Party of Four

A Garden of Surprises: Nica

My baby shower dress was flowy and dramatic with big puffy sheer sleeves and layers of sheer tulle and ruffles adding to its fairytale whimsy. It was black with large pink roses printed on the fabric. The bodice hugged my curves - and my bump - without feeling tight and restraining. I couldn’t help swaying in front of my mirror, twirling back and forth to cause the skirt to move and flow. It definitely looked every bit like it should be part of a garden tea party.

I had half of my hair pulled back and secured with a black silk ribbon. My makeup was minimal due to the party being outside. I didn’t want to risk having a full face melt off in the sun.

Despite my excitement, I couldn’t help the nerves that were bubbling up within me. I had invited my mom and siblings, but I wasn’t sure that any of them would be there. My grandma didn’t really drive, but she’d already given us a baby shower gift: a playpen. My dad lived over four hours away, so he was waiting until my due date was closer so he could actually be here when Poppy’s born.

What I was really nervous about though was Cole and Riley’s extended family. I knew a couple of their aunts and cousins were coming from Tennessee, but I wasn’t sure if they’d be as welcoming and accepting of our unusual family dynamic as Gwen and Odie were.

There was a knock on my open door, breaking me out of my thoughts, and I spun to see Riley in the doorway. “Wow,” he breathed, his eyes drifting over me in appreciation. “You’re so beautiful.”

I couldn’t help blushing as I smiled. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” I told him as I crossed the room. “I can’t believe you’re wearing that though. You’re going to sweat to death.” He wore a pair of black pants tucked into his Dr. Martens, a pale pink button down, the rose lapel pins I gave him for his birthday and the black leather harness suspenders he’d picked out when he’d went shopping with Willow. “You’re going to be so hot.”

“Thank you,” he grinned, an almost suggestive look flashing in his eyes for a moment.

I shook my head laughing. “You know what I mean. Are you wearing makeup?”

“No,” he protested weakly, dragging the word out as his hands found their way to my waist and he pressed a gentle kiss to my lips.

“You are. You’re wearing eyeliner.”

He blushed. “Do you like it?”

I smiled as I nodded, “It suits you.”

“Dad and Cole are back with the cake. Cole’s changing too. Willow, Emily, and Frankie are already here.”

I nodded again and sucked in a deep breath. It was showtime. A part of me wished it was just our friend group. Hopefully this would be a good thing though.

“You wanna wait for Cole?”

I nodded again. “I’m gonna see what he’s doing,” I told Riley, pressing another quick kiss to his lips before I stepped away.

Cole never took a long time to get dressed. I moved across the hall and knocked on the door. It opened, and Cole stood there wearing a pair of pale pink linen pants and a white tee shirt with his canvas loafers. It was casual yet nice at the same time. Even with his gauged ears and tattoos, the look suited him. “Wow,” he smiled.

“That’s what I said,” Riley grinned from behind me.

Cole leaned down, giving me a quick kiss before he took my hand in his. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I answered. Riley found my other hand, and we headed downstairs together.

By the time we made it into the backyard, most of our friends were here. Ronnie had even come with his wife. The only people still missing were Garrett and our actual family members. Unsurprisingly, our friend group had gathered around two of the tables that were closest together, an empty chair still waited for Garrett. Gwen was standing next to Mallory chatting about plants, and the thought occurred to me again that I would’ve been fine with just this small arrangement. My thought was broken off though by the sound of Gwen’s name being screeched by an older woman.

She looked like she was only a few years older than her. In fact, she looked a lot like her, but with more gray, and less cool. Where Gwen looked every part the hippie party planner that loved painting and gardening, this woman looked like what Gwen would’ve turned out to be if Gwen had been forced into a life of corporate desk jobs and misery. She was accompanied by an even older woman that I assumed was their mom.

“She actually came,” Riley groaned, looking at Cole. “They both did.”

“Your Aunt Jan?” I asked.

They both nodded.

