lost little one

chapter 16

lizzie's pov:
as i was preparing some food, i heard a knock at the door, and lia volunteered to answer it. moments later, she returned to the kitchen with scarlett and rose.

"hey, scar, hey, rose," i greeted them with a warm smile.

"hey, auntie lizzie," rose smiled back.

"lizzie, can rose and i go play in the back garden?" lia asked.

"of course, sweetheart," i replied, happy to oblige.

as lia and rose dashed outside, scar helped herself to some chips.

"these chips are amazing," scarlett declared.

"thank you, scarlett," i chuckled.

"it's lovely to see lia and rose bonding. having someone her age around is great for lia. rose was already asking this morning how long until we were coming over," scar explained, giggling at their enthusiasm.

"that's heartwarming. they're getting along which is adorable," i said smiling.

"who else is joining us?" scar inquired.

"ashley's bringing otto, chris is bringing his twins sasha and tristan. jeremy's bringing ava, and natalie is bringing amalia," i informed her.

"it'll be good for her to be around peers her age, rather than just rose," she remarked with a warm smile.

"i completely agree," i replied with a matching smile.

lia and rose dashed into the room, panting, and settled beside scarlett at the countertop.

"why are you two so out of breath?" scar chuckled.

"rose was chasing me around the backyard," lia giggled at the memory.

a knock at the door prompted lia and rose to leap out of their seats and rush to the front door. i trailed after them, with scar close behind. rose swung the door open.

natalie introduced, "hey eliana, this is amalia," lia greeted amalia with a smile.

"hi amalia!" lia exclaimed.

turning to amalia, natalie continued, "this is eliana, and rose, but you already know rose, anyway."

"come in, come in," i welcomed them.

as natalie and amalia entered, lia closed the door behind them, and we all made our way to the kitchen.

"mom," amalia called out.

natalie responded softly, "yes, honey?"

"can i play with eliana and rose?" amalia asked eagerly.

"of course," natalie replied, beaming.

rose's pov:
the three of us dashed outside, giggling as we chased each other around the garden, having a blast.

eventually, feeling a bit weary, we sprawled out on the grass, side by side, gazing up at the sky.

"it's so beautifu,l" i remarked, a smile playing on my lips.

"i agree," lia chimed in, returning the smile.

"blue is my favorite color; that's why i love the sky," amalia shared with us.

"blue is indeed a lovely color," lia replied, nodding in agreement.

after some time spent chatting and gazing at the sky, we found ourselves back in the garden, running around once more, before being summoned indoors as everyone else had arrived.

we returned inside, settling onto the couch beside each other, joining the rest of the group already gathered there.

"lia, meet otto; ashley is his mom. this is sasha and tristan, chris' kids, and there's jeremy's child, ava," lizzie introduced.

"hi, lia," sasha and tristan chimed in together, prompting laughter from the adults.

"hi!" lia beamed in response.

lia's pov:
after we all finished eating, we ran around outside, playing games and having a blast. as the sun began to set, the five of us sat outside, marveling at the beautiful sight.

soon, the adults joined us outside. ashley, scarlett, and lizzie sat beside me, and i asked if i could hold otto, to which ashley agreed. so, there he was, sitting in my lap, watching the sunset with me.

** time skip to after everyone went home **

now that everyone has left, i'm sitting on the couch, feeling exhausted from the day's activities. despite the fatigue, meeting new people was incredibly fun.

lizzie came in and sat beside me. i moved closer to her, resting my head on her chest, and she began gently running her fingers through my hair.

for a while now, i've been contemplating calling lizzie mom because she feels like one to me, but i wasn't sure when the right moment would be. today feels like the right time.

"lizzie?" i said quietly.

"yes, sweetheart?" she responded softly.

"can i ask you something?" i asked nervously.

"of course, hun," she assured me.

"um, is it okay if i call you mom?" i asked.

"oh, love, of course it is," she smiled at me, gently kissing my forehead.

authors note:

word count: 745