Hey Butterfly

Chapter Sixteen
I wake up and smack my head on Jorel’s shoulder. Quietly I climb out of the bed and look down at Blake in his crib. He looks up at me and giggles, I lean down and pick him up, “You hungry mister?” I whisper.
He buries his face into my neck as I grab a bottle and walk downstairs. I walk into the kitchen and notice Lydia sitting at the counter reading the newspaper.
“Good Morning” I say as I put the bottle in the microwave.
“Good Morning” She says as she turns the page of the newspaper, barely noticing my presence.
I lean against the counter with Blake on my hip, “Jorel and I have been talking about baby names.”
“That’s good.”
“Do you like the name Gabriella Lilly?”
She puts down the paper, “Lilly is mine and Jenna’s middle name.”
“Yeah, Jorel said he wants to continue the tradition.”
Suddenly the microwave beeps and I open the door and grab Blake’s bottle. I quickly test it on my wrist before giving it to him. Lydia smiles at him, “Come sit down, I want to talk before anybody else wakes up.”
I sit down in the chair next to her, “Do you want to hold Blake?”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all” I hand her Blake. “He is going to go see his other grandparents today.”
“You mean George’s parents?”
I nod, “Do you hold it against me that Blake is George’s not Jorel’s?”
She looks up at me and sees me on the verge of tears, “Of course not darling. I am happy Jorel found you, but it’s sad to think you took so long to realize who loved you.”
I shake my head, “I regret every second I wasn’t with Jorel. But George loved me too. Or so Jorel tells me.”
“George did love you.”
“I know.”
“But Jorel loves you more. Even after everything you can see it in his eyes that he is completely in love with you” she takes a deep breath. “I hate to think that my little boy is getting married.”
“To a girl like me…”
She looks up at me quickly, “You are the perfect girl for Jorel. Everybody in the family knows it. You love classic cars, you put the ones you love before everything. You are Mrs. Jorel Decker.”
“So you wouldn’t rather him marrying another girl?”
Blake starts squirming in her arms, she repositions him and then continues. “I’ll be honest, in the beginning I didn’t want anything to do with you. I thought you were a shank. But then Jenna told me everything Jorel told her about you and I couldn’t help but love you for everything you have done for my son. Yes you have made your mistakes but that is the past this is now.”
I couldn’t see the tears streaming down her face but I could hear them in her voice, “I’m sorry I didn’t love your son from day one. But like he likes to say I wouldn’t love him as much if I got him right away. But your son loved me through everything, through my mess up, through my lying, everything. I am completely in love with your son and I can’t wait to marry him or have this child with him.”
She smiles at me, “I know you love my son.”
“I’d do anything for him.”
“And I would do anything for you beautiful” I hear Jorel say from the kitchen doorway.
I look at him, “Morning handsome.”
He walks over to me and his mom, “Morning Ladies. Did I interrupt something?”
Lydia shakes her head, “No I was just finally welcoming her to the family.”
Jorel looks at her shocked, “Really?”
“Yes” she hands Blake to him then gets up and leaves the room.
Jorel sits down and looks at me, “Did you drug her tea?”
“No…”
He leans forward and kisses me, “I’m kidding darling. I knew she would eventually welcome you to the family.”
I look at the clock 9:34, “Johnny should be here soon.”
“Go take your shower, I’ll give Blake a bath in the sink and get him dressed” he kisses me again. “Welcome to the Decker family.”
I stand up and wrap my arms around his neck, “I love you.”
“I love you more” He kisses the top of my head. “Now go take your shower.”
I run up the stairs and into the bathroom connected to Jorel’s room. Without bothering to stop and grab the clothes I plan on wearing or a towel I just strip off my clothes and jump into the shower. After about 20 minutes I turn off the water and climb out of the shower. I walk out into Jorel’s room to grab a towel.
“Well hello there” I hear Jorel say from the bed.
I look over at him as water drips down my face, “I forgot my towel.”
Jorel climbs off the bed and grabs a towel from on top of his dresser, he walks over to me and wraps it around me pulling me into him at the same time, “I don’t mind helping.”
I smile up at him then kiss his collarbone, “Careful, I’m already pregnant.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t kiss you or squish you against me” he says as he pushes my wet hair off my face.
“Where’s Blake?”
“Asleep in the crib. I figured he would sleep now and be awake for most of the visit” he kisses my neck. “You smell good.”
We hear a knock on the door downstairs and listen as Jorel’s mom answers it, “Willow Johnny is here!”
“She’ll be down in a minute” Jorel shouts back then looks at me with puppy dog eyes, “I don’t want you to go.”
“I need to. For Blake.”
He kisses my forehead, “You need to get dressed then.”
“Can you get me that light blue dress out of my bag?”
“Yeah” he lets go of me and I walk into the bathroom to towel dry my hair.
I stand back up and look in the mirror to see Jorel standing behind me, “Here you go” he hands me my white bra with my matching thong and my blue sun dress.
“Thank you babe” I slide the clothes on then turn and look at him. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful” he kisses me lightly. “Like always.”
I hear somebody knock on the bedroom door, “Willow we got to go, my parents are taking us out for brunch.”
