CHAPTER SEVEN: SHOPPING/BREAKING NEWS
It had been three months since the wedding, Caitlyn and Nate were still in Aruba on their honeymoon, and Mitchie was exactly six months pregnant. She was completely round and needed my assistance with everything.
I woke up and turned around, but Mitchie wasn't on the bed next to me. I looked at the alarm clock. It was ten o'clock, she had let me sleep in late.
I took my shower, got dressed, then headed downstairs. Emily was watching some show called Phineas and Ferb. Mitchie was sitting in the kitchen, talking on the phone.
"Awww…he did?…You? I'm not the only one now…Oh, okay. Go ahead…Oh my God, are you positive? You've only been married for three months! Can you wait for another eight months? So you can have a year to yourselves?…I don't care, Caitlyn Gellar-Gray, three months is too short!"
I came over and kissed her on the cheek. "Morning."
She smiled. "Caity? Hold on…Shane, please talk some sense into Caitlyn and tell her that three months of marriage is too short to already be talking about having a baby."
I raised my eyebrows. "But what about Shay's relationship with the un-conceived Nate Junior?"
"Just talk some sense into her!"
I grabbed the phone. Mitchie did not like jokes when she was hormonal. "Hi, Caitlyn. How's the honeymoon?"
"Great! Nate is wonderful, and we haven't been mobbed too much!"
"Good. Now what is this talk about you wanting to have a baby?"
"Nate wants to be a daddy and I want to be a mommy. We can't wait for three years like you and Mitchie did."
"Can't you wait until you've been married for a year? Trust me, you and Nate will appreciate the years, or in your case, year, that you had together without kids. Remember, when you have kids, you won't have the same time together that you do now."
"You're right. I'll talk to Nate about it. Thanks, Shane. Tell Mitchie to be safe."
"Will do. Bye." I hung up and smiled at Mitchie. "Problem solved. So, what are we doing today?"
"Going school supplies shopping with Emily, then getting baby furniture, baby clothing, paint for the baby's room, then come home, and start working on the baby's room."
"And you let me sleep in late when we have all of that to do? Thanks, Mitch. Are you and Emily ready to go?"
She nodded and got up slowly. "Emily, television off, we're leaving!"
We headed towards the front door and Emily was already ready to go. I kissed her forehead. "Good morning, angel. Do you have your supplies list?"
"Yep. Are we taking the truck?"
"It's the only vehicle big enough for all the stuff we're going to buy. Let's go. Help your mother, please."
As I locked the door, Mitchie and Emily got into the car. I hopped in and we headed to Target. It took an hour to get all of Emily's supplies and clothes for school, then we headed over to the baby department. While Emily and Mitchie looked at the baby clothes, I started looking at the baby car seats. I picked the one that had the best ratings and put it into the buggy.
"Shane, what do you think of this?"
I looked at the bib that Mitchie was holding. It said 'Daddy's Little Princess' on it. "I love it."
She smiled and put it into the buggy. Emily came running over. "Mom, Dad, what do you think of this?" She held up a really cute dress with a teddy bear on the corner of the skirt.
Mitchie smiled. "I love it. Put it into the buggy. I think we have enough clothes. Let's go look at the shoes."
When we got to the shoe section, Emily started squealing. "They are so tiny!"
Mitchie threw a pair of every type of shoe into the buggy. I was pretty sure that we had spent more than five hundred dollars. Good thing that a concert was coming up soon. We paid and started loading everything into the truck. I looked at Mitchie as we got into the car. "I think we should drop all of this stuff at the house and then go furniture shopping. There isn't enough room in the back."
"Yeah, Mom. It's packed," Emily poked her head in between ours.
Mitchie sighed. "Alright. But it's already one o'clock."
I inwardly smiled. While we dropped the stuff off at the house, I could grab a soda and protein bar. We unloaded everything, I grabbed my food and we started driving towards the furniture store. We headed towards the baby section.
I was glad that we had passed the teen section, due to seeing my face on several bed sheets. Mitchie immediately ran over to the princess section. "Shane, aren't these the cutest?" She pointed to the dressers, which had princesses all over them.
"They're great." I honestly wanted to buy something that Shay would still be interested in for at least twelve years. "But why don't we buy something more like…this!" I walked over to dressers with different colors on them. Kinda like tie-dye.
Emily walked over. "Yeah, that's cool. And I'm sure that she won't grow out of them in five years, so we won't have to go shopping for furniture for a long time."
