Southern Devotion

by Kaylee Ryan

  I throw my head back in laughter. “It’s baby themed.”

  “Well, we’re not playing this game at our shower,” he grumbles.

  “Really? I would have thought you would want to see Aaron suffer.”

  “Maybe,” he says, not really committing as he passes a newborn diaper full of what I think is a Snickers bar over to Mike and Jamie.

  The next game we play is the toilet paper game where we have to guess how much toilet paper will fit around Whitney’s belly. David, Mike, and Evan all bowed out, saying there is no winner when you have to guess “how big” a woman is. After a word search, we went to gifts. I volunteered to write down each item, and from whom, so they could write their thank-you notes later.

  “Do you have one of these for every kid?” Mike asks.

  “No, just the first one. Although, if there’s a lot of time between babies, some have another.”

  “Too many rules,” Dave grumbles beside me. “I say have one for each kid. It’s a celebration, right? And from the looks of all this loot, kids need a lot,” he says, looking around the room.

  “Well, in this case it’s two babies at once, so all this”—I point to the gift bags, baskets, and piles of gifts—“is going to come in handy for sure.”

  “Def—” McKinley starts but stops, placing her hand on her back.

  “You okay?” Evan asks her.

  “Y-yeah. But I think we need to go to the hospital,” she says, calm as ever.

  “Is it the baby? What’s wrong?” I ask.

  She looks up at me, her face pained. “Yeah, my water just broke.”

  “What?” This has Whitney climbing to her feet with Aaron’s assistance. “You’re in labor? Are you okay? What can we do?”

  “Yes, and my water broke.” She looks down at her lap and back up at her brother and his wife. “Sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry for,” Whit assures her.

  “I’ll take the kids. Go, have your baby. We’ll bring Lex and Walker over once he’s here,” I say, rubbing her shoulder, trying to soothe her in some way.

  “We’ll drive,” Mike offers, ushering Jamie out of the house to get the truck.

  “You sure you don’t mind keeping the kids? I don’t want Mom to have to deal with them and the shower,” McKinley explains.

  “We got it,” David assures her.

  “Thank you,” Evan says. Then he yells out for Lexi.

  “Hi, Daddy,” she says, hugging his knees.

  “Hey, sweetie, Mommy and I need to go to the hospital. Your baby brother is being born. Can you be a big girl and help Olivia and David take care of Walker while we’re gone? I’ll call them as soon as he’s here and have them bring you to the hospital.”

  Lexi nods, her little head bobbing up and down. She studies McKinley, who’s struggling through another contraction. “Don’t worry, Mommy. Daddy will take care of you. He’s really good at it.”

  “I know, sweet girl. You be good for Olivia and David, and take good care of Walker for us.”

  “I will, Mommy.” She skips off, yelling for her little brother, who isn’t old enough to understand what’s going on but she’s telling him anyway.

  “Thank you,” Evan says again as he helps McKinley stand. He and her mother walk her out to the car where Mike and Jamie are waiting to take them to the hospital.

  Instead of going back to our place, we got a spare key from McKinley’s mom and took the kids to their house. Lexi and Olivia are playing dress-up—well, Lex is. Olivia is letting her fix her hair. Me, I’m just hanging out on the couch with my man Walker. He fell asleep on the way here, and when I tried to lay him down when we got into the house, he started to cry. I picked him back up and he fell right back asleep, so I’m lounging on the couch with him sleeping on my chest, watching my girl and Lexi.

  “It’s so pretty, Aunt Livy,” Lexi tells her.

  I’m an only child, so being an uncle will come only from my wife’s family. That means that Mike and Jamie need to get busy. Not that I don’t claim Lexi and Walker, because I do, but I’m more of a stand-in uncle. With Mike and Jamie’s kids, it’ll be the real thing. I can’t wait to be an uncle, and if I’m honest, a father. I’ve imagined Olivia pregnant several times, and it does the same thing to me as thinking about her being my wife does. I’d be concerned that I’m some kind of creep, but it only happens with Olivia. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s okay, not creepy at all since that woman owns me heart and soul.

