The missing piece: Babies #87, 88 & 89

The past few days I've been piecing myself back together, almost halfway to my normal self. It's time to let go of the past, to let go of Chad, and look to the future. And to prove this to myself, I went ahead and dyed my hair again - this time deliberately, and permanently. It was the same hair color I had when meeting Dwayne, and seeing as Dwayne would possibly be in my future, it only bettered by reason for doing it.

Monday morning passes in a flurry of non-important events, and before we know it, it's night time, and the triplets and I are in the dining room area, about to launch our first video-gaming tournament. Despite best friends, Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy are quite competitive with each other.

"Good evening, ladies and gentleman," I start off in front of the fake microphone. "I welcome you to tonight's first ever video gaming tournament that will be taking in the Rose household. Remember to always keep your finger on the mouse, and not spy on your opponents!"

The game kicks off, and Bonnie is first to laugh out loud, irritating her brother even further. From the looks of it, she's the one winning - a big surprise to me, seeing as Jeremy is the one who we can't get away from video games, and is suppose to be a pro.

Elena is quiet throughout the entire game, her eyes intent on the screen in front of her. Expertly she manoeuvres her character on the screen, not losing concentration for a second.

And it ends up being Elena who's the first to pump her first into the air and yell out "I win!". On screen, her football star cheers along side her.

"Good job, honey! You've earned it! Your sister and brother had a bit of a quarrel that cost them the match, so there probably wasn't any hope for them.."

"It's so unfair - Jeremy totally hacked my laptop and spied on me, I know it!" Bonnie protests.

"As prize for your magnificent victory, you get to be Queen of the Rose's for a day! You can make one new rule, and ask one favor of me. Do you need time to think, or do you already have something on your mind?"

It's risky telling her she can have almost anything she wants, but I do trust Elena not to make an extremely outrageous request, like getting a car for her birthday.

"One favor, mom? It can be anything? Okay, can I have my own room please?" Elena says after a moment's consideration.

"Um, not entirely sure how we can make that possible..."

"Well then don't tell me I can have anything! Okay, here's something else... When I'm a teen, can we go to the shops and buy me a LOT of new clothing? I think I need a new style." As she sounds reasonable, I agree to grant her that favor when she ages up.

My little clones of Christopher Steel, as we have started to call the toddler triplets, have a real knack for building. Kellen is the first of them to manage a ten-story tower. Unfortunately Nicki comes around and jumps on the block table, knocking over their creations.

"Nooo! Nooo kitty!" Jackson cries out loud.

I manage to arrive there in the nick of time before Nicki can do any further damage to the triplets. Jackson finally manages to calm down, while his brothers look away and become interested in something else. Following their gaze, I'm shocked to see Chica chewing on the furniture.

"No, no, no, no, no, what's up with all the pets today?! Chica, get away from there! Don't even think about getting a treat later today..." Poor Chica's reaction melts my heart, as she walks away with her head hanging.

Scooping up Nicki in my arms to avoid more chaos with the toddlers, I find little pieces of twigs, and some sand in her fur. Obviously she has been going nuts outside, and I make the hard decision to give this little kitty a bath.

"Please sit still, please sit still...!" I pray. Surprisingly enough, Nicki doesn't try to scratch me once. As a reward, I scratch her behind her ear, just where she likes it best.

My perfect babies, Lexi and Mason, who apart from the occasional cry and fuss to get their bottle, are amazingly cute and gentle. I've come to know that their father is pretty much the opposite, a rich man with a lot of obsessions, and never happy with anything he gets. But so far, it doesn't seem that the twins show any of that kind of behavior.

With their fathers eyes, these two beauties are simply mesmerizing! Lexi and Mason already have the skill to make people do what the want, as Bonnie and Jeremy are eager to play with them whenever they get a chance.

Jackson, Kellen & Zane

If someone ever needed the definition of how a boy acts, all they need to do is watch Jackson and his brothers for a couple of minutes. From the way they eat, to the way they run, these boys try to make everything look funny, and try to have fun at whatever they do - that unfortunately doesn't include school.

Elena, Jeremy & Bonnie

Apart from Elena who still has the tendency to dress a bit younger than her age (no wonder she wants new clothes), all of them mature into teenhood rather nicely, giving no signs of any rebellious nature. Of course, that could still happen in the future.

After all the kids have aged up, I'm back to my regular "day job" of searching for a valid father for the next babies. I have quite a hard time finding a suitable person, but finally come across a picture of someone named Rob Snell, a visitor all the way from Appaloosa Plains, who's actually interested in the challenge. I schedule a meeting with him, and later an appointment at the hospital, where I'm successfully treated and (hopefully) pregnant.

