Hiya everyone! What a busy month it has been. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed the last few chapters as much as I have enjoyed writing them - hard to believe we're almost at the finish line with this book! It's starting to feel very bittersweet.
But fear not, we've still got a few chapters to go together before the big finale... ;)
Today also marks 12 years since Secret Life wrapped filming. Hard to believe it's been that long when it seems like just a few short years ago.
That being said, enjoy this chapter because it's a break from the heavy in its entirety! I. Love. Fluffy. Ramy. I hope you do too! ;P
"Would you stop looking at that thing, your constant sighing is bringing down the mood." She huffed at her son looking at his watch for the tenth time in the last half hour. His sigh told her he was getting upset by the fact that his girlfriend still wasn't there yet. "She'll be here."
Shaking his head, he rubbed his temple, "I told her 12:30, it's almost 1, and she's still not here." Glancing around the small space of strangers, he turned back to her and looked at his watch again, "John's going to come out any secon-"
"I'm here! I'm here!" Amy rushed in quickly, slightly out of breath as she stepped over a desolate chair and went to sit beside them, raking her hands through her ponytail as she rambled on about why she was late, getting the infants attention. "Traffic was a nightmare and there was a wreck on the highway causing a detor - Hi, baby!" Emma lunged for her, slamming her head smack into her jaw. Wincing, she settled her on her lap, and lifted his wrist up to get a better look at the time, "Has John come out yet?"
Pursing his lips, Ricky shook his head, "You couldn't have called?"
Trying to keep the squirmy child on her lap, who was determined to get down on the dirty ground, she rolled her eyes at his annoyance, "I was a little too busy trying to find an alternate route to pick up my phone."
They'd been at odds with each other that whole week. Amy was spending more time at work, and talking to her therapist, than being with him and the kids, and it was starting to grate on him. Ricky didn't want to spend every waking second with her, but he expected a few hours a day at least. Instead he was met by excuses - she was too tired, she had to pick up an extra shift, or she had something important to take care. Usually, it was the second one, taking on more work in the insistence that she was picking up more hours to earn extra money with Christmas coming up. And maybe that was true, but he knew her well enough to know that she was hiding something.
After the debacle with Ben, they had made a pact with each other to divulge every dirty secret of their time apart so there would be no more surprises waiting around the corner. Amy told him everything about Adam, while Ricky shared everything about his relationship with Clementine. Everything was out in the open and they seemed to be on better ground.
That was until she started being dodgy with her time and kept the same excuse, when just a few weeks ago he admitted he still loved her and was making it a mission to be the man she deserved.
The charges had been dropped against him, Child Protective Services backed off and closed their case file, Ben left California at the instruction of Reuban after a restraining order was put in place for Amy's protection since it was going to be hard to charge Ben with rape given that both of them were drunk and she could only remember bits and pieces of the incident. Reuban was trying to spare her a messy and emotional court battle by initiating the restraining order instead. Things were finally starting to return to a semblance of normal again it seemed.
About to rebuttal, Ricky opened his mouth to speak just as a long dark haired woman dressed up in a turkey sweater stepped up to the makeshift stage in the front of the room. "Welcome, and thank you all for coming this afternoon to our holiday celebration! Our classes have been working very hard these past few weeks prepping for today's performances, and we hope you enjoy celebrating with us!" Waving her hands in front of her, they all turned around to see the line of grinning and bouncy preschoolers at the back of the cafeteria.
"There's little man!" George pointed with a smile, angling his phone to capture his grandson who kept lifting his arms above his head.
Beside him, Margaret beamed, "Oh, he looks so adorable!"
Opening her purse, Amy handed the device to her dad while Emma stood her up on her knees to get a better look at her brother, "Hey, dad - can you take my phone and record John, please?"
Seeing him in the crowd, the little girl started to bounce furiously and squeal, "Jon!"
Chuckling at their daughters excitement, he touched her hand, "Yeh, that's John. He's gonna be singing a song for us!"
Continuing to bounce and squeal, "Jon!" Her eyes grew wide when he started to get closer, shooting up her arms and getting louder, "Hi! Hi!"
Gripping her as she tried to dive off of her lap when Johns class took the stage, Amy gently scolded the baby and reached into the diaper bag by her foot, grabbing a toy. "No, we gotta stay back here. You can play with John later, okay?"
Shaking her head and swatting the toy away, Emma got a little sassy, flailing her body and slamming the back of her head into her chest in protest, "Ja - minnneee!"
Seeing that Ms. Brooke was standing on the side of the stage, waiting, and that she was starting to get nervous at all the parents casting their judgment on her because she couldn't control her own kid, Ricky scooped her onto his lap, picking up the toy she discarded and bracing his arm around her torso, calmly stating, "Hey - hey monkey - we have to sit and watch John. He's going to be singing and we have to be quiet. You can have him after he's done, okay?" Looking from him to her brother and then back at him as he gave her a knowing nod when she outstretched her hand towards the stage, she relented, flopping back against his torso in defeat.
Amazed and slightly annoyed at his ability to cast their children under his spell, Amy scoffed playfully, "Seriously?" He shrugged through a smirk, kissing Emma's head and smiling at their boy who was front and center in the row of his classmates.
"Our first song will be 10 little turkeys!" Ms. Brooke noted, taking a step back from the microphone to assist the children in starting the song by mouthing the words along with them.
