‹ Prequel: Metamorphosis
Status: In progress
Ascension
Firework
Chapter 5
Firework
"I'm sorry, did you just say barbeque?"
"Yes I did."
"As in a family barbeque?"
"Yes."
"As in; you want me to meet everyone your parents know… three months after I had a baby?"
"I'll say it again; yes."
Mira blinked and switched her daughter to her other shoulder, eyes never leaving Seth. It was July third and he had stopped by the house to invite Mira to the huge barbeque his family was having. Carolyn and Dave were inviting lots of friends and coworkers. They told Seth to bring his friends. They had even invited the entire Pascal family.
"Seth…" she said quietly, "You know I'm not crazy about crowds."
"I get that," He replied, reaching a hand out and stroking Lucy's back, "But my parents told me to bring you and the baby, so here I am."
Mira didn't answer. She handed Lucy to Seth and stood up, picking up her hairbrush to run through her hair. Seth bounced her gently in his arms.
"How's my favorite ray of sunshine?" Seth asked the child playfully. She cooed in his arms and stared up at him with a smile on her face. Her tiny face always lit up whenever her daddy entered a room. Though she was only two and a half months old, she knew who her mommy and daddy were. At least, she knew their faces.
Mira turned sideways and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had been so busy the last few days with Lucy and life, that she had barely paid attention to her weight.
"This really means a lot to my parents," Seth continued. Mira sighed and sucked in her stomach as much as she could. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," she answered, "Just checking something." She sat back on the bed beside him. "I guess a barbeque sounds like fun."
"So you'll go?"
She shrugged, "Sure, why not."
Seth's grin quickly turned to a grimace as a smell hit their noses. He handed Lucy to Mira, who rolled her eyes.
"It's just a dirty diaper, you wuss."
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Ava grunted and gave her boot one final tug until it reached her knees. She was meeting Zeke at the mall to see a movie. The last few weeks, she had practically lived in the basement thoroughly searching through old boxes. Her boyfriend was concerned about her, so he asked to hang out with him, with the purpose to get her away from the basement.
She stood up from her bed and felt her feet settle more securely into the boots. Even though it was July, she loved wearing her black leather boots. She picked up her black bag from the desk and left her room.
Ava got halfway down the steps when she suddenly heard her parents talking. She froze and listened.
"-only a matter of time," Mason was saying.
"But what happens when she finds out the truth? She'll be crushed," Danny said gravely.
"Ava's a strong girl. I'm sure she can handle it."
"Yes, she's a strong girl, but this secret would crush anyone. When she finds out about her mother… I just don't want my daughter to get hurt."
A sound of a chair scraping across the floor was heard. Ava crept down a few steps to listen closer.
"Ava has a right to know about Bridget," Mason said. "Any adopted child has a right to be curious."
Before Danny had a chance to reply, Ava's phone rang loudly in her purse. She snatched it out and fumbled to silence it.
"Ava?" Mason called, "Is that you?"
"Yeah," She called back, "I was just walking down the stairs. Going to meet Zeke at the mall!"
Not giving them the chance to answer, she raced out of the house and into her car. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she began toward the mall.
Her mind was racing. Ava had kept her searches a secret from her parents, not wanting to hurt their feelings. So how did they find out? And what did they mean 'the truth about Bridget'? Were they talking about her mother? Was Bridget her mother?
At a stoplight, she pulled her phone out and read the text that had gotten her caught. It was from Mira.
'Seth and his parents are having a forth of July barbeque. He asked me to invite you.'
She closed her phone and tossed it back into her bag.
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"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Matt," Jamie said into her cell phone. "I'm not going to know anyone."
"Neither will I," Matt replied. "But Seth said that I could bring you and Luke. Come on, it'll be fun. And there will be tons of food!"
Jamie giggled. Her boyfriend certainly loved to eat. She leaned back on the couch and watched her son sing along merrily with the show he was watching.
"It'll be fun," Matt repeated. "And it'll help you get your mind off Ross."
Jamie had spent the last two days obsessing over the upcoming custody battle. A knot formed in her stomach every time she thought about it. The very thought of losing her little boy to Ross scared her more than words could say.
"You're sure it'll be alright if I come?" She asked.
"Of course! Seth told me to invite you and Luke. There will be food and lots of other kids!"
She giggled again, "well… I guess it couldn't hurt."
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The Ramsey's back yard was crowded with people. Mira stood over by the tables of food, Lucy strapped firmly to her chest. She rocked from side to side gently as her eyes looked around at the many guests.
It had been a while since Mira had been around so many people. After Lucy was born, she didn't leave the house very much. And being in such a large crown unnerved her a bit.
Lucy garbled against her chest and she looked down. Her little girl's head was resting above her breasts, legs dangling through the holes of the sling.
"What is it, love?" she asked. "You sleepy?"
When more people began crowding around the food table, Mira quickly walked away to a more secluded area. She didn't know where Seth or her family was, but she assumed they were inside. She made her way up the porch, pushing the back door open.
"I want your love," She heard Sara sing.
"And I want your revenge!" Paige's voice added in.
"I want your love" Sara sang again.
"I don't wanna be friends!" They both sang loudly.
Lucy started crying at the loud singing, so Mira turned around and walked back into the yard.
