Indelible Love Series + Entwined Bundle

by DW Cee

  “I agree,” Uncle Henry raised his lemonade glass, “to my brilliant niece for a spectacular idea, my beautiful and athletic daughter for pitching for both teams, and to all the ladies for coordinating the entire day. Thank you and a job well done!”

  “Here, here!” We all cheered.

  “Laney,” Mavis Davis surprisingly spoke up in the middle of our lunch, and to my cousin at that. “Why don’t you come sit next to us, and join us for lunch.”

  This time Mrs. Taylor spoke up and loudly, “Laney, come join us instead. There’s plenty of room over here.”

  There was an interesting tug-of-war going on with the two mothers and my cousin. I could see why Mavis was pushing Josh’s cause, but I didn’t understand why Mrs. Taylor was so interested Laney.

  “Ne Ne,” my darling nephew called out and saved Laney’s butt.

  “Thank you for the invitation,” she said to both mothers, “but I’m going to sit next to James.” As soon as Laney sat, both mothers went and pushed their way towards the other end of the table. Jamie Lynn was outright aggressive. Mavis had that passive-aggressive thing going on, pushing her younger son’s cause.

  “Go, Mom!” I whispered to my boyfriend. “I guess she’s taken a liking to my cousin?”

  “I think she’s taken a liking to you, and figured Laney couldn’t be half bad if she’s related to you.” He gave me a heartwarming smile and a body-tingling kiss. “You did good today. We all had a fantastic time and I’m glad my parents got a chance to hang out with your family. The Reids can be a role model for any family out there.”

  “I enjoyed today, too. And I especially enjoyed seeing your parents. It may take some time but I think they’ll come around. How can they not with you three?”

  “Who’s ready to swim?” My brother asked.

  The kids started jumping up and down in their high chairs. Laney quickly got up and took James and jumped in the pool before any mother could come in with her. Ellie started whining because she hadn’t been picked up yet.

  “Who do you want to go into the pool with, my princess?” Jake went fishing and Ellie took the bait. She pointed down the table, but that could’ve been anyone.

  “I’ll see you in a bit?” Max said with a quick kiss to my lips. “I’m going to be Ellie’s knight in shining armor.” He hopped over and swooped her out of the high chair. Ellie was in love! But in all honesty, she would’ve been in love with anyone who took her in the pool.

  Looking around, I was beyond pleased with myself for getting everyone together. What started as an outing for the four of us, has now turned into possibly another family tradition. I guess the question that begs to be asked—will all the Davises continue to be a part of The Others? I sure hoped so.

  May 20, 2013 Mother May I (Not Be)?

  Me without you is like

  shoes with no laces

  a nerd with no braces

  asentencewithnospaces

  I thought of my brother and his wife when I read this corny saying this morning. Those two were like peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, SpongeBob and Patrick, two peas in a pod...well, you get what I’m trying to say—one cannot exist in this world without the other! Even their birthdays are positioned right next to one another on the calendar. Jake turned thrity-three yesterday and Emily turned twenty-seven as of this morning and of course, neither my brother nor his wife would let each other’s birthday go quietly. As a birthday surprise, Emily made reservations at Bazaar at the SLS hotel for Sunday night (Jake’s actual birthday) so they could dine on a crazy twenty-two course dinner.

  What Emily didn’t know was that Jake planned an almost identical birthday surprise that started a night earlier and included an overnight at the SLS hotel and a leisurely afternoon tea on Sunday. Even their freakin’ surprises for one another went hand in hand. Scary! Tonight would be a family dinner to celebrate Emily’s birthday, but yesterday and the night before were anything but a party for me!

  Before Jake whisked Emily off to their fun overnight, right after our softball lunch at their house, he charged the four of us—me, Max, Laney, and Donovan—with keeping the kids happy till their mother returned to them the next day.

  Why Donovan was asked to help was beyond me. It’s not as if he knew how to care for these kids. Being their godfather and sending expensive gifts, did not a caretaker make! This weekend was an eye-opener for me and right now, I was taking my time, enjoying my coffee, rejoicing that I didn’t have to walk across the street and face those munchkins. I was not ready to have kids any time soon.

  It all started Saturday after the game, and after work. Donovan and I had to go into work—yes, we lawyers work on Saturdays (and generally Sundays, too) after that fun game, lunch and a little pool time. We got called in for a few hours so we carpooled and decided to make it a productive two hours. When we arrived from work, Laney had the kids fed and was in the process of getting their baths ready in the farmhouse sink.

  “Hey,” she greeted the both of us with a calm smile.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” I asked.

