Blush for Me

by Kristen Proby

“Keep her safe.”

  “Dad, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing that I can’t handle, but I’ve pissed off some mean people, Mac. Just keep an eye on your mom and make sure she’s safe.”

  “She’s safe.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Dad, should I call the police? There has to be something we can do.”

  “I’m going to take care of this myself. It’s my mess, I’ll clean it up.”

  “Chase gets his stubborn streak from you.”

  He chuckles. “Thanks, Mac.”

  He ends the call and I step out of the car, joining another man on the porch.

  “Hi, I’m Landon.”

  “Mac,” I reply, and shake his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “Likewise.” Landon smiles and stares at the door. “I’m afraid to go inside my own house.”

  “I’d never heard of a couples baby shower,” I admit, and follow him to the porch swing. He sits in the swing and I lean on the railing.

  “Me neither,” he says, shaking his head. “I’d rather fly into enemy territory than go in this house right now.”

  “That’s right; Kat told me you were a pilot.”

  He nods. “And that was easier. They were freezing little tiny babies in ice cubes earlier.”

  “That doesn’t seem normal.” We laugh and Jake climbs the stairs to join us. “Welcome.”

  “Are you both scared to go in there?” he guesses correctly.

  “There’s a reason that men were never invited to these things,” Landon says reasonably. “It’s some kind of mysterious female ritual, and I’m not so sure men should be privy to it.”

  “It’s cake and presents,” Jake says. “It’s like a birthday party.”

  “Not true,” Landon insists, shaking his head. “I’ve never had any tiny babies in ice cubes at any of my birthday parties. Also, there was talk about amniotic fluid and something called a mucus plug right before I left. Again, not birthday-party material.”

  “Well, when she loses the mucus plug—” Jake begins, but I cut him off.

  “No. I don’t ever need to know how that sentence ends.”

  “What are you guys doing out here?” Cami asks, coming out onto the porch.

  “Girding our loins,” I reply, making the others laugh.

  “Excuse me?”

  “We’re mentally preparing for what’s about to happen,” Landon says, pulling his wife down next to him on the swing. “Maybe we shouldn’t come in.”

  “Are you scared?” She snorts, but then takes a closer look at all of us. “You’re scared.”

  “We didn’t say that,” Jake says, holding up his hands. “But maybe we should let you girls have your fun.”

  “Three strong, badass guys are afraid of a baby shower.” She smirks and stands. “Come on, boys. No one’s going to bite.”

  “Bummer,” Landon mutters, winking at Cami. “Okay, lead the way.”

  We walk into the house, and all three of us stop in our tracks in the foyer.

  “It looks like a baby blew up in here,” Jake whispers.

  Pink and blue streamers are hung from every surface. There are at least a dozen boxes of diapers stacked against one wall, and pink-and-blue gift bags cover a table.

  “There really are tiny babies in their drinks,” I say in awe, and Landon nods, then swallows hard.

  “I told you. That shit isn’t normal.”

  “You’re here!” Addie stands and waddles over to Jake. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’m hungry.”

  “You’re always hungry these days,” Jake says, and kisses her nose. “Are you having fun?”

  She nods happily, and my eyes search the room for Kat. I don’t see her.

  “Where’s Kat?” I ask.

  “In the kitchen with Mia. I don’t know why, Mia is verbally abusive when you’re in the kitchen with her.”

  “My sister is so charming,” Landon says with a laugh. “Come on, I’ll brave it with you.”

  I follow Landon into the kitchen and stop again. There’s Kat, holding a baby on her hip, blowing raspberries in his neck and laughing with him. Mia is pulling something out of the oven and Riley is sitting on the island, drinking straight from a wine bottle.

  “There’s a lot happening in this room,” I announce, and smile when all eyes turn to me. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Kat grins and joins me. “This is baby Henry. He’s Cici’s youngest.”

  “Hi, I’m Cici,” a petite woman says, and waves from her perch by Riley. “I couldn’t find a sitter for him, so I brought him. He’s the easiest of all of my dozens of kids.”

