Family

Cassie and Lindsay sat at the coffee table in the living room with all their books spread out before them as they tackled their homework before going to bed. As I rested on the couch behind them, ready to help if they needed any, I couldn’t help but feel relived knowing that I didn’t have to deal with homework on a daily basis.

When I mentioned that to the girls, Cassie laughed. “Just wait until Jenna is in school Aunt Anna, you won’t escape it then.”

I sighed. It was true, what they said but that didn’t mean I had to like it one bit. I couldn’t even say that I wouldn’t be helping her because Jordan disliked homework more than I did. So, instead of saying anything, I went back to stretching out on the couch.

A page turn, the scribble of pen over paper and the odd sigh were the only sounds I heard as I closed my eyes and let my mind wander over the events of the day.

On the whole, it was a very productive day. Under Eric’s guidance the kids in charge of advertising were making progress. At the last meeting they couldn’t agree on anything at all but at the end of the meeting that afternoon, they had a rough idea of what the main posters for the theatre were going to be and they had a couple working ideas for the posters they were to post around town. Eric had even told them that the radio advertisement for the show was in their hands, so they were all a buzz about that one.

“Uncle Eric is so awesome,” Lindsay said for the millionth time as we ate dinner that night. “Not only does he have all these great ideas but he’s an amazing artist.” She went on to tell us how he did a rough sketch of their group while they were working. “We are so lucky to have his help.”

“I can’t believe he got us Fireball,” Cassie jumped in. “How cool is that? Now my friends and I won’t have to worry about getting music for our songs.”

Jordan’s eyes bugged out of his head. “Mmmpf?” He tried to talk with his mouth full of the spaghetti he made for dinner.

“Jordy please, where are your manners? You know not to talk with your mouth full.” I did it just to bug him and the dirty look he shot me, told me that he didn’t think I was funny. I still laughed though.

While Jordan chewed his food, the girls told him how Eric said Fireball heard about their show and wanted to help out because of the cause. At dinner, Jordan didn’t really say much about the band helping out, other than how cool it would be to get to work with them but once dinner was done and the girls were in the living room playing with Jenna, it was another story.

I was putting away the leftover spaghetti when he cornered me. “Babe, you have to introduce me to them.”

“I don’t even know them Jordan.”

“But you will,” he reasoned. “You’ll meet them when they come to help out and then when I come to pick you up, you can introduce me.”

“Pick me up?” I raised a brow. “Why would you be picking me up Jordy? You work until 6 everyday.”

“Well, I could get off early, you know, say there’s a house we have to look at and…”

I covered his mouth. “Honey, we went over this before, you know I’d love to introduce you to them and if the chance arises, I will. But to cut work and pretend you need to pick me up, just to meet them?” I went on to tell him that he’d meet them the night of the show but it was too late, he was already pouting.

“I wouldn’t get in the way,” he mumbled as he returned to the sink to wash the dishes. “I would do it for you.”

His pouting was short lived, not because I gave in or anything, but because he never seemed to stay that way for long with me. By the time we had put the last dish away, Jordan was carrying on as if the whole thing didn’t even happen.

I felt little fingers poking at my face and heard Jordan whisper for her to say what was said in the bathroom. “Go on,” he whispered. “Say ‘Anna’.” I smiled as I peeked out from under my lashes, Jordan had been trying to get Jenna to say my name for a while but she never could. Or maybe she just didn’t want to. “Come on J-Roll,” he continued. “You just said ‘Anna’ you can say it again.”

The girls stopped working on their homework to watch us. “Maybe she thinks Aunt Anna is sleeping Uncle Jordy.”

“Oh maybe,” Jordan said in his regular voice. “Babe? Show her you aren’t sleeping?”

Nodding, I opened my eyes fully and smiled at them. “How was bath time?”

Jenna gasped and lurched forward, towards me. “Ah-naa-naa!”

“Oh my god! Jenna!” I took her from Jordan and cuddle her. “You said my name!” As I held her tight, I felt so emotional. I don’t know if I could explain the feeling that came over me.

“Hey, I wanna cuddle too,” Jordan said, already halfway over me to lay behind me. My nieces were chuckling as his arms wrapped around Jenna and me. “Don’t you have homework?”

“You guys are so silly,” Cassie stated as Lindsay pulled out her camera to take a picture of the three of us. “It’s from hanging out with mom and dad too much, isn’t it?”

“No,” Jordan responded before I could. “It’s from being truly happy.”

Jordan must’ve spent a good half hour with his face pressed against the back of my neck; his every breath sending cold shivers down my back. It was perfect. I didn’t want it to end. But it had to; he just had to remember that he had to get Jenna to bed. “So I can get back to you,” he whispered as he crawled back over me.

Once he was standing, he reached for Jenna. “J-Roll, say good night to Anna.”

“Ni Ah-naa-naa.” Her tiny arms wrapped around my neck and she gave me a kiss on the lips.

When Jordan disappeared down the hallway, the girls turned to me. “Aunt Anna, why does he call Jenna ‘J-roll’?”

“Because her name is Jenna Rose,” I told them. The girls looked confused, probably as confused as I looked when he told me the same thing. I chuckled, “Girls, it’s Jordy; you can’t predict how his mind works. Her name is Jenna Rose and one day she tried to steal a jelly roll from him, so…”

Lindsay shook her head. “Uncle Jordan is so weird.”

Cassie agreed.

Me, while I think he’s weird, I loved him more for it. There wasn’t a man out there who could understand me and make me laugh like Jordan could.

“Hey Babe,” he settled into the space behind me on the couch again. His hand began to rub up and down over my arm. “Aren’t you tired?”

I nodded. “But they aren’t done their homework yet.”

“Ok,” his arms tightened around me. “We’ll wait.”

That was the last I knew until an hour later when I was woke by a gentle shake. Opening my eyes, all I could see was Jordan’s neck as he lifted me from the couch. Instead of saying anything, I just relaxed in his arms and closed my eyes again. I didn’t open them until he gently placed me on his bed and crawled in beside me.

“Babe?” I snuggled closer to him, he chuckled. “Babe, I want to ask you something.”

“About what?” I mumbled against his chest.

“About earlier, when you were at the mall with the girls, I wanted to know how it went with Josh. Did you tell him to back off?”

“Not exactly.”

“What?” Jordan held me back from him. “What do you mean, ‘not exactly’?”

I sighed, I knew I should’ve told him earlier but the moment I walked into the house and saw him shaking his ass, all thoughts of Josh disappeared. “We didn’t talk today, there wasn’t much time with Jenna and the kids around. I did tell him we needed to talk though and we are going to, tomorrow.”

“Oh,” he relaxed a little. “When? After he’s finished work? Because I was thinking about taking you and Jenna out for dinner tomorrow night but if you are going to be late, I could –”

“Jordy, I’m going to dinner with Josh tomorrow.” I told him how Josh mentioned meeting at work and then he changed his mind and wanted to meet at the Grillhouse for dinner. “I figured that it didn’t matter where we had the talk, as long as we had it.”

He pulled away from me, rolled onto his back and then onto his side, facing away. I knew he wouldn’t be too happy about it, but it was his idea that I talked to Josh so I didn’t expect him to react like that. I didn’t really want to go to sleep upset but he didn’t respond when I said his name.

With a sad sigh, I leaned towards him and pressed my lips against his bare shoulder. “Good night honey, I love you.”

I was comfortable and half asleep five minutes later when I felt him move up behind me. His arm wrapped around my waist as his body pressed against mine. “I love you too.”