CHAPTER 16

SUMMARY: Sam and Mercedes move to a new house in Kentucky.

RATING: Teen. Mild cursing.

NOTES: Please excuse any errors, thank you!

BACON, EGGS, AND SMOKED OYSTERS

Six months later.

"Schätzchen, have you seen my Foxy Brown T-shirt?"

Mercedes looked up from the box she was packing.

"No, I haven't, maybe you packed it."

"But I saw it earlier. It has to be here I – "

"Sam, please, not now. I want to finish this box and then we need to go buy more boxes."

"Well, I can't go like this," he said, gesturing at his shirtless state, the sunlight shining through the bedroom window onto his chiseled abdominal muscles, his cut-off denim shorts hung low on his hips. A Band-Aid was on his shin from where he scrapped it against the dresser when he and Mike pushed it out of the bedroom the day before in preparation for the movers. Mercedes noticed he needed to clip his toenails.

"You could but then you would have to fight off every woman you see, and I don't want to kill anybody today," Mercedes said taping the box up on her lap and putting it on the floor, "It's hot as hell in here when will the AC guy get here?"

"Later this afternoon," Sam said, sitting beside her on the bed, "Maybe you should rest."

"I can't rest now. There's packing to do." Taped up cardboard boxes were stacked against the walls of the bedroom; the closets were empty and all of the pictures had been taken down from the walls, leaving empty faded squares where they had once hung. All the bedding had been removed from the bed, and the mattress was bare.

He put his hand on her forehead.

"Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine."

"You look flushed."

"I'm not flushed."

"It is pretty hot in here."

"No shit, really?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm hot. We haven't finished packing and – "

Just then Abby appeared in the doorway dressed in khaki shorts and a hot pink tank top. Sam combed her hair that morning, and it was styled in two Afro puffs.

"Mommy, I can't find my tool belt."

"Between you and Sam, I don't know who is worse. Why can't you find anything?" Mercedes said, wondering why she was expected to find every lost item in that house. Though she was grateful that they were able to find a new home in Kentucky, packing and moving for it was a perpetual pain in her ass, and usually stuff like that didn't irritate her so much, but this week had been hell, and she blamed the heat and Sam and Abby's constant questions about where everything was.

"Because you always know where stuff is," Abby said.

"Well today I don't know where anything is," she said, and then she sniffed the air, "What's that smell?"

"What smell?" Sam asked.

"It smells like fried meat."

"Oh, it's your bacon, egg and cheese biscuit that I got for you," he said picking up the McDonald's bag on the the night stand, "You've been so busy you forgot to eat it."

"Throw it out!"

"What?"

"That smell is making me sick!"

"Bacon and eggs?"

"Yes, bacon and eggs. It's gross. Why would you buy that?"

"Because you asked me to."

"I did no such thing."

Abby and Sam looked at her as if she had gone insane; this angered her more.

"Both of you. Just stop it."

"Stop what?"

"You're staring at me."

"Mercedes – "

"I'm hungry."

Sam took a deep breath and sighed.

"What would you like to eat?"

"Smoked oysters."

"Smoked oysters?"

"You heard me."

Mercedes couldn't believe Sam was being so unreasonable. All she wanted were smoked oysters. She gave him more specifics.

"Smoked oysters. Straight from the can. And I want a root beer with a lot of ice."

Sam didn't say anything. He went to the corner of the room and turned on the fan and placed it in front of Mercedes.

"This should cool you off."

Mercedes lifted up her tank-top, letting the cool air blow against her sweaty skin, her breasts strained in her bra and they were sore. Sam watched her for a moment and then looked at Abby.

"Come on Sugar Plum, let's go to the store," he said, walking out of the room.

"But you can't go out like that," Mercedes said, "Or do you want women to throw themselves at you? That's it, isn't it? You only pretended that you can't find your shirt? You're tired of having a fat wife, is that it?"

"Abby go wait for me in the living room. Your mother and I need to talk."

