Rules for Surviving the Sweenys

“Girl, seriously!” Ariel laughed.

“Hey! Come on, it’s a cute name,” Bella defended. Ariel was cracking up on the other end of the line.

“Did Owen come up with it? Jeez! Honey, that boy must be handicapped or somethin’!” Bella laughed too as she glanced at the clock, it was just past noon.

“Alright Ari, I gotta go. Owen has some ridiculous surprise for me.” She rolled her eyes, still chuckling.

“Ooh Bells! I’m so excited for you. Tell me all about it. See ya soon. Happy birthday!” Something about the way she spoke made Bella realize that she’d been right. The past month and a half, it had felt like her family and friends were keeping a gigantic secret from her.

“Ariel!” Bella whined, but her best friend had already hung up the phone.

She pulled up to her parents’ house where Owen was supposed to pick her up, and spotted Anson sauntering up the front lawn, passed her mother’s garden. ‘Anson can’t keep a secret to save his life,’ she thought wickedly. She hated surprises.

“Hey Anson!” she called. Anson froze in his tracks. ‘Fuck,’ he thought. He forced a fake smile as he turned around.

“Hey Bells.”

“I know you’ve been avoiding me.”

“No… I haven’t really. I promise.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Right.” She grinned at him. “So what’s this huge secret you’ve been keepin’ from me?”

Anson stared at her incredulously. “Bella,” he whined, “please don’t make me! Alright, I lied to you. I have been avoiding you.” His eyes were pleading. “Owen and the twins said they’d kick my ass if I said anything!” he groaned into his hands, making Bella feel guilty.

“Alright, fine,” she grumbled. Anson’s face brightened, his sea green eyes glowing. He grinned at her.

“Thanks Bells!” He shoved her playfully. “Happy birthday!” he shouted before running inside. Bella rolled her eyes.
She waddled into the house feeling like a fat cow. When Anna saw her she grinned, her eyes glowing. She immediately hurried to Bella’s side and guided her to a chair at the breakfast nook. “Happy birthday honey!” she cried, grabbing a glass and filling it with the “green juice” she’d made as soon as her daughter called to say she was on her way over. The juice was made up of organic greens (kale, wheat grass, dandelion greens, mallow etc.) and fresh lemonade.

“Oh mom,” Bella groaned. She opened her mouth to complain some more, but Anna Harken silenced with a look as she set a handful of daunting vitamins in front of her.

“I made mango lemonade to make it sweeter for you.” Anne grinned at her daughter proudly. Bella smiled back and began taking the gigantic pills. Her mother set her face on her palms, her eyes glowing brightly. “So…” Anna dragged out the word, and Bella immediately knew what she was going to ask. “Have you guys chosen a name yet?”

Bella shrugged, taking a long drink of her green juice. ‘Wow, mom did make it taste yummy,’ she thought, surprised that she was actually enjoying it. “Well, we have a few names picked out, depending on the gender. It’s just so hard to decide.” Anna smiled, looking at her seriously.

“The baby is due any day now! You’ve gotta choose soon!”

“I just think we’ll know when it’s born.” Anna laughed.

“Alright, give me your favorites for a boy and girl.”

“Ugh! Mom!” she complained. She was sick of people criticizing the names they came up with, especially the ones they really liked.

“Bella!”

“Fine!” She looked away from her mother. “Lila Ann for a girl and… Hunter Thomas is our favorite name for a boy.” Anna’s eyes dimmed considerably. “How’s he doing?” she whispered. In the basement below them, they heard Anson and Damien arguing about something. ‘Probably video games.’

Anna dropped her face into her hands. “He’s okay,” she mumbled. “But I don’t think he can… hold on much longer…” She wiped away the tears that began trickling down her face. Thomas was dying and it was eating away at her. She was so strong and tough, though. She could deal with anything. At least, that’s what all of her children were hoping. They couldn’t bear losing both their parents.

“I’m so sorry Ma!” Bella’s eyes filled with tears as she thought of losing her father. He’d always been there for her. And he never once judged her for a single decision she made, no matter how poor. She was closer to Thomas than she was to her mother.

“Oh honey…” Anna put a gentle hand on her daughter’s arm. “Don’t let this ruin your date with Owen.” The woman quickly brushed away a few stray tears and adopted a happier expression, winking at the young girl. Bella moaned, dropping her head onto her arms.

“Mo-om! Does everyone know about Owen’s plans but me?!” Anna laughed as they heard a car pull up to the front of the house. Anna jumped to her feet, glancing out the window above the sink.

“Ooh! Bells he’s here!” Anna squealed as Rebecca strolled into the room, dropping her backpack onto the floor.

“Wow mom,” she laughed, rolling her big dark brown eyes. “She’s going out with the kid who knocked her up, jeez!” Bella rolled her eyes.

Throwing her hands up, she said, “Thank you! At least somebody is acting normal around here!” Rebecca smirked as her older sister pushed herself away from the table. Her expression changed dramatically, her eyebrows knitting together.

“You’re wearing that?” She gestured to the gray, Everlast, boxing sweats, and the royal purple-colored maternity tank-top.

“What’s wrong with this?” She glared at her little sister. “When you’re pregnant and it’s your birthday, you can wear whatever the fuck you want to!”

“Bella!” Anna scolded, but she was laughing. Rebecca laughed too, shrugging, as a pair of strong arms snaked around Bella’s waist, settling just above her swollen stomach.

“I actually like what she’s wearing Becster. It happens to be perfect for where I’m taking her.” He kissed the top of her head, winking at her mother and sister.

