Chapter 35

Flower shop

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Kyle (POV)

I awoke early that morning, before Amanda would have even thought about getting up on a Saturday. I threw on my black basketball shorts, a gray t-shirt, and my faded blue zip up. I jogged from the apartment to the pier, it was about 12 miles. That was my warm up.

I met Foss by the shore and he had me run suicides on the sand. The drill was commonly used to condition athletes. In basketball players would start at the baseline then sprint to the foul line, back to the baseline, then to half court, then back to the baseline, then to the opposite foul line, then back to the baseline again, then full court and end at the baseline. We did this for 10 minutes and I was able to complete 357 full suicides. Foss had set up my 'baseline', 'foul line', 'half court', 'foul line', and my 'full court line' in the sand. Each was about 20 yards apart, and one full suicide was 400 yards, or four football fields.

"You're getting faster," Foss said when I jogged in from the last suicide.

"By how much?" I asked taking the water bottle from him.

"Last time we did this drill, you could only do 302 full suicides. This time you did-"

"357," I finished.

"We should probably go work on strength, at the warehouse. Do you want to ride with me? Or do you want to run?" he asked

"Running's faster," I smirked.

"Alright I'll meet you there," he said, patting me on the shoulder.

I kept an even pace as I jogged to the warehouse. From the pier it was another seven miles. I was able to get there in 9 minutes and 27 seconds. Foss pulled up a few minutes later.

"There was traffic," he joked, climbing out of the truck.

I just laughed, following him into the warehouse. Over the years we had renovated it a little, we had added real work out equipment. Instead of using cinder blocks we were using actual weights. We had also added a few mats when I started martial arts training. The climbing wall had fewer and fewer rocks on them, making the routes harder and harder. We trained for another hour, lifting weights.

"You would think with all the training you do, your arms would be the size of watermelons and you wouldn't be able to touch your face," he joked as I cleaned up the weights.

"I'm kind of glad I'm not," I laughed.

"Is your schedule next week the same as this past week?" he asked, referring to when I work.

"Yeah."

"So we'll keep the same training schedule then," he added.

"Alright, Amanda might need me for wedding things but other than that-"

"You guys picked a date?"

"November 10th," I grinned.

"That's soon, but congratulations," he said, placing one hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks, I should get going though," I said, slipping my zip up back on.

He nodded and I left, jogging back to the apartment.

It was nearing nine o'clock when I got home. Amanda was still asleep so I decided to take a shower. The hot water felt nice on my stiff muscles. I could hear her begin to stir, until finally she got out of bed. I finished up in the shower got out shaking my hair out like a wet dog and wrapping a towel around my waist. I snatched the pile of dirty clothes off of the floor and left the bathroom. I tossed the clothes into the laundry basket in our room.

"Good morning," I smiled as I passed behind her wrapping my arms around her.

"Good morning!" she said.

I released her from my arms and grabbed my blue and white plaid shirt from the closet.

"I love it when you work out," she giggled, eying my bellybutton-less abs and chest.

I just laughed and continued getting dressed.

"When do we have to pick up Brice from your mom's?" I asked.

"She said around lunch time was fine." She slipped on a gray sweater that clung perfectly to her. "Why don't we go to that bakery for breakfast?"

"We can do that; we haven't done that in a while." I smiled.

She scurried off into the bathroom to finish getting ready. We left the apartment and walked to the bakery that was two blocks away from the apartment. We ordered our breakfasts and sat at a table outside the bakery.

"It's so nice out," she commented, taking a bite of her bagel.

"It is," I agreed sipping my coffee.

We began talking about the wedding; I didn't mind that it had become the primary topic of our conversations. Once we had finished eating we walked around the city. We passed a floral shop and decided to take a look around. We looked at the white roses since she had decided our colors would be royal blue, green apple and white.

"Hello," the shop owner greeted. "May I help you?"

"We're just getting a few idea's," I smiled politely.

"Planning a wedding?" he asked.

"Yes, actually. How did you know?" Amanda questioned.

"I've seen many couples come into this shop over the years, you can always spot the ones who are planning a wedding," he smiled kindly.

