A Chosen Mate.

Christmas.

"No, I want to stay here with Myah and the little baby," she says, then bends down and kisses my belly.

"You're so pissed," he notes. She wraps my belly into a hug with her head against it. "Come on, let's go inside in case you hurt Myah."

"I would never hurt Myah," she denies.

"I know but you might fall again and push her back by accident, now come on, take my hand," he commands, holding it out for her.

"You're mean," she pouts, hesitating before taking his hand. "GOODNIGHT, MYAH, GOODNIGHT, BABY!" she shouts.

"Quiet down, Ella," Daniel dictates, laughing at the end.

"Sorry," she whispers sheepishly then giggles again while we laugh at her drunkenness.

"Night, Ella and good luck with your hangover tomorrow, you're going to need it," I state and Daniel chuckles.

"Ugh, my head hurts!" she whines, holding onto her head.

"Yeah she's going to need it alright," he agrees. "Goodnight, Myah, thanks for inviting Ella, it sure looks like she enjoyed it. You should come over more often; we can go out for a meal."

"No problem, it was really fun. Goodnight to you too, Daniel, I'll see you both later, I'd love to do that sometime."

Afterwards I went home, it was only half eight. We always go out early so we're not home too late because of Karen and my kids. It's nice catching up with them again, it may be the only time I get to now that I'm having another baby. Josh is right, three is going to be a handful, I'll never be able to go out again because I'll be so busy. I get out of the car and go into my house. Sylvester and Faye were fighting about a teddy when I get inside.

"Please, you two, you're giving me a headache," Darius says softly, massaging his head.

"Faye, it's mine!" Sylvester argues.

"No, mine!" Faye disagrees, winning it from Sylvester's grasp.

"Give it back to me, Faye! I own it, you can't have it, you can't take my things," Sylvester yells at her. Why can't they share for once? Faye should be in bed by now, how come she's still awake?

"I tried to get her to bed but she kept screaming and shouting for the teddy and Sylvester won't give it to her," Darius says, reading my mind since we're mates.

"That's because she stole it from my room without asking!" Sylvester shouts.

"It's mine now, I need it," Faye cries, walking off to her bedroom with the teddy under her arm. Sylvester charges at her and they play tug of war with the teddy with Faye holding onto its head and Sylvester holding onto its legs. The poor teddy will get ripped if they keep pulling at it like that. Darius rushes over to them and pulls them apart.

"Stop it, now!" Darius shouts. Why does this have to happen to me? Everything was going great today and now I have to come home to this. I sit down on the couch and sigh as I watch them fight. Can't we all just get along? What are we going to be like with a baby in six months? How will we handle it? I start crying and bury my head in my hands. "Myah, baby!" Darius lets go off them and flits over to me. He pulls me to his chest and I cry into it. "Now look, you've made your Mother cry!" He rubs my back and kisses me on the top of the head. Sylvester and Faye walk over to us slowly and ashamed.

"Mummy, I'm sorry," Sylvester says. "Faye, you can keep the teddy, I don't mind just as long as Mum is happy."

"No thanks, Sylvester, you can, I'm sorry for taking him. I'm sorry for making you cry, Mummy, I didn't mean to hurt you," Faye says, hugging my legs. I stop crying and look at them both.