Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya. Glad you're all enjoying this so far. Makes me really happy to hear all your thoughts about each chapter. :)
Tamara: Thank you. :)
Guest: Don't worry, she'll be leaving soon-ish. Can't say exactly when. Thank you very much. :)
Now for the chapter. Enjoy!
*July*
"So are you excited for the barbecue coming up?" Bobbi asks Skye as the two women spar together down in the gym.
Skye ducks one of Bobbi's punches, sending one of her own in the tall blonde's direction, "Honestly? I think I'm way more excited to see my daughter and my boyfriend than I am to see a bunch of chemicals mixed together and exploding above me."
Bobbi nods her head as she sidesteps another blow, "That makes sense. But you have to admit that you're still a little bit excited for the fireworks."
Skye gives her a small smile, "Maybe a little bit. But I'm way more excited to see Grant and Jess."
"Well I think Hunter is mostly excited for all the food he's going to be able to eat," Bobbi laughs as she throws another punch at Skye.
Skye laughs, "Sounds just like him." She thrusts one of her hands out and sends a pulse wave forward that knocks Bobbi off of her feet, her back hitting hard against the mat.
Bobbi looks up at Skye, breathing heavily, "I think that's considered cheating."
Skye shrugs, "I have to shower and get my things packed before I leave later."
"Right," Bobbi nods. "Of course."
Skye reaches out a hand to help Bobbi up from the mat, "I still wish we had an extra room for you guys to stay in while you're visiting."
Bobbi waves her off and goes for her water bottle, "It's fine, really. We'll be okay staying in a motel room for the night." She unscrews the cap and takes a drink.
"Still," Skye says, moving over to the bench to grab her water bottle. "I've actually been meaning to talk to Grant about finding us a bigger place. He's probably going to get all weird though, because that one is his safe house, but eventually it's going to feel way too crowded. Or you know, maybe we can just expand it; add on an extra room or something." She lifts her bottle to her lips and takes a swig of water.
"That sounds like a discussion I would not want to be a part of," Bobbi smiles as she begins unwrapping her hands.
"Yeah, I think I might save it for after the holiday," Skye muses. She takes a deep breath, "Well I'm going to go get in a quick shower, then change, finish packing, eat something, and then head out. You and Hunter are heading out tomorrow, right?"
Bobbi nods her head, "That is the plan, yes."
"And you know how to get there?"
Bobbi nods again, "Mm-hmm. Now go and do what you have to do so you don't get there too late. I'm going to stay in here and work out a little longer."
Skye smiles, "Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow." She turns around and makes her way out of the gym and towards her bathroom for a shower.
"Skye, can you get the door?" Grant calls from within the kitchen.
"Already on it," Skye calls back as she makes her way into the front room carrying Jessica on her hip. She pulls the front door open and smiles when she sees Hunter and Bobbi standing on the front porch. "Hey guys, come on in," she steps back and allows her two friends to enter the house.
"Jessie, look who's here," Skye smiles at her daughter as she closes the front door. "It's Aunt Bobbi."
Bobbi looks at Skye and raises a brow, "Aunt Bobbi?"
Skye shrugs, "It just feels right. You don't mind it, do you? I realize now that I probably should have asked you first before just sticking you with that. It's just…I don't have any siblings of my own and if you asked Grant he'd probably tell you pretty much the same thing. I mean, she has her Auntie Kara, but I like the idea of her having more than one aunt or uncle."
Bobbi smiles and shakes her head, "It's fine, Skye, I really don't mind. I actually think it'll be kind of nice to be considered somebody's aunt." She turns her attention back to the little girl and smiles at her, "Hey, Jess. How are you, sweetie? Do you remember me? I came to your birthday party."
Jessica tilts her head to the side for a moment before getting a small smile on her face and quickly leaning forward in Skye's arms, her tiny hands reaching out for Bobbi as she makes a small grunting noise.
Skye laughs, "Looks like she remembers you."
"Looks like it," Bobbi smiles, taking the little girl into her arms and giving her a hug. She pulls back to look at Jessica, "Hi Jess, can you say Bobbi?"