We talked with him for a while. He showed us different arrangements we could use.

"You two remind me of my late wife and I," there was a little bit of sadness in his voice. "Let me make you a deal. No matter the amount of flowers, it will be four dollars for boutonnieres, seven dollars for bouquets, and twelve dollars for center pieces, any other flowers that you need will be an additional twenty-five dollars."

I calculated the total in my head. "That would only total about $225 for our wedding."

"We can't let you do that," Amanda said. "Flowers for a wedding usually cost $300 to $400 dollars."

"Please, let me do this for you guys. Let it be my wedding gift to you," he said kindly.

Amanda and I exchanged a couple glances.

"We can't let-"

"Do you not like the flowers?" he asked.

"No, the flowers are beautiful, that's not the problem!" Amanda assured him. "We just want to pay you the right amount."

"Well the amount I gave you is the right amount," he retorted.

I look at Amanda and sighed, he really wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Alright," I said. Amanda and I both felt guilty.

"Wonderful! When is the big day?" he asked, opening his black leather bound notebook.

"November 10th," Amanda smiled.

After Amanda scheduled the appointment to pick flowers, we thanked the old man, whose name happened to be Henry, and left. We walked back to the apartment to get the car and drive to pick up Brice.

On the way to pick up Brice from Carol's house we stopped at Lancaster Park. I parallel parked by the curb overlooking the park. I let Amanda go ahead saying I had to make a work call. I knew Amanda wanted to be alone for a little while; all the talk about our wedding had been a reminder to her that her father wouldn't be able to walk her down the aisle.

I had let about four songs play on the radio before I decided to get out of the car and meet her. I found her at the bench that overlooked the fountain. Sitting down next to her, I didn't say anything; I just wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head. The trees had just barely begun to change, they had little patches of yellow but the majority were still green. The flowers were still in full bloom creating a ray of colors, and the fountain sprayed water creating a calming sound.

"You know it's been almost seven years since he died," she finally mumbled. "I wish he was here…"

"I know you do…" I mumbled. "But he's still here, in a way."

"What do you mean?" she asked, not lifting her head from my shoulder.

"Well you still have memories of him; this place will always remind you of him. I know it's not the same as seeing or talking to him, but it's something that you'll always have," I explained, rubbing her arm slightly.

We were quite for a little while, neither of us saying anything because there really wasn't anything to say. I looked around at the garden again; it really was a beautiful place.

"I have an idea," I finally said. "What if we have the wedding here? That way even though your dad won't physically be here, in a way he still will be."

Even though I couldn't see her smiling I knew she was.

"That's perfect, Kyle! I'm sure he would love it." She twisted her head up and kissed my cheek.

She was quiet again, but this time she was busy thinking of what our wedding would look like. I let her wonder in her thoughts for a while before I stood up holding my hand out to her and leading her back to the car.

"Oh my god…" Amanda trailed off when we pulled up in front of her Mom's house.

"What's wrong?" I asked cutting the engine and unbuckling myself.

"He can't be here…" she trailed off, ignoring my question, and getting out of the car.

"Amanda what's wrong?" I called after her, noticing the unfamiliar silver Porsche parked in the drive way.

She was at the steps of the porch when I caught up to her, before she flew through the front door.

"Uncle Jack!" she bellowed.

"Amanda, Baby girl!" A man in his late 40's early 50's came in to the hall from the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was muffled; because of the bear hug this man- who I assumed to be 'Uncle Jack'- held her in.

"I'm just visiting for a little while; I drove down from Vancouver last night," he explained, releasing her from his hug. "How's my little girl doing?"

"I'm doing fine, I don't know if Mom told you but…" She trailed off, linking her arm around mine. "I'm engaged."

"She mentioned something about that." He seemed a little annoyed. "And I assume that this is your fiancé?"

"Hello, sir. My name is Kyle," I introduced myself and stuck out my hand. "And yes I am her fiancé."

"It's nice to meet you Kyle." He shook my hand and looked me in the eye, his eyes were protective. "I'm Amanda's Uncle Jack."

