Chapter Nine

"I am so sorry I am late Sammi! Going out for breakfast was not the best idea today", I said walking through the door. Andy and Jake ran to help me with the two boxes of doughnuts. Ashley grabbed the coffee from the car and Jayden carried in the munchkins I bought for me and him.

"What happened?", Sammi asked, seeing the look on my face. Everyone sat down at the table. Jayden sat at one end. I sat on his right side, with Ashley on my other side. Sammi and Jinxx sat next to him and Andy, CC and Jake sat on Jayden's other side. Jayden got excited as he watched me pour chocolate milk in his batman cup.

"Okay, well let's start with the fact that Jayden refused to let me play any music besides Party Rock Anthem, and Sexy and I Know It.", I said. Everyone laughed and I glared at them playfully… kinda. "So we walk into Dunkin' Doughnuts and I ordered all our food. I asked Jayden what kind of doughnut he wanted, because he likes getting a special doughnut. It's like our tradition to get a special doughnut for each of us.", I continued. "I ordered a strawberry frosted doughnut for me and asked Jayden which one he wanted. He couldn't decide what to order. Everyone was getting irritated behind me and to avoid me punching this witch behind me, I went ahead and ordered him a chocolate frosted doughnut with sprinkles."

"Well when we get in the car and I pull out our special doughnuts, he gets mad and wants mine. I told him he can't have mine but we can share. After arguing, he finally gave in and we just split our doughnuts so we both had half of the chocolate and half of the strawberry.", I finished. I let out a big sigh and laid my head on the table. Ashley rubbed my back soothingly.

"It's not that it was that bad or that I couldn't handle it. It's just that I am tired and not feeling that great today", I muttered. "Callie, you don't feel good?", Jayden asked me. My heart melted when I saw that he was genuinely worried about me. "I'm okay baby. I just need a nap", I reassured him. He looked at me and went back to devouring his munchkins. "What's wrong Cal?", Ashley asked.

"I'm fine. I just feel a little weak. It's not big deal", I said, getting up. I walked into the kitchen to fix myself some more coffee. Jayden finished eating so I cleaned him up and we walked upstairs to change our clothes. Another part of our Dunkin' Doughnuts tradition is that we go in our pajamas. I let Jayden pick out his outfit and I got dressed in mine. This is what we wore.

After we got dressed, Jayden ran to his room and brought out his Batman action figures. I couldn't say no, so I took him to the basement where we played. Andy came in and joined us. Pretty soon it was lunch. I let Andy and Jayden keep playing while I went to make lunch. When I walked upstairs I heard someone clanking around in the kitchen. I walked in there to see Ashley making grilled cheese sandwiches. He was switching between cooking grilled cheese sandwiches and stirring a pot of tomato soup. My heart melted at the sight.

"You know, you look pretty hot in the kitchen", I said in a flirty tone. Ashley turned around and smiled when he saw it was me. "I just wanted to help out so I figured I would make you some lunch", he said. I walked over to him and kissed him. We kissed for a few minutes and when we pulled away, he just pulled me into a hug. We stayed like that for a while, but soon he had to get back to cooking. I hopped up on the counter and we chatted until lunch was ready.

Andy brought Jayden in and we ate lunch, just the four of us. It was a lot of fun. After lunch, Jayden and I went to take a nap. Ashley and Andy went somewhere, so it was just the two of us. I layed down and sang to Jayden until we fell asleep. It was my favorite tradition of ours. I started singing him to sleep when he was a baby and it quickly became something we both enjoyed.

I saw Ashley walk in while I was singing Gravity by Sara Bareilles. "You sing to him?", he asked. "All the time. It's my favorite tradition.", I said running my fingers through Jayden's hair. He was knocked out. Ashley smiled sweetly as me and came over to kiss my head. He came and sat on the bed next to me and ran his fingers through my hair. I was a sucker for this. I laid my head down and he continued to do this until I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I felt so much better. Jayden jumped off the bed and ran downstairs. I got up and followed him. We sat down and watched cartoons for a few hours until Ashley and Andy walked in. "Let's go to the zoo tomorrow!", Andy suggested. "That's a great idea!", I said. I started to text Sammi, but I remembered that she and Jinxx left to go visit family for two weeks. "What about Jake and CC?", I asked. "Jake is spending time with Ella and CC is going on a blind date with one of Ella's friends", Andy answered.

We decided to order Chinese for dinner. It was such a beautiful night outside that the four of us ate outside on the back porch. The stars were out and so were the fireflies. As soon as Jayden and I finished eating, we ran to catch fireflies. I did it all the time when I lived back in Georgia. I missed it sometimes.

*Ashley's Point of View*

Man, she was something else. It was pretty awesome how well she did with Jayden. She acted like a mother to him. She always knew where he was and he always was protected by her. She made sure Jayden was fed and clothed and always entertained. Callie was always teaching him new things. It was such an amazing thing to watch. I hate to sound mushy but it warmed my heart to see her interact with him.

I wish we had more alone time though, but at least it's only for the summer. Jayden was pretty awesome too. I think that if and when I have a kid, he or she is just like Jayden. The little dude loves superheroes and is always full of energy. It's funny watching him wrestle. He isn't the least bit intimidated by Andy's height. I also love how Callie isn't afraid to get down and wrestle with him. She plays around with him in public and runs around laughing and joking with him. She isn't afraid to dance in the car or play on the playground with him at the park.

When she and Jayden play, nothing matters but making sure Jayden is happy and having fun. For Callie, it's all about Jayden first and everyone else comes last.