CHAPTER 22 Baby… x 2?
“Good Morning,” Emily shyly looked up from the covers as I was packing up our belongings.
“Good Morning, Mrs. Reid. How do you feel?”
“Happy. How do you feel?” She smiled a radiant smile.
“I feel like I’m walking on water. Is your body okay? Are you sore at all?”
My wife stretched herself this way and that way and answered, “I think I’m okay. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I thought since this was your first time… I wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt you in any way. Did… you… like it?” I asked awkwardly. I felt lame asking these questions but I didn’t know how better to say it. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Of course! What would make you think otherwise? I worried you might not have enjoyed yourself, with me being so inexperienced and all.
“Emily, our first night together was nothing less than perfect. I don’t think I understood what it meant to make love to a woman till we made love. It was the most incredible feeling being with you.”
“I felt the same way. Last night or this morning – whatever time it was – was amazing. By the way what time is it? I should get up, huh?”
“It’s around two. You don’t have to get up yet if you don’t want to. Our flight leaves at nine tonight so we have some time.”
“I should get up and get ready.” My wife stared at me.
“What?” I wondered out loud.
“Can you turn around?” Her cheeks flushed.
“What for?”
“I need to go in the shower but I’m naked. I don’t want you to see me.”
“Emi. I saw all there was to see last night. It’s all in my memory now. If you can’t get up on your own, I’ll come over and pick you up.” She yelped as I picked her off the bed and took her in the shower.
We got dressed and Emily dialed my parents at the house.
“Hi Mom. Yes, we had a good night. Jake told me you were coming here to pick up our car and wedding attire and I was wondering if you, Dad, and Gram would like to join us for an early dinner. Our flight doesn’t leave till nine. Okay. See you then.”
“Are they coming?”
“Yup. What shall we do till they get here? It will be about an hour and a half before they can get here.”
“Should we get a massage? We can call for an in-room massage.”
“That sounds great. After your attack in the shower, now I’m sore.”
I laughed at her accusation. She enjoyed it just as much as I did.
After a relaxing massage, we waited for my parents at the restaurant.
“I’m starving. I haven’t eaten at all today and you’ve put me through way too much exercise. I’m running on negative calories.” Emily’s stomach started growling.
“I didn’t hear any complaints from you early this morning or in the shower.”
She giggled and our lips locked until we heard a voice say, “Get a room.” That could only be the Chief.
Emily got up and hugged everyone. She and Mom whispered a quick conversation and I saw Mom hold Emily’s cheek in her hand and hug her like a little child. Emily went over and gave Dad a kiss as well.
“I assume all was good last night?” Only the Chief would ask such a loaded question.
“It’s none of your business,” I answered back.
“Emily,” Aunt Babs joined in, “You know that Estelle and Sandy both had honeymoon babies. Watch out or you may carry that Reid tradition as well.”
“How fascinating.” Emily added. “My mom had a hard time conceiving me and a really rough pregnancy so I don’t know if I’ll get pregnant that easily.”
“A bit premature to be talking about babies,” I said. “Although I don’t mind the making process.” I added grinning. “Where’s Gram?”
“She was too tired to come out. We all went to sleep sometime this morning. Everyone was just getting up as we left.” Mom explained.
“Why didn’t they go to their own house?”
“We asked one of his chefs to stay behind and he made breakfast for everyone. While the clean-up crew took everything away, all your cousins were too tired to walk home. They crashed in the ballroom.”
“What does that mean to walk home? How can they walk all the way home?” With a baffled stare Emily looked to me for an answer.
“Have I never told you that each of my uncles own a home on our street?”
Emily shook her head no.
Dad added, “The house across the street from ours…”
Emily thought hard and answered, “The huge one?”
“Yes. That’s your Gram’s home. You know where Uncle Henry and Aunt Barbara live, and next to them is David’s house, in between Henry and our home is Billy’s home, and Roy has a house on the other side of our house.”
“Are you kidding? How come I never saw any of them while living in our house?”
“That’s because only Henry and I still live in our original homes. David, Roy and Billy ended up finding homes elsewhere but they kept the homes on our street.” Dad finished telling our fun story.
“This Reid family saga gets better and better. How fun. So who lives in these homes now?” Emily wondered.
“No one lives there, though they’re kept up nicely. Those three homes and maybe even Gram’s house are up for sale to any family member who wants to buy them. Grandpa wanted his family close together so these homes will stay in the family.”
Emily had that twinkle in her eye as soon as I finished my statement. “Do you think we could afford to buy one of these homes if we sold both of our houses?”
“It’s possible… would you like to, Emi?” Knowing my bride, this idea thrilled her.
“That would be ideal if we could live near Mom and Dad. And as an added bonus, Uncle Henry and Aunt Barbara will be nearby as well.” I saw my aunt and uncle’s appreciative smile.