Carol wondered into the hall with Brice in her arms.

"Mommy! Daddy!" he squealed, and I could see Jack wince a little.

"Hey sweetie!" Amanda said taking Brice from Carol. "Were you a good boy for Grandma? Huh?"

"We went to the park! And Grandpa David, bought me ice cream!" he beamed.

My pager beeped and vibrated on my waist belt, were it was firmly clasped.

"You have to go," Amanda stated. I could tell she wasn't too happy about it. "I thought it was your day off?"

"I know. I'm sorry, they must need me," I said stepping a little closer to her. "I'm really sorry…" I whispered.

"Are you a doctor?" Jack interrupted.

"Yeah, second year surgical intern," I explained. "It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," He mumbled.

I turned to Amanda. "I'll be back in a little while." I kissed her forehead and said goodbye to her and Brice.

Amanda (POV)

I was a little upset that Kyle had to go to work, but I also knew that it was his job and he had to go. It just seemed like he was always called away at the most inconvenient times. I kissed him goodbye and watched him walk out the door. I knew he felt bad about leaving so I did my best to mask being upset. Even though it was useless to try and hide something from him, I still tried.

David took Brice for a while and kept him occupied while I talked to Uncle Jack. I knew this wasn't going to be the most pleasant conversation but it also had to be done.

"I'm here less than 24 hours and I not only meet your fiancé but I also get to meet your son!" His tone was a little raised as he paced in the living room.

I felt like I was 6 years old again being scolded for scratching his car with my bike.

"Uncle Jack I'm sorry, I should have introduced you sooner." I tried to keep my voice level.

"You're damn right you should have!" he wasn't yelling but he wasn't quiet either. "I don't even know this guy! It's my job to look out for you and your Mom. And you two can't help but marry these random guys!" He was my dad's brother and ever since my dad died, he felt this need to look out for my mom and I.

"Again Uncle Jack, I'm sorry, but don't you have to sort of be around for me to introduce you to people?" I wasn't trying to be bratty or anything. "The last time you visited was the Christmas before I graduated high-school, then Mom and I visited you after I graduated."

He was quiet for a while pacing back and forth, occasionally he would sigh or grunt. He clearly knew I was right.

"He's a doctor?" he huffed, still pacing.

"Yes, he'll be a surgical resident in the spring," I explained.

"How old is he?"

"He's a few months older than me."

"And he's already a doctor?" This caused him to stop mid pace.

"He's very intelligent and was able to skip a few years of college." He didn't say anything but I knew he was a little surprised.

"And he's a dad?" he asked as he continued to pace.

"He adopted Brice when he was eighteen." This one caused him to stop pacing again.

"Adopted?"

"Yes," I smiled; he was really trying to find a flaw in Kyle.

He sighed again then finally sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of me.

"You know I'm going to have to have a talk with him, right?" He looked me straight in the eye.

"I know," I couldn't help but chuckle.

"What am I going to do with you 'Bloom women'?" he joked.

"I don't know, Uncle Jack, I don't know," I giggled.

A few hours had passed since Kyle had left to go to work. Uncle Jack and I had taken Brice to the park so he could run around and play. When we came back we helped cook dinner. Brice always loved doing this with Kyle and me at the apartment.

We had eaten dinner and Kyle still wasn't back yet. I couldn't help but feel a little frustrated that he wasn't here the whole day, again. I slipped away from the family and into the living room. I sat at the piano and played a few songs.

"Mommy?" Brice called from the doorway.

"Hey sweetie," I smiled turning to him.

"Where's Daddy?" He asked making his way to me and hopping up on the bench next to me.

"Daddy's at work," I reminded him.

"What are you playing?" he asked changing the subject.

"Just an old song," I smiled, as he tapped a few keys.

"Will you teach me how to play?" He looked up at me with his big green blue eyes and a smile that could only match him and his blond hair styled just like Kyle's. Even though Brice wasn't biologically related to Kyle he still acted so much like him.

"Sure sweetie," I smiled showing him the basics of piano.

