Chapter 24

Carol and Daryl had all but gotten in the front door and collapsed on the couch when the doorbell rang. Carol laughed, struggling to pull her weary body up. Daryl gave her a little shove on the ass, and she laughed, swatting at him. He stood with her, and they walked to the door. To Carol's surprise, Carl and Sophia were standing on the porch with a picnic basket full of something that smelled delicious.

"Hi, honey!" Carol greeted her daughter, pulling her into a big hug as Carl and Daryl exchanged an awkward hand shake.

"I got your text that you were an hour outside of Atlanta, and I figured, instead of us all going out to dinner, you might feel better having dinner at home."

"That's so sweet. Thank you so much."

"Fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob," Carl pointed out, placing his hand on Sophia's lower back.

"I taught her," Carol said proudly, leaning back slightly against Daryl's chest.

"It's nowhere near as good as yours, but I tried," Sophia laughed. Carol and Daryl stepped out of the way, letting the two in.

"I'll help you set the table," Carol offered.

"Nope. We're treating you, right, Carl?"

"Right," he replied with a grin, following his wife to the dining room. Carol and Daryl exchanged a glance, and Daryl smirked.

"What?" she chuckled, elbowing him a little.

"Reminds me of when I was a boy, and I done somethin' wrong, I always did all kinds of chores 'round the house, hopin' maybe my mom wouldn't be too mad when she found out."

"Well, they're not kids," Carol said with a grin. "Sophia sounded excited but anxious, so I'm just going to let her tell me when she's ready." Daryl turned and pulled his wife into his arms. She smiled when he bent down to kiss her. She grinned up at him when he pulled back.

"What?" he asked, voice low.

"Oh, nothing," she said coyly, moving her hands up his chest and over his shoulders, straightening the collar of his shirt. "I was just thinking about how much I'm going to enjoy taking these clothes off of you in our own bedroom tonight." She watched his jaw go slack for a moment, and she winked at him, just as Sophia came walking into the living room.

"It's all set," she called, hands wrung anxiously together as she faced her mother and step-father. Carol and Daryl followed her into the dining room, and everybody sat down around the table and dug into their meal.

"You cooked and brought everything over. The least I can do is clean up the dishes," Carol offered.

"Nope, I'll take care of it," Sophia said with a wave of her hand. "For once, I actually feel good. I don't mind at all, Mama. Really."

"Alright," Carol said with an expectant smile. "So?"

"So?"

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked, stacking her and Daryl's plates in the middle of the table with Carl and Sophia's. She caught the glance between Carl and Sophia, and Sophia's smile faded a little.

"Well, I…you know, it's really not a big deal."

"Go on," Carl urged. Sophia sighed and took a sip of her water.

"Before I found out I was pregnant, I told the school board I was interested in starting up an after school program for my kindergarteners. Some of them are having a little trouble picking things up as fast as the others, so I thought of having a little after school reading club. I know a lot of the parents are so busy that they can't work with their children the way they want to or should be doing, and I thought it would be a great way for the kids to work together to learn. Some of them are really struggling, Mama."

"That sounds like a great idea," Carol said with a nod.

"Well, they said they would consider it, and then I didn't hear anything until just a few days ago. Well, they loved the idea, and they really want me to head up the program. There are a couple of other teachers that are on board to help out, and we've already got twelve kids signed up from my class and eight from the other. And I would get paid for my time…which is really great. It'll be every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. And we're going to try to make this a permanent thing."

"Honey, that's wonderful. I'm so proud of you," Carol offered. Sophia smiled nervously, glancing at Carl, who gave her a nod of encouragement.

"Well, we weren't exactly figuring on this baby, you know? I mean, of course I'm going to do this project. It was my idea, and I'm really excited about it, but I wasn't figuring we'd be getting pregnant so soon, you know?" Carol nodded. "And I was going to ask you…but then you said you got married, and I wasn't sure you would want to, and…"

"Ask me what?" Carol asked.

"Well, I was going…I was going to ask you if you wouldn't mind watching the baby for me. See, Carl's going to be working nights for a long while, so he'll have the baby while I'm at school, but he'll need somebody to cover him while he's at work, before I get out of the reading program."

"Well, honey, of course I'd love to watch the baby," Carol said with a bright smile. She glanced at Daryl. "We'd love to, wouldn't we?"

"'Course," Daryl offered. "I don't know much about babies, but your mom did a damned good job rasin' you, so I guess she's the expert here."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far," Carol snorted. "But thanks for the vote of confidence." She grinned at her husband and then looked back at Sophia. "Sweetie, I'll be there to help out as much as I can. I can do my writing for work on Saturday and Thursday if I have to. It's no problem at all. Dale's a pretty lenient boss."

"Mama, thank you so much," Sophia murmured, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Ms. Pele…Mrs…Dixon, right?"

