"What's black and white and read all over?"
"Hmmmm, a zebra wearing a red suit?"
"No daddy!"
"Maybe a white leopard wearing a red suit?"
Roland laughed again, "No daddy! A newspaper!"
The Mills-Hood family was taking an outing to the outlet shops for some much needed Christmas shopping. Robin walked with Roland and his bad joke telling and Regina and Henry had paired off with each other. Robin was making his way towards the hardware store. That was the last place they needed to stop by. They were going to pick out paint for the nursery. Even though it was Regina that suggested remodeling her office into the new baby's room, Robin was having a hard time convincing Regina to do anything remotely baby related. She was still apprehensive with letting herself get excited about their pending arrival. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was convinced she might not be able to carry the baby. Robin hoped picking out paint would push her in the direction of doing something more. Perhaps looking at cribs and dressers and changing tables. Speaking of baby furniture, they were passing the new baby store in town. He pulled Roland into the store and headed towards the walls with cribs.
"What are we doing in here daddy? Are we gonna get cousin Neal some more baby stuff? Does he need more clothes cuz he keeps spilling his juice?"
"Uh, yeah, my boy. I thought you would like to pick out something for Neal."
"Okay Daddy." They walked around the store for a little bit. Robin didn't think Roland would catch on but he wanted to cover his tracks and let Roland pick out a couple of outfits before finally heading back towards the crib section of the store. Robin's eye settled on a cherry oak wood crib that could transform into at least a toddler bed. He was just checking the specifications when he heard Roland yell out.
"Mommy Gina! You're here!" Robin looked up from the crib to see his wife standing behind him holding a few bags with Henry holding the rest.
"Robinnnn," she held out the last syllable of his name, hoping he would hear the warning in her voice.
"Uh-oh Robin. I know that tone. You're in trouble."
"We were just looking for some clothes for Neal, weren't we Roland?"
"Yeah! We pickeded out some shirts and pants and daddy let me pick out a Minions toy! See?" Regina looked down at Roland and the basket he was holding in his tiny hands. At least Robin had a somewhat decent cover story. A somewhat decent cover story that she may or may not have just ruined.
"Oh, well, yes these are lovely Roland. Henry, why don't you take Roland and head up towards the cashier. I want to talk to Robin for a quick moment."
"But mom, I have all these bags too!" Henry whined.
"You can leave them here, Robin and I will get them," she turned to Robin while the two boys headed off. "Robin, what are you doing? Are you looking at cribs? You're going to give them ideas. We talked about this."
"I know, I know. But I want to do something more! I feel like I can't do anything right now and it's driving me crazy! I can't dote on you. I can't tell the boys to be careful around mommy because she's carrying a precious baby in her tummy. I can't move all the furniture out of your office. I can't paint. I can't buy cute little stuffed animals. I can't buy onesies that say 'Daddy's Little Angel'." Regina's eyes started to tear up. She was depriving Robin of the fun parts of being an expectant father because she was afraid.
"Oh Robin. I'm sorry. I get it, I really do and I am sorry. I bet you didn't think you'd signed up for all the neuroticism. But I let you talk me into buying paint, didn't I?"
"Oh trust me love, I knew all about your neuroticism. And yes you are letting me buy paint, but you won't let me paint until after your next appointment." Regina blew out a breath. She really didn't know how else to get Robin to understand and be a little patient. Her appointment was in two more weeks. They would tell everyone at Christmas and then maybe, perhaps they could move the furniture out of her office and paint the nursery. Until the appointment she wouldn't do anything to get her hopes up. She didn't want to have to return baby furniture or look at cute stuffed animals or have people look at her with sad, knowing faces if she lost this baby too. It was all too much. She was on the verge of a meltdown in the baby store which was sure to cause a scene. She cocked her head to the side and turned to look at the crib that Robin looked at moments before.
