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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 21, 2015 3:53:30 GMT
Amber turned to Brandon and shook her head, running her hand through her hair as she dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, I mean, it's good that you did because if not we would have ended up being out of luck, right?" She rested her hands on her lap and shrugged a shoulder up. "I just wanted to get everything right, you know? I thought this was as good a place as any to start." Her brow furrowed when she realized that she wasn't even just talking about getting things right for Thanksgiving. "I never told you about miscarrying when we were younger and I always told myself that it was because we weren't together, but I think the reason I never told anyone is because I was ashamed. And my doctor told me then that I probably couldn't have known that soon and that my body just couldn't...deal with it and the way that I was living. And now they're telling me that I just have to be a bit aware this time, so it makes me feel like I have to do everything right. But I don't think that's really fair, I can't really control how my body's going to react to stress. Now, I'm terrified that I'm going to get it wrong and something's going to happen and this time I won't be able to hide it or say that I couldn't have known. I think it's unreasonable to ask someone to watch their stress levels, because then don't they just start stressing out about whether or not they're stressed?"
She let out a dry laugh and shook her head. "So it's stupid, but I thought that getting this right would make me feel better. Like putting together a big family meal and reassuring myself that I could do something that I think a good mother should be able to do, would make me feel a little more in control of it all. I know it's not the same thing, but I thought it would help."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 21, 2015 5:06:15 GMT
Brandon shook his head at her, "No, it's not stupid." It was suddenly making a lot more sense, he realized, especially when he realized that all of it had been really about how much she was still worried about what she was going to be like as a mother. He would have been lying if he said that he wasn't still worried about what he was going to be like as a parent, but like she had told him, they still had a lot of time to figure it out. "But I don't think that whether or not you can put together a big family dinner has any weight on what kind of mother you're going to be to our kid." He smiled at her and walked up to her, placing a hand on the side of her cheek and kissing her softly, "You're going to be an amazing mother, and we're going to get through all of this together. Just tell me if you need anything to help you destress." He pressed another kiss to her lips, "I love you. And I want you to be happy."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 21, 2015 5:17:59 GMT
Amber smiled softly at Brandon, nodding as he reassured her. She knew that he was right and she tried to take a deep breath. Moving to wrap her arms around him she kissed him back. "I love you, too," she muttered. "I'm sorry for making such a bit deal out of this. I also wanted to make sure everything was nice for them," she gestured to the door. "I know Melanie's mom left, and this is Cassidy's first Thanksgiving where she hasn't been able to be in Wisconsin - and it's our first real holiday together," she pouted slightly. "And you don't eat carbohydrates and I screwed up the only protein."
Leaning up, she kissed him again quickly. "I guess we should go back out there," she muttered. "I am glad that you and Cooper arranged for a back-up plan, Brandon. Maybe it was a little ambitious of me to try preparing an entire Thanksgiving meal on my first go when I probably could have just started with something easier, like...Arbor Day."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 21, 2015 5:45:28 GMT
He laughed, entirely uncertain what exactly an Arbor Day meal would look like. He figured that now was probably not the right time to tell Amber that he was content with being the couple that just ordered in or went out for dinner. But he understood the need to learn some domestic skills as their family grew. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the backup plan." But really, with or without the perfect turkey, Amber made a good point about the fact that this was supposed to be their first real holiday together, and this should have provided their friends with a great Thanksgiving. "As for the carbs, I'll make an exception for today - for you," he added with a smile.
Brandon took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly, "Want to go back out there and see what the damage is?"
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 21, 2015 17:22:01 GMT
Amber smiled softly up at Brandon, leaning up to kiss him quickly on the lips. “I love you, Brandon,” she nodded, keeping her hand in his as she moved towards the door. “I should probably go apologize to everyone,” she admitted, squeezing his hand.
Cassidy felt guilty almost immediately after Amber had walked away, so the moment she emerged from the bedroom with Brandon, she flung herself onto the blonde, hugging her. “I’m really sorry. I’m sure everything is great.” Pulling back, she nodded at her. “I’m really glad you invited me over, I can just Skype my family later. It’s okay.” Cassidy wasn’t really sure how true that was, but it was better than hurting Amber’s feelings over something that wasn’t even within the blonde’s control.
Cooper had been on the phone with the hotel’s restaurant making sure that the turkey was on its way. He ended his call, smoothed his hand through his hair and looked apologetically at everyone. “Amber, I didn’t mean to insult you.”
Melanie, at this point, had begun occupying herself with Madison, telling her a story about the parade she’d watched on television that morning with the giant balloons of some of her favorite characters being marched down Fifth Avenue. She barely had time to pay attention to Amber’s sadness or Brandon’s concern, but she was glad they were back so she could tell them about the parade later too. Maybe that would cheer them up.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 21, 2015 20:28:05 GMT
Madison looked up as the door to the bedroom opened, smiling softly at Amber. She could imagine the pressure that Amber had been under to try and make sure that this dinner went off without a hitch, and she was sure that they hadn't all been on their best behavior. She was sorry that they hadn't been necessarily the best dinner guests so far, but she was more than willing to try and help make up for that in any way that she could.