53 minutes later
"And that's what we love about Thanksgiving! Give all of our kiddos a big round of applause for doing such a great job today!" Ms. Brooke enthused, clapping loudly as the line of small children bowed unevenly and waved at the crowd.
What was supposed to be a 30 minute program turned into almost an hour. The first song was off beat and stretched out, while the second and third songs were just plain unnecessary. Leading into their grand finale of each child giving a line about what they loved about Thanksgiving. John so giddily declaring his was grandmas cookies - which earned a chuckle from the crowd.
Emma made it all of 25 minutes into the performances before having a massive meltdown. Having grown tired and bored and letting everyone know it. Amy missed the entire third song because she had left the room to console the baby to hardly no avail. Only after giving her a few M as a bribe - which Ricky didn't exactly like because it was chocolate and she wasn't even 1 yet - did she calm down enough to go back and watch the rest of John's class; sneakily keeping the relentless infant docile with the rest of the candy hidden in her purse. Anything to keep the screaming at bay.
Shooting off the stage when his teacher stepped to the side, he beamed and cheered, "I di-d it! I di-d it!" The makeshift headband made out of paper and a few staples, sat crookedly on his head, lowering to cover the top of his eyes.
Brushing it aside to not poke him in the eye, he smiled, holding out his hand for a high five which was gladly reciprocated, "You did so good, buddy!"
Beside him, his mom also smiled while trying to shove his baby sisters hand out of her mouth who thought it was funny. He giggled, grabbing her foot, "D-id Em-ma jus sa-wed me too?"
Nodding, she managed to turn her around to face him, "Mhmm, she wanted to join up there, bud."
He giggled again, making sure his sister didn't grab at the art project on his head, "Em-ma you jus c-ant s-ing. You is jus a baby stwill! Her response was a loud squeal-scream jolting her body quickly to wiggle her way free.
Using the opportunity of their son taking off into the crowd of his other family members - because he seemed to have the most out of everyone - who showered him in affection and positive affirmation, Ricky touched her elbow, slowly guiding her backward away from all the prying ears. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to get snippy with you."
His apology caught her off guard, quirking a brow, "I didn't take it that way. I know you've had a rough morning." Amy's voice was soft, grabbing his hand, "Can I ask you something?" He nodded. "If I were to enroll in your school - would you be okay with that? I mean I know I got accepted there originally, but with everything that's transpired since and with Clementine also being there I just -"
His lips pressed against hers quickly, halting her ramble. "Ames, I would be more than happy for you to be there. I want you to continue school, that's never been the issue for me. And who cares about all the other stuff - clean slate, remember?"
Her lip tipped up slightly, nodding, "I'm glad to hear you say that because I already kinda did... If I enrolled now I can start next semester. So I did. I just have to figure out shifts at Jeff's that line up with my class schedule."
Before he could respond, their daughter did, taking her mother's face between her tiny hands and ushering a squeal of "Dada!" Followed by a big slobbery kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Blinking a few times at the head wacking into her jaw, Amy giggled and touched her nose with the pad of her finger, "Mama, peanut. Ma-ma."
Shaking her head, Emma grabbed her finger and put it to her mouth, with a snort, "Da-da-da!"
Amused, Ricky ran his hand over her curls, "You tell her, Emma." Accepting the outstretched arms flying up at him. "Daddy's still your favorite, huh?"
Flopping her head down on his shoulder, she grabbed at the five o'clock shadow starting to show on his chin, and tiredly squeaked, "Jon" before putting the pacifier clipped to her shirt, into her mouth.
His lips parted with a small scoff, as his girlfriend giggled, taking their baby's hand and swiping her thumb across it before kissing her cheek, "Face it daddy, we've both been replaced by a 3 year old."
Rolling his eyes, he looked at his watch noting how late it was getting as his stomach let out a twinge of a growl. "You hungry?"
Her brow quirked at his question, "Are you kidding? I'm starving." Glancing over at their grinning child telling a story to his grandparents, his eyes softened, gratitude etching its way into his features. She noticed, biting her bottom lip, "Whatcha thinking about?"
The corner of his mouth tipped up a hare, "How fast he's growing up... how fast this year has flown by already..." A sigh escaped his lips, "I feel like I haven't been present enough these last few days for him - and for the both of you... I'm just trying to make it all work, and I'm -"
"It's okay," She comforted, running her hand over his bicep, "You're not superman, Ricky. You've had midterms and tests all week, on top of everything with the courts, and the social workers, and the butchershop... it's understandable if you've been a little out of sorts. We all have."
Giving Amy a small nod, he toyed with their daughter's small hand, "Let's get out of here and do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Whatever we want to do. Whatever the kids want to do. Let's just have a family day. No work, no school, no chaos of life... What do you say?"
Cocking her head, "I say... race you to car?" She giggled, with a wink, causing him to chuckle.
"Whoaaaa!" He squealed in delight for the tenth time, swirling around and around until he reached the bottom. His sister was wedged between his legs as they made their descent down, chortling through squeaky babbles, and clapping with glee.
