Easier Said Than Done

“ELLIE!” Sam called from the kitchen. “KURT AND BLAINE ARE HERE!”

I let out a sigh and pulled my hair out of the sloppy bun it was in. “Well, why don’t you let them in? I’m a little busy here.”

“Mommy,” Julie asked as I pulled her periwinkle t-shirt over her head, “Did Uncle Kurt and Uncle Blaine bring Bernadette this time?”

“Yes, they told me they were going to, sweetheart,” I assured her, standing up and assessing her. Her dark red hair needed brushing, but other than that, she looked fine. She was almost a perfect mix between Sam and me, with my hair and skin tone, her father’s lips and eye color.

“Good. ‘Cause I was bored last time.” She went over to her little vanity and took the brush off the top, running it a couple of times through her hair. It took about two seconds for the brush to get stuck, strands wrapped around the whole thing.

Sighing softly, I went over to him and eased the brush from the rat’s nest. Once it was free, I hurried to make her look presentable.

With perfect timing, right when I finished, the door burst open. “Hello!” Bernadette called out, her black curls bouncing. “Hi, Julie!”

“Hi!” Julie’s face lit up before she turned back to me, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Mommy, you can leave now. Bernadette and I are going to play with my Barbies.”

“Okay, okay,” I replied, putting my hands up in surrender and trying not to crack a smile. “I’ll be right downstairs if you need me.”

Instead of saying thank you or anything, Julie just gave me a look before turning around, ignoring me completely.

I walked out into the hallway, closing the door most of the way except for a crack, so we could hear if anything went wrong. “Four-year-olds,” I muttered under my breath as I made my way down the stairs.

“Hi!” Kurt greeted enthusiastically when I entered the living room. I stood up and we hugged, but it was a little awkward. “God, you’re huge.”

“Thanks,” I replied, stepping around him to give Blaine a hug. “I really appreciate that.”

“I think you look great,” Blaine sucked up.

“Oh, thank you.” I did a little curtsy before settling onto the couch, curling my legs up behind me.

“When are you due, anyway?” Kurt questioned as Sam entered the room, carrying four cups of coffee. I could almost see the impending disaster, but I decided to ignore it.

“Just under a month now,” I replied, wincing when Sam put the mug on the coffee table just a little too hard, signaling that he dropped it.

“Do you know what it’s going to be?” Blaine questioned. He reached to get his coffee from the table while glancing over at me every other second to make sure that I knew he was listening.

“It’s going to be a boy,” Sam answered with pride.

“Have a name picked out?” Kurt asked Sam, trying to bring him into the conversation.

“Well, I’ve been trying to sell Sam Junior, but Ellie wants to name him Tim.”

“Why Tim?” Kurt cocked an eyebrow as he turned back to me.

“It’s the name of a character from a TV show I love.” Kurt gave me a look clearly stating that he thought I was totally insane. “Oh my God, don’t judge me. The character is beautiful, okay?”

“What show are we talking about?” Blaine asked, looking between Kurt and me.

Just then, the doorbell rang, saving me from answering the question. “I will get that!” I offered dramatically, getting to my feet before hobbling toward the door.

I opened it to find Aileen staring at me. “Uh…hi,” I greeted, trying my hardest not to look extremely confused.

“Hey. I was driving by and saw Kurt and Blaine’s car in the driveway, so I figured there was a party going on that I wasn’t invited to.” She stepped past me into the house, forcing the door shut behind her to block out the bitter Ohio cold.

“What about Zack? Isn’t he waiting for you?” Her husband Zack was a really great guy, tall with blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a lean build. He had a great sense of humor, and I really liked him. It was even better that she met him right before I left to Columbus for college, so she had someone to keep her company in between vacations.

“No. He’s having a football party at his house. That was the whole reason I left.” She started toward the living room, still talking. “Do you have any idea how crazy they get over football? They stand and scream at the television like the people can actually hear them. It’s ridiculous.”

“Well, okay,” I muttered. “And you left Becky and Jessie with him?”

“Yeah. They think it’s funny. They scream right along with them. Except, you know, they can’t actually talk, so it’s more of just a squeal.” A smile emerged on Aileen’s face when she saw Kurt and Blaine sitting next to each other on the couch. “Hi, guys! How’s Bernadette?”

“She’s so great,” Kurt gushed. “She’s such a little firecracker. And, get this, she’s already starting to sing. I can’t wait until she’s old enough to be enrolled in voice classes.”

“When will that be?” Aileen wondered as she took where I was sitting.

“We were thinking when she goes into first grade,” Blaine answered.

“I’m going to get some chips,” I replied, going back into the kitchen. Sam came in right behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist and kissing my cheek.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I mean, Aileen didn’t exactly ask to come over, but it’s okay. I understand her wanting to get out of the house.”

Sam nodded. “Want me to get the chips and dip for you?”

“No, I got it. Go sit down. You made the coffee.”

He did as I said, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, actually. Tim finally stopped moving around, so that’s good.”

“You mean Sam?”

“No, I mean Tim.” I let out a sigh. “You know, we really have to come to a decision about this.”

“We will,” he assured me. “We still have time.”

“You’re right.” The platter was ready, so I gestured to it. “You can carry it in. Just please be careful and don’t drop it.”

“You have so much confidence in me.” He rolled his eyes as he picked up the giant plate and made his way toward the living room.

Right when I settled back in and caught up that Kurt was filling in Aileen about the newest show on Broadway, there was a huge crash from upstairs.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in the time it took Julie to run with her little legs to the top of the stairs. “Um, Mommy? What would you do if I said Bernadette broke my lamp?”

“DID NOT!” she screamed from somewhere out of view.

“I’ll take care of it,” Sam whispered in my ear, kissing the side of my face. “Alright, what happened?” he asked as he pulled the vacuum out of the closet and started up the stairs.

Bernadette and Julie both started rushing out answers at the same time, sounding completely opposites.

“I have a feeling our kids are going to be friends for life,” I informed Kurt and Blaine.

“I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing,” Blaine responded.

There was a second of silence before Aileen laughed. “Can I just take this opportunity to point out that I totally called that you and Sam were going to end up together?”

“Shut up, Aileen.”