her head, "I'm not going anywhere, Mom."
"Good," Julie nods, "that's my girl. Now get to bed and I'll be up."
"I'm sorry things have turned out like this JuJu, I know you wanted to have your daughters here with you." Caleb states, "but I'm sure that she will come back to visit."
"I blame you for this, you let Jimmy talk you into this and I blame you," Julie points an accusatory finger at Caleb.
"JuJu..." Caleb calls soothingly.
"Don't," Julie shakes her head, "don't. I just lost my daughter and I blame you."