We pull up the house, and Natalie's clenching tightly onto the cake holder with her knee bouncing up and down incessantly. I put my hand on her knee, and she looks at me. The sheer panic on her face is adorable.
"Natalie, everything is going to be fine. They already know about you and are so excited to meet you."
Her eyes widen even more. "Excited means they might pounce on me or I won't live up to whatever you told them."
My hand moves from her knee up to her cheek. Moving the hair out the way, I try to calm her down.
"Just take a few deep breaths and try to relax."
I get out of the truck and walk around as she's taking the deep breaths. Opening the door, I grab the cake holder from her while she hops down from the truck. Grabbing her hand, I lightly drag her to the front door.
I don't even bother knocking and walk us right in. There's music playing throughout the house, and I can hear Jamie yelling at Danny to keep an eye on Fuzzy.
"Shaw Family! We're here!"
Natalie tugs on my hand so hard I almost lose grip of the cake holder in the other. She's freaking out, and I put my arm around her to reassure her.
Danny spots us first and jumps at Natalie, wrapping his little arms around her legs.
"Dr. Natalie! You caaamme! Come play with me! I taught Fuzzy more tricks."
He pulls her away from me in a fit of giggles, and I follow them to the kitchen.
"Mommy! Gamma! This is Dr. Natalie. She fixes animals."
Well, there goes my introduction. Gotta love the attention span of a kid. Placing the cake holder on the table, I stand behind Nat as Danny talks about how cool her job is.
My mom drops the towel in the sink and walks up to Natalie. She gives her a big hug. "Oh honey, it is so nice to meet you finally! We're so happy you came. You're gorgeous. Colin did not do you justice."
"Thank you, Mrs. Shaw. I really appreciate you having me here. I brought Irish Whiskey pound cake."
"That's sweet of you, dear, and please, call me Susan. I know the boys will devour that in a second. I may have to hide slices for Jamie and me."
I cut in. "I'm gonna go hang with the men. Mom, Jamie. Be nice."
Jamie smacks a towel at me. I walk outside to where my dad is starting up the grill and Grant's cleaning up some of Danny's outdoor toys. The motorized truck I got Danny for Christmas sits proudly in the corner of the deck, and Grant still gives me shit for Danny ruining the backyard. I laugh at his crazed demeanor, and I can only imagine what he's gonna be like when he has a daughter. Jamie's due any day now, and she could very well pop today from the excitement.
My dad's messing with the charcoal, and I cross my arms laughing at him. He looks at me and manages to light the coals.
"Hey, son. Where's Natalie?"
"In the kitchen with Ma and Jamie. Danny loves having Doctor Natalie over to hang out with Fuzzy."
Grant walks up behind me and slaps me on the back of the head. I shove him back, and he nearly stumbles.
"Come on, man! Nat's here. I don't want her and Danny watching me kick your ass."
Mom and Natalie walk outside holding the steaks and ribs that Dad is gonna cook on the grill. I pull Natalie next to me and introduce her to Dad.
"Nat, this is my dad, Harrison Shaw. Dad, this is my Natalie."
Mom places the meat on the grill while Dad picks up Natalie in an even bigger bear hug than Mom gave her. Dad's still a big and fit guy even though he hasn't played football since high school. He loves his construction company and stays fit to be able to help his team out. Mom laughs before putting Dad in his place.
"Harrison, put the girl down and start cookin'!" Dad releases Natalie, and she falls into my arms in a fit of giggles. We all stand around the grill talking and laughing about my parents’ freaking out if Natalie is a vegetarian or not.
My mom's face is beet red. "I forgot to ask Colin. Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I can go inside and fix something else up."
Natalie stops my mom before she goes in the house. "I grew up in a family of omnivores. We pretty much eat anything. The strange benefits of having a French-American heritage and my aunt's Irish upbringing. Although, I will say I've never gotten the hang of eating escargot. Can't do it."
Everyone starts laughing and then Jamie's voice breaks through the fun, standing at the doorway, clutching her stomach.
"Grant? Guys? It’s time."
We all stop and stare at Jamie, and Danny runs out behind her. "Daddy! Mommy peed on the floor! Fuzzy's trying to lick it!"
Natalie runs into the house to grab Fuzzy while I scoop up Danny, and Grant leads Jamie out to the car. Wow, I guess my earlier thought of her popping as early as today came true.
My parents’ voices ring through the chaos. "We're gonna shut everything down here and meet you at the hospital!"
I have Danny on my back, and Natalie is wiping off Fuzzy's face before putting her in the kennel.
We're all piling into the cars before I shout at my brother. "Grant, I've got Danny so you can check Jamie in! We're right behind you." I quickly grab his booster seat from the SUV and Natalie helps me get it hooked up in my backseat. Grant's SUV backs out, and we get Danny all settled in.
"Okay, big guy. You ready to meet your little sister?"
He bounces in his seat. "Mommy said I can hold her, but I have to be super careful! Daddy says I need to hold her like you should hold a football."
Natalie and I both laugh at him and head out to the hospital. I hold her hand all the way there, and we both have major smiles on our faces at me becoming an uncle yet again. Hell, if I had it my way, Danny could start calling her Aunt Natalie now if he wanted. She seems to love the doctor title for right now, though, and I can't take that away from her.
