“She said Dallas watches movies with his dad all the time, so I said we should watch girl movies. Have popcorn and root beer floats.”
“Can we, can we, can we? Please please please!” Jimmy begged, pulling on Cleo’s arm as she bounced up and down. Cleo pondered it for a moment and then nodded.
“That sounds like so much fun. Jimmy, why don’t you go grab your pillow while we figure this out.”
“Wait, are we doing this tonight?” I asked. Cleo shrugged.
“I’m not doing anything. Why not? I think she could definitely use some girl time. She’s been kind of bummed since Dallas started becoming a little more independent.”
“Are we having a slumber party? If so, we should probably do it at my house. I need to be there for Mark.”
“Oh crap. Yeah. Let me go see if Ethan is okay with the baby or if he wants me to take him. I’ll be back,” she said and quickly turned. Moments later I was joined by my husband and his friends. He came over and although his face was sour, planted a kiss on my lips.
“Jesus, that guy really needs to wear less cologne.”
I reminded him I loved him, and he told me the same.
“What’s the plan for tonight?” He asked me.
“Slumber party. Just the girls.”
Jimmy ran into the room with a backpack on and her red pillow in hand.
“Dallas is mad because he doesn’t get to have a slumber party like the girls do,” she told us, beaming. Cleo returned soon after wearing her own pajamas and with no baby.
“He’s already sleeping, so Ethan said he can stay here with him. Are we ready?” Without much else holding us back we all piled in my car and drove over to our place. Derek and Adrian had to stop over at his apartment to let Chester out, but were back at my house with the dog in tow an hour later. I didn’t really mind, their dog played well with both of ours.
Originally the girls and I were going to take over the living room, but after Mark and the boys whined over having nowhere to go, we went upstairs and took my bedroom. Jimmy went berserk over my bathroom, and then screamed when she saw the closet.
“You have so many pretty clothes!”
Cleo chuckled. “I don’t go shopping enough apparently.” I was kind of embarrassed. Cleo and Ethan had much more money than us, but yet she lived much simpler than me. Did they think I was spending all of my husband’s money? He was the one who bought most of this stuff. I just wore it. Cleo must have read my mind because she put her hand on my shoulder and I turned.
“Mark spoils you, doesn’t he?” I giggled.
“He really does.”
“You know how I could tell?”
“How?”
“All of those heels are six inches plus and the dresses are shorter than I am.”
“You got him. I did pick out the jeans.”
Once Jimmy tried on a dozen dresses, sampled three different shoes, and went wild with my costume jewelry she came out satisfied and climbed into bed with us. I had picked out the girliest movie I could find on cable to watch and we relaxed, ate snacks, and giggled when the girl fell into the water trying to impress the guy or all the other various staples for a great romantic comedy. The movie ended with the girl surprising her now husband with a pregnancy announcement, teasing the inevitable sequel. While I was looking for something else Jimmy sat up and looked at her mother, then me.
“When mom has the baby, she’s going to give it to you? Why don’t you just give her Blue?” Cleo and I didn’t say anything for a moment before we burst into laughter. Jimmy was not amused.
“What? Then you wouldn’t have to make another one.”
“It doesn’t work like that. Blue is your brother. He is mine and Daddy’s baby. Tot is Uncle Mark and Aunt Renee’s baby. He’s going to look like them, not you guys.”
Jimmy grimaced with confusion.
“I couldn’t hold the baby in my belly. So, your mommy said she would do it. The baby needs a place to grow and her belly was the only place they could go,” I tried to explain. Jimmy pushed her little tummy out and rubbed it.
“I would have done it. My friends at school have dolls that look like real babies and they say that they are the baby’s moms. I want a doll like that.”