  Walker whimpers, turning his head to look the other way. Lexi jumps to her feet and runs her little hands up and down his back. “This is what Mommy and Daddy do when he cries.” She climbs up on the couch, rests her head on my shoulder and continues to rub her little brother’s back, soothing him.

  “You’re a great big sister, Lexi,” I tell her.

  “That’s what my daddy says,” she says, yawning.

  “Hey, Lex, I have an idea. Why don’t we watch a movie?”

  “Okay,” she agrees, not bothering to move.

  “What should we watch?” Olivia asks her.

  “Walker likes Cars. Tow Mater is his favorite.”

  “He’s sleeping. We can watch your favorite,” I tell her.

  “I like it too, and that way if hims wakes up, he can watch it too.”

  This little person, she’s awesome. I hope our kids are half as cool as she is. I catch my future wife’s eyes, and she smiles. Olivia makes quick work of putting in the DVD and settles on the other side of Lex on the couch.

  “You wanna snuggle with me?” Olivia asks Lexi

  Lexi simply reaches out and pulls Olivia next to her, so the four of us are close together. It’s not a bad way to spend the afternoon, that’s for sure.

  I’m just about to sleep when I hear Olivia’s phone alert with a text message. I watch as she pulls it out of her pocket, carefully as to not disturb Lexi, who has fallen asleep against my arm, just like her little brother.

  I watch as she reads the message, then turns to me and smiles. “Healthy baby boy,” she whispers. She holds up her phone so I can see, and on the screen is a tiny little baby, with a red scrunched-up face, swaddled in a blanket. “They named him Beau,” she whispers.

  “Everyone doing well?” I whisper back.

  She nods, tears in her eyes. “Yeah, all is well. They said we can take the kids whenever we’re ready,” she says, not taking her eyes off the screen. “I told them we would once they wake up from their nap, and we’ll get them something to eat.” She turns to look at me. “I hope that’s okay.

  “Of course it is. These little people need to meet their new baby brother.” As soon as I say that, Lexi sits up and looks around, I’m sure wondering why she’s waking up beside me and not her dad.

  “Do I have another brother?” she asks groggily.

  Olivia pulls her into her lap and snuggles her. “Yes, you do. His name is Beau, and as soon as Walker wakes up, we’re going to get some food in your tummy and then go meet him.”

  Walker stirs and Lexi cheers, causing him to jump and lift his head from my shoulder. He looks at me, then his sister and Olivia, then back at me. His bottom lip juts out, and I know I have mere seconds before this little guy starts to cry. Quickly, I stand from the couch and run my hand up and down his back just like Lexi did.

  “It’s okay, little man,” I tell him. “Are you hungry?”

  “Hims likes McDonald’s,” Lexi informs us.

  I throw my head back in laughter, which causes Walker to grin. “McDonald’s, huh? What does he get?”

  “A happy meal,” she says, like I should have already known this information. “But hims get plain burgers ’cause they are so messy. You hafta help him with it, ’cause hims so little. I get nuggets.”

  “That solves that.” Olivia grins. “Let’s take you to potty and change Walker’s diaper, and we’ll go to McDonald’s.”

  “Yay!” Lex jumps off the couch and races down the hall.

  Olivia takes Walker from me.
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  “You need help?”

  “No, I got it. We’ll be ready to go in ten. Maybe grab the diaper bag. We don’t want to walk out and forget that.”

  “Got it.” I kiss her, which has Walker pushing me away again, making me laugh. “I get it, buddy. I want her all to myself too.”

  My girl smiles and rolls her eyes, then disappears down the hall.

  My phone rings. Pulling it out, I see it’s Aaron. “Hey, man.”

  “Hey, did you hear? Baby boy.”

  “We did. We’re taking the kids to get something to eat, then running them by the hospital to meet him.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. We’re done here. Whit and I are going to keep the kids at our place tonight.”

  “You sure? We can help.”

  “Yeah, thanks, man. We’re heading to the hospital too, so we’ll wait on y’all and take the kids home with us.”

  “Sounds like a plan. We need to bring anything from the house?” I ask him, looking around.

