For Every Dark Night, There Is a Brighter Day

Robyn felt Jimmy wrap his arms around her and she pressed herself closer to him. She knew she had been distant from him lately, but right now she just wanted his comfort. He was one of the few people she had left and she just wanted to be close to him. She was a little terrified that if she let him go, he would disappear, too. She held tight to Jimmy throughout the closing of the service and the burial too, in so much of a haze that she barely paid attention. Robyn just wanted to be home in her own bed, but they were probably going to stay in the hotel again tonight since it was such a long drive home. "I'm hungry!" Jace shouted as they walked back into the hotel room. He turned to Robyn. "Can we go get food, Mommy?"

"You and Daddy can," Robyn said, sitting down on the bed. She kicked off her shoes and tossed them across the room, landing them next to her bag. "Mommy's just going to lay down for awhile."

Jace frowned, going over to Robyn. He reached up and grabbed her face in his little hands. "Gotta eat, Mommy," he told her. "Me and Daddy will bring you some ice cream. That's good."

---

Matt whined when Cassie tugged him to his feet, feeling the pain in his hips start up again. He really wasn't supposed to be on his feet like this, but Cassie was too little to help him up the stairs any other way. He leaned against her as they made their way to the staircase, not even realizing that he was putting so much weight on her until she complained. "Sorry, sorry," Matt mumbled. After what seemed like forever, they finally reached the stairs and Matt leaned on Cassie again as they started to climb. He whined with each step they got up, knowing he was probably getting on Cassie's nerves but too doped up on his pain medication to care. Once they got to the bedroom, Matt flopped onto the bed, groaning as he pulled one of the pillows against his chest. "You're the greatest person ever, Cassie," he mumbled into the pillow. "Like, I'm serious. I'm being a huge douche right now and you should be yelling at me, but you're not. You're so nice and I love you."

Jimmy nodded his head. "We'll bring Mommy home something to eat," he said. "I think me and you could use some bonding time, eh?" He grinned as he picked Jace up, hoping to distract the little boy from all the sadness that had been going on lately. He grabbed the keys to the rental and looked at Robyn. "Call me if you need anything, babe," he said as he headed to the door. "We love you." He smiled sadly at her before he headed out the door with Jace in his arms. He went to the elevator and took it down to the lobby, carrying Jace out to the car and strapping him into his car seat. He wondered briefly what he could do to get Robyn's spirits up but honestly, he didn't think there was anything he could do right now. She needed time to mourn and heal on her own.

---

Cassie rolled her eyes. "You're not a douche," she said, pulling the blanket over his body. "But you are a big baby. I guess it's just practice for when we finally decide to have one." She smiled teasingly at him before leaning down and kissing his forehead. "I love you, Matt. I know you would take care of me if I was in your position." She walked over to the dresser and took her clothes off, deciding to put a nightgown on since she was hot and also tired. She pulled out a little nightie, taking her bra off before she pulled it on over her head. She reached up and undid her ponytail, letting her hair fall onto her shoulders. She turned to look at Matt, raising an eyebrow when she saw him staring at her. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Yeah baby, ice cream is good but I think Mommy would rather have a chicken sandwich," Robyn said with a soft smile. She laid down in the bed as she watched Jimmy and Jace leave the hotel room, reaching for the remote. For a minute she'd considered taking a nap, but she knew there was no way she'd be able to fall asleep. Her mind was racing too much for that. She kind of wishes that she'd told Jimmy to leave Jace here with her, because there was nothing that could make Robyn feel better like cuddling with her little boy. But somehow she knew that she needed a little time where she didn't have to worry about being a mother. She just needed to grieve for her own. Robyn found a cartoon to watch and curled up in the bed, hugging the extra pillow to her chest. This was one she'd watched with Jace a million times so she wasn't really paying attention, it was just something to fill the silence. And as much as Robyn thought she needed some time alone, she was glad when the door opened and Jace and Jimmy stepped inside.

"Brought you a sandwich, Mommy!" Jace exclaimed. He ran over to Robyn and handed her the wrapped sandwich. "And French fries, too."

"Well thank you, baby," Robyn said. "You're so sweet."

