We Are Family, erin <3

April 2nd, 2011
11:23 a.m.


Parker was waiting anxiously, staring out the front window as he paced back and forth. His mother and sister would be arriving any time, and they'd assured him they didn't want him to pick them up, that they were more than capable of taking a cab to his house and although he tried to argue, the women won as usual. So now, he was waiting, and the house was clean and fresh food was waiting(thanks to Erin). He wasn't entirely sure why he was nervous. He knew they were thrilled, both of them, and that they'd love Erin. But it didn't change the fact that he hadn't seen the two of them in a very long time... and now they would suddenly be there, again.

The door of the cab closing pulled Parker from his thoughts, and it was like no time had passed. He opened the door and before he even had the chance to speak his mother had engulfed him in a hug. Barely forty, his mother looked the same. Slim and decently in shape, she'd gained the occasional wrinkle here and there, he brown hair curly around her shoulders. Holding her there, being held, he realized how much he'd missed her. She'd been his rock. She was one of the toughest women he knew.

She'd had him at eighteen, barely legal, been sucked into a horrible relationship. She worked as a waitress, barely enough to get by, or put food on the table. She took the beatings and the abuse without blinking. And he loved her for it. She was in night school, she'd recently shared with him, and she was doing well for herself. "Mom... you look great." Simone appeared to be borderline tears, as she pressed a kissed to his cheek and he stepped back to allow her into the house.

And then there was Caitlyn, who had changed in the past three years from an arrogant teen to a stunning young woman. She was nineteen, street smart, as well as book smart. She was in college in Las Vegas for interior design, and she'd grown up stunning. Her dirty blonde hair framed her face, and she looked... classy. Not like the typical teens in Vegas, and he'd never been so grateful that she hadn't been sucked up into the glitz of the city.

Their embrace was more or less her tackling him as he laughed, and Caitlyn held him in such a death embrace that he was physically incapable of letting go, not that he minded. "You're all grown up, not a little kid any more after all." She smiled at him as she pulled back, and took a few moments to eyeball him. "I could say the same to you Dad."

The word dad hadn't come up in conversation much, not when they were younger and not even since they'd discovered that Erin was pregnant. But it made a warmth flow through his body that he couldn't describe and he ushered them in. "Come on, come on. Erin was just finishing getting ready I think. And she cooked some awesome sweets." The house was well decorated, the food smelled splendid, and Parker realized how much the house they'd been giving had turned into a home.

"How was the trip?" He asked as he walked, "Anything to drink?" Upon their requests, he gave his mother a water, and his sister a glass of Coke and he noticed his mothers eyes wander towards the fridge. "No alcohol, it's all gone. I'm almost two months clean." And he saw the tears rise up in his mothers eyes, and he realized that getting clean had undoubtedly been one of the best things he'd ever done.

This day had taken an eternity to arrive. Erin woke up early and rolled out of bed (thankfully sans morning sickness) and into the kitchen to start cooking. Around two weeks ago, she'd stopped feeling sick as a dog, and the pregnancy book that she and Parker were reading said that that was perfectly normal. Now, she felt great! Instead of being tired and queasy all the time, she felt energized. She had finally started to show, so instead of looking paunchy in the middle, she now had a little belly and had picked up a few small maternity tops. No jeans, though -- she was planning on putting off wearing jeans with elastic waists for as long as she possibly could. From 6:30 to 11 a.m., Erin was in the kitchen, mixing, baking, and what have you. She was making everything she could think of to celebrate Parker's family coming to town, including chocolate cupcakes. The baby could not get enough of anything chocolate! Some of the cupcakes had strawberry frosting, others had vanilla, and some even had mint frosting that she'd managed to find at a specialty grocer. Those were her favorites, because they tasted just like mint chocolate chip ice cream. For lunch they were having chicken wings (made with either honey-bbq sauce or a secret hot sauce taught to Erin by a coworker), potato salad, and her famous macaroni and cheese, made with and without jalapeno peppers.

