Chapter 41
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” Ben rubbed his forehead, looking at the disaster he had just unloaded from the washing machine.
Madison’s voice echoed in his head as he stared at the mountain of pink in the basket.
Always make sure there is nothing red, or black, or any other bright color if you do a load of white.
Something he knew. He hadn’t waited until Madison came to live with him to learn how to use a washing machine. Yet, the proof was right in front of him: he hadn’t made sure the clothes were properly separated.
Madison had just started to get back to work, and it was an adjustment for everyone. With Charlotte still not sleeping through the night, her parents were almost constantly exhausted… and easily distracted.
“I hope you love pink, sweetheart,” he murmured to the one - at least partly - responsible for the situation. She was in her sling, safely tucked against his chest. With a smile, he gently stroked the soft brown hair covering her head. She was wide awake, watching him silently while chewing on her own fingers. “You’re as pretty as your mom, you know that?”
The only reply he got was a loud sucking sound. “As quiet, too,” he added with a grin and a small kiss on her head. He took a deep breath, savoring her baby smell. She was fresh out of her bath, all squeaky clean and ready for the day. “Also, please don’t rat me out. For the bad words and the laundry.”
Upon proper inspection, he saw that it was mostly all his socks and white undershirts, as well as most of Charlotte’s onesies. Nothing of Madison’s, which was already a positive.
“First daddy-daughter mischievous mission is underway,” he said as he shoved the wet clothes in a large shopping bag. He’d have to get rid of it, but he couldn’t take the risk right now, not with Madison working in the living room. He stored the bag in his walk-in closet, knowing there was little chance his girlfriend would wander in that corner of the room. She had her own shelves, the ones closest to the door because he was a gentleman, and Madison wasn’t the kind to snoop.
He quickly texted Chris, sending him an SOS and figuring it was a nice payback for their first boy trip more than a year ago.
Getting Charlotte ready took longer, as usual. Dressing her properly, with warmer clothes and tiny boots to protect her from the cold, was fast enough. The dozen tummy tickles and raspberries to make her giggle to her heart’s content took longer. If he loved Madison’s laugh, he adored his daughter’s squeals of delight. It was still very new, one of the many, many aspects of fatherhood he hadn’t considered. A good dad didn’t just provide and protect. He also made his child laugh.
Suffice to say, he was acing that part.
Madison was typing furiously on her laptop, messy bun on top of her head and glasses firmly on her nose. She lifted her eyes in acknowledgment, her gaze softening as she took them in. “Going out?” she asked.
“Yup. It’s sunny outside, and our daughter desperately needs clothes that don’t involve your geeky stuff.”
“Desperately, huh?”
“Pumpkin, she is wearing Chewbacca socks.”
“They’re so cute on her tiny feet!”
“Unicorns are cute, too, you know!”
She rolled her eyes. “Mister I-wanted-a-boy is complaining because our daughter’s wardrobe lacks unicorns.”
“I just want her to have the choice. It’s OK to like unicorns and fairies.”
“She’s four months old. I don’t think she likes anything yet, apart from milk.” Madison stood up, opening her arms to hold Charlotte while Ben finished getting ready. The usual baby bag was almost always ready to go, and he just added a small bottle of water to it after making sure he had enough diapers and wipes.
“Where are you going?”
He shrugged before leaning in to press a quick kiss on her lips. “Not sure. I went to a store once with Chris for Scampi. I’m picking him up.”
Madison handed him Charlotte back, and he smiled at his daughter, savoring her warm, familiar weight in his arms. He took the SUV, much more practical with Charlotte’s car seat, and headed straight to Christopher’s house.
“No Scampi?” Ben asked in surprise as his best friend slipped onto the passenger seat.
“Nope. He was napping. He has a little cold, so the nights aren’t very good.” Chris turned around to squeeze Charlotte’s foot. “Hi there, Munchkin.”
She gave him one of her bright, toothless smiles, then went back to chewing her fingers.
“Teething approaching?”
“We think so, yeah,” Ben said with a nod as he started the car again. “Lots of drooling.”
“Ah, yes, I remember those moments. I don’t think I have one shirt from that era that Jonathan didn’t chew on.” Chris buckled his seatbelt, then rubbed his hands together. “So, what was the big emergency?”
“I screwed up with the laundry.”
“Huh?”
“Pink. Pink everywhere. Most of my socks are ruined, and I need to get some new stuff for Charlotte.”
“Surely you didn’t have all of your kid’s clothes in the washing machine?”
“No. But I don’t want Madison to know that I screwed up. She’ll never let me live with it.”
“Dude, I doubt she’d murder you over some pink clothes.”
“No. But she’ll tell Ian. And then I won’t be able to use that time he ruined Violet’s bras with bleach anymore. I love using that. It always shuts him up.”
“You two really are a bunch of kids, Vi is right.”
“It’s a healthy, manly competition, OK?”
“Over laundry, got it.”
