Page 20 of Unexpectingly Happily Ever After

″That was once because I burnt the fish sticks.”

J.B. grimaces at the mention of the kids eating fish sticks. He has a horror of them, as well as chicken fingers and Kraft dinner.

″It’s so easy to make your own,” he always insists.

Maybe it is if you’re a trained chef and have all the time in the world. But I don’t comment as I push the cart towards the cashier line-ups.

Lucy gets to pick the line because she won the scavenger hunt. She helps me push the cart behind the one with the smiling baby waving at the kids.

I steal aglance at J.B. as we wait our turn. The three kids are mesmerized by the baby, a real cutie with a wisp of blond hair that makes it impossible to tell if it’s a boy or girl. The green onesie doesn’t help.

I guess a boy.

″What’s his name?” Sophie demands of the mother. She tickles the baby’s foot, while Ben plays peek-a-boo and Lucy constantly waves. The poor thing doesn’t know where to look.

″It’s a her,” the mother tells Sophie. She’s youngish, of the yoga-pants-and-UGGs species and still looks refreshed even in the middle of the afternoon.

Of course, she does–she only has one baby and there’s a doting dad staring at his iPhone beside her.

″Her name is Sophie.”

″That’smyname,” Sophie shrieks, loud enough for the whole store to hear. Baby Sophie laughs with delight at the outburst.

″It’s a good name,” the mother says. She glances at me, at my clothes that are wrinkled from bubble-soaked hugs from the kids and gives me a sympathetic smile. “Are they all yours? Sorry–they must be. All the hair.”

I bristle at her tone, which isn’t all that complimentary. “Yes, we’ve always been blessed with an abundance of hair.” I stop myself from glancing down at her bald baby.

″Babies are so cute,” Lucy sighs as the dad finally puts his phone away and starts loading the groceries on the belt.

I check out what they’re buying. It’s a little habit of mine. These folks are all-organic, vegetarian, and gluten-free. But not all gluten-free because there’s a loaf of white Wonder bread tucked in there.

″Bye, baby Sophie,” Sophie cries as the cart is pushed ahead to load the bags. My kids frantically wave at the baby, who smiles toothlessly back until the mother distracts her with a rice cracker.

″Aren’t babies cute, Momma?” Lucy repeats.

″They are very cute,” I say beginning to pile our selections because like the other dad, J.B. is also distracted by his phone. “The three of you were adorable.”

″Yes, we were,” Sophie agrees in all seriousness. “I’ve seen pictures. We were thecutest!”

″So if we had another baby, it would be the cutest too?” Lucy asks. She’s helping me load, spreading boxes of granola bars haphazardly on the belt and making a pyramid of the crackers.

″Of course.” A box of crackers drops to the floor and I bend to retrieve it.

When I stand, two sets of brown eyes and one of blue and hazel, are staring at me.

″We should have another baby,” Lucy decides.

″Let’s have another baby!” Sophie cheers.

″Can we have another baby?” Ben asks in all seriousness.

I glance at J.B., who appears as shocked by their requests as I am. Which is good, because if I find out that he set this up…

Chapter Seven

Time away from the children should be carefully planned as to not disrupt the routine.

A Young Woman’s Guide to Raising Obedient Children

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