I smiled at her. "Thank you."
Mitchie groaned. "They are cute. Fine, we can buy the tie-dye set. Let's find an employee."
Right on cue, an employee came up to us. He was about thirty years old, dark brown hair. "Welcome to Toto furniture outlet. Are you interested in buying-oh wow, you're Shane Gray from Connect Three?"
I smiled. "Since birth."
"I'm sorry, but my daughter is a huge fan of yours and she would really love an autograph." He handed me a picture of myself.
"Whoa, you carried this in your pocket?"
"Yeah, hoping that you would come here to buy furniture for your expected child. I know these things because my daughter keeps a billboard in her room with the latest news about you."
I smiled, signed the picture and handed it back to him. "Well, we were thinking about buying these tie-dye dressers, the changing table, and the crib."
"Excellent choice." He pulled out a form from one of the drawers. "I just need you to go through this." He handed it to me.
I read through the paper, chose my delivery dates, which made me happy, and we headed towards the register. "Emily, let's go!"
Emily ran up and took my hand. "Sorry, Dad. I was looking at the Connect Three sheets."
"No, don't even think about getting those. Every time I walk into your room, I would have to look at my face. Not like I already do." I looked around and saw Mitchie testing out a chair by the front door. Phew.
The salesman turned around. "Is this your daughter? I thought that you were expecting your first child?"
"This is Emily Allison Monroe-Gray. She's my adopted daughter."
"My apologies. Alright, your total comes to 5, 595. 81."
I tried not to groan as I handed him my credit card. We were so waiting for a few years until we have another child. Emily patted my shoulder. "It's okay, Dad. You'll live."
I kissed her forehead. We headed towards the front of the store after the salesman thanked me again for the autograph. I looked at Mitchie, who was still in the chair. She had fallen asleep. Emily awed and started giggling. I smiled, knowing that Mitchie was a heavy sleeper. I didn't feel like scaring her with the 'Tess!' line, so I picked her up. Man, she was usually so light! Shay sure added a lot of extra weight. I gently put her into the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt. Emily hopped into the backseat and cleared her throat. "Can we listen to Radio Disney?"
"Sure." I turned to the channel.(with Emily, we listened to the channel a lot.) The DJ announced that the next song was When You Look Me In The Eyes, a song I had written after Mitchie had accepted my proposal. Emily and I started singing along, and after the first two minutes of the song, Mitchie was singing along with us. The song ended and I smiled at Mitchie. "Good morning. Have a nice nap?"
"Yes, thank you for not waking me up." She kissed my cheek and I kept my eyes on the road. "Carrying an extra person is really tiring."
"I know. Well, I don't actually know, but I can imagine." I smirked.
The next song that came on was a Demi Lovato song. Mitchie and Demi were really good friends and Demi's music was really, really good. Apparently Emily liked it to.
The song was one of her newest songs, Emily really liked the music. I believe the title was Here We Go Again. It was really good.
"Wow, Demi has such an amazing voice! I wish I could meet her."
Mitchie and I shared a glance and Mitchie sighed. "Well, you know…Demi is one of my best friends."
"Oh, no way!!! So I can meet her?"
"I think you can."
"Cool! You know, you and Demi could be twins."
I smiled. It was true. Mitchie had grown her hair down to the middle of her back, had bangs, and her hair color was light brown. Demi had her hair a bit longer than shoulder-length, had side bangs, and had dark brown hair that was slightly curly. They had the same exact face and eye color. I always dreaded having both of them in the same room at once. It drove me crazy. They looked so alike, some weird rumor started going around that they were really long lost sisters that found each other and Demi set Mitchie and I up together. Some other rumor was that Mitchie and Demi switched places and I was really married to Demi. The press comes up with some weird stuff.
I pulled into Home Depot's parking lot and started heading in. Some girls with their boyfriends started whispering and looking at Emily oddly. We still hadn't told anyone but family and the dude at the furniture store that we had adopted Emily. I guess I would be surprised too if I saw Shane gray walking around Home Depot with his very pregnant wife and holding a five year old's hand. I just smiled and we kept walking to the paint section.
After a half hour of going through all of the paint pallets, we finally chose a light fuchsia color. We also bought a light set and finally headed home.
Emily was setting up everything for school in her room, Mitchie was cooking dinner, and I was going through our bills when the phone rang. I picked up and said tiredly, "Gray residence, Shane speaking. Can I help you?"