---

"I am too a douche," Matt mumbled, feeling Cassie pull the covers over him. He closed his eyes, yawning. "I love you, too." He was aware of the bed moving as Cassie stood up, and he could hear her moving around in the room, changing clothes. He cracked open one of his eyes to look at her, seeing her in a nightie. "Nothing's wrong, I just wish my pelvis wasn't fucked up so we could have a quickie before we went to bed." Matt pouted, pressing his face into the pillow. This injury was really getting on his nerves. But he didn't really have anyone to blame but himself, so he really couldn't complain. Well, he could - and did - but it made him look like a huge asshole. "How long before I'm healed?" Matt asked, looking up at Cassie. He honestly had no idea how long it would be before he would healed, but he knew he still had to be on crutches once he was out of the wheelchair.

Jimmy chuckled. "Sh," he hushed Jace, shutting the door quietly behind him. "We can't yell in the hotel, okay? There's people next door, and we don't want to disturb them." He walked over and sat on the bed beside Robyn, pulling Jace up in between them and opening the bag. Jace had insisted on bringing the food home so they could all eat together even though Jimmy had suggested they give Robyn a bit more time. He unwrapped Jace's sandwich, setting it in front of him before putting his fries down as well. "Please be careful, and don't spill anything on the bed."

"Yes, Daddy," Jace mumbled before grabbing a handful of fries and stuffing them into his mouth eagerly.

Jimmy took his food out of the bag and began eating as well, staying quiet. Things felt kind of awkward for him, so instead of making the situation even more awkward, he just decided to stay quiet and eat. If Robyn felt like talking, he would leave it up to her to start a conversation.

---

Cassie couldn't help the small blush that formed on her face at Matt's words, shaking her head. She wasn't sure if she was ready to have sex again, so as bad as it sounded, she was kind of glad Matt wasn't able to at the moment. She walked back over to the bed and laid beside him, taking his hand in hers. "It'll be a few weeks, Matt," she murmured, pulling his hand up to kiss his knuckles. "You banged yourself up pretty badly, you know. This isn't a paper cut, you could have lost your life. And no, I won't let you forget it." She pulled the blanket over her own body and gently curled against his side, making sure to be careful of all his injuries. She rested her head on his chest, pulling his arm around her waist and staring at the wall ahead of her. She thought for a moment, looking up at him and smiling softly. "Thank you for having so much faith in me, even when I didn't believe in myself."

Robyn smiled softly as she watched Jace stuff a handful of fries into his mouth. She was glad to see that he was still mostly unaffected by all of this. If there was anything that Robyn learned from all of this, it was that she never wanted to let any of her problems affect her little boy. She never wanted him to end up like her. "Okay, it's too quiet in here, somebody say something," Robyn said, crumpling up the wrapper from her sandwich. She looked at Jimmy and Jace.

"Alligator!" Jace shouted, his mouth full of cheeseburger.

Robyn laughed, not even bothering to scold him for talking with his mouth full. "You're silly, did you know that?" she teased.She reached out and pulled Jace close, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Mommy loves you, you know that, right?" she said to him, kissing his hair again. "Never forget that, okay?"

---

"I know it's more than a papercut," Matt grumbled. He knew Cassie was never going to let him forget how stupid he'd been that night. He knew he could have died, but he didn't feel like he needed to be remindedof it all the time. "Well you do the same for me, so of course I would do it for you," he whispered to her. "I mean, you're fucking taking care of my crabby, cranky ass while I have a broken pelvis. The least I could do is have a little faith in you." Matt yawned, nuzzling his face into Cassie's hair. "I love you, Cass," he mumbled. "I can't wait to marry you and just be together forever, with lots of dogs and kids and just a big, happy family."

Jimmy sat beside Matt, the two of them talking band stuff. It had been a little bit since they'd done anything with music since Matt had been healing from his accident and Jimmy and Robyn had been dealing with the loss of her mother. But now that everything seemed to be back to normal, they could finally start getting back in touch with their music, which was extremely exciting. He was ready to start a new album already. He had so many ideas swirling around in his brain. Plus, he hadn't played much lately, and he missed just jamming out on his drums. And he was still working on teaching Jace how to play. "We gotta get all the guys together and just jam, man," he said, looking down at Jace to make sure he wasn't being too rough with Bella. He smiled as he watched them, imagining what it would be like if he and Robyn got a dog, and had more kids, and just really expanded their family.

