Ok... I know this is late; it's probably the latest I've ever posted an update... but we've hit the hundredth chapter... and guess who got into college?
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*June 2041*
Well, there were five now. Little Redonovich was born kicking and screaming at the top of their lungs.
Ashlyn was in labor for three days, yet her water didn't break until hours into day two. Nobody heard from the new parents until about a week after the birth. Extended family members flew in first to get a glimpse at the new Red member.
When it was finally time for friends to visit, Carlos jokingly placed a bet on what the baby's name would be. (It's still hard to tell if he was serious or not.)
All the theater kids and their kids came together at the Redonovichs' to meet the new baby a few weeks after the birth. EJ, Gina, and Aidan were the first to meet the baby since EJ didn't want to waste any time. When Big Red let him hold the baby, EJ blurted, "Oh my god, Gina, I want one."
"We already have one," she laughed, nodding at Aidan and holding his hand. She bent down to his height and whispered, "Ok, Aidan, if you want to hold the baby, you have to be very careful."
The boy nodded as EJ sat on the couch with the baby, letting Aidan get a peek. "What's the name?" Gina asked.
"Oh, we'll tell you when everyone else gets here," Ashlyn answered.
EJ nodded at Aidan, and the boy carefully took the baby from his father. "This is your new cousin," EJ said. "The nameless child."
Big Red slapped his shoulder and said, "No, just to you."
Everyone else slowly began to come to the house. Each person took turns holding the new bundle of joy. "So... what's the name?" Nini asked.
Ashlyn took their baby back after Seb finally got a chance to hold them. "Well... after some long months of thinking, we've decided on... Violet Hazel."
"It's a girl!?" Carlos shrieked.
"You named her after a color?" Kourtney deadpanned.
They all laughed, and Ricky said, "Welcome to the world, little Violet Hazel Redonovich."
"Violet Hazel Red... That's how someone would describe a sunset," Kourtney added.
Ashlyn just laughed and said, "Hey, the rules were no Little Red.
"Very well," Kourtney said, defeated. "I guess a loophole's a loophole."
Everyone stayed in the living room, watching the parents melt over their baby. It was heartwarming to see them so happy and excited to finally have a child of their own. Ashlyn handed Violet off to Big Red, saying she needed to go to the kitchen and check on the food she was making.
Big Red took his daughter back, gently touching the small bit of red hair on top of her head. Ricky went over and sat next to him on the couch. "So... how does it feel?"
"Crazy," The redhead said breathlessly. "I don't know what to do with myself."
"You're gonna be a great dad. I know it."
"Do you want to hold her again?"
"Sure." Ricky opened his hands, and Big Red carefully placed his daughter in his best friend's arms. "I can already see the resemblance," Ricky commented.
"Her hair is gonna be as bright as the sun." The two men chuckled and went back to admiring the child.
Across the room, Nini and Gina were talking, predicting the behavior of the little girl and reminiscing on their own children's best moments. "How do you think she's gonna be at the terrible twos stage?" Gina wondered.
"I don't imagine too awful. I mean, Ash and Red aren't exactly the reckless and crazy type."
"Every kid has their worst times though."
"You've got a point there," Nini laughed.
"She's pretty quiet right now though."
"I mean, she is only a couple of weeks old."
"I think she likes Ricky," the curly-haired woman commented, pointing. Nini glanced over at where her friend was directing and saw Big Red and Ricky with Violet. Ricky was making faces at the infant while Big Red looked like he was ready to pounce in case his friend dropped his daughter.
Nini's heart melted as she watched Ricky with her. The sight also saddened her, knowing he would've been the most excited and supportive father had he been with the twins from the start. She decided on joining them and said a quick bye to Gina, heading over to the couch. "Hey," she greeted, sitting next to Ricky.
"Look at this face," Ricky said, positioning Violet to face Nini.
Nini waved at the baby and said to Big Red, "She's beautiful, Red. She's gonna be quite the catch when she grows up."
"I know," he smiled, "especially with her mother's genes."
"What is this I hear?" Ashlyn said, coming back into the living room. Ricky handed the girl back to her mother, and Ashlyn immediately sat back down. When she did, EJ came over too.
"Can I hold her again?" he asked.
"Of course."
Ricky and Nini moved off the couch, and Violet was passed back to EJ. He carefully adjusted the blanket around his little cousin. "I sometimes miss Aidan at this age," he mumbled.
Gina came back over and sat next to her husband, resting her chin on his shoulder. "She's cute, isn't she?"
He turned to her and blurted, "I want one," again.
She just laughed and kissed his cheek. "Sorry, babe, but I think one is good enough for us."
"When was the last time we were all together for a celebration and alcohol wasn't involved?" Carlos joked.
"That's a good question," Big Red said. "Probably the baby shower."
"Ok, let me rephrase: before the baby," the Latino reiterated.
"I don't remember," Kourtney concluded. They all laughed and went back to being hypnotized by the infant.
The party soon split into smaller groups and conversations around the main floor. The kids were all together sitting on the staircase. "I can't wait to be a big sister!" Madison squealed, the seven-year-old about to explode into a firework show of happiness.
"I think it's great," Jayden agreed. "You think Mom would trust us to babysit?"
"At this age? Probably not," Lauren answered. "Maybe when she doesn't need as much attention from the Reds."
"So... how are we related again?" Aidan wondered.
