Chapter 4
Reagan
“I’m going to miss you so much. Yes, I am. Mama loves you. Yes, I do. I love you so much.”
“Oh, calm down,” Nana said as she grabbed Patch out of my arms. “He’ll be just fine here with me.”
“And you’re sure you’ll be okay?” Charlie asked as she wrapped an arm around her nana.
Much to our chagrin, Charlie’s parents had decided to stay at our house the night before vacation and fly out of Philadelphia with us. The only positive was that Nana offered to ride with them to our house and watch Patch while we were gone. Thank god. With his anxiety, I didn’t even want to imagine what he would do if we left him with someone he didn’t know. Luckily, Patch loved Nana, but then again, who didn’t?
Nana waved her hand at Charlie. “I’ll be just fine. I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself. Now, tell me, where do you keep the good stuff ?”
“The good stuff? Like alcohol?”
Nana rolled her eyes at me as if she thought I was purposely avoiding her question. “I’m not stupid. I know you girls have weed.”
I chuckled while Charlie coughed beside me. “Oh! That good stuff. We don’t have that much, so I packed most of what we have, but there are a few gummies in the nightstand by our bed.”
“Which you will not be taking.” Charlie glared at me. “Why would you pack that? What if they search our luggage and find it?”
Nana waved a finger at Charlie, but kept her eyes on me. “I remember when this one used to be fun. Old ball and chain now, huh?”
My body shook slightly as I tried my best to hold in my laughter. I winked at Nana then focused my attention on Charlie. “No one is going to find it. Plus, we’re going on vacation with your mother. Did you really think I was going to make it through the whole week completely sober?”
“Touché. Come to think of it, maybe we should take some now.”
“I’m not at the point of wanting to claw your mom’s eyes out yet, so I think I’ll hold off for now.”
“You’re not?” Charlie asked with a laugh. “That makes one of us.”
“Hey,” I wrapped my arms around Charlie and pulled her close to me. “Don’t let her get to you. This is going to be an amazing trip. We’ve been dreaming about this ever since our first date . Nothing or no one is going to ruin it for us.”
“You’re right.” Charlie rested her head against my chest. “I still can’t believe this is real. We’re going to Disney with the family we made together. It seemed like such a pipe dream just a few years ago. Now it’s actually happening. Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself.”
Happy tears burned at the corners of my eyes. I opened my mouth to tell Charlie that I couldn’t agree more, but I was cut off by the sound of Nana scoffing.
“You’re lucky I love you two, because all this lovey dovey shit is going to make me throw up my breakfast.”
“Sorry, Nana.” I let go of Charlie and put my arm around Nana instead. “I just can’t help it that I love your great granddaughter so much.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m really happy for both of you.” Even though her tone was sarcastic, I knew she meant it. Nana had been our biggest supporter since day one.
I pulled her even tighter up against me. “Don’t worry. No matter what, you’ll always be my favorite Miller.”
“I better be. It’s not like there’s much competition.”
“Nana!” Charlie’s mouth fell open, but it quickly turned up into a smile. “That’s not very nice. We’re not all bad, you know.”
“That’s true. I’m sorry. You’re right. Jamie has grown into a wonderful man.”
Both Charlie and I burst into laughter. Even though I was really excited for this trip, there was a part of me that longed to stay back with Nana. Her fragile frame reminded me that she wasn’t getting any younger, and I wanted to soak up all the time we had left with her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us on the trip?” We had asked her multiple times and her answer was always a resounding no, but I figured I might as well give it one more try.
“And leave Patch here by himself to destroy your whole house? I don’t think so. Plus, if I miss a week of my soaps, I’ll never catch up. Do you know how many people will die, cheat, or turn gay in that time? I might as well stop watching if I miss a week.”
“You’re right. I could never ask you to miss out on all of that excitement. We’re just going to miss you.”
“Pft.” Nana furrowed her eyebrows and waved a hand at me. “Enough with the sappy shit.”
I laughed as I pulled her into my arms for one more hug. “Sorry, Nana. Take care of Patch. Don’t let him boss you around.”
Nana pulled away from me and lifted both eyebrows as she stared at me, face stone cold serious. “I’m always the boss. You should know that by now. I’ll have this pup whipped into shape by the time you get home. No more biting or chewing once I’m done with him.”
I appreciated her enthusiasm, but I knew there was no chance of that happening. Patch’s anxiety had anxiety. There was no way that was going to be cured in a week.
