The New Ever After (The New Ever After Series) (11 page)

The next morning the Meadows-Adamson clan was driving up 95 to Maine. Heather sat in a fog most of the time thinking about Jenny and missing her friendship. She knew Lauren was right but the conversation still stung. She spent her time passing back sippy cups and juice boxes to the five kids behind her. Peter did all the driving. After a grueling thirteen hours, they arrived. Peter had rented a four-bedroom house on the beach a few miles from his parents' home. The rental house had white clapboards and had a gigantic green porch with four rocking chairs facing the ocean. There was a grassy knoll before a long expanse of public beach. A rocky point jutted out about 100 yards to the left. Heather stood on the porch and took a deep breath before helping Peter unload the car. The sea air felt refreshing. The salt and the breeze off the not quite warm ocean filled her senses. It seeped into every pore and loosened her constantly tight muscles. Before she could take her second breath, Henry ran through the house.

"Mom, this place rocks. I think it might even have a ghost
. The shutters were moving upstairs."

"It's the wind, Henry
. The sea breezes blow the shutters."

"No, it was a ghost. Trust me."

Heather smiled and walked to the Suburban. The twins were still asleep. The drive had taken longer than anticipated because they had to make so many throw-up stops. All of her offspring had a habit of getting carsick. Heather started throwing beach towels back in Massachusetts. She couldn't bear to stop any more and she could tell from the way Peter tapped the steering wheel incessantly that he didn't want to have to stop again either. This was his first roadtrip as a dad. He was not indoctrinated in slowly by starting with just one child. He got to start by taking five kids all at once. She grabbed her laptop and purse and brought them inside to the kitchen. The kids had helped Peter carry everything up to their rooms. Everyone was busy exploring. Gracie ran in with a huge smile.

"Mom, my room has a turret and a window seat. I can read and watch the ocean." Heather smiled
. Gracie was so quiet and introverted. It made Heather happy to see her so excited to be somewhere. Peter came down into the kitchen and opened some windows to get the sea breeze flowing through.

"My parents are bringing dinner in an hour. They can't wait to see the kids."

"Speaking of kids, Gracie, would you run out to the car and see if George and Emily are awake yet?" asked Heather. The car was pulled up right next to the house and all the doors were open. Heather and Peter had taken turns going in and out so many times they figured the twins would be awake shortly.

"Sure."

Peter walked over to Heather and started rubbing her shoulders.

"You're not as tight as usual."

"It's the sea air. I feel like I can breathe again."

"Then I think I like Heather in Maine," said Peter as he pressed his lips up against hers.

"Ewww...get a room!" yelled Henry as he came in. Hayes walked in behind him and rolled his eyes.

"Mom, the twins are awake," said Gracie
. Heather and Peter walked out to the car and each grabbed a baby. Peter had asked his parents to come in and baby proof the house before they arrived. There were gates and guards on the plugs. While Heather and Peter got settled, the twins toddled and crawled around.

Mary and Tom, Peter's parents, walked in a little while later with several bags filled with dinner
. They were thrilled to see the kids. They had almost given up hope that Peter would settle down with a wife and kids. But they could see that this family he inherited was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

"Heather, it's so great to see you," said Tom as he hugged her.

"We can't wait to show you all of our fair city," said Mary as she gave Heather a kiss.

"It is beautiful here
. This house is gorgeous."

"Yeah, but it's haunted," said Henry.

"Buddy, it's the wind, I promise."

"Whatever, Mom. What did you bring for dinner?" asked Henry.

"That's rude, Henry."

"He's fine, sweetie
. We brought lobster rolls fresh from our favorite restaurant," said Mary.

"DELISH! I am starved!" said
Henry.

Heather found dishes in the cupboard and started to get things out. Tom and Mary had stocked the fridge with all of the necessary items
. Peter thought of everything and it wasn't lost on Heather. His author's attention to detail was something she cherished. He was constantly noticing, remembering and thinking of everything. It made Heather's life easier. Even though his need to control everything drove her a little bit crazy sometimes.