"Ok, Sam," she said, and her eyes were fearful. Sam noticed her expression and gave her a hug, "Sometimes grown-ups have to talk alone. It's nothing bad. I love you."

Abby nodded and the tension eased from her face. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sam said. Mercedes thought he was being an idiot. How could he talk to her like that when he was obviously going to go out and cheat on her? He could lie and say he was a single dad; women loved that sort of thing. He could be like that guy in About a Boy. The more she thought about the scenario, the angrier she became.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Taking our daughter out, looking like a Playgirl centerfold. Leaving me here all sweaty and sore and…"

"Sore?"

"My breasts are sore," she said and suddenly she had the urge to puke, so she got up and ran into the bathroom, barely making it in time, to vomit into the toilet. When she lifted her head, Sam was kneeling next to her, rubbing her back.

"Is it the pizza from last night?"

"Sam, I don't know. All I know is that I feel like shit. Besides if it were the pizza you and Abby would be puking your brains out too," She said and flushed the toilet. Then she threw up again. When she was finished, she lifted her head and said:

"Get me the mouthwash."

Sam did as she asked while she flushed the toilet again and slowly stood up. She rinsed out her mouth with the mouthwash, spitting it into the sink. Then she closed the toilet lid and sat on the seat, holding her head in her hands. She had an awful headache and Sam's potential cheating wasn't helping. She thought about how she gained five pounds, and she was sure he noticed and what was she supposed to do about that? What was happening to her? She began to sob.

"I'm so ugly," she wailed.

"Mercedes, baby, what's wrong? You're saying crazy things and – "he stopped speaking and stared at her unopened box of sanitary napkins on the counter.

"And my bras don't fit," she said, continuing her rant as she bawled into a wad to toilet paper.

Sam picked up the box of sanitary napkins.

"Why haven't you used these?"

"Huh?"

"You haven't even opened these."

"It's a little late this month, you know how crazy my period –"

She stopped speaking as it dawned on her what this meant. Sam stared at her, his green eyes, filling up with tears.

"Baby, where's the pregnancy test?"

Mercedes wiped her face with a tissue.

"In the medicine cabinet."

Sam got the pregnancy test, opened it, and handed the digital test stick to her. Mercedes lifted the toilet lid and pulled down her shorts and underwear, she sat on the toilet, and as she began to pee, she carefully held the absorbent tip of the digital test stick downward under her urine stream for exactly five seconds with Sam timing it along with her. When the time was up, she quickly took it away, holding the stick downward, she replaced the cap on the tip and placed the stick on the sink with the digital window facing upward. She wiped herself, flushed the toilet, and washed her hands. Now all they had to do was wait.

"The hourglass is flashing," Sam said, biting his nails, he then reached for Mercedes' hand, "Schätzchen, I think this is it."

"Even after all the other times?" She asked him, recalling the false alarms they had had since his sperm count had increased with the herbal supplements, and they decided to keep trying on their own for a while before doing a sperm extraction. Sam kept a brave front with each negative test result, but she knew it killed him inside, and they kept trying and praying.

"You never went batshit crazy before."

He sat on the toilet and pulled her onto his lap.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They were quiet for a moment.

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Even if this is another false alarm. We're ok. I don't care how we make a family just as long as we have one, alright? I'm grateful for everything we have. We have so much to be thankful for."

Sam nodded and kissed her.

"Ok, baby."

After a minute, they got up and looked at the results. And there in black bold letters, the display window said: PREGNANT.

Sam cried out, hugging Mercedes as tears streamed down his face; and she held onto him, crying as well.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Sam kept saying as he held her close, "Dear God, thank you."

Mercedes sobbed into his chest; she couldn't imagine what this moment would feel like and now that it happened, she could only describe it as pure joy and elation. She and Sam were going to have a baby.

ooo

As they lay on the bed holding each other, with the fan blowing on them, Mercedes said:

"We can tell Abby, but I want to wait to announce it to everyone else until after my first trimester."

