Chapter Fifteen
Meadow
" S urprise!"
The roar of people yelling as we walk into The Tavern has me stumbling back into Colton.
It's the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the place is packed. At Daphne's surprise wedding—yes, surprise wedding—we all thought it would be a great idea to have an epic Friendsgiving together. Maverick and Spencer graciously offered to cook and host it at The Tavern, but there are way more people here than I expected. I figured it would be my group and the Wilson sisters, but it looks like Ezra's sister is here, along with Brooks's brothers, which I don't even know how is possible with their current work schedules as professional athletes.
Colton's entire family is standing in the corner, and I'm realizing there are several more faces I recognize the more I look around. Scanning the room, I'm flabbergasted when I see my parents here. A few of the friends I grew up with on the commune are here, along with what looks like colleagues from Colton's school. I'm so confused as my parents rush towards us .
"W-what is going on, and why did everyone yell ‘surprise’ when we walked in?" I stammer as I look up at Colton.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Dow." His brows are pinched as he surveys our surroundings.
Brantley is striding across the room, looking pleased as punch, but it isn’t until I hear River’s giggle that I give my daughter, my best “spill the beans” mom look I can muster, which of course only makes her triumphant smile spread.
"What did you do, daughter?"
"I finally figured out what I wanted to do for your gender reveal. When I mentioned it to Brantley, he thought Thanksgiving would be the perfect opportunity since he knew we had Friendsgiving planned and a lot of people get this Friday off. We came up with a tentative plan, and when I shared it with Wren and Daphne, it grew into this." River gestures towards the room.
"So, this is our gender reveal?" Colton looks around, taking everyone in.
"Gender reveal, diaper party, and baby shower. I know how much Mom would hate everyone making a fuss over her for a baby shower, but I also know we need everything for the squirt, so I figured why not kill three birds with one stone. This way, you can share the limelight while everyone can be so excited about finding out the gender that they won't care if we do the typical shower stuff.
"Plus, I found some cool ideas online that I think you'll love. Instead of cards, everyone brought a book with a note for the baby, so there wouldn't be any waste, and they also brought the gifts unwrapped so that's not contaminating landfills and you don't have to unwrap everything in front of everyone. "
"Wow, Riv. I—"
"And before you start on the diapers, it's not a diaper party in the traditional sense. The commune folk, mainly, are covering that aspect since they’re the ones who know the ins and outs of the best practices for cloth diapering. Gigi and the crew covered most of it, but she told me which were good brands to put on your registry."
"Damn, River. I'm really impressed. Not that I'm surprised because this is absolutely something you're capable of. Just impressed with how you thought of everything and were able to pull it off, but even more so keep it a secret. Good job, kid."
River blushes under Colton's praise and shrinks into Brantley's embrace a little more.
My mama heart melts seeing my baby with her first boyfriend. She finally broke down the other night and told me that Brantley officially asked her out at homecoming, but she was too anxious and needed time to process before she told me. I was so excited for her and loved that she indulged my need to freak out a bit, and gush and talk boys. Of course, we followed it up with the safe-sex talk, but of course River is way more prepared and equipped to handle that situation than I ever was. She also promised to talk to me if and when she and Brantley decide to make their relationship more physical.
"So, what do we do first?" I turn to my daughter, who is trying to regain her composure after Colton's compliment.
"Go mingle. We aren't going to do any traditional games other than the baby game."
"The baby game?" Colt looks confused, which makes me smile.
"Here, Uncle Colt. Pin that on your shirt." Brantley hands him a baby bottle pin. "If you say ‘baby’ and someone hears you, they can steal your pin. If you hear someone else say it, you get to take their pin. The person with the most pins at the end of the evening wins a prize."
"That seems easy enough." He shrugs as he takes the pin and attaches it to his shirt.
"You'd be surprised," I tease. "How do you feel about meeting my parents and some of the people I grew up with?"
"I'd love nothing more. Lead the way."
The next hour is spent making our way around the room. At first, I feel uncomfortable as the center of attention and a little disappointed that we aren't having our Friendsgiving, but after getting to see some people from home that I haven't seen in years, my melancholy quickly fades. It's amazing how many people showed up to support us and celebrate this new life we're bringing into the world.