"So, this crib is the one that has sparked your fancy?" Robin started to speak, but no sound came out of his mouth. He was prepared to present more reasons why his wife's fear was tearing him up inside. He watched as her hand stroked the wood while she walked the length of the crib. She stopped when she reached the end and turned to look back up at him. She must have asked him a question judging by the pensive look on her face. "Robin?"
"Uh, yeah, yes. I thought this would go well with your penchant for all things dark. And it goes from a crib to a toddler bed so it could last a few more years." Regina smirked. Regina's head snapped in the direction of the sound of rushing feet and the familiar voice of her son calling out.
"Mom! We're ready to checkout! What are you guys doing?" Henry asked as Regina quickly snatched her hand from the ticket on the crib.
"Nothing Henry."
"Well, you guys have been doing 'nothing' for a long time now. Come on, me and Ro are hungry!" Henry scolded his parents and folded his arms in front of him to show his clear disappointment.
"Henry, calm yourself. Let the next person go in front of you. We'll be there in a moment."
"But mo-om you said that forever ago! If you're not doing 'nothing' why can't you come now?"
"Because Henry we are discussing adult matters that don't concern you. Your mother and I are having a private discussion. Now go back up front. We'll be up there shortly, okay?" Henry shrunk back a little. Robin was always the softy and his mom was the hardass. He mumbled an 'okay' before sulking back towards the front of the store. Regina turned back to Robin with a wide-eyed expression.
"Well that was a bit harsh."
"This is a serious discussion. I hate that it's happening here, but now that we've started I kinda want to finish." Regina pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side and turned back towards the crib. Then, in a move surprising both she and Robin, she took one of the tickets out of the slot from the crib and made a move towards the cashier. Robin made a move to grab her arm. She turned to Robin and through clenched teeth so as not to cause a scene she uttered, "Let go of my arm."
"Regina! What are you doing?"
"If you don't let me do this now you're going to be waiting until I actually pop this kid out and we're on our way home from the hospital and have to stop at the store to buy the crib because we won't have a place for it to sleep." Robin dropped her arm in response and the corners of his eyes welled up with tears. He cleared his throat before quickly pulling his wife into a hug. This time they were interrupted by Roland pulling on his dad's jacket. Robin let go of Regina.
"Daddy are you crying? Are you crying because mommy won't let you come to the, come to the, where did you tell us to go mommy?" Roland queried as he looked up at Regina. Regina reached down to ruffle the small boy's hair.
"The cashier, Roland. Mommy and daddy just needed a few moments. Thank you for being so patient with us. As a reward, how about we head to the food pavilion and you and Henry can get whatever you want to eat and then we'll stop at Granny's for hot chocolate. How does that sound?" Roland let out a big grin and nodded his head so fast Regina thought it might plop off. "Good, now let's go checkout, shall we?" Roland nodded his head and turned to head back up to the cashier. Robin reached out and pulled Regina back into another quick hug. He released her and let her lead the path to the cashier where Henry and Roland were waiting with the other baby items. Regina passed through the two boys to stand at the counter. Robin came to stand beside her and took the basket Roland was still holding and passed it to the cashier. The cashier rang in the items and Regina being covertly as possible slid the ticket for the crib onto the counter. The cashier quirked her eyebrows and scanned the ticket. Henry watched as the price jumped from $35.59 to $1167.32. Before the cashier could ask what Regina was sure to be an all-revealing question she turned to Robin, "Hey Robin, I'll finish up here. Why don't you and the boys head to the food pavilion, I'm sure they're starving and I'm starting to feel a little bit hungry myself." Robin nodded his head in understanding.
"Alright boys, let's see if we can find something to eat, shall we?"
"Okay," they both responded at the same time. They headed to walk out the door, but Henry lingered just a little, casting a glance towards his mother who suddenly looked a little nervous. He couldn't quite figure out the parent's strange behavior. He wasn't sure what their 'discussion' was about that supposedly was only going to take them 'a moment' but he was worried that it might be something big. He hoped it wasn't going to spell the end of the new family life he was starting to adjust to. Maybe they were fighting over how Henry was treating Roland. Maybe he would stop crushing the boy's DVDs. Henry certainly didn't want to be the cause of discord between the parents. Roland tugged on Henry's hand babbling about a Happy Meal because mommy Gina said he could have whatever he wanted and wasn't that great because she hardly ever lets them get Happy Meals.
