Spencer's Face (Buckeye Hawks) (41 page)

Destiny started
to cry.

“Oh my. What’s
wrong? Do you need to get her mother?” Grandma asked quickly.

“No. She just
needs her diaper changed.” I told them and took Destiny to change her diaper. I
had this technique down. I had her changed and happy again in thirty seconds. I
handed her back to Grandma.

“You’re so good
with her, Spencer. Your grandpa was afraid to hold your mother until she
started walking almost.”

I laughed at
them. I couldn’t imagine that. I had to hold Destiny the second she came out. I
still held her constantly. Taylor and I argued over how much I held her, but
she was no better. She held her constantly and pretty much taught class all
day, holding her in some way or another. I came over between my music classes to
hold her. I never imagined that I could love a little girl so much. I was in
constant awe of her. She was amazing. I wouldn’t trade her for anything in this
world.

I could hear
Taylor finishing up class. I think this was her last class for the day, too. I
heard her locking the front door. She walked back to her office. I knew she was
nervous about meeting my grandparents, so I stepped up to put my arm around her
when she walked in. I kissed her. “Taylor, this is my grandparents, Evelyn and
Anthony. Grandma, Grandpa, this is my wife, Taylor.” I introduced them. It
still sounded funny to be calling her my wife, even though we’d been married
for six months now.

“Hi. It’s so nice
to meet you finally.” Taylor said with excitement. Too much excitement.

My grandfather
stood up to hug her. Grandma stood up too, but only hugged her with one arm,
since she was holding Destiny still. “Welcome to the family, Taylor.” Grandma
said.

“It’s so nice to
meet you.” Grandpa said right after that. “You’ve given us a beautiful great
granddaughter.”

“She’s almost as
beautiful as Spencer was at this age.” Grandma said.

Taylor laughed.
“I’ve seen lots of  pictures. They look a lot alike.”

After playing
with Destiny and chatting for a while, we all loaded up in the Hummer and went
to our house. Taylor had a cheesecake made, because I told her that Grandma
loved cheesecake. That won my grandmother over rather quickly. Of course,
Destiny had already done that. We showed the house to my grandparents. They
liked it. Grandpa had all kinds of ideas on how to strengthen the frame and the
foundation so it wouldn’t sink when it rained. I didn’t have the heart to tell
him that it never rained here, so we really didn’t have to worry about that.

Grandma was full
of ideas for each of the rooms, especially Destiny’s room. Taylor took it all
in stride. I’d warned her that would happen and to not let it offend her. Later
on, Todd and Janel showed up. They talked for a while, and played with Destiny.
Janel loved Destiny so much. She was always buying her all kinds of outfits and
toys. Todd and Janel took Grandma and Grandpa to their house when they left. We
were headed out there in an hour or so to join them.

“That went well.”
Taylor said to me after they’d left.

I hugged her
close as we sat on the couch. She was nursing Destiny. I loved to watch her. I
couldn’t believe what a beautiful wife I had. I couldn’t believe the luck. She
was the prettiest girl in high school and now she was the prettiest wife a guy
could ever ask for. I was worried that pregnancy would ruin her body, but it
didn’t. She had a few pounds to lose at first, but she did it. She still wasn’t
quite back where she was, but it had only been three months. With her constant
workouts, she’d be back in shape in no time.

Taylor and I got
into an argument before we left. We were going swimming at Todd’s and Janel’s.
Taylor wanted to wear a bikini. I kept telling her that it wasn’t appropriate
in front of my grandparents. I didn’t want them to think she was loose. I mean,
we already had one strike against us with her getting pregnant. I was really
concerned about what my grandparents would think of her.

“I don’t even own
a one piece swimsuit, Spencer.” She argued with me.

“Can you wear a T-shirt?”
I pleaded with her.

“Spencer. I’ve
worked so hard to finally get back in this bikini, and now you’re telling me I
can’t wear it.”

“Just not this
time. Please, Taylor. Don’t do this to me. I want them to think the best of
you.”

“I won’t take
this T-shirt off then.” She agreed.

Of course, when
Janel let us in the house, she was wearing a bikini, with a cover-up. Taylor
gave me a look. I smiled and shook my head. We ate, then took Destiny swimming
in the pool. Janel had several floating tubes for her, that were safe for
babies. She seemed to love the water. Grandma and Grandpa were laughing at her
as she scrunched her face to avoid any splashes. Janel and Todd took over and
played with her in her tube for a while. That gave Taylor and me a chance to
actually swim.

I loved my
daughter with all my heart. But I loved my wife with everything I had. I
couldn’t imagine that life could get any better for me than it already was.

My parents still
hadn’t seen Destiny, or shown an interest in seeing us. Janel stopped by
several times a week to see us so she could play with Destiny. Todd came up
with Janel once a week or so. They were godsends. We appreciated their help so
much.