"Right," Carol laughed. "It'll take some getting used to."

"Alright," Sophia said, standing up and grabbing the plates. "Carl and I are going to clean up. When we're done, I want to hear all about this whirlwind wedding, and feel free to gloss over any part that might trigger my gag reflex."

"Oh, get out," Carol choked out, tossing a towel at her daughter. Sophia made a face at her mother but quickly smiled again. Carol couldn't help but notice how happy Sophia seemed to be, and as a mom, that made her heart swell with happiness. Seeing this beautiful young woman she'd brought into this world becoming a mother herself was fascinating, heartbreaking and truly beautiful to watch.

Things were changing so quickly. She was no longer just Sophia's mother. She was Daryl's wife, and as much of an adjustment it was going to be to sign her name as Carol Dixon instead of Peletier, it was going to be just as much of an adjustment for someone to call her Grandma. She couldn't wait. The best, she was certain, was yet to come.

"Where do you want this?" Daryl asked, lugging in one of his lamps.

"Anywhere," Carol said with a wave, placing his motorcycle helmet on the dining room table.

"What about those boxes?" He nodded toward the door.

"Anywhere," Carol replied, getting an exasperated look out of him. "Daryl, this is your house, too, you know? It's not just mine, anymore. I want you here. I want your things here. I want to feel like this is our place, not just my place that you stay at." She saw the confusion leave Daryl's face, and he actually smiled.

"Oh," he said with a nod, ducking his head.

"Oh," she teased, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his nose.

"So," he said, putting the lamp down and pulling her into his arms, "we're gonna have a baby around the place, after all, huh?"

"Seems that way," Carol said with a grin. "Is that ok with you?"

"It's your grandkid. 'Course it's ok." He kissed her before dipping down to presses kisses to the side of her neck. She bit her lip, giggling as his stubble scratched her skin. He began to suck a little harder then, putting pressure, and she knew exactly what he was doing. She moved her fingers through his hair.

"Thank you," she sighed.

"For the hickey?" he teased.

"No," she laughed. "For coming into my life. I'm glad you're here. I'm glad this house isn't going to feel so empty. I'm glad I have you. I don't have to turn into the crazy cat lady that Sophia feels sorry for and invites to move in with her and Carl and the kids, because, hey, isn't that the right thing to do, and…"

"Baby, you ain't got any cats," Daryl reminded her. "But we can get one. Or a dog. Or a baby of our own."

"Oh, and we're back to that again, are we?" she laughed, as he moved to his knees, wrapping his arms around her waist, burying his face against her stomach, inhaling deeply. She ruffled his hair, running her fingers through it as he moved her shirt up, pressing wet kisses to her bare skin.

"Whatever you want. I wanna give it to you," he offered, looking up at her, those beautiful blue eyes filled with so much love that she thought her heart might burst. She sighed softly, kneeling down to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Whatever I want?" she asked, quirking her eyebrow up.

"Mmmhmm," he said, a teasing grin pulling at his mouth.

"Well, right now, I want you to take your pants off."

"No rubbers," he pointed out. "And you got that appointment with the doc for the pill tomorrow."

"Oh, that," she remembered. "Well…I could cancel." She looked up at him, and he tilted his head to the side, running his hand up and down her back.

"Yeah?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"No. Yes. I don't know," she laughed. "I love you. And I want a life with you. I want…you know what? I do. We might be crazy, but you know, I think…I think we could do this. If we wanted. I want everything with you."

"Sounds like a damn romance novel," he teased. She chucked his chin and kissed him softly, slowly. When she pulled back, he caressed the back of her head. "Didn't say there was somethin' wrong with that, did I?" Carol laughed then, and she kissed him once again.

"So you wanna do this? Maybe have a kid?"

"I do," she said with a nod that boasted both confidence and terror, and he chuckled. "I do. It's…it's a scary thing, Daryl. I haven't had a baby in over twenty years, so just…just soak that in for half a second."

"You sure you want this? You wanna do this? I don't want ya to think you gotta on account of me. I want ya to be happy, and if you don't want to, then, that's ok."

"Daryl, shut up," she laughed, pressing her hand against his cheek. "I do. I want this. I'm forty. I'm not as young as I was before. So there's a chance…"

"If it happens, it happens. If it don't, it don't. But half the fun's gonna be tryin', right?"

"Right," she laughed.

"We're a little crazy," he snorted. "This is great." He kissed her then, and she laughed as his hands began to roam freely. Then he paused. "Wait. This means we don't gotta hold out for condoms?"

"That's what it means," she said, raising her eyebrows right before he tackled her to the floor.

She squealed as he crawled over her, and with feather light kisses against her collarbone, he murmured, "even better."

...

Eighteen months later

Carol yawned as she sat in the rocking chair in the living room. She hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time. Connor Grimes was a handful. He had taken his first steps last week, and now he was becoming an old pro.