Taking another bite of her burger, Amy watched with a smile as their children shrieked with joy on the playground; the giant tower of static cling disguised as a swirly slide their main source of enjoyment. They'd been on that thing repeatedly for almost a half hour straight - each time more exciting than the last in their curious minds. Ricky stood at the bottom, arms stretched out to catch the baby as they ended the journey down and she slid, before assisting their son at doing it all over again and eliciting more shrill squeals of delight. It made her heart happy to see him so elated and carefree; to experience the things robbed from him as a child - with his own children. The smile never leaving his chiseled cheeks the entire time his eyes were on them. She loved seeing it. And loved him.
45 minutes ago
After they had left John's school, Ricky wanted to give the kids the rest of the day to have fun, and given everything everyone had been through the last few weeks, they didn't protest the surprise trip.
Originally, their plans included going to get some lunch and letting the kids play in an indoor play area, but he felt embarrassed being in the same place he had gotten stuck in last year, so the park on the other side of town, it was. They did get diary shack though and tried to have a makeshift picnic. It took all of 5 minutes of trying to get the boy to eat his chicken strips before John became entranced by all the new and exciting things he could climb on and went off to play. And another 5 minutes before Ricky was being dragged off to join him - the other half of his burger left on the wrapper.
Emma was too invested in her chopped up bits of burger to notice his absence, until she reached the last bite and raised her arm for more that went unanswered. She looked up at her, fingers deep in her mouth, and whined, "mineeee" trying to grasp her dad's forgotten lunch staring at her.
"All done?" Amy asked, leaning over and wiping her mouth with a baby wipe. Squirming, the 11-month-old swatted at it and started to fuss, pointing up at the table with another drawn out whine. She cocked a brow at her daughter, picking up her boyfriends lunch and putting it to the baby's wide open mouth with a giggle, "Is daddy's lunch yummy?" Her response was the slam of her palm against the plastic tray of the stroller she was strapped in, lunging forward to sustain a bigger bite.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Their son squealed from the top of the slide, waving to get her attention before kicking his legs and making the descent. His cackling getting the attention of his little sister who shot up her arms, wanting him. "D-id you jus see me, mommy?" He galloped over to them with a wide grin pointing up, "I jus go d-own the b-ig swide!"
Nodding at her son's enthusiasm, "I did see you buddy, good job!" She lifted her hand for a high-five which was happily reciprocated.
Touching the end of her shirt sleeve, he scratched his cheek and mumbled, "Mommy - w-w-ill you jus go d-own the swide wit me?" Before she could answer him, a high-pitched whine erupted from the stroller, the infant now flailing and bucking herself back and forth forcibly to get free of its confinement. She raised her brow at him, unbuckling the straps, and lifting her out. Emma immediately lunged for her brother, bucking against her legs to get to him. John stared at her, touching her left hand, "You jus wa-nt to pway wit me, Em-ma?" Reaching her hand out, she grabbed onto his shirt collar and scooted further to grab his face. He giggled wrapping his arms firmly across her body and picking her up. She patted his nose with her hand and snorted with a squint as he walked her over to their father.
"You got this buddy, you can do it!" He cheered through a smile, coaxing the wobbly toddler to take a step towards her while he held his grip on his index finger. "Yeh, go to mama. Go get her!" He pointed, with enthusiasm eliciting the smallest of squeals from the boy.
She was crouched on her knees, the uncomfortable nature of the hard metal coated in cheap paint grating against her bare skin. He still held a firm grip on his index finger, hesitant to move even a toe. It was the first time they had taken their son to anything together, and she desperately wanted to make a few good memories as a family for her sons sake given how well she and his father were getting along since his birthday party 2 days prior. So when Ricky asked her to tag along on taking John to the park, she jumped on it.
Now here they were both trying to get their barely one-year-old to climb one step so they could go down one of the slides together - and failing at it.
"You don't wanna go down the slide, buddy?" Ricky shook his hand, not expecting the high-pitched whining cry a few short seconds later. His eyes widened, unknowing what he had said to cause his son to erupt into sobs.
Amy shrugged, rising to stand and dusting her dress off, "He might ne tired. He's been off his schedule for the last few days."
Nodding, he bent down and scooped him up, pressing his lips to the back of his head, whispering, "Shhh, shhh, shh." John's cries softened, squirming in his dad's hold and turning himself around, lip still puckered. Taking the two feet off the long step, she clasped her palms back and forth quickly, ready to step in and take the toddler off his hands. But John recoiled, gripping his shirt between his tiny chubby fingers. "I think he's just a little scared. I'll walk him around for a bit." Lowering his eyes to the boy now laying his head on his collarbone, he stroked the hair by his ears with his thumb and whispered, "Let's take a walk, buddy."
Giving him a small nod, Amy made her way over to the small picnic table to the left of the playground and took out her phone, expecting to see at least a text message from Ben. Since the wedding, she hadn't seen or heard from him, and was beginning to worry that that voicemail he had left for her a few night ago, was just a fluke. He said he loved her, but then spent the rest of the wedding out of sight, leading her to believe that maybe he changed his mind. Or he saw her with Ricky and still believed that convoluted notion that she was sleeping with him.
Shaking her head, her phone chimed, face falling at seeing that it wasn't Ben, but her mother asking if she and John were joining them for dinner. About to respond to the mundane question, her son's squeal snapped her eyes in their direction. Ricky was shuffling along slowly, both tiny hands in his, balancing their baby's tiny feet in line of his worn sneakers. His smile wide as their over eager baby began bouncing, squinting his eyes with a grin that showcased his 4 teeth.
