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“Sorry I’m late,” Wyatt said coming through the door.
“I’m behind you still brother,” Holden said bringing up the rear.
Trent could barely contain the nerves eating through his stomach. “It’s all good, you have a three week old baby at home.”
“Speaking of which why didn’t you bring my new grandbaby with you?”
“I didn’t know what to do, all I got was a text ‘Family meeting at Mom and Dad’s 7 p.m.’ I figured if there was screaming, plate throwing or other shenanigans I didn’t want her here. Besides she has quite the set of lungs on her.”
Shelby Marissa Thomson had made her grand entrance in the wee hours of November 1, literally hours after the Halloween outing. Wyatt hadn’t been to the office since. He had requested bonding time, and the other Thomson boys had pitched in to fill the gap.
Grayson’s wedding two weekends before had been the only time most of the family had seen the baby and even then just during the ceremony. It had been a small intimate family wedding, and his mom was still cleaning up the backyard which might never fully recover. She had lamented the housework when he had arrived, with a grin on her face. Trent knew she loved having things to do, almost as much as marrying her sons off.
“Glad you made it back from the Honeymoon,” he said at Grayson. “Nice tan.”
“Thanks, everyone needs to make a trip to Costa Rica; it is a magical place to visit.”
“Yeah, wait for the kids,” Quentin said. “And see how much vacation to magical places you can fit in.”
“I hear you. I think that’s a few years away for us, so we might need to plan a few more vacations before all that.”
“So, you called this meeting son,” his dad said, officially calling the family meeting to order.
This was a common occurrence in the family. Whenever a momentous decision had to be made, or there was a big announcement to share, the family gathered together so everyone heard it at the same time. Babies, weddings, house purchases, you name it they did it together. If it involved one of the family members, it involved them all. For the first time ever Trent had called the meeting.
“So, I have some news and I thought I would put it on the table for your input. I expect you to be totally honest with me.”
“You’re breaking up with Cassie,” Quentin said.
“Oh honey, no.” His mother looked ready to cry.
“Have you considered the kids?” Grayson demanded.
“That was fast,” Holden proclaimed.
“This better not impact the business.”
“What could she have done?”
Trent heard the conversation buzzing around him like a hive of angry bees. He knew one sure way to put an end to it all. He withdrew the velvet covered ring box from his pocket, extended his arm and snapped it down on the table where everyone could see it.
Dead silence.
He waited.
They glanced at each other, and then his mother reached out and picked it up. Drawing it to her, she flipped the lid and gasped. “Trent it’s beautiful.”
“She loves sapphires, so I know it’s a bit untraditional but...”
“Holy...” Grayson trailed off never finishing the sentence.
“I never thought I’d see the day,” Quentin said, reaching out a hand and laying it on his shoulder.
“I know we haven’t dated, long. I just...it’s right. Besides I don’t want to keep having to sneak around, find time, and just...I want us to move on to the next stage of our life together.”
His mother came around the table, and hugged him so tight around the neck he thought she would cut off all circulation.
“I’m so happy. Cassie is awesome. Wow six more grandkids for Christmas,” he could hear her brain processing as she walked away after handing him the ring.
“What do you think?” he turned to Quentin.
“I agree you haven’t known her long, but I can’t think of a single reason to give you for this being the wrong thing to do. You are different with her around...it’s been obvious almost from the first minute I saw the two of you sparring. I’m so happy for you.”
“Wyatt?”
“I got nothing. Monica and I’ve had a pool since your first date on the exact date you would pop the question. I said Christmas and she said Thanksgiving, so...thanks for the ‘I told you so’ I’m going to hear...but I’m happy for you.”
“Same here,” Grayson said. “I don’t know her as well as the others, but what I have seen I love.”
“Agreed. I don’t spend nearly the time Wyatt, Quentin and you do with her...but everything I’ve seen says she’s a keeper.”
“Agreed. Son, we think she makes a great addition to the family, and you are just so happy around each other. This is great.”
“Thanks, you don’t know how happy I am to hear that. I do have one favor though. I’d like to include the kids in the question asking...and all of you that can be there.”
“Wonderful. When? And what did you have in mind?”
They spent the next hour helping him prepare to take the biggest risk of his life.
***
The awards ceremony was wrapping up, and Cassie wiped another tear off her cheek. Alex and Will looked so cute in their outfits, and those cheesy grins when they received their trophies were priceless. They had played their last game, and with Thanksgiving literally days away, the snap in the air was very different than the warm breezes had been when the season began.
“Okay, we have one last presentation today,” Wyatt said. “Cassie could you go over to the concession stand? We left the snacks in there. Can someone else go with her, and help set that up and we can finish?”
“Sure,” Cassie said as another mom jumped up. She looked over to ensure all the kids were with an adult. Gwen had Beatriz and Bridgette and was having a deep conversation with them. Alex and Will were huddled with Wyatt and Trent on the field. Sachie was sitting down by the trophy table with Charles, who was showing her how to whistle using a blade of grass. Harper was sitting next to Emily chatting happily. For once her nose was not buried in a book. Everyone accounted for, Cassie hurried towards the concession stand.
“Thank you for all your help this season,” the other woman, whose name Cassie couldn’t recall, said.
“Oh it’s no trouble,” she reciprocated as they closed the distance to the building they sought.
“With as many children as you have, I don’t know how you have any energy left. I only have two and sometimes feel like I need a vacation just to get some sleep.”
“I have a great nanny, and as you can tell lots of help.”
“Yeah, Trent and his family are great.”
After a few minutes, she located the packed chest in question and grabbing a handle each they turned around and walked back.
Returning to the field Cassie looked around. This must be part of the demonstration, she thought. Gwen, Charles, Sachie, Wyatt, Monica and their children were all gathered on third plate with others she didn’t recognize. At second base was Alex, Will, Quentin, Emily, Dante, Viviana and Holden. Grayson, Sharon, Beatriz, Bridgette and others were on first. And Trent stood on the pitching mound.
She looked around as Harper walked towards her.
“Honey am I supposed to go out there?” she whispered.
“No. Look.”
The group at first was holding a large placard that said “WILL.”
Second base suddenly tipped up the one that said “YOU.”
Cassie had a thought flitter across her brain, and then every nerve went on high alert. This could not be happening.
The sign with “MARRY” being flipped by the group at third confirmed it.
She could feel her breath coming in spurts.
“Here mommy,” Harper held up a tiny blue velvet covered box. “He is going to be my daddy,” she conspiratorially whispered, nodding toward the pitcher’s mound where Trent stood holding the sign “ME?” with a big questioning grin on his face.
The man had thrown her the world’s biggest curve ball. And as she looked at her burgeoning family on each of those plates, she knew without a doubt what the answer had to be. She just wasn’t certain her legs would carry her, but it was worth the effort.
