23. Chandler
23
CHANDLER
During Sophia’s last week of school, Tanya and I focus on packing, cleaning, and getting the cabin set for us to stay in the city for the summer. Kayla will be checking in on it for us while we are away, but being in Willow Creek, I doubt we will even need that; it does give Tanya some peace of mind since we won’t be traveling back here very often. I have to admit, though, that it’s been nice staying in Willow Creek the past few months.
We spent Sophia’s ninth birthday in Willow Creek, since it was in March and she was still in school, but once we are in the city, I have a day planned for her and me to spend the day together, just the two of us, and celebrate all of her first eight years that I missed out on. On her actual birthday, we had a party for her at the cabin with all her friends. It was an interesting experience for me. Tanya handled it like a pro, but we were both exhausted by the end of the day.
Finally living with them full time opened my eyes to a lot of different things, and I would always be in awe of Tanya and her strength. It’s our last night in the cabin before we move to the city, and Sophia is staying the night with one of her friends while Tanya and I finish up packing. Tanya is sitting in the living room while I bring her the last of Sophia’s things that need to be packed. She’s been on her feet all day, and I’ve just convinced her to rest. She’s eight months pregnant, and I’m trying to keep her off her feet as much as possible, but she’s the most independent, stubborn woman I have ever met, and it’s difficult.
“Alright, these are the last of her stuffies that she demanded go with us.”
I drop the five stuffed animals that Sophia just can’t live without on top of Tanya, and she laughs.
“Our girl loves her stuffies.”
I get distracted staring down at her, her face bright and happy, and she raises an eyebrow at me.
“What are you staring at?”
I don’t even think about the words that come out of my mouth.
“My gorgeous pregnant wife.”
Her eyes widen, and it takes me a moment to realize what I said.
“I didn’t mean for that to come out, but I think I like it.”
I lean down and place my hands on the arms of the chair that she’s sitting in and bring my face close to hers.
“Wife.”
She blushes and shoves me.
“I’m not your wife yet, buddy.”
I shrug. “Soon enough.”
We smile at each other, and I get lost in her emerald green eyes again.
“Don’t give me that look; we have to finish packing, and I am way too pregnant for us to even think about it.”
I laugh and kiss her temple before turning and sitting on the couch next to her chair.
“Alright, alright.”
We finish getting everything packed away, and then she sits back and watches me walk in and out as I pack everything in the car so it’s ready for us to leave in the morning. I plop down on the couch again after I’m done, and she gets up to join me, sitting so she pressed into my side.
“Thank you for doing all the heavy lifting.”
I smile and rest my head against her chest, my hand going to her stomach.
“You’ve been doing all the heavy lifting for the past eight months; it’s the least I can do.”
I feel a thump under my hand and laugh.
“See? Our son agrees.”
I know without looking that Tanya rolls her eyes.
“I swear, we are going to have a girl just because of the simple fact that you refuse to admit there’s a chance.”
I don’t know what it is, but I know we’re going to have a boy. Since she told me she was pregnant, I’ve felt it deep in my gut.
“You know I wouldn’t care either way, right? I mean, another sweet little girl as perfect as Sophia isn’t going to be a bad thing.”
She chuckles and starts running her fingers through my hair.
“I know. I don’t mind either. I just want another healthy one, and to be completely honest, he or she just needs to get here already, I’m exhausted.”
I lower my head to her stomach and talk to our baby.
“Go easy on your momma, baby boy. She needs all her strength for when you get here.”
The closer her due date gets, the more worried I get. I know she’s been through this before and women have babies every day, but I’m still worried about her having to deal with the pain. This will be my first time involved in a birth, and I’m a nervous wreck. She’s tried talking me through it, but just the thought that she’s going to hurt stresses me out.
“Let’s go to bed, we’ve got to get up early to pick up our girl before we hit the road.”
I stand and help Tanya up off the couch, the both of us laughing at how much effort it takes her. She waits for me at the bottom of the stairs while I check and make sure the house it locked up, a routine that she has told me repeatedly is not needed, and then I follow her up the stairs and to our room.
We’ve become a well-oiled machine when it comes to our nightly routine. We take turns in the bathroom and then pull down the covers of the bed and climb in together. I help her get comfortable with her pregnancy pillow and then pull her in as close as I can get her. Her belly and our son pressed in against my stomach.
“I love being pregnant, but the last couple of months are hard.”
I try to stifle my chuckle, but she still hears me and hits me in the chest.
“It’s not funny.” I can hear the laughter in her voice.
“I’m sorry, baby; I didn’t mean to laugh. He’ll be here soon enough. We just need you to hold on for another month.”
She groans.
“It will be over before you know it, and then we’ll be able to hold our boy in our arms.”
She sighs and settles into my arms. It doesn’t take long for her to drift off to sleep, lately she has been so tired that she falls asleep almost as soon as her head hits the pillow. I watch her sleep for a little while, feeling our boy moving around in his momma’s belly.
“You have the best mommy in the world, baby boy.”
I rub her stomach and softly kiss her head before moving into a more comfortable position and drifting to sleep myself.
We make it to the city and the apartment with just enough time to have Steven help me unpack our things and bring everything upstairs before the end of his work day. He’s got a smile on his face the entire time, and I can’t keep one off my own lips. Sophia immediately gets all her stuffies, the ones we brought today and the ones that have been staying in my office and brings them to her room.
I make Tanya sit and put her feet up after such a long drive. She starts to argue but then thinks better of it and sits down.
“At least bring me something to unpack.”
The woman does not know how to relax.
I bring her one of Sophia’s bags and then get Sophia from her room to help her while I put everything into the room that they belong in. It takes us about an hour to get everything settled, and something about the moment, something so simple, makes me feel like we are really a family for the first time.
I order us pizza for dinner and Lisa takes my card to pay for it while I gather plates and cups to bring to the living room so Tanya doesn’t have to move.
“Soph! Come in here and grab these!”
I hear her feet running through the apartment, and she comes skidding into the room.
“Walk these to the coffee table and come back for the cups.”
She nods and takes the plates, and I search the fridge for drinks. Lisa comes in with the pizza and sets it on the counter.
“There is apple juice for the little one in the door, decaf tea for Tanya in the back, and beer for you in the wine cooler.”
I don’t know what I would do without Lisa.
I smile at her and open the pizza.
“Are you going to join us? You are more than welcome to.”
She gives me a motherly smile and pats me on the arm.
“Not tonight. You enjoy your first night officially together in the apartment before the baby comes.”
She gathers her things and says goodbye to the girls before heading out for the night. I bring the pizza into the living room, and Sophia is already searching for something for us to watch while we eat. Tanya smiles at me as I take a seat on the floor in front of where she’s reclined on the couch and reaches over to run her fingers through my hair. She looks so beautiful right now. I watch as she rubs her stomach and talks Sophia through how to find certain movie, and even though she looks tired, I can’t keep my eyes off of her.
Sophia finally gets the movie she wants started and comes over to sit in my lap while we all eat out pizza and watch the movie. I’m exhausted and need a shower, but this has been one of the best days for me.
All my favorite times have been with these two doing the most mundane, simple tasks. I almost want to let Sophia stay up as late as she wants tonight, but by the third yawn I know that’s not going to happen. She snuggles further into my chest, and I see her eyes start to droop. I rub her back until she falls asleep and then look over to Tanya, whispering so I don’t wake Soph.
“Is it always going to be like this?”
“What?”
I pointed look down at Sophia.
“Is the love that I feel for her always going to be this consuming?”
She smiles at me and rubs a wide circle around her stomach.
“Just wait till this one gets here. It’s going to be twice as bad.”
We both laugh quietly, and I turn back to stare down at my daughter, sleeping peacefully in my arms. It’s still a wonder to me that I have a daughter. She’s a perfect mix of her mother and me, and every day I see how she’s becoming more and more her own little person. I have so much fear and excitement for the years to come with both her and the baby.
I have so much I want to teach them both, and I just pray that I can do as good a job as my parents did. I hear a clicking sound and turn to see Tanya holding her phone out to take a picture of us.
She snorts at the fact that she got caught.
“Send it to me.”
She nods, and I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.
“I think I should take her to bed.”
I don’t move, and she snickers.
“If you want to put her to bed, you will actually have to move.”
I shush her.
“I’m comfortable and I don’t want this to end.” Even I can hear the petulant tone to my voice, and when I turn to look at Tanya, she has her mouth covered, trying to hide her laughter.
I turn Sophia gently so that I can stand more easily, and once I’m on my feet and steady, I lean down so Tanya can kiss her head.
“Goodnight, baby girl.”
I stand back up and take her to her room, tucking her into her bed and watching as she turns to her side and snuggles into one of her many, many stuffies.
I still don’t know how this is my life. I don’t know what lead me here or why I got to have everything, but I’m never going to give this up. I smooth her hair from her face, kiss her temple and make my way back to her mother.
“Did she stay asleep?”
I nod and lift her feet to place them into my lap and shift so that I can face her, resting my arm on the back of the couch.
“How did we get so lucky that this is our life?”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing lately. We really lucked out, huh?”
I lean over and kiss her.
“We did; are you ready to go to bed?”
She shakes her head no. “I want to watch another movie and snuggle with you.”
I grab the remote off the table, and we both shift around until she can lean back against my chest and I can wrap my arm around her. For the first night of the summer, I’d say we had a good day. I think the weekends they spent here, even in the other apartment, helped get Sophia comfortable here, and if today was any indication, it was going to be a good summer.
We’re halfway through a second movie, and Tanya has not been able to sit still.
“You okay, baby?”
She huffs and tries to move into a more comfortable position.
“I don’t know. I just can’t get comfortable all of a sudden.”
When she can’t move anymore, she huffs again and flops back against the cushions. I sit up and look her over. Her face is flushed, and she looks like she’s in pain.
“What’s hurting?”
She puts her hands on the seats on either side of her and pushes herself up some.
“My back is tight, and my hips are killing me.”
“Do you want to move to the bed? Maybe laying down will help ease some of the tightness.”
She thinks for a moment, and then nods her head. I stand and help her up from the couch. She groans as she stands, and I wait to let her go until I know she’s steady on her feet.
“You okay?” She nods and tries to stretch out her back.
“Wait here for a second while I go make sure the bed is all ready for you to get in, okay?”
She nods again, her face contorted in pain. I kiss her forehead and rush off to the bedroom. The first thing I do is pull back the covers and position the pillows so that she can lean back against them when she gets in the bed. On my way back to Tanya, I turn down the AC and take a quick look in on Sophia. She’s still sleeping peacefully, now spread out across her bed.
I quietly close her door again and continue back to Tanya. I turn the corner of the hall to the living room, and she’s standing between the couch and the island in the kitchen with a look of panic on her face, staring down at her feet where a puddle of water is.
“Tanya?”
Her eyes dart up to mine.
“My water just broke.”
We stare at each other for a minute before her words finally click in my head and I run to her side.
“Shit. Okay, well, we need to get to the hospital then. Um, right. Uh, here, sit here.”
I drag one of the table chairs over and help her ease into it. Once she’s sitting, I run to our room and grab the baby bag that we just finished packing last night before coming here.
Bag, keys, phone, Sophia. Bag, keys, phone, Sophia.
I repeat the list of everything we need, including our daughter. I have the bag and my phone, now I just need to grab Sophia and find my keys. I dig my phone out of my pocket as I make my way to Sophia’s room and pull up Steven’s number. He answers after two rings.
“Sir? Is everything okay?”
I don’t blame him for sounding worried. I don’t think I have ever called him after hours.
“Tanya’s water just broke, and I need you to drive us to the hospital. I have Sophia here, and I don’t want to leave her alone. I also need you to call Lisa and tell her to inform everyone that needs to be, she already has a list of people.”
I can hear his keys jingling through the phone.
“I’m on my way. I’ll call her from the car.”
We hang up without saying anything else, and I slowly open Sophia’s door and walk to her side. I kneel by her bed and softly stroke her hair.
“Hey, baby girl. You’ve got to wake up.”
She doesn’t even move, so I raise my voice some.
“Sophia, sweetheart. It’s time to get up.”
I shake her shoulder, and she grumbles before sitting up, rubbing her eyes.
“Why, Daddy? There’s no school.”
I chuckle at how cute she looks and wait for her to look at me.
“It’s time for Mommy to have your baby brother.”
Her eyes widen and she’s wide awake in an instant.
“Really?!”
I stand and hold my arms out to pick her up. She stands quickly and jumps into my arms.
“Really. Mr. Steven is on his way here to drive us to the hospital, and we have to help Mommy get downstairs so when he gets here, we can get in the car; can you do that with me?”
Her sweet little face is serious as she nods.
“Good girl.”
I walk us into the main area where Tanya is sitting and set Sophia down so she can go to her mommy. She rushes to Tanya’s side while I look for the keys, and Tanya smooths her hair out of her face.
“Are you ready to be a big sister?”
Sophia nods, and I can tell that she’s starting to get scared.
“Everything is okay. Mommy is going to be okay; Daddy is going to get us to the hospital, and he and I are going to go to a room that you can’t come with, okay? Grandma and Pop Pops will be there, and they are going to stay with you, okay?”
Sophia nods again and looks a little better.
“Alright, ladies. It’s time to move, come on. Sophia, will you carry the bag, please, and go put on your shoes.”
She does as told while I help Tanya stand. Once she’s up and checks that Sophia isn’t paying attention, she faces me and whispers to me.
“The contractions are getting stronger, and I don’t want to scare her anymore. Once we get into the car get her tablet and headphones out and play a movie for her, please.”
I nod and guide her to the door.
“I already have them ready, and the tablet is fully charged.”
She smiles weakly, and we make our way to the front door. The whole way out of the apartment and down the elevator I’m a nervous wreck. I hide it so neither of my girls see it and get scared, but inside I’m the one that’s scared.
“Hey.”
Tanya’s soft voice pulls me out of my head, and I turn to face her as we wait for the elevator to reach the garage.
“Everything is going to be okay.”
I laugh, realizing that I’m not hiding my fear as well as I thought.
“I know; I love you.”
I rest my head on hers and she cups my cheek.
“I love you too; are you ready to meet your son?”