Brandon smiled at Cassidy as she bounded over to Amber to apologize. He placed his hand on the small of her back, "Is there anything that you need help with?" he asked, deciding that it was better to attempt to be helpful than to continue to let her get stressed out about things that were out of her control at the minute.
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 21, 2015 20:52:28 GMT
Melanie was busying herself when a thought struck her at random, the way thoughts tend to do for four year olds. She tugged on Madison’s hand, “Are you my dad’s girlfriend?” she asked curiously. “I want Brandon to be my boyfriend,” she announced.
Cooper choked on his drink while Cassidy and Amber dissolved into giggles. “Mel-Bell, you’re grounded until you’re seventy-five,” he announced before shaking his head and grinning at Madison and then Brandon’s intense look of discomfort.
Amber did her best to restrain her laughter, “I don’t need any help, Brandon. I think now once the turkey gets here everything will be okay.” She then turned her attention to the little girl. “Can we at least share so we can both date Brandon?”
“Nope,” Melanie replied as she started pulling toys out of her backpack.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 21, 2015 21:13:57 GMT
Maddy froze, having not really prepared herself for Melanie's question of her own relationship status, but certainly having not been prepared for her own statement of having Brandon be Melanie's own boyfriend. She looked over to Cooper for help, smiling back at his grin. It seemed like Cooper was going to have his hands full with Melanie as she got older, but for now her little crush on Brandon was still adorable and endearing. Madison laughed as Melanie shot down Amber's suggestion of sharing Brandon and shook her head, trying to keep from giggling like a crazy person.
Brandon shook his head, smirking at Amber, "Looks like you might have some competition after all."
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Post by Amber Jacobs on Sept 21, 2015 22:25:33 GMT
Amber laughed softly and looked at Brandon. "Competition? She's so adorable, I can't compete with that," she quipped. "It was nice while it lasted, but I hope you two are happy together." She squeezed Brandon's hand and grinned at him before going to go get everything else set up.
Cassidy remained standing near Brandon and looked up at him sheepishly. "I'm really sorry about earlier," she told him. "I didn't mean to get her upset, I wasn't really thinking." She pursed her lips and shook her head, "It's the first year I haven't gone home for Thanksgiving," she explained. "And I know that it's silly, probably. Like, people grow up and stop spending holidays with their family all the time," she gestured around at the rest of their company and shrugged.
Cooper took a sip of his drink, he stepped closer to Melanie and Madison before crouching down to look at his daughter. "How do you know about boyfriends and girlfriends, Melanie?" The little girl shrugged. "Why do you think Maddy's my girlfriend?" he tried again.
"Because she's pretty and she's nice and she makes you smile and she smells like flowers and you kiss her."
Cooper laughed. "She is all of those things," he grinned, standing up straight and pressing a quick kiss to Maddy's lips before looking down at Melanie. "But you're not allowed to kiss any boys until you're thirty."
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 21, 2015 23:14:03 GMT
Brandon smiled at Amber as walked back to the kitchen. He was so proud of her for pulling everything together the way that she had, even if there had been some hiccups along the way. He knew that it was still terrifying to think about what they were going to be like as parents, but he was absolutely certain that she was going to make a great mother if only because she wanted to. The combination of their own hopes for themselves as parents, as well as the knowledge of things that their parents had done that made them pretty lousy, was going to make it a lot easier. Or at least he hoped so. He kept thinking back to what Cooper said about people never really getting over the fear that they weren't going to be good parents, but he seemed to have things pretty figured out in his own right. Brandon only hoped that he and Amber caught up when it was their turn.
Turning to Cassidy he shook his head, "It's okay, I get it. I hate to sound like a self-help book but not everyone's family is blood-related," he glanced over at Amber for a second before turning his attention back to Cassidy. "Amber and I were never very close to our families and so this is a big deal for her. This is her family Thanksgiving," he shrugged, giving her a small smile. "Personally, if it were up to me we would have just gone to a bar and had a few drinks but obvious circumstances prevented that."
Maddy flushed as Cooper questioned his daughter and Melanie responded with a string of sweet compliments. The affection that she had for the little girl truly surprised her at times and she was constantly reminded of how much she had been afraid of getting involved in all of this - their little family. She was glad that she had overcome her fears and just gone for it as she wasn't sure she could imagine what it would be like without them as part of her life now. "That's very sweet, Melanie," she said to her before grinning and turning to Cooper. "I thought she was grounded until she was seventy-five. Who is she going to be kissing when she's grounded?" she teased.
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Post by Cooper Benson on Sept 21, 2015 23:55:03 GMT
Cooper laughed and shrugged. "I don't know, but if she's pining after Brandon Finn, I imagine that can't say much about her tastes," he joked.
"I heard that!" Amber called out from the kitchen, causing Cooper to laugh even harder. A moment later, there was a knock on the Penthouse door and Amber went scurrying to get it, once again in her apron. She directed the hotel workers delivering the turkey on where to put it before announcing dinner would be ready in just a few minutes.