At 11 a.m., Erin set the final oven timer for fifteen minutes and ran to the bathroom to get dressed. It was early April and just starting to warm up, but the heater was running and Erin was always hot anyway. She donned a short-sleeved coral maternity top that she'd picked up a few days earlier, and jeans. She didn't put on her shoes, but tossed them by the bedroom door in case they decided to show Parker's family around town later on. As she was putting in her earrings, the timer rang, and she dashed back to the kitchen to retrieve two pans of chicken wings from the oven. They went on the counter, and almost immediately were replaced by two casseroles of macaroni to warm up. While she was taking the wings off the pans to put onto serving dishes, she glanced out into the living room, where Parker was still waiting by the window. The sight of him pacing anxiously while he waited for his mom and sister to arrive made her pause and smile. He obviously loved them very much, and she couldn't wait to meet them. Erin went back to work, removing the steaming macaroni from the oven and dishing it into bowls and taking them into the dining room until she heard female voices from the other part of the house. She decided to give it a minute, to let Parker say his hellos before she interrupted, and finished setting the dining room table for lunch.

Once done, Erin dumped all her dirty dishes in the sink to be cleaned later and hung her apron on the oven door. She made her way to the door separating the kitchen and the living room and leaned on the frame to watch for a moment, smiling. His mother was beautiful; petite and slender, with curly brown hair that brushed her shoulders. She smiled at her son and Erin grinned, noticing that they had the same mouth, and the way their eyes crinkled at the corners was just the same. Then there was his sister -- Parker had said her name was Caitlyn, which Erin thought was a cute name. She might have suggested it for the baby if it was a girl, but it would be weird to have two Caitlyns in one family. Parker's little sister was a stunning blonde, her hair a couple shades darker than Erin's. Erin smiled, thinking that Parker must have gotten his dark hair from his mom, before she disappeared back into the kitchen to get plates. She was putting the dishes out on the dining room table when the voices moved into the kitchen, and as soon as she was done she went back to join them. Her heart swelled with pride as she heard Parker telling his mother he'd been clean almost two months, and it only doubled when she saw the tears in his mother's eyes. She started to pad barefoot across the kitchen, sidling up next to her husband and putting an arm around his waist.

"I don't even cook with it anymore," she chimed in, beaming at him. One had to admit, pregnancy suited Erin. Once the morning sickness was gone, she'd started getting compliments about her glow almost constantly, and it had been hard to hide it after that. Turning a brilliant smile and big brown eyes to Parker's mom and sister, she stepped forward to introduce herself. "I'm Erin. I'm so glad to finally meet you; Parker's told me so many good things about both of you. I made lunch... it's in the dining room. It's just picnic food, but please, eat. There's way too much for the four of us... five of us," Erin corrected herself, one hand on her tummy. "Maybe Parker told you, but I tend to go overboard when it comes to food."

Parker couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as soon as her hand came into contact with his body, and the glow on her face... she was beautiful, and he felt his heart swell in pleasure, at the sight of her, and the small swell of her stomach. She easily helped herself to introductions, and Parker didn't even feel that unsteady tension in his stomach that was so typical when your other half met your family. It was like two worlds uniting, the one of his past, and the one of his future, and they were entirely seamless.

His mother stepped forward without hesitation and hugged her, holding Erin for a long few moments, and he felt surprised when she pulled back with tears in her eyes. "I barely know you," Simone said softly, "but thank you. For everything you've done for him. He looks..." She paused and looked Parker up and down for a long few moments. "He looks like a brand new man, you saved his life. And this..." She reached outwards, hand gently coming into contact with Erins stomach without being over zealous, "is one of the greatest gifts out there."

She may not have made a lot of money, or lived impressively, but Simone loved her children, both of them, and Parker only wished that he could be half the parent she had been. And through all her personal struggles, and the challenges she'd faced, she'd done everything she could for his sister, and himself. "You look great," Simone confirmed before stepping back. "The baby's going to be quite the looker."

