Life's Perfect Plan (The Life Series) (23 page)

“I think we both are thankful for what we’ve been given.” I say as I rise on my tip toes and give him a kiss. We walk towards the truck and ready to bring our sons home.

I feel like I couldn’t get to the NICU fast enough. Jacob is trying to keep up with me. We enter their room with excitement. They were already in their car seats lined up. They still had their monitors attached. Evan still has bouts of Apnea, so he will be coming home on an Apnea monitor. Jacob and I had to take a quick course on Apnea and how to use the machine. I had to take a CPR class. The small back pack holding the monitor is terrifying, but the nurses encourage me that I will be fine with it.

Shirley is at her desk. “Well, hello Mommy and Daddy, Happy Father’s Day to you. This is some special day.” With her clipboard in hand we walk to the boys’ car seats. They all passed their test. Of course, Evan passed with the machine on. “Until they are stronger in the neck it is best to have them lying on their backs rather in a sitting position.”

I nod as she goes through the checklist. I think it was more ironic that Jacob had so many questions when he’s the doctor. During the conversation between Shirley and Jacob, my sweet and determined Evan started to scream. I recognized his cry and immediately go and unbuckle him. I carry him along with the wires and back pack to the rocking chair. Unbuttoning my shirt I hold him to my breast to feed. For a while it is just Evan and me. I stare into his stunning eyes. He doesn’t lose his focus on me. I slowly start to rock and sing, “You are my sunshine.”

Jacob comes to my side and kisses the top of my head. He walks in front of me and squats. “Baby, do you know how amazing you are to watch. I watched you do all of that with such fluidity. You know exactly what each of them need. You, my love are something else.”

I just smile at him and murmur “I love you” to him. He stands up and whispers that he is going to get their things together and take it to the car. Of course, what I do for one, I have to do to the others. I sat in the rocking chair a little longer than anticipated, because once I placed Evan in his seat, Grant and Cole woke up to eat. I have a feeling that they will show their true colors once we get home and alone.

Driving home with the three boys in their car seats I was on cloud nine. This mental image is everything I envisioned from the moment I was told I was having three babies. The ride home is quiet. Jacob and I don’t talk much. We just listen to the babies snoring and deep breathing. We finally pull into the driveway of our new house. I grab Jacob’s wrist to stop him. “Let’s sit here a second. I want to remember this moment forever. Us, finally walking into our house as a family, finally able to live in our home as a family. I just want these next few minutes to be engrained in my memory.”

He leans in and gives me a kiss on my temple. “I want nothing more. But, once we are in, I have a surprise for you.”

Now, I am curious and anxious. I smile and give him a laugh as I say. “Okay, I’m ready.”

He honks the horn, within moments the front door opens and family and friends come pouring out of the house. Our dogs come prancing to the door. It is the biggest and best welcome home bash I have ever seen. Children are running amuck with the dogs in the front yard. I look at Jacob who is watching me for my reaction to all of this commotion. I laugh and give him a wink. He smiles back, as we both open a back door. He hands off one car seat to his father, then the other to my father. My brother Ethan is behind me waiting to help me with the car seat. I pass the car seat to him, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

“So good to see you like this, Elizabeth. You make some beautiful babies!”

“Damn straight I do!”

He grabs my arm and pulls me to the side. “Before you go in there I just want to warn you that Cole and Anna are inside. Jacob asked mom to invite them. They came, but I don’t think they were expecting Jacob’s family here. They look real uncomfortable, but I know they are doing this for the babies.”

My cloud walking has suddenly taken a fall. It breaks my heart all over again for them. To know that if Grant were alive this would be such a different homecoming. “Ethan, can you take baby Cole and Grant’s parents to the patio? I think it will be best to visit with them out there for a while. I’ll bring the other two out with me in a minute.”

Ethan takes off for the house. I tell Jacob what Ethan has told me that I want to give Cole and Anna some time alone with the babies, since they really haven’t bonded with them. Jacob rallies everyone into the house, where my mother and Jacob’s sister Olivia go into the kitchen to start making an early dinner. Jacob helps me with getting the boys out of their car seats. He places Evan in my arms and drapes the backpack on my back. Then he places Grant in my other arm. “Are you sure you don’t want any help out there?”

