My Sweet Canadian Girl Ch. 13

The following week went by in a blur. Between work and wedding planning I spent every spare moment packing things into boxes at our apartment and trying to coordinate the arrivals of our out of town guests. I never would have managed without the help of our friends and family. Marc and Julie loaned us one of their baby car seats for the week so Rebecca could ride in our car safely. Susan and her family were due in early Saturday morning so the plan was for me to pick them up, drop Susan and Rebecca off at Marc and Julie's where Marc would come with Brian and I. The three of us would drive to our new house and meet the furniture delivery guys there to help get everything into the house as fast as we could. Cassie was picking my parents up a few hours later and taking them back to her brother's house before coming over to our new house to help finish getting the guest rooms ready.

The rest of the bridal party was due in from LA late Saturday afternoon so they could participate in wedding rehearsals all week. Lei volunteered to pick Tim, Greg, Miguel and his girlfriend Anita up at the airport in Cassie's car for us. Not surprisingly, Tim was going to spend the week at the apartment with her while the others checked into a hotel for the week. I felt bad that we didn't have room in the house for Greg and Miguel. Greg could easily afford the week long hotel stay but Miguel and Anita had just moved back to LA after she graduated from the University of Oregon. Anita had been accepted to grad school in LA, which meant they probably didn't have a whole lot of spare money. I was sure one of Cassie's relatives would have been willing to put them up for the week if we asked but when I mentioned it to Miguel he quickly refused saying Anita was far to shy and neither of them wanted to impose. His advice to me was to let them worry about their expenses for the week because I had more than enough to keep me busy.

Before I knew it the Saturday before our wedding was upon us. I barely had time to say hello to Susan and Rebecca before dropping them off and picking up Marc. It was amazing to see how much little Rebecca had grown in a couple of months. She looked more like Susan every time I saw her. We made it to the house about half an hour before the furniture was due to arrive leaving enough time to give Brian and Marc a tour. Marc could have given the tour himself of course having designed the house for us.

With so much to deliver for one house, the store sent an extra crew to help get everything moved in. Between the four of them and the three of us everything went smoothly. I was the one who was supposed to know where everything went so things would get left in the front of the house until I decided where it should go. From time to time I had to study her notes on the blue prints and even then I wasn't sure that I always got it right. When they arrived the truck was completely filled but with seven of us working to unload everything we made quick work of it and soon only a few items remained.

Cassie had given me a checklist that I left in the front entrance where items could be crossed off as they were delivered. When we got to the end, one of the guestroom beds was missing because the model was on back order from their supplier. It should arrive in a week but it meant one less bed for our guests. I could let my father take the single bed I was planning to use and spend a week on the couch as long as Cassie didn't find out. The last few items they brought in were a mistaken delivery. As much as I would have liked to keep the 60" LCD flat panel TV that came with a stand, surround sound system and full complement of electronics, we didn't order any of it. Cassie would have been furious with me if I didn't point out the mistake in the hopes of getting them for free, not that I would have been dishonest anyway. I mentioned it to the driver but he insisted it was ours. We argued about it until he showed me the signed bill of sale. Once I saw that she'd signed her name Cassandra Kellogg, I knew instantly that she'd gone back to add it later as a surprise for me.

We took a short break before leaving to pick up our truck rental to move the beds and a few other things from the apartment. Our old bureaus would be used in the guest rooms but the dining room table and chairs plus the sofa and love seat and now our old TV too I guess were all staying with Lei. It was a much smaller job that we completed in no time. Cassie and I still had plenty of clothes and smaller things left at the apartment for now but we could pick those up in the car anytime we wanted. I drove the guys back to Marc's place and picked Cassie up leaving my family in the hospitable hands of Marc and Julie for the afternoon.

"Hello sweetie," I said as she got in the car with me.

"Hello yourself," she said kissing me deeply before buckling her seat belt. "I'm so excited to see the house full of furniture. What did it look like?"