"Well, Ashlyn is your dad's cousin," Lauren began explaining. "So that would make her your second cousin and the baby your... third cousin?" she said questioningly, going over her own logic again in her head. "I think that's right," she concluded.
"Sure, sounds right," Jayden agreed.
"You have no idea what I just said, do you?"
"Kind of."
When it was time to eat, everyone grabbed plates and grabbed food out of the large tray Ashlyn had pulled out of the oven. They were scattered in the living room still trying to hold some conversations.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After many hours, everyone said their goodbyes to the new parents, adding a farewell for Violet too.
Once the house was empty, the husband and wife slumped onto the couch, Violet laying in her crib. "Holy shit," Big Red mumbled.
"Yeah," Ashlyn agreed.
He turned to her and wondered, "You ready for this?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so."
Violet Hazel Redonovich
June 24, 2041, at 10:57 pm
Welcome to the World!
*July*
The school year was about to kick off again, and no one was as depressed as the kids.
The twins were up in their rooms finishing up their summer English homework that they only just started a couple of weeks ago, and Nini was frantically texting Miss Jenn about the musical for the semester since nothing ever went smoothly in that department.
Ricky was currently out with Nia, Justin, and Kira to breakfast to catch up on everything that's happened between them. (Noah was with Nia's mom.) They've hung out plenty of times before over the summer, but there just never seemed to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.
Kira and Justin discovered genuine feelings for each other over the years yet decided to go through with the divorce anyway, so they could try a true relationship in their own time.
Noah got along very well with Justin and Kira, possibly because they have met before (but it was only briefly). As for the rest of the gang, Noah was fitting in well; he was still adjusting to the number of people, but Ricky and Nia could tell (and were glad) that he was growing more comfortable with everyone.
"I still can't believe you two have a kid," Kira said, munching on her bacon.
"Yeah, well, I can't either sometimes," Nia agreed.
"Hey, it's been the best," Ricky added.
"You're a father of three though, right?" Justin questioned.
"Uh, yeah," Ricky said, scratching the back of his head. "It's a little complicated, but I would do anything for all of them."
"Ok, enough talk about kids," Kira interjected. "You're making me feel old." They laughed, but the blonde continued. "How's the love life going?"
"Must we talk about this every time?" Nia groaned.
"Uh, yes!" Kira insisted. "Come on, I need to know what's going on with my best friend!"
Nia sighed and slumped in her seat. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I already told you what went wrong before. I don't exactly have the same story as this one," she said, sticking her thumb at Ricky.
"Just because you're not with your girlfriend from before doesn't mean there's no one," Justin encouraged.
"Thanks, but no thanks," she said, sipping her coffee. "I'm not interested in anyone at the moment. I also just don't feel like it."
"You know, I honestly think I have someone in mind," Ricky said, taking a bite of his egg.
"Who?" Kira said, extremely invested.
"Kourtney."
Nia choked on her food. "I barely know her!" she reminded.
"Yeah, but you two have so much more in common than you think. You both have a love for fashion, are great at one-liners, and care deeply about your families."
"Wow, she does sound perfect," Justin nodded.
"That's not enough information," Nia countered.
"But it's not a bad start," Kira added.
"Please don't tell anyone about this," Nia begged. "I don't want a relationship right now. And you people are acting like we're in high school."
"Fine, but I reserve the right to say I told you so in the future," Ricky declared.
They finished eating and ended up splitting the bill. Once the pairs went their separate ways and were at their own cars, Ricky said, "I don't think you should give up on love." He opened the passenger side door since she wanted to drive. "There is a perfect match for you somewhere."
"I know, but I really don't want to add someone else to the mix, especially now." Nia started the car and began to back out of her parking spot. "Our lives are finally back to what they almost used to be. I don't want any more drastic changes until they have to happen."
"Suit yourself."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On their way to the apartment, Ricky got a text from Nini; she asked him if he was free and for him to come over. Nia was fine with it and dropped him off since she had to go get Noah.
Ricky went to the door and knocked, smiling when the door opened quickly. They greeted each other with quick hellos, Nini pulling him into a swift kiss; quick little kisses were followed by smiles between each one. "Someone's in a good mood," Ricky mumbled.
"A little."
He brought his hand up to her face and held her longer before pulling away. When he did, he asked, "What's that smell?"
"Oh, I'm just working on dinner."
"Dinner? Nini, it's breakfast time."
"It's in a crockpot and will take forever," she explained, going into the kitchen. Ricky followed and saw her slightly lifting the lid above the large pot.
"What did you want to do?"
She put the lid back in place and answered. "I don't know," she shrugged. She leaned back against the counter away from the crockpot "The twins are both out at friends' houses. They said it was supposed to be some summer study group, but I don't believe that for a second. Well, they did take their work with them, but I doubt they'll actually do anything productive."
"So... we have the house to ourselves?"
"Mhm," she nodded.
Ricky sauntered over to her, his hands landing on her waist and squeezing her hips. "What did you say the plans were again?"
Nini shrugged once again and placed her hands on his arms, massaging him as she went up. "I didn't put any thought into anything specific. Just... sit on the couch... watch TV."
He just grinned and muttered, "Sounds perfect."
She opened her mouth to speak but closed it when no words came out; she just stared into his gorgeous eyes that she couldn't classify as a definite color. She eventually gave in and put her hands on his neck and got on her toes to kiss him deeply. Ricky sighed and held onto her tightly while also pressing his body into hers, caging her in between him and the countertop.
