Exhale

A Very Grayson Adventure.

It's been two months since we found out about Noelle and Ivan. After Derek and I sat Bailey down and told her what had happened, her nightmares stopped and she slept in her own bed. She only had a few questions...

"So you're not my real mommy?" She asks. I felt my heart break a little but I know this is a lot for her to take in. Derek takes my hand, "No, honey. Noelle carried you inside her. Her and I broke up. I didn't know about you until she dropped you off with us. Maggie, took care of you as if you were hers. She legally became your mom by adopting you. As far as I'm concerned..." Bailey cut him off by standing up and wrapping her arms around me. "Thank you." She says into my hair. I hug her back and Derek sits back looking curiously at us.

"For what, honey?" I ask. She sits back and looks at us with such a serious face. "For being a real mom. But I remember when Daddy and I said bye to you at an airport once and we didn't see you for a long time? Did you miss me like a mommy would miss her kid?" She asks. I smile and kiss her cheek. "Honey, I missed you so much, my heart hurt. To me, you were mine the moment I laid eyes on you, so yes I missed you like a mother missing her daughter." I say. She smiles and hugs us both. "Can I go play now?" She asks. Derek nods and she heads upstairs.

Since then Bailey really hasn't spoken a word about Noelle or Ivan. I just can't believe she is seven years old now, she's in first grade and in her first school play in a few days. It's about the Pilgrims and Indians, and she is just super excited. So excited she volunteered me to paint the sets. "Alaina, Elijah. You ready to go play outside?" I shout from downstairs. All I hear are little giggles as I head upstairs, I push the door open and gasp at the sight before me. They are covered in all different colors of paint. It's everywhere, on the carpet, the walls, their beds and dressers. "What did you two do?" I say. They look up at me with their paint covered faces and giggle.

I grab them both and take them to the bathroom and begin to bathe them. The water soon becomes a dark dingy color from a mixture of what appears to be five colors. "Maggie, babe. Where are you?" I hear Derek shout. "I'm upstairs, giving the kids a bath." I shout back while rinsing Alaina's hair so now it is her natural brown color. He walks in, "Whoa. What happened?" He asks kneeling beside me and rolling up his sleeves. "They got into my paint and painted themselves and their room." I say. He begins washing Elijah's hair out and I know he can't hold in his laughter. "Derek, it's really not that funny." I say as he laughs uncontrollably. I drain the tub and run more water to rinse the dirty water off of them, "I know, I know. I'm just imagining your face when you saw them." He says. I splash him with water and the kids follow and start splashing him as well.

"Hey, hey. Stop it!" He says. Alaina stops first followed by Elijah and I look at Derek, who is now soaked. He leans in and kisses me. "You got the rest of this. For some reason I have to change now." He says with a wink. I nod biting my lip. I finish drying my little artists and take them into their room to get them dressed and notice Derek staring at the, now abstract art painted room. "They, uh, really had fun. Is that paint, um, washable?" He asks me. "Yes, Derek. I'll borrow Mom's shampooer. We'll clean it up." I say. "Bailey stay after school for her dress rehearsal?" I ask him. "Yeah, Leah's over there helping out. She's gonna call us when their done." He says.

I get the kids dressed and take them downstairs to play. Derek and I sit on the couch and watch the news as they play. "Hey, we should go camping. Remember when our parents took us every other weekend, before mom's company skyrocketed?" He says. "We should. That was so fun. Remember when you couldn't remember if poison ivy had leaves of two or three? Oh my god that was the best camping trip ever." I say laughing. "No, it wasn't. We forgot toilet paper, your dad went to buy some and I couldn't wait. I had poison ivy on my ass crack." He says and I laugh harder remembering how he couldn't sit down for a while.