Divorced! Now what?
Chapter 149

Bethany POV

The group, a mix of our close friends and family, was seated, waiting for Theo, my partner, to say something. I had hoped I could hide out the back, but Theo, being the man I love, wouldn't let me escape. He called me out the front to face the music with him, and I'm grateful he did. The sight of their expectant faces and the sound of their supportive cheers was like winning the grand final; my heart was lodged in my throat, desperately trying to escape my body, and the thrill of victory was all-encompassing. The women in the group, eager to see the ring and discuss the future, starkly contrasted my feelings. I was okay with the ring, a symbol of our commitment. But the topic of babies was a step I wasn't ready to take. I adored children and could spend all day with mini Bob, but discussing them in this context? It just wasn't me.

Dad then went to the front and made his announcement. I was not shocked that Dad was going to marry Pam. He had seemed totally committed to having a real relationship after his failed one and wanted to be and do all the things he had been unable to do, or maybe he had the urge to do, for a very long time. Please visit J o b nib.com and search the book title to read the entire book for free. Pam was good for him, even if I did not trust her in the beginning; this is who Dad has chosen, so I need to try and get better and more like a daughter to her, as she will be my step-mother, and I think I will have some fun using that title later on.

The sounds of the television brought me back to where I was. I looked around to see everyone else still hugging and discussing the pending wedding and babies.

'Hey, Dad, move. You're blocking the TV, and I want to see the replay, I called out to Dad, who had turned around to look at the screen when the announcer shouted 'SCORE, and he hadn't realized he was still standing in the way.

'Sorry, kiddo. Dad moved to the side and backed up to sit near me, eyes still glued to the screen, as were most of those in the room.

For the rest of the afternoon, we all enjoyed the game. We had lost, but that was okay; we couldn't win them all. The talk of double weddings, the best men, and who would walk whom down the path was more than I could take in. I nodded and accepted all the suggestions, and in the end, I whispered to Theo that I did not want to offend anyone, and he took over and made the final decisions.

The next few hours were a mixture of wedding talk and half-watching the game on the screen. This game was not as necessary, and though we usually would usually glued to the screen, today was more about organizing next Saturday and talking about staying a night in a hotel or something like a honeymoon, as none of us could just up and leave our jobs at notice of a moment.

I stood beside Thomas and whispered in his ear. Well, I talked softly, so only he heard me.

'Pam is going to be our stepmum. Do you want to have some fun?' he looked at me with a smirk.

'What do you have in mind?' he asked, looking over to where Dad and Pam were standing talking to Hank, and Theo was with him. I think they were still talking about wedding stuff.

'I am not sure if it has sunk in yet that she will be our step, and I thought that with all our friends and family here, we would make sure she is aware!

'Go on, how?'

'How about we address her as Mum and watch the results? You can get Mini Bob from Judy so she can have a break, and ask Pam if she would like to hold him. But can say, hey mum, would you like to hold Bob and see what happens? Please let me know if you're okay with that.

'I like very much that we have not really had a woman to act like a mother in our life; it is amazing we came out as good as we have. I will let Judy and Nate in on it since he has monopolized the woman and is involved in all the wedding talk, and he is definitely into that side of things! Thomas headed over and chatted with Judy. She looked at me with a smirk and nodded her head in agreement.

Thomas took the baby and headed over to Dad and Pam; I walked slightly behind him.

'Hey, Mum, do you want to hold mini Bob?' Dad was the first to look up in shock and then looked at me, who was smirking. He nodded as he caught on. But Pam had not moved from her talk with Hank and had not realized it was directed at her. 'Mum?' I called out again, which caused Hank to look at me and then Theo. But Pam was still oblivious, and Bob was now chuckling, which made Pam turn to look at him.

'What's funny?' Pam asked, looking at Bob in confusion.

'You were asked a question and completely ignored them.' Bob said, still chuckling; even Judy and Nate giggled a few feet away.

'What question?' Pam turned around to see Thomas and me looking at her expectantly.

'Mum, do you want to hold Mini Bob? I know you complained about not having a turn when Judy left to change and feed him.' Thomas offered the child to her, but instead of taking the child, she burst into tears and fled the room.

'Well, that was not the reaction I was expecting.' I said out loud. Dad hugged us both before heading off after Pam. Whispering was a nice thing to do, which made me feel a little better, as tears were not the intended reaction I had aimed for. I should have thought this through more.

'It's alright. Bethany, they are most likely tears of happiness and shock, as well as surprise and baby emotions. You might not be having the baby emotion roller coaster yet, But it appears Pam does, and I know Felicity does, as Sam complained to me about it and asked for some advice. It is kind of nice to be asked about how I handled it. I never dreamed that we would ever have a day like today, and hopefully, more of them will happen in the future. Thomas feels part of the expanding family, and I am glad I reached out to him. Even if it was during the worst time of my life and I had few memories, I still have a few blank spots, but I try not to think of it; I have a feeling I don't really want to remember. Pam came back in a little bit later and took mini Bob from Jacko, who had taken the opportunity to hold the child when Pam was out of the room. He rocked back and forth and continued to talk to Hank as if what he did was an everyday occurrence. He looked good holding the baby and was comfortable having such a small child. Pam still had red, puffy eyes and looked at me; she was not smiling but not frowning either; it was a mixture of both. Dad came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and placed his hands under the baby as if he were holding her and the baby as one. I raised my phone and snapped a quick photo. Pam looked down at the baby, and Dad did the same. Both had such adoration on their faces, and I wondered if they were thinking of the grandchild in their arms or the one Pam had in her belly; either way, it made for a great photo.

Thomas came up to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I leaned back into him as we watched Dad and Pam holding the baby. Neither of us spoke. Words are not necessary. That moment would be in our hearts and minds for a long time to come, a bonding of family in a way. Wendy would have never understood, and in some ways, I was glad that she and Cynthia were no longer around to disrupt our lives; that may sound not good, but it was an honest feeling. I was not going to be guilty over it.