He turned his attention back to Madison as Melanie toddled off to find someone more interesting, most primarily their host. "Well, you've officially got her approval. I guess that makes you my girlfriend," he teased. He'd never been one for titles, but now that his daughter had gone ahead and assigned them, he decided he liked the way it sounded. "And I guess your family must be alright with me if they let me steal you for the holiday."
Cassidy grinned at Brandon. "Yeah, you've got a point. I'm glad you guys invited me. I was telling Amber the other day how you're like the older brother I always wanted. I mean, I have three but they're all nerds," she smiled at him before she felt Melanie tugging on her hand.
The four year old grinned up at them, looking at Cassidy, "Excuse me," she squeaked before standing in front of her and looking up at Brandon. "Brandon, will you be my boyfriend?"
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 22, 2015 0:26:57 GMT
Madison smiled at Cooper upon hearing him call her his girlfriend. It seemed like such a silly trivial thing to make an impact on her, but she supposed that as jokingly as he intended it, part of her had been waiting for some kind of confirmation. Especially when he mentioned her family. After so many years of having her parents and extended family question her endlessly about school, then her career and love life, she had started keeping it as simple as possible. She had brought her long-term college boyfriend home for a couple of Thanksgivings while in school and she blamed that entirely as the moment in which all of the questionings began. Her family had seemed to be really fond of him and the first year that he wasn't there she had gotten a slew of questions about what happened, if she did something to end the relationship, if he had cheated, and so forth. Actually, she realized, she blamed her family for her tenacity when it came down to it. Her relationship with Parker had ended before she had felt any need to tell anyone about it and then Cooper - well, she had almost been afraid to jinx it. When they first started dating she had so many questions about what their relationship would entail, she had wanted to make sure she knew how to answer her own questions long before her family started in on theirs. And truthfully, she wasn't sure how they were going to feel about the fact that he had been married once before and had a child from that marriage. "Right," she agreed, "Except..." she hesitated, not sure that now was the right time to bring up the fact that they didn't know about him. "Never mind. We can just talk about it later."
Brandon laughed at Cassidy, about to say something in response when he found Melanie standing in front of him. He was torn between the impulse to laugh as though the little girl had told a joke or if he was supposed to respond to her question in all seriousness. He would have sought help from Amber or Cooper in this circumstance normally, but they both seemed to be busy at the moment. Suddenly realizing that he was going to need to figure out how to talk to kids soon, he opted to crouch down to her level and grinned at her. "How's this?" he offered. "How about you keep that in mind and ask me again in another fourteen years? Would that be okay?"
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Post by Cooper Benson on Sept 22, 2015 0:47:24 GMT
Cooper eyed Madison for a moment, he had a feeling he knew what the except was - and it was either that her family didn't like the idea of him very much or that they didn't even know about him. The thought, admittedly, disappointed him, but he smiled at Madison. "Sure, whenever you want." Taking a sip of his drink, he nodded at her, slipping his arm around her waist. "Well, how about we grab our seats?"
Melanie looked at Brandon for a moment, making a face of concentration as she considered his offer. She frowned a bit, sad that he wasn't going to be her boyfriend right now, but she nodded. "Okay," she compromised glumly. "Will you and Ambuh still come play and draw pictures and read books?" she asked curiously.
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Post by Brandon Finn on Sept 22, 2015 0:57:28 GMT
Maddy smiled at him and nodded, suddenly sorry that she hadn't told her family about him. She had already admitted to him that she was in love with him, that should have been enough of a reason for her to tell her family about him. She resolved that she was going to tell them as soon as possible, but first she thought that she owed Cooper an explanation.
Brandon grinned widely at Melanie, "Of course we will. Now," he said, standing up and holding his hand out to her. "Did you still want to sit by me at dinner?"
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Post by Cooper Benson on Sept 22, 2015 1:26:36 GMT
Cooper supposed he understood why Madison might not have said anything. Their relationship was progressing rather quickly and he imagined that if Melanie, as a young woman, were to come home and disclose she was in a relationship with a slightly older man who already had one failed marriage and a child, he might not necessarily like it. He understood that, even if he didn't like it very much. He squeezed Maddy's hand before pulling her chair out for her at the table, sitting down beside her and taking a sip of his drink.
Melanie grinned at Brandon, putting her hand in his and tugging him towards the table. When she climbed up into her seat, she also hoisted her backpack up onto her lap and rummaged through it. She waited for Amber to come out of the kitchen before handing something for her. "You were sad about a turkey, and so here! My teachuh traced my hand and I used real feathers, it's a turkey!"
Amber took the small piece of artwork and smiled at Melanie before leaning down to kiss the top of the little girl's head and take a seat on the other side of Brandon. "Thank you Melanie." she looked at everyone as Cassidy slipped into her seat as well. "I wanted to thank everyone for coming, even though we got off to a bit of a rocky start. It means a lot that you're all here with us," she nodded. "I don't really know how to say grace, so perhaps we should just toast to something?" she questioned.
"Family," Cassidy suggested, reaching for her wine glass. "Our weird, dysfunctional, New York family."
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