Status: Completed
Best Thing In Town
New Year's Day
Mike rolled off of Audrey, onto his back, with a satiated sigh, rubbing his face as he glanced at his bedside alarm clock. It was two in the afternoon and they'd just woken up a half hour earlier.
Woken up to make like rabbits.
It was New Year's Day. January 1, 2006. And what better way to greet the new year than by in the arms of the woman you loved? Audrey rested on her side; the bed sheet draped over her body as lightly as a feather. She leaned her head into to place a kiss on his chest, making him laugh a little as her hair fell in front her eyes and onto his skin, tickling him ever so slightly. Sitting up, she held the bed sheet up and turned away from him so that he could reach out his hand and run it down the smooth expanse of her back. Sitting up as well, Mike moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He stood up with her as well, pressing his chest to her back and resting his chin on her shoulder.
They waddled in step together over to his full length mirror and he kissed her cheek. Grabbing the bed sheet, he pulled at it so that it was wrapped around the both of them. Audrey turned around so that she face him. She kissed the tip of his nose and grabbed the bed sheet back.
"I'm going to go take a shower. You should probably make sure the girls are okay."
Mike smirked and nodded as she disappeared into his bathroom. Their bathroom. He liked the sound of that. Pulling on his pants from the night before, he sauntered out of the bedroom, poking his head into both girls' bedroom, he found them empty. When he heard the sounds of cartoons reverberating from the downstairs, he plodded down the staircase, stepping onto the cool tile of the foyer before entering into the living room.
And the mess!
Toys everywhere. Cheerios scattered underneath the coffee table, drying milk ON the coffee table that was beside a discarded and now empty bowl. Estelle and Katarina were sitting about two inches from the big screen TV, watching Power Puff Girls on Cartoon Network and laughing here and there. Frowning, Mike stepped up behind them, crouched down and grabbed them both up in his arms, scaring them half to death.
"Rarrr," he growled in a big, booming voice. "Who made a mess of the living room?"
"She did it," Estelle quickly accused.
He plopped them both down on the couch and stared at them expectantly.
"I didn't do nothing," Katarina insisted shaking her head. "She made me Oreos."
Estelle scrunched her nose. "Cheerios, duh."
Mike gave his daughter a look. "Estelle. Don't get smart," he warned. "When you two are done watching this cartoon, I want you to pick up your mess, understand?"
"She's gonna help, 'cause I didn't do it all. And she was jumping on the chair, too. Probably broke it."
"Probably an improvement. You jump on it all the time."
Smirking down at his offspring, he moved into the kitchen and began to start a pot of coffee, already feeling impatient that it wasn't just already done, even though it had just started to make percolating noises. After about fifteen minutes, he had a cup of coffee in his hands, two adorable girls cleaning up after themselves in the living room...and a girlfriend upstairs, completely naked in the shower.
Completely alone and naked in the shower.
Mike looked over the rim of his coffee cup as the metaphorical light bulb above his head went on. He set the mug down on the counter and exited the kitchen. "You girls behave."
Estelle turned to look at her daddy passing through the living room. "Where you going?"
"Just gonna take a shower, sweetie. Keep an eye on Kat."
* * *
Over the course of the next few weeks, things seemed to settle in nicely. Audrey's grandma Gloria had shipped some more of their belongings to them, they'd painted Katarina's room pink and redecorated it, Estelle still seemed to have it in for the younger girl; constantly blaming Kat for whatever went wrong when Mike and Audrey weren't looking. Estelle's Christmas vacation had ended and was in school again so Mike was simply getting her on weekends. During the week, he took Audrey and Kat out shopping food and other things that would make the house feel more homey for them.
He'd never put that much effort into decorating it because, for the most part, it was only him in the house. And he didn't need to be impressed. But now he didn't want just a house. He wanted a home.
A few of the days, Mike had gone to the studio with the guys for brainstorming jams rather than actual work. And more often than naught they ended up shitting around and accomplishing diddly squat. And then he'd come home to revived surroundings. There wasn't home cooking because Audrey wasn't much of a cook, but they made due, and went out to dinner, or got together with the guys and their families.
During the first week of February, Mike was more smiling everywhere he went. So much so that it was annoying the hell out of Billie Joe at the studio.
"Dude, what's with the warm and fuzzy vibes? You're not gonna go all Christian Rock on us and devote your life to God or something, are ya?"
