39. EVERLEE – SERIOUS BUSINESS
EVERLEE – SERIOUS BUSINESS
“Knox! If you can’t use that scanner responsibly, I’m going to take it away from you!” Jax scolds with a hint of amusement in his tone and a playful glimmer in his eyes.
We’ve been in the bottle section for thirty minutes now, and before that, we were in the crib section. Wyatt offered to build our beds so they match the changing tables, but he asked we take pictures of styles we like.
“There are so many options,” Knox whines. “A few of the mom groups I’m on talk about these two.” He holds up a tall bottle and short bottle and looks between them.
“Which do you like?” Jax asks, unamused.
“Well, it’s hard to say. They both have different benefits in terms of gassiness and grip,” Knox continues.
“I was asking Ev.” Jax corrects.
“Oh, right.”
“I was planning on nursing.” I shrug, not offering anything else.
Both guys say, “It’s nice to have a backup.”
Knox nods towards Jax to finish. “In case we need to supplement or give you a break.”
“Or your boobs.”
Knox grabs Jax’s bicep like he just had the best idea. “I’ve seen those bras that men can wear the simulate breast feeding.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Language!” I slap his arm. “We’re in a baby store.”
“Babies can’t talk, plus I’ve been monitoring my surroundings. There isn’t anyone near us.”
Knox’s eyebrows perk up. “You’re really going to have to watch that mouth after we have the kids. They pick up on everything.”
“You’ll need to say less dumb sh-stuff.”
Knox quirks his brows and his lips with a sassy look, then scans both the bottles and sets them back on the shelf. “It’s best to try them and see which one our kids like best.” He scans them both.
“Next section, carriers, sheets, then strollers!” Knox points into the air like a safari guide on a mission.
“Lord help me.”
Hooking my arm into Jax’s, I look up at him and smile. “You love this even if you’re pretending you hate it.”
“I love you .” He boops the end of my nose.
Knox runs back over to us with a carrier hanging around his neck and one in each hand. “So I’ve narrowed it down to these three.”
“How?” Jax asks, astonished.
“Well, by color, texture, clasps, total weight limit. These three have highest marks, but I will say, the one around my neck feels like it has more padding.”
“No,” Jax shakes his head, amused. “How did you narrow them down so quickly?”
“Oh. Right. Research online, obviously. While you’ve been researching strollers.” Knox points at Jax. “Don’t pretend you haven’t been, because I saw your search history.”
Jax starts to yell at Knox, but Knox continues and I slip my hand in Jax’s and squeeze.
“I’ve been researching carriers. I was satisfied with your level of commitment in finding a stroller.” Knox turns to me. “Do you want to try these on? See which you like better?”
“Nope. I’ve got four men. If we’re out in public, my goal is to have you all carry them and save my back.”
“So I can break it later?” Knox thrusts into his hand as a woman with a stroller walks by giving him a snooty glance.
He calls after her. “I was checking the flap and the swing.” He thrusts his hips again, this time without the hand, while Jax and I laugh.
“Bro, you can’t save that. Don’t even try.”
“Shut it and just try these on,” Knox huffs, handing Jax a carrier. “We can carry Knox Jr. in this with some sunglasses on.”
“While you wear your man purse?”
“Why do you have to pretend to be so macho? You’re going to regret not having one of these fashionable and handy accessories when you’re taking our kids for a walk.”
“They’re not dogs, Knox.”
Knox jumps on Jax’s side, giving him a koala hug. “I know that, Jaxie poo.” Then jumps off just as fast.
“Remind me why I thought it was a good idea to come here with you.”
Thirty minutes later, the guys are in the stroller section testing out all sorts of features on several strollers while I take a seat in the rocker section and stare at sheets on the wall. I told them I was testing out rockers, but truth is, I’m just tired and want to sit down. Plus, I know they’re going to be in the stroller section for a while. On the way to the store, they were rattling off a list of must have features. They bicker quite a bit, but underneath it all, they have a connection unlike anything I’ve seen. The way they move, the way they think, everything, is in perfect synchronicity. I swear Knox knows what to say and do, to drive him up a wall because he knows him so well.
After an hour passes and I’ve almost fallen asleep twice, I decide it’s time to head over to find the boys and see how much longer we’re going to be. I quickly scan a set of olive-green sheets, some gray ones, and some woodland animal sheets. The foxes and deer are too cute. Also, little cloth play tents in the room with oversized stuffies just makes me melt.
On the way over to the guys, there’s a tiny display full of soft fuzzy blankets and there’s a light gray one with a cream-colored sherpa interior that feels like clouds. I add a few to the registry, smiling, knowing that I’m going directly against Knox’s orders. He was very adamant about not registering for blankets, but it won’t hurt if we have several of these.
The store is one enormous square with a track that goes around to each section. When I turn the last corner to get to the stroller section, I find a small group of women huddled around and laughing. As I get closer, I realize Jax is at the center of the women with several strollers lined up and Knox is walking up with a carrier strapped to his chest with a human child sitting in it.
“What’s going on?” I ask, face twisted and confused.
“We’ve narrowed it down to these three,” Jax says with an abnormally perky voice, as he studies one that looks more like a wagon than a stroller.
“Oh, hey babe!” Knox says, coming to a stop with a car seat in his hand.
