A Rock & Roll Romance (32 page)

“Morning handsome.”
She croaked.

“Good morning
, beautiful. How are you feeling?”

“Like I swallowed a bowling ball, a watermelon and the USS Enterprise.”
She laughed.

“You look
awesome Aubrey. I mean it.”

             
I did mean it. After the first trimester, she cut a lot of the junk food out of her diet since it was bad for the babies. She only ate bacon occasionally and even started walking more. She didn’t even gain that much for carrying twins. I would have thought she looked banging regardless because to me she was the prettiest girl on the face of the earth. She just smirked at me. I wiped the rest of the shaving cream off my face and leaned in to kiss her.

“Are you ready to go see the house today?” I asked.

“Yes! I feel like a sardine in this house now.” She pouted.

             
I hopped in the shower and by the time I got out she was all ready to go. She took my hand and pulled me out to her car. She was still keeping her car even though I bought her a white Range Rover since it would be easier with the babies. I opened the door and helped her climb in. She was so damn stubborn. I wish she would just take the truck, but she loved her little car. I got into the driver’s seat and drove exactly seven minutes down the road until we reached the house. We had the entire house surrounded by white privacy fencing. I even managed to incorporate a moat around the property. We drove over the little bridge and up to the gate. I punched in the code, and it opened. I drove around the first half of the circle. In the middle of the driveway was an exact replica of Ron’s fountain. The same one we got married in front of. The house had slate gray vinyl siding with a stone front. We had lots and lots of windows too. I helped Aubrey out of the car and opened the door.

The entryway floor was black tile and the walls were painted a pale gray. There was a small table set up with a mirror hanging above it. It had a bowl on it for our keys.
Off to the right, was our family room and the left was our kitchen and dining room. The bottom of the house was built so that all the rooms were connected like a square. The living room was painted a burnt orange color that Aubrey picked out. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but once it was painted I loved it. We had a stone fireplace in there and a large bay window. My 70” TV was already mounted and looked spectacular.

The dining room was painted navy blue and had white wainscoting. We picked out an antique crystal
chandelier to hang in there. The kitchen was everything that Aubrey wanted and more. She decided on all white cabinets with dark granite countertops, while the walls were painted the same blue as my bedroom in LA. I got her all top of the line stainless steel appliances and these really cool vintage lights to hang above the breakfast bar.

We walked into the den off the kitchen.
The den was painted a soft shade of beige. We would most likely use this as a playroom for when the babies got a little bigger. My office was going to be one of the rooms off the den. This was Aubrey’s top-secret project. I wasn’t allowed to know which room it was yet. The buzzer sounded letting us know we had company. I walked to the front door and pulled the camera up on the screen. I saw the furniture delivery truck and hit the button to let them in.

Aubrey was wandering around
, looking for something to clean. Poor thing was nesting like crazy. I unlocked the other side of the door to make the entranceway bigger and led them inside. They brought in the dining room furniture first. Aubrey picked out a white table and navy blue upholstered chairs to match. Next was the living room furniture. It was an oversized beige loveseat, couch and two recliners. They brought in a mocha colored coffee table and put it in the center. They carried in the stools for the breakfast bar and my desk. I tried to show them where to put it, but Aubrey stopped me. I looked at her confused. She grabbed my shirt and pulled me into the living room and made me sit on the new couch. She told me no peeking and left to do more nesting.

The last of the furniture was all going in the bedrooms upstairs. The second truck for the guesthouse pulled in shortly after they were done unloading. They drove around back and got to work. Aubrey came back and led me back to my office. She put her hands over my eyes and scooted me forward
pushing her bump into my back. She stepped around in front of me and pulled her hands away.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!

“Are you serious?” I felt like crying.

             
She nodded and started crying. I leaned in and kissed her before going to inspect it. I couldn’t even imagine how much trouble she must have gone through to find it. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me. Mounted behind my desk was my first red Gibson guitar. I knew it was the same one because the scuffs were in the same spots. I walked around the desk and ran my fingers over it. I couldn’t even believe it.

“Thank you.” I said sincerely.

“You’re welcome. I knew how much it meant to you, and I wanted you to have it back. It wasn’t easy to find. I had some help, but ultimately it was me that tracked it down.” She said proudly.

             
If it weren’t for her being eight and a half months pregnant, I would have thrown her over my shoulder and carried her upstairs to have my way with her. Instead, I was going to have to take her hand and led her to the bedroom like a gentleman. We did have a new mattress to check out after all. We headed up the stairs and down the hallway. At the end of the hallway, there were doors on either side. Those would be the nurseries. Our room was at the very end behind a set of double doors. I pushed down the handle and opened the door. Our room was painted a sage green, and we picked out the same driftwood style furniture I have in LA since we both really liked it. She pulled me over to the bed and pushed me down. She pulled up her maxi style dress and climbed on top of me. I thought I was going to have my way with her, but it turned out to be the other way around.

“I’m going to check out my closet.” She beamed when she was done.

I made sure she had room for all of her clothes, shoes and whatever other kind of stuff she had. I also had a couple things picked out for her. I got her a nice, new piece of jewelry because I wasn’t going to buy her clothes until after the babies were born. However, I did buy her a Juicy Couture diaper bag because the lady at the store said that girls like them. I went and peeked into the nurseries to make sure they got the right furniture in each room. Everything looked perfect. I heard my name being called. I walked in to see Aubrey in the bathroom.

“Took you long enough.
I came in here to pee, and I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”

             
Shit!
I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this day for months already. I took a moment to collect my thoughts. I thought back to our birthing classes and tried to remember what they taught us.

