We Are Free

Surprise!

The next morning we all wake up late. I make something small to eat and we stay in our pjs. Halo does the dishes. The kids play with play dough at the table. I brush through the girls hair and put them up.
Andrew has practice today. Since it is the summer time the practices are a little more free will. Halo is going to take him by his request. The girls want to go to the park. I told them I would take them.
When 1 comes Halo takes Andrew to practice. The girls get dressed and we go to the park. They play on the monkey bars and do flips. I swing on a swing. I watch them and Halo texts me. She says she is taking Andrew to lunch. The girls soon come up to me saying they are hungry.
      "Well Halo is taking Andrew out so we're do you guys wanna go?" I ask them.
      "Burger King." Emily says.
      "Yeah!" Ava says.
      "I can live with that." We leave and go to Burger King. We order and sit down. The girls eat and laugh. They go play on the indoor play set when they are done eating. I wasn't so I told them they could. Halo texted me and as soon as I response girl comes up to me.
     "Hi." The girl says.
     "Hi."
     "What's your name?" She asks me.
     "It's Jace. What's yours?"
     "Jessica."
     "Okay."
     "Can I sit here?"
      "Sure." I raise my eyebrow, she sits down.
      "Are you here with anyone?" She asks me.
     "My sister and her friend."
     "How cute. Um is Jace short for anything?"
     "Yeah, it's short for Jason."
      "Jason that's a nice name."
      "Thanks."
      "Do you have any other siblings?"
      "Yeah I have a brother."
      "That's cool." I look up and see them looking at me. Emily was talking to Ava and I could tell she is close to tears.
      "Is that your sister?" Jessica asks me.
      "Yeah."
     "She is cute much like you."
     "Thanks but umm-"
     "Where is your brother?" She cuts me off.
     "With my fiancé."
     "Fiancé!" She gets startled.
     "Look you are a very nice girl but yes I do have a fiancé and she means the world to me. I'm not going to screw it up."
      "Oh okay." She gets up and leaves. Emily comes down the slide and runs to me. She jumps in my arms. She was crying.
     "What's wrong?" I ask her.
     "You didn't do it did you Jace?" She asks me.
     "Do what?"
     "Make a date with her."
     "No of course not. I love Halo more than anything in the world next to you guys. I wouldn't trade her for anything. We are getting married and that's a promise. I would never do that." She puts her face into my chest and I hug her. She looks at me and I wipe her face. "I promise you that I will never abandon Halo."
      "Im going to hold you to that."
      "That's okay." We leave and go home. They go outside and Halo and I talk.
     "When we were out this girl started hitting on me."
      "Oh really." She looks down at her ring and back at me.
      "I told her I was engaged and that I wasn't going to leave you for anything. She got pissed and walked away. Emily came running to me in tears. She thought I was going to leave you. I told her that it will never happen."
     "Oh my gosh."
     "Yeah." She hugs me.
      "What?"
      "I got a keeper."
     "I will never leave you ever. I don't care what is going on. I will never ever leave you." We kiss a couple times and I look into her eyes.
      "I mean it I love you."
      "I love you to."
      "Jace I hit the ball at practice." Andrew says.
      "Really! That's amazing bud I'm proud of you." He gives me a high five and a big hug. Then I get a phone call.
     "Hello."
      "Hey Jace."
      "What's up?"
      "Um I'm coming home on Wednesday. I should be there Thursday morning to get her."
      "Okay she will be at Halo's mom's house."
      "Okay um that's fine. I will be at work come Monday."
      "Okay sounds good." I hang up and call for Ava.
      "What?" She says.
      "Your mom is coming home Wednesday she will get you Thursday."
      "Yay!" We laugh at her. Halo and I clean up a little and Halo starts dinner. I finish it though after I finish some school work. Halo and I tag team it on cleaning up. We get the kids in pjs and put some on ourselves.
We lay on the couch for a while. The kids play in one of the rooms. I hold her close to my chest. After what happened today I never want to let her go. She means the world to me and I will never leave her. 
     "I just thought of something."
     "What's that?"
     "If we want to get married we can go to the church and have a small wedding. Then we can have a big wedding after I graduate."
      "Yeah but I really think that with everything we have going on, we should wait until after you graduate."
      "Yeah we will both be in our 20's then."
      "Yeah, we just have a lot to think about and we have all the time to do so."
      "Yes we do." We kiss and she lays her head back on my chest.
*Thursday*
We wake up and get ready for work. We get the girls up and Andrew. We put them in the car. We drop them off at Anna's along with all of Ava's things. We go to work and at lunch I get a phone call from Ava's mom.
