Edge of Breaking Ch. 03

"Miss Callie? Said only way she'll let me have Saturday off is if she's invited too; she's never eaten at La Scalia's," Nancy giggled.

"Oh! Well, then go invite her," Gracie agreed.

"Gracie, she's kidding," Nancy assured Gracie.

"Now, what is Mommy hungry for? I had lunch with my mother; we went to Saladelights; don't get their Oriental Shrimp; stuff was so salty I had to drink three bottles of their water. Two dollars a bottle! Can you believe that?" Gracie enthused.

"Know what I want? What I really want? An omelet," Nancy said.

"Where we get an omelet? Oh! At Dusty's?" Gracie asked.

"No, I was thinking at four seventeen Cross Circle," Nancy said.

"I'm on it," Gracie said.

Gracie's birthday was actually Friday, the fifth. Nancy managed to be the first one awake. She managed to be in the kitchen, coffee already made, oven pre-heated, and counter liberally coated as she rolled out a thick slab of cinnamon dough.

"You, what? What are you doing?" Gracie whispered.

"Happy birthday to you!" Nancy sang out loud, off-key.

Nancy rolled up the dough, cut six large, thick cinnamon rolls and placed them onto a greased baking sheet. Then, while the rolls baked, Nancy quickly whisked a cream cheese frosting for the rolls.

"Nancy, this is too much," Gracie complimented as they sat, chewing through the gooey rolls.

"Gracie, I got nothing else to give," Nancy admitted. "I mean, what you buy for someone can afford whatever they want? You know I ain't making gum drops at Cal's. So...happy birthday, Sweetheart."

"Oh, Nancy, this is perfect," Gracie said. "But my birthday isn't until tomorrow."

"What? No it isn't. Your birthday's the fifth. Today's the fifth," Nancy spluttered.

"No, it's the sixth. Oh, and come to think of it? It's also the seventh too, so I guess you going have make cinnamon rolls again," Gracie giggled, licking her fingers clean.

After cleaning the kitchen, Nancy showed Gracie that she'd made just a little too much of the delicious frosting. Gracie looked at Nancy's finger, coated in frosting. Then she looked into Nancy's sparkling eyes and slowly sucked the finger into her mouth.

"So, I was thinking, since it's Friday, and you wash the sheets on Friday..." Nancy suggested.

Somehow, the comforter and the coverlets for the decorative pillows, and one of the pillows also had to be washed. Gracie started to get upset at the extent of their destruction but Nancy hugged her, giggling.

Soon, Gracie couldn't help but giggle as well. But both agreed, after fighting to get the sodden comforter from washer to dryer, they'd not be quick to repeat that little activity.

"You ever miss him?" Gracie blurted out suddenly.

"Miss him? Miss who?" Nancy asked, now putting the detergent in with the sheets.

"The baby, Eddy?" Gracie managed to whisper.

"If I didn't have you? If I was having to go through this all alone? Maybe. Do I miss him? God, I don't know, I mean, Gracie, we were together like five, no, six years. But then all of a sudden, shit started falling apart and he's blaming me for it, then I get pregnant and really? I thought he was going hit me," Nancy said, her words barely heard over the 'whup whup' of the dryer and the water filling the washer.

"Hit you?" Gracie said, horrified.

"Yeah, well, he didn't, but remember how big he was?" Nancy admitted.

At eleven thirty on Saturday morning, Nancy and Gracie were the second ones to arrive at La Scalia's Italian restaurant. The maître-d escorted the women to the small banquet room.

"There she is! Hey Birthday Girl!" Joe Gaudet greeted Gracie.

"Hi Mr. Joe. You remember my girlfriend Nancy?" Gracie asked.

"Damn, met her what, six days ago? Just how old and senile you think I am?" Joe teased the girl.

"Hi Miss Lisa, hi Mr. Joe," Nancy cheerfully called out.

"There she is, my birthday girl," Susan said, entering the room.

"Grandmother!" both Gracie and Nancy cheerfully called out.

"Grandmother!" Joe called out.

"Mr. Gaudet, that is not funny," Susan tried to look stern and failed.

"Then why you laughing?" the man asked, giving the woman a quick hug.

Dwight again tried to give Nancy a hug. Nancy again threatened the boy with grievous bodily harm if he came anywhere near her butt.

"Same goes for you too, Uncle Dennis," Nancy threatened.

"Don't worry, wouldn't dream of it," Penny said snidely.

"What? Got pay for my own drinks?" Stacie shrilled.