"I want to tell everyone right now, even the mail man," Sam said, kissing her, "But I understand, and I get why we should wait, is that what you did with Abby?"

"With Abby it was different. We weren't even trying and she sort of popped up. I didn't have any friends, except for Puck, and I told him, and of course I told Aunt Josephine."

"I can't believe neither of us thought you were pregnant before today," Sam said, kissing her cheek. Mercedes ran her hands through his hair; he was in dire need of a haircut, but she didn't mind the length, his toenails, however were a different story.

"We had so many false alarms. And my period has always been unpredictable. And on top of that we're moving so a lot is going on. I thought it was stress."

"Smoked oysters?"

"Shut up, Sam."

"You didn't feel like this with Abby?"

She closed her eyes.

"I probably did but I forgot."

A knock came on the door.

"Come in," Mercedes said.

Abby came into the bedroom, looking anxious.

"Is everything alright? I thought we were going to the store for Mommy," she said looking at Sam, who sat up on the bed.

"We are. But before we go, your mother and I have something to tell you." He said and scooted over on the bed, patting the empty place between him and Mercedes. Abby sat down between them and waited. Sam held her hand.

"You're going to be a big sister. We just found out your mother is pregnant."

Abby clapped her hands and cheered; she jumped up and she did a little dance. Then she hugged Sam and Mercedes.

"So it said yes?"

"Actually, it said pregnant, but you got the right idea," Mercedes said. Abby, being a curious child, asked her a lot of questions about sex and pregnancy tests, and Mercedes was up front about everything. She didn't want to neglect Abby and never talk to her about sex the way Aunt Josephine had done with her, not that she blamed her aunt, but having a heart to heart was a thousand times better than reading about it and having a class at school.

"I want to see it."

"Hold tight, let me wash it first," Sam said, and returned a few minutes later with the digital test stick, handing it to her, "Here you go."

Abby took it from him and read the word aloud:

"Pregnant."

"I love how that sounds," Sam said, then he grabbed his phone from off of the night stand, "I'm taking a picture of it for our baby book."

"Isn't it a little early for that?" Mercedes said.

He kissed her lips.

"It's never too early."

After Sam took the picture, Mercedes yawned and closed her eyes. She was suddenly exhausted. Sam urged her to lie back and he stroked her cheek.

"All that crazy talk and bitching for no reason was because you had a bun in the oven."

"I'm sorry for the things I said."

He leaned down and kissed her again.

"All is forgiven," Sam said and turned to Abby who watched them with a big smile on her face, "Let's go to the store."

"What about your shirt?" Mercedes asked.

"I'll find something downstairs. Don't worry; I'm not picking up chicks."

"You don't know how sexy you are like that," Mercedes said, smiling up at him, "But I trust you Mr. Hummel."

"You better, Mrs. Hummel. Besides, I only have eyes for you." He gave her another kiss then took Abby by the hand and left the bedroom.

HOME SWEET HOME

Waiting for twelve weeks before they told everyone was an exercise of patience that Sam wasn't sure he could endure, but he toughed it out. He knew it was for the best because when Quinn miscarried, it was extremely difficult to face all those who congratulated them only to tell them that they lost the baby. But this pregnancy felt different. He couldn't explain how - it just did. Something felt right in his bones and every night when he said his prayers with Mercedes and Abby, they thanked God for their blessings.

They decided to announce it to their family and close friends at their housewarming party. It was fortunate for them to find that house in Kentucky, the moment that he, Mercedes, and Abby looked at it, all of them fell in love with it. Sam wanted a place with a lot of land surrounding it and this house had that; it was a white, two-story Salisbury style house with red shutters, five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms, a dining room, a wraparound porch, a garage, and fireplaces in the living room and den. It was about twenty minutes outside of Louisville, in a town called Star Pride that was as sleepy and tranquil as a Mayberry morning.

