A/N: Welcome to the latest (and last) installment in the Songs about Janes series! As this is an AU, I recommend that you only read this story once you've read the first three parts of the series: Is There an Anyone Out There, That's My Man, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause.
For those who have been waiting, sorry for the delay! Real life got in the way, and I also had some trepidation about the track I was on for this story. With that in mind, I'm sending a special shout out to nitro9 for graciously reviewing the first three chapters in advance and providing some good feedback!
I'm looking to update this story weekly-and if not weekly, then bi-weekly-from now until it's done. Thanks for everyone who has read this story and who is looking for more! I can scarcely believe that a one shot birthday gift for a friend spiraled into a 100k+ word series!
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"Mommy, can I go play outside?"
She looked at the iPad station on the counter. 10am and it was already 90 degrees outside. Early July in Sacramento, and it was hotter than hell. Yet, Annie still wanted to play outside.
"Sweetie, it's a little hot out today, and we have Charlotte's birthday party later."
"Char-lotte."
Charlotte had just learned to say her own name, and she was very good at cooing it back in broken syllables whenever someone said it. She just rubbed her baby girl's dark curls, smoothing them down. She had a bow to put in it for today.
"Yes, baby. It's your birthday today. Everyone is coming over to celebrate it. Are you finished with your grapes?"
"More graa-pe."
Like her sister, she was also very good at making her needs for food known. She just got the jar of grape pieces out of the refrigerator and gave her an extra little scoop. Of course, grapes seemed to be her favorite thing…and of course her daddy had gotten very good at chopping them in bulk for his baby girl to have them on demand. Speaking of…
"Annie, do you know where daddy went?"
She nodded. "He said he had to go pick up grandma and the whole gang!"
Right. Patricia, Paul, and the kids had another obligation with some of Paul's family members up until yesterday. So, they were flying directly from New Jersey into Sacramento on a red eye flight this morning.
A very heavily pregnant Karen made her way into the kitchen. She smiled at the sight. The Lisbon family was just in sync like that.
"My God. It's hotter than a whore's…" She cleared her throat, knowing Annie was watching but that Karen had not yet registered that her niece was in the kitchen. "It's very hot. How do you guys live like this?"
She shrugged. "You get used to it."
"90 degrees at 10am? I don't think I could ever get used to this!"
"Well, Patricia will be here soon to tell us it's nothing compared to Vegas where it's like 100 degrees at 10am."
"That's even worse!"
"Would you like some ice cream or something?"
"Yes, I want ice cream!" She turned to look at seven year old Annie whose eyes were now wide in anticipation.
"Annie, you just had breakfast, and you will have some later as a special treat with the cake."
"Caa-ke?" Now, Charlotte was looking up at her. She'd learned the word cake pretty well, making her wonder just how tight of a ship daddy ran when she wasn't around.
"Later, baby. We are having a birthday cake later."
"But why can Aunt Karen have some? She hasn't even had breakfast yet!"
The obvious answer here was that Karen was an adult, but she found it was better to explain things–lest Annie get very carried away with her understandings.
"Annie, your Aunt Karen is carrying a baby. She's just trying to get comfortable. Sometimes, when women carry babies, they eat in a funny way."
"Yeah, you do eat funny, mommy. Can I go play in my room?"
"Yes, you may. You have two hours of free time before I want you to start getting ready for the party."
"Okay!"
"And will you take Charlotte up with you? I'll be upstairs in a bit to put her down for her nap."
"Nap." Charlotte frowned as she lifted her out of her high chair. At first, her chunky little legs looked like they might give way, but as soon as Annie took her hand, she was toddling off with Annie.
"Those two are certainly something. I hope Stan Jr. gets along with little Annie so well!"
Karen rubbed her belly. She was only weeks away from giving birth, and frankly, she was shocked she made the trip. Though, she was even more shocked to learn they were gaining another Annie. Surely, mom would love being honored in this way–but she'd also want to see some originality.
"I'm sure they will! So, can I get you anything?"
"Were you serious about the ice cream?"
She peeped around, making sure the girls were gone. "Yeah, and I'll join you."
Karen laughed. They sat talking a bit. Getting to know Karen a bit better over the last year or so as they exchanged texts about different family-related things (at first) and then starting to become more like sisters was nice.