There was so much emotion they could both feel. Sparks exploded as if they were lovesick teenagers; it felt like years' worth of yearning and lost time were trying to be made up in this moment alone. So many memories of situations just like this flashed in their minds like a lifetime documentary.
Ricky's head was spinning, and it only made him smile widely. She's magnificent. He pulled away first, panting a little. His eyes were still closed as he relished in the moment. Nini looked up at him and thought he was adorable.
She moved some curls away from his face at the same time he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "God, Nini," he murmured.
She just giggled and wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same. "I missed you," she admitted once again. Rough fucking years.
It's silent between them, but they don't need words to convey what they're thinking; they're just holding each other in her kitchen like the predictable make up scene in a movie.
"I love you."
Nini stiffened a little, so lost in the tranquility that she wasn't sure if she heard him correctly. She lifted her head away from his shoulder, but he made no effort to change their position. "Wh- What?" she stuttered.
Ricky just grinned and held her tighter. "I love you, angel. Forever and always."
Nini actually felt tears come to her eyes. She moved to kiss him again before he could object; this had just as much passion and emotion in it as the previous. "I love you, bubba. God, you're my soulmate, and I can't believe you're actually real sometimes."
They were both a little teary-eyed as they continued to kiss. It became much deeper when Ricky parted his lips, prompting Nini to slip her tongue in with his. Nini's hands balled his shirt into her fists as they continued to make out, and she pulled away to mutter, "Do you wanna go upstairs?"
Ricky's eyes scanned her face before nodding rapidly, his heartbeat gradually increasing. The two scurried upstairs rapidly. When they reached the master bedroom, Nini shut the door and pushed him against it. This kiss was much more aggressive and hungry; her hands were flat on his chest, holding him in place, and her body was tingling with anticipation.
Ricky groaned yet began to panic when she started pulling on his shirt. He fought against his fears, thinking he would be fine and wanting to satisfy both of their obvious cravings. He felt her palms slither up his abs and to his chest, her nails scratching him as she went, and he couldn't take it anymore; he pushed her away purely out of trepidation.
Nini was clearly perplexed by this change and just looked at him worriedly. She quickly played back the moment in her mind and realized what might have happened. "Ricky, if this is about-?"
"Nini, please," he begged. "I just... I look awful."
"Ricky, you do not. Those stupid marks will not change how I feel about you." She saw the tears build in his eyes; he was so much more terrified this time than last.
"B- But I-"
"No buts." She approached him, toying with the hem of his t-shirt. "I love you. Just because you don't look like you used to doesn't mean that I won't see you the same."
"But what if you don't?" His voice cracked at the end of it, which broke her heart.
"Well, you're not the same person. And frankly, neither am I. But those scars are only proof of what you have overcome. They show what you've been fighting for."
He didn't say anything as she wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him deeply, his back still pressed against the door. She began to ball up the bottom of his shirt and pulled away just enough to whisper, "I love you. All of you." He relaxed and nodded, allowing her to pull his shirt off.
Nini discarded it on the floor and glanced over his body. Ricky felt self-conscious as she looked at him, but she just gently held his face and muttered, "You're here. That's all that matters." She kissed him once again before he could protest, her hands sliding over his body. His hands landed on her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.
When she touched his shoulders, her fingertips grazed over a bandaid on the back of his left shoulder. Ricky pulled away first and mumbled, "Please."
"What is it?" Nini wondered.
"Not right now," he answered, still holding her close. "I just want you." Nini knew how diffident he was about this, so she decided again to ignore it for now.
Ricky let his hand slowly travel up her sides, making a shiver go down her spine, and held her chin with his index and thumb. He was losing himself in her with each kiss and began to move forward, walking her back toward her bed without breaking apart.
Nini felt her legs hit the edge of her bed; they both soon fell into it a moment later. Ricky was hovering over her, panting while she looked up at him too. He smiled at the woman below him, not believing where he was. "I love you," he murmured. "There could never be anyone else for me." She blushed, and he caressed her cheek with one hand.
"You're my first and only love, Ricky. No one could ever make me feel the way I do when I'm with you."
Ricky leaned down to kiss her once again, and her fingers wove themselves into his curls. He moved over to kiss her neck and heard her gently moan almost directly into his ear; that sound drove him insane and caused memories to flash in his mind.
He slipped his hand under her shirt and slowly began to push it up before ultimately tossing it over the side of the bed. His lips parted as he looked at her bare chest, admiring her beauty. "You're stunning, Nini."
She gasped loudly when he began to roughly kiss and nip her collarbone. "God, I love you so damn much."
Before Ricky moved any lower, he mumbled, "You're sure about this, right?"
Nini looked down at him like he was crazy. "I'm always sure when I'm with you."
Ricky grinned like a child and kissed her passionately once again. "I fucking love you."
*August*
It was yet another girls' night as the four women of the group convened. They were at Kourtney's once again since she was the only one without kids.
Nini was in Ricky's three-colored hoodie for the night; she had a much better connotation with it now, sometimes feeling like she was living a fever dream. Kourtney was in her silk pajamas; Gina was wearing some of EJ's old East High gear; and Ashlyn was in an extra large Slices hoodie.
Ashlyn didn't drink yet, so the other three started off the night with the traditional opening shot of tequila, and the conversations slowly slipped into nonsense. Everyone was spread out around the living room, all sitting and laying in different positions.
"Have you ever thought about another kid, Gi?" Ashlyn wondered.