“Girls! All three children are in the car. We’re just waiting on you.” When Mrs. Miller came into the room, she was out of breath and her hair was completely disheveled as if she had just run a marathon. “If we don’t leave now, we could miss our flight.”
Charlie looked down at the watch on her wrist then rolled her eyes at her mom. “Our flight doesn’t leave for four hours and the airport is around an hour away. We’ll be fine.”
Mrs. Miller shook her head and threw her hands in the air. “Fine. If we get stuck in traffic and then there is a line for security, you can explain to your children why they aren’t going to Disney World.”
I squeezed my lips together to hold in my laughter at how ridiculous that statement was, but Nana apparently didn’t have the same reservations. She looked at Mrs. Miller directly and literally laughed in her face. “That is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard, which is saying a lot when I’ve been living with you for the last ten years.”
Instead of addressing Nana, Mrs. Miller looked at us. “Just get outside, please.” She stomped away, huffing with every step she took.
Nana continued to laugh, barely pushing her words out between chuckles. “You girls have fun with that. I know I’ll be enjoying my vacation right here away from her.”
“Have fun,” Charlie said before giving her nana one more hug. “Call us if you need anything, please .”
Nana stopped laughing and glared at Charlie. “Stop your worrying. I’m fine. It’s you two I’m worried about.” She waved her hand in the direction of the door. “Having to deal with that thing all week.”
“Don’t worry about us either,” I said with a laugh. “We’re going to have a great time.” At least, I hope so.
***
The house we rented was huge and only a few minutes from the parks. Still, after enduring a whole plane ride with Charlie’s mom, it didn’t seem big enough.
I walked up the stairs and down the hall to the bedroom that was the farthest away from all the others and frowned when I found that Jamie and Ethan’s bags were already sitting on the bed. Damn them for getting here before us.
“Jamie, could you please come here?” I yelled through the house, trying my best to do my sweet voice.
“What’s up?” Jamie asked when he found me in the hallway outside of his claimed bedroom.
“We have a problem.” I pointed toward the open doorway. “I want this room.”
Jamie smirked. “Sounds like a personal problem. It’s already taken. You know what they say—the early bird—”
“What they say is that I had to deal with your mother the whole way down here, so I deserve the room that is farthest away from hers.”
Jamie crossed his arms in front of his chest, but the smirk remained on his face. “Is that so? Have you forgotten that I live fifteen minutes away from her? I’d say I deal with her much more than you do.”
Two can play this game. I crossed my arms in front of my chest as well and took a step closer to him. “Have you forgotten that you chose to live there?”
“This is true.” Jamie nodded as if he was actually considering my point. “You know what else is true, though? The fact that you have three children so you should probably be in a room that is close to theirs and this room isn’t close to any of the others.”
“Dude. That’s even more reason for me and Charlie to get this room. We deal with those crazy little people every day. This is vacation. Someone else can deal with them.”
Jamie tapped his chin. “You make a good point, but there’s gotta be something in it for me. What will you give me for the room?”
“The guarantee that I’ll be far enough away that you won’t have to listen to me having sex with your sister.”
Jamie wrinkled his face in disgust the way I was hoping he would. “First of all, ew. Second of all, it doesn’t matter if you’re all the way down here. You do remember Christmas a few years ago, don’t you?”
I smiled thinking back on that night. “How could I forget? One of the best orgasms of my life.”
“You’re missing my point. My point is that’s not good enough. I need something else.”
“Fine. I brought edibles along to help us deal with your mom. I even baked some special brownies. If you give us this room, you can have some.”
“I feel like you were already planning on sharing those with me.”
“I was , but now they come at a price.”
Jamie gritted his teeth. “You don’t fight fair.”
I couldn’t help but smile even wider at him. “I know.”
Jamie groaned and threw his arms in the air in defeat. “Fine. You can have this room as long as we don’t get stuck in the one closest to the triplets. I love my nieces and nephew, but I don’t want to get woken up by them super early. This is my vacation too.”
I held my hand out toward him. “Deal. I’ll put them right in the middle of your parents and my parents. That will make everyone happy.”
Jamie grabbed my hand and shook it. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
“Why do I feel like we just missed something shady going down?” Charlie’s voice said from behind me.
I turned around to find both her and Ethan standing there. “Nothing to worry about here. Just scoring the best room in the house for my favorite woman.”
Charlie lifted an eyebrow and smirked at me as she snaked an arm around my waste. “I love the sound of that. Why don’t we go in and you can show me around?”
“I’d be happy to show you around , dear.”
