I fail at updating… hahah. Sorry again about the wait.

Hope those who celebrated it had a great Thanksgiving! :)

“You look very pretty today.” Hayley’s mother smiled.

“Thanks.” Hayley replied. She and Josh were having an end-of-summer barbecue before school started up again the following week. All their family and friends were there to celebrate.

Emily and Sarah had come over early that afternoon to help set up and Emily had insisted on curling Hayley’s hair and giving her a mini-makeover for no apparent reason. Hayley didn’t put up too much fight though, Emily was about to pop with her and Zac’s unborn baby and Hayley knew not to argue with anyone who was that pregnant.

“You look great, too.” Hayley commented to her mom. She felt underdressed compared to everyone else at the party. She was wearing jeans and a nice t-shirt while everyone else seemed to be in sundresses or semi-casual dress pants. Since when had she started wearing jeans and plain t-shirts over fun printed t-shirts?

“Momma, I done.” Ethan said excitedly, showing Hayley his empty plate. Oh, right, she was a mother now. Children came before style.

“Good job Eth.” Hayley praised.

“Talk now!” He demanded.

Josh laughed and pulled Ethan into his lap. “We’ll talk once everyone is done eating.” He explained. Zac looked over curiously and raised an eyebrow at his brother. Josh smiled in return but did not otherwise respond.

“Ok listen!” Ethan called out loudly. “Stop eatin’.”

“Apparently we’re telling now.” Hayley sighed quietly. Everyone turned around to look at the toddler and waited expectantly.

“They done.” Ethan grinned, turning to Josh and placing his tiny hands on his father’s cheeks. “You talk now.”

“Uh…” Josh said through a mouthful of cheeseburger. Hayley blushed and hid a smile beneath her napkin.

He swallowed his food and stood up, pulling Hayley and Ethan with him. “Uh, Hayley and I have an announcement…” He started, clearing his throat.

“And me!” Ethan added. Hayley laughed and kissed her son lightly on the cheek.

“You’re getting married?” Jonathan guessed. “Because that’s not really news.” He added, nodding toward the ring on Hayley’s finger. Josh glared at his brother and shook his head. They had never really made a formal announcement about their engagement, but everyone knew anyway.

“Well yeah, but that’s not exactly the announcement.” Hayley said with a quiet laugh.

“Do you wanna tell them?” Josh whispered quietly.

“No, you do it.” Hayley smiled. She could tell he wanted to be the one.

Josh took a deep breath and faced their family and friends once more. “We’re... having a baby.” He stated, not wanting to drag it out. By the time he finished the sentence, he could barely speak through the smile that had permanently plastered itself to his face.

The yard went deathly silent as everyone absorbed the information. A few people looked around, to be sure they hadn't misheard him. Hayley and Josh held their breath, hoping for a good response. “Yaaaaaaaay!” Ethan screamed happily.

“Oh my god!” Sarah called out excitedly soon after. In a matter of seconds, there was a mad rush of family and friends hurrying over to offer congratulations and dote on Hayley.

“How far along?” Hayley’s mother asked excitedly, pressing her hand to her daughter’s flat stomach.

“Just over three months.” Hayley replied. 

“What? Why didn’t you tell me!” She asked, obviously hurt.

“We didn’t tell anyone.” Josh answered. “Not even Ethan until yesterday. We didn’t want to hope too much…”

“Oh honey…” Josh’s mom frowned. “Everything will be fine this time around.” She assured.

“The doctor says everything looks great.” Hayley informed.

“When are you due?” Emily asked.

“February 4th.” Hayley replied happily.

“Ethan, are you excited?” Sarah asked the toddler with a smile. Ethan nodded. “Do you want a baby brother or a baby sister?” She continued.

Ethan frowned in thought and looked to Sarah with a smile. “Cookie.” He decided.

“Mommy can’t have a cookie, silly!” Hayley informed with a laugh. Ethan grinned proudly and began humming to himself. Josh set Ethan down on the ground and cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at Emily as if to cue her.

“Oh!” She whispered. “So, is the wedding going to be before or after the baby?” She asked with a smile.

“We haven’t really talked about it yet.” Hayley shrugged. “I guess it’ll be next year. I always wanted a summer wedding and I suppose it’s a little late now.” She laughed.

“I think it’ll be pretty small too.” Josh added. “Just family and a few close friends.” Hayley nodded in agreement and rested her head on his shoulder.

“We should do it around this time next year.” Hayley noted as she looked around. “It’s always beautiful here in August.” Josh grinned happily and took a step back.

“Uh, Hayley… I have one more announcement.” He said nervously. Hayley looked over curiously and raised an eyebrow. “Well…. More of a question, really.” He sunk down to his knee and took Hayley’s hand in his own.

“Josh… what the hell are you doing?” Hayley whispered with a laugh.

“Hayley, will you marry me?” Josh asked with a grin. “Today?” Hayley’s face went white and she raised a hand to her mouth.

“What… but… we can’t.” Hayley stuttered.

“You just said yourself you wanted a small wedding in August.” He smiled. “If you want to do it today, I’ve got everything planned out.” he explained. Hayley looked around and realized everyone was smiling.

“You… you all knew didn’t you!” She accused with a smile, looking around. Now she knew why everyone seemed overly dressed. Hayley’s mother nodded in confirmation. “And that’s why you made me curl my hair!” Hayley laughed, pointing to Emily. Emily shrugged and winked.

“So…?” Josh asked.

“Say yes!” Sarah whispered encouragingly.

Hayley bit her lip and nodded. “Oh my gosh!” She gasped. Josh hopped up and hugged her tightly. “Are we really going to do this?” She asked quietly. Josh nodded and kissed her.

“Doin’ what?” Ethan asked curiously as he walked back over from the sandbox he had been preoccupied with.

“Your Mommy and Daddy are getting married today.” Sarah explained.

Ethan scoffed and shook his head. “They alweady are!” He said, placing his hands on his hips knowingly. “I said so.”

“We’re gonna get married again.” Josh explained, crouching down to Ethan’s level. “This time with Pastor Steve.”

“Oh.” Ethan replied simply. “Pasto Steve! Ok, I will be here.” He said with a shrug.

“Alright.” Hayley nodded with a smile. "Thank you. Ethan."

“Come on Hayles, we don’t have much time before it starts to get dark.” Emily said, pulling Hayley toward the house gently.

~*~

“Oh my gosh.” Hayley gasped as Emily, Sarah and her mother uncovered her eyes to reveal the wedding dress her mother had picked up for her.

“Josh hasn’t seen it yet.” Sarah informed. “But he said you had been eyeing it nearly every day for the past few months.”

“What do you think?” Emily asked excitedly. After a few seconds of no reply, everyone turned around to look at Hayley.

“Oh honey!” Her mom laughed. Tears were streaming down Hayley’s face, though she was desperately trying to wipe them away.

“Oh my gosh…” Hayley whispered, voice shaky. “It’s beautiful!” Hayley hugged her mother and heard a distinctive click from the doorway.

“Brandon’s here.” Sarah laughed. Hayley looked up to see Brandon in the doorway with his camera at the ready.

“Oh! Free photographer!” Hayley giggled. More clicks filled the room as he took a few photos of Hayley and the simple white dress hanging from a hanger in the center of the room.

“Mr. Chesbro at your service.” Brandon said, bowing deeply. “I’m gonna go take a few pictures of Mr. Groom getting ready while you change.” He informed.

“Alright.” Hayley smiled. “Thank you Brandon.” She said sincerely.

“You’re gonna be a beautiful bride.” He replied. “See you soon!”

~*~

The next time Hayley walked into the backyard, it had magically transformed into a beautiful wedding scene. There were a few white chairs lined up for guests to sit in and a simple archway in the middle of the aisle where the Pastor, Josh and Ethan were waiting.

Josh’s breath caught in his throat as he finally saw Hayley make her way toward the group in her dress. She looked absolutely gorgeous. The simple white dress clung to her curves and fit her like a glove. Her hair had been re-curled in big waves and it hung loosely at her shoulders. For an hour’s work, and a surprise wedding, she did a damn good job of turning herself into a bride.

Hayley felt tears sting at her eyes when she saw Josh. They were finally getting married. After all these years, they would be united together forever. Thinking back on the last few months made her head spin. Everything had happened so quickly. But she knew it was right. Even though they had only officially been together for eight months, anyone could see this was right.

The wedding ceremony itself was very short and sweet, though Ethan had managed to throw in his own little twists.

“Me too!” He had called out when Josh ‘kissed the bride’. Josh had picked him up and held the toddler on his hip while he and Hayley each kissed his cheek. Right after, he had wriggled down to the ground and announced it was “time to potty” which in Ethan language, meant party.

“So, was this really ok?” Josh asked, worried, when he and his wife finally got a moment of privacy among the music that now blared through their backyard in the dusk.

“It was perfect, Josh!” Hayley grinned. “How the hell did you plan this without me knowing?” She giggled.

“You really had no idea?” Josh questioned. Hayley shook her head honestly and pulled him close, swaying along to the music. “Wow, Emily can keep a secret better than I thought.” He mumbled.

Hayley laughed gently and rested her head on Josh’s shoulder, breathing him in deeply. “Mmm, you smell good.” She noted.

“And you look amazing.” He whispered. “Seriously. You are the most beautiful person on the planet.” Hayley rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Really!” Josh insisted.

“Momma! I wanna go to the paygwound” Ethan sang, running toward Hayley. “I wanna go to the umm paygwound” He repeated.

“At least we had half a second.” Hayley mumbled against Josh’s lips.

"We'll have all night tonight." Josh replied, raising an eyebrow. "My mother is taking him." Hayley laughed quietly and kissed him sweetly before turning her attention to Ethan.

“We're not going to the park tonight Eth, everyone is playing here and it’s almost bedtime.” Hayley explained.

“But I wanna!” Ethan pouted. “Momma! I wannaaaa!” He whined.

“We’ll go tomorrow.” Hayley bargained.

“Daddy!” Ethan huffed, turning to Josh.

“Tomorrow, EJ.” Josh said sternly.

“No now!” He wailed, tears instantly springing to his eyes.

“That’s my bad!” Izzie called from one side of the yard. “Sorry.” She hurried over to see what she could do about Ethan.

“What?” Josh asked, confused.

“He may or may not have overheard me say that Bekah and her husband walked down the street to the park.” She explained. “Hey, Ethan! Want to read a book with me?”

Ethan’s wails stopped almost instantly. “Ok.” He smiled.

“You goober!” Hayley laughed. “You weren’t even crying!”

Ethan giggled and twisted his hands together. “Gooba!” He repeated.  “Etan gooba.”

“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Farro.” Zac smiled as he walked over. Hayley grinned at the the name. “Emily and I are gonna head out. She’s not feeling too great.”

“Ok.” Josh replied. “Thanks again for everything, bro.”

“No problem.” Zac grinned.

“Thank you.” Hayley echoed, hugging Zac tightly.

“You’re welcome, little sis.” Zac replied. “Congratulations!”

“Big sis.” Hayley corrected.

Zac place a hand on her head and raised an eyebrow. “Little sis.” He repeated, referring to her height.

“Oh my gosh.” Emily gasped quietly. Hayley turned around curiously, but was distracted by Ethan.

“Mommy! Look!” He called from across the yard. Isabelle was holding him out in the air, spinning him in circles.

“Wow! You’re like an airplane!” Hayley replied.

“Zac!” Emily said, alarmed.

“What? What is it?” Zac said, instantly worried.

“I either just peed my pants or the baby’s coming.” She said shakily. Hayley gasped as she saw a small puddle in the grass at Emily’s feet.

“B-b-baby?” Zac stuttered.

“It’s time!” Emily smiled.

