Chapter 10

* * *

MICHAEL

One year later…

"I thinkI'm gonna be sick," Michael said bluntly, looking at his father, who was covered in paint splatters. "Are you freakin' sure about this?"

"I told him ‘no', kiddo," his Uncle Jackson volunteered from just beyond where his dad was kneeling in the bushes, painting the last of the trim – stopping to glare at his wingman, best friend, and brother-in-law over the years.

"Wait… you told my Dad ‘no' ?– Then why in the heck are we painting my house before I tell Poppy about it?" Michael yelped, tossing down his paintbrush into the pan causing blobs of paint to splash upwards.

"Thumper, did I ever tell you my kid was persnickety?"

"Yes – and you sound like an old man saying that word," Houdini chuckled and bumped knuckles with his uncle as his father glared at the two of them.

"I'm fifty-eight… and you are older than me, ya' heathen."

"Can we please discuss why my house had to be painted before I told Poppy about it?"

"Your dad and I did this to surprise your mother – just be glad this isn't pink."

"That's why the house is pink?Seriously, Dad?"

"Hush… and pick up your paintbrush."

"Hold up!" Michael snarled, raising both hands and trying to keep his temper in check as he glared at the three men helping him paint. Houdini, Poppy's father, was grinning wildly and holding back laughter. His Uncle Jackson rolled his eyes and pointed at Michael's dad with both hands before tossing up his own and walking off to get a Coke out of the cooler they'd brought. His dad glared at him and crossed his arms.

"What?"

"We painted the house pink for mom…"

"We – nothing. It was your uncle and I, and it makes a man out of you, you know. A little hard labor never hurts anyone."

"At least Poppy likes the color green."

"Oh my gosh," Michael exclaimed in frustration, staring at the two of them in horror. "I thought you checked with her? Are you trying to give me heart failure? What if Poppy doesn't want a pea green house? It's pea-freakin-green, Dad…"

"Watch your tone, mister. I'm not too old to teach you some manners."

"You'd break a hip," Michael snapped – and then slapped both of his hands over his mouth as he stared at his Dad in stunned silence. The rude comment slipped out before he could stop it. Houdini and Jackson's laughter echoed through the silent neighborhood that was just now starting to stir with the dawn.

"You can be just as mouthy as your mother," his father glared – and then smiled. "I love you, brat… and just remember? It will be you wiping my rear-end if I'm incapacitated. Let's keep my hips in check and unbroken."

"Oh, heaven help me…" Michael groaned.

"Relax, Thing Two," Houdini uttered, chuckling. "They're going to be here shortly with danishes. and I guarantee my daughter never saw this coming. I have to say that I'm pretty happy with how you two act together. Thank you for taking care of my baby girl."

"Thank you for trusting me with her – and you're sure about the green?"

"I'm positive," he replied simply. "Besides, that was the last panel and I think this was a brilliant idea of your dad's."

"See?!"

"Fifty-eight, huh, Alpo?"

"Can it, Houdini…"

"Here's the ‘Welcome-Wagon' now," his Uncle Jackson interrupted from near the street. "Michael, can you make sure the front door is unlocked and get ready to start pointing where you want stuff."

Michael gaped in shock as he saw his uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends all pulling up in long lines, letting someone out of each car with a few boxes on the lawn before driving forward to park along the street. Box after box, tote after tote, all were being chucked into the yard until they got to the trucks. The trucks had a mattress, a television, a dinette with chairs, and a coffee table loaded up.

"What's all this?" Michael asked openly, shocked as his father walked over and put an arm around his neck, hugging him.

"When you get married and settle in your first ‘true' home, we all kinda step in to make sure you are settled. I never dreamed you'd be in that apartment for a year. That place is a dive. That's why your mama and I pushed you to move. You both deserve better. Now, when the next person gets married and moves into their home, you'll need to be ready to bring a box of things and help them move in."

"You're kidding me…"

"Nope," his father joked and winked at him. "We stopped bringing you because you and your sister nearly electrocuted yourself when Ghost and Aunt Mary moved into their place. From there on out, you stayed with Aunt Delilah while we did our thing."

