Two is Better Than One

Two weeks later

“You know I love you right?” Alaina said as she burped Karly.

I looked over at my best friend sitting next to me. “You know, it’s never good to hear someone start a conversation with that question.” I told her, placing Emma’s bottle on the coffee table.

She laughed, “Yeah, I know but you do know I love you.”

“This is true. Yes, I know you love me. Now what were you going to say?”

“You look like shit.” She stated matter of factly.

I chuckled. “Thanks, love you too.” I sighed, she was right though. I haven’t really been keeping up with my appearance lately. It’s hard to do when you have one kid, let alone two. “Yeah, I know but can you blame me?” I asked, gesturing to Emma who was chewing on her fist, drooling all over my shirt. I smiled down at my baby before looking back at Alaina.

“I know, I’m just thinking that since Tanya is coming today that the three of us could have some girl time at the spa.” She smiled

A girls’ day at the spa? That sounded wonderful, but I couldn’t go. I wasn’t going to leave Jordan alone with three kids. “As awesome as that sounds we can’t leave Jordan with three kids. Not that I don’t think he can’t handle them, it’s just he had practice today and I know he’s going to be tired.”

Alaina smiled. “Don’t worry, I got it covered. Sidney said that he would come over to help. Plus, it will get him out of the house for something other than hockey.” She sighed.

Sidney’s concussion was taking a toll on Alaina and even their marriage. They were fighting, and they never fight. Alaina was just worried about Sidney and Sidney was just stressed and upset. So it was days like this that Alaina enjoyed, just a few hours away from the house and from ‘Sidney’s whining.’

I sat back against the couch with a sigh and bounced Emma in my arms, trying to get her to sleep. A day at the spa sounded really good, but I just wasn’t ready to leave the girls.

“Stop. Just stop thinking whatever you are thinking. It’s not a weekend in Tahiti, it’s a couple of hours at a spa. The girls will be fine with Jordan. He is their father, not some random person.”

It was scary how in tune together we were. I was about to say something, but the sound of the front door opening and Jordan walking in stopped me. Jordan wasn’t even out of his jacket and shoes before Alaina was all over him.

“Jordan, tell your girlfriend that she deserves a day at the spa with her best friend and future sister-in-law.”

Jordan shook his head and chuckled, giving me that smile that made me stomach flip and me knees weak.

“Babe, Layne is right. You deserve a day out with the girls. Plus, I haven’t had enough quality daddy and daughters time.”

“I know, but don’t forget you are also going to have Parker.” I reminded him.

“Little Man won’t give me any trouble. He loves his uncle Jordan.” He smirked, taking Karly out of Alaina’s arms. “Hi there baby girl.” He cooed, placing a kiss on Karly’s forehead. I smiled at the scene in front of me. Jordan was a great father, he loved his girls as much as he loved the game of hockey. “Allie, babe, go. You haven’t really left the house since the girls were born.” Jordan said kissing my forehead. “Karly, tell mommy to go have with the girls.” Jordan blew on her belly causing her to giggle.

I sighed. “Fine! I will go, but I swear if you use my girls against me again I will make it so you will never play hockey again.” I winked at him.

Jordan laughed before squeezing between Alaina and I on the couch, which caused Alaina to pout. She got up and began snapping pictures of the four of us. A little while later my mom and Logan came over and mom began getting things together for dinner. No matter how many times I’ve told her that she didn’t have to make dinner for us, she still does it.

Emma whimpered in my arms and began squirming. “What’s wrong sweet thing?” I asked, bouncing her up and down. I reached for her bottle and offered it to her, laughing when she took it immediately. “She is such a Staal.”

Jordan looked over and beamed. “That’s my girl.”

A little while later the girls were put down for their nap and I took that time to straighten up the house. Once I was happy with the way everything looked I sat on the couch with a loud sigh.

“Sweetie, go take a nap. You look like you are about to pass out anyway.” My mom said, placing her hands on my shoulders.

With a yawn, I got off the couch and went into my bedroom and found Jordan already asleep. I turned on the baby monitor before crawling in next to him and falling asleep.

