by Kitty Parker
"You ain't gonna read the directions?" Jack asks as she takes the plastic strip test and walks to the toilet.
"You can if you want. It's kind of self-explanatory though," she answers and she's still smiling and Jack doesn't care if she's teasing him and he doesn't care just how self-explanatory this all is.
As she undoes her jeans and sits on the toilet, Jack reaches into the trashcan and pulls the pregnancy test box out once again, reading the directions on the back. And she's right. It is pretty easy to understand what she has to do. Pee on the stick. Wait a few minutes. Plus sign means she is. Minus sign means she ain't. Simple as that.
Daisy must have been waiting to do this for a while because she starts peeing within a second, not seeming to care that Jack is giving her an audience, and when she is done, she holds the test out for Jack to take so she could get herself together again. And Jack doesn't care that he's touching something she's just peed on. It's just pee and she's his wife and they're pretty intimate with one another by now.
Daisy washes her hands and then pulls out her phone, looking at the time. "How long do we have to wait?" She asks, leaning against the counter beside him.
"Thought you said you didn't need the directions?" It's his turn to tease and she smiles, bumping her hip playfully against his. "Five minutes," he then says, staring down at the plastic strip test, willing the answer to appear sooner than that. "What made you buy this?" He asks, turning his head towards her again.
Daisy shrugs. "I've never been late. Even with how stressed I sometimes get, I'm pretty much clockwork. The only other time I was late was when I was pregnant with Matty."
And maybe it's because of that that when the five minutes are up and there's a plus sign in the little display window, Jack doesn't feel necessarily surprised. He and Daisy have been trying and she's been telling him to be patient and Daisy being late is apparently the only sign he needs. But holding a pregnancy test with an actual sign in it, he stares down at it and he hears Daisy next to him – first gasping and then laughing a little and he finally looks at her, seeing tears slide down her cheeks from dancing eyes.
Without a word, he pulls her into him, his arms strong around her and his mouth on hers. And she cries and laughs and kisses him back as he smiles against her lips.
They agree almost immediately that they aren't going to tell anyone. Not even Matty. Jack doesn't like to hear something like that but Daisy tells him that the first trimester can be a fragile time and it would be terrible if everyone celebrates the pregnancy only for something to happen. Jack decides he needs to read a pregnancy book as soon as he can. He never thought about kids before and had sure as hell never thought of having any for himself but meeting Daisy and Matty, they had managed to change his outlook on pretty much everything when it came to his life. He knows absolutely nothing about babies and suddenly, in a few months, he's going to have one.
He already loves waking up like this – Daisy still sleeping and his hand on the tiniest bump and he can't wait for it to grow. He knows a part of him can't really believe it still. Yeah, he and Daisy had been trying to get pregnant – and had a lot of fun while doing it – so he knows what they both wanted the end result to be but he's going to be having a baby with Daisy in a few months. He's already got Matty and he loves that kid more than himself and Matty's his. Got his last name and his name is listed under father on his certificate and no matter what anyone might think about it, he is that kid's dad.
But now, he's going to be having a baby with Daisy and there's no one else in the world he even ever imagined having something like this. Just her and the way she loves him and the way she happily wants to bring another Belton into this world. Not only can he still not quite really believe it, it's all a little overwhelming when he thinks about it.
Fall has come and it's a little cool but it's the perfect temperature to sleep with the windows open. Daisy loves curling up beneath the blankets with him and she loves feeling the cool fresh air breeze over her as she sleeps.
Jack lifts his head and looks at the clock on the nightstand next to Daisy's side of the bed. He knows it's early. It's still grey outside and the birds are chirping all over one another, wanting their morning song to be heard above all of the others. And he's right. It's just a little past five. He knows Daisy will keep sleeping for a while. He had ordered a book online – so it would come to the house without anyone seeing what it was – and he had read that the first trimester was tiring for the woman as their bodies started going through all of the changes, adjusting to the pregnancy. It wouldn't be until the second trimester when she would start to feel a little more normal.
