That's a good point made there, Spencer has to concede it, and he sighs heavily even as he grins because in spite of how much he absolutely takes great pains to avoid as many social gatherings as possible, he can't deny that there's something just the slightest bit appealing about their friends gathering to celebrate their future child. It may not be enough to make him want to stay for a long while, whether he has that choice or not, but it's not as if they're throwing the shower on their own; or even if they were, they wouldn't be doing it to celebrate themselves. He'd reminded Ellie that he and Joel hadn't even had a celebration after their wedding, which had been a terrible mistake because she'd only sharpened her gaze and pursed her lips in the way his own mother had every time he'd done something that hadn't been to her liking. Ellie had been kind enough to let Spencer backtrack from that line of thought, though he's not fully convinced that her next suggestion won't be to throw an incredibly belated wedding reception.
"Princesses," Spencer repeats, humming in amusement. "Are you sure that wasn't your father's idea? He seems to be very keen on the baby being a girl, and your mother keeps accidentally calling the baby a 'he.' Maybe she could combine it somehow, dinosaur princesses? Do you think she'd be on board with something like that?" He realizes he's not taking this very seriously, to the point that Ellie had actually huffed with frustration at him over the phone the other day--though he's certain he'd heard Brian laughing in the background--but if he's going to be subjected to being at a party, Spencer supposes he should at least make the most of it by poking fun at his mother-in-law. It's what he would have done to his mother, and she'd have been just at frustrated with him as Ellie.
Something in his chest twists as he thinks on that, on how well the two women would have gotten along if life hadn't taken such a cruel turn. If he and Joel had just met a few years earlier, they would have at least all been able to have a bit of time together, his mother and Dane would have been able to see how much brighter Spencer is with a man like Joel in his life, maybe they would have even met their grandchild and niece or nephew. It saddens him, to be sure, knowing that his own child will never know two of the people he's loved most in the world, but there's still a bit of comfort in realizing that he can picture exactly how his family would have reacted to all of this. It's reflected very much in the way the Bakers are with him, which has just been added to the endless list of reasons why he's so very lucky to have married Joel.
"Maybe it won't be so awful," he says, one hand hovering over an offensively cute stuffed giraffe before snatching it back--though he does reach for it once his fingers have brushed against the remarkably stuffed fur on the toy and if Joel notices, Spencer hopes his husband will allow him just this last thing. He slips his hands in his pockets just to keep himself from throwing anything else in the cart because Joel is right, they really should be saving some of these things for other people to bring them at the shower, and skips ahead a couple so he can turn to face his husband as he walks backwards with a smile. "As long as everyone behaves and doesn't try to touch her stomach without permission, of course, I don't want to be slapping wrists all day. And you, you're not going to be allowed to leave me alone for even a second."
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"Princesses," Spencer repeats, humming in amusement. "Are you sure that wasn't your father's idea? He seems to be very keen on the baby being a girl, and your mother keeps accidentally calling the baby a 'he.' Maybe she could combine it somehow, dinosaur princesses? Do you think she'd be on board with something like that?" He realizes he's not taking this very seriously, to the point that Ellie had actually huffed with frustration at him over the phone the other day--though he's certain he'd heard Brian laughing in the background--but if he's going to be subjected to being at a party, Spencer supposes he should at least make the most of it by poking fun at his mother-in-law. It's what he would have done to his mother, and she'd have been just at frustrated with him as Ellie.
Something in his chest twists as he thinks on that, on how well the two women would have gotten along if life hadn't taken such a cruel turn. If he and Joel had just met a few years earlier, they would have at least all been able to have a bit of time together, his mother and Dane would have been able to see how much brighter Spencer is with a man like Joel in his life, maybe they would have even met their grandchild and niece or nephew. It saddens him, to be sure, knowing that his own child will never know two of the people he's loved most in the world, but there's still a bit of comfort in realizing that he can picture exactly how his family would have reacted to all of this. It's reflected very much in the way the Bakers are with him, which has just been added to the endless list of reasons why he's so very lucky to have married Joel.
"Maybe it won't be so awful," he says, one hand hovering over an offensively cute stuffed giraffe before snatching it back--though he does reach for it once his fingers have brushed against the remarkably stuffed fur on the toy and if Joel notices, Spencer hopes his husband will allow him just this last thing. He slips his hands in his pockets just to keep himself from throwing anything else in the cart because Joel is right, they really should be saving some of these things for other people to bring them at the shower, and skips ahead a couple so he can turn to face his husband as he walks backwards with a smile. "As long as everyone behaves and doesn't try to touch her stomach without permission, of course, I don't want to be slapping wrists all day. And you, you're not going to be allowed to leave me alone for even a second."