December 22nd 2022

Chapter 356
Our Future to Explore

"Come on, pumpkin, we gotta go," Lucas called up the stairs, climbing halfway up before he received a call back.

"Aubrey spit up on my shirt!" Marianne informed him. By the time he reached the room at the end of the hall, she had fished out another of her brand new camp shirts and changed into it. She held up the one she'd just had to take off like proof. "I was just hugging her goodbye."

"You know what I call that? Good luck charm," Lucas teased, especially after Marianne scrunched up her face at the idea. "No? You don't think so? Alright, then, let's go. You two, let's get you downstairs to your mama, huh?" he guided Mackenzie out of the room before taking Aubrey up in his arm. "You went and drooled on her camp shirt, huh?" Aubrey just smiled at him, buried her face in his shirt, which Marianne saw when she turned to keep an eye on Mackenzie as they headed down the stairs.

"She gave you a good luck charm, too, huh?" she asked, and he didn't need to look down to know the answer.

"Sure did." That kid just lived up to her nickname, so much so that they sometimes called her Lucky Charms nowadays. "Looks like it's going to be a good day then."

It wasn't as though they'd needed to sign her up for camp. She could either have stuck around her mother – which she always loved to do – or she could have gone to the ranch with her father and roamed freely all day long. But then summer camp, her camp, had her friends, and it was something they wanted to do, so that was what she did.

"Hey, all set to go?" Maya asked when Marianne came skidding into the kitchen and caught her in a hug. She returned it in kind.

"I had to change my shirt," Marianne reported. "I got a lucky charm," she turned a smile to her father and back.

"Very lucky," Maya agreed. "Alright, then we better hit the road."

Today was a big day at the ranch, and she had the means to be there for it, so of course she would be. It would be her, and most of their girls, out there alongside Lucas. Marianne talked all the way to her camp drop off about how she wished she could be there, and both of her parents were made to promise to take pictures and maybe videos if it felt 'like the thing to do.' They gave their word, quietly smirking to see the satisfaction in their firstborn.

With one girl off for a day at camp, the minivan drove on toward Sullivan Stables. They only had to pull up into the parking lot to find someone waiting for them, or at least just waiting.

"Morning, Rafa," Lucas tipped his head to the boy, who'd hopped off his seat on a nearby fence to come up and meet them. "You know, I don't think they're going to be here for a few hours, maybe not until after lunch. You're really going to sit out here the entire time?"

"I don't know, maybe…" Rafa shrugged, though he did look like he might have started reconsidering his plan of action. "I just wanted to be there to see them coming and let my mom know."

"You can get yourself one of those gas station bell cable things," Maya suggested jokingly. "That way when someone rolls up, it goes ding," she went on, imitating the sound to get a laugh out of the little sisters, freshly released from their seats along with the triplets. It was a big success.

Bell or not, they would be there when the first guests to Melinda's Bed & Breakfast rolled in, ready to welcome them. There had been only the slightest change of plans, with their first guests coming a few days earlier than anticipated, but then once confronted with the change, the general response had been 'we'll make it work,' and so they did. The house was ready, as were Cristina and Rafa. They were nervous, both of them, but only in an anticipation sort of way. As of today, they would be in business, no turning back.

That afternoon, when they'd go and collect Marianne from camp, they would be able to tell her all about how it went, sharing the promised pictures and videos. This included the moment when the triplets – honestly, even with video evidence, they could not tell who had seen or spoken first – saw the car coming up the road and pointed it out excitedly. This had to be The People, their first guests, and indeed they were. They were a couple, in their mid seventies, and for a welcoming committee, they were well provided, with the Vegas and the Friars. They were very aware of their status as the first guests of all time, and they were happy to hear about the history of the house and the inspiration behind the name.

"What did they say? Did they like it? What about their room? Were they happy?" Marianne questioned her father eagerly.

"Well, when we told them that their linens had been selected by Austin musical theater darling Marianne Christine Friar, they were beside themselves," Lucas intoned with a gasp, which made Marianne giggle even as she tried to admonish him. "They do want to say hello though. I told them how we worked together for the decorating, how you were the one to find Simon's journal, and to come up with the sign. I wasn't about to take the credit for you, was I?"

"I know," Marianne nodded.