Regina watched as the men in her life exited the store before turning back towards the cashier.
"Alrighty, your total comes to $1167.32. Are you taking the crib home today or would you like it delivered?" The cashier prompted Regina.
"Oh, um. Yes."
"Yes to taking it home today or yes to delivery?"
"Can you hang on one quick second, I need to make a phone call," Regina asked the cashier while she stepped away to call Mary – Margaret. She had a favor to ask.
"Hey Regina, what's up?"
"Mare, I have a huge favor to ask."
"Ohh – kay. Must be pretty huge for you to call. What is it?"
"Well, I uh – we bought a crib." Regina said with a crinkle of her brow.
"You did?! That's awesome!" Mary – Margaret squealed into the phone.
"Well, it was an impulse buy. We still haven't told the boys so we can't exactly take it home today. Do you think I can have it delivered to your place?" There was a pause on the line.
"Um, yeah sure, sure. Regina, you can't keep this hidden for much longer. You're going to start to show. Henry's already worried you're very ill and that you guys just aren't telling him."
"Well. Technically I am ill. I have a parasite growing in my belly. Now, when will you be home to receive the delivery?"
"Rude. I guess any day next week will be fine. You'll have all the kids! Speaking of favors, I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Great. I suppose I could return a favor. What do you need?"
"David and I were hoping you could watch Neal. Overnight. We haven't had a proper night to ourselves." Regina huffed and scoffed slightly at the request.
"Fine, I will keep Neal overnight for you. Don't go getting any ideas. Do I need to provide you with condoms?"
"Says the woman who didn't use them herself."
"Well, I had no reason to. How was I supposed to know I was fertile myrtle? All the evidence points to barrenness. Now, what day are we doing this on? I'll have the crib delivered on that day so I can check it out."
"Fine fine, how about Wednesday? Does that sound alright to you?"
"Sounds great. And Mare? Thanks."
"Uh, sure, no problem. It's what friends are for, yeah?"
"Yeah, bye." Regina finished her conversation with Mary – Margaret and approached the cashier.
"Can you have it out next Wednesday?" The cashier nodded her head and took Regina's credit card to finish the transaction. Regina picked up the rest of the shopping bags they acquired from the day's outing. They really had a lot of stuff. She wasn't prone to spoiling but it was their first Christmas together as a family and she wanted it to be super special. Given the unexpected surprise of her pregnancy, it was sure to be something they'd never forget. While she walked towards the food pavilion, she mentally checked off the people she'd purchased presents for and the other people she still needed gifts for. People like Robin. Giving him a new life should be present enough but she felt a little guilty about not getting him something more. Of course she let the boys pick out presents to give to Robin so it's wasn't as if there weren't going to be presents under the tree for him. She sighed to herself and scanned the seating area for her trio of men. She saw Henry motioning to her and heard Robin calling out to her. She swiftly made her way to the table and set down her purchases. Robin stood up to pull out a chair and to place a kiss on her cheek.
"Sorry we couldn't wait for you love, the boys were really hungry. Wasn't sure what you wanted to eat."
"That's alright. I'm not quite sure what I would like to eat either. It's not very often we eat out like this – it makes it all so hard to choose. Hmmm, what do I feel like? There's the sandwich shop. The pizza place. Chinese Food." Robin frowned when she mentioned Chinese food remembering a few weeks back when Regina's stomach didn't quite agree with that fare. "Oh, I know! Japanese. That's not too fattening." Robin's ears definitely perked up at that declaration.
"Uh, Regina, do you think that's wise?" Regina looked up from fishing around in her purse for her wallet.
"Yes, I think it's perfectly fine. I have a hankering for sushi," she stated in a tone that suggested there would be no further discussion on the matter. Regina sighed, having found her wallet and stood up to head over to the Japanese food place.
