1 month later
Sunday April 7th 2024
Taylor was standing in the doorway of their office/storage/spare bedroom with her arms crossed.
"Whatchya doing?" Joe asks coming up behind her.
"I'm just not sure where we're going to put all this crap to make a nursery."
"Well we could move the desk to our room."
"I figured that much, what about all these bins." She gestured at the stack of big plastic bins stacked against the wall.
"What are they?"
"Just like seasonal decorations, scrapbooks, some old family heirlooms, winter clothing." She rambled off as she opened a few of the lids to see.
"Well we could get a storage unit."
"They're so expensive, and I'd be too afraid of the sentimental stuff getting damaged."
"Yeah…I mean, I don't know what else to tell you Tay, I could ask my mom if we could use some of her attic." He suggests.
"We just need to move." She says and joes face is priceless.
"Uh I don't think so…!" He says shaking his head.
"Why not?" She asked nonchalant, Joe looked at her like she had 3 heads.
"Babe do you know how expensive it is right now?"
"Yeah but it can't be that much more then what we already spend here."
"Yes 100% it is." He assured.
"Okay so what happens if we'd have another kid?"
"They can share a room."
"Babe, this apartment is gonna be tight with one kid! And I want a backyard for them to play in." She explained.
"I want a lot of things too that doesn't mean we get it." Her face turned angrier with his lack of empathy.
"Why are you being such an ass!" She raised her voice.
"I'm not, I'm just stating facts."
"I'm aware we can't have everything we want but you could at least offer to look around and see if anything is available that isn't gonna be a huge stretch!" She walks away.
"Taylor what about our lease? We can't just up and leave."
"It's up in July!"
"It's fucking April! That's 3 months away! This shit takes time!" Now he was raising his voice.
"Then I'll start looking! You just keep doing what your doing and living your life like everything fine, meanwhile I'll figure out where the fuck this child's supposed to sleep!" She yelled back.
"We have another bedroom! What are you talking about!"
"This apartment isn't big enough!" She was so frustrated with him.
"Whatever, go try and find something else then that's more affordable, in the meantime you probably won't be seeing much of me, beings I'm gonna need to pick up more shifts at work to afford the lifestyle you want." He then walks away with frustration in his voice and face.
"Huh Joe. Wait." She feels bad, she didn't mean to make him think he wasn't good enough for her, but she sees how it maybe came off that way. She went and found him in the kitchen making himself a sandwich for lunch.
"Babe I didn't mean to come across like I'm high maintenance or that you don't do enough for me." She clarified.
"You're freaking out we don't have room for the baby, and practically demanding we have to move." His voice was still frustrated but calmer.
"I'm just stressed. You see all the stuff Jamie and Eddie have in their apartment for Layla."
"I never said I didn't understand that part, my point is. We have a room, we will make it work. I'm not saying I'm against moving down the road, but right now we can't. And we don't have to." He explained.
"I know. You're right. I'm sorry." She felt bad, she doesn't see him get that mad very often so when he does she feels terrible for being the reason. Not to mention her hormones are racing and she's a little more sensitive some days and aggressive the others.
"Come here." He softened his tone even more and wanted to give her a hug.
"I'm sorry." She repeats against his chest wrapped in his arms. He knows where this is going…
"No I'm sorry for yelling." He interjects.
"You didn't yell, I yelled. I'm sorry." Her voice was breaking even more…here came the waterworks Joe knew were already on the way.
"Honey stop apologizing it's all good." He rubbed his hand on her back to comfort her.
"Don't call me that." She said with her tears, Joe laughed but tried not to.
"Why don't you think about how excited everyone's gonna be tonight when we tell them." He said changing the subject, attempting to get her to stop.
"I know. I am excited, but right now I need to ride out this emotion or it's just gonna come back later." She let go of him and got a tissue for herself.
"Whatever you need baby." Joe kissed her cheek before resuming to make the sandwich he was starving for. She went back to the office/spare bedroom and started looking through things to see if she could get rid of anything. She wanted to start getting the nursery ready!
——
On the way to Franks later, they were excited to share the news. They didn't know how they wanted to announce it so Taylor just wore a shirt that said "mama" on it. It was too hot out for a sweatshirt or cardigan so they were just gonna wing it. Walk in and see who reads it first, go from there.
"Hey, glad you could make it!" Henry was the first person they saw upon entering.
"Us too!" Joe said and they kept walking towards the kitchen.
"Oh good, the Calvary is here." Danny attempted to say with his finger hooked in his mouth.
"Who?" Joe asked confused.
"The dentist." He said pointing to Taylor.
"Haha I'm not a dentist Danny! What's the issue?" She wondered.
"Close enough, I think I chipped a tooth."
"Ugh what were you eating?" Taylor playfully groans and crosses her arms at him like a mom would.
"It was nothing, just tried cracking open some pistachios and-"
"That's why you don't use your teeth to open things!" She scolded with her finger.
"Yeah yeah well if you could just take a-" he stopped finally reading her shirt. His eyes blew up at her and then to Joe.
"No way!" He automatically gave her a hug.
"You should've shut me up! This is way bigger then my damn tooth!" He said letting go with a handshake to Joe.
"You're the first to read it." Joe said and then told Taylor to keep walking so everyone else could find out. The anticipation was building now.
"Hey guys!" Eddie said.
"Welcome." Frank smiled.
"Your shirt…! Are you…!?" Erin asked, drawing everyone's attention to it and exchanged looks.
"Coming mid October!" Taylor said hardly being able to contain her excitement. There was a rumble of voices, some clapping and cheering for them and the swarm for hugs.
"I didn't think I was gonna cry!" Taylor said looking at Joe after everyone gave them a hug and spaced out again.
"I would've bet money." He said with raised eyebrows, everyone laughed.
"Well I hate to change the subject because we're all so happy for you two but dinners ready, so why don't we move this party to the dining room." Frank suggested. Of course everyone agreed so that's what they did.
They talked about the entire process and how it turned out they didn't even need a treatment. Pretty much all the same stuff they shared with Jamie and Eddie when they told them a few weeks ago.
"Are you gonna find out the sex?" Erin wondered.
"Oh one thousand percent."
"Really?" Joe interrupted her. She practically got whiplash turning to look at him.
"Yes!" She answered.
"Uh oh." Henry said and picked up his wine glass. Everyone exchanged looks of worry they may witness an argument.
"You don't think the surprise would be fun?" Joe asked.
"Seriously? Absolutely not. I am a planner! You know this." Taylor reminded.
"I know babe, I just, we never talked about it is all." He said not wanting to start anything.
"Well, you get pregnant, you can decide." She said very matter of factly making everyone giggle at her sass.
"You'll learn to pick your battles man." Jamie said before Joe could respond to Taylor.
"Oh I think I'm already learning." He said with a chuckle.
——
Finally everyone knows! Do you think it's gonna be a boy or girl!? And what is everyone's suggestions on her wanting a bigger place? Should moving be in the near future or do we think they can easily get by? Leave your thoughts!