After a dinner that was enjoyed by everyone, the babies went to sleep and Tom and Mary offered to stay at the house so the rest of them could go for an evening walk along the shore. Heather was happy to oblige and couldn't wait to get out on the beach. The sound of the waves soothed Heather's soul
. She couldn't wait to sleep with the windows open.

As the five of them were walking along the beach together, Heather explained the seventh wave theory to the kids
. Her dad used to tell her that the seventh wave was always the largest. She spent so many years wondering how that was true. Her seventh wave was bound to be someone else's sixth wave or another's third wave. Nonetheless, it kept her busy staring at the water when she was little and that was probably her dad's original goal. Henry was occupied for the rest of the night counting waves as they walked. Gracie was looking for a perfect conch, and Hayes and Peter were tossing the football.

Peter watched Heather and could see her relax
. He could see her leaving the drudgery of carpool, packing lunches and fighting with Jenny at home. He knew how hard the last few years had been on her and sometimes the toll became obvious. All the love he could give her didn't make up for the loss she suffered or the craziness of having five kids. Carefree Heather was on Virgin Gorda but she couldn't maintain it at home. He was a little bit jealous of Hank's time with her imagining that before kids she had been more laidback.

"Ok guys
. Race back to the house!" said Peter racing passed Heather. She took off running too but was easily beaten by the four of them.

They said good night to Tom and Mary and made a plan for them to watch the twins while Peter took everyone out on his sailboat the next day
. The boys went up to their bedroom and Heather took Gracie up to hers. Gracie brought along the t-shirt quilt of her dad's old t-shirts and wrapped herself up. Heather cuddled with her until she fell asleep.

Heather walked into her bedroom and found Peter in bed on his iPad
.

"Working?"

"Just checking e-mail. The edits should be coming in on my new book. Come get in bed."

"I might take a shower
. Join me?" asked Heather with a twinkle in her eye. Peter got out of bed in a hurry and started the water. The shower at this rental home was smaller than the one they had at home, but most showers were smaller than the gigantic double shower they had in their new house. This one had a window in it and the light from the almost full moon was streaming in. As soon as the water warmed up, they got in. Peter had unpacked his body wash. A wash that Heather had become addicted too. Henry was tired of her smelling like a guy, but she was happy he hadn't clued into why she smelled like one. Peter rubbed the lotion all over Heather not missing a spot. She moaned as his hands touched her. She traced each of his tattoos as he moved his hands around her stomach and gently into her. Heather sighed and turned around to kiss Peter. He wrapped his arms around her back and grabbed her ass. He loved touching her. Having five children hadn't changed her body much. She complained about her twin skin or teeny tiny belly she wanted to get rid of, but Peter thought she was perfect. She held onto Peter's neck as he began thrusting his tongue between her lips. She wanted him inside of her. And he obliged.

"MOM? Where are you?" Heather jumped and Peter pulled himself out of her
. She grabbed a towel and met a startled Henry outside of the shower.

"What are you two doing in there?"

"I was just getting out and Peter was getting in. I didn't want to turn the water off," said Heather trying to think quickly and stammering through her explanation.

"That's gross and weird."

"Why are you up?"

"The ghost’
s in my room. It keeps banging the shutters."

"Henry, there isn't a ghost
. It's the sea breeze. I can close your window, but the shutters might still blow. You'll just have to get used to it."

"I can see what I can rig up in the morning to keep it from blowing, buddy," said Peter.

"Head back to your room and I'll be right in."

Peter grabbed Heather and whispered, "We're getting a lock for our doors in the morning
. We'll finish when you get back to bed."

Heather went into the boys' room and closed the windows and sat with Henry.

"Mom, I think it's Dad. I think he followed us to Maine."

"I'm sure he did follow us to Maine
, but I don't think he's banging the shutters to keep you up at night. Go to sleep. I'll stay here with you for a minute."