“Let’s mooch off Mom and Dad for a while then discuss it again when your tenant is about to move out. We have some time.”
“Jake, I got a call from the University and they accepted your application to teach.” This was fantastic news. My bride would be ecstatic when I explained to her what was happening.
“I applied for a teaching position at the med school after I found you in Japan.” I explained to Emily. “After being separated from you for so long, I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you when you got back home.”
My Emi looked thrilled. “How many days do you teach?”
“He’ll work Monday thru Thursdays at the hospital and teach on Fridays. We hired another doctor so Jake will be on call one night a week and he’ll work only one weekend a month.” Emily hugged the Chief in response to his answer.
“We can have a normal marriage.” Emily declared. “Yay!”
Emily and I enjoyed our six-some dinner and Mom and Dad drove us to the airport. Dad and I took out our two carry-on suitcases and I marveled at how efficiently my wife packed.
“Oh no, honey.” She shook her head. “I have another suitcase inside my suitcase for all the shopping we’re going to do.”
My parents laughed.
“What happened to my frugal girlfriend?”
“I became a Reid.” She announced with a teasing smile. “I’m only joking. I brought another suitcase for all the presents we need to bring back. It’s not for me. You’re such a spender; one of us has to be the thrifty one.”
I joined my parents in the guffaw.
Mom and Emily had another private conversation and Emily hugged both my parents and we walked onto the plane.
“What do you and Mom keep talking about?” I asked once we were comfortably seated.
“Oh. Um… Mom came and talked to me right after we got engaged about our first night together and she tried to answer any questions I might have.”
I was sorry I asked. My cheeks got hot and I was embarrassed. “You mean Mom had a sex talk with you?” I whispered so no one in our cabin would hear.
“Well, kind of. Since I don’t have a mom and knowing that I was a virgin, she thought I might need someone other than Sarah to talk to. It was really thoughtful of her. She’s treated me no differently than Jane. She almost feels like my mom. I’m sure with time, I will love her just as much as my own mother.”
I knew Mom would love Emily no less than she loved the three of us. If anything, Emily would receive even more attention than the three of us combined and that would be fine with all of us.
“So Mom wanted to make sure I was okay after our first night.”
“Got it.”
Exhausted from the wedding and our post wedding activities Emily and I slept through much of the flight into our island.
Four days in a beautiful hut in the middle of the sea, and ten days exploring Japan, my bride and I were happy to be home.
“Emily! Jake!” Our family greeted us.
“How was the honeymoon?” Nick asked.
“It was marvelous.” My bride glowed. “We brought presents for everyone.”
It took Emily longer than expected to settle back into our time zone. She slept more than usual and her body couldn’t handle food like it used to. I was a bit concerned about her.
“Honey,” she called me from bed, “what am I going to do about school? I start in a couple of weeks and my body still feels unsettled from our trip. What do you think is wrong with me?”
“Tell me your symptoms, Emi. We’ve been back almost two weeks. It’s can’t still be jet lag.”
“My equilibrium is off, I feel vertigo when I get up too quickly, I feel queasy at the thought of all food except ice cream. And, all I want to do is sleep.” She complained.
“Maybe there’s an issue with your blood pressure. Or… you could be pregnant but since we just got married, I doubt pregnancy symptoms would show up so quickly. Have you told Mom and Dad about what’s going on with you?”
“No, I didn’t want to worry them. Mom and Dad are busy getting Gram packed to go back to England. I wanted to go with them to England but I don’t think that’s going to be possible with the way I feel.”
“Emi.” I argued. “What about me? I can’t be alone in this big house. What will I do?”
“I’m here by myself all day when you’re working. It’s not too scary. You’ll get used to it.” She giggled. “Once Gram leaves I won’t see her again for a while. I thought I’d spend a little more time with her.”
“No, you can’t go.” I jumped into bed with her and we both knew Emily would have to catch up on sleep while I was at work, tomorrow.
Another full day at the hospital came and went and I was only too happy to drive home to see my wife. Beyond ideal, I’d walk into a home where my wife greeted me with enthusiasm - dinner on the table - and the rest of the night filled with all new kinds of fun.
“How was your day, Beautiful? What did you do?”
“Not much. I had lunch with Sarah then went to the farmer’s market.”
“More salted caramel ice cream?”
“Yup. I can’t get enough of that stuff. I have no desire to eat anything else so…” Her eyebrows arched and shoulders shrugged. “Guess what? I have exciting news!”
“Sarah’s staying in town?”
“How’d you know already?”
“I ran into Max at the hospital and he told me. Did you know Max and Jane have been spending a lot of time together?”