"Bob!" Jessica shouts with a smile on her face.
"Normally I might be a little upset with someone else calling you Bob because that's what I call you, but I think I can let it slide this time around." Hunter smiles over at Jessica, "Hi sweetheart, I'm your Uncle Lance."
"Why Uncle Lance?" Skye asks him. "Why not Uncle Hunter? That's what everyone calls you."
"Exactly. Everyone calls me Hunter. And besides, don't most uncles usually go by their first name instead of their last?"
Skye shrugs, "I don't know. I've never had an uncle. Or an aunt."
"Right, well, you lot are still going to call me by my last name." He looks back at Jessica, "I'm your Uncle Lance, sweetheart. Can you say Lance?" Jessica just looks at him. He sighs, "Figures." He takes a deep breath and looks at Skye, "Now then, I distinctly remember you inviting us here for a party, not just to stand here trying to get your child to say my name."
"Yes," Skye nods. "Kendra and Ian are already here because Ian and Jess really wanted to have a play date this morning, but there's still a couple of hours left until everyone else will probably start arriving. You guys can go hang out in the backyard while Grant and I finish getting things ready for when everyone else shows up. You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all," Bobbi smiles.
"Jess!"
Everyone in the room turns toward the back door to see little Ian standing outside, leaning in the door.
"Ian!" Jessica shouts back, reaching out towards him.
"Hold on, kiddo," Bobbi laughs quietly, setting the little girl down on the kitchen floor.
Once her feet hit the floor, Jessica darts over to Ian, crouching down in front of him. After a moment Ian backs away from the door so Jessica can climb down and then they run off together into the backyard.
"Be careful you two," Kendra calls out to the kids as she makes her way to the back door. She leans back against the doorway so she can still keep an eye on the kids. "Those two are like peas in a pod," she smiles, looking up at Skye.
"Yes they are," Skye nods. "Kendra, you remember Bobbi and Hunter, right? They were at Jess' birthday party."
"Oh, yes, of course. The two party crashers," she teases.
"That's us," Bobbi says.
"Well it's great to see you two again," she smiles kindly.
"You too," Bobbi smiles back. "We didn't get to talk that much at Jess' party, but I could tell from the moment I met you that you're a good person."
"Oh, well thank you. That's very nice of you to say."
Bobbi waves her off, "Don't mention it."
"Bob!"
"I think that's my cue," Bobbi says in response to Jessica's call for her. She looks at Hunter and gestures with her head to the backyard, "Come on." She makes her way out the door with Hunter following closely behind her.
"I like those two," Kendra says as she watches Bobbi lift Jessica into the air making the little girl giggle and Hunter chuckle when Ian attacks his legs.
"So do we," Skye says back. "I've worked with them for a couple years now and they've become really close friends of mine. Even though they didn't find out exactly how I would have liked, I'm glad they're in Jess' life. Sadly, they're the only ones from work who know about Grant and Jess."
"Ah, yes," Kendra nods, "the bad blood you told me about between Grant and most of your colleagues."
"Yeah. Bobbi and Hunter didn't really start working there until after Grant left, but that doesn't mean the others didn't tell stories. I think that's one of the reasons I didn't really want to tell anyone, not even Bobbi and Hunter."
"Well that's too bad," Kendra frowns. "You're a great guy, Grant," she smiles over at him. "And I've seen you with Jessica, you're a great father. I'm sure they'd be able to put their differences with you aside if they how great of a family man you are."
"Thank you, Kendra," Grant smiles appreciatively.
"Anytime," Kendra smiles. She takes a deep breath, "Well I'm going to go and join them outside, leave you two to finish up in here."
"Alright," Skye says. "We're pretty much almost done here, I think."
"Great," Kendra smiles and then pushes off of the doorframe, making her way out into the backyard.
...
"Jessica," Skye calls out to her daughter across the yard. "Come here, angel. The fireworks are going to start soon."