“Oh my god!” 

oooooo so much excitement! lol. 

...I feel like I forgot something major in this chapter... hmm.

Only a few more chapters left I'm afraid! :/ And at least one more Joshayley fight! Uh ohhhhhhhh!! Teehee

…bleh… haha. I feel like crap today and I’m not particularly thrilled with this chapter, but I wanted to post SOMETHING since I haven’t in over a week, lol.

Sorry it took so long, I just haven’t been in the writing mood this past week :/ that always happens after I post a chapter I’m really excited about, hahaha. 

“What would you like to bring with you for lunch, EJ?” Hayley asked. It was seven in the morning, and she was desperately trying to get the toddler ready for daycare before she had to go to work.

“Tuna!” Ethan replied excitedly.

“Tuna…” Hayley sighed. “Of course. Alright, why don’t you go play and I’ll get your lunch ready.” Ethan nodded and ran for the playroom while Hayley grabbed a can of tuna fish from the pantry.

“What are you doing?” Josh asked as he walked into the kitchen, hair disheveled from sleep.

“Ethan wants tuna for lunch.” Hayley sighed. She glared at the can as if it was her mortal enemy and took a few deep breaths. “Ok, I can do this.” She told herself, though she was already feeling a bit queasy. Fish and Hayley didn’t get along while she was pregnant.

“Hayles, you don’t have to make tuna.” Josh yawned. “He’ll be just as happy with peanut butter and jelly.”

“He said tuna, I’m making him tuna.” Hayley said, determined. She pulled the tab on the container up and peeled it back a few centimeters. “Oh boy…” She mumbled, taking a few steps back. “Ok, I’m not making him tuna. Will you please do it?” She asked. She shut her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to ward off her nausea. Being pregnant sucked. Josh immediately felt his stomach flip, but he steadied himself fairly quickly.

“Hayley, you don’t have to make him a tuna fish sandwich!” He insisted, though he walked over to the counter to take over anyway. “If it makes you feel sick, don’t do it!”

“Just make him the god damned tuna, Josh!” Hayley spat.

“I am! Geez, Hayley!” Josh snapped back. He ripped the lid off and waived it in the air. “There, see?” He added angrily.

“Oh no…” Hayley gasped as the smell of fish wafted over to her from Josh waiving the lid around.

“Shit!” Josh winced. “Hayley! I’m sorry!” He called after her as she ran to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth.

“Hi Dada.” Ethan greeted as he walked into the kitchen. “Mommy?” He asked, pointing to the bathroom.

“Yep, Momma’s in the bathroom.” Josh answered, concentrating on not feeling nauseous himself and finishing the sandwich before Hayley returned.

“Oh, no! Eth! Lets let Mommy have some privacy.” Josh said as he rushed over to the bathroom door Ethan had been about to open. Ethan looked up at his father, confused. There was no such thing as ‘privacy’ in this house.

“Want to help me turn on the fan?” Josh asked. Ethan grinned and nodded. Josh picked him up and placed a small fan in the kitchen window. He let Ethan turn it on and prayed that it would get rid of the smell of fish so he and Hayley both might feel a bit better.

Hayley had been throwing up constantly. And, to be honest, Josh really hadn’t been expecting the vomiting to be quite this bad. He also hadn’t expected to feel dangerously nauseous every time Hayley was sick. Even if Hayley wasn’t around in the morning, he still felt a bit nauseous.

He had always thought morning sickness was a once a day thing that happened every few days. But as Hayley got further along in the pregnancy, the morning sickness got worse and worse. And it didn’t only happen in the morning… go figure.

He was getting quite worried about the situation – brushing your teeth in the morning while your fiancée randomly leaps out of the shower to be violently sick was not his idea of morning sickness – but Hayley assured him that this was in fact normal.

“Hey guys…” Hayley sighed as she reappeared from the bathroom. Josh quickly shoved the tuna fish sandwich into a plastic bag and hid it out of sight. Hayley laughed quietly and walked over to the sink to rinse her mouth with water. She looked exhausted.

“Hey Ethan, do you want to play in the back yard before you go to Ms. Kelly’s?” Josh asked. Ethan grinned and Josh opened the door to let him outside.

“Come on, Dada!” Ethan urged as he walked outside.

“I’m gonna finish getting lunch ready. I’ll be right inside watching you, ok?” Josh said. Ethan frowned thoughtfully before nodding his approval. He headed for the sandbox in the backyard and began digging around happily.

“How are you feeling?” Josh asked carefully, turning his attention to Hayley. She was leaning over the sink, grasping the edges of the counter so tightly that her knuckles were white. Once again, he had to take a few deep breaths to calm his stomach.

“I can’t do this!” Hayley gasped, tears already running down her face. “I hate being sick. I fucking hate it!” She nearly yelled.

“Shhh!” Josh soothed. He took a step toward her and rubbed her back gently.

“Don’t touch me.” She spat. Josh backed away, hands in the air. Hayley took a few calming breaths and sighed as the nausea finally began to pass.

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled.

“It’s ok.” Josh assured. He took a hesitant step toward her again and she buried her head in his chest.

“Josh. I really don’t think I can do this again!” She sighed. “I’m so tired.”

“Hayley, you are the strongest woman I know. You can get through this. It’s only a few more weeks before the morning sickness should start to go away.”

“A few more weeks Josh!” She spat. “I can’t handle this for a few more days!”

“I know…” He sighed. “Me either.”

“Oh yeah! How are you feeling?” She asked, glancing at him knowingly.

“I’m fine!” He lied, as his stomach churned dangerously. It had only taken Hayley a few days to catch on the fact that he felt sick when she did.

“Uh huh.” She teased. “Just admit it, you have sympathy morning sickness.” She grinned.

“I do not.” Josh defended. “I just… don’t like it when people are sick.” He mumbled.

“Oh riiiight.” Hayley said, rolling her eyes. “That’s why you laughed at Zac last time he was sick.”

“Hey, I told him he shouldn’t drink milk that fast.” Josh replied with a smile.

“Admit it! You’re having sympathy morning sickness!” Hayley sang. Josh didn’t reply. He simply crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I think it’s cute.” Hayley smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. “It happens to lots of guys when their wives get pregnant. And at least it’s only sympathy morning sickness.” Josh scoffed and shook his head.

Hayley turned to get Ethan’s lunch in a lunchbox and instantly went pale when she picked up the sandwich. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” She mumbled, pressing an already sweaty palm to her head. Josh hurried to her and took over, placing the sandwich in the lunchbox and zipping it closed. At least his ‘sympathy nausea’, or whatever Hayley called it, didn’t actually make him vomit. Or at least it hadn’t yet…

He looked at her and frowned, she didn’t look like she was going to be sick again, but she was definitely on the verge of tears. He pulled her to him and hugged her gently. They were both silent for a few minutes while Josh rubbed Hayley’s back soothingly.

“I think you need a day off.” He said thoughtfully. He reached for the phone and began to dial the Salon’s phone number.

“Josh, no.” Hayley mumbled. “I can’t take a day off just because I’m not feeling great. If that were possible, I would never be at work.”

“You have an appointment today anyway.” Josh pointed out. This appointment was a very important appointment. It had been almost three months since Hayley had gotten pregnant.

No one knew that Hayley was pregnant, not even Ethan. She and Josh had both agreed to keep quiet about the pregnancy until the risk of miscarriage went down a bit. Today, if everything looked good, they could finally tell everyone.

“I’m sure they’ll understand if you call out.” Josh continued.

“I only have three consults today, it won’t take…”

“Exactly. Only three. Someone else can handle them.” He cut in. “I’m calling them.”

“Josh no!” Hayley insisted.

“Too late!” Josh teased, holding the phone to his ear.

“Jooooosh!” Hayley complained. She reached up to take the phone away but Josh held her back. Hayley giggled and jumped to try to grab the phone once more.

“Hey, yeah, this is Josh. I just wanted to let you know that Hayley’s not feeling too well today. Ah!” He gasped as Hayley finally grabbed his arm and tried to pry the phone away from his ear. “She won’t be able to come in, I’m afraid!” He continued as the phone finally got pulled away from his ear a bit. “Can someone take over her make-up consults for the day?”

“Josh!” Hayley whined quietly, finally giving up.

“Ok, great!” Josh said into the phone. “Uh huh, yeah, I’ll be sure to let her know. She’ll see you tomorrow. Bye!”

“Josh! You didn’t have to do that.”  Hayley pouted.

“Tamara says to get lots of rest and feel better.” Josh said, ignoring Hayley. “So, why don’t you go lay down for a bit. I’ll take Ethan to daycare and then you’ll have the morning to relax before we go to the doctor’s.” He suggested. Hayley sighed and hugged Josh.

“Thank you.” She mumbled into his chest.

“No, thank you.” He replied, rubbing her still-flat stomach lightly. Hayley rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Dork.” She accused, kissing him softly.

“Sexy.” Josh shot back before licking her lower lip and ultimately silencing any further replies. Hayley grinned into the kiss and allowed her tongue to play with his lip ring. Josh groaned quietly and pulled her closer, deepening their kiss.

“You’re supposed to be watching Ethan.” Hayley reminded quietly. “You’re not being a very good dad.” She teased.

“He’s in the sandbox Hayles, how much damage can he possibly do?” Josh replied, placing a few kisses on her neck.

“You tell me!” Hayley laughed. “He’s your son. You should know he can always find ways to hurt himself.”

Josh hesitated for a few seconds and shrugged. “True.” He sighed. “Geez, I see how it is. Making me be a responsible parent and all…” He said sarcastically.

“Look! He’s fine.” He added, pointing out the window.

“Great, then why don’t you get him ready for daycare.” Hayley said, sticking her tongue out teasingly.

“Yeah, yeah…” Josh sighed dramatically as he headed for the backyard.

More Ethan in the next chapter! :) (which will hopefully be posted a LOT faster! Hah)

Sorry he wasn’t in this one too much.

I just wanted to say, like most authors, I spend a lot of time on my stories to try to make them unique and fun to read. And I am particularly proud of Your Own Disaster.

I put so much time into coming up with a plotline and researching background information for this story and look into how babies and toddlers act, how parents react and deal with toddlers, how pregnancies work and blah, blah, blah. Seriously, hours of research here, haha.

Like I said, most authors dedicate a lot of time to their stories. Please respect that.

When you write, be original. If you do see another author come up with an idea or even a background plot that you love that much ask permission to use that idea and really try to make that idea your own. Change it up! Make it your idea. Don’t just flat out copy it, changing only a few small details. Also be sure to give credit where credit is due.

I’ve seen a few authors go through people taking their ideas (whether it is intentional or unintentional), almost word for word at times, and it really isn’t fair. Thankfully, it doesn't happen all too often here (at least, not that I see) and most stories on buzznet are all very unique and completely original. But even if ideas are not taken ‘word for word’ it still feels pretty crappy when ideas are used and not changed up much. 

If you get inspiration from another person’s idea and completely make it your own, that’s a different story. I’m totally cool with that.

And that is all

   I’m going to say

        about that.

            K bye. :)

So, I have to say, I was pretty entertained by the comments on the last chapter. They made me smile.

You all rock and make me want to write more. :) Thank youuuu!!!

Hayley stood up and paced around the living room, trying to calm herself down. She debated picking up the phone to call Sarah for a round of ass kicking, but in the end she decided to wait until she knew exactly what Josh was going to do. Knowing him, he could be working up some grand scheme of how to welcome the idea of a baby or he could be plotting his escape. It was hard to tell with him.

When she heard his footsteps move toward the stairs, she began thinking up what she was going to say to him. Even if he did end up coming down and being happy about the baby, she was still angry. Because, even if he did end up being alright with the situation, he had still walked away, leaving her alone and confused.