---

Cassie had taken Matt and Bella over to Jimmy and Robyn's house so they could all hang out and so Jace could play with Bella. Jimmy and Robyn didn't have a dog or cat since all animals hated Jimmy, so she figured Jace probably got lonely sometimes. She flipped through a wedding magazine, having already started preparing for hers and Matt's wedding. She had no idea where to even start, but this magazine was giving her a few ideas. "I don't even know what colors to choose, or what type of decorations I want," she mumbled. "I don't even know how big this thing is going to be. I don't have a lot of family like you and Jimmy do." The only person she had anymore was her mom. She hadn't heard from her dad since her sister passed away, and her grandparents never really interacted with her since they were so into themselves. She sighed, not really wanting to have to hire a wedding planner, but thinking she might have to. She glanced across the room at Matt and Jimmy before looking back at Robyn. "How did you figure this all out?"

"Jace Evander, do not pull on Bella's tail," Robyn scolded, reaching out to pop Jace on the hand. He pouted but stopped trying to tug on Bella's tail. "God, I can't wait until next fall when he'll be his teacher's problem for a few hours," Robyn said, although she was only halfway serious. She knew when they did finally send Jace off to kindergarten she would be upset because her baby was growing up. "Let me start by telling you this," Robyn said, turning to Cassie. "Pinterest is your best friend. That's how I figured out my color scheme and then after that it's pretty easy. And for the dress, I just picked a silohoette I liked and then went to a bridal salon. It's a lot simpler than you think it is, I promise. The most stressful shit comes after the wedding, when you have to legally change your name and get a new social security card and new driver's license. It's a pain in the ass. Anyway, have you decided when you want to get married? Spring? Summer?"

---

"You're just as capable of getting the guys together as I am," Matt said. He knew they needed to start writing again, now that he was mostly healed from his accident. He was still on crutches so he wouldn't be able to move around like he wanted to if they got togetherto jam, but that wouldn't stop him from singing. "We can get together this weekend and jam, if you want," Matt told Jimmy. "If we're going to start a new album we need to get serious about it and start tossing around real ideas. And I think I'm done with the screaming vocals, you know? I think we're better than that. And it can't be good for my vocal chords." He rubbed his throat as he said this. He probably needed to go to the doctor before they started doing anything serious, because he already suspected he was having some sort of problem with his throat. He just hoped it wasn't anything really serious that would stop him from singing.

Jimmy glanced over when he heard Robyn scold Jace, looking back at Matt when he saw she had the situation under control. He nodded his head. "I would like that," he said. "And I agree, man. You shouldn't have to scream if you don't want to. The loyal fans will stay. Anyone who hates on us or leaves isn't a real fan." He didn't think there was anything wrong with changing up their style every once in a while. Especially if it meant Matt wouldn't have to fuck his throat up by screaming. "You know, you sound a lot raspier than you normally do. Maybe you should see a doctor or something." He knew Matt was probably tired of seeing doctors lately, but he wanted his best friend to be at his best health. And it was becoming obvious that there was something wrong with Matt's vocal cords.

---

Cassie giggled softly at Robyn's comment about Jace. She bit her lip gently as she looked up at her friend, nodding her head. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She closed the magazine and sighed softly. "I think I want to get married in the Spring. I just think it would be so beautiful to have all the flowers and stuff. I don't really know if Matt has a preference. He seems disinterested in wedding planning, but I don't want it to just be all what I want, you know?" She glanced over at Matt, then back at Robyn. "Yours and Jimmy's wedding was so beautiful and perfect. I just want mine to be as good as yours was. You two were so happy." She smiled as she remembered back to that night, her heart swelling. She'd always been rooting for Jimmy and Robyn so she was happy things had worked out for them.

