Mike’s family picnic was today and she was a wreck just thinking about it. It would be her first time meeting his family officially, since they had been together. She had met his parents at various functions over the years, but only peripherally. She wasn’t worried about them, she knew Sam and Val were always welcoming to her. She was most worried about meeting his grandmother, the same one who called her with intrusive questions weeks ago. Plus add to that she was the only one who had never attended this thing and she was a wreck.

She had asked Wease about it and he just shrugged and said it was cool, don’t worry about it. She knew that the gathering was more than a traditional family gathering, it’s one of the reasons she had always managed to be busy or out of town previously. But she couldn’t avoid it this time and she knew it. The only one who wasn’t able to attend was David since he was in Cincinnati.

Mike was due to pick her up soon and from there they were going over to David and Kris’s to help with any last minute things. She knew she wouldn’t really be helping much, because they were talking about food, but she could watch Lissa or help with something else. He had told her to pack a swim suit, along with her shorts or whatever, plus something to change into if it got cold later this evening. Kris had told her exactly what to pack, since she knew that she was useless and would have packed some favorite jeans and a baggy shirt. She was so nervous she started pacing. She had her bag ready to go, with lots of sunscreen and a few good books, just in case she needed something to pass the time.

She was having some serious doubts about her ability to fit in today and didn’t know why she let Mike talk her into going. Kris had told her several times to stop worrying; it was a fun, relaxed gathering with lots of kids, games, food and fun. Tell that to her rolling stomach. She had just popped more antacids and was waiting for them to work, when he knocked on her door. She opened it and was greeted by his smiling face.

He took one look at her and said, “Carrie, what’s wrong?”

“I think I’m going to be sick,” she said honestly. He closed the door behind him and wrapped her in his arms. She felt better in his arms, but it still didn’t quiet her uneasy feeling.

“Babe, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be with you. Kris and the kids will be there. Wease and his family with be there, too. You won’t be amongst strangers. Is that what’s got you so worked up,” he asked the top of her head, since she was still holding on tight to him.

“That and meeting your grandmother,” she said to his chest. He held her and tried to give her reassurance through his gentle caresses.

“Carrie, she doesn’t bite, no matter how rough she seems,” he said.

She couldn’t believe she was so worked up about meeting someone, specifically Mike’s grandmother. The boys that she met and traveled with every week didn’t worry her, but someone’s grandmother did. It didn’t make sense to her, but she hoped the antacids would start working soon or she’d have to take some more. She had already packed them in her bag, luckily they were at the top, in easy reach. She reluctantly stepped away from him and grabbed her bag, knowing that she might as well get it over with.

He watched her pick up her bag and keys resolutely and turn to wait on him. He didn’t understand her concern since he knew most of his family already knew her and liked her. His mom was so happy that they were a couple she couldn’t stop talking about her whenever he called. Maybe this was more of that shit she wasn’t ready to talk to him about yet. He didn’t know but it just seemed so sad that she was in such a state when she regularly worked with potentially violent and dangerous people on a daily basis and didn’t think twice about it. He knew that today was going to be filled with laughter and fun, he just wished he could convince her of that.

“Are we taking my car or you truck, she asked him.

“My truck because I have to bring Dave’s barbeque,” he said. “Plus I have some equipment in back for later.” She nodded, not knowing what he meant about the equipment, but knew that since he was driving she really would be stuck there all day, no matter how bad it was. As they were getting into his truck, he asked her, “You want to put your bag in the back,”

“Not yet,” she said as she unzipped it and grabbed a handful more of chewable antacids from her jumbo sized bottle. “Now you can, thanks.” Mike watched her, but said nothing. He didn’t know how to make her comfortable about today. He had never seen this side of her, she was usually so unflappable.

After he climbed in and buckled up, he looked over at her and smiled. “Does it help if I tell you I love you,” he asked. She didn’t say anything, just nodded. Mike thought she looked like she was concentrating on keeping her stomach under control. He’d ask Wease if she was still sick later today. He didn’t normally pry but this might be an exception. He’d already asked Kris and she didn’t really have an answer, since she was a little confused by Carrie’s actions too.

Before long, they were pulling into Kris and David’s driveway. Mikie must have been looking for them because he ran out the front door before they were out of the truck.

“We thought you weren’t coming,” he said to his aunt as she jumped from the truck.

“Why would you think that,” she asked him with a grin. “I hear you play a pretty mean game of softball, and I don’t want to miss that, do I?”

They walked back into the house to see several large coolers waiting just inside the door for Mike to pick up and put in his truck. He shook his head at the sight, Kris was always prepared, he knew. Plus the kids were always hungry. He looked up to see Liz walk into the kitchen with her quiet friend, Jess. He was confused for a minute until he remembered Kris telling him earlier that Jess was coming too. He knew his family wouldn’t mind, the more the merrier was their motto for today.

“You ladies have all your stuff together,” he asked them. Liz nodded and Jess blushed and looked away. Oh yeah, he forgot about that. “Who’s riding with us, anyone,” he directed to Kris as she assembled the last of the gear near the door.

Carrie spoke up and said, “Lissa.” She had her on her hip, playing with her. She knew that if she hadn’t spoken up, there might have been a brief argument, so why not have Lissa with them. It gave her someone to concentrate on other than herself. Kris looked at her and nodded. She saw the pinched looked around her eyes and knew she was still worried about today. She looked over at Mike and nodded her agreement to that idea.

Mike left them to grab the barbeque from the back and put it in his truck. The two girls were talking to each other, barely above a whisper. Carrie could only hear some of it and was glad she wasn’t able to hear all of it. Kris caught her eye and winked. Did she ever remember being that young? It was hard to fathom. Carrie went to the garage to get the car seat out of Kris’s car so she could put it in the truck. She saw Mike strapping down the barbeque. She shook her head at the sight. He was wearing a wife beater and a pair of baggy shorts with some flip flops. Even dressed as a beach bum, he looked terrific to her and she smiled at him as she walked towards him, intent on putting in the baby gear.

“Need any help, babe,” he asked her from the bed of the truck. She shook her head and concentrated on the task at hand. After a few false starts, she finally got it buckled in correctly.

“Can I help with bringing some of the stuff out to you,” she asked. He nodded as he watched her, trying to gauge if she felt any better. He couldn’t really tell, she was so good at hiding that part of herself most of the time. She came back with some of the smaller stuff first, since it was on top.

“This is the light stuff, I think you’re going to need to grab the coolers,” she smiled at him. He nodded. He understood her meaning. Kris had them packed full and they probably weighed a ton. Once he had all the coolers loaded and secured, he walked back through the house and checked to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything.

Melissa was strapped in, Carrie was in the middle and he was ready to go. This was the first time, in a long time, that he didn’t just go by himself. He liked the feeling of all of them going together. Lisa had hated anything to do with his family so she made sure she wasn’t available or started a fight that morning so he wouldn’t expect her to go. He just hoped Carrie would be okay once they arrived and she found out that no one was going to be mean to her. He put his arm around her on the drive, hoping to reassure her. She talked and signed to Lissa, telling her silly stories. Lissa seemed to enjoy them because she laughed at the appropriate places. He was amazed as he listened to her tell Lissa stories. He didn’t know where she got them, but she seemed to have an endless supply. After twenty or so minutes, the toddler dropped off to sleep. Mike reached for and squeezed her hand, knowing they had another twenty or so minutes until they arrived at the park. He could see her get more tense as they got closer to the park.

“Can I say I changed my mind,” she asked him with a slight smile.

He shook his head, “Too late, babe.”

“Can I say I’d rather play in the woods with you than go to this,” she tried again.

“Honey, you can say it,” he grinned at her. “In fact this evening, I might take you up on that.”

They were quiet for a time, lost in their own thoughts. Melissa was still sleeping, blissfully unaware of her aunt’s impending doom, as she saw it.

“Babe, it’ll be fine, you’ll see.” She sat next to him, silently watching the miles tick down. “Carrie, do you want to tell me what’s really going on,” he asked. She looked at him and shook her head. He recognized that she had that same haunted look that he had seen once before. “Babe,” he kissed her hand, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. You’ll make it through this day, we both will.”

They were silent for the few remaining minutes. Mike turned his truck into the park’s entrance and she took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Kris and the rest of the family would be there and she kept repeating that to herself. She couldn’t tell Mike the reasons why all of this struck her, she wasn’t ready yet. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be ready and she didn’t know how he would feel about her if she ever did tell him. They were still too new with each other, she felt, even though they had known one another for years. Their intimacy was still shiny and new to her and still so surprising when she stopped and thought about it. She tried not to think of their relationship that way, but sometimes when she couldn’t sleep, her mind wandered undisciplined.

He pulled in and parked near a large picnic area. She could see that they were not the first to arrive, many people were already ensconced on blankets, towels and chairs. She took a few more deep breaths. Mike reached over and tilted her chin towards him.

“Carrie, I love you. No matter what. No matter what happens today, I love you,” he smiled in to her eyes and kissed her lightly. Kris’s hummer had pulled up next to them. The two girls had seen their kiss, causing them both to giggle.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. He got out of his truck and turned around to help her out. Once she was down she went around to grab Melissa, after Mike had reached in and unbuckled her. She gently brought the sleepy toddler out in to the bright sun, hoping it wouldn’t wake her yet. Kris smiled when she saw her sleeping and signed , ‘how long’ to Carrie. She told her twenty with her fingers and Kris nodded. One of the by products of learning sign was being able to communicate silently, the lifelong friends had discovered. The girls took off out of the car like they were at the races, running away from the uncool adults and finding others close to their own age.

“Girls, don’t forget to be back here in an hour or so if you want to eat,” Kris called after them. Liz waved to show her mom she heard. Mikie was still hanging out with the uncool people, looking for someone. He found them and ran away too, leaving the adults to unpack. They all looked at each other and grinned.

