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

of luck because once she was ours we were not giving her back and that is the truth. I’m not breaking the hearts of all of my children by giving away their sister and I’m not breaking the heart of my daughter by giving her away to these two idiots who had the most precious gift in the world and gave it away because they don’t like shitty diapers and crying babies,” he told them. Gloria stomped her foot.
“You’re mean, I hate babies, that’s not fair, why can’t you just give her back,” she said. Harry shook his head.
“Gloria, you’re not going to find a single couple here who’s going to raise a child for you and David for five or six years and then give it to you once the diapers and two a.m. feedings are over. Now you made your choice and you have to live with it, Emma is our daughter and Jake and I are not giving her back, she’s a child, she’s not a piece of furniture and you can’t play games with her emotions like that. We love her and she loves us and believe me, two hours with her and you’ll be sending her home, she might look adorable in a pretty red dress but she’s ornery and can wrestle with her brothers just like any normal kid,” he said and everyone laughed. Jake grinned. Gloria sat down.
“Fine, you keep her then but I say you’re mean,” she snapped. Harry grinned.
“Well, I lifted your Macys ban, how about a free shopping trip, would that make you feel better?” he asked and she jumped up and clapped her hands.
“Oh, yes, can we do it today?” she asked and everyone laughed. Violet stood up.
“You lifted her ban, why haven’t you lifted my ban?” she asked. Harry shrugged.
“Because she didn’t steal from me, if you return that diamond you stole, I’ll lift your ban too, Violet,” he told her. She flushed.
“I returned that diamond,” she said. He shook his head.
“You replaced that stone with a cubic zarconia and you know it, now if you’re going to insist on lying then I’m not going to lift your ban, I don’t appreciate liars,” he said sternly and she flushed with embarrassment when everyone laughed.
“That’s telling her, Harry,” Mike shouted and everyone agreed. She glared at him and sat down. Jake sighed and shook his head. The meeting went on to other stuff and Jake took the kids home while Harry rode with Gloria and David and went to Macys where they shopped for five hours and got a ton of stuff. They were in a very happy mood when they dropped him off.
“Bye, Harry, thanks, darling,” Gloria called as David drove away. Harry laughed and waved. Jake met him at the door.
“Rough time, babe?” he asked as they hugged. Harry giggled.
“I think those two definitely preferred the shopping trip to the daughter any day,” he declared and they both laughed. Harry looked around. “Where are the kids?” he asked. Jake grinned.
“Danny’s lying down and the rest are in the backyard with Fran, I was just in getting some of those ice cream treats you made,” he said. Harry nodded.
“I’m going to get something to eat, I’m starving,” he said and Jake kissed him.
“Okay, babe,” he said. They both walked into the kitchen. Jake got the ice cream sticks and Harry looked around and decided on ham with leftover potatoes and heated them up and sat at the table. A sleepy Danny wandered in while he was eating so Harry put him in his chair and fed him some ice cream and some green milk.
“You like green milk like your dad don’t you, darling?” he asked and Danny nodded and drank some. Harry laughed and drank his. They both grinned at each other and Harry fed him some ham. He tried not to play favorites among his children and he knew Jake didn’t either but he had a soft spot in his heart for his youngest. Maybe because he was his youngest or maybe because he looked so much like himself and his father Simon, whatever it was, Danny followed him around the house like a little puppy and that endeared him to him.
For the New Year’s Eve party Harry brought out two cases of champagne and informed everyone that this was the very last of the wine from his liquor store so unless they grew some grapes they weren’t going to have anymore of the bubbly to toast the next New Year’s. Everyone groaned except for David and Gloria who giggled.
“What about your wine cellar, Henry, surely you have champagne in your wine cellar?” Kate asked and everyone’s eyes lit up. Harry shook his head.
“Not enough for everyone, I only have a few bottles in my fridge. We have to grow grapes and I do have a wine press and the recipe for making champagne so we can make it,” he informed them so they all nodded. David frowned.
“You can make champagne in your wine cellar?” he asked. Harry nodded.
“I would have made it this year if I had realized that we only had two cases. I thought we had four but the other two cases are pink champagne and I don’t think too many people are going to like drinking that,” he explained and most of the people shook their heads.
“Oh, God no, pink champagne is tacky,” Linda exclaimed and everyone laughed. Gloria grinned.
“Well, David and I have plenty of champagne in our liquor store if you want to buy some next year,” she told everyone. They all frowned.
