Chapter 56

Miranda

The car ride home from school was filled with maniacal giggles and complaints that I passed by a restaurant they wanted to eat at. Noah, Ella, and Evan’s whines mixed into one big cry, making me u-turn at the next light.

How have I become so soft around them? I swear, their father rubs off on me.

Sebastian…I hope you’re okay.

“Alright, you three,” I glance at them through the rearview mirror, a small smile tugging on my lips. “You’re going to have to pay for those kids’ meals! What are you going to do? Hm?”

“Mommy! Why are you doing this to us?” Ella, who sits in the middle, gasps. She pouts and closes her eyes. I sharply inhale, waiting for her to start sobbing, but nothing comes.

Evan, who sits to her right, places his hand on hers. She looks at him with her big, adorable pout and he pats her hand.

“It’s okay, Ella, we can beat Mommy in a board game!” He exclaims in a soft yet cheerful tone. Ella’s pout disappears and she nods, sniffling.

“Yeah…that sounds fun!” Ella’s tone quickly cheers up. Their very loving, and very cute, sibling bonding moment, is interrupted by Noah’s loud slurps. The three of us stare at him while we sit at a red light. He remains completely oblivious.

The light turns green and I take the left turn that leads us into a green neighborhood. I slowly drive down the street, being hyperaware of children and parents that are out and about, and because rain begins to fall from the sky.

“Mommy! Can we play in the rain?” Noah’s slurps finally end when he asks his question. I shake my head no, to which he huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. He stares out the window, grumbling inaudibly to himself.

The rain rapidly speeds up, the once soft rain droplets changing into hard hail. I park in front of the house and grab my belongings alongside the kids’ meals from the drive-thru resturant.

“Okay everybody, we’re gonna have to run inside! Be quick! Don’t let the rain monster get you!” I shut the car off and Ella screeches.

“Not the rain monster!” She tumbles over Evan, swinging the door open. She bolts to the front door, leaving us behind, and crashes inside the house.

Anna steps out of the door, waving to us. She keeps the door open for Noah and Evan, watching as they stumble through the door, kicking their shoes off. I follow suit, using my backpack to cover my head and the food, jogging towards Anna.

“They seem riled up,” she chuckles, unloading the burden of food bags from my arms, “what did you say to them?”

“That the rain monster’s going to get them,” I smile and shrug, stepping inside the warm house.

Anna and I make our way down the hallway, entering the kitchen, which is not nearly as big as Sebastian’s, and set everything down on the tiny kitchen island. We’re barely able to get a breath in when the triplets slide into the room. We look at each other, sharing a glance, before turning our attention to the tiny kids.

“Alright,” I clap my hands together, “what do you three have in store for us?”

Ella, Evan, and Noah snicker amongst themselves. They pull out a box that has a thick layer of dust across its name. I chuckle and swipe my hand across it, revealing the game’s title: Taboo.

“Taboo…alright. You’re on!” I say. The kids erupt into cheers and bolt out of the room and in the direction of the living room. I chuckle and Anna and I grab the bags of food, following suit.

One Game Later…

Anna and I stare at Evan, Ella, and Noah in wonder. Their stack of cards towers over ours, absolutely destroying us in a game of Taboo. Our jaws drop.

“Sweet, sweet victory!” Noah smugly eats a french fry before popping a chicken nugget into his mouth.

“Did we just get our asses kicked by six-year-olds?” I lean over and whisper into Anna’s ear. She nods. We turn to the triplets and applaud them. Ella giggles while Evan and Noah dig into their bags. “Good job you three! You all have mighty talent!”

“A talent show!” Ella suddenly yells. She stands on her feet, waving around the fairy toy she got from her kid’s meal. “There can only be one winner! I challenge you two to a talent show! Mommy and Anna can judge!”

Without wasting another second, the three of them bolt in different directions, leaving their meals behind. I sigh and grab a fry from Ella’s bag, tossing it in my mouth.

I bet if Sebastian were here, we would have won.

“Hey hon, are you okay?” Anna gently bumps into my side. I look at her and nod, smiling.

“Yeah! Why?”

“Nothing! You just had a big frown on your face that’s all,” Anna shrugs.

“I guess I am worried about the future,” I admit, surprising both Anna and myself. “Lily’s destroying my mother’s legacy and Sebastian’s dealing with his own stuff, which may or may not concern the kids. He won’t tell me anything.”

“Okay…how about your…relationship…with Sebastian? Is that going better?” Anna’s question makes me cough. I pat my chest and force my gaze away.

Relationship? Can I even call what’s happening between Sebastian and I a relationship?

“We’re, uh, good!” I fumble over my words, clearing my throat. I glance at Anna, who smugly smirks at me, and I roll my eyes. “We don’t want to kill each other anymore if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I’m not, but that’s good to know. The next step is shoving your tongue down his throat.”

“Shut up!” I slap Anna’s arm and she cackles, throwing her head back. I join her laughter and shake my head. “You’re the worst friend ever,” I chuckle.

“You love me!” Anna retorts, taking a sip from her soda cup.

Noah, Ella, and Evan pour back into the room. They shoot sneaky glares and glances at each other, keeping their distance.

Evan wears a nice outfit, borrowing clothes from Noah most likely. Ella has put on her best princess dress, topped with a dazzling tiara, and a pair of my high heels. Noah didn’t change at all. I think he got into my makeup, though, and gave himself a beard using my eyeshadow.

I chuckle at their appearances and stand, wiping my hands on my pants.

“Anna and I have drawn your names at random! Evan will go first, followed by Ella, then Noah! Sound good?” They nod. “Great! Let’s get started then!” I sit next to Anna on the couch. Noah and Ella sink into the floor in front of us.

“Today, I will be performing a tap dance for you!” Evan smiles proudly, his chest puffed out.

Anna and I smile at each other. I pinch her side, knowing that she’s going to laugh, and she pinches me right back.

Evan rushes over and grabs my phone, opening it up to play his song. Once it is queued up, he readies himself in the open space. I press play and his dance begins.

Evan taps his feet and, while he’s horrendously offbeat, he throws in twists and turns. I sigh contently and lean into Anna, who wraps her arm around me.

I wonder where Sebastian is. I hope he’s okay and had dinner. Did he get caught in the rain? He should be here by now to grab Evan, no?

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I lean back on the couch, looking down the hallway that aims directly for the door.

Sebastian? Is that you?

I slip out from under Anna’s arm, sneaking away to go answer.