"You're doing it, buddy!" He cooed at their son's progress, taking a few steps slowly by himself across the short walkway between the slides on both ends of the play structure. He squealed again, racing across with his chubby little legs, still gripping his daddy's fingers in his palms.
The sight of them together, making Amy's smile wider and a little flutter beat in her chest.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma!" John babbled squeakily, removing one of his hands from his dad's finger to point at her, his cheeks lifting as he gurgled.
"You want mama to play with us now?" Ricky asked, following the toddlers finger, before waving his hand at her, "I think he wants to play with us both now, mommy."
Not wasting any time, she went over to them, meeting his giddy giggles as he shakily toddled to her, with her own, "You're such a big boy!" She cooed, putting her hand out to him, "Can mama walk with you?"
"Dada!" John looked between the two of them, sticking his finger into his mouth, "Mama!"
Bending to his level, Ricky removed his dirty finger from his mouth and spoke softly, "How about mommy and daddy both walk with John?" The toddler's response was a open mouthed yawn with a cross between a giggle and cough. Standing back up, he chuckled, taking the boys right hand while she took his left, both lifting him at the same time and swinging his small body gently with exaggerated 'weeees' as the he squealed for more.
"Jon!" Her daughter squealed loudly, drawing her out of her thoughts.
Looking up, Amy noticed that they were no longer swirling around the slide. Her sons laughter floating from the other side of the play yard as he clambered to sit on the swing set, earning a stifled giggle. Bunching the napkin in her palm, she quickly gathered the remainder of their lunch and stuffed it back into the brown paper sack, going to join her little family.
"Mommy!" His grin widened, kicking his feet in an attempt to propel himself forward, "You jus pwu-sh me, mommy?"
Waiting until her boyfriend and their youngest child could join them - him flying her over his head like superman as she cackled and drooled on him, causing him to grimace - she put her hands in front of her and pushed on his upper back with her fingertips.
His dirty blonde locks bounced around his ears, leaning forward slightly and squinting at the harsh sunlight in his eyes as he squeaked, "I wan-t go so hwi-gh!" Pumping his legs a little more, "w-ayyyy in the sk-y!"
Ricky chuckled, depositing the infant into the swing next to him, pushing softly, "I don't think you want to go that high, buddy. Nobody would able to get you down." John kept his eyes on the sky, a frown coming to his face at the realization his dad was right - it was entirely too high for anyone to get him down. And he didn't like high things. They both chuckled at his silence, knowing his big brain was just spinning with all the possibilities of achieving his goal. Such an inquisitive child he was.
Sneaking a peek at her, Ricky dug the tip of his sneaker into the mixture of rock turned dusty clay beneath his feet. "You remember the last we were here?" Biting her lip, she gave her son a bigger push and nodded.
"I'm not sure I get it." She spoke softly, clutching his jacket to her thin frame as a gust of wind blew by.
He jerked at the chill, his brow rising slightly, "Get what?"
"You've not wanted to be away from John for the past 2 weeks - and tonight you've gotten a babysitter and... what's going on, Ricky?"
Expelling a long breath from his cheeks, he swallowed the lump forming in his throat, "I - I can't get it out of my head, Amy." Taking slow steps towards the desolate swings swaying from the nip in the air, he bit his lip until he sat down, hanging his head with a tear in his eye, "The whole situation. How one minute everything is fine, people are happy and planning for the future... and then..."
She stood in front of him, fighting the tears gathering in her own eyes, "I know." Sniffling, she placed her hands on his shoulders, "Is that why you've been so adamant on us staying at the apartment so much? You're afraid something might... happen?"
Without looking up, he sniffled and nodded, "I want you to stay more. You and John. I want us to see each other at breakfast, and have dinner together." His eyes shifted slowly up, moving his hands down her arms and stopping at her waist, "I want us to read stories on the floor to our son until he's snoring facedown into his pillow like you." She chuckled, poking him in the collarbone. Chuckling too, he leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead, "I want everything with you, Amy." Voice cracking with emotion, "From now on I want us to be more - More than just you being my girlfriend, or someone I'm dating..." Closing his eyes, he exhaled shakily, lifting his left hand up to her heart and leaving it there, "I'm not saying I want to get married anytime soon or anything, but I want to think about it. I want to want to with you. And I want you to want to with me." He felt the heavy thumps against his hand, the corners of his lips tilting up to showcase his dimples, voice soft as he met her soft brown eyes with his glassy ones, "I love you. I love you more than I've ever loved another person in my life, and maybe I'm being too direct and pushy... but I'll never forgive myself if something happens and I never told you how much you truly mean to me-"
Not waiting to hear anymore, she smashed her lips against his, inching herself further against him. Cupping his cheeks, she took a breath and bit her lip, admitting, "I feel the same way, Ricky..." before going back to his lips. Soft and supple as they molded with hers; tongues dueling in a perfect rhythm. His hands slipped lower, one on her backside, while the other found the button of her jeans, eager to bypass the barrier. She groaned into their kiss as his hand cupped her butt, pushing deeper against him until she felt a rough budge rub against her thigh. Breaking away, she paused to catch her breath, looking down at his hand still hovering over the button of her jeans, his eyes clouded as he bit his lip, knowing exactly what he wanted. Her eyes widened at his suggestive smirk, giving the left side of her butt a gentle slap, as she squeaked, "Ricky Underwood, we're in public!"
