Blake sharply turns the corner and drives up the side of someone's garden. I look in the rearview mirror to see one of their plants squashed from the weight of the tyre. He continues driving down the street until we find a small section on the street to park.
"Do you think your parents will notice if we're late?" I ask, nervously fiddling with the soft material of my navy blue dress.
"Pft, of course they won't." Blake looks away which only makes me more nervous.
"Great." I huff. "How could you forget about something this big? It's your parents anniversary!"
"Look, I'm sorry. I was preoccupied with things," Blake apologises.
"I'm surprised your mother hasn't killed you for being late," I say.
"We'll pin the blame on London because she can't stay mad at her." He cheekily laughs.
"You can't blame your mistakes on a baby." I frown.
"She did poo all over herself and make us even more late. Besides, I'll make it up to her in the future, I'm sure of it." Blake shrugs.
"If you say so." I roll my eyes.
Blake and I quickly get out of the car and work on grabbing our things. He unstraps London while I quickly fix my dress in the side mirror before grabbing my black clutch bag.
I was in the middle of bathing London when Blake told me the news. Of course, that meant I had no chance of trying to find an outfit, which left me with my funeral dress, or this navy blue wrap dress I'd bought for my graduation dinner.
When Blake and I graduated from school, our mothers insisted on going out for dinner to celebrate. Blake had a party in mind, the kind with too much booze and a little black dress, but they had other things in mind. He dressed in a suit and I bought this blue dress. I thought my mother was crazy for buying me this expensive dress, but it's come in handy for tonight.
Blake locks the car and I put the keys into the baby bag. We walk down the side of the house and into the backyard. We're immediately met with bright twinkly lights in the back garden. There's a two person band playing soft music for the portable dance floor set up along with the numerous tables dotted around the place.
Angela and Thomas are standing off to the side greeting people as they enter, which makes saying hello easier.
"You made it!" Is the first thing Angela says. "I thought I'd have to send your brother looking for you."
"London had an accident and it took longer to clean up," Blake admits.
"Well then, I'm glad you could make it." She grins.
"So are we." He tightly smiles.
Blake and I hug the pair of them before she snaffles London from Blake's arms. He's happy enough to leave Angela with the responsibility as we walk inside the main house. Since Blake and I have moved out of the side house, they're using it as a catering point for tonight's dinner.
I follow Blake upstairs to his former bedroom so that we can put our things down. Inside the bedroom is a double bed, a chest of drawers, then a cot pushed up against the wall.
"It's cute you still have a room here." I smile.
"We'll always have a room here." He shrugs. "She's hopeful that one day this will be London's room for when she stays over. I think she eventually wants to paint it. London changes her mind about colours." says Blake.
"Why are you sad about it?" I wrap my arm around his waist, then kiss his cheek.
"Because this whole custody thing is doing my head in. Mum, Tori, and I want London and we can't divide her between the three of us, can we!"
"I think things will settle into place eventually. Until then, just enjoy tonight."
"You are right." He nods.
"That's something I wish you'd say more of," I tease.
"Hm, have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asks.
"Not tonight." I casually shrug.
"You look stunning in this dress." He kisses my forehead.
"And you look rather dapper yourself." I tug on the label of his suit jacket.
"Thank you." He smiles.
Blake and I walk outside and rejoin the remainder of the group. Everyone is heading to their seats, so we walk over to Thomas and Angela's tables in hopes of finding our own seats. Blake is seated in the middle of London and I, myself next to Tori followed by Jude. I'm surprised to see Tori here, but I guess Angela would have paid for the meal by the time Jude and Tori figured their situation out.
Blake shoots Jude a frown, which results in him shrugging his shoulders. It's now that I feel things are going to end up turning awkward, and quickly. I hope the three of them can suck up their attitude for the sake of Angela and Thomas.
"How's London enjoying her big girl seat?" I look past Blake to see London seated in a chair similar to ours. Instead, it's a bit taller to bridge the gap, and there's straps to make sure she doesn't fall off.
"Ahh," she screams with happiness.
"I'll take that as a yes." I giggle.
A set of servers come around to the table and dish out a set of beautifully crafted meals. There's an option of roasted pork, beef, and chicken with sides of mash, steamed vegetables, and gravy poured to the side.
I choose the beef and prompt Blake to get the pork so that I can steal his food. Angela covers London's food by bringing her a selection of pure mash and soft vegetables to gnaw on. Thankfully, we've got a spare change of clothing. It's not a pretty outfit, but it'll do.
Halfway through dinner, Jude gets a message on his phone, which prompts him to leave the dinner. Tori looks worried, so she excuses herself from the table to chase after him.
"Should we be worried about them?" I whisper to Blake.
"We should be worried about the mess London is making." He cocks his head in the direction of London. I look around and see the mash potato slopped down the front of her dress. There's a carrot stick hanging out of her mouth, but she's grinning madly, which makes me happy.
"I bags not cleaning her up." I pop a potato into my mouth.
"I'll get started." Blake unbuckles London from her chair and walks towards the house. Instead of holding her to his chest, he holds London out so that he doesn't get potato on his shirt. While Blake slips inside of the house, Angela takes Blake's seat.
"How are you enjoying yourself?" she asks.
"The food is wonderful," I compliment. "And I love what you've done with the garden too."
"Thank you." She giggles.
"And I'm sorry about before; being late and with no present."
"I don't need a present," she easily dismisses. "I'm happy to just have my family here and seeing my babies happy. He's happy every day he's with you, and that's all I need."
"That's very cute." I smile.
"Now, where has my son gone? He's supposed to give a speech."
"I'll go find him. He's probably still cleaning London up."
"Thank you, Ava." Angela smiles.
Angela gets up to talk with someone else, while I head into the house. I expect to hear laughter, maybe some joking, but I don't expect this. As I run up the stairs, I see the three of them arguing, London crying as their voices fight for domination.
"What the hell is happening?" I shout.
Jude goes quiet, Blake looks confused, and Tori is lost for words. I take London from Blake's arms and cuddle her to my chest. The three of them look like gasping fish, which makes me curious to see what's happening.
"Am I going to get any answers?"
Tori looks at Jude, then Blake, and finally at me. Her nervous posture makes me worried because of Tori's history. It's hard to know if she's ever telling the truth when she's tangled in her own web of lies. Then again, maybe we're pinning the blame on the wrong person?
Funny enough, my boyfriend and I just celebrated three years of dating! :D More will be coming after this weekend.