It was then that Hayley realized disappointed she was in him. She was so sure that he would be overjoyed at the news this time. But no, he had jumped at the chance to get away from her when Ethan cried. Maybe he hadn’t changed over the years as much as she thought he had.

“Come on, it’s ok.” Hayley heard Josh say as he descended. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and scowled when she realized he was bringing Ethan downstairs. Of course he had to bring Ethan down. Of course he had to have some sort of buffer so he didn’t have to talk about the baby.

Hayley was furious.

“Momma!” Ethan smiled tiredly when he and Josh entered the living room. Hayley plastered a fake smile on her face and took him from Josh.

“Hey buddy! Why are you up?” She asked. He shrugged and squirmed his way down to the floor to play with a nearby wooden puzzle set.

“Josh, if you leave me again I will fucking kill you.” Hayley whispered threateningly into his ear. Josh took a step back and raised his hands in the air innocently.

“Hey, I’m still here aren’t I?” He asked. Hayley rolled her eyes angrily and ran her fingers through her hair. Josh bit his lip and coughed to hide a laugh.

“What?” Hayley spat quietly. “What is so fucking funny?”

“You get mad too easily.” He replied with a barely contained smile. "Have some faith." Hayley clenched her hands into fists and bit her tongue to keep from yelling. She felt like she wanted to smack him upside the head for being so frustrating.

"It's hard to have faith when you do the exact same thing you did last time this happened." Hayley reminded rudely. 

Just in time to ease the situation, Ethan sneezed loudly, hitting his head on the couch from the force behind the sneeze. He froze, staring at the couch in shock and then turned around to look at his parents. His face clearly said ‘what the hell just happened?’ Josh snorted quietly and doubled over, laughing hard. Hayley bit her lip and tried her best not to laugh at her son.

Ethan cocked his head to the side and watched Josh who was laughing loudly now. A grin passed over the toddler’s face as he finally realized he had done something funny and he turned back to the couch, taking a nosedive into it. Hayley watched Josh in astonishment as he laughed harder. Suddenly the situation wasn’t funny at all anymore.

Josh was laughing too hard. He only laughed like this if he was nervous. He must be planning on leaving again. Or at least breaking up.  Hayley’s heart sank and she shut her eyes in hopes that when she reopened them everything would be ok.

But, of course, she had no such luck. She opened her eyes to see Ethan repeating his nosedive into the couch cushions over and over again to Josh’s amusement.

“Ok no. Ethan, stop.” Hayley said, gently pulling the toddler away from the couch. “Come on, you should be in bed, Eth."

“Dada said no.” Ethan frowned. Hayley glared at Josh, who covered his mouth with his hand to hide a smile.

“Come here EJ.” Josh said. Ethan grinned and hurried over to his father.

“Now Dada?” He asked as Josh sunk to his knees to get to Ethan’s level.

“Yep. You know what to do?” Josh asked. Ethan nodded and puffed out his chest proudly.

“Momma!” He said importantly.

“What?” Hayley asked, confused. Ethan twisted his hands together and looked up at her shyly.  He covered his face with his tiny hands and squealed, turning back to Josh. "You say, Dada."

“No! You can do it!” Josh encouraged. “Come on, it will make Mommy smile.” Hayley’s anger toward Josh was slowly being replaced with curiosity as she watched Josh whisper to their son.

“Ethan wants to ask you something.” Josh explained once he was done whispering. He gently pushed the suddenly shy toddler toward Hayley and nodded at him to go ahead.

“Get down, just like we practiced upstairs.” He reminded. Ethan giggled and got down on his knees.

“Momma?” Ethan asked quietly.

“Yes, baby?” Hayley asked hesitantly. Her heart was racing now, but she wasn’t entirely sure why. Josh scooted closer to Ethan and rested his hands on the toddler’s shoulders lightly.

Ethan turned to look at Josh once more for reassurance. Josh smiled back at him and nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead!” He urged.

“Momma, will you mawwy us?” Ethan asked with a smile.

Hayley inhaled sharply and raised her hand to her mouth. Her skin broke out in goosebumps and her heart stopped. “Wh-what?” She gasped, looking at Josh. He shrugged nervously and nodded down toward Ethan. She looked at her son and tears instantly spilled over her cheeks.

Ethan was holding out a silver diamond ring for her. “Will you mawwy us, Momma?” He repeated, looking hopeful. “Pwease?”

A sob escaped Hayley’s throat and she sunk down to her knees slowly. Ethan’s eyes went wide and he looked alarmed when he realized Hayley was crying. He dropped the ring and hurried to his mother.

“Is ok Momma! Dada’s not dat bad.” He said comfortingly, patting her arm lightly.

Hayley let out a short, barking laugh through her tears while Josh chuckled nervously. Hayley wiped away her tears and put an arm around Ethan.

“Seriously?” She choked out, looking at Josh. She had to be dreaming.

“No last minute ring this time.” Josh said quietly. “This one has been in the closet for months, behind that photo album you were so adamant about getting all by yourself a few weeks ago.” Hayley laughed quietly and pushed her hair behind her ear with a shaky hand. “I’ve been planning on asking for a while. I was just waiting for the right time.” He scooted closer to her and picked up the ring Ethan had dropped.

He lifted one knee off the ground, so he was kneeling properly in front of her, and held the ring out once more. “So, will you marry me?”

“Us!” Ethan corrected angrily.

“Sorry, will you marry us?” Josh asked with a smile.

“Juss say yesssss!” Ethan complained. Hayley laughed and nodded happily, throwing her arms around Josh’s neck. Josh bit his lip and grinned happily.

“Told you I'd say yes the next time you proposed.” She mumbled into his shoulder with a smile. Josh laughed quietly and hugged Hayley tight. In that moment, he was the happiest man on the planet.

“Second time’s a charm!” He whispered, jokingly.

“Shut up.” Hayley replied with a laugh.

“Dada, you have to kiss da bide now!” Ethan reminded impatiently as his parents broke apart from their hug. Josh smiled and did as he was told, kissing Hayley sweetly.

“Done!” Ethan ordered after a few seconds. “Etan’s turn.” Hayley laughed, and bent down so Ethan could plant a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

“Now we mawwied.” Ethan informed with a smile. “Wea family now.”

“We’ve always been a family, Eth.” Josh explained.

“Wea family again.” Ethan corrected with a shrug. “Gee Dada!” He added, as if the fact was obvious.

“Oh, I see.” Josh replied. He had learned quickly not to argue with toddler logic.

“Oh my gosh…” Hayley whispered as she looked at the ring that was still in Josh’s hands. “Is this really happening?” Josh smiled and nodded. He took her shaky hand into his own and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

“I wanna do it!” Ethan complained as he watched. His lower lip began to tremble and before long he was crying.

“Ok, I think it’s time for bed, mister cranky pants.” Hayley said quietly to her son. Ethan shook his head no, but raised his arms in the air to be picked up.

“I’ll do it!” Josh said quickly.

“It’s ok.” Hayley said. “The ‘no heavy lifting’ rule isn’t in effect yet.” She smiled, referring to the fact that she might be pregnant.

After they got Ethan settled once more, Josh and Hayley walked into their bedroom. The second their door snapped shut, their lips met in a needy kiss. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies urgently and soft moans escaped their lips.

“We’re engaged!” Hayley giggled excitedly.

“Yes we are.” Josh replied, voice husky. He lifted her into the air with ease and walked toward the bed.

“And we might be having a bab-ohh!” She gasped as he bit her neck gently.

“Oh, the baby!” Josh said happily, suddenly more excited about a potential baby than what they were about to do. He had nearly forgotten. “Lets find out!” He said. He stood up and began digging around in the closet for some shoes.

“You sir, are crazy.” Hayley laughed. “We’ll find out at the doctor’s office tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well, I’m impatient. You should know that by now.” Josh replied. “I’m gonna go get one of those home tests.” He smiled excitedly. “And if you’re not pregnant, we can try to get you pregnant tonight!” He added with a wink. Hayley laughed and stopped him before he could get out the bedroom door.

“Hold on there speedy.” She laughed. She walked into the master bathroom and pulled out a pregnancy test from a cabinet under the sink.

“You have one already?” Josh asked curiously.

“It’s left over from the box I got… last time.” She said quietly. She hated thinking about the miscarriage.

Josh got very quiet and hugged her gently. “It’ll work out this time.” He whispered. “I promise. Last time just wasn't meant to be.”

“I know…” Hayley sighed. “Now scoot!” She said, pushing him out of the bathroom. Josh did as he was told and sat on the bed, waiting nervously.

He looked up eagerly when she reappeared from the bathroom moments later and bit his lip, playing with his lip ring anxiously. Hayley smiled faintly as she took in the look on his face. For once, he wasn’t able to keep the stone face he normally held, though he was trying like mad to show no emotion. There was no hiding the look of hope and excitement in his eyes.

“So?” He asked quietly. Hayley smiled and held up the test, nodding.

“Yes.” She said happily.

“YES!” Josh yelped loudly. Hayley jumped in surprise and grinned widely. He ran over and lifted her into the air, kissing her happily. “I’m gonna be a husband and a new Daddy.”

Hayley giggled and kissed him. “Finally.” She whispered. “Its finally our turn.”

“For what?” Josh asked curiously.

“For happiness.”  Hayley explained.

“Red, we don’t have to get married and have another baby to be happy. I have always been happy when I am with you and Ethan.” Josh whispered. “And I think you have too.” He added. “The rest is just bonus ‘happy’.” Hayley chuckled softly and nodded before kissing her husband-to-be. Things were finally going smoothly for her and her family. No more Josh and Hayley disasters. She couldn’t have been happier.

:D :D :D

I rewrote this so. many. times. (and probably missed a bunch of spelling/grammar stuff) !!!!!!!! hahaha.

idk when the next update will be :/ hopefully sometime toward the middle of this week. 

ilikethischapter ^.^

This is in two parts again, because A) it would be ridiculously long if I kept this all as one chapter and B) because I’m mean like that :D

“Josh.” Hayley whispered. “Wakey wakey!” She giggled, poking his side gently.

“Noooo.” Josh groaned. He rolled away from her and sighed in his semi-awake state. “Come on, you have to get up.” She whispered. “Last day of work for the summer, remember?” She added. She kissed his neck softly and felt him tense up beneath her.

“That is how you wake a guy up.” Josh mumbled happily. It had been too long since she had kissed his neck like that. He pulled her head up to his gently and kissed her.

“Daddy!” Ethan called from outside.

“And that is why I never get woken up like this.” Josh pouted. Hayley giggled and rolled away before Ethan came barging in.

“Daddy! No mow school!” Ethan yelped excitedly. Josh helped him onto the bed and smiled.

“That’s right!” He praised. “We get to spend all day together tomorrow.”

“Momma too.” Ethan said.

“No, baby, I have to work.” Hayley repeated for at least the tenth time. Ethan frowned and crossed his arms.

“Hey! We’ll have a boy’s day.” Josh smiled.

“Boy stay?” Ethan pondered.

“Just you and me.” Josh explained. “And we can do something special for Mommy while she’s at work.”

“Yeah!” Ethan said excitedly. “Boy stay!” Hayley laughed and rested her head on top of Ethan’s lightly.

“Remind me why he still has to go to daycare this summer?” Josh asked with a small frown. “I can watch him.”

“Because he has to stay with his friends.” Hayley said. “You want to see Catherine don’t you Eth?”

“Cafwine!” Ethan grinned happily. “Cafwine is my fwiend.”

“Ah, right, he has to ‘socialize’ like a normal kid.” Josh said, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

“He does.” Hayley replied. She kissed her boys and crawled out of bed to take a quick shower.

