~Bailey
"Happy birthday Ottis Shane!" I tickled him awake, tomorrow is his party, but today is the actual day. We leave in twenty minutes to head to my parents house. Kennedy, Jayla, Cooper, and Anya are coming to celebrate his birthday with us back home, Clayton is also coming to meet my family along with Sam. But he's riding alone there.
"Mommy I'm sleepy!" He groans and rolls over. It must not have hit him yet that he's a whole year older.
"Get up sleepy head, we gotta leave with Clay to go to Grammy and Grandpas. Your party is tomorrow." He rolls back over and smiles.
"Okay," He sits up and slips on a plain gray shirt and sweats.
No point of dressing fancy to travel all day.
Jenna called this morning to wish him a happy birthday, I told her we're leaving soon and she told me she was sorry she couldn't make it to the party, her college already started and she can't miss it or she'll get behind.
I was a little disappointed, but she has her own life and sometimes that happens. It's okay though, this year will be different with Sam there anyway.
We decided to take Kennedy's SUV. The kids in the third row, me, and Clayton in the second, And Kennedy and Jayla up front. Kennedy driving of course. The gifts were all in the little bit of space left of the 'trunk'.
"Road trip!" Jayla yelled rolling down her window, I laughed and Clayton grabbed my hand. I smiled at him and he returned it.
"I want to become official Bailey, I've decided that." He kissed me and I was shocked by it all.
"I want to be official too Clayton." I kissed him back and he hugged me.
"Aye aye!" Jayla yelled. "There are children in the vehicle!" She looked back. I laughed and nodded.
"Yeah! No doing the frick frack in my car!" I glare at Kennedy when she looks at me from the rear view mirror.
"Mommy? What is that?" Ottis asks and I mentally groan.
"We'll talk about it when you get older." Clayton told him, surprisingly he dropped the conversation and started talking to Anya.
After a long time, and a lot of McDonald's stops later, we reached home.
Sam beat us to the punch, he was talking to my dad on the front step. Clayton looked at me confused while all of us girls took the kids out.
"Dad!" I hugged him. Our moment was shortly lived when I heard Ottis squealing.
"Daddy!" He ran into Sam's arms and dad tapped me on the shoulder.
"Why is he here?"
"He lives in the city now, few blocks from my place. I talked to him and invited him to his party." I shrug and walk to the car to grab our bags.
"Bailey, you have someone to introduce me to?" Dad asks, doing an eye motion towards Clayton.
"Clayton this is my dad Jonathan, and dad this is my boyfriend Clayton," I introduce. They shake hands and engage in friendly conversation.
I show Jayla and Kennedy to the guest room that has two full sized beds in it. They'll be sleeping with their kids. Unless they want to make a bed on the floor for them. Clayton will be upstairs in my room with me, and Ottis will be there too only on his little bed.
I brought my stuff up to my room with Clayton, he was also carrying Ottis's things.
"So that's Ottis's dad?" He asks, I sigh but nod.
"He hasn't really been in the picture. But he convinced me to try and see if things work out with him and Ottis seeing each other for a few hours every few days." I shrug. He just nods and walks over to me, planting a gentle kiss on my lips.
"Bailey!" Dad yells from downstairs, I sigh and step out of my room with Clayton.
"Mommy! Did you know daddy was coming?" Ottis beamed.
"I did, I didn't know he'd be here before your party though." He jumped up and down and hugged Sam's leg.
"Okay buddy, you've had a long day of traveling, I'll see you tomorrow at your party okay? Happy birthday!" Sam told our son, he kissed his blond hair and ruffled it a bit.
"Okay! Is Grammy and Gampa Owen coming?" Sam nods and Ottis smiles bigger.
"Yay! I love them," I laugh and pick him up. Sam leaves and we all walk to the table for dinner.
.
.
.
I start jumping on Ottis's little toddler bed and he groans.
"Mommy! I'm sleeping-" he sways his hand in the hair and I laugh at him.
"But today is your birthday party! Don't you wanna get ready for all your guests?" His eyes fly open and he sits up.
"My party is today!" He laughs.
"Yeah you goober! Now get up, I brought your special birthday shirt." I hand him the navy blue tee that says 'Guess Who's 5!' And I help him slip on his cargo shorts. I put his Velcro sandals on his little feet and brush his hair.
"Mommy, since I'm five now, does that mean I'm big?" Ottis asks and I nod.
"Sadly," I kiss his head and hug him.
"Why 'sadly'?" He asks rubbing my cheek. I smile sadly at him and sigh.
"Ottis you used to be so little and you used to be able to fit right here." I point to the crease of my elbow and the rest of my forearm. He looked confused; so I continued.
"Then you grew up and I have to hug you like I hi other people, cause you are a big boy now. It makes mommy sad to see you grow up. But I am also very proud of you. You are such a nice, polite, and loving little boy and I got so lucky when I had you." I snuggled and kissed all over his cheeks.
"Do you miss me being a baby, mommy?"
"I do, very much. We used to cuddle right there," I point to the pillowed bay window. "And when you were sick I'd stay up all night and have you just in your diaper so I could rub up and down your little soft belly; to help you feel better." He smiled. "I also would sing to you, remember?" I've always sang to him, he nods.
"Why don't you have another baby?" He tilts his head side ways.
"Someday, you know babies are a lot of work?" He nods.
"I could help! I could feed him, and change him, and help you give him tubs!" He smiled.
"That would be helpful, but mommy doesn't want anymore babies for a long time." He nods and we stand up to see Sam in the doorway.
"Daddy! You came!" Ottis hugged him.
"I did, I wouldn't miss it for the world." He lifted him up and hugged him.
"Grandpa and Grammy Owen are here, they wanted to spend time with their favorite five year old before his guests hog him." He nods and Sam sets him down, he runs downstairs and I'm alone with Sam now.
"I'm sorry I wasn't ever there, if I could go back and change things I would. I'm sorry for never being there when he was sick, or there to give you a break, or anything. I'm sorry I wasn't there." I bite my lip and nod.
"Remember all those times, before Ottis. When we used to just do stupid shit together." He nudges me, I start laughing cause it's true. We were friends when we weren't dating. Then we were still close when we were.
"Then you hung out with the wrong people, and you started doing stupid shit on your own." He sighed.
"I know, I've grown up though. Admit it you fell for my bad boy attitude." He joked, I started laughing again.
"You were irresistible," he started laughing too.
We walked downstairs and I greeted Sam's parents. Clayton was balling my dad hang a few more streamers.
"Karen! Seth! Glad you could make it," I greeted them. Karen smiled at me and hugged me.
"Oh my! Look at you, you're so beautiful, I haven't seen you in awhile." She looked me up and down.
"Thank you, probably running around after Ottis made me fit. He's a turd." I joke, Seth laughs behind his wife.
"Sounds like Sam when he was five, always playing in things he wasn't supposed too, or being a little hellion." Seth jokes. I laugh. I hope he doesn't act like Sam did... I spot Ottis playing with Cooper and Anya on the couch and Clayton walks over to me.
"You look beautiful, babe." He kissed my cheek and rubbed my arms.
"Awe how sweet," Karen fawned.
"I'm glad my son has decided to change, I hope you let him try to be the father he needs to be for Ottis. But I understand why you're so apprehensive about it." Karen tells me. I just nod, of course I'm apprehensive, he left him before, why should I believe he won't do it again?