He chuckled under his breath, pointing towards the desolate playground equipment with a husky lilt to his voice, "You know... the slide has a cover over it..." Her eyes widened larger, mouth shooting open at the ridiculous suggestion before biting her thumbnail in naughty thought.
"Hw-igher! Hw-igher!" John squealed, kicking his legs in a frenzy and drawing her out of her thoughts. The brooding teen beside her was still looking at her, his eyes soft.
"Who would have thought that that conversation would have gotten us here..." She responded, shifting her footing slowly.
Without hesitation, "I did." Ricky took a step towards her, close enough to touch her hand, a smile on his face, "Maybe not exactly how everything happened - but... I knew I wanted my future to be with you." Pulling her gently towards him, he cocked his head at their daughter's aggressive babbling due to his absence of pushing her, "We just got a little more than we bargained for, I guess."
Amy giggled with a nod, leaning in closer as she whispered through a soft smile, "Me too." Kissing him with equal parts tenderness and passion; shutting out the world and losing herself in this incredible man who was worth every single struggle to her.
"Ewweeee!" The tot squawked with disgust, closing his eyes and contorting his face. His sister shared in the same sentiment, flailing her body with an impatient shriek.
They chuckled into their kiss at their children's antics, before their baby started thrashing and throwing her head back, demanding attention with a loud scream. Always the little drama queen. Breaking away, he raced back over, lifting her head back up and continuing to push gently with the tips of his fingers, "You have the patience of your mother - you know that?"
"Hey!" Amy shouted back, shooting him glare.
Putting his hand up in defense, Ricky laughed, "Oh don't even try to deny it, Ames."
Pursing her lips outward, she shook her head, stifling a giggle, "Still - you're so rude!"
"Did you wear yourself out, baby?" She stroked his head, tying his left shoe in a double knot for the fourth time since they had arrived. He nodded slowly, rubbing his eye. "Think we should go home now?" He nodded again, lifting his arms up for her to carry him. Putting his now tied shows on the picnic table, she blew the hair from her face and obliged, hiking his larger frame up against her body, whispering into his ear as he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck, "Did you have a fun day?"
Playing with the hair draping her shoulders, the tot nodded with a tired smile, "It - it w-as jus the bwest-est d-ay ev-er!" Glancing over at each other, as Ricky threw everything in the stroller their daughter didn't want to sit in, they smiled and made their way down the paved path away from the playground, both carting a worn out and sleepy child nestled against them.
Almost to the parking lot, they passed by an on-going game; the sounds of metal hitting rubber and cheers piecing the otherwise quiet park. The sun was sinking over the trees, casting a glow against the high chain linked fence separating the game from the rest of the park-goers.
This perked the attention of a certain little boy struggling to look away; too mesmerized by the children in blue running around and cheering, to focus on his parents staring at him. "What's wrong, bud?"
Blinking quickly, he squinted his eyes and pointed, jolting as one of the kids hit the ball hard and caused the crowd to cheer loudly, "W-wh-at dem jus do-in?"
Turning on his heel, Ricky couldn't help the smile that came to his face, "That's a baseball team, John. They're playing a baseball game." Watching with a bit of admiration at the young kids having fun, as he touched the back of his son's shirt, "Remember that time I took you and Emma and Jack to the place with all the cages?"
Swiping the hair out of his eyes, John nodded with raised arms in excitment, "Daddy hwit the b-alls soooooo fwar!"
"Yeah, I did." He chuckled at his son's enthusiasm, "That was called a batting cage - it's to help baseball players get better at the game." Turning his head towards the crowd to see a man wagging his finger at one of the players.
"I don't understand why I have to practice!" He huffed, dragging the aluminum behind his heels in annoyance, "I'm already getting all the hits!"
Mr. Ramsey shook his head, running a hand through his dark black locks before raising the ball up to his face, a sternness in his eyes as he positioned Ricky's small 10-year-old body squarely against the old wooden fencing. "Getting all the hits isn't what the game is about, son."
He dropped the bat in a rage, seething, "Don't call me that! I'm not your stupid son!"
Spinning him around by the shoulders, his voice became rough, his grip getting a little tighter, as he scolded, "That - that right there is why you have to practice. Your mouth and your belief that you can treat everyone the way you want to." Shoving him into the fence, he shook his head and took a step back, "You're on a team, boy. Like it or not. Start acting like it!" Raising the ball up inside the mitt to throw it as hard as he could, knowing he would either pick up the bat and drive it across the yard, or he'd let it hit him. "Now - practice!"
"Daddy!" John grabbed onto his jacket sleeve, eager to get his attention. He shook his head a little, coming out of the memory, not even hearing her tell their son that he too, used to be one of those kids running around those bases. His son's eyes were on him, grasping tighter to his arm with his squeaky voice, "Daddy - you jus p-lay bwase-ball too?"
Seeing the giddy in his face, he nodded and smiled, "I did. When I was a kid though, not for a long time since."
"I wan-t do it, too!" He proclaimed, wiggling out of mother's grasp until she put him on his feet and he grabbed his dad's hand, shaking it with glee, "I go hwit the bwase-balls sooo fwar wike daddy d-id!"
