The boys were on their way home from a weeklong road trip. Usually, I travel with Corey, but since my dad's still in LA, I stayed back with him.
I love spending time with my dad, and I hate thinking that the years we're supposed to have together could be cut short, so I try my best to keep my worries about his tremor to to a minimum or else it'd be the only thing ever running through.
He's been getting them often, every twenty minutes or so, but he'll step away when it happens, and I'll pretend like I don't notice. Defiantly a flawed way to approach it, but we couldn't come up with anything better. To us, it's better than having to talk about what's actually going on.
While the boys have been gone, I've worked a little on the nursery. I didn't add much but mobiles above the cribs and two small white dressers that my dad and I bought from IKEA.
Ellen came over earlier to help me build them, and they match perfectly with the white cribs and light pink wallpaper and are adorable.
Then we all piled into my car, and now, we're currently taking a trip to Target so Cali can pick out some toys that she thinks Cami and Calia will like. We've been here for about half an hour, and have mostly ended up picking things for Cali to play with when she comes over, but there was one thing the small toddler was showing me that's meant especially for Calia.
It's a small plush doll that I think is supposed the resemble a princess but I have no idea which one.
"It's an angel! Calia's going to be a perfect angel!" Cali's still learning how to pronounce Calia's name, so it ends up sounding like she's saying Kale-ee-ah instead of Cah-lee-a, but it's cute that she's trying.
"She's learning about angels in school right now," Ellen explains to me while I set the doll in the cart. "She's absolutely obsessed."
I smile at my friend next to me, taking a second to let my eyes linger on the small golden cross necklace she wears around her neck.
The Kershaw's have Cali enrolled in a private Christian preschool, and they swear by it. Not just for the bible studies but for the education too. Cali's a very bright toddler, and her parents give all the credit to her school.
I've been thinking about stuff like schools a lot lately. A private school doesn't seem the most ideal since we're not the most spiritual people. Corey and I were both raised the same when it comes to religion. We attended church on Christmas and Easter and maybe prayed from time to time, but nothing more than that.
I want my daughter to grow up with the morals she'll be taught at a school like Cali's, but there's so many other options we could pick that may or may not work just as well.
Corey wants her to go to a public school because that's what he went to whereas I wouldn't mind private or even homeschooling. When Cody and I were younger our dad homeschooled us because we were always on the road and it was something that all three of us loved.
Corey and I have years to think about that, but I feel as if I should have all of this planned out now. It's a strange thing to know you're going to be a mother. Before, the only things I thought about were softball, my brother and my dad, and Corey.
Those use to be the only priorities in my life, but now there's a child that's going to be dependent on the choices I make for her and that scares the hell out of me.
"Mama!" Cali tugs at her mom's maxi dress, a sly grin on her face.
"Yes Cali Ann?" Ellen and Clayton are both so patient with Cali, and I adore it. It's definitely a trait that I hope I can pick up from Ellen.
"Can we bring Daddy a candy for when we pick him up from the airplane?"
"Yes, we can. How about we go find some candy for Uncle Belli and Uncle Corey too?"
The little girl nods her head eagerly, and I can't help but laugh. "And Uncle Joc-Pop!" I smile and shake my head; Joc defiantly told her to call him that.
Cali's blond pigtails bounce while she sprints off to the candy aisle. Ellen and I have to jog to keep up with the bubbling toddler.
Cali starts throwing bags of candy into the cart and Ellen looks at me, shaking her head before we both bust out laughing.
"So, you and Corey have any big plans tonight for the end of your whole month of abstinence deal?" Ellen asks, turning towards me. "When Clayton and I came to the end of our first restriction, it was during the offseason, and before Cali, so we stayed in Malibu for a weekend. Actually, I think that's where Cali came from." She lowers her eyebrows and stares at her daughter, and I can't hold back my laugh at the fact that she wasn't sure.
"We do actually," I tell her, my cheeks warming to a light shade of pink. "Corey got us a hotel suite for the night."
"Aww, that sounds romantic. Are you excited? Nervous? One month is a while."
"Not nervous; we waited six months before we had sex for the first time, so the wait didn't feel that long. I'm just ready for things to be back to normal. I feel like being intimate again is the last step to fully being back to where we were before everything with the trial happened."
Ellen looks at me and smiles, setting her hand on my arm and giving it a small squeeze. "I love you and Corey together, and I'm glad that you guys are getting back to the way you use to be."
"You and me both sis."
I look away when I feel my phone buzz.
Team just landed, excited to see you (and for tonight )
I chuckle at the text from Corey.
"The boys just landed," I inform Ellen who relays the messages to Cali.
"We're gonna get Daddy!" The little girl screams, throwing one last bag of gummy bears in the cart before running towards us and grabbing her mother's hand.
We head to check out and pay for the toys and the endless amount of candy that Cali had thrown in.
The drive was short, but since LA traffic is always so prevalent, it took us over thirty minutes to travel the five miles from Target to LAX.
We found the boys waiting outside the airports main entrance and waited while they took pictures with some fans. Finally, they see my car and head towards it.
Corey gets in the passenger seat next to me, kissing me hello when he sees me. Ellen and Clayton with Cali's car seats in between them and Cody and Joc climb all the way back to the third row.
"Daddy! I got you candy!" Cali squirms to hug her dad from her car seat, then reaches down into her bag and hands him a bag of Sour Patch Kids.
"Hey, what about Uncle Joc-Pop?" Joc leans forward and loudly asks the three-year-old.
Corey looks at me and shakes his head, "We are not letting our daughter call him Joc-Pop."
