The family's baby

Chapter 45

*Grace's P.O.V*

I get out of the truck, mostly because I don't want Elena to know that I had been pouting. She would tease me for sure if she knew that I was being so childish. Although technically I could tease her for coming out to the pond after saying she couldn't.

"Why were you in the truck? Dad make you sit out already?" Elena asks as she raises an eyebrow. I frown at her words. Daddy had only ever made me sit out a few times, mostly because I was doing dangerous things. Most of the time it was his fault for not being clearer. Why ask me to hold onto the ladder if you don't want me also climbing it?

"No..." I say, not wanting to admit that I was pouting over the fact he said that we were going to eat my new friend.

"Just don't feel like sitting out in the sun? Fishing too boring for you?" Elena asks in understanding, making me nod. She understood how I felt sometimes. I hated being outside in the heat, after all. I preferred the cold air to the heat anyday. Most of the time Elena preferred being outside but on rare occasions she would sit things out with me, the two of us just watching a movie.

My mind mulls over the things that Mommy had said last night and I feel a small frown tug at my lips. This is the first time I actually am thinking about everything she said and I don't know how to feel about the fact that Elena played such a big part in my adoption. I'm happy of course but I also feel bad that she had to do that. I step closer, throwing my arms around her in a hug that clearly surprises her and makes her go stiff. She hated public affection like this.

"What's the hug for Gracie?" Elena asks, her tone teasing since she knows how much I hate being called Gracie. She doesn't object to my hug though, her arms wrapping around me as she lets me cling to her.

"Missed you," is all I manage to mutter out, the words feeling false and I think Elena can tell that's not the reason that I am hugging her but she doesn't point out the fact that I'm lying.

"Missed you too Ace," she says, the nickname making me perk up. It had been so long since she had called me that and I had sort of missed her nicknames for me. She presses a kiss to my forehead, being at just the right height that she doesn't have to bend down or anything! Stupid height, I wish I was as tall as her.

"Now care to tell me what exactly happened while you were away at college? Mom says something about you being dangerously underweight again?" Elena asks and I know that tone. It's the tone mommy uses that means trouble. Mommy does it a lot better though but still, I escape out of her arms and sprint away.

"I thought we were fishing, not having a game of tag," Daddy calls and I turn to see that he was standing on the edge of the walkway of the dock. I smile before remembering that I am mad at him and therefore should not be smiling at him but he is my only safe spot so decide to hide from Elena with him as my shield.

"What is going on here? Both of you knock it off before one of you gets yourself hurt! Elena, explain, now!" Daddy snaps and I stick my tongue out at Elena before ducking back behind daddy for cover as Elena tries to grab me again.

"We are not fishing cause I am not fishing. Not until you free my friend," I correct daddy for Elena. I look up at her slightly, grinning when she gives Dad a betrayed look.

"She's mad that we're going to eat her catfish we caught for dinner," Dad explains, making Elena frown. At first I thought it was at me but I can see her giving Dad a betrayed look.

"You weren't even going to invite me to dinner? It sounds like a no since this is the first I'm hearing of it," Elena says and I watch her put her hands on her hips.

"Ooh you're in trouble with Mom and Elena now," I laugh as I step away from daddy, moving to climb into the back of the truck bed and standing there. I climb to stand on top of the metal box that sits near the cab of the truck, putting my hands on my hips.

"Grace, get down. Elena, don't be mad," Dad says and I roll my eyes at his bossiness.

"Don't tell me not to be mad," Elena huffs. I smile at the fact that daddy is in trouble with two people at once and not me. It was kind of funny, in a way that it shouldn't be I suppose. I move to lay on the top of the truck cab, the warm metal feeling nice on my stomach. I wriggle to get comfortable, watching daddy try and fail on why Elena hadn't been invited to dinner. Especially since she loved fish.

"Look, Ellie," Dad starts to say, stopping when Elena raises her hand.

"I'm not your Ellie right now. In fact, I think I may switch to being a mommy's girl. At least she invites me to dinner," Elena says, which makes me grin.That grin doesn't last long as I realize the implication.

"No! I already have to compete with Za for mommy's attention, I can't take anymore competition," I say as I give her a dirty look. How dare she try to take my mommy's attention away from me?! It was only supposed to be mine. I squeal when a bee buzzes past me and I almost fall off the truck in my haste to get away from it.

"Daddy!!" I say as I nearly trip and stumble over to Daddy who lets me hide behind him. Bees were so scary! Anyone who said they weren't were probably stupid and idiots and also not allergic to them. I however was allergic so I was not going to stay near one for any second longer than I had to.

"It's okay Gracie, it's gone now," Daddy says as I continue to hide behind him again, tucking my face against his back.

"Is not, I hear it" I mutter against his back, feeling his hands reach back to try and hold mine. I let him hold one of my hands, his fingers calloused and rough against my soft skin. It was such a familiar feeling that it was instantly soothing so I just move in front of him to let him hold me.

"Did you just call Dad...did you call him daddy? And did I hear you call mom mommy just now too?" Elena asks and I freeze slightly, my entire body stiffening. I had forgotten that she shouldn't hear me call them that. Now though, all I could think about was the fact that she had heard it.

"She was scared, don't tease your sister for her fearing something she is allergic to," Daddy says as he rubs my back as I hide my burning face with one of my hands. I was so embarrassed, I would never recover from her knowing that I called him Daddy and mommy, mommy. It was supposed to be a secret and I had already blown it. Stupid mouth!

"I wasn't teasing... I was just asking," Elena says defensively at Daddy's words. I feel kind of bad for her, in a way. I mean she hadn't started teasing me just yet so I suppose that it's fine that she knows what I call them.

"I am saying it ahead of your teasing because I know that you girl's like to tease each other," Daddy says and for once, he's right. It was one of the rare times that he was actually right. Usually those times were all Mommy's. I wasn't going to question him being right though, not this time since he was protecting me from the scary bee and Elena.

"Whatever. I'm the one who usually carries Grace's spare epipen so I don't know why you think I would tease her about being scared of bees or running to you," Elena rolls her eyes. "Let's go back to the subject of the fact that you didn't invite me to dinner even though you know that you're having catfish! Fresh catfish at that!" she exclaims.

"I didn't know we were having catfish until Grace caught one minutes before you arrived. I knew we were having fish but you would have griped about there not being any catfish if we did invite you and there was no catfish or fish to speak of," Daddy points out. He does have a point...

"I still vote we don't eat my fish friend so we still have no fish," I mutter, making him look down at me. I give him a pleading look and he shakes his head slightly as he turns his attention back to Elena.

Dang it, I thought my pleading look would work. It usually did... on him at least. It was a different thing when it came to Mommy. She never fell for it. Not unless I managed to accompany it with something else or made her feel really bad. Like promising to be on my bestest behavior or promising to do some other thing that made her happy or when I pointed out how mean she was being. I would just have to find a way to free my catfish before tonight... it couldn't be that hard after all... could it?