Family Comes First

Chapter 31: A Peek at Our Future

The girls and I spent the rest of the day inside to protect ourselves from the chilly autumn air. We were sitting around the dining room table. I had my hands wrapped around the warm mug of tea that Lindsay made. I had caught a glimpse of the boys playing baseball in the backyard. The baby, Theo, was swinging in a little carriage by Lindsay's feet.

We spent the day talking about our daily lives. We talked about cleaning and shared tips on cooking.

We got up and began cooking. I was peeling potatoes as Emme was dicing vegetables. We told jokes and time seemed to fly by. It was much different than when I was home alone. The day typically dragged on while I waited for Jimmy to come inside, but this was fun. It made me a little excited for when Tommy gets his wife.

Lindsay set the plates down around the dining room table. Once she finished, she went outside. I watched her through the window as she ran across the grass toward Gabe. She jumped onto Gabe's back and wrapped her arms around his neck. I could see her giggle as he spun them around.

When she slid down his back, he spun her around. He unzipped his sweater and wrapped it around her. He snaked his arm around her back and kissed her before she ran back into the house.

"They're coming," she said as she walked through the door.

I watched as the men walked toward the house. Theo started to scream and cry. I turned around to see Lindsay was rocking Theo. She shushed him as she tried to calm him down. His face was bright red and streaked with tears. Lindsay walked toward me. She had a bottle in one hand.

"Julie, can you do me a favour?" she asked, and I knew what was coming. "I've got to help Jenny, so can you feed Theo?"

I did not have time to answer before she shoved her son into my arms. I held the awkward weight as my heart pounded in my chest. I have never held a baby before and I did not want to drop him. She handed me the bottle before walking away.

Theo was kicking out his arms and legs as he continued to scream. I balanced his weight in my one arm and held the bottle up to his lips.

His screams quieted as he sucked on the bottle. His little hands grabbed the bottle as he began to eat. I was afraid to move him again in case he would start crying again. A piece of my hair was hanging down and was brushing along his forehead. I tried to shake my hair over my shoulder, but I could not do it.

The door creaked as the boys walked in. When Jimmy saw Theo and I, his lips lifted into a wide smile. It was one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen. He walked over and brushed the piece of hair out of my face and over my shoulder. He slipped his arm around my waist.

"You look good like that," he whispered in my ear. I was not sure if he was quiet to not disturb Theo or if he did not want his family to hear.

"Lindsay just handed him to me," I whispered back.

"You're going to be great with our sons." He kissed my temple. "I feel like it is going to be soon."

"You do?" I asked and then bit down on my lip.

I wasn't allowed to ask anything, but it seemed to slip out. I looked up at him to see that he was still smiling; he didn't look mad. I couldn't stop myself from letting my lips curl into a smile.

"I really think so," he said. "You're all settled in so this is the next big thing we need to do together."

I turned my head even more so that Jimmy could brush his lips against mine. It was easy for me to pretend that Theo was ours. He sat so happily in my arms as Jimmy kissed me.

Jimmy pulled away from me and I heard somebody clearing their throat. We both looked forward to see Emme standing there. Everyone else was gone, and they were all in the dining room.

"Now, you two are absolutely adorable, but I have to tell you that we are eating now," she said. Her voice was always upbeat and happy, and it made me wonder what she sounded like angry or upset. "You two better skedaddle into the dining room before food runs out."

"We'll be there in a second," Jimmy said.

"The longer you wait, the colder it gets," she warned us as she walked into the dining room.

We followed her.

--

After we had dinner, it was already dark outside. We sat around the table and they were joking about the past. I kept subconsciously rubbing my belly. There was the possibility that I was pregnant, but I knew that I most likely was not. It wouldn't be long though.

Later in the evening, we said our goodbyes and went back to Taylor and Emme's home. Jimmy and Taylor talked in the front seat as I stared at Emme. She was twisting her fingers in her curls as she was staring out of the window. She was humming and would mumble a few words to herself, but I could never understand what she was saying.

Once we got to the house, I opened up the truck door and helped Emme get out. She kept her fingers entwined with mine as we walked to the front door. She yawned and Taylor wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"We should get you to bed," Taylor said.

"Probably," she said. She leaned her head against his shoulder. Our fingers were still laced together, so I was closer to them than I was comfortable with.

"We should probably be heading to bed soon too," Jimmy said.

Taylor opened the door and Emme let go of my hand. She wrapped her arms around me and there was an awkward bump between us. I was afraid to hug her too tightly and hurt the baby.

"Good night, Julie," she said. "I loved spending the day with you and I cannot wait for tomorrow. You two try to get some sleep once you are in bed, and not do too much else."

I could see Taylor over Emme's shoulder laughing and shaking his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and I could hear Jimmy laugh behind me.

"Don't worry," Jimmy said. "We won't be keeping you up."

The heat rushed up to my cheeks. This was something that I never heard them talk about.

We all said goodnight and Taylor and Emme went upstairs. We followed behind him. As soon as Jimmy closed the bedroom door, he had his arms around my waist and was kissing my neck. It caught me off guard and I giggled. He shuffled me forward and spun me around when I got to the foot of the bed. I sat down on the foot of the bed. He got down on his knees so that we were at the same level.

"I told you that you are going to love our family," he said.

"Yeah, they're nice," I said.

"I know you had fun."

"I did." I leaned in closer so that I could whisper and make sure that no one else in the house could hear us. "Emme is a bit of a chatterbox though."

"I've noticed that," he whispered back.

He got up off of his knees to kiss me. My hands ran up his chest and into his hair.

"Let's get some sleep," he said. "I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be an even better day."