GEN III: Chapter 4

At first, when Daphne woke up, she couldn't quite believe that she actually lives here with Charlie now. She no longer has to travel to see him, or make sure he is available first. He would be there for her any time.

Before she showered, she went out to the garden to harvest and water. Daphne always wanted a garden of her own, and from her times here, it seemed no one really took care of this garden. James visited on occasion, but it was not tended as it should be. Daphne decided that since she was invited to live here, she could take care of it. She went out in her pajamas, having nothing better to wear.

When the plants were watered and they seem to perked back up, Daphne went in to shower and eat.

Charlie and Daphne ate breakfast together, Charlie ready for work and Daphne ready for errands. The two of them had set a date for the wedding, and Daphne had things to do before that. Daphne needed a few new outfits, and a wedding dress.

While she made her way to the local salon, Daphne couldn't help but think of her wedding day. It was just two days from now. She couldn't believe it.

Daphne stood on the makeover platform and checked herself out. She weighed each curve of her body carefully. Her wedding dress had to be perfect. A few Salon workers offered to pick out a couple outfits for her, but she denied them.

"I know how to dress myself." She told them.

After only about an hour, Daphne walked out in one of her new outfits. This was her 'relaxed-housewife' look. In total she left with five new things to wear, one of them being the perfect wedding dress. Before going back to the house she had one other stop to make.

Daphne was on the way to the bookstore, when she saw this area and had to stop. When she got out of the car, Daphne just knew that this would be the place. It had a small cookout area, a platform for the ceremony, and a bar. Everything you need for a wedding. The decorations were great, and the space was just enough for the amount of guests they had planned.

Daphne got back in to her vehicle and continued to the bookstore. She wanted to pick up a gardening book to read on her off time. Daphne already knew, for the most part, how to take care of a plant, but she wanted to have no risk of ruining the 'family heirloom' garden at the house. She would do a little extra reading on the topic to ensure no mistakes.

It was a quick pick up and she was back at the house within the hour.

Daphne walked in to see Isabel talking to Cedric. She had only met Cedric once, at the Red Rendezvous with Charlie. She walked past, so not to interrupt their conversation, which looked pretty involved.

"Mom, I'm sorry I haven't visited." Cedric looked like he was going to say more but Isabel cut him off.

"You better be, you haven't been here since the day you moved out!" She was a little annoyed about that, but not really angry. Isabel understood that life just gets in the way sometimes.

Cedric told her of his life, as much as he could leaving out the job parts. Isabel was happy to learn that Cedric had finally asked Starr to be his girlfriend, he was even going to propose soon. Then they would probably find a house together.

"Actually mother, I have a question for you. I'm in a really tight spot right now, and I need somewhere to stay. I can't remain in my house, I've been kicked out. Can I move in with you, just for a little while?"

Isabel wasn't expecting that, but she smiled. "You'd have to ask your brother that, Cedric. This is actually his house now. We basically passed it down to him. James moved out too, you know. I'm sure he isn't going to tell you no, you were raised here just like him." Isabel told her son.

Pretty soon the family was in the sitting room talking about it.

"Cedric, you know you can come back anytime you need to, this is your home." Charlie was saying, "But I need to know. Are you in any trouble?" He put extra emphasis and meaning into the word trouble, since he knew what Cedric's job consisted of.

Cedric caught the hidden meaning and gave his brother a strange look, "No, not at all. The house I've been renting was just sold to someone out from under my feet. That's what I get for renting a house, and not an apartment." Cedric tried to end this statement on a high note, but Charlie wasn't completely convinced.

Daphne added her opinion to the conversation, "You are definitely welcome here, this is your home too. Will you be moving in today?"

Cedric looked a Daphne, he seemed a little confused. "Yes, as soon as possible." He stood and embraced Charlie, "Thanks bro. You have no idea how helpful this is. I'm planning to ask Starr to marry me, and this will help me save up some needed dough."

"Speaking of marriage.." Charlie took Cedric behind the couch to give the girls space, and talked to Cedric about the upcoming wedding of he and Daphne.

Isabel asked Daphne if she had a wedding dress picked out and ready. "After all the wedding is just a couple of days away! I hope your ready."

"I just got the dress today, a perfect fit, and it's ready to go." Daphne told her. "I also picked the place, and have sent out the invitations to the guests."

The family talked for a little while longer, before going to bed. Cedric smiled when he entered his room. Nothing had changed. Daphne and Charlie retired to their own room. Isabel had something else planned though, she was hiding a secret from Charlie and Daphne. The only time she could work on it safely was when they were in bed, so that's what she did.










The next morning, Daphne tended the garden while Charlie ate breakfast and cleaned the kitchen. Today was the boys' birthday, and Hayden had planned a party for them. Charlie and Cedric were aware of it, but James was in the dark. It would be a surprise party for him.

While Isabel had her late breakfast with Hayden, she revealed to him what she had been doing for the past week.

"You know, Charlie and Daphne will be married in tomorrow, and I know Charlie wants children. So, I've taken the liberty of redoing the downstairs bedroom. I've made it into our future grandchild's room." Isabel said.

"Oh wow, You turned it into a nursery? Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped." Hayden asked her.

"Oh, yeah I guess I could have. When you keep a secret though, the least amount of people that know, the easier it is to keep. Besides, I don't know if you want grandchildren as much as I do."

Hayden looked thoughtful. "Well I do want at least one. Hopefully soon, so I have time to enjoy him or her. Speaking of which, what color did you paint?"

"White, everything is white, until we know the sex of the baby."



Hayden nodded and told her that that was a good idea. Isabel showed Hayden the room, which she kept locked in order to help her in hiding it. While Hayden looked around at familiar things, Isabel made a call to James, to invite him for a swim with the family. He accepted.

Hayden noted, in the nursery was the teddy bear that Alan gave Jenni a long time ago. Also the crib was one that they had used for their boys - though stripped of all prior paint - and the toys as well. Isabel had kept everything.

All the guests arrived at the party right on time. Including James. He was a little shocked to see the pool so busy. Then he spotted some cakes over on the tables and smiled as his mother.

"A birthday party?" He laughed, "Well if you were looking for a surprise, you got it. I'm surprised." James said.

Charlie blew his candles out first, then Cedric followed by James. Each of them made a wish and ate a slice of their own cakes. Everyone cheered for the triplets on their day. The boys didn't change much in looks, only maturity.

Charlie attempted a dive off of the edge of the pool, but it ended up being a painful belly flop. Cedric had a few admirers at the party, and passed out a couple autographs. The party was a success, everyone had a blast. It was well into the evening when the guests left.

The family got to bed late that night, each completely exhausted. Swimming always takes the energy out of you. Even though the next day was his wedding day, Charlie was working. That was good for Daphne though, as she believed that Charlie was not supposed to see her all day. She could do what she needed without having to hide from him, or sending him away. The wedding wasn't until sunset anyway.