Chapter 35: Eight Is Enough

After the honeymoon ended, Lotta and Zak settled into the Mansion. However, with eight people being cramped together, they felt like they should start looking for a place to move to. It wasn't going to be easy, though. Zak has grown to love being close to his mother. But he has his own family to take care of now.


Moving Lotta in was fairly simple and didn't take much time at all. Soon after she got cozy, she started working on her logic skills for her career. But she and Zak have been granted more than a week off for the honeymoon period

Moving from the chess table, Lotta went to swiftly working on her Chemistry knowledge

But while mixing foreign chemicals together, Lotta got nauseous and almost puked in a beaker. Thankfully, she made it to a bathroom in time 

Once the puking stopped, Lotta took a pregnancy test just to be on the safe side. It comes back positive. Funny...Lotta hadn't been thinking about having children for a few more years. She and Zak must have been careless on their honeymoon. Feeling like she shouldn't tell Zak until it's a for sure-sure thing, she calls Bilinda to come into the bathroom.


When Bilinda walks in, she whispered that she may be pregnant and not to say a peep to anyone just yet

Bilinda agrees not to say one word. But she can't help but smirk a little. Having another new little baby around the house is something to look forward to. 


Lotta went back up to the attic to continue her chemistry studies. Possibly being pregnant didn't stop her from exposing herself to potentially hazardous materials. But while mixing things together, it finally happened. The pregnancy was a for sure thing- she started showing

Knowing that is was now 100% confirmed, Lotta yelled down the stairs for Zak 

Zak ran up as fast as he could. Right when he reached the top of the stairs, Lotta announced with a huge grin on her face, that they were expecting a new little baby 

Zak beamed ear to ear. He immediately put a hand to Lotta's stomach and said he was hoping for a boy. They already had Liv. But Lotta wanted to shoot for another daughter 

Zak had no idea that his mother had already suspected the big baby news, so he told Lotta that they better announce the pregnancy. Bilinda was a great actress and had her mouth agape when the news was repeated to her 

With news of an impending baby in an already cramped household, Zak and Lotta spoke to Bilinda and Brittney how they'd stay until the baby was born. During the pregnancy, they'd be scouting for potential houses but wouldn't make a buy until shortly after the birth. Bilinda and Brittney agreed to the arrangement. Bilinda really wanted to be there for the birth of her grandchild. She even offered them that they could stay, but they sweetly declined. Eight people plus a newborn doesn't sound like a good idea. Plus, they'd be adding to the family later on. There's no way they could all live under the same roof without wanting to kill each other. 


The next day, Lotta, Zak and Olivia went to the playground for a day of family bonding. Lotta played a bit with Liv, but needed to hand her over to Zak soon after. Her back was killing her with the pregnancy and the weight of holding a toddler made her hurt even more

Lotta stood behind Zak as he let Liv ride on the little horsey ride they had for tots 

Once it started getting dark, they headed on home. Liv was asleep and Zak was in the hot tub. Lotta was a study nerd and kept on studying her chemistry. Then all of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain. The baby was coming!

Hours of painful labor later, and their daughter, Haley Dobson was born 

Lotta called for Zak and Bilinda. The two ran up the stairs and were introduced to the newest little one. Grandma Bilinda snatched Haley and snuggled here. She wanted to spoil her rotten

The baby was then passed on back to Lotta as Zak told his mother they'd be packing in a few hours. They found a great house to live in. It was spacious at four bedrooms. They could certainly have enough space for a larger family. The only problem was that it was a ways away from the Mansion. But Zak promised that Bilinda and the rest of the family could pop in anytime they chose. 


The two hugged and said their heartfelt goodbyes 

Chapter 34: I Want the Moon and the Stars and the Whole Nine Yards

The wedding was scheduled at around 5. However, the bride-to-be seemed to have time troubles getting there. Once she got there, the sun was almost gone and a bulk of the guests went home peeved that they didn't see a wedding. 


However, the patient guests DID see a wedding. Hours later than promised, but at least it happened.


