Growing Up

Chapter 29

Mariska and Peter got back after picking up another load from his place, and when they got back, Sophia was sitting on the front steps with her head hung. What she had said to Chris took so much courage, and she felt drained now.

"Kid, are you alright?" Mariska asked, as she climbed out of the moving truck and quickly headed to where her daughter sat.

"Peter, would you be willing to kick someone's ass for me?" Sophia asked, forgetting to call Peter 'Dad'.

"I'd do anything for you. But what's happening?"

"Chris showed up here and had the audacity to come over here and ask me if we could try Wednesdays and Thursdays again. I told him that he wasn't my family anymore, that Alex and Carly aren't apart of who I call family. He isn't either. I said that if he didn't get off our front steps and leave, that my Dad would kick his ass." Sophia breathed. 

Mariska and Peter were both proud of Sophia. Their daughter had stood up for herself and told the man that has hurt her so much, that she was done getting hurt and now he was gone, hopefully, for good.

"Take the rest of the day off, Soph. Go nap or something. We can finish moving the boxes in." Peter smiled, and Sophia nodded.

"Thanks, I'm exhausted. I didn't think to be bitter and sassy would be so draining."

===

Mariska and Peter finished moving all of his stuff in and had stored most of the furniture in the garden level of the brownstone. They walked out and shut the back of the truck before sitting on the back bumper. Mariska held her fiance's hand as they just sat there quietly.

"I'm proud of Soph. She is really getting her voice back and her will." Mariska spoke.

"I might not have made her with you, but God am I proud of that kid and how she's taken her recovery into her own hands."

"I'm just thankful that we didn't lose her. And I hope that today isn't gonna set her back." Mariska breathed. She leaned into her fiance and he wrapped his arm around her. He took this time while she was just sitting there with her eyes closed to grab the ring from his pocket. He slipped the rubber band engagement ring from her finger before slipping the diamond engagement ring onto her finger.

"It's stunning, Peter." She breathed, as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Do you still want to keep the rubber band? Or can I shoot it at the house?" Peter asked, and Mariska laughed softly before taking the purple rubber band from him and tucked it into her pocket.

"I'm keeping it. It is my first ever engagement ring... it's sad that I'm saying that now when I'm old and a mother to three." Mariska spoke, but she laughed instead of frowning.

"You aren't old. You are aged, and very beautiful and funny. People would never think that you are always joking around since you are a badass detective on TV." Peter grinned. His small grin turned into a large smile when Mariska looked up at him. He pressed his lips against hers for a moment before sighing when the front door opened.

"Mommy! Daddy! Are we gonna eat tonight?!" Luke huffed, and Mariska smiled before jumping down and walking over to her son.

"We were planning on eating air tonight." She teased, before picking her son up before he could make it to the sidewalk. She held him close, but he quickly pulled back and pressed his pudgy little hands to either side of his mother's face.

"I want pizza. Can you say that with me?" He spoke, and Mariska laughed before leaning forward and kissing his cheeks several times.

"I'll look into it sassypants. Now, go check on your sisters. I'm gonna order that pizza you wanted."

===

Chris went home and sank down onto the couch as Carly sang to Alex in his room. 

He couldn't believe that Peter was now who Sophia referred to as her father. He had lost the one title that he thought no one could rip away from him.

"How is Sophia?" Carly asked, and Chris swallowed hard.

"Not good at all... well I think she is good but I'm not anymore," Chris whispered.

"What do you mean?" Carly asked as she sank down beside her fiance. She grabbed his hand and felt how shaky his fingers were.

"Peter and Rish are getting married and he moved in with them. He was like really moving in today, and I showed up and Sophia talked to me. I asked her if we could try Wednesdays and Thursdays, but instead, she laughed in my face and told me that Peter would kick my ass if I didn't leave... she called him her father..."

"Chris, this will fall through just like every other relationship that Mariska has had before. You'll be back there before you know it, and you'll be her father. Alex will have his big sister. And Mariska will be jealous of what we have." Carly smiled.

Chris wanted it, but then he felt bad that he wanted Mariska to be upset. That he wanted Sophia to lose someone that she seems to love so much. That he wanted Mariska to be jealous... He couldn't help it though.

"I know that the judge said that we wouldn't address the custody again, but I just want to be able to get her to live here with us, even if she doesn't want it." Chris sighed. He heard his son cry from his room, and Chris stood up and walked to check on him. He opened the door and picked up his son and held him close.

"It's okay, little man. I've got you. Everything is good." Chris cooed. Carly watched him from the doorway and smiled at the two most important people in her life. But she knew that Chris wasn't going to be 100% happy without both of his kids.

"I could try and talk to them. Or just Soph." Carly breathed.

"It didn't work last time, Carly. It'll never work again. I think I'm gonna just sit in the rocking chair and hold the one kid I have that doesn't hate me."

"Give him time," Carly replied before she turned and left to do whatever she does.