In Bloom

Week five.

After several pictures were taken in and around that two-story house in Sparta, on a very spring-like evening in New Jersey, a princess was shown to her chariot, one Pacific blue Karmann Ghia. Two hours later, two young ladies were escorted into a grand ballroom by two young men. In a short, fitted, sequined gown in silver, Sofia smiled up at Logan, who was decked out in a black tux with a white vest and bow tie.

As the campy sound of Disney's latest pop star filled the air, the redhead curled both her arms around one of her boyfriend's. First covering Sofia's hand with his and giving her a warm smile, Logan then turned to his sister behind them, watching as Gianna's dark eyes took in the wonder of their surroundings. By looking at her now, one would never know she'd only a week to prepare for this moment.

Once Gerard had given his daughter the okay, merely twenty-four hours had passed before word spread to the Ways' family and friends that Gianna, too, would be attending Pope John XXIII High School's senior prom. As a result, that Saturday morning, her Aunt Alicia and her godmother, Jamia, had shown up on the family's doorstep. To a somewhat baffled Gerard, the two women had insisted, in Andie's absence, it was their duty to ensure their niece and goddaughter had a proper dress for the occasion...and shoes to match.

But Gerard was most impressed when he saw what they returned with, and again when he watched his adorable daughter descend the staircase that afternoon.

From a rack in a secondhand shop in Newton, Gianna had found an aqua, knee-length dress that looked like something straight out of the 1950's. Wearing it had required a couple of repairs to the hem, and its zipper needed replaced, but to the young lady, it was absolutely perfect. Of course, she was also her mother's daughter...

With a full, chiffon skirt that flowed from its tiny waist, the dress' cap-sleeved bodice consisted of floral lace over satin...though Gianna's nana had to take it up just a bit across her chest. But after borrowing Andie's pearl necklace and white gloves, the most expensive item in Gianna's ensemble were the white, patent leather pumps that completed her look...and helped a bit in proportioning the 5'2" Miss Way to the 5'10 1/2" Mr. Fletcher.

To her humbled father in their home's entryway earlier, and to her brother now, as the two couples entered this magical fairytale world, Gianna looked every bit a princess. With a sense that all of this was rather dream-like, she grinned up at Noah, who likewise suited her style in a tux consisting of a white jacket and black trousers, before she took in their surroundings once more.

Carrying the prom's theme of "Under the Sea", the vast ballroom was decorated in shades of blues, greens, and pinks, with splashes of bright yellow and orange. Throughout the room were glitter-covered coral displays in plaster with starfish, seahorses, and tropical fish, several of which were hanging from the ceiling. And on that ceiling, as well as on the wall furthest from the entrance, were streams of blue rope lighting, forming virtual ocean waves for the event's guests. Even the dance floor had strategically placed bubble machines to add to the atmosphere.

And while being in this place with Noah and with her brother and Sofia was amazing and beyond anything she'd ever imagined it would be, before Miss Way had stepped foot inside the ballroom, she was already enchanted with the evening.

Along with her brother and Sofia, before prom, Gianna and Noah had shared a table in a private room at Libretti's, the Italian restaurant in Orange where their families could be found on just about any given night of the week. And after they would dance the evening away to sugary pop songs in this mystical place, there would be a completely alcohol- and drug-free party for the group and their friends in the Toros' garage. There, Natural Causes would play their favorite songs late into the night as the perfect ending to the event.

But Gianna's elated mood wasn't due these things alone, though they were certainly all very wonderful, and much more than she ever would have expected. In pajamas that morning, before Donna came over to create Gianna's elegant up-do, the fourteen-year-old had shared a somewhat overdue heart-to-heart with her father.

Over their usual cereal and recorded reality TV shows, she'd quietly admitted to Gerard how difficult the past year had been for her. Gianna told her dad how much things had changed since she'd started high school...and since he'd been gone. And while she assured him she didn't at all feel abandoned by him in any way...she'd missed her daddy terribly.

