Part 18 ***************** “Maria, stand still, otherwise, I’m gonna stick you.” Amy pinned the back of Maria’s dress, making sure that it fit right. Maria tried to keep still but shouldn’t help herself. She was getting fitted for her wedding dress, for her wedding. She felt like grabbing the edges of her skirt, running out of the store, screaming out at the top of her lungs, that she, Maria Deluca was marrying her man, Michael Guerin. She knew it was completely ridiculous, but this was going to be her first and only wedding. Amy looked over Maria’s shoulder, calling out to Liz. “Liz, honey, you’re next.” Liz popped another potato chip in her mouth. “You know, maybe you shouldn’t even bother, Amy.” She chugged down some chocolate milk, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m just gonna be here again next week so you can extend my dress.” She sniffed. “Maybe I should just wear a potato sack.” Maria shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. “Nah uh, chica. Quit with the self pity already. You look absolutely gorgeous. I can only wish that I had your soft skin, or that dark long hair.” She pointed a finger at her friend. “And besides, you’re my maid of honor, and there’s no way in heck you’re wearing a potato sack to my wedding,” she grinned. Isabel sat down next to Liz, grabbing the bag of potato chips from her. She stuck her nose in it, made a funny face, then handed the bag back to Liz. Courtney eyed Isabel curiously, as she tried to keep Damian from running down the aisles of dresses. “Hey Iz, everything ok?” Isabel nodded, then shook her head. “No. It’s like I’m hungry, but I don’t know what I want.” Liz licked her fingers, digging through her purse as she pulled out some animal crackers. “Want some of these?” Isabel shook her head, curious as to what else Liz had in her big purse. “You got anything else in there?” “Just hold on a sec.” She rummaged through her bag, pulling out various packages. “M&Ms, fruit roll ups, beef jerky, oh and these.” She pulled out a clear bag, her mouth practically watering. She opened it up, holding it out to Isabel. “Want some pork rinds?” Isabel’s face turned a pale green before she shot out of there, heading towards the bathroom. “I hope she’s ok.” Courtney held Dexter higher up on her hip as her eyes followed Isabel’s quick disappearance. “Poor thing. I hope she’s not coming down with something.” Liz chomped on the pork rinds, brushing the crumbs off of her lips. “Maybe she’s pregnant,” she said offhandedly, causing all the women to sharply turn their heads her way. She downed the rest of her chocolate milk, holding up her hands as she looked at her friends. “What?” “There’s nothing you and Iz aren’t telling us, right?” Maria raised her eyebrow, watching Liz’s every move. “Jeez, it was only a suggestion. Maybe she just doesn’t dig pork rinds.” ******************* Noah tugged at the collar of his little tux, not liking the way it fit. He turned his eyes to Jade who looked just about as uncomfortable in her flower girl dress, as he did, in his tux. Jade held out the edges of her white dress, sticking out her tongue as she eyed the frills and lace. “Ick!” Noah laughed, holding onto his stomach. Jade frowned at him. “It’s not funny.” “Yes it is.” Noah plopped down on the carpet, crossing his legs as he continued to watch Jade. She paced the length of the aisle, scowling. “Gwown ups. I don’t understand why I gots to where this dress.” “It’s for ‘Ria’s weddin’.” Noah answered simply. Jade shook her head, her arms crossing over her little chest. “Well I’m not ever gettin’ married.” “Ever?” “Nope, never, ever, ever, ever.” She said with conviction. Noah shrugged his shoulders. “Well, me either. Besides, girls have cooties.” “Do not!” She stomped her foot. “Uh huh, they do too. Jacob Peterson said so.” He stood up, towering over Jade. Just as she always did when she didn’t like what Noah was saying, she rammed into him, knocking him to the ground. “Girls don’t got cooties!” She helped him back up, her eyes daring him to disagree with her. He straightened out his little jacket, shaking his head. “Fine, girls don’t have cooties. Happy?” Jade nodded slowly. “Fine.” They were silent for a minute, both just looking at each other. Jade fidgeted, her toes kicking at the lint in the carpet. “I’d marry you.” Noah smiled a goofy smile. “Really?” “Sure.” “Wanna get married, then?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Ok.” He stepped forward, not knowing what to do. “Do you know what we’re supposed to do?” She beckoned him closer to her. “First you gotta hold my hand.” He took her hand into his, looking up at her. “Now what?” “Then, you gotta look in my eyes, and say you love me.” “Okay.” Noah moved his face so that he was looking into Jade’s eyes. He let out a breath, and spoke. “You love me.” She slapped her hand against her head. “No, silly. You have to say, I love you, Jade.” “Oh.” He stood up straight, trying again. “Okay. I love you, Jade.” He let his shoulders sag, looking at her for approval. “How was that?” “Good.” “Now what?” “I think you’re supposed to kiss me.” They looked at each other, then stuck their tongues out. “Eww!” They said in unison. Jade let go of his hand, tapping his shoulder as she ran away. “You’re it.” Noah stood there pouting. “Hey, no fair. I wasn’t ready!” Jade stuck her tongue out at him, holding her hands to her ears, flapping her head from side to side. “Noah’s a rotten egg!” “Am not!” He proceeded to run after her, chasing her down the aisle. Part 18B *********** Isabel looked at her reflection in the mirror, throwing some cool water on her face. What was wrong with her?  She couldn’t remember when she was ever so irritable or finicky. Grabbing a handful of paper towels, she wiped her face down, taking a deep breath. She straightened out her appearance as much as she could, but it would be obvious to everyone what she had been doing in here. She walked back into the front of the store, feeling very self conscious when everyone was staring at her. “What?” She twisted the ends of her blonde hair, a nervous habit she had ever since she was a little girl. Courtney took a seat beside her. “Are you ok?” Isabel let her head fall in her hands, shaking her head. “No. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Courtney rubbed her back, offering some advice. “Maybe you should see a doctor?” Isabel nodded. “I know, I’ll make an appointment tomorrow.” Liz dug into her purse again, smiling when she found what she was looking for. “Here, why don’t you try these?” She handed Isabel a pack of saltine crackers, a smile playing on her lips. Isabel smiled her gratitude, taking a few bites out of the crackers. Surprisingly enough, they seemed to help. She didn’t feel her usual urge to upchuck. “They used to help me when I first found out I was pregnant with Leah.” Isabel coughed, her face turning slightly pink. She turned wide eyes at Liz. “I’m not pregnant.” Her voice lacked the confidence that it usually possessed. It almost sounded as if she were trying to convince herself that it wasn’t a possibility. Liz held up her hands. “Sorry. I didn’t.....I was just saying what happened to me. I mean you certainly know your body better than anyone else.” Everyone grew silent, not knowing what to say. Causing a raucous, Jade ran down the aisle with Noah hot on her heels. “Neener neener. Noah’s a rotten egg!” She hid behind her mother, sticking out her tongue when Noah lunged forward. Before Noah could advance, Liz grabbed him, pulling him backwards to her. “Hey, what did I say about behaving while we’re here at Mrs. Valenti’s dress shop?” Noah pointed towards Jade. “But- Liz shook her head. “What did I say?” “But momma- “No buts buddy. You know better.” She pulled him down to sit next to her. “Now I want you to sit down next to me and behave.” Noah pouted, crossing his arms. Amy turned around to look at her mischievous four year old. “And what do you have to say for yourself, young lady?” She held up her hands, trying to look as innocent as possible. “I wasn’t doin’ nuthin’ mommie.” Amy raised a slender eyebrow at her daughter, pointing to where Noah was sitting. “I want you to sit next to Noah and you are to stay there until I say so.” Jade let out a heavy sigh, adopting the same pose as Noah. When all of the women returned to what they were doing, Noah stuck his tongue out at Jade. Jade upped him one better, sucking in her cheeks as she crossed her eyes. Noah laughed, causing Jade to smile at the musical sound. She held out her hand, tilting her head at him. “Wanna thumb westle?” Noah grinned, gripping her hand. Together they sang, “One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!” ******************** Isabel sat on the floor in her living room, watching as Nanook played with a new doggie toy that she bought him. Alex came inside, sitting down beside her. He pulled her head to rest on his shoulder, giving her forehead a kiss. “Hey Iz.” Isabel breathed in a deep breath, feeling comforted by Alex’s scent. She loved the moments like this when their little family could just sit in silence together and be happy. Her thoughts returned to what Liz had said that afternoon about being pregnant. In some ways she found herself feeling happy that there was a possibility that there was a life growing inside her, a life that she and Alex had created. But there was another part of her that was scared out of her mind. She had seen first hand how much it took to become a parent. Having a child didn’t just give you that title. It was something you earned, day in and day out by taking care of your child. She wasn’t sure if she could handle that much responsibility. Even having Nanook in their lives, it didn’t exactly equal the same responsibilities of having a child. It just felt like she and Alex were playing house. She curled her fingers at the edges of Alex’s shirt, playing with a loose string of hem. “Alex?” “Hmm?” She swallowed past the lump in her throat, forcing herself to speak. “You know how we talked about having children?” “Yeah.” “Well how would you feel if we had a baby now?” Alex turned her face to look at him, his eyes full of concern. “What’s the matter, Iz? I already told you that I don’t mind waiting.” She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to keep it from trembling. “Nothing. It was just a question.” She lay her head back down on his shoulder. “Forget I said anything.” Alex ran his fingers through her hair, his voice soothing as he spoke. “Iz, if we have a baby tomorrow, or five years from now, my reaction is still going to be the same. I’d be the happiest man on earth.” He kissed her hair, bringing her closer to him still. “Max would probably have to compete with the whole going gaga over your own kids thing.” He smiled when he heard her chuckle. “But when it does happen for us, I think you and I will be ready.” Isabel turned her face so that she could place a kiss on Alex’s jaw. “I love you, Alex.” ************* Liz opened her eyes to darkness. She yawned, intending to go back to sleep when she saw a faint light coming from under the covers. Hearing an inaudible murmur, she shook her head laughing, as she ducked under the covers. Underneath the covers was Max with a flashlight and a book of nursery rhymes. Having been caught, he gave Liz an impish grin. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered. She cupped his cheeks, kissing the tip of his nose. “What are you doing, Max?” His eyes were twinkling as he spoke. “I was reading to Leah.” “Aww honey, that’s sweet. But you do realize that it’s almost midnight, right?” He nodded. “I know. I couldn’t sleep so I thought I could read to her without waking you up.” He gave her a dopey grin. “Guess it wasn’t such a good idea, huh?” She ran her fingers through his short hair. “I think it’s cute, but I don’t want you to run yourself ragged. You need your rest too.” “I know, it’s just with feeling her kicking the other day, and the three of us choosing her name,” he gave her an amorous smile. “It just feels a lot more real. I just can’t wait for her to be born.” His voice took on a dreamy tone as Liz pulled his head down to lie against her soft breasts. “God, do you know how nice it is going to be have a baby around the house again?” Liz stroked his bare shoulder, basking in the warmth of his skin. “I know. I miss having a little one to chase around. And since you’re gonna be off this summer, it’ll be nice for the kids to have you around all the time.” Max lifted his head, placing a chaste kiss on Liz’s lips, then kissing her belly as he bid goodnight to Leah. “Go back to bed.” Liz nodded, already feeling sleep beckoning her. “Love you.”