"There you are!" Jamie yelled, running up to her friend with a breathless smile. She was in a dark green summer dress; her bikini was evident under it. "Let's get in the pool!"
Mira blinked, "I have a baby strapped to my chest."
"Can't your parents watch her?"
"I… didn't bring my swimsuit." It was true. But the real reason why she didn't want to go swimming was because she was still insecure about her body. "They have a karaoke machine inside," She said weakly.
Jamie's eyes lit up and she ran past her into the house. Mira laughed softly and walked down the porch steps.
She regretted coming to this barbeque. She was tired, insecure, lonely, and hungry. Being surrounded by mountains of delicious food was not good for her diet.
In the distance, she saw Matt in the pool with Luke and Seth's sister Julie. He had his hands around Luke's waist and threw him up as hard as he could. The toddler shot at least ten feet in the air before landing back in the water. He resurfaced, thanks to his water wings and inner tube, laughing crazily.
"Me next!" Julie screamed. She was also wearing water wings and an inner tube. Matt laughed and picked the little girl up.
Marli and Zack were sitting at a picnic table with a group of other kids, talking enthusiastically.
Adam and Audrey were also talking to another group of adults. Mira debated going over to her mother and asking her to take Lucy, but decided against it. She didn't like asking her mother to do things like that.
"Cannonball!" Someone screamed. Mira looked up just in time for a rather fat child to jump into the pool, creating a huge wave to crash over her and Lucy.
"Hey!" she yelled. Unfortunately, the party was so loud that her scream went unheard.
Mira brought a hand up and wiped her wet hair away from her eyes. She looked down to see Lucy excitedly kicking her legs. She smiled slightly. It wasn't a secret that Lucy loved water. Whenever Mira gave her a bath, she would giggle and kick her feet.
"You like the water, don't you baby?" She cooed, brushing her fingers over Lucy's soft wet hair. "Lets go get dried off."
Mira's sandals made a soft squishing sound against the ground as walked out the backyard and out to her car. She popped the trunk and pulled out the diaper bag.
She made her way into the house. She walked around and dodged people until she reached the bathroom.
She locked the door behind her and looked around the small, clean room. Picking up one of the small hand towels, she gently rubbed it against Lucy's head. The baby cooed in her arms at the soft rubbing motions.
She put the lid over the toilet and sat on it. She lifted Lucy out of the carrier and carefully set her on her lap. Using her other hand, she fished into the diaper bag and pulled out the extra onesie that she had packed.
Mira slowly peeled the wet outfit off her baby and reached for another hand towel. She dried off her bare baby skin before placing her in the new onesie. It was white with a pink collar and pink lining on the legs. She closed the snaps under her rear and smiled.
"All better baby?" She asked, lifting her up to Eskimo kiss her.
Mira placed a clean towel on the bathroom counter and laid Lucy on it on her back. She then peeled off her own wet shirt and rung it out over the sink.
Mira couldn't help but look at her reflection in the mirror. It was amazing, last time she had been in this bathroom was right after Seth had come home from being in a coma. Her aunt Leda had told her some news about her old boyfriend and Mira got sick in the bathroom. Seth had come in, hugged her, and told her that she was still so beautiful, that she was perfect.
That seemed so long ago. It had only been six months, but so much had changed. Mira had never needed reassurance that she was beautiful. She had always known that she was. But lately, she felt a sort of… vulnerability. Since Lucy was born, she was scared out of her mind about everything. She felt like everyone was staring at her. She had gotten used to everyone looking at her when she was pregnant, but now it just scared her.
While she dried the skin of her shoulders with another towel, she thought about Seth. She often wondered if he regretted being with her. She knew he loved Lucy more than anything, but she couldn't help but be curious if it was her that he regretted.
She had no idea where these thoughts were coming from. A voice in her head told her she was being ridiculous, that Seth loved her, and that there was nothing to be afraid of.
But another voice, one much smaller, kept reminding her that Seth was only with her for Lucy.
Mira looked down at her cooing, blue-eyed baby and felt the tears coming into her eyes again. Why couldn't her life be as simple as her daughter's? Lucy didn't care about anything. She was so innocent and small.
Shaking her head swiftly, she finished drying herself off and slipped on her still damp clothes. It took a moment, but she managed to get Lucy to put her legs through the baby sling. Picking up the diaper bag, she unlocked the door and walked out.
Only to stop after two steps to keep from ramming into someone.
"Whoa!" she yelped, gripping her daughter protectively. The guy she almost ran into held his hands up.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" he said quickly. Mira relaxed and re-shouldered the diaper bag she had almost dropped.
"No, its fine," She said.
"I saw you walk into the house and you dropped this." He held out a small pink pacifier toward her. Mira raised her eyebrows in surprise and took it.
"Thanks, she loses these things by the bucket load," she said with a smile.
"No problem." He took a step closer and gently caressed Lucy's bare arm with a long finger. "She is the cutest little thing I have ever seen."
Mira's smile widened. "Thanks."
The two month old wrapped her tiny fingers around the boy's single digit. He chuckled.
"She has quite a grip," He said, "So how do you know the Ramseys?"
Mira kissed Lucy's forehead. "Oh, Lucy's father is Dave and Carolyn's son."
That seemed to catch him by surprise. He furrowed his brows for a moment then said, "Oh yeah, I heard that Seth had had a baby."