Once we get to the hospital, baby chaos is everywhere. This time last year, I probably would have been extremely creeped out by being around all the newborns. Even Lauren was bringing them up after only two weeks of knowing each other.
Standing here with Natalie and Danny only shows me this is what I want with her. I really need to start thinking about my life after professional football.
We've been spending some time out at Barrett's Winery, and I kind of like the idea of spending more there. There is always something fun and new to experience at a vineyard. I can see the appeal from Natalie having grown up there.
I still want to play football until I can't anymore. I've worked so hard that I want to keep going until I have nothing left to give.
My new contract has me on five more years with the Rams, and I love it. If anything were to happen with my shoulder again, or god forbid another kind of injury, I should probably keep my options open. Natalie's an extremely wanted factor in all the decisions, and I know she wants to build her career, which I support entirely.
I'm brought out of my thoughts by the screeching of newborn life through the maternity ward. The nurse guides us to one of the waiting areas near Jamie's delivery room. I have Danny sitting between Natalie and me, watching some car movie on my phone with headphones in to try to distract him from hearing his mother scream bloody murder. Natalie and I can't contain our laughter.
I try to keep a straight face when I tell her, "When we have kids, you can’t blame me for doing that to you. You willingly let me plant my seed in there."
She slaps me on the shoulder and makes sure Danny's ears are covered. "I will do whatever the damn well I please, Shaw. It will be your spawn coming out of me, and knowing your body, he might test my stamina just like you do."
I reach around Danny and make sure to talk over his head. "Baby, I look forward to testing that stamina over and over until you're completely spent. Whether it be my tongue, hands, or dick, your pussy will get a workout in the best possible way."
My parents’ arrive shortly after our kid conversation, and the pacing begins by my father and me. Three hours and one more movie for Danny later, Melissa Jane Shaw is born and beautiful.
We all take turns holding her and when we
finally get to Danny, he's beaming as any excited big brother can do. I crouch down in front of my nephew.
"Now, Danny, I want you to know that you are going to be an amazing big brother. Your dad is the best big brother I could have gotten and with him by your side, you'll be there for your little sister. You'll watch over her and protect her. We men have to stick together to make sure no boy ever breaks her heart."
I can hear the sniffles from my mom, Jamie, and Natalie.
The next few hours is shuffling Melissa back and forth between family members. Once Jamie's family arrived, the room got a little crowded and the nurses kindly asked us to disperse so that Jamie and Melissa could get some rest.
After we excused ourselves, we all went back to the house for a quick dinner. Since Grant was staying the night with Jamie, my parents’ and I fought over who would have Danny for the night. In the end, I won because, well, I have the awesome game room that Danny loves so much.
Natalie helps grab Fuzzy from her kennel so that she can stay with us tonight, too.
Our whole night is one giant sleepover. I put in a cartoon movie for Danny while Natalie tends to little Fuzzy. We veg out in front of the movie and snack until our stomachs complain in protest of junk.
My life has never felt better. The images of my future that keep playing over and over in my head has never made such a positive impact on my goals.
Natalie, Danny, and Fuzzy are all cuddled together asleep. The goofy and youthful looks on their faces as Danny lightly snores with Fuzzy's tongue dangling out of her mouth makes me want to savor this moment. Natalie’s forehead is slightly tilted against the back of the couch with her arms wrapped around both of them in a protective mode.
I get my phone off the coffee table and take a few pictures to send to Grant. I take a few extra minutes to stare between the picture and the reality in front of me.
It's funny how much I ran away from any sort of true commitment until I was pulled toward Natalie. The only real commitment I've ever had besides my family is football, but my heart is full and happy. No championship ring could ever compare to this feeling I have right now with the woman I love.
This has probably been one of my longest days of work in a while, and all I want to do is lie down in my comfy bed and turn on a movie.
I had to help put down two dogs today and tell a family about a cat's diabetes. Some people don't understand that telling people news like that can often have the same effect on a family as if the news was about a human. Sometimes pets are the only family certain people have and when they're gone, they lose part of their family.
With my defeated mood, the comfort of my own bed is all I want. Colin is in Philly visiting a teammate who was also injured during the season and being taken care of there. I talked to him today, telling him what happened. He felt horrible he couldn't be here with me, but I told him it comes with the job, and to stay with his friend.
I wish I could say that driving up to my house brought a sense of calm over me in knowing I could spend the rest of the night relaxing, but apparently my townhouse has been turned into a zoo. I can't even park my car in my own garage.
Loud and obnoxious bass is blasting through the whole neighborhood. I have to circle around twice just to avoid being hit by passersby.
The bar strip isn't that far away. Leena and her party friends normally go over there. I bet the entire winery that Tara had something to do with this bullshit.
After having to park over a block away from my place, I see beer cans scattered across the yard and into the street. People filter in and out of the front door. It’s like a bunch of dumb college kids exploded here.
This is ridiculous.
I really wish Leena had told me she was having a party. I know I haven't been here much lately, but my property is still in that place. We agreed the other person didn't need to ask for permission to have friends over, only to let the other know ahead of time. Leena and I haven't always seen eye to eye on how to live our lives, but we respect each other's living space.
Or I, at least, thought we did. I'm not sure about much of anything with Leena anymore. The stunts she's been pulling the last few months are getting old.
Walking up to my front door, I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that I won't like anything I see behind it. Fighting my way through the front door and attempting to get to my kitchen, I spot Leena sitting on the counter with her friend, Darren, standing between her legs. Their faces are squished in a sloppy kiss.
I yell over the music to stop her kiss. "Leena!"
When she doesn't hear me, I tap her shoulder, and yell again, "Leena! What the hell is going on? Why didn't you tell me you were having a party?"
I can tell she's already hammered before she even opens her mouth from the black smudges around her red-rimmed eyes and the stench of alcohol on her breath. Drinking heavily is one thing she and I have never agreed on. She thinks because I have a family winery, it means I get drunk all the time, and that excessive drinking is a funny joke.
She slurs, "Ooooh, Natttty, don't be such a wimps. This just some spring fling fun. Just because you play with animals all day don't mean the rest of us humans can't has da fun. We invited some of da foosball players, but der lame too like you."
With that drunken stupidity, she goes back to sucking off Darren's face.
I head upstairs to my room, which I hope is vacated. If I had known she was having a party, I would have locked my room. Leena would never be so considerate as to lock my door, and if her partner in crime had anything to do with this party, it won't end until the cops or paramedics are called.
Squeezing my way upstairs, I've officially decided that either Leena or I will now be moving out in the very near future and start thinking of all the reasons to leave.
This was the last straw.
I've tolerated most of her friends for a while and her inability to pay her half of the bills on time, if at all. If her past shopping trips and bar-hopping binge was any indication of her lack of responsible behavior, I'd say I have a fairly decent case against her with the landlord.
I know my dad would say that Leena's finances are none of my business, but when she's walking in with a $300 pair of shoes and couldn't pay her half of the electric bill, I make it my business. Yes, I have a steadier income, but I'm done being taken advantage by her. Don't even get me started on all the drama she's started since I started dating Colin. Owing her an invitation to that damn party after she asked Colin about his penis nearly put me over the edge.
I've lost my train of thought when I hear moaning and a bed squeaking on the other side of the door. At this point, my rage has only boiled over on the party, and I bust through my door to find two people having sex in my bed.
"WHOEVER THE HELL YOU ARE, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY BED RIGHT NOW!"
Only one of the morons jumps naked out of my bed and leaves my room, but the other...ooooh the other.
Tara.
She just lays there, in MY bed, laughing at me.
"Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. Don't be such a virgin prude. Just because you're a sexless loser doesn't mean you can ruin the fun for the rest of us. Stop being a cunt-blocker."
Through her cackling, she grabs something off the nightstand and starts reading in the most annoying voice I've ever heard.
"Babe, I'm sorry about what happened today. I hope these will cheer you up, and I can't wait to see you in a few days.
I miss you, Colin."
She rips the little card into pieces and throws them all over the floor.
Her voice takes on a childlike edge. "Poor wittle Natalie, did you have bad day with the stupid animals? Don't worry, the flowers he sent have already been used as a barf bush."
My patience has officially snapped.
I'm done letting her put me down, especially since she still has yet to get out of my bed and put clothes on.
"Tara, you have until the count of three to get your fucking disease-ridden body out of my room and out of my h
ouse before I throw you out by your hair!"
Finally standing up and trying to stick her fake boobs in the air, she scoffs at my threat. "Honey, just because you've been fucking that sexy piece of ass football player, doesn't mean that you're better than me. Your scrawny, weak arms couldn't take me off this bed, much less out the door."
My adrenaline is pumping so fiercely that I throw my purse on the floor and charge at Tara. True to my word and by the surprised look on her face, I grab her by the fake extensions, then drag her naked ass through the house kicking and screaming. We get to the bottom of the landing where a mass of people are enjoying the party. A more respectful woman would have enough tact to cover herself, though no one seems to really care about Tara’s nudity since half of the guys here have probably seen her in the same position. I don't care how much sex she has just as long as she stays out of my bed and away from my life when she does it.
I'm still fuming as everyone turns to stare at the pure rage pouring from me. I haven't been this angry in a very long time.
The music has stopped, but I’m still screaming. "It was one thing to make fun of me at the bar in front of Colin. It was another thing when you used my phone and sent him naked pictures of yourself, but to have sex in my bed is beyond disgusting. You have no respect for yourself or anyone else, and I want you out of my fucking house NOW!"
Turning to the rest of the party, I shout, "You all have five minutes to get the fuck out of my house before I have you all arrested for trespassing!"
I can hear Leena's screeching voice through the pure rage pouring from me. "You have no right! This is my house too you bitch!"
Since only a few people have scattered out, I pull my phone out of my pocket and start dialing. Before I can even hit the send call button, blue and red lights flash through the front window. I'm still staring down at a dumbfounded Tara and a drunk, crying Leena as more chaos ensues.
Crazy Thing Called Life Page 12