"Your wedding will be as good as mine and Jimmy's, as long as it's what you want," Robyn said. "And Jimmy was pretty uninterested in the planning too, I had to corner him most of the time and make him give me his opinion on stuff. And then usually I went with the opposite, which was usually what I wanted, because he has horrible taste when it comes to that kind of stuff." Robyn laughed. "But seriously, if you really want Matt's input, just sit down with him and ask him. I'm sure he probably doesn't even realize you want his help. I think most men think of wedding planning as the bride's job. And most of it really is. But he should help you choose the venue and shit like that. And I bet Jace would be happy to help, too," Robyn added, grinning at the toddler. "He was a big help for me and Jimmy, especially when it came to choosing the cake flavor."

---

"I know, but fuck, I'm so tired of going to the doctor," Matt grumbled when Jimmy mentioned something about him sounding raspier than usual. It wouldn't be so bad if he could ask about it the next time he went to the doctor to check on the progress of the healing of his pelvis, but he would likely need to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist for whatever was wrong. And that would involve going to see an entirely separate doctor, with a separate appointment and a separate trip and it was just so much trouble. But at the same time, Matt didn't want to risk permanently damaging his voice, because then he wouldn't be able to sing anymore and the band was the only thing he wanted to do. Especially with them starting to get popular. "I guess I'll call and make an appointment, though," Matt finally said. "Maybe I can schedule it on the same day as I'm supposed to go back to my regular doctor so me and Cassie will only have to make one trip."

Jimmy nodded in agreement. "Your health is most important, dude," he said. "If your throat is fucked up, it needs to be looked at." He realized he cursed in front of Jace and he groaned, quickly covering his mouth. "Don't you repeat that," he warned his son, giving him a stern look. Jace was still going through that phase where he liked to repeat everything he heard, and it was hard for Jimmy to not cuss around him since swear words were just a normal part of his vocabulary at this point. He saw the little smirk on Jace's face and the little boy opened his mouth, but Jimmy quickly narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't even think about it. I'll take away your TV privileges so fast, you little turd."

Jace's eyes widened, and he quickly closed his mouth, remaining silent. He couldn't imagine a world where he couldn't watch Spongebob every day.

---

Cassie smiled, laughing softly at Robyn's words. She could only imagine Robyn bothering Jimmy with questions about wedding planning. She looked at her and nodded her head before glancing down at Jace. "I would love Jace's help. I bet he's just as creative as his dad is," she said. She bit her lip gently, her mood instantly going from sweet to sour as she zoned out, imagining Robyn, Jimmy and Jace wedding planning. Of course she always pictured herself getting married before having children, but now that she'd actually been pregnant and had miscarried, she imagined what it would be like if her and Matt were planning their wedding with their own child. She forced a smile and looked back at Robyn. "So, um . . . Are you and Jimmy planning on having anymore children?" She never imagined Jimmy having a lot of children, but she thought maybe Robyn would change his mind about that.

Robyn instantly fixed Jimmy with a glare when he cursed in front of Jace. The little boy was still in his parrot phase, although now the repetition seemed to be more of a test how far he could go before he got in trouble. "You know, your discipline would probably be a little more effective if you didn't call him a turd in the same sentence," Robyn told him, smiling. She quickly noticed the change in Cassie's demeanor, but before she could ask what the problem was, the other girl spoke again. When Cassie asked if they were going to have any more kids, Robyn hesitated for a few seconds before she nodded. "Yeah, yeah, we are," she said. "Honestly, we'll probably start trying here pretty soon," she continued. "We've been thinking about it for awhile, but we wanted to wait until we moved into the new house and until Jace started school before we actually had another baby." Robyn paused, trying to think if she should even say what she wanted to say next. "And you know, you and Matt will have a baby, I know you will. Both of you want it and there's no reason to think your next pregnancy won't be successful."

---

"Well if I have to start making too many more trips to the doctor, they're going to have to give me a punch card or something," Matt said. "You know, make ten trips and you get a free soda or some shit like that. Because I've still got more appointments with my doctor for my pelvis than I would care for." If there was something wrong with his throat or his vocal cords, Matt knew it would lead to even more doctor's visits and he was just so damn tired of it. But Jimmy was right, his health was more important. And he would hate to risk losing his career because he was being stubborn about the doctor. "Repeating what your Daddy says is going to get you into trouble, dude," Matt told Jace, laughing at the look on his face when Jimmy told him he would take away his TV privileges. "He has a potty mouth."