"Yep, this is her." she swayed a bit to keep Lucy moving.
"Forgive me, I'm Charlie. Charlie Privott. My dad is a golfing buddy of Dave's." He held his hand out and Mira shook it. "And if this is Lucy, I'm guessing you are Mira Pascal?"
"You would guess right," she replied.
Mira took a moment to look him over. He looked like your typical private school boy. He had an ironed blue polo shirt, khakis, and sneakers. His golden brown hair looked perfectly combed and styled. He had greenish blue eyes that were framed by light colored lashes. Mira had to admit; he was pretty cute.
Lucy let out a series of little baby noises and kicked her legs against her mother's stomach. Mira and Charlie laughed.
"So," Charlie began, "Would you like to join me for some barbequed food?" He held his arm out in a gentleman fashion.
Mira smiled. She didn't see the harm in getting something to eat with her new friend.
"Sure," she replied, "Let me just hand this little bundle of joy to my sister."
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"Cause the power you're supplying, it's electrifying!" Seth sang into the karaoke microphone. From beside him, Sara's eyes twinkled brightly as she danced.
"You better shape up," she sang, "cause I need a man and my heart is set on you! You better shape up; you better understand to my heart I must be true."
"Nothin' left, nothin' left for me to do," Seth filled in.
"You're the one that I want! Ooh ooh ooh honey!" they both sang.
Sara was very impressed. She had talked Seth into singing a duet with her as a joke, but she had no idea his voice was so deep and… good. She was even more surprised at how well their voices went together.
The two brown haired teens danced and sang to the music. The living room was filled with teens laughing and dancing.
When the song ended, everyone burst into applause. Seth draped his arm over Sara's shoulders and the two bowed dramatically. She stood on her toes and playfully kissed his cheek in a friendly manner.
Seth tossed the microphone to a random girl. "I better go find Mira," he said. Sara nodded and he left the room.
When he reached the backyard, his eyes scanned over the crowd of people, searching for his girls. He frowned slightly when he saw Marli sitting at the picnic table with Lucy strapped to her chest.
His frown deepened when he saw Mira standing over at the food tables, talking and laughing with a good looking guy.
Good Looking Guy touched Mira's arm in the middle of his laugh and said something else, which made her laugh harder.
Seth walked down the porch stairs, intending to see just who this guy was. He was stopped by his mother grabbing his arm.
"Seth, you remember Carl Linneman don't you?" she asked, gesturing to the older looking man holding a beer.
"Uh yeah I remember him, how are you?"
Carl Linneman eyed the teenage boy quickly. He remembered Carolyn's son from last year's picnic. The boy had gotten drunk, put his cigarette out in the dip, rudely flirted with every woman there, and passed out face-first in the cake while screaming something about everyone there being slaves to 'the man'.
But now Seth stood there, sober, and appeared to be interested in what was going on.
"I'm doing alright," Carl finally answered.
Seth glanced at something off to the side, "That's good." He touched his mother's shoulder, "Mom, I have to take care of something. Excuse me."
He made his way over to where Mira and Good Looking Guy were talking. When he got within earshot, he heard what they were talking about.
"-its not that I don't like cheese, I just never understood why it has to be considered a snack. And on a toothpick, nonetheless!" Good Looking Guy was saying. Mira giggled and examined her own cheese on a toothpick.
"Maybe someone made it up back in the day where mice were everywhere. Maybe they wanted to give rodents some luxury!"
Good Looking Guy and Mira both burst out laughing as he came walking up. Mira's head turned slightly and her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Hey Seth," she greeted cheerfully, "This is Charlie Privott, he goes to Cambridge Academy. Charlie, this is Seth Elsen, Lucy's father."
Charlie held out his hand, "It's nice to finally meet you." He looked at Mira, "We've seen each other at parties, but I've never met him."
Seth shook his hand, "Yeah, pleasure," he said dryly. Something about this guy didn't seem right to him. He never liked preppy private school boys. And he especially didn't like them around Mira. He glanced at the girl beside him. "Where's Lucy?"
"She's over with Mar-" Everyone watched as Marli did a cannonball in the pool, Lucy no where in sight. "Oh crap."
"Excuse us," Seth said to Charlie before he and Mira bolted off toward the youngest Pascal.
"Marli!" Mira yelled from beside the pool. Marli resurfaced and shook the water from her eyes.
"What?"
"Where's Lucy?" she asked. Marli shrugged.
"Brian's watching her!" Marli yelled back before submerging again.
From across the yard, Brian stood in front of a group of very attractive girls, a blue-eyed infant cradled in his arms.
"Of course being a single dad is hard," he was saying, "But the hardest part is seeing how much she looks like her white mother." He kissed Lucy's head and pretended to tear up. "Ever since I agreed to take care of her while… Kylie went to boarding school in… England, every day is harder and harder."
The group of girls let out a chorus of "awws" and "oh you poor thing!" Brian was eating it up. This baby was better than a puppy.
"There you are!" a voice yelled from behind him. He turned around to see Seth and Mira running toward him. Mira quickly scooped her daughter out of his arms and cuddled her.
Seth scowled at his friend, "What is the matter with you?"
