by Jamie Hill
"Five wonderful years." He rubbed his thumb over her palm. "Where has the time gone?"
"I don't know." She shook her head. "We've accomplished a lot, though."
"Quite a lot," he agreed. "If we can just get rid of those horses, I think we can live with Davey in Pull-ups a little while longer."
"You're right. Have I told you today how much I love you?"
"Nope, and I was beginning to wonder."
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm so sorry! I love you very, very much."
Alex pulled into the driveway of their new house and put the minivan in park. He turned to his wife and pulled her into his arms. "I love you, too, Natalie Jameson." He pressed his mouth against hers and kissed her before forcing himself to pull away. "You are so beautiful." He caressed her cheek. "How'd I ever get so lucky to have you in my life?"
Natalie ran a hand through her hair. "I just got out of the hospital for Pete's sake. I must look a fright."
"You look beautiful." Alex held both her hands and kissed her gently one last time. When they separated, there were four sets of eyes staring in the windows at them.
"Hey, there are my beautiful babies!" Natalie grinned and opened her door. Gigi and Davey flew into her arms. "I missed you both so much!"
"Mommy!" Gigi squealed. "We made you a sign!"
"Me, too! Me, too!" Davey tried to get his share of the attention.
"Thank you, I can't wait to see it." Natalie hugged them both tightly.
Alex watched them, knowing somehow, Natalie's lap would now have room for three children. She had a way of making each of them feel special and always, always, very much loved. He thought about that as he got out of the minivan. She had a way of making him feel that way, too.
"Welcome home, papa," Jane grinned at him.
"Why thank you, Grandma. You ready for another baby to rock?"
"Bring it on." She rubbed her hands together.
Dean stepped up and poked him in the chest. "We should have known the two of you were out here smooching. Now come on, you just got settled into this house. If you keep it up, you'll outgrow this place, too."
Alex made a face and shook his head 'no', but Natalie heard her sister's comment and looked up. "We don't have to worry about that!" She burst into tears and hurried into the house, dragging Gigi and Davey along with her.
"What did I say?" Dean looked at him, horrified.
Alex put a hand on her shoulder and replied, "It's okay, you had no way of knowing. The doctor told us today that Natalie probably shouldn't have any more children. With the complications she had this time—"
"More children?" Dean asked, continuing to look horrified. "She just popped one out! She's thinking about having more?"
Alex crossed his arms and looked at her. His sister-in-law was twenty-six, unattached and proud of it. She was never going to understand this. "We hadn't decided how many children we were going to have. Nat just doesn't like being told that she can't have any more."
Jane put her arm around his shoulder and squeezed. "Nat doesn't like being told what to do, period. She'll be okay. These three are going to keep her so busy, it'll be a long time before she remembers that she ever wanted more kids."
"I hope so." He gave Jane a quick hug and let her carry Matthew into the house while he and Dean got the rest of Natalie's stuff.
He found her sitting on the couch with Gigi and Davey, admiring the welcome home sign they'd made for her. "Everything okay in here?"
Natalie smiled up at him. "Yeah, sorry. I knew I was going to be a little emotional, guess I didn't realize how easily I could be set off."
"No problem." He watched as Jane sat in the rocker holding Matthew and cradling him.
"You guys want to say hi to Matthew?" Natalie asked the children.
"Yeah!" Gigi jumped off the couch and ran over to the rocker. Davey shrugged and stayed put until Natalie coaxed him over.
"Come on, sweetie. See how tiny he is?" They looked over Jane's shoulder at the baby. "You're his big brother now. You can teach him all kinds of things, but you have to be gentle right now, while he's so small."
"He's little!" Gigi poked the baby.
"Gentle," Natalie reminded, and touched her daughter's hand.
Gigi cast one more glance at the baby and tugged at her mother's shirttail. "Will you read to me?"
"Sure," Natalie told her. "Go get a book, I'll read to you and Davey."
"Yay!" Gigi ran off.
"I'm going to put this stuff away." Alex held up a suitcase.
