A/N: The new chapter of "We Three Hearts" is now available!
April 22nd 2022
Chapter 112
Our Spirit of Love
Shortly after Maya had finished her call with Kelsey, the Friars had gone about getting their girls into the minivan and taken off for Granny Mel and Pappy Tom's house, for family dinner with them and the Hunters. By what one might call coincidentally perfect timing, they would be joined there by the various Hart-Lane siblings in Austin. Maya's siblings had been meant to have their semi-regular gathering today, too, a fact which had reached Melinda Friar by chance, and so Sam, Cara, Teddy, and their respective significant others and children would be on hand, along with Eliza and Emma. They hadn't even needed to do anything and, just like that, they had most of the family gathered in one place, where they could finally be told about the new baby coming.
They were to be the second large party to be let in on the weeks-long secret. The previous day, at lunch, Maya and Lucas had joined their friends for their weekly gathering, and it had required little more than a look between them to decide. Yes, that would the perfect moment to tell them.
They'd been hosted by the Orlandos this week, which had allowed Maya to sort of covertly signal her friend and colleague, letting him know that this would be the day. Dylan received this with an immediate jolt of frenzy, his eyes filled with something like a need to pitch in and help if he could. Lucas went ahead and indicated for him to just carry on; they had it covered. Dylan would follow their lead. Oh, he was still bordering on being so peculiar as to give them away, but with any luck this would be written off as still being near enough to normal Dylan behavior for a little while longer. They didn't intend on waiting too long anyway.
They also wouldn't be the only ones with baby 'news' to share. When the group out of Houston came around, Connor Garcia quickly and loudly went over to his little friends and informed them that there was a chance he'd have a new brother and a new sister! His words didn't so much float over to the adults as they splashed back against them, so none of them could have possibly missed it. They all turned to Chiara and the others, to see if this was any indication of their knowing. Going from the looks on the quartet's faces, they'd say that it was not impossible that they knew if they'd be having two sons, two daughters, or one of each, but if they did know, they weren't going to say it anyway, so better that they leave things as they were now. The important part was that they'd have these babies, and they would get to be happy together, and that was always the goal.
"So, they're going to be called Mantovani, right?" Nadine asked, after they all sat down. They would be. Each of them had gotten to bestow their surname to one of their children, and all of them had gotten to choose their given names, too. The honor of naming their two new children would then fall on Asher.
"I say it worked out perfectly that way. Only fair she gets two," Sophie smiled over to her wife, who had to pull back the urge to laugh like she'd heard this joke a few times already.
"You know, even without the name, that means we're going to have new Garcia twins out there," Dylan reflected with a big grin over to his best friend.
"Yes, I do call them that when they decide to turn my insides into a playground," Chiara hummed as she looked on to her belly. Just over two months to go, if all went well, and she was rounding up on the point where she just needed it to be over, even if she was admittedly feeling a bit more nostalgic about this one… the last time she would go through all this.
"I bet they're playing basketball," Ray teased, and they laughed.
"Well, at least they've got a buddy to play against…" Maya suggested, playing just about at the edge between casual and purposeful. It was easy to see the statement work itself through the others' minds, like they first thought it was funny… then strange… then suggestive? She and Lucas both knew they were catching on when they started to look at her, and at him, and at her again… asking without asking.
When they both smiled, it brought a new outburst out of everyone, bringing them around to congratulate their friends. In the background, they could vaguely hear the little kids wondering what was going on, followed by Marianne's catching on that she could tell now and informing them all that she was going to have another baby brother or sister in the spring.
Their evening at the elder Friars' home the next day would start off so similarly that it nearly confused big sister Annie into spilling the beans. They arrived last of all, after the Hunters and Clutterbuckets, the Calaharts, and the Arroyos, and were met almost immediately with the beaming, five-months-pregnant Cara, who let them know that she and Mateo were expecting a baby boy. Marianne was right by her mother's side as she was embracing her little sister, celebrating in this news of her future nephew, and she tried to get her attention, miscalculating her whisper.
"Mommy, Mommy, can I tell now?" she asked, and at this Cara looked down to her niece with a curious look before turning wide eyes to her sister, which Maya quelled with a quick squeeze to her hand and a tiny shake of the head. Don't say anything.
"Are you?" Cara still mouthed the words, and Maya whispered at her ear in the guise of more sisterly congratulations.
"Pretend like you don't know, please? We're telling them tonight." Cara understood. Her lips were sealed, but she still hugged her sister again. They would get to be pregnant together, new moms together! They couldn't have predicted this happening, but now it did, and they were having to do their best to be covertly giddy.
"I'm sorry, Mommy, I didn't know…" Marianne shook her head, looking slightly disappointed at herself. Maya picked her up and gave her a little squeeze.
"Hey, it's alright, really, okay?" she told her, brushing her finger at her cheek. Marianne nodded. "Tell you what, you're going to help us tell them, yeah?" Oh, yes, she wanted to do that very much. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking…" Maya told her before leaning to whisper at her ear.
Lucas had been pulled into playing audience to Haley Hunter's latest trick about as soon as he'd walked through the door. With the way the triplets were all taken up by one grandparent or aunt or uncle or another, he suddenly found himself at the ten-year-old's disposal, so he'd let her do her demonstration. He never had to pretend to be impressed with her; she was really getting so good at everything she did in her classes. Oh, she still had her parents stressed that she'd get hurt with some of the things she attempted, even when she got the handle of it, but they could see that it really meant a lot to her, and that she deserved to keep on learning and expanding her skills, so what could they do except let her keep startling them in so many ways?
