Joe's pov
(A/N: much thanks to patrickpopp for reminding me of the younger generation of Reagans!)
This upcoming weekend was going to be a special one for us Reagans. For many reasons. One, Pop and Grandpa decided they wanted to keep the little kids of the fourth and fifth generations, thus leaving their respective parents free to do whatever they wanted. And boy, were the kids excited, and we parents were quite giddy ourselves. For another, Peter and LJ were due with their twin boys anytime now, Dallas Logan and Austin James Song Covey Reagan- Kavinsky. Evie was going to be a big sister, and she was very excited about it, telling us about them over and over during the past nine months. At one point she told me four times in the span of five minutes. She is so adorable. Pop and Grandpa had instructions to bring her to the hospital once the boys arrived, and the rest of our nosy family would follow as soon as we had permission. I hope Pop and Grandpa knew what they were getting into with their very generous offer, because the 15 kids in their care did not even reach double digits in age. I was also not exactly sure what my aunts, uncles and cousins were going to do with their nights off of parenting this weekend, but I knew good and well what Laurie and I were going to be up to, as it was finally my turn to surprise her with a surprise date. I was looking forward to this, and have been for a while now. She had gone all out when it had last been her time to plan, and I hoped I could do her justice, just like she did me. I couldn't wait to see her reaction.
Frank's pov
Pop and I were getting the last of the essentials ready for the weekend. Food, snacks, games, movies... all the works. After all, we were going to be hosting 15 kids in all. My grandkids and great-grandkids who were his great-grandkids and great-great-grandkids. Jack and Erin's twins Sami and Noah, Eddie and Jamie's twins Eric and Maryella; Joe and Laurie's kids, CJ, Star, Dusty and Stacy; Danny and Maria's daughter Juliet, Jess and Will's twins Nathan and Emily, Nicky and Ricky's son Grant, Peter and Lara Jean's daughter Evie, Jack and Mia's son Luke and Sean and Teresa's son Matt. The things you do for love is an adage that is as timeless as it is true. We might be pushing our luck a bit having them all over at once without their parents or older siblings, but we would love and relish in every minute of it. At last, everything was ready, with less than twenty minutes until the kiddos were due. They were all in various sports, so we set up a few games outside to help blow off their steam and tire them out all in one go. Basketball, football, lacrosse, baseball, soccer... You name it, we had it set up. As for the sleeping arrangements, they had been the ones to request camping out in the living room, so that they could all be together, their bond as cousins close in age stronger than ever. I remember when Danny, Erin, my Joe and Jamie were this age, they would do the same thing. Brought back good memories. Some things never change and never go out of style, even as time and generations pass by. A knowing smile forming on his face as he surveyed our hard work, my Dad spoke
"Thinking about when Danny, Erin, Joe and Jamie were like them, Francis?"
I nodded, a smile forming under my moustache, which some of the kids call Caterpillar
"Never a dull moment, always a good laugh."
He laughed til he had tears in his eyes
"Regular chips off the old block. Speaking of, Eric is still trying to swallow everything in sight, food or not, watch out for that. And little Juliet is prone to tantrums to rival Danny's. And I heard from Paula that CJ likes to try to make the bathtub water spill over onto the floor and/ or on the person helping him with his bath, even after his toddler stage. Mischievous little guy."
My moustache twitched in yet another smile
"Just like Joe used to do."
Pop let out a hearty laugh
"BOTH Joes according to Paula. That's why Joe can't even complain about this new hobby of CJ's to us, even if he wants to."
I will admit that that trivia from my eldest grandson's younger years got me chuckling, trying to imagine the scene. I was grateful for happy memories of him at that age, despite the early run-in with the Mafia man he and his mother were tortured by. I was brought out of my thoughts by the arrival of our family, kids cheering with excitement and their parents thanking us at every turn, only stopping to say goodbye to us and their kids. Let the fun begin.
Peter's pov
My wife and I decided to have a move night at home as we waited for the boys to make their grand entrance at any day now. Neither one of us wanted to go out, or had the energy to. We just wanted a babymoon at home, and, despite our infinite love for our daughter, we were grateful for this time together as a couple before adding two newborns to our family. Time to connect even more, spend time as a couple, get in total sync before becoming outnumbered. Harkening back to our high school days of early dating, even fake-dating, we had settled on the couch with John Hughes' Sixteen Candles, my hand easily sliding into my Covey's back pocket of her sweatpants. Like old times. Much like ours, the relationship between our best friends Chris and Trevor had also survived high school and college, and thrived as a marriage. They were coming to visit soon, and we were all excited. If possible, Covey had curled even closer to me, and I instantly responded by bringing her closer, snaking my other arm around her, her smile growing. Pressing a kiss to her temple, I spoke the familiar, but no less true words
"There's no one like you, Covey."
She smiled into my neck
"And there's no one like you, Petey."
Smiling more, I requested
"Mark me as yours?"
Knowing what I meant, she kissed my forehead with her lip gloss, effectively leaving a mark on my forehead, one of my favorites of her many displays of affection. Needless to say, between that and dinner, it took us a while to finish the movie we had picked to watch. It usually did, since the very beginning of us.
Joe's pov
I was as excited as I was nervous. Not scared, just hoping everything went well. After all, part of the date was a picnic, and I was begging the weather to cooperate. But alas, this was New York City, and when it rains, it pours. I sighed
"Aw MAN... Picnic at Central Park is now a no-go. I cooked your favorite..."
She smiled at me in awe and impressed
"Blueberry pie and spaghetti with tomato sauce, ALL from scratch? Down to the noodles and making the sauce?"
I nodded
"Yep. I'm not saying I didn't beg LJ for some cooking and baking tips, but I made it all myself as she went full-blown Gordon Ramsey over videocall. Nicer Gordon Ramsey, but you get the gist. And I know you love Central Park, we were supposed to go for a sunset walk, not a pitch-black swim and drown."
She kissed me
"Joey, I love you and I love all this effort you put in. Thank you so so much. Why don't we eat here, an indoor picnic? If the weather clears, we can go on the sunset walk. If not, we can certainly find something to do. I'll go find the candles."
I smiled
"Deal. Thank you."
She kissed me again
"Love you. Everything smells delicious."
I blushed burning red, smiling
"Thank you, I'm glad."
Soon the picnic was set and we started eating, and her reaction was everything I had hoped for and more. Soon I noticed something, though
"Laur, are you crying, Sweetie?"
She nodded
"Sorry, it's a great cry. You went through all this trouble, and the recipe is perfect. It's just like my Mom's, I hadn't been able to replicate it to perfection like this since she passed. Thank you."
I stroked away her stray tears and kissed her
"I'm so so glad I was able to do this for you, Sweetie. Next up, a candlelit massage."
She smiled, then quipped
"If you're not careful, that'll be an everyday thing."
Making her blush, I spoke
"It already is."
She ended up asleep in my arms, smile on her face. Mission accomplished, despite the setback from the weather.
Frank's pov
The sports had been a huge hit, to the point that the kids were covered in mud, grass and everything in between. I was already fearing whatever CJ had in store for us since baths were going to be very, very necessary. However, Juliet beat him to the trouble making, throwing a tantrum and crying
"I don't want a bath! NO! You can't make me!"
Pop tried to bribe her
"What if you take it with Sami and Maryella? Then you'll have playmates!"
Her tears stopped flowing as she eyed us, as if sizing up the competition
"And bubbles?"
We nodded
"And bubbles."
That made her cheer up, letting out a squeal while dragging her cousins with her to the master bathroom. All the children were bathed, only lacking CJ now. He was all smiles, a mischievous grin invented by my son and perfected by my eldest grandson
"BATH TIME! YEAH!"
I spoke
"Connor, you will keep all the water inside the tub, ok?"
He let out a string of giggles
"You're funny, Grandpa."
I stooped down to his level
"I'm not trying to be. I mean it, Connor. Water in the tub. ONLY in the tub."
He pouted
"No fun."
Pop spoke
"You have got to play by the rules, Kiddo. Keep the water in, and you can have the first piecakie."
That, of course, won him over. When I was bringing him out of the bathroom after his bath, Pop was setting the piecakies on the counter to cool off, and Eric was trying to eat a penny, the copper coin already halfway in his mouth. I spoke
"Eric, no! That's dangerous. We don't eat that!"
Thankfully a lukewarm piecakie was an acceptable substitute. A few hours later, we all fell asleep.
Next day - Peter's pov
In the early hours of the morning, around 3ish, Covey's water broke, and we raced to St. Victor's, where her dad, Dr. Dan Covey would aid in the delivery. She was already at 2.5 after only 30 minutes. I let the rest of the family know, so that Evie could be brought when Dall and Aus arrived, along with whoever wanted to come. The other kids, and Evie, would still be spending the weekend at the Bay Ridge house regardless, as Covey and I would spend the twins' first 48 hours at the hospital. 6 hours later Austin James was born, followed by Dallas Logan 6 minutes later. They both had her expressive facial features and my golden-specked brown eyes, just like their older sister. Our families came that afternoon, and all were instantly in love, especially Evie, who tried to hold both of them at once at barely 5 years old. Luckily, she did not put up a fight when I said I needed to help her. Her sisters and father were equally in love, just like my sister and parents.