“Uh-huh. I talked to Jane today when she got home. They seem to like each other very much. Do you think it’s serious?”
“It may be headed that way. Are you okay with it?”
“Of course. Anyhow, back to Sarah… Her staying in town is part of the excitement. But there’s more.” My wife’s face filled with color for the first time since we got back from our honeymoon.
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Sarah’s pregnant!”
“What? Already? What happened? I thought she didn’t want a child till she was thirty. It’s five years too early.”
“I know. She was bawling at lunch because life wasn’t going the way she planned, then she pulled herself together and got excited by the end of lunch.”
“How far along is she?”
“Not far. She’s only about six weeks. She’s due in early April. Isn’t that exciting?”
By the excitement in her voice, I wondered if Emily wanted the same thing. I was about to ask when we got interrupted by Gram.
“Hi Gram. Did you have a nice day?” Hugging and kissing my grandmother simultaneously she looked pleased.
“I had a good day. I went and met some friends for brunch and a garden tour then Bobby, Sandy and I had a wonderful dinner prepared by your wife while she sat and ate ice cream. Emily, dear, are you sure you don’t want to go see a doctor? Your face is pale all the time and you’ve lost too much weight from lack of food.”
“I’ll be okay, Gram. Since leaving Japan, my body hasn’t had a chance to catch up to my life. From Japan to Paris, to London, then back here to a wedding, then back to Asia. I’m exhausted.”
“Alright. If you say so… I want to talk to you two about something.”
We both looked at her as Gram had a serious but smiling face.
“Your parents told me you wanted to live on this street to be near them.”
Emily said yes with her head but she stayed quiet waiting for Gram to finish her thought.
“When your grandfather passed away,” Gram said to me, “his will stated that this house be left to you after I died. Since I don’t live here anymore I thought it was time to let you have this house since you’ve started your own family. Would you two want to live there?”
I was in shock with the news. In my mind, the house I most wanted to live in was my grandparents. I’d spend much of my childhood in that house. That house to me was part of my happy childhood. Before I could say yes, Emily surprisingly answered, “No.” Gram and I couldn’t believe her answer.
“Gram, I don’t want to live there unless you live there with us.”
“But Emily, my home is in London.”
“Gram, I know you were born in London and I understand that Grandpa is buried there but you have no family there. While you’re still here, why don’t you spend the rest of your days with us?”
“But what about my husband? I go see him often. I won’t be able to do that if I live here.”
“We can go visit him together. Many years from now, you will be back together with him forever. Let’s us have you until then. Please, Gram? Will you live with us? I want to share as many days with you as possible and I want our kids to grow up loving their great grandmother.”
As much as I loved my Gram, never once did I think of asking her to live with us. I only envisioned Emi and our kids living together. My wife’s love for my grandmother put Gram at a loss for words. Never could I catch up to my wife’s kindness. Touched, Gram told us she’d think about Emi’s offer or demand.
“In the meanwhile, I want you to start redoing the house,” Gram told Emily. “Let’s go there tomorrow morning and you can keep what you like and discard what’s not to your taste. There’s a lot of furniture stored in the basement that you can look through.”
“Does that mean you will live with us?” Emi asked holding Gram’s hand.
“I will seriously think about it. You can redo a room for me on the first floor if you like.” Gram answered with a smile.
“I’m going to take that as a yes and I’ll start tomorrow. Maybe we’ll stay here while you’re getting your affairs in order in London then we’ll come pick you up.” My wife went off making her own plans without Gram having agreed to anything. Gram only laughed at all of Emi’s suggestions.
“Love, let’s let Gram get some rest.” I meant this for my grandmother’s well-being but I also wanted to get upstairs with my wife for our own well-being.”
“Alright. Good night, Gram. We love you.” Emily and I kissed her goodnight and as soon as Gram was out of sight, I picked up my wife and took her to bed.
“Oh, my phone is ringing.” Emily hopped out of my arms to reach for her phone.
“Hi Sarah… No, not yet. I’ll get to it soon, I promise.”
The two friends were having some cryptic conversation which I couldn’t decipher.
“No, I’ll do it… I don’t think that’s necessary. Alright. I’ll get to it. I’ve got to go, Sarah. Jake is waiting for me. Bye.”
“What was that all about?” I asked with much curiosity.
“Um…” Emily couldn’t answer me. Now I had no choice but to pursue this conversation.
“Emi, you know I don’t like it when you don’t give me a straight answer.”
“Sarah was just checking up on me since I haven’t been feeling well. She wants me to… um… go see a doctor.”
Emily said this with enough hesitation to make me question her honesty but since there’d be no reason for her to lie to me about any of this, I let it go.
“Do you want me to make an appointment for you at the hospital?”
“No, I’ll go see my regular doctor. I’m okay. Everyone is making a bigger deal than necessary.”