An old female voice answered, "Yes, you can. Does Emily Monroe live with you?"
"Yes, she is my adopted daughter."
"Her birth mother died about an hour ago."
I couldn't believe it. Charlotte had been doing so well, how was it possible? "Oh my God. Are you sure she's gone?" I wasn't aware that my voice had raised until Mitchie came in with a scared look on her face.
"Shane, what's wrong?"
I motioned for her to wait a moment. The woman answered, "We are positive. We are so sorry. You should start making arrangements for the body. I'm very sorry."
With that said, she hung up. I hung up the phone and felt tears starting to well up in my eyes. Mitchie was still standing in front of me, nervously wringing the washcloth in her hands. "Shane, what's going on?"
I looked at her and whispered, "Charlotte's gone."
It took a moment for her to realize what I had just said. "No! She was getting better, no!" She collapsed into my arms, sobbing. I let the tears flow loosely down my own cheeks as I held her.
Charlotte had been like the sister Mitchie never had. She had also became a sister to me. Emily came running down the stairs and a look of horror crossed over her face when she saw both Mitchie and myself crying. "Dad?" Her voice shook.
I pulled away from Mitchie and knelt down in front of Emily, taking her hands. "Emily, I don't want to tell you this, but…your mother died. She's gone."
Emily's eyes widened. "No, you're lying! No!" She roughly pulled out of my grasp and ran up to her room and slammed the door shut.
I slowly stood back up and looked at Mitchie, who was still sobbing. "Mitchie, you should sit down. I'll go talk to her. I know what it's like to lose a mother."
She nodded as I helped her sit down. I kissed the top of her head and started heading up to Emily's room. I walked in. Emily was curled up on her bed, sobbing quietly. I sat down on the edge of the bed and rubbed her back. "Emily, you wanna talk?"
She sat up and rested her head on my shoulder. "She was doing better, they said so! How could they lie?"
"I don't know, sweetie. When my mom died, I was shocked. But then realized that God took her up to heaven because he saw that I didn't need her to lead me through life anymore. I had a great career, and a wife that loved me. And I still have those things. Plus two daughters. Your mom must have realized that you don't need her anymore. You have a Mommy and Daddy that love you to death, a sister on the way, grandparents that care about you, and aunts and uncles. She'll be watching you from heaven. And she'll always be in your heart." I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arm around her.
"But it won't ever be the same. I won't be able to call her and tell things."
"That isn't true, you can say a prayer and talk to her and God."
"I guess so. Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"You aren't going to die soon, are you?"
I let out a short chuckle. "No. I plan to have about three more kids, see you all graduate college, get married, have your own kids, and stay with Mitchie until there is no hair left on my head."
Emily giggled. "Three more kids including Shay, or not including Shay?"
"Not including. Not exactly three, as long as I get a few more than I can handle."
"How are kids made?"
My eyes widened. "Uh…I think we should wait about ten more years before we discuss that. Dinner will be ready in about a half hour." I smiled weakly and hurried out of her room.
Right before the door shut closed, I heard her murmur, "I wonder what's so bad about it?"
I skipped downstairs, and found Mitchie back in the kitchen, stirring whatever she was making. "Mitchie, you okay?"
She just shrugged. "I guess so. It just scares me. Everyone I care about seem to die randomly. And I'm scared that one day there will be an accident and you won't be with me anymore. Then I wouldn't have anyone to kiss good morning and good night. No one to help me with the children. No one to keep me sane." A few tears ran down her cheeks.
I turned her face towards me and cupped her cheek. "I assure you, I will be here for a very long time. And if that ever happens, I want you to find someone that makes you happy. I don't want you to be alone." And I kissed her.
We wouldn't have parted if it weren't for the stove beeping. Mitchie blushed before handing me the silverware. As I turned around and headed for the dining room, she smacked my butt. When I turned back around, her attention was completely focused on the food. I smirked and started to set the table.
After a few seconds, she came over with the plates and then came back with the food, corn, macaroni and cheese, and chicken. I was just glad we weren't getting pickles and ice cream. "Emily, dinner!"
Emily came down slowly. She sat down and started eating silently. I could tell that she was still upset. Mitchie had a goofy grin on her face all through dinner, which really confused me. Emily finished and went back up to her room, and Mitchie and I cleaned the dishes and sat in front of the TV, which wasn't on. Mitchie squeezed my hand. "Shane, I have a surprise for you."
