CHAPTER 27
Gentry
I was sure Ainsleigh would do anything to never have to be put on bedrest again. We’d gone to the doctor a week later like she requested, and even though she’d gotten the all clear, I made her remain on bedrest for another week. I wasn’t letting her take any chances. And her father agreed with me, causing her to get even more pissed. I even got Holden on my side, and we’d taken turns to make sure she followed orders. Numerous pillows were thrown at each of our heads on a daily basis. She hated every minute of it.
Today, we let her finally get her reprieve since Aspen and her mother planned a baby shower for her. It was going to be a co-ed baby shower, and I loved the idea of not being the only man in the room.
Her mother and Aspen had been busy all morning getting her parents’ house perfect for the occasion. Green and yellow balloons were strategically placed in the entryway, throughout the front room and the kitchen, down the hall and into the den where the event would be officially held.
I watched Ainsleigh’s face as she took it all in. Her mother had even incorporated our farm animal theme into some of the other decorations and the cake that was shaped like and egg. Aspen came into the kitchen where we were talking to some guests, friends of her parents whom had watched Ainsleigh and her siblings grow up.
“Here you go, little mama,” she said as she placed a sash over Ainsleigh’s head and belly. The satin material was green and read ‘mom to be.’ She had another in her hand that I had a feeling was for me. A look of enjoyment crossed her features as she came over to me and placed the sash that read ‘dad to be’ across my reluctant body.
“Get on board there, Gentry. Don’t be a sourpuss about this,” she warned as she turned and walked away from us.
“She looks like she’s on a mission,” Ainsleigh whispered to me as she leaned into my side. I draped my arm across her shoulder and kept my reluctance to myself. I’d do this for her.
Ainsleigh’s brothers walked through the back door in the kitchen, and I inwardly thanked my lucky stars that there were other men here my age that would keep me company throughout this ordeal.
“You look about as miserable as we feel,” Leo said as he walked over to us.
“Miserable, no. Unsure of what to expect, yes. I can only imagine what they are going to have us doing in the den,” I tried to joke with them. Some of those games just looked downright scary. Diaper tasting. Who thought that was fun? Not I.
“Alright, everyone. Let’s go down into the den and start on the games. Ainsleigh, I need you to follow me so I can get something for one of the games before we go into the room,” Aspen directed, and I held back a groan.
Let the games begin. Literally.
The furniture had been moved back to open up the space, and chairs were placed in the empty spots to accommodate everyone. There was about twenty-five people here, which wasn’t a lot, until they were all in the same room. Thankfully, her parents had a big enough space to hold everyone.
I sat in the chair that had a blue balloon on it and a cover over top of the back labeled ‘dad’. Another chair sat beside me and was labeled ‘mom’ with a pink balloon.
A few minutes later, Ainsleigh came into the room and laughed at something Aspen had said before she joined me in the chair next to mine.
“Thank you for joining us in celebrating Ainsleigh and Gentry’s baby. They’ve been tight lipped about finding out the gender. And now they’re telling me they aren’t reveling the name until the day the baby is born. They’ve taken all the fun out of buying for this little one, but we’ll all make up for it once their bundle of joy arrives. Lillian and I have a few games planned for you guys, and we’re going to get started on that and then open gifts while we enjoy some snacks,” Aspen said as she greeted everyone, getting a laugh from most of the people in attendance at our expense. We stood our ground, and I was shocked Ainsleigh hadn’t caved at Aspen’s daily begging for some answers.
The diaper tasting game wasn’t what I thought it was at all. You didn’t have to taste what was in the middle. Just guess which candy bar was melted. That seemed easy enough. Only it wasn’t when you got to the ones with nuts or almonds or whatever was inside. That was just plain gross to see. Ainsleigh and Aspen got a kick out of me gagging when I tried to figure out one of the diapers on how gross it looked. Aspen even tried to rub one of the diapers in Dylan’s face, which caused him to try and run around the room away from her.
