Chapter 2: Happy Wife, Happy Life
by angellwings
An alarm sounded to his left and he reached out to silence it, but his nightstand wasn't there. Instead his hand found soft and silky hair. His eyes blinked open and he turned his head to see a dark head of hair in his bed. It was turned away from him and the covers were pulled up to their shoulders. The alarm continued to blare and a groan sounded from the dark head of hair as a delicate hand reached out from under the covers and smacked the alarm clock.
"Shut up," a familiar voice grumbled. "It's too early."
His eyes widened and he swallowed thickly. "E—ella?"
"Morning," she said with a soft hum as she rolled over to face him. "I'm surprised you're still in bed. You decided not to run this morning, I take it? Is Max in the yard?"
"Max?" Nate asked with a furrowed brow. "I—what—what are you doing in my apartment?"
Her brow furrowed for a moment before her face relaxed and she chuckled. "Did you have that dream again? Honey, you got rid of that apartment years ago. Remember? Little house in Rolling Meadows? 3 bedroom, 2 and half bath?"
He blinked at her for a moment and then glanced around the room. She was right, this wasn't his apartment at all, but he did not recognize it. And Rolling Meadows? Where the hell was that? What about L.A.? What was happening? How did he get here?
"I think you need coffee," Ella said with a laugh as she leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his lips. "I'll go make some. Since you clearly haven't yet, can you find Max and let him outside? He's probably dying to go out by now. And can you check on Matty? It's Saturday and he should still be sleeping, but you know how he gets."
Max, he assumed was a dog. But Matty? Who was Matty?
"Uh, yeah, yeah, okay."
Was he losing his mind? Was Ella losing her mind? Was it both? And they were kissing now? Not that it was an unwelcome change but…when did that start and how did he miss it? He sat up as Ella got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. He heard her brushing her teeth as he pulled sweatpants over his boxers. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and glanced around the bedroom. It was well lived in and there were trinkets and photos everywhere. There were a few framed sketches and articles. He turned toward his nightstand and his brow furrowed in confusion.
What was that? He picked up the frame and stared at its contents.
A wedding invitation. A wedding invitation dated nearly one year into the future. How did Ella have a wedding invitation from the future?
"I framed it so you'd never forget our Anniversary, Mr. Gray. Notice how it's displayed on your nightstand instead of mine?" Ella asked as she leaned against the bathroom doorframe with a smirk.
He gulped as he looked up at her. She was in a button up dress shirt that had to be his and a pair of thick socks. That was it. He'd imagined just this scene in his head, but without the wedding invitation or a discussion about a dog and a Matty coming before it.
Wait, did she say anniversary?
"Anniversary?" He repeated out loud.
She gave him a concerned look and then crawled onto the bed to sit behind him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and placed a kiss on his neck. "Are you feeling okay?" She brought one of her hands up to feel his forehead. "You didn't catch Matty's cold, did you? I know you have this thing at the Music Factory tonight so I tried to keep him at a distance but then last night I had that wardrobe emergency with Mitchie and you had to watch him but I thought he was over it. He was feeling much better and I—"
She was rambling and frantic and worried and he couldn't help but find her adorable. He was in a life he didn't recognize and freaked out beyond on belief yet one thing remained the same. Ella would always win him over. She had a piece of his heart no matter what life or world he found himself in. He turned his head, leaned back a little, and then placed a kiss on her lips to interrupt her rant. Somehow that felt natural despite the fact he'd never done that before.
"I'm fine, I'm not sick," He answered with a warm smile. "I just had a dream that threw me off that's all."
"A dream?" Ella asked curiously. She moved out from behind him to sit beside him on the edge of the bed. "One of those extremely real ones? That feel like they're actually happening?"
"Yes, one of those," He told her with a nod. "Except it was more like a memory. We fought over your 25th birthday bash. I had plans with the label and was just gonna—"
"You had plans with Ilsa," she said with a chuckle. "Not the label. We fought about it, I told you not to come to my party if you didn't really want to. You went out with her, signed as a solo act a few weeks later, and then moved to New York to record by yourself. I remember, Nathaniel."
He blushed in embarrassment. She made him sound like such a jerk. "I'm sorry," he said with a soft sigh.
"Don't worry about it," Ella said with a chuckle. "We cleared the air about that a long time ago. The day after you moved to New York you showed up at my door step and poured out your beautifully artistic yet strangely inarticulate soul." She laughed and winked at him before kissing him deeply. "You could never talk to girls you liked. It was so cute. Thankfully, we've moved past that after nearly 7 years of marriage."
