Starting Over

Chapter 54- Bridget's Birthday

It’s been almost a month since the trial. Everything has been going great. It’s just been Bridget and I for a few weeks, but Momma is coming up for a few days and should be arriving any time now.

“Happy Birthday!” I told my beautiful wife as she walked into the kitchen.

“It’s just another day, Luke. Please don’t make a fuss out of it,” Bridget pleaded with me while making a cup of coffee.

“But it’s your birthday. You always do something for me for mine. Now it’s my turn,” I told her.

“But you like your birthday. I don’t. I can’t stand it. My phone goes crazy. Everyone who I never hear from somehow manage to remember my birthday. It’s annoying. I would just rather today be just like yesterday and the day before,” Bridget explained to me while sipping her coffee.

I shook my head as my phone buzzed. It was a text from Momma. She was in Nashville and would be here soon. I guess now is as good a time as any to enlighten my wife of my plans for the night.

“Well, Momma will be here soon and I’m taking you to dinner tonight,” I said very quickly as I headed to our bedroom.

“Thomas Luther! You better get your ass back down here and say that again!” Bridget yelled at me like I was her child.

“Nope!” I shouted back as I continued up the stairs.

Before I knew it Bridget was right behind me.

“Why? Please tell me why, Luke!” Bridget questioned me, “You know I would rather stay home.”

“Is it wrong of me to want to spend the evening with my beautiful wife, just the two of us, on her birthday?” I returned.

“But you know I hate doing stuff for my birthday,” Bridget whined.

“Look. I’m leaving in a few weeks. You’re not going to be able to come out as often because of the twins and I just want to spend the evening with my wife on her birthday, alright?” I explained.

“Fine,” Bridget said as she left our room.

That certainly could have went a little better. The boys were still in bed, Kenzie had spent the night with Keely, and the twins were sleeping soundly in the living room. I decided that now would be the best time to get Bridget’s birthday gift out of the closet. I wanted this to be a private moment between the two of us. As soon as I grabbed it I went downstairs hoping this would lighten the mood between us.

“Bridget, I have something for you,” I told her as I sat the box on the kitchen table in front of her.

“Luke, seriously?” Bridget asked with a look of disgust.

“I know you said you didn’t want me to get you anything, but I had already started on this. Please just take it,” I pleaded with her.

“You made it?” Bridget questioned.

“Sort of. Let’s just say it was a combined effort,” I explained knowing Bridget loved homemade gifts more than anything else.

Bridget grabbed it and no more than she started to tear the package the twins both started screaming. I looked at the clock. It was time for them to eat. This was just going to have to wait.

“I get Keegan, you get Kinley?” Bridget questioned knowing this was going to have to wait until later.

I nodded and followed my wife to the living room. Bridget sat down on the couch and started feeding Keegan while I was trying to soothe Kinley. Breastfeeding the twins was really hard on Bridget. Every several hours she would spend at least an hour sitting on the couch feeding first one of the twins then the other. Sometimes she had to feed them at the same time, if the only reason was to keep her own sanity. But it seemed like any other time that she wasn’t feeding the twins she was pumping so I could feed them just to give her a break or she was changing them or bathing them. Any free time away from the twins that she had she was tending to our other three kids. I don’t think I had seen her out of pajamas in weeks. Her hair was always standing on ends and she literally felt like a train wreck most of the time. Or so she says anyways. As unkempt as she looked, she was the most put together person I had ever seen. How she made it work was beyond me, but she did. Given the opportunities she’s had to allow someone else to come in and take over, she’s rarely taken them. Normally I have to force them on her, just to get her to take a break. Like tonight. She needs tonight. I know it and I think deep down she knows that she does too.