Gina blew a raspberry and started laughing hysterically; her face even started turning red. "That... That... That's a good one, Ash," she cackled, catching her breath and wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I don't think it's so far-fetched," Kourtney agreed, inadvertently giggling.
"I don't want another kid," she shrugged. "Aidan hangs out with friends all the time, and he has you people. Plus, the age gap between them would be kinda big; I don't think they'd bond as well."
"Siblings and friends are very different relationships," Nini added, sipping on her wine.
"We talked about kids again years ago," Gina continued. "I don't really want to go through the whole pregnancy process again, so if we have another kid at some point, then it'll be unintentional. We like our little family of three."
"You don't sound drunk," Ashlyn commented, making all of them laugh.
"Well, speaking of family, how's your life been going," Gina diverted to Nini.
"It's great. The twins are comfortable around Ricky, which I'm grateful for; I don't know how close they feel to him though, but I think their interactions are much more natural now."
"That's always good," Ashlyn said.
"Yeah," Kourtney nodded. "Now, onto the good stuff," she said excitedly. "How's the sex life going?" she asked bluntly.
Nini's face turned as red as her wine, which she almost spit out. She started coughing erratically while the other three laughed their asses off. They probably would've been this nosy even if they were sober, but possibly a bit more subtle (most likely not though). "Wh- What do you... mean?" she stammered, trying to breathe again.
"I think you know," Gina smirked.
Nini grabbed a pillow and hugged it, hiding her face. "Why me?!" she groaned.
"Because!" Ashlyn argued.
Nini debated on how much information she wanted to share; she was drunk though and knew that that decision wasn't entirely up to her. "We've... done... it," she admitted slowly. Her drunken mind then flashed with memories of him pleasuring her for hours, both not caring about the time. God, he's so sexy.
"I knew it!" Kourtney shouted proudly.
"Well, we've been apart for years," Nini defended.
"Yeah, and you've probably already had sex enough times to make up for all those years," Gina giggled.
"How does this conversation topic start up every time?" Ashlyn wondered.
"Because you people find joy in my suffering," Nini answered.
They were still chortling until Ashlyn pointed out the time; Kourtney offered her the bed since she was probably exhausted from taking care of a newborn. After a bit of arguing, she did end up going to the much cozier bed while the other three got themselves comfortable on the couch and chairs.
Nini fell asleep with a small smile on her face, her last thoughts of her favorite curly boy.
*September*
"Holy fuck."
"Yeah... yeah, that sounds about right." Nini collapsed next to Ricky, both sweaty and panting. They had been tangled in her sheets for so long and lost track of time, just enjoying the moment together.
The twins were at a football game, so the house was once again empty; Nini had dropped them off at a friend's house to get ready about an hour before it was supposed to start.
The night started off with the two on the couch sharing a bowl of popcorn as Nini started up a movie. It was a colder September evening in Salt Lake, so she grabbed a giant blanket for the two of them to share. She curled into his side as she has done so many times before and wrapped her arms around his torso while he had his arm around her shoulders, his hand resting on her waist.
It started innocently; Nini subconsciously drew shapes into his chest. Ricky smiled at the gesture and pecked her forehead; that's when she realized what she was doing. She kept doing it before slipping her hand under his shirt; he flinched from her cold hand and became a little self-conscious when her thumb accidentally ran over a scar. She felt him tense and moved to press a kiss to his neck, mumbling, "It's ok. Just relax." He did and put his attention back on the TV screen.
Ricky started to become turned on, however, when her nails traced his abs; he tried to keep his head forward and focus on the movie, but it was even more difficult when he could see the look she was giving him in his peripheral vision. His breaking point was when her fingers pressed against his belt buckle. He finally looked down at her, but she didn't break eye contact nor cease her movements. The two swiftly rid themselves of half their clothing before the second act of the film even started.
"I... fuck," Ricky mumbled, flipping onto his side to face her. "It just keeps getting better and better."
Nini blushed and giggled, holding the blankets tightly against her chest. "God, I love you." Ricky smiled like a child as he reached to grab his girlfriend's chin, pulling her into a deep kiss. His hand moved to hold her jaw, his thumb stroking her cheek.
Ricky was spending much more time with Nini and the twins now, and he was enjoying every minute of it. He didn't feel like he deserved the father title yet, but he was determined to earn it. (Nini said he already has.)
He did still balance time with Noah though; he struggled to split the days perfectly even, but it was balanced. Just because he already had a stable and strong relationship with Noah didn't mean that he could just devote all of his time to the twins now.
"I love you," he whispered when they broke apart.
"You know..." Nini began, "our anniversary's coming up."
Ricky chuckled and said, "Yeah, we have three. Wait, four. Three? I can't remember anymore. There might be twenty-seven."
Nini laughed and said, "You know which one I'm talking about though."
"Yeah, I do," he said giddily.
He's still the biggest man-child. She cupped his face and kissed him repeatedly while smiling. She stopped though when a thought popped into her head. "Ok, question."
"I have an answer. Maybe."
She grabbed his hand and began playing with his rings. "Do you... Do you remember all the other anniversaries?"
"Of course," he answered instantly. "How could I forget all of our best moments?" Nini just shrugged and stayed silent. Ricky kissed her knuckles and said, "May 30, 2018: when I asked you to be my girlfriend the first time."
Nini laughed and just nodded. I think my face froze with a smile that night.
"December 14, 2019: we kissed in that dressing room junior year."
"Pretty great moment," she chortled.
