"Hi, welcome to Community Market," a woman greeted as he stepped in, she smiling at him as he returned one of his own. The air was much cooler than it had been outside, he welcoming it with open arms as he looked down at the letter, shaking his head once more as he saw the list of what was needed right below the reasons.
Formula
Baby Orajel
More binkies (where does she hide them all?)
Fruit (Strawberries)
Whipped Cream
Fudge (stop thinking kinky, baby, I know you are ...)
He grinned, face reddening even though he had not personally been caught, just verbally. She knew him all too well.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
He spun to look at the woman who he had seen earlier, she still smiling the same way. "Oh, no thank you," he laughed, holding up the letter to her, "my wife gave me stuff to get."
"Okay." She left him alone then, he slowly walking down the aisle of the fruits, lowering his eyes back to the letter. She really did know him all too well.
#11: The fact that you are so completely obvious when women are attempting to get 'with you'. Even after speaking to them two seconds before, when they appear again, you shrug it off as helpfulness and continue on your way. Did you really think that everytime you and I go into the grocery store that they are THAT helpful? Oh, love, you kill me. Accept it, they love you more than me; even when I spend $300 dollars on food for you and the baby.
#12: The way you always do things for me without complaining (though I know you would probably like to strangle me with sometime every so often ... more than often ...) and never, ever get mad at me when I whine about doing something for you (I guess I'm the lazy one of the bunch, eh?) - especially when I was nine months pregnant and larger than life.
He grinned, looking up as he turned the cart, heading towards the aisle that held the formula. Now what kind did she always get? Similac? Carnation? Enfamil? It was a pink container, non-spit up ... Enfamil!
Proud of himself, he put the formula in the cart, glancing down at the letter.
.. It's Enfamil, baby.
#13: The fact that I know you so well. The fact that you know me better than I know myself, better than I know you.
#14: How everyday seems like I find out something about you that I never knew before. Like this morning when I called your mom to thank her for having you (yes, I knew you weren't biologically hers, but she is still your mama) and giving me the greatest gift of all, her baby ... she told me that you actually did know who your birth mother was, but chose not to contact her because, to you, Karen would be the only mother you ever knew and loved. That you told her you never understood why she put up with you for so long until you became a parent yourself and how you fell more in love with me because I birthed your child and didn't leave. Baby, I'd never leave you behind, and I know you know that.
Now hurry up and get the rest of the stuff. You've got a few more places to go!
He picked up a few packages of pacifiers, thinking about his little Houdini that everytime she was put down for a nap or bedtime, when she'd wake a few hours later, the pacifier would be gone, almost as if she had eaten it. He was pretty sure that all the evidence was somewhere in her nursery, be it behind the crib or stuck between the mattress and crib itself.
That was his baby, and disappearing acts or not, he still loved her more than anything in the world.
His little Kaylee. Born in early February at a small six pounds. She fit in the palm of his hand and her feet just barely touched to his elbow when he held her just so. Now, looking at her, it was hard to believe that she had come nearly seven weeks early and weighed so much for a premature baby, yet looked so small. Then, she was fussy, full of colic and never happy. For three long months, the stress between both parents and child seemed nearly unbearable, but suddenly at fourteen weeks old (which seemed like fourteen years to him), it stopped. Now, a happy, bubbly and very talkative (in a baby sort of way) infant replaced her, the exact mixture of both parents: her light brown hair, his bright blue eyes, her hands, his fingers ... she had her mama's feet, though, small and chubby.
He stopped in front of the refrigerated section, remembering the moment he had proposed and found out that Kaylee was on her way. It happened in the same spot that the proposal came, they both out of nowhere and very surprising.
He had been standing at the cart just as he was then, and she was in the door of the freezer, debating on getting creamsicles or cherry popsicles. He had been teasing her about her sudden love of the frozen treats, she never a big fan of them until that summer. He remembered watching her, studying the length of her legs and how half of what seemed to be the longest set of legs he had ever seen disappeared beneath the soft fabric, the light pink of the dress making her skin darker. His eyes traveled up her body and almost felt his heart stop when her voice entered his ears.
'Josh, I'm pregnant'.
Never in his life had he been speechless. Every one of his friends and relatives knew him as the observer, but he had always had something to say. With this, nothing came to mind, nothing escaped his lips. Nothing but, 'you're joking, right?'
She looked at him as if he had grown two heads, shaking her head. 'I'm not joking, baby.'