"Daddy has a potty mouth!" Jace shouted. He stuck his tongue out at Jimmy. "Turd."

"Probably shouldn't repeat some of the things Uncle Matt says, either," Matt said, laughing.

Jimmy chuckled. "That's what happens when you make stupid decisions," he said. "Trust me, I know all about those. But sometimes, good things can come from them. But that doesn't mean you can go making stupid decisions and hope you get something good out of it." He looked down at Jace, grinning. It had definitely been stupid of him and Robyn to fuck in the back of his van without a condom when the two of them barely even knew each other, but Jace had come of it. And honestly, aside from Robyn, Jace was the best thing that had ever happened to Jimmy. It was the reason he'd straightened his life up. Because now he had a family to take care of. He snorted, rolling his eyes at what Jace said. "Oh please, so does your mama. She just keeps it to herself." He smirked, glancing over at Robyn.

---

Cassie stared down at her hands for a moment after Robyn finished speaking, forcing a small smile and nodding her head. "Yeah, I know," she mumbled. "But that won't be any time soon. I don't think we're ready for that yet. And it probably would have been incredibly hard for us if I hadn't miscarried." She and Matt still had a lot to work on in their relationship, and also in their lives as well. The band was just starting to kick off, which meant he definitely wouldn't have time for a baby, and Cassie still needed to get a steady working job. She was just lucky that her mom was willing to help out for now. But she couldn't rely on her forever. Cassie hated to say it, but it was probably for the best that she had miscarried. Besides, it was Brian's baby, and she knew deep down that Matt wouldn't have considered the baby his. At least, she thought so. She was kind of glad that she didn't have to find out, though.

Robyn knew what Cassie meant when she said it would be difficult for her and Matt if she hadn't miscarried. Of course, it was a complicated situation, but more than anything, there was the glaring issue of it being Brian's baby. "Well, I think it goes without saying that Jimmy and I weren't ready for a baby," Robyn said. "I mean, I don't really think anyone is. But it's a completely personal decision. If you and Matt think you aren't ready, then you don't have to have a baby. Nobody can make that decision for you." Robyn smiled softly at Cassie, reaching over to squeeze the other girl's hand. She knew Cassie wanted a baby, but it would happen when the time was right. "You shut your mouth!" Robyn shouted at Jimmy, hearing his comment. "You can't say shit about me having a potty mouth."

"Shit!" Jace shouted.

Robyn mentally cursed herself as she reached over to swat him on the bottom. "You do not say that," she scolded. "That's a grown-up word."

---

Matt rolled his eyes when Jimmy made a comment about bad decisions. It seemed like everyone was bound and determined to constantly remind him how stupid he'd been. He knew he'd been stupid. Years from now, he would look back and remember how one night and one bad decision had almost cost him his life. "Cassieeeeee," Matt whined. "Hand me my phone, I'm going to see if I can find a throat doctor or something." Once Cassie had handed him his phone, he googled the nearest doctor who might be able to help him with his throat. "Holy fuck, the nearest throat doctor is like two hours away," he said. Despite just having been scolded by Robyn for cursing, Jace of course repeated what Matt had just said. "I think you guys need to put a muzzle on that kid or something," Matt laughed.

Jimmy playfully slapped Matt's arm when he cursed in front of Jace. He scooted to the edge of his seat and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, pulling a five dollar bill out. "Hey, Jace. I'll give you five dollars if you give Bella a tour of the house," he said, knowing that for Jace, five dollars was a lot. He could buy a small toy and a candy bar for that much, which could hold him over for a whole week.

Jace's eyes lit up and he jumped up, taking the money from Jimmy and grabbing Bella's collar. "Come on, Bella!" he chirped, dragging her out of the living room.

Jimmy snorted. "Piece of cake," he said, putting his wallet back into his back pocket. He looked at Matt. "I can drive you there, if you want. You know, if Cassie doesn't want to. It'll be fun. You, me, on the road. It'll be just like tour!"

