Authors: Courtney Noel
“A dress,” I tell him as I close the door in his face so I can change.
“I can’t see?” He flirts.
“No! It’s bad luck for the boyfriend to see the dress before his sister’s baby shower!” I yell from inside the room. I pick up my grey dress with the pink roses and slide it on. It has spaghetti straps that cross in the back. I pair it with brown cowgirl boots. Kade loves boots; he finds them sexy. I thought I should wear something he likes in order to attempt to make this night a little less disastrous. No promises.
“Okay, you can come in,” I yell to him. He opens my door and looks me up and down. His face lights up like a little kid waking up and realizing it’s Christmas Day.
“I like,” he winks. I laugh.
“Okay, let’s frost the cupcakes. So I was thinking, should the pink frosting go with the chocolate cupcakes or the vanilla?”
“The vanilla, of course,” Kade answers as he takes my hand and pulls me down the stairs.
“But then it would be a black and white cupcake, and that’s not very baby shower-ish,” I explain to him. He just shrugs. Ugh, what a boy. I am going to put the white frosting on the vanilla cupcakes and put pink sprinkles on them, and then the pink frosting on the chocolate. That way they both look baby shower-ish.
“Hurry up and frost, Becca, we have to leave in ten minutes,” Kade reminds me as he brings down the boxes of decorations from the upstairs closet. I love how he can just walk around this house like it is his. Then I think. It is his. This is his home. He lives with me. I put down the cupcakes and walk over to him.
“I love you too,” I tell him. Since that day in the hotel room, I never got to tell him I loved him back. So I do. He just smiles and kisses me on the forehead.
“Okay lets go we have a lot to do,” I say as I let go of Kade’s waist and put the cupcakes in the cupcake holder. Kade holds the front door open for me and we walk out. I put the cupcakes on the floor in the back seat of Kade’s truck and climb into the passenger seat. Kade pulls out of the driveway and drives to the clubhouse in the community he used to live in.
“Do you think Destiny will look different?” I question.
Kade just looks at me from the driver’s seat. “Becc, it hasn’t been that long.” He takes his right hand off the steering wheel and wraps his fingers around mine.
“I know, but so much has changed since we last saw her.” Kade turns right onto his old community street.
We pull into the Clubhouse parking lot. No one else is here yet; mom and Cynthia are at the store getting last minute things like paper plates and napkins.
“How many people are coming to this thing?” I ask as Kade takes my hand and leads me into the big party room.
“I don’t know. It’s my mom and sister; think about it, Becc. Probably like fifty.” He just shakes his head. Cynthia has always been known for throwing huge parties.
“Okay. I’ll start putting on all the tablecloths and table decorations while you pick out some music for the party. The stereo is over there and I think you can plug in your IPod,” I tell Kade. He just nods and heads over to the stereo. I love how he obeys me; it’s kind of cool. I giggle to myself as I take out the packages of pink table clothes from the big brown box and open one up. The tables are pretty big, so hopefully these tablecloths fit. I stress out about little things like this all the time.
“What kind of music do you think?” Kade asks from across the big room.
“I don’t know. Maybe some with no lyrics that are still upbeat and not boring? If we pick songs with lyrics some people will like it but some people will hate it,” I explain. He just nods his head and decides on some instrumental dance songs. He walks over to me and takes out another tablecloth and spreads it across the table next to me. The music is filling the boring silence and is making me want to dance. Kade catches me swaying to the music so he grabs my hands and puts one around his neck and wraps the other one in his own hand. He puts his extra arm around my waist and sways with me along with the music. He looks me in the eyes and puts his forehead to mine. In that moment, Cynthia comes in the room absolutely ruining the moment. Kade and I immediately let go of each other. We haven’t exactly talked about what we will tell people. Are we going to tell people we are together? Now that we are officially together, I mean.
“I knew it,” Cynthia says eyeing us both.
“Knew what?” I question her, like a good little girl. Pretending to have no idea what she is talking about.
“He has had a crush on you since elementary school,” Cynthia says to me, pointing at Kade.
I grab Kade’s arm. “Oh trust me, I know.” I giggle. Cynthia just laughs along.
“Okay you two, we have a lot of work to do before the party starts. Kade help your dad bring in the pot of tamales. Becca start putting up the decorations.” God, I missed Cynthia and her constant commands. I take the cupcakes and put them out on the racks at the dessert table. I then take the pink and white streamers and begin to hang them across the ceiling. Thankfully, Rey brought me a ladder. I’m not the tallest person on the planet, that’s for sure.
“Those streamers are crooked,” says Kade as he comes in the room with a big pot of tamales. The pot is literally from his head to waist. Can you even get a pot that big? Or did Cynthia have Rey make a pot that big with metal?
“Oh my gosh that is the biggest pot I have ever seen,” I tell him as I climb down from the latter. I giggle as Kade takes my waist in his hands. Cynthia comes up from behind us.
“So how long has this been going on?”
“I kissed her on Christmas, Ma. Isn’t that romantic?” Kade asks Cynthia, winking at me.
“Well it wasn’t on Christmas. It was Christmas Eve,” I clarify.
“You just have to ruin the moment, huh?” Kade shakes his head at me. I shrug, giggling and feeling my first turn red. I let go of Kade and continue to put up streamers.
“Okay, Kade, you need to take tons of pictures tonight, okay?” Cynthia gives Kade a really nice camera. Kade has always loved to take pictures. He’s good at it too. Well, Cynthia is horrible with technology so it makes Kade look like he’s really good at it.