"Is that why we had to go over all the time?"

"To keep you both alive – and me sane?" his father grinned. "Yes! Now, get inside and start pointing. You might want your recliner in one corner where we might think differently. Hop to it, son."

"I love you, Dad," he smiled, hugging his father – who squeezed him tightly, before whispering to him.

"No more complaining about the green, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Three hours later,Michael heard his name shouted at the top of his Uncle Paradox's lungs.

"MICHAEL PETERSEN, FRONT AND CENTER! IT'S GO TIME!"

Michael cussed under his breath, sprinting down the stairs and nearly going over the railing in his rush to hurry as he heard a few knowing chuckles in the distance. Poppy was here – and he wanted to see her face, meet her in the yard, and couldn't wait to surprise her. Sure enough, she was getting out of the car, talking to Madison. His twin was doing a bang-up job keeping her distracted with his wife's back toward the house.

Sneaking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around Poppy's waist and treasured her throaty laugh of awareness before feeling her tense.

"Why is there green paint on your hands?"

"Why is there nothing on yours?" he countered playfully and heard her sigh as she turned around – and he smoothly knelt down on one knee before his beloved wife, pulling out a velvet box.

Poppy's dark eyes widened as she stared at him – and then looked past him at the house. He knew the moment something clicked in her mind, because she started shaking her head ‘no' – and patting his head emphatically, ‘Yes'…

"I dink I bit my tongue…"

"Michael… Mike… oh man, Mikey… uh… there's a… ring… and a thing…" she stammered, waving her hand at the house frantically – before patting his head again, trying to get his attention.

Problem was – his attention was always on her and always would be.

"Happy anniversary, my beloved soulmate," he said tenderly, slipping the diamond anniversary band on her ring finger as she threw herself into his arms. "Do you like it? I wanted to show you how much you mean to me, and I want us to start to make a true home together. I mean, someday I want to have a child or…"

"Oh, Michael," she yelped happily, hugging him again. He simply picked her feet up off the ground slightly, wrapping his arms around her waist, and carried her forward toward the door.

"Hi, Daddy," Poppy began. "Hi, Mama… is this why y'all were asking about paint samples for the house? You aren't painting our house, are you?"

"Nope. We were digging for your husband, who wanted to surprise you."

"Oh my gosh," Poppy sobbed, turning to hug him again. "I can't believe you did all of this."

"I can't believe you are crying," he chuckled. "Don't you like the house? Is it the ring? I always felt bad I didn't have one waiting in Austin and…"

"You big ol' goober," Poppy sobbed. "It's not that."

"Then why are you crying, sweetheart?"

"It's just perfect…" she wailed, causing a ripple of laughter and element of unease through the adults standing there watching the whole scene unfold. Michael was starting to get a little nervous because he would have thought his wife would have been happy, excited, or overjoyed about all of this.

"Poppy, if it's perfect then…"

"I'm pregnant, Michael," she exclaimed, smiling despite the tears and shoving a positive pregnancy test in his face, waving it. "It's perfect because we're going to need an extra bedroom."

"We're gonna have a baby?" he whispered, shocked… and sat down on the hardwood floors, looking up at her stunned. "Are you sure?"

"Uh, Houdini?" Paradox said loudly – holding up a twenty-dollar bill. "Here you go." And to his shock, several of the men started digging out their wallets, handing over cash to his father-in-law, who moved to shake his father's hand.

"Alpo – double or nothing, brother?"

"Twins or zilch?"

"You bet," Poppy's father grinned, causing several of the men to laugh as Michael and his wife stared at each other in awareness. They'd never even thought of the possibility of them having twins!

"You're kidding," Michael hesitated, getting to his feet and hugging Poppy close. "Y'all really laid bets on us having children?"

"Of course we did," Sparky chided happily. "We've always got one or two going behind the scenes."

"Double or nothing, huh?"

Michael turned to look at Poppy, who smiled tremulously at him, nodding and touching his cheek tenderly.

"You know, either way, we win."

"Sure do," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her.