After they looked at the house, Sam made an offer right away. Mercedes told him that she was surprised that he didn't want to move into one of the houses he was flipping or have one built, but Sam felt a sense of urgency, the need to get to their new home right away, and he felt it was best to move into a house that was finished. Looking back on his frenzied need to leave Tennessee, Sam realized it was probably his intuition telling him that their family was about to grow very soon and he wanted to be prepared.

He and Mercedes did their research and it was a good place to raise a family, it was somewhat racially diverse (though if truth be told, he wished it were more diverse), and the people were welcoming. After the supermarket incident, he and Mercedes talked more about what their family might face and they were more than prepared to deal with it. They spent a week there after the Remington School was closed for summer vacation and they got a feel for the community; they visited the local shopping malls and market, and even went to church. Everyone was friendly and kind and after the family discussed it over a large pepperoni pizza in their Courtyard Marriott hotel room; they decided this was the place to settle down.

Mercedes quit her job at the Remington School and while she was actively looking for a teaching position in Star Pride, Sam suggested that she wait for a while and get acclimated to their new home and surroundings; which she agreed was a good idea and now that she was pregnant and glowing, much to Sam's joy, she was putting it off indefinitely. They enrolled Abby in a local private school because of the smaller classes and more one on one attention; though Abby had made great strides in talking again and coming out of her shell, she was still rather shy with strangers and had a somewhat reclusive nature. And she also had panic attacks that she managed with medication and with weekly Skype sessions with Santana. But each day she was getting better and every time he heard her speak, Sam's heart was filled with joy and gratitude.

When they moved into their new house, Mercedes sat on the sidelines supervising the moving crew because Sam refused to let her lift a single finger to do anything, and insisted she stay anchored to the couch with her pretty little feet propped up on an ottoman. Now that the dreaded road trip and actual move-in were over, complete with on the road morning sickness and endless games of I Spy, everything was finally unpacked and put in its place and, they could all admire and be thankful for such a beautiful home, from the soft cream-colored walls with white crown molding, the Grand Richmond white marble fireplaces reminiscent of ancient coliseums in Greece with their classic Doric columns, to the large bay windows that Mercedes was so fond of. Sam loved the deep red Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors and Abby adored her bedroom because it had a picturesque view of their land behind the house, an expanse of green fields and trees, and the birds perched on her windowsill when she left them breadcrumbs to eat. She said it reminded her of the pictures in her nature calendar that hung above her desk.

The housewarming party was going to be that afternoon. Sam, Ryder and Unique were in the kitchen with Mercedes making the food while Mercedes sat to the kitchen table sipping on a glass of ice water with lemon. Ryder and Unique had flown down the night before and were staying in their guest bedroom. Sam was so happy to see them both. Unique was as charming and funny as ever and Sam could see why Ryder loved her so much. They weren't able to make the wedding, so they made it a point to come to the housewarming party.

Unique chopped the onion for the pasta salad while Ryder mixed the punch. Sam was placing the raw marinated steaks and salmon on a plate to take out to the grill. Even Abby was helping by peeling all the hardboiled eggs for the deviled egg platter. To get around having to explain why Mercedes couldn't do much, Sam said that she was getting over a "bout of summer flu" and that explanation satisfied Ryder and Unique.

"I love your house," Unique said as she dumped the onions into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients, "And this town is so pretty and peaceful. Nothing like New York."

"Yeah," Ryder said, pouring another can of ginger ale into the punch bowl, "Unique and I love the city but it's getting to be too much."

"So are you moving?" Sam asked.

"We're looking at Vermont, but I'm a singer and performer, I don't know how much work I can get up there," Unique said, and then smiled at Mercedes, "Girl, you have to tell me your beauty regimen, your skin has never looked so good."

"It's this country air," Mercedes said, taking a sip of ice water.

"Well, I need to bottle it up and take it back to New York with me," Unique said and laughed.

Ryder opened the fridge and took out a bag of lemons.

