17 & Pregnant [ORIGINAL VERSION}

Chapter 47

LIV

The car fills with the sound of Nursery Rhymes to keep the kids occupied. I stare out of the window as the female narrator begins the story of The Three Little Pigs. I'm not sure how much of these stories our toddlers understand, but they seem to enjoy them. So, something pleasant is registering in their little brains, which is good enough for me.

Despite the audio playing, there's a palpable tension between Rob and I. We barely spoke as we left the house, keeping ourselves busy with the kids. The only reason there was some sort of communication between us was thanks to Lillian asking question the both of us felt we should answer. Though, given the fact that she was the only one in the house, I knew her questions weren't that important.

She wanted us to say something. Which I appreciated.

"So... How long do you think this will take?" Rob asks.

My eyes stay fixed on the changing view, "less than an hour, probably. They're good with kids, and ours won't last any longer than that."

He gives me a quick glance, returning his view to the road ahead, "why's that?"

Finally turning my head, I look right at him and state in my most monotone voice, "their bedtime."

"Right."

Silence falls between us again, as I look down at my phone.

Another twenty minutes to go...

"...That time you came home late, and I was... You told me not to worry. Do you remember that?" I ask Rob, looking his way.

His eyes become darker as he replies, "yeah."

"Were you meeting Tracy then too-"

"Liv, I-" he sighs, running a hand through his golden hair. "I wasn't meeting Tracy."

"What were you doing, then?"

I can see the inner conflict manifest in his face, as he seems to battle with whether or not to tell me whatever it is that he's thinking.

"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I was meeting up with my brother. He was having a... Problem with the machinery and needed someone to take him to the emergency room. He made me promise not to tell anyone."

My eyes roll, and I'm having trouble buying all this, "right, because he'd ask you to drive hours to get him to a hospital."

"Well," Rob starts, "it wasn't hours. He lives downtown, so..."

I can't help but feel kind of childish for getting so upset about all of these things. Well, getting mad at him for meeting his ex and lying is fair, but I was starting to hold a grudge for almost nothing.

"And that's it?" I question once more.

He nods, "that's it."

******

Britney opens my photo album and pulls out the most recent photos from our family shoot, as we sit in our parents' living room. She lifts one of the pictures up and admires it with a smile, examining each of our faces.

"These pictures came out beautifully. These tots are so cute! I can't even handle the level of cuteness I'm witnessing right now. God bless our genes, right?"

I laugh, "yeah, so blessed. They're amazing photographers, too. You should've seen them with Neil and the twins. It was like they'd met in another life."

"Wow," she says, picking up another photo, "you have to give me their card. I want some pics for my next audition."

"Audition?"