Ricky grabbed her hand that had the promise ring on it, tenderly stroking the back of it. "February 22, 2021: the day we got these rings."
"You said it was for my birthday, but I still say that it was so much more."
"I mean, eighteen is a pretty big milestone." He paused and kissed her knuckles. "And now... September 16, 2040... for the third time."
"I can't believe you've been here for over a year now," Nini said, playing with his hair. "It's so unreal."
"Yeah. I honestly never thought I would be in this position again."
"Well, we've been through a lot. We can add coming back to life to the list."
He chuckled, and his hand slipped under the covers to her hip, squeezing and pulling her closer. "So... do you want to do anything about those other dates or...?"
"Well... maybe just the rings," she said. "I mean... everything is obviously so different now. I don't really want to dwell on the past."
"Yeah. Yeah, I get that."
Nini scooted closer to him, reaching a hand up to hold his face while still holding the blankets against herself. "It's moments like these that I live for."
"What? Being naked in bed and having a semi-deep conversation?" he chuckled.
Nini laughed too and said, "Well, not necessarily. Just... us talking... not feeling pressure to be doing... anything."
"Well... momentary tranquility."
"Still pretty nice." She moved to curl into his chest, pressing a kiss to the scar in the middle of his chest, the first major one.
Ricky just chortled and wrapped his arms around her. "Tired?"
"Yeah, a little."
"You wanna cuddle after sex?"
Nini nearly snorted from his words, just laughed, and kissed his collarbone. "Sure."
He kissed the top of her head and said, "Sleep well, angel."
She snuggled as close as possible to him, feeling his arms tighten around her as she became comfortable. "You're warm," she mumbled, her nose pressed against his chest.
Ricky began fiddling with the ends of her hair, and he mumbled, "And you're everything."
*October*
The Caswells were sitting on the couch, both on their laptops. They were trying to figure out what to do for Aidan's birthday, which was only two days away. They were both off work for the occasion, and Aidan was at school for another hour.
"Ok, all I know is that he wants to eat fried chicken," EJ said. "Like a big chicken platter."
Gina just giggled and said, "He is your child." EJ laughed too and kissed her forehead. "I'm not sure about an actual vacation somewhere though," she said. "Like, he hasn't said he wants to go anywhere."
"Nope," EJ said, popping the P. "Let's just ask him. It doesn't make it any less special if he has a small clue."
"I guess you're right." The two continued to search different locations when EJ's phone buzzed. "Who is it?" Gina wondered.
The raven-haired man looked at his phone and said, "It's Ash. Aww, more pictures of Violet." He unlocked his phone and showed his wife the new photos.
"That girl is adorable," she commented.
"Yeah." EJ scrolled through the new images for a minute before turning to his wife nervously. "Gina, can I ask you a question?"
"Oh god, that's not a good start." She didn't like the way his voice sounded.
"What are your thoughts on a second baby?"
Gina sighed as she thought out her answer. They've talked about it many times in the past, and the conversation always went the same. "I mean... I like our little family of three. Plus, don't you think we're kinda old now to have another kid?"
"I don't think it's ever too late," he said eagerly. "I mean... Watching Red and Ash with Violet really made me miss Aidan's baby stage. I don't miss all the screaming and crying but still."
"But don't you think it'd be weird now? Aidan's gonna be eleven; that's a bit of a gap to truly bond with a sibling."
EJ sighed, clearly seeing this going nowhere. "I know; I know. But I still think it would be nice to hear another pair of footsteps going around."
Gina didn't know what to say. His logic wasn't completely insane, which only made this harder. "EJ... I don't know if I can handle it again, especially now." She could feel the tears behind her eyes.
Her pregnancy was astonishingly difficult. A regular day felt like 72 hours with no end in sight, and her whole body never stopped aching the whole nine months; the actual birth itself was like someone snapped their fingers, and then their son appeared. If it was that difficult with their first child, she couldn't imagine what it would be like with a second, especially now that she was 37.
EJ just kissed her cheek and hugged her, whispering, "Ok. Ok, if that's how you feel."
She hugged him back and bit her lip to hold the tears in. Well, shit... Now I feel guilty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EJ was out picking up Aidan from school. (The two flipped a coin, so Gina was going to start dinner.) She felt guilty as the ground beef sizzled on the stove. Instead of wallowing in her self-pity, she decided to invite someone else into her ocean of confusion.
"Hey, Ashlyn!" she greeted cheerily into the phone once the woman picked up.
"Hello?" she said suspiciously.
"Hi, so I just wanted to talk with you for a minute if you have it."
"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."
Gina sighed and bit her lip as she thought of the right words. "So... EJ brought up a second kid again. I really don't know what to say; I can tell he wants one, but I don't think I do."
"Make a pros and cons list," she suggested. "Start with the pros."
"Ok," she nodded, stirring the meat around. "One, Aidan would have someone else around the house. Two, it would make EJ really happy." She stopped there, not sure what else to add. "That's all I got."
"Ok, not a bad start. Now for the cons."
"One, I think we're too old to have a newborn; all the screaming and crying and constant attention might get out of hand with our jobs now. I don't think it would be fair to Aidan either if he was bothered or woken up by a baby."
"That's all one reason?"
"Well, yeah. They kind of tie in together."
"Any other reasons?"
"I just don't know if Aidan would have a good relationship with the new baby. Like, he's turning eleven in two days. An eleven to twelve age gap is kinda big."
"Yeah, but you know there are families where uncles/aunts are only so many years older than the niece/nephew because they have, like, a twenty-year gap with their sibling."