The second she stood up, a wave of nausea swept over her. Why did seafood always mess with her stomach the morning after she ate it? She pressed her hand to her head and took a few deep breaths, willing herself not to vomit all over the cream carpet in the bedroom.

“You alright?” Josh asked with a frown when he saw her. Hayley nodded and forced a smile.

“Yeah.” She replied when she gained control over the nausea. “Yeah, just got dizzy for a minute.” She ruffled Ethan’s hair to show the toddler she was fine and hurried to the bathroom for her shower.

~*~

“Jenny, I have fifteen minutes until my next appointment gets here, I’m just going to grab something to eat. Let me know if someone calls.” Hayley said, talking to her coworker.

“Sure thing.” Jenny replied. Hayley walked across the small salon she worked in and entered the break room.

“What is that smell?” Hayley said, scrunching her nose.

“Oh, that’s my burrito, sorry.” Tamera, another coworker, explained. Hayley curled her lip slightly and opened the refrigerator to find her lunch.

As the smell of burrito buried itself deeper in her nose, Hayley began to feel a bit queasy and she had to fan herself a bit as the room suddenly felt overly warm. Although, her reaction wasn’t normally quite this bad, she hadn’t been able to stand the scent of burritos since she had been pregnant with Ethan.

Hayley froze, her hand halfway to the brown paper bag that contained her lunch. Maybe the nausea this morning hadn’t been because of the seafood she’d had the previous night. She stood up straight again and began counting in her head. How many weeks had it been since that amazing night with Josh…

Before she could finish counting she had to run for the bathroom as the nausea overpowered her. She slammed the door to the small bathroom behind her and fell to her knees in front of the toilet. She didn’t think she had ever been so excited to be sick.

~*~

“I want Mommy.” Ethan pouted.

“Well that’s too bad, you’re stuck with Daddy tonight.” Josh sighed. Hayley had been acting odd all night and had asked Josh to deal with getting Ethan to sleep while she ‘caught up on a few things’.

Ethan crossed his arms angrily and gave Josh his ‘I am not impressed’ look. “Read.” He demanded, dropping a book in Josh’s lap.

“Yikes! Watch where you drop things, kid.” Josh jumped, as the corner of the book dug into his thigh. “Alright, come here you little monster.” He reached out and grabbed Ethan, who had begun dancing around in small circles for no apparent reason. Ethan squealed in delight as he was dragged backward and pulled into his father’s lap. Josh opened the book and began reading over Ethan’s shoulder, encouraging his son to make up his own story as they went along.

By the end of the book, Ethan was sleeping lightly against Josh’s chest.

“Hey, Josh…”

“Shh.” Josh hushed before Hayley could finish, nodding down at the sleepy toddler. He stood up and began walking slowly toward Ethan’s bed.

“Aww.” Hayley smiled. “Come downstairs when you’re done. I have something I need to talk to you about.” Josh’s heartbeat picked up immediately and he was suddenly nervous.

“Uh, ok.” He said casually. “What is it?”

“I don’t want to say in front of the little one.” Hayley informed. “It can wait.” With that, she disappeared from the doorway and Josh could hear her light footsteps going down the stairs.

His stomach twisted in knots as he laid Ethan in bed. Hayley had been in a weird, distant mood for about a week now and they hadn’t had sex in at least a week and a half. He knew they didn’t have to have sex to have a good relationship, but it was something they did on a fairly regular basis. Lately whenever he tried to start something, Hayley would roll her eyes and push him away, complaining that she was too tired. Josh however, was starting to think that maybe she just wasn't as attracted to him anymore.

“Night Dada.” Ethan sighed quietly. Josh’s head snapped away from the doorway and he smiled at his son.

“Night EJ.” He tucked Ethan into bed and kissed his forehead gently. “Sleep tight.”

“Don’t let da beg buds… bite.” Ethan mumbled sleepily.

“Close enough.” Josh sighed with a quiet laugh. He walked to the door and shut it quietly behind him and reluctantly headed downstairs.

“Eth is all settled in for the night.” He announced. He sat in the chair across from Hayley and turned his attention to the show she was watching. She looked at him and smiled nervously before turning the television off.

“Hey! I wanted to see that!” Josh pouted. He had no idea what show was on, but anything was better than this talk Hayley wanted to have.

“Don’t try to get out of talking.” Hayley replied.

“Hayley…” Josh sighed heavily. “I know we’ve been…” He hesitated as he saw the look on her face. “Wait, you’re smiling.” Hayley nodded. “What… what kind of talk is this?”

“What did you think it was?” Hayley asked curiously.

“I don’t know…” He mumbled. “Not a fun one though. I mean, we haven’t been as… close recently as we normally are.”

Hayley rolled her eyes and shook her head with a short laugh. “I told you! I’m tired.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve been tired an awful lot lately.” Josh grumbled, voice laced with resentment.

“I have.” Hayley replied matter-of-factly. “We’re going to the doctor about that tomorrow.” She explained.

“What? What doctor?” Josh said, annoyed. Did she want them to see a stupid couples therapist or something? He didn’t think things were that bad between them. “Ok, what kind of talk are we having here, because I’m confused.” He said, a hint of anger in his voice.

“A good one. I think.” Hayley replied. Watching Josh squirm was entertaining. Though the reason behind her teasing was fear of what he would say and do when she finally admitted what was going on.

“While I was at work today… I got sick.” She said. Josh stared at her, completely and utterly confused. “And,” Hayley continued nervously, “it’s been… what… five weeks since that night?” She asked raising an eyebrow for emphasis.

“Five and a half.” Josh replied with a smile. That had been a good night…

“Men…”Hayley sighed. She sat back against the couch and waited for Josh to catch on.

“So, what does that have to do with…” Josh stopped mid-sentence and cocked his head to the side. Everything was starting to fall into place, but he was afraid to say what he thought might be going on. He didn’t want to be wrong.

“What?” Hayley asked, barely able to hide a smile.

“Are you…” Josh started. “Are you pregnant?” He finished breathlessly.

“I think I am.” She replied in a whisper, nodding slowly. She studied Josh’s face carefully, looking for any signs of emotion. She saw a flash of something that could either have been excitement or panic, but it was only a matter of milliseconds before Josh had control over his face, hiding his thoughts deep within.

“That’s why I’ve been so tired lately. When I woke up this morning I felt nauseous but I assumed it was the fish we had last night and it was just disagreeing with my stomach this morning. But then at work, Tamara had a burrito and I had to run for the bathroom to be sick. Just like when I was pregnant with Ethan. And it would explain why I’m so sore. It just makes sense. Josh, please say something.” She said in a rush. She was shaking with nerves now.

“Uh.” He stumbled. “I uh…” His face was blank. He needed an escape route. And fast.

It wasn’t long before his prayers were answered and Ethan began sobbing from upstairs, calling for his mother.

“I got it.” Josh said quickly. Before he had even finished speaking, he was hurrying for the stairs.

“Joshua Neil!” Hayley yelled after him.

“I’ll be back!” He called over his shoulder. “Then we’ll… figure this out.” He added before he jogged up the stairs.

“You have got to be fucking KIDDING ME!” Hayley spat in frustration. She felt like she was suffering a major case of déjà vu. She told Josh she was pregnant and off he ran. Exactly the same as it had been about three and a half years ago.

“Asshole.” Hayley fumed quietly.

Oh Josh… :|

I’ll update soon, I promise!

Against my better judgement, I'm going to post this.

First off, I want to say that I understand this is a touchy topic – I know some people may not agree with me on this issue – and I generally stay far, FAR away from talking politics, especially on the Internet...

But tonight is potentially a HUGE night for Maine (where I live).

As some people might have noticed, ‘Maine’ and ‘#VoteNoOn1” have been Trending Topics on Twitter for a majority of the day. I believe ‘Maine’ is currently a TT again right now (as of the time this journal was posted).

This is why…

In May 2009, a law was passed and signed by Gov. John Baldacci saying that same-sex marriage would be allowed in Maine. Of course, some people were upset by this and now the issue made it to the ballot for today's election.

The question on the ballot was "Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?"

"No" means you want to allow same-sex couples to be married; "Yes" means you want to repeal the law and refuse the right.

The polls closed at 8:00 PM (EST) and, from what I understand, there were still a few people in line to vote for at least an hour after the polls closed. Apparently there was a much larger voter turnout than expected and they ran out of ballots in some areas and had to use photocopied ones, haha.

Originally, the estimated results were 51% for ‘No’ and 49% for ‘Yes’, meaning that the law would stay in place and same-sex couples would be allowed to marry, but with all the unexpected voters, I really don’t know which side will end up having it.

As of 9:54 PM (EST) The votes are No: 50.62% and Yes: 49.38% but at this point only 22% of precincts have reported, so it’s anyone’s game. It's definitely going to be a close one. I am curious to see if Maine will end up breaking ground with the same-sex marriage debate.

Same-sex marriage has always been the one political thing I've ever really talked about publicly and have a really strong opinion about. 

Honestly, It’s kind of ridiculous to me that this even has to be voted on. We’re all people; we all deserve the same rights. 

Love is love. You can’t help who you fall in love with, and you shouldn’t have to be told whether or not you are allowed to marry them or not.

Edit: With 87% of precincts reporting, the gay marriage law has been overturned in Maine with a 53% to 47% vote. The 'Yes on 1' campaign claimed victory last night a little after 12:30AM (EST) 

I'm sad to see that 53% of my state isn't as open-minded as I had hoped. Although, the fact that the vote was so close gives me hope that someday soon things will change for the better and people will no longer be denied their basic civil liberties.

So…. This is longer than expected… hahaha. I don’t think anyone will mind though.

Still the same day as Ethan’s birthday party (previous post), just so you know :)

Like always, sorry for grammar/spelling!

“Ok Eth, ready for bed?” Hayley asked. She and Ethan had just finished their nightly snuggle after bath time. Ethan nodded and yawned loudly, still bundled up in a towel from his bath.

“Let’s get your PJs and a fresh diaper on.” Hayley said.

“I’ll do it.” Josh said quietly. “You go get ready for bed, you look exhausted.”

“Thanks.” Hayley mumbled. They had just finished cleaning the house from Ethan’s party before Hayley had given Ethan his bath.

“No Daddy!” Ethan complained when Josh walked toward him with a diaper. “Noooo!” He wailed, tears forming in his eyes. He hopped up in down in frustration and waived his arms around.

“What?” Josh asked, confused. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s just tired.” Hayley informed.

“No dipey!” Ethan cried, waiving Josh away and wiping tears from his tiny face.

“Eth, you have to wear a diaper to bed.” Josh sighed.

“Noooo!” Ethan wailed. “I big boy!” Hayley groaned and walked back into the room to provide backup for Josh. Ethan had been doing very well with potty training recently, and he had been determined to be a ‘big boy’ ever since he had turned three. But he couldn’t make it through the night yet, not that Hayley or Josh expected him to. Even Sammy still had bad nights on rare occasions.

“I know you’re a big boy, but you have to wear your diaper to bed.” Josh explained. Ethan wailed louder and shrank away from Josh when he stepped forward with the diaper once more.

“Just… let him go to bed.” Hayley sighed.

“With nothing at all?” Josh asked. Ethan was still a little young for underwear, all he had at the moment were diapers.

“He has pajama pants…” Hayley pointed out.

“You do realize he will wet the bed, right?” He asked. Hayley nodded. “And he’ll cry.”

Hayley nodded once more.

“He won’t want to go to bed without a diaper again though.” She pointed out. “At least, not until he’s really ready. Sarah and Jeremy did the same thing with Sammy, to show him why he needed to still wear a diaper to bed.” She explained.