"Excuse me boys," Robin whispered to Henry and Roland as he dabbed his mouth and headed after Regina. Henry swallowed his current bite of food and suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. Whatever the parents' issue was didn't seem resolved from their short conversation in the baby store. He sighed and stole a glance at Roland who finished off his chicken nuggets at the insistence of Robin and was currently playing with the toy that came in his Happy Meal.
"Uh, Regina, what are you doing?" Robin spoke in a hushed tone once he reached Regina.
"Isn't it obvious? I am going to get something to eat."
"Yes, I know that, but you're getting sushi," Robin said sternly, hoping she would appreciate the seriousness of his tone.
"Well yes, that's what I'm craving right now. Is that a problem?"
"Is that? Is that a problem? Yes, it is a problem!" Robin raised his voice slightly. The noise level in the seating area suddenly dropped at the scene playing out before them.
"Robin, hush, you're causing a scene," admonished Regina. Robin offered a tentative wave to the nosy onlookers and pulled Regina over towards the restrooms where he hoped for a little more privacy.
"Sushi Regina? You can't have sushi. You're pregnant. It could hurt the baby." Regina stood silent for a moment before quirking a small smile. "You, you're laughing at this? You could hurt the baby!" Regina placed a hand on Robin's arm before responding.
"Oh Robin," she chuckled, "they have rolls that contain fully cooked ingredients. Is that okay with you? I've read the books too, you know." She stared hard at Robin, waiting for his response.
"Oh. Well, yeah, cooked sushi?"
"No, not cooked sushi. Maki rolls with fully cooked ingredients. They have California Roll, a Sweet Potato Roll, are those options okay with you?"
"Um, yeah."
"My dear Robin, I'm glad for your over-protectiveness, but let's try not to cause a scene, okay? Especially not in front of the boys. They might start to think things." She leaned over and gave him a kiss and resumed her trek over to the Japanese place. She was definitely starting to feel hunger pangs. She needed to start carrying protein bars in her purse. She couldn't go all day without eating like she sometimes did. Creating life took a toll on the body.
Henry watched his parents' strange display with interest but quickly ducked his head when Robin turned and headed back towards their table.
"Eh, everything okay, Robin?"
"Yeah, everything's fine, Henry."
"You sure? You guys didn't seem fine in the baby store and you certainly didn't seem fine just now. Are we running out of money?"
"What? No, I uh, I just wanted to make sure your mom was feeling alright."
"Why? Is she sick or something? Is her throwing up more than just bad food? It is, isn't?! What aren't you guys telling us?"
"No, she's not sick. Um, her ulcerative colitis has flared up and I was just cautioning her about her food. I thought maybe she would like something a little blander." Henry's mouth formed a small oh. Robin hoped his little white lie was convincing enough for the young boy. A few moments later Regina sat down at the table with her Maki rolls and a smirk on her face, as if daring Robin to say something. Robin nodded his head and began collecting their discarded food wrappers and trays while Regina inhaled her lunch. He took all the trays over to the trash can and then returned to collect Regina's tray.
"Well, that was wonderful. What do you guys say? All done shopping?"
"Yes! I wanna go home and watch my movies!" Roland piped up.
"Your movies, huh? What movies would those be?"
"My Robin Hood movie! And Finding Nemo!" Regina stared hard at Henry. Those were Roland's Christmas presents.
"Oh Roland, those aren't for you!"
"They're not? Who else watches my movies?"
"They're for Neal. He likes those movies too, remember? Mary – Margaret told me how you guys spent all week watching those over and over and then on Friday both of those DVDs seemed to be scratched."
"Oh, ohh kay. But can we still go home and watch movies?" Regina chuckled at his proclivity for movie watching.
"Sure Roland, why don't you help pick up some of these bags, ok?"
"Uh, Regina love, I thought we were going to pick out paint. For your office?"