"Hey, we're back!" "Where are my grandbabies?"
She smiled, hearing Patrick and Patricia in near unison. She got up to greet them in the living room.
"If you'd called, I would have had the girls down here. They're upstairs."
Patricia leaned in, kissing her cheek. "No need to worry, dear. I'm going to let the boys work on getting the bags in while I go see my granddaughters! Oh Karen! You look radiant, dear."
She smiled, noting that Patrick rejoined Paul and Jason outside to work on the bags. Patricia leaned in and hugged Karen. "Thanks, Patricia. It's great seeing you again!"
"Grandma!" Annie and Charlotte appeared at the top of the stairs. While Annie screamed and ran down the stairs into Patricia's open arms, Charlotte stayed at the top clapping her hands, stomping her little feet, laughing, and saying "mah-mah," which is what she often called Patricia.
This past year, they traveled to Vegas a few times to visit with the family. They'd not made the trek to Chicago, but they were planning a visit for the holidays this year. Patricia, and sometimes one of the kids, had been out to visit several times this past year. Each time, the girls got a bit more excited about their grandma coming to (most likely) spoil them.
Registering that Charlotte was stuck at the top of the stairs, she determined that she should get her down here to see her. Without a doubt, Annie forgot she couldn't take the stairs alone when she left her there. And Charlotte was so excited to see her grandma that she didn't try to come down. She'd better go get her–and that was when it happened.
In her excitement, Charlotte's little stomping foot teetered over the edge of the step. Before she even realized what was happening, she heard Charlotte's loud shriek as she watched her one year old daughter tumble all the way down the stairs. With each roll, her panic set in until she reached her midway down. While logically she knew there weren't that many stairs, it felt like there were many more as she watched her daughter's fall and listened to her screaming.
"Charlotte!" Nearly as fast as her heart beat, she rushed over to her, praying that she was okay as she started to wail and her own eyes started to water. Why did she just stand there and let her fall down the stairs? What kind of mother does that?
"It's okay. Mommy's got you. Are you hurt, baby?"
Pain rushing through her shoulder, she squeezed her tightly to her body before realizing she should check her for injuries. On instinct, she checked her head and ran her hand over her limbs. At some point, Patrick appeared near her side. "Is she okay?"
And that was when Charlotte's cries stopped. "Daddy."
"Hey, baby. Are you okay?"
"Boo boo." She pointed to her knee which was now scratched. In trying to make sure she'd not suffered any broken bones, she overlooked that scrape. Maybe Charlotte's sudden excitement to see her daddy indicated that she also knew he wouldn't have let her fall down the stairs.
"Well, I think we have a special bandage for brave little girls to put over that."
"Boo boo. " She giggled as she lifted her arms.
"Is she okay, honey?"
Charlotte's giggling lessened some of her own anxiety, so it was easier to pull her tears back before speaking. "I think so. I don't think anything is broken. Probably just startled."
He nodded before squeezing her shoulder. "I can take her upstairs and get her cleaned up."
"No, I'll take care of it." After all, it was her job as her mother. If she couldn't stop her from falling down the stairs, the least she could do was get her cleaned up.
"Patrick, it's okay. Go." Patricia was nodding at him as Annie leaned into her side.
"Is she okay, mommy?"
"Yeah, I think she's okay!"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"I forgot the stair safety. I was supposed to help her get down with me or close the gate. It was my fault she fell down the stairs."
It hadn't occurred to her that it would be Annie's fault. Yes, they had talked a lot about stair safety once Charlotte started moving around. But they were just two little girls excited to see their grandma. She was the one who should've sensed the danger and moved faster. After all, wasn't that her job?
"It wasn't your fault. It was an accident."
"Come on, Annie. Why don't you come with me while your mom and dad take care of Charlotte?"
Annie smiled again, off with Patricia as Patrick walked them up the stairs with his hand on her back. When they reached the bathroom, he got the first aid kit out.
"Do you think we should have her checked out?"
"I don't think she hit her head."
"Boo boo." Charlotte kicked her leg out again, making her smile just a bit.
"I think she's telling us she's fine."