“Alright, Love. Let’s get ready for bed.”
The next week was a busy week at the hospital and Emily appeared back to her normal self – actually, she was happier than usual. I couldn’t tell whether her joy came from remodeling our new home or the fact that she said she felt better. Her face was still pale and she still ate nothing but ice cream but she was in high spirits.
“Jake, I have a surprise for you.” Emily exclaimed after I finished dinner tonight. “Let’s go.”
She led me out to our future home and walked me up the stairs.
“I want you to close your eyes and I’m going to hold your hands and walk you into your surprise.”
“What is it? Are you showing me our new bedroom? Did you get it fixed up already?”
“You’ll see. Are your eyes closed?”
“Yes, Love. They are closed. Is it much further?” I asked as she stopped walking.
“You can open your eyes, Honey.”
I opened my eyes to see a room painted in a soft yellow. In this dainty room I saw my old crib on one side of the room with an animal circus mobile hanging above it. Next to the crib sat a rocking chair and an ottoman. On the other side of the room was a huge dresser with a changing table on top of the dresser. In the armoire next to the dresser, there hung baby clothes and booties. I still didn’t get it.
“Okay… you set up a nursery now for whenever we might have kids? Isn’t this a bit premature? Also, where’d you find my old crib?”
She just looked at me and smiled. “Look over by the dresser.”
I walked over and saw nothing but a bunch of diapers in a box and a framed picture. I opened up all the drawers and there was nothing in them. Looking at Emily to ask what was going on, I slowly turned back to the framed picture. Something stood out. I picked up the frame and saw an ultrasound picture with a little dot inside it. The picture was titled, Baby Reid.
I yelled, “You’re pregnant?”
Emily beamed. “We’re having a baby, Jake. You’re going to be a daddy.”
With a sudden rush of joy, I went over to hug my wife. Something about this revelation made me even happier than our wedding day. Could this be considered blasphemy?
“When… How… I don’t get it. What happened?”
“Are you bummed out it happened so quickly?” She totally misread my comments. Ecstatic would be an understatement.
“Are you kidding me? This is more exciting than our wedding day.” Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that. I looked at Emily to make sure I wasn’t in trouble.
“Weird, but I thought the same thing. Your baby is inside me.” She marveled rubbing her stomach. “If I’m this happy now, what a mess I will be when the baby arrives.”
I picked up my wife and she read this intention correctly.”
“Our bedroom is next door. It’s all fixed up already.”
Laying her on our bed I asked her again when this all happened.
“From what it seems, I think I got pregnant on our wedding night or some time right after. I’m about six weeks right now.”
“I thought we were going to wait. Didn’t you want some time alone before you got pregnant? Did you not go see Carole at the hospital and get on the pill?”
“I saw Carole but decided not to get on anything.”
“Why? Not that I’m complaining.”
“After much thought, I figured if I wanted to have a lot of kids, I needed to start sooner rather than later. I also thought about Gram and how I wanted our kids to get to know her before she passed away. Do you think she’ll be happy?”
“Sweetheart, this news is going to turn this whole family upside down. When should we tell everyone?”
“How about this weekend at Gram’s birthday party? No one knows yet. I went to a doctor just to confirm that I was pregnant but I’d like to go see Carole at the hospital with you and you can see our baby.”
“I can’t wait. Thank you, Emily. You’ve added even more joy to my already amazing life. I love you so much.”
“I love you too.”
Walking on air, it was hard to contain our excitement in front of our family. Mom kept asking about all the smiles and we couldn’t keep it from her any longer.
“Mom,” Emily started, “We’re having a baby!” I ended the sentence.
“What?”
Emily nodded her head yes as affirmation to my statement. “You’re going to be a Grandma.”
Crying, Mom went over to hug Emily. “When did this happen?”
“I’ve known for about a week but kept it from everyone so I could surprise Jake. I set up a nursery in Gram’s house and showed Jake yesterday. Then, we went together to see the doctor today and here are the ultrasound pictures. We were going to keep it a secret till this weekend’s birthday party but I couldn’t keep it from you any longer.”
“This was why you were so pale and tired… the salted caramel ice cream?”
“I think so.” Still in my mom’s arms, my wife turned to me. “Jake?”
“Yes, Love?”
“Is it okay if I stop working? My mom was really sick when she was pregnant with me and I have a feeling I’m headed that way myself. The doctor says it’s unusual to be experiencing all these symptoms so early in the pregnancy.”
“Of course I don’t mind. Emily, you do what’s best for you and the baby.”
“What shall we do about Dad and Gram? Should we tell them before the party?”
“Tell us what?” Dad and Gram walked in right Mom finished asking this question.
