That's Why I Got a Heater For Your Thighs

Months went by really fast and before I knew it, it was Mason's first birthday. It had been an amazing year and watching him grow up had made me really proud to be his mother. He was my child, I had made him and he was just perfect.

Jimmy and I were living under the same roof again. Our marriage was a lot better and everything had been forgiven and forgotten. We tried not to think about the past too much. Instead, we wanted to focus on our future as a family.

After Jimmy had moved back in with me and the baby, I hadn't had any trouble with money anymore. Jimmy was paying half of the stuff and food and bills while I paid the other half with the money I got from my job. I had gone back to working for mom and the bakery (things with the bakery were going great, by the way) and it worked out fine for me.

Mason spent the days with my sister, Rebecca, while Jimmy and I were at work. His aunt had become his best friend and they had a good time together. We paid Becky for looking after him, too, so it made her his babysitter and that way we didn't have to put him into day care.

Jimmy had been on tour with the band for a few months. It was rough to be alone with the baby at home but I got through it with the help of my family.

Well, anyway, back to Mason and his birthday. We were having a party later that day and everyone would be coming over to our place. I'd been cleaning the house all morning and tried to get everything ready as Jimmy and Mason were still asleep, even though it was midday already.

Mom came over at 1 PM with all the cakes and pies and cupcakes.

”Where is my birthday boy?” mom exclaimed with a smile as I opened the door for her.

”He's still asleep with Jimmy,” I said as I took the huge cake she was handing to me.

”Still asleep? Do you have any idea what time it is? How can they sleep for this long...” she trailed off and walked into our house.

I followed her into the kitchen and we put all the food down on the table.

”We need to go wake them up,” mom told me.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me up the stairs into our bedroom. She opened the door and turned on the lights.

I saw Jimmy and Mason both asleep on their backs with their mouths wide open.

Mom walked over to Mason and brushed his hair away from his face. The kid started to wake up and mom picked her up from the bed.

She started walking out of the room, leaving me alone with Jimmy.

”Jimmy!” I hissed and walked over to the bed, ”Wake up!”

”I am awake,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.

”You are?”

”Yeah. Mason woke me up with his snoring. He's even worse than you are,” he mumbled.

”I don't snore!”

”You do. You really fucking do.”

”I do not. Now, stop telling lies and get up.”

”I don't want to. Why don't you join me here?” he murmured and grabbed my hands, pulling me down on to the bed next to him. He wrapped me into his arms and sighed deeply.

”Hey, we really need to get ready. Everyone will be here in a few hours,” I mumbled after a moment.

”But this is really comfortable... Do you know what's the only thing that could make this even better?”

”What?”

”Sex.”

”Not going to happen. My mom's here, Jimmy. It's Mason's birthday. We have to get up,” I mumbled.

I tried to get up but he didn't let go of me.

”Jimmy,” I whined and pinched his cheek.

He opened his eyes and looked at me.

”Give me a kiss first,” he mumbled.

”Fine. But you have to get up after that. Okay? Okay?”

”Okay, okay!”

He grabbed my face and pulled me down into a kiss. I accidentally bit his lip as my teeth hit his mouth.

”Ow, ow!” he whined as I pulled away.

I couldn't help but laugh as I got up from the bed and opened the curtains.

When Jimmy had finished showering and had his clothes on, he joined the rest of us in the kitchen.

”Happy birthday, my big boy!” he exclaimed with a smile as he went to kiss Mason who was sitting on mom's lap.

Mason giggled and grinned while clapping his little hands together.

I smiled at them as Jimmy sat down around the table and looked at me.

”What's for breakfast?” he asked.

Mom gasped.

”Jimmy! It's two – almost three – in the afternoon! That's no time to eat breakfast,” she said and shook her head.

”Hey, mama, I just woke up. We went out with the guys last night. I wasn't home until the sunrise,” he told her.

”Do you do that often? You have a family, now, young man.”

”I don't go out all the time, if that's what you're worried about,” he said with a shrug.

”Well good. I don't want Rachel to be alone here all the time.”

”Mom, it's okay. I'm not alone,” I told mom. She nodded.

”Everyone should be here in an hour, right?”

”I guess so, yeah.”

The birthday party had started really well. Everyone had such a good time until something happened which I will get back to later.

Well, anyway, we were all outside, on our back yard, having a few drinks and eating all sorts of cakes and food and whatever.

Mason was a party pooper and decided that he was really tired and fell asleep in the middle of opening the presents. We carried him into his room and continued celebrating.