Gerard had hugged her close to him, where he'd relayed a very important message to his baby girl as well.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know things were so hard on you... I know your mom and I aren't exactly conventional parents...but we're always here for you. The greatest job I'll ever have is being a dad. And no matter where I am or what I'm doing, you, your brother, and your mom take priority over everything else in my life. That'll never change."

But Gerard's daughter then said what he just might have been longing to hear himself, especially after his brave decision last week.

"I wouldn't want conventional parents... I love you guys just the way you are. And you know what else'll never change? I'll always need you, Dad," Gianna had assured him, and she'd hugged her daddy close to her, where she repeated in a faint whisper, "I'll always need you..."

As his little Cinderella now attended the ball, these were the words that lingered in Gerard's ears, and they absolutely helped him through a night he might have otherwise spent worrying about her. But when it was time to call Andie on the west coast, he discovered...his dear wife was sobbing.

Mrs. Way had just seen the pictures her husband had sent her of the kids before prom. And to the current temporarily displaced parent, the reality of the situation got the best of her.

"It's not so much that I'm not there... I mean, it is, but it isn't... It's that, first it was Logan, and now it's Gianna..." Andie attempted to explained between sniffs. "Gerard, our babies are growing up on us... What're we gonna do?"

But Mr. Way could only smile at his sentimental wife. And while he could have mentioned it was Andie who suggested they let go of Gianna a little bit, instead, he sympathized with her. For Gerard did love his wife so, and he softly reminded her of their previous conversation on the topic.

"Hey...it's okay, An'... We're just gonna make sure we're there for them if they fall, right?"

The end.

"Oh no, I just keep on fallin'..." Sofia's voice echoed as she tilted her head in front of the mic.

"Back to the same old!" Logan and Noah chimed in.

"And where's hope when misery comes crawlin'?"

"Oh! My way! Hey!"

"With your faith, you'll trigger a landslide...to kill off this common sense of mine. It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine. You can't down it with your eyes. So we don't need the headlines... We don't need the headlines... We just want!"

A week had passed since the senior prom, and the Ways' backyard was full of family and friends...and music. On this exceptionally warm Saturday evening in early June, our tale would find our friends from Jersey celebrating Logan's high school graduation that had taken place on Thursday.

Mrs. Way had returned from the west coast late Wednesday evening, and with her, she brought her father and her stepfather. The same evening, Andie's mother had flown in from Chicago as well, as none of Logan's grandparents would miss the occasion. Andie now proudly watched with Diana as her baby boy paused to lift his guitar into the air, then flung his moppy hair into his eyes as he resumed the song with another riff.

Despite the fact that dusk was already settling in over Northern New Jersey, beneath strands of colorful, old school patio lights, several guests were still munching on veggie burgers, pasta salad, and various herb-grilled vegetables, Logan's respectively vegetarian choices for their meal. The family's in-ground pool, that was now opened for the season and surrounded by tiki torches, was still occupied by several of the honorary graduate's classmates, and by kids from the Ways' extended family, such as Mikey and Alicia's son, Andon, Frank and Jamia's son, Eli...and Frank.

But the party, which ended up being a combined effort, mostly between Gerard and Gianna, certainly included more entertainment than from the pool and a croquet set alone. Instead, Logan himself had suggested Natural Causes use the casual setting as an opportunity to play another set...from his own back deck.

"Alright, so you think you're ready? Okay, then you say this with me. Go: We were born for this. Alright, so you think you're ready? Okay, then you say this with me. GO: We were born for this. We were born for this. We were born for this. We were born for, we were born for... Everybody sing! Like it's the last song you will ever sing."

Sofia belted out the lyrics as Logan and Noah nodded their heads and strummed their guitars to the beat, and as Izzy repeatedly tore into her drums. But from where Gerard was standing beside his brother and Ray, he felt the warmth of a soft arm slip around his middle, and he looked down into the face of his lovely wife.

"You did good..." Andie cooed affectionately at her husband.