“Let me get the barbeque out first, so it can get going,” he said. Kris nodded, Carrie just held Lissa, slowly rocking her, trying to keep her asleep as long as possible. She knew it was a losing battle, but it kept her busy for now. She didn’t see Carla’s car when they pulled in, so she guessed they were running a little late, something they were prone to since Ethan’s birth.

“Mike, is that you? You crazy bastard, good to see you,” a tall long haired blonde man said as he walked up to the truck. Mike looked up and grinned as he saw the man walking to him.

“Yeah, yeah. I heard you needed some help with the softball game so I thought I’d help ya out,” he smirked at him as he lifted out the barbeque.

“Shit head,” was all the other man said as he helped Mike shift the barbeque safely from the truck.

Mike turned to the ladies and said, “I’d like you to meet my cousin Tony. He’s an asshole, but other than that, he’s okay.” Tony shook his head and muttered shit head. “I think you’ve met Kris before, she’s Dave’s wife,” he informed the blonde man.

“Yeah, good to see you. You look lovelier than last time. Where’s that man of yours, we need his arm for the game later,” he asked her.

“He throwing people around, you know how he is,” she smiled at him. He nodded, knowing what she meant. He looked at Carrie, waiting for Mike to say something. Mike was grinning, then he realized he mistake.

“Sorry, Tony. Shit. Please meet Carrie,” he said to his cousin.

As Tony reached out his hand to shake hers, he said, “So you’re Carrie. Huh. There’s a lot of people dying to meet you,” he smiled at her. She shook his hand, but felt instantly sick at his news. Not what she wanted to hear at all.

“Carrie, he’s teasing you. He’s an asshole,” Mike said to her, noting her look. She glanced to him to verify his words. She hoped he was kidding, because she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to do this thing before she freaked out. Mike said under his breath to his cousin, “asshole.” Tony shrugged sorry to her. They fell to the task of unloading the truck, coolers, chairs, and assorted other stuff.

“Where are we setting up, do you know,” Kris asked Mike.

Mike noted his mom walking towards them and guessed she would request them to be somewhere near her. He smiled as she walked up and gave her a big hug when she was in range. Carrie knew his mom from other activities and liked her. Val was only an inch or so taller than her, with short blonde hair and a ready smile. Today she was in shorts and a tank top, making her appear younger than she was.

She reached over to her and gave her a small hug without disturbing Melissa. “Hi sweetie. Thank you for coming today. I hope you have a good time. If my boy gets out of line, just let me know. He knows better,” she said with a fond smile for him.

Val was rewarded by his offended, “Ma!”

“Kris, it’s so good to see you again. We never get to see you much anymore. Is this Melissa? She’s grown so big,” she said as she reached for her. Carrie let her take her, knowing she couldn’t use her as a shield all day, unfortunately. “Carrie, I know I’m putting you on the spot honey, but my mother in law is dying to meet you. She says you two spoke a while ago and she’d like to meet you,” Val said gently. She knew through her son how worried Carrie was about today. She hoped to get the unpleasantness over with so she could relax and enjoy herself. She knew her mother in law and knew she expected to have her wishes followed. Carrie took a deep breath, looked over to Mike and nodded her readiness.

Mike took her hand and guided her to his grandmother. She was a small lady dressed in a pretty flowered skirt and yellow shirt, sitting in a comfortable chair, seemingly surrounded by small children. She was smiling at their antics. She saw her grandson approach and stood up to greet the pretty lady he escorted. She squinted slightly as she took in her appearance. She was pleasantly surprised that she didn’t look at all like the last one, she remembered her with a shudder. Good riddance, she thought.

Sensing her unease, the matriarch of the family reached out and touched the top of her head with both hands and said without thinking, “Shalom child, be with peace.”

Carrie reacted without thought. She dipped her head in acquiescence and quietly replied, “toda” to her greeting. Mike was stunned, he had only ever heard his father say anything like that to his grandmother. His grandmother had done similar actions to many in his family. Most just accepted it, not knowing what else to do. His grandmother’s eyes got very wide and she smiled.

“Michael, who is this lovely lady with you,” she asked in an imperial tone. Mike stammered. “This must be your Carrie, is that right? Child, I am so glad to meet you finally,” she said and smiled at the small woman in front of her. Carrie looked up and met her eyes and realized the older lady was smiling at her, not the reaction she was expecting at all. “Michael, please be a good boy and bring us both something to drink,” she said to her stupefied grandson. She reached out and took the young woman’s hand and guided her to a chair next to hers. Carrie’s mind was going a million miles a minute, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, why didn’t she get yelled at again.

Mike walked away to get their drinks, shaking his head. She had surprised him again. Just when he thought he understood her, she did something completely out of the blue and knocked him for a loop.

“How’d it go,” Val asked her son as he approached their coolers.

“Un fucking believable,” he said without thinking.

“Michael,” she said sharply. Kris was listening, wanting to know if Carrie was going to need to go home early. She grinned at his comment.

He flipped open the first cooler, reaching for a beer for himself first. “Ma, Grandma reached out and touched her head and said something quietly, I have no idea what, and Carrie replied and grandma smiled. You tell me what the hell it means and we’ll both know,” he said to his mom as he opened his beer.

“Did she do that thing that she does when she meets new people,” his mom asked. He nodded. “You say Carrie responded,” she asked for clarification. He nodded again after drinking most of his beer in one gulp. Val smiled. “You know Mike, you’re never going to be able to get Carrie away from her today.”

“The hell I’m not,” he said angrily. He reached in to the cooler for a beer for Carrie and an ice tea for his grandma. He grabbed himself another beer just as a buffer to his grandma. It looked like it was going to be one of those kind of days with her.

Val shook her head and walked away to find her husband, he would know what had happened, she was sure. She didn’t have far to look, he was tending the barbeques and getting ready to start cooking the first of many hamburgers. She spoke to him quietly as he looked over to his mother. His eyes widened in surprise at her news. He laughed and shook his head at her question, indicating it was news to him also.

Kris was left trying to figure out what the hell was going on. She would find out sometime today, but in the mean time she kept her eyes and ears open and watched all the activity. It was like a small buzz was going around the gathering. It reminded her of that children’s game where you whisper something to your neighbor and they tell their neighbor and so on. She saw people’s reactions to the news and all were surprised, many were laughing and joking. Interesting, very interesting she thought. Melissa started to stir and she knew she’d be hungry so she busied herself tracking down her bag full of Lissa munchies.

Wease and his family pulled in and parked next to her. She waved at them as they unloaded the kids and assorted other goodies. “So, where is she? Has she thrown up yet? Last I talked to her, she was sure she was going to,” Wease asked Kris, referring to his sister.

“No, I don’t know what the hell happened but Mike’s grandma looks happy as a clam. Mike and I are both confused. She looks confused too,” she told him as he was unbuckling Abby.

“Sorry we’re late. Ethan decided he was starving at the last minute,” Carla explained.

“I don’t miss that, let me tell you,” Kris said with a grin for the younger woman. Kris helped them unpack and get settled.
Ethan was sleeping, thanks to his recent snack, but his sister Abby was awake and busy.

“Maybe I can rescue her? Abby loves her Aunt Carrie and her daddy is pretty damn tired, thanks to his restless son,” he said to Kris. He looked around until he found his sister, sitting near a tree with a small old woman by her side, speaking to her and laughing. He understood instantly. Oh shit, he thought to himself. No wonder she was freaked. Abby would be just the ticket for her, he knew. He walked away with his oldest in his arms, hoping to save his sister any more stress. He slowed his approach as he got close, listening to their discussion. He stopped for a moment in confusion, as he tried to remember those long forgotten words.

Carrie saw him approach and said, “Grandma Adams, this is my brother Wes and his daughter Abby.” Grandma Adams looked at the two and smiled. She repeated her greeting to him and he also thanked her without batting an eye. She clapped her hands and laughed.

“Dear child, you have made my day. Thank you for coming. I am so glad I finally got to meet you. Now where is that errant grandson of mine? I need to speak to him,” she asked.

“I don’t know, but I’ll find him and send him to you,” she said as she made her escape. She plucked Abby from her daddy’s arms and quickly walked away. Once they were out of range, she turned to Wease and said, “Thanks little brother. I owe you big time.”

“What? You guys looked like you were having a great time,” he teased her.

“How’s Carla today? I knew she wasn’t feeling very well on Thursday,” she asked him.

“Better,” was all he said as he walked back to her and his youngest child. He reached into the drink cooler and got two beers out, one for him and one for his sister, knowing she’d love one after her chat. She thanked him for the beer and sat down on the blanket to entertain Abby.

Wease looked over to Kris and asked,” Hey, did you know Mike’s grandmother was Jewish.” That was it, Carrie thought. She knew it was something, but she couldn’t figure it out. Now it started to make more sense to her, the greeting and all that. Oh shit, she just realized she responded to her without thinking about it. No wonder she smiled and laughed. Poor Mike, she giggled to herself. He never knew which way she was coming from normally and then she do that to him. It’s good for him, she mused. Thank god that was over and she could relax and start to enjoy herself, hopefully.

Mike wandered back from the barbeques as he looked at Carrie, possibly waiting for her to do something else surprising, she wasn’t sure. She smiled at him and said, ”Your grandma wants to see you.”

“No shit,” he said sarcastically as he finished off his beer. He reached into the cooler and found an ice tea for himself, exactly what he needed for now. After opening the bottle, he looked over at her and shook his head. “My dad tells me you’re Jewish. How come I’m just now hearing about this?” Kris looked to Carla and shook her head in warning. Carla kept her mouth shut and stayed as far in the background as she could.

“Does it fucking matter,” she asked, feeling her temper start to rise to his challenge. Wease stayed quiet next to his sister, not knowing where the conversation was headed.

“No babe, it doesn’t change anything. I just hate being the last to know these kind of things. It does explain why my grandma thinks your fan fucking tastic,” he said with a grin to her.