Amy nudged him with her shoulder, seeing the glint in his eyes, "You're seriously considering this aren't you?"
"Now is the best time to learn. He's small, but quick and eager -" Ricky smiled, handing their baby to her mother before crouching down to his level, "What do you say, buddy - wanna take another trip to the batting cages and show mommy how far you can hit?"
"Yeh!" John cheered loudly, jumping up and down on the balls of his feet before catapulting into his body.
She rose a brow at him, poking his chest playfully, "I thought you were sooooo tired?"
Toying with his dad's ear lobe, he shrugged, opening and closing his hand quickly, "I n-ot ti-red ne-more cuz I jus aw-ake n-ow!" Tilting his head with a smirk, Ricky gestured for them to head out, hiking the boy up further on his hip.
Looking down at the baby gnawing on her shirt sleeves, Amy giggled "Boys and their sports, huh?"
"Jon!" Emma squealed, turning her attention to them as they walked away, holding out her saliva laced hand in protest, "Mine!"
Nodding along, "Yes, we're going with John and daddy, baby - don't worry, you won't be left out."
Giggling through a snort, she began to wave her hand frantically, squinting with her lips pushed out like a fish as she squealed out to everyone who would listen, "Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!"
Giggling again at her daughter's little personality starting to shine through more and more each day, she pressed her forehead against hers, bopping her nose with the tip of her index finger, "You're silly!"
"Hold the bat up higher, buddy - you don't want to hit your leg when you swing-" He instructed, standing a step behind him to aid if needed. Securing the helmet that covered his entire head, he set the pitch on the slowest possible, watching as the ball hit the dirt as he failed to swing and connect. The cage door was cracked, allowing them to watch up close as he put his hands on the boys body; fixing his footing and raising the bat - that almost weighed as much as him - up higher on his shoulder, "Up like this - Ready?" He nodded, stomping his small foot into the dirt. Loading the machine again with the same result, he sighed and kept going, "It's okay we'll go again -"
Finally after the third try, aluminum met rubber; the ball being bunted across the dirt. Barely able to see over both the hair in his eyes, and the helmet, John let out a shriek, "Wh-oa!" Turning to his adoring crowd, "D-id you see mommy! I hwit the bwase-balls!"
"I did see, bud - good job!" She cheered him on, nodding along with his sisters high pitched squeal screams as she pointed and bounced in her arms, "Yeh! John did a good job, huh!"
Touching his shoulder to regain his focus, Ricky pointed to the tee he set up a few feet away from where they were standing, "Alright John - I want you to try this now -" Demonstrating how to hold the bat to him, "Angle your elbow, and hit the ball, okay?"
Nodding, the tot eagerly took the bat and smacked the tee, sending the ball off with a small but audible pop. His eyes widened, mouth going agape at his accomplishment, "I d-id it a-gin! I d-id it a-gin!"
"Good job!" Ricky smiled, holding his hand up for a high five which was happily returned before he grabbed the ball and put it back on the tee. John swung and missed a few times, each time just fueling him to not miss the next. He took a step back towards the chain linked door, looking over at her with a smirk, "He's got a good swing there, Ames."
Amy clicked her tongue, seeing the way his mind was racing with all the possibilities this presented for their toddlers future in sports. "Don't get carried away - let's see how long he lasts before you start making plans for his future, alright?"
10 minutes later
The bat fell to the dirt with a clatter, his shoulders slumping as a huff passed his lips. She gave him a nudge, securing the dozing baby in the stroller, "Told you."
Going back in the cage, he bent to his level, "What's up, buddy, why did you stop?"
Rubbing his eye, John whined, "I ti-redddd..." flinging out his arms dramatically, "My - my h-ands jus go-in fall-ed off." Rolling his eyes at his son's dramatics, Ricky took the helmet off his head and gently patted his bottom, "Go sit on the bench with mommy then, we'll continue another time, okay?" He nodded tiredly, crookedly running out of the cage to plop beside his sleeping sister.
Picking up the bat, he removed the tee, and set the machine, taking a practice swing before taking his position on the plate and smacking three line drives right down the center. About to do a fourth, he paused at her small claps and the sound of the metal clinking, "Got room for another lesson?"
He straightened, cocking his brow, "You? Really?"
She shrugged, pushing on her back with her hands, "It looks like fun"
Taking a step back, he smirked, and held the bat out to her, "Alright..." Taking it, she stepped up to the plate, lifting the bat just a hare above her shoulder. "Swing when I tell you to, okay?" She nodded, biting her lip. "Swing!" Doing so, the ball flew past quickly, smacking the mat behind them. He chuckled, "What was that?"
"You didn't count to three - I wasn't prepared!" Amy huffed through a pout
"Fine - ready? One... Two... Three -" The ball smacked the mat again, only this time she swung too low, nearly clipping his leg.
Her voice pitched, noting the rise of his brow, "It was too fast! It literally was coming right at me!"
"It's supposed to!" He stated, "Here - let me help you." Getting behind her, Ricky put his hands on her arms, lifting her elbows to proper placement, "Angle your elbow a little lower -" and sliding his hands lower down her body, "And make sure you're not putting too much pressure on your hips and back-"
Her lips parted slightly at his left hand giving her backside a squeeze, "Did you just grab my butt?"