Later that afternoon, everyone was awake and in good moods. Alaina had left while I was napping, but left a note saying she would be by later to drop Sidney off. Jordan and I were feeding the twins when there was a knock at the door. With Karly in my arms, I went to open the door. Not even two seconds after the door was open a little blond boy was throwing themselves at my legs.

“Allie!” Parker screeched.

I chuckled. “Hey there Parker. How are you?”

Tanya placed a hand on Parker’s shoulder much like my mom did earlier. “Easy Parker, she has a baby in her arms. Remember what daddy and I talked about with you?”

Parker took a step back from me with a frown on his face. “Sorry Allie.”

“You’re fine Parker, mommy just wants you to be careful that’s all. Don’t worry, we will have tons of time to play together.”

His face lit up and he smiled at me. “I brought Cars!”

“Well then, we will have to watch it before bed.” I smiled.

“Yay”

“Parker, go say hi to Uncle Jordan, but be careful he may have one of the girls.” Tanya said pushing her son through the door. “Sorry,” She chuckled as Parker ran through the hallway and into the family room. “He’s been waiting for this trip for a while now.”

“It’s fine, I’ve been waiting for it too. Come on in.” I stepped aside so Tanya could come into the house and shut the door.

“Now, who is this cutie?” Tanya asked looking at the baby in my arms.

I smiled down at my daughter. “This would be Karly May. The oldest of the two.”

“She’s adorable, she has the perfect mix of you and Jordan.” She gushed.

I laughed. “Wait until you see Emma Grace, she’s Jordan reincarnated.”

“Oh no.” She chuckled. “I was lucky with Parker, he has his daddy’s looks but my personality…well most of the time.” She smiled. “Can I hold her?”

“Of course, of course. She is your goddaughter after all.” I smiled.

Once Tanya was comfortable with Karly in her arms, I led her into the family room where I could hear Parker giggling. When we walking in, I saw Jordan tickling his nephew. I noticed Emma and my mom were missing.”

“Hey Jord, where’s Em?”

He looked up and smiled at me. “You’re mom went to change her.” He looked at Tanya. “Hey Tanya.”

“Hi there, daddy. You have a beautiful daughter.” She smiled.

“Hey, we have two.” Jordan pouted.

I laughed and the sound of Logan’s cries grabbed my attention. I turned around and saw him laying in the playpen.

“Aww, Logan feels left out.” I cooed, picking him up and placing a kiss on his forehead. “Don’t worry, sissy will never ignore you.” I turned my attention back to the couch and saw that Tanya was now seated and Parker was between her and Jordan looking at Karly.

“Parker, this is your cousin Karly. You are going to protect her right?” Jordan asked, causing Tanya and I to roll her eyes.

“From boys, yes!” Parker added with a proud smile on his face.

“Eric already got to him.” Tanya shook her head. “The boys in this family I swear.”

“Good” Jordan smirked.

“What’s good?” my mom asked, walking back into the room with Emma in her hands.

“That Eric and Jordan are already brainwashing Parker.” I explained.

“Hey, I need all the help I can get protecting my girls.”

“Jordan, they are only three months old. You still have a long time before you have to worry about boys.” my mom chuckled, handing him Emma. “Tanya dear, it’s so nice to see you again. Is Eric here?”

“No, he’s coming in with the team tomorrow. Parker and I wanted to come and see the girls and Logan.” She smiled, then looked down at her son. “Parker, do you remember Allie’s mom Miss. Sharron?”

Parker looked up at my mom and nodded, giving her a tiny, shy smile before burying his head under Tanya’s arm.

My mom chuckled. “It’s nice to see you too Parker.” Mom looked at me. “I’ll take him. We are going to head back to our wing. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Alright, hey mom Tanya, Alaina, and I are going out later. Would you want to come with us? Leave Logan here with Jordan and Sidney?” I asked, she deserved a day out as much as I do.

“Will they be able to handle all four of them?” She asked, concern clear in her eyes.

I looked at Jordan who was quietly introducing Parker to Emma. “I think so, but I can always ask one of the other guys to come as well.”

Jordan looked up at me. “I think we can handle them. You girls go, have fun. You all need it.”