“Mike, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, it’s just that it hasn’t come up before,” she admitted. He was thinking, she could tell. His brows were knotted and that usually only happened when he was figuring something out. She had seen him do it so many times when he was working on paperwork for David.

She opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her with, “Wait. Don’t say anything more. Carla, are you Jewish,” he asked her. She shook her head. “You,” he pointed with his ice tea at Kris. She shook her head. “But you are,” he said to Wease. He received a nod. He set his drink down and rubbed his hands over his face before he said, “Babe, I think it’s time we had some kind of talk, don’t you? Dave kept trying to tell me about his complicated family, as he called it. I just thought he meant it was strange, but I’m starting to get the feeling it’s way more than strange.” She smiled at him, recognizing his confusion.

“If it’s any help to you, Dave was even more confused before we told him,” Kris supplied.

“Shit,” was all he said.

Wease grinned at him from his place on the blanket next to Ethan. Carla was amazed that Mike didn’t know yet, but then she realized it wasn’t something that came up in casual conversation. She remembered when Wes has explained everything to her. It was like the shutters had been thrown open and things made sense. She felt bad for Mike and his confusion, but knew it would make sense to him shortly.

“Mike, grab some lunch and let’s go for a walk. Let’s see if I can freak you out some more,” she said as she reached into her bag for a protein bar. Mike watched her action and remembered what she said about picnics. They were always a trial for her, never knowing what was in stuff, so she usually brought her own food and snacked on safe junk. He nodded and walked away to fill a plate for himself.

“Poor man,” Kris said with a grin at his retreating back.

“Care, be gentle with him. I’m not sure how many shocks he can take in one day,” Wease teased.

“Shit, he should be immune by now and if he isn’t he will be soon, don’t you think,” she asked her lazily reclining brother.
He laughed but stayed quiet, knowing that his sister was going to freak out Mike some more today. He hoped he could take it.
Mike walked back with a full plate and another beer. She reached and took his beer so she could have his hand. She carried both their beers as they walked away to find a comfortable, secluded spot. Once he was settled with his food and beer, she started with the obvious.

“I’m thinking you’ve figured out Wease is my brother, but Kris isn’t my biological sister, right,” she asked him as he ate. He nodded and waited for the next piece of news. “There’s some stuff I’m not comfortable telling you yet. Part of it is legal and part of it is because I’m a wimp and not ready. Can you accept that,” she asked him, hoping he’d say yes. He stayed silent, but eventually nodded. “Okay, legally speaking, Kris is my sister, Wease is my brother. But that is all. I’ve known Kris for ever, she might as well be my biological sister, we used to get into the same trouble together growing up. Anyway, Kris’s parents legally adopted Wease and me before we were of legal age and could be out on our own. Yeah, I’m skipping over some shit here, but just go with me on this. So, our parents are gone and Kris’s folks were cool enough to adopt us. Make sense,” she asked him as she sat down.

He was quiet for a long time, eating and thinking. She could see the tension in his shoulders and saw his brows knit together as he digested all of it and also worked with what she didn’t say. She didn’t want to go any deeper today and hoped he wouldn’t ask.

He finally broke the silence with, “Damn it honey. Why the big secret? I don’t understand that part of it. It makes sense that you and Kris aren’t really related, you guys don’t look anything alike. That makes me feel better, since I thought maybe I was stupid or blind or something since I couldn’t see any family resemblance.”

“Mike,” she said as she dragged her fingers through her already messed up hair, “it’s not that it’s a big secret, it’s just that it isn’t really that important. As far as we are concerned, we’re family. We’ve always been family and we’ll always be family. Kris’ folks are amazing people, let me tell you. They accepted Wease and me without trying to change us or anything. They really are special people,” she said. “It’s only when weird shit like with your grandmother happens that it comes out, otherwise who really gives a shit.”

“Carla knows,” he asked her. She nodded. “How’d she take it?”

“From my understanding, better than David. She was happy that stuff finally made sense and the blinds were taken off or something like that. I can’t remember exactly. David was pissed because he was so damn confused and already head over heals in love with Kris. He didn’t understand what Kris was trying to tell him at first.”

“I feel his pain,” he laughed. “Are you done surprising me for now,” he asked her.

“I think so. Are you mad at me for this,” she asked him.

“No babe, just surprised. That shit with my grandma threw me for a loop. But damn, she is gonna think the sun shines out your ass. Take advantage of that while you can, because it doesn’t happen often, let me tell ya,” he grinned at her as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Are you ready to go back,” she asked him.

“Hell no,” he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her.

“Baby, we can’t. Not right here,” she reminded him regretfully.

“I know damn it, but I can hold you can’t I,” he asked.

“Not if you keep doing that to me, you can’t,” she said, referring to his tender kisses he was giving her breasts, making her nipples hard for him.

He lifted his head and chuckled, “Just returning the favor babe.” She climbed into his lap and kissed him, silencing him for a time.

***
By the time they returned from their talk, most folks had eaten she was glad to note. Mike’s cousin, Tony saw them approach and walked to intercept them.

“Hey buddy, are you ready to play yet? We’ve been waiting on you,” he said with a wink at Carrie.

Mike looked to Carrie to make sure she’d be okay if he left her, she nodded to his unspoken question. “Yeah, just let me get my shoes on first, then lets get serious about kicking their ass,” he said with a childish grin. “Wease, you want to play with us? It’s only touch football, but its fun. Grandma won’t let us play tackle or flag, so we’re stuck with touch.”
Wease looked to Carla hopefully.

“Go on honey. I’m pretty sure we can handle it,” she said with a soft smile for him. He jumped up and retied his shoes and was ready to follow Mike and Tony to their make shift field. Carla looked over at her two friends and said, “Men,” with a meaningful head shake. The other two laughed with her.

“This is the stuff that Dave misses. Just hanging out with friends,” Kris said to no one in particular. Carrie knew she was right. He tried to hide it, but he missed a lot of family stuff now due to his travel schedule. “Mike looked like himself. I’m guessing he was okay with all of it,” Kris asked her.

“Yeah, he just didn’t understand why it was such a big deal. He’ll figure it out for himself eventually,” she said. She looked around. “The girls? What are they up to,“ she asked Kris.

“Boys,” was all she said and rolled her eyes. The other two ladies laughed knowingly. “You want to bet they’ll be watching that football game soon,” Kris asked them.

“Point me in the direction of the pool. I’d like to take a dip. Doesn’t Abby like to get her feet wet,” Carrie asked Carla. They knew it was a good bet that Mikie was in the pool. He was in the pool at home as often as possible too. The friends decided to change into their swimsuits and with kids in tow, walked over to the public pool. It was open to anyone, but most of the occupants were part of the family gathering. Kris recognized the minor stir they caused as they walked over to the pool. She saw several men watch them the entire time, knowing they weren’t aware of their blatant appraisal of the women. Kris knew that Carla looked great; she had quickly shed her baby weight and was back into her pre baby clothes and had her raven locks pulled back into a long pony tail. Carrie looked fantastic in her suit since Kris picked it out for her so it highlighted her assets, but was also functional. Kris wore Dave’s favorite suit, a curve hugging red one piece that left very little to the imagination.

Mikie saw them approach and jumped out of the water yelling, “Mom, mom, mom. Watch me, watch me!” He dove off the board into the deep end and came up grinning at his mom.

“Very good sweetie. Be careful,” she said as the women found several empty chairs to occupy. They each had a bag or two along with the kids, so they were well prepared for a long lounge by the pool.

“Carrie, hey Carrie,” a leggy brunette called out from the other side of the pool.

“Rachael,” Carrie responded. “Sorry, I didn’t see you,” she smiled back to Mike’s sister. Rachael walked over to the ladies smiling. It had been a while since she had seen any of them and was thrilled for her brother. She thought Carrie would be good for him, unlike Lisa. She hugged all three ladies, noting that they all looked very good and she felt a small twinge of envy.

“Did he ask you yet,” Rachael asked Carrie seriously. She blinked before she answered.

“Um no. I don’t think so,” she answered cautiously. Kris and Carla exchanged a long look.

“Damn him, he said he was going to ask you,” Mike’s sister said to her. Carrie shook her head, worried about what she might be referring to. “He can be so damn forgetful sometimes,” his sister said. Carrie was even more confused, Mike wasn’t normally forgetful around her. “Damn, we need to know. Are you up for a game of softball later,“ Rachael asked her oldest brother’s girlfriend.

Carrie smiled at the question. Mike had not asked her that yet. “Um, okay, but I really really suck at it, so I’m hoping that you guys aren’t expecting much from me,” she said.

“Nah, it’s just for fun, but we try to make sure that both teams have the same amount of women and we were short one without you,” she explained. “I’ll see you later then and thanks,” she said as she walked back to her seat.

“Okay, was it just me or were you two thinking she meant something different,” Carla asked them. Both of them nodded and laughed.

“Yeah, I was almost worried for you for a minute,” Kris said as she adjusted her shades.

“His grandmother told me she had already told him he needed to ask me the other thing,” she supplied to the other two. They both shook their heads at that. Kris wasn’t sure her best friend wanted to go there, ever. She knew Mike loved her without question, but she wasn’t sure that Carrie would ever want to get married to anyone, regardless of how much she loved them. She had some seriously complicated baggage that she never wanted to impose on anyone. The three ladies spent a couple of relaxing hours by the pool, taking turns wading in with the kids and slathering sunscreen on any exposed body part. Carla left for a short time to feed Ethan, but other than that, they enjoyed each others company, sharing family time together. They didn’t usually get the chance much anymore with everyone’s hectic schedules so it was a special gift to all of them.

Carrie was drifting off to sleep behind her sunglasses, with Abby curled on her lap in the remaining shade, when Mike walked up and stood in her sun. She opened her eyes to see what was blocking her effort to test the strength of her sunscreen. She looked up and saw his smirk. She saw that he was in what looked like a pair of swim trunks and his flip flops again. She saw Wease walk towards Carla, similarly clothed. He looked exhausted but happy.

