August 17th 2023

Chapter 229
We Bloom Hand In Hand

"Alright, bud, I think we've got this thing set, don't you?" Lucas smiled as he lifted his son into his arms. At two and a half months, Ezra was looking as sweet as could be in his very small suit. The whole thing had been a self-appointed commission from two of his aunts, and had Eliza and Emma ever delivered. Lucas couldn't wait for the others to see him, and he made sure to record their reactions to show his 'stylists.'

It did not disappoint. Lucas was the one who nearly lost focus, as bringing the baby out to his wife and daughters meant seeing them in their Equestrian Ball best. Maya and her sisters had been seeing to everyone's hair, dress, shoes, accessories… and they were all set to go.

"Wow!" Lucy was the first to rush over, and she was passed her brother when she held out her arms for him. Ezra knew his sisters well by now, and he loved them all. Whether he had any favorites at this point remained to be determined. "You look great, Ezra," Lucy kissed his cheek, and he made a satisfied noise.

They all couldn't wait to head to the ranch that day, and Lucas was only glad to use his 'privilege' as the head of Sullivan Stables to enable his daughters' wish. So, once they were all ready, they headed out for the ranch, with time to spare to get to look around before people started to arrive. It wasn't as though they weren't used to the ranch getting a temporary makeover for one event or holiday or another, some yearly and with most if not all of the same decorations from one to the other, but no matter if they'd seen it before or not, when they got to arrive and take it all in… It was always like the first time, and it was so exciting to all of them.

With everyone out of the minivan – one by one given their husband or father's hand for support as they climbed out, because it was a ball and 'it was the rule' – they set out toward the main area for the night. Naturally, they had to settle themselves where the lights of the great tree could shine on them, and they would once the sun went down, but that didn't make the location feel any less magical to the Friars in the meantime.

When they got to the dance floor, the girls' instincts were at once to test it out, and they paired up with giddy laughter. Marianne got hold of Mackenzie, Remy got Kacey, and Lucy got Aubrey.

"So, this guy's got one of my arms and he's not giving it back," Lucas informed Maya, who grinned as she took hold of Ezra's little hand and kissed its fingers. "But the other is yours of course."

"Then the three of us need to take this dance floor out for a test drive, huh, Pan?" she smiled at their son before they could start and sway together to the music in their heads.

They got the most out of this alone time as they could, but it all went by in the blink of an eye, it felt, and then there were people arriving, so the Friars moved to where they could great their guests and see them through. A lot of them were regular attendees of the Equestrian Ball, returning for another year with the thrill of one who carried happy memories of what had come before.

"Hey, hey, Sneaky!" Lucas laughed as he spotted his granddaughter rushing up to him right before she nearly collided with him. Maya had the baby now, which freed him to 'capture' the eight-year-old Tori in a giant hug. "Let me get a look at you," he asked as they pulled back from one another. She happily showed him her dress and how the skirt moved when she did. Her hair did a lot of this as well, which only made things better. "Where's your dad and mom?" Lucas asked her. They'd developed this code now, sort of, ever since she'd started to refer to Lea as her mother, too. Unless they specifically needed to refer to her birth parents together or stepparents together, 'mom and dad' meant Ella and Taylor, but 'dad and mom' were Theo and Lea.

"In the car," Tori pointed back toward the lot. "She had a phone call. There's a show that wants her, back in New York. But I'm not supposed to know," she quietly informed her grandfather.

"Big conflict?" Lucas guessed.

"Yup," Tori nodded, and he hummed. She'd only just come back. If she went back now, what would it mean for Theo, for the girl who now called her Mom…

"Good evening, Mrs. Friar…"

Maya had been fielding greetings and questions as she stood with Ezra, but at the sound of that voice, she had to smirk. It didn't matter that they weren't in school at the moment, her little sister would always find an occasion to tease her as she said it, this was her parent-given right as the baby of the family… on that side, anyway.

"Getting a practice run in before the Valentine's Dance?" she asked the pair, and both Haley and Rafa smiled.

"He came to pick me up and everything," Haley reported.

"Well, if I didn't go, then it wasn't going to feel like… you know…" Rafa shrugged, vaguely indicating the Bed and Breakfast behind them, also known as his home.

"You should have seen the look on Dad's face," Haley smirked, even as Rafa became instantly awkward. "No, hey, you did great," Haley promised. She patted his shoulder and planted a light kiss at his cheek, which now threatened to light him ablaze. "Come on, I want to see what the snacks look like," Haley pulled him along, and they were gone.