I smiled weakly. I really didn't want to find out that we were having twins. Thank God we weren't. "Really? What?"
"Well, I got everyone to send me old videos and I made a movie from when we were in camp together, to the day we moved into this place."
"Great! Let's watch."
I grinned as Mitchie and I sang This is Me together. As our handed folded together on the screen, Mitchie and I pecked each other on the lips.
We watched as we said goodbye for the first time. I laughed.
Movie:
"So, I guess this is goodbye…"
Mitchie sighed. "I'm really gonna miss you."
"Same here."
Nate came up and patted my back. "Yo, we gotta go."
"Right. Bye, Mitchie."
I leaned in, then panicked and kissed Mitchie's cheek instead of her lips. "Bye!"
Right before the limo took off, Nate could be heard clearly saying to Jason, "The boy can throw huge fits, but can't kiss a girl for two seconds on the lips."
Present:
"I was completely unaware that he had said that. I'm gonna get him once he gets back to America."
Emily came down and sat down next to Mitchie. "What movie is this?"
"It's called the Smitchie Movie: The Movie All Fans Want, but Can't Have. It's old videos of me and Mitchie."
"Cool!" She got cozy as the screen switched to me and Mitchie babysitting her cousins.
Movie:
"This should be fun." I honestly wasn't looking forward to babysitting, but Mitchie had begged me.
Mitchie kissed my cheek. "Come on, it's practice."
My eyes widened. "Yay…" My voice was squeaky.
All of a sudden, two little boys started running around me and Mitchie.
"It was mine! Mommy said I could have it! Jake!!!" the red head screamed. Literally.
The brunette yelled back, "Let's ask Mitchie and the strange dude!"
The camera shook, obviously Nate, who had been filming the whole thing, thought that was funny.
They started running in circles again, Mitchie was trying to calm them down, and I was standing there with my eyes rolled up to the sky. I was probably wondering why God made me care so much about Mitchie that I would go through such torture for her.
The camera turned around and Nate's face showed up. "We're not going to continue this. Shane doesn't look happy." He looked over the lens. "Oh wow. I have to film this…"
The camera focused back on me. I was running away from the boys, who were chasing me all over the place. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, "Mitchie, I love you, but I can't do this!" I ran out the front door, the door slamming closed.
Mitchie sighed. "He actually did better than I thought he would."
Nate replied, "Yeah. He didn't start threatening to call security." The camera focused on him. "If Mitchie and Shane's future children are watching this, some advice, don't chase your father unless he tells you to."
Present:
Mitchie and Emily were laughing hysterically. I just sat there. Two strikes for Nate. One more, and Caitlyn will be in need of a new husband.
I was grateful that the next scene was our first kiss.
Movie:
Mitchie was standing by the lake, letting the air breeze through her hair. I walked up to her. "Hey."
She bit her lip. "Hey."
"So…I need to give you something."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, face me."
She obeyed and I leaned down and kissed her sweetly. A few people were heard giggling.
I pulled away with a goofy grin on my face. Mitchie was blushing, and she looked down.
"Thanks, Shane. That's exactly what I wanted."
Then she took my hand and we starting walking away.
Present:
Mitchie awed and rested her head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head. "Seems like yesterday, huh?"
"Not even. Oh, here comes my favorite!"
We focused back to the screen.
Movie:
We were at the elegant restaurant that Mitchie loved. As the waiter walked away, Mitchie said, "Shane, you know I love it here. You only take me here when you need to tell me something, what's up?"
"Well, Mitch…we've been together for a long time. And I was thinking…"
Tears were gathered in her eyes. Her voice shook as she said, "Shane, get to the point."
"We're beyond girlfriend and boyfriend status." I got down on one knee. "Mitchie Torres, will you marry me?"
The look on her face was priceless. "YES!!! Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes!!!" She leaped out of her chair and pulled me up, squeezing me to death. "Yes, yes, yes! Oh my God, I love you so much Shane." She kissed me and we smiled at the crowd of people cheering.
I said, "Wave to Nate." I pointed to where Nate had been hiding with the camera.
Mitchie just laughed and stuck her tongue out at Nate, then waved to the camera.
Present:
Mitchie sighed. "I remember that moment so well. I thought that you were going to break up with me. And when you got down on one knee, I felt like two thousand tons had been lifted off of my back."
