"Ready Stella?" Keely whispered to her little sister as we walked toward master bedroom. Stella babbled happily back at her sister. "Alright, go get him Stell." Keely set Stella down on the bed and she crawled over to Andrew, hands patting his back over the sheets.
Andrew mumbled and rolled over, a tired smile immediately lighting up his face when he saw Stella and Keely. "Well good morning." He greeted, his voice thick with sleep. He moved to sit up against the headboard, taking Stella in his lap and wrapping an arm around Keely who had scooted next to him.
"Happy Father's Day, dad!"
"Thank you, baby girl." Andrew replied softly as dropped a kiss to the top of Keely's head. He looked up to the doorway, where I was standing with the breakfast tray. I smiled, finally moving into the room and sitting down at the end of the bed, setting down the tray of food.
"Ooh, are those your cinnamon apple pancakes?"
"Mhmm," I nod.
"Eat up, dad. We have a full day planned." Keely pecked Andrew's cheek and got up. I waited for her to leave and then stood as well.
"Happy Father's Day, love." I said, pecking Andrew's lips and picking Stella up off his lap. "We're leaving in an hour. Keely and I have got everything ready, so just take your time and dress casual."
####
"So, are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" Andrew asked from the back seat as we drove.
"Only that we're close." Keely replied, and she was right. Not even two minutes later we were pulling into the parking lot of one of the golfing ranges that Andrew frequented. The special thing about this range was that they also had a lengthy mini golf course. "So, you ready to get your butt kicked?" Keely asked with a smirk as she looked back at Andrew from the passenger seat.
"Ha, you think you have a chance?" Andrew replied as we climbed out of the SUV.
I made my way to the trunk, pulling the baby carrier out and starting to strap it on when Andrew stopped me. "Can I take her?" He asks.
"Of course, you never have to ask. I'll help you get her in." I smile.
"Oh, you're definitely going down if you're going to have Stella." Keely ensures as she walks past.
"Not going to happen." Andrew replies in a sing-song voice.
Sure enough, Andrew sinks the first three holes in one. Keely follows suit, so they decide to switch things up. They do the next hole one handed, non-dominant. The following with their eyes closed, then through their legs backwards and so on. When they're still tied on the last hole, they agree to allow each other to stand wherever they want to try and block the shot and see how many it takes. Keely makes it in 5 shots and I can tell Andrew is close on his 5th, probably going to make it, so I stick my putter out at the last second to block his shot for her.
"Yes! Nice one, mom!" Keely shouts as she reaches over for a high five before moving inside to turn in her putter.
Andrew gasps mockingly, his jaw dropping as he looks at me. "You're supposed to be on my side."
"I'll make it up to you later." I whisper seductively as I pass him to follow Keely. I smile as I hear him mutter damn, I love that woman.
####
"So, what's next?" Andrew asked when we were back in the car.
"Let's just say you're going to need a swimsuit." Keely replied.
"Swimsuit?" Andrew repeated in a pondering tone. He was quiet for a minute and then noted where we were getting off the highway. "Ooh, did Derek and Savannah finally finish the pool?"
"Told you he'd figure it out." I said to Keely.
She shook her head with a smile. "I didn't think he would think we would go to someone else's house on Father's Day."
"They're practically family." Andrew noted. "So, I'm right?"
"Yes, Derek finished the landscaping around the pool over the week and today is the official unveiling, so to speak." Derek had done all the work for their in ground pool in the backyard and been working hard for the past few weeks to have it all done for today.
Hank and Derek greeted us out front when we pulled up, both already in their swimsuits.
"Kee!" Hank shouted as Keely got out of the car.
"Hey, little man!" She ran over and scooped him into a hug. Keely had started babysitting for them frequently this past year, for date night or just to allow Derek to run to the store child free. Sometimes he dropped off Hank at our house and we all got to see him, and sometimes we brought Keely over to their house, but regardless of where they were, Hank was crazy about Keely. She'd become his honorary big sister.
I let Andrew get some of the bags in from the trunk, now that seeing our food contributions and the swimwear I'd packed wouldn't spoil any surprises. We all got changed and headed out back.
"Derek, this looks great!" I admired. The pool was a classic rectangular shape, with a diving board at the deep end and stairs leading into the shallow end. Derek had placed tiled stone around the pool, which was then separated from the rest of the yard by a garden. It was simplistic but inviting and oh so relaxing.
Derek and Andrew talked schematics and construction while Keely eagerly got into the pool with Hank, who was wearing adorable arm floaties with crabs on them. Savannah came out with a pitcher of lemonade as I was getting Stella lotioned up. She was wearing a black strapless one-piece suit and as she turned to the side, I noticed how the material clung to her ever so slightly swollen abdomen.
She must've noticed my stares because she put a hand to her stomach and smiled. "We were going to tell you guys later today."
"Savannah!" I stood up with Stella still in my arms and pulled her in for a side hug. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you!"
"When are you due?"
"December 15th." She smiled. "He or she is going to be just over a year younger than Stell."
"Oh, that will be so fun. I'm so happy for you guys! Does Hank know he's going to be a big brother?"
"Yes and he's quite adamant about wanting a little sister. He says he wants a baby Stella for our house." We both laughed and Stella, who heard her name in conversation, started babbling happily.
It was a wonderful afternoon of fun in the sun. Stella loved the water, which wasn't a huge surprise as she was a big fan of bath time as well, but it was a joy to see her smiling and splashing in the water. Keely, Derek and Andrew had cannonball contests off the diving board, which Derek won in a landslide. As the little two both napped that afternoon, Savannah and I prepped salad and sliced watermelon and fired up the grill for steaks. We ate an early dinner and swam for a little bit longer before parting ways with hugs and an open invitation to the pool for the summer.
####
When we got back home, we lit the fireplace in the living room and settled in for a movie. Andrew chose Central Intelligence, to which Keely laughed, saying he could never pick a movie that didn't have to do with a cop or some sort of agent. When the movie finished, Stella was asleep on Andrew's chest, Keely curled into his side barely keeping her eyes open. As Keely stood up, her eyes opened wide as if in recognition.
"I forgot your gift." She said, a burst of energy hitting her as she ran upstairs. She came back a moment later and handed Andrew a small box with a bow on top. He opened it to reveal a new leather wallet with a monogrammed AM on the bottom right corner.
"I know you love your current wallet but admit it, it's a little beat up." She smiled.
"It is and I love this. Thank you, Kee!" Andrew pulled her in for a hug, careful not to wake Stella in the process, then stood with Keely to go upstairs. He put Stella to bed and bid Keely goodnight while I quickly washed the bowls from our ice cream.
"Thank you for a wonderful day." Andrew said when he came back down.
"The days not over." I smiled as I pulled a wrapped bottle from where I had hidden it in a cupboard above the microwave.
Andrew raised his eyebrow and unwrapped a bottle of Macallan 18 Year Sherry Oak, one of his favorite single malt whiskeys. "Woman, you are amazing." He said, setting the bottle down on the counter and pulling me in for a long hug.
"I'm glad you enjoyed your day."
"Well, minus that little stunt you pulled at mini golf." He pulled back, a grin on his face. "In fact, I seem to recall you saying you'd make up for that."
"Mm, that I did." I said leaning in for a kiss. Just as Andrew moved to deepen it, I pulled away, smirking. "Meet me in the bedroom in five."