Epilogue-
I decided to add an epilogue after a few readers asked for one. People wanted to see the family reaction to Jack's ring.
In a large family, quiet mornings were rarely that, quiet. The morning after returning from Florida, both Jack and Lisa were up early, mostly due to the jet lag they were feeling. With a two-hour time difference with Florida, they were up earlier than usual, which just prompted Jack to get started on the morning chores before dawn. Lisa was moving a little slower but was still up before anyone else in the house was rustling. A quick series of texts back and forth with Jack put her in the kitchen where she decided to prepare breakfast for the house.
"Morning," Lou called out to her as she shuffled into the kitchen, still yawning, but bundled up in her heavy robe and slipper socks. "You are up awfully early, Lisa."
"Morning," Lisa smiled from the stove where she had bacon and sausage going. Food didn't last long in a large family, and breakfast meats were no exception. She'd decided to make pancakes as soon as the meats were done, suspecting the household would start to rise at the smell of the breakfast meats. "Well, with the time change and all, both your grandfather and I were up a little earlier than normal."
Lou shook her head as she yawned again and poured a cup of coffee, "Well, more power to you. I'm not sure I would have dragged myself out of bed. It's so cold, and it is just one of those lazy morning days. I needed coffee or might still be in bed. Need any help with breakfast?"
"No," she shook her head. "I'm fine but thank you. Yes, it's brutal, that wind chill already this morning. Jack said he'd bring a load of wood in when he comes in from the barn, which," she glanced at her watch, "should be very soon. He's already been out there for over an hour. He's got to be cold. His last text to me said he wished he was still in Florida."
"Oh wow," Lou grinned. "Grandpa must have enjoyed it to say that."
"I think he enjoyed the warmer weather with this awful weather here," Lisa added, putting the last of the bacon on a plate. She glanced over at Lou, "What are your plans for the day?"
"Not much today," she offered with a slight frown. "I need to finish ordering Christmas gifts. I sent Georgie a few things already with her not coming home. Katie has a couple more things on her list, and I haven't shopped for Lyndy yet. I think ordering will be easier than hunting anything down."
Lisa pointed toward their bedroom, "I'm not sure if she showed you her list, but Lyndy has one taped to the door of our bedroom." She started laughing as she said that, and Lou got a huge smile on her face and shook her head.
"No, I hadn't seen that. When did she do that?"
"Last night after we got home," Lisa continued to chuckle, covering her mouth with her hand. "She followed us into our room with our suitcases, and she had the list in hand. Then, she said she didn't want us to forget anything she wanted for Christmas and taped it to our door."
Lou gave a nod of the head as she grinned, "I'll make sure to take a look and order something she wants. That's really precious."
"It is," Lisa nodded as she smiled and still chuckled. She moved the meats out of the way and started to prepare the long electric skillet for the pancake batter. As she did that, the door opened, and both she and Lou turned to see Jack, followed by Tim, both carrying loads of wood.
"It is brutal out there," Jack sighed, stomping his feet before he stepped further into the house. He had some snow on his boots and a little on his jacket. Lisa made eye contact with him.
"Starting to snow, ehh?" Lisa asked.
Jack nodded, "Just a few flakes."
"Calling for more than a few flakes today," Tim chuckled, following behind. "Hey, Lisa. Good to see you after your Florida vacation. Sounds like you didn't have to convince Jack to actually have a good time." The men carried the wood toward the fireplace, and Jack turned his head back to Tim.
"I did have a good time. I told you that," Jack grumbled.
Lisa sighed, "Yes, we both had a wonderful time. I wish we could have brought even a little warmer weather with us."
"Yeah, well I'm just glad I don't have to worry about any break ups or anything from the two of you traveling. We all remember that."
"It's been over 10 years, Tim. Can we just not talk about France?" Jack frowned at him and gestured to the fireplace.
"I completely agree," Lisa added, flashing a smile at Jack and tilting her head at him from where she was standing in the doorway. "We're well beyond that."
