December 24th 2022

Chapter 358
Our Trip Into Milestones

They had made calendar day into something that got their daughters very eager by now. They knew, even as they were inching along those last days of the month, that the moment was coming, and so they would be excited, wanting to know time and again – sometimes more than once a day, because who was to say that it hadn't snuck up on them without their knowing it – if the time had come. When they'd be told that it hadn't, they would show disappointment that was as obvious as it was sweet. Sooner or later, it would be the last night of the month though, and the girls would know, as they went into bed and got their stories or songs, their goodnight kisses, that in the morning, when they got up, it would be time to turn the page. There may have been an inordinate number of calendars in the Friar house, specifically so that each of the Friar girls got to turn one page every month.

As they would grow older, the Friar girls would come to notice different reactions to the turn of each month from certain people. It was understandable enough. They may have a holiday they liked coming up, or a birthday, anything special or exciting. Whether they were old enough to remember the pattern from one year to the next, well, that depended. Marianne was certainly old enough to have picked up on it by now, and at this point, the triplets were getting to remember it, too. For instance, when the pages were turned, leaping from June and into July, they could see the way their parents smiled, and it reminded them of the last time it had become July, though they didn't remember why or what it was about this turn that made them happy like that. So, when the time came, they asked. Well, Kacey asked. In situations like these, where they all wanted to know the same thing, she was very often the one to do it, like she was their elected spokesperson.

"You're smiling a lot," Kacey informed Maya and Lucas. "Why?" she asked, even as she indicated the kitchen calendar now showing a sunny field of flowers. This one had been Mackenzie's to turn, and Lucas was still holding her up, from assisting her to fix the page in place. He looked over to Maya, who still had that smile lingering over her, before turning back to their daughters with their curious eyes.

"Why are we happy that it's July?" he asked them, and they all nodded, almost exactly in time with one another. "Alright, let's go do the next one, and then we can tell you, yeah? Let's go do the one on my desk?" At this, Remy raised her hand excitedly and took off running. That was her calendar page. The other triplets took off after her, Marianne and Tori on their heels, so Lucas – with Mackenzie – and Maya – with Aubrey – followed after them. Everyone else was still asleep, less so concerned with the start of a new month.

They always waited until everyone was there to see 'the new picture,' but Remy was definitely struggling with patience as she had managed to climb on to the chair and then sit on her knees on her father's desk, a hand at the page of the calendar hanging on the wall across from it. When the others had all caught up, that meant she was in the clear, so she turned the page. This calendar was a special one, because it had been created for Lucas and Maya by their daughters and granddaughter for Christmas. Under Ella and Marianne's initiative, they had collected pictures of the family, feeding them into a template and printing it out. Each picture had been taken in the month that it represented, just one year previously. For July of this year, they thus had a picture of the whole family at a restaurant, from their vacation a year ago. Aubrey was still just a babe in arms, not even two months old.

"Alright, now, back down, that's it," Lucas went and helped to see Remy down safely from the desk. He had no doubt that she could manage just as well as she'd done coming up, but he preferred not to take any chances. He and Maya would often be left to think, after seeing her or any of her sisters climbing like that, how there was every possibility that there had been several occasions for the girls to climb both ways without either of them ever knowing.

"Oh, I know!" Lucy gasped, suddenly, and they turned to her, finding that she was staring up at the dresser, on top of which sat the photo of her parents on their wedding day.

"Good job, bun," Maya beamed. She set Aubrey back on her feet, and the one-year-old scampered over to her buddy to stare up with her. She couldn't see very well from her vantage point, but then she'd seen the picture from up close before, and she pointed to it, identifying the pictured duo.

"Mamadada!" They were as good as a single unit in her mind.

"Yeah, that's us," Lucas told her. He put Mackenzie down before reaching for the picture and bringing it down where they could all see it. "And tomorrow…" he indicated the calendar behind them again, where the girls looked and saw, in the second square of the month, that there was something written… whether they could read it or not. "Tomorrow it will have been ten years since your mama and I got married," he indicated the picture again before showing the wedding band on his finger. Mackenzie grabbed hold of his grown man hand with her toddler girl hands and prodded at the golden band with her right index. After a moment, she turned her head and moved over to her mother, scanning her hands before spotting what she was looking for. She gave the hand and its rings the same inspection, though she clearly thought these were most fascinating.