He scoffed through a chuckle, "I'm teaching you proper hip alignment..."
"Uh-huh, nice try." She shot back, unconvinced. Her hands a little shaky, "What if the ball hits me in the face?"
He shook his head, "Don't let it. It won't connect with any vital pieces of your body unless you freak out and jump in front of it." Stepping back, he pushed the button again, "It's about to go again - you ready?"
Trying to keep her elbows bent and her back straight, she nodded hesitantly, "I - I think so..." Swinging quickly and hearing the connect, as the ball sailed across the line before plopping into the rubber on the other side of the cage. "Eeee! Did you see that? I hit it!" She squealed excitedly, turning to face him with a bounce in her footing.
He nodded, "I did, good job. But the other ball is about to come your way right about-" pointing to the ball coming hard and fast towards them. Unprepared, she shrieked and let the bat slip from her grasp straight into him, "... now..."
"Oh my god!" She gasped, realizing what the bat connected with and rushing over to aid, "Oh my god, are you okay?"
"I -" He spoke through a squeak, "I'm f-fine -" trying to refrain from cursing in pain.
Letting her hand hover over his crotch without touching him, "We need to get you to the hospital!"
"No -" He shook his head quickly, breathing through his nose heavily, "I'm fine." Swallowing a groan, he managed to shakily grab his keys from his pocket and hand them to her, "Put the kids in the car - I'll be there in a few minutes..."
"Ricky - you need to see a doctor!"
He shook his head again, pushing air from his cheeks, "No - no I don't. I just need to sit here for a few minutes and let the pain subside. I'll be fine."
With a hesitant nod, she took the keys and quickly shuffled out of the cage and over to the bench, "C'mon bud, it's time to go."
Hopping off the seat, John paused his footing with concern, pointing at his father, "Wh-at b-out daddy?"
Taking his hand, Amy tried to keep her voice calm, not wanting to give John any reason to worry, "Daddy's coming, he just has to get everything cleaned up first. C'mon, it's getting dark out."
Recoiling, he went over to the chain link, "I - I wa-nt p-lay wit daddy a-gin!"
Taking one large deep breath, Ricky managed to state, "It's cleanup time, John. Go with mommy, okay. I'll be right behind you in a minute." Waiting until they were out of ear shot and far enough away, he grabbed his crotch with a groan, gritting his teeth in pain as he tried not to slink to his knees in agony. "Fuck!" He cursed as the pulsating and throbbing radiated across his pelvic region, banging his head back against the metal, "Fucccckkkk!"
"Ma! Ma-ma! Ma-ma-ma!" She coaxed the baby, balancing in the middle of the sofa bed.
Losing balance, she babbled out, "Da-da-da!" Before plopping to her bottom and crawling over to his pillow.
Using the tips of her fingers to tickle her back, "You don't want to say mama? It's easy, see -" laying down beside her, "Ma. Ma-ma!"
Flopping against his pillow with a snort, "Jon!"
"I give up!" Amy slapped her hands against her legs, her brow creasing in concern as he approached the bed. "You really should see a doctor - you know. That looks really painful."
Lowering himself slowly, Ricky expelled a long, pain filled breath from his cheeks and pressed the bag of frozen mixed vegetables to his jeans, "I don't need some doctor poking and pulling on my junk. I'm fine, Amy." Shifting to get as comfortable as he could, "I just need to sit here... and not move..."
"Dadaaaa!" Emma lunged quickly, wanting to play as she grabbed onto his shirt and pulled herself up his torso, causing him to groan through a painful wince.
Gathering her onto her lap, Amy shook her head, "Dada has a big boo-boo, Monkey."
"Daddy... d-id you bweak you-r pee-pee?" John piped up from his spot on the floor, zooming his cars across the railing of the sofa beds frame.
"It's not broken... I hope..." He winced again, glancing over to her, "But it's probably not usable for a few days..."
Snapping, she shook her head sarcastically, "Darn, there goes my plans for the rest of the week!"
Taking a spot on the mattress, John raised one of his hot wheels above his head, "Mommy c-an jus k-iss it an-d mwake it bwett-er!"
"Mommy?" Ricky rose a brow, pouting his bottom lip.
Rolling her eyes, Amy stifled a giggle and shook her head, "Um, no. Daddy will be fine, buddy."
Without warning, little hands grasped onto the sheets and fell forward, headbutting into the left side of his pelvis. He took in an irregular breath, biting his lip as she giggled at his distress, "You and your mother are really determined to make it where you don't have a little sibling, aren't you?" He groaned, letting his head fall back against the cushion with a sigh, "Oh well, at least I won't have to buy condoms."
This new word perked little ears, cocking his head with curiosity, "Wh-at awre ton-dums?"
Shooting her boyfriend a look that said 'thanks a lot', Amy ran her hand over his shaggy hair, hoping to get his mind on literally anything else, "Something you'll get when you're older, buddy."
"H-ow ol-d?"
"14" Ricky stated quickly
Countering him at the same time, "21." Her mouth fell agape at him, "14? You're joking right?"
His brow lifted as he looked at her, "21? Geez, Amy you really think he's going to wait until then? He's a good looking kid, we'll be lucky if he makes it though junior high without... doing it..." Sighing, Ricky shifted the frozen vegetables lower, as he put his other hand out to steady the standing infant, "Besides, it's better for him to have them and be prepared rather than come home one day and tell us we're going to be grandparents."
