Pippa and I rarely fought and I hated that we were on thin ice with each other. She'd gotten incredibly anxious lately about the wedding. I understood that for women especially it was a very special day; something they may dream about for years. But to me, as long as I had Pippa, our friends and families there, the rest didn't matter. When we looked back, we wouldn't be thinking about whether the white or yellow tablecloths would have been better, or whether we should serve chicken or beef. It would be the memories of the ceremony and celebrating with the people we loved.

I was somewhat avoiding both Pippa and Joey, which was hard because we were the only three home and it was the weekend. I stayed in my room a lot listening to music and writing some. It was actually quite peaceful, though my mind was far from it.

Saturday night Pippa climbed into bed next to me, quietly opening up the book she was reading. She could tell I was being standoff-ish and she had been giving me space. I hated the heaviness between us and decided I needed to hold out an olive branch. I turned onto my side and rubbed my hand over her belly.

"Listen," I told her. "I know I haven't been that helpful with the wedding stuff, but it's honestly because I completely trust you. Whatever you decide will be perfect."

She glanced at me and gave me a small smile. "Thanks," she said. "But I really do want to know your opinion on some things."

I nodded, my head propped up in my hand. "Ask me about the important stuff. Everything else will work out."

I leaned in to kiss her softly, and the tension began to ease.

"If you really think Joey shouldn't spend time with Elliott at school I'll back you up," she told me. "I just don't want to fight a battle with them that might not be worth fighting."

I scrubbed a hand over my face. "Maybe I'm overprotective because it's my daughter," I admitted. "She's still just a little girl to me. Having her stay over with him at college just doesn't feel right. I mean, I want her to make smart decisions and I think she is, but I also don't want to send the message that it's appropriate when she's only sixteen."

Pippa nodded in understanding. I want her to stay a kid as long as possible. There's plenty of time for grown-up things as a grown up. She turned onto her side and we kissed gently. The cloud between us seemed to have lifted and I was grateful.

____

The next day Joey avoided me. I could overhear her talking to Pippa, trying to get her to agree that I was being unreasonable. It irked me a little, but I let it go because I knew Pippa would back me up.

In the afternoon, Alex and Jack were returned by their grandparents. We invited them to stay for a cup of coffee and they did. The kids played on the floor as we sipped our drinks and chatted. Luckily our relationship was pretty amicable nowadays. They were older so one weekend a month seemed to be a good fit for them. I could tell they were usually exhausted at the end of the kids' visit.

When we reached the bottom of our mugs, Jennifer looked at her husband and said it was about time they headed out. Alex wasn't happy about it. She collapsed her upper body on Jennifer's lap and whined.

"But I don't want you to go!" she complained as Jennifer stroked her back.

"I know," she sympathized. "But we had a fun weekend together didn't we? You need to go back to school and learn some more tomorrow."

"But I don't wanna stay here!" she continued to pout. "I wanna go back with you!"

I caught eye contact with Jennifer for a moment and I could sense that this had come up over the weekend. Now that Alex was older and she understood that she had two families, it was difficult. I stood up and knelt down next to Alex.

"Sweetheart, they have to go," I told her. "But I bet they'd like to see the family tree you've been working on."

That perked her up. She stood upright and ran over to her small table where we'd been storing it. She proudly picked it up, tongue sticking out the side, and hurried over to her.

"Oooh, let's have a look," Jennifer said as Alex set it on the coffee table.

Alex began to explain everything on the tree, pointing out each person. Her grandparents praised her and I think it touched them that they'd done their family tree. As they finished up, Pippa and I began to clear away the mugs so they could have a private goodbye.

Alex was up in her grandfather's arms as she hugged him tightly. He was saying something softly to her and she pouted some more. They were given one last kiss and hug, then they were gone. Once the door was closed, Alex crossed her arms and started stamping her feet hard as she went to her room.

"I. Want. To. Go. With. Grandma. And. Grandpa!" she told everyone loudly. Her door slammed moments later. I sighed and looked at Pippa. It was hard to tell if this was just a phase or if she really wanted to go with them.