"That's a long time," Tori declared, looking at her grandparents and the picture. On the one hand, she had the pair as she knew them now, in their mid-thirties, her Nana and Pappy, her mother's parents, her little aunts' parents. And on the other hand, there were the newlywed Mr. & Mrs. Friar, twenty-six and twenty-five years old respectively at the time, neither of them parents to a single child yet, none of those children even alive yet except of course for Ella, though she hadn't been Ella yet and she certainly hadn't been their child either.

"Do you think so?" Maya asked her, smirking, almost giving her a pout. Tori looked uncertain now. She didn't want to go and insult or make her grandparents feel bad, even if – from her perspective at nearly six years old – ten years felt like an eternity. "Do you know, for us, it didn't feel like that at all," Maya smiled at her, then over to Lucas, who met this opinion with a smile of his own and a shake of the head. Not long at all. To them, it could still feel like the blink of an eye.

That was what they had on their minds the next morning when they woke up, curled together as they were on most any morning, save for those where they had small visitors cutting in. They didn't have any of those today, which they suspected had been the work of one or the other of their eldest two. They wouldn't have minded, to be frank. Any day where they were reminded of what they had brought into the world in being together was a great one. But then, they supposed, they didn't mind being on their own either. Lucas didn't mind waking to the warmth of his wife at his side, the scent of her hair, and her skin, the rise and fall of her breath under his hand… and Maya didn't mind the subtle protective strength in her husband's arm being one of the first things she was aware of in the morning, or the tender press of his lips at the flowers on her shoulder, rising until they reached the top of that branch, at the base of her spine, the back of her neck… didn't mind the feeling of his hand traveling elsewhere, above, below, because he knew that she was awake and he was feeling an… excess of love for her he wished to express. Oh, she didn't mind that at all. If anything, she encouraged it.

Ten years… So much had been going on that year, so much so that they now found themselves celebrating more than one big anniversary this summer. But today was only about this one, about the day that they had become husband and wife, and the thing that struck them in that instant, as they considered that anniversary, was not an unfamiliar one, though it certainly took on a different meaning whenever they encountered it. They had felt before the magnitude of time, mingled as it was with its ability to just fly by at the speed of light. It didn't feel to them like it had been ten years. They both remembered so vividly that day, so much so that it could have been that they were waking up on the morning of July 3rd 2027 instead. But then if they looked the other way… If they looked the other way, there were all those years of Maya being a teacher, all the lives she had touched and been touched by, there was Lucas' evolution on his way to the position he would soon hold at Sullivan Stables, and everything he'd done to help it grow. And there were their girls, the ones they had created together and the one they had taken into their lives, their home, and their hearts, turning them into grandparents far earlier than they ever imagined, and happily so.

It felt like they'd only just gotten married, but they also felt the power of those memories they carried with them. Ten years, and there was no need for them to ask whether those had been happy years. They only had to lie here together this way, feeling very much like the touch, the mere presence of their spouse at their side made them feel alive and powerful. When Maya finally turned herself around, that she might see his face, she found just the smile she had been expecting to find, the smile she'd hoped to find, because it made her so beyond happy to see it, always. She got to see how it expanded, for seeing her and, she imagined, her own magical smile aimed right back at him. They kissed, quiet, and tender, but also with a growing passion, fire rising. When they stopped, it was because he'd had a thought, and he needed to say it. They lay there for a moment, holding one another, breathing together… Lucas placed a kiss at her forehead before laying his against hers.

"Marry me again?" he whispered, and she smiled.

"Anytime," she whispered back.

"How does today sound?" he asked, and now her face turned to curiosity. "I'm serious," he told her. "We can renew our vows. What do you think?"

"I think…" Maya hummed, giving him as good of a considering face as she had, even though he'd recognize as well as she could that she'd already made up her mind… the ideas were flowing in. "I think we're going to have to get a move on if we're going to make this happen… What do you have in mind?"

It wasn't as though they hadn't already had plans in the works for today. It was their tenth wedding anniversary. They would have gone out that evening, there were reservations… Instead, they were flipping the script entirely, and they had to get on with it as soon as they could. They weren't going to make this too big, weren't going to go anywhere like the ranch, though they could absolutely have made it work if they wanted to. Maya would have teased Lucas about how she had connections with the man in charge, and it would have made him laugh, not because the joke was right there, but because she would know that it was an obvious gag, so she would have made certain to twist it into some other direction he wouldn't have thought of, and that would have made him incapable of keeping a straight face. That was the power she had, to this day, and one of the many reasons why it felt like renewing their vows was the best way to honor this tenth year of marriage.