“Well… Dad… Gram… Emily’s pregnant!”
Nine months and many pints of ice cream later, my beautiful girlfriend, turned radiant wife, became a proud mother of twins. Elizabeth Logan Reid and James Logan Reid, named after their maternal grandparents, became the center of our universe. After a quick trip to London to pick up all of Gram’s essentials, Mom, Dad and Gram came back home to be with Emily during her difficult pregnancy and have become the most doting grandparents. Uncle Henry and Aunt Barbara had also spoiled our children to a point where their own children complained about the lack of attention in their own lives.
“Hello Beautiful!” I called out to my girls, rushing through the front door to see my kids before bedtime.
“Which one of us are you addressing?” Emily chuckled as my baby squealed once she saw me.
“Hello, Ellie. How was your day today?”
She responded with the most dazzling smile. I picked her up to more squealing and delight.
“Where’s James?”
“Upstairs, asleep – where this little one should be right now. You were a naughty little one today. You are so lucky your daddy is home early.” Emily warned with a smile and kisses to our daughter.
“Were you naughty today? How could a cute little three month old like you misbehave? What did you do today?” I couldn’t stop kissing my daughter. She and James had my hair, my eyes, and my coloring but looked exactly like their mother. In all honesty, Ellie was even more beautiful than my Emily. Though, I’d take this information to the grave with me.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Uh-huh. What did you and the kids do today?”
“Let’s head upstairs and put this little one down and I’ll tell you. You mind if we have dinner after Ellie falls asleep?”
“Not at all. Let’s go, cutie. I’ll rock you to sleep.”
“Please don’t do that. Both kids – this one in particular,” Emily said pointing to Elizabeth, “gave me a hard time today because they’ve been so spoiled. Gram, Mom, Dad, and all your aunts and uncles went to some function all day today so I thought it would be a perfect time to start training them to sleep on their own.”
It drove Emily crazy that neither Ellie nor Jimmy had ever slept in their bassinets or cribs during nap time. Mom, Dad, and Gram, along with the other four aunts and uncles who dropped by on a regular basis, fought over who got to hold either child during nap time. There weren’t enough babies for the arms waiting to hold them. Neither child had been on the floor to practice tummy time, and we were sure they’d never crawl since they were always laying comfortably in someone’s arms.
“After everyone left, I fed and changed the twins then put them down in their bassinets for their naps. They both hollered! So I held them at the same time, rocked them a bit, and placed them separately, Ellie in our room in the bassinet, and James in his room in his crib. They both hollered again but James eventually got tired and napped. This little one refused to sleep. I would pick her up and she’d quickly fall asleep; I’d put her down, she’d wake up and scream. We battled for a couple of hours until it was time for James to wake up and for both of them to be fed, again.”
“After another round of feeding and changing I needed a change of scenery so I strolled them to the park.”
“You walked all the way over there with the kids?”
“Yup. I hoped Ellie would sleep. She didn’t! She stared at the scenery, stared at me, then stared at her brother who fell asleep again after a bit of crying.”
“So what did you do with our Elizabeth?”
“I told her about our entire courtship and all the drama it entailed. The funny thing – I think this girl understands English already.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying Elizabeth Logan Reid? Do you understand Daddy when I tell you I’m madly in love with you?” My daughter squealed in delight again.
“You see what I mean? Hand her to me. Let me feed her one more time.” Though our little ones had worn out their mother today, Emily couldn’t help her continual embraces to our daughter. She hugged and kissed this little one, who demanded attention from anyone within a smile of her.
While Emily nursed Ellie, she went on with the story. “When I got to the part where you left me at the Grand Canyon, Ellie cried. And this cry wasn’t an – I need something – kind of cry, it was a sad sob. I think she felt my pain. Her cry woke up James and I picked him up while pushing Ellie and finished our story up until Japan. Once we got to the park, I put them both in the infant swing and I pushed them for a long time.”
“Did you love the swing?” I reached over and held my baby’s hand.
“They both loved it. Maybe we should get one of those play structures in our backyard and add a couple of infant swings.”
“Sure. I’ll look into one tonight. So did this little one nap at all?”
“Nope, she listened intently to the rest of our indelible memories of love while walking back home then hollered some more while I made your dinner and here she is dozing off again in my arms. I’m going to change her one last time and you can put her down. Oh, I hear James whimpering can you get him? He’s probably hungry. He didn’t eat before going down for the night.”
Ellie’s eyes opened the minute Emily put her on the changing table. “Mommy loves you so much Elizabeth Reid. Now please, go to sleep!”
I walked over to pick up my son, the calmer and more reserved child. Emily compared James to her father since the day he came out of her womb and Ellie was the spitting image of her maternal grandmother. In a strange but happy way, the children have filled Emily’s void of losing her parents. Many times I’d watch her staring at the babies with tears in her eyes. But now all traces of sadness disappeared when she thought about her parents. Elizabeth and James reminded her of the parents she missed and for that she loved them doubly.