Parker smirked at that, and gave Erin a wink. Caitlyn had been studying Erin as they spoke, but his sister met his eyes and gave him a small approving smile, just as she had done when they were teens. "I wondered how someone managed to catch my brothers heart... but now I understand." It was entirely true, and although Erin seemed to be quite different than all the girls Parker had previously brought home, it was something Caitlyn was quite thankful for.

"Erin, this is my mom Simone, and my sister Caitlyn. And yes, come on in, get something to eat, make yourself at home." Food was distributed, and drinks were served, and Parker pulled a chair out for his wife. "Take a seat, i'll get you what you want."

Erin was both surprised and not surprised when Simone stepped forward to hug her. Either way, she gladly accepted it, only pausing a moment before wrapping her arms around the other woman. They were close to the same height, but since Erin had been gaining weight recently and her stomach poked out, Simone was more slender. She could feel the other woman's shaky breath, but it still surprised her when she let go that there were tears in Parker's mother's eyes. "Oh, no," Erin protested, blushing. She was naturally shy, but in this case she really didn't think she deserved the praise she was getting. Saved Parker's life? Hardly -- she'd just been there when it happened, she hadn't actually done the saving. "I didn't do anything. Really. When I found out I was pregnant, Parker said he was going to stop drinking, for me and the baby. I may not have liked it when he drank, but I wasn't going to force him. He decided that all on his own." She smiled as Simone's hand rested on her belly, covering it with her own. Erin had heard stories about pregnant women decking people that tried to touch their bellies, but she loved it! Even when random strangers did it at work or the store! "I'm so glad he had you, growing up. And you." She smiled pointedly at Caitlyn, not having forgotten about her new sister-in-law. "Thank you for that. And for letting me into your family! It's... been a while."

Erin blushed at the comment that the baby was going to be a looker, letting go of Simone's hand as she stepped back next to Parker. "Maybe we'll be lucky and the baby will get all his or her looks from Daddy's side of the family!" she teased, giggling at Parker's wink. They scooted into the dining room and sat down, Erin reluctantly. Parker pushed in her chair for her, but it wasn't long before she popped back up to point out the different selections on the table. "I made two versions of everything, almost. That over there is my famous mac and cheese, but it has little pieces of jalapeno pepper in the sauce, so there's a regular one next to it. And there's honey bbq or buffalo chicken. And potato salad. Just regular." She smiled and sat back in her chair, handing her plate to Parker. "I love spicy food, so does the baby. For a while there, the little nudge didn't want any dairy or anything, now I can't get enough! I swear I have a side of ice cream with every meal!" She laughed and let Parker fill her plate, trusting that he knew what she wanted. Accepting it back, she caught him by the collar with one hand and drew him down for a quick peck on the lips. Normally she would never have done something like that in front of his mother, but she figured since she was pregnant, Simone could guess at the nature of that relationship. So no holds barred.

"Thanks... love you," she whispered to him, then took a sip of her ginger ale. Even though she didn't have morning sickness anymore, she'd kind of grown to like it after six straight weeks of drinking it. "And I made all kinds of sweets for later. I'm kind of a cooking fiend." Erin giggled. To Caitlyn, she said, "So you're... nineteen. Right? Same age as my sister, Janie. What are you going to school for?"

Parker enjoyed the peck to his lips, and he murmured the sentiments back to his wife before moving to fix his own plate of food, listening to the comfortable conversation that was being continued throughout the room. It felt so... normal. It felt like they'd always been one big, happy family, and Parker was growing to like that feeling, and he was beginning to enjoy the security of it.

Simone and Caitlyn filled their own respective plates, and they all became seated around the table, his mother and sister enjoying the perks to having a relative who could cook. "This is how I survive, her cooking." He winked at Erin and then returned to stuffing his face fitfully, knowing the women could carry their conversation quite well without his input.

Caitlyn smiled and nodded, "Yeah I am, and I didn't know you had a sister." Her eyes turned to Parker, who was still chewing his food without pause. "Someone didn't tell me." His eyes shifted upwards and he smirked at her, a full on shit eating grin, and Caitlyn rolled her eyes briefly before turning her attention back to Erin. "But anyways, i'm going to LVU for Interior Design. It's... amazing."