"Oh, yes, that is why we came out here, isn't it? Whadya say boys, up for one more stop?" Both boys gazed up at their parents with puppy dog eyes, Roland's even threatening to drip tears. They were tired and exhausted and ready for a nap after lunch. It was useless, they knew, to complain how tired they were. Henry hoped it would be easy for them to pick out a paint color. His mom usually stuck to cream colors, a stark contrast to her penchant for dark colored furniture. After a few moments both Henry and Roland squeaked out an 'okay'. With an affirmative nod they each picked up a few bags and headed towards the hardware store towards the end.
Robin and Regina and their two boys headed for the paint section of the hardware store. Usually Regina headed straight for the creams and ivories and off – whites, but this paint color for was for her future child. It was easy to pick out a color for Henry's room. She and Daniel were so excited to have a baby they couldn't wait to find out what they were having. Daniel had taken off that day from work so he could be with Regina when she found out what sex the baby would be. He was so excited, possibly more so than Regina. She had to warn him a couple of times that he would be banned from future appointments if he didn't tamper down his excitement. He was making her more nervous and that wasn't good for her stress levels, which in turn wasn't good for the baby. He promised to tone it down, only a little. It seemed to take forever in the waiting room and even longer once they were taken to the exam room. Daniel fiddled around with some of the displays, in complete awe of the changes going on within Regina in order to bring forth life – he told her so. He told her how proud of her he was and how glad he was that God blessed him with her. She was in tears by the time the doctor came in to see them and was immediately worried. Regina had to laugh off her emotional state, blamed it on the baby for how easy it was for her to cry. They all had a good chuckle at that. Finally towards the end of the appointment they got to see their baby and to see its profile, to learn they were having a little boy. They were so ecstatic and Regina was relieved that she would be able to pick a gender specific color and theme for the nursery. She liked planning. It helped keep her sanity. Finally being able to plan and decorate her son's nursery helped make her feel just as excited about her impending arrival as Daniel.
Regina browsed the paint swatches, unsure really of why she was even there. They didn't know the gender of the baby, wouldn't know for a while. She sighed a little bit, let out a hum. Robin turned to look at her, a silent question in his eyes. She tilted her head, indicating they step to the side while the boys were somewhat distracted flipping through the paint swatches.
"What's wrong?"
"Well, it's,"
"It's what?"
"We don't know the sex of the baby. We haven't exactly talked about what color or theme we're going to go with. And we can't really discuss it right now in front of the boys," she rushed through her words in a hushed whisper.
"Hmmm, I see. Well what about green? That works for both, yeah?"
"Eww, no, I don't want to do gender neutral stuff. If we're going to do this, I want to do it properly." Robin grasped Regina's hands and swung them lightly. He hadn't realized how stressful this was turning out to be. He thought getting stuff for the baby would help her accept that she really was pregnant and that things would be okay. He wanted her to have hope that everything would be okay.
"Okay, okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, let's go home." Regina looked into Robin's eyes, tears threatening to fall. She cocked her head to the side, trying to read his thoughts.
"But what about the paint?"
"It can wait. I see how this is wearing on you. I don't want to stress you out any more than you already are. I have faith and hope that everything will be okay. If it takes you a little bit longer, until you're popping the kid out and holding it in your arms, I have enough faith and hope for the both of us." This time tears really did fall from Regina. How lucky she was to have this man in her life. How lucky she was to have found someone as accepting of her neuroticism as Daniel. She let out a slight chuckle. Robin squeezed her hands, "what?"
"Nothing. Thank you for this, for understanding. I don't know if you can even begin to imagine how much this means to me. Thank you for giving me time to adjust to this. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know I'm being just a little bit silly over all this and I should allow myself to enjoy it, but I just can't do that right now. One day soon I hope to, but not right now."
"Regina, I know, I know. I'm sorry to pressure you into this. I'm just so excited to be sharing this with you. I can wait until you feel a little more comfortable with this. But just so you know, I'm not waiting until you're popping the kid out, okay?" Regina shook her head with a light laugh.
"I promise not to wait that long." They shared a kiss just as a loud "Ewww" could be heard from behind them. They both stopped and turned to see a sour – faced Roland.