As a treat to the toddlers, I request the help of Jeremy, and we make the long drive to a nice and quiet park almost no one ever visits. On arrival, Jeremy and I walk our separate ways and check out the view a bit - there's hardly anything to see at all, but at least there's a clear view of the ocean.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" I comment, and tickle Mason's tummy. From there, I place him on the ground and help him give his first few steps, while Jeremy tries to teach the stubborn Lexi some words.

Without us even knowing about it, Chica had traveled with us, having somehow sneaked into the car. Now she is doing the honorable job of guarding us.

...Of course, Chica occasionally becomes distracted and runs of to hunt for grapes, so she isn't always on guard duty.

Around dusk, I get confirmation that I'm pregnant, and already all sorts of weird cravings hit me like a huge wave. First, chocolate ice-cream, something I love to eat on a daily basis. And the other, is some good ol' Energy drinks. I wouldn't dare risk drinking while pregnant, so I take the time to practice my mixology, something I really enjoy.

Everything doesn't go according to plan, but I figure I'm still lovable, even with all my weaknesses. Thinking of love makes my mind wander to Dwayne - what was up between us two? Friendship? More than friendship, perhaps even love? I can't live with the indecisiveness on my shoulders, so I quickly text him to come over.

It takes up to ten minutes for him to arrive, with the excuse that he was out jogging and left his phone behind, but when he saw my name on the phone, he sped all the way here with his car.

"Yeah right! As if I can believe that!" I laugh, and he laughs right alongside me.

"Well, if you can believe the truth my dear, then you'll have a lot of trouble understanding anything I say, because I can never lie to you, gorgeous."

As he says "gorgeous", I can't help but get goosebumps at the sound of Dwayne's voice. He is probably the weirdest, most complicated man I know, having a different attitude everyday. And I love him for it. I could no longer deny it - I truly have feelings for this crazy guy in front of me.

"Um, your talent for making up excuses isn't why I called you over here," I say, taking his hand in mine.
"So what is the reason? So tell, I'm all ears!" he smiles.

I take a deep breath, and get started on talking. "Where do you think we stand? Because I've been confused the entire week, and I don't have a answer for myself."

Dwayne frowns for a moment, causing my heart to beat a bit faster as I stress.

"Mutual respect, friendship, likeness of each other, best buddies..."

My heart starts to break into little pieces, and I struggle extremely hard not to let the disappointment show on my face.

"...Best buddies who cannot live without each other, people who love one another though they're both afraid to admit it. Perhaps boyfriend and girlfriend, eh?" Dwayne wipes the tear off of my cheek, his eyes playing tricks with mine.

"You are so cruel, Dwayne Greene Lewis," I end up muttering, looking away from his stare.

"So what do you say on the whole boyfriend/girlfriend idea? Does it tickle your fancy? Must I get you a little present to try and seduce you into the idea?"

"I thought I was going to be the one to ask you to be my boyfriend, you know...," I frown.

"Well, go ahead! I'm all ears for this one."

Dwayne's eagerness only makes me feel more nervous then before.

"Alright. I'll try my best not to sound like a complete and total idiot. Dwayne... That day we met in the park, where we played pretend girlfriend/boyfriend.. I think that was the start of a great friendship. After all the lies, and some scary confessions, we're both still here in each other's company, where we belong. Will you do me the honor of becoming my boyfriend?"

It's the corniest and probably the most stupidest speech I've ever given, but I do feel like there's some truth in those words; otherwise, why would I have said them? 

"Just because you asked so nicely, I'll say yes." That's the only confirmation I need to kiss him. It lasts so long Bonnie yells over to us to stop.

"Adults, you can't take them anywhere without being ashamed...," I hear her mutter.

As I stand there, looking him in the eye, I feel like a school girl again, seriously wanting to announce it to the world, that Dwayne and I are together; that's just how magical he makes me feel.

As Dwayne leaves, vowing to come for a visit the very next day, Nicki tries to get my attention away from my love life and back to her, by rolling around on the newspaper, ruining it in the process.

"Aw, Nicki! Why do you do this to me?" I chuckle. Whatever she does, she still looks cute while doing it.

Back inside the house, Kellen demands a portrait of himself so he can remember all the good looks he had as a child, and which he'll still have as a teenager. Jackson previously commented that he's a "snob", and at this moment, I could agree with that statement.

"Would you mind getting me from the right side angle? It's my best side," Kellen instructs. After I finish up with his portrait and hang it on one of the walls, I get the birthday cakes ready for the teens' birthday.

Bonnie, Elena & Jeremy

A little after dusk, labor strikes me with a hard force, where I struggle to breath properly and remain calm.

The reason for the struggle is none other than triplets...yet again.

From left to right:

November, Percy & Vernon Rose

~♥~

Phew... It was hard to get my game to work along and bring out this post. I've worked a little faster on this post than others before that, because, for one, it's kinda short, and two, I need to get working on a important school project of mine. So, with that said, thanks for reading, and pretty please leave a comment with your thoughts on this post. 

:)