A/N: Thank you, Julie. I appreciate your help.
So ...yeah ... It's been a while, but I hope you haven't given up on me or this fic. Please know that I only delay because I am trying to post something I am happy with. And I do hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not a huge plot mover, but it answers some lingering questions. Thanks for your patience.
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A Change In Me
Chapter Thirteen
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Telling my mother about the new wedding location was almost harder than telling her I was pregnant. Almost.
I chose to wait until Saturday after Mass in the hopes she would be in a more open state of mind. Sophia was with Joe for the night. We were all having dinner at Val's the next day, and I wanted this settled before then. I could tell as soon as I started, that maybe I should have planned my timing a little bit better. The homily was about showing the world in every part of your lives that you are of faith. Mom immediately quoted back to me some of Father O'Riley's words. Then, she even called Dad into the room to convince me that we could not, under any circumstances, have the wedding outside of the church. Really, she left me no choice but to turn her focus to the Orrs.
"Mom, if Dickie's parents want to pay for us to use the club, then I think we should. It's supposed to be beautiful. And I can already tell they aren't completely on board with me and Sophia."
"What?" she screeched. "What does that mean? Are you not good enough for them?"
"Well," I hedged. "They have money. I think they think I am looking for a meal ticket."
She threw her hands up. "Then we should definitely have the wedding here. Besides, it is traditional to have the wedding in the bride's hometown." She looked to Dad for support but he had no clue what was traditional.
"But if this will make his parents happy, and they know I am compromising on this, then maybe they will be more welcoming." I had no idea if this was going to work. I was completely improvising. "And when Dickie and I have children, I really want them to have both sets of grandparents in their lives. Dickie and his dad are just starting to mend a riff between them. This wedding could be what helps heal his relationship with his parents."
"Frank, tell her why this is a bad idea."
Dad crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. "What's wrong with his relationship with his parents?"
"Uh …" CRAP! "I think they don't agree about money issues. His parents are, like I said, wealthy and a little snobbish. And there was some kind of business deal he was excluded from." That was as close to the truth as he was getting.
"Mm-hmm." He looked at me closely. "You want this wedding at that club?"
"Yes." At this point, I just wanted Dickie to be happy. I felt like he was always compromising when it came to Joe and Sophia. The least I could do was help him with his family.
"You and Dickie can have your marriage blessed with a small ceremony at a later time." He glanced at Mom. "Helen?"
She frowned, but then gave him a tight smile. "I suppose your father is right. We can have a convalidation ceremony. I'm sure that Father O'Riley will be happy to perform it since Dickie has been taking his classes."
I just smiled and nodded at that. "Thanks, Mom, Dad. I think you will really like having it there."
"I'm still not happy about this, Stephanie. Well, I have some ironing to do." She shook her head and immediately went to the kitchen.
Dad gave me a small smile. "It will be fine, Steph. She just needs to get used to it."
The truth was that I needed to get used to it as well. I had not spent a lot of time dreaming of my wedding, but I had never once pictured it not happening at St. Joachim's. And then there was just the whole timing of everything. Sometimes I still had a hard time believing I was actually getting married, and picking the venue just made it that more real. I believed Dickie that the club would be beautiful, but it didn't really feel like me. Maybe it was the money. I knew my life with Dickie would be different, but being with his parents made me realize how different our lifestyles really had been. And I could tell that Dickie still wanted to live up to their standards, even if he also didn't have that close of a relationship with them. I could relate to that. I never really wanted to be a Burg housewife, and I still didn't want to be my mother. But I also still felt the need to make my parents proud, or maybe less embarrassed. After having Sophia, it only became more important to me. I felt a lot of pressure to find a husband from the gossiping ladies of the Burg, but I put even more pressure on myself to change my reputation.
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OoOoO
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The Monday after Thanksgiving, Joe came to me on my break at work. He had called me that morning to let me know there was something important we needed to discuss. I immediately thought of Jessica and her long bare legs. Or maybe it was that nurse, who I just happened to find out was named Jill and almost thirty. Sophia had never once mentioned meeting a woman when she was with Joe, but I had a sinking feeling that was about to change. Then I felt guilty for even caring. I was getting married in the beginning of May. Joe was free to do whatever he wanted.
One of the other nurses came over to me with a gleam in her eye just as I was finishing my paperwork before my late lunch.
"Yeah?" I said with a smile. "What's going on?"