Colt handles meeting my parents better than I could have expected, but after the initial shock of how different they are, I'm reminded how brilliantly smart my parents are. They were both professors who ended up leaving academia to live a more holistic life. One where they had me later in life and embraced their journey of being older parents.
They might be different, but they don't lack intelligence, and easily fall into conversation with Colton and River about sustainable living, which makes me proud to be their daughter. When we introduce the two families, the acceptance and welcoming of each other’s differences let me know that we will have no issues raising this baby together with love and support.
Our friends are loud and rowdy, just the way I like them. We get a chance to sit down, and join them for food and drinks—beer for Colt and a delicious mocktail Mav whipped up for me. Our table is loud as hell as we talk over each other, tease, and have a genuinely good time, made even wilder by the baby game.
I'd like to say the men are the ones who have taken this game to the extreme, but Chayse, Wren, and Emerson are here, and they're just as competitive. Watching them gloat and brag when someone slips up and says the word, and they all fight over who caught it first, is extremely entertaining. They've been entertaining us for the last fifteen minutes when River and Brantley snag Colton and me to let us know it's time to reveal the gender of the baby.
"Everyone, if you could please quiet down and gather around the stage, I'd appreciate it." River calls over our rowdy crew from the small stage off to the side of the bar.
Everyone climbs from their seats and makes their way over to the area, waiting impatiently while River and Brantley set up a table, along with a chalkboard with a “girl vs. boy” tally count on it.
"So, we figured since Colt and Mom left this up to me, it was only fair to do something brainy for the reveal. Mom doesn't brag much about being brainy, but she can hold her own when Colt and I get going.
"Anyway, Brant and I have a little experiment for you today. What we have here is copper (II) chloride reacting with sodium hydroxide. Because sodium hydroxide has phenolphthalein added, the excess will result in a pink or blue color, depending on whether there is more copper (II) chloride or sodium hydroxide."
"Hey, punk. English please!" Wren hollers, making the crowd laugh and River roll her eyes.
"Fine, Wrenny. I'm going to pour this"—River holds up a beaker—"into this." She holds up another beaker. "Depending on which element is present will determine what color this beaker turns. Pink for a girl and blue for a boy."
"Oh, well, why the hell didn't you just say that in the first place?" Wren teases as River narrows her eyes at her.
"That's enough, little minx. Please proceed, River." Brooks smiles up at my girl.
"Thanks, Brooks. Okay, so it looks like the majority of the group thinks the squirt is going to be a boy. How about you and Colt?"
"I'm Team Girl," Colt proudly calls out.
"I'd have to agree with Colt."
"Did you do some weird hippie test that lets you know ahead of time? That's chea—" Wren's cut off as Brooks covers her mouth and throws her over his shoulder.
"Someone call us when they're done," he yells over his shoulder as he heads towards the bathrooms with a squirming Wren in his arms.
"Anyway…" Brantley tries to get the reveal back on track, and River exasperatedly laughs.
"You ready?" She looks at us.
Colton is standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my shoulders and his chin resting on my head. I nod as he says yes, and we both hold our breath.
River smiles sweetly at Brantley before they pour their liquids into the beaker. Pink swirls fill the glass as cheers erupt around the room.
"It's a girl!" River yells as I dissolve into tears and Colton spins me in his arms to kiss me.
"Thank you so much, Dow." He's breathless as he pulls away.
"For what?" I stare up into his glassy eyes .
"For making me the happiest man alive. For not only giving me this baby girl but sharing that amazing one up on that stage. Just … thank you so fucking much, baby." And then he kisses the bejesus out of me, right there in front of all of our family and friends, who cheer and whistle.
River races over to us, and Colton is quick to pull her into our arms. "That was perfect, Riv. Absolutely brilliant," he gushes.
"Thanks, Colt. Brantley and I talked about building a robot and coding it, but we thought it might be overkill. People like robots but not like we do. And I figured seeing the chemical reaction would be more aesthetically pleasing."
"It was perfect, Fawn."
The next few minutes are spent with everyone congratulating us, until my feet start aching and Colton guides me back to the table. Spencer, the goddess that she is, went all out on desserts. There are mini cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies, mini tarts, pastries, and even little hand pies. Colton piles a plate high for me while Daphne guides me over to the table full of gifts.