The blonde smiled and shrugged ever so slightly, not one to float her own boat, but Simone stepped in immediately. "She got in on scholarships, for academics and basketball, and here she is." Caitlyn just gave Erin the knowing look, the one that said 'you know how parents are when they just have to talk their kids up'. But in all reality, the girl had done quite well for herself. Coming from a broken home, with abuse, and ending up attending college, was astonishing as far as the Las Vegas turn around rate went.

Simone took a sip of her soda, and set her fork down momentarily, and Parker felt like the real talking was about to begin. "So when's the exact due date for the baby? It must be almost time for the two of you to find out the gender, you must be so thrilled." And it was evident that she was just as thrilled. It would be her first grand child after all, meaning the baby would be nothing short of spoiled, and would probably result in many more trips from Vegas.

"It's gonna be a boy, no worries." Parker winked at his wife again, setting his own fork down and stretching. He'd had a constant joke going, that the baby was undoubtedly a boy, and he proceeded to bring it up at every moment, enjoying seeing Erins reaction to it. Parker wouldn't care if the baby came out blue and speckled, as long as he or she were healthy.

Erin blushed when she realized that Parker hadn't told them she had a sister. "Yeah, I have one sister. Jane. There's nobody else though; it's just me and her." That wasn't entirely true, but nobody else needed to know it. The man who had adopted her after marrying her mother was something close to Voldemort for her and Jane, seeing as he was mostly known as He Who Shall Not Be Named. It was almost like they thought talking about him would somehow alert him of their presence. And being back in contact with Craig was something neither of them wanted. "Interior design, oooh," she cooed, hiding a grin behind her hand. "Now I'm nervous to ask what you think of the house! I -- we could use some help with the baby's room. Right now it's just white, like most of the others." Erin wrinkled her nose slightly, not really a fan of the all eggshell-white walls. She was itching to paint, but that was a no-go for pregnant women, so she'd have to be out of the house for it. And she wasn't sure how much she could convince Parker to do. He'd been very accommodating, and she didn't want to take advantage.

She nodded when she was told that Caitlyn went to school on scholarship, understanding. "I never went to college," Erin said, and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess if I had, I would have gone to culinary school instead. Cooking is the only thing I'm really good at." She smiled, as though the self-deprecating words didn't bother her. And they didn't, really; she'd gotten so used to being put down by others that it was just as easy to do it herself. Erin took a bite of her macaroni and cheese, feeling the jalapeno peppers bite her back. Somehow good cooking made everything better, and she savored that bite, only reluctantly swallowing when Simone looked like she was going to talk. She asked about the due date and the gender (more specifically, when they would find out) and Erin was about to answer when Parker broke in with his usual confidence. He was sure that the baby was going to be a boy, and Erin grinned. Her, she'd had no feelings yet one way or the other, and the book she was reading said that a mother's intuition was almost never wrong, but it didn't say anything about a father's intuition. He was so excited about the baby being a boy that she almost hoped he was right, because she imagined his reaction would be just priceless.

She laughed as she answered. "Our actual due date is September 26th, but I guess if what I've been hearing is true, not a lot of people actually make it to their due date! So I guess late September is as good a guess as any. As for the gender... we're finding out in two weeks. And I think we're thrilled... at least I am! I'd be thrilled with either. I really have no idea whether it'll be a girl or a boy even though someone insists it's a boy. Is that normal?" She might have been taking advantage, but Erin was glad that she finally had someone to talk to who'd been through it all before. Since her own mother was dead, she'd missed out on that part of things. "There are all these old wives tales about how to tell, and I've really been trying not to pay attention. But now that we're so close to finding out I just can't help it!"

Caitlyn smiled eagerly as the conversation shifted to the house, and her eyes swept around, with an educated glaze to them. She'd been looking at the house since she'd gotten there, even though she'd made it quite un-noticeable. Parker watched her, the eagerness, and he felt grateful that she'd found something that she loved as much as he loved cars. "I think it looks great, for the amount of time that you've been here," and Caitlyn smiled, and it was warm, as if she'd known the older woman for a great length of time.