He took advantage of the red light to side-eye his best friend. “We’re also modern men.”
“Not to the point where you’re comfortable wearing pink socks, though.”
“Are you my BFF, yes or no?”
“BFF makes me think we’re Nicole and Paris.” Chris paused. “Although seeing your dog, I guess it’s kinda spot on.”
“Leave Rocco Siffredi out of this.”
“Gah!” was the loud exclamation that came from the back seat at the mention of their dog. It might have been coincidental, but Ben liked to think Charlotte was trying to show her moral support.
“Yes, your dimwit of a godfather is talking about Rocco.”
“How are you going to explain your dog’s name, by the way?”
Ben frowned. He hadn’t thought of that.
“I mean, Rocco, OK, whatever. But you should stop using Siffredi. It’s way, way too specific. And you can turn right, by the way.”
The store wasn’t far away from Chris’ place at all and barely two minutes later, they were parking in front of the small shopping center.
He unpacked the stroller, fit the car seat on it with Charlotte still safely inside and headed straight to the baby girl section.
“Onesies?” Chris asked.
“Yeah.”
He also bought a few pairs of socks, warm leggings for the winter, an adorable pea coat as well as a scarf and a beanie.
“They grow up so fast,” he said as explanation as Chris was watching the pile of clothes in his arms.
“Ah, yes. The burden of growing babies who need unicorn beanies.”
Ben pinched his lips. “Evie is not the only one with an unhealthy love of Doctor Who merchandising, if you know what I mean. I’m trying to counterbalance Madison.”
“Good luck with that,” Chris said in a small hiss, his eyebrows raising on his forehead. “But since we’re here, maybe you could check out the bedding aisle? Do you guys already have warmer sheets for the winter?”
“Damn. No, we don’t.”
By the time they were done, Chris’ arms were so full he could comfortably rest his chin on top of the mountain of accessories and clothes.
Charlotte was getting fussy, and they headed to a small café to feed her, grabbing a cup of coffee for themselves.
Chris convinced him to head to a sporting goods store next, saying that since he was out of Madison’s hair, he might as well let her enjoy a few hours of peace. They also made a quick stop at a supermarket for Everleigh who apparently really needed baby carrots for some reason.
It was almost one o’clock when Ben pulled over in one of the very rare parking spots by Chris’ place.
“Wanna come in?” Chris asked as he opened his car door.
Ben winced, rubbing the lobe of his ear. “I don’t know, Charlotte should wake up soon.” She had fallen asleep after he had fed her, and that was almost two hours ago.
Chris snorted. “Dude, your kid has been awake for at least ten minutes.”
Glancing behind him, he saw that Charlotte was indeed completely focused on chewing her hands.
“I still can’t believe how calm she is, knowing she has half your DNA,” Chris added as Ben climbed out of the car.
“If she could be that calm during the night, that would be awesome.”
“Ah. She’s a night owl?”
“Yes. We tried everything, from small lights to white noise devices. We even caved in and put her crib in our room, just in the hope that sensing us close would help her relax, but nothing works. Apparently, Madison was the same.” He unbuckled his daughter, then lifted her in his arms. “Right, sweetheart? You save all your energy for when mommy and daddy need their sleep, you sneaky little thing.”
“You guys are handling it? If you need a hand, just give us a call, OK?”
“Nah, we’re good for now. I don’t think I’d be comfortable not sleeping in the same home. She’s still little.”
“Dude, we have a kid, too. Somehow, he survived spending most of his nights with us.”
“Ha ha.”
He followed Chris and walked inside the quiet house… then stopped as he was about to enter the living room. “What-”
“SURPRISE!”
Charlotte startled in his arms as the sound, and her crying quickly silenced everyone.
“Oh, no, sweetheart, it’s OK,” Madison cooed as she rushed to them.
“What is…” Ben mumbled as he let her take the baby from him.
“Your birthday,” Madison explained between loud kisses on Charlotte’s cheeks.
“My… Holy shit.”
“Language.”
“Holy Schmidt,” he corrected. “How could I forget my birthday?!”
“Kids will do that to you,” Everleigh said with a laugh as she gave him a hug. “Sorry for the baby carrots, by the way. Violet and Ian were stuck in traffic, I had to find a way to slow you down.”
He let his friends hug him and congratulate him on reaching the wise age of thirty-three. Even Mia was there, with a grin and a loud peck on the cheek.
The coffee table was filled with presents, and he crouched down to open his arms to Jonathan who padded his way to him. “God, you’re big. I feel like I haven’t seen you in months, not just a few weeks. Evie, what are you feeding this kid? I swear he gained a whole foot since I last saw him.”
“More like an inch, but yes, he’s hitting a growth spurt.”
“Mama,” Jonathan said, his arms reaching out for Everleigh.
“Rejected by my daughter and my godson, happy birthday to me,” Ben deadpanned. Madison was still comforting Charlotte, who fortunately wasn’t crying anymore, but didn’t seem to want to leave her arms either.
