Page 25 of Wait for the Dream

“I don’t care if you never change anything, it’s better. You’ll never change my mind.” I give her a quick kiss on the forehead before I grab a glass for some water. I walk around the island and sit on the bar stools that we have set up there, thinking about the first time Bailey made alfredo sauce.

Age 12

I walk into the house from the backyard and the smell of garlic and cream hits my nose. Maddox and I have been throwing the football around for the last few hours with Pop. I know the girls are all inside hanging out with Momma, and by the smells coming from the kitchen, they’re making chicken alfredo for dinner, my favorite.

“You have to let it boil, Bailey Girl. It won’t be thick enough, or blend together right if you don’t.” I hear Momma say as I peek into the kitchen.

“That smells amazing.” I say as I enter the kitchen.

“Get your stinky butt out of here, Aiden Matthew. Go shower before dinner is ready. Tell Maddox the same thing.” Momma says tossing a dish towel at me. I just laugh and walk up the stairs toward my bedroom. I yell at Maddox letting him know that Momma wants him to shower before dinner, then hop in the shower myself.

Twenty minutes later I walk into the dining room and take my seat between Pop, at the head of the table, and Blue. We dish up the pasta, and at the first bite I moan at how good it is. Momma has always made homemade sauce, and I love it every time she makes it.

“Did you do something different this time, Lizzy? It tastes better than normal.” Pop says, taking another bite of his food.

Momma gives him a flat look from across the table, “Bailey made it. I just instructed her, but it was all her.” The twins and Charly all laugh at that, and Bailey blushes.

“You made this Blue? It’s so good.” I say, “even better than Momma's.”

“Stop. No it’s not. I’m still learning.” Bailey says quietly, “No one could beat Momma’s sauce.”

“I don’t know Bailey. It’s amazing.” Pop backs me up.

“See if I ever make you Alfredo again.” Momma says teasingly.

“That’s fine, we can just have Bailey make it from now on.” Charly says around a mouthful of food. That girl is a mess.

“You guys, stop. It’s not that good.” Bailey says, obviously not liking the attention being on her. “Charly made a turtle cheesecake for dessert.”

“And it’s damn good.” Charlotte says proudly.

“Charlotte Grace Baker, you better watch your mouth.” Momma chastises.

Dinner is always like this around here. The siblings picking on each other, Momma and Pop trying to control the chaos, but tonight feels special. Bailey cooked my favorite meal for me for the first time. I didn’t even know she wanted to learn how to make Momma’s alfredo sauce, but it makes me feel special that she did.

I watch as she finishes cooking dinner. Once she’s done, we sit at the island and chat about our days. She’s gotten permission from her professors to watch her lectures and do most of the work for her classes at home. She just has to go into the classroom to take her exams. With her pregnancy being so hard, it’s been good for her to not have to leave the house and walk around campus very often. I’m really glad I finally convinced her to stop looking for jobs. She doesn’t need that kind of stress right now. I know she wanted to keep some independence, but it truly would have been too hard on her body to add anything else to her plate, even a few hours a week.

She tells me about the lecture she had today for her pharmacology class. I can’t say that I found it as interesting as she did, but I love how excited she got about it.

When we’re finished eating and have cleaned up the kitchen and put leftovers away, we head into the living room and turn on New Girl. We work on homework in comfortable silence while our favorite show plays in the background. We started watching this show in high school. I really thought I was going to hate it, but she was completely sure we would love it. I mean, it’s a show about a girl who moves in with a bunch of guys. It sounded really weird, and totally girly, but because I can’t say no to this girl, we watched it. She, of course, was right, it’s the best show in the world.

I stand up to stretch my legs and get us both a snack a couple hours later. Blue has moved to lean against one of the arms of the couch, apparently done with homework for the moment. Once I’ve sat back down, she puts her feet in my lap, a silent request for me to rub her feet. I press my thumb into the arch of her foot and she moans. Involuntarily, I think about other ways I could make her moan like that. Getting over Bailey is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I cannot live my life in love with someone who doesn’t share my feelings.

Bailey

15 weeks pregnant

Ihave been feeling so much better over the last week, with the medication doing its job. I have so much more energy back, and I don’t feel like garbage all the time anymore. A few weeks ago, at my 12 week appointment we did a blood test to check for major genetic abnormalities, the test came back clear and Little Bear is completely healthy in there. It was a huge relief for me, and while we are still working on getting Daniel’s medical records just to have on file for the future, it’s nice to know that, as of right now, we don’t need to worry about anything.

The other thing the test told us was the gender of the baby, or should I say that it told Charly the gender of the baby.

It’s Friday morning, Aiden, Maddy, Maggy, and I are all piled into Aiden’s Jeep headed down the mountain toward Denver. Sebastian, Luca, Chloe and Dallas follow us in Bash’s SUV. We are all headed to Aiden’s parents for a gender reveal party for Little Bear. We’re going to stay for the weekend and head home Sunday early afternoon. Tomorrow is the gender reveal party, and it’s pretty much just our friend group, Momma, Pop, Charly, and the Millers, Chloe and Dallas’s parents that will be there. It’s small, but they’re my people, and I wouldn’t want anyone else there. I may not know the Millers very well, but Mrs. Miller has become one of Momma’s best friends, and they have been nothing but nice to me, so I told Momma to invite them over.

When I told our friends I was pregnant, there was nothing but smiles and congratulations. I knew they would be supportive, but they went above and beyond. Sebastian told me that I could call him whenever I needed advice. He’s raised Luca on his own, unless he’s in class or at work, he has his son. We all pitch in and help, and his dad watches Luca while he’s at class and work. He’s an amazing dad, and I know I will be looking to him for advice at times.

We arrive in the driveway and Charly is bolting out of the house and pulling me out of the Jeep. She hugs me tight, “Oh my gosh look at you! You’re glowing.” She bends down with her face level to my belly, “hi Little Bear, I’m your Auntie Charly. I’m the only one who knows if you’re a girl or a boy. I’m not telling until tomorrow.”

“Charles, please give her some space.” Aiden has come around the car and pulled Charly into a hug. Charly is a senior in high school, graduating a couple months before I’m due. She’s following us to Alpine in the Fall, and we cannot wait for her to join us. She may be three years younger than me, but this girl is wise beyond her years, and a complete menace.