"I'd love to help you, with any of it, especially now that you're pregnant, and i'm sure he'll be at work plenty," she stated, jerking her thumb in Parkers general direction, causing him to only raise his eyebrows slightly. He and Erin still hadn't talked about the fact that she could really stop working if she wished to. For whatever reason, he liked the idea of having her at home once the baby was born. It was a privilege he'd never gotten as a child, one he wanted to provide for his own kids.

Parker shook his head slightly, as she stated that she was only good at cooking, which was entirely untrue. "I'd dare say you're good at a lot more than that." And he offered her a small smile, and Simone smiled as well. "Although you are an extremely good cook, this mac and cheese is amazing."

Simone gave her new daughter in law a supportive smile, and Parker listened intently as his mother spoke, curious as well. "Well, when I was pregnant with Parker, I really had no hints at all, as to his gender." The woman turned to him as he cleaned the table of empty plates. "And I wouldn't have even guessed until the doctor told me I was having a boy. With Caitlyn though," her eyes shifted to her daughter, who was in the middle of a long drink of water, "I only noticed the pregnancy differences. I carried her a lot different than Parker, and I had a decent amount of morning sickness with Caitlyn. Not sure why, I guess a lot of the time women can usually tell the differences after the first pregnancy."

Parker was intrigued, wondering if that mean that the next pregnancy would be entirely different. Next pregnancy... a smile crossed his lips at the concept. Only a short period of time ago, the idea of being a father had scared him. And it still did, but now a family seemed... destined. Simone seemed to pick up on the fact that she had also been a bit forward. "Sorry, guess I was indicating that you'd be having more." Parker knew that his mother wanted more grand kids, the more the merrier. And this would be her first after all.

Erin watched her sister-in-law survey the house, and somehow the eagerness the younger girl showed made her relax a little bit. It was obvious Caitlyn loved what she did, just like she loved cooking and Parker loved cars. "I'd love to have help," she said delightedly. "Your brother is a big help, I promise. But now that we've been here for a couple months and we're going to have a baby, I'd really love to decorate a little more. I'm sure we'll be pretty busy after the baby gets here so there's no time like the present!" She smiled, casting a scrutinizing glance around the house. "I never really had to decorate a house before." Still, for all that she thought she and Parker had done a pretty decent job of decorating. She'd made sure that his and her stuff had gotten equal space in the house and fortunately their taste blended pretty nicely. So at least there had been no "bright red couches and yellow end tables" dilemma. The kitchen, though... that was pretty much her domain. But she wanted the baby's room, like the rest of the house, to show a little bit of both of them. "As soon as we find out the sex, you can help us decorate the baby's room," Erin promised. She was looking forward to it.

She blushed when Parker said she was good at more than cooking, even though he wasn't implying anything by it. "Okay, cooking and cleaning," she admitted. "And baking. I have such a sweet tooth, it's terrible. At this rate I won't have any real teeth left by the time I'm 50. And I'm taking you down with me." Erin grinned at Parker, knowing he didn't mind if she baked all the time because he loved to eat the sweets too. For that matter he probably didn't care if she was toothless, either, which kind of made her swoon. It was amazing how they'd gone from being wary strangers to lovers in just a few short months, but if the Vow ever needed a poster couple, Erin would be the first to sign up. She couldn't imagine a better match than Parker. Her hand went to her belly below the table to caress the little baby bump she was growing, and she glowed with happiness.

Nodding at Simone, she replied, "Yeah, even the supposed ways you can tell have mixed feelings about it apparently. I heard if you have a lot of morning sickness, which I did up until a couple weeks ago, you're having a girl... but if you show early and mostly in your belly, which I kind of am, you're having a boy. So I really have no idea. I guess we'll know in a couple weeks." She grinned. "And of course we're going to have more! At least one more. Right, hon?" Erin realized she had kind of answered for him and reached over to take Parker's hand. "I always wanted a big family... the more the merrier, right? But eventually we're going to run out of room in this little house! We haven't really discussed how many, though. Actually, we didn't even discuss this one! It just kind of happened. A happy accident."