"Paging Sherriff Annie, please report to the big room. Sherriff Annie, the big room. Thank you," Maya spoke into the baby monitor in her best school secretary voice. She had no doubt that the girls were awake out there, she could hear them, but then they couldn't hear her or Lucas unless they wanted to – and thank goodness for that – so they'd be back there, pretending and staying away as they'd been instructed to for this special morning. Breaking silence like this was not just going to summon the one girl but likely all of them that were on this floor… That was what they were going for.

Marianne appeared, pushing the door open and looking inside a moment before Mackenzie came along, leading her little sister by the hand. And once they would be seen by the residents of the room across the hall, Lucy, Kacey, and Remy would come sneaking up right behind Aubrey.

"You said we have to wait!" Remy told her big sister with a confused frown.

"It's okay, kit, I told her to come," Maya told Remy, who immediately let it go. Well, they could be here now. She wasn't about to let that go in vain. She made a big run and jumped on to the bed, which was all in all not as surprising to her parents as it used to be. Now they knew to catch her… or make space for her landing, which they did. The others all came along, either climbing up, or being lifted up, or staying on their feet but approaching the bed.

"What's going on?" Marianne asked, catching on that this wasn't simply their being told that they didn't have to stay back anymore.

So, they told her. Marianne understood immediately what this was about, but the others needed to play catch up, like at first all they could think was 'hold on, aren't you two married already, we went through this yesterday with the photo and the calendar.' But in time they caught up, or at least they got the gist of it: they were going to have a big party today, none of it was planned up to now and it still wasn't planned, so they didn't have a lot of time and they had a lot of things to do before they were done, so they needed to get started, and they were going to need all the help they could get, especially from their favorite helpers. Their levels of skills varied, but everyone had something to give and so they would.

First things first, they had to get the rest of the house in on this, and then they needed to start making calls… and they had to get a move on breakfast. Many little feet scampered up the stairs to knock on one, and two, and three doors, waiting on the summons from within so they could deliver their message: Mommy and Daddy were getting married again, and they needed help making it happen because it was going to be today. It was as much of a rallying as they were going to need. Ella, Taylor, Tori, Eliza, Ben, Emma, and Dakota made their way downstairs, following or carrying their messengers for haste. In no time, Ben and Dakota volunteered to go pick up breakfast for everyone from Ma Maggie's; it would be one less thing to worry about… plus, it would be delicious.

While they waited, they started to make lists of things to do and things to get. And they started to make calls. Everything would be that evening, which would hopefully give everyone the chance to make it, those who were within driving distance. Those who might need to fly, well, it was up to them whether they wanted to make the trip, but no one would hold it against them if they couldn't. At least some people no longer found themselves on that level. Even as the guys had gone off to the restaurant, they had kept an eye on Marianne as she went dashing across and up the road to her grandparents' house so she could tell them what was going on. They had not been here more than a few days and it was still brand new to go there just like that, but to watch her go, it was like she'd been doing it all her life. She returned within minutes with Maisie at her side and a promise from the others that they would be along very soon. They called the guys so that they'd pick up a few extra things for breakfast.

The next several hours were a whirlwind. All the calls were made for guests, many of them sounding like they'd been caught up in that whirlwind, too. This was fantastic news, and of course they would be there. Some were soon to submit themselves to assist in whatever way they could. Some of them started to cry with happiness.

"You know… I'm good with spontaneity on most days, but this one feels like a lot…" Rosa breathed when Lucas opened the door to find her there. "Jenna should be at the shop by now if you want to check with her about the flowers."

"Are you alright?" Lucas chuckled. It was very like her to just up and run over, but it was no reason for her to overdo it either. Things had to be pretty hectic for her already these days, with what she was trying to do for their friends.