  “Dozens?” I ask in horror.

  “She has four,” Kat says, and kisses Henry’s cheek. “And I have a crush on this little guy.”

  I lean in to whisper in her ear. “You don’t like kids, remember?”

  “Well, this one is different. Look at these cheeks!”

  Henry smiles and claps his little hands together.

  “Dinner is ready,” Mia announces.

  “Are you hungry?” Kat asks with a grin. Her brown eyes are shining, and her cheeks are a little pink from the heat of the kitchen, and the way she looks with this baby has something twisting inside me. I want to scoop her up and carry her home so I can make love to her all night. I want to tell her that she’s mine, and that she’s going to be mine forever.

  For the first time in my life, I can see myself with a family.

  She cocks her head to the side. “Mac?”

  “Starving,” I reply, and tuck her hair behind her ear. “I’m starving.”

  “I don’t care what you say, I’m not going to put a diaper on a baby, blindfolded or not,” Jake says as we join the others at the dining table. Addie is laughing and Cami looks exasperated.

  “You have to,” Cami says. “It’s part of the shower. All of the guys have to diaper a baby.”

  “I’m out,” Landon announces. “I’ll be happy to change diapers if and when we’re blessed with a baby, but I won’t do it for sport.”

  “I think I’ll sit that one out too,” I say, and take Kat’s hand in mine, kissing her knuckles.

  “This is why guys aren’t invited to baby showers,” Riley says to Cami. “They’re no fun.”

  “Okay, but you have to play the ‘guess what kind of candy bar this is’ game.”

  “That’s easy,” Jake says.

  “They’ve been melted into diapers so they look like poop,” Mia adds. “It’s disgusting.”

  “Do we have to play games? I thought you played games earlier,” Jake says. “I’m the dad, I should have a say.”

  “Fine,” Cami says with a sigh. “You have a say.”

  “Great, no games.”

  He fist-pumps Landon and me, then smiles down at his wife. “I like being the dad.”

  “Just like a man,” Riley says with a smirk, “to be all controlling and weird.” She takes another swig from her wine bottle.

  “Should we be worried about Riley?” I ask Kat quietly. She smiles and kisses my cheek.

  “You’re sweet. She’s okay.”

  “I’m okay,” Riley says, obviously hearing me. “But men can suck it.”

  “All men, or is there one in particular that we’re pissed at?” Landon asks. “And do I need to kick some ass?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Riley replies, but Mia jumps in to help.

  “She went on a date and the guy failed to mention that he’s married.”

  “What?” I ask.

  “She’s not lying,” Riley says. “I met this dude online, and we decided to go out for a drink. He told me on the phone that he’s recently divorced, which is a red flag all on its own, but I figured I’d go and flex my out-of-shape dating muscles.”

  “Good idea,” Addie says, and pats Riley on the shoulder.

  “And so we get there, and we just ordered our drinks, and he says, ‘So, I have a confession. I’m not actually divorced yet.’

&nbs
p; “So, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, thinking that he’s separated and going through the divorce, you know?”

  We all nod.

  “But no. No, he hasn’t even told her he wants a divorce. They have kids. Kids. And then he says, ‘I hope this isn’t a deal breaker.’”

  “What a prick,” Cami mutters, shaking her head.

  “So, I said, ‘Yeah, that’s a deal breaker,’ and I stood to leave.”

  “Good for you,” I reply.

  “Oh, that’s not all.”

  “Not even close,” Kat says. “Do you want more wine, honey?”

  “No, I can’t feel my feet anymore,” Riley replies. “So I stand to leave, and he says, ‘You haven’t paid for your drink.’”

  “What?” Landon demands.

  “True story,” Riley replies. “So I said, ‘You go ahead and pay for it. I’m out of here.’”

  “She’s not done,” Mia says when Landon would speak again.

  “So then he says, ‘My wife checks my accounts. I can’t pay for this.’”

  “He was going to make you pay for both of you?” Cici demands. “I must have missed that part.”