“I think it’s best if I did this alone.” I kiss him on the cheek and head for the patio.

As I walk to the table and chairs I hear them laughing and sniffling. I know they both are crying. It is a bittersweet moment. I experienced this moment once I held them, too.

“Hi guys, would you like to meet two more handsome boys?” I ask as I place Grant in Anna’s arms, and I pull the chair closer so they can see Evan in my lap. “Anna meet Grant, and this little one is Evan.” I hold him up to show her. Grant just grunts and pulls his long legs into his chest. She pulls him into the crook of her neck and cries. “He’s just like his daddy, isn’t he? It’s funny how even being so small they have such personalities already. Cole is more like me, laid back and takes things as they come. Little Evan here is feisty and stubborn. I think he has the two worst attributes of Grant and me together. Poor boy!”

“Or he is just like his Grandpa.” She smiles then looks terrified all of a sudden.

“Anna, are you alright?” I ask quietly.

“Beth, can we be called Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Anna, don’t be silly you can be called whatever you want them to call you. No one has really given me their take on what to be called, so you two get dibs first.”

She smiles and looks to Cole. “Then Grandma and Grandpa it is.”

Kate comes out with her camera. “I thought that these boys need official pictures taken with their grandparents.”

“With their Grandma and Grandpa!” I correct her. I stand up and place Evan in Anna’s arms and the monitor on the floor. Kate takes some pictures, than instructs me to get in the picture. As soon as I do, the sun gets brighter than it has all day. “Crap, hold on a sec.” She’s digging in her bag for a different lens. I just smile, holding my face into the sun and absorb the heat on my face. She takes a few snapshots, then tells me that I am needed inside. I leave the boys with Cole and Anna and go in the house.

Jacob is at the door. “I want to show you your surprise.” He pulls me upstairs.

“You know that now is not the time to run to our room as we have a house full of guests.”

He laughs and pulls me to his side, “As much as I would love to sweep you off to our room, I have an even bigger surprise.”

He guides me to one of the biggest bedrooms. He has his hand on the door knob and his other hand on my waist. “Close your eyes.” He says. I look at him a little longer than he would like, because I have no clue why we are at this bedroom. We haven’t discussed which rooms would be what. “Close your eyes!” He says as he kisses both eyelids. I hear him turn the door knob. He pulls me into the middle of the room. I can feel him standing behind me as his wraps his arms around my waist. “Open your eyes, baby!” He whispers into my ears.

I open my eyes and gasp, and cover my mouth with both hands. My eyes are open wide as I take in the magical transformation of this room. Somehow Jacob has made our boys a nursery. All I can stammer out is, “how … how did you do this? When did you do this?”

“Olivia did most of it, I told her what you liked, gave her a little of what I liked, and she put it all together.”

“Jacob, did she do that?” I point with my shaky finger to the most beautiful mural on the wall.

“Yes, baby she did it all!” He whispers in my ear, while peppering kisses along my cheek.

I am staring at the most amazing sunrise in my sons’ room. She has painted this incredible beach scene on the wall, with a huge sun rising out of the sea. There are three surfboards stuck in the sand, with each of their names. The sky is so blue, as if she picked the blue out of Jacob’s eyes. She even painted an airplane flying over the sun, tagging along one of those banners. In the banner she painted the lyrics to the song I sing to the boys ‘You are my sunshine’. The ceiling is painted the same blue as the wall with fluffy white clouds. I notice stars in the ceiling.

“She placed glow in the dark star stickers up there. She says that the boys will like them once they get older. Max has them in his room.” He informs me that his nephew Max picked out these certain stars. The other three walls are painted a soft tan color. My babies have their own crib. They are walnut color and they each have a different crib. “These cribs convert to bigger beds once they get older, I figured they would want their own style.” He points to each style of the cribs. Two cribs were together on one wall, and the third was right next to the middle crib by the corner wall. On the wall next to the walk in closet was a long eight drawer dresser with a changing table on top. Above the dresser were three surf board shelves and just above that was the picture of me next to my Camaro that Kate took.

“I wanted that picture in my office, but Olivia said that it was better in here … for now. I am sure the boys won’t want to be looking at their momma like that … forever.” He says while pulling me to him for a kiss.