  “Just the diaper bag. They both have clothes and toys here.”

  “Got it. See you soon.” Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I go in search of the diaper bag. Opening it up, I see there are four diapers. I don’t know much about babies—well, he’s a toddler now—but I’m guessing four is not going to be enough. Grabbing the bag, I head to his room, where Olivia is just slipping his shorts back over his legs. I tell her about the call with Aaron, and she points to the huge stack of diapers underneath the table Walker is lying on. I grab two handfuls and place them in the bag. Never can be too prepared, at least that’s my thought.

  “You have enough there?” Olivia laughs.

  “Hey, this is important stuff,” I tell her. “When we have kids, we’re just going to keep a pack of these in our cars. Just in case.”

  Her laugh grows louder. “That’s not necessary.”

  I point to my chest. “Boy Scout.”

  “What’s so funny?” Lex asks from the doorway.

  “Nothing, sweetie. You’re going to spend the night with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Whitney. Is there anything you want to take with you?”

  “Yay!” She runs off to her room and comes back with a small purple blanket. “That one.” She points toward the crib where a blue one just like it sits crumpled on the mattress. “He sleeps with his too.”

  Walking over, I grab the blanket, intending to shove it in the diaper bag as well, but Walker grunts and reaches for it, so I hand it over instead. We get the kids loaded into my truck in their car seats, and I head toward McDonald’s. Lexi chatters in the back seat to Walker, and he babbles right back to her as if they’re having a real conversation. Who knows, maybe they are.

  Reaching over the console, I hold my hand open, palm up, and Liv places hers in mine. “This will be our life in a few years,” I tell her.

  “Yeah? Two by then, you think?” She chuckles.

  “Maybe. Who knows. We could have twins too.”

  “Hey.” She pretends to be offended. “One at a time, mister.”

  I shrug, not taking my eyes off the road. “Can’t help it if my boys are good swimmers.”

  “I’m a good swimmer,” Lexi says from the back seat. “My daddy taught me. Do you have boys, Uncle David? How come I never met them before?” she asks.

  I bite my lip to keep from laughing, and Olivia looks horrified. “I was just teasing about my friends.” I glance in the rearview mirror at Lex.

  “Oh, my daddy is your friend, right? And Uncle Aaron, and Uncle Mike. I’ve seen them swim before. They are good swimmers,” she informs us.

  Chancing a quick look at Olivia, I see her shoulders shaking in silent laughter, as are mine. “From the mouth of babes,” I whisper, and she squeezes my hand tightly in hers.

  This right here is what I want for us. I can’t wait to put my plan in motion.

  I have to admit, girls’ nights are not what they used to be. We used to meet up at my family’s bar, have a few drinks, and then the guys would drive us home. Once McKinley was pregnant with Walker, we moved them to one of our houses, but there was still alcohol.

  “Can I have my turn now?” I’m fully aware that I’m whining, but baby Beau has been snuggled by everyone but me, and my sister-in-law is the current baby hog.

  Everyone laughs. “I guess,” Jamie says, like I’m a huge inconvenience to her.

  “Finally!” I walk to where she’s sitting in the recliner and carefully accept baby Beau into my arms. “Look at you,” I coo down at him. “You’re just the cutest little man.” Yeah, I know he doesn’t understand me, but I can’t resist.

  “Y’all need anything from the kitchen?” McKinley asks. She’s moving around great for a woman who just gave birth to this little guy a little over three weeks ago.

  “Do you mind grabbing me a water?” Whitney asks. She’s posted on the love seat, her feet propped up on the table, her hands on her baby belly.

  “Olivia, Jamie, either of you ready for that glass of wine?” Her voice is wistful, as if she’s living through us. She’s nursing, so no alcohol for her. McKinley refuses the pump-and-dump method. She’s strict as can be when it comes to her babies. Not that I blame her; I’d be the same way.

  “I’m good right now, thanks,” I say, not taking my eyes off the sleeping baby in my arms.

  “Jamie?” McKinley asks again.

  “Uh, just water for me too.”

  Her voice is off. I look up and study her; she looks nervous as hell. “What’s up with you?” I ask her.