Shockingly, Holden won that game along with a monitor for the baby, which he gladly handed over to Ainsleigh.
We played guess the baby food game and Brooks won that along with a breast pump. I thought he was going to throw it across the room even though it was still in the box, but he handed that one over to me and told me good luck.
Lastly, we all had to guess how round Ainsleigh’s stomach was. I tried to opt out for fear of getting slapped, but no one would allow me to. I was the last one to take the ball of yarn and cut off the size I thought she’d be. Aspen enjoyed the look of terror on my face before she showed everyone the piece of yarn she’d cut when she called Ainsleigh away.
I won that game hands down getting the size perfect. I hadn’t even tried. But the lines matched up to a T.
“Way to go, Daddy,” she said as she kissed me on the mouth in front of everyone. I had to pull myself back before the kiss got too heated. I’d save that for later when I’d get my reward for being right.
Aspen handed me an envelope with details inside for the photographer that we’d used to take Arabella’s pictures in the hospital.
“She’s already been paid to take the photos. We just have to tell her when the baby’s born,” Aspen said when I looked up at her.
“Thank you,” I told her, shocked that they’d gone through so much trouble for just baby shower gifts. Aspen then handed all of the winners’ gift baskets that they got to keep that held a bottle of wine and wine glasses. She told me she was keeping mine since I wasn’t a wine drinker, and I laughed.
I got Ainsleigh a plate of cheese and crackers with some fruit for her to snack on before we opened gifts. The table that held them was full, and it would probably take us the next hour to open them all.
We’d gotten enough diapers to last us the first year. Quite a few toys that the baby could play with when he or she started grabbing at things. Outfits upon outfits that wouldn’t all get worn.
Her parents had gotten us the swing and stroller that Ainsleigh had picked out.
Her brothers had gotten us the car seat that we’d need once the baby got bigger and didn’t fit into the carrier anymore, as well as a high chair that converted to a booster seat for the table.
There was one gift left that I assumed was Aspen’s with the way she was jumping up and down.
“I’m so glad you’re opening mine last,” she said with excitement.
There was no telling what she’d gotten us.
Ainsleigh gasped when she pulled the tissue paper out of the bag.
She pulled out the cutest pair of cowboy boots. They were so small and perfect for our little one whether it was a boy or a girl.
“These are so adorable,” Ainsleigh said as she handed me the small leather boots.
She pulled out two gowns for the baby and started to cry when she handed them over for me to read.
One read ‘Handpicked by my sister in heaven’ with green and yellow lettering. The other read ‘After every storm there is a rainbow of hope. Here I am’. I started to tear up as well when I turned it around for everyone else to see.
The final item in the bag was a beautiful quilt that was also green and yellow. The center square of the quilt read ‘Your first breath took ours away’. If I didn’t already know Aspen was sentimental, I’d swear her goal was to make the whole room cry. She was just the type of person who loved to give meaningful gifts.
Ainsleigh stood and walked over to where Aspen was standing across the room and gave her a big hug. They stood that way for a while, while Ainsleigh said something to her no one else was meant to hear. I loved that she had a friend as good as Aspen in her life. One who stood by her no matter what. One who moved all the way out here into the unknown to stay by her side.
The shower ended shortly after that, and Ainsleigh came straight home and put all of the clothes in the washing machine and placed the rest of the items strategically around the baby’s room. He or she was lucky to have all of these people in his or her life and would be very loved, that was for sure.
“It looks perfect now,” Ainsleigh said when I walked into the room and pulled her into me for a hug.
“Yes, it does.”
I knelt in front of her and lifted her top like I always did and placed a kiss on the center of her belly, earning me a kick I’d loved since the moment I experienced the feeling for the first time.
“Now you’ve got to finish growing. We’re all ready for you out here, little one. We can’t wait to meet you and bring you home,” I whispered to her stomach. The baby always got extremely active when I talked, and I placed my hand over the bare skin of her stomach to feel our little miracle moving inside of her.
We were truly blessed.