      "Hey!"
      "Hey, I just wanted to call to say thank you again. She hasn't shut up since I picked her up this morning. She had so much fun and I just can't tell you how much I appreciate it. You are really amazing you and Halo both."
      "Oh no problem she is welcome anytime."
      "Well I am glad she had fun and I still can't thank you enough."
     "You are very welcome." We go back to work. After Halo comes into my office. She sits on my desk as I pack up. She takes her shirt off she was wearing a tank top under it. She goes into the bathroom and puts on her jean shorts.
It was so hot out going out in our work clothes was out of the question. I take my shirt off and put my tank top on. She comes out. We put our stuff in the backpack and leave. We have to run to the store first. We walk in and a couple guys whistle at her. She gives them her middle finger.
      "Fuck off." She says.
      "Ohhh bad girl." He says. She gives them the middle finger once more but the one with her engagement ring on her finger and they look away. We get a basket. We get a couple small groceries. We get some house hold items and check out. We get the kids and go home. I start dinner and Halo gets a phone call.
     "What's the happs?" I ask.
     "One, don't do that ever again." I start laughing. "Two, it was Zac, Zane's party is next Sunday and he wants us to come."
      "Of course we will be there."
      "What I told him."
      "Okay." We finish dinner and get the kids baths and in bed. We clean up the kitchen and go to bed we talk.
      "I thought you were going to beat those guys up." She says.
      "No, your a big girl you can take care of yourself."
      "I am huh."
       "Yes you are."
      "I can take care of more than myself you know." She gets on top of me.
      "I know that to." She kisses my neck good thing it was still early.
*Sunday*
We have got Zane a birthday present. We go to Zac's house. His and Chloe's wedding was very soon. It is the 20th of August. 10 days after Andrew's birthday he was turning 5. When we get to Zac's house we put Zane's presents in front of the tv.
     I take Blake and hold her. She is getting big. 2 months old. Zane is running around laughing. He jumps on me. I pick him up to.
     He smiles at me. Blake starts crying and Chloe takes her. Zane lays on my chest.
      "I remember when he was about Blake's age." I say. He looks at me then at Zane.
      "Me to."
     "Man it was funny watching you parent." We laugh at the memory.
     "Yeah but hey I did it. We are still here so I must have done something right."
      "You did a lot right."
      "Hi Jace." Zac's mom says.
      "Hi."
      "How are you and Halo doing?"
      "We are good we actually just got engaged."
      "That's wonderful honey in so happy for you both."
      "Thank you." We sit and talk. I go with Zac to pick up the food.
      "I keep thinking that Blake was born in March." I say to him.
      "Why?"
      "I don't know. There is always that one birthday that you can remember the day just not the month. I think for me it is Blake's." He starts laughing.
     "You will figure it out eventually."
     "Yeah, I know." We are getting subs from Subway. We go in and pick it up. We go back to his place and give the kids stuff to eat. We eat and Chloe feeds Blake. Blake falls asleep in her rocker.
      "Daddy!" Zane yells.
      "What?" He puts a present in front of Zac. "You can open it." Zane smiles and rips the paper off. He gets through the paper and holds the box of legos up. They were the big ones for little kids.
     Zac and Chloe got them for him. He gives Zac the box and he opens it. Zane dumps it out and throws the plastic storage bag behind him. He starts putting blocks together.
      "Well nice to know he likes them." Zac says.
      "Yeah." Chloe says.
      "Blocks!" Zane says.
      "Yeah blocks!" Zac responds to him. He laughs and continues building. When he finishes it was a tall thing. He stands up and picks it up. When he picks it up it breaks in two. He looks at us.
     "Fell." He says his lip quivering.
     "Yeah it fell." Zag says. He starts crying and goes to Zac.
      "Daddy." He says reaching up.
      "Awww you poor thing."  He picks Zane up and sets him in his lap. He stops crying and gets down. He grabs another present one that we got him. He gives it to Zac.
     "Open it." Zac tells him. He takes the paper off and smiles. "What is that?" Zane shrugs his shoulders. "Is it a coloring book and crayons?" He shakes his head yes. "You better go give Uncle Jace and Aunt Halo hugs." He runs to us and gives us a hug. He starts coloring and soon gets board with it.
      We can't help but laugh at him. Zac picks up the legos and sets them with the other toys. Zane starts taking all the balls out of the bin by Blake's rocker. He throws them about. They were plastic hallow balls. He throws some at me.
      "Owwwie." He laughs at me and throws more I catch one and gentle toss it at him. It hits his shoulder and he starts laughing. He throws some at Halo and Halo picks him up and tickles him.