---

Cassie nodded her head, smiling softly at Robyn. She was glad she had the other girl to comfort her when Matt or her mom couldn't. She squeezed her hand back and looked over at Jace, laughing softly. "Wow, he's really bad," she said. "But it's cute." She stood up and walked over to Matt, taking his phone and typing the phone number into her own phone. "I'll call and make you an appointment, if this is what you think you really need." She handed him his phone back, hoping that his throat was okay and wasn't messed up like he thought it might be. He'd already gone through so much recently, that he didn't need to be having any other trouble, especially not with his voice. That was the one thing he could rely on.

"Why the hell did you just tell our four-year-old to take that oaf of a dog on a tour of our house? " Robyn grumbled to Jimmy. "You're cleaning up any mess they make, I hope you know that." She knew the two of them were bound to get into something and whatever it was, she wasn't picking it up. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what Matt wants," Robyn teased, laughing. "To be trapped in a car with you for four hours. He's still on crutches, are you going to help him go to the bathroom?" At this, both of the boys seemed to make a face and that was all the answer Robyn needed. "Well hey, whenever they make their trip to the doctor, we can have a little girls' day," Robyn suggested. "Me, you, and Hannah. We can get our nails done, get a massage, shit like that. No boys allowed."

---

Matt laughed as Jace eagerly accepted the five dollar bill from Jimmy. Five dollars was a lot of money to a four-year-old and Matt was sure Jace was already imagining all the things he could buy with it. "You do realize a doctor's visit that far away would practically be a whole day, right?" Matt asked. "And it wouldn't be like tour because we wouldn't even be able to drink! But I guess it's better then dragging Cassie along. This little lady deserves a break from dealing with me," he added, leaning over to press a kiss to Cassie's cheek. "Wait, wait, wait," Matt started, hearing Robyn's plan. "If you guys have a girls' day, that means we'd have to take the little demon spawn to the doctor with us." As if on cue, Jace could be heard cackling somewhere down the hall. Matt looked at Jimmy. "Dude, do me a favor and make sure your kid isn't painting my dog or some shit like that."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. “I just wanted to get rid of him for five minutes,” he whined playfully, pulling himself up off the couch. He walked down the hall, his eyes widening when he saw Bella had taken a nice, big dump in the middle of the floor. He walked back and looked at Matt. “That one’s on you, my friend. Your dog shit in my floor and I am not picking it up.” He plopped back down on the couch, looking over at Cassie and Robyn. “Guess you’ll have to get that one, Cass.” He grinned, knowing that she’d be annoyed. He guessed it was his fault for sending the dog away with Jace, but it wasn’t like Jace had forced the dog to shit, she just had. So that one definitely wasn’t his fault.

---

Cassie groaned, standing up. Of course this would happen. “Dammit, Bella,” she whined, walking into the kitchen to get some paper towels and cleaning spray. She walked down the hall and shot Jace a look. “Did you encourage this?” she asked, bending over to pick the waste up.

“No, I promise!” Jace replied, giggling softly.

“Mhm, sure,” Cassie mumbled. Once she had everything cleaned up, she washed her hands and took Bella back into the living room. “Sorry about that. She usually lets us know when she needs to go, but I guess she’s just not familiar with this place yet.” She sat down on the couch and pulled Bella between her legs, making her lay down and stay there. She loved the dog to death, but sometimes she could get herself into a bit of trouble.

"This is exactly why I don't want a dog," Robyn said as Jimmy sat back down on the couch. "It's enough work cleaning up after Godzilla and his spawn. I can't imagine trying to clean up after a dog, too." And yet, Robyn still wanted another baby, which would mean more mess and more cleaning up. But as much as it aggravated her sometimes, she didn't mind it really that much. And Jace was getting old enough that sometimes he actually helped her clean up his messes. "Hey, as long as it gets cleaned up, it's all good," Robyn said to Cassie, laughing softly. "She'll figure it out eventually. If she spends enough time here."

---

"You should've cleaned that shit up," Matt told Jimmy as Cassie went to clean up after the dog. She already did so much and Bella probably wouldn't have even used the bathroom in the house if Jace hadn't dragged her off. "Is anybody else getting hungry?" Matt asked, rubbing his stomach. Not surprisingly, Jace immediately piped up, saying something about some chicken nuggets. "Well I was thinking more along the lines of pizza so nobody would have to leave the house, little man," Matt said, laughing.

