A week before the wedding
"Hey this might sound weird but do you and Jamie need a date night?" Taylor asked Eddie over the phone.
"Haha I mean we always need one of those these days." She says with a laugh.
"Well I would be happy to come over and watch Layla for the evening so you guys can get out and go do something!"
"Taylor it's a week before your wedding and you wanna come babysit!?" Eddie pointed out.
"I know it sounds bizarre but I'm so anxious and stressed about the whole thing it would take my mind of it."
"Are you sure?" Eddie asked.
"Positive. When can I be there?"
"Well would Joe come too or is he working?"
"Yeah he'd probably come with, I'm not sure though I haven't talked to him yet." She tells her.
"Alright well how about around 4:30." Eddie says. They finish up the conversation and hang up. Taylor gets a shower and starts making something for them to eat for dinner when Joe walks in the door.
"Hey babe. What are you up to?"
"Well I'm babysitting Layla tonight so I'm making something quick."
"Babysitting? Tonight? Since when?"
"I talked to her a little bit ago, I offered." She says smearing mayo and mustard on bread.
"I thought we were gonna go over the seating chart and order out?" He asked.
"We can another night." She says.
"But don't you just wanna get that crossed off the list? One less thing to do?"
"No! I don't!" She snapped a little.
"Okay, why are you so uptight?"
"Because I'm ready for this all to be done with. I offered to babysit tonight so I could have a break." She told him.
"Well I wish you would've told me, I would've worked later."
"You can come with, I thought that would be fun."
"It would be but I'm just saying, next time consult me first?"
"Then you don't have to come. Either way this is what I'm doing tonight." She told him wrapping the sandwich in plastic wrap.
"Taylor that's fine but talk to me, tell me what your thinking next time babe."
"Okay." She put it in the fridge and went to get dressed.
——
Joe ended up going with Taylor to babysit. When they got to Jamie and Eddie's, Layla was lying on the floor playing. Jamie answered the door and thanked them for the random act of kindness.
"Eddie made a little list here of just some key things, when she eats and stuff, bedtime, all that fun stuff. She's pretty laid back." He says showing Taylor the note on the counter.
"Great!"
"How's wedding planning? All ready to go?" He asks making small talk while he waits for Eddie. Taylor goes and plays with Layla on the floor, leaving Joe standing with Jamie.
"Just about yeah." He answers knowing there's some things they have to do yet but weren't getting done tonight now.
"Good, looking forward to it." Jamie says. Eddie comes out, she's wearing a simple red knee length dress, she looks great.
"Hey guys, thanks so much for this, I said to Jamie, I think the last time we went out was like at least 3 months ago."
"Too long either way." Jamie acknowledged.
"Exactly! Just call me I would be happy to watch her once a month!" Taylor expressed.
"We'll have to take you up on that." Jamie said.
"Yes! Did you show them the note?" She asked Jamie, he nodded yes.
"Yeah, does she rock to sleep?" Taylor wonders.
"Yes, so what I do is sit in there with the lights off, sound machine on, rock her while she drinks her bottle, burp her and then even if she's not asleep yet, lay her down and she should roll over and go to bed." Eddie explains, Taylor nods understanding, they say bye to Layla and head out.
"She's getting so big." Joe sits down on the couch and watches Taylor talking and playing to the baby.
"I really have to pee, I shouldn't of drank that extra large iced coffee." Taylor gets up and heads to the bathroom, Layla starts crying when she realizes Taylor left the room.
"Oh c'mon sweetheart, she'll be right back." Joe says and picks her up. She has the saddest face when she cries, Joe walks around the apartment trying to distract her.
"Aww what's the matter sweetie?" Taylor comes back to the rescue.
"She apparently likes you more then her own cousin." He says handing her over. She stops almost instantly.
"Aww don't scare him away, I need him to still want babies." Taylor tells Layla quietly but for Joe to still hear.
"Pretty sure my kid wouldn't cry at me." He laughs.
"I know, I'm teasing." She said and sat back on the floor with Layla. Joe just watched her interact with the baby, how easily she made her smile or laugh. He had no doubt in his mind she'd make a great mom.
They all sat down at the table for dinner, they took turns feeding Layla her jar of peas.
"I can't believe she likes this stuff." Joe said spooning more into her mouth.
"Well it's just peas mashed up? There's nothing else in it." Taylor explained.
"I know, still, it's just gross to me for some reason."
"The gross one's are the meat ones." She says making a disgusted face.
"Really? They make meat!?"
"Yeah like turkey, ham, chicken. Those gross me out." She laughs and Joe quivers at the thought.
"How do you know so much?" He wonders.
"Well I babysat a lot when I was in college, before I got my job." She reminded.
"That's true. I don't know much. Just how they're made, how they get out and that their heads are very fragile." He says setting the jar down and switching to his sandwich.
"All good to know! You'll learn as you go though, at least I did. Plus every kids different."
"Right." He sighed and watched Layla a second. Taylor could tell he was thinking.
"What're you thinking about?"
"Just my mom."
"What about her?"
"I don't know, how'd she do it all herself?"
"I know. I say the same thing about my dad. Granted he had my grandma to help but still, it's a lot for one person to handle."
"I'd lose my mind I think, trying to figure it all out. Driving myself crazy just in hopes I'm doing it right and the kids gonna turn out okay."
"That's why you'll have me Joe. Unless you're planning on leaving me haha." She laughed.
"No, ha. Not what I meant at all. I just mean like I don't know. When your at work, and I'm by myself."
"Well that's something we'll have to talk about when the time comes." She said and Joe looked at her a little confused by what she meant.
"Like me cutting back hours so I can be home more. I wanna raise my kids, not somebody else."
"Well good. Daycare I hear is expensive."
"Exactly, I don't know about a daycare either." She said and Joe kinda just dropped the conversation, they had time to figure stuff like this out. Besides Layla started fussing and wanted to get out of the high chair.
Joe offered to clean up and Taylor took Layla to get changed because she was a mess from the peas. He went in the nursery when he was done to see her finishing up putting her pajamas on.
"I need a pair of those." He said laughing.
"Me too, we could match!"
"Yeah too far." He told her even though he knew she was kidding.
They played for a little bit more on the floor before she was ready to have a bottle and go to sleep. Joe let Taylor do all that, he stood in the doorway in just enough time to watch her slowly lay the sleeping baby down in her crib and tip toe out of the room.
"That's it?" He asked after she quietly shut the door.
"I guess." She shrugged.
"Seems to easy." He said.
"Well it's easier to lay them down already sleeping then having to listen to them fall asleep themselves." She explains on her way to wash the empty bottle.
"If you could pick to have a boy or girl first what would it be?" Joe wonders.
"Oh gosh I don't know, I don't care. I'll take either in a heartbeat."
"I know, but you don't have the slightest desire to have one over the other?"
"I mean, I guess a girl. Only cause the clothes and bows and all the things what about you?" She wondered now moving to pick up the living room.
"Surprisingly, a girl." Joe admits.
"Really!?" Taylor was shocked, guys always want a boy.
"Yeah, after seeing you with Layla, I don't know. It's just what I think you need. Not that you would be different with a boy I just mean, I think it would be good for you. Besides there is way too much testosterone at the Reagan family dinner table." He says with a laugh.
"Ha, I can agree with that, but I guess only time will tell." She said with a shoulder shrug before plopping down on the couch with Joe while they waited for Jamie and Eddie to return home.
——
Some fun for those two, got to play house for a little! Nice break from all the wedding hooplah too. Chapter 50 is the final chapter, it's a good one, the day they've been waiting for is just around the corner, wedding day! YAY! Leave your thoughts an reviews!