“Can I ask you to swim with me, ma’am,” he said with a goofy grin and a wink. She smiled at him and nodded as she picked up Abby gently and gave her to her dad. Kris had watched Mike walk towards them. He had stopped for a moment taking in the scene, she thought, before he approached Carrie. He’s still got it bad, she thought to herself.

Mike took her hand and walked towards the pool. He stopped for a second and said, “I’ve wanted to do this all damn day.” He picked her up and stepped off the edge into the deep end. She was so surprised she didn’t have a chance to say anything before she hit the water. She came up swearing. He came up grinning. He reached for her as she was spluttering and wiping her hair from her face. She grabbed his hand, knowing she’d get even with him later.

“Hey honey, you said you’d swim with me,” he reminded her with a smirk.

“asshole,” was all she said in response to his reminder. She ducked under the water and swam away from him. He didn’t see which way she went until she reappeared near the edge of the shallow end. She stood up in the shallow water and turned to him and stuck her tongue out at him. There were many others in the pool enjoying the day, but he was only aware of her. She looked so good in her light green suit that showed enough to tease him. He almost tripped when he saw her poolside earlier. He made his way slowly to her through the water and she ducked under the water and swam away from him again. He stood in the shallow end looking for her, confused. She was hanging on to the side in the deep end as she watched him. She enjoyed the sight of his body glistening in the sun, showing off his years of hard work in the gym. He finally spotted her and waved his finger, scolding her. She waited for him to reach her before she flipped some water in his face.

“Payback,” was all she said. He grabbed the side of the pool with one hand and put his other arm around her and pulled her tight to him.

He kissed her as way of apology, “Sorry,” was all he said. She looked at him and knew he was, it wasn’t just something he said, but didn’t mean. After that, they swam together and played in the pool for a while. He had a tough time keeping his hands to himself; she looked so good to him.

The couple didn’t recognize or realize that their foreplay had been witnessed by many others. There were a few who were a little disgruntled by what they saw, but most were happy to see that Mike looked happy for the first time in a long time. Mike finally remembered to ask Wease for the time. He almost forgot that they had a ball game to play today.

“You up for a game of softball,” he asked her.

“Rachael already asked me since she says you forgot. I told her that I suck. She said it didn’t really matter. Is Mikie playing with us,” she asked him as she dipped under the water again.

“Yeah, he’s on our team. What do you mean you suck? I can’t believe that, little miss ass kicker,” he said in reference to her martial arts background. He stopped half way as they were getting out of the pool and asked for his towel to be thrown to him. She laughed at him, but complied.

“I never played it in school. I was always the smallest so no one ever picked me. After a while I didn’t give a shit anyway since I was busy learning how to kick ass,” she explained. He was surprised, but let it go. He was one of the tallest in his class so he knew what it was like to be different, it’s one of the reasons he got into body building. He could do it by himself.

“What about you, Wease? You want to play with us too,” Mike asked him. Wease shook his head because he was tired and wanted to spend some time with his kids. After they had changed out of their swimwear, all the players had gathered at the field. She was nervous because she didn’t understand the game very well, on top of knowing she was going to be a liability to her team.

She recognized Rachael and Mike’s cousin Tony, along with Mikie, but the rest were strangers to her. They put her in right field using a borrowed mitt that was huge on her hand. Mike just winked at her and told her not to worry about it. For the first inning, she stayed in place, not understanding what was happening. No one looked like they were hitting the ball. Didn’t make sense to her, but whatever. Mikie told her she could come in and sit down while they got to bat so she followed him to the bench.

“How’s it going. Bud,” Mike asked his nephew as he sat next to him on the bench. She sat and watched her team go up and attempt to hit the ball being thrown at them.

“Mike,” she asked him after several people had tried to hit the ball, with varying degrees of success.

Yeah,” he said over Tony’s head at her.

“Is all the spitting and scratching required,” she asked him with a straight face. Tony almost spit out his gum at her question. He started to choke on it instead but got himself under control. Mike looked over at his cousin with a warning.

“No babe, it’s just a guy thing,” he said, hoping that would be the end of it. He was starting to realize she wasn’t kidding when she said she had never played softball before. That fact seemed almost unnatural to him. She accepted his answer, it made sense.

“Mike,“ she asked him again.

“Yeah,” he said, hoping Tony wouldn’t choke on his gum again. Mikie had stayed silent next to him, but was grinning up at him.

“Do I have to get up there and try to hit the ball,” she asked as she watched Rachael’s success with a worried frown. He rubbed his face with his hands before replying, catching Tony’s eye again.

“Babe, it’s part of the game, everyone has a chance to hit the ball. Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” he said, hoping to reassure her. She didn’t look confident, and he was starting to understand why. Tony hadn’t said a word in a few minutes, other than to watch his team at bat. He was sure when it came time for the little lady next to him to try, it was going to be entertaining, to say the least. Lucky for him, they scored several runs before they were out.

“C’mon Aunt Carrie, time to get in our positions,” Mikie said to her. She nodded and followed him, almost forgetting her huge glove in the process. She knew that wouldn’t be good. She stood out there, all by herself, trying to understand what was going on. People hit the ball, sometimes they caught it, sometimes they didn’t. She really didn’t understand how they decided where to throw it to, it just didn’t make much sense to her.

Mikie told her when it was time to come back and sit down. She could see he was excited. Ah, it was his chance to hit the ball. He stood up there, like everyone else did and swung at the ball and missed. Mike was giving him encouragement. The second try, he hit it. He dropped the bat and ran to the first base. Next up was Mike. He stood at ease at the plate waiting for the ball. First two attempts he missed. Third attempt he hit it hard. She had a hard time following it, but the lady in the outfield was able to see it and caught it. He was out and came and sat down. Tony’s turn and he hit it the first time, further than Mike. He dropped the bat and ran, Mikie ran to the next base, then the next.

She was watching and starting to understand what was happening when Mike’s voice said, “Babe, your turn.” She didn’t feel prepared, but grabbed the bat that Tony had dropped and stood where everyone else did. Everyone waited as Mike walked out with her, helped put her in the right position and explained to her how to hold the bat. He said to her quietly, “Don’t worry, you can do this.”

She nodded and waited for the ball to come her way. She swung the bat wildly and missed. Strike one, someone said behind her. She hadn’t felt this uncoordinated in a long time. She got her self set again and waited. She didn’t swing that time, strike two she was told. What the fuck? Even if you don’t swing you get a strike against you? She didn’t understand this game, but she thought she’d try again. Next time the ball came her way above her head, ball one the same voice said. She didn’t know what that meant, but at least it wasn’t a strike. She waited and swung again, spinning herself around in the process and completely missed the ball again. Strike three the same voice said. She set the bat down and sat back on the bench, confused by her total lack of coordination. She felt like she was five years old again and just learning how to ride a bike on her own.

Mike looked over at her and smiled. He could see she was upset with herself and confused. “Nice try. Let’s hope we can get Mikie in to score.”

She nodded and continued to stew. The next person to attempt to hit was someone who had hit earlier, she couldn’t remember his name, but recognized the family resemblance, tall and lean. She hadn’t noticed it the first time, but he stood differently as he waited for the ball. He whacked the ball easily and Mikie ran in to score with Tony right behind him. Her whole team cheered, including her. She was pleased for Mikie, even if she still didn’t get the whole point of the game. The score was now something like seven to five, her side was losing. As they walked back out to their positions, both teams started talking shit to each other. That she did understand. She smiled as she listened to some of the outrageous claims. Some of them weren’t very nine year old friendly, but she knew Mikie had heard worse, thanks to his dad.

She stood out in the field all by herself, grateful that no one hit the ball her way. She still didn’t understand how you knew where to throw the ball to, the pitcher, the catcher, it didn’t make sense to her. She wondered briefly how David was enjoying his weekend, without having to worry about her. She knew he took her safety personally, but sometimes his protectiveness was a little stifling. She hoped he was enjoying being free from worrying about her and being able to relax with the boys. She thought it funny that she was standing in a field, in the afternoon sun, supposedly participating in a sport that she knew nothing about, with a family she didn’t know very well. Her life was very weird, she had to admit. Mikie shouted to her when it was time to come back in, thank goodness no one hit it her way, she wasn’t paying attention anyway. It would have sailed right over her and she wouldn’t have known. She’d try and understand the game better as she sat on the bench and watched.

As she settled on the bench, she asked Tony, “What’s the score now,”

He realized she honestly didn’t know so he said more gently than anyone who knew him would have thought possible, “Eight to five, we’re still losing.”

“That sucks, doesn’t it,” she grinned at him. He couldn’t help himself, he laughed with her. “Do I have to try to hit again,” she asked him. He nodded.

“It’s the rules of the game,” he said. Like his cousin, he was having a hard time understanding someone that had never played softball before. Didn’t every kid, he thought.

Rachael’s turn to hit and she watched how she stood and how she held the bat, noting the differences from what Mike told her. She saw Tony watching her also, but for a different reason. Very interesting. Not sure how many forks there were in that branch of the family tree, but she hoped there were enough for his sake. She whacked the ball between two people and they had to run and get it as she ran around the bases. She stopped at the last one.

“Good one Rache,” Tony said. Next person up, she wasn’t sure of his name. He swung and missed at first, but he hit the ball on the second try. Someone caught it and he was out. She wished she knew everyone’s name, but there was no way she’d be able to keep track of all that and try to figure how the hell to play the game. Mikie’s turn next. He hit the ball, but someone caught it quickly. He was out. Mike was up next. She watched him to see if he stood the way he told her to. He didn’t, he stood ready like his sister. What the hell, she thought.

“Tony,” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said without looking at her. He was busy watching the game.

“How come I got a strike called on me when I didn’t even swing at it,” she asked. It just didn’t make sense to her, penalizing someone for not doing something. He heard her question and was trying to think of a way to explain it when Mike hit the ball past the cut grass in the back of the field. He smiled as he ran around all the bases to score.

