Something Precious {H.S.}

21: ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʀ

The last thing I do is my mess of hair. I spray some product in it, flip it back and forth a bit, and let it hang down my back.

I don't feel like getting changed, especially with a toddler in the room, so I grab my robe hanging up and don it.

When I turn around, Mateo has the toothbrush tangled in his hair, and has the biggest smile on his face. Shaking my head at the cutie, I attempt to take it out, but he evades me. Instead he lifts his arms again, waiting for me to pick him up.

I look at the baby, wondering if he's going to say what I taught him. He stares at me and makes grabby hands. Unable to ignore the adorableness, I give in and pick him up.

"We'll keep working on it, bub."

I carry Mateo out of my room, and follow the smell of breakfast to the kitchen. I'm surprised to see everyone up and about, the kitchen full and busy. It kind of warms my heart to see my usually vacant kitchen so vibrant with life.

It's mostly just Daria and I, so seeing this makes me want it to be like this all the time.

"Good morning!" I get a collective good morning from the group as Josie spots us. She stops feeding Javadd, hands him to Zayn, and marches over to us. When Mateo sees his mom coming, he gets excited and reaches out for her. I struggle to hold the twisted baby, but instead of picking him up, Josie wags a finger in his face.

"There you are! What did I tell you about disappearing like that?"

Zayn doesn't bat an eyelash as he says, "Teo is only ten and a half months old, love."

Josie grumbles. "I know that Zayn, but they're smart enough to understand me!" She then sighs, and takes the eager boy out of my grasp. She sweetly kisses his cheek as the toothbrush in his hair pokes her eye.

"Ow, what the-"

"Sorry about that Jo. I tried to take it out, but I think he thinks it's an accessory. He loves it for some reason."

She shakes her head and laughs. "It's alright, El. Where did you find this rascal?"

"He was in my room, standing next to my bed, waiting to be picked up."

"Oh my God, I couldn't tell you how he got up those steps. He has a promising career as an escape artist." This time I laugh, and Josie brings Mateo to the table to eat. I make my way to the refrigerator, next to Liam and Daria who are cooking on the stove. I grab a tub of cream cheese, and spicy pickle slices out of the fridge. I set the stuff on the island and get the black sesame bagels out of the bread box.

As I assemble my bagel, I feel eyes on me but I'm too hungry to care how gross it looks. I finally get to have some real food, and I'm not going to take that for granted.

I make four bagels, and as I munch on them, I watch Liam and Daria bicker. It looks like they're making pancakes, but I can't tell what kind. Daria is mixing the batter in a large bowl while Liam cooks them. They have their own tasks, but Daria is over Liam's shoulder, probably arguing about how they should be cooked. I watch them in amusement, a feeling of nostalgia coming over me.

I shake it off, because nostalgia only leads to the sadness of what's been lost. Sadness is not what I want to feel today.

So I make up my mind to go out and do something productive. "Hey, I'm gonna go out and buy the twins their own separate baby books. Does anyone want to come with me?"

"Me! I wanna pick some things out for Adira." I grin at Daria, not surprised at all.

"Ooh, me too! We can make it into a girls day! The boys can stay here and have their own day!" Josie practically vibrates with excitement at the idea she created out of thin air.