"We're not going to sit and make you go through everything, but there are a few special gifts that some of us wanted to give you if that's alright."
"Of course that's alright, Daph. We didn't expect any of this, so we are grateful for everything that's here, but especially for any that you deem special. If it's special to you, it will be special to us."
I let Daphne help me get settled, with my snacks and a drink, at the table nearest to the gifts while she grabs something off the stack. Wren is back and bitching up a storm, but quiets when she sees what Daphne is doing. She makes her way over to us along with River, the Wilson sisters, my mom, and a few friends from the commune.
"So, it's not quite finished yet, but that's because I wasn't sure of her name. Once you guys pick one out, I can add it." Daphne's cheeks flush as she holds a canvas close to her chest.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ezra wink at her, which makes her shoulders relax and her smile grow more confident. There's something different about Daphne since her wedding, and if I had my wish, it would be that I'm not the only one adding to our ragtag family.
"Anyway, here you go."
I gasp as Daphne turns the canvas around. It's a painting of the most whimsical meadow I've ever seen in my life. The way she painted the lighting has given it an ethereal feel, but that's not what has tears pooling in my eyes. In the middle of the meadow, standing tall amongst the wildflowers, is a beautiful horse.
"I know his name isn't actually Colt, but this is my take on the two of you. Meadow and Colt…" She trails off as she bites her lip.
Jumping from my chair, I pull Daphne into a crushing hug. She might be way taller than me, but that doesn't stop me from embracing her with all I've got.
"It's perfect, Daphne. Colt, come here," I holler and smile when he makes his way across the bar.
"What's up, Dow?" He shoots a look at my teary eyes then back at Daphne.
"Daphne just gave me the most magnificent painting, and I couldn't wait to show it to you." I turn it around.
His eyes widen, and one of his hands flies to his mouth while the other caresses the painting. "Holy shit, Daphne. This is stunning. "
"Thank you."
"Alright, enough of the mushy stuff. It's my turn." Wren hip-checks Daphne.
"Really, Wren?"
"Really. By the way, yay Team Girl!" she squeals as she does a little shimmy.
"So, my present isn't here, but I can show you a picture."
"Okay…" I hesitate. You never know what Wren can get up to.
Pulling out her phone, Wren flips it around and shows me a wall with a beautiful mural on it. After looking more closely, I gasp when I realize it's the spare room in my house.
"What? Wh— How did you do this?"
"River helped get it cleared out so Brooks and I could go paint. The walls have a neutral gray, and I started the mural yesterday. Good thing our girl is good with a paint brush and this one was willing to pitch in." Wren points to Daphne. "I couldn't have gotten this far without their help. I still have a ways to go, but I think it looks pretty fucking good so far."
"It looks amazing, Wren," I gush.
"I'm baffled that you got all that done in basically a day." Colt's eyes flit from the phone to Wren.
"I can't wait to finish it up for you."
The next hour is spent with my closest family and friends sharing their thoughtful gifts and tips with Colton and me. I never could have imagined having a shower like this, but it is absolutely perfect. Looking at the tables filled with baby supplies, I know that we will want for nothing for our little nugget. Not only do we have the essentials, but we've also been gifted some pretty amazing one-of-a-kind gifts, like the hand-crafted crib that Cash and Reid built us, the quilt from Spencer, and so many amazing clothes from my family and friends from the commune.
It's a good thing Colton drove today, and that Ezra and Brooks don't mind helping us get everything home, because we'd never be able to make it in one trip in my little electric car. Once we get everything crammed into her room and I finally stop crying after looking at her mural, Colt guides me to the couch, where we spend the rest of the evening.
"How did we get so lucky?" I muse.
"I have no idea, but I am so unbelievably thankful every day for the life I get to share with you and River, and the new life we created. I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else, Meadow. I love you so fucking much."
"I love you too, Colt."
Curled up on the couch with Colt, I truly am grateful to the goddess above for sending me this man. This pregnancy could've been a completely different story had he not been the amazing man that he is, and I am beyond relieved to have him by my side.
I can't wait to talk to River about having him move in with us. I know it might seem soon, but we are having a baby together, and I don't want him anywhere but here with us. He's an integral part of our family now, and I know she misses him about as much as I do when he's not here. Hopefully, he's ready for this next step because I know having him here with us is exactly what my little family needs.