“’Ar’ee?” Jonathan said in a high-pitched voice, his finger pointing toward her.
“Yes, that’s Charlie,” Everleigh said with a proud smile before turning to Ben. “Charlotte is a little too complicated for him.”
“I still can’t believe he speaks. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was completely hopeless in your kitchen, trying to understand the difference between ‘gah’ and ‘dah.’ And look at him now.”
“To be fair, I’m not sure I always understand what he means,” Everleigh said in a whisper. “But we’re getting there. And go with the guys. They haven’t seen you in ages.”
With one last look to make sure Madison had the situation covered, he sat down on the couch with Ian, Chris, and Nate. He had become quite good friends with Nate, after all these sessions at the gym. He had had to stop for now but had promised that as soon as life was a little less hectic, he’d go back to give a hand every now and then.
He liked the gym. He liked feeling useful, even if just as punching bag.
He was sitting at the garden table when Madison arrived with a bottle of beer and planted herself on his lap. The weather was still warm enough to allow him to take advantage of the backyard… and keep an eye on his best friend.
“I’ll drive us back home, don’t worry,” she said when he was about to say he had already had one. “It’s your birthday.”
He shifted her closer until she was snuggly pressed against him. “You sure?”
She nodded with a smile, her fingers tracing his jaw. “Yes. I think you deserve it.”
He took a long pull, then put the bottle on the table.
“You finally allowed him to hold her?” Madison asked, her chin pointing toward Chris who was walking around the garden with Charlotte in his arms.
“He didn’t give me a choice,” he grumbled.
“Oh, really? What was he holding against you?”
Ben shrugged, unwilling to share the laundry catastrophe that had made him call…
Wait a second.
Madison was looking at him with a knowing smile.
“Pumpkin…”
“Yes?”
“Was this planned?”
“Your birthday celebration, you mean?”
“Yes.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously at her.
“Technically, your birthday falls every year on the same date, so I think it’s safe to say that yes… it was planned. Evie offered to host weeks ago so we wouldn’t have to clean up.”
“And how were you gonna get me to head here? You know I like to stay home during the weekend.”
“Yup. That’s why I knew I had to find a way to make you leave without you feeling like we were going somewhere. Where did you put the laundry, by the way?”
He blinked, staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “You know?”
“How do you think Charlotte’s red leggings landed in the washing machine?”
His mouth dropped open. “What?! You ruined our laundry on purpose?!”
“I didn’t ruin it. Pink is cute. I’ll use a little bit of bleach on your socks and they’ll be as good as new.”
“But… why?!”
Madison looked at him with a smug grin. “I knew that you’d want to hide it from me. I’ve been nagging you about laundry for weeks now.” She tapped his forehead with her finger. “You didn’t wonder why I started all of a sudden?”
“… I thought it was the stress of heading back to work.”
“Ah, yes, it was smart, right? It made sense to have me more anal than usual with the new organization in our home. I thought it was a good way to get you out. I was confident it would work.”
“What if it hadn’t? What if I hadn’t checked the laundry room until much later?”
“I would have. Then I’d have gotten mad at you and sent you to buy new things. One way or another, I would have gotten you out of my hair so I could get ready.”
“Are you serious?”
“Mmhmm.” She nodded. “See, I knew you’d ask Chris to come with you.”
“I could have asked Ian.”
“Nope. Because then you would have had to explain to him what you had done and therefore lose the ability to give him crap about Violet’s ruined lingerie. Nate is normally busy at the gym in the morning, and let’s face it, Chris is always the one you go to when you’ve done something wrong.”
She took a small gulp of the glass of water he had abandoned. “Chris just had to keep you busy a couple hours, to give me enough time to make myself pretty-”
“You’re always pretty,” he cut her off.
“Thank you.” She gave him a quick kiss, then continued, “And head here to surprise you.”
“I can’t believe you… plotted behind my back and… the laundry, really?”
“I guess you’re not the only schemer in the family.”
He grinned, pride spreading in his chest. “Damn it, woman. I love you. So fucking much.”
“Language.”
“So fracking much.”
She leaned in, her lips seeking his again. This time, it was slower, lazier, and with a whole lot of tongues. He didn’t care that they were not alone. Truth be told, he had never really cared about that. And it was his birthday, so he’d kiss his future fiancée if he wanted to.
“You deserved a real birthday celebration. And to see your friends and have a little fun. You’re not just a dad, Ben.”
“I just want to make sure that…”
“Honey… she will never doubt it. She will never doubt how much her father adores her.”
“And you.”
Madison smiled. “Yes, hopefully, she will never doubt I love her.”
“No. I meant… I never want you to doubt how much I love you. I didn’t even know there was someone out there who would be perfect just for me… let alone that it was you.”
“And to think it all started in the most contrived way possible.”
“Hey. It was a perfect plan.”
“I think my scheme was better.”
“The original is always the best, Pumpkin.”
“Ben?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up and kiss me.”