Page 137 of You & Me: Part One

Mick walks over to me and puts his big burly arm around my neck and gives me a little noogie on the top of my head and says, “Shut it, woman!”

He loosens his grip around my neck and pulls me into a side hug and says, “You did good sis. She’s a pretty cool kid.”

“Ah, thanks. She gets it from your pretty cool little sister,” I say as I give him a little punch to the shoulder. “Seriously, though. Thanks for letting me throw the party here and thanks for everything else. You’ve been so great.”

“No problem, Emmers, I’m happy to have you guys here, and you know I love a party. So let’s get this one going!”

He shouts that last part to the room and all the kids yell and get up and run over to him, all jumping up and down like wild animals. My big burly brother can’t help but join in the fun as he jumps up and down right along with them.

I can’t help but notice that as soon his jumping ends his gaze goes right back to Alex. I noticed them whispering in the kitchen earlier and his eyes seem to follow her around the room. I’ve always wondered if there’s something between the two of them, but now I think there just might be. I’ve known Alex most of my life and she is stunning, so I understand why he would be interested. Let’s face it. Mickey Jacobs and Alexandra Stotts would be a pretty hot couple, but I’m sure she’s too smart to go there. At least I hope so.

Enough worrying about my brother’s love life though, I have a party to start!

We play a few games and I make sure that somehow each of the four kids wins a prize. I debated whether it was right for the birthday girl to win a prize when she’s already getting presents, but in the end I couldn’t say no to that face. I am such a push over sometimes.

She’s now opening her presents and has been equally excited over each and every gift, no matter how big or how small.

My mom got her a butterfly—she loves her butterflies like I love my dragonflies—Little Live Pets Garden Play-set. I have no idea what that is, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Mick went way overboard. He got her an iPad and I think her head nearly exploded when she opened it. I can only assume he’d like his iPad back as well as more time with the family room TV. Cami and Alex got her clothes of course and I got her a bunch of art supplies, while Devon and Gabby gave her a huge stack of books.

There is only one gift left, and it’s the big one that Jonathan brought in. He pushes it towards her, and she looks at me as if asking permission before she rips into it. My little girl is not bashful about opening gifts, and there is nothing dainty about watching her rip open a present. What there is though is the joy that I feel as I watch my little girl’s face light up when she opens her gift from the man who I wish was her father. How the two of us have gotten so lucky, I will never know, but the love and happiness he brings to both of us is something I will never take for granted.

“Dude, did you make that?” I hear Mick ask from behind me.

“Yep. What do you think, Princess?”

“I love it! It has my name on it!”

“It does. Open it up and see what else you might find,” he encourages her while he shows her how to open the buckles on the handmade treasure chest that he’s made for her. It’s painted white, and across the front of it in pink it says,

Princess Ireland

When she opens the box, her mouth drops open and she just stares for a second. Then she squeals and throws her arms around Jonathan, but she quickly lets go. She runs back to her treasure chest only to pull out princess dress after princess dress as well as shoes, tiaras, fake jewels and every accessory you can imagine. He has thought of everything and has made all of her princess dreams come true.

Surrounded by pink, purple, blue and yellow fluff she lifts her eyes to mine with a big smile and starts to say, “Mommy . . .”

But she doesn’t finish and I don’t realize why she doesn’t finish her sentence until she comes up to me and pulls on my hand. I squat in front of her and she asks. “Momma, what’s da matter?” She reaches her little hand up to my face and wipes away the tears I didn’t even realize were falling.

“Baby girl, nothing is wrong. These are happy tears. It makes me so so happy to see you happy.” Knowing I need to gather myself, I find an out and I say, “Now, how about cake?”

“Yes! Cake!” she shouts as she turns back to her friends and her treasure chest.

I stand and see Jonathan leaning against the wall watching us. He’s the reason my little girl and I feel the way we do every day. He put me back together and is filling a hole in Ireland’s life that she didn’t even know needed to be filled.

I pass by him on my way to the kitchen and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for her present, it’s amazing.” He puts his arm around my waist and places a sweet kiss on the lips. That’s all the gift I need.

I turn to leave him, but then can’t help myself when I turn back. Not caring who hears it say, “I love you, Georgia.”

“Love you too, baby.”

The party is over, and Ireland has spent the last thirty minutes trying on all of her dresses and accessories from her treasure chest. She tries each dress on, accessorizes and then goes out to the family room and shows Uncle Mick and Jonathan. She twirls, looks at herself in the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door and then we start again. Now that I’m up close to the trunk that Jonathan transformed into a treasure chest fit for a princess, I see all the details on it. He has hand painted little butterflies sporadically on the trunk, and even a dragonfly here or there.

Not only did he make this gift for her, but he took the night off of work so he could spend the evening with us. Now the poor man sits in the living room with my annoying big brother while he endures a five-year old’s fashion show.

It’s really his fault though.

He did all of this.

He had to know what he was getting himself into.

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