"Grandma's very tired, kiddo," Carol said with a yawn, as Connor pulled himself up to stand at the coffee table and grinned up at her. He smacked his hand against the wooden surface, and Carol chuckled. He looked so much like Sophia when she was born, but she could definitely see that he was going to have dark hair like his daddy. If that dark hair ever grew in. For as much hair as both of his parents had, little Connor was still about as bald as the day he was born.

Connor took a few steps toward her, and he fell back on his bottom.

"Oop!" Carol giggled, getting down on the floor with him and holding her hands out to him. "Come on, sweetheart." He grinned at her, two teeth poking up from his bottom gums. And he stood again, little diapered butt moving back and forth as he defied gravity and toddled toward Carol. She laughed then, pulling him into her lap, straining slightly and standing with him. "What's your mama been feeding, you, huh?"

The phone rang, and Carol quickly answered, knowing exactly who it would be.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Hey, Mama. I know I'm late. I'm sorry. A few of the parents got stopped by a train, so we're a little behind."

"That's ok, honey."

"Did Connor eat yet?"

"He did. A whole bottle and a jar of carrots," Carol pointed out.

"That's my boy," Sophia cheered. "Alright. I'll be there in about fifteen."

"Alright," Carol said. "No hurry. Take your time." Connor yawned and put his head down on Carol's shoulder. "Somebody's about to go to s-l-e-e-p, anyway."

"Oh, great. Maybe he'll sleep in the car. Be there in a few."

"Bye, honey." Carol ended the call and put Connor down in the playpen. He fussed momentarily before accepting his fate and lying down with his favorite grandma's house teddy bear. She yawned and tried to decide if she wanted to start dinner or just order takeout. Deciding on the latter, she made her way into the bathroom, where Daryl was hunched over the tub, shirt sleeves rolled up as the water sloshed every which way. "Chinese or pizza?"

"Huh?" he asked, turning to reveal soap all over his chin and mouth. Carol put her hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh. "What?"

"It's a nice look, dear," she teased.

"Oh," he snorted, wiping at the suds. "I was a soap monster. She thinks it's funny." He shrugged. Carol moved to stand over Daryl, peering down at the little one kicking her legs furiously in the baby tub. Daryl had a hand protectively under her neck as he washed her pudgy tummy with a pink cloth. The three-month-old kicked her legs faster and waved her arms at the sight of her mother. She squealed, and Carol giggled.

"Daddy's crazy, isn't he, Sammy?"

"Samantha Rose Dixon, don't you dare answer that question," Daryl replied sternly before dipping down to blow raspberries on the baby's tummy. She giggled, and Carol felt her heart swell with joy. "I think we're done here." He lifted the baby out of the water, and Carol readied a towel to wrap her in. "Go on to yer mama. Take her side. I see how it is." Carol gave him a grin as she tucked the baby close against her chest.

"Yeah," Carol cooed. "Daddy is a little crazy." Daryl leaned forward, running his fingers over the baby's soft, brown hair.

"I'll let ya in on a little secret, Sammy," he whispered. "Daddy is a little crazy. Just crazy about you. And about yer mama." He kissed the top of her head, and she grunted, and Carol sighed softly, still in disbelief that she could ever be this damned happy.

"I love you," she murmured, as Daryl leaned forward to kiss her. Together, they took their daughter to the nursery to get her ready for bed. Carol watched the way Daryl tenderly cradled her and took extreme caution when dressing her, making sure her face wasn't covered but a second when putting the little sleeper over her head. He had a gentle touch with her, and she'd seen it in the way he was with Connor after he'd been born. She knew he was going to be a great dad, but he'd exceeded even those ideas. He was fantastic.

She sat back in the nursery rocker and watched Daryl get their daughter in her pajamas, and she smiled, thinking back to when Sophia was little and how Ed was rarely ever there. She felt sorry for him, in a way, because he'd missed out on what should have been the best years of his life. But it was Ed's loss. Daryl was so hands on, so willing to jump right in and take a midnight feeding. He was just overjoyed and enamored with this little life they'd created.

She placed her hand against her chests, feeling her heart race with panic as she thought about what could have been. What if she hadn't gone to the bar at Sophia's wedding? What if her car hadn't broken down? What if she hadn't taken a chance and gone on a date with him? What if she hadn't opened her heart to the possibility of living life in the now and enjoying it for what it was and not what I might be or what it could have been? In retrospect, she was content with every decision she'd made, even the bad ones in her early life with Ed. It had all led her to where she was now, sitting in this room watching her husband play with their daughter, hearing the baby's giggles echo straight through her heart, warming her soul.

Maybe they were crazy, expanding their family from scratch. Maybe they were. But if this was what crazy felt like, it was the best feeling in the world, and for the first time in her life, Carol was absolutely certain that her house would never feel empty again.

THE END