“Ew.” I looked at Jamie whose face had turned to one of disgust once again. “Still standing here. Also, don’t you two have children to take care of?”
Charlie shook her head. “Nope. Their grandparents are busy fighting over them, so we’re free.”
Jamie moved over to Ethan and put an arm around him just like Charlie had done to me. “Well, we’re going to put our suits on and get in the pool. Whenever you two get done doing whatever it is you’re doing, you should come join us.”
“Oh, I think you know exactly what we’re doing,” I said with a wink.
“Shut up!” Charlie and Jamie shouted at the exact same time, causing me and Ethan to break into a fit of laughter.
“Wow. You two really are twins.”
After Jamie and Ethan grabbed their bags out of the room, I brought ours in and locked the door behind us. Because that’s a mistake you only make once.
I nudged Charlie back onto the bed and crawled on top of her. “How quiet can you be?”
“I can be very quiet,” Charlie whispered, her voice sultry and soft and already making me wet.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked as I wasted no time unbuttoning her shorts and moving my hand inside.
Charlie bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Mmhmm. So sure.”
I ran my fingers through her folds and was happy to find how wet she already was. “You’re ready for me, huh?” I leaned down and kissed Charlie long and hard as I continued to touch her.
After a few seconds, she gently pushed me away and looked at me with eyes so laser focused that it made me forget how to breathe. “Reagan, I’m ready for you every minute of every day. I hope you don’t ever doubt that. I love you so much.”
Her words were so sweet, I had to squeeze my eyes shut to keep myself from crying. “I love you too, Charlie. I wish I could make love to you all day.”
Charlie stared at me for a few seconds before moving her eyes around the room and letting out a long sigh. “I wish you could too, but, unfortunately, if this takes more than a few minutes, everyone is going to know what’s going on up here, and I don’t think I can handle that again.”
“You make a good point.” I sat up, still straddling Charlie’s lap, and tore off my T-shirt and bra. “We better make this quick.” I ran my eyes over her body and licked my lips. “Now would be a good time for you to get naked.”
Charlie giggled and put her hands on my hips. “Unfortunately, that is going to require you getting off of me.”
“Fine.” I rolled off of Charlie and pulled off my shorts and underwear, while she removed her clothes as well.
Charlie scooted up the bed and once she was situated with her head on the pillows, I brought my body back on top of hers. We kissed for a few minutes while our hands explored each others’ bodies, and when I was sure we were both more than ready, I maneuvered my body so my center met hers. We both moaned quietly at the contact and I brought my mouth back to hers to keep us from making too much noise.
I had to kiss her harder as I found myself coming closer and closer to the edge, because all I wanted to do was scream out her name and let her know how good she made me feel. When her hips pushed up against mine bringing our bodies even closer together, I couldn’t take it anymore. I removed my mouth from hers and bit her shoulder as the orgasm shot through my body. The way Charlie’s body writhed below mine told me that she had climaxed as well.
“I love you so much,” I said once again as I stared down at my beautiful wife, her skin glistening with sweat from what we had just done and making her look more beautiful than ever.
“I love you too, Reagan. You’re my best friend in the whole world.” Charlie laughed as she rubbed her shoulder. “I just hope you didn’t leave a mark when you bit me. That one will be fun to explain to our parents.”
I moved her hand and studied the small red spot on her shoulder. Oops. “If anyone notices, we can tell them it was Patch. Problem solved.”
“You’ve thought of everything. Haven’t you, sweetheart?”
“Stick with me. We’ll be just fine.”
Charlie and I giggled together like giddy teenagers, before she pulled me down to give me another kiss. “I plan on it.”
***
We decided to start out our vacation with Magic Kingdom, since we couldn’t wait to see our kids’ faces when they saw Cinderella’s Castle for the first time. Their reactions certainly didn’t disappoint us.
As soon as the castle came into view, Carter, who was holding my hand, stopped dead in her tracks and stared up at it in awe. She squeezed my hand tightly as her mouth fell open.
The other two weren’t as calm with their responses of course. Ronan shouted, “Castle! Castle!” as he jumped up and down, practically tearing Charlie’s arm off in the process.
Olivia dropped my mom’s hand and took off in a sprint in the direction of the castle. Luckily, Jamie had quick reflexes and ran after her, scooping her up into his arms before we could lose her in the crowd. She giggled uncontrollably as he tickled her and held her upside down as his form of reprimanding her.
After taking turns getting pictures in front of the castle (Jamie and Ethan taking the most since it was the spot they had gotten engaged), we started to make our way around the park.
