With an early rise the next day, Val settled Evan back in the bassinette that someone had gifted her the night before. She stood over her sleeping son still in awe that she was a mother and all the wonderful things that’d happen to her in the past couple of days. Looking around the bedroom, she saw all the gifts neatly stacked in a corner. Lynn was truly a saint; she’d gone above and beyond to provide for Val and Evan. Every piece of clothing, every blanket, every sock, and every cloth was so beautiful, and so much more than she could ask for. Running her fingers along the bassinet’s edge, she admired the design. It was a solid, wooden frame with beige and tan colored quilted and padded linens.
Paul had shown her last night the removable Moses bassinet on top that also turned into a changing table for Evan. It had storage wicker baskets on the bottom shelf and a hanging organizer on either side. And to top it off, the four casters on bottom allowed her to move the bassinet from room to room. This way she could roll him out to the living room and back.
Stepping out towards the kitchen, she snuck a glance back towards the room checking on Evan. Assured that he was peacefully asleep she shuffled towards the kitchen for a bottle of water. It was nearing seven in the morning, so she didn’t expect anyone to be up and about. Stepping into the kitchen, she found it vacant. She knew there were bottles of water in the fridge, but she really wanted one at room temperature.
“I don’t want to rummage,” she sighed softly, and contemplated giving up her search. This wasn’t her home and despite all the hospitality, it felt weird to float around like in her own home.
“Then, I’ll rummage for you,” a teasing voice spoke behind her, causing her to twist around in surprise. She came face-to-face with a wide-awake JC, showered and dressed for the day.
“I didn’t hear you there, sorry,” she apologized after giving herself a moment to recoup. He laughed her apology off before stepping further into the kitchen.
“No harm, no foul. Now, what am I rummaging for?” he asked again, his eyes dancing around looking for whatever.
“A bottle of water. There’s only cold ones, and I wanted one at room temperature,” she explained, leaning against the center island. He nodded and simply walked back out of the kitchen, but reappearing a second later. With an outstretched hand, he provided her with his finding.
“Lynn keeps the water bottles in the hallway ‘pantry’,” he stated, and she gratefully accepted the bottle of water. He walked further into the kitchen and towards the refrigerator.
“Have you had breakfast?” he asked, his body bent at the waist looking for something to eat, she presumed.
“No, I want to take advantage that Evan is currently asleep to shower first then tackle eating,” she replied, taking a sip of water. She watched him stand up and turn to her.
“Rough night?” he guessed with a concerned face.
“Eh, I’m not too sure. The nurses warned me that the first night might be rough for him, since he’s gotta readjust. And, he was a bit whiney last night but nothing too bad. I figured I’ll get more done while he’s asleep than while he’s awake,” she shrugged her shoulder in response. JC watched her closely as she spoke, and he could see the fatigue on her face.
“I’m just gonna get some breakfast here while I wait for Justin to wake up, do you need me to keep an eye on him for you?” he offered, and Val felt her heart melt. She wasn’t accustomed to be on the receiving end of generosity and kindliness.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I won’t be long, and I’m sure he’ll stay asleep. I appreciate the offer, though,” Val nervously soothed a hand over her hair, convinced that she resembled a wreck. Realizing her wardrobe, she longed to escape this handsome man’s presence.
“Well, I’ll keep an ear out for him in case he wakes up. Enjoy your shower,” he smiled warmly, and her stomach fluttered. With a curt nod, she turned and walked out of the kitchen and back into her bedroom. Checking one last time on Evan, she walked into the bathroom and left the door partially cracked. Sighing deeply, she let her mind run wildly. Ever since yesterday when she’d been introduced to him, this overwhelming feeling of calm had washed over her. The comfort and tenderness in his eyes had flowed from his fingertips when he’d taken her hand, and the security and certainty in his voice has infiltrated her heart when he’d spoken to her. She could get lost in the blue abyss of his eyes with every glance, and her stomach was a mess of twisted knots whenever she thought of him.
“Where’s Le when I need her?” her trembling fingers ran through her disheveled hair. Rubbing her hands in frustration and fatigue over her face, she leaned over to twist the knobs inside the shower stall. Reaching her fingers under the water’s flow, she tested the temperature and nodded with satisfaction. Quickly, she undressed and stepped under the hot waterfall. She could feel her every muscle relax with the pressure and temperature of the water, and it felt heavenly. It seemed that with every shower post-partum she felt more rejuvenated and energized. Or maybe it was just the passing time that she became more and more accustomed to being a mom. After what felt like an eternity gone by too soon, she finished up her shower and reached for a fluffy towel. Her ears strained to listen out for any sign that Evan had awakened, but she heard nothing.
She took her time rubbing her hair dry, and patting her body dry. Taking the toothbrush from the counter, she squeezed some toothpaste onto it and stuck it in her mouth as she untangled her hair with the other hand. Washing her face clear and rubbing some moisturizer over her face, she finished out her routine.
Freshly showered and dressed in clean clothes, she felt like a new person. With what she’d estimate to be maybe 15 pounds less on her frame and several inches dropped from her waist, she felt she was swimming in her former maternity shirts, but that’s all that she’d packed. Her feet felt like she was walking on clouds, and the strain on her back had disappeared.
