Status: Completed
Best Thing In Town
September
August seemed to come and go rather quickly after Mike and Audrey were able to reconsumate their marriage. Since then, Mike had tried his best to not spend more than eight hours a day in the studio with the guys so there was time he could have set aside with his family at home. They'd had a fifth birthday party for Katarina in the backyard with a Barbie theme. The decorations, cake and party favors were all pink and had everything to do with the voluptuous doll. Mike had even gotten a friend of the band, who was female, to do a favor and dress like and pretend to actually be Barbie. She was blonde and had the figure to pull it off. And Katarina was esctatic.
It made Audrey feel a little old to think her little girl was five already. And when the first week of September rolled around, she felt even older. Katarina started kindergarten. Mike and Audrey walked down the driveway with the five-year-old, while Lorelei was laying down in the stroller. The four of them waited for the bus to come that would take the little girl to her first day of school and Audrey was getting sick to the stomach. She was scared, nervous, happy. All for her daughter. She was fearing the worst that something would happen en route to the school and Kat would get hurt...or worse. Then what if a kid at school was a bully? What if Katarina was a bully? Her baby was leaving home already.
Mike noticed the emotions playing across Audrey's face and placed his hand on the small of her back and gave a soothing rub to assure her everything would be okay. She looked at him, smiled, and then looked back at Katarina who was bouncing around as if she'd eaten a bowl of sugar for breakfast. She was talking quickly about the things she wanted to do in class, the pictures she wanted to draw and what she said about that made Mike get a little teary-eyed.
"And I'm gonna draw a picture of daddy with his bass and I'm gonna draw mommy with Lori, and Frankito with his trucks..." she yammered away.
Just then the bus pulled up and Katarina walked over to the stroller and bent down to give her baby sister a kiss on the cheek as she ran into Audrey's arms. Her mother gave her a big hug and then Kat looked over at Mike who smiled at her and crouched down to her level and scooped her up in his own arms. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly, walking her over to the bus and planting a kiss on her cheek. When he set her down, she skipped up onto the first step of the bus and waved.
"Have fun," Mike called.
"And be careful," Audrey added. "We love you, honey."
"Love you too!" Kat called back cheerily as she headed onto the bus.
When the door shut and began to pull away, Mike and Audrey watched as Kat bounced down the aisle and took and empty seat and waved to them out the window. As soon as the bus was out of eyesight, Mike turned to his wife and smiled.
"She called me daddy."
"I know," Audrey smiled. "'Cause you are her daddy now."
"Yeah, but this was the first time I've actually heard her say it," Mike replied, taking the stroller and pushing it onto the sidewalk. Audrey linked her arm through his, walking beside him as they took Lorelei for a walk.
"Oh, she's said it a bunch of times before. You just weren't home when she was."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm spending more time with my girls."
Sharing a smile with each other, the lovebirds continued on their walk with their baby girl.
* * *
Audrey groaned as she rolled over in bed and didn't find Mike's body beside her. She patted her hand on the mattress with her eyes still closed as if that would make him appear. Popping on eye open, she looked at the clock and focused on the time. It was half past eleven. She couldn't believe she'd slept in that late! Jumping out of bed, a million and two things began running through her head. Like, did Mike get Kat off to school? Was Lorelei asleep? She didn't remember filling up a bottle with formula, so if Lorelei was awake, was she able to eat? Why hadn't Mike woken her up?
Slipping into Mike's pajama bottoms and his white beater she found strewn on the floor from the events of the night before, she walked out of the bedroom barefoot and headed for the stairs. As soon as she touched the tiled floor of the front hall, she rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen and almost jumping out of her skin.
"Surprise!"
Standing in the kitchen was Mike, holding Lorelei...along with Billie Joe, Adrienne, Tre...and then some. Since she didn't have a bra on, Audrey crossed her arms over her chest and stepped further into the room with a look of utter confusion on her face.
"What's going on?"
Mike walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Happy birthday, babe."
"It's 11:30 in the morning."
"Yeah, I know," he replied. "What better way to throw you a surprise party than while you're asleep and beyond this world to hear anything going on?"