"You'll see for yourself soon enough," I said smiling at the overjoyed expression on her face. "I think I got everything in the right place but if not dad and Brian will be here all week to help me move things around. The TV was for our bedroom right?" I teased.

"No..." she said right away and stopping before she could say more when she saw the smile on my face. "Were you surprised?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," I said. "I kept trying to tell them it wasn't ours until they showed me that you had ordered it. Thank you so much sweetie, the Dodger games are going to look amazing on it."

"Well it does picture in picture so you can watch the game in the corner with no sound while I'm watching my home and gardening shows," she said giggling at the way my smile vanished with her teasing.

Before we could go to our new home, we had to stop at a home decorating store. Cassie's eyes lit up as we walked through the doors and she laughed when I handed her my credit card while begging her to be gentle. She'd never waste our money frivolously but at the same time she knew she could spend whatever she felt was needed to decorate our home. My bright idea of us taking a cart each was met with a glowing complement from her. It saved us from making more than one trip or stacking things dangerously high. For now we focused on get the essentials we needed to make our house livable for our guests. We bought new sheets and comforters for the beds and foolishly I mentioned that one of the beds was on back order. She said we'd figure something out for sleeping arrangements later but I knew me sleeping on a sofa for a week was out of the question now.

We needed so many simple things like towels and bathmats for all the bathrooms that I found myself wondering if we'd ever be done in time for our bachelor and bachelorette parties later that night. The store had a section for kitchen wares where we seemingly picked up one of everything, except for the dishes that we bought four matching sets of. They came four to a box, which gave us enough to host a large gathering and some replacements once a few pieces inevitably broke. The curtain and blinds section we were able to skip because Cassie and her mother had spent an evening last week picking them out at a specialty store. They had already been delivered and we might have time to install them later, it not it could wait until the next day. We spent another staggering sum of money but again it was something we had budgeted for. There were still many things our house could use yet and we had a lifetime to collect them.

Our last stop before going to our house was a grocery store. We didn't buy a whole lot but we needed food for breakfast in the morning and essential cleaning products for the kitchen and bathrooms. The trunk was stuffed with our earlier purchases so the grocery bags had to go on the floor in the back of the car. Cassie couldn't help but notice the car seat in the back and stared at it her eyes welling up with tears. I liked the way it looked too and squeezed her hand assuring her we'd need one of our own soon enough.

Once we got to the house Cassie raced inside dragging me by the hand. We didn't even bring any bags in at first as we went from room to room staring at the house we'd been fantasizing about since I asked her to marry me again. It finally looked like a home. My mind was racing with thoughts of all the happy memories we'd make there. It was so easy to picture the upstairs bedrooms that we already referred to as kid's rooms painted in bright colors and filled with toys. I could tell she was thinking the same thing and she started to cry when I asked if the one we were looking at was a boy's or girl's room. Holding her I kissed her tears away until she said she was ready to put the house in order.

I brought our purchases in from the car as she got started on preparing the rooms for our guests. Even with three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, plus the half bathroom on the main floor to prepare, not counting our master suite which we would worry about later, we were done in no time. Our phone and cable service had been installed the day before and while the phone company installer had made a test call on each line, Cassie was full of excitement when she picked up the phone in the kitchen to make the first real call from our new home. She spoke to Julie for a few minutes and let them know we'd stop by to pick up my family to bring them over to get settled before the parties that night.

My father had rented a car at the airport and followed Cassie and mom back to Marc and Julie's. It made getting from there back to our house a lot easier. Mom rode with dad and they followed us with Susan, Brian, and Rebecca back to the house. Cassie proudly gave my family the tour of our new home before we showed Susan and Brian to their bedroom and helped them bring the travel crib upstairs along with their luggage. My parents waited downstairs until Cassie and I had a chance to figure out the sleeping arrangements.

"One of our bed didn't get here on time. We have a room ready for you Judy and you can take the one Rick was going to sleep in Gordon," Cassie explained.

