“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us,” Carly chimes in.
“Are we playing games or wh—” Blake begins to say as he exits the house and sees the guys in their princess outfits. He closely examines each one of them with a look of bewilderment smeared across his face.
“Does this make me the man of the house, Mom?” he asks Vivian. She laughs instead of answering him. He then sizes up Casen again before addressing him individually. “I’m pretty sure the turtles don’t wear makeup. If you guys need to remember how to be guys, I guess I could play action figures with you.”
“All right, enough. Let’s get these games going,” Brooks interjects. “What are the teams?”
“I would say boys versus girls, but I don’t think I can take on everyone by myself,” Blake explains, prompting the men to share a look of insult.
“How about us women versus you girls? Blake, you can be the referee,” Campbell suggests.
Everyone agrees and heads down the stairs of the deck to the games set up on the lawn. Baby trivia, baby food in a diaper guessing game, changing and dressing the baby partner challenge; the men kicked our asses at each one. Well, Brooks and Lakin weren’t much help to their success, but between the girls’ small hands and Casen’s experience with his younger siblings, they destroyed us. The men took their victory lap carrying the girls on their shoulders around the yard while we pouted. Campbell and I weren’t expected to be much help. Hell, I killed a Chia Pet once. Vivian and Carly are moms, though. I’m going to blame nerves and intimidation, I may even stoop low enough to declare the men cheated, but either way, it was a pathetic showing on our part.
“You just earned diaper duty for the first two months, sweetheart,” Vivian teases Brooks.
“And you lost naked time privileges for the next month, big guy,” I tell Casen. “Vivian is kidding, I’m not.”
He wraps his arms around me, smearing his makeup on me. “We both know you can’t go that long, sparky” he whispers.
I push him away lightly, “You don’t want to challenge me, Mr. Thompson. I have enough electronic love machines to put the Shop Erotic show off the air and out of business.” I know he’s absolutely correct, but I’m also a sore loser.
“Here, let me help you with your celibacy mission,” he says before turning to the rest of the group and clicking his glass to gain their attention. “Jen and I have one last gift for you. We thought you guys might need a weekend away before the baby comes so we would like to watch the kids for you.”
Mouths drop open in disbelief, including my own. He continues with his offer, though. “We thought we could take all the kids camping up at my regular camping spot outside Colorado Springs. Fishing, hiking, s’mores, the kids will love it. Carly, we would love to have Olivia come along as well.”
I love all the “we” shit he’s throwing out there. Everyone looks to me for my approval of “our” offer. The girls know I’m the farthest thing from maternal, and me babysitting for an hour is a stretch, let alone an entire weekend. They do value their kids, and placing them in my care is probably a scary notion.
“Wow! That would be amazing!” Vivian screeches.
“I would owe you so big, man!” Brooks says at the same time.
Apparently they are more desperate for a weekend together than I thought. I look to Carly, my voice of reason. “Well, if everyone is on board, then I’m okay with it. Are you sure about this, Jen?” she asks.
Shit, I’m backed into the “we” corner. I have no choice but to agree, or I come off as the asshole who doesn’t want to help out friends.
“Of course! There’s a Walmart a few miles away where we can get the fishing gear and anything else we need, the camper is great, and the hiking trails are wonderful. The kids will have a blast; there’s nothing to worry about.”
Eyes wide, everyone’s attention is now on me. I thought I was pretty convincing.
“You went to a Walmart? Casen, what did you do to our friend? She wouldn’t have been caught dead in a Walmart,” Brooks says.
“Oh, screw you guys, you want the gift or not?” I shoot back.
“There she is,” Vivian laughs. “Yes, we accept your gift, thank you.”
Smiling, I turn to Casen and silently mouth the only words, which come to mind, “We’re fucked.” He laughs, but I’m entirely serious.
Casen
“Dude, that was fucking epic,” Seiger yells, running off stage. “This was the best show of the tour.”
I couldn’t disagree. We played our hearts out tonight, thank God. Campbell didn’t tell the other guys, but there were record label representatives in the audience tonight. My stomach has been in knots all evening, but not because of our chance at a record deal. My anxiety stems from the extra guests I’ve invited to the show who are waiting for me in the dressing room. Campbell got me the number I needed and slipped them backstage, but she did so with a cautionary warning. My plan could blow up in my face, but I just couldn’t leave it alone.
Sweat is dripping off all of us; John looks like he walked through a car wash. That doesn’t stop Jen from taking pictures of us, though. Campbell meets us off stage with towels and a giant smile. She is absolutely dressed for the occasion. Her hair is pinned up in a sleek rockabilly hairdo, which matches her form-fitting dress and patent-leather heels. We’re all careful not to get her pristine outfit wet.
“I’ve some great news for you, boys,” she announces. “I have a meeting set up for you tomorrow with a rep from Sony Records. Congratulations, guys, they’re prepared to offer you a record deal!”
“Fuck yeah they are,” Royce shouts, high-fiving Seiger.
John picks up Campbell, disregarding his sweat, odor, and her outfit, and swings her around, landing a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “We owe you so big, Cam.”
“Don’t thank me. You guys play the music they like, I just got them to the show,” she laughs, taking the towel from John and drying herself off.
Jen hangs back away from our celebration, capturing the moment on film. Grabbing her hand, I pull her into the excitement. “I want to share this with you, sparky. This is something I’ve always wanted, and you’re helping to complete the other missing piece,” I tell her, adding a chaste kiss which makes her giggle.
“And what would that be?” she questions.
“A family,” I murmur in her ear. She smiles so bright and luminous it melts me. I want nothing more than to look at her smile every day for the rest of my life. I only hope I still get the chance after Jen finds out what I’ve done.
“Let’s go celebrate! Beers on me tonight,” Royce shouts, earning cheers from everyone.
“Thanks, man, but I have some people waiting for me,” I tell him, declining his offer. Jen looks at me confused and I give her a reassuring smile. I glance over at Campbell and her tight-lipped smile does nothing to ease my nerves. I have never been so unsure of anything in my life.
“I’m going to stay behind and finish some things here. Text me where you guys decide to go and I’ll meet you there,” she tells Royce. I know she has nothing to finish. She’s staying for moral support in case my plan goes south. Whether she’s there to comfort me or calm Jen, I don’t know. Either way, I’m glad she’s willing to stick around.
They agree and head out the backdoor, leaving Campbell, Jen, and me alone. “I’ll be around, Casen, if you need anything,” Campbell offers and returns to the front of the bar.
“I’m starting to feel uneasy, Casen. What in the hell is going on?” Jen asks. She’s looking around, searching for clues as to what I have in store.
I grab her hand, weaving her fingers in mine and kiss her knuckles before tucking them into my chest. “I need you to follow me, but first I need to tell you something.”