Chapter 39

"My feet hurt."

"Yeah, so do mine, Hannah. I guess I shouldn't have worn my boots jogging. How are you doing, Sarah Ann?"

"I'm good."

"Well, it looks like we'll all have to get shoes specific for jogging. Ah, let's turn around and get back to the house."

After they turn around, Christopher smiles at how cute the girls look in their outfits. Sarah is wearing her black and white striped shorts, and Hannah is of course wearing her yellow one. He smiles and catches up to them.

After a few days of hard practice, Saturday and the local competition finally come. Sarah and Hannah are raring to go. The first practice run Sarah wins, then the redhead and then Hannah comes in third. The second run Sarah wins, Hannah comes in second and the redhead in third. By the time it is the turn for their age groups' third and final complete run, Hannah is pacing back and forth.

The air horn goes off and the girls arc across the sky into the water. Right away Sarah and Hannah start pulling away from the little redhead. Christopher's eyes go big as Sarah and Hannah make the turn at the same time. They are driving for all they are worth. They are neck and neck and Sarah stretches an inch further and they touch the wall, bam, bam, one right after the other. We're talking tenths if not hundredths of a second.

"Yeah!" Christopher screams so loud and jumps so high that everybody including the girls still in the pool turn to him. He runs up to them and pulls them out at the same time.

"What?" asks Hannah.

"What? Didn't you see how close that was?" he says, kneeling down in front of them

"I beat Carly?" says Hannah. That's the little redhead's real name.

"I'm not talking about her, you almost beat Sarah. If it wasn't for the fact that Sarah has longer fingers you would have won first place."

Hannah's eyes go big and Sarah smiles proudly. "Uh huh!"

"Oh yeah! And since I have hired a cameraman to film you girls so we can see where we need to improve, you are going to see it also." Christopher waves the cameraman over. The cameraman kneels and turns the display monitor so the girls can watch it.

"Look there, at the turn you two were even." As the camera rolls Hannah's eyes are getting bigger and bigger.

Of course to be fair, Christopher has the cameraman film all the races and girls individually, and gives them a copy so they can get better too.

"Oh my god, Hannah, you almost won!" says Sarah, hugging her. Sarah has such a beautiful heart.

Hannah is just standing there stunned, but happy. The little redhead girl gives them a dirty look as she walks by. The girls don't even notice, as it is all sinking into Hannah. Both girls are on cloud nine the rest of the day. "See, hard work pays off."

"Quit fidgeting and picking at your dress. You look beautiful."

"I just want her to like me," says Hannah, as they are waiting for Cathy at the bottom of the airport escalator.

"She is going to love you, my precious girl, don't you worry about that."

"Yeah, Hannah, Cathy is really nice." You can tell Hannah is still nervous.

At last Cathy slowly starts making her way down the airport escalator. Christopher thought it was going to take forever, but at last July is here and so is Cathy. As soon as she spots them she smiles. While Christopher kneels down next to Hannah, Sarah runs over to Cathy and hugs her.

And then Sarah grabs Cathy's hand and brings her over. "Cathy, this is Hannah."

Hannah is smiling so prettily. "Hi." she says in a small voice.

"Well, hello. Christopher tells me you are smart and funny and you are a really good swimmer." Hannah looks over at Christopher and he smiles and nods his head. Hannah turns back to Cathy. "And Christopher wasn't kidding when he said you are a cutie pie. Can I have a hug?"

Hannah's smiles shyly, then she hugs Cathy. The force at which she grabs onto Cathy makes Cathy say, "Whoa! It's okay, baby."

Christopher stands and puts his arm around Sarah's shoulder. Eventually Hannah and Cathy break their embrace and Cathy stands up and smiles. Christopher puts his right hand on the side of her head and gives her a sweet kiss. "How was the flight?"

"Fine, just fine."

"Come on, girls, we got to go over here and wait for her luggage to come out."

Sarah and Hannah go running over to the funny look contraption that is supposed to spit out her luggage. Christopher takes Cathy's left hand in his right and they walk over to the seats.

Once they are seated Christopher tells the girls. "Keep your fingers away from there because it is going to start spinning in a minute." Both the girls pull their hands away.