The guys were sitting around a table and smoking cigarettes and cigars and drinking whiskey while the ladies and myself were talking, or more like gossiping by the pool.

It was nice to spend time with the girls because it wasn't something I did that often. I got to catch up on everything that had happened and enjoyed the conversations very much.

My sister got my mother so drunk that eventually we had to call her a cab and send her home.

”Rach, Rach, Rach! Rachel, tell Mason that grandma loves her little baby very much!” mom exclaimed as she sat in the car.

I closed the door as she rolled down the window.

”Okay? Okay?”

”Yeah, mom, don't worry. I'm sure he knows that by now,” I told her with a nod.

She leaned her back against the seat and closed her eyes and I was pretty sure that she had passed out before she got home.

As people started to leave, something happened.

It was Michelle – her water broke.

She had been on her way into the house when she suddenly gasped loudly and even screamed a little bit.

Everyone had naturally turned to see what had happened and there she was, her dress all soaking and there was a puddle of water under her legs.

”Oh my god, Brian, the baby!” she exclaimed in horror.

It sort of reminded me of myself when that had happened. I'd been in shock too.

”Oh my god, oh my god!” Brian was freaking out.

He threw his cigarette away and rushed to Michelle who was screaming loudly.

”Okay, everyone, stay calm!” Jimmy exclaimed suddenly.

To be honest, I think he was freaking out, too. I mean, no one had gone into labor in our back yard before. And now we were talking about his best friend's baby.

”Call the ambulance!” Michelle screamed as she sat down on the ground, breathing heavily.

”No, no! We can get there faster if we drive to the hospital!” Val, Michelle's sister, exclaimed.

Everyone seemed to agree on that.

”Okay, okay! Who drives?” Brian shouted.

”Everyone's had a drink!”

”Rachel hasn't!” someone pointed out.

”No, not Rach! She's a horrible driver!” Jimmy exclaimed, ”You don't want to die, do you?”

”Jimmy! I'm not a horrible driver!” I exclaimed and shoved his chest.

”I don't mean that you're a horrible driver, babe, but under a lot of pressure... Erm...”

”You're probably right. We don't want to die,” Brian said.

”Hey, hey! I'm not taking this bullshit from you. Do you want to have a baby in the hospital or on our back yard?” I asked.

”In the hospital!”

”So shut up then and let's go!” I exclaimed.

Halfway to the hospital, I sort of freaked out. I realized that if I did a mistake or got us into an accident, I would not only kill or hurt my friends but I would also hurt a baby.

Jimmy, who was sitting on the front seat next to me, had to calm me down every now and then. And let me tell you, he was doing a shitty job at it. He was freaking out more than I was, mostly because he didn't want a child to be born in his brand new, clean car.

”Drive faster!” Michelle kept shouting from the back seat.

”I can't drive any faster!” I exclaimed but quickly shut up when I realized that it didn't make the situation any easier if we were shouting at each other.

When we finally got to the hospital, Michelle and Brian rushed out of the car and ran into the building. I parked the car and got out a few moments later.

”Are we going to wait here until they've had the baby?” I asked as Jimmy grabbed my hand and we started walking in.

”Yeah. Isn't everyone on their way here? I know Matt and Val will be here,” he told me.

Once we were in, we sat down and waited for them to arrive.

”Oh my god! Do you know what this means?” I exclaimed suddenly and turned to look at Jimmy with my wide eyes.

He furrowed his eyebrows.

”What?”

”If they have their baby today, their baby will share the birthday with our little Mason!” I exclaimed.

I suddenly got very excited about the idea. I mean, come on, we could throw parties together and the babies would become best friends and if they had a girl, they could get married and...

I got a little carried away. But I was beyond excited now!

”Yeah, but you know what? It doesn't happen just like that. Do you remember how long it took you to get the baby out?” he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and laughed.

”But imagine how cool it would be!” I exclaimed.

Some couple sitting next to us glared at me for shouting so much so I cleared my throat and shut up.

”I hope their baby comes out today,” I whispered and looked at Jimmy again.

He was grinning and shaking his head.

”You're crazy,” he said with a sigh. He was smiling.

”No, I'm just – ”

”You're just excited, I know.” He leaned closer to me and pulled me into a quick kiss.

”I like this, you know. I like kissing you and hugging you and everything. I didn't like it when we weren't together,” I mumbled and leaned my head against his shoulder.

”It's been a rough year. But we're still together.”

”Do you think we'll always be together?”

”Always.”

”I love you, Sullivan,” I mumbled and let out a happy sigh.

”I love you, too, other Sullivan.”