Page 2 of Merrily Yours
We take care of business and then cuddle back in bed. Today is a rare lazy day since we are heading back to my hometown, Sassafras, for the week. It will take a few hours to drive there, but we aren’t expected until dinner, so we can doze back off until Elodie wakes up.
Which is exactly what we do.
“How many sweaters is too many sweaters?” I ask, my suitcase already overflowing.
I’m a terrible packer—always have been. I tend to wait until the last minute and then pack entirely too many things that I don’t end up wearing.
Anders walks over and assesses the five sweaters I’ve laid out. He picks Elodie up from where she’s rolling around on the ground, blowing a raspberry on her belly. The sound of her giggle heals something inside of me every time I hear it. “What do you think, El?” he asks before saying, “You can probably do without the ‘Big Nick Energy’ sweatshirt.”
I clutch my metaphorical pearls in outrage, offended by this suggestion even though I asked for his opinion. “Excuse me! I absolutely cannot.” I pause and evaluate one last time. “I’m bringing all of them,” I decide, shoving them into my suitcase. “Can you zip this up? Baby girl is tired.” I emphasize that by pointedly rubbing my belly.
Anders sets Elodie down and starts zipping my suitcase, but then he registers what I said and freezes mid-zip, eyeing me suspiciously. “What did you just say?” he asks.
I feign ignorance because messing with him is always fun. “What do you mean?”
“You just said ‘baby girl.’ Do you mean baby girl as inyouor baby girl as in the baby in your stomach is a girl?” He narrows his eyes at me, trying to decide what game I’m playing.
“Girl… boy… who could know. Could be both? Twins run in the family, you know.”
“I know for a fact there’s only one baby, Bex.” He walks over to me, running a finger over my jaw and then down my neck. “You’re fucking with me aren’t you?”
I shrug my shoulders in response, batting my eyelashes for emphasis. “Am I?”
“Brat,” he whispers, reaching behind me to land a warning smack on my ass.
I let him return to packing for a few minutes while I contemplate my next move. It’s also time for El to take her nap, so I grab her pudgy hands and guide her to her small bedroom. “C’mon, my cabbage,” I coo, using the nickname my mom has always called me. “Let’s let daddy finish packing, and we can lay down, yeah?” She doesn’t seem thrilled about leaving Anders, but she does go with me and finally falls asleep after a bottle.
When I come back, Anders has given up on packing. He pats the couch, indicating that I should sit with him. I cuddle into his side, sighing as I look at the half-packed mess we’ve created.
“So…Can I start calling you daddy in bed?” I trace my fingers up and down his leg, ducking my head so he can’t see the smile forming on my lips.
“Jesus woman,” he laughs. “You really are feeling like a brat today.”
I make a show of checking my wrist which absolutely does not contain a watch. “We have a few hours before El’s nap is over…”
“Insatiable,” he murmurs.
But thirty minutes later I feel quite sated, thank you very much.
Mom and Dad are there to greet us when we pull up to my childhood home. The outside hasn’t been decorated yet—a task Dad said he was saving until the whole family was together. We make it to Sassafras fairly frequently. It’s not too far of a drive from the city and, as much as I was dying to get out, I will admit I miss this crazy town.
We are making a home in New York City, but Sassafras will always feel like home. It’s where Anders and I met, avoided each other, and eventually fell in love. There’s a nostalgia there that will never truly go away.
Dad comes around Anders’ jeep to help me out of the front seat. “I’m not that pregnant, Dad! I can get out of the car.”
He just smiles down at me. Of my entire family, Dad is the most excited to welcome the new addition. He loved becoming a grandfather when Elodie was born—they are two peas in a pod. “We have to protect my grandbaby,” he says and then leans in conspiratorially. “And you can tell me what it is, you know I can keep a secret.”
“I heard that!” Anders yells, opening the backdoor to help El out of her carseat.
“We actually found out that it’s a baby?—”
“Rebecca!” Anders scolds. I love when he uses my full name.
“—dinosaur. Truly a miracle.” I wink at Dad and then whisper, “He’s really fun to mess with.”
“I can see that,” Dad chuckles. He turns from me then and scoops Elodie up. “How’s my favorite girl?” he asks.
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I reply, even though I know he wasn’t talking to me. We’ve all been replaced by squishy cheeks and baby curls.