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"It was the weirdest thing," Ava was saying to Zeke. The young couple was standing beside the buffet table. Zeke's plate was piled sky-high with various meats while Ava's only had coleslaw on it. "They kept saying 'the truth about Bridget'."
"Mahah tey aww hihing snthin," Zeke said around a full mouth of food. Ava scowled.
"Swallow, then talk."
Zeke gulped down the food and said, "Maybe they are hiding something."
"That's what I thought. But what? They never keep secrets from me."
The short girl dropped dramatically into a chair with a huff. Zeke pulled up another chair beside her and sat, plate of food balanced on his knee. He reached his other hand out and placed it on her back.
"Are you okay, baby?"
She raised her head and gave him a weak smile. "I will be. I just need to find out what they were talking about."
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By the time night fell, the party had died down a bit. Mira was lying in a deck chair, Lucy sleeping peacefully on her chest. The baby carrier was on the ground beside the chair.
The Ramseys would be setting off fireworks in a few minutes. Mira was dreading it. She had a newborn in her arms. The fireworks would probably scare her senseless. She reached a hand up and gently caressed Lucy's back through the thin cotton of her onesie.
Mira smiled when she saw Jamie approaching her, a sleeping Luke in her arms.
"Hey," Jamie said cheerfully.
"Hey," Mira replied.
Jamie swayed her body to keep her son sleeping. "Luke fell asleep, I better take him home."
Mira frowned, "You don't have to go home yet, you haven't seen the fireworks."
"I need to take him home," Jamie repeated. "And you probably should too." she nodded her head toward the sleeping baby on Mira's chest.
Mira looked down at Lucy and pouted slightly. "But… I wanted to see the fireworks."
Jamie shrugged. "You're free to do that. But being this close to fireworks with a newborn might not be the best idea."
Mira closed her eyes for a moment and thought. Jamie was probably right. That much noise could potentially damage her ears.
Jamie reached her free hand out and squeezed Mira's shoulder. "I'll see you later. Call me." She turned and began to walk in Matt's direction, seeing as he drove her there.
At that moment, Charlie returned with two sodas and two big plates of cake in his hands.
"Sorry that took so long," he said, placing the items on the small table beside the chairs, "There were a lot of people. What are you doing?"
Mira looked at him helplessly, "I'm trying to stand up without waking her. Could you… I mean, can you take her for a second?"
Charlie looked surprised but reached down. He slipped a hand under the baby's head and bottom, lifting her gently off her mother's chest.
Mira scooted off the chair and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Thanks."
"No problem." He gently bounced the infant against his chest. "She is so small." Mira slipped the baby carrier back over her shoulders and secured it tightly.
She kissed her daughter's head before carefully taking her back into the carrier. Lucy remained sleeping soundly.
"Well, I better get going so I can put her to bed," she said. Charlie looked surprised.
"You can't leave yet! They haven't set off the fireworks!"
"I realized fireworks would probably be bad for her to hear and be around. I'll just watch them on the news when I get home."
Charlie looked crestfallen, but nodded. "Can I walk you to your car?"
"Sure, just let me tell my parents I'm leaving."
She walked across the lawn to where her parents were sitting talking to a group of adults.
"Mom?" she said, "I'm going to head out. Lucy needs some sleep."
Audrey smiled down at her daughter and granddaughter and nodded. "Okay, sweetie." She said, caressing Lucy's head with her thumb.
Mira walked back to Charlie, who was doing something on his phone. He looked up and smiled when he saw her approaching.
As the two were walking to the front, a voice yelling stopped them. Mira turned to see Seth come jogging up. He was only in his swim trunks and was soaked from head to toe.
"Hey," he greeted breathlessly, "Where are you going?"
"I'm heading home," Mira answered, "This little girl needs some sleep."
Seth picked up a towel that was lying on a chair nearby and wiped his face. "You're leaving?" His blue green eyes shifted to Charlie. "And where are you going?"
"I'm walking her to her car," Charlie said. Seth looked at Mira with a raised eyebrow.
"So you were leaving without letting me say goodbye to my daughter?" he asked. The two stared at each other. Mira could tell that he didn't like her being around Charlie, and she held her gaze.
"You're coming by my house tomorrow," she said instead. "I didn't think you'd notice."
Charlie could sense the tension between the two and took a step back, "Maybe I should go…"
"Maybe you should," Seth said.
Mira turned to her new friend. "It was nice meeting you, Charlie," she said softly.
"You too, Mira." he walked back toward the party.
Mira glared at her baby's father, "What the hell is your problem?"
He shrugged, "I just don't want you exposing my daughter to every guy who drools over you."
Mira's expression immediately turned neutral. She kissed Lucy's head and turned around. She was not in mood to deal with this. She knew Seth had major jealousy issues. The whole time she had been with Jake, even before the abuse started, he had been very hostile toward him.
"Seth," she said quietly, "I'm taking her home. I'll see you tomorrow."
Seth watched her go, perplexed. What the hell? Since when did Mira just back down like that? He knew he had been a little rude to that Charlie guy, and the Mira he knew would have torn him a new one. But she seemed so… tired. Like she just didn't want to deal with it.
"Seth!" Carolyn called from across the pool, "Come on, we're setting off the fireworks!"
Seth looked over his shoulder at his mom before heading over to her. He knew something was going on with Mira, and he needed to find out what.