I kiss him with such force that he had to stabilize himself to keep us from falling. Grabbing me by my waist he picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist. Pulling his mouth towards mine I give him a gentle kiss. “I love you, Jacob Alexander, and I can’t thank you enough for giving our boys such a beautiful room to grow into.” I whisper into his lips. He and I are eye to eye and I take in those beautiful eyes. “Geez, you have the most incredible eyes, Love. I love how these eyes” as I take my fingers a brush over his eyelids “look at me with so much love and affection.”

“Baby, you are beautiful and easy to love no question about that.”

He slowly places me back on my feet, so I can take more in of the room. The boys’ bedding is in a patchwork quilt, made of a gingham plaid print of reds, blues, and tans. There are picture of surfboards, fish, waves and palm trees. It is the perfect bedding, something I would pick out. Under the window are shelves with wicker baskets for storage. In the middle of the painted mural wall and are two khaki colored rockers with a matching ottoman. Between to the rockers is a small table with a light on it. I walk over to see the picture of the boy in the frame. I pick it up and give a small chuckle. “Is this you?” I hold the frame up to show Jacob.

“Yes, it’s me when I was five. It was my first surfing lesson. Olivia thought that one day the boys would get a kick out of it.”

I stare at the blonde haired boy and his eyes are as bright as the sea behind him. He had a beautiful smile; even back then toothless and all. As I start to take in the room and picture, tears start to fall down my cheek. I place the frame on the table and stare at the mural on the wall. I don’t want to, but with all the emotions of the day I just lose it.

“Baby, you don’t have to keep the picture in here. Olivia got carried away with the whole beach and surfboard theme. Why are you crying? You aren’t sad are you?”

I wipe my tears and look up at him. “I’m not that sad, it’s just so much to take in. I never told you that Grant had written me a letter a couple years ago, when we were trying for a baby. It was about being responsible and how being a parent was going to change us. He went on to tell me that if anything were to happen to him, he would want me to be happy and to find a father figure for our children. He said that whenever I needed him he would be in the sun and the stars looking down on us. To see this mural and those stars it just made me think of him looking after the babies. Then I see this” as I hold the frame to him “and it saddens me to know that I will never have blond hair blue eye children with you. Are you really okay with not having biological children with me? Because there is a chance we won’t have children together.”

He kneels in front of me and places his hands on my face. His thumbs wipe away the few tear drops on my cheek. “Like I said to you before you even gave us a chance. I love those boys because they are a part of you. You are my whole world, Elizabeth. You are the reason that this is still beating.” He places my hand over his heart. “It beats for you and those boys. You have my whole heart and soul. Biology doesn’t make me less of a dad. They will have all of this,” as he places his hand over my hand that is still on his chest. “They will receive the same amount of love and devotion as if they did carry my genes. So to answer your question, I am okay with what we have now. Because you and thee boys are the greatest gifts ever given to me and I love you four more than anything.”

He kisses me deeply. We’re interrupted by a knock on the door and Olivia walks in. I get up and give her the biggest hug possible. “This is beautiful, thank you so much!” I tear up as I look into her deep blue eyes, like Jacob’s, but a shade darker.

“It was an honor to do this. I’m just glad you like it.” With another hug she starts to laugh. “Does this mean I’m officially the best aunt ever?” She exclaims while grinning towards Jacob.

“What’s up?” Jacob asks her.

“Umm Elizabeth is needed, Grant is crying and so is Cole. Are they due for a feeding?”

Jacob looks at his watch and tells her that they are. He tells me to sit and that he will bring them to me. I sit in the rocker and stare at this magnificent room. It looks like something out of a catalog. I am so very blessed to have so many people love the boys and me.

The evening comes to an end with Kate taking so many pictures of the boys. She included the grandparents, aunt, uncles, and children. My mother takes Kate’s camera and gets a mommy picture of Ella, Kate, and me with the boys and girls. I finally feel like a mom posing with them. For so many years I have been the one behind the camera. Then as she is about to leave, Kate takes a picture of Jacob, the boys and me. She smiles as she scrolls back and looks at the pictures. I can’t wait to see what she does with them. As the last person leaves, Jacob and I sigh in relief. It is nice to have some peace … finally.