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“Before we go to the mall, I need to find some food,” I tell Alex as he pulls out of the parking lot. Since my appointment was this morning, we planned a whole day while we’re in the city. I need a few things for the nursery yet, and now that we know it’s a boy, we can start gathering more stuff.
He looks at the clock and then back up at me.
“Yes, I know I just ate before we left, but I’m hungry again.” I grimace.
He lifts a hand up. “I didn’t say a thing.”
I throw him a faux scowl. “You didn’t have to. I can read your body language pretty well, cowboy.”
He smirks, keeping quiet.
“We need to find a gift to send to Courtney and Drew, too. I feel awful they’re up there all by themselves now. I wish we could’ve flown up there with your mom and Benita last week to visit them in the NICU.” They could only stay a few days to meet the babies and visit. Since the babies are preemies, they’ll be in the hospital at least for a couple months, which I know is hard.
Courtney went into labor ten days ago and had a C-section. Two boys and a girl. All three are in incubators and breathing machines until they gain more weight. I’ve seen a lot of babies in the PICU and NICU, and it was always devastating to watch the parents cry and beg to hold them. It brings me to tears just thinking about it.
“Babe, what’s the matter?” Alex notices the shift in my mood and grabs my hand. “Why’re ya cryin’?”
“I’m fine.” I swipe the tears away. “Hormones make me way more emotional than I should be.”
“We can FaceTime Courtney later if you want? Check on them.”
I nod. “Yeah, if she’s up for it, I’d love that.”
I know Courtney and Drew have friends in California, but there’s just something about being stuck in a hospital for hours and days at a time that can drive a person mad. I’ve seen it too many times to count.
“We should get Courtney and Drew a gift for just them and then something for each of the babies for when they come home.”
“Sounds good, sweetheart.”
Courtney and I grew pretty close over the past several weeks. Ever since Mama’s surprise party, we’ve texted and FaceTimed to chat about our pregnancies and all the cute baby clothes they were stocking up on. They decided to wait on having a baby shower until the babies were born and back home, so I hope Alex and I will be able to visit when that time comes.
After we stopped to refuel the truck, we stop for food to refuel my belly.
“What are we looking for exactly?” Alex asks when he drives around for a parking spot at the mall.
“Well, we need a crib for starters. A changing table. Dresser and nightstand. Some kind of bassinet. Clothes. Diapers. Humidifier—”
“River,” Alex blurts, grabbing my hand to stop my rambling. “If you’d just let Benita and my mom throw you a shower like they want, we could get everything we need and more.”
I give him a look; the same one he gets every time it’s brought up. “You know how I feel about that.”
“About them wanting to shower you with gifts?”
“About taking advantage of their generosity. I barely let Natalie take me out for my birthdays. I just don’t feel right taking gifts from people.”
“Think of it as them showering the baby with gifts instead.”
I flash him another look when he finally finds a parking spot.
“Hey, it’s what Southerners do. We throw parties and give gifts. Sometimes all at the same time. Hell, sometimes for no reason at all. Not accepting it is an insult.”
“So, you’re saying if I don’t let them throw me a party, they’re going to be insulted?”
“Yes. They enjoy that kind of stuff. They live for that kind of stuff. Plus, it’ll give you and Mama more time to bond.”
I keep my lips tight and force out a smile. “Fine.” I grit my teeth.
“That’s my girl.” He winks. “So we can head back home then?”
I scowl, tightening my grip on his hand. “No. We need a gift for Courtney and the babies, plus something blue so we can tell your family it’s a boy. And maybe some new yoga pants because my ass is falling out of these.”
He starts to snicker.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me. Your huge baby is doing this to me.”
“Considering all of us boys are well over six feet tall, my guess is he’s going to be big too.”
I sigh. “Might as well skip the newborn clothes and go straight to the twelve-month clothing.”
“Let’s find him a little cowboy hat, too.” He grins. I say something smart but just seeing him all excited melts my heart.