He looked at her then. All of the little things that he had noticed were finally piecing together: her sudden enlargement of her otherwise lacking breasts (though he never complained); her getting sick over little smells that he couldn't even smell; the sudden cravings for things that she never had been fond of before; the small softness of her belly that had never been there. She had always been fit, always tone. He had teased her about her sudden love for sweets that she didn't even allow in the house, and now it all made sense. It was all clear to him now.
He was going to be a daddy.
He brought himself out of his memory, reaching in and grabbing the cherry popsicles that she had not put down since her pregnancy with Kaylee. Of all things that left, her love for the cherry sweet had not left.
"What else do I have to get?" He asked himself, looking down at the list and going in search of the toppings. His mind went back to that spot, remembering how they were getting ready for a family get-together, walking down the aisle in seach of freeze-pops, the ice flavored sugar rushes that his cousins loved so much. She was joking about getting her ice trays and filling them will kool-aid and just let them 'have at it', he grinning when he thought of her doing the same for their own children (and how she suddenly had him thinking of their children) when it suddenly dawned on him: she was it.
'It'd be so much cheaper and probably a lot more fun ...'
'Marry me', he said simply, she stopping mid-pull of the freezer door, eyes knitted in confusion while a small smile of disbelief formed. 'Emmy, marry me'.
'You're asking me here? Now?!'
He remembered stepping away from the cart, grabbing her hand and saying once more. 'I don't have a ring', he had said, she searching his eyes for any signs of sarcasm or joking. 'But I do know you have me wrapped around your little finger anyway'.
She had laughed then, reaching forward and hugging him tightly. She had whispered 'yes' into his ear, and two days later, had gotten a ring instead of him wrapped around her finger.
He paid for everything quickly, putting it in the trunk and getting back into the car, letter in his hands and hands on the steering wheel. What now?You got me those popsicles, didn't you? Get on home and put them in the freezer. Never mind everything else. Thank you for thinking of me and getting them.
#15: How, when you and I would be going on drive, just the two of us, your hand would always find mine and never let go until we reached where we had been going. I always loved how your hands covered mine completely and I felt so safe when those hands held onto me. I still do.
He grinned, driving home quickly so he could continue on with the little hunt. As long as she was at the end of it, it'd be his most favorite birthday ever.
When he pulled into the driveway, he saw his mom's car parked on the side, just where she always parked. Had she flew in from Maryland? Turning off the car and grabbing the things from the trunk, he made his way up the sidewalk, pushing open the door and getting the complete opposite of what he had gotten more than an hour ago.
"Grandma loves you," a happy voice floated through the air as Kaylee babbled, her little laugh like music to his ears, "yes she does!"
He approached the kitchen, seeing Kaylee in her bouncer as Karen sat at the island, feeding her a bottle. "Hey, mom," he smiled, kissing his mom's cheek. "What brings you here?"
"You birthday, obviously," she smiled, kissing him back. "Happy Birthday, baby."
"Thanks," he smiled, leaning forward and pulling the bouncer towards him, Kaylee's feet flailing about in excitement at seeing her father, cooing loudly as he kissed her, she grabbing his cheeks and opening her mouth in her own way of kissing her daddy. "Hi, baby girl," he smiled, nuzzling his face into hers gently. "I missed you."
"So where are you going?" Karen asked, looking at him as he pulled the popsicles out and put them into the freezer, holding the letter in his hand. "What number you on now?"
"You know about this?" He held up the letter, his mother nodding. "Does everyone know about it?"
"Yes," she laughed. "Unlike you, honey, we can keep a secret."
"Har, har," he said sarcastically, still smiling. "I just read fifteen. I'm not sure where I go next."
"Well, read and find out!" She turned to put the bottle back into Kaylee's mouth, talking to her first grandchild adoringly. "I'm sure it's somewhere interesting."
He laughed, looking down at the letter. Indeed, it was.
#16: How, unlike a typical male, you remember everything: my birthday, our anniversary (both from dating and marriage), my favorite foods, favorite book. How you took the time out to read those books, take me to those restaurants, send those flowers.
#17: How, you have a song for every little moment of ours. How everytime I hear one of our songs, I can close my eyes and remember that exact moment and still smell that same scent you wear.
#18: How we 'had' a song, but you felt that our wedding needed a song that is all our own. How you slaved for days, weeks on end to make it perfect, and finally finished it only minutes before the ceremony itself. How I will never forget you sitting down at the reception in front of that baby grand and singing it to me with so much emotion, so much love.