“How come Harry and Jake supply the champagne for New Year’s and you and David want to charge for it, that’s not right,” Brian said and everyone nodded. David snorted.
“That’s because Harry and Jake are stupid and now they’re out of champagne. If they were smart and charged for it like we intend to do they’d be rich men,” he informed them. Harry laughed.
“I have seven precious children, that’s about as rich as I need to be,” he declared and everyone nodded. Gloria rolled her eyes.
“You can’t spend children, they’re not worth any gold,” she said and everyone looked shocked. Harry opened the box and started passing out the bottles and everyone began opening them.
“Divide them up, every table gets two bottles, Gloria, you and David only get one since you’re only two at your table,” he told them and they nodded and took their bottle to their private table off to the side away from all of the pesky children who interfered with their good time. They couldn’t understand why the children had to be present at the party anyway, why couldn’t they play in the other room. Although they did have to admit that Emma looked really cute in her little gray dress with the silver ribbons in her long curly blonde hair.
Harry and Jake sat at a table with Steve, Kathleen and their children. All of the kids sat in one corner away from the adults like they always did and danced amongst one another and had a great time. Harry danced with his daughters who giggled and danced by standing on his feet and they both loved that. Then he did the same with his sons and they loved that too. With Danny, Ryan and Sean, he held them in his arms and twirled them around and they giggled and laughed. It was great fun. Then they had a family dance and they held all seven kids in their arms and danced together and they got many kisses and laughs with that dance.
“Having fun, honey?” Harry asked when they finally got a chance to dance a slow song together. Granddad was entertaining the kids while they ate. Jake grinned and kissed him hard and passionately. Harry sighed and put his head on his shoulder.
“I love you, babe, thanks for our great life,” Jake whispered and Harry nodded.
“I love you too, honey, we do have a terrific life, I couldn’t have done it without you,” he told him and lifted his head for another kiss which he got. Jake smiled down at him.
“You just got your hair cut didn’t you?” he asked and Harry grinned. “It’s so curly, I love your hair when you first get it cut; it makes you look fourteen again.” Harry laughed and rubbed his face in his chest.
“Oh, is that what turns you on?” he teased and his eyes got all slanty, sending shivers up Jake’s spine and he trembled. Kathleen who was dancing next to them saw the look and shivered herself. She nudged Steve and he looked at the two and grinned.
“Those two never turn it off do they?” he teased and she giggled. Harry glanced at the kids who appeared busy.
“How about a quick fuck in the chapel?” Harry suggested and Jake grinned and nodded. They rushed off the floor and all of their friends laughed as they disappeared into the hallway.
“And there they go, how much do you want to bet they’re going to do it in the chapel again?” DJ asked his sister who giggled.
“Oh, please, that’s a sucker bet,” she retorted and everyone laughed.
About fifteen minutes later the two men reappeared slightly mussed up and straightened their clothes. Emma raced over to hug them. Jake picked her up and gave her a kiss.
“Where did you go, I looked all over for you,” she asked; her little lips in a pout. Jake laughed and kissed her.
“Sorry, darling, your daddy and I had to go check something out, but now we’re back and I want to dance with my darling again,” he said and walked her to the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squealed with delight. He grinned at Harry who walked to the table to help himself to some food. Sissy looked at him.
“Were you two boys running, you look out of breath?” she asked. Harry grinned and sipped at some Coke.
“No, Sissy, I was just rushing that’s all, how’s my boys doing, did you get enough to eat?” he asked and they all grinned and nodded. He began wiping mouths and hands and took them all into the playroom for some fun. Jake brought Emma in and then Harry left to bring them a plate of food and some soda and they watched their kids and a lot of other kids so their parents could dance and soon all the kids were tucked in to sleep while the parents were dancing and waiting for midnight.
At midnight while all the other adults were out on the dance floor kissing one another and wishing everyone else a Happy New Year, Jake and Harry sat on the floor in the meeting room next to their children and kissed each other.
“Happy forty-two, fifty-nine, babe,” Jake whispered. Harry touched his handsome face and smiled.
“Happy forty-two fifty-nine, honey,” he whispered and they kissed tenderly. Violet stood in the doorway and watched her heart aching at the tender scene. Why didn’t someone love me like that, she thought, more important, why didn’t Harry love me like that, why did he love Jake and not her, it wasn’t fair. She swore that this was the year she