“Hello, Son. I missed you today.” Picking up my son he welcomed me with a smile almost as bewitching as his sister’s. “Shall we change your diaper?”
James didn’t squeal and coo like his sister. Instead, he liked to watch the room and the people in it. His smile was no less dazzling. Both kids seized my heart in a way I couldn’t explain with words. When together with my family, nothing mattered but them. The love and protection I wanted to give Emily while we were dating seemed trivial compared to the love and protection I felt for my family now.
James began to whimper again. He looked so much like my wife when he cried. “Are you hungry? Do we need to go see Mama?”
I walked back into our room and we traded off babies.
“I changed his diaper already. By the familiar Emily-look in his eyes, he’s hungry. Come here my princess.” I took Ellie in my arms as Emily finished kissing our daughter and saying good night to her.
“Hi James.” Emily cooed to our son. “Do you need to be fed? You’re hungry, huh?”
I rocked Ellie to her room and saw her big blue eyes staring at me. She had that same look of unconditional trust that her brother and Mama had and I would work had to keep this look forever. Emily and I would also work hard to unconditionally love all of our children and help them to reach their fullest potential.
“I know your mommy told me not to do this, but I’m going to rock you till you fall asleep, okay Princess? You are even more beautiful than your mother, but don’t tell her I said so or I’ll be in big trouble,” I whispered.
Ellie sounded her version of a giggle and her eyes gently closed to sleep. I kissed her tiny, soft lips one last time and laid her in her crib for the night.
“You’re done, already?” Emily looked surprised when I came back in the room.
“Piece of cake. I don’t know why you struggled all day. She fell asleep immediately.” Chuckling, I talked to our son. “You’re a super fast eater, aren’t you?”
“I think he’s exhausted from the park. Will you lay him down as well?” Emily embraced our son. “I love you, James. Sweet dreams.”
“Of course.”
I kissed my son on his tiny, soft lips as well and we were finally done for the night. All this craziness would begin again early tomorrow morning.
“Are we alone now?” I picked my wife up off her rocking chair and laid her on our bed.
“Don’t you want to eat dinner?”
“Let’s eat later. It’s been a while since we’ve been alone with everyone making pit stops at our house. The Chief would’ve shown up here tonight if it wasn’t for the hospital meeting he had to attend.”
“It’s been crazy but I’ve loved every moment of it. Your family’s been wonderful with the kids. Do you know your cousins come by often as well? Doug and Laney practically live here when they’re not in school and Glen has been by at least once a week. This is what I imagined family life to be – bustling with people, overflowing with love.”
I couldn’t help but kiss my wife. Something about motherhood – she oozed confidence and sensuality.
“Should we try for another baby tonight?”
“Already? I can’t keep up with the two we have right now. Let’s give it a little more time.” She answered with advances of her own.
“Emi?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you know it’s our one year anniversary next week?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone by. We became an instant family in under a year. How crazy.”
“I was thinking maybe we should go up north and relive our San Francisco date. Do you want to go up to Napa?”
“It sounds ideal but what about the kids?”
“Let’s take the kids up to the apartment along with Mom and Dad. Once we set up a room for the kids and get them settled, we can leave them for the night with my parents. We’ll go have dinner at French Laundry and spend a night in Napa.”
“I don’t know, Jake. That’s a lot of work for your parents.”
“Sweetheart. My parents can give them a bottle right before bed time then do what they normally do – hold them to sleep. Ellie and James both sleep through the night and we’ll be back before their first feeding – or maybe after their first feeding. Don’t you have a lot of milk stored in the freezer?”
“Yes, but…”
“No buts. We’re going. I’ll make sure no one is up there next weekend.”
And this is how our life would be. In between Emily’s hectic days with the kids and my overscheduled days at the hospital, Emily and I would find time to love the children daily, love each other nightly, and live a lifetime of happiness eternally.
Thank you for reading Indelible Love – Jake’s Story. I hope you enjoyed reading both novels as much as I enjoyed writing them. Though Emily’s Story has a special place in my heart as my first novel, I love Jake and the tremendous love he had for his girlfriend and eventual wife. He’s the type of hero I’d like to bottle and save as a future husband for my little girl. It would be a great favor to me if you would write a kind review on Amazon. Thank you, again, and continue to the next page for a chapter of my new book – Olivia.
Present Day - OLIVIA
“Olivia!” Shocked would be an understatement for what I felt right now as Jamie approached me. “Oh my gosh! What are you doing here? I mean, it’s great to see you again.” He grabbed me, hugged me, and wouldn’t let go. I felt like I was breathing again for the first time in many years.
