Instead of going back to our place, we got a spare key from McKinley’s mom and took the kids to their house. Lexi and Olivia are playing dress-up—well, Lex is. Olivia is letting her fix her hair. Me, I’m just hanging out on the couch with my man Walker. He fell asleep on the way here, and when I tried to lay him down when we got into the house, he started to cry. I picked him back up and he fell right back asleep, so I’m lounging on the couch with him sleeping on my chest, watching my girl and Lexi.
“It’s so pretty, Aunt Livy,” Lexi tells her.
I’m an only child, so being an uncle will come only from my wife’s family. That means that Mike and Jamie need to get busy. Not that I don’t claim Lexi and Walker, because I do, but I’m more of a stand-in uncle. With Mike and Jamie’s kids, it’ll be the real thing. I can’t wait to be an uncle, and if I’m honest, a father. I’ve imagined Olivia pregnant several times, and it does the same thing to me as thinking about her being my wife does. I’d be concerned that I’m some kind of creep, but it only happens with Olivia. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s okay, not creepy at all since that woman owns me heart and soul.
Walker whimpers, turning his head to look the other way. Lexi jumps to her feet and runs her little hands up and down his back. “This is what Mommy and Daddy do when he cries.” She climbs up on the couch, rests her head on my shoulder and continues to rub her little brother’s back, soothing him.
“You’re a great big sister, Lexi,” I tell her.
“That’s what my daddy says,” she says, yawning.
“Hey, Lex, I have an idea. Why don’t we watch a movie?”
“Okay,” she agrees, not bothering to move.
“What should we watch?” Olivia asks her.
“Walker likes Cars. Tow Mater is his favorite.”
“He’s sleeping. We can watch your favorite,” I tell her.
“I like it too, and that way if hims wakes up, he can watch it too.”
This little person, she’s awesome. I hope our kids are half as cool as she is. I catch my future wife’s eyes, and she smiles. Olivia makes quick work of putting in the DVD and settles on the other side of Lex on the couch.
“You wanna snuggle with me?” Olivia asks Lexi
Lexi simply reaches out and pulls Olivia next to her, so the four of us are close together. It’s not a bad way to spend the afternoon, that’s for sure.
I’m just about to sleep when I hear Olivia’s phone alert with a text message. I watch as she pulls it out of her pocket, carefully as to not disturb Lexi, who has fallen asleep against my arm, just like her little brother.
I watch as she reads the message, then turns to me and smiles. “Healthy baby boy,” she whispers. She holds up her phone so I can see, and on the screen is a tiny little baby, with a red scrunched-up face, swaddled in a blanket. “They named him Beau,” she whispers.
“Everyone doing well?” I whisper back.
She nods, tears in her eyes. “Yeah, all is well. They said we can take the kids whenever we’re ready,” she says, not taking her eyes off the screen. “I told them we would once they wake up from their nap, and we’ll get them something to eat.” She turns to look at me. “I hope that’s okay.
“Of course it is. These little people need to meet their new baby brother.” As soon as I say that, Lexi sits up and looks around, I’m sure wondering why she’s waking up beside me and not her dad.
“Do I have another brother?” she asks groggily.
Olivia pulls her into her lap and snuggles her. “Yes, you do. His name is Beau, and as soon as Walker wakes up, we’re going to get some food in your tummy and then go meet him.”
Walker stirs and Lexi cheers, causing him to jump and lift his head from my shoulder. He looks at me, then his sister and Olivia, then back at me. His bottom lip juts out, and I know I have mere seconds before this little guy starts to cry. Quickly, I stand from the couch and run my hand up and down his back just like Lexi did.
“It’s okay, little man,” I tell him. “Are you hungry?”
“Hims likes McDonald’s,” Lexi informs us.
I throw my head back in laughter, which causes Walker to grin. “McDonald’s, huh? What does he get?”
“A happy meal,” she says, like I should have already known this information. “But hims get plain burgers ’cause they are so messy. You hafta help him with it, ’cause hims so little. I get nuggets.”
“That solves that.” Olivia grins. “Let’s take you to potty and change Walker’s diaper, and we’ll go to McDonald’s.”
“Yay!” Lex jumps off the couch and races down the hall.
Olivia takes Walker from me.
“You need help?”
“No, I got it. We’ll be ready to go in ten. Maybe grab the diaper bag. We don’t want to walk out and forget that.”
“Got it.” I kiss her, which has Walker pushing me away again, making me laugh. “I get it, buddy. I want her all to myself too.”
My girl smiles and rolls her eyes, then disappears down the hall.
My phone rings. Pulling it out, I see it’s Aaron. “Hey, man.”
“Hey, did you hear? Baby boy.”
“We did. We’re taking the kids to get something to eat, then running them by the hospital to meet him.”
“That’s why I’m calling. We’re done here. Whit and I are going to keep the kids at our place tonight.”
“You sure? We can help.”
“Yeah, thanks, man. We’re heading to the hospital too, so we’ll wait on y’all and take the kids home with us.”
“Sounds like a plan. We need to bring anything from the house?” I ask him, looking around.
“Just the diaper bag. They both have clothes and toys here.”
“Got it. See you soon.” Sliding my phone back in my pocket, I go in search of the diaper bag. Opening it up, I see there are four diapers. I don’t know much about babies—well, he’s a toddler now—but I’m guessing four is not going to be enough. Grabbing the bag, I head to his room, where Olivia is just slipping his shorts back over his legs. I tell her about the call with Aaron, and she points to the huge stack of diapers underneath the table Walker is lying on. I grab two handfuls and place them in the bag. Never can be too prepared, at least that’s my thought.
“You have enough there?” Olivia laughs.
“Hey, this is important stuff,” I tell her. “When we have kids, we’re just going to keep a pack of these in our cars. Just in case.”
Her laugh grows louder. “That’s not necessary.”
I point to my chest. “Boy Scout.”
“What’s so funny?” Lex asks from the doorway.
“Nothing, sweetie. You’re going to spend the night with Uncle Aaron and Aunt Whitney. Is there anything you want to take with you?”
“Yay!” She runs off to her room and comes back with a small purple blanket. “That one.” She points toward the crib where a blue one just like it sits crumpled on the mattress. “He sleeps with his too.”
Walking over, I grab the blanket, intending to shove it in the diaper bag as well, but Walker grunts and reaches for it, so I hand it over instead. We get the kids loaded into my truck in their car seats, and I head toward McDonald’s. Lexi chatters in the back seat to Walker, and he babbles right back to her as if they’re having a real conversation. Who knows, maybe they are.
Reaching over the console, I hold my hand open, palm up, and Liv places hers in mine. “This will be our life in a few years,” I tell her.
“Yeah? Two by then, you think?” She chuckles.
“Maybe. Who knows. We could have twins too.”
“Hey.” She pretends to be offended. “One at a time, mister.”
I shrug, not taking my eyes off the road. “Can’t help it if my boys are good swimmers.”
“I’m a good swimmer,” Lexi says from the back seat. “My daddy taught me. Do you have boys, Uncle David? How come I never met them before?” she asks.
I bite my lip to keep from laughing, and Olivia looks horrified. “I was just teasing about my friends.” I glance in the rearview mirror at Lex.
“Oh, my daddy is your friend, right? And Uncle Aaron, and Uncle Mike. I’ve seen them swim before. They are good swimmers,” she informs us.
Chancing a quick look at Olivia, I see her shoulders shaking in silent laughter, as are mine. “From the mouth of babes,” I whisper, and she squeezes my hand tightly in hers.
This right here is what I want for us. I can’t wait to put my plan in motion.