The Kids Grow Up by Trish Hanan (novel24 .TXT) 📖

blouse. The girl screamed again. Joon jumped up.
“Salsa without chips, never,” she exclaimed and picked up some chips and crashed them against Violet’s chest while the girl was still screaming. Then Abby got up.
“Violet, you’re a mess, go clean yourself off, but outside please,” she said and her and Grace grabbed Violet by the arms and half picked her up and half dragged her outside and locked the front door behind her. They all could hear her screaming and having a fit on the porch. Harry giggled and picked up the box and pulled out the nightie.
“Jake would die of laughter if I wore something like this to bed,” he declared and threw it to Abby. “Take it, darling, it’s gorgeous and it would look hot on you.” She grinned.
“Thank you, Harry, it’s really lovely,” she held it up and they all admired it.
When Jake came home from his boy’s night out he smelled a little like those big, fat cigars that Max and Charles liked and he was slightly tipsy but otherwise he was fine. When Harry told him about little Miss Violet and her little prank he giggled so hard he got the hiccups.
“A lacey white nightie and she thought you might want to wear it, oh, Lord, I wish I had been here to see your face, what did you do to her, babe?” he asked. Harry grinned.
“And what makes you think I did something to her?” he asked calmly. Jake laughed and rolled over to face him. He rubbed his belly and then bent down to kiss it.
“Hey, Jackson, your Daddy thinks this Daddy is a fool,” he said and Harry giggled.
“Okay, I dumped a whole big bowl of guacamole on top of her head,” he admitted. Jake laughed. Then Harry grinned and told him what the rest of the girls had done to her. Jake laughed so hard he had to get up to pee again.
“Why do people always assume that one of us wants to be the girl?” Jake asked him. “If either of us wanted a girl we wouldn’t be in this room playing with each other’s cocks.” Harry laughed and reached down to play with his favorite one.
“Mm, this is my favorite one,” he murmured. Jake reached down for his.
“I like this one, it’s so pretty,” he said and they kissed. Then they moved on to better things and finally to sleep.
The next morning they milked the cows as usual and went around and did their usual routine and just kept grinning and kissing. Fran and Harry put the finishing touches on the four cakes and the boys came over then flew them over to the meeting room. Next all the booze went and all the food. They had decorated the Center before the parties the day before and then finally they all got dressed and drove to Church. The girls were all so beautiful and the men so incredibly handsome, they were a sight to see.
“I can’t believe my daughter is over there getting married and I have to see her in her dress through binoculars,” June snapped and glared at Max and Charles who were still in the dog house.
“Don’t blame us, if it wasn’t for them sticking up for that little fagola freak, we could be over there at the wedding,” Max snapped at her. Linda glared at him.
“If it wasn’t for you and that idiot Charles playing your stupid games with Dr. Jackson, another idiot, we’d all be over there right now watching our son get married,” she snapped at him. He sighed.
“I said I was sorry, what more do you want, blood,” he lashed out.
“Yes,” four women yelled. All the men groaned. Charles stood up.
“I don’t care what they said, I’m going to my son’s wedding,” he announced and walking to the door of the hospital, he walked out. They all watched him walk up to the door of the chapel, argue with someone and then march back across the parking lot with as much dignity as he could.
“Well, what happened?” they wanted to know. He sighed.
“That tall, large alien man informed me that I wasn’t on the approved guest list and asked me very politely to leave or he would escort me to jail for trespassing on a private affair,” he told them. Linda began to cry.
“Not invited to the wedding and they’re moving away, we’ll never see our precious grandbabies, oh, sometimes Maxfield Tyler, you make life so God-damned difficult,” she sobbed. Uncomfortable he walked away and went to check on the kids who were playing in the next room.
The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Reverend Phillip was joyous and the music was wonderful and joyous and very uplifting. All the couples exchanged happy vows and promised to love and keep each other in their hearts forever. They each read the inscriptions engraved inside their rings and when Harry and Jake read their, ‘your heart, my heart, one heart forever,’ there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Even Carl had to reach for a tissue.
Sissy hid in the back of the chapel and cried when her son kissed Harry, they both looked so happy. Jake’s face wore the biggest smile. And he looked down at the other boy with the most tender of expressions; you could tell he really loved him. She felt like screaming NO, don’t marry that boy, Jake, Son you’re ruining your life, but how could she, when he looked so happy? She had to duck down really quickly when they all turned around and faced the crowd and then stayed there while everyone walked into the main room. She could hear music and knew that there would be dancing and laughing and wished she and Jackson and the children were in there with them. Sissy sighed and sneaked out the door. She went to her car which was parked behind the Vet Clinic and drove home, crying all the way home.
