“Yes! Can I light it?” he asked. “I’ll be real careful.”
“Yeah, you can light it, but we’ll need to get the charcoal set up first,” I told him as I started towards the back porch. Once we were outside, I handed him the large bag of charcoal and guided him over to the grill. “You’ll need to pour it out slow, so they don’t get away from you. Then, we’ve got to stack them up kinda like a pyramid.”
“I can do that,” he said proudly as he lifted the bag, pouring the charcoal out onto the grate. Once he emptied the bag, he reached in and started to organize each of the little squares, trying to create a perfect pyramid. It took some time, but I let him get it done the way he wanted before I handed him the barbeque lighter. He pushed the button several times before it finally lit, then he eased it down to the charcoal, smiling wide when the fire took hold. “I did it,” he said proudly.
“Yep. You did good, Bud.”
“Can I help you cook the burgers, too?” he asked, flicking his wrists at his sides as he lifted up on his tiptoes.
“Absolutely,” I smiled. When we walked back into the kitchen, Wren was leaning into the refrigerator looking for something to munch on, and Wyatt wasted no time letting her know what he’d been up to. “I got to light the grill, and Griff said I could help make the burgers!”
“That’s awesome. Do you need any help? I could make a salad,” she offered.
“We’ve got this,” I told her, kissing her lightly on the lips as I eased her to the side and closed the refrigerator. She placed her hands on her very round belly and gave me a small pout. “Let the men tend to their business.”
“Yeah, Mom. We’ve got this,” Wyatt mocked.
“Well, I’ll just leave my boys to it then,” she smiled and waddled towards the living room.
Wyatt followed me back out to the porch and listened intently as I showed him how to grill the burgers. While the meat sizzled under the heat of the fire, we both sat quietly in our rocking chairs lost in our own thoughts. I looked over to him and couldn’t believe how surreal it all felt. There was a time when I never would have dreamed that my life could turn out like this. I was scared to even imagine that I could have a family and a life that I actually enjoyed living. I’d spent so much time just trying to survive, never thinking that I would have people in my life that actually cared about me, much less a pregnant wife and a son that I adored. My life was good.
“I think they’re ready,” Wyatt said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Let’s get them off then,” I told him and headed for the grill. Excitement rolled off him as he used the spatula to take the meat off all by himself. When he was done, he proudly took the tray of burgers and placed it on the table. Then, he raced over to the counter to get our drinks, while I brought the fries over. Once everything was set, he shouted, “Mom!! It’s ready!”
“Griffin, can you come here a minute,” she called.
I stuck my head into the living room and found her standing there with her hands cradling her stomach while she stared down at the floor. I took a step forward, quickly noticing the pool of water at her feet. “Wren? What’s going on?”
She looked up at me and tried to remain calm as she said, “My water just broke.”
“Your water did what?” I was prepared for this moment. Did everything I could think of to make sure I knew what to expect, but the minute I realized she was in labor, my mind drew a blank.
“It just means the amniotic sac broke, remember? We read about it in that book Mom gave you. She’s in labor,” Wyatt interrupted. “The baby is coming. Right, Momma?”
“That’s right, buddy. In a few hours, you’ll get to meet your new sister,” she explained. How the hell could she be standing there seeming so fucking composed? The woman was in labor, the baby was coming, and she was standing there talking all calm and shit like there was nothing to it. I’d always been the one that was in control, prepared for anything, but at that moment, I felt like someone had stripped me of all my power, and I was helpless to do anything about it.
“Oh… and we need to call your grandparents and tell them to meet us at the hospital,” Wren explained.
“I’ll do it,” Wyatt told her as he headed to get his phone. Just before he left the room, he looked over to me and said, “Don’t forget to go get Momma’s bag and put it in the car.”
“Where’s the bag? Did you get everything packed?” I asked with panic.
Wren looked at me and with a soft voice said, “Come here.”
When I walked over to her, she placed her hands on my face and said, “In a few hours, you are going to be a daddy. You’re going to hold your precious, little girl in your arms, and the wait will be over. We’ll finally get to meet our daughter. I need you to take a deep breath and help me change out of these wet clothes, so we can go to the hospital.”
“And the bag?”
“Honey, you put it in the car days ago. Remember?” she teased.