“Good one, Uncle Mike,” Mikie said as he high five’d him. Tony walked up to him and thumped him on the back on the way to hit. Tony hit the first ball thrown at him and he managed to run as far as the last base before someone was able to throw the ball to the pitcher.

“You’re turn again,” Mike said to her quietly. He knew how competitive she usually was, so was surprised that she didn’t seem to be worried about this game. The entire other side relaxed when they saw her come to bat, knowing the game was in the bag, as long as Tony didn’t steal home.

Mike handed her the bat without a word and watched her walk to the plate. He watched her for a second before he realized she was doing it wrong. He walked out to her as the other side waited.

“Carrie, why are you standing on that side,” he asked her loud enough for everyone to hear. There was plenty of family that had gathered in the last half hour to watch. The game was a legendary rivalry in the family.

“Is there some rule against it,” she asked him.

“Well no, but why are you standing over there,” he clearly thought she didn’t understand the game at all.

“Why not? He did,” she said pointing to the guilty party that was now sitting on the bench grinning at the spectacle.

Mike turned to follow her finger and said, “Babe, Rob is left handed. Lefty’s bat from that side.”

“Then this is where I should be standing,” she said as she tilted her chin up to him. As he figured out what she was telling him, it hit him again that she pulled another surprise out of thin air.

“Why have you been telling me I have to stick my ass way out when no one else does it that way,” she asked him pointedly.

He laughed at her question, “I haven’t been saying that, have I?”

She nodded. “Mike, there’s only a couple things in life I can think of that I need to stick my ass out that far for and softball ain’t one of them,” she said. The entire field erupted into laughter at her pronouncement. He shook his head at her and threw his hands in the air as he walked away.

Rachael smiled at him and said in passing, “She’s got some fire.”

Kris had been watching the game for the last half hour or so. She knew Carrie hated to feel uncoordinated. It wasn’t something she experienced that often, she was usually very aware of her body and balance, but even she winced at some of her previous attempts. She noticed that Carrie was holding the bat very differently than her previous attempt. It looked like she was almost playing tennis. Yeah, that was exactly what she looked like. Kris grinned to herself, knowing Carrie had found her own way to make it work.

Once everyone had calmed down from the little family squabble, they resumed play. The first ball thrown her way was way too far away, she could tell. It was amazing how much better she felt holding the bat differently and standing on the right side, she reflected. Ball one, said the voice behind her. The next throw was close enough she thought at she took a swing at it and connected. Unfortunately she didn’t hold the bat hard enough because it bounced out of her hand. Since she’d never had to catch the ball today, she was surprised by the weight of it. The players from both sides started to pay attention, realizing there might be more going on here than what they had originally thought.

“Carrie, you gotta hold the bat tighter,” Mike stated the obvious to her from the bench.

She nodded and said, “Okay. But I am still not sticking my ass out.” The catcher chuckled at her comment as did most of her team mates, except Mike. She watched the next ball and didn’t really like it, so let it go by. Strike two, said the voice. Okay, think of this as Vince’s head and whack the shit out of it, she thought to herself. Kris recognized the set of her shoulders. Oh dear, she thought as she bounced Melissa on her lap, trying to keep her happy. The next throw was good enough, she thought as she connected. She kept the bat in her hands as she followed through, just like a good hard backswing, she thought to herself. She was mortified when she saw the ball hit the pitcher directly in the chest and he dropped instantly. She ran to him to make sure he was okay. He blinked as he looked up at her. She let out a breath in relief.

Mike was right behind her, making sure he was okay. “You alright, Uncle Chris,” he asked. He was rewarded by a nod.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you,” she apologized. She was upset for hurting him when she was just trying to figure out how to play the damn game.

“That’s okay,” he said as he slowly sat up. “My fault for not expecting you to hit the ball so damn hard,” he smiled at her.

She looked over to Mike and said, “I’m done. I don’t want to play anymore.”

“That’s okay. Game’s over anyway. Killing the other team is definitely grounds for forfeit,” he said with a straight face.
Uncle Chris’s only comment was a quiet, “boy,” aimed at Mike.

Carrie nodded and left the now large group of people gathered around the fallen man. She walked away from everyone for some time on her own. Kris watched her and knew she needed it so let her go. Mikie ran up to his mom and wanted to make sure she saw him hit the ball and get to score. By the time she had finished listening to him and assuring him that she had seen his scoring run, Carrie had walked into the trees and disappeared. She knew she wouldn’t go far, she needed quiet and time. She shook her head as she remembered some other times where she needed quiet and time to regain her composure. The last time she could remember was when she confronted Alan, many years ago. She was betting she had done something similar in Tucson because of David.

Mike walked up to her un noticed. “Where’s Carrie,” he asked. He looked concerned so Kris knew he wouldn’t like her answer.

“She went for a walk,” she told him quietly.

“What? Alone?” he asked, not understanding. He was frowning again, trying to understand her.

“Yes, she likes to be alone sometimes, especially when she needs time to think,” Kris supplied. He was still confused. He scraped his hands over his face and stayed quiet. He was trying to understand why Carrie would need time to think. “Mike, she’ll be fine. She just needs to put stuff back into perspective. If you like, you can ask her about it when she comes back.”

“Think she’ll tell me,” he asked.

“I don’t know, but if she does it’ll make a hell of a lot more sense to you,” she told the worried man.

He shook his head at himself and said, “I can’t believe how big of a shit I am, Kris. I’ve known her for what, six years or more and I just today found out she’s left handed, she’s Jewish, and she has an interesting family, as Dave says. Where the fuck have I been? Why am I just now learning all this shit? Am I so god damn self centered that I don’t give a shit about her, or anybody else,” he asked the blonde. He reached over to her and plucked Melissa from her so they could walk back in time for dinner, unknowingly disproving his own theory. She knew the answer to his question, but stayed quiet as they walked back to the main gathering. She could tell by the smells coming from the barbeques that it was dinner time.

Val saw them walk up and intercepted them. “Mike, I heard. How’s Chris,” she asked him.

“He’s fine, just bruised,” he said.

“Where’s Carrie, how is she in all this,” Val asked her son, understanding her better than he.

“I don’t know Mom, she took herself for a walk, according to Kris,” he said as he shrugged at her. Val looked to Kris for verification.

“Yeah. Plus I know she doesn’t want to be anywhere near all this food, unlike the rest of us. What is that? That stuff that Sam’s cooking,” she pointed to a large roast of some kind slowly turning on a rotisserie.

Val smiled, “That’s his specialty. He only gets to cook it at big gatherings because it’s so huge. Ask him what kind of meat it is, he might tell you, but doesn’t be surprised if he doesn’t.”

Mike made it through the food line before his grandma beckoned him to her. Shit, he thought to himself. He wasn’t quick enough.

“Michael, where’s that lady of yours. What have you done with her? You haven’t chased her away already, have you,” she asked her favorite grandson.

“No, grandma. She can’t eat all this stuff. I told you, remember? She stays away during meal times,” he said as he bit into his first of three burgers on his plate. She wasn’t sure he was telling the truth, but let him eat in peace for a moment.

He was just finishing his second one when she spoke again, “I like her. You better not hurt her or you’ll have to answer to me,” she said sternly.

“I don’t plan on hurting her, I love her. You know that,” he said quietly. She nodded at his pronouncement and let him finish his dinner in peace. “Do you want anything, Grandma? I’m getting some more food, can I get you anything,” he asked her, knowing she wasn’t as ornery as she liked everyone to think.

“No thank you. I’m fine. Just remember what I said,” she said to him as he got up to get more food. He nodded his understanding and ran away as quickly as he could without appearing to. Carla had just finished feeding Ethan as he walked up.

“When are you going to let me spoil that boy of yours, Carla,” he asked her with a smile. She handed him over with a burp towel, just in case.

“Be my guest, he just needs to get some air out and he’ll be a happy boy,” she told him as he put the infant on his shoulder and started gently rubbing his back, trying to coax out a burp or two.

“She ditch you again, man,” Wease asked him from the comfort of the blanket. Mike just nodded as he helped Ethan burp several times.

“Just wait buddy. Soon you’ll start sounding like your dad and we won’t be able to tell you apart,” Mike said with a grin to the tiny infant.

“She tell you why,” her brother asked the large man. He was entranced watching him handle his young son so gently. It could also be the fact that he took himself for a quick walk a while ago so he could get mellow, Wease reflected. Mike shook his head, not sure if Wease would tell him in his current state. He recognized the signs and knew what they meant. Everyone knew what they meant if they knew Wease at all. “Ask her to tell you about Alan,” he said. Wease decided he might like to join his daughter taking a nap on the blanket and closed his eyes.

Carla stayed quiet, because she didn’t want to wake Abby, but also because she didn’t know anything about Alan. She shrugged in response to Mike’s questioning look. She had no idea.

Was Alan an ex boyfriend, some asshole who beat on her or something? Mike didn’t know. But at least he had a name to ask her about, if she’d answer was another story. Why was she so closed up all the time? He still couldn’t believe that just today he learned she was left handed. What the fuck was wrong with him? The Jewish thing made a bit more sense because he had a few hints. She was never in town during Christmas, not that he could remember anyway. She always missed any of the holiday parties that were held during that time. He could only think of one she attended and that was a new year’s one. He had thought Lisa was complicated, but the more he found out about Carrie, he realized he was just scratching the surface with her.

***
Carla and Wease were packing and loading up the car, getting ready to go home before Carrie reappeared. Nobody said anything to her about being gone for an hour or more, most knew what she was like. It was only the big man that was helping load up their car that was in the dark about her. Carrie held Ethan while Carla loaded Abby into her car seat. Wease was packing the back, trying to make sure they remembered everything. She handed the infant to Carla when she was ready, so they could go home since it was such a long day with two young kids to look after.