“You realize we’ll have to clean up.” Josh continued.

“Yes, Josh.” Hayley sighed.

“At like… two in the morning.” He pointed out.

“Yes, Josh!” Hayley snapped. “I know!”

“Alright.” Josh sighed, giving in. Hayley left the room to find a waterproof mattress pad while Josh calmed Ethan down and took him to the bathroom.

“Don’t need to.” Ethan frowned when Josh stood him in front of the toilet.

“I know, I’d like you to try though.” Josh sighed. “Please, Eth.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to wear a diaper to bed?” Hayley asked when Ethan was finally ready to crawl into bed. The toddler nodded happily and pulled the blankets over himself.

“Ok.” She sighed. “Eth, it’s ok if you have an accident, alright?”

“I wont.” He assured.

“Ok, but if you do, it’s alright.” Josh said.

“Night-night.” Ethan replied, shooing his parents out of the room. Hayley sighed and followed Josh out the door.

“I’ll go buy some pull-ups tomorrow.” Josh yawned as they walked down the hallway. “He needs to step up from diapers anyway.” Hayley froze in place at Josh’s words.

“You ok?” He asked with a frown. Hayley looked up, eyes a bit glossy with tears.

“He’s growing up…” She mumbled.

“Aww…” Josh chuckled. He smiled sympathetically and pulled Hayley into a hug. “What, you want to change his diapers forever?” He joked. Hayley laughed quietly and shook her head no.

She wiped her eyes and sighed, trying to regain her composure. “It’s just… it seems like only yesterday he was an infant… and now, he’s so big!” She blubbered. Josh didn’t say anything, he just rubbed her back soothingly. Once again, he was reminded that he hadn’t been there to watch his son grow from a baby to a toddler.

“I’m sorry.” Hayley whispered. “Ah, I’m fine, really. Just… Mommy moment I guess.” She forced a smile and pulled away from Josh to enter the bedroom.

The two changed in silence and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. “You alright?” Hayley asked after a few moments silence. “You’ve seemed a little sad today.”

Josh shrugged in reply and sighed. After a few more moments of nothing, he opened his mouth to speak. “When was Ethan born?” He asked.

“What?” Hayley laughed.

“What time?” He asked.

“You kno… wait… I did tell you, didn’t I?” She asked, thinking back to their many conversations about their son.

“No, I have no idea.” Josh said, laughing sarcastically. “I don’t even know what my son looked like as an infant.”

“Oh Josh… I’m so sorry.” She whispered. Everything made sense now. He was sad because it was Ethan’s birthday and he was thinking about all he’d missed.

Hayley felt awful. She had always been so stubborn to the fact that he hadn’t wanted to be there at first. She had never really thought about what missing out on the first years of Ethan’s life had done to Josh. Yes, he had chosen not to be there for her and Ethan at first, and yes, she had hated him for it. But she had never really thought about how he must feel now that he was a part of Ethan’s life. And how much he must regret his decision.

“Hold on.” She smiled.

“What are you doing?” Josh asked curiously as Hayley jumped out of bed.

“Reminiscing.” She grinned, heading for the closet. She reached for the top shelf, standing on her toes and biting on her lower lip as she tried to reach.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Josh yelped, jumping out of bed and running to her side. He gently nudged her out of the way and reached up.

“I can reach!” Hayley complained.

“It’s ok, I got it.” Josh said with a nervous smile. “What are you trying to get?” He asked. Hayley frowned suspiciously, but pointed to a photo album. Josh pulled it down easily and handed it over.

“Hold on a sec…” He smiled. He ran out of the room and returned a few moments later with a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses. Hayley smiled and laid the album out on the bed while Josh poured a small amount of wine into each glass.

“Ok, start at the beginning.”  Josh smiled. He flipped to the very beginning of the album to see a few polaroids of a profile view of Hayley’s abdomen. Under each photo, a month was written in Hayley’s mother’s handwriting.

“Ugh, my mom made me do those.” Hayley groaned. “She thought it would be cute.” Josh looked at each polaroid with a smile. Hayley’s stomach had been almost completely flat up until the photo labeled “Week 17”, after that, she’d blown up like crazy.

“Why does it stop at week 28?” Josh asked, flipping through the first few pages in search of more polaroids.

“Because my stomach started looking disgusting after the seven month mark.” Hayley laughed. “Loads of stretch-marks, so gross! I refused to do any more after that. My mom wasn’t happy.” She giggled.

“Ahh.” Josh nodded. “Well, how did things go when you were pregnant?”

“Uh, well…” Hayley started, not really sure where to begin. “It was one of those… technologically too advanced types of things.”

“What?” Josh asked, confused.

“Thanks to all the crazy 3D ultrasounds and other medical crap, they thought they found about ten different ‘life threatening issues’ with Ethan while he was inside me.” Hayley explained.

“Yikes…” Josh said.

“Yeah… One of the more likely issues was that he might have an enlarged stomach, which would have meant I had to give birth at some special hospital in Nashville rather than the hospital here.” Josh frowned and rubbed Hayley’s back as she continued talking.

“It was a big mess. I dreaded every single appointment.” She sighed. “It was always ‘what more could go wrong?’ and it sucked. But, in the end, the doctors were all full of crap. Ethan was absolutely perfect when he was born.” She recalled with a smile. “He was born at 4:37 in the afternoon.”

“4:37…” Josh repeated with a smile.

“He was a huge baby. For someone my size anyway…” Hayley giggled. “8 pounds, 4 ounces, 20 inches long.”

Even though she couldn’t see his face, she could tell Josh was grinning like a madman. She turned the page in the photo album from ultrasound photos to the first photo that had ever been taken of their son.

In the photo, Ethan was bundled up in a blanket and Hayley’s mom was holding him against Hayley’s chest. Hayley looked exhausted, but she had the biggest smile on her face as she stared at the baby boy laying on top of her, with tears in her eyes.

“I had to have a c-section.” Hayley explained as Josh started to point to a strange blue divider just below Hayley’s chest in the photo. “I tried natural birth for a few hours, but he just wasn’t coming out.”

“That’s the scar.” He whispered, placing his hand on Hayley’s lower abdomen. Hayley nodded and rested her head on Josh’s shoulder.

“You know… I called you the day he was born.” She whispered.

“Really?” Josh asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” She replied. “I knew he would be coming soon, and I was just… so confused and scared and… I dunno, before I actually realized what I was doing, the phone was at my ear and I was calling you.” She explained. She laughed quietly before she continued. “I don’t know if it was the sound of your voice, or my heart beating faster or… what… but as soon as you picked up the phone, he kicked super hard and then… my water broke.”

“Oh my god! I remember that!” Josh gasped. “I said ‘hello’, I heard a gasp and then… nothing. You hung up! I never knew who that was.”

“Yep, that was me.” Hayley laughed. “Did you not have caller ID?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It said ‘restricted’” He replied with a shrug.

“Oh…” She mumbled. She grabbed her wine glass and downed what was left of the liquid inside, holding it out after for more.

“So, how was life with Ethan once he was born?” Josh asked as he refilled their glasses.

“Difficult.” Hayley replied honestly. “I got absolutely no sleep. He was always hungry and, good lord! breastfeeding was a pain in the ass…” She muttered. Josh laughed softly and hugged her sideways. “He was so beautiful though…” She smiled. “I liked to just… stare at him.” She added with a laugh. “My little Peanut.”

“Your little what?” Josh asked with a laugh.

“My Peanut!” Hayley replied with a smile. “That was what I called him. Peanut.”

“That’s cute.” Josh said. Hayley nodded and flipped through the album, showing off photos of infant-Ethan.

“He scared the crap out of me one day…” Hayley recalled with a laugh as Josh looked at the photos.

“How did he do that?” Josh asked.

“When he was about five weeks old, he projectile vomited like four times in a day.” Hayley started. “That was one of the signs that something might be wrong with his stomach, like they were thinking while he was still in utero. So I freaked out and brought him to the emergency room. Turned out it was just GER.”

“GE what?” Josh asked.

“Acid reflux, more or less.” Hayley shrugged.

“Oh…” He replied. “And that… was ok?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s somewhat common.” She answered. “I just had to keep him upright as much as I could. Not lay him down flat, or on his stomach, crib had to be raised a little on one end, things like that. It went away when he was about three months old or so.”

“Wow…” Josh sighed. “I don’t know how you did it. I would have freaked out at every little thing he did. I probably would have brought him to the hospital thinking something was wrong, only to find out he simply had the hiccups or something.”

“I could see that happening.” Hayley laughed.

“Apparently my dad did that with Nate.” Josh admitted with a laugh.

Hayley smiled faintly and pulled the blankets over her shoulders as bad memories flooded her brain. “The baby books helped a lot.” She admitted. “Most things he did were explained as ‘normal behavior’ in the books I had.”

“Still though…” Josh shook his head. “I don’t think I could ever have done what you did on my own.” Hayley forced a smile and looked away quickly with a shiver.

“Are you ok?” Josh asked. Hayley shook her head and gasped quietly. “Whoa! What’s wrong?” He asked comfortingly when he realized she was crying. She shook her head and allowed Josh to pull her into his arms. This happened to her every time she really thought about Ethan’s infancy. She couldn’t help it, she felt so guilty…

“Shh…” He soothed. “What is it? What’s wrong? Did I say something?”

“No, no.” Hayley gasped. “I… it’s me.”

“What is it?” He asked again. “You can tell me.”

“I was a horrible mother.” She choked out.

“What? No you weren’t!” Josh scoffed. “You are a great mother!”

“No! Josh… I… God! I couldn’t do it!” She rambled.

“Couldn’t do what?” Josh asked hesitantly. “Hayley, you’re not making sense.”

“He was such a handful… and I had my mom and sisters to help me, but… I felt horrible making them go through all that for a mistake I made…” She continued.

“What… what happened?” Josh asked quietly.

“I did all the research, and I almost set up an appointment. It seemed like the best option for him to have a good life.”

“What research? What are you talking about?” Josh demanded. Hayley stopped and looked Josh in the eyes. She looked so fragile.

“I… I thought about giving him up.” She whispered, voice barely audible. “For adoption.”

“You… really?” Josh asked. He had been expecting something much worse. Tears sprung to her eyes once more and she flung herself against his chest.

“I was seriously considering it.” She choked out. “I wanted him to have the b-best possible life. But I c-couldn’t do it.”

“Hayley!” Josh laughed. “Hayley, it’s ok. Everyone has doubts! And you didn’t do it. You kept him, you raised him, and you did a damn good job at it!”

“No! It’s not ok!” Hayley snapped. “I almost gave up our son, Josh!”

“But you didn’t.” Josh pointed out. “And you had his best interests at heart.” Hayley sighed and wiped her eyes. “Don’t feel guilty about something you didn’t do.” He added softly. “Ethan is happy, you’re happy, I’m happy, everything is fine.”

“No one knows.” She said quietly before she stood up and walked to the bathroom to find a tissue, leaving Josh on the bed with the photo album to digest everything.

“What made you change your mind?” He asked hesitantly after a few moments. Hayley laughed quietly to herself and sat back down next to Josh, wiping more tears away.

“He smiled.” She replied simply. “My Peanut smiled for the first time. I was frustrated and stressed out and he just looked up at me and… smiled. All the problems just melted away in that moment. My son smiled at me. He didn’t care that we were living at my mother’s house. He didn’t care that we had limited funds. He didn’t care that I still hadn’t found a job. He was happy just the way things were. Something about that… I don’t know. I just knew everything would be ok.”

Josh bit his lip and hugged Hayley. “I am so sorry.” He whispered. Tears stung at his eyes, but he forced himself not to let them fall.