  Donovan just gave her a pat on the back hello and went to greet each kid.

  “Hello big boy, beautiful girl! Did you enjoy your spaghetti dinner?” He asked, while wiping off their mouths with a baby wipe. “It sure looks like the ground enjoyed it.” He proceeded to carefully pick up James and he held him far away from that YSL suit that looked oh so delicious on him. I think this man carried a secret closet in his car, since we never stopped by his house to get him changed. He went from baseball uniform, to bathing suit, to a dashing suit. I guess he believed Bee’s motto—It’s all about how you look. And he looked good—always!

  Laney took James and proceeded to strip him of his Bolognese-laden clothes, and put him in his seat and quickly handed him a bath toy. Ellie got the exact same treatment. While Donovan went upstairs with his overnight bag and changed out of his work clothes, I didn’t know whether I, too, should go home and change before getting my hands dirty. It didn’t seem the right thing to do—leave Laney by herself with the two kids, but being this overdressed to take care of two kids didn’t seem too smart either.

  Laney read my thoughts. “You can go and change, Jane. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be all right.”

  Well, now that I got the boss’ okay....

  “Hello,” I crooned over the phone to my boyfriend while walking to my home. “When are you coming back?”

  “Hello my beauty! You missing me or my helpful hands?”

  “I always miss you and your helpful hands.” I flirted back. He was always so playful, when he wasn’t upset with me. “But, I think I will really miss you and your hands if you don’t get over to Jake’s soon to help with the kids.”

  “I may not make it there at all now. I may have to join a study session tonight. I’ve been fooling around with you too much these days. I’m behind on all my studies.”

  “Max...” I whined. “You have to come over! How about if you come over tonight, I’ll help you get rid of all your tension—and thus, you will be able to study even better come next week.”

  “Can I hold you to this promise?” I could tell he was smiling on the other end.

  “You betcha! See you soon?”

  “As soon as I can, my precious gem.”

  Donovan and I strolled back into the kitchen around the same time, and felt a pang of guilt when we saw that Laney had already washed both kids and was taking Ellie out of the bath chair and putting her Hello Kitty bathrobe on her little body. My gorgeous niece was walking around with a Hello Kitty-eared hoodie over a mop of curls as she tried, unsuccessfully, to put on her matching Hello Kitty bath slippers. I helped her put on the soft fleece slippers that were pink and blue with silver polka dots everywhere with a small Hello Kitty plush doll face planted between her two toes. She looked so adorable, I took a picture and sent it to her parents.

  “You look so cute!” I exclaimed and kissed her face.

  Freakishly, this girl replied,
“Det tyu,” which I think meant, “Thank you.” She had quite a knack for the English language. I’m sure one day, I’ll be wishing she didn’t talk so much, but for now, Donovan and I looked like proud parents as he picked up his goddaughter and threw her up in the air. That made the Hello Kitty slippers fly to both corners of the kitchen. While we were making a fuss about how darling Ellie was in her outfit, Laney had put a matching Sanrio bathrobe on James. He was dressed as Kerokerokerropi with matching slippers that fit over his feet nice and snug. He, too, looked gorgeous!

  “I’ll take James,” I said and took him off Laney’s hands. James started whimpering and called out “Ne Ne,” which kinda pissed me off that he learned to say Laney’s name before my name. Before she could take him back, I told Donovan to follow me, and we marched the kids upstairs so we could put them in their pajamas.

  We laid them both down on their changing tables, and Ellie was as happy as a clam, but James started crying. I did my best to calm him down because I didn’t want my nephew favoring a distant cousin to his aunt. I pulled out the toys that were next to the changing table and did a song and dance, but had absolutely no luck.

  “I don’t think he likes you much, Auntie Jane,” Donovan teased. “Why don’t you call Auntie Laney?”

  “She’s not his aunt. I’m his only aunt,” I growled at Donovan while attempting to get a diaper under James’ soft bottom.

  I was doing okay with the diaper but the hollering got worse, and I heard Laney’s footsteps along the hallway. Shit! I can do this. I do not need anyone’s help. Just when I thought everything was in the clear, I felt a gush of water on my chin and neck, and I let out a louder than necessary yelp!

  “What the hell?” I hollered, which in turn led to a chain of events I’m horrified to relive!

  Before I closed James’ diaper, he peed on me.

  I yelled.

  James got frightened.

  He rolled himself off the changing table to get away from me.

  James proceeded to fall, head first, onto the hardwood floor.

  I don’t know where Laney came from, but she caught him right as he was about to hit his head on the ground. She got to him literally centimeters before I would have been in deep shit with my brother.