Heather sat with Henry until he fell asleep
. He was too young to have too many memories of Hank. Hank's stories had become like legends to him. He never tired of him but Peter was more of a dad to him. Henry had slipped into the role of Peter's son without any issue. Gracie had done the same. It was harder for Hayes, the teenager, because he had the most memories of Hank. She hoped Hayes and Peter would have an amazing relationship one day.

She walked back into her room closing the door before climbing back into bed.

"That was a close call. Do you think he believed you?"

"I'm not sure he has any reason not to believe me," said Heather.

"Now where did we leave off?" asked Peter.

Peter brought Heather back to where they had stopped
. He held her arms above her head and entered her. He kissed her as she moaned and she came first quickly followed by Peter.

"Like I said earlier, I like Heather in Maine
. I might have to keep you here."

"Well, I like Pete
r anywhere. But I do like Maine so far too."

"Can't wait to take you out on the boat tomorrow."

"I better get to sleep. Big day tomorrow. Love you."

"I love you more than you can imagine my sweet
. Good night."

Heather could hear the shutter banging
, but she was too tired to care and let the sound of the waves lull her to sleep.

The sea gulls woke George up early, which in turn woke everyone up in the house. The plan was to go to the beach, come back for lunch and head out on the boat when the twins went down for their afternoon nap. Taking barely one-year-old twins to the beach was an undertaking. The beach was basically their backyard, but all of the kids and things made it feel like it was a hundred miles away. Heather and Peter loaded up a wagon with toys, towels and other paraphernalia, put the twins in the jogging stroller and went down to the beach with the other three kids. Hayes carried a plastic pool. She planned on filling the pool up with a little water and hoped George and Emily would be happy in it. Heather brought two beach chairs but knew that sitting at the beach while watching five kids was going to be next to impossible.

Hayes and Peter went right into the ocean
. Heather laid out the towels and set the pool up for the twins. She got a wave of butterflies as she stole a glance at Peter in his swimsuit. Every part of his body was perfectly chiseled. His Vineyard Vines swimsuit contradicted the tattoos covering his arms. But that's what Peter was in so many ways, a contradiction. He looked like a bad boy but acted like Prince Charming.

Heather got everything situated and put the twins in the pool
. George wouldn't leave Emily's sun hat alone and kept grabbing it off her head making her cry each time. Heather couldn't get him to stop because he was only one, and there was no rationalizing with a one-year-old. He heard the word "no" more than any of her other kids ever had and had earned the nickname "Master of Disaster" for all of his crazy antics as he crawled around the house and destroyed things.

Peter heard the cries from the water and came back up to see how he could help.

"George is driving Emily crazy. I'm afraid he's going to annoy the crap out of her for the rest of her life," said Heather.

"She'll get him back when they start dating
. She's just going to have to tolerate him for the next thirteen or fourteen years."

"Want to help me bring them down to the water?"

"I would help you do anything my crazy, gorgeous wife."

Heather smiled
. The word wife still sounded odd to her. Marrying Peter on Hawaii was a dream come true for all of them but still felt surreal. They walked the twins down to the water and let them get their toes wet. George squealed with delight, but Emily was a bit hesitant. She was definitely the cautious one of the two.

Peter loved watching Heather
. He had finally convinced her to wear a two piece bathing suit. But she did it in her own way, pairing a bikini top with a skirted bottom. She had put away all of the bikinis he bought for their trip to Virgin Gorda and returned to her mom attire. She had a minor obsession with the size of her ass, which amused and a little bit annoyed Peter because her ass was hardly any size at all. It was definitely not too big. He guessed most people would be jealous of Heather at first glance. But, she usually managed to do something a little odd like tucking her skirt in her underwear or tripping in front of your car in the middle of a busy road, so most people wanted to hug her and protect her.

Just as Peter finished admiring his wife, he heard someone calling his name.

"Peter Adamson? Is that you?" Peter and Heather turned at the same time. Heather saw a blonde in a black one-piece bathing suit running towards him. She noticed right away that nothing jiggled as this woman ran. Her black bathing suit was timeless and sexy. Her hair bounced as she ran in a Baywatch-y way.