Harry and Jake sat at the head table with all the brides and grooms and were the happiest they had ever been. Not even the fact that his parents weren’t there was going to spoil this day. They were married and having a baby and surrounded by people who wished them only the best, who needed people who hated them?
“This is so much fun, too bad you only get married once,” Kathleen gushed as they walked out to the dance floor for the first dance as married people. Steve grinned at her.
“Have I told you how truly beautiful you look today, Kathleen Tyler?” he asked. She giggled.
“Well, thank you, Mr. Tyler,” she said primly and they kissed.
“Mrs. Baxter, may I have this dance?” Charlie said to his new wife who giggled.
“Well I do believe so, Mr. Baxter,” she said and they got up.
“I like this human custom, you look very beautiful, wife,” Synta said. Joon laughed.
“You look very handsome, my husband,” she told him and they walked to the middle of the dance floor.
“Mr. and Mr. Jake Talbert, I like the sound of that,” Jake declared as they walked to the dance floor. Harry grinned and he laid his head on Jake’s strong shoulder.
“I love you, Jake Talbert and I always will,” he said firmly. They kissed and the dance began.
“I can’t believe our little boy is married to a man, where did we go wrong?” Kate asked with a big sigh. Barb giggled and their kids looked at them.
“This is supposed to be a happy day Kate, put on a happy face,” she said and all the kids laughed.
“Look at Kate over there, you would think Harry had married a pit-viper the way she looks,” Stuart said to his husband. Phillip laughed.
“You know lesbians hate gay men, she probably wanted Harry to be straight,” he told him. They kissed and their little ones giggled while Eric rolled his eyes.
“Can I go and sit with Joey and Yancy?” he asked his dads who nodded. He ran off to join his friends. His dads were cool and all, but did they have to kiss in public, it was so embarrassing.
When the cakes were brought out everyone gushed over the little brides and grooms and was told Harry did them.
“You did those, wow, Harry, you’re very talented,” Carl said and asked if he could do one of his kids. Harry said he wasn’t very good and wasn’t taking commissions but thanks for the compliments. Everyone got a piece of cake and ice cream and it was a great party and they made sure to get the figurines off the cake before they left. Harry was going to lacquer them so they could keep them forever while they were on their honeymoons. Everyone waved and kissed them goodbye and the happy couples drove to the Elizabeth and flew to their beach houses in Hawaii for a two week long honeymoon.
“What a magical day, except for your mom hiding in the back of the church, it was a perfect wedding,” Harry said with a grin. Jake grinned back at him. They watched the dogs racing out to chase the surf.
“Oh, you saw her too did you?” Jake asked and they both laughed.
“Oh, I was afraid she was going to do something stupid like start screaming ‘No Jake, not my boy,’ when the preacher asked if someone had anything to say, I thought she’d jump right out,” Harry confessed. Jake grinned.
“Me too, I was going to march right up and carry her out of the church, kicking and screaming if I had to but come hell or high water, we were getting married today,” he said firmly and they kissed. Then Harry giggled.
“Ever do it under a coconut palm with a married man?” he teased him. Jake looked up.
“Not one with purple coconuts,” he teased back and they fell to the sand while the dogs came back from the water and sat under the shade of a tree to watch and laugh; it looked a little like they were laughing.
And it was the best honeymoon ever. Sometimes they got together with the other couples and they swam in the lake by the waterfall or in the ocean and the men ran while the women and Harry walked and they talked. Or at night they barbecued and played games and talked and the men drank beer because they could and the women and Harry drank iced herbal teas.
And other times they would run off just the two of them and climb to the waterfall to make love in the little cave behind it and play pirates. Or make love in the mango grove under the fragrant blossoms. And they took long romantic walks along the shore and picked up interesting seashells and pieces of driftwood, it was the best two weeks of their life.
Then they had to fly home to help with the harvest and that was more fun as married couples, especially as married couples with babies on the way. And as they baby-sat the other’s babies they could pretend they were holding their own because soon they would be.
“You know you could have least waited until Barb and I were finished having our three required children before you started your family, Henry, and that’s the last I’m saying about it,” Kate said as they were picking apples.