"You've been holding out," Gabbie teased. "There's someone here to see you." She winked. "Please tell me he's the one you're marrying."
I looked around the corner and saw Joe, leaning against the wall. In uniform. Will that ever not make me hot? Geesh.
I shrugged to the nurse. "Sorry. That's Sophia's dad. Not the one I am marrying."
She gaped at me and then looked once more at Joe, who now noticed us and flashed us a dazzling smile. I heard her breath catch and I rolled my eyes.
She quickly turned back to me and softly said, "Stephanie, that kind of man deserves reconciliation. If I were you, I'd reconcile him all night."
"Please," I returned exasperated, both with the image she just put in my head and with this conversation in general. "I want more than just a pretty face. I want someone I can trust. That trumps everything else."
She sighed. "Well, at least enjoy the view for me while I go back to work."
"Okay." Well, she was right. I would probably enjoy the view, even if it were just an illusion.
I gathered my things and made my way to Joe. "Are you hungry? I need to eat."
He helped me into my coat, and I caught Gabbie smirking at me. Whatever.
He turned me around and tied my scarf. "I can eat. There's a great Mexican place close by."
Damn him! I couldn't believe he suggested that place. Especially since Dickie refused to go there every time we had lunch on my breaks.
"Sure. I know the place," I said casually.
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Joe offered to drive us in his cop car. I had to admit it was kind of fun to ride in the car. I asked him to run the lights and siren, but he said no.
Once we had ordered and were waiting for our food, Joe decided to reveal his serious discussion topic.
"I want to give you child support. Frankly, I'm kind of ashamed I haven't offered already. I think because of you working, living with your parents, and with Dickie in the picture, I just never considered it. But that was wrong, and I would like to set up something."
"Wow. I … I guess I hadn't really considered it either. I mean, you're right. We don't really need … well, I don't need your money. And Dickie does really well, Joe. You should save your money. If you want, you can put some aside for Sophia's college fund or something, but I know you can't be making a ton right now."
"That's not the point. She's my daughter; I am responsible for her and her well-being. I want to help. And I already have set up a college fund for her. That's what got me thinking about this."
"You already have a college fund?"
This is exactly what bothered me about Joe. He was always doing these things that made me feel like a failure as a mother. I knew he wasn't trying to show me up – not at all. But what was I doing for her, other than marrying a man who would then do these things too? What kind of lesson was that? A man is all you need? I hated that!
He gave me a nervous smile, but he kept quiet while the waitress placed our food on the table. Once she walked away, he reached over and grabbed my hand.
"You need to relax, Stephanie. It's the least I can do since you and Dickie will be providing so much for her. And you … you have already done so, so much. I'm her father, and I want to contribute to her life."
I gave him a weak smile, but I pulled my hand back from his. "I know, and I really appreciate it. But I don't want you to make it hard on yourself, Joe. We really will be fine with Dickie, and he even mentioned once that you don't need to give us money."
"I bet he did," he said more to himself as he lowered his face to fork some tamale into his mouth.
"What?"
He swallowed and then took a deep breath. "I have been looking into the laws about paternity."
I scrunched by brows at him. "I am not going to deny you paternity, Joe. I told Dickie that adoption is off the table."
"And he's fine with that?"
"Yes. He knows that the three of us need to maintain a good relationship for Sophia. And we know that it would really upset you if he adopted her."
"Of course it would upset me, Stephanie. She's my daughter."
"And no one is disputing that."
"The laws state that if you marry Dickie, then he will have to sign a denial of paternity for me to be listed on her birth certificate. Were you going to change it before you married him? Or were you going to wait until it was up to him?"
"I didn't know that."
"Well, I'm sure he does. He is a lawyer." He crossed his arms and sat back in his seat. His eyes were bright with anger and indignation. "I want my name on her certificate and I want her to be a Morelli."
I gaped at him. I hadn't thought a whole lot about her last name – not since the sign argument - but I just couldn't imagine not sharing one with her. "No, she can't have your name. I'm sorry, Joe, but I need her to have my name."
"Are you kidding me? You actually think that I would be okay with her having his name?"
"No. I don't know. I just … she's …" I looked up at him, blinking back the tears in my eyes. "She's mine. I need this. Your name can go on her birth certificate today. But I want her name to be mine."
He raked his hands through his hair. "It's going to take some paperwork and probably a paternity test to get me listed."
"Okay." I nodded quickly, trying to appear as appeasing as possible without giving in on the name thing.