"Kelly!" Peter yelled as he picked George up and walked over to this running lady
. They embraced on the beach with George smashed in between them.

Kelly, he knows her name
. She's not just an adoring fan,
thought Heather.

"How are you? Are you here for the summer?"

"I'm great. We just came up for a few weeks."

"And who is this adorable guy?" asked Kelly tickling George's tummy.

"This is George. And oh, yeah, wait, sorry! This is my wife." Peter's cheeks were pink, and Heather could see him blinking behind his sunglasses.

Heather stood back and smiled
. She wasn't used to Peter forgetting her even momentarily and that's exactly what he had done. She wasn't really sure how to react so she just smiled and said, "Hi."

Kelly walked towards Heather and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Kelly Clark. I'm an old friend of Peter's." She smiled at Peter and winked. Peter smiled back and a little laugh, chuckle squeaky noise came out of his mouth
. Kelly touched Heather's arm in a way that reminded her of the sympathy touches she had gotten after Hank died.

Why the fuck is she winking at my husband?
thought Heather.
And why does he look like he just swallowed a canary?

"Kelly and I went to high school together," said Peter to Heather before he turned back to Kelly. "What have you been up to? How is your family?"

"The kids are fine. Jason and I got a divorce last year. I caught him having an affair with one of the paralegals in his office."

"Wow. Why would he have an affair if he was married to you?" asked Heather
.

Kelly smiled at Heather as did Peter
. But they both smiled in a way that made Heather feel like she was about three years old. Peter's eyes moved down to the top of Heather's swimsuit. Heather followed them down and realized that Emily had pulled the suit right off of her boob and it was hanging out for the whole beach to see. Heather turned several shades of crimson, fixed her suit and walked over to her beach chair. She set Emily on the blanket so she could play in the sand. George started fidgeting in Peter's arms to get down, so he walked over and set him next to Emily. At the same time, Gracie walked back to the blanket with a bucket of shells. Henry took a break from building his sand castle, and Hayes got out of the water.

"Boy, you guys have your hands full," said Kelly. "I've got to run, but I would love to have you guys over for dinner tomorrow night
. All of you. Just casual on the back deck. Say 6?"

"Sounds great. We'll see you then," said Peter without consulting Heather
, and Kelly walked away.

"I'll stay home with the kids and you can go," said Heather not looking at Peter's face.

"No, you're all coming. Kelly invited all of us."

"
You can’t tell me what to do! The twins go to bed at 7:30, and it just sounds like a lot of trouble if you ask me."

"Kelly has two kids
. She knows exactly what kind of trouble kids are."

"If you are so desperate to go, go
. I'll stay home with my kids," said Heather completely overreacting.

"I'm not desperate to go
. I think you would like her. And they are OUR kids." Peter didn't want to argue with Heather, so he grabbed Henry and got into the water. He left Heather to sit and stew on the beach.

They were more than friends
. I can tell. He never acts like that around women
, she thought, ignoring the fact that the only thing Peter did differently was not blow Kelly off. Heather had just about had enough of the beach for the morning. She was ready to get the kids back to the house, make lunch and try to forget the ugly green-eyed monster that had reared its head at the beach. She decided it was best to wait for Peter and Henry to get out of the water because nagging him after her little rage was probably a bad idea.

The twins played with Gracie and her shells
. George tried to eat each of them. Emily watched Gracie with wide open eyes, like she was in awe of her. Hayes made a drizzle castle at the edge of the water. Everyone seemed content. Except for Heather. The jealousy was leaving a bad feeling in her head on this beautiful beach morning. When Henry and Peter got out of the water, Henry flattened Hayes' castle. Heather wasn't 100% sure it was on purpose, but Hayes was sure and got up and tackled Henry. Peter peeled Hayes off of Henry without missing a beat. He picked Henry up and plopped him on the beach blanket.

"I'm ready to head up and have some lunch before we go out on the boat," said Heather
.

