CHAPTER TWO

April 13th

"If you don't stop touching my hair," Cat warned, slapping April's hand away.

"Your curls are weird," April said.

"Touching them won't make them any better. I haven't washed my hair yet, so I haven't re-curled them."

"You should wash your hair. It's getting gross."

"I know that!" she snapped, walking towards the couch.

"Jesus Christ, why are you so bitchy?"

"Because you're telling me shit I already know. Don't you have somewhere to be or something?"

"Not. Plans got cancelled."

"Why?"

"All Ryan wanted to do was smoke and fuck so I said 'no'."

"Since when do you talk to Ryan?" Cat asked as she stepped over Ashley before sitting on the couch.

"Since a few weeks ago."

"Have you been hooking up?"

"Yeah man, the sex is great," April said as she sat next to her sister.

"You just turned him down because he wanted to have sex."

"He also wanted to smoke, and I've been trying not to. If I'm around it, I'll do it."

"Look at you, being all mature and stuff."

"Mama," Ashley said, pulling herself up with April's legs.

"Auntie," April said, picking her up and sitting her on her lap so she was facing her.

"Mama."

"Auntie."

Ashley grunted and leaned her head against April's chest. "Mama."

Cat giggled. "That's cute."

"It's not cute, why is she calling me that?" April asked.

"I dunno. That's something new, but it's still a little cute that she thinks you're Mama."

"No it's not. I don't want kids."

Cat gasped. "Ash, did you hear that? Auntie doesn't want kids."

"Mama," Ashley said, patting April's arm.

"You little fucker..."

"Don't call my niece names," Sam said as she walked into the living room.

Ashley pulled April's tank top down, only to start sucking at her breast, which made Cat and Sam burst into laughter and April stare at her niece.

"Um, excuse you young lady," April said. "I'm not your mother."

"Well she's getting something," Cat said between laughs.

"This is not funny, please make her stop, I don't know what to do."

"Ashley," Cat said, gently pulling the ten-month-old away from her sister's breast. "Mommy's right here, baby girl, you can't eat from Auntie like that."

"What the fuck is that?" April asked, wiping a wet substance from her breast.

"Drool probably," she said, pulling her shirt up and letting Ashley start nursing.

"It's too thick for drool and it's fucking yellow, what is this?"

Cat looked over to her sister and her eyes widened. "Oh my god."

"What?"

"Is it sticky?"

"Yeah, sticky as fuck and gross looking."

"It's colostrum."

"What the fuck is that?"

"The first stage of breast milk."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"This is the same thing that happened to me - that's how I found out I was pregnant with Ashley."

"I'm not pregnant, I don't want kids," April said, fixing her tank top and standing up.

"Just take a test, I have some in my bathroom."

"I don't need to take a test, I'm not pregnant."

"You don't know that until yo -"

"I'm not pregnant!" April snapped as her voice cracked before she left the room.

Cat and Sam looked at each other for a few seconds.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked, sitting next to Cat.

"I don't know... but I'm gonna go talk to her," Cat said as she gently pulled Ashley away from her breast and handed her to Sam. "Watch her. If she fusses just give her a bottle," she said as she fixed her shirt and stood up.

"Where's Owen?"

"Bassinet," she said, pointing towards the end of the couch before making her way towards April's room. She walked in and closed the door behind her before walking to her sister's bed, sitting next to the crying brunette. "April... what's going on?"

"I can't - I can't be pregnant," April said with a sob.

"Why not? Are you saying it because it's medically impossible or because you don't want kids?"

"I can't do this, I -"

"Calm down," Cat said as she pulled April into a hug. "Let's think about this... if you're pregnant, what's so bad about that?"

"I don't want it to be his," April sobbed.

"Whose? Whose baby is this?"

"You're gonna hate me..."

Cat stayed quiet for a few seconds, the worst immediately forming in her mind. "...Is it Robbie's?" she whispered.

Without a word, Cat knew exactly what the answer was because April broke down, sobbing uncontrollably and mumbling unintelligible words. And although her heart was broken, silent tears slid down the redhead's cheeks as she consoled her sister, rocking back and forth as she kissed her head.