#19: How you now sing it to our daughter the day she was born and every single night that she'd be up crying because her stomach pains were so uncomfortable. How you never just pushed me off the bed to tend to her, that you got up and handled her when I was too tired to even move. How, even if you had to be up at four in the morning, you'd stay up all night with her.
#20: How, looking at her, all I can see you. All those days when you are gone haven't been half as bad because I have the spitting image of you staring up at me every time I see her. Those eyes, that mouth, that smile. You were the very reason I was given her, and I will always, always love you for that.
He turned the page, the second page not a letter, but a photo of the three of them the day she was born. Emmerson was lying in bed, holding a fresh out of the oven Kaylee, she looking tired but elated, while JC was lying in the bed sideways, Emmerson's head on the burrow of his shoulder and neck, his head atop of hers with a wide, tired smile on his face. This was his family.
Now get back into that car of yours and drive to my old house.
He chuckled, shoving the letter back into his pocket. At least she didn't live too far away.
"All right," he said, walking towards his daughter and lifting her up, she automatically grabbing onto her daddy's face as he grinned, smothering her in kisses, "I have to go again. I take it your babysitting?"
"Until later," Karen nodded. "About another hour or two."
"Do you know where Emmy is, even?"
"Of course I do," she grinned. "You'll find out in due time, my dear."
He shook his head in disbelief, still holding Kaylee as he kissed his mother. "I figured. She's being all mysterious on me." He patted Kaylee's back, urging her to burp. When she did, a triumphant smile stretched across his face as he kissed her once more, handing her back over to Karen as she fussed a bit, protesting the loss of her father's arms. "I'll see you in a little bit, baby girl," he soothed, her hand gripping his finger tightly. "Call if you need anything, mom." He pulled his hand away, leaving the house once more for another destination.
"Josh, hey!"
He looked up, his eyes meeting those of Emmerson's little sister, Evelyn. "Hey, Evie!" He returned the hug that she had given him, shocked to see that the young girl he had met four years ago was now a young woman who looked nothing like she had before. "How are you doing?"
"Good," she smiled, pulling away and looking at him. "Happy Birthday. How's my favorite brother-in-law?"
"Your only brother-in-law," he laughed. "I'm doing good. And thanks."
"Come on inside," she said, grabbing his hand. "There's a gift in there for you."
"You didn't have to get me a gift."
"I didn't," she smiled. "It's from Emmy. She asked me to keep it here for when you came."
"That's ... odd."
"Not when she knows her little snoop of a husband will look for it in their house," she grinned, turning to look at me over her shoulder. "Don't give me that look! We all know you are the sneakiest person around and the worst person to buy gifts for!"
He laughed, following her inside as both of her parents greeted him, giving him birthday wishes. They were engrossed in some television show, Emmerson's mom the only one to get up and hug him. "Go get your gift," she laughed, hearing Evelyn's calls for him to stop talking and to continue walking. "Don't want oh-patient one to get cranky."
He laughed. "That, we don't."
"I heard that, Chasez!"
Her mother rolled her eyes as he grinned, following her through the kitchen and towards the den, she holding a small box in her hands. "I'm going to change, I've got plans tonight. Enjoy the gift. Read the letter first." With that, she was gone.
Silently, he sat down on the leather reclining chair, head against the back as he let the small light next to him aid him in reading Emmerson's bubbly lettering. He fought against the urges to read the ending, reading the the words before the twenty-first reason.
The day you met my family, it felt as if you had never not known them. They accepted you as their son and you immediately began calling my parents 'mom' and 'dad'. You bought them gifts for their birthdays (and never jointly with me) and Christmas, you had even gone with my mom to a banquet because no one else could go. Everyone was raving about her adopted son that was 'nothing' like their own children, though they wished their own were more like you. You, my love, were the ... Belle of the ball ... ha, ha.
What I never told you, though, was the first time you met my parents, my mom already knew our future. You remember how my mom had pulled me away for an hour the day we had the Memorial Day picnic? And you wanted to know where we had gone and I said we were just 'talking'? Well, we were, but it was about you. Mom had pulled me back into the kitchen, and in her knowing voice said, 'you're going to marry that boy someday'. Of course, we were only how many months into our relationship and I felt as if I didn't even know what kind of future I'd have. Needless to say, that hot day in August only three months later definitely surprised me when you popped the question in the middle of the freezer aisle.
I guess 'mother knows best' after all, huh?