Caitlyn smiled, and nodded as she looked around the house quietly, and then potential thoughts for the babies room were flowing easily through her mind. She'd always had the ability to envision a room - and to fill it with her thoughts, to know what would look right, and what wouldn't. And the concept of designing the baby room thrilled her. "Definitely, after your appointment to find out the gender, you'll have to let me know, and I can start sketching it for you." She was a bit bubbly about it really. Not only would she soon be an aunt, but she would also get to help participate, in a constructive way. "I'll check out the room while i'm here, and I can get your e-mail, so that we can shoot ideas back and forth." Parker smirked, at the way his sister had so easily taken to Erin. Not that he had worried about such things. The woman was really ideal of what he knew his mother had wanted in a daughter in law, and what his sister had craved as a sister in law.

The blush that rose in her cheeks had him softly chuckling to himself, as she had obviously picked up the possible hidden meaning of the statement, although he hadn't been directing it in such a way. She was a great wife - the house was always clean, the laundry was done, and the fridge was always full of good food. He didn't mind being the one to work, something he hoped she'd be alright with, especially as the pregnancy progressed. Parker didn't miss the way her hand moved, and although he couldn't see it, the way her arm angled, he knew that it was resting on the baby bump that was now growing.

He hadn't been entirely sure about pregnancy. About all the logistics, or about how their relationship would change, or how Erins body would transform. Now, however, after seeing the glow that she took on so effortlessly, or how she looked first thing in the morning in one of his shirts, with the swell of their child becoming evident, he anticipated the changes. He'd been reading, yes reading, and learning about what would happen. And he wanted desperately to be there every step of the way. To rub her back when the aches got too bad, and her feet as her ankles swelled. And he was confident that even when she was close to full term, he would still find her beautiful.

Simone smiled in understanding, realizing that the couple hadn't entirely planned their family, but knowing that Erin obviously anticipated additional children. "Without a doubt, children are the greatest blessing a woman can have, planned or not." And she look at both her son and daughter, reminding herself exactly what it felt like, to look back. "They grow too fast, no doubt about it, especially when your own child's going to be a father." And Parker just smiled at her, rubbing a hand over his shortly trimmed head. In response to Erin, he gave a small shrug, only slightly hesitant. "I'd want at least one more, maybe two. I don't know I guess... I had a hard time picturing becoming a father, and now, I really like the idea."

Caitlyn smiled at her brother, the now man who had always been her protector, her everything. She'd idolized him when they were young, and it had broken her heart to watch him leave Vegas, but recently she'd come to understand that it was the best decision he'd ever made. "You'll make a great dad Parker... your kids will be lucky to have you." And Parker nodded, to himself and Caitlyn. "Thanks Cait, it's nice to hear that."

Erin couldn't stop smiling. She loved Parker's family already, and they seemed to like her, too. And she was thrilled that Caitlyn would help them with the baby's room, especially since they lived so far away. It would be nice for the baby to have that connection to his or her aunt, and Erin couldn't wait to show off the baby's room and say, "My sister-in-law designed this". And how proud Parker would be too! His little sister's creative eye filling up a room in their house. It would be like having her there, at least part of her. "Well now I really can't wait to find out! The next two weeks are going to just kill me!" She grinned at Caitlyn. "Remind me to give you my e-mail... and the website for the baby blog. Parker and I are writing one, however reluctantly." Erin laughed and nudged her husband, giving his hand a little squeeze before returning to her plate. The one bad thing about this part of the pregnancy was that she was always hungry. She'd gained about ten pounds so far, according to the scale in the bathroom, which would normally have been enough to make her cry. But Erin was fortunate enough to be one of those pregnant women that just looked pregnant, not paunchy.