He stared at me for a moment. I thought he was going to reach for my hand again, but he didn't. "Plum. Leave it Plum."
I winced. "I don't –"
"Please," he said softly. "When she is older, she can decide what she wants to do."
"How much older?"
"Will she start school next year?"
"No. She turns five too late. And I'd like to keep her home one more year anyway."
"So by kindergarten?"
"Okay."
I was not happy with the agreement about Sophia's last name. Even at six, Sophia would probably not really be able to appreciate what it would mean to choose her last name. But maybe by then, she would have a better understanding of my relationship with her father. I didn't think she really understood that he would never be living with us. I wasn't sure she even understood that when I married Dickie, we would become a new family together. She has never had a "normal" home with two parents. With Joe's arrangement, she would have one year of living with Dickie before she had to decide. I hoped that would be enough for her to make a good choice. Of course, I wanted that to be to choose my name, but at least she could also choose to stay a Plum. But I had a feeling that another year of Joe being in her life would make her want to take his name.
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I took Sophia in to get a paternity test the next day. It was easy access, working at the hospital. But I wanted to be able to file the paperwork and present a new copy of her birth certificate for his Christmas gift. Of course, once I started filling out the paperwork, I realized I would need Joe to complete some of the forms. Oh well. He was thrilled I had already started the process. He could care less if it was done by Christmas, as long as it was done by May. Every time he mentioned my wedding, it sounded like he was referring to some kind of doomsday.
But I did want to give him a copy of the letter confirming his paternity. The mail came in the morning and I had just enough time to take it to him at the station before I went in to work. I had never been inside the police station before, but Joe told me that he would be filing paperwork in the morning, so I hoped he would still be there. I wanted to surprise him. I even bought him a card. It's not that either of us had any doubts about the results, but I wanted to make something special for him. I had taken away so much. Although, I'm sure it wouldn't have been a 'congratulations, you're a father' moment when we were teens.
I waited in the lobby as they went back to get Joe. It was strange, but I felt nervous. Almost like I was telling him for the first time. It didn't take long, but when he came through the door, he gave me a perplexed look.
"Steph? Everything okay?"
"Yeah," I said brightly as I stood up. I looked around the room, only a few people were in the lobby. Two of them looked passed out and the third looked slightly deranged. I turned back to Joe, who had crossed over to me. "Do you have an office?"
He laughed. "No. I don't even have my own desk."
"Oh. Okay. Well, I wanted to give you something." I handed him the card.
He took it and opened it with a smile on his face. Once the card was out, his smile dropped. He looked up at me with so much hope. "Are these the results?"
"Just open the card!"
The letter was folded within the card, and Joe didn't even finish reading the inside, but quickly opened the letter and scanned it for the one thing he needed to see. I watched his face as it went from excited to victorious to pure joy. He looked up at me, and I could see that his eyes were glassy. He nodded his head, but he didn't say anything. I think he was trying to hold back his emotions. Ever since our hug at the hospital when Angie was born, he had been keeping his distance from me. So I stepped forward and pulled him to me.
Joe immediately wrapped his arms around me, leaning his head down over mine. I squeezed him and he tightened his embrace. "Thank you, Stephanie," he murmured quietly into my ear.
"It's not like we didn't know." I looked up at him.
He loosened his arms just enough so that he could meet my gaze. "I know. But now she really is mine."
"And you are hers."
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed as we stood in each other's arms, looking into each other's eyes. It became thick with emotions that I wasn't prepared to face. Briefly, I recognized a sense of loss and regret. I stepped back, and Joe did the same.
He held up the card and letter. "Thanks for the card. I need to get back in there."
"Okay." I gestured down to my scrubs, sticking out from underneath my coat. "I've got to get to work too. So, I will bring Sophia over tomorrow night."
"Right. I'll see you then."
We stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say. So we just smiled and turned away from each other.
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Joe decided to take Sophia out for a special dinner the next night. He asked for me to come too. I was supposed to go to another dinner party with Dickie, but I didn't want to let Joe down. I knew he only wanted to celebrate his new official status as her father. I told Dickie it was something really important with the Morellis, and as I expected, he wasn't too happy about me skipping the party. I convinced him that I would be coming straight to his house to spend the night with him, ready and waiting. That seemed to do the trick, and he dropped it, mentioning something about not having to worry about Eric if I wasn't there.
Joe picked us up around 7:00. He hopped out of the car and immediately pulled Sophia up into his arms, kissing her cheeks repeatedly.
