ItM - Simon - 54

Moving On Out

A family was an interesting group to be a part of. There were always others who relied on you to provide something important, and you relied on them, because sometimes they offered what you couldn’t.

I was getting used to being relied on for emotional support, we had enough support financially with the money my parents gave us access to, but I imagined it would be different as Erin’s pregnancy progressed. She would need me more, and I wasn’t going to turn her away. I wanted to be there for her to help her, to hold her when she needed a hug, to lie down next to her when she wanted a nap.

I was going to take care of her, even if she thought I was being overprotective. Her parents only had one child, so I was nervous in terms of how difficult the pregnancy might be. The doctor’s office and home number had been programmed into the phone’s speed dial under 2 and 3, with the hospital under 1.

Just in case, of course. I didn’t want to lose Erin because I wasn’t prepared.

~*~*~*~

After Erin brought up her idea of us and the new baby living out in the lake house while everyone else stayed in the main house, I made a list of what would have to be moved and what would change. All of our clothes and things would have to be packed up and carried through the trees, and I got the feeling I’d be carrying all the heavy things so Erin wouldn’t hurt herself.

The path through the forest would have to be cleaned up, and I would have to come back to the main house if I wanted to work in my studio or drive somewhere. The lake house didn’t have a driveway, or access to the main road.

Of course, if we did move we would have our own space, and there wouldn’t be any toys in our bathtub from when Rory would wander around to find somewhere new to play.

I pushed back from the small desk in our bedroom and rubbed at my eyes, tired of looking at the pros and cons and having the same number of them on each side. Standing up, I headed downstairs and flopped down on the living room couch next to Mick, who was watching TV.

When I sat down she gave me a look before sliding along the back of the couch to lean against me. “So, you’ve decided to join us simple, TV-watching folk.”

“You’ve got a smart mouth, Mick. One day it’ll get you into trouble.”

“One day, but not today.”

Gabe was there too, sitting in a nearby armchair with Rory dozing in his lap, and he chuckled when he saw me. “You look like hell. Been thinking too hard?”

I rolled my eyes at him as Mick snorted in laughter, and shook my head. “Erin said she didn’t want to renovate the house, that she wanted to move out to the lake house instead. I told her I’d think about it, because she is right about us needing to have her own space, but it’s not easy to get to, or to carry things there.”

“I’m not surprised she wants to move.”

Turning, I looked at Mick, who was flipping through the channels. “Really?”

“She seems kinda old-fashioned, maybe it’s something to do with her being a vampire, but I understand why she wants to move. There was all that time back at the house when she didn’t have anyone, and now you guys are married and having a kid, and she wants the part of your life when it’s just you guys to start. I mean, come on, you’re a married couple living with your sister, her kid, your aunt, and a human guy. Maybe it’s time to grow up, move out on your own with your wife and kid-to-be.”

“Maybe.”

“And I’m not just a human guy. I’m the human guy.” Gabe grinned at Mick, who gave him a look. “And Rory loves me.”

“Rory loves anyone who’ll play with her, and you play with her the most because you’re a big kid.” She got up and went over to take Rory from him. “I’ll go put her down upstairs so she can nap.”

“I can do it.” He stood up, settling Rory, who buried her face in his neck with a sigh, at his shoulder, and kissed Mick on the lips before heading upstairs.

I raised an eyebrow as Mick sat down with a blush on her cheeks, and looked at her. “So, when are you two actually going to go out and admit you’re attracted to him?”

“Shut up. Go tell your wife you’ll be moving out, but don’t expect me to help you. I never signed up for moving duty when I’m not the one leaving.”

I chuckled as she stalked off towards the kitchen, and turned off the TV, heading upstairs to talk to Erin.

She was struggling with the sheets as she tried to re-make the bed, and smiled when she saw me. “Good, you can come help me.”

Crap. “Okay.” I walked closer to the bed and took hold of the sheet, pulling it tight over the mattress and around the corners. “How come you’re fixing up the bed?”