Okay, so we have obviously took upon our first date, our many firsts in a grocery store, and now were in the place were my mother is a know-it-all. I think this is the best place to give you another gift that even my mother knew I'd give you before I did. So ... open it, and then read reason 21.
He smiled, setting the letter on the end table as he took the small box, pulling off the baby blue ribbon and ripping at the paper. Underneath the paper was a simple black box with the top taped on so that it could be securely wrapped, he picking the tape off and slightly ripping the black off. Lifting up the box, he was met with baby blue tissue paper. Piles and piles of it. Once it was removed, he saw another box, about the size of a bracelet box, with a piece of paper taped to it.
Read reason 21 while opening.
So, he did.
#21: Everytime I see you with Kaylee, I feel a sudden love for you that I never had before. The way you had spoken before she was born about how you never had that paternal wanting, never thought you could love someone the way they deserved to be was something you had not known of. The moment I found out I was pregnant, you were a completely different person: one that I didn't think I could love more than I already did, but I did. The way you took care of me, handled my cravings and my moodiness, spoke and sang to my belly ... it was something that I took complete advantage of. I loved to hear you sing to me and our baby, and now ... open the box.
He opened the box, eyes knitting in confusion as a stick looked up at him, it looking just like Kaylee's thermometer. Turning it over, he was greeted with a digital message: Pregnant.
With shaky hands, and a fast-beating heart, he looked back at the letter, mouth suddenly dry.
It seems as if I'll be able to take advantage of you singing to us once more. Baby, seven months from now, you're going to be a daddy again. A daddy to little babies. I know you're going to be just as amazing with this one as you are to Kaylee. And I know you're probably in shock because well, it's so soon after her birth, and we didn't plan on another until another year, but by the time this one is here, it'll be almost a year and at least we won't have to wait, right?
He looked up, meeting the gaze of Emmerson's mom, a wide grin forming on his face. "So you knew before her, huh?"
"I knew everything before her," she grinned, stepping into the room and meeting him mid-way as he hugged her tightly. "Congratulations, Josh."
"I'm gonna be a daddy again," he said softly into her hair as he hugged her still, shaking his head in disbelief. "Another baby. Kaylee is going to be what ... thirteen months old when this one is born?"
"It looks as if you two started trying almost immediately," she laughed, pulling away and studying his face. "You're not disappointed at it, are you?"
"What? No, definitely not," he said, shaking his head and smiling. "I'm happy. So happy. It makes me want to forget about the last ten reasons just so I can go find my wife and celebrate this with her, and not my birthday."
"There will be chances for that," she smiled, patting his cheek gently, "just finish up those last ten reasons and you will find her at the end."
"I will," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek. "Why don't you go see your first grandbaby at the house? My mom is over there and I'm sure she'll enjoy company."
"Oh, I'm sure we'll see her sometime," she said, reaching down and gripping his hand tightly. "We've got plans for later, though. So perhaps after?" She glanced over at the clock, studying the time. "It's nearing nine, you may want to get on your way."
He nodded. "Thank you. For knowing everything good that has come out of this relationship. And for giving me your daughter."
She hugged him once more, hand rubbing his back gently. "Thank you for coming into her life and giving me two grandbabies."
He laughed. "Well, one and a half. The second one isn't here yet."
"Oh, I know, but he is in my daughter's belly."
He grinned, she leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "We did get you a birthday card," she smiled, leading him into the living room and handing it to him. "I know it's nothing special compared to Emmy's gift, but it's the thought, right?"
"The thought is always special to me," he smiled, shaking Emmerson's father's hand as he stood to say his goodbye. "Thank you for housing me for the small amount of time I have been here today, and I'll see you guys tomorrow?"
"Perhaps," her father smiled, gripping his hand. "Now, go get your last ten reasons."
He laughed, stepping out onto the front porch and inhaling the cooler summer night air. "I think I've gained about a billion more reasons why I love your daughter."
"Well, go on and get your ten reasons from our daughter."
He gripped the box and letter in one hand, nodding his head. "I intend on getting her, too."
"Well, go on then!"
He laughed, still in disbelief as he looked down at the pregnancy test. He was going to be a father again. A father of two babies. The man who never thought he'd ever have kids or get married was now married with one child and one on the way. Oh, how life had thrown him a curve ball.
He was growing more and more excited as he looked down at the test, sitting in his car and still having not looked at the letter for further instructions. He was far too excited about the baby growing in his wife's belly than the growing reasons as to why his wife loved him. He had all his proof in the two children that she beared.