“Oh, I’ve missed this,” she chuckled, speaking to her own reflection as she turned to one side and to the other, inspecting her frame. Hanging up the towel on the rack, she pushed her way out to the bedroom and froze. Evan’s bassinet was no longer across the bedroom, beside the bed. She quickly slipped on her sandals and walked out towards the kitchen first and then to the living room.
“Oh, there’s mommy…” she heard before she saw as she rounded the corner into the living room. Her eyes searched for her baby, and the panic in her stomach settled as she saw her infant cradled against the solid chest of JC.
“Well don’t you look like a new person,” Justin’s voice interrupted her before she could open her mouth. She turned her head and finally noticed him sitting on another couch, amusement and mischief written all over his face.
“A shower can do miracles,” she quipped, and crossed her arms across her chest. She felt like a mom on the verge of reprimanding her kids, and she wondered why. “What did y’all do?”
“What?” JC laughed, surprised by her question. He continued to gently pat Evan’s back in an attempt to soothe his gentle whimpers, just like Lynn had told him.
“I don’t know, but I just feel like I need to ask. You both look guilty,” Val remarked, taking a seat on the edge of the sofa next to JC, with her body twisted towards him.
“We didn’t do anything. Evan was crying so we went in to get him while you showered,” Justin argued, his voice going high-pitch. Val raised an eyebrow at his voice before chuckling.
“I’ve known you for a few days, and even I know you’re lying. You just squeaked,” Val teased as she reached for Evan, and maneuvered him from JC’s hard chest to her softer, and supple chest. Instantly, Evan curled his tiny body against her, and his whimpers disappeared. As her hand ran along his back and over his diaper covered bottom, she noticed something was off.
Her eyes raised to JC’s guilty smirk to Justin’s nervous lip-nibbling. Craning her neck, she looked down at the back of Evan’s diaper and laughed at the sight.
“Oh my, who did this? The diaper is backwards!” she giggled, one hand holding Evan securely and the other covering her face. She couldn’t control her laughter, especially when every time she opened her eyes to look at either superstar their blush deepened. Finally, both JC and Justin couldn’t keep their laughter hidden and they joined her. Poor Evan, began to whimper, being disturbed from his snooze fest, but Val couldn’t stop laughing long enough to soothe him.
“What are you kids laughing about?” Lynn questioned, walking into the living room. She’d gone back upstairs to get dressed for the day, and she’d left Justin and JC looking after Evan. Now, she saw Justin relaxed on the couch laughing with his hands crossed over his stomach. JC was hunched over with his elbows on his knees and his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, laughter shaking his shoulders. And, Val leaned on the armrest behind her with Evan perched on her chest and her hand covering her face as she, too, laughed.
“Mama, when you left we had to change Evan’s diaper,” was all Justin could choke out before he pointed out the offending diaper. Lynn’s eyes spotted the backwards diaper and dissolved into giggles.
“Oh, I appreciate this so much,” Val chuckled as she finally stood and walked over to the bassinet that was in the corner. Working quickly around Evan’s cries, she tossed that diaper and wrapped a new one around him. She picked him back up and rocked him against her, still giggling at the mental image of JC and Justin trying to figure out how to change a diaper.
“I told Jace that he was doing it wrong, but he wouldn’t listen to me,” Justin stated matter-of-factly and JC’s jaw dropped to the ground.
“Oh whatever, you completely pushed me out of the way. He was like, ‘I’ve had baby brothers, I got this!’” JC mocked Justin’s cockiness and Lynn laughed as a blush rose to Justin’s cheeks once more. JC laughed before sticking his tongue out at Justin, almost as if saying ‘I’m not going down for this.’
“You two will be pros in no time with Evan around,” Lynn assured them before announcing that she was going to get breakfast started. Val offered her help, and gentle lain a quickly-dozing Evan back in the bassinet.
“We’ll keep an eye on him,” JC offered, a small smile on his lips. Like a rush of butterflies disturbed from their hiding spots on the stems of a flowery bush, the fluttering feeling returned to Val’s stomach. She smiled back, and nodded.
“I appreciate everything,” she gratefully leaned over to place a small peck on Justin’s cheek before repeating the same thing on JC’s cheek. She felt nothing but gratitude when kissing Justin’s cheek, but when JC’s hand grasped her wrist as she kissed his cheek, she felt electric. She was sure that he felt it too because both their eyes slammed into each other, questioning pooling there.
His fingers fell away from her wrist as she took a step away from him and turned to exit the living room. Blinking back to reality, he turned his head to face Justin, whom sat there intently looking at him.
“You want to head out after breakfast?” JC asked past the knot in his throat and in his stomach. Breaking him from his reverie, Justin nodded. Falling into an easy conversation of their studio time, both men ignored the elephant in the room.
####
“Hey Val…” Trace hesitantly knocked on her opened bedroom door later two days later. Hearing his call, she walked over and pulled the door the rest of the way and motioning for him to come inside. Her cell phone was cradled between her shoulder and her cheek as she spoke with Rollins, reassuring him that she was well and safe.