Audrey smirked and looked at the others before scooping Lorelei into her arms. Adrienne came over to her and patted her bare arm and wished her a happy birthday, along with the others. They then led her to the dining room where a cake was set out with white frosting and said 'HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY AUDREY' on it with red letters and red roses adorning the corners.
"How'd you even know when I'd wake up and come down?" Audrey wondered.
"Squeaky floorboard on the stairs," Billie Joe answered. "Mike hasn't gotten it fixed since he moved into this place 'cause he's lazy like that."
Audrey laughed and looked up at Mike. "Did you feed--"
"Yes, I fed Lorelei." When Audrey went to say something more, Mike cut her off. "And yes, I got Kat off to school," he informed as Mike pulled out his lighter and began lighting the twenty-seven candles on the cake.
"Holy shit," Audrey remarked. "A lot of candles."
"Well, you're really old," Tre joked.
"Thanks," the birthday girl remarked sarcastically.
Billie Joe stepped back from the cake that now looked more like a forest fire as Mike grabbed Lorelei back from Audrey.
"Okay..." Billie Joe began. "On the count of three. One...two...three."
Everyone began singing 'Happy Birthday' to Audrey, and as the song reached the end, everyone seemed fit to so sing it out of tune on purpose and then Tre sang, "You're getting old!"
Narrowing her eyes playfully at him, she looked back to the cake and leaned forward to to blow them out. She managed to get all twenty-seven in one breath and Tre gestured to Mike with a grin.
"Quite the blower you got there, Mike. Could I borrow her sometime?"
"Yeah. In your dreams," Mike replied with a laugh. He sat on the edge of the table, still holding onto Lorelei like the adorably, protective father he'd become as he looked down at his seated wife. "Okay, time for your birthday present from me."
Audrey perked up. "Ooh...what is it?"
"Well, after you get showered and dressed, you and I are gonna pack our bags and head to LA."
"What?"
"Remember a few months ago how you said you always dreamt of going to a Hollywood premiere?"
"Yeah..." she answered hesitantly.
"Well, in two days is the LA premiere of that new Matt Damon movie, so if we wanna get down there in time, we should go tonight. That way we have all day tomorrow to go shopping for something nice for you to wear."
Audrey's mouth fell open and then turned upward into a smile. "You serious?" she asked, scrunching her nose.
"Deadly."
She jumped up and stepped up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders as she kissed him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled, enjoying how the kiss lingered a little. "Only the best for my girls."
It made Audrey feel a little old to think her little girl was five already. And when the first week of September rolled around, she felt even older. Katarina started kindergarten. Mike and Audrey walked down the driveway with the five-year-old, while Lorelei was laying down in the stroller. The four of them waited for the bus to come that would take the little girl to her first day of school and Audrey was getting sick to the stomach. She was scared, nervous, happy. All for her daughter. She was fearing the worst that something would happen en route to the school and Kat would get hurt...or worse. Then what if a kid at school was a bully? What if Katarina was a bully? Her baby was leaving home already.
Mike noticed the emotions playing across Audrey's face and placed his hand on the small of her back and gave a soothing rub to assure her everything would be okay. She looked at him, smiled, and then looked back at Katarina who was bouncing around as if she'd eaten a bowl of sugar for breakfast. She was talking quickly about the things she wanted to do in class, the pictures she wanted to draw and what she said about that made Mike get a little teary-eyed.
"And I'm gonna draw a picture of daddy with his bass and I'm gonna draw mommy with Lori, and Frankito with his trucks..." she yammered away.
Just then the bus pulled up and Katarina walked over to the stroller and bent down to give her baby sister a kiss on the cheek as she ran into Audrey's arms. Her mother gave her a big hug and then Kat looked over at Mike who smiled at her and crouched down to her level and scooped her up in his own arms. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly, walking her over to the bus and planting a kiss on her cheek. When he set her down, she skipped up onto the first step of the bus and waved.
"Have fun," Mike called.
"And be careful," Audrey added. "We love you, honey."
"Love you too!" Kat called back cheerily as she headed onto the bus.
When the door shut and began to pull away, Mike and Audrey watched as Kat bounced down the aisle and took and empty seat and waved to them out the window. As soon as the bus was out of eyesight, Mike turned to his wife and smiled.