"Until then though, there should be a surprise waiting for us when we get home…" Lucas went on, and that was as good as compelling her to stare at him, to demand that they hurry up and get going, so they did. Maya and the others had already been dropped off at home, so they would know what the 'surprise' was, and it only made Marianne want to know more. It was enough that Lucas had to remind her a few times not to let her long legs go and make her kick at his seat.

She didn't have to wait much longer to discover that this surprise came in the shape of people, and though it wasn't as though she didn't see some of them often already, she received their presence with great excitement because she knew what it signified, especially in the presence of the third. Ella had arrived, and Tori was with her, and that meant they had come along at long last, to spend the rest of the summer in Austin with them. And if that wasn't enough, then they had Taylor, too. He'd also be staying with them, just flown in from Indiana.

"You're here!" Marianne hurried over, embracing her big sister, and her niece and, yes, her future brother-in-law.

Even after time had passed, months of it, she continued to be very, very excited at the prospect of being able to call Taylor her brother, since she had none of those. And a big brother to boot? Oh, now… It didn't matter that he and Ella weren't married yet. The engagement was good enough, and she now had a brother to call her own. That did go and open up a few questions for her, especially where it came to Taylor's own siblings and her, because she knew who those siblings were. And then what about their children? If Taylor would be her brother-in-law, then what about her Uncle Dylan? And what about Nicky, Emily, Megan, and Aimee? Where did they fit into all this?

"Are you going to go to get it colored in here?" Marianne inquired of her future big brother-in-law, prodding at his tattoo, the compass that was halfway colored and halfway only an outline. Ella had the same one, and by the rules they'd established, they would get that third quarter filled in this summer, indicating that they were three quarters of the way through their time apart, three years down and one to go… Next summer, it would be completed, and Taylor would be home in Texas, him, and Ella, both back in Austin.

"Yeah, next week," Taylor told her, smiling over to Ella before looking back to Marianne. "You want to come with us?" Oh, those were some magic words right there. She definitely wanted to go and see Cheyenne's place again.

They'd been looking forward to this, all of them, for any number of reasons. A big one, across the board, was of course that it would mean all of them spending the summer together, and from there it all depended on the person, didn't it? Marianne was excited because Ella had promised to drive her to summer camp in the mornings and pick her up in the afternoons as often as she could. It was a sort of rare pleasure – for now at least – when Marianne got to spend some alone time with her big sister, so this would be a treat. Ella was looking forward to those wonderful weeks where it would be her and Tori and Taylor together, and no one was surprised there either. Theo and Lea had gone on a trip together which would culminate in their being in England when Nika circled back at the end of her trip, to settle into what would be her home for the next however long. It made more sense than for her to fly back to Texas and then take off again.

The next morning, bright and early, the pre-camp routine, as it would be from here on out, soon began. Marianne got dressed by herself, with a camp shirt again, after which she went up to find her big sister to get her hair done by her. She was very happy with the double French braids she got from this time sitting with Ella. She showed them to everyone in the house, human or canine.

"Can I bring her?" she asked her parents, indicating the clingy Liberty, up in her arms and looking like she was right where she wanted to be.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure she's alright," Maya had to tell her. Marianne sighed, but she moved to put her down. Liberty did not budge so easily.

"It's okay, look, they're staying, so you'll be okay," Marianne kissed the dog's head. This only seemed to make her want to hold on even more, which didn't help Marianne feel any more compelled to set her down.

"I can keep an eye on her for you," Taylor offered, and Marianne was particularly interested in his hoodie. Approaching him with the dog, she looked like she'd indeed come up with the solution, which was that Liberty, like her brother, loved an overlarge shirt like that; it was prime real estate for snuggling in with a human. As hoped, it convinced her to be handed over without too much fuss.

"Have a good day, Liberty," Marianne patted the puppy gently and stretched to kiss her head before standing back. "Thanks," she told Taylor, who held out his hand for a high five that she soon gave. If she was happy at the thought of having a big brother, it went the other way, too, that Taylor was seeing himself the happy recipient of several little sisters all at once. It was a new role for him, one of several, and he loved it already.

The eldest two Friar girls took off together for summer camp, while Lucas left for the ranch. To no surprise, now that Ella and Taylor were in the mix, the girls would want to be home with them, and so they were.

"Hey, don't worry," Maya went to her husband with an already teasing smile, setting the tone. "By the time you get home, they'll be all primed for Hee Haw Story time." Lucas chuckled. There it was.

"Well, I look forward to it."

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners