Barbecue
November 12, Condor Pavilion
Hickam's car
"I really hope everyone comes," Mei told Mike as he drove them up the drive to the pavilion.
"You will be there and that gives your boss support. Its not your responsibility to convince everyone that he is a good boss, or guy or whatever you are trying to convince them of."
"It feels like its my job."
He pulled into a parking lot and put the car in park, taking her hand. "Because, love, you are the sweetest, kindest soul and that is what I first fell in love with five years ago."
She touched his cheek and kissed his lips. "Thank you, hon. I love you too."
"Mama? Gonna play games?" their four year old daughter Kasey asked, kicking her feet.
"Yes, sweetie pie. Games and more games."
Over by the barbecue, Elizabeth walked up behind Lucas and patted his butt and then wrapped her arms around him.
"I remember the first time I saw you in jeans in Oahu. Good heavens."
"Oh yeah and the white t-shirt."
"Yeah, you wear these jeans well, babe. Your long legs and your butt looks great."
"Should we let you two have a moment?" Lee said, walking up with a smirk on his face and a platter of brats and burgers to cook.
Lucas smiled and put his arm around Beth. "Mm, sure. Thanks, Lee."
"Mmhm. Well, you are newlyweds. You've been married what, a month?"
"Thirty five days, Lee," Elizabeth told him.
"Thirty five of the best days of my life," Lucas flirted, spinning around and putting his hands on her hips. Those hips that drove him nuts and looked beyond hot in the tight black yoga pants she was wearing. "Speaking of looking good," he told her, kissing her neck. "Those pants and my sweatshirt, mmm. Maybe we need more than a few moments."
"Tia Beth!" Julian yelled, tackling her from behind.
"Juju! Hi there!"
Lucas took the platter of meat and placed a few pieces of meat on the grill.
"Mr. Bouchard?" a voice said.
"Mei Hickam. Welcome to the barbecue!" he said with a smile. He put the tongs down and walked over to her.
"Thank you for having us. This is my husband Mike and our daughter, Kasey."
"Good to meet you. This is my wife, Elizabeth and our friend's son, Julian."
While Lucas, Lee and Mike stood around the grill with sodas, the women sat around a portable fire pit and chatted nearby where Julian and Kasey played nearby.
Lucas kept his eyes on Elizabeth as she chatted. She was lovely. She sat, relaxed, her hand on Boo, a gentle smile on her face.
"Dude," Lee said, elbowing him in the ribs.
"Easy, Lee. Don't nudge a distracted guy around a grill."
"Well, you have more visitors."
Lucas pulled his eyes from Elizabeth and looked toward the parking lot. Two more cars had pulled in. He recognized one as Pete Anders and the other was Jesse Flynn. It was a shock that they came but an even bigger shock that they brought their families. He didn't see them as family men but honestly, he knew very little about them.
Luke put his utensils down and walked over to the newcomers.
"Welcome! Good to see you," he said, shaking their hands. Paul kept his hands in his pockets, but the woman next to him elbowed him and gave him a look.
"Thank you for inviting us," Paul said quietly.
"I'm Kendra Anders," she said, shaking Lucas' hand. "I hope you don't mind we brought our boys."
Right then, five little boys of various ages piled out of their SUV and ran over to Julian and Kasey with their own trucks and toys.
"Families are absolutely welcome."
Lucas shook Jesse's hand. "Thank you for coming."
Jesse nodded. "This is my wife, Clara."
Lucas went back to the grill and then heard a familiar voice. Andrea!
"Hey, big brother!"
"Andrea, hey, and Nathan, right?" he said, shaking the man's hand that walked up with Andrea.
"Good to see you again." Lucas figured it had been about two months since their baby shower when Nathan and his little girl arrived.
"You too. Well, welcome to the barbecue."
"Thanks, um…you might want to lower the heat on the grill. Burgers are burning."
"Crap," Lucas muttered. "Thanks, man."
Over the next hour, Lucas greeted two more co-workers and their families which he considered a win.
"I can't wait to be an auntie!" Andrea squealed, hugging Elizabeth.
Nathan watched Andrea gush over Elizabeth and meeting the baby and promising to babysit etc.
He was second guessing this date. It seemed less stressful because it was a group setting but…he saw the love she had for children and family. That scared him. After losing Fiona and having to raise Frankie alone..he knew that losing another wife would break him beyond repair.
"Hey," Andrea said, squeezing his hand. "You alright?"
"I…I don't know if I can do this."
"Can you be more specific?"
"Let's take a walk?"
"Sure." He took her hand in his and they walked away from the group toward the woods.
"Nathan?"
He sighed and stopped, turning toward her. "I'm scared, Andie."
"I know. Maybe it will help to tell me what scares you."
"Losing someone again…I was broken for a long time, Andrea. The only reason I survived was because of Frankie."
"Frankie is so worth it," she said with a smile. Andrea had been babysitting Frankie a few times a week since they met two months ago and had quickly taken her into her heart.
"She is." Nathan didn't smile much but the moment Frankie was nearby or just mentioned she saw the eyes soften and the happiness return, even if subtle.
"You're a wonderful father, Nathan."
They started walking again and quietly chatted about Frankie and their jobs.
Nathan loved just being and walking and talking with Andie. She was an amazing friend and he knew that he could trust her.
"Nathan, if you're not ready to move forward in a relationship, it's fine. I'm a patient woman."
"I don't know if I am but let's just go slow and see what happens."