I smile at him before turning and checking over my shoulder to make sure it was okay to merge onto the freeway. "Trust me, I know."
Cali hands Joc and Cody both their candy before reaching lower into the bag to grab Corey's package of Mini Snickers.
"Uncle Corey," the toddler pulls on the sleeve of Corey's shirt to grab his attention. "I got you these."
Corey takes the bag and tickles Cali's stomach, "Thanks mamas, how'd you know these were my favorite?"
My heart melts when Corey calls her 'mamas,' and I turn to look at Ellen who was wearing the same expression and had her hand over her chest.
"Aunty Cloe told me a while ago I think. I don't really know though." She puts her thumb on her chin and looks up at the ceiling like she's deep in thought.
"Oh my god, she's precious," Corey turns and says to me.
It's true, Cali Ann Kershaw could undoubtedly wrap anyone around her fingers without them giving it a second thought. Her charisma and wit were well beyond her three years.
"Hey, Daddy?" The toddler spoke again, everyone dropping their conversations to hear what she'd say next.
"Yes, baby?"
"Did you strikeout the bad guys?"
"Fuck yeah he did!" My brother shouts from the backseat.
Clayton's eyes get big, and he uses his hands to cover the sides of his daughter's face. "Earmuffs!"
Joc slaps his leg, "You dumbass; there's a kid in the car."
"Duh there's a kid in the car. She just gave me these skittles." Cody holds up the red bag of skittles and pushes them towards Joc's face.
"Woah you got skittles? I got Sweet Tarts. Look!"
I turn to Corey who had his hands up in surrender because he already knew what I was going to say.
"Why do you always let them drink on the planes? We said we were going to stop that."
"Hey don't be a nag," Clayton, who still has his hands covering his daughter's ears. "They don't get to let loose often."
He was joking, but I still roll my eyes at him. I smile at him afterward though to even out my level of pettiness.
We finally pull up to the house and all head inside. It was only nine, but since my dad's late thirties he's taken the whole going to bed early thing seriously.
Corey heads to our room to get a bag together for tonight while Ellen and I take the bags of toys into the nursery. I set the small angel doll Cali had picked out inside the box with the jersey Joc had gotten us. Ellen and Clayton were working on unboxing the rest of the toys while Cali's busy making sure they all work right.
"Aww you added to it?" Corey comes in the room with a small duffel bag strapped to his shoulder.
"Yeah my dad and I picked up a few things, then Ellen and I put together the dressers this morning. Do you like it?"
"I do." Corey kisses my cheek before taking my hand in his. "Are you ready to get going?"
"Yeah, let me go pack a bag."
I go to walk out of the room, but Corey pulls me back by my waist before I can get anywhere.
"I already packed you some clothes in here." I chuckle at how anxious Corey was to get out of the house and to the hotel.
I look over at the family of Kershaw's watching the encounter. "You better leave now Clo. Your boyfriend over here is clearly very sexually frustrated."
Ellen slaps her husband's chest, "Clayton Edward I told you to stop talking like that! You sound stupid. But for real Clo, go! Have fun! We can finish putting these away."
"Are you sure? You guys can head home, and I can take care of it tomorrow."
"Cloe we're fine, now like I said, go have fun!" Ellen wiggled her eyebrows at me, using her hand to shoo me away.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving. If you guys don't want to drive home the other guest room is by Joc's room or you guys can stay in Corey and I's room."
Ellen nods and thanks me but my focus was on Corey who was rummaging through his bag. He hands it to me before he slowly walks over to Clayton, awkwardly crouching down like Ellen, Cali, and I couldn't see him.
"Hey Kersh," he means to whisper but speaking quietly is something Corey's always sucked at. "Do you have a condom? I couldn't find any in my room."
I drop my head into my hands and sigh at my boyfriend's stupidity.
"Corey, can I tell you something?" Corey nods and leans in closer to Clayton. "Cloe's already pregnant you dumbass! There is no chance that you're going to knock her up."
Corey doesn't look convinced, making me embarrassed for him. He turns his head to the side, "Are you sure?"
"Kid," he extends his arm and points towards Ellen and Cali, "I'm pretty dang sure."
Corey nods, walking back towards me with a confused look still residing on his face.
"I'm going to take him now before he embarrasses himself or me anymore," I tell them, not being able to hold back my laugh when I see the expressions Clayton and Ellen are both wearing on their faces.
We wave goodbye and make it all the way to the living room before being stopped by my brother.
"Are you guys going to the hotel now?" He asks, a slight slur hidden in his words.
"Yes, now please get some rest. You have your meeting with Nicole tomorrow." His eyes grow wide. He says goodnight before speed walking to his room, setting his alarm while he did so.
Since Cody's baby will be here soon, Cody and Nicole were starting to look at places Nicole wouldn't mind living as part of their deal for her to move and stay out of Cody and Cami's lives. It's still an odd arrangement in my mind, but whatever my brother feels most comfortable with I guess.
Finally, Corey and I are able to sneak out the front door. We walk down the steps and into the driveway towards Corey's truck.
I get in the passenger's seat, tossing the duffle bag in the back row while I do so.
Corey plugs in his phone and turns on Spotify to, you guessed it, the Country's Top Hits playlist. He backs out of the driveway and heads down the street, taking a few of turns before we're on the freeway.
Corey rests his hand on my thigh, giving it a small squeeze and smiling over at me. The way he looked at me, and the way it made me feel, I had known right then that tonight was going to be one that was amazing and unforgettable.
And I was right; it was amazing. Up until the part I wish I could forget.
Published Date: 8/5/18
Word Count: 2424