I smiled at him. “Okay, I get it. So what do you say mom?”

“Sounds like a great idea. Just let me know when you guys are leaving.” She said before disappearing up the stairs.

Couple of hours later Alaina and Sidney arrived. I was a little nervous about leaving the girls, but mostly because this was the first time I would be away from them in the past three months.

“Allie, relax. Like I said earlier, they are with their father and he knows what he is doing.” Alaina said, pushing me put the door.

Tanya and my mom chuckled. “I was the same with Parker.” Tanya smiled, patting my back. “Believe me take these days while you can.”

“Amen to that.” My mom added with a laugh as we all piled into Alaina’s new SUV and made our way to the spa.

Jordan’s POV

Once Alaina practically pushed Allie out of the door, it was just Sidney, the kids, and I hanging around the house. I put in Allie’s Little Mermaid movie to keep Parker occupied for a little while, Logan was in the play pen still sleeping, and Sidney and I were playing with the twins.

“How have you been Jord?” Sidney asked, bouncing Emma. “I haven’t really talked to you in a while.” He said with a small smile.

“For good reasons.” I chuckled dryly. “I’ve been good, things have been crazy though.”

“Yeah, I bet. Don’t worry, things will get better soon.” He said quietly and I knew he wasn’t talking about life or the game. He was talking about himself.

“Sid, you can’t rush concussions. You just need to get healthy and not worry about the team. I’ve got that covered.” I smiled.

Sidney laughed. “A little full of yourself are ya, Staalsy?”

“You know it.” I laughed.

“Unca Jordan?” Parker said softly.

I looked at my nephew. “What’s up buddy?” He let out a yawn. “Are you tired?” He nodded and got off the floor where he was sitting and took a seat between the arm of the couch and me. He laid his head on my shoulder and was asleep almost instantly.

I chuckled and looked at Sidney who was making faces at Emma. “Have you and Alaina talked about kids?” I asked

Sidney looked at me like I grew a second head before shaking his head. “No, we are both not ready for kids. I mean look at me, I’m sidelined for God know how long. Plus, she’s still taking classes and working. We have enough stress in our lives right now.” He smiled. “We will stick with your kids for now.”

“Do you want kids at least?”

Sidney nodded. “I do and I know Layne does too. We will have them eventually. How about you? Are you ever going to ask Allie to marry you? I mean you guys already have a house and a family.”

I smiled at my best friend. “Actually, I already have the ring.”

Sidney had been looking over at the waking up Logan when I said this, but he quickly whipped his head back in my direction. “You do?” He asked, with a smile playing on his lips.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m planning on asking her during the All-Star Break.”

“Well I know for a fact that she will say yes, that girl is crazy about you.”

I laughed. “Well I would hope so because I’m pretty crazy about her and we do have kids together.”

Sidney laughed. “So how do you think the guys are doing?”

I shook my head. “No, we are not talking about the team. You need to just worry about getting that noggin of yours better. Then you can worry about the team.” I sighed. “They are worried about you, concerned.” I told him.

“Tell them that I’m fine and not to worry about me. Worry about the game.”

“Will do.”

Just then, Logan started wailing from the play-pen. Well, there went the semi-quiet afternoon we were having. I placed, Karly in the car seat at my feet before going to pick up Logan. I took him to the girls’ room to change his diaper before returning back to the family room. I laid out a blanket and put some of the toys we had near it and laid Logan down. I decided that girls needed to play as well, so I grabbed Karly out of the carried and laid her down about a foot away from Logan. Sidney handed me Emma and she joined her sister and uncle. Parker continued to nap on the couch, while Sidney flipped through the TV channels and I kept an eye on the babies.

I leaned against the couch and thought about how I was going to ask Allie to marry me. I knew I wanted to do it in two weeks, but I wasn’t sure if we were going to the games or not. I knew Eric and Marc were playing in them and I probably would have been too if it wasn’t for my hand injury. I shook my head, I couldn’t be angry about that anymore, I was back in the game and that’s all that really mattered to me at the moment.

