Love is a Miracle Ch. 10

CHAPTER TEN

"How are you doing?" Gavin asked Serenity as he watched her and Josie putting colorful place-mats on the tables.

"Good. Are you sure about this?" Serenity asked.

"Positive. It's time we start doing stuff that we both want to do," Gavin said.

Serenity smiled. Gavin had always wanted to own his own restaurant and Serenity was half way done with her general education classes for her degree. "How are you feeling?" Gavin asked, stepping up behind Serenity.

"Better," Serenity answered. Gavin gave Serenity a quick hug and looked up as the front door opened. He straightened, nervous now that Serenity's family had entered the restaurant.

"It smells good in here," Melinda said with smile.

"Thanks," Gavin said, looking even more nervous when he saw who walked in the door next. "Mel, what did you do?" Gavin wanted to know as chefs from almost every restaurant on the strip walked into the diner.

"This is a run through dinner service," Melinda said with a grin. Gavin swallowed hard but looked relieved when he saw that Serenity and Josie had finished setting the tables.

"Go ahead and sit where ever you like," Gavin said.

Serenity gave Gavin a reassuring smile and took her place behind the register. "Josie, why don't you and Leslie start passing out menus and getting drink orders," Gavin suggested. Josie nodded and watched as Leslie walked out of the bathroom, wiping her hand on a paper towel. Leslie through the paper towel away and reached for menus. Gavin gave Serenity's hand a squeeze before disappearing into the kitchen.

"I'd like to welcome everyone to A Taste of Home, and thank you all for coming. My name is Serenity, and the man in the back is my husband Gavin. All of the recipes you will taste today come from either Gavin's childhood kitchen or my childhood kitchens. The special of the day is my Bubbe's famous pot roast which is cooked and served with some Yukon Gold potatoes, baby carrots and some pearl onions. I assure you, it's amazing," Serenity said as Josie handed out a menu to the last person sitting.

By the end of the night, everyone was exhausted, but despite his exhaustion, Gavin was incredibly hyper. "How much did you get in tips?" he asked Josie.

"Close to two hundred dollars," she said in awe.

"These are professionals. If the service they receive is exceptional, then they let the wait staff know," Melinda said with a smile.

"We got lots of great comments too," Serenity chimed in, leafing through the pieces of paper.

"How are you doing?" Gavin asked Serenity. She smiled a little.

"I'm good," Serenity answered as Chris and John walked in the restaurant with Josh.

"Someone missed his parents," Chris said. Serenity reached out for Josh who wrapped his little arms around Serenity's neck as if she were suddenly about to disappear.

"Did he cry a lot?" Gavin asked.

Chris nodded then shook his head. "At first, yes, but after a little while, he stopped." Chris sniffed the air. "It smells good in here. Have you cleaned up yet?" he wanted to know. Gavin laughed.

"What'll be guys?"

"That pot roast smells great," John said. Chris nodded.

"No problem," Serenity said easily, going into the kitchen. Serenity came back a few minutes later with two carryout boxes brimming with food. "Gav, I'm going to take Josh home and get him to bed. I have some studying to do," she murmured. Gavin nodded.

"There isn't too much more here to do, Josie, why don't you go with her, Leslie can help me clean up," Gavin suggested. Leslie nodded and she said good-bye to her friends before following Gavin into the kitchen.

"What's wrong with Serenity?" Jake asked as he and Mark helped Gavin take out the bags of trash.

"Nothing, why?" Gavin said as he fiddled with the lock on the dumpster.

"She looked tired," Jake answered. They tossed the full bags into the dumpster before returning to the restaurant.

"Jake, Serenity's fine. She's taking classes and taking care of Josh. She has a lot on her plate, but I promise, she isn't sick," Gavin told his father in law. Jake studied Gavin's face closely before nodding.

"So, what are your plans now?" Mark wanted to know.

"I'm pretty much putting my culinary career on the line. If this doesn't work out, it'll make it very hard to get a job here on the strip," Gavin admitted.

"And if you fail at this, how will you support Sere and Josh?" Ashira asked.

"I won't fail. I'm good at what I do, and between the recipes I've learned working for Mel and for Bobby, and the recipes that Sere brought to the relationship, I won't fail," Gavin answered.

"You seem confident," Melinda said with a smile.

"I know I can cook. I finished third in my class and you never would have hired me as your head chef if you didn't think I had the skills to succeed," Gavin told her.

"You're right, I wouldn't have," Melinda agreed. They finished cleaning up and after saying good night, Gavin got in his car and drove away.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Your dad suspects something," Gavin murmured, sliding onto the bed behind Serenity. Serenity leaned back into Gavin with a sigh.

"Oh?" Serenity sighed as Gavin's fingers slid down her arm.

"Your dad asked what was wrong with you," Gavin said.

"Jake or Mark?" Serenity wanted to know.

"Jake," Gavin answered.

"It figures. He's had mom pregnant so many times that it's hard to remember a time growing up when she wasn't knocked up," Serenity said with a laugh. Gavin grinned.