"Calm down..." Cat whispered. "It's gonna be fine, baby..."

"We need to talk," Cat said as she closed hers and Robbie's bedroom door and placing Owen in his crib.

"What about?" Robbie asked.

"About you fucking my sister," she said, looking at him with crossed arms.

"What?"

"April's pregnant. With your baby."

"Cat..."

"I want you to tell me what happened. And I want you to tell me the truth. You only get one shot at this Robbie, and if I find out you lied to me about it, we're done. Tell me what the fuck happened."

Robbie sighed, running his hands over his face. "...We were drunk, Cat. Honest to God, it wouldn't have happened if we'd been sober - you know that."

"You were drunk."

"Yeah..."

"And you just, what - didn't notice that my sister wasn't me? That she didn't have red hair? That she wasn't your fiance?"

"I swear, Cat - I don't know why I thought she was you. I know it was stupid, we should have told you when it happened and we should have owned up to it, but she was so scared, Cat... She was terrified. After we sobered up, she just... she broke down, saying she would lose you forever."

"Robert Elijah Shapiro..."

"I swear that's the truth. Being drunk doesn't excuse it. But we were. I'm - I'm so, so sorry..."

Cat's eyes watered and she looked towards Ashley and Owen's cribs, sniffling before she looked at him. "How could you do that to those babies? Your babies. Our babies, Robert."

"I... I didn't do it to them... please, Cat - I'm sorry, we know it was stupid."

"It was the night I stayed at Jade's, wasn't it?"

Robbie nodded. "Yeah..." he whispered.

"Are you not in love with me anymore?"

"I am! I just... I didn't know what was going on."

"Do you want to be with April instead of with me?"

"Why would you ask me that?"

"You two have been best friends for eighteen years, Robbie - I know how feelings work. And I wouldn't be upset if those feelings started to develop, but I still need to know and I need to know right now so I don't waste any time with this engagement."

"Cat, I don't like April like that, she's like my sister."

Cat stared at him for a few seconds. "...I swear to God, if this ever happens again, and I mean ever... I will leave this house, I will take my babies, and I will never talk to you again. I mean it, Robbie. I know shit happens when you're drunk, that's exactly how we got pregnant with Ashley to begin with. But if you ever cheat on me again, you'll never see the three of us again. Ever."

Robbie sniffled and shook his head. "I understand... I'm so sorry, Cat..."

"You'll really be sorry if it happens again," she said, walking out of the room.

"So, um..." Cat started, sitting on April's bed. "Robbie told me what happened... but I wanna hear your version."

April looked at her, tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Catey..." she whispered.

"I know. I just wanna hear your side."

"Um..." April sniffled. "We uh... we were drinking. And... things just... got out of hand."

"April..."

"I swear. We were drunk. For some reason my head didn't process that it was Robbie, and I... I know I can never make it up to you and I'm so, so sorry that I hurt you, Catey," her voice cracked.

"I just... don't understand, April," Cat's voice cracked. "Why would you ever, in a million years, do that to me? To Ashley? To Owen?"

April let out a sob, covering her face with her hands as she laid back on her bed. "I didn't realize it was him... I wouldn't have done it if I knew it was Robbie, I never would have..."

"But you did..."

"I don't know what else to say, Catey, there's nothing I can say to make this better and I'm so, so sorry..."

"I know you're fucking sorry, stop apologizing."

"I don't know what else you want me to do!" April's voice cracked.

"There's nothing you can do, April! You had sex with my fiance! There is nothing that either of you can do to make that up to me!"

April let out a rack of sobs, turning over on her side.

Once April's sobs subsided, it was silent in the room except for the occasional sniffle from the twins.

"...This can't happen again, April," Cat said softly.

"It won't... I promise. I swear on my life..."

Cat laid next to April, wrapping her arms around her. "You know I love you," she said. "And I'll never stop loving you, no matter what happens. But this is something that can't happen again and if it does, I'll leave. I already told Robbie if it happened again, I'm taking the babies and I'm leaving."

"No, please don't do that to him," April said. "He loves those babies more than anything, we both know if anything happened and he couldn't see them, he'd get depressed."

"Then I guess he'll learn his lesson."