"Alright, then let's get a Princess Band-Aid on our princess."
"Wait. I think we should just go ahead and give her a bath."
"Bath!" Charlotte's arms shot up in excitement. She loved bath time because she loved pretending to swim. Clearly, she was over it already.
Getting Charlotte situated into her chair, she sat next to her near the tub. Patrick kneeled in front of her, placing his hand on her cheek and turning her to face him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine."
"I just…I was startled when she took that tumble. It was like I just sat there and watched it happen in real time. I can't believe…"
"Teresa, like you told Annie, it was an accident. Accidents happen all the time! Besides, I heard the shriek from outside. I'm not sure anything has ever propelled me to move faster. It must've been distressing to hear it from just a few feet away."
"But I'm her mother! And I just watched her fall down the stairs. I should've noticed the danger when she was just standing there at the top of the stairs and moved quicker!"
"Honey, you did everything right. And she's fine! Look at her."
As usual, Charlotte was splashing around and playing with her foam dinosaurs. Ever since Patrick introduced those to bath time, she'd loved those.
She brought her hand to stroke her soft curls. "I suppose she is. I just…are we taking on too much?"
"I don't think so. I think our daughter took a tumble, and it scared her. She also has a very loud set of pipes so that she can scare us when she is scared."
She smiled as she took his hand into hers. "She does have a loud set of pipes, but it seems daddy showing up smoothed everything over."
"You're a good mother."
She met his eyes. "And you're a good father. I love you."
"I love you, too."
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A few hours later, and Charlotte napping with her Princess Band-Aid on her leg, Uncle Evan, Jason, Stan, Stan Jr., and Jimmy returned. Uncle Evan had invited all of the guys on a morning golf excursion. She'd laughed when he said: "And that includes my young nephew too!"
Of course, Annie didn't think that was especially fair.
"Uncle Evan, girls can play golf, too!"
"Well, I know that sweet Annie."
"So, why can't I go?"
"Annie…" She understood. She used to always hate being excluded from stuff the boys got to do, but this wasn't as much about excluding her as it was about Uncle Evan and Jason connecting with their nephews. Annie got to visit with them quite often.
"It's just that sometimes, we like to do different things. And I see you a lot more than I see the boys. That's all."
"But it's not fair!"
"Okay. Do you like to play golf?"
She absolutely did not like playing golf. When they met up with the Sullivans and took the kids to Putt Putt one afternoon, Annie complained about how boring it was. It was just the principle of not being invited. She could understand that.
"No, but that's not the point. Stan Jr. is just a baby, and he gets to go!"
Ah. There it was. Stan Jr. got to go, but she didn't.
Uncle Evan laughed. "Of course, that's not the point! Teresa, I see you make your girls as strong willed as you are."
She smiled. "Of course, Uncle Evan. I wouldn't have it any other way. Annie, you can stay here and wait with me for your dad to get back with your grandma and grandpa."
By the time the boys returned, they were starting to get ready for the party. Well, the people Patrick hired to do that were doing that.
She had a whole plan for the menu and activities. But, as usual, her husband had made a rather compelling point: why take on the stress of the first birthday alone? So, she let him hire an event coordinator that had a full afternoon of activities planned for the littles with catering. It was perfect!
After getting the girls ready, she got herself ready as Patricia sat with them. As she was working on her hair, Patrick came into the bathroom, presumably to get himself ready. When she looked up, she caught him gazing at her in the mirror.
She grinned. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Then, I hope that stare isn't expressing a desire of some kind, Mr. Jane. We have a party–and guests–to attend to."
"I know. You look absolutely stunning."
"Thank you. You're not too bad yourself." She wrinkled her nose. "You could stand to clean up a little."
Now directly behind her, he placed his hand on her belly and whispered into her ear. "Oh, you're hilarious."
"I've been told not to quit my day job though."
"No, we wouldn't want that. Do you want to know why you caught my eye?"
"Why is that?"
"Sometimes, I still can't believe how lucky I am to be married to somebody like you: a beautiful, wonderful, spirited woman. I'm so lucky to have you, Teresa."
Her demeanor shifted a bit from teasing to take in the words he'd just said before placing her hand on top of his before meeting his eyes in the mirror. "How do you know you're the lucky one? Maybe it's me who really lucked out."