“Hey! We made it through ok on our own. And you’re here now.” Hayley said. “That’s all that matters.”

“Still…”

“No.” Hayley said firmly. “Josh, don’t. You’re here now. This is the time when he needs his father. Yes, I admit, it would have been nice if you were there when he was a baby, but things wouldn’t have been any different. We still would have had the exact same issues I had on my own and it probably would have torn us apart. We weren’t ready then. Please don’t beat yourself up about this. I need you to forget about the past, I have. Ethan needs your undivided attention. Wishing you could go back and change things isn’t going to fix anything. Just be here now.”

Josh smiled and nodded. He could do that. There would always be a part of him that wished he would have been there, but he was suddenly confidant that he could push that part to the back of his mind and enjoy life with his girlfriend and his son now.

“Besides, one day you will get to experience the joys of infancy.” Hayley giggled. Josh cocked his head to the side and smiled.

“You want another baby?” He asked tentatively. Hayley blushed slightly and shrugged.

“Someday, yeah.” She admitted. “Maybe… get married first… you know, get things a little more organized.” Josh smiled and kissed her softly.

“I can see that happening someday.” He whispered against her lips. She sighed, eyes fluttering shut, and kissed him passionately.

“Noooo.” He complained as things started to get heavy. “I want to hear more Ethan stories.” He complained. Hayley raised an eyebrow in slight disbelief and laughed. Seconds later, crying came from Ethan’s bedroom.

“Lucky you!” Hayley laughed. “You get to experience yet another Ethan-story firsthand!” She grabbed Josh’s hand and pulled him into the hall towards their son’s room.

“What’s wrong Eth?” She asked as she pushed Ethan’s door open, knowing full well what the problem would be.

“I’m wet.” He sobbed.

“It’s ok baby.” Hayley assured. “Everything will be alright.”

“It was just an accident, buddy. It’s ok.” Josh soothed. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

And that is the last we will see of regretful Josh. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I didn't do a Halloween one shot this year :/ Darn... haha
Maybe I'll magically think of something by the end of the day tomorrow... though I doubt it, lol. 

This hasn't really been edited, so it's a bit random at times... I just wanted to get something up, lol.

Part 2 should be up by this weekend... :)

“You invited Kelly?” Hayley asked, furrowing her eyebrows. Ethan’s birthday party was in full swing now that all the guests had arrived. Or so Hayley thought… until Josh mentioned he had asked Miss Kelly from Ethan’s daycare to come.

“Yeah, was I not supposed to?” Josh replied. “I mean, she takes care of the little monster every day, why not invite her? And it’s not like she came anyway.” 

“No reason I guess.” Hayley shrugged. 

“Plus, she laughs at my jokes.” Josh grinned. Hayley stopped what she was doing and looked at Josh curiously. “Oh!” Josh gasped. “Oh no! Hayley, don’t! I don’t like her. There is no need to be jealous.” 

Hayley laughed and shook her head. “I’m not jealous.” She explained. “Just trying to figure out why she would laugh at your lame jokes.” She teased. Josh stuck his tongue out in response and helped smooth out a paper tablecloth. “Besides, Kelly’s married and loves her husband very much.”

“Oh…” Josh said.   

“And, her husband is 10 times hotter than you are…” Hayley added jokingly. Josh gasped and put his hands on his hips for show. 

“Guess I’ll have to pick Ethan up shirtless next time and see what she thinks.” He shrugged. Hayley rolled her eyes and dragged Josh outside where the kids were playing.

“Josh! Hey!” Taylor called. “Over here.”

“See you later.” Josh said to Hayley. He kissed her cheek and jogged off toward Zac, Taylor and Jeremy. 

“Beer?” Jeremy asked, holding out a bottle. Josh took it and took a rather large gulp thankfully. He had dealt with a stressed out Hayley all morning and he was ready to relax a bit. 

“Drinking at a three-year-old’s birthday party? Really?” Emily asked as she walked past. Zac pulled her toward him and put an arm around her protectively. 

“We’re not getting drunk.” Jeremy pointed out. “What else is there for us guys to do at this party?” 

“I’m only teasing.” Emily laughed. “Alright, well, I’ll leave you to it. I was just passing by on my way to the bathroom. Being pregnant is oh so much fun…” She said sarcastically. 

“It’ll be worth it in the end.” Zac smiled. He kissed his wife before she headed into the house.

“There’s an accident waiting to happen.” Taylor frowned. He nodded toward a tree with rather large roots in the backyard. Ethan was running around it, chasing his friend Catherine. 

Sure enough, the toddler tripped over the tree’s roots and fell, hitting the tree pretty hard on his way down. Josh’s heart stopped as he watched, he knew Ethan would be ok, it was only a minor fall, but panic set in anyway. 

After a few seconds of shock, and trying to figure out what had happened, Ethan’s cries filled the air. Josh was already halfway to him when the cries reached everyone’s ears. 

“Ethan! Hey, you’re ok!” Josh soothed, scooping his son up into his arms. He inspected Ethan carefully before pulling him close in a hug. “You’re ok.” The toddler had a small scrape on his cheek, and a shallow cut on his elbow but other than that, he looked fine. 

“I want my mommyyyy!” Ethan wailed. 

“It’s ok, Daddy’s here. I’ve got you.” Josh whispered. 

“M-momm-myyyy!” Ethan cried. 

“Mommy’s coming.” Josh assured. Ethan blubbered into Josh’s chest while Josh rubbed his back and soothed him the best he could. 

“Look at you!” Josh smiled, pulling Ethan away to inspect the scrape and cut once more. “You’re a tough guy now.” Ethan cocked his head to the side and looked at Josh curiously. 

“H-huh?” Ethan asked. 

“You’re a tough guy! You have a scrape.” Josh replied. Ethan wiped his eyes and smiled faintly. 

“Tough guy.” He repeated quietly. 

“Very tough.” Josh informed as Hayley finally came over with antibacterial wipes and bandages. Josh shooed Hayley away and cleaned Ethan’s scrape up on his own. He was determined to be a hands-on dad. 

“There, all better.” He smiled when he was satisfied with his cleaning job. He kissed Ethan’s forehead and patted his back lightly. Ethan ran to Hayley for a hug and she wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. 

“Why don’t you go show your friends how tough you are!” Josh said encouragingly. Ethan smiled, puffed out his chest a bit, and ran off happily.

“Thanks.” Hayley sighed. She rested her head on his chest lightly and he wrapped his arms around her. 

“No problem.” Josh smiled. 

“You’re like, superdad.” She smiled. Josh shook his head and laughed.  “Seriously!” She continued. “You were already there before he even knew what had happened.” Josh shrugged, and smiled to himself. 

“We should get back to the party.” He suggested. Hayley nodded and kissed him softly. 

“Sorry about that.” Josh apologized when he got back to the guys. 

“No problem.” Jeremy smiled. “Duty calls.” 

“Dude… he looks so much like you did when you were a kid.” Zac said quietly as the guys watched Ethan and his friends play. Josh smiled proudly and nodded. 

“You know what amazes me?” Taylor said after a few moments of comfortable silence. “You went from ‘everyday guy’ to ‘Dad’ so quickly.” He said, looking at Josh. “And you did it so naturally and so well! I mean… for just jumping in like you did. That’s hard, dude. You’re doing a good job.” He finished with a smile. 

“He’s doing a great job.” Jeremy corrected. “Being a Dad is hard.” 

Josh forced a smile and nodded. Recently, it had really been bothering him that he had just… jumped in, as Taylor had said. He regretted not being there for Hayley and Ethan from the moment his son was born every single day. 

He hated that he’d missed out on so many firsts in Ethan’s life. He hated that he’d missed out on the pregnancy. He hated that he wasn’t there when Ethan was born. He didn’t even know what time his son was born, or his length and weight! All things a Dad should know.

He hated that he still didn’t know absolutely everything about his son that Hayley knew. What he liked, what he didn’t like, the stories he told, his previous encounters with friends… He hadn’t been there for those cute and funny stories that Hayley enjoyed telling so much about when Ethan had been a baby. 

He certainly learned a little more each day, and he was eternally grateful that he was able to be there and experience life with Ethan now, but that didn’t change the fact that he and Hayley had both been too stubborn for him to be there in the past. He wished, more than anything, that he could go back in time and make things right. 

“Hey, Josh…” Zac said quietly. “You’re here now. Things are working out pretty good. Don’t ruin it by wanting to change the past.” Zac always seemed to know what his brother was thinking. Josh both hated and loved him for it. 

As much as he still wanted to take things back, he knew Zac was right. There was no way of knowing what would have happened if he had stayed with Hayley that night she had told him she was pregnant. Maybe they wouldn’t have lasted as a couple at all. Maybe he would be in a worse position than he was in today if he and Hayley had stayed together. All things considered, he was in a pretty good place. Leading a very happy life. 

But he just couldn’t seem to silence that regret…

“Time for cake!” Hayley’s mother called from inside the house. 

“Oh boy… here we go!” Jeremy groaned. “Everyone take an Advil? It’s about to get loud.” 

~*~

An hour later, Josh swore to himself that he would never let three year olds eat cake again. They were an insane bunch of people when sugar was running through their little veins…

“You know, I’m really proud of you, Josh.” Zac smiled as he watched his brother smooth-talk two children into sharing a toy without either one throwing a tantrum. “You’ve got this father thing down.” 

“Ha!” Josh replied sarcastically. “Yeah right.” 

“I can’t wait to be a Dad…” Zac sighed with a smile. 

“Won’t be long now!” Josh replied distractedly. “Ethan Joshua!” He yelled suddenly. Ethan looked up and grinned mischievously. He was standing in front of the kitchen wall, frosting-covered hand outstretched toward the nice clean cream-colored wall. 

“Ethan!” Hayley warned, as she spotted her son as well. “If you don’t stop right now, everyone will have to go home.” 

Her bribe came too late, as Ethan’s hand made contact with the wall, leaving a small blue handprint behind to match a few squiggles he’d already made before Josh had noticed. Josh sighed and grabbed some kitchen towel to clean up the mess while Hayley pulled Ethan away from the wall and scolded him. 

“Josh, will you go get the you-know-what?” Hayley mumbled quietly. “I think it’s time to wrap things up.”

“Are you sure we want to give it to him after he’s just colored the walls?” Josh asked. 

“People are looking like they’re ready to leave and the kids will be coming off their sugar-highs pretty soon. Better get it done before the good-byes.” Hayley explained. Josh shrugged and walked toward the front door. 

“Ethan, why don’t we go outside for a bit?” Hayley suggested after she’d given Josh five minutes to prepare. 

“No.” Ethan replied. He was too preoccupied with his new toy racetrack to want to move. 

“Daddy wants to show you something cool.” Hayley bribed. Ethan looked up and shrugged. 

“Yes.” He decided. “Less go. Hold me!” Hayley laughed and picked Ethan up while she and the other parents shepherded the children back outside. 

“Whoa!” One of the other kids gasped as he walked out the door. Ethan furrowed his eyebrows and wiggled his way down to the floor so he could run outside. 

There, in the middle of the driveway, was Josh with a video camera and a shiny new red tricycle. Ethan’s eyes went wide and he looked up to Hayley, trying to figure out whose cool bike was sitting next to Daddy. 

“That’s for you, EJ.” Hayley smiled. “Go see it!”  Ethan shrieked and ran toward the bike happily. He squatted down next to it, to inspect and touched it lightly with his fingers, as if was afraid it would crumble if he put too much pressure on it.

“What do you think, buddy?” Josh asked. He handed the camera to Hayley and set Ethan on the bike seat. 

“For me?” Ethan asked in astonishment. Hayley giggled from behind the camera and Josh nodded. 

“It’s all yours.” He smiled. 