“And where might that be?” Owen turned her around so she was looking at him.

He raised one scarred eyebrow and grinned. “You have to know me better than that, Bells,” he said with a smile. There were scars through his left eyebrow and his lip, and his nose was slightly crooked.

As soon as her brothers found out that she was pregnant, they beat Owen so badly that he could barely see, and his nose whistled with every breath for a week. After that, though, it was like they’d never stopped being friends. He was part of the family.

“Let’s go then,” Bella grumbled, knowing she wasn’t going to get anything out of her family. Even after four years, she still couldn’t bring herself to let go of that first rule.

“Happy Birthday Bella!” Rebecca sang as they headed for the front door.

“Don’t worry Anna,” Owen called over his shoulder, “I’ll have her home for dinner!”

“You better!” Anna called back. “I’m making her favorite!”

Owen took Bella’s hand and led her toward his car. Glancing at his attire, she rolled her eyes. He was wearing baggy, dark green pants and a grape-colored short-sleeved t-shirt.

“I thought you said we were going to some fancy-shmancy place.” Owen chuckled as he helped his pregnant girlfriend into the car. He jogged around to the driver’s side started the vehicle.

“That was just to throw you off. But I’m curious, if we were going to a fancy restaurant, that’s what you would’ve worn?” If looks could kill, Owen Sweeny would have been dead long before. Bella’s glare turned into a smirk and she stuck her tongue out at him, folding her arms across her bulging belly.

“As a matter of fact, yes. And I don’t care how many dirty looks I would’ve got,” she replied defiantly. Owen laughed as they began the drive to the secret destination.

“I wouldn’t have expected anything different my love.” He reached over and took her calloused hand, keeping his eyes trained on the road. Bella squeezed it as the baby kicked her hard. She let out a startled squeak. “You okay honey?”

“Mhm. I just have a feeling the little guy’s ready to come out.” Her eyes dulled slightly. “I want him to meet his grandfather before he…” she trailed off. Owen glanced at her briefly, his eyes sad. He smirked at her a second later, changing the subject.

“Is there something you’re not tellin’ me? How do you know it’s gonna be a boy? I’ve been secretly hoping for a little girl.” Owen grinned at the thought of having a daughter.

Bella shrugged, caressing her swollen belly. Her eyes glowed mischievously. “I’ll bet you a hundred dollars that it’s a boy.” Owen smirked back as they pulled onto the road that led out of town.

“You’re on!” Bella had to resist the urge to ask again where they were going. She opened her mouth to scold him for lying to her mother (If we go to the city we’ll never make it home in time for dinner), when he stopped the car and got out.

“What’re we…” she trailed off as her eyes landed on the cluster of huge boulders where Jake used to go to think years before. On top of the flattest rock was a blue and green swirly table cloth with a cute wooden picnic basket set on top.

Owen grinned at her speechlessness as he helped her climb up. He made sure she was positioned comfortably before he sat down and began to unpack the lunch he’d spent hours making. The majority of the food was inedible because of his horrible lack of cooking skills, except for the chicken noodle soup that was packed in a thermos, and the saltine crackers that Bella loved.

“This is amazing!” she exclaimed as she messily ate her favorite soup. Owen smiled happily, his eyes shining with adoration. That weekend four years earlier had just been the beginning of their relationship together. Bella frowned, confusion flickering across her beautiful face. “But why did you bring me here?”

Owen took a deep breath as he carefully moved the food out of his way. He reached across from him and gently took both of Bella’s hands. Looking into her gorgeous blue-green eyes, he said, “Because this was where I realized that I loved you for the first time.” He pointed out across the meadow toward the narrow road. “When I saw you stumbling down that street seven years ago, I knew that I would do anything to keep something like that from taking you away from me ever again.” He dropped Bella’s hands and stood up, fishing something out of his pocket. He kneeled back down and presented her with a beautiful silver necklace. Bella’s breath caught in her throat; dangling on the chain was a silver ring with an opal stone that glittered in the spring sunlight. “Bella Harken?” he asked nervously. “Will you marry me?”

Bella burst out laughing, punching his shoulder lightly. “You’re such a cheeseball!” She rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ll marry you, you big dope.” A gigantic grin, mirroring her own, stretched across Owen’s face as he slipped the necklace over her head (she hated wearing rings on her fingers).

“I love you Bells,” he said with a shy, adoring smile.

“I love you too Owen,” she replied as the baby kicked harder than before. “Oh!” She stared at Owen wide-eyed. “Uh-oh…”

“What’s wrong?!”

“I don’t think we’ll make it home for dinner after all,” she muttered glancing down at her stomach meaningfully.

“Oh shit!”

* * *

The baby was born thirty six hours later, after a grueling delivery. Bella refused drugs, of course, which almost gave Owen an aneurism. He passed out when the baby began to cry, leaving Ariel to cut the umbilical cord (which she would never let him forget).

When he finally came too and found that his fiancée and baby were fine, he grinned sheepishly, knowing her brothers would never let him live it down. Bella grinned back at him triumphantly.

“You owe me one hundred bones my love,” she teased as Owen climbed onto the bed next to her and cradled his son in his arms for the very first time.

“Psh,” Owen laughed, “I’m not givin’ you a hundred dollars. Maybe I’ll give Hunter the money, but not you!” Bella glared at him, pretending to be angry. Really, she was just ecstatic and exhausted. She took her baby back and smiled down at him. He was perfect.

“See Hunter,” she cooed, “this is why you can NEVER trust a Sweeny.” Owen chuckled, wrapping his arm around the girl of his dreams and kissing her flushed cheek.

THE END