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Firework
"I'm sorry, did you just say barbeque?"
"Yes I did."
"As in a family barbeque?"
"Yes."
"As in; you want me to meet everyone your parents know… three months after I had a baby?"
"I'll say it again; yes."
Mira blinked and switched her daughter to her other shoulder, eyes never leaving Seth. It was July third and he had stopped by the house to invite Mira to the huge barbeque his family was having. Carolyn and Dave were inviting lots of friends and coworkers. They told Seth to bring his friends. They had even invited the entire Pascal family.
"Seth…" she said quietly, "You know I'm not crazy about crowds."
"I get that," He replied, reaching a hand out and stroking Lucy's back, "But my parents told me to bring you and the baby, so here I am."
Mira didn't answer. She handed Lucy to Seth and stood up, picking up her hairbrush to run through her hair. Seth bounced her gently in his arms.
"How's my favorite ray of sunshine?" Seth asked the child playfully. She cooed in his arms and stared up at him with a smile on her face. Her tiny face always lit up whenever her daddy entered a room. Though she was only two and a half months old, she knew who her mommy and daddy were. At least, she knew their faces.
Mira turned sideways and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had been so busy the last few days with Lucy and life, that she had barely paid attention to her weight.
"This really means a lot to my parents," Seth continued. Mira sighed and sucked in her stomach as much as she could. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," she answered, "Just checking something." She sat back on the bed beside him. "I guess a barbeque sounds like fun."
"So you'll go?"
She shrugged, "Sure, why not."
Seth's grin quickly turned to a grimace as a smell hit their noses. He handed Lucy to Mira, who rolled her eyes.
"It's just a dirty diaper, you wuss."
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Ava grunted and gave her boot one final tug until it reached her knees. She was meeting Zeke at the mall to see a movie. The last few weeks, she had practically lived in the basement thoroughly searching through old boxes. Her boyfriend was concerned about her, so he asked to hang out with him, with the purpose to get her away from the basement.
She stood up from her bed and felt her feet settle more securely into the boots. Even though it was July, she loved wearing her black leather boots. She picked up her black bag from the desk and left her room.
Ava got halfway down the steps when she suddenly heard her parents talking. She froze and listened.
"-only a matter of time," Mason was saying.
"But what happens when she finds out the truth? She'll be crushed," Danny said gravely.
"Ava's a strong girl. I'm sure she can handle it."
"Yes, she's a strong girl, but this secret would crush anyone. When she finds out about her mother… I just don't want my daughter to get hurt."
A sound of a chair scraping across the floor was heard. Ava crept down a few steps to listen closer.
"Ava has a right to know about Bridget," Mason said. "Any adopted child has a right to be curious."
Before Danny had a chance to reply, Ava's phone rang loudly in her purse. She snatched it out and fumbled to silence it.
"Ava?" Mason called, "Is that you?"
"Yeah," She called back, "I was just walking down the stairs. Going to meet Zeke at the mall!"
Not giving them the chance to answer, she raced out of the house and into her car. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she began toward the mall.
Her mind was racing. Ava had kept her searches a secret from her parents, not wanting to hurt their feelings. So how did they find out? And what did they mean 'the truth about Bridget'? Were they talking about her mother? Was Bridget her mother?
At a stoplight, she pulled her phone out and read the text that had gotten her caught. It was from Mira.
'Seth and his parents are having a forth of July barbeque. He asked me to invite you.'
She closed her phone and tossed it back into her bag.
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"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Matt," Jamie said into her cell phone. "I'm not going to know anyone."
"Neither will I," Matt replied. "But Seth said that I could bring you and Luke. Come on, it'll be fun. And there will be tons of food!"
Jamie giggled. Her boyfriend certainly loved to eat. She leaned back on the couch and watched her son sing along merrily with the show he was watching.
"It'll be fun," Matt repeated. "And it'll help you get your mind off Ross."
Jamie had spent the last two days obsessing over the upcoming custody battle. A knot formed in her stomach every time she thought about it. The very thought of losing her little boy to Ross scared her more than words could say.
"You're sure it'll be alright if I come?" She asked.
"Of course! Seth told me to invite you and Luke. There will be food and lots of other kids!"
She giggled again, "well… I guess it couldn't hurt."
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The Ramsey's back yard was crowded with people. Mira stood over by the tables of food, Lucy strapped firmly to her chest. She rocked from side to side gently as her eyes looked around at the many guests.
It had been a while since Mira had been around so many people. After Lucy was born, she didn't leave the house very much. And being in such a large crown unnerved her a bit.
Lucy garbled against her chest and she looked down. Her little girl's head was resting above her breasts, legs dangling through the holes of the sling.
"What is it, love?" she asked. "You sleepy?"
When more people began crowding around the food table, Mira quickly walked away to a more secluded area. She didn't know where Seth or her family was, but she assumed they were inside. She made her way up the porch, pushing the back door open.
"I want your love," She heard Sara sing.
"And I want your revenge!" Paige's voice added in.
"I want your love" Sara sang again.
"I don't wanna be friends!" They both sang loudly.
Lucy started crying at the loud singing, so Mira turned around and walked back into the yard.
"There you are!" Jamie yelled, running up to her friend with a breathless smile. She was in a dark green summer dress; her bikini was evident under it. "Let's get in the pool!"