“Whoa!” Ethan gasped. He put his feet on the ground and began pushing himself forward. 

“Eth, you have to put your feet on the pedals.” Josh explained with a laugh. He stopped the toddler and helped him get his feet in the right place. “Now, push your legs.” He guided. Ethan giggled in excitement as the bike began to move without his feet on the ground. Josh walked alongside Ethan as he rode slowly down the driveway, helping him avoid cars as he went. 

“No Dada!” Ethan said, slapping Josh’s hand as he helped his son turn the handlebars. “I do.” He added. After a few tries, he seemed to get the hand of minor turns and before long, he was speeding along the driveway. 

“Josh!” Hayley gasped as Ethan sped straight toward Josh’s parked car. “He doesn’t know how to stop!” 

“Shit.” Josh muttered under his breath. He ran after the toddler and grabbed hold of the back of the bike just before Ethan slammed into the car. 

“Nice save!” Jeremy called from the grass. Josh took a mini-bow, keeping one hand firmly on the bike in case Ethan decided to pedal forward once more. 

Ethan craned his head over his shoulder to look at Josh. “Help Dada.” He said. Josh laughed and turned the bike, and Ethan, around. He gently grabbed Ethan’s legs and pushed them backwards, showing him how to use the brakes. 

“Jeez, he’s a fast learner…” Sarah noted. 

“He’s always been quick to catch on.” Hayley added. Josh forced a smile and scratched the back of his neck. 

There was another thing he didn’t know. He could easily see that Ethan was a very smart kid, but he hadn’t been there to see what things Ethan had caught on to so quickly. Was it walking? Talking? He had no idea.

“Now, Ethan, you can only use this in the driveway, ok?” Hayley instructed. “Don’t go in the street. Do you understand me?” She asked. 

“Uh huh!” Ethan called. He was already halfway down the driveway before Hayley even finished talking. The toddler stopped short in front of Catherine, whom he had seemed to develop quite the crush on, and grinned. 

“Well, he figured out the brakes.” Sarah laughed. 

“Gotta stop for the ladies.” Zac joked. 

“Look what I got Cafwin!” Ethan bragged to the little girl. Catherine grinned in admiration and examined the new toy.

“Ah, young love…” Taylor smiled. 

“Don’t you dare!” Hayley warned. “He is too young!” 

“Don’t worry babe, girls will catch cooties pretty soon.” Josh explained. Hayley rolled her eyes and rested her head on Josh’s shoulder. 

“Do I have cooties?” She asked with a smirk.

“Mmhmm.” Josh replied. “Lucky for you, Ethan’s immune and I’m too addicted to care.” He added. 

“Oh, really?” Hayley laughed. Josh grinned broadly, causing Hayley to roll her eyes and hug him. 

“You really did a great job with this party, by the way.” Josh noted as he looked around. The kids were running around the front yard happily, or admiring Ethan’s new bike. There hadn’t been one tantrum from any of the children, and, besides Ethan’s mishap, there had been no crying or injuries.

“I think it went well. Thanks for the help.” She replied. “Glad its only once a year though.” She was completely exhausted. 

Josh chuckled and nodded in agreement. “I’ll go grab the goodie-bags for the other kids and see if we can’t wrap this party up. Then we can relax.” 

“Sounds amazing.” Hayley sighed tiredly. “Thank you, Josh.” 

Seriously though... I just sat here and stared at the computer screen for about 3 minutes going O.O before I even thought to try 'paste' hahaha. Go me!

For anyone who was wondering, the Paramore show in Boston was SO FREAKING AWESOME! I got about seven rows back from the barrier. Wish I could've been closer! The Swellers were amaaaaaazing, they're playing at a supersmall venue in Boston next month, but I can't go because of school :'( Paper Route's set was so freaking good, I can't wait to see them play again someday. And Paramore... just incredible. I can't even explain how awesome they were, haha. It was so much fun! :)

Edit: Buzznet is throwing a shitfit about the formatting this time around. Sorry if there are weird breaks between paragraphs in the chapter or if there are no breaks between paragraphs at all. I'm woring on fixing it, haha.

The beginning is on the ‘M’ side of ratings. You were warned. [There is a method to my madness, I promise. ;) ]

Pretty sure I missed some spelling/grammar on this one... hah sorry.

And this chapter is dedicated to maystar234 because ...well we had a deal... Haha. She kept up her end, so I kept up mine! Haha. (Long story. basically, see: http://maystar234.buzznet.com/user/journal/4699091/more-courage-than/) hahaha.

“That was an excellent meal, thank you.” Hayley smiled as Josh turned the car down their street.

“I’m glad you had a good time.” Josh mumbled. Hayley giggled and ran her fingers through Josh’s hair.

“Hey, you were in the restroom a long time! That waiter didn’t know I wasn’t dining alone. You can’t blame him for hitting on me.” She teased.

“I was trying to get the wine out of my shirt!” He defended.

“I know babe.” Hayley laughed. Josh smiled and turned into the driveway. As he put the car in park, Hayley looked over and her breath caught in her throat.

Josh unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to open his car door but froze just as his fingers touched the cool metal of the door handle. “Hayley!” He gasped. Her nails were digging into his thigh gently. He turned slowly and lost his breath when he saw the look on her face. She looked beautiful in the moonlight. Her moist lips were parted slightly and her eyes were full of desire.

Without warning he lunged forward, mashing his lips against hers frantically. He didn’t know what had come over them, but he knew he needed to be near her. She moaned and tangled her fingers in his hair as he slipped his tongue past her lips. Hayley crawled over to his side of the car, gasping in pain along the way when her leg came in contact with the stick shift. Josh rubbed her leg soothingly and pulled her into his lap so she was straddling his hips. She hovered above him for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of power she held, and kissed him hard on the mouth.

Josh pushed her away gently and began nipping at Hayley’s neck. She let her head fall back, and shut her eyes as his teeth bit at her throat. “Josh!” She whispered as he pulled away. She pressed him against the seat and began kissing her way along his jaw line. His hands slid the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders and he ran his fingers along the smooth silk dress, down her sides.

Hayley pulled at Josh’s shirt, untucking it from his pants, and slid her hands underneath it. Josh groaned loudly at the sensation of her cool hands on his warm skin and slid his hand up to cup her breast. Hayley smiled into their kiss and began fumbling with the button of his pants.

“No, no!” Josh gasped breathlessly. He placed his hands over hers to stop her and cleared his throat. “The babysitter is waiting inside. She has to have heard us pull in.”

“Josh, we’re paying her more than we pay Ethan’s day care provider. She can wait fifteen more minutes.” Hayley replied. She kissed his neck gently and ran her hands along his sides. “If she asks, which she wont, we went for a walk.” Josh opened his mouth to object, but was instantly silenced when Hayley dug her hips into his persuasively.

He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her toward his body roughly. Hayley smiled and kissed him slowly… teasingly almost. He reached around to the back of her dress and slowly inched the metal zipper down her back. Hayley bit his lip, sending a delightful wave of pain through his body, and began unbuttoning his shirt slowly.

Each kiss they shared felt incredible. There was so much passion behind each one. Every time their lips met, sparks went off. Hayley didn’t know how much longer she would be able to handle it.

Just as Josh pulled a hairclip out of Hayley’s hair, allowing her hair to spill down onto her shoulders, the sharp yap of the neighbors dog interrupted them. Hayley’s head snapped up and she looked out the car window. There, at the end of the driveway, was their neighbor, giving his dog a walk. The neighbor didn’t seem to see the two in the car, but the dog definitely did.

“Damn dog.” Hayley muttered.

“We really should get inside anyway.” Josh frowned. Hayley sighed and nodded reluctantly. She slid back into her seat and pulled her hair back into a bun.

“Will you zip me up again?” She asked, turning her back to Josh. He smiled and zipped up the dress before buttoning up his own shirt and smoothing it out.

“How do I look?” He asked, after running his fingers through his mussed up hair.

“Hot as hell.” Hayley replied honestly.

“Same to you.” Josh replied. “Come on, let’s get inside.” He stepped out of the car and pulled Hayley’s door open for her. She giggled and nodded downward as he helped her out of the car. He blushed slightly and shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked up to the house.

“Hello!” Hayley called as they walked through the door.

“Oh, Hi! I didn’t even hear you pull in!” Marissa - Ethan’s babysitter - replied from the living room. Hayley raised an eyebrow at Josh and led the way to the living room.

“How was he?” Hayley asked, referring to Ethan.

“Oh, he was fine.” Marissa replied with a smile. “We had fun.” Marissa was a sweet sixteen-year-old girl who lived a few houses down the street and was the go-to neighborhood babysitter.

“I’m gonna go check in on Eth and head to bed.” Josh said, excusing himself as quickly as he could. “Goodnight Marissa, thanks for watching the little devil.”

“Do you need a ride home?” Hayley asked as she pulled out some cash from her purse.

“No, it’s only a few houses down, I’m fine to walk.” Marissa replied. “Thank you.” She added when Hayley handed over the money.

“No, thank you!” Hayley smiled. “I hope he behaved for you.”

“He was fine, really.” Marissa smiled. “Great kid. He didn’t cry once.”

“It’s a miracle!” Hayley joked. “Well, thanks again, we’ll get in contact with you in the future about babysitting if you’re willing.”

“Definitely. He’s adorable!” Marissa smiled. “Goodbye.”

Hayley locked the door after Marissa and headed upstairs for the night. She poked her head into Ethan’s room quickly and smiled at the toddler, who was fast asleep in the racecar bed he loved so much. She shut the door quietly and headed for her bedroom, grinning as she heard the shower running.

Josh had already managed to light a few candles in the bedroom and turn the light off, providing a semi-romantic atmosphere. Hayley rolled her eyes and unzipped her dress, letting it fall to the floor. She slipped into the master bathroom as quietly as she could and pulled back the shower curtain. Josh’s back was to her, if he had any idea she was in the room, he was hiding it very well.

She stepped into the shower carefully and slid her hand around his bare waist. She felt his skin erupt in goose bumps, despite the warm water that splashed over his tanned skin, and he sighed happily. “Took you long enough.” He whispered. He turned around and pressed Hayley against the shower wall. Before Hayley could reply, his lips were on hers.

~*~

The following day, Hayley, Josh and Ethan decided to have a lazy morning. Ethan nestled himself between his parents and demanded that cartoons be put on the television in the room.

“Bless you!” Hayley said after Ethan sneezed loudly.

“Tissue Daddy.” Ethan demanded. Josh smiled and sat up to get a tissue from the bedside table. Ethan grinned and rolled over so his whole body covered Josh’s pillow.

“Hey!” Josh laughed as tried to lie back down.

“My pillow” Ethan announced.

“This kid has plans!” Hayley said, laughing in amusement.

“Hmm, my pillow seems kinda lumpy…” Josh said with a frown as he laid his head gently on Ethan, using the toddler as his pillow. “I wonder why it’s so bumpy?”

“Etan stuck, no Daddy!” Ethan groaned. Josh propped himself up on his elbow and twisted around to look at his son.

“Uh oh!” Hayley gasped, looking at Josh’s hand. “Ethan! What’s that?” Ethan looked down and grinned. Josh had his hand held out, inching ever closer to Ethan. He was pointing at the toddler, and wiggling his pointer finger slowly.

“What is it, Eth?” Josh asked. Ethan shook his head and pulled his arms close to his ch est. “What is it?” Josh encouraged.

“Calafownia tickle monsta.” Ethan said quietly, shutting his eyes tight.

“Oh no!” Josh and Hayley cried together. Josh lunged for Ethan and began tickling the poor toddler relentlessly.

“Da-Dada!” Ethan shrieked. “N-nooooo! Sto-op!”