Mike laughed a little, sitting on the couch in the studio and plucking absently at his bass as he shook his head at Billie Joe. "Nah, I'm just...anxious, I guess. Audrey's doctor's appointment is later this afternoon. We get to find out of the baby's a boy or girl."
"Oh, okay, cool."
"Got any names picked out yet? Like, maybe for a boy you can name it Mikeito. And a girl...Audrina," Tre suggested, goofily.
Mike raised an eyebrow. "How about, no?" He shook his head with a smirk. "We've been talking it over, yeah. She like's Carlen Chappell for a boy and Lorelei Christine for a girl."
"Chappell? Like, Dave Chappelle, the comedian?" Billie Joe wondered.
"No, well...spelled the same except, missing the 'e' at the end. It was someone's middle or last name on her mom's side."
"Ah, well what about you? What names do you like?"
"I was thinking, maybe, Ryan Michael. You know, my name backwards. But, if it's a girl...I dunno...I kinda like Denise. But Audrey looked at me as if she was gonna throw up. So, my second choice is Emily Rose."
"What about Carlen Michael for a boy?" Tre put forth.
Mike shook his head. "Nah. It's sounds too much like Carmichael. And that's just...wrong."
Billie Joe stood up with Blue and walking over to put it away in his special case for it. "Well, whatever the outcome, you let us know."
"Yeah, then we'll be able to figure out what color to pick for the bubble gum cigars when the baby's born," Tre added with a smirk, tapping a lone drumstick on the edge of his chair.
"I promise to let you know whether or not--"
* * *
"It's a boy," the doctor said, moving the device around Audrey's abdomen which was lightly lathered in a warmed up gel. He, along with the parents to be, looked at the sonogram screen with smiles on their faces.
"Are you sure?" Mike asked, warily.
The doctor nodded, point to a spot on the screen. "That right there would be its penis."
Audrey was lifting her head from where she laid on the bed/table thing, as Mike squeezed her hand and kissed the top of it. The doctor removed the device and then wipe Audrey's stomach for her.
"I'll leave you two alone for a little bit."
As soon as the doctor left the room, Mike looked at Audrey's stomach and placed his hand on top of the protruding area. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her skin and whispered.
"Hey there, buddy. I'm your daddy."
Audrey watched Mike interact with her stomach. She was halfway through the pregnancy. 20 weeks along. The baby's due date was going to be some time on or around June 18th. And she couldn't wait to meet her son.
And clearly, neither could Mike.
Woken up to make like rabbits.
It was New Year's Day. January 1, 2006. And what better way to greet the new year than by in the arms of the woman you loved? Audrey rested on her side; the bed sheet draped over her body as lightly as a feather. She leaned her head into to place a kiss on his chest, making him laugh a little as her hair fell in front her eyes and onto his skin, tickling him ever so slightly. Sitting up, she held the bed sheet up and turned away from him so that he could reach out his hand and run it down the smooth expanse of her back. Sitting up as well, Mike moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He stood up with her as well, pressing his chest to her back and resting his chin on her shoulder.
They waddled in step together over to his full length mirror and he kissed her cheek. Grabbing the bed sheet, he pulled at it so that it was wrapped around the both of them. Audrey turned around so that she face him. She kissed the tip of his nose and grabbed the bed sheet back.
"I'm going to go take a shower. You should probably make sure the girls are okay."
Mike smirked and nodded as she disappeared into his bathroom. Their bathroom. He liked the sound of that. Pulling on his pants from the night before, he sauntered out of the bedroom, poking his head into both girls' bedroom, he found them empty. When he heard the sounds of cartoons reverberating from the downstairs, he plodded down the staircase, stepping onto the cool tile of the foyer before entering into the living room.
And the mess!
Toys everywhere. Cheerios scattered underneath the coffee table, drying milk ON the coffee table that was beside a discarded and now empty bowl. Estelle and Katarina were sitting about two inches from the big screen TV, watching Power Puff Girls on Cartoon Network and laughing here and there. Frowning, Mike stepped up behind them, crouched down and grabbed them both up in his arms, scaring them half to death.
"Rarrr," he growled in a big, booming voice. "Who made a mess of the living room?"
"She did it," Estelle quickly accused.
He plopped them both down on the couch and stared at them expectantly.
"I didn't do nothing," Katarina insisted shaking her head. "She made me Oreos."
Estelle scrunched her nose. "Cheerios, duh."
Mike gave his daughter a look. "Estelle. Don't get smart," he warned. "When you two are done watching this cartoon, I want you to pick up your mess, understand?"