“And when tonight is over, you can just keep that camera for other events you want to take pictures of.” Kade’s face lights up.
“Wait. Did I just get a camera?”
My mom and dad walk in. “You’ve been so strong through all of this, honey,” my mom says to Kade, wrapping her arms around him. “We thought you needed a little something.” She giggles. Kade takes my mom and dad into a big hug and says his thank yous. As Kade and my parents are hugging it out, Cynthia takes me in her arms.
“You have your nervous face on,” she tells me.
“My what face?”
“You’re nervous, bebé. What for? It’s just family,” Cynthia tells me. I know she’s right, and I don’t really know why I am nervous. Destiny is practically my sister. I have known her my whole life. Why am I so nervous? I know mostly everyone coming to the baby shower. Except for Destiny’s baby’s daddy and his family.
“What about you? Are you nervous?” Cynthia is amazing at hiding her nerves; I’m still trying to learn the body language she has when she is timid.
“To meet Fernando’s family? Yes, very much. Fernando himself is quite a gentleman, though,” she tells me. Whoa? A gentleman?
“Whoa! Hold up guys,” I stop my parents and Kade from talking to announce this big moment to them. “Cynthia just called Destiny’s boyfriend a gentleman!” I turn to Cynthia and put my palm on her forehead. “Are you okay? Wait, wait, you do feel a little warm, we should get you to a doctor,” I tease her. Cynthia is the strictest person I know when it comes to approving girlfriends or boyfriends for us kids. Except for Will, Kade’s older brother. Cynthia is trying to get him to find a girl. Will still thinks girls are crazy, which we are, and he’s twenty-three. Cynthia says the only missing piece of Will’s life is the love part. He’s already got a stable job. Now he just needs a girl. Cynthia just laughs at my joke and swats my butt.
“Get to work you two!” She instructs Kade and I.
“Where’s the cake?” I ask.
“Rey is going to go get it soon, aren’t you Rey?” Cynthia asks. Rey just raises his eyebrows and smiles. Cynthia can be quite demanding.
“Of course, dear,” he jokes. He walks out of the big party room and gets in the car to drive. Kade hands me blue streamers and instructs me to hang them above the cake/cupcake table.
“Um. No. See, this is why I’m the decorator. Destiny is having a GIRL. Not a boy, geez,” I giggle. His jaw drops and eyes raise, pretending to be so offended. I shake my head. “You are awful,” I confirm. He shakes his head in disagreement and takes me in his arms and off the ladder. I’m being baby cradled by Kade and I can barely breathe. We are a very lovey dovey couple, and I love that. People can say all the crap they want about our PDA, and I promise I won’t care. Being with Kade makes me forget all the bad, so I’m going to spend all my time with him. I need some good in my life, and he is it.
“Okay my babies. Since it’s Destiny and Fernando’s day, I don’t want you guys acting all love dovey when the family is around, okay? I mean, if people find out you guys are finally together it will cause a lot of attention to you two and not to the main couple we are throwing this party for. You know?” Cynthia really makes it clear that the family has been waiting for us to be together for a while now.
“Okay,” Kade and I say while Kade puts me back on my feet, obviously already listening to Cynthia’s command. Even though I understand what Cynthia is saying, it’s already driving me crazy that Kade’s hands won’t be on my waist the rest of the night. Kade takes pink streamer off one of the tables and instructs me to put more up over the doors. I sigh and drag the latter from the cupcake table to the door. I hang and string streamers for the next five minutes until someone in high pink heels and a grey sweater catches my eye. She’s walking from a little red VW bug and toward the Clubhouse. My head snaps around so my eyes can find Kade’s. He sees me trying to get his attention as I wave my arms to catch his eye. He looks at me questioningly, and I nod my head toward the door. He looks that way right as she enters. She’s even prettier than I remember. A pixie haircut, pink high heels, a grey sweater and tight black leggings. Her nails are painted pink. Oh, and her belly looks like it’s about to burst. We are about three and a half weeks until her due date. She looks up at me and I realize I am still standing on the ladder. My eyes meet hers and I can feel a lump in my throat forming. Her makeup is perfect, of course. Her eyeliner and mascara frames her eyes. It takes me back to the day where she taught me how to do my makeup. I was in the eighth grade. She was babysitting me. She was my role model.
“Hey, Becca,” she says, giving me one of her sweet smiles. The way she says my name makes me want to forgive her for leaving us. But all those nights Kade blocked me out because he was so upset is something I can’t forget. I have never seen Kade so upset, and she needs to know how she affected him.
“Kade,” she screams as she takes her brother in her arms, or at least tries to. With that big baby belly she has to give him some sort of awkward side hug. “How’s being a senior guys?” She asks Kade and me. Kade and I just look at each other.
“Good,” I say. “Easy.” Kade nods his head in agreement. I can tell he’s so nervous. He’s speechless and that’s so not normal for Kade. This is so awkward. Finally, Cynthia walks over to Destiny and pulls her into a hug and it’s as if a weight is lifted off the whole freakin’ room.
“Where’s Will?” I ask. Will is Cynthia’s second son and middle child.
“He’s not coming, bebé.” Cynthia confirms. What? Not coming? I’ll get the scoop on that later tonight from my mom or Kade when no one else is here.
An hour later Kade and I are sitting at one of the tables eating tamales, rice, beans, and cupcakes. There has to be like sixty people here; it’s insane. Cynthia loves throwing parties. Kade and I have been doing a good job keeping us on the down low. We only “accidentally” touch legs under the table every thirty seconds.