7 years of—he was in the future? A future that he apparently had with…Ella? There was a slow shuffling outside of their bedroom door before a hesitant knock sounded. Ella smiled affectionately at the door before she spoke.
"Come on in, kiddo," she said with a chuckle.
Nate's breath caught in his throat as a boy with a head full of dark curls and warm chocolate brown eyes walked in the room.
"Mommy, I can't sleep anymore," the boy said with a sigh. "I tried. I promise I tried."
She quirked a brow at him. "You really tried? You didn't, by any chance, wake up at 5 am and spend the last 3 hours playing air keys, did you? Is practicing on the actual thing for hours upon hours each day not enough for you?"
"What else am I gonna do?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. "Play video games? Really, mommy, air keys are better."
Ella laughed at him and then playfully slapped Nate's arm. "This is all your fault, you know. He had to inherit the Gray Family musical genius."
He gulped and then smiled slowly. That was his kid? He was the best combination of himself and Ella. He was perfect. "He's right, though," Nate told her with a smirk. "I'd rather him spend the morning practicing on an air keyboard than playing video games."
"I let Max out into the backyard," Matty told them.
Ella gave him an alarmed look. "Matty, you didn't."
"He was scratching at the door!"
"Yes, but you know you're not supposed to leave your room in the mornings without one of us. Not since that time you tried to cook us breakfast," Ella said with a gentle smile.
"I know," Matty said with a guilty expression.
Ella stood from the bed and then knelt next to him. "Really, your attempt to cook was very sweet, young man, just like you, but until you're a little older let's only light the gas stove if an adult is with you, okay?" He nodded silently. Ella chuckled at him and kissed his cheek. She poked his side playfully and he squirmed with a bright laugh.
Nate couldn't look away from them as Matty's guilty expression turned to one of joy and his and Ella's conversation dissolved into a tickle fight. Though Matty wasn't very successful. He ended up a squirming and giggling bundle in Ella's lap. The tickling turned into Ella repeatedly kissing Matty all over his face. He squealed and tried to break away with a disgusted face. A disgusted face that looked a lot like Nate's own face whenever he was disgusted. He really was looking at his kid.
"Mo-om!" He whined.
Ella laughed and finally released him. "Go play your keyboard, Mini-Nate. I'll call you when breakfast is ready." Matty kissed her cheek and then bounded off toward Nate.
Nate's eyes widened as the boy wrapped his arms around Nate's neck and crawled into his lap. He kissed his cheek and then hugged Nate tightly.
"Morning, daddy," Matty said before he crawled out of Nate's lap. "Later, daddy!"
The boy then sprinted off much quicker than he came in.
Ella rolled her eyes and smiled affectionately after him. "I'm going to leave with you with the responsibility of getting him away from that keyboard long enough to eat and go to school. It's your turn."
"My turn?" He asked.
"Oh no you don't," Ella told him with a playful glare. "I've gotten stuck with that job the last three days because you had some emergency at the Music Factory but not this morning, sir. That kid has your talent and your work ethic. It's your turn. What would you like for breakfast? I'm thinking pancakes and bacon. But chocolate chip pancakes and blueberry pancakes. Because it's a big day and you deserve a little treat," Ella said as she pulled on a pair of boxer shorts. They looked familiar—Oh god. They were his. They were old by now, since he was somehow seven years in the future, but in his own time he'd literally just bought them. He hadn't even worn them yet.
Now he probably never could. He'd always picture Ella slipping them on.
"What's so special about today?" He asked.
She laughed at him. "You are very funny. Stop playing around and get dressed. You have to leave for work in an hour."
"You're not getting dressed," Nate said with a smirk and a quirked brow.
"I work from home, smartass," Ella said with a teasing grin. "I don't have to get dressed."
She left the room and headed down the hallway. That left him alone to get himself familiar with the future Nate's wardrobe. He discovered his wardrobe wasn't that different. If anything it was just a hint more formal than his usual wardrobe. More business appropriate than what he currently wore but his style hadn't changed much. He got dressed and ready for the day and tried to figure out what happened to bring him here. How did he jump seven—no eight according to the invitation he and Ella dated for almost a year first—years in time? Why did he jump time at all?