"I'll go get the nuggets!" Jace offered. "I can run really fast."

"You know what, you'll have to swing that by your mom and dad."

Jimmy huffed in frustration when Cassie mentioned something about how all animals hated him. It wasn’t his fault he was a giant that frightened everyone. He liked to think he was a gentle giant. Until someone fucked with him or the people he cared about, that is. He was a nice guy unless you pissed him off. He looked at Jace and chuckled. “We can get chicken nuggets next time, little dude, okay?” he said, lifting his son into his lap and pressing a caring kiss to the top of his head. “I promise.” Jace seemed to be satisfied with Jimmy’s promise, so he turned the TV on some cartoons to keep him preoccupied. Jimmy slid him off his lap and onto the floor before he stood up and went to get the number for their favorite pizza place. He grabbed the number off the fridge and was just about to dial it when the doorbell rang. His brows furrowed, not really having been expecting anyone else beside Matt and Cassie. He walked to the front door and opened it, his eyes widening when he saw Connie and David, Gwen and Tyler behind them. All of them were holding some kind of dish containing food that smelled amazing. “Oh wow, come in.” He moved aside to let them in, looking over at Robyn with his brows furrowed.

“Sorry we didn’t call first, but we figured you were probably overwhelmed and we just wanted to help out,” Connie said, smiling as she looked at everyone. “The casserole needs to go in the oven and the cake probably needs to be chilled again since it’s so hot outside.”

“Well the kitchen’s right this way,” Jimmy said.

---

Cassie stood up, walking over and patting Jimmy’s arm. “Maybe you should sit this one out,” she said. “Don’t want you to burn the house down before you’ve even lived in it.” She smiled cheekily at him before she took the pan from Connie’s arms and led everyone into the kitchen. She moved some boxes out of the way so they could set the dishes down, preheating the oven and smiling at Robyn. “Looks like you don’t need to order pizza anymore.” She walked over and hugged her friend tightly. “Since this is a family affair, I think Matt and I will probably go now. Thanks for the help, though. You know you can call us if you need anything.” She pulled away and went into the living room to give out hugs to Jace and Jimmy before she helped Matt to the car. Once she got him in and situated, she climbed in and sighed softly. “We can still order pizza if you want. Maybe we could sit and look at wedding ideas? I mean, if you want.” She was still a bit unsure of Matt’s interest in the whole wedding thing, but she didn’t want it to just be about her. She wanted it to be about both of them, and she wanted him to have a say too.

"Get the cheese-stuffed crust," Robyn called out to Jimmy as he went into the kitchen. She knew he was getting the phone number for their favorite pizza place. But before he could get on the phone the doorbell rang and Robyn decided to just let Jimmy answer it since he was already up. She was surprised to see her aunt, uncle, and cousins standing there, especially since Connie usually texted or called first to let her know they were coming. She was especially surprised to see Gwen, since she'd recently started college and lived on campus about two hours away. But it was the weekend, so she was likely just home visiting. "I wish you would've let me know you were coming, I would've cleaned up a little," Robyn said, following everyone into the kitchen. They'd been living in their new home for almost two months but still hadn't completely unpacked, so things were still a little messy. "I'll see you guys later," Robyn said, returning Cassie's hug.

---

"Aww man, I wanted some casserole," Matt mumbled jokingly as he followed Cassie out to the car. He was a little slow because of his crutches but eventually he managed to get settled in the passenger seat. "Sounds like a good plan to me, babe," Matt said, hearing Cassie say something about pizza and doing a little wedding planning. Matt didn't think there was a lot that Cassie would want his input on, but he would help her as much as she wanted him to. When they finally got back to their apartment, Matt slowly made his way inside and dropped onto the couch, toeing off his shoes. "Okay, so I cast my vote for meat lovers pizza," he said. "And where did you want to start with the wedding stuff? I'm pretty clueless here. I know I can't help you with your dress or anything but maybe we could look at venues? Invitations? I think I remember Robyn and Jimmy sending those out pretty far in advance."