Chapter 23 #2
I follow behind and am in awe at the transformation.
Maybe we do need a bigger house. Josie and Katelyn have set up enough banquet tables to fit everyone, and by everyone I mean the Jameses, including Quinn and Justine, the Ashfords, including Talisa, the Millers, and the Westburys.
There are five highchairs strategically placed near where the grandparents are sitting, which means I’m about to get mashed potatoes in my ears, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s Jace, Juniper and Maverick’s first birthday. There’s a bouncy house out back, a man with three ponies, and an ice cream truck. All for one-year-olds and their friends from their playgroup.
The house smells like cake. Katelyn is frosting three cakes, while Josie works on one. I start to dip my finger in the bowl and get slapped, along with a stern look.
“Don’t push my buttons today, Westbury.”
Not Page. Not Rockstar.
Today is a don’t test my wife day.
Everyone arrives at different times. Quinn and Justine bring Grandpa Michael and Grandma Tess, Harrison’s mom. My mom shows up shortly after, and the three greats sit in the corner discussing their next cruise.
Elle comes in last with a baby on each hip and no free hands, which doesn’t stop her from passing me one the second she’s through the door. “Ben’s on his way,” she says.
Sonny lasts about a minute against my chest before he’s arching his back for the floor.
I set him down and spend the next stretch on my knees, steering him away from everything he shouldn’t have.
I came in for a glass of water and now I’m on baby patrol.
As soon as Harrison comes in, I’m free as a bird until Josie tells me to go outside and help.
I greet all the parents that I don’t know, make sure no one is getting hurt in the bouncy house, and eat one too many ice cream cones.
Nick brings Mack and Amelie, and surprisingly a few seconds later, Teagan and Tristin show up. Now I want to corner Nick and ask him what’s going on, but as I watch them, he’s standing nowhere near Teagan.
What in the . . . I give up.
When it’s time, everybody gathers outside.
The triplets are put into their highchairs, with Juniper in the middle.
Peyton and Noah place a small cake in front of their children, and everyone sings.
Jace stares at the strangers in front of him, giving them each a look that I can only define as what the fuck is going on and why are these people staring at me.
Maverick doesn’t care about the song and puts his hand in his cake. He grabs a handful, opens his hand, and watches it all fall out. He repeats the process, until both hands are now smashing into his cake.
Juniper touches the frosting, licks her finger and does a little wiggle when she tastes the sugar, and then it’s on. She lifts her cake and smashes it into her face, not caring that she’s covered in frosting.
Everyone laughs.
I elbow Paige, who has been filming since the start of the party. “Did you get that?”
She nods. “I’m going to ask Noah and Peyton if I can post it on Noah’s account. No one has seen the babies since they were born.”
“We could sell the photos,” Elle says.
“Oh, that’s a good idea,” Paige adds.
“We’re not selling anything,” Peyton yells from near the babies. How she heard what we were talking about is beyond me.
Josie brings out a bigger cake, and now everyone is happy. Amelie works as the distribution assistant and makes sure everyone has a piece.
“How come mine is so small?” I ask her. She runs away giggling.
“Because you need to be on a diet,” she says without missing a beat. I glare at her father. And here I thought we were friends.
Frenemy.
When it’s time for presents, Amelie volunteers to help but so does Oliver. It can’t be easy for a toddler to see the presents and not want to open one. Amelie helps him and directs him to which baby the present belongs to. He then helps them open each and every one.
“Where is all of this stuff going?” I ask Josie under my breath.
“Peyton cleaned out most of their toys last week and took them around to different places. Nick’s office, the hospital, some of the daycare facilities in town, and the police station.”
“Why do they need toys?”
“They’re for the women and children’s shelter.”
I nod and feel a sense of pride especially as I look around.
My mom sits there, looking out at all the people gathered in our backyard.
She has Stevie Nicks and Beau at her feet, and I catch her feeding them something pink.
My guess, watermelon. Where Josie found watermelon this time of year is anyone’s guess.
Mack and Tristin have somehow convinced Noah to go throw the football with them.
After the babies are done opening presents and have been cleaned, changed, and made presentable again, Josie brings me Juniper. With Quinn around, I need to take advantage of holding my granddaughter as much as possible. Junie grabs my collar and starts babbling.
“Oh yeah, and what else did Grandma say about me?”
Juniper continues, ratting her grandma out.
Quinn steals her from me after ten minutes but gives me Jace. We talk about everything going on, how my music’s going, and what toy he’s excited to play with. It’s a very one-sided conversation.
Maverick crawls over to us, uses my legs to climb and take Jace’s pacifier from him and sticks it in his mouth. “Oh, I see how you are.”
Jace doesn’t seem to care and rests his head on my chest.
The boys and I stay like that for a bit, just being present.
People come up and thank me for the party, even though all I did was show up.
They take their party bag and tell me they can’t wait for the next one.
I don’t know if they expect the next one to be for Sonny and Jett, or next year when the triplets turn two.
The boys are asleep on my shoulders when I carry them into the house. I find Harrison on the couch, with his boys asleep on his chest. “Hey,” I say as quietly as I can. “Do you want to take them upstairs.”
He nods and somehow manages to get to standing without much shoulder discomfort.
Upstairs, I tell him, “Put them in the third one,” I tell him.
I set Mav and Jace in the first, leaving the middle one open for Juniper.
Not that Quinn will ever put her down. Being the only girl among four boys—she’ll never lift a finger.
When Harrison and I get downstairs, Ben greets us with beer.
“Woohoo, adult time.” We clink bottles and then head back outside where everyone’s sitting by the fire pit. I find Peyton, huddled next to Noah. “The boys are asleep.” She thanks me and pulls out her phone to turn on the monitoring app.
I take a seat next to Josie, and sigh.
“You didn’t do anything to earn that sigh.”
“Ouch,” I say and kiss her hand. “Amazing party.”
“Thanks.”
Justine picks up her guitar and starts strumming. Soon, words follow. Quinn watches her while Juniper is zonked out on his chest.
Paige, Mack and Tristin come through the garage and she comes toward me. “Is it okay if I go hang out with Mack and Tristin.”
“Where are you going?” Teagan asks. I glance at her, and then across the way at Nick. I don’t know how to get these two together and it’s annoying me. I was so successful with Harrison and Katelyn.
“Arcade,” Tristin says. “And then bowling.”
“Be home at midnight,” I tell her.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
As soon as they’re gone, Harrison tsks. “I don’t miss those days.”
“They’re coming back,” I remind him.
“Quinn was so easy,” he says as he looks at his son, and then Oliver who is snuggled into Katelyn’s side. “This one though . . .” He tickle’s Ollie, who giggles. “He’s a handful.”
“But you’re happy?”
Harrison looks over at me and nods.
“Best damn thing to ever happen to me was meeting you at your grandmother’s house. The stuff you said about her on air a while back . . . that really hit home. I owe her a lot.”
I lift my beer and nod.