"You're exaggerating," he teased.

"A little," Serenity admitted.

She moaned as Gavin started rubbing her back. "You worked your ass off tonight, I should be rubbing your back," Serenity said, arching into Gavin's fingers.

"Yeah, but you're pregnant, you're more than entitled to a little pampering," Gavin reminded Serenity. "Are you really feeling better?" Gavin asked.

"Yeah, not as queasy," Serenity answered.

"Good. You did a great job tonight," Gavin said, smiling to himself as Serenity let out a sound of contentment as he dissolved a knot in her shoulder.

"Gav?"

"Hmm?" Gavin nibbled on an ear lobe.

"I need you," Serenity whispered. Gavin grinned as Serenity turned around to face him.

"You're beautiful," Gavin said, before lowering his lips to hers. Serenity moaned as his hands found her breasts and cupped them gently.

"I love you," Serenity whispered.

"I love you too," Gavin groaned, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on Serenity's shirt. "What's your hurry?" Gavin asked with a chuckle as Serenity pushed her pajama pants down hurriedly.

"I need you now!" Serenity said, lunging for him. Gavin chuckled and his eyes widened with surprise when Serenity used the scissors on her night stand to cut his boxer shorts off of him.

"Patience woman," Gavin said with a hoarse laugh as Serenity pushed him back on the bed and settled over him.

"Patience is for the weak," she said, sighing happily as she felt him fill her. Gavin groaned as Serenity began sliding up and down him, squeezing him tightly. Gavin pulled Serenity's head down and pressed his lips to hers in a hungry kiss. Gavin's eyes widened as Serenity paused half way back down his hard shaft and clenched, squeezing him gently. "Holy christ woman!" Gavin groaned. After a few more movements, Gavin grasped Serenity's hips and gently rolled her over onto her back. "No more games," he groaned, thrusting hard and fast inside her. Serenity cried out as Gavin lowered his mouth to a tender nipple and began sucking gently.

"Harder," Serenity pleaded. Gavin obliged with a grin, thrusting so hard and so fast that the springs of the mattress started creaking. "Gavin!" Serenity cried out as he gently pinched the nipple that he wasn't sucking on. Gavin winced slightly when Serenity's nails dug into his shoulder blades but her breathing and cries spurred Gavin faster, harder, deeper. Serenity came with a shuddering scream; Gavin followed not long after and bellowed loudly as he emptied his seed deep inside her.

"You okay?" Gavin asked as he watched Serenity stand on shaking legs.

"Better than okay," Serenity answered with a smile as she walked into the bathroom. Gavin chuckled and followed Serenity.

"Did I hurt you?" Gavin wanted to know.

"No," Serenity assured him, turning on the tub. Gavin looked like he wanted to say something else but Josh began crying from his room.

"Enjoy your bath," Gavin said, pressing a kiss to the top of Serenity's head before leaving the bathroom and walking into the nursery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Serenity, wait up!" Serenity turned around and waved as she saw John heading towards her.

"Hey John," Serenity said with a smile.

"How are things going at the restaurant?" John wanted to know.

"They're going great," Serenity answered.

"How are you doing?" John asked.

"Not too bad," Serenity said.

"What are you doing Saturday night?" John asked.

"What do you want John?" Serenity counter questioned.

"My parents are coming into town and they want to meet the people that have made the phone calls threatening to expel me go away," John answered.

"I was going to work at the restaurant for a few hours in the morning. I'll talk to Gavin, I think it's his night off. He made Chris learn all of the recipes so that he could help out," Serenity said. "What did you have in mind?" she wanted to know.

"Maybe we could meet for dinner?" John suggested.

"I'll talk to Gavin," Serenity promised. "You still willing to tutor me in math?" she asked. John nodded. "Good. Meet me at the apartment around eight," Serenity said before walking away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ally, check it out!" Bobby said excitedly. Allyson smiled as she looked around the apartment Bobby had found for them.

"Why a two bedroom?" Allyson asked. Bobby shrugged.

"You never know what will happen, better to have a second room in case a friend needs a place to stay," he answered with a grin.

"I can't believe my dad gave his approval," Allyson murmured as Bobby reached for her hands.

"I think he was afraid that your mom would make him sleep on the couch for the rest of eternity," Bobby joked. Allyson laughed and studied the ring on her finger. "Do you like it? I can get you a different if you want," Bobby murmured.

"I love it," Allyson assured him.

"Good. It was my grandmother's," Bobby said. Allyson smiled and kissed Bobby.

"Show me the rest," she murmured. Bobby grinned and led Allyson to the master bedroom.

"Oh my Gosh!" Allyson's eyes were wide. The bedroom was large with a walk in closet that was almost as large as the bedroom. The closet merged in with the master bedroom which contained a vanity and a large hot tub. "Bobby, how can we afford this?" Allyson asked.

Bobby smiled. "We have enough," he assured her. Allyson threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. "I love you!" she squealed.