Mira blinked, "I have a baby strapped to my chest."
"Can't your parents watch her?"
"I… didn't bring my swimsuit." It was true. But the real reason why she didn't want to go swimming was because she was still insecure about her body. "They have a karaoke machine inside," She said weakly.
Jamie's eyes lit up and she ran past her into the house. Mira laughed softly and walked down the porch steps.
She regretted coming to this barbeque. She was tired, insecure, lonely, and hungry. Being surrounded by mountains of delicious food was not good for her diet.
In the distance, she saw Matt in the pool with Luke and Seth's sister Julie. He had his hands around Luke's waist and threw him up as hard as he could. The toddler shot at least ten feet in the air before landing back in the water. He resurfaced, thanks to his water wings and inner tube, laughing crazily.
"Me next!" Julie screamed. She was also wearing water wings and an inner tube. Matt laughed and picked the little girl up.
Marli and Zack were sitting at a picnic table with a group of other kids, talking enthusiastically.
Adam and Audrey were also talking to another group of adults. Mira debated going over to her mother and asking her to take Lucy, but decided against it. She didn't like asking her mother to do things like that.
"Cannonball!" Someone screamed. Mira looked up just in time for a rather fat child to jump into the pool, creating a huge wave to crash over her and Lucy.
"Hey!" she yelled. Unfortunately, the party was so loud that her scream went unheard.
Mira brought a hand up and wiped her wet hair away from her eyes. She looked down to see Lucy excitedly kicking her legs. She smiled slightly. It wasn't a secret that Lucy loved water. Whenever Mira gave her a bath, she would giggle and kick her feet.
"You like the water, don't you baby?" She cooed, brushing her fingers over Lucy's soft wet hair. "Lets go get dried off."
Mira's sandals made a soft squishing sound against the ground as walked out the backyard and out to her car. She popped the trunk and pulled out the diaper bag.
She made her way into the house. She walked around and dodged people until she reached the bathroom.
She locked the door behind her and looked around the small, clean room. Picking up one of the small hand towels, she gently rubbed it against Lucy's head. The baby cooed in her arms at the soft rubbing motions.
She put the lid over the toilet and sat on it. She lifted Lucy out of the carrier and carefully set her on her lap. Using her other hand, she fished into the diaper bag and pulled out the extra onesie that she had packed.
Mira slowly peeled the wet outfit off her baby and reached for another hand towel. She dried off her bare baby skin before placing her in the new onesie. It was white with a pink collar and pink lining on the legs. She closed the snaps under her rear and smiled.
"All better baby?" She asked, lifting her up to Eskimo kiss her.
Mira placed a clean towel on the bathroom counter and laid Lucy on it on her back. She then peeled off her own wet shirt and rung it out over the sink.
Mira couldn't help but look at her reflection in the mirror. It was amazing, last time she had been in this bathroom was right after Seth had come home from being in a coma. Her aunt Leda had told her some news about her old boyfriend and Mira got sick in the bathroom. Seth had come in, hugged her, and told her that she was still so beautiful, that she was perfect.
That seemed so long ago. It had only been six months, but so much had changed. Mira had never needed reassurance that she was beautiful. She had always known that she was. But lately, she felt a sort of… vulnerability. Since Lucy was born, she was scared out of her mind about everything. She felt like everyone was staring at her. She had gotten used to everyone looking at her when she was pregnant, but now it just scared her.
While she dried the skin of her shoulders with another towel, she thought about Seth. She often wondered if he regretted being with her. She knew he loved Lucy more than anything, but she couldn't help but be curious if it was her that he regretted.
She had no idea where these thoughts were coming from. A voice in her head told her she was being ridiculous, that Seth loved her, and that there was nothing to be afraid of.
But another voice, one much smaller, kept reminding her that Seth was only with her for Lucy.
Mira looked down at her cooing, blue-eyed baby and felt the tears coming into her eyes again. Why couldn't her life be as simple as her daughter's? Lucy didn't care about anything. She was so innocent and small.
Shaking her head swiftly, she finished drying herself off and slipped on her still damp clothes. It took a moment, but she managed to get Lucy to put her legs through the baby sling. Picking up the diaper bag, she unlocked the door and walked out.
Only to stop after two steps to keep from ramming into someone.
"Whoa!" she yelped, gripping her daughter protectively. The guy she almost ran into held his hands up.
"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" he said quickly. Mira relaxed and re-shouldered the diaper bag she had almost dropped.
"No, its fine," She said.
"I saw you walk into the house and you dropped this." He held out a small pink pacifier toward her. Mira raised her eyebrows in surprise and took it.
"Thanks, she loses these things by the bucket load," she said with a smile.
"No problem." He took a step closer and gently caressed Lucy's bare arm with a long finger. "She is the cutest little thing I have ever seen."
Mira's smile widened. "Thanks."
The two month old wrapped her tiny fingers around the boy's single digit. He chuckled.
"She has quite a grip," He said, "So how do you know the Ramseys?"
Mira kissed Lucy's forehead. "Oh, Lucy's father is Dave and Carolyn's son."
That seemed to catch him by surprise. He furrowed his brows for a moment then said, "Oh yeah, I heard that Seth had had a baby."