“Just a minute” I call back then let go of Jorel to finish doing my hair. “There.”
Jorel sits on the sink and looks at the floor, “Go get your son and go.”
I put my hands on his knees, “Just think 8 more months and your kid will be sleeping next to us.”
He smiles and kisses me, “Our second baby.”
Johnny knocks again, “Willow we really need to go.”
“I’m coming!” I kiss Jorel, “Bye baby.”
I run over to the crib and pick up Blake, as I open the door I blow Jorel a kiss. As I open the door Johnny smiles, “Whoa.”
“What?” I ask as I walk down the stairs.
“I’ve never seen you in a dress besides your wedding dress.”
I look down at myself. The dress was a light sky blue with a v cut then ended right after my necklace, it was long enough to reach the top of my knees, “I felt like looking nice.”
“Dressing to impress my parents?” He asks as he opens the front door for me.
“Sort of.”
“Well have fun walking in flip flops” he says smirking as I slide my feet into the sandals I had left on the front steps.
“We are walking?”
“Yeah It is just around the corner” he tells me then starts walking down the side walk. “I’ll carry Blake if you want me to.”
“When my arms get tired. I love snuggling with him right after he wakes up.”
Johnny smiles at me, “That little boy is your whole world.”
I look up at him, “Yes he is.”
We walk the rest of the way in silence, finally we turn a corner and Johnny tells me, “We are here.”
I reposition Blake on my hip, “I guess I’m ready.”
Johnny opens the door, “Don’t worry. They raised the man you love. And me.”
I shake my head and walk through the door. The inside of the restaurant was a somewhat fancy place but still had a homey feel to it. Johnny grabs my hand and leads me over to a table where a woman with blonde hair was sitting with a man whose hair was mostly grey.
“Mom, dad” Johnny says lightly. They turn and smile at us. “This is Willow and Blake.”
George’s dad stands and shakes my hand, “Hello my name is Jonathan and this is my wife Kathy.”
Kathy kneels on the booth seat and smiles at me, “Don’t just stand there. Please sit.”
I could already tell that I was going to love being with George’s family. I slide into the booth and wait until Johnny slides in next to me to put Blake in between us.
Kathy smiles at me as Jonathan slides back into the booth next to her, “So tell us about yourself. I don’t mean to seem weird, we only know you from what George and Johnny have told us.”
I smile back at her, “It’s easier for me to talk about Blake than myself. He seems like a much more interesting person.”
“Then tell us about Blake” She offers. “How old is he?”
“Five months now. Already giggles and sits up on his own” I kiss the top of Blake’s head.
Jonathan grabs Blake’s hand and shakes it, “Hello Blake I am…” He looks at me now sure what to introduce himself as.
“Grampa?” I ask.
“Sounds good to me” he smiles then shakes Blake’s hand again. “Hello Blake, I am Grampa.”
Blake starts giggling and squeezes Jonathan’s finger, I tickle his sides as Kathy grabs his other hand, “And I am MiMi.”
Jonathan looks at me, “He looks so much like George but I still see bits and pieces of you.”
I look down at Blake, “I only see George in him.”
“Now Johnny tells us you are pregnant again?” Kathy asks.
I shoot Johnny a look but he pretends to find interest in the fork, “Yes I am. Jorel’s child. I am about a month along now.”
Kathy and Jonathan both smile at me, “Well I am going to go to the restroom” Kathy announces.
Jonathan climbs out to let her out and decides he has to go too. I was left at the table with Johnny and Blake. I slap Johnny’s shoulder, “You told them I was pregnant?!”
He nods, “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Well lucky me, I just get to join your club.”
I pick up Blake, “Move.”
“What?” Johnny says shooting me a look.
“I said Move.”
He gets up and stands in the aisle, “Where are you going?”
“Back to my fiancé. Tell your parents I am sorry but their second son messed it up for me. I will be more than glad to meet them again, some other time. Without you around” I spin on my heels and walk out the door.
Blake starts to squirm in my arms as I realize I have no clue how to get back to Jorel’s. I take out my phone as I reach the corner of the street. Instantly I call Jorel. Luckily, he answers on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“HI baby.”
“Hey Beautiful. What’s wrong?”
“Can you come get me?”
I hear rustling in the background, “Of course, where are you?”
I look around me, “On 6th street.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Babe, where are you?”
“The house, why?”
“Just curious…”
“Don’t worry babe, I’ll be right there. Don’t move.”
“Okay” I hit end then look down at Blake. “Sorry to cut your meeting with Gramps and MiMi short but Uncle Johnny was being mean to mommy.”
He smiles up at me as if to say he doesn’t care. I kiss his forehead as I hear the familiar bass of Jorel’s current favorite song, Party Rock Anthem by LMAFO. Suddenly, his green Lincoln is on the curb in front of me.
I walk over to the driver’s side, “That was fast.”
“I was worried” he says as he kisses Blake’s head.
I open the back door and climb in, putting Blake in his car seat and buckling him in before the light turns green. “Thank you baby.”
He looks at me in the rearview mirror, “Anything for you.”