Zak and his family had waited a few hours for Lotta to show to get married. Zak thought that maybe he got stood up at the alter. But Lotta came sprinting down towards the alter. Apparently, she got caught up at work. Too bad she didn't use her cellphone to let the others, and more importantly the  groom, know that she was going to be a few hours late.


Anyway, when Lotta finally arrived, the two lovebirds exchanged vows and rings with only maybe three to five people out of the entire guest list watching 

Once that was all said and done with,  the two cut into a pretty amazing looking cake. Lotta thought it would be best to change out of her wedding dress during the cake eating and changed into her normal, everyday wear 

The wedding and the reception came to a close. For their honeymoon, they decided not to leave the country. Instead, the newlyweds went up to a secluded cabin to enjoy each other

Let's just hope they didn't have too much fun. 

Chapter 33: Where It's At

The next night after the two got off work, Zak took Lotta to the Bistro to discuss wedding details. Over spaghetti and cheesesteak, the two decided to ask Zak's mother to be their wedding planner

It was pretty late when the dinner ended. When Zak and Lotta walked through the Mansion doors, Zak asked if Lotta would like to sleepover 

Lotta agreed and the two got romantic. First woohoo ;)

Early the next morning, the pair woke up early to catch Bilinda. Bilinda soon made her way towards the stairs and the two made the announcement of their engagement. Bilinda was happy, but also a bit cautious. Ericka still pops in her mind every now and again, but she hugged her son anyway

Then the two asked if Bilinda wouldn't mind helping the decoration department. Bilinda agreed and said she'd make it 10x better than the wedding she helped plan for the skank ho Ericka 

Zak hurried off to work so he wouldn't be late. Bilinda asked Lotta if she and Zak had settled on a venue yet. Lotta thought about it and decided to pick the place where they had their second date, the quiet strip of beach on the opposite side of town. The two quickly drove off to the beach and started discussing details of the wedding

Lotta chose pale colors for all of the decor. At the end of their discussion, the beach ended up like this:

Once the decorating was done, Lotta scurried on home. Before Bilinda headed home, she called in a surprise Bachelor party for Zak.


Zak did come home to a surprise. When he walked through the door, his closest male friends (mainly made up of family members) had him dress up in this hideous get-up

After about an hour, a knock came at the door. When Zak answered, a woman announced that his friends payed for her to dance for him. Because Zak is in the military, they got a woman named Justine Thyme to dress up in camo gear and the dancing commenced 

The males seemed to approve of the entertainment 

Even though this Bachelor party was strictly for the males, Brittney ended up making her way down the stairs to drink with the guys. Brittney has never been one to drink, but she got smashed at the party. She was so drunk, that by the end of the night, she took a bottle of champagne and sprayed Zak with it 

The men bet that by the end of the night, Brittney would strip, hop on the counter and dance till she passed out. That never happened, but the party was a hit regardless. 

Chapter 32: Been There Before

*Note- Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was so excited playing that I barely have any pictures for this chapter. It was a dense move, but such is life. Read on. 


New day, new life stage. Today is Olivia's first birthday. Watching her grow from an infant and into a toddler has been a gratifying experience for Zak. For his daughter's first birthday, there's going to be a party.


Bilinda volunteered to make drinks for the adults and some food. She also bought the cake. Zak called to invite his friends and family. 


Once the party took place, Upton announced his divorce from Fiona. She wanted something more and different than from what Upton could offer. She immediately moved out and bought herself a few cars. Sounds like working with Fiona may be a bit..awkward or Bilinda.


When Deena showed, she announced her pregnancy. Zak decided to give her Olivia's stroller. After all, Deena was a new mom. 


As the party moved on, Zak took Liv downstairs and blew out her first birthday candle 

Olivia aged into a cute little tot

While everyone was eating cake, Zak led Lotta upstairs. He wondered in the back of his mind if he was moving too fast. His divorce was finalized recently and now he had a toddler to take care of. However, Zak felt he was in the right place in his life and with the right woman in his life. Moving quickly felt necessary. 


Once they reached the top of the stairs, Zak got down on one knee and proposed marriage to the love of his life

Lotta gasped when he opened the case and started getting teary-eyed. The ring was absolutely beautiful! 