This will be the third Saturday that Matty won't be playing football but he still goes to every game and every practice and Jack goes with him to the field to watch the games from the stands, Matty always quiet as he watches the field and the plays with sharp eyes. The kid has been asked by more than one Gators parent as to when he's going to come back but Matty just shrugs and doesn't answer and Jack knows that not even Matty knows. He loves football but the kid's nine and his life should be about being nine. Whenever Matty goes back to playing, it will because he wants to be playing.
And as if she can sense him being awake, Daisy shifts a little then. "Mmmm," she says sleepily and Jack can't help but lean down and brush his lips across her cheek. She presses herself against him in response and his hand slips from her stomach so his arm can wrap around her middle, holding her close.
"Still early yet," he tells her lowly in her ear. "No reason for you to be awake yet." And her eyes stay closed but she shakes her head. "You gonna throw up?" He then asks.
He learned pretty damn fast to not bring any of the raw meat he's hunted around Daisy. And even though he doesn't anymore, she still throws up at least one time in the mornings. Perfectly normal, the book's assured him.
Daisy shakes her head and she turns her head on the pillow, towards him. Slowly, her eyes open and she looks up at him as he props himself up on an elbow, looking down at her. Even tired, she's the prettiest thing he's ever seen but he'll never call her tired out loud. The book's warned him that Daisy's hormones are a little crazy right now and he's not going to get a pregnant woman pissed at him. He's seen Daisy when she's not pregnant and pissed off at him and that's enough without risking it now that there are hormones involved.
Instead, his hand gently touches her face, brushing some hair back that is stuck to her cheek, and her eyes close for a brief moment, her head leaning into his touch. And Jack looks at her and feels an ache in his chest; not like this is hurting him but rather, these moments with Daisy – and he has a thousand of them with her every day – make his chest ache because he just feels so damn much for her, he still doesn't know how to process all of it. He's never felt as much in his entire life before he met Daisy.
He leans in and kisses her forehead. "'m gonna make some breakfast. Gators got a mornin' game today," he then tells her though Daisy is well aware of the team's schedule and Jack and Matty had talked about their morning plans last night during dinner.
She nods and still doesn't speak as she lifts her arms then and slip them around his shoulders, gently pulling on him until he takes the hint and lowers himself closer to her. Their lips meet and he kisses her softly, making sure he's not laying completely on top of her because he doesn't care how protected Daisy says the baby is.
He's not going to crush it.
And Daisy is getting frustrated by it because she knows what he's doing and she doesn't like it. He can hear her whimper, her arms tightening around him and her back arching, trying to press their bodies together. And Jack's almost giving in. Of course he is. He's pretty damn spineless when it comes to Daisy – especially when she's kissing him like this and clearly wants more than what's he's giving right now.
But he can't help it. There's a little baby the size of a peanut inside of her right now and they need to take care of that peanut.
With strength he didn't think he'd ever have
when Daisy is kissing him like this, Jack's able to pull his lips away and then he gets out of bed, not caring if it looks like he's scrambling to get away from her because the truth of it is, he's doing exactly that.
"'m gonna go make some breakfast," he tells her again, daring to look back at her as she glares at him, still in bed, and as he leaves the bedroom, he feels the pillow she's thrown smack him against the back.
…
Matty is wearing his green Gators hoodie with his last name and number on the back and Jack doesn't wear team colors – not seeing a point to it if Matty's not playing – and they sit halfway up the bleachers with the other Gators parents and Aaron has gotten into the habit of sitting next to them during the games – not that it bothers Jack any. Eric is there at every game, too, but this weekend, he's gone to visit his mother and she's not the biggest fan of Aaron so he's stayed behind so Henry wouldn't miss a game. Jack wonders if his mom-in-law doesn't like him because he's Aaron and not Erin.
"No Daisy today?" Aaron asks as he settles himself down next to Jack, sipping from a cup of coffee and watching as the teams do their warm ups before the game start.
"Nah," Jack shakes his head. "Her shop's opened for a little bit on Saturday and she's there right now. She'll always be here for an afternoon one but not a mornin' one."
