In Your Eyes
Emma walked into her backyard and looked at the decorations with a smile as she touched her pregnant belly. Manny and Liberty were throwing her and Sean a baby shower. “It looks amazing!” She said as she walked towards her friends as they excitedly continued their decorating.
“You’re not supposed to be out here until it’s all finished!” Manny shouted as she tried to block the decorations behind her. Liberty couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them. Emma and Manny have been inseparable since before Liberty met either of them.
“I was just coming out here to tell you that JT is here and he brought the kids, Alexander and a very pretty girl who I’m assuming is Allison?” Emma questioned with a raise of her eyebrow as she looked over to Liberty who was being hugged by her children, Samantha, Savannah, and Aiden.
Liberty nodded to Emma as JT approached them with the two teenagers following closely behind him. “Emma, Manny, I would like you to meet Allison Jones. She will be staying with us for a little while.” She smiled a comforting smile at Allison.
Allison nervously brushed a piece of brown hair behind her ear as she smiled at the adults, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Emma and Manny exclaimed at the same time.
Emma looked down at the kids with a smile, “Uncle Sean and Uncle Jay are upstairs with the rest of the kids if you want to go play.” She watched as they excitedly nodded and then ran off to play with their friends.
“Is there anything we can help with?” Alexander asked as he looked at his birth mom. “Allison is great at decorating.” He said as he playfully pushed her.
“Oh stop.” She said with a light giggle.
“Here why don’t you two come help me,” Manny said with a grin as she grabbed the kids hands and pulled them towards the part of the backyard that still needed to be decorated. “And make sure she goes back inside!” She shouted to Liberty and JT.
“You heard the boss,” JT said with a laugh as he walked back inside with Emma and left the women outside to finish decorating.
—————————————————-
The guests had begun to arrive and the baby shower was officially started. Emma smiled as she walked around the backyard greeting her friends and family. It had been so long since they were all in one place and she was going to take advantage of the time she had with those she loved.
Allison and Alexander were standing by the donut wall and discussing the party. Neither one of them had ever been to a baby shower and they also didn’t know that many of the guests.
Allison felt slightly uncomfortable being at a party with a bunch of strangers, but Alexander was totally enjoying himself. He loved meeting new people and experiencing new things, while Allison was more reserved than him.
Emma hugged her brother and his girlfriend, Aria, “I’m so glad you’re here!” She smiled as she held on to them tightly. “Alexander is over there and he brought his friend. She seems very nice. You should go meet her,” She encouraged with a smile as she pointed towards the pair.
Jack knew that meant they needed to go say hello to Alexander right now or Emma would keep bothering him until he did. He was about to tell Aria that they should go when Aria smiled at Emma and then grabbed Jack’s hand leading him towards the couple.
“Hey!” Aria waved at Alexander and Allison with a cheery smile, “I’m Aria and this is my boyfriend, Jack. His sister is Emma, the beautiful woman over there with that adorable baby bump.” She laughed lightly as she looked from Alexander to the pretty brunette standing next to him. She thought about her best friend, Ava, for a moment. Ava had mentioned that she wanted to get to know Alexander better. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was his girlfriend.
“Nice to meet you,” Allison said with a shy grin. “I’m Allison, Alexander and I grew up together in Seattle.” She added as she looked at Alexander. He always helped to make her feel comfortable when she was feeling nervous.
Jack smiled, “Nice to meet you too.” He went to add something, but was cut off by his very excited girlfriend.
Allison looked down at her phone and pressed a button before looking back up to the couple in front of her.
“I am so happy that there is another girl around our age here. I thought I would be stuck with Jack and Dan all night.” She said with an overexaggerated huff. “Oh Dan is Jack’s best friend and kind of my brother?” She raised her eyebrow, “My dad adopted him after his dad passed away...” She knew she might have been oversharing, but she didn’t want things to be quiet.
Emma made her way around the party greeting her friends with Sean by her side. They stopped briefly to talk with Darcy, Peter, Chantay, and Danny who were sitting at one of the tables. Emma glanced over to see Jack and Aria smiling and laughing with Alexander and Allison. She was so happy that things seemed to be going well between them.
The backyard was filled with laughter as Sean and Emma’s friends gathered together along with her parents’ friends to celebrate their son. Emma hugged Christine, Archie, and Shane as she talked with her parents friends about the joys of parenthood. Joey and Caitlin walked up to Emma and gave her a hug, congratulating her, followed closely behind by Angie and Dan. Emma thanked them for coming with a smile.
“Craig isn’t here yet?” Joey asked as he looked around the backyard for his son.
“No but they did say they were in some traffic,” Sean said to Joey before he kissed Emma on the cheek. “Emma was talking to him a little while ago when he stopped for gas.”
“Oh alright.” Joey said as he walked over to join Caitlin with Lucy and the rest of their friends.
Craig was with Ellie and the kids out of town for the weekend because of a show, but he said he would make it back in time for their baby shower. Joey couldn’t help but think it was weird that he wasn’t there yet, but he shook the feeling.
As Dan approached the group Aria whispered to Allison, “This is Jack’s best friend and my sort of brother.”
“Hey,” Dan said as he greeted his friends, but focused on the unfamiliar face, “I’m Dan.”
“Hi Dan! I’m Allison.” She smiled before looking towards Alexander. He told her before they came to the party that everyone had been really nice to him so far, but she was relieved to see he was right. Although she wasn’t completely comfortable meeting new people she couldn’t deny that everyone was being super friendly.
The group of teenagers stood there in front of the donut wall attempting to get to know each other. It became immediately clear that Alexander and Aria were the most outgoing of the group, while Dan, Allison, and Jack were more reserved. Aria and Alexander would take turns starting conversations and the rest of the group would join in. From the outside it seemed as if they had known each other their whole lives, and for Dan, Aria, and Jack they had.