"Don't fret, sweetie, your skin is as perfect as the rest of you."

Unique blushed and pretended that what he said was a harmless flirtation, but Sam could see that she was touched by his words by how her lower lip trembled when she said:

"Oh, stop!"

Ryder put the lemons on the counter and walked over to her; he hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"You know I can't stop loving on you," he said.

Unique giggled and turned around to face him, kissing him on the lips, lingering for just a moment before pulling away.

"We got work to do, honey, so get cracking."

Ryder laughed and got back to work. They all laughed and talked as they chopped, cooked, diced, and sliced the food for the party. Mercedes stayed a while longer and then excused herself to go upstairs to take a nap. Sam took the meat out to the grill with Abby following him as she often did. In addition to Sugar Plum he also now called her his Shadow because she loved being near him especially when he cooked or was working on a project building something.

"What do you need help with?" She asked him once they were out on the porch.

"You can go get me a bottle of water and bring me that plate of corn."

"Ok," she said and went back inside.

Sam put the steaks on the grill and was thinking of how perfect everything felt. Even the weather was like something out of movie with a pristine blue sky, bright sunshine, warm, balmy air, and the land was lush and green. As he gazed up at the sky, his phone rang. It was Finn.

"Dude, my GPS has gone haywire and we're lost."

"Where are you now?"

"Sycamore Drive."

"That's great, you're really close. All you have to do is take a left on Maple, then a right onto Star Lane; we're the last house on the left. And Ryder tied a red balloon to the mailbox."

"Red balloon got it."

"Did you get everything I said before that?"

"Pretty much."

"Let me speak to Rachel."

"You don't trust me?"

"Finn, I trust you, it's just that you're lousy with directions."

"Oh, alright."

Sam knew his brother well enough to know that he would just search for a red balloon and forego the other directions entirely. After speaking with Rachel, as soon as he hung up, his phone rang again, this time it was his father.

"Hi Papa."

"Hey there, champ, your mother and I are at the Star Pride market, do you need anything?"

"Could you pick up a 2 liter 7-Up?"

"Sure, anything else?"

Sam thought for a moment.

"A package of chocolate mint cookies and a bag of fried pork rinds."

"Pork rinds?"

"Abby likes them," Sam said, lying through his teeth, if he had said it was to satisfy Mercedes' craving his father would get suspicious and then there would be no surprise.

"Uh, ok, pork rinds it is. We'll see you when you get there."

Sam put his phone back in his pocket and turned the steaks over. Abby came out on the porch with the water and corn.

"Thanks, Abby, you can set it on the table."

"Do you think Mommy will be awake when everyone gets here?"

"I hope so, she's been tired a lot this week."

"I can't wait to see Lucy. And we can sleep in my room tonight and tell secrets."

"What kind of secrets?"

"Girl secrets."

"I see… Abby how come Lucy could always understand you even without you writing notes?"

"I don't know. She just did. That's why we're sisters."

Sam laughed.

"That makes sense."

"Are Cooper and LaTonya still coming?"

"Yes, I got a call from him earlier saying they would be here around 2:00. Did you think he wasn't coming?"

Abby shrugged.

"He's busy a lot."

Sam put more steaks on the grill.

"People make time for what's important."

"So we're important?"

"I think we are. Especially you."

Abby smiled.

"I'm glad we moved."

"Why?"

"It feels good here."

"Yeah, it does," Sam said, giving her a side hug as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

ooo

Mercedes sat on the couch in the living room sipping on punch as all the guests milled around her. All of the Hummels were there. She watched Stacey talking to Emma and Shannon by the fireplace, her face animated, her long shell pink dress, fluttering in the breeze of the ceiling fan whirring above them. Emma bounced Elijah in her arms, as he drooled on the front of his bright blue onesie, smiling at everyone; Shannon would smooth her wife's long, auburn, hair every once in a while, or give her little pecks on the cheek; they were both suntanned from their Florida vacation, Shannon wore shorts and a loose white blouse, while Emma looked delicate and fragile in her white lace sundress. They were such a loving couple and Mercedes was happy that they could come to their party. Shannon had already begun the process of getting the paperwork needed for Sam to legally adopt Abby; Mercedes was glad it was finally happening; and it put her mind at ease.