It had been a long and hard six years without him. Last we saw each other, he asked me to leave his life once and for all and never to contact him again. I choked at this memory and worked to control thinking about that night. All those times I needed him while raising Ollie. All those days I missed being loved by him. I shook my head and rid myself of these thoughts. After all, I should consider him no different than any other acquaintance – except for the fact that Oliver bound us for life.
My heart pained at his release. “Hello?” Jamie waved his hand over my face. “Are you there?”
“Sorry. I’m surprised to see you again. How are you? What brings you to New York and Central Park of all places?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing. I’ve been so stressed out with work – with it being tax season and all, I’ve been running during my lunch breaks.”
“Are you here on business?”
“No. I live in Manhattan now. I moved a few years ago.”
Here he was, in a neighboring state, and we run into each other at the park of all places with Ollie just a few steps away.
“What are you doing at a kiddie play area and in New York of all places?”
“I live in Jersey. We moved here five years ago.”
Jamie’s face looked like I just solved a riddle for him. “So that’s where you went. I went looking for you at your house after we last spoke and I couldn’t find you. Did you come here to be near your mom?”
“Yes.” My voice sounded monotone. I wanted to hide my true feelings. “It was nice seeing you again, Jamie but I have to go.” I wanted to get away before he saw Ollie. Though I wasn’t as anxious as I thought I would be, I wasn’t ready for him to meet our son.
“Wait!” Do you have a number or an email address? Can I contact you?” There was some desperation in his voice – maybe that was more my wishful thinking.
I probably had a half smile on my face wondering why he wanted my info. He was happily married with at least a couple of kids by now. His first child would be just a month or two younger than our Ollie. I didn’t need to complicate his life with our presence.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea. I really have to go.” Walking away, my heart broke as he let me get away from him again so easily. Deep down, I wanted him to beg me for a number. It wasn’t right of me to desire a married man. My pace hastened.
“Mommy.” Ollie called me over. “Can you push me on the swing?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
I picked up our son and plopped him on the swing and pushed him gently.
“Mommy, that’s not high enough!” Ollie yelled. “Higher… Faster!” he yelled even louder.
I did as I was told and my son’s cackles of delight echoed through the park. I kept my head down not looking back at where I was, just a minute ago. He had most likely left. There was no need to check. Jamie was not mine anymore. He had made himself clear the last time we spoke.
“I’m hungry. Can we eat, Mommy?”
Slowing down the swing, I picked up Ollie and left the sand area. “What shall we eat?”
“How about pizza?” My four year old could eat pizza every day if I let him.
“Again?” I kissed his nose. “Alright. Let’s go eat pizza again for the third time this week.”
I looked up from Ollie’s smiling face and nearly had a heart attack when I bumped into Jamie again.
“Hey,” he called hesitantly.
“Hey,” I called back.
“Who’s this?” Jamie asked the both of us.
I had no idea how I was going to explain Ollie to his father.
“I’m Oliver and I’m four, almost five. I was thwee last year.” I guess I didn’t have to say a word.
“Hi Oliver. I’m Jamie. What a great name. My middle name is Oliver.”
Ollie stared at this stranger who should have been his closest friend. “Who’s this, Mommy?”
I saw the surprised look in Jamie’s eyes. I knew what he was thinking.
“Mommy?” Both Hutchison boys asked simultaneously - one out of shock, one out of curiosity.
“He’s an old friend of Mommy’s. I knew him when Dani and I used to live in Los Angeles.”
Ollie leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Could he be my Daddy? Is he the one?”
Tears formed unwillingly. Lately, Ollie had been asking more frequently about his father. His father stood just a step away and I couldn’t tell him the truth.
“Olivia, I thought you couldn’t have… Are you married?”
Words halted, his eyes immediately darted to my ring finger. What were the chances that he’d recognize this generic gold band on my ring finger to be the one he gave me on our last night? It was scratched up and worn through since I never took it off. Though our relationship broke, the ring stayed on my finger to keep other men from paying any attention to me… or so that was the reason I gave myself and all those around me. Painfully I had to acknowledge now that I wore this ring as a constant reminder of what I once had with Jamie.
“I’m hungry, Mommy.”
“Ok, sweetheart. We’ll go now.” I stepped around Jamie without answering his question. “Good seeing you,” I said walking away.
“Wait, can I join you?”
Before I could answer no, Ollie spoke for me again. “Sure, Mr.… What do I call him, Mommy?”
“My name is Jamie Oliver Hutchison. You can call me Jamie.”
“Hey, that’s my name!” My heart skipped several beats. Ollie knew that his last name was Hutchison but I had told my son many times he could never tell anyone this information. He usually told people his name was Oliver Maize.