"We both know that's not true."
She turned slightly and caught his lips. "Maybe it is from where I'm standing. You're an amazing husband."
"Hmm. I think we have guests to attend to."
She let her elbow connect softly with his ribs as he grunted. "Yeah, so get in the shower!"
Once she was ready, she started to go down the stairs before she heard what sounded like a woman giggling in Jimmy's room.
Shit. She hoped he wasn't thinking of entertaining Amanda again. Closing her eyes, she went to the door and knocked.
Before he responded, there was a tell tell sign of a shushing happening. "Uh, yeah?"
"Jimmy, it's me. Can I come in?"
"Hey, Reese. Um, now's not a great time. Can I get you in a little bit?"
She gritted her teeth. "Now. Now is good, Jimmy."
A part of her just wanted to open the door, consequences be damned, but she waited patiently for him to make his way to the door. After all, he was an adult. So was Amanda.
He opened the door slightly. "Yeah. What's up, Reese?"
"Is Amanda in there?"
"Um, no."
She folded her arms. "Cute. You've never been a good liar, Jimmy. Especially when it comes to girls. I want to talk to you. Alone."
A few moments later, Amanda sheepishly exited his room.
"What the hell was that, Reese?"
"Seriously? I think that's my line."
"We were just talking!"
"Just talking? In your room alone?"
"We're adults. We can go wherever we please and talk."
"I know you've done more than just talk to Amanda in the past. I am hoping that you wouldn't be stupid enough to do that again."
His face went white. "What are you talking about?"
"Last time you were all here. I saw her coming out of your room the next morning. We didn't talk about it, but I want to talk to you about it now. Jimmy, this is serious! You can't be running around treating her like Jimmy Lisbon's Vacation Treat of the Week."
"Vacation treat?"
"Yeah, another entry in loverboy Jimmy's diary. She's my husband's sister!"
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Jimmy…"
"No! Why do you believe that everyone else can change but me? What? Did you think I'm just going to be some jerk for my entire life? I left that kid shit behind me."
"I never said that, and that's not what this is about! You're my brother, and she's Patrick's sister."
"Maybe I've turned over a new leaf."
"Please! This is going to crash and burn, and we will all pay the price for it!"
"I love her!"
She blinked. "You love her? Jimmy, you've seen her twice, and…"
"See, you don't know what you're talking about! Amanda and I aren't crashing and burning. In fact, we've been going strong for a year now. She's my girlfriend."
That winded her, but suddenly, a lot of things clicked into place. Recently, Jimmy had really cleaned up his act quite a bit. He was even asking questions about how to buy a home. Jimmy didn't ask, but she and Patrick had talked about whether they should give him a little money so that he would have a downpayment if he were truly interested in buying a home. Stan had their family home, and beyond that, it wasn't like any of them had anything to start out.
Jimmy also came out to visit a few times in the last year, citing business had brought him out so he wanted to swing in and see his girls. Amanda was living and attending medical school in San Francisco. And she had heard in passing that Chicago Children's Hospital was the frontrunner for where Amanda hoped to be matched next year. Patricia told her on the phone one night when they were talking, hoping that Teresa could give her pointers on places to live, things to do, and whatnot.
Oh God. They're making life plans. This is serious!
Her voice went soft. "Jimmy…"
"What? You don't think that a girl like Amanda could love a guy like Jimmy Lisbon?"
He sat on the bed, letting his head hang in his hands. She took a seat next to him before putting her hand on his back. "I know you don't believe that. You know my stance has always been that any girl would be lucky to have Jimmy Lisbon."
"It's your job to say that."
She laughed softly. "Sure. I'm…I didn't know that you're seriously dating. Why haven't you said anything? It's been a year."
To her knowledge, he'd never been in any relationship that long. Coupled with the fact that he was traveling to see her and considering buying a home…he was very serious about this.
"We didn't want judgment while we were figuring it out. Reese…" He paused. "I want to marry her."
"You want to marry her?"
"Yeah. Take a look at this." He pulled out his phone, showing her a modest wedding band. "I put this on layaway for her. I've been picking up extra gigs, so I think I'll be able to pay it off in 6 months!"
