Chapter 26: Breaking The News

Peter drove Lauren back to her home the next morning. His new fiancée was simply ecstatic, bubbling over with a happiness and good cheer that he almost found cloying. Every few minutes she would look down at her hand, look at her engagement ring, and then look over at him lovingly. “Have I told you this morning how much I love you?” she asked.

“Every five minutes or so, but who’s keeping track,” he replied. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.” The first time she had told him that morning was in the middle of an early morning wakeup blowjob. She had then returned to sucking him off, and after partially swallowing his load, she had grinned at him and repeated the comment.

They had showered together again that morning, making love while standing up in the corner under the steamy spray, then Lauren had insisted they dress and go back to her house. “We need to talk to the kids before they go out.”

“Where are they going?”

Lauren had shrugged. “Who knows? Just remember, it’s a Saturday and there’s fresh snow on the ground and they are going to want to do something. No telling what, but it probably won’t be until lunchtime.”

Much to Peter’s surprise, Heather and the two youngsters were still around, just finishing breakfast. Heather came into the living room, a curious look on her face, as she saw Lauren and Peter come inside. “What’s up? I didn’t think you were coming back today.”

Lauren grinned and held up her left hand, wiggling her fingers and showing the teen her new ring. “We need to talk to Jimmy and Holly.”

Heather gasped and brought her hands up to cover her mouth. “Oh my God! ... You ... is that? ... oh my God!”

Lauren placed a finger over her lips. “Sshhh! Don’t say anything. I want to tell them.”

Heather smiled at Peter and Lauren, then went to the stairs. “Hey guys! Come on down! Right now!”

Little Holly was the first one down, and she came roaring down the stairs and around the corner to collide with her mother. “Mommy! What are you doing here? Are you going sledding, too?”

Lauren looked over at Heather. “Robby and I are taking them over to Griffin Park to go sledding,” she explained.

Holly’s brother came down next, with his usual morning grumpiness starting to wear off, though he looked suspiciously at the adults. “What’s up?”

“We need to talk,” answered their mother. She took Holly by the hand and sat down on the couch, with Holly next to her. Lauren had been hoping that Jimmy would sit on her other side, but instead he sat down at the end of the couch, on the far side of his sister. He was going through an ‘independent’ phase. Heather knelt on the floor next to Lauren, her feet underneath her, while Peter sat in an armchair across from the family he was joining.

“What’s up, Mommy?” asked Holly.

Lauren smiled down at her daughter. “Well, you know how I’ve been seeing Peter for quite a while now. Well, Peter and I are going to get married and he’s coming to live with us.”

Jimmy looked over at Peter, not in full comprehension, then looked back at his mother. Holly, always in a bright mood, simply asked, “But where’s Peter going to sleep, Mommy? We don’t have any more bedrooms. Is he going to share a room with Jimmy...”

“What! No way!” interjected a horrified older brother.

“ ... or is he going to get my room while I move in with Heather?”

Heather snickered at the thought but didn’t answer.

This wasn’t quite the way Lauren had envisioned the conversation, but she pressed on. “No, honey. When we get married, Peter will sleep in my room, just like your Daddy used to.”

It finally began to dawn on Jimmy what was going on, and he stared wildly at his mother. He was already climbing down off the couch when Holly chimed in, “Is Peter going to be my Daddy?”

Neither Lauren nor Peter could answer before Jimmy exploded. “NO! I already have a father. You’re not my dad! You can’t be my dad!” Before his mother could react, Jimmy ran out of the room and up the stairs. They heard a bedroom door slam loudly.

Lauren stared across the coffee table at Peter, then broke down in tears. “Oh, God, no!” she wailed, then buried her face in her hands. “No!” Horrified, Heather climbed onto the couch next to Lauren and held the older woman as she wailed and cried.

Peter stood. “Let me talk to him,” he said quietly. Lauren didn’t respond, but Heather mutely nodded.

As Peter went up the stairs, he missed Holly’s response. “Don’t worry Mommy. Jimmy and I will stay with you forever and take care of you.” Lauren wailed loudly.

Peter went down the hall and stopped outside Jimmy’s room. He knocked on the door softly.

“Go away! You can’t come in!” said the little voice inside.

Peter tested the doorknob and found it turned. He pushed it open and slid inside, disregarding Jimmy’s demand. “Can we talk?”

Jimmy was sitting on his bed, looking at a picture, with Goldie’s head in his lap. The retriever looked up at Peter with big brown eyes, then looked back at her master, her tail thumping slowly on the bedspread. “Didn’t you hear me say go away?” said Jimmy. The eight-year-old didn’t push it though.

“Hey, I was just wondering, don’t you know a fellow down the street a bit, a guy name of Buzzy or Birdy or something?”

“Jeesh! It’s Bucky, Bucky Brewster,” replied Jimmy. What kind of name was Buzzy or Birdy!

“That’s it, Bucky. You’re friends, right?”

“Best friends,” said Jimmy. Whatever he had expected, this sure wasn’t it. When was somebody going to start yelling at him?