"You weren't kidding when you said she was pretty. Both of the girls are some of the prettiest girls I have ever seen. You have two girls and they are both amazing, what does that say about you?"

"I have three amazing girls." Cathy looks over at him with a pretty smile of her own and they kiss.

As the girls investigate the immediate area for a bit, Christopher puts his right arm on the back of Cathy's chair. The girls come over and Sarah sits to the right of Cathy and Hannah sits in Christopher's lap sideways facing them.

"Have you told them, yet?"

"No, I thought I would wait and let you do it."

"Tell us what?" asks Sarah. Hannah starts kicking her legs in expectation.

Cathy looks at Christopher and Christopher acquiesces to her desire. "The four of us are going to New York for the fourth of July, and for Hannah's birthday we are going to go to Coney Island and the carnival there."

Hannah looks up at Christopher and he smiles and nods his head. "Yep, we'll leave tomorrow and comes back on the seventh."

"Aren't you going back to Hollywood on the seventh?" asks Sarah.

"I changed it until the eighth."

Sarah and Hannah look at each other, and as Hannah is still sitting in Christopher's lap with her hands folded neatly she says, "Wow."

"You are going to love the girls' bedrooms. They got them fixed up so pretty."

"Are they actually sleeping in them?"

The girls giggle. "Believe it or not, yes, most of the time. Of course, if I didn't get to hold my girls at least once in a while my heart would explode." Sarah and Hannah smile at each other.

Just then the carousel starts to spin. "Come on, Sarah." The girls go to watch.

Eventually they get home, and after the girls show Cathy their bedrooms and the story they have been writing together, the four of them settle down for their first night together.

As they are relaxing on the couch watching television, it doesn't take long for the girls to cuddle in, on, over and around them. Just like he knew she would, Hannah is taking to Cathy, and soon the four of them are having a regular family evening with love and tenderness flowing like a river of solace.

Christopher has never been so calm and content in his life. The girls helped Christopher pick out red and gold pajamas with shorts instead of pants, just like the two of them have, for Cathy. Christopher may be drab in comparison in his green army shorts and black tee shirt, but the girls are radiant, and even though Christopher would like to take more pictures than the few he has taken, he doesn't want to extricate himself from the group cuddle they have going on.

At first Christopher had actually wanted to watch the movie, but the girls were so excited about tomorrow they just couldn't stop talking about it. And when they are in your lap it is kind of hard not to hear.

For half the evening Sarah was in Christopher's lap and Hannah was in Cathy's. After they came back from the bathroom they switched places. By the end of the evening Christopher is tucked into the corner of the armrest and the back of the couch at about a twenty-degree angle. Cathy is snuggled into his left side. At this point Sarah is in her lap and Hannah is in Christopher's.

Christopher has his left arm coming over Cathy's left shoulder with his hand resting on Sarah's arm. His right arm is securely wrapped around Hannah's waist, as she is almost asleep. Hannah's arms are holding on tightly to Christopher. It is a good night.

Once again Christopher finds himself surrounded by three sleeping goddesses. He shakes Cathy awake. "Hey."

She moans and sits up. Christopher stands up and takes Hannah with him. Grunting, Cathy goes to picks up Sarah. "God, she's getting too big." Sarah ends up walking up the stairs on her own.

They each tuck in their individual girl, and then Christopher and Cathy pass each other in the hall as they go to say goodnight to the other.

At long last they get to go to bed. Cathy and Christopher are lying in bed on their sides facing each other. Christopher smiles and reaches over and strokes her hair. "It is really good to have you home."

"Home, huh?" She smiles.

Christopher shrugs his shoulder with his own smile and then kisses her.

"Oh my god, Hannah, look how big the buildings are."

"Wow!"

Christopher thought about bringing the Chevelle or doing another limo, but he figures if they are going to be a family they will do it the down home way. Luckily the girls are petite, so all four of them fit in the cab of the truck.

Unfortunately because of Christopher's lack of forethought by the time he went to get them a hotel room, most of them were already filled with the Fourth of July coming up. Christopher had no choice but to get a hotel room at one of the finest hotels in New York, and not only that, but the only room available was the presidential suite, so this five day adventure is going to coast him over a hundred thousand dollars, but what is the point of having money if you can't make the people you love happy.