Cooper and LaTonya stood gazing out the window, his arm was around her waist, and her head rested on his shoulder; they whispered a lot to each other, laughing softly, he would kiss her forehead and gaze into her eyes; they had a secret language; Mercedes knew that it would only be a matter of time before they were engaged. LaTonya was gorgeous in her sleeveless peach eyelet dress that showed of her strong arms and legs, she didn't bother with a cosmetic cover for her prosthetic limb that day, and it was exposed; Mercedes thought she could be a model. Some of the children asked LaTonya questions about her leg and she answered them all patiently with poise and grace, and they liked her a lot, especially when she played freeze tag with them in the back yard, with even Cooper joining in; Mercedes marveled at the spectacle of a usually serious Cooper, running about the yard with LaTonya chasing the kids and laughing; was he really the same man that came to their house one freezing winter day, all grim faced in a black suit and showed her the "right way" to make pork chops without her asking for his help? The memory made her chuckle to herself; that seemed like a million years ago. Mercedes was also happy to see how much time Cooper spent with Abby, she saw them earlier that day taking a walk behind the house, holding hands and laughing; they had a special bond.

The food had been served and eaten. Every gift had been opened, they mostly received gift cards, and that was fine by her because she always got what she wanted that way. In addition to a Home Depot gift card, Cooper and LaTonya gave them a tree to grow in the backyard along with heirloom seeds for various fruits and vegetables; Mercedes and Sam had planned on having a garden and Cooper had remembered. Aunt Josephine sent them a bookcase; she wasn't able to make the party because she had hurt her back and had to stay in bed. Sam was laughing and talking with his brothers near the table where all the food was laid out. He was so happy and joyous that Mercedes couldn't help but feel grateful for all that they had. She felt someone touch her shoulder.

"Making lovey dovey eyes at Sam again?" Tina asked as she sat down beside her on the couch.

"I was not making lovey dovey eyes," Mercedes said, smiling at her.

"I love this house," Tina said, "It's so peaceful around here."

"That's why Sam and I love it. Where's Mike?"

"In the kitchen with Charlotte blowing bubbles."

"She's getting so big."

"Tell me about it, and now Mike wants another one."

"Really?"

"Yes and I'm surprised. But he feels she should have a sibling."

Mercedes looked up and saw Sam staring at her. She nodded at him and he nodded back. It was time to make the announcement. Sam clapped his hands and yelled:

"May I have everyone's attention please?"

"Excuse me, Tina," Mercedes said, getting up from the couch.

"What's going on?"

"You'll see."

She walked over to Sam, who took her hand.

"I was going to come over to you," he said.

"I needed to stretch my legs," she said and put her arm around him. Sam kissed her forehead.

"Let's do this."

"Is everyone here?"

The guests that were in the backyard and kitchen came into the living room. When everyone was accounted for, Sam said:

"First of all, we'd like to thank all of you for coming today. Especially for driving all the way to Kentucky to celebrate our new home. Everyone in this room means the world to us, and, well, we're grateful and thankful for all of you. Now, as blessed as Mercedes and I are with all of the good things in our lives, it just got even better. In nine months there will be an addition to our family, my beautiful wife is pregnant!"

Sam hugged her close to his side, and Mercedes leaned against him for support. Their family and friends clamored around them offering their congratulations. Burt and Carol were crying. Rachel, Helen, Tina, and Unique all spoke at once saying how they now understood her new "glow" and why she had to stay stationary and not run about as she usually did. Sam and Mercedes were engulfed in a flood of hugs and kisses and a thousand questions. Mercedes began to feel tired and Sam sensed her energy waning so he walked them over to the couch where they could sit down and talk to everyone.

