by Bijou Hunter
“She’s talking about me!” Justice cries, jumping up to hug Poppy. “Pick something good.”
“Nothing sissy, though,” I point out.
“I was thinking the name Valor. We can call him Val for short.”
“I thought you said nothing sissy,” Court mutters to me, and Donovan laughs.
Poppy doesn’t even acknowledge their mocking. “Valor means brave, and that’s badass for a guy. Plus, it’s a virtue name like Justice. The end.”
I’m not convinced even after she’s put her pretty little foot down. Poppy and her sisters force me to watch the movie Tremors so I’ll understand the coolness of the name Val.
Two hours later, I’ve not only taken a shine to my soon to be born son’s name, but I insist on watching the many sequels. Poppy’s love of cheesy horror flicks infects me early in our marriage and never really lets up.
Val looks like a dark-haired version of West. They have the same round cheeks and chubby limbs. Unlike his big bro, Val is a wild little guy. He crawls like his ass is on fire. The kid skips walking and goes straights to running. We install a fence around our house so he can’t bolt nonstop. Fortunately, he can’t climb for shit. His huge feet are perfect for balance and speed, but they trip him whenever he tries to scramble over something.
I never understood putting a kid on a leash until Val. Many days, I get home and find Poppy taking the boys for a walk around the property. West always holds his ma’s hand and talks about LEGOs. Val remains oblivious to them while yanking on his leash and craving the open road. I fear the boy will take off running one day and never stop.
Journey puts an end to his wanderlust with her intense workouts. No one in the family can keep up with that woman like Val. By three, she’s got him doing punishing laps around the property. Val loves the activity and finally starts sleeping through the night.
I’m so fucking crazy about my boys that I’m a little terrified when Poppy wants to try making a girl. I’ve watched Matilda, Henrietta, and Edith grow up. I know girls aren’t all dresses and dolls, but things in my house are so damn perfect that I’m afraid to throw something new into the mix.
Poppy swears the missionary position is the best for making a girl. More than once, I suspect she’s lying and looking for an excuse to lie on her back and watch me.
“It’s on the internet, Emmett,” she says, and hell if she isn’t right.
I still hope when the test comes up positive that we’ll finish out our family with another boy. I just got a fear of what a girl will mean, but Poppy gets her wish.
“My last child will be a girl,” she announces to the family at Cracker Barrel. “And I will name her after the best mom in the world and her hairy-faced lover.”
“How come you don’t name her after Emmett’s mom?” Justice asks hoping to start trouble.
“Yeah, why don’t we?” I ask, embracing Justice’s troublemaking.
“Fine, you get the middle name, but I already picked Tuesday for her first name.”
“Why Tuesday?” Jared asks.
“It’s like the Lynyrd Skynyrd song,” I tell him.
“No, it was a Tuesday when Jared and Mom humped in the Kroger parking lot.”
“I like the song answer better,” Jared says, but Christine is excited about another granddaughter.
“This is my last one, so feel free to really enjoy the experience. I’m having them shut down the factory during the C-section.”
Court frowns. “I didn’t understand half of what she said.”
Justice smiles instantly and climbs into his lap. “Even after all these years, you think Poppy is an idiot.”
Poppy runs her hand through my hair and then leans over and does the same to West and Val. The look on her face is why I got hooked on this woman. When she loves someone, it’s fierce and unrelenting. I can annoy the shit out of her and never worry she’ll kick me to the curb. Kick me in the balls? Sure. Send me to spend the night at Jared and Christine’s? Oh yeah, but she’ll never let me go.
Epilogue - Poppy
I’m not an original. My mom and sisters have always given me a blueprint to follow. So since they had three kids each, I decide my family is complete with Tuesday.
Emmett is such a big kid with his boys. He plays with them every night, never seeming to tire of their presence. When Emmett helps Jared fix up an old car on the property, they make sure to get West involved. Val just wants to run, but he’s always up for a wrestling match with his dad.
With Tuesday, Emmett convinces himself our daughter will be a tomboy. Edith loves rough play with the boys, and everyone is certain Tuesday will too.
Nope. Our girl is all sugar and spice and everything nice. Tuesday loves sparkles. She puts them on everything including Mulder when he doesn’t move fast enough. During football games, she gives us glittery war paint.
All those years practicing with Matilda, Henrietta, and Edith’s hair make me a pro to deal with Tuesday’s lush, wavy hair. Unlike her brothers, she has my blue eyes but not my chubby cheeks. Though a solid mix of Emmett and me, I still think she mostly looks like Mom.
Adriana keeps her word by visiting regularly. She even drives in for Mom and Jared’s back yard wedding. The grandmas get along great, having both fallen for outlaw men.
My dad flies out every year to visit us, but I know he’s only going through the motions. I see the pictures he posts on Facebook for his friends and how he plays the proud grandpa. We both know it’s a ruse. He’s well aware my kids call Jared Peepaw just like their cousins do. Dad is a stranger in their lives while Stache is the guy they seek out in a crowd.
Despite our distance, we use Skype once a month and I send him lots of pictures. A part of me has to pretend like how I do with the dweebs when we occasionally play online. They’re no longer my friends, but the lie helps me feel okay with their loss.
Emmett learns to love shooter games even though he thought them stupid at first.
“I can shoot people in real life. Why pretend?”
“You won’t get in trouble for killing these people. Plus, there are no graves to dig and you have a better selection of weapons.”
Now we play an hour each night after the kids go to bed and before we get sweaty in the bedroom. People often warn me how staying home with kids will rot my brain and make me crazy. Instead, I find shooting pretend people is a great stress reliever. When the kids nap, I will take out my frustrations on the “TV people” as West calls them. Staying home with the kids is more fun than working. For one thing, they’re funnier and more lovable than any coworkers I might end up with. For another, they frigging adore me. I can’t beat their reactions to even my dumbest jokes and dances.
I still help out with Mom’s business. Either in the office or by picking up animals with my Vet Taxi. While I miss Thor at times, my big ass black Suburban is more than big enough to transport my kids, their cousins, and a few disgruntled cats.
All of my happiness comes down to Emmett, though. Another man might have pressured me to change, mature, maybe even shut up occasionally. Emmett finds me perfect the way I am.
Even after ten years of marriage and three kids, I can still simply shake my ass and send all the blood in his body straight to his dick.
For our anniversary, we renew our vows since we never really had a wedding the first time around. Yes, I’m only copying Journey who did the same. First with marrying at the county clerk’s office and then by having a ten-year-anniversary wedding. I have my sisters as bridesmaids and my little girl as my maid of honor, just like Journey did. Mom and Jared walk me down the aisle while Peepaw and Meemaw whisper snide comments about my white dress. Even my vows are a rehash of what Journey told Donovan.
Like I said, I’m not an original, but my family and man prefer me just the way I am.
About Bijou
Living in Indiana with my three sweet sons, three wacky cats, one super mom (and her ugly dog), I love cats, Denny's, 1970's rock, Beanie Boos, and sitcoms cancelled befo
re their time.
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Bijou Hunter Books
Rawkfist MC Series
Black Sheep * Snake Charmer * Train Wreck
Serrated Brotherhood MC Series
Bourbon Blues
Damaged Series
Damaged and the Beast * Damaged and the Knight
Damaged and the Cobra * Damaged and the Outlaw
Damaged and the Dragon * Damaged and the Bulldog
Damaged and the Saint * In the Wind * Sunday Morning
Little Memphis MC Series
Little Memphis * Broken Memphis
Ramsey Security Series
Thunderstruck * Live Wire * High Voltage
Standalones
Gator * Used * Rebound Biker * Junkyard Dog * Lost Highway