"Well, yeah, but that mostly results from multiple marriages."
"So? Relationships like that still exist."
"I know," she sighed.
"Any other reason you don't think it's a good idea?"
Gina went quiet as she thought. "I guess... I guess I just don't want to do it again. I don't know if I can withstand such a physical and mental drain for nine months again. But I could tell EJ was disappointed when I told him that."
"Well, you certainly shouldn't have another baby just to make one of you happy. How about this: what if you keep an open mind for a few more months and see if this Violet baby fever wears off? If it doesn't, then have a more serious conversation a little later down the road."
Gina breathed deeply as she processed everything. "Ok. Ok, I just need to give it some time. Thanks, Ash; you're the best."
"Hey, it's no problem. I'm always here for my sister and cousin."
"You know that you really shouldn't call us that."
"I think it's funny."
"You just gave birth, so I guess it passes this time."
"And every time before and here on out," she laughed.
"Bye, Ash. Thanks for this."
"Any time. I love you!"
"Love you too. Mwah!"
They said their goodbyes just as Gina heard the front door open. "We're back!" she heard her husband yell. She heard her son's footsteps and immediately picked him up when he ran into the kitchen.
"There's my little man," she smiled, repeatedly kissing his cheek before putting him back down.
EJ came into the kitchen shortly after and asked, "What are we having?"
"I don't know yet," she shrugged. "This needed to be cooked, and I figured we would just wing it."
"Perfect." He kissed her forehead and then went to the refrigerator to search for something for dinner.
Gina sent Aidan on his way to go wash his hands and went to tap EJ on the shoulder. "Hey," she began. "So I was thinking a bit while you were gone, and... I'm willing to leave the decisions about a baby open."
His eyes widened yet a smile broke out on his face. "Really?"
"Yeah. I mean... let's just give it a few months, yeah? I know we've talked about another baby in the past, but I don't want this to be some impulsive decision now that we rethink later when it's too late."
"Ok. Yeah, ok. That works." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple just as they heard their son running back from the bathroom.
"So what are we having?" the boy asked excitedly.
The family of three got to work to make a beef stroganoff that EJ found in the cabinet. The whole time though, Gina couldn't help the contrite feeling in her gut; she almost felt selfish too for her decision, but she was going to try and keep an open mind for a while. It was the least she could do.
*November*
The Rodriguez-Smith household was buzzing as they were going to host Thanksgiving this year.
Seb had already contacted tons of relatives for family recipes since this was going to be the first time they were having the celebration at their house in years. They would have done it last year, but the Redonovichs' did since Ashlyn was pregnant. (Carlos said that that was homophobic of time.)
Seb and Carlos both suggested that they could have it at their house again though since Violet was only five months old, but the Reds insisted that the husbands could (they wanted to get out of their house anyway).
Madison was definitely thrilled because she enjoyed guessing who was at the door before opening it. (Everyone loved when the little girl was the first one they saw too.)
The husbands were working to have everything cooked immaculately, wanting to time it perfectly to when their guests would begin to arrive. Carlos was going over the checklist for the hundredth time to ensure that they had made every item necessary.
The first guests arrived as they were finishing putting all the food around the kitchen counters. "I'll get it!" Madison called, rushing to the front door.
"I love her so much," Carlos gushed, watching the seven-year-old run off to the door.
"Yeah, she's the best," Seb agreed.
They heard gleeful greetings come from the front. "My favorite girl!" they heard Kourtney shout. The husbands both went around the corner at the same time to peek their heads out, waving at the woman at the door.
"Oh my god!" Carlos shrieked, going to hug her. "Your makeup is everything," he complimented.
"And your nails!" Seb added. She had orange eyeshadow with yellow, red, and orange nails.
"I know," she said, lifting her hands to show them.
Everyone else began to slowly trickle in. Once everyone was in the house, they grabbed plates and began filling up before finding seats around the table. The kids quickly went off into the living room to watch TV and eat while the adults stayed at the table.
"So how has she been?" Nini asked, nodding her head at Ashlyn and Violet.
"Oh my god, it's been amazing," the mother answered. "I'm seriously trying to get a routine down with her, and it's gone well so far."
"It's even easier since Ricky has taken charge at Slices," Big Red said, nodding at his best friend.
"No problem," the curly-haired man answered. "You deserve to have as much time with your daughter as possible." Nini glanced over at him and squeezed his thigh under the table.
"In seven months, you need to find a picture of Ashlyn to compare it to," EJ said. "They would be twins."
"Oh, I bet," the mother agreed. "She'd probably twin with her dad too," she joked, getting a laugh out of everyone.
They continued to eat as conversations jumped from topic to topic, each one seemingly less and less relevant to the previous.
Once that was over, it was time for dessert. Carlos and Seb grabbed three different pies, making a big show out of each. "We have pumpkin, pecan, and apple," Seb listed.
"And then chocolate cupcakes for the kids," Carlos added, pointing at the box still on the counter. "We know how they are."
Everyone dug into sweets, wanting to get a taste of all of them. "Oh my god, why don't you two host more eating events?" Gina said, covering her mouth to talk.
"Because the calendar has been homophobic!" Carlos screeched, pretending to flip his hair. Everyone laughed at their friend's dramatics as they continued to shovel the pies.
