Passion's Instinct

Thirty Four

Hayden

The next morning after we had all eaten breakfast, Natalie and I had gone upstairs to fix up the baby's room.

"Where would this look best?" Natalie asked as she painted the small dresser drawer a lilac purple color.

"I thought we were going to put it in the corner."

"I don't know about that anymore. I think I want it more towards the middle of the wall between where the crib will go and the rocking chair."

"Okay, that's fine with me. Whatever shall suit thee, my wife." I smiled to myself as she let out a laugh from where she sat across the room.

"Okay, Shakespeare. Don't get too excited."

"What do you mean?" I asked defensively.

"Nothing," she said, laughing.

"Seriously, tell me," I said sternly. 

She didn't answer, just looked at me.

"Nat!"

"Fine, fine. I'll tell you. It's just... when you have me in a good mood, you usually get too confident and then we start arguing. Or, you know..."

As she tried to explain herself, I burst out laughing where I sat by the bedroom door putting the crib together. 

"What?" she asked, chuckling herself.

"You just..." I paused and let out another loud laugh, catching my breath. "What you just said didn't make any sense whatsoever." 

"Well," she said smiling, "you wanted an explanation!"

I shook my head, smiling. As soon as I looked up towards the door, Sawyer walked in with Kota. 

"What'cha doing?" he asked, walking towards me. I looked over at Kota, who was pawing at Natalie's stomach as she pointed to it. 

"We are --" I grabbed Sawyer and pulled him over to me, setting him in my lap, which sent him into a fit of giggles. "You want to know what we're doing?"

"Yes," he insisted, looking up at me.

I ran my hand over his head full of blonde curls. "We're fixing up and getting reading to decorate your baby sister's bedroom." 

"Oh." He called Kota over to him and she obeyed, coming to lay beside him. He patted her neck, scratching behind her ears. "Are you ready for our new baby sister, Kotey?" Being a typical husky, she replied with a whine, truthfully as a demand for more attention. Sawyer giggled and kept petting her, hugging her around her neck.

"What about you, Sawyer?" Natalie asked. "Are you ready for your baby sister?"

He looked up at her from where he laid on the dog. "I don't know. Maybe can it be a boy instead?"