“Momma! Help!” Josh said. Hayley laughed and began tickling Josh.

“Hey!” Josh yelped. “That’s not how this works!” he gasped. Ethan grinned and took advantage of the fact that Josh was no longer tickling him. He slid off the bed and ran to the door, away from Dad.

“Ethan! Help me!” Hayley gasped. Josh had flipped her onto her back and had begun ticking her. Ethan shrieked and ran back to the bed.

“I save you!” He said proudly. He pulled himself onto the bed and climbed onto Josh’s back. “Stop it, Dada!” He demanded. “No tickles!”

“No tickles?” Josh asked, disappointed.

“No.” Ethan said sternly. “You have enough fowa today.” He added, crossing his arms.

“Where does he learn these things?” Josh mumbled with a laugh. Hayley smiled and slid out of bed.

“Alright my boys, we have a lot to do today.” She said. “We have to go shopping for someone’s birthday party!”

“Pongebob!” Ethan gasped excitedly. “Less go!”

~*~

“BOO!” Josh yelped, jumping into Hayley and Ethan’s path at the party supply store they were in. Ethan screeched in fright and then giggled when he realized it was his father behind those scary glasses with the fake nose and mustache.

“What do you think?” Josh asked, looking at Hayley. “Mustache make me look sexy?”

Hayley smiled and kissed him quickly on the lips. “Take ‘em off. And watch what you say, you know EJ is repeating everything.”

“Take it off dada!” Ethan chimed in. Josh smiled and took the disguise off, placing the glasses on Ethan instead.

“Now Ethan with a mustache…” Hayley smiled. “That’s not half bad.” She teased.

“Mustatch make me look se-“

“Cute!” Hayley said quickly, cutting Ethan off. “Cute is the word you’re looking for EJ.” Ethan looked up to his mother, confused. Josh turned away quickly, focusing on a package of princess themed napkins to cover his laugh.

“Alright, come on Daddy, time to grow up.” Hayley said, rolling her eyes and pushing the cart down the aisle.

“Yeah Daddy, gow UP!” Ethan barked.

“What? Like you?” Josh asked. “Are you a grown up?” Ethan crossed his arms and nodded.

“I tree.” He said, arms still crossed and nose pointed into the air arrogantly.

“You’re not three yet, buddy.” Josh laughed. He ruffled Ethan’s hair and grabbed a package of Spongebob paper plates. “Still have a week to go.”

As Hayley pushed the cart further into the store, Ethan’s eyes went wide and he pointed to the ceiling. “PATWICK!” He yelled excitedly. Hayley and Josh looked up to see a Patrick Star character piñata. “Momma! Pweese?”

“Ask Daddy.” Hayley smiled.

“Dada! Dada pweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!” Ethan asked with a pout.

“Hmm…” Josh said, pursing his lips. “I dunno Eth…” He teased. Of course he was planning on saying yes, but it was slightly entertaining to see Ethan squirm.

“Daaaaaadaaaaaaa!” The toddler groaned.

Hayley walked over and placed her arm around Josh’s waist, scratching his back lightly and resting her head on Josh’s shoulder. “Come on Daddy, Ethan’s gonna be three.” She giggled. Josh’s eyes fluttered shut as Hayley’s hand traced small patterns on his back and he smiled.

“Alright.” He agreed. Ethan smiled and began bouncing in excitement.

“What do you say?” Hayley asked.

“Tank you Dada!” Ethan said happily.

“You’re welcome Eth.” Josh smiled. “Alright, lets get this stuff home before we buy the whole store.” 

Like I said, there is a method to my madness. teehee. I'm sure some of you will catch on pretty quickly.

I'm curious, what do you all think is going to happen before this story ends?? Or what would you like to have happen before it ends?

I have a pretty solid idea about how things are going to go, but there's always room for more! :)

PARAMORE TOMORROW!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOOOO! :D:D:D

Not a whooooole lot going on in this chapter…

Thinking about wrapping this story up soon, haha. Sorry! I think there will definitely be some Ethan-themed one shots in the future though :)

Lainy looked up from her spot on a park bench and scowled. Watching her ex-fiancée and the woman he’d had a child with, playing with their son was not what she had in mind when she thought she’d eat her lunch outside for a change.

They hadn’t spotted her yet, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as humanly possible, but perhaps she could use this little run-in to her advantage. The look on Hayley’s face last time, when she saw that Lainy was pregnant, had been priceless.

“Millie! Get back here!” Josh called with a laugh. “Sorry, sir.” He apologized to a nearby stranger. “Millie, you can’t just go running off like that! It’s rude.” Josh scolded lightly. “I’ll have to keep you on your leash. Is that what you want?” He asked, scratching the dog’s head. “No, I don’t think it is! No I don’t!”

Lainy rolled her eyes and began packing up her lunch. If she stuck around here much longer, she might vomit, and not because her gag reflex was especially heightened these days due to her pregnancy. She stood up and turned in the direction of her car, but stopped when she heard Hayley talking to Ethan. Well… maybe she could have a little fun before she left…

“Excuse me.” She said arrogantly as she shoved by Josh.

“Oh, sorry.” Josh replied as he eased out of the way. “L…Lainy?” He stuttered.

“Josh! Oh hi!” She greeted. She plastered a phony smile on her face and hugged him. “I didn’t realize that was you! Wow… you have a… dog.” She said, curling her lip.

“Yeah, Millie.” Josh said excitedly. “Hayley and Zac got her for me for Christmas.” He bent over and stroked his hand across Millie’s back proudly. “So… the rumor is true, you’re really pregnant…” He noted.

“Oh, yeah.” Lainy smiled, running a hand along her stomach.

“Tell Landon I said congrats.” Josh said, flashing a quick smile.

“Landon?” Lainy scoffed.

“What, is he not the father?” Josh asked with a shrug.

“I’m six months pregnant, Josh.” Lainy replied with a confidant smile.

“Oh, well, thanks for cheating then.” Josh shot back with a cocky smile. “I’m sure Landon was happy to hear you cheated on him as well.”

“What makes you so sure it isn’t yours?” Lainy asked, crossing her arms.

Josh chuckled quietly to himself. “Oh, come on, you and I both know it isn’t mine.” Lainy glared at him but didn’t reply.

“Hello!” Hayley called as she hurried over with Ethan in her arms. As soon as she had seen Josh talking to Lainy, her blood had begun to boil.

“So, if it’s not mine, and it’s not Landon’s, who’s the lucky guy?” Josh asked.

Lainy sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s Landon’s.” She admitted.

“Hey babe.” Josh smiled as Hayley finally made it over. He slipped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek lightly.

“You’re… you two… are together?” Lainy spat.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Josh grinned. “Yeah, we just bought a house not too long ago.” Lainy stood in shock, mouth hung open.

“I see.” She muttered quietly. “Well, you’ll have to give me your address so I can send along a wedding invitation.” She shot back.

“You and Landon are getting married?” Josh asked curiously. Lainy smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Nice ring!” Hayley said, grinning broadly. Lainy quickly hid her hand in her hair, pretending to scratch her neck. “Blends in nicely with your skin tone. Must have cost him a lot to make it look so see-through.”

Josh couldn’t help but laugh as he saw Lainy’s face go bright red. “Uh, the ring… is being resized…” Lainy stumbled.

“Ah, well, congratulations then. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my family.” Josh said. He pressed his fingers into the small of Hayley’s back and guided her away from a still shocked Lainy. Better to quit while they were ahead.

“Baby!” Ethan said happily, looking over Hayley’s shoulder and pointing to Lainy’s stomach.

“That’s right, she’s got a baby growing in her, just like auntie Sarah did.” Hayley praised.

“I see.” Ethan demanded. He began squirming around in Hayley’s arms, trying to get loose.

“No EJ, you can’t see the baby.” Josh replied. “It’s not ready yet.” Ethan pouted but was soon distracted by Millie as the dog made a break for the car.

“Milliepuppy!” Ethan screeched excitedly. Hayley laughed and set Ethan on the ground so he could run after the dog. The two had become best friends, though Millie was still deeply loyal to Josh. Millie slept on the floor next to Josh’s side of the bed every night, and whined like crazy if she was forced to sleep downstairs.

Josh smiled as he watched Ethan and Millie play in the grass. He felt so lucky. Life was good. He had a perfect son, a perfect wife, a nice house, a playful pupp… wait… wife? Had he really just thought of Hayley as his wife? His grin widened at the idea.

~*~

“How long?” Ethan asked when Hayley sat him down to a breakfast of blueberries and oatmeal a few days later.

“How long what?” Josh asked tiredly.

“19 days.” Hayley replied with a smile.

“19 days what?” Josh asked again.

“Buffday!” Ethan grinned.

“I was asking Ethan what he wanted for his birthday when we were getting him dressed.” Hayley explained.

“Bone fowa Milliepuppy!” Ethan shouted. Josh laughed and stumbled to the coffee maker for some liquid energy.

“Anything else?” Josh asked.

“No.” Ethan replied.

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Hayley sighed knowingly. “We have to start thinking about the party…”

“Hayley, it’s like, three weeks away.” Josh scoffed.

“Yeah! Time to get things started. We have to pick a day, let other parents know so they can clear their schedules, pick a theme, buy everything…”

“Shhh!” Josh interrupted, waiving his arms about. “Too early in the morning. And in life! Hayles, he’s going to be three…”

“Yes! That’s an exciting age!” Hayley replied. “Isn’t it?” She asked, turning to her son.

“Etan gonna be tree!” Ethan grinned proudly, turning his attention away from his bowl of blueberries.

“You’re gonna be a tree huh?” Josh asked.

“Nooooo Dada,” Ethan said seriously, “I gonna be tree.” He said, holding out three fingers.

“Oh, three!” Josh said, eyes wide. He looked down at Ethan’s fingers, which were covered in sticky juice from blueberries Ethan had squished in his tiny hands. “Hmm… those look like yummy fingers!” He said. “I think I might have to try one.” He opened his mouth and moved closer to his son.

“Daddy!” Ethan shrieked. He laughed and pulled his hand away before Josh could pretend to eat his fingers.

“I bet they’re really yummy!” Josh said. Ethan frowned and looked at his fingers. He stuck one finger in his mouth and smiled.

“I’m guessing you taste like… corn!” Josh guessed.

Ethan giggled and shook his head. “Taste like baloo-bawwies” He informed, sticking the rest of his fingers in his mouth to lick off the sticky juice

“Great, now he’ll have his fingers in his mouth all week.” Hayley mumbled.

“Hey, just trying to make cleanup a little easier.” Josh replied with a smile. He kissed Hayley quickly and turned to his breakfast.

“What kind of birthday party do you want, Eth?” Hayley asked.

“Chebsbooger!” Ethan replied.

“You can’t have a cheeseburger birthday, silly!” She replied with a laugh.

“How about a Elmo party.” Josh suggested.

“No.” Ethan replied shortly. He twisted his head from side to side, thinking. “Pongebob.” He decided finally.

Josh smiled, thinking back to the days when Hayley was nicknamed ‘Spongebob’. She had certainly grown in to her teeth since then, though the gap would never fully go away.

“Spongebob it is.” Josh decided. “And we’ll have it the Saturday after his birthday. There, half the work is already done.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “We should have it Sunday afternoon. Then there’s more time to clean up and set up on Saturday.”

“Alright, you do the planning.” Josh said with a yawn. “Just tell me where and when and how I can help.”

“That’s what she said.” Hayley giggled.

“Dass what she says!” Ethan repeated.

“Oh crap…”

Next chapter is written, but it needs major editing (though some people think it's fine the way it is... xD) and it needs an end... hah. Anyway, it should be up within the next few days.