Jessica toddles over to Skye through the grass and stops in front of her, grabbing a fistful of Skye's jeans in her tiny hands to try and pull herself up.
"Do you want some help up, baby girl?" Skye asks.
Jessica lets out a small frustrated grunt and continues to try and pull herself up.
"Come here," Skye smiles and grabs Jessica under her arms, lifting her up and setting her down in her lap, allowing the little girl to lean back against her chest.
She reaches behind her and grabs the blanket off the back of the chair and drapes it across herself and Jessica, making sure the little girl is perfectly comfortable.
"I didn't miss anything exciting, did I?" Grant asks as he approaches them from the back of the house.
Skye looks up at him and shakes her head, "Nope. The show hasn't started yet."
"Good," he breathes out.
"¡Papá!" Jessica shouts when she sees him.
"Hey Jess," he smiles at his daughter as he sits down in the chair between Skye and Kara. "Buddy is safe inside his kennel," he tells his girlfriend.
"Thank you for doing that," Skye says back. "I've heard that dogs, especially puppies, don't usually do too well around fireworks."
"Mamá," Jessica says, turning her head to look at Skye. "Buddy."
Skye smoothes some of Jessica's hair back out of her face, "Buddy's inside, baby. He wouldn't like being around all the loud fireworks so daddy put him in his kennel."
A loud popping makes Jessica jump and whip her head around. Two more pops follow and Jessica's eyes go wide at all of the bright colors in the dark sky above her. "¡Mamá!" she shouts, looking at Skye and pointing upwards.
"I see, baby," Skye smiles. "Keep watching."
Jessica turns around and leans back against Skye's chest, reaching one hand back to grab a piece of Skye's hair to gently play with as she watches the fireworks.
"I'm glad you, Hunter, and Bobbi were able to come down," Grant says into her ear.
She looks at him and smiles, "Me too." She gives him a quick kiss on the lips before settling back in her seat, leaning her head on his shoulder as she turns her attention to the different colors lighting up the night sky above.
...
"Thank goodness she can sleep through just about anything," Skye says as she walks into the bedroom after having put Jessica in her crib. "Because if she couldn't then those fireworks probably would have kept her awake all night." She quickly changes into a pair of shorts and a tank top before moving over to the bed and pulling back the covers to climb in beside Grant. She immediately lies down and curls into his side, resting her head on his bare chest and draping an arm across his torso.
He smiles down at her and wraps an arm around her shoulders to hold her close, "She definitely gets being able to sleep through anything from you."
She laughs quietly, "And I also hate waking up super early. Which I'm kind of hoping she does not inherit from me, otherwise mornings will definitely not be enjoyable once she's a teenager."
"Well then I guess we'll just have to wait and see. But let's hope for the best," Grant replies.
Things are quiet between them for a moment before Skye speaks up again, tilting her head back to look at him, "I think we should do some remodeling."
"Huh?"
"Remodeling," she repeats, shifting a little on the bed so she can look at him better. "I know it's just the three of us right now, but pretty soon this place might start to feel a little cramped."
"Now, I'm not agreeing to this on the spot, but what exactly did you have in mind?" Grant asks.
"Well I was thinking that we could just add on an extra room or two, like guest rooms. For if Kara needs to crash here for a couple nights, or for when Bobbi and Hunter come and visit. Of course, it all depends on how much space we'd actually have to be able to expand."
Grant thinks for a moment before he takes a deep breath. He looks down at Skye, "Tell you what, why don't you come up with a couple of different mock ups for what you might like to do to the house and send them to me. After you leave tomorrow I'll start looking into seeing how much it would actually cost to do remodeling and what exactly we'd be allowed to do."
She smiles at him, "You really mean it?"
He nods his head, "I really mean it."
"You are the absolute best," she beams. She leans forward and gives him a quick kiss, "I love you so much."
"I love you too. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." She settles herself back down in the bed, wrapping herself around his warmth and closing her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
For those of you interested, I'm working on a project for Brett. If you're intrigued, let me know, I'd be happy to give you more info. :)
Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!