I give my leg a small pinch, hard enough to feel it, but not enough to be noticeable. Nope, I’m not sleeping.
“Allison’s been crying all day and Tabby here, needed a break and I needed to see what I thought about this carrier and I have to tell you. I really like it. Jax said he’ll let me pick.”
My eyes grow wider with every word he says until they are burning from the lack of moisture.
The woman, who I presume is Tabby, waves meekly. “Hi. Sorry I borrowed your friend. He just seemed really excited to help, and he had kind eyes.”
Knox shimmies a shoulder and taps Jax.
“Yes, I heard her. She just clearly doesn’t know you.”
“You kid. He kids,” Knox says quickly, looking at Tabby, then his voice gets higher and he bounces a little. “Isn’t he so funny, Allison? Funny looking.”
Allison balls her fist up with a smile and hops up and down in the carrier and kicks her legs.
“She thinks so.” Knox smiles and Jax just cuts his eyes at him, but doesn’t say anything.
“Did you find a rocker?” Jax asks, standing up from looking at the wheels of the stroller.
“I did, but I’ll let you test them out.” He probably knows I’m lying. I didn’t try any, except the one I was sitting in, which wasn’t bad. I mean, I sat in it for a while and almost fell asleep, so I guess there’s something to be said about that.
Jax lets out a low hum, then turns to Knox, who is handing Allison back to her mom. “I like this one. Several of these women have the same one and agree.”
The women chime in, nodding and calling out distinct features they like, mostly centered on the one hand release and weight.
Knox walks over, squats down, and studies the wheels- I don’t understand their fascination with the wheels, then grabs the handle bar and bounces it a few times. “Nice suspension.”
“Are you planning on taking them off-roading?” I laugh, reflexively grabbing my stomach while it jiggles, and suddenly feel like Santa.
Knox sees and his lips purse into a smile, before his eyes flick to our audience, so he doesn’t speak. I can only smile, knowing that whatever he was going to say was going to be inappropriate and sexy. My stomach clenches at all the possibilities. I don’t know if it’s the hormones or what, but I have been H-O-R-N-Y the last couple of weeks like amped up levels, which is saying a lot.
Someone taps me on my shoulder, and when I look around, it’s one of the women. She has a nervous smile twitching on her lips then whispers, “I think it’s so great what you’re doing for these men. Being a surrogate has to be so hard.”
“Oh… I’m… not.”
Her brows twists.
“Yeah, she’s our wife,” Knox calls over his shoulder like it’s no big deal that I’m married to more than one guy. He lifts the stroller, sets it down, then pushes and pulls it, flips both canopies closed, then stands up and lifts the release handle and it collapses in half. “Yeah. I like this one too.”
“Married to both.” The woman’s eyes grow large.
Another woman behind her mouths, ‘Wow’, more surprised than judgmental.
“You must have your hands full.”
“You have no idea.” Pretty sure their heads would explode if they knew there were four of them, so I just keep that to myself.
“Do you want to get it now or add it to the registry?” I turn around and ask.
Knox looks wide eyed and hopeful at Jax.
“Do you want to get it now?” Jax asks.
“Yes!” Knox explodes.
“I wasn’t asking you,” he chuckles. “Ev?”
Knox clasps his hands under his chin and sticks his bottom lip out. “Sure.”
“Yes!” Knox thrusts his hands in the air and gives me a big hug.
“I’m going to fuck you from behind while we look at the stroller,” he whispers.
An abnormally loud laugh bursts from my lips, then I realize I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not, so then I laugh at that. And before I know it, I can’t stop laughing and tears are streaming from my eyes.
“Oh, that happened to my girlfriend. We called it her prego giggles. She laughed all the time, and it was like once she started, it wouldn’t stop for at least ten minutes. It was hilarious. People would just start making up things to say, calling out vegetable names or brands of cars and she would lose it.”
“Carrot!” Knox shouts and I continue laughing and I have no idea why. I don’t know if it’s because the entire thing seems funny or because he looked so excited when he said it.
“Are you ready to go, giggles?” Jax walks over, slipping his hand around my waist, and presses his lips to my head.
“Yes. Can we do an early dinner? I’m starving.”
“Of course. Where do you want to go?”
As I give a shy smile, my fingertips graze my lips, eliciting a playful eye roll from Jax. “Bo’s for French onion soup?”
“Yes.”
“Oh my gosh. I’ve been trying to get in there for months,” Tabby says, shifting Allison in her arms.
Knox’s ears perk up and he slides to stand in front of her. “Next time you call, tell them you’re a friend of Knox Fisher and they’ll get you a table.”
“What? No. You’re serious?”
“As I am about these strollers.”
Jax puffs out a breath.
“We know the owner. He’s a close friend.”
“You’re serious.”
“Yes. I thought the stroller comment would clear that up.” Knox laughs, intertwining his fingers in mine. “Don’t forget Knox Fisher.”
“I won’t. Thank you so much. I seriously can’t tell you how much this means. My day has just been one thing after another and Allison’s teething, so she’s been crying all day… and now…” she shakes her head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Bye Allison.” Knox waves and Allison giggles.
“She seems to be laughing at you, so who’s the funny looking one now,” Jax mutters under his breath.