Anthony was the last to arrive and had a happy, but slightly nervous Vanessa Breaux with him.

Nancy and Gracie cornered the girl and they spoke in excited whispers and squeals.

"See, Uncle Antny? Told you you'd meet someone," Gracie said happily.

"Uh huh, and now that you all psychic and stuff, how's the stock market going do today?" Anthony teased.

"Uh, terrible. Closed today, remember?" Gracie crowed.

"Yes, yes, that's it," Lisa informed the waiter assigned to their room. "You may start serving now."

"Really? Got pay for my own drinks?" Stacie again complained.

"Yes, Stacie, we're serious, Stacie, you have to pay for your own drinks, Stacie," Aunt Cindy snapped. "It really won't kill you go an hour without, will it?"

For the majority of the people in attendance, the food was good, the conversation lively. There was much laughter as family members remembered past birthday fiascos, past birthday surprises.

"And this one, this one, knowing I'm allergic to dogs, has his buddy's dog, tells me that's my birthday present," Susan told Vanessa, affectionately slapping her oldest son's head.

"Should have seen her, trying act all happy, trying not get mad at me or poor Buster," Anthony laughed.

"Tony! That's terrible!" Vanessa squealed, laughing.

"Tony?" seven women gasped loudly. "TONY?"

"He'd kill us any of us ever called him Tony!" Lisa proclaimed.

"Still will," Anthony smiled.

"Bit of advice," Susan said, hugging Anthony. "Going have children? Have the bad ones first. Toughens you up for the ones come afterward."

"Good to know," Nancy said and Gracie giggled, patting Nancy's belly.

After the dinner plates were cleared away, the waiter brought in the birthday cake, with twenty one candles glowing brightly. The celebrants sang 'Happy Birthday' with each trying to sing louder, and more off-key than any of the others.

"So? What'd you wish for?" Vanessa asked, when Gracie did manage, barely, to blow out all the candles.

Lisa slipped her daughter the small box.

"I wished for Nancy Faye Hebert to be my wife," Gracie said, turning and showing Nancy the small box.

"Gracie?" Nancy asked, shock etched on her beautiful face.

"Sweetheart? Will you? Will you marry me, be my wife?" Gracie asked, losing her happy smile.

"Gracie? Are you, this is real?" Nancy asked, not looking at the beautiful ring, just looking in Gracie's eyes.

"This is real," Gracie said, trying to catch her breath.

"As beautiful as, Gracie, you want to marry me?" Nancy stammered.

"I'm not beautiful," Gracie wheezed.

"God damn it, yes, yes you are and I don't know why you'd even want me, but yes, Gracie, yes I will marry you," Nancy whispered, cupping Gracie's face.

"EW, yuck," Stacie said as the two women kissed. "I just vomited in my mouth."

"And you can leave now," Aunt Cindy snapped. "That is your cousin. Gay or not, she is still your cousin."

"Now. NOW we have something to really celebrate," Uncle Anthony proclaimed.

"It fits! How, how'd you know what ring size get me?" Nancy squealed, trying on the ring.

"Remember? Had you try on my college ring?" Gracie giggled, finally able to catch her breath again.

"Uncle Antny! You walk me up the aisle?" Gracie asked, eyes sparkling.

"No, Gracie," Uncle Anthony said, smiling. "But I will happily watch as your mother walks you up the aisle."

"Momma!" Gracie gasped, horrified that she might have hurt Lisa's feelings.

"Yes, Sweetheart, I will walk you up the aisle," Lisa said, wiping her tears away.

"There's three..." Nancy observed, looking at the ring.

"See, there's you? And me? And the baby," Gracie explained, counting out the sapphires.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Judge Kaitlin Monroe-Paice performed the union of Grace Ann Taylor and Nancy Faye Hebert on a beautiful April Saturday afternoon. The Hardington Acres Country Club rented the gazebo overlooking the fourth tee for the ceremony.

As Mr. Hebert and Mrs. Hebert denounced and disowned their daughter and her disgusting hedonistic sinful lifestyle, they did not attend the ceremony. They did not see their oldest child, looking beautiful in a pale blue gown as she happily clung onto Uncle Anthony's arm. Her baby bump was quite noticeable in the beautiful garment.

"That what happened?" Uncle Anthony teased Nancy. "Huh? Had trick you into marrying her?"

"Uncle Antny!" Nancy giggled.

"And who gives this woman to be wed?" Kaitlin asked, smiling as Anthony and Nancy approached Gracie and Lisa.

"Our family gives this woman to be wed," Uncle Anthony said as a tear trickled down his smiling face.