  At this point all hell broke loose. James hollered for dear life, Ellie hollered because her brother hollered, Donovan hollered at me for “dropping the baby,” and I hollered back defending myself, trying to convince everyone that I did not “drop the baby!”

  In the melee, Laney had quietly rounded up both kids, was sitting on the oversized rocking chair and had begun reading them a book. Both babies let out tearful hiccups here and there, but were soon calmed down.

  “Ellie, you want me to read you a book?” Her godfather asked.

  “NO!” She answered with conviction.

  I was afraid to ask, but didn’t want to lose out to my cousin so I started to say, “James...” and that’s when both kids started crying again. Hell! I gave up and left the room.

  “Don’t think you’ll be having kids anytime soon,” Donovan cracked up and put his arm around me to console me.

  “No, I guess not,” I answered with anger. “I’m not the girl you want to marry if you need a mother for your kids. Go talk to Laney, instead.”

  “I think I prefer a woman to a little girl, when I decide I need to procreate.” How does this man make everything look and sound so freakin’ delicious?

  “Shut up!” was my only lame answer to him as I elbowed him away from me.

  In the course of reheating the Bolognese sauce for our dinner, Max came over and I recounted the entire saga to him. Rather than consoling me and making sure I wasn’t in too much shock from the events of the night, Max scolded the both of us and said, “And you let Laney put both kids to bed by herself?”

  He marched right up to the kids’ room and we walked in on three angel-looking Reids sitting on the rocking chair, asleep. Laney had both kids protectively cradled in each arm.

  “Laney,” Max whispered, and gently put a hand on her shoulder. “Let me take James from you and I’ll put him down.”

  When she looked up at my boyfriend with those big blue eyes, she really looked not much different than a child herself. She, too, had those cherub cheeks like the twins and that doe-eyed innocent look.

  “Take Ellie. I’ll hold on to James a bit longer. I don’t think he’ll part from me just yet.”

  Max did just that and gingerly transferred Ellie to her twin-size bed that my parents bought for each grandchild as a birthday gift. He then very slowly and carefully took a whimpering James from Laney’s arms and rocked him a bit till he calmed down, and eventually put him in his own bed as well. Finally! The kids were down.

  “Have you had dinner?” Seeing Max with Laney made me think that he would have made a great older brother—so opposite of my own!

  “I haven’t eaten yet, have you? Emily made spaghetti sauce before she left. If you want, I can heat it up for you.” Laney answered.

  “Why don’t you sit and I’ll heat it up for us. You’re probably tired after taking care of both kids all afternoon. It’s a good thing those kids go to bed so early.”

  “Today, I have to agree. I don’t know how Emily does it every day. She’s pretty incredible.”

  “That she is.” My boyfriend agreed.

  This love fest between Laney, Max and Emily was nauseating me. So, I cut into their conversation. “Who’s staying here tonight?”

  Before anyone could answer, Josh was at the back door.

  “Hey, Bro’. What brings you by?”

  “Laney brings me by. What other reason would I have for being here? It definitely isn’t to babysit.”

  “Well, you should’ve come earlier if you really wanted to help your friend. She had a rough night.”

  “What were the rest of you doing, not helping Laney?”

  “It’s all fine Josh,” Laney said. “How are you? You went and got your passport in order?”

  “Yeah!” My cute little “brother” smiled wide. “We’re gonna have so much fun together in Europe!”

  “Why would you guys be in Europe together?” Big brother Donovan asked.

  “Laney is moving there for a year and I’m going to go paint out there for a year.”

  “What’s the matter with this graduating class? Don’t you believe in getting a job after college, or going to graduate or professional school? You young people are too dependent upon your parents. You need work experience. You need to live in reality.”

  I nodded my head and concurred with every one of Donovan’s words. “I agree!” I exclaimed.

  Josh and Laney stopped talking for a brief moment, stared at us, checked each other out, shrugged their shoulders, then continued with their conversation as though neither Donovan nor I had said a peep.

  Max laughed and joined in their conversation. “You need help with anything before you leave, Laney?”

  She hesitated. “I think I’m okay, Max. Thank you for asking,” was all she said before asking Josh, “When will you leave and where will you go first?”

  “I’m leaving in June and I think I’ll start in London and make that my base. You think your grandparents will let me live with you in the flat?”

  Laney kept quiet. We could tell that wasn’t her cup of tea.

  But, Josh kept pushing. “Jane, can I ask your Gram for permission to room with Laney?”

  Before big brother Donovan could bark at Josh, I answered, “You can ask Gram yourself.” I was all for those two becoming roommates!