"You don't need to do that," dad said.

"Dad we're not sending you to a hotel by yourself and there's no way Cassie will let either of us sleep on a sofa for a week," I said.

"No I won't, it might be okay if it were just a night or two. Rick can sleep in the master bedroom," Cassie said. Even my parent's could easily tell that wasn't something she wanted but it was the only solution.

"That won't be necessary..." dad said.

"Either you're going to sleep in that room or no one is dad," I said.

"Let your father finish," mom said so I stopped and looked at him.

"As I was saying," he said smiling at me. "We appreciate your hospitality but your mother and I can share a room."

"But there's only one bed," I said stupidly. Cassie gave me a little elbow in the side and it dawned on me what he'd just said. "Mom?" I said looking to her for an explanation.

"We've been doing alright in one bed for a while now," she said in a low voice.

"Does Susan know?" I asked. My whole body suddenly felt numb and the world around me was spinning. I might have fainted if Cassie didn't take my hand and squeeze it tightly. This was beyond shocking but they looked happy holding hands. I knew dad was still living with mom which I found a little strange but finding a suitable house in LA could take a while.

"Yes but only because she caught us a few weeks ago," mom said blushing.

"What?" I said with my eyes bugging out.

"She didn't walk right in on us but she heard things coming from the bedroom that she shouldn't have," dad said when it became obvious mom wasn't going to say anything.

"Susan learns about everything before me," I said.

"That's the advantage of being older. We couldn't tell you about this over the phone anyway," dad said.

"How serious is it?" I asked and suddenly mom found her voice again.

I listened intently as she told me how she and my father had become a couple again after spending nearly my whole life apart. No matter how hard they tried to keep their distance our growing family kept pulling them back together. Susan and Brian brought the baby to LA every other weekend and when Rebecca stayed with them they were inseparable always sitting close as they took turns holding their granddaughter. Over time they began spending time together, looking at pictures of Rebecca at first or talking about coming to Vancouver for our wedding. It didn't take much longer for them to become comfortable eating dinner at home with no one else to act as a buffer or to spend an evening watching TV in the same room.

My mother had never stopped caring for the father of her children but she was starting to have feelings for him that had remained buried for years. Becoming a grandfather had turned him back into the Gordon Kellogg she'd fallen in love with years ago. When they had Susan and then me, my father rapidly changed from the man she loved into a workaholic obsessed with caring for the financial needs of his family at the cost of everything else. With the birth of their granddaughter Rebecca he was himself again. Nothing impressed her more than listening to him blow of business meetings over the phone to babysit Rebecca while Susan and Brian went out for dinner. He even threatened to quit his job if they asked him to work late one more time when he was expecting his granddaughter in town.

Their situation changed again one night when mom looked in the fridge and said she didn't know what to make for dinner. Dad said they should go out to eat, an innocent enough suggestion but one that left her nervous as a young girl asked out on a date for the first time. They were still dressed in their work clothes so they went as they were in his car. She said they could eat wherever he wanted and dad surprised her by taking her to the same restaurant she liked to eat at when they were newlyweds. He later admitted that he drove there because he remembered that it was one of her favorite places to eat and the first that came to mind.

The food was still as great even though all the old staff was long gone and the ownership had changed. They were a little over dressed with dad in his suit and mom in her law office attire but the girl serving them smiled at them correctly guessing that they hadn't bothered to change after work. Their dinners together at home had given them lots of practice and chatted easily the subject passing from Rebecca to our wedding and even mom's plans for the garden this year. Dad made her blush by saying it always looked nice whenever he stopped by to pick us up as kids.

It was a Friday so instead of driving straight home after dinner dad asked if it was okay to make a few stops first. Mom didn't mind and even agreed to help him pick a movie to watch. Neither of them wanted snacks to eat during the movie but dad wanted something stronger than soda to drink. Again mom was okay with him making a stop, this time at a liquor store. She waited in the car until dad came out with a bottle of wine and some beer. Back at the house he surprised mom by opening the wine and putting the beer in the fridge for another time.

They both drank a few glasses as they watched the movie and when it was over they sat downstairs talking in low voices as if there was someone in the house they could disturb. When mom thanked dad for a wonderful evening he said the pleasure was all his. Neither of them was drunk but a few drinks made dad open up and before he knew it he was in the middle of a rambling apology that came dangerously close to opening old wounds that had already healed. At the end he told her he was sorry for destroying what should have been their perfect life together.

That made mom tear up but not for the reason he thought. There were things she was sorry for too, like not trying harder to make their marriage work or doing enough to convince him we needed his time and love far more than his money. It was never as bad as he made it out to be and it was impossible for her to hate the man who had given her two wonderful children. Life was better than ever now. Their daughter and her husband had their own child, a beautiful granddaughter for them to fawn over endlessly. Not only that but their son had grown into a man they could be proud of and was about to marry a woman more wonderful than she had dared to dream of for him when she imagined what his life would be like as he slept in his crib. Even her ex-husband was acting like the man she remembered fondly from twenty years ago.

When she finished speaking, he stared into her eyes until he glanced away nervously for another sip of his wine. She was waiting to kiss him when he looked up again and the rest she left unsaid for obvious reasons. They'd been sharing the master bedroom ever since quickly remembering what it was like to love each other again. Dad told her that every morning was like waking up from a bad dream that had lasted twenty years and life was as it should be again. He told her he was sorry constantly even though his endless apologies were the only thing he did that made her mad anymore. The flowers he bought her, both fresh bouquets and those ready to plant in the garden, she loved along with all the other sweet things he did for her. It reminded her of what it was like to date him so many years ago.

I was too stunned to say anything when they were done. Cassie spoke for both of us telling them how happy we were. She wanted to treat my parents to dinner some night this week just the four of us. Dad said they'd be happy to join us but only if he was paying. The signs had been there for a while but I never let myself start to think what if my parents got back together again. It was a dream come true and the feeling I got just from watching them hold hands was incredible. Susan and Brian came downstairs smiling having put Rebecca in her crib for a nap. My sister asked if they told me yet and I nodded as she rushed over to hug me reminding me of all the times we talked about how much better it would be if dad was still with mom whenever he brought us home after a weekend visit.

Now that I knew it was easy to see how close they were now. Mom sat next to dad on our new living room sofa as Cassie and I served drinks to our guests. We didn't have any alcoholic beverages in the house but it was just as well since some of us would be driving later. There was diet Pepsi, orange juice, milk, and bottled water that we had picked up at the grocery store earlier in the day plus tea and coffee. Cassie was ready to rush to the store for some snacks, which we didn't think to buy earlier, until my mom reminded Cassie that she was there with them when they ate lunch at Julie's. She turned to Brian and I asking if we were hungry but we had stopped for sandwiches after returning the rented truck.

Before long it was time to get ready for our respective parties. Everything Cassie needed to get ready was at her brother's house and that's where Lei and Jana, who was staying at Marc and Julie's for the week too, would be meeting her along with her cousins and friends. My sister and mother were invited along of course but someone needed to watch the baby. Mom convinced Susan to go and was going to stay at our house with Rebecca until Cassie explained her mom was babysitting for Julie so my mom should come along with her and the grandmothers could baby sit together. Cassie gave Susan enough time to freshen up and they left with baby Rebecca in our car, which had the child seat in it.

Both Brian and I needed to take showers after the work we did moving furniture around earlier in the day. I left Brian go first as dad and I waited downstairs. Though I could have used the master suite bathroom I felt that should be saved until Cassie and I could share it for our first shower together in our new home and the downstairs one was so far away it would be silly to use it. Lei would be dropping Tim, Greg, and Miguel off shortly and Marc, Jay, and Mr. Dumont would be on the way soon too. I had invited John, the guy I worked with at the office, asking him to meet us at the house.