Chapter Twenty Three
“So we’ve got potato salad, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, hot dogs… what else do we need?” Jen asked, leaning against the counter, hands on her hips. She was stressing out much more than necessary over her husband’s birthday party.
“Chris said he was bringing chips, Joey and Justin are getting the ice and drinks, and Lance is bringing Jell-O. Did you get the cake?”
“Ooh! The cake! I was supposed to go pick it up this morning!” Jen moaned, lowering her head. “Do you think”“
“I’m on it,” Julie offered with a smile. “You need to relax, Jenny. You don’t want to worry yourself into an early labor, do you?”
“And what are you? My doctor? I swear, you sound so much like your dad it’s”“
“I’ll not let you finish that and I’ll take it as a compliment,” Julie teased, winking playfully at her step mother. “I’ll go pick up the cake and I’ll be back soon. Anything else you need me to get?”
Biting down on her lip, Jen wracked her brain, trying to think of anything that she might be missing. “OH! Candles. Get candles for the cake.” She paused and snickered. “Why don’t you get a 4 and 0 to stick on top? He’ll get a kick out of that,” she giggled.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Julie giggled along with her before saying her goodbyes and heading out. She stopped in the living room to ask Abbi if she wanted to come along. Not having anything better to do, the little girl agreed.
~*~
“Can we get this?” Abbi asked, holding up various assortments of chocolate ice creams.
“No,” Julie responded, snatching the box of ice cream out of her sister’s hand and sticking it back in the freezer. “We’re not here for ice cream.”
Rolling her eyes, Abbi threw a scowl in her sister’s direction. “You’re worse than mommy! She never lets me get anything good!”
“We’re not shopping for you anyway. This is DAD’s day. We’re not getting stuff for you to pig out on. Now shut up and help me find the candles.”
~*~
Stepping into the kitchen, JC leaned against the door frame and looked over his wife appreciatively. She was dressed comfortably in a sundress with sandals. The perfect outfit for a hot summer day. Especially considering she was just weeks away from her due date.
Jen knew he was standing there before he spoke. She could smell his cologne and shampoo attack her nostrils. “Have a nice shower?”
“Mmhmm. Where are the girls?”
“Sent them out to get a few more things for the party,” she replied.
He groaned pitifully. “Jennnnnnn…. Do we really have to do this? I mean, I’d be content just staying in with you and the girls, you know?”
“Yeah, I know mister, but everyone’s been invited already. We do this every year, Joshua, on everyone’s birthday. What makes you think this year would be different?”
“But Jenny!” He pouted pitifully. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t make me go out there this afternoon.”
Rolling her eyes, Jen laughed at him. “I see where Abbi gets her pitiful little pout now,” she laughed. “And you know, pouting has never gotten you what you want.”
“Well,” he purred, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest, “I wouldn’t go as far as to say NEVER,” he laughed. Rolling her eyes once more, Jen pulled away from him, turning to face him.
“Get out of my kitchen!”
~*~
“Happy birthday toooo you! Happy birthday tooooo you! Happy birthdaaaaay dear Jaaaay Ceeeeee…. Happy birthday tooo-ooooh you!” Chris sang obnoxiously as he made his way around the back of the house, a present tucked under his arm. “There’s the old man!” He called, spotting JC. Hurrying over to him, he clapped him on the back roughly. “Happy birthday!”
JC rolled his eyes and brushed Chris’ arm off of him with a laugh. “Yeah yeah. Where’s the old lady?”
“You’d better not let her hear you call her that,” Chris warned, thrusting his finger into his friend’s face. “She got all bent out of shape because according to Kaitlyn, she just doesn’t understaaaaaand because we’re old now and things are different from when we were kids,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I swear man. Kids these days,” he commented disgustedly.
“Yeah,” he responded with a laugh, shaking his head. “So where is Holly and Kaity?”
“Probably still in the car arguing. I swear dude. I don’t know how you make it with THREE women. I can barely deal with two!”
“Well, we all know that I was always the smoothest with the ladies,” JC replied cockily.
“And he’s so modest too!” Jen piped in, rolling her eyes at her husband. “I swear. You’d think he was 19 instead of 39 the way that he talks.”
“I’m not 39 until 9:47 tonight!” JC hissed as a reminder.
~*~
“It took me forever to pick this out for you dad. I went to the mall and looked around and couldn’t find a single thing I thought that you would like. I passed this store and knew immediately what I wanted to get you, but I couldn’t do it alone,” Julie smiled.
“I wish she’d just shut up and give him the present,” Brianna grumbled, loud enough for Julie to hear. She smirked when the girl turned and glared at her. The tension at the party had increased once Brianna had arrived with her mother and father, though it was obvious that Julie was trying, for her father’s sake, to avoid a confrontation.
“A-anyway,” Julie hesitated, turning her attention back to her dad, “this is from Abbi and me. Happy birthday and we love you very much,” she said with a smile, thrusting the present into his hands. Tearing at the paper, JC yanked it open and his eyes widened when he saw it.
It was a professional picture of his three girls, all of them dressed up. The picture had been put in a beautiful silver frame with ‘Daddy’s Girls’ engraved in the silver. He gave both of his children a warm smile before tugging them both into his arms. Even though he felt like he would go crazy being surrounded by three women, he wouldn’t trade them for the world.
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