“Evan’s got a check-up on Tuesday, so I’m hoping to get the ok to travel then,” Val explained over the phone as she watched Trace walk over to the bassinet where Evan lain. The infant straddled the thin line of sleep and awake as his eyes occasionally fluttered shut.
“Alright then Rollins, you take care and I’ll call you again soon,” she finished up the phone call and tossed her phone onto the bed.
“How are you Trace?” she smiled, looking over to Trace. He nodded, looking too cool in his jeans, plaid shirt, and work boots.
“I’m good, a little bored. I stopped by to see how you were doing and if you needed anything. I know everyone is out, and you really can’t drive anywhere,” he shrugged, and Val felt her heart melt for the millionth time since arriving in Millington. She willed her now-misty eyes to dry up, and she smiled.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to all the generosity and kindness for you folks, but I really do appreciate everything y’all done for us,” she let out a soft chuckle in disbelief being gingerly taking a seat on the bed’s edge. Twirling her fingers in an effort to control her readjusting emotions, she finally looked back at Trace. He’d been quiet and just looking down at the baby.
“You might as well quit thanking us and crying, because we ain’t gonna stop, sweetheart,” he replied without looking up, but there was a hint of teasing in his voice.
“You know, you can pick him up if you really want,” she smiled and he looked over at her. His gaze held a hint of fear, and she was reminded of herself just a few days ago.
“Sounds silly, but I'm kind of afraid to. I might drop him…" He bit his lip, the look of a little boy on his face. Standing up, Val walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I won’t let you drop him, Trace. Just pick him up and then have a seat,” she explained and he breathed deeply. If it weren’t for the serious look on his face, she might’ve found the situation comical. Instead, she found it endearing. She didn’t live under a rock, and she knew the public image of Justin, JC, and even Trace. And Trace, to her, was this rough backwoods country boy living in California. In this moment, however, he was anything but rough and tough.
"I've never really held a newborn before ... just kids that could almost walk on their own," he confessed reaching out masculine, rough hands towards Evan’s belly. Softly rubbing it, Val’s heart continued to melt watching him.
"You just have to be gentle and carefully. Here, come around to the side. Now, slide one hand underneath his neck and the other underneath his bottom and lift, Trace,” she instructed and stood by him as he followed her directions, “It's really simple.”
“He’s so light,” he observed bringing Evan’s form close to his chest. Val chuckle at the very observant comment, readjusting Evan in his arms.
“Yeah, so don’t worry. It doesn’t take much to hold him, does he feel comfortable like that?” Val questioned, watching Trace slowly take a seat at the edge of the bed. Choosing to sit in the chair in the corn of the room, she watched him carefully explore the baby’s face.
“Makes you want to have a kid?” she teased, and the panic look on his face tickled her. She chuckled as he shook his head and took a deep breath.
“Fuck…er, fudge no! I’m still a big kid myself,” Trace blushed as the expletive slipped passed his lips.
“He’s too young to repeat, but watch it in a year’s time,” she teased and dismissed his verbal slip. He smiled gratefully before going back to admiring the sleeping infant in his arms. Evan was cradled in the nook between Trace’s arm and chest, with his bottom nestled in the palm of his hand. Trace’s free hand gingerly pushed back the soft and thin wisps of hair atop Evan’s head.
“Lynn told me that he was born a few weeks early, so I expected him to be this tiny little thing. But, he looks about normal size of a full-term baby,” Trace commented, lifting his eyes to Val. She nodded, and shrugged a shoulder.
“Yeah, I lucked out. He’s a little under six pounds right now, and I believe he was 19.5 inches at birth. But, he’s still my little guy,” she smiled, the same warm sensation crawling back into the pit of her stomach thinking of her son. This little creation depended solely on her, and in reality, she was all that he had and vice versa. They were partners now.
“How about I take you for some early dinner in town? I’m sure you’re sick of staring at these walls day in and day out. Would that be alright? Will Evan be ok?” Trace offered.
“Yeah, I’d like that. I think he’ll be alright. He’s a good baby, so far,” she joked, and they shared a laugh. Agreeing to go out, Val moved quickly to change Evan’s clothes since he’s only been dressed in a onesie. Asking Trace for a couple of minutes, she changed out of her sweats into something more appropriate. Having only maternity clothes with her, she was so limited to what she could wear without looking like she was wearing a parachute. Deciding on one of her many floral chiffon sundresses, she slipped on a cardigan and lifted Evan in his adorable green and white striped body suit. Walking out of the bedroom, she hung his diaper bag on her shoulder.
“I strapped in the car seat already, you ready?” Trace asked as he met her in the hallway, and she nodded. Following him out of Lynn’s house, she watched him lock up the house before walking over to his car. Securing Evan in the car seat, she slipped in next to him in the back seat and waited for Trace to start the car.
“You know, this having a baby around could really serve as a chick magnet,” he quipped from the front seat, and Val laughed.
“Oh yeah, anytime you want to borrow him, Trace,” she kidded, and they both laughed. Easing the car through the small-town roads, Trace pointed the car towards the city. Conversation on one thing and another thing filled the silence and helped pass the time. Evan’s occasional gurgles would join the mix.
