Family – A group of people who are closely related by birth, marriage, or adoption – a group of people living together and functioning as a single household.
OUR family – a group of close-knit friends who live in one house – all of us take care of all of our children – all of us love one another
Welcome Home
There were originally 8 of us. Chloe, Ali, Cassandra, Alex, Julie, Jessie, myself, and Tyson. Then of course, a few of the girls got married. Chloe married a man whose name I can care less about because I dislike him very much for marrying my sister but he's very nice to her. Julie married a fine man as well. Jessie May married a man who wasn't exactly the type you'd call "a good man", but he was fairly nice. Ali married a nice dark haired man. I married Tyson.
This story is about our fucked up life.
Chloe had four children. Three were boys; ages 12, 14, and 16. The girl was only 8. I had two children, both boys. One son was 15 and one was 11. Chloe and I lived in the same neighborhood. She was two houses down from me. Her sons and mine were fairly close. Though, only one of my sons was mine by blood.
My son, Peter, was adopted. He was the eldest of the two. The younger was named Michel. Matthew was 16, he was Chloe's son. Peter and Matthew were definitely a little too close for comfort – in Tyson's and Chloe's husband's opinion anyway.
New Arrivals and New Discoveries
The phone only had time to ring twice before Chloe had it in her hand, "Yeah, sis?"
"Hey, Chloe, I need you over here ASAP." I said quickly.
"Um, okay. Can I ask why?" She replied, sounding confused.
I sighed heavily, "No! Just get over here. And bring the kids over so Peter is entertained."
She sighed back and hung up. I was sitting in the living room, perched on the arm of the couch staring at the door. Soon enough I saw her walk up the driveway and I pounced down and flung the door open. The three boys tumbled in first, roughhousing and laughing, making their way up the stairs to Peter's room. Then the curly-haired girl came through the doorway with her mother holding her hand.
"Chlo, that girl looks exhausted." I said, half laughing.
She smiled and said "Yeah, I know. She's tuckered out."
The small brunette pulled her hand free of her mother's, wandered into the living room, curled up in the large recliner and proceeded to pass out.
After the both of us had had our fun gushing over the smallest child's adorableness I grabbed her hand and pulled her into the kitchen.
"Chlo, Chlo, guess what?" I started, bouncing on my toes in excitement.
"What? What?" She laughed back, "You spazz, what is it?"
I leaned up to her ear and whispered the next phrase quietly, "Don't kill me. I got knocked up."
Chloe jerked back from me and burst into laughter, "You're what?!"
"Hush!" I cried, "I haven't even told Tyson yet!" I started laughing too.
"Oh God, I have to see this." She said, shaking her head.
I laughed a little harder, "I know. It's why I called you over. I'm gonna act pissed to see what he does. I wanna fuck with his head."
"Fuck with whose head?"
Both of us jumped and spun around. He stood in the kitchen door frowning suspiciously. I frowned back and cocked my hands on my hips. Chloe looked amused.
"That's none of your business! You're on my shit list!" I cried at him.
He looked confused at this, "What? Why?"
I took two steps toward him and swung my fist halfheartedly into his stomach before shouting, "You knocked me up!"
The boys had apparently come down into the living room because all five of them froze in the doorway.
"You're pregnant?" Peter asked.
Michel looked excited, "Really?"
Tyson looked alarmed, "I did what!?"
Chloe exploded in laughter again and so did I, "Come on, boys, go back and play."
Nine months later, I was busy tending to the baby and Chloe was busy swooning over it. It was a girl. A girl named after two beautiful women who've passed. Krista Rose.
Whilst most of the boys played and Chloe's girl played with mine, Chloe and I sat in the living room and talked a while.
"Where are Peter and Mattie?" I asked quietly, tired from the new baby.
She shrugged, keeping her closely on her little girl as toys were rattled at mine, smiling.
Soon I leaned forward though, "But Chlo, I need to talk to you about them."
She glanced at me, her blue eyes radiant, "What's up, sis?"
I tried to suppress a smirk, dropping my head down to say the next thing, "I think they have something going on."
"Whoa, what?" She asked, her eyes widening and checking the door for our husbands, "Like something or just…?"
I met her eyes, giggling, "They were awful close when I went into Peter's room the other day. They jumped apart and he went all 'WHAT MOM?' on me."
She shook her head, "I don't think that's enough proof. How close?"
I scooted closer to her and draped my arms around her shoulders, "Like this close." Then I cracked up laughing and fell back away from her.
She broke down giggling with me, "Where are they now?"
"In his room I think?" I answered, watching her jump up and creep up the staircase to Peter's room.
I chased her down, getting to his door just down the hallway and following her movements as he peaked through the gap in the door. She watched for a few moments before she jumped back with her hands over her mouth.
I mouthed "What?" at her and she went even wider eyed and she mouthed back "Kissing!"
I jumped towards the door, peaking through the cracks at our children. One hesitant peck before they pulled away to blush at each other, followed by another.
I flipped my shit and spun around to grab Chloe and drag her back down the stairs. We broke down in excited giggles of approval. To be shamefully honest, Chloe and I talked of this when we were younger.