     Blake starts crying so Zac gets her and picks her up. He gets Zane a sippy cup of juice and changes Blake's diaper. Just then there is a nock on the door. He goes to the door. He motions for me to come out. I get up and go out but Zane starts crying.
      "Ace!" He says. He reaches at me. I pick him up and put him on my waist. We go outside and there was Amy.
      "Amy how did you find me?" He asks her. Zane finds interest in my necklace and stars playing with the chain.
      "I saw it on your Facebook page." She says shaking.
       "What are you stalking me?"
       "No I go on you page to see pictures of Zane." She is stuttering. She looks at me and sees Zane.
      "Oh my gosh he is so big." She says. He looks at Amy. He starts crying.
      "Mommy! MOMMY!" He starts yelling. Chloe comes out and Zane reaches for her. She takes him and gently rocks him.
      "It's okay honey." She soothes him.
      "Take him inside I have unfinished business." Zac says.
      "Okay."
      "No, I just want to see him." Amy says.
      "No!" Zac says.
      "What?"
      "You herd me." She looks in Zac's arm and sees Blake.
      "Who is that?" She stutters.
      "My daughter." Zag says proudly.
     "Daughter!" She says, the only word so far she has not stuttered.
      "Yeah Chloe and I had a baby and we are getting married. It will be a cold day in hell before you see Zane."
      "You can't say that he is my son to."
     "You abandoned him on my door step at 3 months.! You seem to have a habit of only wanting to see him on his birthday and you obviously haven't got clean since the last time I saw you."
      "Please just let me hold him for a couple minutes."
      "I'm sorry Amy but no." Blake starts screaming. I take her and rock her.
      "Shut that little bitch up!" Amy nearly yells.
      "No one calls my daughter that He was mad and I can tell. "Get off my property now or I will call the cops! You ever fucking come back I will call the police with no question. All you are is his egg donor he has a mom. Now go!"
      "Fuck you Zac." She gives him the middle finger as she walks away.
       "Shove that finger where the sun doesn't shine and pull you head out of your ass while your at it." He takes Blake back and looks at her.
      "Hey princess it is okay. You are okay." She smiles at him showing her gums. We go inside and Zane was still crying. Zac puts Blake down and grabs Zane. He settles down and looks at Zac.
      "It is okay. She is gone." He tells Zane.
      "What happened?" He puts Zane down. 
      "Go play with your cousins." He runs off laughing and he tells her what happened.
      "I bet she was pissed when he called me mom."
     "Yeah but what ever. I told her to pull her head out of her ass."
     "Sounds like you."
     "I know."
     "Daddy!" Zane says.
     "What!" We laugh at his failed attempt to match Zane's high excited voice.
     "Do you want cake?" Zac asks him.
     "Yes."
     "Okay."We light the candles and sing to him he blows the candles out and claps. He gets down and grabs another present. He opens it and looks at it. He decides he much rather have the cake.
      He sits down and eats the cake. We all have some and when he finishes he goes and gets another present. He opens it and laughs and squeals. He finishes opening his presents and Zac picks it up.
      "I will rejoice the day you can pick up after yourself." Zac says.
     "Just wait until you try potty training him." Zac's mom says.
     "Don't remind me mom." We start laughing at him. The kids play for another couple hours before Andrew falls asleep in the middle of the floor.
     "I suppose that is our sign."
     "Yeah." We leave and Zane starts crying.
     "Ace! Ace!"
     "Buddy we have to go." I tell him.
     "No! NO!"
     "Buddy we have to."
     "NO!"
     "Oh you can keep him." Chloe says as a joke.
     "That's not a bad idea. If you want you can take him for the night."
     "YES!" Zane yells.
     "Stop yelling young man." Zac says. He pouts a little then forgets why.
      "What do you think?" Halo asks me.
      "What the hell we will take him." I say.
      "Awesome." Zac says. They pack him a bag and the play pen. We put it in the truck and go home. He stops crying when we put him in the car. We lay Andrew in his bed and Zane starts trouble as soon as he sees the toys.
    Emily plays with him but they don't really see eye to eye. He gives up and lays on the couch soon, he is sleeping and Emily lays in the middle of the floor.
      "What's wrong Em?" I ask her.
      "I don't know." She shakes her head.
      "We have to drop Zane off at Zac's mom tomorrow morning." Halo reminds me.
      "I know, but what ever." I tell her.
      "Yeah." Halo makes dinner and I get the kids in bed. They were all tired and I don't blame them. We put Zane in our room. He was asleep fast. We lay down and go to sleep ourselves it is going to be a long week and I'm not sure I am ready for it.