CODY
“Hey, Dad.”
We had already finished up with dinner and Hayes headed back to his room for a bit before coming back out when I was just finishing up with the dishes. His timing seemed a bit suspicious, probably something I would have done when I was his age. Well, scratch that. When I was his age I was going to college full-time and had a new wife and baby. I’m so thankful that Hayes had better sense than Blair and I did. I’m way too young to be a grandparent, especially since I’m getting ready to be a dad once again.
“How’s it going, Hayes?”
“Good, good. How is work going? Auntie Em getting on your nerves yet?”
I chuckled, putting the dish towel down and joining him at the kitchen island, “Your aunt always gets on my nerves. It is part of having a sibling. Something you might learn here in a few months.”
“I still can’t believe that Mom is having another baby.”
“You and me both,” I laugh once again. “So what’s up? You just wanted to talk about work, like two grown men?”
“Not exactly that. I’ve been kind of busy with my college shit and volunteering with Harrison and you’ve been busy with your new job, I feel like we haven’t been able to just chat for some time.”
“You’re right, we are both a bit busier these days, huh? It sure is damn nice to be home with you and your mom every night though. You know, you could have helped me clean up with dinner instead of running off to your room.”
A huge smile spreads across his face, telling me that I was right about his disappearing act, “I don’t know about that, Dad. You do such a great job at them.”
“You’re such a smartass. Do you have any plans tonight?”
“Nah, just going to hit the books. I’ve got a biology test coming up and then I need to get started on my application for those EMT and First Aide classes.”
“Have I told you lately how proud I am of you?”
“It’s not that big of a deal, Dad. I’m not the only person studying to be a firefighter.”
“Maybe not, but you’re my son and I’m allowed to be so damn proud of you. You want to do something with your life that is actually going to help people and save lives. All I wanted to do was throw and hit a ball.”
“I always thought it was pretty cool that you played professional ball,” Hayes shrugged. “Maybe it didn’t end up the way you thought it would, but I know grandma and grandpa were proud of you too.”
“I didn’t mean to make it seem like you needed to stroke my ego.”
“I know,” he laughs, “but you don’t need to get all depressed on me, Dad. We’re good, you know that, right?”
“You say that Hayes, but I don’t think you get just how bad I feel about not being around for your childhood. I know we’re good now, but that doesn’t change all those important things I missed when you were younger.”
“Maybe it is because we just don’t see things the same way. I’m not going to lie and say I wish you were here with me all the time, but I also think of the memories I have that only happened because of the careers that you had. I may not remember much of when you were playing in the minor leagues, but Mom has so many pictures of me at all these different ballparks. That’s pretty cool, you know?”
“But I wasn’t there for your first day of school because it was in the middle of the season,” I counteract.
“I’ve also been all over Asia and South America. I’m more traveled than Mom.”
I laugh and shake my head, “Don’t tell her that, I promised her we’d spend our lives traveling and seeing the world in the off-season and I kind of dropped that one.”
Hayes claps my back and gives me a reassuring pat on the back, “You’re not old yet, Dad. I know it’ll be different with the new baby and everything, but the two of you still have plenty of time to travel if that is what you want to do. Sounds like a pretty fucking awesome honeymoon to me.”
“Honeymoon? How did you…Emory?”
“Nah, you didn’t clear the navigation so you still had the address to the jewelry store typed in. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what you were probably doing there. Don’t worry, though, I erased the history so she won’t know.”
“You’re too fucking smart for your own good, you know?”
When he smiles he looks just like Blair, I swear all the good in him comes from her. “I wouldn’t say that I’m too smart. Maybe just a bit more technologically inclined. When are you going to ask her?”
“I don’t know yet. Any ideas?” Emory helped me pick out a gorgeous ring for Blair, but it was a special order so I don’t even have it yet. My sister refused to let me pick up something from the jewelry case, said it wouldn’t be good enough for Blair. She won’t get any disagreement from me, but it did set me back a few more thousand than I anticipated. Not to mention I had to figure out a way to get her ring size before they could send the sketch to the designer. It was a whole thing, but it would be worth it to see the look on her face when I finally ask her.
“Well, Mom said she didn’t want to do a gender reveal party for the baby, but maybe you could figure out a way to ask her on that day or use the results to guide how you ask her.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Speaking of, did you talk to your college professor about getting that day off?” At her last appointment, Blair was able to decide what day we were going for the big ultrasound. When we had Hayes, we did the whole giant gender reveal party, but we are not those people anymore.
Angela and Harrison will be going to their appointment just a few days before us, so we decided to let them have the party if they want to and we will just slide in with our announcement when we’re ready.
“You know what? I asked him after class the other day and he reacted by laughing first.”
“He did what?”
“I think he thought I was joking. I mean, not a lot of college freshmen are having new brothers or sisters, ya know? Anyway, I explained that my parents were irresponsible teenagers that couldn’t figure out how a condom worked, so now they’re on their second go around with kids.” He paused to chuckle, “And I guess you still haven’t figured out the condoms thing, have you Dad?”
He got me good and I didn’t know whether to be proud or smack him upside the head. Others may have considered that comment to be disrespectful, but teasing tends to be a bit of a love language in our family. It is also quite funny that we had a second surprise baby when we spent so much time pounding safe sex education into our own son. Better us than him though.
YOU ARE READING
Strawberry Wine (Strawberry Inn Book #2)
RomanceAt just 17, Blair and Cody were high school sweethearts with big dreams. They were both headed to university on athletic scholarships when a positive pregnancy test changes everything. Coming from two traditional families, they get married right aft...