“Do you have any pain?”

“No, but we’re going to need to call Dr. Robinson so she can meet us at the hospital. C-section, remember?”

“Right.
I’m on it.”

             
I pulled my phone out and called the doctor feeling completely discombobulated. Next I called Caroline. I asked her if she could meet us at the hospital and bring the overnight bag. I asked her to take the Range Rover since that was the car with the infant seats in it. She was going to leave in a couple minutes. I took one of the towels from the linen closet for the car seat. I helped Aubrey up and couldn’t help but smile. After the longest nine months of my life, it was finally happening. I let myself relax. I helped her down the stairs and back out to the car. I locked the door and set the alarm before pulling out and heading to the hospital.

             
We arrived fifteen minutes later. Aubrey already preregistered, so it was just a matter of letting them know we were here. A nurse came down from labor and delivery and brought us up to the third floor. She helped Aubrey change into a hospital gown started an IV. She paged the anesthesiologist per our doctor’s orders. A couple minutes later Caroline came in with Granny Jean in tow. She said Tim was on his way and should be here soon. I held her hand as the doctor came in to administer the epidural. Our doctor came in to let us know she was going to get scrubbed in. She handed me a pair of scrubs to change into. I fished our camera out of the overnight bag and went in the bathroom to change.

It’s really happening. I’m going to be someone’s dad…

              After I changed I folded my clothes and put them in a neat pile. I hurried back into the room, and Tim was there. Aubrey said she was fine, nervous and excited. They came to tell us it was time to go. I kissed Aubrey and told her I would see her in a couple minutes. I hated the thought of leaving her. A nurse took me to where I could wash my hands. She instructed me to wait in the hallway until they were ready. I was anxiously pacing the hallway until she came and told me I could go in. I walked right over and sat in a stool next to Aubrey. There was a blue sheet draped in front of her. The doctor asked if she could feel anything. She said she couldn’t. I held her hand and stood up so I could watch.

I watched as the scalpel moved across her skin. I watched as the doctor reached in and pulled out a set of feet and then the rest of the baby. I heard crying and I started crying myself. A nurse came over and brought the baby to the table. The doctor quickly reached in and pulled out the second baby. I heard the crying again
, and Aubrey told me to go check on the babies. I reluctantly moved since I didn’t want to leave her side, but I wanted to see our babies.

I walke
d over to baby ‘A’ first. Our son, Jameson George Parker. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. He had a full head of dark brown hair. I took a couple pictures and walked over to the next table to see our daughter. Violet Kate Parker. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 19 inches long. She had light brown hair and opened her blue eyes. My heart melted. She was only minutes old and already had me wrapped around her little finger. I snapped a couple more pictures and stood there in complete awe. They were both doing wonderfully. Once Jameson was cleaned the nurse handed him over to me. I carefully cradled him in my arms and walked him over to Aubrey. I sat down and leaned so that she could kiss his forehead.

“He’s perfect.” She cried.

“Just like his momma.” I said. “Violet’s getting cleaned off now, but she’s doing really well too. She has your nose and lips, thank God.” I laughed.

             
She giggled and grimaced. They were putting in the final staples to close up the incision. One of the nurses came over and switched babies. I held Violet up to show Aubrey. She kissed Violet’s little nose and told her she loved her. The nurse stood there with Jameson next to Violet.

“I’d sacrifice my beating hear
t before I’d lose either of you.” I told them.

             
They wanted to take them to the nursery so they could move Aubrey to recovery. I told Aubrey I would meet her there since we decided we wanted to make sure they got there safely. Tim, Caroline, and Granny Jean were outside waiting as they pushed the bassinets into the hallway. They peeked in and saw their grandchildren for the first time. Caroline was completely overcome with emotion. Tim clapped me on the back and told me that ‘I done good.’ I told him that I didn’t do anything except for the fun part, which earned me a smack in the back of the head.

“Always the smart
ass, isn’t he. I guess I’m officially an old coot now since I’m a great-grandma.” She laughed peeking at the babies.

Caroline said she was goi
ng to stand by the window and watch them get checked over. We headed down the hallway to the nursery. I wish I could clone myself so that one of me could stay here and the other one could be with Aubrey. The nurse said as soon as they were done they would bring them to our room. I unwillingly left them and went to go find Aubrey. I had to force myself not to turn around a handful of times. She was in her room when I got there. I leaned in and kissed her.

“Do you feel okay?” I asked her.

“Yeah. I’m a little uncomfortable, but nothing unbearable.”

“You’re amazing. Seriously baby
, you’re the strongest person I know.”

             
She smiled sleepily at me.

“I can’t believe they’re finally here. They’re perfect.”
She mumbled.

“Yes they are. Why don’t you close your eyes for a couple minutes? I’ll get you up when they bring the babies in.”

“’Kay.”

             
She closed her eyes and fell right asleep. I would imagine the whole thing was really rough on her body. She had to be exhausted. I walked into the hallway and called Ron. He answered the phone right away.

“Hey Gramps.”
I said.

“Did she have the babies already?”

“Yes, less than an hour ago. Her water broke at the house this morning, we came straight to the hospital, and they took her right in.”

             
I could hear him getting choked up on the other end. He was planning on taking a flight out and staying with us for a little while so he could meet them. He said he would call and make the arrangements right away. Next I called Brett and the guys. They all said to send pictures, and that they would see us in a couple weeks. Piper was my last call. She shrieked so loudly that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. She said she was on her way and would see us soon. Tim was walking down the hallway when I was hanging up. He was grinning from ear to ear.