"Thank you, sweetheart." Natalie smiled warmly at him.
"You bet." He winked at her and watched Gigi and Davey clamor around her. Smiling to himself, Alex proceeded to put away her things as she spent some time with the kids while Jane and Dean admired the baby.
Jealousy had been a big factor for Gigi the first time around, and they both expected it to rear its ugly head again with this baby. No matter how much time either he or Nat spent with the kids, they weren't going to like all the attention Matthew got.
When he brought Gigi and Davey to the hospital to see the baby for the first time, they were more interested in working the mechanical bed than looking at Matthew. But now that everyone was home, Alex knew he'd have to keep a close eye on the older two. They were still small at ages two and three, but they were big enough to hurt the baby if left unsupervised. Until Natalie got back on her feet, it would be his job to provide that supervision. He had taken two weeks off work, and fully expected to be anxious to go back when the time was up.
"Can you use some help?" Dean stuck her head in the bedroom.
"I thought you were waiting in line to hold the new kid."
"Grandma rocked him to sleep. She can have her time with him now, then I can hold him after she leaves." She dropped onto the edge of the bed and looked around. "This is a nice house, Alex. You done good."
He leaned back against the doorframe and followed her gaze as well. "Yeah, we think so. Natalie really loves it. Once we saw this place, everything else paled in comparison."
"It's pretty big."
"It's huge compared to what we left. Six bedrooms, family room, dining room and that back yard…wow. As soon as the weather warms up, we've got plans for a swing set and all kinds of stuff back there."
"I heard mention of a dog."
Alex grinned. "I'd love a dog, once the kids are big enough to pick up after him, that is. I don't intend to be out there with a scoop, and I don't think Nat should have to, either. Maybe in a few years."
Dean chuckled and stood up. "I'm sorry about earlier. I realize having children is a big thing for Nat. But I think she should enjoy the one she just had before she starts grieving about not having any more."
"You're right," Alex admitted. "We discussed that very thing on the way home today. I think she'll be okay, it was a shock, is all."
"She'll be fine," Dean confirmed and nodded.
"Yeah." Alex looked at her thoughtfully. "So what about you, Auntie Nadine? No little ones in your future? Heck, not even a man in your future?"
She laughed. "There have been plenty of men. Finding one who looks at me like I hung the moon has been a problem."
Alex rolled his eyes, and she laughed again. "I'm kidding. Actually, I am seeing someone. His name is Roger, he's a photographer, and my gallery is doing an exhibit of his work."
"Ooh, an artsy-fartsy type."
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything." She picked up an arrangement of carnations and baby's breath. "Never mind. So where do you want these?"
"I was just teasing. I hope you find the right guy, Dean, you know I do."
"I know." She waved the flowers at him. "Where?"
"We'll spread them around the house, I think. Maybe the dining room?"
"You got it." She gave him one last, friendly smile and took the flowers out.
Alex unpacked Natalie's suitcase and put one bouquet on her dresser. He looked at the card and reconsidered. This particular arrangem
ent was from his new secretary, and she didn't happen to be Natalie's favorite person at the moment. She'd only been working for him for a few months, and just a month or so prior Natalie accused Alex of fooling around with her. It was a totally ridiculous accusation. He only had eyes for Natalie, had always only had eyes for Natalie, and she kept him more satisfied than he could have ever dreamed.
The first two trimesters of her pregnancy her hormones had sent her sex drive through the roof, and it had practically worn him out keeping up with her. When the pre-eclampsia had set in and Natalie had begun not feeling well, the romance had dropped off considerably. Alex had understood, had been completely fine with it, but Natalie had started having delusions about his fidelity. There had been several nasty arguments before he'd deposited the children with Jane and dragged Natalie to a hotel, where he could explain to her in his own way that she was the only woman for him. When they had left the hotel the next morning, Natalie had been convinced…and happy. Alex grinned at the memory. He'd been pretty happy himself that morning.