Gerard's eyes took in the sight of her again in a little white sundress over her black, two-piece swimsuit. Her dark hair had now dried to that natural, tousled look on her bare shoulders, and her long, curled lashes blinked back at him as she gave him her undivided attention. And as though he wasn't lucky enough to get to share his life with this muse, he swore Andie still looked every bit as amazing as she did when she was thirty...if not better. But most importantly, she had been his best friend all along.

"Oh, I can't take all the credit," Gerard admitted, curling his arm around her waist and laying his hand flat against her hip...where he squeezed her.

Andie's eyes laughed at him, before she bumped his hip with hers. But the song was soon ending, and the couple let go of one another to applaud and whistle loudly along with their friends. It was as the band was taking a breather that Mrs. Way's blue eyes found her daughter.

Gianna was talking with Lily and with her older cousin, Mikey and Alicia's adopted daughter, Maxie. But when the girls left Gianna alone for a moment, Andie decided to take the opportunity for herself, and she touched Gerard's elbow. He turned to her, watching her mouth as she told him to catch her later.

"Oh, you can count on it..." Gerard discreetly promised with a crooked grin. He did so love a good chase...with her.

First playfully smacking her husband's behind in his board shorts, Andie walked over to the deck's steps where Gianna stood, watching her brother's band regroup. But when the fourteen-year-old saw her mom approaching, the two shared a broad smile. Andie then wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders, and she once again reminded Gianna of her genuinely endearing nature.

"I missed you..." Mrs. Way confessed, and she rested her head against Gianna's.

"I missed you, too," Gianna honestly replied, though she reconsidered her response. "But it wasn't so bad after all..."

"Aw, I didn't think it would be," Andie agreed, pulling back to see her little girl in her brother's colorful, Cobra Starship shirt and a turquoise tankini. "And look at you. You look like you came out on top."

Gianna's dark eyes shifted to her dad, who was laughing about something with her Uncle Ray, and she recalled the recent long talks between Gerard and herself...and how good it felt to know they were "back" again.

While some of the little things might have changed, the ones that mattered most between Gianna and her dad would always stay the same. Of this, she was certain.

"Yeah, Dad handled it," she knowingly assured her mom.

It was sometime later, when the band's set was over and most of the family's guests had left, that Gerard sat down beside his son on a wooden bench of their deck. Other than a bit of small talk, the two Way men shared a rare, peaceful moment together that evening, each just observing everyone around them.

Andie was catching up with Jamia, who remained her best friend next to Gerard. Although Mrs. Way occasionally shared a nibble with Ruby, she and Mrs. Iero were both picking at the leftover vegetables as they chatted. One could only imagine what Diana and Donna were discussing as they carried cold veggie burgers and empty cups back into the house, probably because Andie's mom had mentioned someone should do so.

But the conversation that stood out among those who remained scattered around the Ways' large deck would be that between Gerard's father, Andie's father, and her stepfather. For Don could be overheard telling Steve and Charles how he was still trying to convince Gerard to take down one of the old pine trees from his backyard, an eyesore that was unmistakably dying.

At the edge of the family's property, nicknamed "Way Manor" several years ago, just before the iron fence that surrounded it, the tree which was being discussed meant quite a bit to Mr. Way. It was the very tree his daughter used to climb. Gianna would sit in the highest branch her little legs could reach, and in her tiny voice, she'd have full-blown conversations with the fairies she swore lived there, likely an idea derived from her mother's bedtime stories. It was also the same tree in which Logan had carved his and Sofia's initials...more than eight years before he'd gained the confidence to ask her out.

And buried beneath the pine tree, under a blanket of pine needles that normally covered the ground, were the remains of Logan's hamster, Fi-Fi, and several goldfish...all of which Gianna had named Mr. Bubbles. Each spot was marked with a painted rock, a handmade headstone courtesy of the crafty Way kids.

How could Gerard possibly cut this tree down? Regardless of its unattractive appearance, it was part of everything he held so dear. True, it was only getting older. And he didn't expect it to be there forever. But as he shared this quiet moment with his son, who also heard the conversation between his grandfathers, Gerard knew he wasn't quite ready to look out his patio doors and see the pine tree's vacant spot. And so, for now anyway, it would remain in its place a while longer.

