Chapter Sixty-Five: Family Means Dysfunctional, Yet Enjoyable.
"My pregnancy with you was the hardest. Probably because you were my first, and I didn't have your father with me at the time." Anna's head was now in my lap, as I softly stroked her chestnut curls. She gave me a cheeky grin.
"Sorry?" She questioned, and I laughed at her. I looked down at my daughter, and found some nostalgia in how big she was now. I still remember the soft quietness of the hospital room, after I had finished swearing my head off, considering I pushed a small human being out of my nether regions. I had seen her squawking her lungs out when she first entered the world, and I already fell in love with her on a glance, and for the short moment she was in my arms, before they took her away to clean her up. She was in my arms for barely a second, and I watched the doctors, wishing they'd hurry up, before one turned with the bundle of blankets and came towards me. I remember Mom whispering under her breath, making the only sound in the room, apart from the occasional cough or coo from the blankets. And then she was in my arms. Staring at her tiny face, I couldn't believe she was a real thing. That I had created something so beautiful. Then her big brown eyes open, and I cried as I held her to my chest, knowing she was now the most precious thing in the world. Now, all I had with this burly teenager, and having her head in my lap like this was the closet I got to curling her in my arms.
Sometimes I missed that loud little girl, who always found comfort being curled in my lap. As my fingers twisted in her hair, looking at her lying on me, I realised there was nothing to miss. She was still that same girl, just a lot bigger and wiser.
"So you see, even some people who seem madly in love have ups and downs. Everything in life is not perfect. I'm sure you can tell, because me and your father still have frequent screaming matches. There will be guys like Jacob, who will break your heart into a million pieces, like Lane did, and then you'll have the few that you think broke your heart, but really they're the ones the mend it. You need to person that is willing to stay and clean up the damage to make its clean and beautiful again. You're young, and there's nothing wrong with hoping to find love right now, but you have so much more life left to live, don't wasn't it on some asshole that doesn't appreciate you." Anna gave me a soft smile, as she looked up at me. She reached for my other hand, wrapping it in hers.
"Thanks Mom. Y'know, I still think you and dad are perfect." I laughed at her, giving her a small kiss on her forehead. I heard the door downstairs slam, and the pounding of feet running through the house. In a few moments, two boys, both with shaggy blonde hair and startling greens eyes stood in the doorway. One had his hands behind his back, and had a toothy smile, with gaps from lost teeth. I smiled at them. Jamison pointed at Anna.
"We heard Annie wasn't feeling very well." He stated, before looking at his brother Michael. Michael, continuing his huge grin, pulled out a single chocolate rose from behind his back.
"So daddy took us to buy you something on the way home from Gran's." Anna sat up from my lap, smiling adoringly at her two little brothers. She laughed, opening her arms wide.
"Come here, my little monkeys." Both of the boys giggled at their sister, before sprinting full pelt into the room, jumping on their sister, while she shrieked, falling backwards onto the bed. She had her arms around both of the two kids, pulling them tight against her and laughing loudly. I smiled at my children, glad to hear Anna's laugh. Jamison let go, and crawled over to me. He wrapped his arms around my neck and pulled me close.
"Mommy!" He yelled, as I laughed myself, pulling him into my lap. I gave him a kiss on his head. Before I pulled back, to look at the green eyes that mirrored mine.
"How's granny?" I asked, tapping the tip of his noise with my finger, making him giggle.
"She's good. We baked some cookies and cupcakes with her." He said excitedly. From the look on Michaels face, it wasn't his idea of fun. I call Jamison our little chef.
"Did you really? Where are they?" I asked. Jamison pointed at Michael.
"Mikey at most of them." Mike got a distraught look on his face, as he sat up straight in Anna's arms. Before he could speak, she lightly poked his belly, and grinned.
"It feels like he did too." She teased, he turned his glare on Anna.
"I did not! Trev and P.J came over and ate most of them." He whined. Jamison gave him a strange look.
"Yeah, and they had two, just admit you're a pig." I let out a small cry as Mile jumped on Jamison, and they both collapsed with a big thump to the ground as they rolled around the floor, yelling.
"Boys!" Anna yelled, jumping up off the bed, trying to grab them. She accidentally got whacked in the face with Jamisons hand, and stood up struggle, frowning and rubbing her nose. I couldn't help but snort at her, as she glared at me. She pointed at the scuffling boys.
"They're your children." She spat. I laughed at her, as I got up from the bed myself. I was used to these two getting into little tiffs like this. Most fights that kids have ends in tears, but with these two boys, it usually end in giggles. I grabbed Mike's little waist, lifting him off his brother, while Anna grasped Jamison.
"Boys, what have I told you, violence isn't the answer." I said calmly, as I held Mike against my chest. Mike looked up at me and pouted and I was almost hit with surprise about how much that single facial expression reminded me of Anna at his age.
"But he called me a pig." He shot Jamison a glare. Jamison gave him a grin.
"I was only kidding Mikey, I ate heaps too, so we can be pigs together." I felt Mike relax in my arms, as he grinned back in his brother. They are so much easier to deal with than Naomi ever was. They usually deal with each other before I can even intervene. On the rare occasion neither Vic nor I was home, Anna said they'd bicker but before she can even tell them off, one would already be apologising, and they were best friends again. Only Naomi chucks tantrums. Anna look between the boys in disbelieve.