She said yes to the proposal, and Zak slid the ring on her finger 

Once the ring was on, Lotta jumped into Zak's arms. While holding her, Zak told her to keep the engagement a secret for a few days. Announcing the engagement at a party in front of a huge crowd was not what Zak had in mind 

Still....there was a nagging voice in the back of Zak's mind wondering if maybe they were progressing at a fast pace. But on the other hand, it felt totally right to him. Lotta was a sweet woman who is on the fast track to an amazing medical career. Seeing her on paper, he couldn't point out any faults in her. 

Chapter 31: All that I Need

Since the divorce, Zak has kept pretty much to himself. Even though Ericka wasn't who he thought that he married, the collapse of their marriage still hurt. But he's a lucky man to still have Olivia. He even went out and bought a stroller so they could walk around town together. First thing the next morning, Zak got Olivia and they went for a stroll through the new playground the town had received 

While there, Zak's cell phone started to ring. It was Deena Keaton, one of his old friends from High School. Deena was calling because she had heard the news of Zak's divorce. She wanted to make sure that he was okay and that she had a new girl training at the hospital with her. Deena said that she looked very much Zak's type and she wanted to set them up, all three would meet at the Grind and get to know each other. Zak listened...but wasn't sure if he was ready yet to start in the dating scene again. But he agreed anyway. 

Tonight- The Grind

Dates name- Lotta

Zak was nervous, yet thrilled. He had been with Ericka since they were teenagers. Now he's a single father. Dating was different now. Not only did he have to think about who he'd like, but who he could trust with Liv. He took Liv and walked home. He has some serious preparation to do. He had to at least bathe before he went.

Deena called. She was feeling under the weather and said she had to go to the doctor for some tests later tonight. She said the setup for the date would now have to be a blind date. Figures....nothing seems to be going right anyway. But Zak kept the date with Lotta. He had to at least give her a chance. 

At roughly 7, Zak headed to the Grind. When he walked in, only two people were there. A man and a woman. Safe bet would be that Lotta was the woman out of the two. He looked at her before he introduced himself and thought she was simply stunning. And there was something so mysterious about her....

Zak walked over to her and handed her a bouquet of white roses. Lotta was thirlled! White roses were her most favorite flower

Zak and Lotta danced the whole night away. There was no doubt there was chemistry between the two. Zak leaned in and kissed her

The date came to a close. Both of them had to be at work early in the morning. Before they parted ways for the evening, Zak asked if she would like to go on a second date tomorrow, at the beach. She happily accepted and they both headed to their homes. 

Back at home, Atepa had a birthday 

Looks like good ol' grandpa Mort. 

Atepa expressed interest in boarding school. For art, more specifically. Thinking about it, Bilinda and Brittney decided it would be best for her to go to France to learn all there is about art. It was hard for them, but Atepa's future is the most important thing. The next morning, Atepa hopped in a cab and made her way to the airport to fly into France 

Later in the evening, Zak headed to the beach for his second date with Lotta. They sat on the beach stargazing with each other

No doubt these two were smitten with each other. Zak loved that Lotta was a nurturing woman. She cared a lot about people and she was great with kids. He knew Liv would be safe with her. And her mellow personality was terrific to be around. 

Before the date ended, Zak had something on his mind that he wanted to ask Lotta. Once the two got up, he meekly asked if she would like to be his new girlfriend 

Lotta giggled a bit at the nervous tone in Zak's voice and she said she'd love to be in a relationship with him

Zak asked if she wouldn't mind coming over for a little bit to meet his family. And more importantly, his mother. Off they went to the Monahan's. It took longer than they had expected to make it home. Surprisingly, there was a lot of traffic. The kids were already in bed and Brittney worked late hours at the graveyard. Only Bilinda was up and around.

Zak walked up to his mother with Lotta in tow and introduced them to each other

Bilinda and Lotta chatted for a bit. About ten minutes later, Lotta had to go home to bed since she had early shifts at the hospital. Once she left, Bilinda said she liked her. She liked her a lot. She could tell Lotta was a sweet woman. 

Maybe Zak will finally get the woman of his dreams.