Most of our
friends had gone to college without us. Sandy and Zane both stopped in every
other week or so to say hi. I kept in touch with most of my fellow
cheerleaders. They would stop in at the studio and help with the classes
sometimes. Spencer kept in touch with most of his friends. We felt more mature
than most of them somehow, even though we were the same age. It seemed that
they were headed toward their future, while we were living our future. We loved
our life. Spencer planned on attending college next year. I didn’t. I wanted to
wait. I wasn’t sure how long I wanted to wait though.

Destiny came
first as she had since the moment I discovered I was pregnant. I wanted to stay
with her as much as possible. I felt like this was my calling: to be a mother
to Destiny and to teach young girls gymnastics and cheerleading. I even became
the cheerleading coach for grade school. They came to the studio three days a
week after school. It worked out perfectly.

One day while I
was teaching the grade school cheerleaders how to do a pyramid without getting
hurt, my mom and little sister, Cheryl, walked in through the front door. At
first, I thought she’d wandered in by mistake. I fully expected her to turn
around and walk back out. I waited for that familiar look, but she walked on
in.

“Hi Taylor.” My
little sister screamed out in pure joy and ran up to my legs and hugged me.

“Hi Cheryl.” I
said to her. I was so excited to see her. It had been over eight months since
I’d seen her. She’d grown up some. Her hair was longer, and she was cuter
somehow.

“Hi Taylor.” My
mom said, her voice choked up. It had been the first words she’d spoken to me
in person in over eight months.

“Hi Mom.” I
replied to her. I told the girls to keep on with their cheering.

“Can we see the
baby? Sharon said you kept her here.” My mom asked carefully. Sharon was
Cheryl’s babysitter. She came in from time to time to chat and see Destiny. I
didn’t know she was relaying messages to my mother.

“She’s in the
office.” I told my mom. I led her to the office, where Destiny was fast asleep.
I don’t know how she slept through the cheering and the music from Spencer’s
studio next door, but she did.

“She’s really
pretty.” Cheryl said immediately, sticking her hand into the playpen and
petting her like she was a puppy. “And, soft.”

“She looks just
like you did when you were little.” Mom said. “But she’s smaller than you were,
I think.”

“She was only
five pounds when she was born, so probably.” I said. I weighed almost seven
pounds when I was born.

I looked up to see
Spencer walking in. His music lessons must be over for the day. He usually came
in to play with Destiny after he finished up. He froze when he saw my mother.
Cheryl looked up to see him. “Hi Spencer.” She said quickly, then ran over to
hug him.

“Hi Cheryl.” He
said to her. “Hi Media.”

“Hello Spencer.”
Mom said to him. I could tell she wasn’t as enthused to see him as she was the
baby for some reason. She said hi to people she liked. She said hello to people
she didn’t want to be around.

“How do you like
our little Destiny Hope?” Spencer asked her as he put his arm around me.

“You didn’t give
her your last name?” Mom asked us.

“Hope is her
middle name, Mom.” I explained to her.

“She’s opening
her eyes!” Cheryl squealed out the words excitedly.

I think Cheryl
woke her up with her petting.

Destiny started
to cry. I picked her up to calm her down. I held her so that my mother could
get a better view of her. Cheryl sat on the couch in the office quickly and
held out her hands. She knew that was the only way she was allowed to hold a
baby. I laughed at her, then handed her Destiny carefully. I sat next to her
for backup. Spencer sat on the arm of the couch for backup on the other side.

Cheryl cooed at
her for several minutes as Mom watched them both.

“She’s got the
Hope blue eyes.” She said.

I laughed. “Yes,
she has Daddy’s eyes.” I told her. I snapped several pictures of Cheryl and
Destiny with my phone. Cheryl was quite the poser, smiling for every shot. Spencer
laughed at her. He explained to Cheryl how she was an aunt now. That thrilled
her to no end.

I filled my mom
in on our lives since I’d left home. She filled me in on their lives, even
though I pretty much already knew everything from my two sisters who kept
sneaking over to our house to see me. I told my mom to bring Cheryl up any time
for the beginner’s classes. She said she might. I felt much better about things
after my mom left. I knew it would be a matter of time before my dad finally
came around. Mom would talk to him and talk him into putting our family back
together.

After Mom and Cheryl
left, Spencer hugged me. “So I guess my talk with your mom did some good?”

“You talked to
her? When?” I asked him, handing Destiny off to him.

“I ran in to her
in the grocery store when I was buying diapers the other day. I told her she
needed to see how pretty our baby was. I knew that would get her. Any woman who
has six kids likes babies.” He said smartly. He was too smart.

“I love you. Do
you know that?” I asked him, kissing him on the lips as he shifted Destiny up
higher on his chest.

“I know it.” He
teased me.

--

Look for more
books in the Buckeye series coming soon.