—————————————————-
“It’s time for the gifts!” Manny and Liberty announced as they got the group's attention.
Emma and Sean took their seats in the middle of the backyard as Manny and Liberty began bringing them gift after gift for them to open. Everyone was laughing and making guesses as to what would be in the box when Allison’s phone rang for the tenth time.
Panic came across her face as she answered the phone. She tried to whisper to the person on the other end that she was busy, but it was clear that didn’t stop them. She continued trying to hang up the phone and from the fidgeting that she was doing Alexander knew who was on the other line. Finally Allison had enough and she shouted, “Leave me alone!” She hung up the phone and then looked at everyone around her. They were all staring at her. Embarrassment came over her as she ran through the house to try and leave. Alexander followed after her to make sure she was okay.
Liberty was going to check on Allison when Manny shook her head, “I’ve got it. You take care of the gifts.” She smiled as she rushed off after Allison. Manny had been through horrible fights with her parents that ended up with her moving out. She could maybe be helpful to Allison.
“Let’s get back to the gifts!” Manny could hear Liberty saying in the distance as she approached Allison.
Manny quietly stood in the doorway as she listened in on Allison’s conversation with Alexander. “They have been harassing me since I got off the plane. They want me to come home, but that’s not my home any more. I’m emancipated. I never have to see them again if I don’t want to.” She paused for a moment as Alexander held on to her tightly and rubbed her back gently. “I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know why I can’t have parents that love me. They say they do, but if they did they wouldn’t treat me this way.”
Manny cleared her throat to let them know that she was there, “I’m sorry to interrupt,” She watched as Allison and Alexander turned to face her. She could tell that Allison had been crying. “Do you mind some unsolicited advice?”
Allison nodded her head gently to allow Manny to speak. She wiped a tear from her face and reached for Alexander’s hand to calm herself down.
“I know that we just met and you can tell me to mind my own business if you want, but I think coming here was the right decision for you. When I was growing up my father and I did not get along at all. He was very strict and I managed to get myself in trouble, a lot. Things became so bad between us that he kicked me out of the house and called me a horrible name.” She paused for a moment thinking back on how horrible she felt after her father called her a slut. “I felt like I had nowhere to go especially since I was in a fight with my best friend at the time.” She looked back at Emma who was outside happily opening presents.
“Emma?” Allison questioned.
“Yeah and even though we were fighting she took me into her home and got her parents to agree to let me stay. I never felt safer or more at home than I felt staying with Emma’s family.” She looked at Allison with a small smile, “Liberty and JT are great people. They are exactly who you need right now. Enjoy your time with them and with the kids. Embrace the safety that you are feeling there. If your parents cannot be supportive and loving then that’s their loss. You have your own support system here now. We have all been friends since we were kids and we’ve become a family and that means you both are a part of our extended family now. Whether you like it or not you’re stuck with all of us now.” She said with a light laugh as she walked over to Allison and Alexander and hugged them gently. “Take your time and when you’re ready come back and join the party.”
Allison watched as Manny walked through the house and back outside to join the rest of the party. She turned to face Alexander who was smiling at her. “She seems nice.” She said as she felt herself calming down. She knew that Manny was right. She could already feel more welcomed here than she ever did at home with her parents. “Thanks for introducing me to your family and their friends.”
“Of course,” Alexander said with a smile as he motioned to the party, “You know you’re the most important person in my life. Want to go back outside?” He questioned.
“Let’s go.” She said as she followed his lead back out into the backyard.
When she stepped outside she thought she would be met with awkward stares, but instead Jack, Aria, and Dan were waiting with cake. “We didn’t want you to miss the cake!” Aria said excitedly as Jack and Dan were shoveling their own pieces of cake in their mouth. “I told them to wait for you to eat it but…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged after handing off the cake to Allison and Alexander.
“Thanks,” Allison said with a smile as she took the plate from Aria. She glanced over to see Alexander quickly finishing his own peace of cake.
Aria, Jack, and Dan were listening intently as Allison told them stories about her life in Seattle. As Alexander listened to Allison’s stories he looked around the room to see Liberty standing by herself for a moment. He thought he would take advantage of it and went over to talk to his mom, “I’m really glad that I met you.” He said as he looked at Liberty who had a gigantic grin on her face.
“We’re so happy that you showed up at our house.” She felt like nothing could take the smile off of her face. “And your friend is a sweetheart. She can stay as long as she needs.” She motioned over to Allison who was smiling and laughing and enjoying herself.
“She feels safe in your house. She hasn’t felt safe in a really long time.” He said as he looked at his birth mother. He loved his adoptive parents and he’s so glad that they are so supportive of him, but being at a party with his birth parents is something he always dreamed about. His parents always told him that he was adopted, but it still felt unreal as he stood here. He looked over to his birth father who was laughing with Sean, Toby, Jay, and his Uncle Danny. Alexander truly felt like this is where he belonged.
“Where is Craig? He should’ve been here by now,” Emma questioned as she approached the group of guys. “Have you talked to him, Sean?”
“No, I haven’t heard from him since he called you.” Sean said as he stopped his conversation with his friends. “Maybe ask Joey if he’s heard from him?”
Emma nodded to Sean as she walked over to Joey who was standing with Archie and Bronco, while Caitlin was talking to Christine, Lucy, Erica, and Heather. Before she had the chance to question Joey his phone rang.
“Hello?” Joey answered before the tone of his voice changed. He was pale as a ghost as he listened to the person on the other end.
Caitlin noticed that Joey looked upset and she excused herself from her friends to go to him, “Is everything okay?”
“It’s Craig.” That was all Joey managed to get out as he tried to take in the information that was coming from the other side of the phone.