"What the hell." She mutters, as I let Michael go and give him a kiss on his head. I gave Anna a smile.
"Honey, I have told you, you really don't need to do anything, they'll be fine." I had one of my hands placed in Michaels blonde hair, and he wrapped his arm around my leg. At that moment I heard so more yelling coming from down the hall, and loud giggles. I heard the sound of loud footsteps, before a figure with a smaller person resting on their back entered. His brown eyes tinkled, as he had a huge smile on his face, his white teeth gleaming out compared to his copper skin, with that still slightly crooked tooth sticking out. His dark hair now sat curled at his ear, and tucked neatly under a SnapBack. No matter how many times I try and explain he's probably too old for snapbacks, he always ignores me. Naomi was laughing her head off, clinging to her fathers neck, her plastic sword clutched in one hand.
"We heard yelling, and we came to the rescue." Vic said pompously. I gave him an easy smile.
"It was the boys." That's all I had to say, to make him pout. He looked at the girl on his shoulder.
"Well, my gallant knight, it appears we weren't needed after all." He said sadly. Naomi made a sad groaning sound. She gave her brother's a soft glare.
"You boys are no fun." She complained, sliding off her Dad's back. Michael abruptly let go of my leg, and pointed rather dramatically at Naomi.
"Me and JamJam are so fun!" He declared. Naomi smirked at him.
"Then prove it, whoever wins a sword fight and rescues the princess's are the funnest." She pointed at Anna and me when mentioning the princesses. Anna put down Jamison, who took Michaels side. Anna grinned, and pointed at Vic.
"You also have to slay the dragon." Vic looked stunned, and mildly offended.
"How come I'm the dragon?" Naomi patted his leg.
"It's ok, the dragon is the best character of the story, now go steal the princesses so we can fight and decide who's the funnest of the house." Vic smiled adoringly down at his daughter, before giving me a cheeky grin.
"Now that I can do." He let out a small roar, and ran forward, grabbing me threw me over his shoulder, before grabbing Anna's hand and making a dash from the room. I was yelling and protesting my whacking my fists on his back, as Anna laughed at me. I couldn't help it, even with Vic's shoulder digging into my stomach kinda painfully, I started to laugh hysterically. I saw my two sons and my youngest daughter start to make their way down the hall, screaming war cries chasing us.
"Oh, save me brave knights!" I called dramatically, as Vic let out a loud roar. I continued to laugh, my eyes closed as I dangled over my husband's shoulder. Just hearing the laughter of my children, and feeling Vic's warm arm around my waist just made me feel safe and steady. Although, at the time I promised myself not to get upset over Vic, I would still found myself in dark moments when he wasn't around during the time I had Anna. But being here now was crazy. I looked at Anna, and watching her laugh as Vic dragged her along, made me completely forgot just how upset she was a few seconds ago. I think even she forgot it, and it made me realise how powerful the love of a family can be. Where I am now, I would personally say my family is everything, and I wouldn't put anything before them. I was blessed enough to have a family like this, one that made you excited to come home to, just so you can kiss your husband hello, and have kids look at you like you're Christmas wrapped in a person. I have never regretted a single moment, because if I changed something I wouldn't have ended up here. Of corse I wanted my father to see his grandchildren, to see both me and Ryan had made it out ok in the end, but I had a feeling that if I changed that, I would never have ended here.
Vic managed to hide from the kids, and slipped me off his shoulder. He decided he would hide me and Anna separate, just to keep the kids preoccupied. He made Anna hide under our bed, whilst he took me towards the attic. As we reached the attic, he looked down at me, and gave me that still breathtaking, smile. I placed my arms around his shoulders.
"How'd we get so lucky?" I murmured. He reached up a hand, brushing some hair from my face.
"I ask myself that same question everyday." He whispered, before leaning down and capturing my lips with his. I smiled, pulling myself closer to him. It was little moments like these that I absolutely cherished. Having him close like this, for s moment, the attic disappeared, and we stood in the middle of that small apartment, the final rays of an afternoon sun brushing our skin through the window, but it was silent, and the only sound was our two heart beats in sync with each other. I was too wrapped up in his lips and touch, I didn't hear the attic door creep open.
"Ew. Mom! Dad!" Michael whined from the door, where Naomi's and Jamison's heads were poking out of. I laughed as I blushed just a tiny bit. Vic's picked me up again, and pulled me away from the kids.
"You will never capture the princess, she's mine!" He bellowed. The kids all looked at each other, before grinning.
"Charge!" Naomi screeched, before they jumped into the attic, and charged at Vic, tackling him to the floor. They were a tangle of laugh and giggles, as they rolled around on the floor. I smiled down at them. It was in that moment, I knew, the best decision of my life, will always be deciding to dance across the edge with Vic.
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Shit this is long overdue. Apologised for the intense lateness, it was heard to write when I was kinda winging it, but yeah, and shits been cray in my life lately so I haven't had much of a chance or mindset to write.
Yes, as scary as it is, this is the last chapter. Obviously there will be an epilogue but this is the last offical chapter.
QOTD: What do you plan as dressing as this year for Halloween (yes I'm starting early because I can't think of a chapter)?