He set the bouquet of roses that he'd given to Natalie on her dresser and buried the arrangement from his secretary amidst some others in the dining room. He made a mental note to talk to his boss; perhaps the secretary should be reassigned to another department. It might make things easier; he could always get another secretary. His home life mattered most to Alex.
He and Natalie might have met five years ago, but it hadn't taken him that long to figure out when Natalie's happy, everyone's happy. First and foremost in his life, Alex wanted Natalie to be happy.
Part Three
Present day
"You're making me unhappy," Natalie muttered into the phone. "Please quit telling me what to do."
"Oh grow up, little sister. Gigi needs to hear the truth," Dean stated in her matter-of-fact manner.
"No, she doesn't," Natalie insisted. "Alex and I don't want her to know the whole truth. I'm warning you not to say anything. Alex said he'll never forgive you if you get involved in this."
Dean laughed. "Poor, poor Alex. Is he still under the misguided impression that I care what he thinks?"
"Dean, stop!" Natalie got so frustrated with her sister sometimes. Even six hundred miles didn't make things easier.
"Why are you sticking up for him? You told me the two of you were fighting."
"Not serious fighting," Natalie said, hoping she spoke the truth. "He'll come around. I just need you to cooperate. Gigi seems to think she's heading out there for Thanksgiving. We did the family thing for Matthew's birthday, and it was a little strained. I don't think she wants to come back here right now."
"She's welcome here. Roger and I make the rounds of our friends' houses, but she's invited to come with us."
Natalie chuckled. "What, you don't cook a turkey?"
Dean snorted. "Uh, no. We bring the wine, people seem to think its best that way. Plenty of food, drink and company. It's wonderful. Gigi will love it."
"You just see to it that this subject does not come up, and if it does, you know nothing. Got it?"
"Call me Sergeant Schultz. I got it."
Natalie smiled to herself. Nadine was kooky, but she'd never betray her sister. "Thanks, Dean. I'll call you in a couple days."
"Fine. And remember, if you change your mind, you're welcome to come with Gigi. We're going to have a great weekend!"
"Yeah, thanks." Natalie chuckled again and hung up. Her sister had grown up just as crazy as she had been in her college days. She and Roger never had children, and Natalie often wondered if what happened to her had influenced Dean's choices later in life. Dean was totally supportive of Natalie, but she had her own opinions about everything, and the two sisters rarely agreed.
They both loved Gigi and the boys, though, Natalie had no doubts about that. Dean was the exotic, cool aunt that swooped in with expensive, impractical but totally cool presents. She always swooped out again before anyone had a chance to get tired of her and her wildly extravagant ways. Alex tired of her very quickly, but he made nice for Natalie's sake. Another thing she loved about him.
She needed to call him, too. He was going to have to move back for the long Thanksgiving weekend, and she hoped to convince him to move back for good. Before she could decide exactly what to say to him, her phone rang. Natalie picked up the receiver and glanced at the Caller ID. "Hello David. You'd better not be calling with bad news about Thanksgiving. I'm making my shopping list out right now as we speak."
"Hey, Mom. I wouldn't do that to you! I'm calling with good news. I did hear that Geege is heading to Chicago, though. I can't believe she's choosing to go there instead of staying home for your great dinner."
"Thanks. I guess she enjoys Aunt Dean's offbeat lifestyle."
"That's putting it politely. Personally, I can't stand the artsy-fartsy people they socialize with. I mean, Roger's pretty cool, but some of those guys…yikes."
Natalie chuckled. "Lord, you are your father's son, aren't you? Okay, so what's your good news?"
"Well, I was wondering if you'd mind if I brought somebody home with me for the weekend."
"Oh, sure, your roommate? Why isn't Randy going home for Thanksgiving?"
"No, not Randy. He is going home. I'd like to bring my, uh, girlfriend."
Natalie was silent as she let that sink in for a moment.
"Mom? Mom? Did you pass out?"
"No." She inhaled. "But this is a bit unusual for you. I didn't even know you had a girlfriend, David." Her voice was accusatory. She meant it to be.
