“And down they went to see, roly-poly, pell-mell, tumble-bumble, till they came to the green grass; and there they stopped short.  ‘What in the world are you doing?’ they asked.  ‘I see something!’ said the poky little puppy.”  I stood in the hallway and listened to the deep cadence of Nick’s voice as he read my son his favorite book.  I tip-toed into the doorway and leaned into the wood frame as I peered inside.  Drew was sprawled across Nick’s lap like a limp rag doll, the shirt of his Superman pajamas riding up so that I could see his little belly button, and his blonde head hanging off Nick’s forearm as he snored softly.  I was probably going to have to break out the allergy medicine in the morning.  “Strawberry shortcake!” Nick whispered excitedly.  He looked up at me and grinned as he closed the book and placed it back on the bookshelf beside the padded rocking chair he was seated in.  “Does he even know how it ends?” he asked softly.

“He does.”  I nodded and let out a little laugh.  “He stays awake every single time I’m the one reading it.”

“I must be boring,” Nick frowned and looked down at the sleeping child in his lap.

I shook my head.  “No.  He’s comfortable with you.”  His lips turned up into a smile.  “I’m his mommy.  Of course he never does what I want him to do.  This is why I’m nervous about you going to China for two weeks.  He’s gotten used to being here with you.”

Nick cradled Drew in his arms and stood up to place him gently in his toddler bed.  “It’s not too late to change your mind, you know.”

“You leave in eight hours, Nick.  Besides, none of the other wives are going.”  

“You’re technically not my wife yet, so maybe you could get a free pass.”  He gave me a hopeful smile and squeezed my hand as he led me out of Drew’s bedroom.  

“Good try, but technically, I’m on Kristin watch, and if you want Kevin to be able to focus while you’re over there, I think you’re going to want me here.”

“True.”  Kristin’s pregnancy had been a surprise to everyone, especially Kevin, and the thought of going halfway across the world while she was just a few weeks away from her due date was making him a nervous wreck.  The fact that a friend who happened to also be a doctor was going to be checking in on her made him feel at least marginally better.

“I have a surprise for you,” I told him as we started walking towards his bedroom.  

“I like surprises in my bedroom!”  he exclaimed, pushing me up against the wall and planting a wet kiss on my lips.

“Sorry.  It’s not that kind of surprise,” I laughed, placing my hands on his biceps and squeezing playfully.  He pouted dramatically.

 “You like presents, too, right?”

“Love presents.”

“Good.”  I took his hand and tugged him into his room.  His suitcase was laying open on top of the bed with the bulk of the clothes he’d be taking with him neatly folded inside.  On top of the folded clothing was a large box wrapped in blue paper with a big red bow.  

“You really got me a present?”  He asked, his eyes wide  with happy surprise.  He lunged forward and grabbed it.

“Think of it as a ‘happy travels’ gift.”  Nick grinned and slipped the bow off, then started tearing the paper off like an excited five year old on his birthday.  Once the area surrounding him on the bedspread was covered with crumpled strips of blue wrapping paper, he slid the lid off the box.

“You didn’t even tape the box together!” he exclaimed excitedly.  

“Just for you,” I laughed.

“These are nice!”  he said as he pulled out the first pair of sweatpants.  

“I thought they would be good for your trip,” I said cheerfully, but Nick’s smile turned to a slight frown as he pulled out a second and third pair of sweatpants.  I’d covered all the basic sweatpant colors- black, navy blue, dark grey.....

“Uh- thanks,” Nick said, obviously faking a smile.

“Don’t you like them?”  I asked, pouting a little for emphasis.

Nick rolled his eyes and pulled me down onto the bed with him, wrapping me in his arms and rolling over on top of me.  “Love them,” he said as he kissed me on the tip of my nose.  “This is about the red pair, isn’t it?”  He gave me a cheeky grin and I unsuccessfully attempted to wiggle out of his grasp.

“What?”  I feigned ignorance.  “Of course not!  I just thought  you might like some nice travel pants.  I know you hate wearing jeans on long flights, and you’re looking at a lot of plane and bus time in the next several months.  Just trying to help you out.”  I grinned sweetly and batted my eyelashes.

“Right.”

Early the next morning, Nick marched  down the stairs proudly, dragging his suitcase with an effortless swing.  “You like?”  He dropped his luggage onto the hardwood and turned around in a slow circle, modeling the new navy blue pair of sweatpants I’d bought him.  I bit my bottom lip as my eyes ran up and down his body.  He wore a simple v-neck t-shirt on top and an old pair of sneakers on his feet. Those sweatpants clung to him in all the right places without looking too tight.  I gave myself a proverbial pat on the back for not going for the next larger size up as I’d almost done.  

“I like.”  I nodded affirmatively.  “Sexy,” I said softly.

Nick smirked and pulled his carry-on onto his shoulder.  “Well, that’s a lot better than ‘Is that what you’re wearing?’”