"Daddy! Why you so kissy?"
"Because you are my princess, and princesses should have lots of kisses!"
"Okay!" She kissed his cheek and then turned to me. "Mommy needs kisses too!"
Joe stepped towards me and leaned forward so Sophia could kiss my cheek. I closed my eyes while she kissed me three times, and then I kissed her nose.
"Thank you, Sophia. Now we should get in the car. That little nose of yours is getting cold!"
"No! Daddy has to kiss you too!" She smiled broadly and then pulled on my scarf, trying to bring me closer to Joe.
Joe shrugged and then quickly pecked my cheek. I gaped at him, but he only smirked and then quickly turned away to take Sophia to the car. I slowly followed them, trying to forget that for a split second I had wondered if he would kiss my mouth. Nope. Not thinking about that.
Joe closed the back door, shutting Sophia in, and stopped me from opening the front passenger door. "Sorry, if that was too much. I just want tonight to be perfect, and I didn't think arguing with Sophia about whether I should kiss you was going to be a good start."
"Of course. I'm surprised she didn't insist I kiss you back."
"You can," he said with a smile. "I won't stop you."
"I'm sure you get plenty of kisses." I started for the door again but he placed his hand on my arm. "What?"
"I'm not dating Jessica anymore."
I froze, hand still on the door. Slowly stepping back, I tried to look indifferent to this change in topic. "Oh, really?"
He chuckled. "Well, we decided to just keep it casual."
"Casual," I repeated slowly, wondering what exactly that meant.
"Yeah. It's better that way – for both of us."
"Okay." I looked past him, into the car, to see Sophia. She was busy playing with a stuffed animal, talking to it and dancing it around. "We should get going. Don't want to ruin that good mood of hers."
He glanced over his shoulder and then nodded. "Good point." After opening the door for me, he quickly ran around the car and got in. I briefly thought of that first car ride together. I had been so nervous that I barely spoke to him. Now we were taking our daughter out to dinner. What a trip. And I still didn't know what to say to him. Thankfully, Sophia never had a problem with talking.
Dinner was really special, even if Sophia didn't understand why we were celebrating. With a few discreet glances and unspoken words, Joe and I agreed not to attempt explaining to Sophia that Joe was now legally her father. We just enjoyed our time together as a family.
We hadn't spent much time in public, just the three of us, and I noticed more than one pair of eyes directed towards us throughout our meal. I was ready to receive a call from my mother at any moment, some gossiping neighbor informing her that I was getting back together with Joe. At least Dickie didn't live in or have family that lived in the Burg.
I called Dickie to let him know I was heading over, but he was still at the party. I knew he would be there a little while longer so I went through a drive-thru and picked up a sundae. Dickie rarely kept sweets at his place. And after an entire night of acting like it didn't affect me the way Joe and I were together, I was in need of some chocolate. His good mood had translated into several flirtatious moments, and I was completely thrown more than once on how to respond. But then he flirted with our waitress as well, and that pretty much ended my confusion. Joe was still the same heartbreaker he had always been, and I knew better than to fall for his charm.
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OoOoO
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Dickie woke me up on the couch where I had fallen asleep, watching a movie.
"Hey, sleepyhead." He sat next to me and brushed my hair back. "I'm sorry I'm so late. Be glad you didn't go. Eric was in a terrible mood. His wife just had another girl."
I pushed myself up and leaned my head against his shoulder. "So what?"
"Well, no more Kreiner and Kreiner if there isn't a boy to carry on the family name."
"I can't imagine Kreiner Sr. caring about that. And besides, a girl could keep her maiden name."
He wrapped me into his embrace. "You plan on keeping yours?"
"No. But I'm not a big-shot lawyer who comes from generations of lawyers with their own firm."
He chuckled. "Yes, that's true. And what about Sophia? She keeping her name?"
"Joe and I decided to let her choose when she gets older. Until then, she will stay a Plum. She may stay a Plum anyway if that is what she wants." I felt him stiffen when I mentioned Joe, but I chose to ignore it.
"Don't you think it will be confusing for Sophia to have his name once we have other children?"
"I … I don't want this either, Dickie, but I can't force her to take your name. It will cause too many problems with Joe. She's going to know that she should have had his name. She's going to ask me why she didn't to begin with. I'm already dreading that conversation. I don't want to add to it by changing her name without her understanding what is happening."
"You act like he is going to continue to be in her life. You know that once we are settled in and raising our family, he will also move on and have his own family."
