Sweet Magnolias Autumn

Italian & Ideas

Dana Sue

"That pasta carbonara was amazing, wife," Ronnies tells me as he finishes his plate. "You should add it to the menu."

"I don't know. It's an Italian dish, and Sullivans are all about classic southern dishes." I tell him as I get up to clear the plates.

"You could do a themed night once a month where you focus on different cultures or something," Ronnie suggest.

"You sound like Cal did when he had that whole concert in the park series idea," I tell him. 

"I know you like to be in control, especially in your kitchen, but that doesn't mean you can take others' ideas and turn them into something or make the idea your own," he says.

"I know t; I just like everything to be done well. The menu works, and everyone loves it. What if these theme nights don't go over well, or the quality of the food isn't up to par? It's very different from our brand." I tell him some of my concerns. 

"Well, you do all you can to prep, find the right recipes, talk to Maddie about marketing it and try it. If it doesn't go well, you don't have to do it again," he says. 

"I don't know," I tell him.

"I know. All I'm saying is try to be open to others' ideas; you never know what will come from them," he says, then stops when I walk over to check my phone and see if Annie has messaged me or if Maddie texted any updates. When I see nothing I let out a sigh. 

"She is at school; she is okay," Ronnie says. "I know it's hard to believe, but we have to trust that she is telling us the truth—that she is okay, and Annie will tell us if she is not." He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my middle. I lean back into him, closing my eyes and taking a breath. 

"I know. It's just that bruise. I know it's small, and it doesn't look bad, and it's early noticeable, but it's just worrying that he could do something like that to her. I mean, he was so sweet in the beginning, asking my permission and bringing her flowers. It's worrying me that he could turn on a dime like that. What if he comes back?" 

"Then Maddie, Helen and Cal will deal with it. Annie is safe; she is being taken care of by people who love her. Us going how will only make her feel guilty that we came home early for her." He says. 

"I know, I know. It is just not an easy thing to let go of. My mind keeps thinking of all the possibilities that could have happened if Ty wasn't there." I tell him truthfully. What Ty said about the baseball fundraiser about Jackson getting a Heavy Breather on her is turning around in my mind. 

"Well, this is as good a segway as I'll get. Come, sit with me. I've been thinking about something, and I want to talk about it with you," he says, turning me around in his arms and giving me a peck on the lips.

"What is it?" I ask as he grabs my hand and starts walking towards the living space of the cabin we are renting. He sits me down on the couch first. Then he goes to sit on the coffee table so we are face to face.

"Dana Sue, I love you, I love our baby girl, and I love the life and family we've made for ourselves." He says. 

"I love you, too," I tell him. A little lost about where it's going. 

"I've been thinking about this a lot, and I want you to keep an open mind, please," he asks.

"I can do that," I tell him. Ronnie entwines our hands together before continuing. 

"What would you think about expanding our family." 

"Like a dog or reaching out to extended family?" I ask confused

"I was thinking we could maybe have another kid." He says, sounding so happy and excited. 

"You want another baby. Ronnie, you know what the doctors said after Annie." he cuts me off. 

"I know your pregnancy with Annie was a miracle, and the doctors told us it would be very dangerous for you to have another pregnancy. But family isn't just blood. Families are made from love, I was thinking we could foster or adopt a child." He takes a moment before continuing. "I was thinking we could go for an older child around 13 or so. They would be close to Annie's age; that age would fit in well with Maddie's kids. What do you think?" 

"What brought this on?" I ask. 

"Issac. Getting to know him and seeing how much he loves his adopted family just got me thinking that we could do something like that for another child. I was always worried about bringing another kid into the family; they wouldn't love us or see us as parents. Then what if they hurt Annie? But Issac changed the way I saw adoption and how it could be an amazing thing for everyone." He takes a breath and closes his eyes before continuing. 

"Then what Annie said about wanting a sister for her party. Watching the way Annie is with Katie, Kyle and Ty. she fits in so well; she treats Katie like a little sister, but it is not the same as having an actual sibling. Kathy is not the best example, but when we buried my parents, it was nice not to have to do that all alone; I had someone there to help me, who grew up with me and shared so many memories; it made it slightly easier. Raising Annie with you has been my favourite experience of all. Let's open our home to another child, Dana Sue."

 "Wow. You've put a lot of thought into this." I take a second to gather myself before voicing my thoughts. "I love Annie, and raising her with you—well, it has been trying. It has been one of the best experiences of my life. And you are right. The way Issac talks about his parents is truly incredible and...inspiring. You can really feel how much love he has for his family." I pause for a minute. 

"I understand what you're saying about having a sibling making it easier later in life. I had you, Maddie and Helen to help me, but I still felt very alone, especially when I buried my Mom; she was my last parent. I think it is going to take me a minute thought to think about this before I'm ready to vote one way or another. "

"So..." he says, looking for a more direct answer. 

"So, I think it's an interesting idea that I would like to discuss more, do some research, and pray about. It's not a no, but it's not a yes. It's a let's get more information. Is that okay for now?" Ronnie leans forward and Kisses me with so much love and passion I can feel it vibrating off of him and sinking into me. I get lost in that kiss; I have no clue how long it has been when we finally break apart. 

"Yes, Dana Sue, that is more than okay for now."He tells me with a massive smile on his face. 

"But if we decide to do this, I have a condition. I want to talk to Annie first to see how she feels, and it wouldn't feel right to add another member to our family if she wasn't on board. All three of us have to agree that this is something we all want and agree on." I tell him. 

"Of course, Annie's opinion and feelings matter. We won't get through with this if she isn't okay with it. And if we do decide to adopt a child, we will sit down with just here and make sure she is comfortable with the adoption." He says, and I can hear how serious he is about it. 

"Since it is raining, why do I go get my computer, and we can do a little bit of looking at it right now? Then I will take you for a ride." He says, wagging his eyebrows. That causes me to chuckle. 

"Alright. Get your computer. Let's look into this some more." When Ronnie gets up, I give him a small pat on the butt. 

"Dana Sue!" Ronnie gasped in mock outrage and put his hand protectively over this butt. 

"That's what you get for teasing me," I tell him. 

"I'll get you back for that later," he says, then leaves the room.

"I wish you luck with that!" I yell after him but smile to myself because it doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world.