"Yep, this is her." she swayed a bit to keep Lucy moving.
"Forgive me, I'm Charlie. Charlie Privott. My dad is a golfing buddy of Dave's." He held his hand out and Mira shook it. "And if this is Lucy, I'm guessing you are Mira Pascal?"
"You would guess right," she replied.
Mira took a moment to look him over. He looked like your typical private school boy. He had an ironed blue polo shirt, khakis, and sneakers. His golden brown hair looked perfectly combed and styled. He had greenish blue eyes that were framed by light colored lashes. Mira had to admit; he was pretty cute.
Lucy let out a series of little baby noises and kicked her legs against her mother's stomach. Mira and Charlie laughed.
"So," Charlie began, "Would you like to join me for some barbequed food?" He held his arm out in a gentleman fashion.
Mira smiled. She didn't see the harm in getting something to eat with her new friend.
"Sure," she replied, "Let me just hand this little bundle of joy to my sister."
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"Cause the power you're supplying, it's electrifying!" Seth sang into the karaoke microphone. From beside him, Sara's eyes twinkled brightly as she danced.
"You better shape up," she sang, "cause I need a man and my heart is set on you! You better shape up; you better understand to my heart I must be true."
"Nothin' left, nothin' left for me to do," Seth filled in.
"You're the one that I want! Ooh ooh ooh honey!" they both sang.
Sara was very impressed. She had talked Seth into singing a duet with her as a joke, but she had no idea his voice was so deep and… good. She was even more surprised at how well their voices went together.
The two brown haired teens danced and sang to the music. The living room was filled with teens laughing and dancing.
When the song ended, everyone burst into applause. Seth draped his arm over Sara's shoulders and the two bowed dramatically. She stood on her toes and playfully kissed his cheek in a friendly manner.
Seth tossed the microphone to a random girl. "I better go find Mira," he said. Sara nodded and he left the room.
When he reached the backyard, his eyes scanned over the crowd of people, searching for his girls. He frowned slightly when he saw Marli sitting at the picnic table with Lucy strapped to her chest.
His frown deepened when he saw Mira standing over at the food tables, talking and laughing with a good looking guy.
Good Looking Guy touched Mira's arm in the middle of his laugh and said something else, which made her laugh harder.
Seth walked down the porch stairs, intending to see just who this guy was. He was stopped by his mother grabbing his arm.
"Seth, you remember Carl Linneman don't you?" she asked, gesturing to the older looking man holding a beer.
"Uh yeah I remember him, how are you?"
Carl Linneman eyed the teenage boy quickly. He remembered Carolyn's son from last year's picnic. The boy had gotten drunk, put his cigarette out in the dip, rudely flirted with every woman there, and passed out face-first in the cake while screaming something about everyone there being slaves to 'the man'.
But now Seth stood there, sober, and appeared to be interested in what was going on.
"I'm doing alright," Carl finally answered.
Seth glanced at something off to the side, "That's good." He touched his mother's shoulder, "Mom, I have to take care of something. Excuse me."
He made his way over to where Mira and Good Looking Guy were talking. When he got within earshot, he heard what they were talking about.
"-its not that I don't like cheese, I just never understood why it has to be considered a snack. And on a toothpick, nonetheless!" Good Looking Guy was saying. Mira giggled and examined her own cheese on a toothpick.
"Maybe someone made it up back in the day where mice were everywhere. Maybe they wanted to give rodents some luxury!"
Good Looking Guy and Mira both burst out laughing as he came walking up. Mira's head turned slightly and her eyes lit up when she saw him.
"Hey Seth," she greeted cheerfully, "This is Charlie Privott, he goes to Cambridge Academy. Charlie, this is Seth Elsen, Lucy's father."
Charlie held out his hand, "It's nice to finally meet you." He looked at Mira, "We've seen each other at parties, but I've never met him."
Seth shook his hand, "Yeah, pleasure," he said dryly. Something about this guy didn't seem right to him. He never liked preppy private school boys. And he especially didn't like them around Mira. He glanced at the girl beside him. "Where's Lucy?"
"She's over with Mar-" Everyone watched as Marli did a cannonball in the pool, Lucy no where in sight. "Oh crap."
"Excuse us," Seth said to Charlie before he and Mira bolted off toward the youngest Pascal.
"Marli!" Mira yelled from beside the pool. Marli resurfaced and shook the water from her eyes.
"What?"
"Where's Lucy?" she asked. Marli shrugged.
"Brian's watching her!" Marli yelled back before submerging again.
From across the yard, Brian stood in front of a group of very attractive girls, a blue-eyed infant cradled in his arms.
"Of course being a single dad is hard," he was saying, "But the hardest part is seeing how much she looks like her white mother." He kissed Lucy's head and pretended to tear up. "Ever since I agreed to take care of her while… Kylie went to boarding school in… England, every day is harder and harder."
The group of girls let out a chorus of "awws" and "oh you poor thing!" Brian was eating it up. This baby was better than a puppy.
"There you are!" a voice yelled from behind him. He turned around to see Seth and Mira running toward him. Mira quickly scooped her daughter out of his arms and cuddled her.
Seth scowled at his friend, "What is the matter with you?"