I looked down to cover the flicker of pain it caused me to think about Joe having another family. "Joe will always be in her life."
"He will get tired of playing part-time dad. Especially once he starts having other children."
"Joe's not even dating anyone right now. It's going to be years before he settles down with someone. And until then, he will want to be a huge part of his daughter's life."
"She will be my daughter too, Stephanie. Or at least, I want her to be. I want her to think of me as a father. And I don't want her to feel like she is somehow less a part of our family than our other children."
"I know. I know all of this. I really want her to have my last name."
"Then why is this even up for discussion? You give in to him too easily. Whatever Joe wants, Joe gets. And I, for one, am sick and tired of letting him dictate the way we live our lives."
"It's not like that."
"Yes. It is. He calls and you go running. He shows up unannounced at your parents all the time. He plays you, Stephanie. He knows that you feel guilty about keeping her from him, and he uses that to get his way."
"I don't think he is using me, Dickie."
"Whether he does or doesn't is not the real problem though. The real problem is that you continue to cater to him. You have canceled numerous plans with me to take her to one of his last-minute family functions."
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to do that. You know that. I just … "
The truth was I liked spending time with them together. It felt nice to share some things with Joe and Sophia. Memories, I guess, of some quality time together. I wanted Sophia to feel like there were some good times between the three of us. Partly because I knew that once Dickie and I started our lives together, my time with Joe and Sophia would be even more limited. And then there was the part of me that just liked being with them. It made me happy to see them bonding, even when it annoyed me that Joe was her favorite. But I wasn't about to tell Dickie that. He wouldn't understand.
I took his hands and kissed his knuckles. "I'm sorry. I promise to stop letting Joe come between us. We need to do more things together as a family. It's so rare that we spend time, the three of us and not just me and you."
He smiled and pulled me into his arms again. "I agree. We should go away for a weekend or something. Maybe a short trip to New York? We can take Sophia to a show or a museum. And we can stay in a hotel and have room service. She would enjoy that, I'm sure."
"She would love that. Oh! We could go ice-skating in Central Park. I always wanted to do that."
"It's a plan then."
"Thank you."
We settled back into the couch, and Dickie flipped through the channels, stopping on some old movie.
"There's something else I want to talk to you about," he said seriously.
"Okay."
"It goes along with what we have already been discussing."
I braced myself for him to tell me that he didn't even want me going over to Joe's anymore.
"We've been talking about having our own family. And I think we should consider doing that sooner than later. I would like our children to be close in age, and Sophia is already four. I wouldn't want her to feel like she didn't belong."
My heart skipped several beats. "How soon are you thinking? Another couple of years?"
He chuckled. "Don't you want to have my children?"
"Yes. Of course. I just thought that would be … way down the line."
"Way down the line? Stephanie, I'm almost thirty."
"But I'm not."
He narrowed his eyes. "Fine. It's not as if I expected to you to have a houseful of children. I figured we would have maybe two of our own. And between your family and a nanny, you could continue working. I don't want you barefoot and pregnant, Stephanie."
"I need to think about this. I always wanted more children. I just …" I smiled at him. "A nanny?"
"Of course. If you were going to go back to work, which I'm sure you would want to, then we would need some help. We can't expect your mother to be a full-time sitter. I'm sure she would enjoy having some time to do her own things. Maybe even spend time with your father."
I bit my lip as I considered what he was saying. "I would want to work."
"I know you would."
"I also would want at least two years between them. It would be best if they were spread out a little I think."
"I agree," he said with a glimmer of triumph in his eyes. He pulled me back to him. "And I actually did think it would be best for Sophia if she weren't so much older than her siblings."
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
I frowned at him. "I don't want her to be that much older either. I never thought about that before."
"Then think about it. We have a few more months before the wedding. And then we can revisit it."
"That sounds good." Well, putting off this conversation sounded good.
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Dickie did take us to New York, two weekends later. We stayed in the city at a really nice hotel and went skating in Central Park. Sophia loved every minute of it, and I loved seeing the two of them start to bond. I hadn't intentionally interrupted their relationship, but introducing her to Joe so soon after she had met Dickie had definitely changed things. Sophia was less affectionate with Dickie, and she rarely asked to see him like she did Joe. I don't know where she picked up on it, but there was clearly a difference in her mind between her two daddies.
Dickie did such a great job with her throughout the weekend. He even kept her for a couple hours while he treated me to a trip to the hotel spa. When I came back to our suite, the two of them were cuddled up on the plush couch, watching a movie. I stood silently behind them and observed their conversation.