"Okay, Meadows-Adamsons! You heard the boss, let's move out," said Peter
. Heather watched him to see if she could tell if he was mad at her at all.

The combined time for packing up and unpacking was almost greater than the amount of time they spent on the beach
. When they got back to the house, Heather got the twins cleaned up and Peter made lunch. Peter's parents walked in shortly after lunch and Heather got the twins down for a nap. The big kids, Heather and Peter left for the sailboat.

"I've never been on a sailboat before," said Henry.

"I've been sailing for as long as I can remember," said Peter. "I'll teach you how it's done."

The drive down to the marina was only a few minutes
. The owner of the marina met Peter at the car.

"We've got your boat all set, Mr. Adamson."

"Thanks. I've missed her. It's been two years since I've been on her."

"Her?" asked Henry
. "It's a boat not a girl."

"People refer to boats as females
. We even name them. My boat's name is Blue."

"Hmmm...," said Henry.

When they got to the boat, Peter gave everyone a life jacket, even Heather.

"Here, it'll help cover your breasts," whispered Peter as he handed it to Heather.

"Very funny. I'm embarrassed enough about earlier."

"What part of earlier?"

"We'll talk about it later. I want to enjoy Blue and see why you love her so much." She hoped Peter could put it out of his mind and enjoy a nice sail on this day that she had already done her best to mess up.

The
guy from the marina helped them untie from the dock.

"All your emergency gear is in the box on the floor. It's all tested and updated."

"Thanks," said Peter as he prepared the sails and then started a motor.

"I thought this was a sailboat not a motor boat!" yelled Henry.

"I use the motor to get out of the harbor."

Gracie and Heather sat next to each other on the boat. Hayes sat on the front and Henry stood next to Peter absorbing everything he could about driving the boat
. They were out of the harbor before they knew it, and Peter put the sails to work. Heather watched as his muscular form moved one sail to the other side and pulled ropes from here to there. She had no idea what he was doing. But the view was pleasant.

Peter felt her watching him
. "Want to learn?"

"Yes, sometime
. Right now I just want to enjoy."

Peter smiled
. He liked the idea of Heather enjoying his passion. Heather liked the idea of watching her husband drive a boat.

"I'll learn," said Henry.

"And I'll teach you. Mom, what do you say we get the kids some Sunfish sailing lessons while we're in Maine?"

"YES!" screamed all three kids at the same time
. Heather smiled and knew it was a done deal. When they first met, Peter had found out the hard way that if he mentioned it to Henry he would have to follow through because Henry would nag him until it was done. He had offered to take them all to the Hard Shell and Henry was relentless in his pursuit for lobster. A year and a half later, Peter was careful with what he suggested.

Being out on the boat was incredibly relaxing
. Heather watched the coast blow by. The shoreline was rocky-not at all like that of the Virginia and North Carolina coast that she was used to. The patches of beach were smaller than she was used to seeing. She could see the lighthouse in the distance and small islands on the horizon.

"This is a perfect sailing day," said Peter.

"It's the second best one I've ever had," said Heather thinking back to Virgin Gorda.

Peter looked at her and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too and this dysfunctional family we've created," said Heather.

They stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get some more food for the house
. Everyone was exhausted. Heather was too tired from being outside all day to say no to all of the snacks the kids asked for. She took the path of least resistance and let them get whatever they wanted. But it was Peter who bought more desserts than the kids, loading up on s'mores ingredients. The twins were happy to see them when they returned, and Peter invited his parents to stay for dinner. He threw fish on the grill, and Heather made a big salad. After dinner was cleaned up and the kids were in bed, Peter and Heather sat on the porch in the rocking chairs facing the ocean.

"So, are you going to tell me why you got all freaky about going to Kelly's for dinner?" asked Peter.

"I didn't get all freaky. I just don't want to go."

"Why not?"

"First of all, you know how much fun it is to bring the twins places. I'll be stressed out and make a fool of myself. I already showed her my saggy boob. Can't imagine what else I could do."