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"It was the weirdest thing," Ava was saying to Zeke. The young couple was standing beside the buffet table. Zeke's plate was piled sky-high with various meats while Ava's only had coleslaw on it. "They kept saying 'the truth about Bridget'."
"Mahah tey aww hihing snthin," Zeke said around a full mouth of food. Ava scowled.
"Swallow, then talk."
Zeke gulped down the food and said, "Maybe they are hiding something."
"That's what I thought. But what? They never keep secrets from me."
The short girl dropped dramatically into a chair with a huff. Zeke pulled up another chair beside her and sat, plate of food balanced on his knee. He reached his other hand out and placed it on her back.
"Are you okay, baby?"
She raised her head and gave him a weak smile. "I will be. I just need to find out what they were talking about."
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By the time night fell, the party had died down a bit. Mira was lying in a deck chair, Lucy sleeping peacefully on her chest. The baby carrier was on the ground beside the chair.
The Ramseys would be setting off fireworks in a few minutes. Mira was dreading it. She had a newborn in her arms. The fireworks would probably scare her senseless. She reached a hand up and gently caressed Lucy's back through the thin cotton of her onesie.
Mira smiled when she saw Jamie approaching her, a sleeping Luke in her arms.
"Hey," Jamie said cheerfully.
"Hey," Mira replied.
Jamie swayed her body to keep her son sleeping. "Luke fell asleep, I better take him home."
Mira frowned, "You don't have to go home yet, you haven't seen the fireworks."
"I need to take him home," Jamie repeated. "And you probably should too." she nodded her head toward the sleeping baby on Mira's chest.
Mira looked down at Lucy and pouted slightly. "But… I wanted to see the fireworks."
Jamie shrugged. "You're free to do that. But being this close to fireworks with a newborn might not be the best idea."
Mira closed her eyes for a moment and thought. Jamie was probably right. That much noise could potentially damage her ears.
Jamie reached her free hand out and squeezed Mira's shoulder. "I'll see you later. Call me." She turned and began to walk in Matt's direction, seeing as he drove her there.
At that moment, Charlie returned with two sodas and two big plates of cake in his hands.
"Sorry that took so long," he said, placing the items on the small table beside the chairs, "There were a lot of people. What are you doing?"
Mira looked at him helplessly, "I'm trying to stand up without waking her. Could you… I mean, can you take her for a second?"
Charlie looked surprised but reached down. He slipped a hand under the baby's head and bottom, lifting her gently off her mother's chest.
Mira scooted off the chair and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Thanks."
"No problem." He gently bounced the infant against his chest. "She is so small." Mira slipped the baby carrier back over her shoulders and secured it tightly.
She kissed her daughter's head before carefully taking her back into the carrier. Lucy remained sleeping soundly.
"Well, I better get going so I can put her to bed," she said. Charlie looked surprised.
"You can't leave yet! They haven't set off the fireworks!"
"I realized fireworks would probably be bad for her to hear and be around. I'll just watch them on the news when I get home."
Charlie looked crestfallen, but nodded. "Can I walk you to your car?"
"Sure, just let me tell my parents I'm leaving."
She walked across the lawn to where her parents were sitting talking to a group of adults.
"Mom?" she said, "I'm going to head out. Lucy needs some sleep."
Audrey smiled down at her daughter and granddaughter and nodded. "Okay, sweetie." She said, caressing Lucy's head with her thumb.
Mira walked back to Charlie, who was doing something on his phone. He looked up and smiled when he saw her approaching.
As the two were walking to the front, a voice yelling stopped them. Mira turned to see Seth come jogging up. He was only in his swim trunks and was soaked from head to toe.
"Hey," he greeted breathlessly, "Where are you going?"
"I'm heading home," Mira answered, "This little girl needs some sleep."
Seth picked up a towel that was lying on a chair nearby and wiped his face. "You're leaving?" His blue green eyes shifted to Charlie. "And where are you going?"
"I'm walking her to her car," Charlie said. Seth looked at Mira with a raised eyebrow.
"So you were leaving without letting me say goodbye to my daughter?" he asked. The two stared at each other. Mira could tell that he didn't like her being around Charlie, and she held her gaze.
"You're coming by my house tomorrow," she said instead. "I didn't think you'd notice."
Charlie could sense the tension between the two and took a step back, "Maybe I should go…"
"Maybe you should," Seth said.
Mira turned to her new friend. "It was nice meeting you, Charlie," she said softly.
"You too, Mira." he walked back toward the party.
Mira glared at her baby's father, "What the hell is your problem?"
He shrugged, "I just don't want you exposing my daughter to every guy who drools over you."
Mira's expression immediately turned neutral. She kissed Lucy's head and turned around. She was not in mood to deal with this. She knew Seth had major jealousy issues. The whole time she had been with Jake, even before the abuse started, he had been very hostile toward him.
"Seth," she said quietly, "I'm taking her home. I'll see you tomorrow."
Seth watched her go, perplexed. What the hell? Since when did Mira just back down like that? He knew he had been a little rude to that Charlie guy, and the Mira he knew would have torn him a new one. But she seemed so… tired. Like she just didn't want to deal with it.
"Seth!" Carolyn called from across the pool, "Come on, we're setting off the fireworks!"
Seth looked over his shoulder at his mom before heading over to her. He knew something was going on with Mira, and he needed to find out what.
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