I smiled. "Yeah, I heard this one story that a guy panicked, so instead of proposing to his girlfriend, he broke up with her. But I'm not like that. When I want to do something, I do it."
"Yeah. I don't think I've said the word yes that many times ever since that day."
"I'm glad."
We kissed for a few seconds, then looked back to the screen.
Movie:
Caitlyn showed up. "Hello. I'm Caitlyn, Nate is filming, and Shane and Mitchie are the two people that we are secretly filming. They are currently engaged and going through caterers. And, knowing them both, it should be entertaining. Enjoy!"
The camera focused between two leaves. Mitchie and I were sitting at a table going through menus.
I groaned. "Mitchie, why are we doing this?"
"Because, we have to find a caterer who doesn't serve hot dogs and ice cream."
"I could care less about food, as long I'm married to you, I could live off of rice for the rest of my life."
"Awww…but really, Shane. What would you rather have, Italian or Chinese?"
"You know what I really want?"
"No, what?"
"This."
I pulled her to me and we started making out. Caitlyn could be heard saying, "Oh, Lord."
Nate replied, "It was your idea to film them."
Present:
Mitchie put her hand over Emily's eyes and was blushing furiously. I smirked. "We ended up choosing Italian, didn't we?"
"Yes, with a side of Shane's choice," she smirked back.
I winked at her and she removed her hand from Emily's eyes as the next scene came on. The only thing I thought as I recognized the surroundings was, Oh joy…
Movie:
Nate and Jason were smiling goofily in front of the camera. "Hey, I'm Nate, this is Jason, and Shane and Mitchie are getting married in two hours! But, we haven't left Shane's apartment yet because he can't find his shaver. So, while he looks for it, we are going to sing a song."
"One day, a young man, started screaming at his brothers, cause he couldn't find his shaver, and his wife to be won't be happy if he's scruffy! Oh, oh, oh…the tales of woe! Wedding day bliss, he can't wait till that first kiss as husband and wife, but if he doesn't shave, he'll be alone for the remainder of his life! Oh, oh, oh…the tales of woe!"
"NATE AND JASON, IT ISN'T FUNNY!! GET IN HERE AND HELP ME FIND THE DANG THING OR YOU WILL NEVER BE UNCLES! NOW!"
Nate and Jason looked at each other and ran to where my voice had come from. After a few seconds, Jason could be heard yelling, "I got it!" After a few minutes, all three of us showed up in front of the camera.
I smiled. "Don't I look great? And they made fun of my shaver distress. Jason had it under his suitcase. Oh, oh, oh, the tales of pure STUPIDITY! Let's go."
The screen went black, then showed Mitchie and myself saying our vows. We leaned in and kissed for the first time as husband and wife.
Present:
Mitchie laughed. "You did the same thing before Nate and Caitlyn's wedding." She paused, then mimicked me. "'Honey, where's my shaver? I can't go to my little brother's wedding looking like a bum!'"
I raised my eyebrows at her. "I do not talk like that."
"Right…"
Movie:
Mitchie and I dragged the last boxes into the house. Nate said from behind the camera, "Wow, I'm glad I didn't have to carry any of that."
Mitchie and I turned around, Mitchie glaring at him. I said, "Nate, can't you go use your lips for something else? Like going to kiss your girlfriend or stuff your mouth with food?"
"No, I'm staying here. In a few years, you'll thank me for filming this important moment in your life."
I rolled my eyes and turned back to Mitchie. "Well, Mrs. Gray, welcome home. I really would welcome you, but I can't with someone filming us."
"Later, sweetie. For now, let's get started unpacking."
"Fine…"
Present:
As the screen went completely blank, Mitchie kissed my cheek. "All memories…what'd you think, Emily?"
We looked over at Emily, who had her head resting on Mitchie's shoulder. And she was fast asleep.
I smiled. "Well, that shows how interesting we are. Even our biggest fan fell asleep."
"Shane, she's had a long day, with a bad ending. Carry her up to bed. I'll meet you in our room."
"Alright." I stood and picked Emily up bridal style. I carried her up to her room placed her down on the bed, and kissed her forehead, whispering, "Sweet dreams, superstar."
And I closed her door, I heard her whisper, "Good night, Daddy."
I walked into mine and Mitchie's room. Mitchie was already on her side, falling asleep. I smiled and got ready for bed, then got in next to her. I kissed her cheek, then closed my eyes, knowing that the next week wasn't going to be fun.