“Your aunt was doing laundry and needed to fill a load. I volunteered our sheets, since I thought it was time to change them. And these ones are nice, even if they’re not like the puppy and kitten ones Aurora has.”

“I thought those were Mick’s sheets.”

Erin chuckled and shook her head, flicking the sheet out over the mattress. “She wishes.”

Laughing, I helped her with the top sheet, tucking it under the mattress in a sloppy male version of hospital corners. “So, I was thinking that maybe it would be a good idea if we moved out to the lake house. We’d still be close by, it’s not that much of a walk, and it might be good for us to live on our own.”

“Simon.” She dropped the quilt, since it was getting a little colder at night to sleep without a thicker blanket, and rushed around the bed, wrapping her arms around me hard. “You didn’t have to do that. It was just an idea.”

“I know, but I was talking to Mick and she pretty much said you were right. It’d be good for us to live on our own in a slightly smaller space.”

She nodded, her head resting on my shoulder. “And we’ve got time until the baby comes, so we don’t have to go right away. We could even wait until a few months after, until we think it’s time for the baby to have his own room.”

“I know, but now that I’ve thought about it, I want to move before the baby arrives. Then it would be our first home with us as a family.” I pressed my lips to the top of her head. “It wouldn’t have anyone else’s stuff in it, and it wouldn’t be so crowded. The others all fit better here without us in the way taking up the nice bedroom.”

Erin sighed, snuggling into my arms, and I started stroking her back. “And we could curl up on the living room couch under a blanket and sit by the fire while we watch TV.”

“That fire does sound good. I imagine it would warm up those cold feet of yours.”

She went still and pushed back, looking up at me with a strange and confused face. “My what?”

“Well, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night thinking Rory’s put ice cubes in our bed, but then I realize it’s just your feet. And they’re cold in the summer too, which is nice when it’s hot, but now it’s a shock to my system when I’m trying to stay warm in bed and your cold feet brush against my leg.”

She kept looking at me, her face turning upset, and I got the feeling I’d just shoved my foot straight into my mouth. “So, do you want me to shove a hot water bottle into the bed at night?”

“No, I’m just making a comment. You don’t have to do anything.”

“It’s sounds like I do have to do something, so you don’t get woken up by my cold feet when you’re trying to stay warm. Maybe I should keep a lint brush handy for the full moon when you change. You always seem to wander back into the house, and then after you’re gone the bed is covered in fur.”

I took a step back, narrowing my eyes as our bodies separated. “Are you saying I shed?”

“No, I’m sure it’s just Aurora cutting her doll’s hair in our bed as I sleep. Yes, you shed. I could stuff pillows with all the fur you shed, and it’s so itchy, too.”

Getting riled up, I started losing my temper. “Maybe you could cut your toenails while you stuff those pillows. They’re so sharp I’m surprised I don’t wake up with cuts all over my feet and ankles. And I thought your fangs were your most dangerous feature.”

Her jaw dropped, and anger started radiating off the both of us as we pointed out the faults we found in each other. “If we’re going to talk about cold body parts, then you’ve got to do something about your cold nose. When you start nuzzling me in the middle of the night I almost shriek. I’m surprised it’s not wet as well, so then I could get a dog’s cold and wet nose rubbing against my neck!”

I growled, the hair on the back of my neck starting to rise. “Bite me!”

“Not tonight.” Erin snarled at me, her fangs poking into her bottom lip. “Maybe you should sleep on the couch, so you won’t have to suffer through my ice cold feet and sharp toenails. And get a flea collar while you’re at it!”

“Prickly vampire!”

“Stubborn werewolf!”

Brushing past me, she stomped off towards the door and slammed it closed, leaving me standing there, my heart pounding in my chest.

After a few seconds, what I’d said dawned on me, and I sat down hard on the edge of the unmade bed.

What just happened? Did we just have our first major fight?