"Yeah, fine," Rosa sighed. "It would just be super if I didn't feel like spewing at something I can't even see, smell, touch, or taste. All I have to do is think about… Nope, oh, talk to me about something else, okay? Tell me what you need me to do?" She looked like she was this close to cutting for the bathroom but trying ever harder not to have to. This left him thinking about the only thing he could think right about now, knowing what he knew, and the thought must have been right there on his face. Rosa breathed out, a little less wobbly than she'd been a moment ago. "Okay, in my defense, I tried very hard to play it cool for today. I don't know how Maya and the others pulled it off, I feel like an alien right now." Lucas smiled. "No, hey, stop that, okay?" Rosa pointed at him. "This is your day and Maya's, and I'm not even supposed to tell…"

"I won't breathe a word of it… but you should tell Maya. It's our day after all," he matched her tone, and his old friend and former co-worker squinted at him. "It'll make her happy."

"I'm not the one you need to be happy… at, okay?" Rosa insisted. This was their friends' happiness, that was what she wanted them to focus on, even if she was the one who was definitely pregnant and would be so for the many months to come. Still, Lucas could sense in her a quiet dose of deep care and concern. She had volunteered for this, and she was in it for the long haul… but it was one thing to make the offer, and go through the process with everyone involved, and a whole other one to find herself officially growing a human. Whoever would end up raising it, she was now responsible for getting it safely into the world. She wanted to get it right, wanted to make sure the baby was growing as it should.

She told Maya with the express purpose of getting her assistance in settling her stomach for the foreseeable future. Not telling everyone until a bit more time had gone by was important to her just now. She didn't think it would be, she wasn't superstitious, but suddenly… suddenly… She had barely found out for certain that it had taken, that she was pregnant, all of three days prior. And it was very early, a benefit of her situation being that she knew to look for it. She couldn't even say that this nausea would be because of the pregnancy or because she was so nervous. Either way, the quartet's sixth child, born of Sophie and Ray like Jae, would be the first not carried by Chiara, and it was very new for everyone who was presently aware. Lucas had been right though; Maya was overjoyed to learn the news. She got Rosa good and settled, and then they could carry on.

There was nothing to worry about for the cake – which would be seen to by the chefs up at the ranch, as guaranteed by a bubbling and elated Donna Devereaux – or the dinner – Isabel Garcia up in Houston barely had to be asked and she was on board. Decorations had also been handled. The biggest thing the 're-bride' and 're-groom,' as they'd been called, had to worry about were clothes. They had been semi-unceremoniously sent from the house, so they wouldn't see everything until that evening, and from each other, for the same reason. Not that they didn't 'disobey' a little…

"Are you alone?" Maya asked over the phone.

"In a changing room with some suits. My mother insisted I needed a new one for the occasion specifically, and this time she'd get to help. I'm not sure if that means she didn't like the one I had on ten years ago…"

"Well, if that's the case, then you can tell her that I thought that suit looked splendid on you. You can also tell her that I thought it did wonders on your a…"

"Anyway, what about you?" he cut in, and even if she couldn't see his face, Maya grinned to herself.

"Did I make you blush, Huckleberry?"

"Hey, if anyone can, it's you…"

"You better believe it. For me, well, same situation, more or less. I wanted to put on my dress again, but I was told it would be so much better if I could surprise you with something new. I can see the point for sure… I do love that look on your face… though I can't help but wonder if that was their way of preventing the possibility that the old one won't fit me anymore and it would bum me out. After six babies, it's not like I didn't think there'd be a chance of it, but I kind of wanted to try it anyway."

"Maybe you can try it later, when it's just us again," Lucas told her, and the smile in his voice made her smile back.

"You know, I had our song for this year all figured out, but now with today, maybe I need to make some changes… It's a pretty big one," she whispered.

"Why not do both versions?"

"In my old dress?"

"In your old dress," he agreed.

"Done," Maya replied, then, after a beat, "Can't wait to see you."

"Can't wait to see you either."

"Can you imagine, I've got butterflies like the first time."

"You and me both."

"Better get back to it. I have to find my dress and the girls'." They'd been sure to have something in their closets, but a few of them had just grown out of their options, and it wouldn't have worked, so now here they were. At the mention of their daughters though, they had to smile all over again.

If there was any benefit to their doing this renewal today, aside from celebrating ten wonderful years together, it was that they got to have something they didn't have last time, and that was their girls. The seven of them had been but a dream to their parents when they'd said I do, but they had been at the heart of so much of what had made these years what they'd become. It was only right that they would be present today to mark their parents' commitment to those ten years past and to ten more, ten and as many as they'd be fortunate enough to have together.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners