Stitches of Survival

Family Affair

And, after much longer than I'd planned, I'm back! Have the rest of the book mapped out, now I just need to write it...

Chapter Sixty-Six: Family Affair

*~*~*~*

"It's gonna rain." Meredith claimed as she and Alex laid on their backs in the grass at the park to stare up at the sky while I sat beside them, busy entertaining Chris. 

"It's not gonna rain," Alex quickly disagreed.

"It's Seattle. It always rains," I chimed in while making a funny face to earn a shriek of laughter from my son. 

"Told her to have the reception indoors. This wedding is doomed even if it happens because it's definitely going to rain." Meredith muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. I could only silently roll my eyes at her comment, biting my tongue to keep myself from saying something that would likely lead to an argument. I still couldn't wrap my head around why she seemed to be so reluctant to accept Owen and Amelia's wedding. 

"You want it to rain. You are willing it to rain," Alex called her out.

"I am not willing it to rain," Meredith argued.

"Yes you are," I spoke in a high voice as I watched Chris crawl around on the blanket I'd laid out. His blue eyes seeming to be trying to take in anything and everything around him. 

"Don't use the baby voice on me," Meredith's nose scrunched up in distaste at my voice.

"You asked me to come to the park when Mark agreed to take Sofia and Mellie out for a "girl's day" before the wedding and Joel was out with Rhys-- leaving my no last minute babysitter." I reminded her of the very reason I was even there with them. "Deal with the baby voice. And quit willing it to rain."

"I'm not," she insisted. "She's just so full of feelings all the time. Why can't she just cram them down and shut up like everybody else?"

"You can't expect her to be Cristina," Alex pointed out.

"Exactly my point," Meredith agreed. "She's definitely not Cristina. That's what I mean. Owen wants this? Owen's marrying this?"

"Owen and Cristina had their fair share of problems," I reminded her. "Maybe it's a good thing that she's so different from Cristina. It could be exactly what Owen needs."

"Besides, he said yes when she asked," Alex gave a small shrug of his shoulders. His mind clearly going back to his own relationship problems.

"Jo still hasn't given you a reason?" Meredith read between the lines while I frowned at the Karev man. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling. Having asked Jo to marry him only for her to say no without giving a reason.

"I don't need a reason," Alex tried to assure us. "She doesn't want to marry me. I'm done. It's over. Maybe it's nobody's fault. Maybe you only get one."

"One what?" Meredith asked before I could. "Soulmate? Or true love? Well, then, who..."

"Don't make me slap you in front of my son, Evil Spawn." I warned the man, even going as far as to use his old nickname. 

"What?" His brows furrowed at my threat.

"Isobel Stevens was not your one true love," I told him, not needing to ask to know who he was talking about. Well aware that ever since Izzie had left he had subconsciously been comparing any other woman he crossed paths with to the blonde. "Your one true love wouldn't--"