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Diana called Nick on his cellphone.
“She’s gone crazy.”
With a chuckle, Nick asked, “What’s your mother doing?”
“She’s decorated the whole house with shamrocks, four leaf clovers, pots of gold and leprechauns. Dad, we’re not Irish and we’re not Catholic. Why are we celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?”
“Your mother and your uncle Monroe love celebrating every holiday they can. And you didn’t seem to mind celebrating Valentine’s Day?”
“That’s different. Valentine’s Day is about celebrating love. And Saint Valentine was an Italian Roman. You and Trubel are part Italian.”
That was true. Nick and Trubel had found out they were third cousins by way of a shared Italian ancestor.
“But Saint Patrick’s Day” Diana continued “is about a British born man establishing Catholicism in Ireland. Only Aunt Rosalee has Irish relatives. But she’s not Catholic.”
“Well your brother, Kelly has an Irish name, the same name as the woman who gave birth to me and took care of you for a while. Anyway, American’s will use any excuse to party. Most people use St. Patrick’s Day as a day for wearing a lot of green and being silly.”
Nick wasn’t sure how to explain to her that most American’s used it as an excuse to get drunk and go wild. Sometimes pulling pranks.
“Alright.” The young hexenbiest sighed, making Nick chuckle again. “But the whole house is covered with rainbows and green and gold decorations. Mom is also making cookies and wants to cover them in green icing and edible gold. The gold doesn’t even taste like anything.”
“I know. But your mother loves fancy food. You know that. Ask her if she wants me to bring home stuffed cabbage for dinner.”
“No!” Diana nearly shouted in panic.
Nick had to suppress a laugh.
“That stuff smells awful.”
Nick had to agree with her on that point.
“Diana, honey, who are you talking to.”
Nick knew he had a besotted smile on his face when he heard his wife’s voice.
“Dad.”
“Which one.”
“The one you’re married to.”
“Oh good. Could you ask him to stop by the deli and bring home about six pounds of corned beef? And a large jar of their stone ground mustard.”
“Trubel must be back from her mission and staying with us.” Nick thought as he wrote down Adalind’s orders. “Of course it could also be Adalind’s intense cravings.”
It was to be expected that Adalind would be wanting a lot more food while pregnant.
“Especially since she was pregnant with Nick’s baby.” Was a common joke. No one would have been surprised if Adalind had started wanting donuts all of the time.
She had certainly taken advantage of whatever foods were popular during each Holiday.
Nick was anticipating finding a place that made good banana pudding when Easter rolled around.
But for St. Patrick’s Day, Adalind wanted corned beef, baked potatoes covered in cheddar cheese and apple crumble with a large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
“Vanilla bean, not French vanilla.” Adalind insisted adamantly when she asked that he get her ice cream. “There is a huge difference in taste.”
Nick was not about to take any chances and got his pregnant wife exactly everything she asked for.
When he got home, he didn’t bother hiding the fond smile at the scene.
Kelly had green icing smeared in his face, a half eaten shamrock shaped cookie in his hand.
Diana was teasing the cats with a green garland that had shiny green shamrocks on it.
Trubel had a cookie in one hand and in the other was a mug with a rainbow and pot of gold on it.
Adalind was placing a figurine of a leprechaun on the coffee table.
As soon as they saw him, they all greeted him happily.
“I told you the house was covered in green and gold.” Diana said once Nick had received his hugs and kisses from his family.
“You did.” Nick agreed with a chuckle.
“I think the house looks great!” Adalind defended.
“It does.” Nick quickly agreed with his wife. He knew better than to say otherwise.
Diana rolled her eyes. She was sure dad was only saying the place looked good because he always avoided making mom upset. He didn’t want to risk the chance of not being able to cuddle with mom at night.
Her other dad’s house didn’t have all of the decorations. It was the exact opposite in so many ways. Her other dad didn’t decorate for any of the smaller holidays, as he called them.
Diana always thought it seemed plain compared to her mom and dad’s house and her uncle Monroe and aunt Rosalee’s house, which were always decorated for every Holiday.
“I found these great candy molds to make edible versions of fairies and leprechauns!” Adalind said excitedly to Nick. “I thought it would be fun to place them on cupcakes and take them to the kids’ schools.”
Adalind continued to tell Nick about all of the fun ideas she found for making St. Patrick’s Day treats as they put the things he brought away and made dinner.
Kelly giggled at the silly figurines his mother held up when Adalind showed Nick the salt and pepper shakers she got.
One was of a leprechaun and the other was a pot of gold. There was also a rainbow napkin holder to go with the set. Adalind had placed napkins with shamrocks on them in the holder.
“It’s impressive how much you were able to get done in just a few hours.” Nick complimented his wife, who beamed proudly at him.
Nick was tasked with roasting the corned beef and the potatoes on the grill so the cupcakes could be baked in the oven. He held his son and talked with Trubel about her latest assignment while Adalind and Diana stirred food coloring into while chocolate and placed it into molds to make leprechaun shaped candy.
When it was time to clean up, Nick insisted Adalind take Kelly and rest on the couch while he and the girls took care of it.
There was no hiding he often worried about Adalind exerting herself.
One of the things the two had in common was how protective they each were over the other.
A couple of hours of family time then bath and bed for Kelly and Diana.
The adults stayed up talking a while then each grabbed a snack and headed to their own rooms.
Nick heated up Adalind’s apple crumble, put the ice cream on it and took it up to bed for her.
She smiled gratefully at him and gave him sweet tasting kisses every now and again as she ate her treat.
“You are aware that your daughter thinks you're crazy. What with you being excessive with all of your Holiday decorating.” Nick thought to inform his wife with a grin.
Adalind shrugged, too content with her snack to care what anyone thought about anything she did. “I’m just providing her with a traditional family experience. Which is not something we get to say a lot. Most children become embarrassed by their parents. And I’m just making up for all of the times I didn’t get to be silly.”
Nick placed a kiss on her shoulder. “I like you doing things that make you happy. Especially when every time I enter this house I feel like I’m in a loving home.”
“So you don’t think I go overboard.”
“Oh I definitely think you go way overboard, but that’s what makes this feel like family.”
Adalind could completely understand what Nick meant.
She placed her hand on her belly. “And soon it will feel even more like a loving family.”
Nick placed her empty dish on the bedside table, then wrapped his arms around her for a deep and loving kiss.