Everyone went They crowded into a corner booth and ordered their pizzas. Clara got sleepy halfway through the meal, and Isaac held her in his arms and rocked her back and forth as she fell asleep. Across the table, Taryn smiled and wondered how she could have been so selfish as to deprive Isaac and Clara of one another for so long. After lunch, the group prepared to travel to the Hanson home. Iris hopped in Taylor’s Jeep with Taylor and Zac. Isaac removed Clara’s car seat from the Jeep and buckled it securely in his own red Altima. He gently placed the sleeping baby in the car and buckled her in, then opened the passenger door for Taryn.
They drove in silence for about half of the 15-mile trip. “Isaac, I’m nervous,” Taryn finally admitted. Isaac smiled. “Don’t be,” he said. “It’ll be okay. “They’re not going to say anything about anything.” “That’s what Taylor says,” Taryn sighed. Taylor’s Jeep was already sitting empty in the driveway when Isaac pulled in at the Hanson’s house.
“Man, that kid has a lead foot,” Isaac mused. Taryn and Isaac got out of the car, and Isaac lifted Clara out of the car seat. She was still half asleep, but looked to be waking up a little. “Here we go, baby brown eyes,” Isaac said softly. “Time to meet the paternal grandparents.” Isaac’s heart was thumping. When he had imagined bringing his first born home to meet his parents, this was hardly the way he had thought it would happen. He took a deep breath. No use going over what could have been. This was the way it was. Taryn hung back, hiding behind Isaac as much as she possibly could. They got to the front door and he swung it open for her. The foyer was quiet. “Mom? Dad?” Isaac called quietly. Diana and Walker Hanson appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Diana’s hand flew to her mouth. They approached Isaac slowly, careful not to spook the still drowsy baby. “Hello there,” Diana said, gently touching Clara’s curls. Clara studied Diana intently, finally smiling at her as she woke up a little more. “Well look at you,” Walker said. “You’re definitely a Hanson baby.” Walker smiled at Taryn. “Nice to see you, Taryn.” Taryn smiled nervously. “How’ve you been?” she asked. “Good,” Walker replied. “You?” “Fine,” Taryn said. “Working a lot.” Diana couldn’t take the small talk anymore. “Ike, let me hold her,” she said impatiently. Isaac held Clara out to his mother. Diana took the baby and held her close. “She’s beautiful, Taryn.” Taryn smiled. “Thank you.” Diana began to walk toward the living room, and motioned for the others to follow. Iris had already disappeared into the backyard with Jessica, Avery and Mackenzie. Two-year-old Zoe was sleeping in a portable crib in the corner of the living room, where Zac and Taylor sat on the couch. “What do you think of her, Mom?” Taylor asked. Diana shook her head. “I can’t believe she’s here,” she said. For the remainder of the afternoon, Clara was the main attraction for the Hanson family. Taryn relaxed little by little as it became apparent that Walker and Diana were not going to say anything about how she had handled the pregnancy. Eventually, she even left the safety of Isaac’s side, sitting next to Walker as he bounced Clara on his knee. “I can’t believe we’re grandparents,” he said. Diana had prepared a huge dinner for her family and their guests. “Diana, this is too much,” Taryn said, surveying the huge spread of food. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.” Diana waved her hand. “I love to cook,” she said. “And it’s not everyday we get to welcome a new Hanson to the fold. It’s a celebration.” Taryn smiled at Isaac’s mother gratefully. “You’re being so good to us,” she said. “Thank you.” Diana patted Taryn’s shoulder. “You’re welcome.” After dinner, Zac volunteered to play Monopoly with the younger kids while everyone else played Trivial Pursuit. Taylor and Taryn were teamed up against Isaac and his parents. The evening passed quickly, and Taryn noticed that Clara was rubbing her eyes and becoming cranky. “I think we’d better go back to the hotel, Isaac,” she said. “Clara’s about ready for bed.” Taylor was distraught. “But we’ve only got to get into the center and answer the last question to win,” he said. “I never win at this game.” Isaac flicked Taylor in the head. “You win by default, whiner.” Taylor seemed satisfied. “I’ll take that,” he said. Iris wasn’t excited about going back to the hotel, and Jessica asked if she might spend the night. “You don’t have any clothes here,” Taryn pointed out to her daughter. “That’s okay,” Jessica said. “She can wear some of my pajamas, and you can bring her some clothes when you come back tomorrow. And we always keep extra toothbrushes for guests.” Unable to argue with Jessica’s logic, Taryn relented. “Are you sure it’s okay if she stays?” Taryn asked Diana. Diana chuckled. “Take a look around, Taryn,” she said. “I doubt we’ll notice one more.” Isaac and Taryn finally got out of the house with Clara, and made their way back downtown to the hotel.
Isaac carried Clara, who was already asleep, up to the room. Taryn slid the credit card key down the slot and swung the door open. “Here we are,” she said. Isaac had had a crib brought up for the baby, and after Taryn got Clara into her pajamas she laid her down in it. Isaac and Taryn stood over the crib for a minute, watching Clara sleep. “I can’t get over her,” Isaac said. “I’m just amazed by her everytime I look at her.” Taryn nodded. “I know the feeling,” she said. “And it just gets better and better as they get older and start to become little people.” Taryn sat in a chair next to the bed and began removing her hiking boots. “Well, today certainly was a lot less painful than I thought it would be,” she remarked. Isaac sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled. “I told you,” he said. Taryn took off her second boot and dropped it to the floor. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “What a day,” she said. Isaac lay back on the bed and started at the ceiling. “What are you going to do for the rest of the night?” he asked. Taryn shrugged. “Probably just take a hot shower and see what movies are on,” she said. Isaac nodded. “You want me to stay out here and keep an eye on the baby while you’re in the shower?” he asked hopefully. His mind and body were having one of their all-too-common tug-of-wars. His body wanted to be with Taryn, and his mind was telling him he needed to get the hell out of there and go home. “Sure,” Taryn said. She gathered her nightclothes and bath accessories. “I’ll be out in a bit.” “Take your time,” Isaac said as he rolled onto his stomach and flipped on the television. Half an hour later, Taryn emerged from the shower. She was dressed in her long New York Knicks nightshirt, and was rubbing her hair vigorously with a towel. “I feel like a new woman,” she said, sitting Indian-style on the bed next to Isaac. Isaac looked up at her and smiled. “One of your favorite movies is about to start,” he said. “Really? Which one?” Taryn asked. “’The Goodbye Girl,’” Isaac replied. He had never forgotten that Taryn loved anything with Richard Dreyfuss in it. He had seen “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus” more times than he cared to recall. “Oooh, good,” Taryn said. She hesitated. “You want to stay and watch it with me?” Isaac smiled. “Yes,” he said simply. Taryn grinned and hopped off the bed. She unlocked the courtesy bar and took out two cans of soda, then hopped back in. She handed a can of soda to Isaac and shoved him gently. “I want to get under the covers,” she said. Isaac moved off the bed and let Taryn get under the covers. He got back on the bed after she was situated, staying on top of the covers beside her. They watched the movie in silence, and when it was over Isaac turned to Taryn. “I want to spend the night,” he confessed. “But I just want to be with you and hold you. Does that sound really weird?” Taryn smiled. “No,” she said. “It doesn’t.” Isaac stood and took off his jeans. He slid under the covers next to Taryn. He put his arms around her and they both promptly fell asleep.
to the Hansons’ favorite pizza place for lunch.