We gave her some space and she seemed to be quietly playing in her room for a while. Pippa and I wondered if we should have her talk to a therapist. It seemed she was having some difficult feelings.

After a half hour or so she wandered out a picked up a Batman action figure from the floor, sitting on her knees with her little brother. They seemed to be playing nicely when out of nowhere she whacked him on the head. Jack screamed and we both rushed over. Pippa picked up Jack to comfort him and I scooped up Alex for a time out.

"We do not hit," I told her firmly as she screamed in protest. She flailed her arms around as I marched her straight back to her room. I set her on her bed and began to walk out. After closing the door and heading back to the kitchen she opened the door and screamed at the top of her lungs then began slamming the door repeatedly. Alex had tantrums sometimes like any little kid, but this was beyond normal.

I took a deep breath and walked back. I caught the door and gripped her arm, marching her back to her bed. After sitting her back down she kicked at me. "Alexandra Elizabeth Miranda!" I said loudly. "Stop it now!"

I felt myself getting angry so I walked away. This time I stayed at the door and held the knob so the door stayed shut. I couldn't stop her from screaming, which she continued to do, but the door was held in place. As I stood there I saw Pippa walking around with Jack in her arms. He was still tearful but calming down. We exchanged a confused look. Alex had never been this bad and certainly not violent towards her brother.

After five minutes or so she seemed to tire herself out. I very quietly walked away from the door and back to the kitchen. Jack held his arms out for me and he was transferred over. He rested his head against my shoulder as I rubbed at his back.

Pippa and I both sat down on the couch as I continued to hold Jack. I put on PJ Masks and he settled into my lap, sucking his thumb. Pippa and I began to talk quietly.

"I've never seen her like that before," I told Pippa. "Did something happen?"

She shrugged. "I guess she's been thinking more about her biological family," Pippa reasoned. "She must be having a lot of feelings."

"I'll say," I commented, running my fingers over Jack's short hair. We all sat there quietly for a few minutes and Jack seemed to be fine. I kissed his head and gently transferred him onto the couch, then wandered back down the hallway. I pushed Alex's door open and found her on the floor playing with her Legos. I sat down cross-legged with her and began to build too.

"Whatcha building?" I asked her. She shrugged, her lip pouty.

"I think I'm gonna build a skyscraper," I decided, stacking my blocks high. Alex began to take a few of her pieces apart and then added them to mine. Soon, we had a tower that was taller than her. It wasn't terribly stable, but it kept growing. She giggled when she could no longer reach. She stood on her bed and added a few more before it toppled over. Alex laughed.

I chuckled and picked her up, sitting on her bed with her in my lap. "You feeling better?" I asked her gently. She nodded, fiddling with the button on my shirt. "Why do you think you got so angry?"

She shrugged, which was typical. I let my chin rest on her head and we just sat for a moment. "Do you miss your mom and dad?"

She nodded and rested her head against my chest. I couldn't imagine losing my parents at such a young age. She and Jack were so impressionable. We tried to give them everything they needed, but we weren't their real parents. Nothing could ever change that.

"I miss them too," I told her.

We talked for a few minutes about some of our favorite memories of her parents. She remembered her parents taking her swimming at the pool a lot. I told her about a time when her parents had been really silly, singing along to the radio. It was important to me to keep her parents' memory alive.

"Sometimes when I'm upset I get angry too," I admitted. "But I know that I have to do something with my body to calm myself down. Like go for a walk or play basketball."

She listened, still cuddled up with me.

"Maybe we should think of something for you to do when you get really angry," I proposed. "What do you think helps you calm down?"

"Maybe do a silly dance?" she asked, looking up at me. I smiled at her suggestion. Sometimes that helps me too.

"Good idea," I told her. "Silly dances definitely help. What about that trampoline we just got you? Do you like to jump on that?"

She nodded and we thought of a couple more things. I hugged her tight and told her that since she'd hit her brother she should go apologize. She nodded in understanding and hopped off my lap. I stood by, hands in my pockets, as she sweetly apologized and gave him a big hug.

Even though he'd gotten decked by Spider-Man, Jack was quick to forgive. Moments later, the two siblings were side by side again, playing.