"Friends, family, honored guests," Kaitlin announced at the end of the ceremony. "Mrs. Grace Ann Taylor and Mrs. Nancy Faye Taylor."

The two beaming women were enveloped by the Whitehead family, hugging and kissing.

"Ow!" Dwight giggled, rubbing his arm where Nancy punched him.

"Next one's your nose, boy," Nancy said, fist balled up.

"Dwight, we had a little talk about respecting women," Aunt Barbara said, not laughing now.

"That's my boy," Uncle Dennis whispered, hugging his son around his shoulders.

Uncle Jimmy got up slowly and approached the throng. Lisa moved, but not as quickly as Nancy, to stand in front of Gracie.

"I just wanted to say, I am very proud of you," Uncle Jimmy said in a clear, strong voice. "And I'm very happy for the two of you. May you have a long, happy life together."

"Thank you, Uncle Jimmy," Gracie wheezed, hand on her heart.

"Thank you," Nancy said, voice an unwelcoming bark.

"Thank you. And welcome to the family, Nancy," Jimmy smiled sadly and turned to leave the gazebo.

"Call your sponsor," John Burke said, standing with two other waiters.

"Hey y'all? This first song? We had look this one up," the singer of the five piece band announced. "I'd never even heard of this one before."

"Nancy!" Gracie giggled as the band began to play 'Yummy Yummy Yummy' by Ohio Express.

*.*.*.*.*.*

Bradley Marcus Taylor was born on June eleventh, at seven forty seven in the morning. As Nancy cried, whimpered, and screamed through the birth, Gracie wanted to shut down. Gracie wanted to go inside of herself, wanted to hide. But her wife needed her. Her loving, sweet wife needed her. Gracie clung on to that tiny thread of sanity; someone else needed her.

"Oh. My. God, Gracie," Nancy groaned. "I would never be able do this without you."

"I love you so much," Gracie sobbed as Nancy's sweaty face morphed into another grimace of Agony.

"Love you too," Nancy screamed out and gave a final push.

"And, it's a boy!" Dr. Ellen Sweetman declared.

"It's a boy, Bradley Marcus Taylor, Lisa told Joe Daudet.

"It's a boy, Bradley Taylor," Anthony told Vanessa.

"Oh boy! Come on; need get Brad a Saints jersey," Vanessa said.

"Your daughter just had a boy," Mrs. Hebert snapped at her husband. "Bradley Marcus Taylor."

"Br... She named him Bradley?" Mr. Hebert choked out, allowing a tear to slide down his ruddy face.

THE END of the 'Edge Of Breaking' series.

**Author's Note: I write these stories for my pleasure. I post them here for your enjoyment. I thank you sincerely for reading my stories.

I especially thank those that take the time to leave comments, good and bad. As well as those that take the time to rate my stories.

Anita Lopez and Antoinette 'Toni' Delacroix are characters from the 'Wealth' series in Lesbian Sex and Mature categories.

John Burke, the Hardington Acres Country Club waiter, is a character from 'John's Lament' in the Loving Wives category.

Joe Gaudet is a character from 'Garden By The Front Door' in the Loving Wives category.

Morgan Wolfe is a character from 'Popcorn, Extra Butter' in the Mature category.

Judge Kaitlin Monroe-Paice is a character from 'Acquisition' in the Loving Wives category, as well as the 'Men In Blue' series in the Lesbian Sex category. She is also featured in 'The Broussard Sisters' series in Group Sex, as well as the Yearbook 2005 series in the Novels and Novellas category.

Dr. Melanie Leblanc is a character in 'Yapping Mongrels' in the Loving Wives category.

Nicole Banks, the attorney is a character from 'Vanity' in the Loving Wives category, as well as 'Eyes Like The Ocean' in the Anal Sex category.

Charlene and Marlene Falgout, the hairdressers/makeup artists were featured in the 'Explanation Of Love' series in the Lesbian Sex category.

Barney Siegel, Joanna Siegel, and Barbara Peters were characters in 'Nothing To Offer' in the Loving Wives category.

And, the Whitehead family was mentioned, but not introduced in the 'Killer Blonde' series in both Incest/Taboo and Loving Wives categories. Marcus Whitehead was the patriarch, now deceased, Susan his wife. Anthony has assumed the reins as Chief Operating Officer, Lisa has assumed the title of Chief Financial Officer, and Susan wields the most power as the Chief Executive Officer, as well as majority shareholder, and chairperson of the board of shareholders.

Have a most luxurious day.