Bobby grinned. "I love you too," he murmured in her ear. Bobby pressed his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. "Are you sure you're okay with waiting?" Allyson asked as Bobby's hands cupped her breasts and squeezed gently.

"Don't get me wrong Ally, if you gave the okay, I'd have you down on the ground in a minute, but you want to wait until we get married and that's fine with me," Bobby assured Allyson, kissing her again. "Why, are you having second thoughts?" Bobby asked.

"It is getting harder and harder to fight it," Allyson admitted.

Bobby grinned. "I love you Ally, nothing will change that," he promised. "If you change your mind on waiting, that's cool, but if you don't, that's fine too," Bobby added. The alarm on his phone went off and Bobby sighed as he turned off the alarm. "Our parents will be here in a few minutes," he said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure you're okay?" Josie asked Serenity as they sat in the lecture hall, waiting for the professor.

"I'm just tired," Serenity said, finishing her juice. Serenity stood up and walked over to the trash can to throw the bottle away and on her way back to her seat, her knees started to buckle.

"That's it, you're going to the infirmary," Josie said, grabbing her notebook off of the desk and shoving it into her back pack.

"What's going on?" Chris asked, walking into the room.

"Sere nearly passed out," Josie answered. "Can you help me get her to the infirmary?"

"Sere, you're pregnant again, right?" Chris asked. Serenity nodded. "Then we're taking you to the ER, not the infirmary," Chris said, grabbing Serenity's laptop and shoving it into her backpack.

"What about Josh?" Serenity wanted to know.

"I'll call Gavin to come get him," Josie said.

"No! He's at the restaurant," Serenity exclaimed.

"We can't leave him in the day care center," Josie reminded Serenity.

"Les doesn't have classes today and she's listed as an emergency pick up," Serenity said. Chris gave his sister a quick text message before helping Josie get Serenity out of the building and to his car.

-4 hours later-

"Sere?" Serenity looked up to see Gavin crouching down next to her. "You okay?" Gavin asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, really," Serenity murmured, pushing herself into a sitting position. "The couch is comfy," she joked.

"Why didn't you call me?" Gavin wanted to know.

"You were working," Serenity answered.

"I don't care if I'm in the middle of an EKG, if you're having some health issues, you need to tell me. I can't take care of you if you don't," Gavin said gently but sternly.

"I have a father Gavin, in fact, I have two of them," Serenity grumbled.

"I'm going to chalk that up to being tired and not feeling well. I love you Serenity, and while you maybe an adult, you can't do this on your own," Gavin murmured, touching a hand to her cheek. "What'd the doctor say?" he wanted to know.

"The morning sickness has me a little dehydrated. He gave me something to help with the nausea and told me it should kick in within twenty four hours. I get to take tomorrow off, but if I manage to keep things down tomorrow, I can go back to class," Serenity answered.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," Gavin murmured.

"I have a lot to do Gav, my class work won't get completed on its own," Serenity pointed out.

"That's true, but you have help available if you ask for it," Gavin reminded Serenity. "You're pregnant Sere, you need to be taking care of yourself, or you need to let me take care of you," Gavin said gently before pressing his lips to hers. "C'mon, let's go to bed," he added, lifting Serenity into his arms and carrying her into the bedroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is going on Serenity?" Ashira wanted to know as her daughter let her into the apartment.

"I'm fine, I just got a little dehydrated," Serenity answered, returning to the kitchen.

"You're supposed to be resting," Gavin accused, taking the soapy coffee mug from Serenity and placing it back in the sink.

"I can wash a few dishes," Serenity protested.

"Go sit," Gavin instructed.

"Serenity Faith, tell me what in the world is going on," Ashira said, crossing her arms over her chest. Before Serenity could answer, Josh started fussing from his room.

"I have him, go and sit down," Gavin said again as he dried his hands and headed out of the kitchen. Serenity sighed but walked into the living room and sat down.

"I'm fine, really," Serenity said, cringing as she saw the look on her mother's face.

"Serenity," Ashira warned. Serenity sighed and mumbled something so low that Ashira couldn't make heads or tails of it. "Speak more clearly this time," Ashira advised.

"I'm pregnant," Serenity said with a sigh.

"Again? Haven't you heard of birth control?" Ashira wanted to know.

"It failed," Gavin said, walking into the room.

"Antibiotics again?" Ashira asked.

"No, actually, I had an allergic reaction to one that didn't have the hormones in it; I was breast feeding and since I had the reaction, the doctor said I couldn't be on any birth control for a year," Serenity answered.

"And the condom broke," Gavin added, anticipating his mother in law's next question.

"You are both insane," Ashira said, shaking her head.

"We'll manage," Gavin told Ashira, passing Josh off to his grandmother.

"He's gotten so big," Ashira marveled.

"He's almost a year old," Serenity reminded her mother.

"I can't believe it. I remember when you were born," Ashira said, shaking her head.

"Moooommm!" Serenity groaned. Gavin laughed and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"I need to go down to the restaurant, I'll be back in a little while," he promised before leaving the apartment.