“Where’s everyone?”
“Law and Creed are out back with the boys throwing ball and Mancini’s getting Cierra up. He thinks she’s not doing too good Kat, how was she yesterday?” She walked over to the fridge to grab three cartons of eggs. That’s a lotta damn eggs, three dozen each.
“She’s winding down I think, her tummy looks like it dropped more since they arrived.” I know what that means I’m an expert. I’ma have to tell my boy Hank to keep an eye out.
I heard the others arriving outside and got up to help her just as my daughter came in. “Morning daddy.” She walked into my arms for a kiss and a hug. Fuck anyone that tells me my teenage kids don’t need hugs and kisses from their dad. Even the twins once in a while still need that connection. Nasty fucks!
The place was pandemonium in less than an hour. Mengele was up to her shit as usual and you’d never guess the night she’d had. She was in her element, the trips were beating the hell out of their toys on the floor in the corner and Cody was overseeing shit; my man.
The younger kids were strapped onto their parents while we ate buffet style, spread out around the big ass kitchen and into the breakfast nook. My wife was beaming from ear to ear because she had all her girls here and life just felt right.
“Colt, you gonna tell Caitie soon?” She leaned over in my ear while refilling my coffee.
“What now?”
“No time like the present.” She’s always trying to make me look like a spaz in front of my boys. “Fine!”
“Caitiebear come here a minute.” I got up from the table and we walked out into the hallway with my kid following behind me. “Daddy’s been giving this a lot of thought and your mom and I have decided to let you go to the prom.”
“Eeek.” Shit, that’s the same sound her mom makes when she’s happy. She flew into my arms and I could feel her body tremble with excitement. Then she pulled back and looked up at me with her eyes full of hope.
“Daddy, wait, does this mean…”
“Yes, you can graduate a year early.” Her mouth opened and she couldn’t speak, I thought she was going to fall out on the floor. Then she jumped on me, all arms and legs and started to cry.
“Hey now, what’s all this?” Like I didn’t know. It’s just my heart was too full and I was about to make an ass of myself in a house full of hard ass men. She blubbered some shit in my chest just like her mother and I smoothed my hands over her hair.
“Can I go tell Todd?”
“Sure!” First step into letting go. It hurt like a son of a bitch. I followed her back into the room where she’d waited for my return. But she didn’t just tell the boy, she got everyone’s attention and through tears told them the good news.
“Everyone, I have something to share. My daddy, and mom” she looked at her mother, “have agreed to let me go to university a year early.” The room erupted but I noticed one person was close to tears.
“Catalina, what’s up?” I leaned over to talk to her while the rest of the room was focused on Caitie. “Nothing daddy, I’m happy. Caitie’s gonna be okay.” She took a deep breath and blew it out and I sat there wondering if I’d ever get into this kid’s head.
The pothead had tears in his eyes and so did my father in law and Cy when they came to congratulate me like I’d won something. “You did good son, I’m proud of you.”
“Let me ask you something? Did my wife put you up to that little show the three of you put on in my garage?”
“Show? What show?” He looked at his two partners in crime all of them with that stupid ass look on their faces. I’ma have to curtail Kat’s time with our mothers, Char and her girls, she’s getting way too good and this subterfuge shit.
Everyone calmed down and Caitie and the boy stood arm in arm as the others came back to the table. The wives were looking at me like I was man of the year. Sure, after you joined hands with my wife to do my ass in, even Cierra had rallied.
“Daddy, I know today’s our day to do our one on one but I want to do something different.” And so we begin. I thought she was going to tell me she wanted to run off with the boy to do some shit but the next words out of her mouth left me speechless.
“I want you to help me choose my prom dress.” I had to clear my throat a time or two. I looked at her mother, and mine, then Tina, even Char. Did I just hear her right?