"DD, are you gonna get me a present for Christmas?"
"Of course I will." He leaned over and kissed her head. "In fact, I already bought you one."
"You did?" She pulled away from his side and gave him a flirtatious smile. "Just one?"
Dickie threw his head back in laughter. "You are so much like your mommy sometimes."
"Mommy gets more than one too?"
"Yes, your mommy gets more than one present from me. Is that okay with you?"
"Uh-huh. Did you get Daddy a present too?"
"Uh … well, no, Sophia. I wasn't going to get your daddy a present. But it's okay, he won't expect one from me. And he won't get me one either."
"Why not?"
"Well, he's not in my family."
"Am I in your family?"
"Yes, of course you are. You're my girl." He flashed her a broad grin.
"Did Mommy make me a surprise?"
"Did she make your Christmas gift?"
"No. Was I your surprise?"
"Oh. No, I met you the day I met your mommy. I knew how lucky I was to have you from the very beginning."
"Uncle Steve said Daddy didn't know who I was." She frowned. "He said Daddy didn't want me."
Dickie pulled her up on his lap. "Sophia, I promise you that your daddy wanted you. He just didn't know that you were here waiting for him."
"Cuz I was his surprise?"
"That's right. Isn't that what Mommy told you?"
"Uh-huh."
"And now your daddy is so happy to have you, just like me." He stroked her hair away from her face. "And your Uncle Steve didn't know what he was saying. Or maybe you misunderstood him?"
"I dunno."
"Was he talking to you? Or maybe Auntie Val?"
She frowned. "I was easydropping," she admitted. "Grammy says that good girls don't do that, but I forgot."
"That's okay. I won't tell on you." He winked at her and she smiled.
Steve! I finally figured it out. Sophia had pretty much dropped the whole daddy didn't want me routine once she thought she was his surprise. And I had filled Joe and Dickie in on her version of our history. Everyone agreed that she was too young to know anything more. But now, I knew exactly what had put those stupid ideas into her head in the first place.
Val had watched Sophia for a little while the day after I had told her about Joe. And I would bet good money Steve had joined them at some point. And when Val told him, Sophia probably heard his reaction. Dickie and I had gone to Val's for dinner the following Friday – after Sophia met the Morellis. Steve drank several beers that night, and his mouth was running non-stop. He thought it was hilarious that Joe Morelli was Sophia's father. He barely even knew Joe, so I could tell most of his thoughts on the Morellis were from some past connections with Joe's brother Paul. Steve even said Sophia probably had several siblings already that we didn't know about. He also had been laughing about Joe, "the player", being tied down without knowing it. And how there was no way he would want to be a father to her. Sometimes I wondered exactly what Val saw in him.
"Hey, you two," I called as I walked towards the back of the couch. "Miss me?"
"Mommy!" Sophia jumped up on her knees and reached her hands up in the air like she did when she was a baby.
I pulled her up into my arms over the back of the couch and kissed her cheeks. "You and DD watching a movie?"
"It's called Toy Story, Mommy, and DD said there's a new one at the movies we can go see tomorrow," she blurted out excitedly.
"Oh, that will be so much fun, bug. You know what? Mary Lou and I took you to see Toy Story when you were a tiny little baby."
"I don't 'member it," she said with wide eyes. "Was I sleeping?"
"You probably were."
I gave her another kiss and then placed her back on the couch before leaning over to give Dickie a kiss. He kissed me sweetly and then yanked me over the couch onto his lap, earning a riot of giggles from Sophia, who then flung herself on top of both of us.
"Now I've got both my girls with me." He ruffled her hair and kissed my neck. "How was the spa?"
"Wonderful," I purred.
We finished watching the movie together, all cuddled up on the couch. It was exactly what we needed as a new family. I was so happy. I even could see why Dickie didn't want to wait too long to have children. If we were always this content, adding to our family would only add to our joy.
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Thank you! Please review! It may help with the next chapter, you never know. :)
convalidation ceremony = Marriages in which one or both parties are Catholic and which are not witnessed by an authorized bishop, priest, or deacon, or which do not receive proper permission to take place in another forum, are considered invalid in the eyes of the Church. When these couples are ready and free to do so, they celebrate what is called a convalidation, from the Latin word meaning "to firm up" or "to strengthen." This is sometimes referred to as the blessing of a marriage.