"I thought we were picking out paint! Not kissing!" Both adults leaned into each other and chuckled.
"You're right Roland, we are here to pick out paint. What color do you think would look great in mommy's office?"
"Hmmm, I know!" Exclaimed Roland with wide – eyes.
"You do? Tell us."
"How about green?" Regina chuckled.
"Like father, like son, hmm Roland?"
"What does that mean mommy?"
"It means, my boy, that we have excellent taste." Regina turned to look at Robin.
"Are you sure about green? What shade would we get? There are so many choose from. We might spend all day in here."
"Nooooo! I don't want to spend any more time here. Me and Henry are ready to go home."
"You are, are you?"
"Yes, and you said we could gets hot chocolate from Granny's!"
"Ahh, so I did. Well, we can come back another day to pick out paint, can't we?"
"Yes yes yes! Let's get hot chocolate!"
"Okay, okay Roland, hold your horses. Let's find Henry and we'll head on out, okay?"
"Yes! Hennnnry!" Regina gave Robin another peck on the cheek as Roland ran off to find Henry. Robin held out his hand for Regina to take hand. This is how they headed out of the store behind their happily skipping boys.
The trek to Granny's was filled with such excitement, probably from not having to lug bags around the outlet stores. The Mills – Hood family made the bell ring out, announcing their arrival into Granny's, apparently the local hangout for today. The Nolans and Emma were already seated at a booth near the front. The boys took for the booth. Robin held the door open for Regina, allowing her to pass through in front of him. He took their coats and hung them on the coat rack by the door. They approached the table.
"Hey guys, what's up? Fancy seeing you in here," Emma greeted them.
"Hello Emma, Mary – Margaret, David. I promised the boys hot chocolate since they were so patient while we went shopping."
"Uh – huh, mommy wanted to get paint, but we didn't pick out paint. But now mommy says we can have hot chocolates, right mommy?"
"Hmm, yes Roland. Henry, why don't you go to the counter and order us all a hot chocolate, okay? If you will excuse me for a moment, I'm going to use the facilities." Regina headed to the back of the restaurant.
"I'm gonna head to the restroom too. Roland, do you need to go?" Robin asked his young son. The little boy shook his head before responding.
"No, I don't have to go."
"Well, why don't you try, okay? Will you try for me? Then we'll come back and have hot chocolate, okay?" Robin said, hoping to coax Roland to using the restroom.
"Ohh kaaay." Roland sighed as he slid out of the booth, quickly to be replaced by Henry. Henry leaned forward to whisper to the Nolans and Emma.
"Hey guys, I wanna talk to you about something, but you have to promise not to mention anything to my mom or Robin." All three adults looked bewildered at each other. If it was something this serious, perhaps it did bear a conversation with Robin and Regina. They would have to tread lightly in their conversation; gain Henry's trust to be completely forthcoming and not scare him off. Emma was the first to respond.
"Of course kid, you can tell us anything."
"But," Mary – Margaret interrupted, "if it's something serious we might have to let your parents know." Emma whipped her head suddenly at Mary – Margaret for mentioning his parents might still be involved, betraying the trust and confidence he had in them to keep his secret. Mary – Margaret was good for not keeping secrets even though it was expressly stated that said secret was indeed a secret and should not be told. Henry let out a sigh.
"It's nothing like that. I'm worried about my mom, and Robin."
"Well, what's going on that's got you so worried?" Emma prompted.
"Well you know mom's been throwing up and I think she actually went to the doctor but neither one of them has told us what was wrong." Emma and Mary – Margaret shared a knowing glance, nodding their heads for Henry to continue.
"And then in mom's office she took down all the pictures. And today, when we went shopping, they also wanted to get paint for her office, but Robin stopped in the baby store. He said it was to get some stuff for Neal, but when me and mom found him, mom was really mad that Robin was in there."
"Was she? How do you know she was mad?" Mary – Margaret asked, making sure to sound as innocent as possible. She didn't want to tip her hand to Henry what she knew about his mom and Robin.