“I told you we had the same Oliver name.” Jamie put out his hands ready to shake Ollie’s. Instead, Ollie gave him a high-five. “Where are we going for lunch?”
“We’re having pizza!!!” Ollie shouted into the air and ran off ahead of us.
“What happened? I mean, how did Oliver happen? Didn’t the doctor tell us you couldn’t have kids? Isn’t that why we had to break up? And when did you get married?” Jamie sounded anxious for an explanation. I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t me who ultimately broke off the relationship. It was him who didn’t want to see me anymore. He chose having kids and living a life with Melinda, his ex girlfriend, over me.
I wanted to tell him the truth about Oliver but I didn’t want to disrupt his idyllic life.
“Ollie’s adopted.” The words just popped out of my mouth. Why had I said this? What a mistake.
“Huh? That doesn’t make sense. Why? How random. Ollie’s seems wonderful but you never mentioned wanting to adopt. What happened?” He sounded frustrated now.
“I wasn’t looking for Ollie. He came looking for me. It’s a long story, Jamie. Maybe one day when we’re in a different place I’ll explain it to you.”
Dumbfounded. That’s how Jamie appeared.
“Liv, he looks just like you. And, where did the name Oliver come from?”
I chuckled at the inside joke. Only if you could see that your son is a mirror image of you. From the day he was born, I understood I would never forget your face.
“I guess we’ve lived together long enough to start looking alike,” I answered with slight laugh. “As for his name… he came with the name.” I was on a roll with these lies.
Jamie looked to be buying every misinformation. We stopped talking as we sat in the booth with pizza in hand.
“Ollie, what’s your favorite food?”
“Pizza.”
“What about your favorite toy?”
“Firetwucks,” he answered with his mouth full.
“Are you in school yet?”
“I’m going to start kindergarten soon, Mommy says. Right, Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” I answered wiping down his mouth.
“Any favorite places you like to visit?”
“The zoo – that’s my favorite place in the whole wide world. I like sleeping in my mommy’s bed a lot too. That’s my favorite place but I can only do that on special days Mommy says.”
Jamie and Ollie looked smitten with one another. Blood was thicker than water.
“I used to love the zoo when I was little. That was my favorite place, too. Maybe we can visit the zoo in Central Park? Would you want to do that with me, Ollie?”
Our son looked up at me with expectant eyes. He wanted to go but didn’t know if I’d let him. My silence kept Ollie quiet as well.
“Oliver, if you are almost five, when is your birthday?”
“Tomowow.”
“Tomorrow? Happy birthday. I’ll have to get you a present. What would you like?”
“To see my Daddy. Mommy says I’ll see him one day. I hope it’s tomowow.”
Ollie’s request left us both speechless. I pulled our son from his chair and brought him onto my lap.
Hugging him, I reassured, “Ollie, your daddy is missing you too. You will see him soon. If you’re done, let’s say thank you to Mr. Hutchison and go home. It’s time for a nap.
“Thank you, Mr. Hutchison.” He yawned and was ready for a long nap. I picked him up and carried him out the door.
“Thanks for lunch, Jamie.” Without saying much else, I walked towards the subway. I felt Jamie walk behind us but neither of us uttered a sound. As I shifted Ollie’s drowsy body Jamie came up from behind and carried our child to the subway. Silently we waited for the train to approach.
“Olivia, can we go somewhere and talk? I have so many questions for you. Like… where you’ve been the last six years. Why you’ve never tried to contact me. Did our relationship mean so little to you that you could abandon it after one argument? And, where’s your husband? Did you two separate?”
My words and the tears stayed hidden.
“Are you going to disappear again without a trace? Will you at least take my number and call me? I’ve missed you. It’s been so long… too long.” He laid a heavy burden on my heart. I wanted his number, his heart, his commitment to me and Ollie. This could never be.
I took Ollie from his father and stepped into the train.
“Wait!” He held my arm. He slipped his business card into my purse and said, “Please call me. We need to talk.” He sounded desperate now.
“You made yourself clear to me the last time we spoke. I don’t want to be your ‘burden’. Hope Melinda is well.”
With perfect timing the door shut and I sat with
my back against Jamie’s face. I heard the banging on the window but my crying eyes didn’t turn around. Hugging our son tightly to my chest I cried all the way home.
Carrying Ollie from the station to my mom’s house, I was lost in my own thoughts of what had transpired today.
“Olivia!” My mother yelled. “Wait up.” I turned to see her hastily walking towards us. “Have you been walking with Oliver this whole time? Here, give him to me.”
My mom looked up at me in fright. “What happened to you? Why have you been crying?”
“Ollie and I ran into Jamie at the park today. What am I going to do Mom?” The tears fell even heavier.