A New Tradition

"Aunt Rissa helped." Clem nodded as she came in for a hug. "Love you, mommy. I need to go find my purse!" The first grader took off toward her room to rifle through her closet. Sandy followed along in Clementine's wake. The pup had a nice dog bed in the corner of Tabi and Jake's bedroom, but she slept most nights in the doorway to Clem's bedroom. Jake thought it was her way of keeping watch on their little girl.

Jake leaned against the door frame as he approached the room. "How's the editing going?" Keeping up the running regiment for the last couple of years had a terrific effect on the man she loved's body. He still didn't fit the prototypical look of a distance runner, but he was toned delightfully.

"Well, enough. Nat's going to help me go over it while you're off having fun with Ris and Clem." Tabitha stepped closer to Jake, grabbed his tie, and pulled him into a kiss. "I thought you three were going straight to the dance after shopping."

"Clementine insisted that she show you her dress before the dance." Jake shrugged. That little angel had her soon-to-be stepfather wrapped around her finger. Though they were discussing him adopting the little girl when they got married. The step at the start of father seemed unnecessary as he was the only dad Clem had ever known and was really good at it.

The excitable little girl was eager to have cousins, both the familial variety and through an expanded group of buddies. Getting close with Rissa and Natalie again had brought a big group of friends along for the ride. Nat had fewer but closer friends, while Ris made a gaggle of acquaintances. The only problem was that the younger cousins had Clem wanting a brother or sister of her own. It was one of the things the girl had asked for on her Christmas list.

A sibling for Clem was in the plans, but not until after Tabi's doctorate was complete and she got her feet under herself at the new job. She and Jake didn't want to wait too long as they were getting older and knew that risks to the baby increased if they got past their mid-thirties.

"You and Rissa better take a ton of pictures." Tabitha grabbed his tie again. She couldn't resist whenever he wore one. It was one of her favorite ways to bring him in for a kiss. It's probably why he wears one so often. Jake didn't struggle as she pulled him close and collected her prize.

"Have you ever known me not to?" Jake pulled out his phone as his way to offer reassurance.

Jake and Clementine were going to the elementary school's annual daddy-daughter dance. Though that was a traditional name, it was more of a carnival atmosphere with sons, daughters, fathers, and mothers all equally encouraged to come.

As Jake told her about the shopping trip, Tabitha idly played with a piece of jewelry that she wasn't used to yet. Clem would undoubtedly take a minute to select the perfect hand-me-down purse she wanted to take to the dance.

"Still not used to it?" Jake grinned when he called attention to the new fidget that Tabitha was using to channel her ADHD since she hadn't taken her medication today. She was employing the hyperfocus that could come with the ailment.

"We'll see how you handle it when you get one in October." Tabi smiled at her fiancé.

"I can't wait." Jacob leaned in for another kiss. She still felt fireworks when their lips met that hadn't slacked in their time together.

Jake's proposal wasn't a complete surprise; they had been living together for a year. Tabitha was smitten with the kind and caring man. The attraction had been near instantaneous, even if it took her over a month to admit it. They had discussions about marriage reasonably early in the relationship, but Tabi wanted to wait until she finished her doctorate. Jake understood her wishes and started to plot and plan a proposal for her as soon as she graduated. One of the plan's steps had involved him procuring the ring, and once he had the diamond, he couldn't wait any longer.

Even though he was planning on making a proposal the following weekend, their precocious daughter forced the issue before it could be enacted. She had discovered Papa Jake's hiding spot when she went to get a stuffie she had forgotten from his car. The curious youngster brought the ring to show her mom the treasure she found. Jake was preparing dinner on Friday night when he saw Clem showing Tabi the ring. Before she could ask, "What's this?" Jake was on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage.

The romantic candle-lit dinner at Diego's was supposed to be where he proposed, but it became a celebration of the engagement instead. They caught a show after an excellent meal. Instead of celebrating at the same spot they had ended their first date, they came home and enjoyed the king-sized bed. Clementine spent that night at Aunt Sara and Aunt Alison's house.

It's hard to believe I didn't have time for him. Jake had started cooking for Tabitha and Clementine once a week. It was hard for Tabi to have enough time to make a home-cooked meal during the week, so she was thrilled to discover that Jacob was a fantastic cook. One night a week became two and then three. Without his support, her doctorate might have been too high of an obstacle to overcome without neglecting essential parts of her life.

Three nights of a home-cooked meal quickly became staying overnight at Jake's; it was easier not to go back home at the end of the night. Within a couple months, Clementine had her own bunk bed. Tabi and Jake did have to learn how to have sex quietly, but it was much preferable to returning to abstention.

"How's the other project going?" Jake looked down the hall and asked quietly.

"He wants to meet us if we can make it halfway. Are you sure your parents want to keep Clementine all weekend?"

"Why wouldn't they? She is their granddaughter." Jake smiled. Taking the role of dad was something he never questioned. He knew that Tabitha and Clem were a combo.

To think, Kirby was too scared to play the role of uncle. It was still slightly odd to Tabitha to be so readily accepted into a family. Her own had shunned Tabitha's mother and sister because of Tabi's existence. Jake's tribe had welcomed her and Clem with open arms.

"I'm still not used to that, Jake." Tabi couldn't help blushing a little as she looked away. She was getting better about her family stuff but doubted it would fully dissipate.

"You better get used to it. We're a package deal. Like you and Clem were." He smiled proudly. Then Jake's voice got soft. "Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah, he has a family up north. The tour was the last before he went home to teach high school. He met his wife and settled down. I have two half-brothers."

Tabitha had started doing a little research to get some of Clementine's medical history from her biological father's side of the family. The ungrateful bastards wanted a DNA test to prove Clementine was their son's before they would talk to her. They had some hateful things to say about Sabrina and accused her of the same slutty behavior as their mother. Sabrina's father had been talking to them.

It was another time that she was thankful that she hadn't brought Clem along with her to a meeting. Tabi figured any information she needed about Clem's history could be from the DNA test, not the jackasses. She took a test, too, so she could show Clementine how to do it. Maybe it was a bit because Tabitha was curious to finally solve the mystery of her paternity. She was matched with a man that she now knew was her father. His kids had given him a test for his birthday a year ago.

"He had no idea I existed, but he wants to meet us. The guy didn't even try to deny it, Jake. He apologized for how he behaved before he got sober. Ready for another adventure with me, Jake." Tabitha Embraced him as eager little feet boomed down the hallway.

"Always." Jake kissed her before following their daughter off on an adventure of their own.