"Deal." She stopped and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "You're a wonderful man, Nathan Grant. I'm so blessed to have you and Frankie in my life."
Nathan smiled at her. A full smile that she hadn't witnessed before now. Wow. His whole face lit up and he somehow looked even more handsome.
"What?"
"I'm going to make it my goal in life to see that smile on your face." She took his hand and pulled. "Let's go make s'mores."
…..
As the afternoon wore on, the sun started to set and it got colder. The kids gravitated toward their parents and snuggled by the firepit toasting hot dogs and s'mores.
Julian snuggled into Rosie's lap even though her lap was diminishing daily.
"Mama? Leche, please?"
Lee was ready, handing him a sippy cup. "Here u go, Juju."
"Gracias, Papa."
"You're welcome. So, Luke, I think a painting party is the way to go," Lee told him. "If we get enough people, it will go fast."
Lucas knew Lee was helping, or trying to, and he couldn't fault him for it.
"Makes sense."
"Painting party?" Kendra asked. "Are you moving?"
Elizabeth chimed in as Julian walked over to her. "Tia, hold me?"
She picked him up and snuggled him under a blanket.
"Yeah. We bought a house and want to be in by December but it needs paint in all the rooms."
"That's exciting. Paul knows how to paint."
Paul gave her a look and sighed. "If you need help, I can spare some time."
"I can help too," Kendra offered.
"We would appreciate the help," Elizabeth said.
"Listen, Beth and I would love help," Lucas clarified. "But there's no pressure for any of you. If you don't want to, that's perfectly fine."
"We'll help," Jesse surprisingly offered. "Clara and I."
"And Mike and I," Mei chimed in.
Paul leaned forward and then walked over and offered his hand to Lucas. Lucas stood and shook his hand.
"We will help, sir."
"Lucas."
"Yes. Lucas."
All in all, the BBQ was a big success. Lucas felt better about the situation with his team which made him less apprehensive than normal when thinking about going to work on Monday.
When he walked into the master that night, it appeared Beth was sleeping so he climbed in and laid down, staring at the ceiling.
"Hey," she whispered. "Hold me?"
He opened his arms and moved closer. Once she was settled, she lifted her head and kissed his jaw. "Today was fun."
"It was. Thank you, Beth."
"For what?"
"Being with me. Your support means everything."
"Mm. Happy to do it, love."
"Tomorrow let's go pick out paint colors and buy everything so we are ready for Tuesday."
"Okay."
"Love you, babe. Sleep well."
He listened to her for a bit, breathing slow and steady, conscious of Boo moving a bit as her belly rested against his side. He couldn't wait to meet the little human they created.
Right then, he formulated a plan for Thanksgiving which was only about two weeks away. He knew for certain that Beth would love the surprise. He couldn't wait to tell her.
….
"So cream for the nursery," she began. "Did you look at the Pinterest board I sent you?"
"Yes and that is beautiful. I can see you rocking Boo and feeding her right there."
"Me too." She pulled up other pictures on her phone. "So for the living room wall with the fireplace. This dark gray. It will look awesome with the stone."
"Yeah, I like that."
"And since we are getting a new sofa and chairs for the family room, I think something neutral like beige would be good for the other walls there."
They went down the aisles picking up all the paint colors and then wallpaper for the master accent wall. Then they purchased rollers, brushes and drop cloths to protect their new wood floors.
"This is so exciting," she told him, wanting to bounce but feeling huge in the belly area today. "Do I look fat?"
"What? Of course not."
"Are you sure? I feel like I'm so big."
"Babe, you're gorgeous. Your belly is growing but you look healthy. Even the doctor says you haven't gained too much weight."
She rubbed her tummy and smiled, grabbing his hand. "Boo's awake."
He felt the tiny kicks and kissed her forehead. "She's going to be lovely and soft and beautiful like her mama."
"I'm soft?"
"Delicate, feminine. Not soft in a bad way."
She sent him a look. "Okay. Nice save, I suppose."
He kissed her twice and held her in his arms. "I can't think of anything sexier and more beautiful than you carrying my child."
"Thank you." Lucas was so wonderful. She was blessed.
"Now let's go pay for all this and head over to the new house. I have some things to tell you and a surprise."
"Sure, let's go. I'm curious."
When they walked in the house, Lucas turned on the lights.
"Ooo, we have electricity!"
"Yep! Got it turned on yesterday."
"That's a great surprise, babe."
"That's not the surprise though."
"Oh." She laughed and he led her into the master. "Wow, babe. How did you find time to do this?"
Their bedroom had been arranged with an air mattress, sheets and blankets and some battery powered candles. Nearby was a small silver bucket with ice and chilled sparkling grape juice. Two champagne flutes and chocolate covered strawberries were on a platter.
In the bathroom he had also had Andrea put an overnight bag for them.
"I had a little help."
"Lee?"
"Nope. Andrea."
"That was very sweet."
"It was and also not the surprise."
"Well, tell me, husband."
"Do you have any plans on the 25th?"
"Just getting ready for Thanksgiving and probably packing up the house so we can move."
"Well, what if I told you that we are flying to Philly."
"Are you serious?"
"Yep. I called your parents, bought plane tickets and even called your doctor to make sure you can fly safely. everything is set."
She squealed and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you! I miss my parents so much."
"I know, love."
"You're the best, Luke."
"Thanks. Let's order some takeout and have our date."
"Sounds perfect."
