Blended Family

Lin

Two weeks later, I waited at the gate with my hands tucked in my pockets.  Passengers from O'Hare streamed out slowly.  I searched faces for the one I was looking for.  Finally, she came into view.  She broke into a huge smile, her face lighting up, when she saw me standing there.  I laughed as she hurried over to me.

"Daddy!!" she exclaimed, crashing into my arms.  I hugged her tight, swaying back and forth with her.

"Hi sweetheart," I said into her hair.  "I missed you."

"Missed you more!" she told me, pulling back.  Her eyes twinkled with happiness.

"You," I pointed at her accusingly.  "Are a little tyrant."

She grinned sheepishly as she adjusted her backpack.  "Guilty."

I had tried to be a little mad about it, but I couldn't.  Clarita had really gone off the deep end with the whole custody thing and it had backfired.  She should have listened to our daughter all along.  I playfully hooked my arm around her neck and mussed up her hair as she laughed.

"Daaaad!!" she complained, pushing against me.

"Jooeeyyy!" I mocked her back as we started walking towards baggage claim.  We smiled and laughed as we walked together.  I asked about her flight and she asked how Alex and Jack were doing.  They were still doing remarkably well.  They were too young to really absorb a lot of the trauma.

We took a taxi home since she had her massive suitcase.  As soon as we walked in the door she was bombarded by Elliott and Alex.  Elliott kissed her and Alex begged to be picked up.  She scooped the little girl up, planting kisses on her face as she giggled.

Once they'd calmed down, Pippa walked over and gave her a big hug.

"I'm making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner," she told Joey, which was one of her favorite meals.

"Yummmm," she said.

"Joey, will you take me to the park?" Alex asked excitedly.

"Sweetheart, she just got home," I told her, picking her up.  "Let's let her relax for a while."

"We can go later," Joey said.  "I'd love to go with you!"

Alex danced a little in my arms and I kissed her cheek.  She was such a fun kid.  Elliott wheeled Joey's suitcase down the hallway to her room and they talked as he helped her unpack.  We might have to remind them of the door open rule that night.

As promised, Joey took Alex to the park later.  Elliott and Jack went along as well, which left Pippa and I some time to ourselves.  It was so quiet with no kids home.  We made good use of our privacy.

At dinner that night Elliott and Joey had googly eyes for each other.  I had to roll my eyes to myself a little bit at the sight of them.  After we put the kids to bed, we let them have the living room to hang out and watch movies.  Pippa and I watched a movie ourselves in the bedroom and checked on them periodically.  There was definitely some making out going on, but who could blame them.

For a good week Joey was on cloud nine.  She was happier than she'd been in a long time, back at home.  She met up with her friends while they were still on Spring Break and played around all over the city with Elliott.  Her Twitter feed was full of couple shots.

Soon it was time to go back to school, though.  Now that she was back at Hunter, where she was a big fish in a little pond, she was back in her element.  Gone was the lethargy she'd developed in Chicago.  Her G.P.A. quickly began to shoot back up, though she'd only gotten two B's in Chicago.