Two in a Million | Auslly

Twenty Four: Clients & Costumes

fifteen minutes later

"Remember that you have to put it in backwards, not forwards," Ally piped up from the wheelchair a few feet away as Austin fastened the car seat base into the back seat. One nurse was standing idly by, holding Alex's carrier, while another pushed Ally in a wheelchair. She motioned for the nurse to push her forward so she could see what Austin was doing.

"Do you remember how to do it? It's been, like, two and a half years."

"Don't worry, Als. I know what I'm doing," he replied, threading the seatbelt through the base. He frowned, trying to straighten it out when he noticed a twist in the middle. Austin looked down at her. "Do you know how to get rid of the twisty things?" Ally rolled her eyes.

"Step aside. Let the master handle this." He carefully helped her to stand up and she hobbled over, a permanent smirk on her face the entire time. Sure enough, she had the base installed within about two minutes— just as she'd said. Ally looked over at him.

"That's how it's done." Austin rolled his eyes and went over to grab the carrier, bringing it over to the back door and snapping it into place. "Are the buckles at armpit level, Austin?" He narrowed his eyebrows and adjusted them so they were snug around Alex's chest.

"Better?" She peeked over his shoulder.

"Better." She reached up to high-five him and he threw the duffel bags in the trunk of their Black Toyota Rav4 before helping Ally into the left side of the back seat and taking his place in the front. Ally buckled herself in, shifting a little in her seat and pulling up the shade of the car seat. "There's my smiley boy!" she exclaimed, pinching his cheek. Austin looked back in the rearview mirror.

"Are we ready back there?"

"We're ready."

/

"Austin, you need to drive faster," Ally urged, looking over his shoulder at the dashboard. "We'll be fine back here, I promise."

"I thought I was driving pretty fast!" Austin argued, ramping up the speed a whopping five miles per hour. "I'm at the speed limit!"

"Yeah, but cars are passing us left and right," she shot back. "You know, sometimes it's okay to drive a little bit over the speed limit."

"Am I hearing this right?" Austin glanced at his wife in the rearview mirror, "Ally Dawson, a rebel? I never thought I'd see the day."

"Actually, it's Moon now," she mused. "I'll have you know that I'm taken by a very strapping pop star."

"Oh really?" Austin asked, playing along, "Is he cute?"

"Very," she replied. Austin smirked.

"All these years later, and you still find me irresistible." Ally rolled her eyes.

"Just focus on the road, please."

/

twenty minutes later

"Who's excited to meet her little brother...again?" Ally exclaimed as she and Austin came in through the door to the garage. Ally set the carrier down as soon as they got into the kitchen. Penny, who was cutting up some apples for Ava, ran over to them and gave them both hugs, peering into the carrier at Alex and commenting again about how he looked just like a mini-Austin (they'd heard that multiple times from everyone already). Ava jumped down from her chair, ran straight past the carrier, and wrapped both her arms and legs around the bottom of her mom's right leg, clinging on like a leech.

"Mommy, daddy!"

"Well, somebody missed us," Ally mused. "We missed you too, Ava Marie. Did you see your little brother down there in the car seat? Baby Alex?"