We Are Free

1 Year And Wedding Planing

*1 year later*
Rebel has her first birthday today. She is so big and so beautiful like her mom. I am 21. Halo is 24. Emily is 10, Andrew is 7, Blake is 3. Zane is 5, Ryker is 2, and Zac is 23. Its crazy to think that 1 year ago Rebel came into the world.
    She is so smart and makes our world better in so many more ways. We have started planning our wedding more. We really want to get married at this point. It's October 31. Halloween. We are taking all the kids trick-or-treating after Rebel's party.
    Everyone is doing good. Emily went up a belt in karate once again. Andrew did good in baseball. Zane started school this year to. It was a big day for all of us. Even though I am 21 I still won't drink. I will take a sip off of Halo's but never my own.
    I am to scared and now that I am a dad I am even more scared. Zac and I want to go to a club. Halo is making us go tonight. It's Halloween it's the best time to go. We agreed. We will take them trick-or-treating for a little bit since it is Rebel's first Halloween.
   We have just finished setting everything up.
     "Daddy!" Rebel says.
     "What!" She laughs at me.
     "Juice!" I hand her a sippy cup and she starts drinking it before she goes to Emily's room. She loves Emily. She follows her around every where and only lets her paint her nails. Emily doesn't mind though. She really enjoys it.
     "Jace!" Emily comes up to me.
     "Yes."
     "Rebel needs her diaper changed." She comes out with Rebel on her side. Rebel has a huge smile on her face. I smile and take her. I change her diaper and go back to what I am doing.
    Halo has gotten back on birth control since having Rebel. She is taking the pill now. We have been talking about the wedding more. We have talked to tailors and wedding planners. Halo has gone a couple times for dress shopping but didn't have much luck.
   We don't have dresses for the other girls yet either. We have a venue though. Are wedding is in 6 months. Halo and I have been talking about having another baby. We have been together 5 years now.
    We want to try for a boy. If she gets pregnant again we need a new house and a new car. I have started looking but haven't told the kids. Ava is starting to get bullied at school again. Her mom may need to change the school district again if it keeps happening.
   Emily doesn't know about that either. She knows that Ava is being bullied but nothing more. She has started asking questions now. She wants to know how babies are made and why only girls can get pregnant. She wants to know how the dad is the involved and I don't know what to tell her.
    I just keep saying we will talk later then she forgets. Up until now it has been band-aids, the boogie man, and upset stomachs. Now I don't know what to do. Andrew has been calling Anna mom on some occasions.
    She says she doesn't mind but I feel bad. Emily has done it to. She says that she feels honored that they want to call her mom and are more than welcome to. I know they won't ever forget our mom. Andrew hasn't been asking questions like Emily has but he has been asking more about our dad.
    He asks where he is and why he is in jail. I don't think he remembers it all to much just because of how young he was. My scar from my stab wound has gone away over time but there is some part of it that just won't.
    He will look at it and ask how I got it. They are questions I don't know how to answer either. Emily still has nightmares and on occasion has crawled in bed with us. She is scared something will happen but I have assured her not.
    She has started seeing a therapist like me. She only remembers a little bit of what happened. We are making it but now they are getting older and it is getting harder to avoid those questions and I know I can't do it forever.
    Halo has offered to do it for me but it isn't her place. It's my job and my responsibility to do it.
*1:00*
Zane and Blake come through the door laughing.
      "Uncle Jace!" Blake says.
      "Hi princess!"
      "Uncle Jace!" Zane greets me. They hug me.
      "Where is Auntie Halo?" Blake asks me.
      "Um, go look in Rebel's room." She leaves and the rest of them come in. Zac was dressed in his chick clothes as he called them. Ryker begs me to hold him before I give in and put him on my waist. The kids all play and have fun. We all sit and talk.
      "If you want sex after tonight I am bringing your ass home." Zac says. We all start laughing.
      "Okay, will do."
      "Where is daddy and uncle Jace going?" Blake asks Halo.
      "They are going out to be boys."
      "Oh." We laugh at her. She plays on my iPad next to Halo. They decide to go outside. We get them ready and they go play in the leaves for a while. We still sit on the back porch.
     "I have started looking for houses to buy." I tell Zac.
     "Again!" He seems shocked.
     "Yeah, I don't want to move the schools but I think we just need a bigger house. Halo agrees. We need something for our growing family. When it was just me and the kids it was different. Now it's me the kids Halo and Rebel. We want more. We need to the room. We will keep this one as a vacation house. We want to set it up and put up a pool. A trampoline, playground."
     "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He says.
     "It will take a while to do though."
     "Yeah but really it is all worth it in the end."
     "Yeah no kidding. We are also looking into getting a new car."
     "Okay."
    "All I have to say is I am stressed." We laugh a little.
     "Yup, we did the same thing."
     "Wedding, house, kids, work, animals, and all that."
     "Well do what you can and take it day by day."
     "That's all you can do I guess." We go inside and eat. While we eat Rebel opens presents. She liked the wrapping paper more than the gifts themselves. She also liked the boxes. Halo put her hair up into a little pony tail on top of her head.
    She had the rest hanging off and the pony tail looks like a little Pebble's hair style from the Flintstones. She is going to be a dinosaur for Halloween. We have cake and she plays with a doctor set she got. Bowser sits on the couch and she plays doctor with her.
    She and Bowser have an unbreakable bond. Since the day we brought her home she is glued to Rebel's hip. She lays by her crib and makes us get her if she sniffles. When she gets a cold she lays right by her crib yet again and no matter what she doesn't move.