"Well, at least I travel with my wife," Tim huffed.
"To New York, which you hated, and you told us how much you hated it," Jack offered, gesturing with his hand. "That's all we both heard about."
"He's right," Lisa said making a face at Tim. "You didn't enjoy it, which is no different than Jack not enjoying France."
"Have you even told Jess that?" Jack chuckled. "Seems to me you're no different than me if you haven't told her that."
"She loves New York. I'm not about to burst that bubble."
"Tim," Lisa gestured with a roll of her eyes, "that's the exact scenario Jack and I had."
Tim pointed at Lisa, "Except you weren't married then. I am and know what is good for me."
"Unbelievable," Jack sighed, rolling his eyes and gesturing to the fireplace. "You go and get the fire started. I'm going to get a cup of coffee."
"What if I want coffee?" Tim asked.
"You can get it after you start the fire. Way I see it, my wife is the one in the kitchen, and I'd rather hang with her. You can start the fire and get your own coffee and then find your wife."
"She's traveling," Tim added. "Edmonton for some art show thing."
Lisa smiled at Jack as he made his way toward her. She turned to get him a cup of coffee while addressing Tim in the other room, "She's traveling a lot these days, ehh, Tim?"
Tim shrugged, "Yeah, I have no interest in it. You travel a lot yourself, Lisa."
"Not as much anymore," Lisa offered.
"She's not traveling like she was years ago," Jack added. "Glad about that," he winked at Lisa and smiled at her offering of a cup of coffee. Jack leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I need to get my coat and boots off," he told her, taking a sip of the coffee before handing it back to Lisa. Lou, who had taken up a seat at the table with the paper, smiled as Jack patted her shoulder.
"You're quiet this morning, Lou," Jack offered.
"Oh, just not interested in getting into the middle of that conversation, and I'm still pretty tired," she yawned.
"Lisa!" The group heard as Lyndy barreled into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Lisa's legs at the stove. Lisa leaned over and hugged Lyndy.
"Well, good morning," she said, kissing her head. Lyndy stepped back and looked at the stove.
"Did you make bacon?"
"I did," Lisa grinned. "I'm about to make pancakes. If you get the stool over there," she pointed toward Jack, "you can help."
Lyndy nodded with a big grin, but before she could move to get the stool, Jack stood from taking off his boots and walked it to her.
"Here you go, Lyndy. Now you can help Lisa with the pancakes."
Lyndy grinned after stepping onto it and making herself much taller. She turned toward the table and addressed Lou, "Auntie Lou, did you see my Christmas list?"
"I heard about it," Lou grinned. "I'll make sure to take a look at Gigi and Lisa's door to see the list." Lyndy nodded as she grinned, and she turned back to help Lisa. Tim made his way to the coffee pot and once he had a cup, he sat at the table, pulling parts of the paper to look at it.
"Now, don't go getting it all messed up," Jack offered, as he sighed by the table.
"Morning, oh there you are," Amy said, walking over to kiss Lyndy. "I should have known you'd be out here helping Lisa make pancakes."
Lyndy nodded again and looked to Lisa, "Could you make a lasagna? I really missed your lasagna."
"Oh my goodness," Lisa put her hand to her heart and gave Lyndy a sad smile. "Well, with a request like that, how could I argue?"
"Could you make some blueberry pancakes?" Katie appeared out of nowhere, standing now next to Lyndy.
"Well, good morning to you," Lisa smiled at her and nodded. "I know we have blueberries in the freezer, so yes, that is not a problem."
"I'll get them, Lise," Jack offered, moving toward the freezer and then walking over to join the group at the griddle. Lisa stood there watching the pancake batter rise on the griddle with Lyndy next to her on the stool and then Katie by the coffee pot. Lisa smiled over her shoulder at Jack as he walked toward her, putting his arm around her shoulder as he joined the group at the griddle.
