American Woman: Book 4

Chapter 4

March 12, 2004
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Devon. Happy birthday to you." We all sang around the dining room table. "Blow out the candles baby girl!" Prince tells her and she takes a deep breath and blows both out in one try. We all cheer for her and she squeals and claps her hands for herself. She starts to dive for the cake and Prince scoots it out of her reach just in the knick of time. "You don't get to demolish this one. We will cut you a piece." He tells her and she grunts at him. Trying to distract her, I ask "Devon, how old are you? Show us how old you are baby." She looks down at her fingers and tries her hardest to get only two fingers up and the other three to stay down. "That's right. You're two years old. Good job. Say 'two.'"
"Two!!!" She yells. "Two, two, two..." she keeps repeating.
After eating cake, we gave her a couple of presents mainly just bc we thought it would be super cute to watch her unwrap them, and it was! She tore into the wrapping paper! As everyone was preparing to leave, Amy came up to us and went over our itinerary for New York. "Ok y'all are leaving tomorrow around 2:00..."
"Amy, why are you telling us this? Just tell us where we need to be each day. I don't think about days in advance like that." Prince tells her.
"But I'm not going to be there to tell you, so do you want me to write it down or call you each day or what?"
"Yeah you are. You're going with us." Prince informs her.
"I am!" She utters in total shock. "Oh ok."
"What I thought you'd be excited? You're always complaining that you've never been anywhere. Have you been to NYC before or something?" Prince questioned.
"No actually. I'll go if you need me to." She replied.
"Well what's keeping you here?"
"A guy." She admits.
"Oh geez. You'll find a new one in New York."
Prince chuckles.
"No, not this time. This is monogamous." She blushes.
"Do you even know what that word means? It means you don't sleep with other people, only that person." Prince jokes.
"Yes I know what it means." She rolls her eyes. "I think he may be the one. I've never felt this way before. Now I see why people stay committed and get married and shit."
"Awe how beautiful. She wants to get married and shit, Jensen." He says sarcastically. "Anyway, you need to slow down. You obviously only met him since we've been in LA, which has been what? A month. That's not enough time to really know someone. Take your time. Plus we are only going to be in NYC for a couple days. Surely y'all can survive without each other for that long."
"Ok yes we've only been in person for about a month. But I've actually been talking to him for several months. I'll go, it's just his birthday is tomorrow..."
"Prince, let her stay. We will be fine. Just write it all down for us please." I respond.
"Wait. That's fine you can stay, but did you meet this person online or something? Amy, I'm not sure that's safe. He could be a serial killer or something." Prince says in concern.
"No I didn't mean him online..."
"Then how else did you know someone from LA when you've never even been here? Did Jensen set you up with someone?"
"No. Ok if you must know. It's one of Kim's brothers, Shawn." She replied.
"Awe shit!" Prince moans. "Now when you two break up there's going to be some big cat fight between you and Kim and I'm going to have to break it up..."
"Kinda sounds like you're having a fantasy." Amy chuckles.
"No! I'm just going to have to fire one or both of you and then if I fire Kim, I'll probably have to let Brian go too. What is up with my employees lately?! Can't y'all find someone outside this little bubble to date? There's millions of fish in the sea." Prince complains. "Does Kim even know you're dating her brother?"
"Yes! Of course she does. She's the one that set up our interaction over the phone one day a few months back." Amy explained.
"Does Shawny boy know you tried to get with his sister's boyfriend?" Prince asked with a smirk.
"I did?!" She asked, wide eyed. "No! I didn't even know that! Oh God! How embarrassing!"
"You got naked!" Prince informed her, only twisting the knife even more.
"Prince hush! She doesn't recall doing it. Nothing happened. And it's really none of our business. Amy I'm really happy for you." I smile at her.
"Thanks. I'm going to write everything down and leave it downstairs for y'all. See you when you get back. Have fun." She calls out as she heads downstairs.
"I hate knowing this is all going to end badly and there's really nothing I can do but wait and watch it unfold." Prince sighs as we strip Devon for her bath.
"Maybe it won't...."
"Oh come on Jensen. It's Amy! She's a man eater."
"Well she's changed. Or at least she's trying to. Give her a break. Think about it. Do you still want to be judged on things from your past? Do you want people to assume they know what you're going to do based off your previous behavior and decisions?"
"Wow. You're absolutely right momma." He says, leaning in to kiss me. Devon stands up in the tub and grabs our faces, trying to pry us apart. "No!" She demands. "No mommy!"
"What did I do?" I utter, confused.
"My daddy!" She yells, stomping her foot in the water. "No kiss!"
"Excuse me!" I shriek. I lean in to kiss Prince again and she screams "no!" and grabs me and pulls me away from him. She grabs onto him. "My daddy."
"I can kiss daddy too." I tell her.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes, Devon. Don't tell me no." I huff.
