Page 41 of That Baby (That Boy 3)
"Sympathy weight?" I ask.
"Hell, no! I'm adding bulk so I can whip some ass--particularly the ass of any skinny little punk who thinks he'd like to date my daughter."
I laugh. "I think you have a few years before you have to worry about that."
"I know, but I've been thinking about other stuff too, like college funds."
"Maybe we should focus on a diaper fund instead?"
"So what do you think about Emersyn?"
"It used to be my favorite, but it's not as pretty as Haley James. I think you picked the winner."
"Really?" Phillip asks, practically glowing.
"If you like it the best, I like it the best too."
He kisses me sweetly. "I love it. It's a beautiful name. I think we need to get cracking on the nursery too."
"Oh, I meant to tell you about that. I've decided on a color palette. Remember at Chelsea and Joey's wedding I mentioned the gorgeous colors of the hydrangeas? I was thinking those might be the perfect soft colors for the nursery. A pale green, a soft pink, dusty purple, and that gorgeous blue. It will go well with the blue-grey I want to do on the walls."
"I think that would be nice."
"Awesome. I'm going to draw up some plans for you to see."
"I have some plans for you."
"What kind of plans?"
"I know you've been having trouble falling asleep lately. I was reading that it might help if you had a nighttime routine."
"Phillip, you know I hate routines."
"This routine you might like. It's a bedtime snack, followed by a bath or massage, and then some love making."
"Oh, you might be right," I say, sliding my hand down his lean torso. "What's our snack for tonight?"
He kisses me then runs to the kitchen, bringing us back cookies and milk.
"This is the best bedtime ritual ever!" I tell him.
"I agree," he says, dunking another Oreo into the milk and stuffing the entire thing in his mouth.
We eat Oreos differently. Always have. I pull the sandwich apart, scrape the creme off with my teeth, and then dunk the chocolate part in milk.
Phillip sets the empty plate on the nightstand and starts my massage. But my massage seems to be focused only on the area between my legs.
"Are we moving on to the lovemaking part already?"
We're in the throws of passion, meaning we are getting it on, hot and heavy.
I've already had a few orgasms but Phillip is still going strong. There's got to be some correlation between pregnancy and orgasms, because I can practically have one from just a bumpy car ride.
"Oh, god," I say as he thrusts harder--our headboard banging against the wall as Phillip nears the edge of release.
"Phillip, dear!" his mother yells from outside our room, causing Phillip to freeze mid-pump. "I think someone may be knocking on the door, but it's so late that I'm afraid to answer it."
"Can she be that oblivious? Don't she and your dad have sex?" I whisper.
"Oh, god. I hope not," Phillip says. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" He takes a deep breath, rolls off me, throws on a pair of boxers, and goes to check the door.
When he gets back, he tells me, "Surprise. No one was at the door."
I reach inside his pants.
"That is long gone," he laughs, sliding his hand across my stomach. "Maybe we'll try again--oh! What was that? Oh my god! That was it, wasn't it? I felt the baby kick!"
"The baby is kicking like crazy right now. I'm pretty sure he's going to be a gymnast. You really felt it?"
"I did. It was like your whole stomach moved." He snuggles up to me, keeping his hand on my stomach and talking to it. "I just felt you kick, Baby Mac. And although it was amazing to feel, it's time for Mommy to get some sleep. So why don't you go to sleep too?"
"Maybe you should sing us a lullaby," I suggest.
And he does, sending me off to dream land.
"Princess, wake up," a faraway voice says.
I feel someone shaking me, but I'm screaming in pain as fire shoots across my nerves.
"My leg, my leg," I murmur. "It's broken."
"Jadyn, wake up!" Phillip shakes my shoulder, tearing me away from the scene of the accident.
I reach down and hold my leg, which still hurts.
"What kind of creature did you give birth to this time?" he chuckles. "And how did you break your leg? Or was the baby a shark? No, I guess that would have eaten your leg."
I shake my head. "I was in a car accident. Head on, just like my parents. Well, not just like my parents. It was during the day and it was raining. A car lost control and came at me. It all happened so fast, I tried to turn away. I could feel the car crumple around me, crushing me. And my leg hurt so bad, but then I was bleeding. And bleeding. My stomach was cut open and the baby . . ." I start to cry. "The baby came out dead."
I throw my head into his chest and sob. "It felt so real." I reach down and rub my leg. "And my leg still hurts."
"Shhh, it's okay," Phillip whispers. "That's not going to happen. Our baby will be just fine. I promise."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Dear Baby Mac,
Well, you made your dad's life!
You kicked so hard that he felt it. Actually, you probably aren't kicking any harder than you used to, but you've grown and are filling out your living quarters. You are 2 1/2 pounds and about 16 inches long.
The baby books also say that you can dream.
I'm pretty sure that's what you do all day.
You're already like a teenager.
Or, possibly a vampire, waking only at night.
But, so far, I haven't craved blood like Bella, so I think w
e're okay.
Danny and Lori came over for dinner the other night with baby Devaney. Danny was loaded down like a pack mule. I found it hard to believe that a teeny baby could need so much stuff.
But I think they do.
I'm really not nervous about taking care of you physically. I babysat and understand basic baby care, like changing diapers, burping, bathing, and feeding.
But I'm worried about the emotional side of it.
When does the joy of becoming a parent turn you into a stressed out mess?
Does it happen after a few weeks of not getting enough sleep? Will I start shouting orders at Phillip to get your rocker set up?
And what if your grandma is right about letting a baby cry, so that it can learn to calm itself? I know Lori got mad when we compared her baby to our puppy, but we used to have a hard time getting Angel to settle down at night. She wanted to just run around and play.
Now, we give her a bully stick. It almost acts like a pacifier. She chews and chews and pretty soon she can't keep her eyes open.
I want to teach you to calm yourself down. I want to teach you everything you need to know how to do in life.
But what if I screw it up?
How do you care for your baby emotionally?
Actually, I think I know the answer. I should do what my parents did.
They loved me.
That's what you need.
Unconditional love.
And, you, Baby Mac, now have a name. (If you are a girl.)
It's Haley James Mackenzie.
Isn't that pretty?!!
July 12th
Blow off steam.
Phillip sets out on his typical jogging route, down the sidewalk, to the left, and then right onto the trail.
"Let's go a different way today," I suggest.
"But I know exactly how long this route is," he argues.
"It's fun to go different ways, Phillip. Besides, you shouldn't be so predictable. What if a killer were stalking you and watching your habits? Predictability makes you vulnerable."
"You've been reading too many spy novels," he says with a laugh.
"Maybe, but we're still going this way today," I point, heading the opposite direction of where we usually go. "Come on. Who knows what we'll see."
