The Dance Part 2

Chapter 202 Forever and Always

As soon as the bakery cleared out it's lunch time crowd, Red and Lucy closed the shop and began dinner preparations for the gender reveal party. Everyone including Bear's parents would be in attendance. For the first time in quite a long time, all the Browns would be together under one roof for a family meal.

Bear had snagged a dear and with the help of Matt and Kenny they had thrown it on the grill making for a tasty entree. Red and Lucy complimented the meal with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables. For dessert, Red had baked a special tiered cake to reveal the baby's gender. The outside was decorated pink and blue and the inside of the cake would reveal the baby's gender. If it was a boy, the family would see a blueberry cake. If it was a girl, the cake would be a strawberry. Only Red and Bear knew the gender of the baby and both were anxious to let everyone else know.

"Red, I'm going to finish setting the table and then I'm heading home for the evening."

Red looked at her funny. "You're not staying?"

"I'm not family. I would feel a little awkward not being an official member of the family."

"Whoa girl! You're my family. You're staying and you'll be family soon enough on Gabe's side."

Lucy gave Red a sideways glance. "What do you mean by I'll be family soon enough?"

"You can't possibly be that blind Lucy? He's crazy about you."

"You mean he's crazy about the sex." Lucy laughed. "I've had a long dry spell up until Gabe."

"Gabe's not like that. He's had a lot of girls take an interest in him but when he's with you, you can see the difference in his eyes. It's the way he looks at you, kind of like you're the only girl in the room."

Lucy hadn't really noticed that about Gabe. But admittedly, they had spent the majority of their time together in some stage of undress. She wasn't  complaining, but she made a note to pay more attention tonight to see if she could see what Red was trying to explain to her.

Bam and Lila arrived at the bakery with the Brownies in tow. They also escorted Kenny's wife, Kay to the party. Matt and Lila soon followed with their cookie monster, Lucas, and baby Colton. Gabe and Noah escorted their sisters and Ami and Billy into the bakery. The wolf pack had grown from nine members to sixteen with Bear and Red's baby on the way. The family was loud and boisterous and Ami and Billy reveled in the size of their family. Ami's hope for grandbabies had finally come true. The Brownies were toddlers now and Lucas was starting kindergarten in town. The family was growing and changing in so many ways that the times they were altogether were
most precious.

Gabe introduced Lucy as "his girl" to his parents. It was the first time she had heard him refer to her as a girlfriend. She didn't correct him. She rather enjoyed the title. He squeezed her hand tightly as if to reassure her but she already felt at home with the other members of the family. Ami and Billy had made her feel comfortable immediately.

As the family gathered around a long row of tables, Bear and Rose welcomed everyone to dinner. Bear asked Billy to say grace before they ate. He noted how pleased he and Ami were to be a part of the ever growing family giving nods to the wives for making their sons happy. He also gave a nod to the budding relationship of Gabe and Lucy causing the young couple to blush somewhat.

"Dig in folks." Bear invited everyone to fill their plates and their bellies. "But save room for dessert because we have a gender reveal cake to wax off."

Dinner went on for almost an hour as the family swapped funny stories with the wives and chased children out from under the table. Lucy and Gabe helped cleared the dinner dishes making way for Red and Bear to bring out the baby cake. The family was split on the gender with the men voting for a baby Bear and the women pulling for a baby girl.

Bear and Red hovered over the cake with a knife slicing into the delectable creation. As they pulled the slice from its whole, the girls let out a loud cheer. "It's a girl!"

Bear kissed Red and announced that they had selected her name, Violet Skye Brown. "It's a beautiful name, Rose." Tears welled up in Ami's eyes at the thought of a baby girl for Bear. Imagining him with a tiny baby girl was just too much for her. "Ma, those better be happy tears." Bear stepped around the table hugging his mom's shoulder.

Ami shook her head up and down. "They are definitely happy tears, Bear."

Lucy went to the kitchen to fetch a pot of tea for the cake and Gabe followed her. He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm glad you're here tonight."

"Me, too."

He nuzzled his head to her neck. "I can't wait to get you home." His beefy hand fell to her rear and squeezed a cheek.

"Gabe, not here." Lucy didn't want anyone to catch him getting frisky in the kitchen.

"Can't help myself. Seeing you in the kitchen just does something to me..."

"Reel it in loverboy."

Gabe pouted playfully. "Don't give me that look. I can't handle the puppy dog eyes. Maybe if you behave yourself, you'll get a treat later."

"Intriguing." Gabe lapsed into his signature Sean Connery accent. "You put a kilt with that accent and you'll really get lucky."

Gabe made a mental note to himself. Find a kilt. He did recall Kenny owning one for a wedding he had participated in late last summer.  Suddenly Gabe became very inspired and disappeared back to the dinner table to have a conversation with Kenny.

Shania Twain-Forever and Always