    She lets Rebel ride her like a pony. When she was about 5 months she would lay on Bowser's belly and cuddle with her. She would fall sleep and Bowser wouldn't move. She would lay there until Rebel woke up. When Anna came over Bowser would lay under Anna's feet while she held Rebel and if she moved Bowser was right behind her.
    She knows Anna won't hurt Rebel she is just protective. She did the same thing with Zac and Chloe. She even did it to me. Even when Halo was pregnant she knew something was up. 5:00 comes and we get the kids ready and in their costumes.
    Rebel and Ryker are going to share a stroller. Blake will sit on my shoulders and Zane on Zac's most likely. We get them ready and set them in front of the tv. Zac and Chloe watch them while Halo and I get ready. I shower and Halo gets dressed. I get dressed and she puts her Halloween make up on. When we are ready we go back to the living room.
     "Okay, let's do this shit!" I say.
     "Yeah!" Zac says pumping his fist.
     "Yeah!" We laugh at her and I grab her. I throw Blake on my shoulders and Rebel on my hip. I put Rebel in the stroller. Zac puts Zane on his shoulders. We go to different houses. We have to walk a little bit though.
    We go with them until 7:00. Blake was leaning on me and Ryker and Rebel were asleep in the stroller. Zane was crabby and Halo has resorted to carrying Andrew. He isn't that heavy. We go back to the house.
    We put all the kids to bed and Chloe takes their kids. Zac and I get in the car. We go to the club. We both get inside and it was like his bachelor party. Girls dancing and lights all over. Smoke and lots of noise.
   We find a table and get a drink. We watch everything go on and drink.
     "Ten bucks I get hit on." I say to him.
     "No you won't."
     "Yeah I will."
     "Fine deal." We shake hands and he laughs at me. I have a grin on my face. Some chick comes up to me. She sits next to me. She wasn't a dancer but her clothes were pretty skimpy.
      "What's a cute guy like you doing here alone?" She asks me.
     "Well I am not alone my brother is right here." I tell her.  Zac's jaw drops to the ground as he watches this. "And I'm not going home with anyone but him."
      "Why is that?"
      "My fiancé and daughter are at home with my brother and sister."
      "Not possible." I show her the lock screen on my phone. It was Rebel and Halo. They look so alike but you can tell she is mine to. The girl looks at it gets up and walks away. Zac hands me a ten and crosses his arms.
     "Pleasure doing business with you." I say.
     "Suck it."
     "Small objects are chocking hazards."
     "Fuck you."
     "Not even on your birthday."
     "I hate you."
     "What a coincidence." He glares at me before getting another drink. He downs it in three gulps. I laugh at him. We spend until 10:00 at the club. We finally leave. I don't remember much of anything really I am a light weight.
*Next Morning*
I wake up and the room is covered in white. The floor is clean other then the blue and purple blanket on the floor. My head is pounding and I don't have any clothes on.
    The blanket is covering me though. It is just a sheet and the bed was a huge mess. Pillows are everywhere and the sheet is wrapped in me. My hair is in my face and sticky. It it matted and greasy.
    Halo was no where to be seen. I sit up dazed with an unmistakable pound in my head. I run my temples and groan. I get up and grab some shorts. My back hurts. It stings. I go to the bathroom and turn the water on hot.
    I look in the mirror and I look like hell. I step in the shower. What the hell happened last night? I probably don't want to know. I finish in the shower get out and dry off. I put my shorts on and go to the kitchen. Halo was at the table. I sit down Rebel was in her high chair eating toast and a banana.
      "Did you shower?" She asks me.
      "Yeah, what the hell happened last night? My back stings and my head is killing me." I groan.
      "Well you aren't like your dad."
      "Well that explains a lot." She laughs a little.
     "When did I get home?"
     "About 11. I was laying on the couch and Zac came in. He said you were all mine. I tried to get you in the shower. Nope before I knew it you had me against the wall."
      "Well, at least I'm not like my dad."
      "Yup. I asked you if you wanted a shower after but you were asleep. I took a shower and by the time I got back you were all over the bed. I slept on the couch." I laugh a little bit.
     "Daddy!" Rebel gets my attention.
     "What?" I ask her.
     "Toys."
     "Why toys?"
     "Juice."
     "She spilled juice on her doll."
     "Oh. We will wash it." She smiles. I clean her up and take her to change her diaper. I go to the kitchen. She runs free and goes to Emily who is siting on the couch. Andrew is still asleep. It is Sunday. Halo looks in shock.
     "What?" I ask.
     "I forgot my birth control yesterday." A pit forms in my stomach.
     "Are you serious?!" I ask her.
     "Yeah." She looks at me.
     "Did I-" She nods her head yes.
     "What about-" She shakes her head no. I start panicking. She is to.
     "Okay, okay. If it happens it happens." She shakes her head and I hug her. "It will be okay." She nods her head yes and I hold her a little bit. I am just praying she isn't pregnant. It wouldn't be the end of the world but it won't be easy. We will just have to wait.
*6 weeks later*
It is the 2nd week in December and the kids are so ready for break. Rebel is like a jack rabbit always running around. Emily blows bubbles with her and that keeps her calm.
   So far we haven't herd anything on Halo being pregnant again.  The kids have school this morning is it Wednesday. Emily has gymnastics. We got them up and ready to go. They are ready and waiting at the bus stop with me.
     We drop Rebel off at Anna's before we go to work. Once at work I grab my hot chocolate off my desk but see a card on the table I pick it up and it said Merry Christmas. Under it was a test. I pick it up and it had a line and a plus. Halo comes around the corner. She smiles at me.
     "I'm pregnant."