"It's a nice ring, Jimmy."
His face fell. "It's not good enough, is it?"
"Of course it is!"
He shook his head. "Nah. You're right. I need to save more. She deserves more."
"I don't know that it matters. It matters what you both think. If she likes the ring…"
"I mean, she's going to be a doctor! She can't have a piece of junk on her hand!"
"I can't say I've ever noticed the kind of ring my doctor is wearing. In fact, my obstetrician is married, and I've never even seen her wearing her ring. It would probably just be in the way."
"I don't know. I've gotta think more about this."
It was as though her knowing made him much more nervous about the prospect of getting married. While she had no doubt he'd put a lot of thought into this–because her baby brother had never been big on commitment before–she also figured out the source of his embarrassment.
"You weren't planning to marry her in secret, were you? Marriage isn't something that usually takes place, and exists, in the dark. It's a pretty public thing. People know I'm Patrick's wife, and they know he's my husband."
"No, but…"
"But what?"
"Come on. She is too good for me, isn't she? She's gonna be a doctor! And what am I going to be? An electrician holding her back? A deadweight?"
"There it is."
"What?"
"It's male pride. Male pride is driving you to keep this secret."
"It's not."
"It is. You're an electrician, which by the way, I think is a respectable career. Obviously, she thinks so too–or maybe it doesn't even matter to her. It's not like you've misled her about that, right?"
"No. She knows I'm an electrician who has a pretty shitty apartment a few blocks from where he grew up."
She nodded. "But she's going to be a doctor, and you care about that a lot."
"It matters to me because I want to be able to take care of my wife!"
"Do you care that she will make more money than you?"
"No, I don't care about that. But what do I bring to the table?"
"You bring yourself."
He scoffed. "So not a lot."
"Jimmy…"
"And doesn't Patrick take care of you?"
"Jimmy, that's a loaded question that you don't want the full answer to, but yes. He does. We love each other, and I would love him without money." She waved her hands around. "In fact, all of this could go away tomorrow, and I would still love him. I have never needed a man to secure my finances, and Amanda won't either. It's not fair of you to keep her a secret because you're worried about what you can give her or how it might look."
"What?"
"You're the one who wants to keep it a secret from the family, but Amanda wants to be out in the open."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"If it's not about money to you, it's about the perception of others. You're worried her family would reject you if they knew."
"I mean, yeah."
"I doubt they will care about what you do for a living. They care a lot more about who you are as a person. They accepted me immediately. Besides, if you were the doctor and she was the electrician, this probably wouldn't be an issue for you."
"With you, it was different. They got you as a package deal with Patrick. I'm sure they want Amanda to do well in life and marry a good man who'll be able to take care of her when she needs it."
"Taking care of your spouse can mean many things. Like if you see a family in your future, you'll need to support each other in raising the kids. Anyways, do you get the impression Amanda needs someone to take care of her?"
She most certainly did not. For as long as she'd known her sister-in-law, she was fiercely independent, which seemed to be a trait Patricia instilled in her.
"Well, no. Doesn't mean that's not important to her folks."
"I think you have to give them a chance to get to know you. They can't know what a great man you are until they get to know you. And besides, when you get married, you kinda get the whole family."
"I guess."
"You'll figure it out, Jimmy. But you can't sneak around forever."
He nodded. "Do you approve?"
"Of Amanda?"
"Yeah."
"I don't think that matters."
"It does to me."
"Well, she's smart and driven. She's cute and available. She's my sister-in-law. Yeah, I like her, but it matters more what you think. Are you compatible? Marriage is serious, Jimmy. It's a lifelong commitment, regardless of what happens. Sometimes, there's compromise and sacrifice for the family. Are you ready for that?"
Though, she did reflect on their first meeting. She had been rather judgmental of Patrick not being a college educated man with a car shop. Funny how she shedded that part of her persona in connecting with Jimmy.
He nodded. "I'm ready. God, you sound like Stan!"
"Well, maybe your older sister and brother know something about this marriage business!"
"I know that. I love her."
"You love her. That's good, but I have an honest question: what if she doesn't match in Chicago like she wants? See, compromise could happen rather quickly in your relationship."
