Chapter 34
Lou
For my eighth birthday—the first birthday when Linc was officially my dad—he took me on a special trip as a present. It was fun. We stopped for snacks and sang loudly the entire drive there.
We had walked into a shop with drawings all over the walls, a weird buzzing sound coming from everywhere.
“Hey, Linc, good to see you. I’ve got my section set up.”
“This is my tattoo shop,” Linc told me, and I couldn’t believe I was there. All my friends were going to be so jealous! He held my hand as we walked to the back of the shop, where the man had greeted us from.
“Hiya, my name is Beck. What’s your name?” he asked, and I was surprised. I looked at Dad, who nodded in support before I replied.
“I’m Lou,” I replied, and Beck reached his hands out. His tattoos were so big they went over his hands and down his fingers. I shook his hand hard, like Daddy Linc had taught me.
“So this is what I drew up. Let me know what you think.” He turned a tablet over to show Dad, who just smiled.
“Ask her. She gets final approval.” Beck handed me the tablet and studied the drawing. It was a giant stuffed teddy bear, in lime green. In big script letters, my name was written below it.
“You said they had to be important,” I replied—the first rule he ever taught me.
“You are. You are the most important thing to me, Lulubear,” he said, and I smiled.
My Dad didn’t flinch at all, just sat still the entire time, talking to me and Beck.
I watched with amazement as the bear started to appear on his arm, it looked so real.
The fluff was even matted on one side like my Greeny at home.
He got one for Mommy, too, but I like mine the best.
Taking me to the shop was a cool surprise, but this was gonna be so much better!
“Dad’s gonna FREAK out,” I told Mom and Auntie Quinn as they helped put the fake tattoos on my arm.
“Yeah, he will. I made Mimi promise to film his reaction,” Auntie Q replied.
She was so much fun. She took me out once a month for a “girls” day.
We got pedicures and drank orange juice out of fancy glasses.
She always let me stay up late, and loved Disney movies as much as I did. She was the coolest.
“Okay, so once we’re all done here. We’re gonna head downstairs for dinner like everything’s normal,” Mom said, and I rolled my eyes. She was such a worrywart. I’d helped Dad propose, and it was AMAZING. I totally had this covered.
As much fun as riding in the fire truck was, Linc becoming my daddy was definitely the best day.
The wedding was so much fun. I got to pick my dress, and it had pink and purple flowers all over it.
Linc took turns dancing with me and Mommy the whole night.
Daddy looks at Mommy in a way that makes me happy.
My first dad never looked at anyone that way, and he’s not my dad anymore anyway.
The last time I saw him was when I was six, and that was a long time ago.
I am almost nine now, so I know what I was talking about.
Some people thought it was weird that I called Linc Dad so quickly, but I didn’t care.
My Grandpa Ben said that being a parent means showing up in the good and bad times, and Linc was always there.
He even held my hair back when I got the stomach bug last month.
Then, he let me watch movies with him all day on the couch and let me drink ginger ale to help my tummy.
It totally did. I feel much better now, but when I found Mom throwing up a few days ago, I was scared. I thought I had gotten her sick, too.
“Oh, no! I’ll call Dad. And Mimi! We need soup!” I yelled when I found her. Mimi’s soup always made me feel better. Plus, Mimi always knew what to do. She was the smartest person in the world, besides Pops.
“No. No, it’s okay. You don’t need to call anyone Lulu,” Mom said, which was weird, but adults were weird. She flushed the toilet before standing up to use the sink. Mom never got sick.
“Do you think you ate something bad?” I asked, still worried. She shook her head as she brushed her teeth. When she was finished, she took my hand and led me into the bedroom. Mom always slept on the right side of the bed and Dad on the left, so he was closer to the door.
“Gotta protect my girls,” he’d said. I liked that. Mom was already climbing onto the bed, fluffing the pillows on her side before motioning for me to come lie next to her.
Their bed was the BEST. It was huge, they had to get the biggest size because Dad’s so tall. I dropped down next to Mom, snuggling into the fluffy comforter and the zillion pillows she always keeps on the bed but never sleeps with.
“Are you feeling more sick?” I asked, putting my hand to her forehead. She was being stubborn. I was pretty sure we should call Dad…
“I’m okay, baby girl. I just have something to tell you. And I’m a little nervous,” she said.
“Why? Is it bad? What did Dad say about it?” I asked. I hated when adults said things like that. They don’t ever give enough information.
“No, your Dad doesn’t know yet. I wanted to tell you first,” she said, and I got nervous.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, and she reached out to grab my hand. I hadn’t realized I was squeezing them together.
“We’re gonna have a baby,” she said as she put my hand on her belly.
“WHAT?” I yelled, staring at her flat tummy.
“There’s a baby? In there?” I asked, pointing to her, and she just nodded and laughed.
“That’s why I got sick. I don’t think your baby brother or sister liked what I had for breakfast.”
“I’m gonna be a big sister!” I yelled. This is so cool! I’ve always wanted siblings. My friend, Ella, had a little brother who did whatever she said, and she could dress her little sister, May, up whenever she wants. I was going to have SO much fun.
“Is it a boy or a girl? When will they get here? When are you gonna tell Dad?” I asked as I cuddled into Mom’s side. She stroked my hair, the motion reminding me of when I was little.
“It’s too early to know if it’s a boy or a girl. I want to tell your dad soon, but I want to surprise him. Do you think you can help me?”
“Yes! I’m so good at surprises!” I told her, not that she didn’t already know.
“Can you grab my laptop?” she asked, and I hopped off the bed. A baby! It was so exciting. Carrying the computer over to the bed carefully, I handed it to Mom before climbing back up.
Once I got comfy, Mom showed me a picture on her computer.
“You know those temporary tattoos Linc got you last year?” she asked. I nodded. They were so cool. The tattoos looked real, even though they came off after my bath.
“Are we getting more?” I asked, and she turned the screen to show me a picture. It was a heart with a swirly paper over it.
“It says Big Sister.” I screeched.
“Yep! I thought we could get a few of these and put them on your arm. Then, you can go down and show Dad and everyone else at Sunday dinner,” Mom said.
She was smiling and already looked better than when she was sick before.
Baby brother or sister needed to be nicer to Mommy, but I would teach them when they got here.
“What about you? You should get one too! On your belly!” See? Surprises are totally my thing.
“That’s a great idea! Anything else? I can get a few made, and they should get here by this weekend.” Together, we picked out a few for the surprise, as well as some other ones we liked just to have around, so I could try them on to see if they were important.
Now, my arms were covered in tattoos, with the Big Sister Heart right in the middle of my arm.
Auntie Quinn just finished the one on Mommy’s tummy.
It looked like a street sign, and it said something like “Baby on board”.
I didn’t think it was funny, but Auntie Quinn assured me it was a grown-up thing and she wouldn’t lie.
“Okay! I think we’re ready,” Mom said. I could tell she was nervous.
“Don’t be scared, Mommy. I’ll be with you, and as soon as Dad figures it out, he won’t let you go.” Dad was the best hugger. He was so big, he wrapped me up and held me tight, and he never got tired.
“You’re right, Lulu. Let’s do this!” Mom bent down and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
“Love you, baby girl.”
“Love you too. Now LET’S GO.” Adults always took forever to do things. Auntie Quinn went first, climbing down the stairs really fast.
“Where are the girls?” I heard Dad ask in his grumpy voice. I looked up at Mom, who was making the same face as me, and we laughed.
“Go ahead.” She told me when we got to the bottom step and I darted into the dining room.
“Look at what me and Mommy did!” I yelled, holding both my arms out so everyone could see. Mom walked in behind me, holding the bottom of her shirt.
“Wow! Those are awesome. Can I see them?” Dad asked. I turned to Mom, and I told her he would be the first one to ask to see them.
“This one’s my favorite!” I told him, pointing to the heart.
“Oh, yeah. Let me see…” He froze, his mouth dropping open. He looked funny, like a cartoon character, as he looked from my arm to Mommy.
“Mom! Show him yours!” I yelled. So slow! Mom’s cheeks got really pink as she lifted up her shirt so everyone could see that tattoo on her belly.
“Congratulations!”
“Oh my god!”
Everyone was yelling and getting up from their seats. Before they could reach us, Dad was swooping me up in his arms and carrying me over to Mom.
“We’re having a baby?” he asked, his eyes looking weird and wet.
“Yep. Due in July,” Mom told him, and he smiled big before kissing her.
“Hey!” I yelled as they smashed me between them. They pulled apart only to attack me, pressing kisses to my cheek and neck until it was ticklish and I was laughing so hard my belly hurt.
“I can’t wait to meet my little brother or sister!” I told them. I didn’t remember what else happened that night. I did remember the day I became a big sister, though.
Two boys. See? My twin brothers like surprises, just like me. This is going to be fun.