Chapter 419) Sudden Breeze

Windenburg Isle
Hayes Estate

Sophie looked up from her task.

“You know what I was just thinking?”

“Nope, sure do not. Still not that good at reading your mind yet. May need a few years of marriage under my belt first, according to the married men I have talked to so far.”

“Ha-ha, funny guy. No, I love the name we chose for the baby, but it just occurred to me, that in order for Keanu to sound right, he has to be brunette. But what if he’s blonde? What if he’s really fair complected and gets my freckles?”

“If he is, you got some ‘splaining to do, girl! I am no doctor or genetic expert, but my hair’s black, yours brown, if we end up with a blonde kid, something ain’t kosher.” Stryker chuckled.

“Wow, you’re on a roll today. I am serious, you know, genetics aren’t always THAT straight-forward, there are still grandparents that may factor in. My mom’s a natural blonde, really light blond too, and so is yours. You have your pretty blue eyes from her, and Spencer got those, all my family has brown eyes. It’s in the realm of possibility, Stryker.”

“Your mom’s blonde genes have their fight cut out for them then, though, my mom ain’t a real blonde, Soph. She’s whatever the drugstore sells in a bottle. Always has been. Even if we didn’t have money for food, there was always enough for her to bleach her damn hair.”

“Hm. Interesting, I had no idea. What is her natural hair color then?”

“I don’t know, you’d have to ask her. I ain’t never seen her without bleached hair. Never cared enough to ask, and luckily I never got confronted with seeing if her curtains and drapes matched, despite her shenanigans with men.”

“So, she COULD be a blonde. I know girls who are blonde but lighten or dye their hair, like Ewan’s wife Ashley. She has been purple ever since we all met her, now she quit coloring and is ash blonde.”

“UGH Sophie, babe, we agreed Keanu is the name our son will have, because it’s Hawaiian, it means “breeze” you loved the breeze on Sulani when we made him there, so I am certain he will look the part. And if not, and it bothers you too much, we can dye the damn kid’s hair or stick a wig on him, and send him to the tanning salon for a spray tan that looks Keanu-y enough for ya, plus there’s always the option of a legal name change. I would know all about that, remember?”

“Well, if your music career ever doesn’t work out for you anymore, you can go for stand-up comedy. I am really serious, Stryker. And also, our names are kinda all over the place. Spencer and Keanu, that gives me no guidance on how to even start a name list for the next one. ESPECIALLY if it’s a girl. Not to mention the chance of multiples …”

“WOMAN! Can you PLEASE have the kid you are still baking first, before planning names for kids we haven’t even made yet?! I am not a breeding stud, ya know? I feel used, and wanna sit on a pile of ice cubes, hurting from what I think you are wanting to put my poor junk through.” Stryker laughed, while Sophie stuck her tongue out at him, trying to hide her laughter.

“Ha, what YOUR junk goes through? What about what mine is about to go through delivering another baby, huh?! Hear me whine and complain? No! And we agreed, as soon as it was safe, we’d try for a girl. I want a little girl and I want them all to be close in age. Better that way. Plus, I like the idea of us being young parents.”

“Girl, I am 30 now, young parenting’s out the window for me. This guy is over the hill already …” Stryker chuckled.

Watching Sophie shake her head and sigh, he walked over to her and pulled her into an embrace, kissing on her.

“If you want something to worry about, I got something. I want you to quit your job. You are the wife of a celebrity now, I make good money, more than we can ever spend, no need for you to waste your talent at that roach motel of a diner. You want to be a mom and a wife so badly, you take amazing care of Spencer and me, I know work only ever agitates you, your boss is a douche, so tell them to F.O.A.D. and hand them your resignation letter.” he mumbled into her hair, near her ear.

Sophie pulled away from him, staring at him, mouth agape. To Stryker, it made her look like a little girl at Christmas.

“You mean it? Wait – what’s F.O.A.D.?”

“Oh, baby girl, your innocence is precious, you pure little thing. That’s short for ‘F*ck Off And Die’. Yeah, I mean it. Be that 1950s mom and housewife you want to be so badly. Coddle Spencer and me, feed us your delicious magical dishes – but not too much, I am already getting fat, gotta watch that booty size since I still have to be able to perform on stage and can’t focus on my lines and the keys when my ass busts out of my splitting jeans whenever I move, even though at the rate I am going, in half a year or so my gut will have spilled over enough to hold them busted pants in place.”

Sophie’s face lit up, she flung herself back into his arms, which didn’t work as intended because of the 9 months’ worth of baby in front of her.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! Yes! I hate that place – and my boss! I hate my job sooooo very much!”

“Then why the fuck didn’t you quit already?! Why do I have to ask you to? I know you eat up those 1950s flicks like chips, but come on babe, I am not one of those misogynistic dicks telling the wifey what to do while giving her an allowance, nor do I ever want to be.”

“I just didn’t want to look like a mooch. You already bought the Estate for us. That was such a grand gesture, helping out everyone, my parents, my siblings, Blaine … us … I love this place.”

