State of Grace: The Sequel
Chapter 1
Part 1

“Hey Ted!” called Luke. He strode up the steps and shook Teddy’s hand. Luke towered over Teddy. He wished he would grow to be as tall as his dad and Uncle, both of who were at least 6’2 and extremely built.  Teddy was only 5’4 and one of the smallest kids in his grade.
            “You’re looking taller lately, bud, did you know that?” commented Luke as they walked inside. They were seated at the table just chatting when Grace laid down a big bowl of spaghetti.
            “Spaghetti?” whined Nick, “I don’t really like it! It looks like worms.”
            “Well, you like worms enough, don’t you?” asked Grace, then she turned to Luke, “He put one in his sister’s hair today.”
            “After dinner, we’re having a talk,” said Luke. Nick frowned at this idea.
            “We’re having spaghetti because its Teddy’s favorite and he’s our guest,” said Grace, clearly indicating that there was no room for discussion from the kids.
            “He can’t help with the dishes then, Daddy, can he?” asked Sarah. Teddy laughed.
            “I’ll help, Sarah!”
            “No, guests can’t do chores it’s not polite,” she said, and Teddy’s day got a little better when she smiled at him.
            “Alright, then after dinner I’ll play tag with you and Nick to make up for it,” said Teddy. Both kids got very excited with the prospect of a fun night. After they brought their dishes to the sink, both raced to get their boots on and grab flashlights. Teddy raced after them.
            “Don’t forget about our talk, young man!” shouted Luke after his son.
            “If I remember correctly, you put a worm in my hair once or twice,” said Grace. She half smiled.
            “He’s still a big kid at heart, huh?” asked Luke, ignoring her comment, as he dried the clean plates Grace handed him.
            “Yeah he loves those kids. He’s got something on his mind though, he came over pretty angry,” she said. Luke looked intently at his wife. She looked exhausted. Her blonde hair was piled on the top of her head and her glasses were smudged and her clothes hung off her. He gathered her in his arms.
            “You’re too skinny and you look exhausted,” he muttered into her hair.
            “Thanks for the compliments.”
            “You need a day with May. How about on Saturday I take the kids somewhere fun and you won’t have to worry?”  Grace’s body relaxed against him. She nodded and moved away.
            “Hey I wasn’t done!” said Luke and he pulled her back into his arms, “and we’re gonna finish these dishes and go relax on the porch.”
            “Luke, honey, you smell,” said Grace. His blue eyes flashed but she knew the anger would pass. “Go shower and then we can have tea on the porch…or maybe a beer for you at this point.” They did do just that until the kids came in for baths. With all the hustle with getting Nick and Sarah to bed, Grace never got her chance to talk to Teddy.
            As the headlights of Luke’s old truck pulled out of the driveway, Grace could just make out Teddy talking animatedly in the front seat of the cab. She left her spot in the window and shut off Nick’s light. He was sound asleep, exhausted from a hard day of playing. As she padded down the stairs she picked up at least eight toys per child. When she had finished cleaning up after her messy kids, she finished the kitchen and shut off the light. Making sure only the front door was unlocked and the porch light was on, Grace headed up to bed. When Luke finally returned, he found his pregnant wife passed out on their bed, still fully dressed from the day.
            “Gracie,” he whispered, gently nudging her awake. She rolled into his arms and he carried her into their bathroom. From there, she managed to brush her teeth and get into her maternity pajamas. She was curled into a ball when he finally lay down. They began their familiar routine.
            “John?” he started.
            “Eh… maybe. How about Denton?”
            “What if it’s a girl?”
            “Definitely Ella for the middle name,” said Grace. Luke’s younger sister Ella had almost lost her life when she was a little girl. Now she was twenty-one and doing very well in college. When Sarah was born, Ella made Grace promise her that the next girl had to be named after her in some way.
            “Just because you made that promise to both May and her, doesn’t mean you have to keep it!” chastised Luke.  He adored his daughter’s name, Sarah May, but he wasn’t sure how he felt about his sister and his possible daughter being correlated in any way.
            “Luke Taylor, I’m surprised at you! Not keeping promises? That’s not like you,” said Grace but she smiled when she said it. Luke, pretending to feel ashamed, rolled over and hid his face in her shoulder. “Sorry Mrs. Taylor,” he said as he kissed her cheek and turned off the light.