“Thanks for your help today,“ Carla said to her as she secured Ethan in his seat.

“I enjoyed it, you know that. Thanks for bailing my ass out earlier, Wease,” she directed to her brother. He just nodded and grinned at her. “Talk to you later,” she said as they pulled away. “Are we leaving now too,” she asked Mike.

He was quiet for a moment, remembering she’d never been before. “No, now we get to be rowdy, drink beer and listen to everyone talk some serious bullshit around the bon fire,” he told her. He wasn’t sure how to approach her, he didn’t want her to run away any more tonight.

“Mike, that’s my cue to gather up the kids and head home. I know how crazy things can get sometimes. Have you seen the girls recently,” she asked them. Carrie pointed to a crowd of young kids, gathered around someone’s stereo, just hanging out and talking at a picnic table. She went to Mike’s truck to retrieve Melissa’s car seat so she didn’t hear the quiet conversation between Mike and Kris. She saw it, but didn’t hear it and thought she was probably glad about that. It took some time to reassemble all the kids and gear and make sure it all fit in the car. The girls looked like they had a great time. Mikie looked tired but happy too. Lissa was smiling at her Uncle Mike since he was holding her and making goofy faces at her.

A short while later, Kris stuck her arm out the window and waved bye as she pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Mike and Carrie together, alone for the first time that day. He glanced over to see how the preparations were progressing before he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him.

“Babe, you had me worried earlier. If you need to go for a walk, just let me know. I worry, you know how I am,” he said to her serious expression. She looked into his eyes for a moment before she nodded. He still had her hand as he walked back to the bed of his truck and flipped the gate down. He let go of her hand and picked her up easily and sat her on the truck. She knew she should be upset by being picked up and set places like a doll or a toy, but she was getting so used to it, that it was starting to not even register anymore. He hopped up so they were more equal and so he could talk to her.

“Carrie, I love you. I don’t know how else to get it through to you, other than to show you and tell you every chance I get. What is it going to take for you to trust me enough to let me help you,” he said to her stunned expression. She shook her head.

“It’s not that easy. Shit, I wish it was, but it’s not,” she told him. He pulled her close and she climbed in his lap for comfort. She always felt safe in his lap with his arms wrapped around her. It didn’t seem to matter where they were or what was going on around them, she still felt safe.

“Can we start small,” he asked her. She had her head tucked under his chin, resting on his chest. He wanted to be able to protect her like that all the time. She nodded. “Why did you walk away today after you beaned Uncle Chris,” he asked her. She pulled her head back so she could see his face.

He kissed her forehead, noting her frown, before she had a chance to say anything. “Mike, you think that’s starting small?” He stayed silent in response. “Okay,” she said as she took a deep breath, “I thought for a brief second that I had seriously hurt him. I don’t like violence of any kind. I especially don’t like it when I do it. I know it was accidental today, but it doesn’t matter. I could easily have seriously hurt him and that is something I will loose sleep over for a while.”

He stayed quiet as he tried to understand her and her reasons. It didn’t make sense to him yet because she traveled with Dave all the time and look what he did. Okay, shut up and let her talk, he told himself. He waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. He continued to wait for her to speak again, but she still stayed silent.

“Tell me, are we going to join the rest of the party and get rowdy with everyone else,” she asked after many minutes.

“In a while,” he said just before he kissed her. He wanted to let her know he loved her and that she was safe with him, but didn’t know how to get through to her. He wanted to make love to her tonight, under the stars. It wasn’t dark enough yet, so he just kissed her and rubbed her ass, making her groan in to his kiss. She wanted to return the favor, so she nibbled on his neck, knowing it made him nuts. “Damn, woman. That’s not fair.”

“What? Rubbing my ass is,” she teased him, since he was still gently caressing her, knowing what it was doing to her and to him. He dipped his head as he lifted her shirt off so he could capture one of her breasts in his mouth. He was rewarded by her fingers running through his short hair and her quiet sigh. He would never grow tired of her, how they made love, how she made him feel. She leaned back into the bed of the truck, out of sight from anyone.

“Oh babe, you’re bad,” he said as he smiled at her underneath him. She reached up, grabbed a handful of shirt and yanked him down to her with a giggle. The bed of the truck wasn’t comfortable, but they didn’t notice. They explored and teased each other for a long time. She pulled his shirt off so she could attack his chest and flung her leg over his hip. That drove him wild, he wanted her but knew he’d have to wait until later. He slowly slid his hand inside her shorts so he could stroke her. She was ready for him now and he would have to wait. He knew what he wanted to do for her, he hoped she’d let him. He kissed her warm neck, letting his tongue trail down to her hardened nipples that were begging for his attention. His hand gently stroked her, making her rub herself against him, insistently. He loved her and loved making love to her anyway she’d let him. He continued his torture, causing her moist folds to demand more of his attention. She moaned quietly and he watched her face as she bit her lower lip in anticipation.

He slowed his fingers and gentle touches. He wanted her to insist on more from him. It took every ounce of his control to stop himself from dropping his shorts. He thought his cock would explode without ever touching her. God, what was he thinking, starting this without being able to finish, he thought. She rubbed herself against him, urging him on to finish her. He slid his fingers inside her and she gasped. He could feel her tighten on his fingers and knew she was going to come all over his hand. He couldn’t help smiling at the thought as he looked at her in the twilight. He leaned over to sprinkle kisses over her breasts and belly as he slid his fingers in and out of her, making sure his thumb was rubbing her most sensitive spot. She arched her back as he continued and started to whimper and groan. He knew he needed to keep her quiet or everyone would know what they were doing. He captured her lips as his fingers continued their torture. Now he understood how tight she was, no wonder he never had as much control as he would have liked. He felt his fingers get flooded and gripped in an even tighter embrace. He smiled as he continued to kiss her, he knew what he had just done to her. Her breathing slowed a little, so he risked lifting his head to look at her. He looked into her eyes and saw a softness in them that he’d never seen before. He kissed her lips gently and was still beside her, not wanting to disrupt the moment. He saw her look at him, and a gentle smiled played at the corners of her mouth.

"Mike...I...” and she stopped.

He thought for a moment he was actually going to get to hear her say that she loved him. He knew it already, but she never said those exact words to him. He knew there must be some reason, but he also knew he couldn't push her. She'd tell him when she was ready. It was enough for now that they were together and she allowed him to show her how much he loved her. They had their whole lives ahead of them and there was no rush.

“You’re so bad, baby. Look what you made me do,” she said quietly. He smiled as he slowly slid his fingers from her. He wiped them on his shorts, knowing that he had never experienced anything quite like that before. He still wanted her, but knew he’d have to wait. She looked at him, shirtless and sexy, knowing he had given her a wonderful orgasm just because he could. She’d never met anyone like him before, totally unselfish and giving. She thought about that as she pulled her shorts back up and adjusted her shirt to cover his love bites.

“You want your bag,” he asked her as he noticed that her tank top was not going to cover his gentle branding. She nodded. She decided she should probably change into pants too, since the sun was going down and she didn’t really like getting bitten by bugs that much. He was lying in the bed of his truck, watching her as she changed, enjoying the sight of her.

"Did I tell you how beautiful your are today," he asked her quietly as she slipped on her pants as she lay next to him, out of sight from everyone but him.

She nodded before she said, "Only like two hundred times," she giggled. He looked surprised at her answer. He didn't tell her that all the time, did he? Well, even if he did, it was only because it was true. She was the most beautiful and complex woman he'd ever known. He reached out and gently pushed her hair away from her face. She smiled at him. She was just going to say something when his grandmother’s voice was heard.

“Michael? Where did you run off to? Michael Lincoln Adams?” she said with meaning. He could hear that her voice got louder as she walked towards his truck. He was still in his shorts, so he sat up.

“Yes, Grandma? I’m right here, what did you need,” he asked her as he saw that she was just a few feet from the front of his truck.

“Ah, there you are. Where did you hide her? I warned you not to chase her off,” she reminded him. Carrie giggled at the older woman’s comments to her grandson.

She leaned out of Mike’s shadow so Grandma Adams could see her and smiled.

“I’m here. He hasn’t chased me off yet,” she said to the older lady.

“Good,” she said with a smile. “You kids decent enough to join the rest of the party,” she asked with a wink. Carrie laughed out loud. Now she knew where he got it from.

Mike laughed and said, “I just need to grab a shirt then we can all go back together.” He helped Carrie down from the truck bed so he could find his clothes. The two women both nodded at him and waited for him to put on a t shirt before they could join the rest of the party. Their wait was little longer when he decided he should probably put on some pants since the bugs were starting to bite.

“Has he always been this slow,” she asked his grandma with a wink.

“Oh gosh yes. He was late for his own birthday a few times,” she laughed. She liked her and hoped her grandson knew how lucky he was. She seemed very down to earth and approachable, plus you add in everything else and what more could she ask for, besides some great grandchildren.

“I can hear you, ya know,” he said from the other side of the truck as he slid on his jeans.

“Good to know he’s not deaf,” Carrie giggled at Grandma Adams. She chuckled at her comment. She enjoyed their easy banter and hoped it would continue.

A strange sight greeted those that were sitting around the already blazing bon fire. Mike walked up holding Carrie’s hand and Grandma Adams held on to her other hand as they covered the distance from the parking lot to the fire pit. Rachael noticed it and knew that Carrie had been given the official seal of approval from her toughest critic. Rachael knew that if you had Grandma on your side, no one in the family messed with you. They stopped by the coolers for something to drink before they found a comfortable spot.

“You sure you don’t want to sit with us,” she asked the older lady.

“No child. You two don’t need to be saddled with me this evening. Thank you for your help on the uneven ground. I plan on harassing my son this evening,” she said sweetly as her son looked up, startled at the news. Mike and Carrie walked away to find a comfortable spot to sit and enjoy the night under the blanket he was carrying. Mike had an ice tea for himself and a beer for her. He wanted to be able to drive later, and knew if he started drinking beers with this crowd he’d be in trouble. Several people nodded and said hey as they settled down, knowing this evening was going to prove very interesting. Many already knew what was in store for the evening.