  “What? Nothing,” she says way too quickly. I hold her stare and see the moment she caves. “I’m pregnant,” she says softly.

  “I’m going to be an aunt?” I say too loudly, causing little Beau to jump in my arms. “Shh,” I soothe him back to sleep. “I’m going to be an aunt?” I say again, softer this time.

  “Yeah.” She smiles. “You’re going to be an aunt.”

  “How far along are you?” I ask, fighting the tears that are threatening to fall.

  “Eight weeks.” She blushes. “When we decided to get married in the Keys, I stopped taking my birth control. We didn’t want to wait,” she tells us.

  “I’m so happy for you,” I say as I lose the battle with my tears. I look down at Beau and then back to Jamie. “You’re going to have one of these,” I murmur. “My brother is going to be a daddy.” I laugh.

  “He is, and he’s excited. We were going to wait until the first trimester ended, but I knew I would end up spilling the beans tonight. He told me to go for it.”

  “Thank you.” I look Jamie in the eye. “Thank you for loving him, for bringing him to life and giving our family this gift.”

  She wipes at her tears. “He’s my heart.”

  “What about you?” Whitney asks. “Any wedding news?”

  “No. I mean, he says we’re going to be married, and he even suggested I buy a dress, which I did.” I blush.

  “What? When? We would have gone with you,” McKinley says, passing out bottles of water.

  “She went with me,” Jamie says. “Called me out of the blue, asked if I had a dress, and we went shopping. We both fell in love with the first dresses we tried on and the rest, as they say, is history,” she explains.

  “Does he know you found a dress?”

  “He does. He keeps trying to get me to show it to him.”

  “Show it to us,” Whitney tells me.

  Grabbing my phone from the arm of the couch, I unlock the screen and pass it to McKinley, who oohs and aahs and then passes it to Whit. “That’s beautiful,” McKinley says.

  “It really is,” Whit agrees.

  “So, has he asked you?” Jamie chimes in.

  “No. He went from asking me at least once a week to radio silence. Well, not really radio silence, but he hasn’t asked me once since then. We talked about it. He said he’s only getting down on one knee once in his life and he needs to do it right. Then he said it was happening. We talked about the wedding and what I’ve always drea
med it would be. He said he doesn’t care as long as I’m the one walking down the aisle.”

  They all melt at that. I can see the soft expressions on their faces, not to mention the rounds of “He’s so sweet.”

  “He said what I want is simple, and it sounded to him like the dress is the hardest part, so he told me to start looking. I never dreamed I would find the dress day one, let alone the first one I tried on. I bought it and sent it home with Jamie.”

  “He loves you,” Jamie assures me. “You can’t look at that man when you’re around and not see it.”

  “She’s right,” McKinley agrees. “He’s always looked at you like that.”

  “He’s planning the grand gesture, I’m sure of it. It’s obvious he’s no longer playfully asking you because the next time he does, he’s going to be on one knee, and you better say yes.” She points at me.

  I can’t help but laugh at her. “I’m so saying yes. I know you guys are right, but I’m anxious for it to happen. I spent all this time letting worry keep us from moving forward, and now that I’m ready, I feel like we’re at a standstill.”

  “I get that,” McKinley says. “But you have to understand he’s wanted you to be his wife for almost as long as y’all have been together. He’s not a man to half-ass his once-in-a-lifetime proposal.”

  “I agree,” Jamie adds. “He wants it to be perfect. It’s happening. He’s not stringing you along. He’s not like that.”

  “I know that, in reality, but I can’t help but be mad at myself for keeping us from this for months.”

  “You weren’t ready,” Whitney reassures me. “He knew that, and so did you. Now you are, and it’ll happen. Have a little faith.”

  “I want babies. Y’all are so far ahead of me,” I say, wiping a tear from my eyes.

  “Not really. I have two more months,” Whit explains.

  “And I have seven,” Jamie adds. “Regardless, we’re going to be raising our kids together. I’m not stopping at one.” She laughs. “At least I hope not. So our kids aren’t the exact same age? They’re still going to grow up as family. All of them.” She looks around the room.