"This is so exciting," Rachel said sitting near them in the recliner, "I'm very happy for you."

"Me too," Finn said, "Sam, I'm so glad your prayers were answered."

"We are too," Sam said, holding Mercedes' hand and squeezing it, "This is a wonderful blessing."

Helen and Stevie sat down on the love seat near the couch.

"We're going to throw you the biggest baby shower," Helen said.

"And I think all the men should be present too," Stevie said, "Why are baby showers for women?"

"That's right," Tina said, "Men should be included. It will be the baby shower to end all baby showers."

"I love baby showers," Unique said from her chair in front of the fireplace, Ryder stood behind her massaging her shoulders, "All those cute party favors and games. We'll have so much fun." Even for a casual housewarming party, Unique was dressed up in a 1950s vintage pink dress, pin-tucked with a full skirt and decorated with lace and pearls.

"I'm all for it," Sam said.

"I've never been to a baby shower," Mike said, who sat on the floor, holding Charlotte on his lap as he pulled her wavy hair back with a purple ponytail holder, "But I would come to yours."

"I guess I could survive a baby shower," Ryder said, "I don't know all that pink and blue or whatever is a bit much for me."

"Ryder, the color scheme isn't always the same. I promise you'll have a good time."

"Whatever you say, sweetie," Ryder said, leaning down and giving her a peck on the cheek, "It's only one afternoon."

Kurt and Blaine sat down beside Sam and Mercedes. Blaine held a sleeping Carrie in his lap, her curly black hair looked wild and she had grass stains on front of her little pink sundress; she had spent most of the afternoon, running races with her fathers in the backyard.

"Are you two hoping for a boy or girl?" Blaine asked them, his dark eyes twinkling.

"I want a healthy baby. That's all," Mercedes said.

"Same here," Sam said.

"Will you also be having a gender reveal party?" Kurt asked, sipping a bottle of Perrier, "Blaine and I have been to a few and their fun. In fact, if you want to have one, we can throw it for you."

"I've been to one of those, and I had a good time," Latonya said, sitting on an ottoman next to the couch with Cooper beside her, his arm was around her waist.

"I find it odd," Cooper said, "I would rather be surprised."

"That's how Emma and I felt," Shannon said, "So we found out when Elijah was born."

"We'll see," Mercedes said to Blaine, "Thank you for the offer. I'm just getting used to being pregnant again."

"Each time is different," Carol said, pulling up a chair from the dining room table and moving closer to the circle, "Stacey gave me the most problems."

"Gee thanks, Mom," Stacey said, from the doorway of the kitchen, "I thought I only gave you stretch marks."

"All of you gave me those," Carol said, perched on the edge of her chair, her sleeveless yellow blouse exposed her sunburned arms, "You can't escape nature."

Burt walked over to Carol, handing her a beer. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"I happen to love every one of those stretch marks. They remind me of what a wonderful family we have and they make me grateful that I have you as my wife."

Carol blushed and pulled him down for a kiss. Mercedes watched them and then she kissed Sam.

"What was that for?" he asked her smiling.

"For having an awesome family," she said, caressing his face.

"With you in it, it just got better," he said and kissed her again.

ooo

After the party was over, with the exception of Emma, Shannon, LaTonya, and Cooper, everyone else stayed the night in their new house. It was chaotic, noisy and fun. All of the children except for Charlotte and Carrie, stayed in Abby's room, stretched out on air mattresses and sleeping bags. Abby and Lucy had matching blue and white Frozen nightgowns and at Lucy's coaxing, Sam French braided their hair in the same style they had at the wedding; he also did the same for Birdie so she wouldn't feel left out. Once the house was quiet and still, Sam and Mercedes got on their knees and prayed together, thanking God for all of their good fortune. Afterwards, they crawled into bed, exhausted but happy and grateful. Sam held her in his arms, rubbing her belly until she fell asleep.

END NOTES: Thank you for reading and reviewing!