Family

Ali Dee

"Ali I'm busy" she laughs

"What you making?" I ask, kissing her neck

"I'm trying to make our dinner"

"Let's skip dinner and go straight to dessert"

"Alison. Stop. You're distracting me" she cutely giggles

"Well hurry up, cause I'm starving" I say, stepping away from her

"I'm making lasagna"

"Sounds great" I shout from the living room

"Mom" Lily screams as she runs towards the sofa and jumping on top of me

I sit Lily on my knee and tickle her, tilting her up and down on the sofa, she squeals with laugher kicking her legs in the air. I feel small hands cover my eyes and tiny legs wrap around my waist

"Guess who" Grace whispers

"Hanna is that you?" I joke

"No" Grace giggles

"Oh I know. Is it Nana?"

"Nope" Grace hysterically laughs

"Who is it then?"

"It's Grace" Lily laughs

"Are you sure?" I ask, twisting my arms around to grab Grace, delicately flipping her on top of Lily

Their high pitched laughter makes me smile uncontrollably. I can't explain how happy Grace and Lily make me. While Emily makes the dinner I play fight with Lily and Grace. I hit them with pillows and pick them up throwing them back down onto the sofa. I check the group chat to see if anyone said anything about Mona but it's been pretty quiet since Hanna's text. As I re-read the texts, trying to make sense of Mona's pregnancy my phone is sent hurdling across the room by a cushion Grace threw at me

"You're in trouble for that Grace Jessica DiLaurentis-Fields. Are you ready for your punishment?" I laugh

"The tickle monster is coming to get you" I lay Grace on the floor, gliding my fingers up and down all her tickly spots trying to get her to laugh. The bottom of her feet make her hysterical, causing her to kick her legs around in the air trying to escape the tickle monster's trap

"Stop Mom. Stop it" she laughs as Lily joins in tickling her armpits

"Dinner's ready" Emily calls, separating our pretend fight

I lift Lily off Grace and hold her in the air, I softly throw her down into sofa. Grace tries to stands up to walk to the kitchen and I gently push her onto the sofa next to Lily, throwing a pillow at both of them I walk away into the kitchen

"Lily, Grace. What's taking you so long? Mom said dinner's ready" I laugh, throwing another pillow at them so they can't stand up

Both of them laugh as they push the pillows away and run to the table. Emily smiles at me, placing plates of lasagna on the table. She rubs Grace's head as she sits down.

Once we have finished our dinner I wash the dishes and help Emily clean the house. We sit down on the sofa with Lily and Grace when the kitchen is completely spotless

"So. What's for dessert?" I ask, smiling at Emily

"Girls tell Mom, no dessert on a school night"

"No dessert on a school night" Grace and Lily repeat

"Awwwk. Why not?"

"Because you can't get too...hyper on a school night or you'll be tired tomorrow"

I roll my eyes at Emily's attempt to make this conversation child friendly

"Okay, you are right. No dessert on a school night"

"But we had ice cream last Sunday" Lily innocently says

"Yes we did, but that was a special treat. Now what'd you want to watch?" Emily asks, trying to change the subject

We all fall asleep on the sofa watching Disney channel. I am woken up by Emily who has Grace in her arms

"I'll put them to bed and you can go to our room"

She individually carries them into their room as I stumble to mine, still half asleep I get changed, brush my teeth and climb into bed.

Emily's pov

I put Grace and Lily into their beds and tuck them in; trying not to wake them up. I tiptoe out of their room and just as i'm about to slip out of their door, I hear a murmur

"Mommy"

"Yes Lily"

"Can you read me a story?" she yawns

"Of course. What one?"

"The Mermaid and The Queen"

"You've heard that a million times"

"Please" she begs, holding onto my hand as I sit on the floor next to her bed

"Okay" I laugh grabbing the book

"The Mermaid and The Queen, by Emily Fields"