"Did you see Tori yet?" Ella came along now, arm in arm with Taylor. Even as he carried Sunny along. She was still too young to really know what today was about, but she was a curious girl by nature, and everything her young eyes saw appeared to be fascinating to her. Once she spotted her Nana, of course, everything paled in comparison. The three adults soon performed a trade, as Ella got hold of her baby brother, and Taylor could then pass his youngest to her grandmother.

"Hey, Sunny baby," Maya beamed, peppering the girl's cheek with kisses that got her giggling. "And yes, I did see your big sister," she directed her response at her. "She's over there with your Pappy Luke. Now, if your mom and dad want to go and say hi to her, I'm not about to stop them, so you can stay with me. I will do that for you."

"Twist your arm, huh?" Taylor teased his mother-in-law.

"Sacrifices, sacrifices," Maya smiled, seeing her son and granddaughter observe one another. Whenever they got to bring the two babies together, it would be constant amusement for the rest of them looking on.

The arrivals carried on, eventually passing into the ball proper. People started dancing here, eating there, talking, mingling… The music was live, the night was everything they could want it to be… Reunited once again, Maya and Lucas didn't have long to wait before they were required on the dance floor by one or another of their daughters, or their son-in-law, or siblings, or parents… One of Maya's favorites – four favorites, she might say – had to be the sight of her twin sisters and their boyfriends.

From what she'd been hearing all week at home, Nellie and Gracie and the Davis boys had essentially decided to lean into their identical twin status and show up with each pair arranged exactly as the other. This was easier with Bobby and Ethan, as they had never once in their lives worn their hair even a quarter of an inch longer or shorter than the other's. Once they had their matching suits and shoes on, the only real way to differentiate them was in gait, as Bobby had never quite regained full control following his accident. As for the Hunter girls, the same had been true for a while, right down to the accident, in Gracie's case, unfortunately, but then Nellie had worn her hair shorter than her twin's for years now. It had been a great surprise to all then – except for Ethan and the other twins – when Nellie and Gracie arrived, both of them with their brown hair cut to the shoulders, pinned identically at the sides. The four of them truly embraced their 'twins dating twins' thing, and now that they were fast approaching their senior year in college, they were starting to think about what this would mean afterward once they'd graduated. They had never lived without their twins, and maybe this would be the time…

Soon the moment came for Marianne Friar to take the stage, sharing the song she had worked on, for her late grandmother. She didn't say that this was the inspiration for it, but anyone there who knew her in life would know the secret, and they would listen, many of them with tears welling in their eyes and hearts caught in flight. Of course, she had been in not one but two musical productions by now, making her look like a professional up there, but it was still just incredible sometimes to see her and how effortless she made it look, like she was born for it.

She could have no greater fan that day than her Pappy Tom, who was there to welcome her down from the stage when she had finished her performance. The ten-year-old hugged her grandfather good and tight, at once looking as though she was seeking and passing on her grandmother's spirit. The pair stuck together, went for a spin on the dance floor… Neither of them had felt completely certain about attending for a while, but they had become one another's reason, as they likely would from year to year, and so here they were.

Lucas wondered at times if his father would ever allow himself to meet someone new. It was the strangest thing for him to consider, and he kind of didn't want to have to, but then the reality was there, wasn't it, and the reality was that if there was someone out there in the world that could make his father happy when it could no longer be his mother, then… what kind of a son would he be if he tried to stand in the way of that?

"Hey, what's in your head now?" Maya lightly prodded his arm, and Lucas looked at her. Right away, the sight of her just made him smile, and he leaned down to kiss her.

"Good things, on the whole," he reported.

"Uh huh," she slowly nodded. She believed him, but she would still leave space for the likelihood that he was holding something back. She knew that if ever he needed to talk, he would come to her, and so she did not worry. The two of them had far better things to do just now, and he knew just the one they needed to focus on now. He offered her his hand, and she took it with a smile. They moved on to the dance floor, where he spun her out and brought her back near, getting a laugh from her. "We've been to a lot of dances, you and me, huh?"

"And will be again tomorrow, and a few months from now…"

"And so on…"

"And so forth," he grinned.

"Good," she grinned back. "Who would I be if I squandered the fact that I have the best partner out there?"

"You and me both," he agreed, and the laughter renewed. She lay her ear against his heart, as set his to the top of her head. And on they danced.

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners