37. EVERLEE - CONFETTI
EVERLEE - CONFETTI
My heart feels like it’s going to pound a hole out of my chest and my stomach has twisted so much I feel like I’m about to puke. All our friends and family are standing around us with Low, Lizzy and Betty in the front row, hands clasped in a chain. I don’t think Low was going to grab anyone’s hand, but Lizzy made her because she’s just too excited.
My fingers wrap around the string, holding the large black balloon in place with pink and blue ribbon tied to the bottom.
“I can’t wait to see what we’re having!” Mom squeals, grabbing Beckett and Will’s hand. She smooshed herself between them, claiming she’s so excited her old woman legs may give out and she may need them to hold her up.
Callum steps forward. “We just wanted to thank you all for being here today with us. If you would have told us several years ago, we’d be standing at Knox’s father's lake house hosting a gender reveal party, we would have laughed at you. But this woman here. She is our life. She’s changed our lives for the better and we can’t wait to experience this next chapter.”
“Here, here!” Mom says, thrusting her fist into the air before clapping.
My eyes dart between Lizzy and mom, my excitement nearly boiling over.
“Does anyone want to share their guesses?” Knox asks.
“Girl!” Lizzy yells.
“Girl!” Mom yells.
“Boy! I mean, look at those men. They’re a lot of beefcakes!” Betty shimmies her shoulders.
“Becks?” Knox asks.
“I have no idea.”
“No fun!” Lizzy pulls her hand out of Lows and swats Beckett on the shoulder, then promptly sticks her hand back inside of Lows. Tony is standing behind her and wraps his arms around her waist and whispers something in her ear, causing her to grin.
“Are we going to do this?” Jax asks, playing the part of mildly irritated. He’s not. This is all part of the plan, but he plays the part so well.
“Yes!” I squeal. Please let’s do this, so everyone knows. I feel like a volcano ready to explode.
All the men grab the string of the balloon and we start counting down from ten. The crowd joins in around six.
When we get to three, Knox yells. “Wait. Wait. Wait. I forgot the scissors. I’ll be right back.” He runs into the house.
“Knox!” Jax yells and the crowd laughs.
“I had a pocket knife he could use,” Low says.
Knox runs out a minute later, carrying another large black balloon and Lizzy, of course, is the first to see. “Noooo!” she screams and starts jumping up and down.
Mom chimes in next. “No. Seriously.” Her hand clamps over her mouth. “Really? You aren’t teasing me, are you? I know how you are, Ev.”
Tears are trickling down my cheek as all the emotions from the day boil over.
“You’re serious?” Beckett laughs and I simply nod.
“Oh my God!” Mom yells out, then grabs dad’s arm. “Can you believe it? Two!”
“See. Good things come to those who wait.” He laughs.
“You stop it! Oh, my gosh!” She squeals again.
“You didn’t tell me!” Lizzy exclaims.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
Her eyes narrow at me before she winks and grabs Betty’s and Low’s hands again. “Carry on,” she huffs playfully.
“Ready?” I ask and the guys pull a knife out of their back pocket and I grip the scissors in my hand.
“Yes!” Mom and Lizzy both yell, then look at each other and laugh.
Knox, Emmett, and Callum have one balloon, while Jax and I have the other.
“One… two… three!”
We all stab the balloons and they let out a pop-pop, less than a second apart. Pink and blue confetti rain down on us and mom and Lizzy scream.
“One of each! Can you believe it?” Mom bursts out, then runs over to me and cups my cheeks. “Oh Everlee. I’m so excited.” She pulls me into a hug, then pushes me away. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.”
“We’ve only known for a couple of days. They missed one on the first ultrasound.”
“Two. Twins.” Mom sighs, then moves to each of the guys to give them a hug. “Congratulations. I’d say you’ll have your hands full, but you got enough hands. I’m still planning on coming up here to stay for a week or two after they’re born. Does this change your due date?”
“No, but it’s likely I won’t go to full term.”
Beckett walks over and gives me a hug. “So, you’re saying there’s a chance we’re going to have New Year's babies?”
“Oh.” I hadn’t thought about that. Shit. That would put them roughly two weeks early, which I feel is right in that sweet spot. Oh, the publicity.
As if sensing my worry, Jax rubs his hand up and down my back. “They will come when they come. No sense worrying about it right now.” His head tilts down when he catches me looking at him.
“Well, shoot,” Mom blurts.
“What’s wrong?”
“I made you a baby blanket, but now I’m one short.” Dad hands her the gift bag he’s been carrying around, then she passes it to me.
Sitting it on the ground, I bend over and pull out the blanket. It’s mint green and super soft, with polka dot panels and zig-zag patterns sewn throughout. “I love it, Mom, thank you. They can use this for their tummy time.”
“How do you know about tummy time?”
“Knox reads to me and the babies every night about what to expect.”
“Oh, that Knoxxy.”
“That Knox is just an angel,” Knox says in a high pitch, poking his head into the conversation, resting his chin on my shoulder.
Wyatt walks over a minute later. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Knox and I say.
“Who wants some cake?” Emmett asks.
“Wait!” Lizzy blurts.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Tones and I got you a gift, too. Well, kind of. Not really.”
“That’s super clear.” Jax chuckles.
“You shush.” Lizzy bats her hand.
Tony hands her the bag, and she reaches in and pulls out two over-sized onesies that say big brother.
“What?” Callum asks, walking over.
“For Woodford and Blanton.”
“You bought our dogs clothes?” Jax chimes.
“Don’t pretend like they don’t wear clothes. If you recall, they had bowties at my wedding.”
“Bowtie is a lot different from a onesie.”
“Well, they’ve worn other stuff.”
“No, they haven’t.” Jax’s tone lacks confidence. “Knox.”
“What?” he asks over his shoulder from where he’s talking to Beckett and Will.
“Have you been dressing up our dogs and taking pictures?”
Knox’s eyes grow wide. “What? No. That’s crazy. Why would you ask me something like that?”
“You little shit. If I find out, you’ve been posing them in my room!”
“Why would you say such a thing?” Knox turns back to Beckett and Will, who both start laughing.
“That little shit,” Jax mumbles under his breath.
“Well, then.” Lizzy claps. “Let’s go get some cake. Woodford. Blanton. Come here, boys.”
“Don’t you do it.” Jax's tone carries the weight of an idle threat, lacking any true conviction.
When we get inside, Wyatt is standing next to something that has a sheet draped over it with a bow.
“What is this?” Knox asks.
“It’s my gift to you. Sorry, the wrapping isn’t any better.” He laughs awkwardly, looking around at the others.
“It’s perfect.”
He smiles. “Do you want to take the sheet off?”
I nod towards Knox, but he shakes his head. “You.”
“Do it with me?”
“Anytime,” he whispers, pumping his eyebrows.
A few people near us laugh when I playfully smack him in the chest.
“What? It’s the truth.”
“Knox!”
We each grab the sheet and count to three and pull.
There is a collective gasp from everyone as we all stare at the beautifully carved piece of furniture.
“It’s a changing table.” Wyatt runs over excitedly and pulls out a hidden shelf. “You can pull this out to put your diapers and wipes and stuff on and this here,” he opens a door. “Is a built-in trash can. And then you have drawers and such down here. It will convert to a dresser as they get older, but now I guess I need to make another one.” He laughs.
“This is beautiful Wyatt,” I say, running my hand over the smooth wood finish. “The feel, the stain, the grain. It is breathtaking.”
Tears trickle down my cheek as I continue to rub my hand over it. This just makes it feel even more real. Our babies will be here in the coming months.
Our babies.