"Thank you," she smiled up at Jack and leaned up to kiss him. Lyndy made a face as they did, and that had both Jack and Lisa chuckling at her. Jack stood there, his arm around Lisa's shoulder as they waited for pancakes.
"Gigi, you got a ring in Florida?" Katie asked, there, just down from Jack with a front row view to his new ring. "I've never seen you wear a ring before." All eyes in the kitchen seemed to snap up at the mention of that, and Tim, who was at the table closest to Jack, turned and before Jack could snatch his hand away, Tim grabbed at it.
"You have to be kidding me!" Tim started to laugh and nodded to Jack. "What kind of doghouse are you in to wear a wedding ring? You've never worn a wedding ring."
"Wow, Grandpa," Lou grinned, glancing at Amy. "Let us see that. What happened?"
"It's not that big of a deal," Jack frowned, glancing at Lisa who was now holding the spatula to flip the pancakes. She grinned as she turned toward the family, Jack snatching his hand back from Tim.
"Umm, that's a pretty big deal," Amy nodded, glancing between Jack and Lisa. She gestured, "What promoted that change after all these years?"
"I knew you had to hate Florida," Tim chuckled as he shook his head. "Man, that was your compromise?"
"It has nothing to do with Florida," Jack sighed, glancing at Lisa. She just continued to grin at him as she shook her head and turned back to the griddle.
"Was your pretty ring a Christmas present?" Lyndy asked.
"No, not a Christmas present," Jack sighed. "Lise?"
Lisa turned and squeezed Jack's arm as she addressed the family, "Jack and I have a little bit of a compromise, something that we discussed, gosh," she glanced at him, "I suppose 10 years ago, shortly after we got married."
"What was it?" Amy asked, looking between the two of them.
"A ring, Grandpa," Lou grinned. "You've never in your life worn a wedding ring."
"Well, suppose it was time," Jack offered. "The right person convinced me of it," he said with a quick wink at Lisa, and she gestured to the group.
"At the time, I didn't want to change my name, and Jack didn't want to wear a wedding ring. We sort of agreed to just let things be," she glanced at him, and he nodded, chuckling lightly. "Recently," she offered a small shrug as she glanced at Jack again, "I decided it was time for a change."
"What kind of change?" Lou asked.
"I have decided to change my name," Lisa explained with a single head nod.
"Wait a minute," Tim gestured between them. "You mean after all these years, you're changing your name, and you got the old man to wear a wedding ring?" He started to laugh. "Oh, that's good."
"Lisa, why are you changing your name? I never thought you would do that." Amy asked.
Lisa looked at Jack and shrugged with a smile, "No reason. I just felt like it was time."
"Just like you finally moved in here what, after you two had been married three years?" Lou asked.
Jack and Lisa looked at each other with another shrug, and Lisa answered, "Yes, I suppose so. I suppose it just takes us deciding things on our own time schedule."
"Nothing like waiting seven years to get married, you two idiots, and then another 10 to make legal changes," Tim grumbled, and Jack and Lisa both snarled at him.
"At least we didn't run off to Peru and chant our wedding vows," Jack fired back. "You gave us a hard time for our private wedding at the dude ranch, but at least it was a real wedding not in some stupid robe or something with some random guy yelling chants. You came back with bracelets! You're giving me a hard time about a wedding ring, and you said that your bracelets were all you needed?"
"Hey, it was special!" Tim pointed at Jack, and the ladies all started laughing.
"What I would have given to have seen Dad's wedding," Lou grinned with a sigh. "I still have a bone to pick with all of you," she pointed to Lisa, Jack, and Tim, "for all going off on your own to get married."
"Lou, give it up. Lisa and Grandpa's wedding was over 10 years ago." Amy sighed.
"But Gigi just got a ring," Katie pointed, reaching over to grab at Jack's hand.
"It's so shiny," Lyndy grinned. "Can I wear it?"
"No, you cannot wear it," Jack told her, pulling his hand back. "It's Gigi's ring, just like Lisa's rings are for her to wear, no one else."