"We've been seeing each other pretty much since the semester started. We're both taking pre-pharmacy stuff. We'll be going to the pharmacy program in Kansas City together."
"I see. So what's her name?"
"Lana Koster. She's great, Mom. She's a lot like you. You'll like her."
"You don't have to butter me up, son, she can come. Why isn't she going home, though?"
"It's a twelve-hour drive to her parent's place in Colorado. She could do it, but with just the four days, that's an awful lot of driving."
"Yes it is. They don't mind her staying here?"
"I guess not, if she has somewhere to go."
"She does. She can sleep in Gigi's room. That'll work out perfectly."
"Mother…" Dave said hesitantly. "I'd rather she slept in my room."
"What?" Natalie tried not to freak out, but this was a first for her, and damn-it-all-to-hell that Alex wasn't here to back her up. "Uh, gee, David, I'm not so sure about that."
"Come on, Mom," his voice turned charming.
She could hear his father in him at that moment, and it knocked her irritation factor up a notch.
"Dad told me that the two of you slept together before you were married. This isn't such a big deal, is it?"
That did it. "Okay, well, I guess not. So we'll see you—when?" She had to get off the phone—fast.
"Wednesday evening. We'll eat before we come, and I'll call Matt and see about picking him up."
"Great, thanks. I guess we'll see you then."
"You okay Mom? You sound funny."
"Nope, just fine. See you Wednesday, David." She hung up. Alex was a dead man. She picked up the phone again and speed dialed him at the office. "Hi, Sarah, it's Natalie. Is he in?" she spoke to his secretary.
"Sure, just a moment, Natalie." Sarah put her on hold, then Alex came on the line.
"Hello, Nat."
"Alexander Jameson…did you really tell David that you and I slept together before we were married?"
"Whoa! Where the blazes is this coming from?"
"He just called me. He wants to bring his girlfriend home for the weekend."
"Really? I didn't know he had a girlfriend." Alex sounded pleased.
"Well he does. And I said 'Sure! She can sleep in Gigi's room!' And he tells me he'd rather she sleep in his room! And since dad told him that the two of us had sex before we were married, this is no big deal, right?" She was fuming.
Alex laughed. "Calm
down, Nat. That's not exactly how the conversation went. You know me better than that."
"I thought we had an agreement!" she practically screeched. "Remember what the high school guidance counselor told us? If the children asked if we did drugs or smoked when we were their age, the answer was no. They don't need to know everything."
"You're telling me?" he asked with an irritated edge. "I think you violated our agreement, too, Natalie."
"Oh BS! This has nothing to do with that! Did you bother to tell David that we thought about it for a long time before we had sex, and that you were my first, and that we didn't jump into anything casually, and that we always used protection?"
He chuckled again. "I think I worked most of that into the conversation. It was a few years ago, so I don't remember it word for word. Give it up, Natalie. It doesn't matter what the kid thinks about you and me back then, the point is, he's evidently having sex now."
"Evidently. And he wants to do it in our house, in his room. The same room where he played Ninja Turtles and Batman."
"He's moved on to different games, sweetheart."
"The same room where he used to wet the bed."
"Different bed, thank heavens. And you might not want to bring that story up Thanksgiving weekend."
"You're being awfully cavalier about this. What if it was Gigi wanting to bring a man home and have sex with him in our house?"
"Never going to happen. Gigi promised me she wouldn't have sex until she was forty-six."
Natalie snorted. "What color is the sky in your world, dear?"
He chuckled. "I like it here in my own little world, everybody knows me." He hesitated and added slowly, "You don't think that Gigi has…"
"No, I don't. But what are we going to do about David and Lana?"
"Ooh, Lana, eh?"
"Alex!"
"Natalie, what can we do?" he asked calmly. "I think it's probably best if you take a page out of your mother's book and stick your head in the sand. What you don't think about can't hurt you."
She replied quietly, "I wanted to do things better than my mother."