Three hours (and only two rides) later, the kids began to complain that they were hungry, tired, and their feet hurt.
“I told you we should have brought the strollers,” Charlie whispered to me through gritted teeth.
“So they could complain about that too? No thanks.” I smiled at the rest of our family. “I think we’re going to head back to the house for the afternoon, then come back when these three are feeling refreshed, but you should all stay and have fun.”
Mrs. Miller waved a hand at us. “Nonsense. I’ll come with you.”
I gave Charlie a look before trying my best to fake a smile for her mom. “You really don’t have to do that.” Seriously. Please don’t.
“I don’t mind one bit. I could also use the break.”
My mom must have noticed the panic in my eyes because she gave me a knowing smile. “You know what? I could use a break too. Why don’t us girls head back to the house and the boys can stay here? The more hands the better, right?” Aka she knows I don’t want to be stuck with just my mother-in-law. Thank you, Mom.
“That sounds like a great idea. Thank you so much, Mama Cooper,” Charlie said before I had the chance to respond. As what appeared to be a last minute thought, she smiled at her mom as well. “And Mom. Thank you.”
Charlie, my mom, and I each picked up a child and headed toward the exit. We had almost made it when Olivia spotted a gift shop. “Ears! Ears!” she shouted as she pointed toward the store and tried to wiggle out of Charlie’s arms.
Charlie fought to keep Olivia in her arms as she picked up her pace. “Not now, sweetie.”
Mrs. Miller put a hand on Charlie’s arm, bringing her to an abrupt stop. Instead of addressing Charlie, she looked at Olivia. “Do you want Mickey ears, sweetie?”
Olivia bounced up and down even more as she nodded her head up and down. “Ears!”
“Then let’s go get you some ears!”
If looks could kill, Mrs. Miller probably would have been hit by a rogue set of Mickey ears at that exact moment with the way Charlie was glaring at her. “Mom, the kids are exhausted. They can get the ears later. We need to get them back to the house so they can nap.”
“They can nap anytime. We’re in Disney. They need Mickey ears.”
Charlie looked at me for back up, but I was too tired to fight, so I simply shrugged. Charlie glared at me the same way she had at her mom just a few seconds ago. “Fine. They can get ears, but since you suggested it, you’re buying them, Mom.”
“Fine with me.” Mrs. Miller smiled widely as she reached out her arms toward Charlie to take Olivia from her. “You know how much I love to spoil my favorite little grandbabies.”
When Mrs. Miller walked away, I bumped my hip against Charlie’s. “I’m sorry. We have a whole week here, so I’m trying to choose my battles wisely with your mother.”
Charlie sighed and her body softened. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just tired, and she has this way of always getting under my skin.”
“I can’t imagine why,” I joked.
“Be nice,” my mom whispered in my ear from behind me.
“I’m always nice.” I turned toward my mom then looked between Ronan and Carter. “Do you two want to pick out some Mickey ears?”
Ronan shouted yes at the same time Carter said please much more quietly. Luckily, it didn’t take long for them each to pick out which set of ears they wanted.
As Mrs. Cooper walked to the check out with all three sets of ears, she stopped in front of the Disney Pride display which was adorned with an assortment of rainbow Disney merchandise. I held my breath as I waited for her to make a rude comment or at least huff and walk away.
“Well, isn’t this cute?” she said as she looked over the display. “Disney Pride. I love it. Why do you think they chose rainbows?”
I opened and closed my mouth a few times because I wasn’t sure if that was a trick question. Does she even know what this display is for?
She picked up a pair of rainbow Disney ears and put them on, smiling at herself in the mirror as she spun to look at them from all angles. “I love these. I’m going to get them.”
“For… yourself?” Charlie asked. “Mom, you do know this is the Pride collection, right? Don’t get me wrong. I’m really happy you want to get them. I’m just surprised.”
“Why would you be surprised, honey? I’m excited to show my Disney pride.”
Charlie wrinkled her nose and furrowed her eyebrows. “Disney pride? As in pride in Disney?”
“Of course.” Her mother waved her hand in front of the display. “That’s what all of this is for, right? Pride in Disney. Must be some sort of anniversary celebration.”
Charlie opened her mouth to respond, but I nudged her in the side to stop her. “That’s exactly what they are for. You should totally buy them.” I had to work to hold back my laughter as I lied through my teeth.
I didn’t feel bad at all when Charlie’s mom added them to the pile of other ears she was buying. If you don’t support your gay children enough to know that rainbows and pride are all about us gays, then you deserve to be lied to.