The day continued like that until everyone grew full. They all regrouped into the living room with hot chocolate, the kids joining them too. They were unsure what to watch, especially with the kids here; they ultimately let them decide, and the first Spongebob movie was chosen as per Madison and Aidan (Lauren and Jayden didn't mind since they would've watched no matter what.)
The adults all laughed with each other and enjoyed the time they got to spend together. Even though they all lived within a short distance from each other, it felt like they only got together for major holidays now. They were always grateful for the time they were together (and for forcing their kids to become best friends).
*December*
Ricky was in an awkward position.
Nia's family had invited him to their Christmas celebration this year, which he was not expecting at all. He's been to her mother's place a few times, but he didn't think he knew them well enough to be included in a family gathering.
They were celebrating earlier in December than they normally would, but her brother didn't live in the state because of his job, and the only way he could get time off was a couple of weeks before the actual holiday.
Ricky wanted them to like him, but he wasn't sure what exactly they saw him as. Their daughter's son's father? Explaining that whole fake marriage situation to them was a hassle, so he was wondering how awkward it would be. Her mother, father, and brother understand the circumstance, but would the extended family?
"Hey, what could go wrong at a holiday celebration with my brother, divorced parents, and semi-distant cousins?" Nia had said jokingly.
He was nervous as he dressed. He was wearing a nicer outfit like the ones he would wear on dates with Nini. He grabbed his winter gear from the closet as he walked down the hall to the living room.
On his way, he peeked into Noah's room where Nia was trying to dress him up. When the boy saw his father in the doorway, he whined and asked, "Dad, why do I have to wear this?"
"Hey," Nia interjected, "you're practically in a t-shirt and jeans. The only difference is the bow tie."
Ricky chuckled and entered the room. "Here, you go get ready. I'll take care of him." Nia nodded a silent thank you and went into their bedroom.
He adjusted the bow tie around his son's neck, hiding it under his shirt collar and stepping back to make sure it looked right. "There," he said, satisfied. "You look very handsome." Noah was in a red buttoned shirt and black jeans. He fiddled with the bow tie, trying to lower it. "Hey, once you stop touching it, you won't even know it's there."
The boy huffed and eventually gave up after Ricky fixed it back three times. "How long is this going to take?" he wondered.
"At least two days," Ricky deadpanned.
"Two days!?" he shrieked.
"I'm kidding, bud. At least two hours."
"That's still too long."
"Hey, there's food. And dessert. Plus, you get to meet more of Mom's family." Noah just looked defeated. "Family is important," Ricky continued. "One day, you'll have one of your own that you will cherish for the rest of your life."
"That's a long time."
Ricky laughed and said, "Yeah, it is. But it's totally worth it."
"Why?"
"Because... love is a... crazy, wonderful thing."
"That sounds like something out of a movie."
"It probably is. Here, let's get your coat and wait for Mom on the couch."
The two of them sat on the couch for another ten minutes before hearing Nia's boots against the hardwood floor. "Ok, are we all ready to go?"
"Yup." Ricky began patting his pockets as he listed off his necessities. "Keys, wallet, phone... yup, we're good!"
"Perfect, I do not want to be late."
"Nia, we're already late," he said. "It's 5:00; you said to be there by 4:00."
"No, that time is for my cousins and aunts and uncles. They're always late and then get so mad when we start to eat 'early', which is truly the correct time. My brother and I would always place bets on how long after the scheduled time they would show up."
"Ah, that makes a lot more sense now why you weren't freaking out when the clock hit 3:30."
"Remember last year when they didn't show up because the snow stopped their plane? Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure they just got the days mixed up and didn't feel like explaining themselves."
Once they were all covered from head to toe in winter gear, Ricky said, "Well, no point in wasting any more actual time. Let's get going!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They arrived at the tiny apartment, not at all surprised by the wreath on the door. Upon entering, the whole place was completely covered in anything related to the holidays. "I'm so glad you guys could make it!" Nia's mother gushed.
"No problem, Raven," Ricky said, ushering Noah inside. Once inside, Nia went over to hug her father and brother.
"Where's your fiancée, Ryan?" she asked her brother.
"She's with her parents," he explained. "All their schedules rarely line up, so this was the only time they could be together." When he saw Noah, his eyes lit up. "My favorite nephew!" he exclaimed, going to hug him. Once he was done squeezing the boy, he turned to Ricky and said, "Ricky, right?"
"Yeah. How are you, Ryan?"
"Pretty good. Still wrapping my head around the whole... marriage thing," he chuckled.
Ricky just nodded and said, "Yeah, I get that."
Ricky didn't have a problem with Ryan and neither did the brother; Nia's family was obviously still adjusting to the whole situation. Her father was thankful that she at least wasn't alone during all those years, even though she could easily take care of herself.
They all gathered in the kitchen, instantly blown away by the different smells of food. Ricky was amazed by the feast that was in front of him; he knew more people were coming, but it still seemed like an exorbitant amount. "Holy cow, Raven," he said. "This all looks incredible."
"Thank you, Ricky. I figured why not go all out. I mean, it is Nia's second Christmas back."
As they were all ogling over the food, they heard a knock at the front door. "I'll get it," Jay, Nia's dad, offered. When he opened it, their extended family was at the door. "Hey, Raven!" Jay shouted. "Your brother's here!"
Everyone went to the door and saw Raven's younger brother, his wife, and two kids. When they entered, they immediately went still when they saw the three strangers. "Holy, shit!" one of the kids said.
"Sydney!" Nia shrieked. "There is a child present!" she scolded.
"Yeah, well, there's a lot more than just a child present," the other said.