"So, you're really changing your name, Lisa?" Lou asked.
"I am," Lisa grinned, gripping Jack's arm. "It was time."
"Wow, so hyphenating it, Stillman-Bartlett?" Lou asked further.
"No, just Bartlett," Lisa shrugged. "I'll keep Stillman for my official middle name, but no hyphen. It's been a slow process changing all of my documents, and my passport will be last next year, but it is happening. I got your grandfather his ring, not to force him-"
"Strongly encouraged," Jack nodded, with a smirk.
"Yeah, if you know what's good for you," Tim smirked.
"Wow, I'm really shocked, Grandpa," Lou offered. "Never thought I would see the day you wore a wedding ring."
Jack glanced at it and over at Lisa. She shrugged and flashed a big smile at him. Jack turned back to the table, "Well, I suppose it was time, yes. Got tired of people in Florida asking the two of us things we weren't."
"Wait, what?" Amy asked, glancing at them, confusion on her face.
Jack waved it off, but Lisa turned and gestured with the spatula, "On more than one occasion, people asked how we were related, meaning," she burst out laughing, "if he was my father."
Tim about spit out his coffee and turned to them, "People thought you were Lisa's father?" Tim pointed at Jack and started laughing. Jack gave Lisa a look and sighed, shaking his head.
"It was somewhat of a theme," Lisa scrunched up her face and faced the girls. They started to laugh too.
"That is pretty funny," Amy nodded. "Yeah, I see that a ring would help."
"Pretty bad, Grandpa, people thinking your wife is your daughter," Lou offered a sympathetic smile before she burst out laughing.
"Laugh it up, all of you. We gave each and every person who asked a little taste of their own medicine."
"What do you mean by that?" Amy asked, looking between them.
Lisa shrugged, glancing back at the girls, "Your grandfather made sure not to just give me a quick peck on the lips when our relationship was called into question."
"Oh, I don't need the visual," Lou waved her hand.
"Why would people think that, Gigi?" Katie asked, glancing between Jack and Lisa.
Lisa leaned toward Katie, "I'm just a little younger than Gigi."
"Just a little," Tim scoffed with a chuckled and shake of the head. He looked at Katie, "Lisa is almost my age, so she's the age of your grandfather, not your great-grandfather."
"Just stop, Tim," Jack sighed, shaking his head.
"Gigi when you take off your ring, can I wear it?" Lyndy asked again.
"I'm not taking it off," Jack said, now frustrated.
"So, wow," Lou nodded, grinning. "What a big couple of weeks for you two, especially you, Grandpa. A vacation to Florida, which," she pointed at them, "you both enjoyed. Lisa, you're changing your name after years and years. Grandpa, you're willingly wearing a wedding for the first time in your 80+ years yourself. Wow, lots of changes."
"I'm impressed," Amy nodded with a smile.
"I'm loving this and will not let the old man live it down," Tim flashed a grin.
"Well, I'm just happy we both made some compromises," Lisa said, leaning up to kiss Jack's cheek. She turned back to the family, "Just goes to show you, it's never too late to make some changes. We're happy with ours."
"Oh, this is great," Tim chuckled.
Jack glanced at Lisa and gestured toward Tim, "You know, I like that mantra, never too late to make some changes. Perhaps, Tim, we should discuss some changes to the living situation with the loft. Never too late to make some changes, so if you're going to continue to go on and on about my wedding ring when we've been married the longest here, well, then, I think we can sit down and discuss some changes for you too. How does that sound?"
Tim was almost speechless, and with a smirk back at Jack, who was there holding back a grin himself, Tim just nodded, "I have no further comment on your wedding ring or anything else. Yup, perfectly happy keeping my mouth shut."
"Well, that's a first," Lisa muttered from the griddle, and with that comment, everyone else broke into a laugh, and the changes in the Bartlett household seemed to be settled once and for all.