The last thing he remembered was someone shouting at him to look out and then everything went black. Did he get hit with something? Was this all a dream?
"It's not a dream."
Nate jumped and spun around to see a little old woman holding a feather duster. "What?"
"This isn't a dream or a hallucination. You're really here," she told him. "This is what your life could be in 8 years. The right girl, the perfect kid, and you haven't even seen the best part yet."
"The best part?" He asked her. "Who are you?"
"You're guardian angel," she said with a chuckle. "You are at a crossroads, my young friend, and I am here to help."
He squinted at her and then suddenly remembered. "The janitor! I stepped in the mop bucket and you—"
"I sent you here," she said with a nod. "You need to know where the right decisions will lead you and how important it is to keep your priorities straight."
"That's what I'm supposed to learn from this?" He asked her with a furrowed brow.
"If I'm as good as I know I am then yes," she said with a quiet laugh.
"Nate, I forgot to tell you that I hired a—Oh," Ella said as she came back to the doorway. "I see you've met. Nate, this is Angelica, our new house keeper."
"Pleasure to meet you," Angelica said with a kind smile. "I should get back to work. Mrs. Gray," Angelica said with a nod to Ella as she left the room.
"Isn't she great?" Ella asked him. "She got here 5 minutes ago and she's already cleaned behind the refrigerator! Who does that? She is going to make my life so much easier over the next 7 months."
His brow furrowed for what felt like the millionth time that morning. "Why just the next 7 months?"
"Well, okay not just the next 7 months," Ella admitted. "It will be nice to have her for the first year with the baby. It's been 5 years since I've taken care of a baby so we'll need all the help we can get."
He froze and his throat tightened. She was pregnant? Ella was pregnant? With his baby? He knew he was in the future and he'd already seen one kid of theirs but—this was different. Somehow, it was different. She must have already told future Nate this because she didn't seem to be waiting for his response. He gulped and then tried to play it cool. "Just 7 months and they'll be a baby," he said with a soft grin.
Ella faced him slowly and then wrapped her arms around his chest. "A new tiny baby and maybe this one will be born with a talent for fashion, hm?"
He chuckled and then kissed her temple. "Maybe. Listen, I'm dressed and ready to go. Why don't I make breakfast? You just take it easy for an hour, okay?"
She nodded and then kissed his cheek. "You don't have to ask me twice. I'll be downstairs watching my morning shows."
Nate then followed the sounds of keyboards down the hall to Matty's room and carefully opened the door. He listened for a moment. The kid was good for his age. Very good.
"Hey, kid," Nate said. Matty stopped playing and turned to face him. "Take a break for a bit. Let's make breakfast."
Matty brightened and Nate remembered Ella telling him he could only cook breakfast with an adult.
"Really?" He asked excitedly.
He nodded. "Yeah, pancakes. You coming?"
"Yeah!" Matty yelled as he jumped up and bounded off toward the kitchen.
Nate sat Matty on the counter and handed him the mixing bowl and together they mixed the batter for blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes in separate bowls. Nate had never cooked with a kid before but Matty was very good. He didn't do anything without first getting Nate's permission and he was very careful to avoid anything hot.
"Daddy?" Matty asked.
He was funny how quickly he'd adjusted to that title. "Yeah?"
"Can I go with you to work today?" Matty asked. "I want to see the new office! And Uncle Shane and Uncle Jason! Can I?"
Ella wandered into the kitchen and smiled affectionately at him. "You'll see after school, remember?"
"But I want to see it with the news crews all around! I wanna be on TV!" Matty said with a bright smile. "Can I go?"
"Sorry, buddy, school first and then you can come visit, okay?" Nate told him.
"I guess," Matty said with a sigh.
New office? News crews? What exactly were he and his brothers doing these days? He heard Ella talk about Music Factory all morning. He assumed it was a label he was working for or something similar. But he was getting the impression that assumption was wrong.
"Daddy and I made the pancakes!" Matty told Ella excitedly.
"I see that!" Ella told him. "They look delicious! Now, let's eat before we make daddy late for work and you late for school."
He smiled softly as he watched Ella help Matty down from the counter and then the two of them walked the plates of food over to the table. He had to admit that this was a pretty breathtaking future. He had a gorgeous successful wife and a kid that was precocious and grumpy and talented and then another one on the way.
He was feeling happier than he'd felt in a very long time. Angelica was right. If this is what came from making the right decisions then he never wanted to make a wrong one.