He shrugged. "Then, I guess I'm moving."
"Moving?" He dropped it like it wasn't that big of a deal to him when as far as she knew, he never really wanted to leave home.
"Sure. My friends, family, and the neighborhood have always been my life, but Reese, that girl is my future. Besides, with the right certifications and paperwork, I can work anywhere. There are plenty of electrician jobs everywhere. I have to support Amanda, and she has explained how the match process works. I might have to be more flexible."
"It sounds like you've really thought about this quite a bit."
He flashed her a sly grin. "And isn't that what Patrick would do for you? Make sure he supports you in your career for your happiness?"
A sad grin crept across her face. "Of course, he would."
Jimmy couldn't possibly understand the gravity of that statement or that she had no career left. But she definitely had her family, and if life taught her anything, it was that they really mattered more than most of her other trivial concerns.
"I'm going to support Amanda no matter what."
"That's good to hear. I'm proud of you, Jimmy."
Jimmy shifted slightly and hugged her. "I always knew you loved me so much that you wanted me to be your brother twice."
"You know, full disclosure, you screamed so much as a baby that I begged mom to send you back."
Jimmy laughed at that as he squeezed her shoulders. She did miss these moments with him.
Only, she wasn't joking about asking mom to send him back. She was a little younger than Annie is now. She and Tommy were trying to watch cartoons while Stan napped. Jimmy wailed and wailed as mom walked him around the living room trying to get him to settle down. She never did figure out how Stan slept through it all, but he was always a deep sleeper.
"Mommy, will you help me?" She pointed to her unfastened overall clasps.
"Did you try it yourself first?" She shook her head. "Then, you need to try it. Big girls are responsible for themselves. I'm trying to get your brother to calm down."
She frowned as she started working on the cursed things. "Can't we send him back?"
All of these brothers were starting to take up so much of mom's time. Tommy was fine because he always played with her and mostly did what she said. Stan slept a lot and was rather quiet when he was awake. This new brother only wanted to wail.
Mom huffed in frustration. Though now, she personally understood the frustrations that came with being unable to appease a crying newborn. "Send him back to where, Reese?"
"To the hospital! That's where we got him!"
She grinned. "No, he's ours. He came out of my body just like you, and Tommy, and Stan. Jimmy Lisbon is part of this family. Sometimes, babies cry. It's natural. Before you know it, he will be running around after the rest of you."
"All he does is cry."
"It won't be that way forever."
"I hope not. Can I hold him?"
She laughed at that, her long dark curls swaying from side to side. "I guess it won't hurt."
Her mother placed infant Jimmy into her arms.
"He won't always be so little or so upset, you know. Just like you won't always be a little girl. You'll grow into a young woman, and he'll grow into a young man. You won't even always live in the same house. You'll live a whole life together, but then, you'll live a whole life apart remembering being together and missing each other."
Even as a child, she couldn't miss the wave of sadness that seemed to pass over her face. "Where are your brothers, mommy?"
At that age, she thought that surely, everyone had a gaggle of brothers.
"I only have one brother. Your Uncle Evan. He moved away."
"What's he like?"
She smiled at the question. "Well, he has hair like mine and eyes like mine."
"So, like me!"
Mom laughed softly. "Because you have hair and eyes like mine, it's just like yours too! But he's very kind and gentle with a good soul. I know you'd like him so much."
"Then, why haven't I met him?"
"Oh, you met him once when you were around Jimmy's age."
"Well, where did he go? Why did he move?"
"People don't always understand Evan, or the people like him. He's very kind, but people aren't so kind to him."
But wasn't everyone supposed to be nice and kind all the time? It didn't make a lot of sense. If he was kind, then she wanted to meet him!
"Can we go visit him?"
Mom shook her head as her eyes filled with terror. "Oh no, we can't visit him. And don't mention him to daddy."
"Why not?"
"Teresa Sarah Lisbon, listen to me. Do not mention him to your father. Do you understand me? I need you to promise me."
"But why?"
"Because he doesn't like to talk about him."
She nodded. "I won't tell."
"Okay, good." Mom smiled at her. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"Jimmy stopped crying."
Sure enough, she looked down to see Jimmy staring back at her wide eyed and trying to form his own smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad afterall.