He flipped the blanket out in front of a well worn log, knowing it was doubled so if needed they could cover up in it later. He grinned just thinking about it. He was oblivious to the smiles and nods that were exchanged around him. She sat next to him with her legs twined into his and he was very content. The casual conversation died away as people got settled after they made sure to have enough liquid refreshment for now. Carrie noticed Tony sitting near Rachael and wondered if she knew how he felt. If the beer was free flowing, things might get very interesting later.

Somebody tapped their beer bottle as a way to call everyone to attention. Tony stopped tending the fire for a moment as he tried hard to stifle his grin as he thought about his cousin’s upcoming discomfort. Sam stood up and thanked everyone for coming today. He looked a little uncomfortable speaking to all of them, Carrie thought. It could be that he just doesn’t like talking to a group, something she understood very well. She also took the time to really look at him and compare his son to him, noting the striking similarities. Both were very tall, obviously. Sam had a little grey in his hair, but he still had most of his original brown head of hair. She saw that Mike shared his dimples with his dad and the whole waving of his hands while he spoke was unmistakable.

She realized she wasn’t listening to Sam, and tuned back in time to hear him say, “I know we are all happy that he could make it today, since this seems like the only time we see him in recent years.” She felt Mike shift next to her. “I am happy to say he didn’t bring the same person he brought last time.” There were some chuckles in the group at that remark. “Of course by now you have all figured out that I’m talking about my son, Mike.” This was met with cheers from all, except by the person they were talking about. She heard him mutter shit, as he stood up and waved at everyone. She didn’t understand.

Mike looked over to Tony and said, “asshole,” to his grinning face.

“Back at ya bud,” his cousin laughed.

Val stood up next and shared a highly embarrassing and colorful account of a ten year old Mike learning exactly where babies came from, specifically his baby sister. Her descriptions were very entertaining. She painted him as a sweet but dim witted child who just couldn’t grasp the whole concept. The entire family laughed with her as they toasted him. When she finished her tale, everyone raised their beverage of choice and said, “Salute,” loudly and drank. Some were still chuckling over her description of his confusion. Mike shook his head, knowing he was in for a very long night. He raised his iced tea and drank a toast to his mom too. Carrie was smiling, still trying to get the picture out of her head that Val had painted. Very funny, she thought.

Someone else stood up to share another embarrassing Mike story. Carrie asked who he was and was told his name was Zach and he was another cousin. She shook her head as she realized all the people were related somehow. It was kind of hard to imagine for her, since she had such a small family. She chuckled as she heard the account of Mike’s prom night fiasco. The rental car broke down, the flowers were wrong, the restaurant lost their reservation and his girlfriend at the time was on her period. He couldn’t catch a break, Zach said with a smile for his buddy. She saw Mike mouth the word asshole to him across the fire. Zach added a few more details to Mike’s date from hell as it was known in the family. All raised their glass in salute and drank again. Carrie laughed as she realized what was in store for him this evening. They were going to bring out as many embarrassing stories as they could and share them with her. She shook her head, hoping she wasn’t expected to say anything.

Many more stories and laughter were shared as the night continued. Carrie excused herself to go to the rest room, stopping by on the way back to pick up more beverages for both of them. She didn’t realize that people had waited for her to come back before they started on the next one. As she sat down Tony stood up.

She heard Mike say, “fucking asshole, I’m am going to bust your ass later,” quietly. She knew it must be directed to Tony, not her. Tony winked at her before he started.

“Now, many of you have been sharing some stories about Mike as a youngster. He was a funny kid, that’s for sure but I wanted to share something recent.” All heads turned towards him, not knowing where he was going. Mike got tense too, unsure of his direction. “Most of us know how he feels about his lovely lady. He’s never been very good at hiding his feelings. Hell, some of his more colorful adventures are a testament to that.” Carrie started to get worried, not sure where he was going. Others chuckled as they remembered some of the night’s stories. Tony started to describe the day’s softball game. He embellished it, but there was a lot of truth to the tale. He described how Mike had explained to his beloved that spitting was not required in order to hit the ball. He then went on to share that possibly she didn’t hit the ball was in fact due to her lack of spitting. Carrie smiled at his story. She could see he was enjoying himself and the story. He then went to on to describe her last time at bat and how she decided to try something new and different. He looked right at Mike as he asked him, “And you didn’t even know she was left handed? What the hell you been doing buddy? No, wait, I know exactly what you’ve been doing.” His question was met with laughter and some crude comments. Tony signaled he was finished and they all shouted their salute and drank again.

“Are there many more,” she asked the man next to her.

“I hope not,” he said as he leaned over to rub her shoulder affectionately. “You’re cold babe, you want me to unfold the blanket so we can hide in here?”

“Yes please, I forgot about that,” she replied with a smile. She stood up so he could unfold their blanket. As she sat down, he sat behind her with his legs on the outside of her, giving her some of his warmth. He pulled the blanket up to her chin and settled back on the log as he enjoyed his new advantage. He slid his hands under her top and slowly caressed and tortured her breasts, causing her to sigh quietly and lean back into him. He was relieved at her response because he wasn’t sure how many beers she’d had and didn’t want the night to end early. They listened to more funny stories, most were involving Mike as a youngster doing some really stupid things, but somehow he always managed to survive. Carries mused that is was a wonder he did, if she believed all the stories. She felt him against her back and knew he wanted her, if his touches didn’t tell her that already. He slid his hand down the inside of her jeans, with the intent on making her forget where they were.

She touched his guilty arm and said, “No baby, not here.” He withdrew the offending hand and continued his torture on her breasts. He leaned in and nibbled on her neck, making her almost forget where they were. She shook her head slightly and said, “No, really. Not here.” She felt him get tense at her second rejection but she knew if he started that, the whole clan would be witness to her actions and she didn’t really want to share that. “I know I wouldn’t be able to be discreet,” she explained to him without turning around. He relaxed against her and cupped her breast in his hand as he continued to tease her. “I’m guessing you want to go soon,” she said quietly as she turned a little in his lap. He slid one of his hands down to her hip and pulled her against him, making himself groan into her ear.

“Oh yeah,” he said with a smile into her ear. She nodded and listened to see if they were going to hear any more stories. It sounded like there was just general chatter, so they weren’t going to be missed. She spotted Tony in the parking lot with Rachael, holding her in way more than a brotherly embrace. The hands on the ass were a give away. She smiled as she thought about that. She took his hands away from her top and straightened herself as best she could. She drew the blanket back and stood up, without telling Mike of her intentions.

“Shit babe, you gotta tell me when you’re doing that,” he said directly to her and then looked down at himself. She giggled at his predicament.

“I’ll get rid of the bottles while you get the other stuff, okay,” she asked him. He nodded, but stayed seated. She knew she’d walk by his parents and grandma so she took that opportunity to say her thanks and good byes.

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to go. We’re done picking on him for now,” Sam said as he wrapped his arms around her. He genuinely enjoyed his son’s new girlfriend. She was funny and smart and, he admitted to himself, it didn’t hurt that she was very easy on his eyes. Val hugged her and thanked her for coming today.

“Please call me when you get a chance,” she said as they parted. Carrie was surprised but nodded. She was going to hug Grandma Adams, but the older lady beat her to it. She was pulled into her rough embrace without a word. Grandma Adams held onto her tightly for a few moments before she let her go, again without a word. Carrie turned to walk across the parking lot to his truck. She knew he wouldn’t be too far behind, considering the state he was in, she thought about that and giggled.
As she approached his truck she was surprised to see that the barbeque had been loaded in as well as a few other things that he brought. She didn’t know who or when, but was grateful that they didn’t have to track that shit down in the dark. She was just coming back from a quick visit to the rest room, thanks to all that damn beer, when she saw him walking her way with the folded blanket in hand. He threw the blanket in the back, not seeming to care if it was secured. He unlocked the doors and turned to help her in. He picked her up and set her on the seat, but didn’t release his hold on her. He leaned in and kissed her. The kind of kiss that left her breathless and wanting more. He looked at her and winked, knowing what he’d done. He climbed in next to her so they could finally leave all the harassment behind.

“Thank you for making me do this today. I had a good time, in spite of myself," she admitted.

"Carrie, I want you to be a part of my family. I wanted you to meet them, but I didn't want to scare you. Lucky for you we only have these kind of things a couple times a year," he said as he softy touched her cheek with the back of his hand. She closed her eyes as he touched her face, letting her other senses enjoy his caress. She heard what he said about being part of his family, but she didn't even want to think about that. There was so much about her that he didn't know yet, some of it she hoped he’d never know. She wasn't sure if he would want to be with her if he learned the truth about her.

"Please don't make me play softball next time," she asked him.

"Shit, I don’t think they'll let you unless we give Uncle Chris more pads," he teased. "Next one's in winter anyway, too cold for softball. But we do try to play hockey or football." Her eyes lit up at that news.

***

He turned the truck off the road into what looked like another park, she wasn’t sure. She looked at him and he smiled without saying a word. Once he parked, he turned to her and kissed her, wrapped his arms around her and said quietly in to ear, “I want to be under the stars with you tonight.” She slowly pulled away to look at him and nodded.

They got out of the truck and he reached back to the bed of the truck and grabbed several items, she couldn’t tell what all of them were, but she did recognize the big blanket. She sat down on the blanket and pulled her shirt off in the warm summer air, and waited for him to join her. She was treated to the sight of him taking his shirt off and slipping off his pants in the moon light. She’d never get tired of looking at him, she knew. He was ready for her, she could see. He caught her look and grinned at her. He had no idea that she enjoyed looking at him as much as he loved looking at her. He joined her on the blanket, and saw the desire in her eyes. He wanted tonight to be special but wasn’t sure that either of them would have the patience. He made sure he took his time. He kissed her, caressed her, and stoked her fire until she was as hot as him. He managed to separate her from the rest of her clothes. She pushed him down on his back so she could torture him as much as he had just tortured her.