"The party turned out real nice," Logan offered, watching his father with that far-off look in his eyes. "I know Gianna helped a lot, but you've done alright, Dad...with everything."

Gerard slowly turned to his boy sitting next to him...knowing this seat would soon be vacant, too...and he sighed deeply. But his daughter's laugh drew both his attention and Logan's toward the pool.

Facing one another on a large lounge chair, Gianna and Noah were still having fun at the late hour, and they seemed oblivious to anything else going on around them. Along with his son, Gerard watched as Noah made a goofy face, apparently doing some kind of imitation for the young lady's benefit...and thoroughly succeeding in entertaining her.

But it was this glimpse of such complete normalcy between the two of them that caused Gerard to slowly realize...the guy's behavior was normal. Staring at him now, Gerard recalled just how Noah had always been a goofball. He'd always been welcome in the Ways' home. He'd always looked out for Gianna. And he'd never given Gerard or Andie any reason to believe they couldn't trust him. But it was Logan who spoke Gerard's thoughts...repeating what Andie said weeks ago.

"The way I see it...it could be a lot worse..." the younger Way quietly reminded Gerard with a sigh, as he remained almost as protective of his sister as his dad. But a sly grin grew at the corner of Gerard's mouth as he turned to Logan.

"When did you get so smart, little man?" Gerard only half teased, just as Sofia walked over. Surely the young lady who had been most like another daughter to the Ways was hoping to claim a little private time with Logan. But before a word was even spoken, the father politely excused himself, claiming it was due time he pestered his mother.

"And then he goes, and then he goes, 'I LOVE cheese! Cheese is my FAVORITE!'" Noah did his best to portray the character from the comedy flick he and Gianna had caught the night before.

Grinning from ear to ear, her tummy still aching from laughing so hard, Miss Way managed to supply the counterpart's line, "'C'mon! Enough with the cheese!'"

As Noah waved his hand elaborately, continuing their jest, Gianna started cracking up all over again. He was just too good. But then again, a lot of things were good right now...

Without it being necessary for anyone's parents or older brother to interfere, the night Logan and Noah graduated from Pope John XXIII High School, Gianna and Noah had a long discussion in a booth at Dairy Queen over root beer floats. It was there that the two teenagers agreed, they both definitely wanted take things slowly.

Noah pointed out that Gianna still had three years left of high school, and Gianna reminded Noah that he would be going to college in the fall. And while he said he'd never want her to think she had to "wait" for him, after the summer was through...he'd still like to continue seeing her as often as possible.

For now, knowing this was more than enough for Miss Way, not that she didn't expect her own self-doubt would resurface from time to time.

While she was sure she'd still look at her reflection in a mirror and be unhappy with herself once in awhile, and she might never be completely comfortable at high school, Gianna was slowly figuring out what Logan had figured out for himself a few years ago. Within the six weeks that Andie had been away, while Gerard was trying to adjust to the inevitable changes that had taken place in his absence, his daughter had begun to find out just who she was after all.

She'd begun to try out her own wings.

But Gianna didn't think of the past six weeks as fairytale-like, by any means. Although she absolutely still believed in miracles, and she would always know in her heart that anything was possible, she wasn't exactly a little girl anymore, nor was she an adult. She was something in-between. And she had a feeling getting through her teenage years would be more of a process rather than some kind of dramatic transformation that would happen overnight...or even over the course of six weeks.

Instead, Miss Way considered the place in time where she was right now, who she was, and the loving, accepting, wonderfully unconventional family to which she belonged. And on this breezy summer night, to this particular fourteen-year-old girl from Jersey, it felt more like the beginning of a new adventure, rather than the end of her childhood.

"What are you thinking right now...?" Noah asked, his voice quiet and his emerald eyes searching Gianna's face for the answer before she even knew it herself.

On a lounge chair beneath a star-filled sky, Gianna smiled back at him, and she couldn't imagine there being any greater feeling in the world than anticipating what was yet to come.

"I'm thinking...I can't wait to find out what happens next..."