Twenty-eight years later, and maybe her little brother was finally growing up into the young man mom envisioned he would be. Maybe she was too.
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Once all of the guests were on hand and the festivities kicked off, the gravity of what they were all here to celebrate today hit her: her little Charlotte was one.
They'd had one year with this incredibly happy and strong willed, chubby cheeked, green-eyed little girl. She loved grapes, baths, watching race cars—and the movie Cars—with daddy, playing with Annie, and sleeping with her Charlie.
When she was about four months old and she was nursing her, Charlotte started reaching out. At first, she wasn't sure what it was that she wanted. But one day, she realized she was reaching out for the stuffed bear in her eye line. So, after she placed her back into her crib, she placed Charlie in there with her. She'd slept with the stuffed bear ever since, and Annie thought that was neat.
"I'm glad Charlotte has Charlie now!"
They'd not really explained to Annie–or anyone for that matter–how Charlotte got her name.
"Why is that Annie?"
"Well, I don't need her anymore, and I know she's going to take good care of Charlotte when I'm not here!"
"Of course." That made her smile. Annie adored Charlotte, and she was already a very good big sister.
How could that have happened eight months ago? How was Charlotte already a one year old? It seemed like only yesterday when her surprise labor set in and Charlotte arrived weeks early. So much time had passed, but it seemed like no time at all.
She tried to let that settle. The passage of time happened to everyone–but that didn't mean she loved how fast her girls were growing up. Annie was already starting to assert her independence a little more.
After eating some of her sandwich and goldfish crackers, Annie came and got Charlotte.
"Be careful with her, Annie."
"I will, mommy!"
She had no idea what game they were playing, but Annie, Mimi, Will, Maya, and Riley had Stan Jr.,Charlotte, and Maddy (Rigsby and Van Pelt's now one year old) running around after them. Charlotte was nothing but smiles and laughs. She loved that for her.
"What are you thinking about over there?"
She leaned into her husband's side. "Just how happy our girls are."
"Not nervous about anything, are you?" Her eyes met his.
"No. Why would I be nervous?" She found his hand under the table.
"I'm glad to hear that. Do you think we should do cake soon? She's going to crash."
"Yeah."
"Do you want to do it before or after the cake?"
"After."
Perhaps she should have asked him about being nervous. She went over to the kids and swooped Charlotte into her arms, much to her daughter's chagrin. She brought her back and sat her in her lap so she could fix her clothes before singing, cake, and pictures.
As they started the birthday song, Charlotte retreated back into her lap a bit while waving to the people singing. She was very confused, but not completely put off by how much attention she was receiving. She laughed to herself. Definitely a Jane!
When it came to the cake, they both decided that smashing her face into the cake was too much. They just put a slice in front of her and let her explore it. Unsurprisingly, she understood how to eat the cake and only made a minimal mess.
After cake, her instinct was to get Charlotte cleaned up. "I'll go get her cleaned up."
"It's okay. We can hold off on that. Are you ready?"
She nodded. Patrick stood, and cleared his throat.
"Hey, everyone! We wanted to take the time to thank you all for coming today to help celebrate Charlotte's first birthday."
"Char-lotte."
Of course, that made everyone smile. Smiling at her, he reached for her hand. She took it before standing with Charlotte on her left hip and motioning Annie to come to her side. "For our family, it's always been important to share milestones with our family and friends."
He stopped there. When his blue eyes met hers, and he flashed her wide smile that let her know how much joy he felt in this moment, she knew it was time to do what they'd planned to do today. Indeed, no better time than now.
She continued for him. "Which is why we wanted to take this time to let you all know that the Jane family is expanding again in January. This time, by two new members!"
There were several gasps and whispers of congratulations as Patrick brought his arm protectively around her belly.
Patricia spoke out. "Teresa, did I hear you say two new members?"
She laughed. "Listen, I am just as surprised as you are."
She nudged Paul's arm. "This time I better plan to stay the month."
He simply nodded, and everyone around them laughed. Though, a lot of the laughter turned to confused looks and expressions of shock when Jimmy kissed Amanda…in full view of everyone.
Patrick went rigid at her side. Oh no.
