My neighbors were in love as much as I loved my wife. We had all become quick friends and got folded into their own circle of friends. The celebration was twofold, it was a baby shower for Kassandra but also a celebration for the judge signing off that I had sole conservatorship of Simon. His mom’s rights were lifted, and she couldn’t change it.
“Are we expecting anyone else?” Kas asked when the doorbell peeled through the house. I feigned ignorance and went to open the door. Her family came in, and I followed them back to the patio where Kas burst into tears. She had been a wreck the last few months, her emotions all over the place, but she was crying with happiness at seeing her brother and parents.
I smiled at her over her brother’s shoulder as he scooped her up in a big hug. “Oh my God, Kayson! Put me down.” She punched him in the shoulder, laughing. “I’m too big to carry right now.” He set her down and hugged her tight. She wiped the tears from her face as she beamed with excitement.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming!”
“I wanted to surprise you. I can’t have you bringing in the next generation of troublemakers without me to greet them as their favorite Uncle.”
“You’re their only uncle.” She rolled her eyes and everyone around chuckled.
“Exactly.”
“Sorry, we would have been here sooner, but I had meetings with our sponsors.”
“Uh-oh, that’s never good. Everything ok?” I looked between my parents and my brother, and I knew something was up.
“It’s not important.” My brother gave me a halfhearted smile and looked past me to my husband. “How’s it going Creed?”
“Good. We watched your race yesterday. That was a close call with car number thirteen in the last lap.”
My brother’s jaw clenched quickly, “Yeah. It happens. Where’s my favorite nephew?” Kayson looked into the yard effectively changing the subject again.
“He’s your only nephew.” Kas laughed.
“Only for the next day or so.” He grinned, “After that, I’ll have to figure out a ranking system.”
“Kayson so help me you better not rank my kids.”
“Relax Kas. It’s a joke. I don’t want you to pop a gasket because you got too excited.”
We all laughed and enjoyed the food swapping jokes and stories. Kas was showered with gifts for the boys, and I swore we wouldn’t need clothes or diapers for the first three months of their lives. Sitting beside my wife as we enjoyed the people around us and the time spent with the people we love, I thought Amber had messed up my life when she moved here and I had to follow to be with my son, but the fact of the matter is my life is richer for it.