His view was of her leaning over him naked and smiling as she licked her lips, trying to decide how best to inflict her brand of torture. She traced his ribs lightly with her fingers, working her way up to his shoulders and neck. She leaned in to plant kisses on his chest. She heard his breath catch as she captured one of his nipples with her tongue and sucked it. She moved to the other one and gave it just as much attention. Her hand had slid from his chest to his hips and slowly slid to encircle his cock. He was startled at her gentle touch. She tightened her grip a little and slid her fingers on him, to tease him. He groaned in response to her.

“Oh babe,” was all he managed to say to her as she stroked him. His hand strayed over to hers and touched it softly, urging her to continue.

She smiled as she saw the look in his eyes. She continued her slow torture and watched him. He was so beautiful, she didn’t understand why he was with her, but if he was going to let her touch him, she was going to enjoy it. She smiled as he groaned again. She knew exactly what she was doing to him. She leaned down and kissed him as he moaned again.

“Oh god, you are so beautiful,” he said as she continued. She tightened her grip again as she quicken her pace. He growled deep in his chest. She could see he was quickly losing all ability to think, to think beyond the pleasure she was giving him.

She was just getting ready to torture him even more when he sat up and said, “No babe, not this way,” as he picked her up and put her over him so she could straddle him. She smiled as she realized what he wanted. She wanted it too. She slowly guided him inside her, causing him to growl again. “Oh fuck yeah,” he mumbled to her as she engulfed him. She leaned forward to shift the angle of him, so she could enjoy it as much as him. His eyes widened when he realized what she had done and why, he smiled. She started slow, much slower than what she had been before. His hips moved with her, urging her on.

He reached up and caressed her breast, and smiled at her surprised look. She continued to ride him, purposely keeping the pace slow to draw out their agony and pleasure. He couldn’t take her slow pace for long, he wanted her to pound him, demand he satisfy her. He grabbed her hips and slammed her down on him, eliciting a gasp from her. She looked into his eyes and saw heat, heat for her in them and knew what he wanted from her. She understood and started to ride him harder, and faster, making them both delirious. His hands stayed on her hips, as he was treated to the sight of her riding his cock under the stars. Oh god, could it get any better than this, he thought to himself…

“Babe, you do that to me every time,” he breathed as she slowed and caught her breath. She grinned down at him.

“Do what, baby? What do I do?” she teased him. How could he say that having her stroke his cock was so fucking hot because it was so surprising or how could he say that all he had to do was just think about her and he’d be ready for her. How could he say that she constantly surprised him and he loved it? He had thought he was going to make love to her, but she turned the tables on him and took the lead, something she’d not done before and he loved it

“You take my breath away. You surprised me and I loved it,” he said as he rubbed her ass. She had curled up and put her leg over him with her head resting on his shoulder. She let her fingers trace his chest, playing with the outlines of the hard muscle, because she enjoyed touching him.

She woke up with a start, trying to figure out where she was. Oh yeah, now she remembered, and looked over at her sleeping partner. She didn’t know what woke her, but it wasn’t him, he was still sound asleep. He should be too, she smiled. He used a lot of energy last night. Then she felt it. Damn, it couldn’t be. Yeah, it could as she felt another droplet.

“Mike, sweetie, wake up. Mike” she tried. He turned to her and smiled in his sleep as he reached for her. She stayed out of his grasp luckily. She’d learned that once she was in his arms, it was hard to get out. “C’mom honey. Wake up,” she tried again. He mumbled and reached for her again. She felt the drops more frequently and knew they were in for a good downpour judging by the clouds over head. She leaned down and kissed him, hoping that would work.

He smiled, cracked open his eyes and rumbled, “Again? Okay honey, but give me a minute.” She loved his morning voice. Damn, it sent shivers down her spine and all the way to her toes, it was so deep and sexy. She felt herself getting distracted. The rain drop on her head brought her back to reality.

“Mike, wake up or you’re going to get drenched in a minute or two,” she said as she stood up. She grabbed some clothes to throw on before they got too wet. He opened his eyes again, in confusion.

“What? What did you say,” he asked her as he watched her put on her clothes. A rain drop hit his face and he finally figured out what she had been trying to tell him. “Oh shit,” he said as he sat up. He looked around for his clothes. He couldn’t find them and he knew he’d better soon or he’d be soaked. He looked up at her as she called his name and caught his clothes that she had picked up and kept dry. She had grabbed his keys from his pocket and had opened the door to his truck and was throwing stuff in that needed to stay dry. He was still struggling to get his pants on. She giggled as she looked over at him from the dryness of the inside of his truck. He just wasn’t very good in the mornings before coffee.

“Don’t worry about your shoes, I picked them up already,” she told him as he finally managed to pull on his pants.

He looked over at her and nodded, and grabbed the blanket and tossed it in the back. She reached over and unlocked his door so he could get out of the rain. It was picking up and looked like it was going to last all day. She laughed at him as he fumbled with the door, still trying to wake up and function. He’d only managed to put on his pants, his shirt was still in his hands.

“What an ending to our night, huh,” she asked him as he sat down in his truck, finally.

He looked over at her and said, “yeah.” He was quiet for a moment, still trying to wake up, she guessed. She picked up his discarded shirt and handed it back to him. He took it and put it on, automatically. She reached into her bag that she had rescued from the rain and grabbed her cell. One, she wasn’t sure of the time and two she hadn’t turned it on all day yesterday, well almost all day. It was roughly eight am, and she had twelve messages. He was still quiet, but he watched her with her phone, knowing one of them had additional responsibilities. He could play all damn day if he wanted to because it was a weekend, but she had at least one person counting on her for support.

She listened to the first few, mostly silly shit, stuff she could straighten out via email. She saved those for later. One was from Kris, asking to call her when she had the chance. One was from Val, asking the same thing and thanking her for coming to the picnic and hoping she had a fun time. She looked at the drowsy man next to her and said, “Your mom called.”
He looked confused but stayed quiet. Next two were from David asking her to call since they wanted to mess with his schedule and he needed some help.

“Shit,” she said as she listened to the messages from David. Mike looked at her questioningly. “David called and they’re trying to screw with stuff. Damn it. I knew I should have gone with him this weekend,” she said. He shook his head, but stayed silent.

Once she’d listened to all of them, she picked up her portable and started working on the requested changes that were needed to accommodate David’s needs. She made sure they were saved and confirmed before she called him.

“Sorry baby, gotta call him,” she said to Mike who was still quiet as he listened and watched the rain. He just nodded his understanding. He was happy that they had all the time together already this weekend. He knew reality would intrude eventually.

“This is Dave,” he answered.

“Got your messages and sorry for the delay. You’re all set, not biggie. Simple changes to make. You’re good to go,” she said without introduction. She heard him chuckle as he listened to her.

“Thanks. How the hell was the picnic? Kris said you stayed, even though you said you weren’t going to,” he said. He was genuinely surprised she had stayed, she was dead set against it last time he talked to her.

“That asshole wouldn’t let me back out,” she said with a grin. He heard her and laughed again.

“Speaking of him, is he available,” David asked her. He was betting he was. She wordlessly handed the phone to him and flipped open her portable to tweak some more stuff for next week. She had been a lazy girl yesterday and didn’t have everything finalized yet.

“Yeah, Dave,” Mike said.

“How is she, man? How the hell did you manage to make her stay,” he asked his friend. Mike laughed before he could think of a nice way to phrase his response.

“She’s good Dave, she’s real good,” he smirked.

“Shit head. Don’t tell me you just woke up? That’s just brutal, man. I’ve been up for hours,” he joked with his friend.

“Brutal? You should see her attempt to play softball. That’s brutal,” Mike said, with a wink to her.

“That bad, eh? I’m sure I’ll hear all about it, or at least I better. I’ll talk to you later asshole and take care of her,” David said, ready to hang up.

“Always, talk to you later. Bye,” and handed the phone back to her. “He’s pissed he missed softball,” he said. She shook her head and put her phone away. “Where did you want to go for breakfast,” he asked her with a lopsided grin.

“What? Already?” She didn’t really feel like eating, but then she never did. “How about we snag some coffee and head home and we can talk about breakfast on the way,” she offered. He nodded, thinking about the kind of breakfast he had in mind.

Once they had their coffees and were driving home, he said, “Carrie, did I forget to say you thank you for agreeing to go yesterday? I know it was hard, but it meant a lot to me.” She sat silently next to him and drank her coffee. “My mom calling you, what’s that all about? Any Ideas?”

“No, you want me to call her now and ask,” she said with an evil grin.

“Shit no. I’d never hear the end of it,” he laughed with her. She reached in to her bag and picked up her cell, flipping through the numbers until she found Val’s.

“Let’s just see what it’s all about,” as she pressed talk.

“Damn it, do you want me to get my ass chewed,” he asked her. She just smiled as she listened to it ring.

“Hi Val, it’s Carrie…Yeah, I just got your message….Yeah, thanks, I had a good time, even though we all knew I thought I wouldn’t….Oh, okay…sounds fine….I don’t know about them, better call and ask her…yeah, Wednesdays and Thursdays are best, yes….Okay, yeah….that would be better, he’d know more than me anyway. You know how I am, yeah….yeah….Oh, I didn’t know that…yeah, as a matter of fact he is…yeah, we went camping, but the rain was a bummer, so no breakfast yet. You know what he’s like…yeah, sure,” and she gave the phone to Mike so he could get his ass chewed by his mom.

All he said for a long while was yes and no, as he grimaced and looked daggers at Carrie. She sat pleasantly next to him and smiled sweetly. Then he said, “Oh? Okay, yeah, I can help with that, just let me know when….yeah….love you too mom, bye,” as he handed the phone back to the smiling woman who sat next to him.

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