  “Tell me you didn’t pay for him,” I say.

  “Nope. I went to the bar and paid for mine and left without another word.”

  “She’s still not done,” Kat says helpfully.

  “So I get home,” she continues, “and he texts me.” She picks up her phone and thumbs through it until she finds his message. “And I quote: ‘I shouldn’t have told you about my wife. It clearly upset you. Can we try it again, and we can pretend that never happened?’”

  “Fucking hell,” Landon murmurs.

  “So I did some digging online.”

  “This is where it gets really good,” Cami says.

  “This is where it gets good?” Jake asks.

  “Trust me,” Cami replies.

  “He had given me his last name, so I found him on Facebook. It wasn’t hard.” She waves that off like it’s nothing. “I found his wife.”

  “Oh God,” Landon says, rubbing his eyes.

  “I’m kind of in love with Riley right now,” Mia says with a grin.

  “So I sent the wife a message and told her everything.”

  “That poor woman,” Kat mutters.

  “Did she reply?” I ask, thoroughly enthralled in this story.

  “Yeah,” Riley says, and takes another swig of wine, making me cringe. “She said that she wasn’t surprised, and that I’m not the first to tell her a similar story. I assured her that I wanted nothing to do with her husband, and she thanked me. That was it. I hope she leaves him.”

  “I hope she cuts his dick off in his sleep first,” Mia says, making all three of us men cringe. “He deserves it.”

  “So basically, I’m over it. I’m over men.”

  “Does that mean you’ve moved on to women?” Jake asks, earning an elbow in his side from Addie. “What?”

  “No, it means that I’m going to stay single. My job, my friends, my family, that’s what matters.”

  “We love you,” Cami says.

  “And men can suck it.” Riley finishes her wine and sets it aside. “I haven’t eaten my food yet.”

  “You were too busy telling us your story,” I reply. “But you should eat and soak up some of that wine.”

  “I wonder if the wine likes chicken?” Riley asks, taking a bite.

  “She’s funny when she’s hammered,” Kat says with a smile. “But I feel bad for her. It was a bad night last night.”

  “You know, not all men are assholes,” Landon says.

  “I think Cami, Addie, and Kat got the only nice ones,” Mia says. “Riley and I are shit out of luck.”

  “I found a good one,” Cici says helpfully. “You guys will too. You just have to kiss a bunch of frogs before you find your prince.”

  “My prince is lost,” Riley says.

  “And too stubborn to ask for directions,” Mia adds.

  “This is delicious,” Mom says the next night. After I told Kat about my conversation with Dad yesterday, she suggested we invite Mom and Chase over for dinner so we could see for ourselves how Mom is doing.

  Frankly, she looks better than I’ve seen her look in years.

  We’re on the terrace, enjoying steaks that I grilled, along with salads that Kat made and a nice bottle of Oregon Pinot Noir.

  “This is a great bottle of wine,” Chase adds, reading the label. “We should organize a tour to the vineyard.”

  “They’re private,” Kat says with a smile. “They aren’t open to tours or tastings.”

  “Hmm,” Chase replies. “I wonder if they’d do something special?”

  “You could try,” Mom says with a smile. “The answer is always no if you don’t ask.”

  “My parents used to say that too,” Kat says.

  “Do your parents live here in Portland?” Mom asks.

  “Yes, but they travel to Los Angeles quite often as well. There’s a lab there that they work in a lot.”

  “Did you go to L.A. with them when you were a kid?” Chase asks.

  “I traveled all over with them,” she replies with a bright smile. “My parents were very strict academically, but they were fun too. They wanted me to study the northern lights when I was twelve, so we took a trip to Alaska so I could actually see them, not just read about them in a book.”

  “Wow,” Chase replies.

  “I thought you said you’ve never flown before?” I ask.

  “I hadn’t. We drove.” She shrugs, as if it’s no big deal. “We drove everywhere. It was part of my education. It was an unusual way to grow up, but I learned a lot.”

  “I’m sure you did,” Mom says. “Chase and Mac were always good in school too.”