Sidney and I settled on The Town playing on HBO, about an hour into it all the babies started getting feisty. Emma kept smacking Kary, sure she didn’t know better but Karly wasn’t happy with it. I picked Karly up and tried to calm her down. Soon Emma started crying and then Logan. I looked at Sidney who already had Logan in his arms.

“Sid, I have an idea.” I said over the crying. I gently and carefully moved Karly into the crook of my arm. “Alright, bring Logan over here.” I said. Sidney caught on and placed Logan in my other arm. Then picked the still crying Emma off the floor and began bouncing her. About half an hour later they, all finally quieted down. Karly actually fell asleep, so I put her in her crib. Parker was awake and talking to Emma about hockey. I smiled, he was so much like Eric sometimes it was scary.

“Hey little man, did you have a nice nap?” I asked, him ruffling his blond locks.

He looked up at me and smiled and shook his head. “But I hungry.”

I chuckled. “Okay, well I think we’ve got some snacks for you. Come with me and we’ll get you something.”

Five minutes later, Parker was sitting at the table with some grapes and peaches in a bowl. Not knowing, how long the girls where going to be, I decided to get the babies dinner together for when they were all awake again.

“Emma is down for the count. I’m going to go put her in her crib.” Sidney said, standing up.

“Thanks man.”

Two hours later the girls came home all relaxed and pampered. Allie was smiling and joking around with Tanya, Alaina, and her mom.

“Mommy!” Parker yelled when he spotted his mother.

Tanya chuckled and picked her son up. “Hey there bud, you have a good time with uncle Jordan and Sidney?” she asked, kissing his forehead.

“Yes. We watched The Little Mermaid and then I had a snack.”

I chuckled. “He also took a nap.”

“Oh thank god. I was hoping he would.”

Logan began crying from his spot in Sidney’s arms, making his presence known. Then it seemed the girls felt left out because they too started crying. Sharron and Allie shared a look and a smile before going to their babies. I went with Allie to get the girls.

“How was your day?” I asked, placing a kiss on her beautiful lips.

She smiled up at me and my heart squeezed. “It was nice, thank you for making me go. How was it here?” She asked, picking up Karly off the floor of the playpen.

“It was alright. There were a few times where we were overwhelmed, but nothing we couldn’t manage.” I told her.

“Hey, Allie Al, Sidney and I are going to head home. Thanks for today.” Alaina smiled, hugging her best friend.

“Thanks for the help Sid.” I told Sidney. “And remember, if you need to talk you know where to find me.”

“Thanks man, and if I don’t talk to you before break. Good luck.”

I chuckled and waved to him before heading into the kitchen to get the twins bottles ready. As I was making the formula, Allie came into the kitchen and smiled at me.

“What was that about?” She asked.

I smiled over at her. “Nothing, we were talking about the game and all that earlier and I told Sid that if he needed to talk to anyone about what’s bothering him that he could always talk to me.”

“What about him wishing you luck?”

I chuckled. “The rest of the games before the All-Star Break.” I liked. “Speaking of All-Star Break, are we going to the game?”

She sighed and settled into a chair and started feeding Karly. “I don’t know, I mean I want to go. I want to see your brothers play, along with everyone else. But aren’t the girls too young to take to a hockey function like that?”

She had a point, hockey games were loud and intense. Not the right place for three month olds. “My parents are going to be there.”

She sighed again. “I know and I really want to see them…” she sighed again. That was a sign that she was thinking things through. She really wanted to go and so did I, but I also wanted to propose to her in front of my family and everything.

I walked over to the table and placed a kiss to the top of her head before sitting next to her and feeding Emma. “Just think about it. We don’t have to be there for the draft or the skills competition. We can just go down for the game.”

“And miss the chance to see Eric humiliate Marc? No way!” She chuckled. “I really want to go. Maybe we can get a suite, that way the girls won’t be in with the crowd and everything.”

I smiled, see I knew she was thinking things through. “We could do that. That actually might be better.”

She sighed once again, “Can I have a few more days to think it through?” She asked.

I smiled at her. “Of course.”

Twenty minutes later Allie and I had the twins bathed and ready for bed. We all watched a movie before Parker went to bed. About an hour later we were all in bed. I kissed Allie’s forehead before slipping into a dreamless sleep.