"Well, she sent me and Roland away so she could talk to him in private, just for a moment she said. But they talked longer than that. And when we finally made it to the paint store, mom and Robin snuck off again and when I found them mom looked like she was crying. Are they fighting over paint? Is paint that serious? Are they going to get divorced over paint? I don't want them to get divorced, mom finally seems happy. And as much as I'd like to get rid of Roland, I would actually kinda miss him." All three of the adults chuckled slightly. Henry's concerns were not as serious as they imagined, but all the same they were serious to him. David was the first to speak when Henry finished.
"Y'know Henry, sometimes adults have issues that don't involve their kids. They want to keep it private."
"I know, but we're a family and family is supposed to be there for each other and help each other out and stuff and they're not doing that. I don't like it when my mom cries. I, I, I don't want to see her cry."
"Oh, Henry. I wouldn't worry."
"What's not to worry about?"
"What are we worrying about?" Regina said as she approached the table, followed shortly by Robin and Roland.
"Uh, nothing. I was just telling them how I was worried about um, um…" Henry's eyes went wide in a panic. He was caught off guard by his mother's approach to the table. The conversation lasted a lot longer than he anticipated.
"What was taking the hot chocolate so long. You know how much Henry loves his hot chocolate. He thought it should be here by now," volunteered Mary – Margaret.
"Yeah, it's still not here!"
"Oh my, that is a cause for worry, isn't?" Regina commented as she slid into the booth next to Henry.
"Robin, since you're still up can you ask Ruby what's taking so long with our hot chocolate? Shopping was a bit taxing today and I can't wait to get home and take a nice hot steamy shower. My muscles ache terribly." Robin nodded his head and went in search of Ruby.
"So, Regina, Henry tells us you were Christmas shopping today?"
"Oh yes. It was quite the adventure, wasn't it kids?"
"Uh huh! Mommy even let me gets a Happy Meal! See? Look at this cool toy!" Roland held up the toy he received in the Happy Meal and set about demonstrating to everyone how it worked. Oh to be that young and innocent they all thought. Moments later Robin approached the table followed by Ruby with a tray full of hot chocolate. Robin allowed Ruby to set down everyone's hot chocolate before pulling a chair from the free standing tables so he could sit at the end of the table. Everyone picked up their mugs at the same time and took a sip. When they brought the mugs down, they all stared at each other for a few moments before bursting into laughter at the sight of whip cream mustaches. They all chatted until the hot chocolate was consumed. Emma and the Nolans stood to collect their coats and bid the Mills-Hood family a good-bye. Robin returned his chair and slid into the booth across from the boys and Regina. Robin and Regina stretched their hands across the table and held them for a few moments. The sushi she'd had for lunch wasn't actually very filling. Her stomach began to rumble, begging to be sated. She quite had a craving for the messiest of messy cheeseburgers and onion rings from Granny's. She knew Robin wouldn't object to her dinner choice. Regina turned her head to the young boys to address them.
"Hey guys, whadya say to Granny's for dinner now that we've had our fill of hot chocolate?"
"Yeah! A junk food kind of day. Are you feeling alright, mom?"
Regina and Robin shared a knowing smirked. She slightly shook her head. She still wasn't sure when the right time to tell the boys was, so she offered a different explanation.
"I'm feeling fine, Henry. I just think that a day of shopping is super exhausting and I don't quite feel like cooking. Are you complaining?" Henry shook his head quickly.
"Nope, not at all! But can we get it to go? I wanna go home and watch a movie? Can we do that?"
"Yeah! Can we watch a movie at home?" Roland chimed in.
"Sure, I don't see why not. Ruby!" Regina called to the waitress standing behind the counter. "We'd like four of the messiest of messy cheeseburgers and onion rings. To go."
"Alrighty, comin' right up!" Ruby called back. The Mills-Hood family all burst into laughter once more. At least the rather taxing day was ending on a good note, Regina thought to herself as she surveyed her husband and sons. A good note indeed.