She nodded sagely at Simone's statement that kids grow up too fast. "Oh, I know," she agreed. "I was five when my little sister Janie was born, so I remember when I first met her and she was only a couple hours old. Sometimes it's so hard to believe that she's all grown up and married now. It was even harder when she got married before I did!" Erin smiled, adding, "But Parker was worth the wait. He's already the best daddy ever! We've been reading What to Expect, and I think he's read more than I have." She blushed and glanced at Parker, hoping she wasn't embarrassing him too much. "I have the best intentions... I try to read a chapter before bed every night, but I usually just wind up falling asleep with it on my tummy. I feel wide-awake until I'm sitting on something soft, and then boom, out like a light."

Pregnancy suited her, and she thought fatherhood suited Parker. It brought out his softer side, the side he didn't like to show anyone but her and his family. The reason she hadn't read as far as he had was because she liked to put on a movie while he was reading and watch him out of the corner of her eye. The awestruck expression that came over his face sometimes was just precious; she wished she could get a picture of it without him noticing! It was hard to believe she'd started out so terrified to tell him, sure he was going to run screaming from the house or something equally as unbearable. As it had turned out, he was all she could ever have asked for and more. They hadn't talked about it yet, whether she would continue working for the pregnancy or not, but he'd been taking longer hours and she suspected he was trying to save up so she could take more time off after the baby was born. She had a small inheritance of her own, from her mother; everything had been split 3 ways when LeeAnn had died -- to her, Janie, and Craig. It wasn't much, but it would be a help when it came to buying all the things a baby would need and keeping them afloat in the little house.

Erin was thrilled to hear that Parker was thinking about at least one or two more. She liked the idea of having at least three, probably because she liked the idea of a large family. Her ideal number was probably closer to four or five, but Erin thought she would love to have three. It was probably all they could fit in this house without putting an addition on! Which the Vow probably wouldn't allow anyway. "Three's a nice number," she agreed. "I'd like to have one girl, at least, so I can do her hair with little ribbons and play dolls while you teach the boys to fix cars." She did want a girl, but honestly she didn't really care if they had all boys as long as they were all healthy. Erin was just afraid she wouldn't know what to do with a little boy, since she'd never been much of a tomboy. He'd have to spend a lot of time with his Aunt Janie.

Caitlyn arched an eyebrow in surprise, turning partially in her chair to look at Parker. "Wow, what'd you do to him to get him to write? I mean i'm shocked." The sarcasm in her voice was evident, and she burst out in laughter as Parker playfully nudged her, rolling his eyes. "I can write just fine thanks. I just don't know what to say half the time." And he didn't. Hell, it was hard enough for him to write a letter, let along a blog about how he felt. He hadn't exactly been the type to be overly in touch with his emotions, or how he felt. Confessing them on top of that, it was a stretch.

Parker blushed a bit at her mention of his willingness to read, and as expected, Caitlyn jumped on that as well. "Reading and writing? Holy, completely domesticated now aren't we?" But secretly, she was relieved, and comforted to know that Parker was settling down, and getting serious about life. She'd worried about her brother, and his bad habits, and his flaws. She had always prayed that they wouldn't eat him alive, and it seemed like he'd finally taken control of himself. The married life had saved him, as well as fatherhood. Parker just shrugged slightly, "Some of that stuff's pretty interesting. I didn't know half of it." Simone smiled and shook her head ever so slightly, enjoying the easy family atmosphere that existed between them all. "And the books don't tell it all, it's a learning process."

Parker cringed slightly at that and shook his head, laughing softly. "Don't tell me that, i'm doing my best to prepare myself." As he listened to Erin drift into the land of imagination, he felt like the biggest sap in the world due to the smile pasted onto his face. But in all reality? He didn't care. Not one bit. And it was mostly due to the fact that he hadn't stopped smiling. Not in some time. As unexpected as the baby was, it had done what they hadn't completely done. Become united. They were a fully functioning married couple now, and he had come to the realization that he had fallen in love for the first time.

The smile didn't go unnoticed, by either Dow woman, and they both felt entirely blessed, that things had finally gone right. Parker had spent so much of his youth picking up the pieces, being the protector. And now, he finally got to live his life for him, happily. "'Course we say three, and we didn't even plan this one, so I guess it's hard telling with us."