“She brought grandma too,” Cole frowned.

“Guess we have no choice but to greet them.” Riley matched Cole’s frown, his tone completely lacking in enthusiasm.

“Have fun with that,” I told them, breaking away to go hug Emily while she poured herself some tea under the patio.

A few minutes later, I faced my own shock. I was sitting at one of the two tables my friend group occupied, deep in conversation with Layla, Mackenzie, and Willow when I saw my mom and siblings. I greeted them, and they offered me awkward hugs. “Is your dad coming?” my mom asked, eyes scanning the backyard.

I shook my head, “He’ll be here at the end of August.”

All she offered was a weak “oh.”

Zach and Marley both hugged me. Zach was younger than me by eight years, but at six feet tall, he towered over me. “Hey little sis.”

I rolled my eyes, hoping it came off playfully as I returned his hug. “This is your place?”

I nodded, “It is.”

“It’s huge.”

I nodded again. “It’s cause of them, I nodded to where Cole and Riley were at one of the tables with their dad. “Their parents live in the guest house. They bought it together so that we’d have plenty of room, and they’d be close.”

“It’s nice.”

“Thank you.”

“You look good.”

“Thank you,” I repeated. Even though the interactions were friendly enough, there was an underlying tension in the exchanges. Even when my sister hugged me and gave similar compliments. It felt forced. Fake.

My cousin, my two aunts, and my grandma - all on my dad’s side - weren’t able to make it. They all lived too far to justify the drive. They did send gifts though.

More of Riley and Cole’s extended family showed up. Cousins, more aunts and uncles, their dad’s mom. For the most part, everyone was friendly, and while I could see the questions and confusion in their faces when I was introduced to them, they were all polite enough to voice any of it. The only people that were really a problem was their Aunt Jan and hers and Gwen’s mom.

Eventually I had no choice but to meet them. I’d already heard horror stories from Cole and Riley about how Gwen and her mom had a very strained relationship because her mom had never liked Odie. Even after thirty-five years and two kids together, she never saw Odie as good enough for Gwen. She also frequently criticized Gwen for going into the restaurant industry and focusing on hobbies she enjoyed rather than going to college and being a “career girl” like Jan was.

“So which one of you is the dad?” Jan asked when they had finally cornered us.

“Both,” all three of us answered simultaneously.

“That’s not how biology works.”

“We don’t care how biology works,” Riley countered.

“Aren’t you worried how this is going to affect the baby?” Jan asked, very pointedly, as she narrowed her eyes at him. I knew without a doubt she was judging the eyeliner and the clothes.

I slid my hand into the crook of Riley’s elbow, venom-laced sugar dripping from my lips as I countered, “The only thing that’s going to affect the baby is that she’ll have an endless amount of love and adoration from two fathers.”

Her eyes cut to me, then to Cole, taking in the three of us standing together in solidarity.

“But only one of you is actually the father.”

“Doesn’t matter-“ we started.

“Jan, let me show you what I’ve been working on,” Gwen interrupted, sweeping in to save us from escalation. She put her hands on her older sister’s shoulders and steered her away from us. Their mom followed.

Overall, the baby shower was a success. There were a few more tense and awkward moments, but Gwen and Odie helped wrangle the guests in, and the party went off without a hitch. By the time it started winding down, and people started leaving, I was exhausted.

Emily, Frankie, Willow, Mallory, and Jay ended up sticking around to help clean up. Ronnie and his wife had to get home to their kids while Mackenzie, Layla, Nate, and Garrett were working the dinner shift.

Frankie and Emily helped Gwen cover and put away food. Mallory and Willow helped gather the centerpieces and threw the linens in a basket so they could be washed and put away. Jay and Cole helped Odie fold up the chairs and tables and carry them to the garage, and Riley and I carried all of our gifts inside. I was not in a hurry to make the multiple trips up and down the stairs to take everything to the nursery though.

By the time we were done, it wasn’t late, but I was exhausted.