When I focused my attention on Charlie, I was sad to see that she didn’t seem to find it as funny as I did. Of course. I could have slapped myself. She was disappointed. For a moment, she probably let herself believe that her mom actually wanted to support her.
“I’m sorry she didn’t want the ears for the reason she should want them.”
Charlie shrugged, a forced smile parting her lips. “It’s okay. I should have known she didn’t realize what they were for. She’s getting better, but she’s far from being a PFLAG mom.”
“She might not actually be one, but she sure does look the part.” I pointed over to where Charlie’s mom was now proudly wearing her rainbow Mickey ears.
Just as I hoped, a real smile replaced Charlie’s fake one. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“Just a few times, but I like to hear it.”
***
When we went back to Magic Kingdom that night with three well-rested kids, Charlie’s mom was still wearing the ears.
Both Jamie and Ethan’s eyes went comically wide when they saw her. “Is Mom wearing gay Mickey ears?” Jamie whispered to Charlie at a volume loud enough for me to hear as well.
I put my finger up to my mouth. “Shh. She doesn’t know what they’re for.”
“James, what do you think of my ears?” Mrs. Miller asked in a sing-song voice.
Jamie put both thumbs in the air. “Very nice, Mom. They are very fitting for you. I love them. You should probably wear them all the time.”
“I think I might. I’ve gotten so many compliments.”
For the rest of the week, Charlie’s mom wore those ears proudly (with absolutely no clue what she was proud of). I was pretty sure Mr. Miller was smart enough to figure out what the ears represented, but even he didn’t say anything.
I was starting to believe the ears might be magical since we made it through a whole vacation with my in-laws without any major issues. I was having so much fun. Charlie, Jamie, Ethan, and I had only dipped into the brownies once and it was after our parents and the kids went to sleep one night.
As we got ready for our last night, which we were spending just as we started the week—at Magic Kingdom—I took a deep breath and mentally patted myself on the back for such a successful vacation. Big mistake. I should have known there was no way this trip could go by without a hitch. Honestly, I should have been waiting for something to go wrong, because inevitably, something always did.
I went downstairs to find Charlie struggling to get Olivia’s shoes on her. “Seriously?” she groaned when Olivia pulled her foot away just as she was trying to fasten the Velcro buckle.
I heard what sounded like a rip and then the shoe flew across the room. I rubbed Charlie’s arm as I walked past her. “I’ll fight Olivia and you can start working on the other two.”
When I picked up the shoe, I realized what the ripping sound was. The buckle had ripped off the shoe enough that it would be impossible to get them to stay on her anymore. I held the shoe in the air. “We had a casualty. I’ll have to get another pair.”
“I’ll do it,” Mrs. Miller said, hopping from the couch as if it was on fire.
“Are you sure you don’t mind? They’re on the floor of the closet in our bedroom.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Mrs. Miller held her hand out toward Olivia. “Do you want to come with me?”
Of course, Olivia agreed, and she pretty much dragged her grandma up the stairs. I looked at my watch after what felt like forever and noticed that it had been over five minutes since they went up.
“How long does it take to grab a pair of shoes?” I asked as the seconds ticked by on my watch.
“Not this long. We shouldn’t have trusted my mother to go up there.”
“I mean, what’s she going to do? It’s not like she’s going to go through our stuff.” I laughed, but when I saw the look on Charlie’s face, the laughter immediately faded. “Shit.”
“Shit is right.” Charlie looked toward the stairs and cleared her throat, her voice going up in both volume and tone the next time she spoke. “Mom? Everything okay up there?
“Coming, Charlotte.” Her mom’s voice didn’t sound guilty, as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t. Instead, she sounded almost annoyed.
When she came down the stairs, she shook her head. “I have a bone to pick with you two.” She waved a finger at both me and Charlie, but the smallest smirk parted her lips. “Why would you hide brownies in your closet so no one else in the family could have them? Especially your kids. That’s just mean.”
“You didn’t give Olivia one, did you?” Charlie asked, the panic in her voice matching the intense thudding of my heart. We would never risk our children getting into our special treats, hence why they were hidden in the closet, high enough for them never to be able to reach, and under a pile of clothes. You would have to search to find them, which Charlie’s mom clearly did.
“Of course not, sweetie,” Mrs. Miller said with a laugh. “I would never do that without your permission.”
Thank god. My heart rate slowed down, and I felt like I could breathe again.
“Of course, I did take one for myself, and let me tell you. It was amazing.”
Holy shit.