"She's gonna help, 'cause I didn't do it all. And she was jumping on the chair, too. Probably broke it."
"Probably an improvement. You jump on it all the time."
Smirking down at his offspring, he moved into the kitchen and began to start a pot of coffee, already feeling impatient that it wasn't just already done, even though it had just started to make percolating noises. After about fifteen minutes, he had a cup of coffee in his hands, two adorable girls cleaning up after themselves in the living room...and a girlfriend upstairs, completely naked in the shower.
Completely alone and naked in the shower.
Mike looked over the rim of his coffee cup as the metaphorical light bulb above his head went on. He set the mug down on the counter and exited the kitchen. "You girls behave."
Estelle turned to look at her daddy passing through the living room. "Where you going?"
"Just gonna take a shower, sweetie. Keep an eye on Kat."
* * *
Over the course of the next few weeks, things seemed to settle in nicely. Audrey's grandma Gloria had shipped some more of their belongings to them, they'd painted Katarina's room pink and redecorated it, Estelle still seemed to have it in for the younger girl; constantly blaming Kat for whatever went wrong when Mike and Audrey weren't looking. Estelle's Christmas vacation had ended and was in school again so Mike was simply getting her on weekends. During the week, he took Audrey and Kat out shopping food and other things that would make the house feel more homey for them.
He'd never put that much effort into decorating it because, for the most part, it was only him in the house. And he didn't need to be impressed. But now he didn't want just a house. He wanted a home.
A few of the days, Mike had gone to the studio with the guys for brainstorming jams rather than actual work. And more often than naught they ended up shitting around and accomplishing diddly squat. And then he'd come home to revived surroundings. There wasn't home cooking because Audrey wasn't much of a cook, but they made due, and went out to dinner, or got together with the guys and their families.
During the first week of February, Mike was more smiling everywhere he went. So much so that it was annoying the hell out of Billie Joe at the studio.
"Dude, what's with the warm and fuzzy vibes? You're not gonna go all Christian Rock on us and devote your life to God or something, are ya?"
Mike laughed a little, sitting on the couch in the studio and plucking absently at his bass as he shook his head at Billie Joe. "Nah, I'm just...anxious, I guess. Audrey's doctor's appointment is later this afternoon. We get to find out of the baby's a boy or girl."
"Oh, okay, cool."
"Got any names picked out yet? Like, maybe for a boy you can name it Mikeito. And a girl...Audrina," Tre suggested, goofily.
Mike raised an eyebrow. "How about, no?" He shook his head with a smirk. "We've been talking it over, yeah. She like's Carlen Chappell for a boy and Lorelei Christine for a girl."
"Chappell? Like, Dave Chappelle, the comedian?" Billie Joe wondered.
"No, well...spelled the same except, missing the 'e' at the end. It was someone's middle or last name on her mom's side."
"Ah, well what about you? What names do you like?"
"I was thinking, maybe, Ryan Michael. You know, my name backwards. But, if it's a girl...I dunno...I kinda like Denise. But Audrey looked at me as if she was gonna throw up. So, my second choice is Emily Rose."
"What about Carlen Michael for a boy?" Tre put forth.
Mike shook his head. "Nah. It's sounds too much like Carmichael. And that's just...wrong."
Billie Joe stood up with Blue and walking over to put it away in his special case for it. "Well, whatever the outcome, you let us know."
"Yeah, then we'll be able to figure out what color to pick for the bubble gum cigars when the baby's born," Tre added with a smirk, tapping a lone drumstick on the edge of his chair.
"I promise to let you know whether or not--"
* * *
"It's a boy," the doctor said, moving the device around Audrey's abdomen which was lightly lathered in a warmed up gel. He, along with the parents to be, looked at the sonogram screen with smiles on their faces.
"Are you sure?" Mike asked, warily.
The doctor nodded, point to a spot on the screen. "That right there would be its penis."
Audrey was lifting her head from where she laid on the bed/table thing, as Mike squeezed her hand and kissed the top of it. The doctor removed the device and then wipe Audrey's stomach for her.
"I'll leave you two alone for a little bit."
As soon as the doctor left the room, Mike looked at Audrey's stomach and placed his hand on top of the protruding area. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her skin and whispered.
"Hey there, buddy. I'm your daddy."
Audrey watched Mike interact with her stomach. She was halfway through the pregnancy. 20 weeks along. The baby's due date was going to be some time on or around June 18th. And she couldn't wait to meet her son.
And clearly, neither could Mike.