“Soph … look. I get it, I did something that rained all that cash on us, but this is OUR money. Not mine, not yours, OURS. Remember, we’re married. To be honest, I hate you going to work about as much as you do. Here’s what I think: You worry about popping out Keanu, first and foremost, you take care of Spencer, Keanu and me, cos I love when you do. After Keanu is out of the worst, you’re healed and better and we adjusted to having an infant and a toddler, we’ll go into production for a little girl in between me touring. Then rinse, repeat until one day you tell me you had enough little Sophie-Stryker mergers run through your body, I’ll get my shit snipped and once the youngest diaper-shitter is old enough we’ll look for a venue for you to run as a restaurant or bakery or whatever the fuck you want so you don’t go stir-crazy with all those rugrats everywhere.”

“OH MY GOD! YES! YES YES YES! How did I get so lucky!? You are perfect! That is perfect! Yes, I want that, all of that, a thousand times yes!”

Stryker laughed while letting his wife explode into a mini-celebration about his proposed plans, before plucking her off him.

Kissing her, then lifting her face to look at him.

“You gotta do something for me though. Something you always fight me on, but you’re my wife now, and I am gonna insist.”

“Uh oh …”

“Yeah.”

“It’s another award show, isn’t it? With all those beautiful, skinny women that make me feel like a walrus when not pregnant and like a wooly mammoth now.”

“Yup, another award show, you little drama queen. The women are not all skinny and definitely not beautiful! And even if they were nothing but a parade of cloned perfect models, you ARE going with me! So, as the first order of business, I want you to take my credit card and go see Leeora again for some kick-ass red carpet look. Girl does right by you.”

“Oh, I’ll just wear that …” Stryker silenced her by placing his finger on her lips.

“No. I love that green dress, honest I do, but I am tired of it for now. Get something hot. Something not green. At least to give us a break before you wear that green one to death again.”

“But I am so pregnant. I won’t be able to wear it again. Waste of money.”

“Baby, something tells me that you’ll get good wear out of your maternity clothes.”

“Will you go with me?”

“Oh hell no! I hate shopping and you’d end up looking like a hooker who got in the middle of a dog fight if I pick out your clothes, my motto is the tighter and more revealing, the better. Nah, I gotta work on material. Blaine is getting cranky. Take your sisters, or mother. Or Hailey and Maddie, those girls know what looks good on you.”

In that moment the doorbell rang. Peeking out the window, Stryker grimaced.

“I said her name too often, it summoned her. Crap. My personal Beetlejuice is here. Ugh.” pretend-shuddering, Stryker grimaced.

“Stryker … be nice.” Sophie couldn’t help but giggle.

“I am. I am even answering the door for the wicked witch from Christmas past, even though I REALLY don’t wanna. The things I do for love. Loving YOU, not her. Still not. I barely like her now, and that’s as far as I can take that.”

Shortly after he had let her in, he returned with Theresa Hayes, his mother.

“Hey mother, question. What’s your real hair color? If you even remember.” he asked her.

“Of course I remember, you insolent brat. I am a natural blonde. Darker, kind of a dishwatery blonde, so I just lighten it some. Why?”

Sophie’s smile at Stryker said it all.

“Well, mother, want some coffee? I just made some fresh. Happy to pour you a cup while I eat crow over here as my wife celebrates her ‘Told-Ya-So’ moment.”

“I would love some coffee, Marco, honey.”

“Oh, don’t you Marco me! We ran into the first of that name, my awesome sperm donor at Nick and Addy’s party the other night. Took all I had not to punch him into next year!”

“Well, I should probably not say this, but I’d gladly help you with the punching. Maybe we’ll send him a few years down.” Theresa admitted, when Sophie chimed in.

“You can help me punch his wife into the distant future with him. What a bitch. I can’t believe that Sandrine is Addy’s sister. Adrianna is always so sweet and soft-spoken, so classy. Her sister just goes marrying rich men then divorcing them if they don’t die on their own, while she’s running her ignorant mouth, with her nose sticking in places it doesn’t belong!”

“Sounds a lot like your old type before Sophie turned you into a decent man.” Theresa smiled at her son as he handed her the coffee.”

Stryker knew it was intended as teasing, so he smirked and told her.

“Nice, mother. You think YOU can really afford to trash talk MY past choices in the romance department though? After meeting my daddy dearest, I don’t think you should. We both have a history of dating a bunch of trash in the past.”

Smiling, Theresa opened her mouth to counter the playful, if true, exchange when a sudden, sharp scream froze both in their tracks.

Sophie was holding on to the back of a chair, looking terrified and in pain.

“Soph, everything fresh with you over there?” Stryker wondered, walking over to her.

“No Styker! My water just broke! I have been having goddamn contractions again all day, thinking they were anxiety attack aftermath from that work meeting where my ass of a boss put me on the spot in front of everyone. NOW I can tell the difference! Just like last time.”

“Ah no! Come on! Not again! Too early – AGAIN! Shit! Mom, you’re on baby duty, while we’re having another! Spencer’s down for his nap upstairs, stay here with him and maybe grab him when he wakes up and meet us at Willow Creek Memorial! And call Sophie’s parents to let them know! I gotta get us off this fucking island and to the damn hospital, cos I don’t wanna have to figure out first hand why the hell they always boil water in the movies when someone’s having a baby!”

Stryker scooped his wife up in his arms and started running.

“At least he FINALLY called me ‘mom’ …” Theresa said, while pulling out her cell phone.

7 hours of intense labor later …

Welcoming Keanu Hayes (Hawaiian meaning “Breeze”)

The Hayes Estate can be downloaded from my Gallery under the name "Von-Windenburg Estate" and was designed for the 64x64 lot on the Windenburg Island.