"I still need to go to her shop," Aaron comments. "I've heard from more than one person that she makes the best cupcakes in the county."
"In the state," Matty corrects him and Aaron smiles.
"I don't doubt that," Aaron says.
The two quarterbacks go onto the field for the coin toss and the Gator fans cheer when the ref blows his whistle and announces that its Gator's ball first. Both teams take up their positions, the ball is kicked and the game begins. Jack admits that now that Matty's not playing, his interest in the games is waning. He knows it matters whether or not they win; if the Gators will be in the playoffs again like they had won last year and if Matty will be playing again for them this year or if he'll wait to come back next year.
But he just can't get in to it like he would if he was watching Matty tear up and down the field. And he doesn't feel guilty about that. He knows that the other parents here are only here to watch their own kid anyway.
"So, Matty," Aaron begins the conversation again once there is a timeout called. "You going to be a baker when you grow up or are you going to fix cars like your dad?"
"I'm going to play in the NFL," Matty then says with a sure grin and Jack smiles a little, too, because he knows that there are a ton of kids who give that same answer but not all of those kids are Matty Belton.
"What team? The Falcons?" Aaron guesses.
Matty makes a face at that as if the suggestion has offended him. "The Panthers," he says. "I told my Uncle Celtus and he's already gotten a tattoo of a panther for me."
Jack does his best to not snort at the comment. Yeah, Celtus has gotten a tattoo in prison of a panther on his back – to join the others already on his body – once Matty told him that that was his favorite team and Daisy had found it to be so sweet and Matty's eyes had widened and told Uncle Celtus that it was so cool and Jack knows that Celtus does like his nephew and sister-in-law plenty but Celtus is still Celtus and Jack knows that Celtus is just waiting for Matty to hit it big so Celtus can get some bets made and make some money off of his nephew in his circle of friends.
The whistle is blown and the game resumes and Matty's attention is diverted back to it.
Aaron doesn't talk or shout during the games like the other parents. He sits there and sips on his coffee but Jack sees that the man's eyes stay on his son the entire time.
"You liking it here so far?" Jack asks, surprising himself by starting up a conversation.
And Aaron smiles at him as if he seems to know that Jack doesn't talk unless he has to.
"So far," Aaron gives a nod and takes another sip of his coffee. "People here are nice. Ridiculously inappropriate sometimes but nice," he chuckles a little.
And Jack smirks a little at that, too, because he can just imagine. Being the only gay couple in a small Southern town, it would certainly get people talking – whether that be in a good way or less than a good way. Jack doesn't care what Aaron does in the bedroom. Why would he? It has absolutely nothing to do with him and Aaron's been nothing but nice to him so there's no reason for Jack not to be nice in return.
"If Eric's gone out of town for the night, you think you wanna come over tonight for dinner?" Jack asks him. "You and Henry. Nothin' fancy. Just grillin' some burgers and Daisy makes an amazin' pasta salad."
Aaron looks at him and breaks into a smile. "That'd be great. Thank you, Jack."
Jack shrugs as if it's no big deal and it's because it's really not. It's just burgers.
The cell phone in his pocket begins ringing and he hates the damn thing and it's really Daisy's phone but ever since that strip showed the plus sign, Jack likes to have it when he's out of the house so Daisy's able to call him whenever she needs him.
"Hey," he answers. "Everythin' a'right?" He asks and he tries to sound as casual as he possibly can.
"Do you need anything at the store?" Daisy asks without any form of greeting.
"Why are you goin' to the store?" Jack asks in return.
"I have a taste for butter pecan ice cream and we don't have any in the house," she explains and he can hear the creak of an oven door opening and closing again. He's been meaning to go to the store and grease those oven doors for her.
"You don't gotta go to the store. Me and Matty can go," Jack tells her and Matty's watching the game and he's not really paying attention but the boy nods anyway. "You jus' wan' the ice cream?"
"It's not a want, Jack. It's a need," Daisy corrects him and he smirks a little.
"Sorry 'bout that. Need," Jack corrects himself. "You need anythin' else? You got the stuff you need to make pasta salad?"