"Baby girl. Daddy loves mommy and you." Prince tells her. "Daddy kisses mommy and you."
Devon plops down in the tub, splashing water up and starts to cry. "Well I feel like total crap. I haven't been spending enough time with her. And now we are about to leave." Prince sighs.
"I don't think it's only that baby." I respond.
"Really? What do you think it is then?" Prince asked curiously.
"Electra complex, even though I think she's a little young but..."
"What's that? Like Oedipus complex? Freud shit?" Prince asked.
"Yep. She's in love with you and hates me." I huff.
"Oh that's all a load of garbage momma. And it's creepy. I think she just misses me being around. Maybe we should take her with us to NYC." He suggests.
"Are you sure baby?"
"Yeah. I mean besides rehearsing some on the actual stage with my band and then for that tribute, I won't have much else planned. So we should have lots of down time. Plus, I want to stop by Paisley for a day or two on the way back to LA. I want you to see Dr. Thatcher and just have a day or two a home since we haven't been there in weeks and won't be back for awhile." Prince explains.
"Ok. What about a Brian and Kim? They were going to keep Devon. Do they need to join us in NYC and Minnesota?"
"Nah, let's just give ourselves and Devon a little break and give them a few days off. I'm sure they won't mind." He jokes.
"Well who's going to watch Devon during the Hall of Fame ceremony then?"
"Oh...hmmmm....I don't know. All my band will be with me of course. See, this is why we need a nanny...."
"We don't need a nanny just bc every once in awhile we need someone to watch our child. That's silly. We need grandparents." I say solemnly.
"I know baby. I wish they were here too." Prince consoles me and pulls me into his chest, kissing the top of my head.
"No!!!! No daddy!" Devon yells and smacks his arm. "Daddy hug me."
"No daddy hug me." I fire back and squeeze him tighter.
"No! Bad mommy!" She cries and tries to crawl up on Prince's lap. "Me!!!"
"My daddy." I respond, blocking her from getting on his lap. "He's mine." I tease.
"No!!! Mine!!!" She begins bawling.
"Fine." I sigh and stick my tongue out at her.
"Jensen, please tell me my wife who will be thirty this month didn't just stick her tongue out at our two year old daughter." He says, shaking his head and cuddling with Devon in his lap. "What is wrong with you? Not only are you teaching her to stick out her tongue at people, but I'm sure it isn't wise for her mental and emotional health for her own mother to argue with her over attention from her dad. Check yourself woman."
"Well she needs to learn that she can't hit us or throw a fit and get her way..."
"I agree. So let's talk to her. Or spank her. Not stoop to her maturity level."
"Well I was mainly just playing and teasing with her, but you're right. I don't want to spank her on her birthday though. Maybe we should let her sleep with us tonight. She may need snuggle time with daddy." I suggest.
"I don't want to start that bad habit of getting in our bed." He responds.
"It's just one night. We can stick her in her crib once she falls asleep if you want."
"Alright. Let's get washed Dev. Want to get in bed with daddy and mommy tonight?"
"Ok." She replies. "With daddy, no mommy."
I lean down to her eye level. "It's mommy's bed too. Mommy, daddy, and Devon in bed together."
"No. Daddy and me. No mommy."
"I'm sleeping in my own bed girl. Devon can get in her own bed then. Since you love daddy so much, he can give you a bath by himself tonight. Bye!" I huff.
"Bye bye, Jensen." She says matter of factly.
Prince about drops her from laughing so hard. "Oh hell no! She ain't calling me Jensen!" I stomp back over to her and pick her up. "I'm mommy. You call me mommy."
"No!"
"Do the terrible twos literally start as soon as they turn two?!" I shriek to Prince, who is trying to contain his laughter.
"Just drop it babe. If she sees you getting all riled up, it may just make her want to do it more. Try to let it go." Prince suggests.
"Well how would you like her calling you 'Prince' or only wanting to be around me? Im crushed. She hates me." I respond, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"She absolutely does not hate you honey. She loves you. Don't let this bring you down. It's just a little phase. She will hate both of us soon enough." He jokes.
A little while later, Prince and Devon joined me in bed. "Mommy!" She exclaimed and crawled over to me.
"Oh you like me now?" I giggle.
"Off!" She demands and slightly pushes me.
"Devon, it's mommy and daddy's bed. I'm not getting off. No." I reply.
"Daddy lay down." She commands.
"She must know I like to be ordered around in bed." He laughed while getting under the covers and laying back.
"Come here baby girl." He tells her and she crawls up and lays her head on his chest and pats his stomach. "My daddy."
"Ok fine Devon. Your daddy." I roll my eyes. I turn off my lamp leaving just a little light from the hallway for Devon. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight momma." Prince responds.
"Goodnight Devon." I respond.
"Goodnight...Jensen." She replies and I hear Prince stifling a laugh as I sigh in frustration.