Pursing her lips, Amy poked his bicep, "Touché - especially if he's anything like you." Turning back to their boy with a hidden plea in her voice as she cupped his face in her hand, "Try not to make me a grandma until I'm at least 35, alright?"
Not understanding any of what he was told, John grinned, "OK, mommy!"
Babbling aggressively, Emma let out a shriek before plopping herself directly on their dad's torso, slapping her tiny palms excitedly against the hand covering his crotch. Letting out a few groans, Ricky raised his hand to steady her off of his body, wincing intensely at her head shake and nails digging into the skin of his hand. That girl and her tiny talons disguised as fingernails were going to kill him. Through another wince, he spoke calmly, "Listen sweetie, daddy loves you... but Ames please get her off of me before I sustain permeant groin damage." Rushing to his aid, John helped his baby sister sit up, sliding her off gently to sit with him in the middle of the mattress before curling his fingers in an attempt to tickle her. She squealed, shaking her head and rushing to crawl away, but he was quicker, grabbing hold of her diaper and gently pulling her back to him; making her cackle and drool as he dug his fingers around her small frame.
Watching them with a smile, Amy rose to stand, knowing that if John continued, Emma would be covered in her own saliva and need a bath. Scooping her up for rescue, she held her hand out to him, "C'mon, time for bed. We should let daddy rest tonight."
"Still the same, huh?" She asked, sauntering out of the bedroom almost a half and hour after she went in. He didn't say anything, just blew a breath from his cheeks in defeat. Walking over to the bed, she puffed her lips out, rubbing his bicep with her hand, "Is there anything I can do before I go?"
His eyes lifted, "Kiss it and make it better?"
Removing her hand, her lips parted, "Was all this a ploy to get me to... satisfy you? Because as I said before - no. The bet still stands for a few more days, Underwood." Amy took a step back, raising her hand and gesturing like she was clipping air with her fingers, "You loose... and you'll get the vasectomy you've always wanted -"
"And if I win - you move back in with me." Ricky smirked, touching her leg.
She pursed her lips, "And that is why I'm determined to win, because this IUD is very uncomfortable-"
Shaking his head, "Yeah well, getting my junk cut into doesn't sound very appealing either."
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, "But think about all the condoms you won't have to wear..." She trailed her fingers up his chest, leaning in to kiss him. Loosening the first three buttons on his shirt, she messaged her tongue against his, hearing his low groan as he shifted slightly and raised the hand that was holding the now thawed bag of vegetables, to her face, needing more. Leaning a little further in, she loosened the fourth button and bit his bottom lip, dragging it down just as a cold sensation was thrust into his crotch. Breaking their kiss, "It'll help with the swelling." Amy smirked, patting boo-boo man gently, "Think of it as practice for when you -" using the same snipping gesture as before, and stifling a giggle at the look on his face.
Ricky shook his head, rolling his eyes at her twisted tease, "You're horrible - you know that?"
"Mhmm, you say that now, but you'll thank me later."
"Nope, still horrible." Adjusting boo-boo man, he lifted his finger to get her attention as she was about to leave,
"Hey, can you run downstairs and grab the mail? I forgot, and Bunny throws a fit if it's not empty when she gets in."
Drumming his fingers against the worn bed sheets, she returned a minute later, shuffling a pile of mail and reading the majority of the contents aloud, "Credit card application... an oil change coupon... bill... bill... a flyer for some new lawyer... John's preschool newsletter -" She paused suddenly, lips parting at one envelope in her hands.
"What?" He rose slightly, concern starting to creep into his features.
She swallowed quickly, "It's um, it's from the department of Corrections..."
Wincing, he rose to stand, "Open it, it could be that letter Reuban said was coming about the charges being dropped."
Doing so, she was careful in ripping the seal, studying the piece of paper that would finally close a very uncomfortable part of their lives. With Ben dropping the charges, but Ricky already being processed, it took a lot of convincing to have the assault and battery expunged from his record. Thankfully, the college wasn't concerned because it happened off school property, and his scholarship wasn't in any kind of jeopardy. It was Child Protective Services that were the biggest hurdles in this process - because although Ben dropped the charges and told them he had made a mistake, they still did an investigation; making sure to poke and pry into every dirty detail of Ricky's childhood and juvie records. They didn't find anything of concern though, and the investigation was closed without any necessary legal help from Leo or Reuban.
But this slip of paper proved his innocence and would finally bring him peace.
Taking a shaky breath, she began to read aloud, "Dear Richard Underwood... we're writing to inform you that a Department of California Corrections parole hearing has been set for a -" Stopping mid sentence, Amy let the letter drop to the floor with a gulp as she turned to him and tried to keep her lip from wobbling, "Please tell me that doesn't say what I thought it said..."
Picking it up from the floor, Ricky's eyes scanned the page, his breath hitching in his throat as he struggled to let the words pass his lips. "My f-father is up for parole..." He whispered through tears starting to cascade down his jaw, his voice starting to get smaller as he squeaked, "B-B-Bob's getting out of jail..."
Cue the dramatic Law & Order theme song in the background...
Buckle up, friends... I'll see you soon... ;)