  “Well, I was,” Chase replies. “Mac was a solid-C student. He was too busy playing basketball.”

  “I had priorities.”

  “Haven’t you ever heard that it’s all about balance?” Kat asks.

  “I think you balance each other out nicely,” Mom says, sending me a wink.

  “What was Mac like as a kid?” Kat asks, watching me with happy eyes.

  “He was a pain in my ass,” Chase replies.

  “He was a sweet boy,” Mom says, sending Chase the look that says, Shut it. “He was quiet as a little boy. I regret not talking and interacting with him more. But he was content to just play by himself. He found basketball, and that helped to bring him out of his shell.”

  I shift in my seat, uncomfortable with this whole conversation.

  “He was quite the athlete,” Mom continues.

  “He had scholarships,” Chase adds.

  “Impressive,” Kat says.

  “Not really,” I reply. “I was a good high school and college player, but I was never going to go pro. I’m too short. I was mediocre.”

  “Well, I was proud of you,” Mom insists.

  “Did you play sports, Kat?” Chase asks, and her eyes fly to mine.

  “Uh, no.”

  “Well—” I begin, but she cuts me off.

  “No,” she repeats, and I sit back, sip my wine, and smile at her. I won’t tell her secrets tonight. Before long, dinner is over, dishes cleared, and we’re sitting around the fireplace, finishing our drinks.

  “This is a beautiful space,” Mom says with a smile. “I would live out here.”

  “I love it too,” Kat says. “Mac reads to me out here.”

  “Wait.” Chase holds his hand up and sets his glass down. “Mac reads to you?”

  “Often,” Kat says with a nod. “It’s romantic.”

  “It’s something,” Chase says, shaking his head. I know he’s going to give me shit for this for years.

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” Kat asks Chase. He raises an eyebrow.

  “Not at the moment.”

  “Well, let me tell you, if you read to a girl, you might have one. It’s sexy, and sweet, and much better than just watching SportsCenter t
ogether.”

  “Don’t knock SportsCenter,” Chase says with a smile.

  “I’m ready for both of my boys to settle down,” Mom says. “I would love to spoil some grandkids and see them both happy.”

  “Don’t look at me,” Chase says, holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m happy not having kids.”

  “What about you, Mac?” Mom asks.

  I sit back, watching the woman I’ve fallen in love with. “I’d consider it. With the right woman.”

  Her eyes widen, and she stands quickly, changing the subject. “Who wants dessert?”

  “Me,” Chase says, smiling at her. She walks into the house to get the strawberry shortcake she made earlier. “I like her.”

  “She’s so great,” Mom says with a smile. “I’m so happy that you found each other.”

  “Yeah, don’t fuck it up,” Chase says, earning another glare from Mom. “We all know that you go running in the other direction when things get serious.”

  “Not this time,” I reply as Kat walks back out onto the terrace. “Not this time.”

  “Wake up,” Kat whispers right into my ear, pulling me from sleep. “I want to show you something.”

  “We start many mornings like this these days,” I reply, and rub my hands over my face. “But it’s usually me waking you up.”

  “I never went to sleep,” she says with a shrug. “It happens sometimes. But you have to see this sunrise.”

  I frown and pull some shorts on. “Why didn’t you sleep?”

  “Because my brain wouldn’t shut off. It happens a lot.”

  “Not since I’ve known you.”

  She stops and bites her lip. “True. I do sleep well with you. I don’t know, I just had a lot on my mind last night.”

  I pull her against me and wrap my arms around her, hugging her close. “Are you okay?” I whisper.

  “I’m great,” she replies, but doesn’t pull away. Her arms are locked around my waist and her head is pressed to my chest, and it’s like heaven. “But I really want you to see this before it’s gone.”

  “Okay. Lead the way.”

  She takes my hand and pulls me through the loft, out to the terrace, and to the railing. The sky is lit up in orange, red, and purple.

  “This was worth getting woken up for.” I kiss her head and smile down at her. “Were you out here all night?”

  She nods. “Reading.”