"Daddy, Daddy, come here," Marianne appeared at his side, taking hold of his hand with both of hers and giving a tug.
"Hey, easy, I still need my arm," he smiled, quickly apologizing to Haley and letting her know that she'd been amazing. She looked too amused with her niece to even be bothered at all. He was being led over to where Maya had been accosted by her niece. She was now giving Francesca some good cuddles, while Sam and Dora's girl kept a firm hold around her favorite aunt. "Hi," he smiled at them both. Francesca reached out her arm to him, only to give him a pat as a hello. She was clearly not looking to leave Maya's arms any second now.
That wasn't a problem. She'd already explained her idea to Marianne, and now she did the same with Lucas, with a bit of French whispering. Of all people to have listening in to their plan, they had one of those few for which the use of sign language would not be a means to privacy, so this would have to do. Lucas liked the plan very much. It would have been a lot easier if they could have prepared ahead of time, but they would be alright. They'd come into this evening determined not to have a plan already but instead to let one manifest, spur of the moment. And it had come to them, to Maya in that moment. All it had taken had been a sibling wanting to help, and it all came together, didn't it? It would be like a twist on the past, a couple different reveals like this. Now they just had to make it happen without anyone catching on.
If they'd been at their own house, or even at the Hunters' house, the materials would probably have been a little more readily available, but they could go with what they found here. They could definitely count on Granny Mel having some markers on hand for her granddaughter to use to make some pictures. Marianne was dispatched to go and ask her for them, because she just had to do something now. Melinda laughed, falling right into the 'trap' and giving the girl the box and some paper. She asked if she could go into the basement to draw, so she could hang out with Duke the dog. He was getting old, and he'd get overwhelmed with big crowds, so he'd be stationed there. Lucas went along with her, to say hi to the dog and check on him at the same time as he helped set her up.
"Hi, Duke… hi…" Marianne went and crouched to pet him as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The dog raised his head, immediately looking brighter for her presence. She embraced him and he just set his whole head against her chest, like a babe cradled by his mother. At this rate, it might take Marianne a while to do what she'd actually set out to do, but after a minute or so, she moved so that Duke could keep his head in her lap while she sat in front of the low table. Lucas had everything set there for her, including the items he'd 'smuggled' down along with the markers.
"Hey, buddy," he gave his parents' dog some good scratches. Oh, he remembered when he'd brought him out to his parents, at Christmas. He'd been so little then, and the girl who held him now had been a distant dream for the future. She was already at work, selecting her colors and placing them with each of the three little shirts. They were all striped, white and another color, easily matched to the triplets even at a quick glimpse… and that was kind of the point. "You all good down here?" Lucas asked Marianne. When he looked up, he saw she was already doing well with the first of those.
"Uh huh," she nodded, showing him the small paper where Maya had written the letters. She was very good at copying those, wasn't she?
"Okay, well, I'll be upstairs, getting ready for phase two," he told her, giving her his best 'spy on a mission' voice. She gave him a look he took to mean that his act needed work. "Right," he bowed his head with a chuckle. He kissed her, pet the dog again, and went climbing up the stairs. Before being completely out of there, he snapped a picture of the scene, for later, for Maya, and maybe for Marianne, too. Who knew how much longer Duke would be with them? Once he was gone, he wanted to make sure she didn't forget how well she'd loved him.
They nearly missed their window on executing the next phase of their plan, as Remy had somehow gotten her hands on something that left a stain on her shirt. Not only that, but just a minute later, she got her hands dirty again and left a print on Kacey's shirt. Maya and Lucas were both left with having to stifle the thought trying to play over their faces. If they kept this up, they wouldn't have to implement phase two; the triplets would have done it for them. And Marianne was still not done.
Thankfully, when what felt inevitable happened and Lucy's shirt was also left dirty, Marianne gave the pre-arranged 'signal' and called for her mother to help her with her drawing. Maya 'decided' to take care of both things at once and she and Lucas went down with the girls' bag and the triplets, so they could get them changed ahead of dinner and see what Marianne needed.
"Guess what, your sisters got in on the plan," Lucas told her as they came along. She was very pleased to hear it.
It took a little longer than usual to get the girls changed, what with the presence of Duke and the fact that they could all walk. It was one thing to get the dirty shirts pulled over their heads, but it was another to get the right girl to stop long enough for the right shirt to be pulled on to her when they just loved the big, fluffy guy and he loved them, too. But they got a handle of it in the end, and so the Friar sisters were taken back up the stairs. When they arrived, they were 'let loose,' the better to scurry off to find the family. They all came roughly at the same time, which was great, as even if they arrived in the wrong sequence for the message to be read, the pieces were understood just fine. They were all going to be big sisters! It didn't matter that this was the third time around, or the sixth grandchild from them. The reaction was as emotionally charged as the first. It was a wonderful evening for the family to share, and it was a great weight lifted on the future parents. Oh, they always wanted to keep the news to themselves for a bit at first if they could, but once it was out, that was when it felt the most real, wasn't it? No more hiding…
"I'm going to have to tell the students now… and everyone at school…" Maya reflected, later on, back at the house. The kids were off to bed, and she and Lucas would do the same very soon. He smiled and put his arms around her waist.
"If you need help, I know a girl…"
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