"She called me daddy."
"I know," Audrey smiled. "'Cause you are her daddy now."
"Yeah, but this was the first time I've actually heard her say it," Mike replied, taking the stroller and pushing it onto the sidewalk. Audrey linked her arm through his, walking beside him as they took Lorelei for a walk.
"Oh, she's said it a bunch of times before. You just weren't home when she was."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm spending more time with my girls."
Sharing a smile with each other, the lovebirds continued on their walk with their baby girl.
* * *
Audrey groaned as she rolled over in bed and didn't find Mike's body beside her. She patted her hand on the mattress with her eyes still closed as if that would make him appear. Popping on eye open, she looked at the clock and focused on the time. It was half past eleven. She couldn't believe she'd slept in that late! Jumping out of bed, a million and two things began running through her head. Like, did Mike get Kat off to school? Was Lorelei asleep? She didn't remember filling up a bottle with formula, so if Lorelei was awake, was she able to eat? Why hadn't Mike woken her up?
Slipping into Mike's pajama bottoms and his white beater she found strewn on the floor from the events of the night before, she walked out of the bedroom barefoot and headed for the stairs. As soon as she touched the tiled floor of the front hall, she rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen and almost jumping out of her skin.
"Surprise!"
Standing in the kitchen was Mike, holding Lorelei...along with Billie Joe, Adrienne, Tre...and then some. Since she didn't have a bra on, Audrey crossed her arms over her chest and stepped further into the room with a look of utter confusion on her face.
"What's going on?"
Mike walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Happy birthday, babe."
"It's 11:30 in the morning."
"Yeah, I know," he replied. "What better way to throw you a surprise party than while you're asleep and beyond this world to hear anything going on?"
Audrey smirked and looked at the others before scooping Lorelei into her arms. Adrienne came over to her and patted her bare arm and wished her a happy birthday, along with the others. They then led her to the dining room where a cake was set out with white frosting and said 'HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY AUDREY' on it with red letters and red roses adorning the corners.
"How'd you even know when I'd wake up and come down?" Audrey wondered.
"Squeaky floorboard on the stairs," Billie Joe answered. "Mike hasn't gotten it fixed since he moved into this place 'cause he's lazy like that."
Audrey laughed and looked up at Mike. "Did you feed--"
"Yes, I fed Lorelei." When Audrey went to say something more, Mike cut her off. "And yes, I got Kat off to school," he informed as Mike pulled out his lighter and began lighting the twenty-seven candles on the cake.
"Holy shit," Audrey remarked. "A lot of candles."
"Well, you're really old," Tre joked.
"Thanks," the birthday girl remarked sarcastically.
Billie Joe stepped back from the cake that now looked more like a forest fire as Mike grabbed Lorelei back from Audrey.
"Okay..." Billie Joe began. "On the count of three. One...two...three."
Everyone began singing 'Happy Birthday' to Audrey, and as the song reached the end, everyone seemed fit to so sing it out of tune on purpose and then Tre sang, "You're getting old!"
Narrowing her eyes playfully at him, she looked back to the cake and leaned forward to to blow them out. She managed to get all twenty-seven in one breath and Tre gestured to Mike with a grin.
"Quite the blower you got there, Mike. Could I borrow her sometime?"
"Yeah. In your dreams," Mike replied with a laugh. He sat on the edge of the table, still holding onto Lorelei like the adorably, protective father he'd become as he looked down at his seated wife. "Okay, time for your birthday present from me."
Audrey perked up. "Ooh...what is it?"
"Well, after you get showered and dressed, you and I are gonna pack our bags and head to LA."
"What?"
"Remember a few months ago how you said you always dreamt of going to a Hollywood premiere?"
"Yeah..." she answered hesitantly.
"Well, in two days is the LA premiere of that new Matt Damon movie, so if we wanna get down there in time, we should go tonight. That way we have all day tomorrow to go shopping for something nice for you to wear."
Audrey's mouth fell open and then turned upward into a smile. "You serious?" she asked, scrunching her nose.
"Deadly."
She jumped up and stepped up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders as she kissed him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled, enjoying how the kiss lingered a little. "Only the best for my girls."