Why Should You Care Now?

“If I come in there and find puddles on the floor, you won’t be going to the park tomorrow!”

Jordan heard another splash in the kitchen where Joey was having swim time in the blow up pool. Since it was a little cold after being so nice yesterday, Jordan didn’t want to stick him in front of the television all day, so she found a pair of Diego swim trunks and helped Joey get them on before getting water into the pool. While she was doing that, Jon watched CT who was on the floor in the living playing in his jungle gym.

“No puddles!” Joey yelled back.

Sitting up, Jordan got off the couch and made her way to the kitchen entrance where there were half a dozen bath toys all over the kitchen floor. “I said no puddles.”

“Why are all the toys out of the pool?” Jordan asked, looking at her nephew.

“They was being bads,” Joey said. “They all on timeout.”

“What did Gordon and Percy do that was so bad?” Jordan asked as she noticed the large puddle near the back door. “Why is there a large puddle by the back door?”

“I hads to get Peter Sam and Emily.”

“Why didn’t you ask me or Jon to get it?”

“I don’t needs help,” Joey told her. “I gots it myself.”

“And made a huge mess in the process,” Jordan told him. “Who’s going to clean up the mess?”

“Jonny.”

“Jon didn’t make the mess though, Joey made the mess.”

“But Jonny likes me.” Joey said.

“But you’re a big boy and big boys pick up their own toys, don’t they?” Jordan said with a smile on her face. “Are you done in the pool?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Can we have chicken nuggets for lunch? Da Mickey ones?”

“We’ll see,” Jordan said grabbing the towel off the table as she stepped up near the pool. “Mommy should be home soon.”

Joey lifted up his arms and Jordan picked him up and out of the water and set him on the tile before towel drying him as best she could. Wrapping the towel around him, she gave him a kiss on the cheek before sending him to the bathroom. As he started walking he turned into the living room instead of going to the bathroom. “Hi, Jonny.”

“Hey, Joey,” Jon said standing up with a fussy CT. “You gonna get dressed and have some lunch?”

“Aunt Jordan said to go to the potty room,” he told him. “Cause I was swimming in da kitchen. Do you swims in the kitchen?”

Jon gave a laugh as Jordan walked into the living room and shook her head at the boys. “Joey, bathroom.”

Walking behind him with clothes in her hand, Jordan looked at Jon holding CT. “Are you getting ready?”

“I’ll need all the practice I can get.”

With a smile, Jordan walked back to the bathroom to completely dry her nephew before putting him into a new set of clean clothes since CT had spit up on Joey’s pants that were sitting next to Jon. As soon as they were finished, Joey shot out of the bathroom and into the living room where Jon sat on the couch with CT in his arm and looking at the baby book he and Jordan had been looking at. “Are you gonna sit with Jon while I make you lunch?”

Joey looked at Jon and nodded his head. “For a girl, what about Gigi?”

“How about not?” Jordan asked.

“You haven’t liked any names I’ve picked.”

“You are bad at the name thing,” Jordan called back as she opened the freezer and took out the chicken nuggets. “I still like the name Patrick for a boy.”

“And have Sharpie and Kaner think it’s after one of them?” Jon asked. “No way.”

“Picky picky,” Jordan told him. “Joey do you want milk or juice with lunch.”

“Milk.”

Placing the chicken nuggets on a paper plate before putting them in the microwave, she made her way over to the fridge and pulled out the milk and placed it on the counter before looking in the cupboard for one of his cups. Grabbing the closet one she uncapped the milk before pouring it in the cup as she walked over to the kitchen table and set the cup down where Joey liked sitting. Grabbing the cap from the counter, she placed it back on the milk before putting it back into the fridge as the microwave beeped signaling the time was up. Making her way over there, she took the plate out and set it next to the Finding Nemo one Brent Seabrook picked up for him.

“What about Sebastian?”

“I cannot see that happening, Jonathan,” Jordan laughed. “Why can’t you find something normal?”

“There’s like a million names in this book.”

“Then you better take it home with you and keep looking,” Jordan told him. “Joey come and eat.”

Hearing him crawl off the couch and make his way towards the kitchen with another pair of feet, Jordan set the plate in front of where Joey now sat. “Ketchup please.”

Jonathan handed her CT as he went into the fridge and pulled out what Joey wanted. “How much?”

“Just cover Dori’s face.” Jordan told him as she rubbed CT’s back.

“You know you’re really good at that.”

“At what?” Jordan asked.

“The mothering thing,” Jonathan told her. “It’s like it comes naturally to you.”

“All it is to be honest is experience,” Jordan said as the front door opened. “I’ve had time with Joey and CT to get my mad skills.”

“I’m sure they’ll come in handy for our girl.”

“Girl?” Jordan laughed. “Just yesterday you were so sure that we were having a boy and now you are saying girl?”

“Yeah, a girl to be as beautiful as her mommy, but tough like daddy.” Jon told her with a smile as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

“Hey,” Emmy said walking into the room. “What’s going on in here?”

“I went swimming today!” Joey said with a mouthful of food.

“You went swimming?”

“Yeah, in da kitchen,” Joey said. “But Jonny cleaned it all up. Even da trains and da puddle cause I had to get Peter Sam and Emily. All da others were on time out.”

“Did you go on timeout while Mommy was out?”

“Nope. I was a good boy.”

“Did you thank Jonathan and Aunt Jordan for watching you?” Emmy asked her son. “They have to go pretty soon.”

“Aunt Jordan is gonna takes a nap,” Joey informed his mother. “She said da baby kept her up all night.”

“So I know Jordan’s tired, you went swimming in the kitchen what did Jon do?”

“He was askin’ Aunt Jordan names for da baby and she said no to all of them. She’s says he’s bad at picking names.”

Emmy couldn’t help but laugh as Jordan handed CT to her. “Have fun with your boys. It’s nap time and then shopping time.”

“Are you coming back tonight or are you staying at Jon’s?”

“Staying at Jon’s. He made me pack a bag already and put it in his car, why I didn’t smack him for that I don’t know.”

“You liked being bossed around.”

“Keep dreaming.” Jordan said as Jon laced their fingers and they headed back to her bedroom.

After three hours of baby shopping, Jordan felt like her feet were going to fall off. Jonathan had been amazing though, through the whole thing. He let her have the final decision on things for his place for the baby, but he did insist that they get certain things. She didn’t want him wasting his money, but he wouldn’t let her finish what she was trying to argue with him. While looking at chairs for the baby’s room, she sat in a few that she fell in love with and that’s when the baby started kicking up a storm. Jon knew the look on her face and placed his hand on her stomach.

“I swear the only thing that calms the rug rat is you,” she told him. “I might just have to keep you around for a bit longer.”

“Promise?” he asked her.

Looking up at him, Jordan saw something she hadn’t seen in his eyes yet. Hope. Whether it was hope for the future or their future, she didn’t know. She didn’t want to break eye contact, so when he leaned down and placed his lips on hers, she was surprised. But it was a good kind of surprise.

“You are really good at that.”

Jon just laughed and pecked her lips again as they headed to the checkout with the list of things they need to give to the cashier for the bigger things.

“Our baby is gonna have it made.”

“How is that?” Jordan questioned him.

“He’s got two cousins, a really cool aunt, a lot of uncles and us as parents.”

“I’m scared.” Jordan admitted as they walked to the car.

“Well this is gonna be slightly different than your nephews, but I have no doubts you’ll be a good mother to our baby.”

“How can you be so confident?”

“I’ve seen you with Joey and CT,” he told her as she got into the car. “And you are truly amazing with them.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”