"Is that your way of telling me that you want pasta salad for dinner tonight?" She laughs a little and then she pauses, thinking it through. He knows they grow the vegetables they need in the garden and they buy boxes of pasta when it's on sale so he knows they have plenty of that, too. "A jar of black olives and one onion," Daisy then tells him.
"And butter pecan ice cream."
"Don't you dare forget that butter pecan ice cream, Jack Belton, or don't even both coming home," Daisy tells him and Jack wants to smirk at that but the thing is, he knows that Daisy, this pregnant Daisy, isn't joking about it.
…
"Go and take that inside to your mom," Jack says, handing Matty one of the grocery bags from the back of the pickup truck.
Matty nods and heads into the house with the olives, onion and butter pecan ice cream. Jack takes the two other bags – the one with the fresh hamburger buns and the other holding the eight hamburger patties – and puts the hamburger patties in the little refrigerator that keep in the garage. He doesn't want to bring the raw meat into the house because he knows just seeing it will make Daisy want to throw up and he wants to avoid doing that.
He then takes the other bag and heads into the house. Through the kitchen window, he can see Matty out in the backyard with Otter, throwing the dog's tennis ball for him, and Daisy is already leaning against the counter with a spoon, eating right from the ice cream carton. She smiles as he steps into the kitchen.
"You are allowed to enter," she smiles at him and he smirks, dropping the bag of buns down on the counter. "Matty told me we're having company over for dinner."
Jack shrugs. "Jus' Aaron and Henry. Eric's out of town and I thought it would be somethin' nice to do for 'em since they're still new to town."
Daisy is just looking at him and smiling at him and Jack starts to feel his ears warm.
"Wha'?" He asks.
"You've made a friend," she smiles at him.
He shrugs and doesn't argue with that but he feels a little embarrassed. "You're actin' like I don't already have friends."
She shakes her h
ead. "It's just very hard to make new friends when you're an adult and you've made one," she says and she's still smiling.
"You act all surprised. I'm not too much of an asshole where I can' make a new friend," he says but she laughs at that which makes him think that she might not agree about the not being much of an asshole comment.
He fills himself a glass of water from the faucet and then leans beside her, trying not to watch the way her tongue wraps around the spoon as she eats her ice cream.
"Still pissed at me 'bout this mornin'?" He asks.
"Yes," she answers without hesitation. "Having sex during pregnancy is perfectly fine, Jack. Doctor approved. Haven't you read that chapter yet?"
"No," he says and takes a sip of water. "And until I do, I ain't puttin' any part of me inside of you." Daisy frowns at him and it's about as fierce as a baby deer frowning at him but Jack isn't looking to piss her off – pregnant or not. "Gotta take care of both of you," he then says in a low voice because she can't be mad at him for saying that.
And as expected, Daisy's face softens. She sighs softly. "And you do but trust me, Jack." Her hand comes to a rest over her little bump beneath her tee-shirt. "The baby is so protected inside of me, you can't possibly hurt me or it."
He's quiet for a moment and takes another sip of water. "We should come up with a nickname for it. Don' like callin' our baby 'it'," he says and she gives a big smile at that.
"What should we use as a nickname then?" She asks him and he smiles a little as he looks at her because her eyes look as if they are dancing. And Jack has always thought that Daisy is the prettiest thing he's ever seen but now that she's pregnant, somehow, that's made her even prettier and he hadn't thought that would ever be possible.
He shrugs and thinks for a moment. His hand then slides over her hand, joining her in touching the tiny baby bump. "Nibblet," he then says and she laughs almost immediately and putting the ice cream down on the counter, she turns and wraps her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
He puts his water glass down and his own arms circle around her and hugs her back tightly – but not as tightly as he normally would have. He tilts his head down and presses his nose into her shoulder and then after another moment, he feels her start to shake in his arms and her face is warm and wet against the side of his neck. She has started crying and he wants to ask her what's wrong but he knows that there probably is nothing wrong. It's just her hormones going crazy right now and there are going to be a lot of hormones over the next few months.