Kyle (POV)

I could hear Amanda playing the piano from the minute I turned into the subdivision. It was nice to hear, since we lived in the apartment there wasn't room for a piano. I hopped up the porch steps and lingered in front of the front door for a minute just listening to her play. She stopped for a while to talk to Brice but then she began to play again.

I quietly walked through to door. I hovered in the doorway of the living room watching Amanda teach Brice how to play. I always loved watching her interact with Brice, she was a phenomenal mother. I didn't get to watch for too long because Jack tapped me on the shoulder and motioned me to follow him. He led me into the den and sat down in the black leather arm chair and I sat down across from him on the couch.

"You know that Amanda lost her father when she was very young," he stated and I nodded. "It almost tore her apart."

I only knew a little about the emotional toll it had taken on her. She didn't like to talk about it often.

"She's told me a little about that," I explained.

"I took care of her for a long time after his death. She was very close to her father," he told me. "Ever since then I've been taking care of them."

He looked down at his hands for a minute, as if to gather his thoughts.

"Kyle, I want to be able to trust that you will be able to take care of her." He looked me in the eye.

"I love Amanda," I said. "If I weren't able to take care of her and love her in the way that she deserves to be, then I don't deserve to be with her. She's compassionate, she's stubborn, and she amazes me every day."

"From what I've heard from Amanda and Carol you've won them over." He chuckled. "I just need you to promise me one thing."

I nodded for him to continue.

"Promise me that you will always care for her and protect her and love her."

"I will." It was such a simple yet complicated promise to make. I knew that in that very moment I could guarantee those requests. But I didn't know what the future held; I could only hope it would be good to Amanda and I.

"I know I've gone about things a little un-traditionally, I should have asked you for your approval to marry Amanda." He nodded. "So I'm asking for you blessing instead."

"As long as you keep that promise, Kyle, then you have my blessing." He stood up from his chair and I did the same.

"Thank you," I replied shaking his hand.

Jack and I left the den and made our way to the living room, where Amanda was still teaching Brice.

"Hello," I smiled leaning down to give her a quick kiss.

"I didn't even hear you come it!" she said, kissing me back.

"Daddy!" Brice cheered and I went over and scooped him up.

"I stole him away before he had a chance to say 'hi'," Jack shrugged.

"He didn't torture you too bad, did he?"

"Not at all," I chuckled. "He's just doing his job."

She stared at me a little wearily.

"I think a little boy is about fall asleep," Jack pointed out, changing the subject.

"We should probably get going," Amanda said. "It is way past his bedtime."

We said our goodbyes and left.

When we arrived home Brice groggily changed into his pajamas and climbed in bed. Before I could even tuck the blanket around him he was asleep.

"Good night buddy," I kissed his forehead and left his room.

Amanda had decided to hop in the shower when we got home. I hadn't eaten much all day so I wondered into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. When I was done I set the sandwich on the table and went to grab my laptop from my backpack in the family room. I came back and sat down at the table turning on my laptop.

I had been thinking a lot about what Amanda had said the night before about Jessi. I had been speculating all day if it was a good idea for her to come to the wedding. I hadn't heard from her in years. I remembered all that we had been though with Latnock and Madacorp, it all seemed like a life time had passed since then. Things were so different now. The Jessi I knew wasn't happy, she was bitter and after everything she had been though she had every right to be.

I searched through the inbox of my old email address that I had, had in high-school. I found the email from Jessi asking for my forgiveness. I re-read the words again.

Kyle,

I'm sorry I left the way I did. I know you don't understand why I left but I hope one day you can forgive me.

-J

I never replied to that email. But I decided that it was time that I did.

Jessi,

You're right that I wouldn't understand why you left, but a lot has changed since then. I have a son now; I adopted him four years ago. In the spring I'll be a surgical resident. And on November 10th of this year I'll be getting married. I would like you to be there Jessi.

Kyle

AN: Here is another chapter I hope everyone enjoys it! Please feel free to comment with any suggestions, questions, everything is welcome and appreciated! As far as the way I've ended this chapter it looks like Jessi may or may not be making her VERY long awaited appearance. Hopefully in the next chapter or two we'll hear from her! Thanks again for reading!