"Thank you, captain obvious," Nia deadpanned. "Ok, let me go ahead and get this out of the way: this is my son, Noah," she introduced, "and my fake ex-husband, Ricky." Ryan couldn't help but laugh at the blunt explanation.
"Wait... Wait, what?!"
Ricky sighed and said, "You want to take the lead."
"Yeah."
The others went to the kitchen to get food while Nia went to explain everything to her family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything took forever to get through, but Nia cut out most of it, only explaining the whole... family relationships.
Colton (her uncle) thought her life sounded like a Tom Cruise movie; Phoebe (her aunt) didn't think any of it was real and that this was some strange prank, but that theory was quickly proven false since Noah was clearly standing right in front of them; and finally, her two cousins (Sydney and Zach) said this was better than any celebrity drama.
Once the situation was mostly understood, everyone grabbed plates and began to fill them. They all sat around the living room as they ate, and Ricky was fascinated by the family dynamic, especially Raven and Jay. Nia has mentioned multiple times before that her parents had separated yet still got along great, which he thought meant that they put on a show when they were in public. But now, he thought it was crazy that they seemed like such good friends, even all these years later.
It's been so many years that he can't remember the last real conversation with his mother. The last thing he remembers about her outside of the holiday phone calls was when she disapproved of him joining the military (the only time he wished he listened to her).
Nini even admitted that she was barely involved in the twins' lives; hell, they didn't even recognize her from the family photos that Mike still had around the house. He wondered what her reaction was to his "death."
But Raven and Jay... their relationship was so friendly and open. They were still so loving to each other, and it didn't look like a show for relatives either. He knew that he and Nia had divorced parents in common, but the two circumstances were obviously vastly different.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After dinner was over, everyone crowded around the coffee table to play board games. Ricky could see that the competitive spirit ran in the family; a fight almost broke out with every turn, which probably didn't help that they were playing Monopoly.
After three hours, the game finally ended. Nobody truly won the game; the only winners were those who had grown tired of the never-ending game.
The large group had broken apart. Ricky and Noah were sitting together in a chair watching TV while the family mingled and caught up. Ryan soon came over though and stole the boy away, wanting him to help put the last of the decorations on the tree (as if it could hold any more).
Nia eventually slipped away from her chaotic family and brought them some hot chocolate. "Oh, thanks," Ricky said, taking the mug from her.
"No problem. I needed a reason to split from them for a minute. I love them, but they can be a lot."
"No worries. I get that."
They drank in silence and just observed the craziness around them. Nia was the first to finish her drink, so she decided to ask, "So what are your other holiday plans?"
"I'm not sure. I mean, other than the obvious."
"What is the obvious?"
"Spending the day with my dad. I really want to make the most of the time I still have with him. I have no idea what any of the others are doing. It'll probably be similar to last year since I think it's a tradition."
"So... no other ideas?"
"Nope. Why?"
"Well, I figured you and Nini would've, you know... tied the knot by now."
Ricky almost spat his hot chocolate out. "What!?" he coughed.
"Well, I just figured with your history... you wouldn't want to waste any time."
He scratched the back of his head while he tried to figure out a response. (His cheeks were as hot as his drink.) "I mean... we're in no rush, and we like where we are. Look, we've been back for a year and a half now, which I think is far too soon to get married."
"You said you've known her for how long?"
"Since we were five."
"And you've been dating for how long?"
"Which time?"
"Total."
"I don't know. Somewhere around... ten years?" he answered questioningly, trying to count the years in his head. "Yeah, I think we're nearing ten years."
"Right... and ten years is still too early?"
"Consecutive years matter."
"No, I don't think they do. At least not in this case."
"What are you saying? You want to see us standing at an altar in January?"
"I don't think I'm the only one," she deadpanned.
Ricky just rolled his eyes. "Look, I think it's too early. Plus, there are kids to think about too; it's much more complicated."
"That's because the people involved are making it complicated." And with that, she went over to Ryan and Noah to see what they were doing.
Ricky just rolled his eyes and chortled. Right, because I can just get down on one knee tomorrow and ask. (He'd be lying though if he said proposing hadn't crossed his mind yet.)
A future with Nini is what he's always dreamed of. He had a timeline in his head that they would both finish college and get stable jobs before marriage; a house would follow and then kids. Obviously, the traditional order has been thrown out the window.
He wanted to do it right though. Plan a bigger date to make it memorable and give her that fairy tale dream, even if she figures it out from the upscaled occasion. He wanted the twins involved too somehow, which was a whole other conversation.
Ricky smiled as he pictured his life with Nini; the future seemed less scary and more attainable the more he thought about it.
🍪🍪🍪
Was this worth waiting over a week? Probably not.
I chose to do this one as a series of time jumps because I had little how to make a longer chapter for the 100th.
What'd you think?
You know... I never thought this book would hit 100 chapters; I honestly didn't. I've had the longest writer's block curse on this book, and I just don't know how to get rid of it. I feel like half the book's chapters are fillers.
After posting the 100th chapter of Just for a Moment, I already knew that if this book had managed to make it as far, it wouldn't have been as good. I spent so little time on this chapter, and it's just... not it. (Just for a Moment's took a good few weeks.)
I wish I had started on this so much sooner because I think the whole concept of this story started off great, but it quickly went to shit. This chapter especially was just not what I wanted at all.
I do still have a celebratory video for this milestone:
THIS MAN DESERVES SO MUCH!!!