Two years later…
My father passed away a month ago. My mother didn't want to be all alone in the big house, so she sold it to me and Jasper. She said it would be better for when she passes away and I have to go through all the pains of inheriting the house.
Now, she lives in the guest house and we live in the main house. She eats supper with us every night and on the weekends, she's in the main house all the time. I love living in my child hood home with my own children.
Our newest edition to the family, Sophie, is almost two years old. I'm sitting on the front porch swing, and think about my four children, when Jasper walks out, holding Sophie.
"Hey, Alice," he says.
"Hi, Jazz," I say. I stand up and walk over to him. "Hey, Sophie."
"Hi," Sophie says. Jasper hands her to me and we stand there on the porch, not saying anything.
"Well, supper is ready," Jasper says.
"Okay," I say. We walk inside and into the kitchen. I put Sophie in her high chair. Jasper helps Max into the booster seat we've attached to a regular kitchen table.
"I made baked macaroni and cheese," my mom says.
"Yum," Brady says, walking in and sitting down, with Lucy right behind him.
I finish putting Sophie in her chair and I look at her. Her hair is blonde and curly and she has Jasper's blue eyes. She looks exactly like him, not like our other children who look like a mix of both of us. I smile, and take a seat at the table.
We have a typical dinner. There is complaining and laughing. There is a minimal amount of food thrown. Sophie eats all of the plain macaroni that my mom set aside for her.
When we're done, Jasper goes upstairs to clean off Sophie and I turn on the television for Lucy, Brady and Max. Then I go into the kitchen and help my mom clean up the dishes.
"So," my mom says after a while of silence. "When am I getting another grandchild?" I almost drop the plate I'm washing.
"Oh, Mom… don't you have enough right now?" I ask.
"I was just wondering," she says. "I've seen how you and Jasper are when the kids are in bed; all over each other. I just figured it was bound to happen eventually."
"We haven't talked about it," I say.
"Well, I was just curious," she says. I nod and put away the clean dishes.
"I'll let you know," I say. Then I give her a kiss and she goes into the living room to say goodnight to the kids before going off to the guest house for the night.
"Okay, kiddies," I say, "time to get ready for bed." I turn the television off and the kids run upstairs. I follow them and while they're putting their pajamas on I go into Sophie's room. Jasper is in there, rocking her and reading her a book. I smile and go back to the other three.
"Mommy, story!" Max says after I finish helping him brush his teeth. He runs into Brady's room, where Lucy and Brady are waiting. Each of the kids has their own room. The four rooms, and Jasper and my room, still leaves two rooms left over. I can see how my mom would think we would have another kid.
I take the book from Max and sit down to tread it to them. Towards the end, Jasper walks in. Max has fallen asleep, so he pick him and brings him to his room and tucks him. Then he comes back. I finish the story and bring Lucy to her room while Jasper tucks in Brady.
When I'm done tucking Lucy in, I go and kiss Brady and Max good night. Then I go and check on Sophie. She's sleeping peacefully and I kiss her good night. After, I go to the master bedroom and lie down on top of the covers. I'm exhausted, but there's something weighing on my mind.
"They're all asleep," Jasper says, walking into our room.
"Good," I say. I sit up and Jasper sits down next to me. I rest my head on his shoulder and he kisses the top of my head.
"What's up, Alice?" Jasper asks after awhile. I look up at him. He always knows when I'm thinking about something.
"I was just thinking… about what it would be like if we have another baby," I say. Jasper raises an eyebrow and I continue, "My mom planted the idea in my head. I was thinking about it before, but now I just can't stop think about it. You know what I mean?"
"Yes, I do," Jasper says. He cups my face in his hands and leans in. He kisses me gently and it reminds me of the first time we kissed, sixteen years ago.
"So what do you think?" I ask.
"Hm?" Jasper says, kissing down my neck.
"Having another baby," I say. Jasper pulls back and looks at me with a smile.
"It couldn't hurt," he says.
One year later…
"Mommy?" Lucy asks.
"Yes, sweetheart?" I ask.
"Can I hold Sarah?" she asks. I look at her. She's eight years old now and I can trust her completely with Sarah, who is only about two months old.
"Alice," Jasper says, walking in, sounding and looking completely stressed out. "Brendan won't stop crying."
I laugh; Jasper is holding Brendan, who has stopped crying. Jasper looks down at him and then back at me and laughs as well.
"Sit down, Lucy," I say. She sits down and I hand her Sarah.
When Jasper and I decided to have another baby we never thought we would have twins again. It came as a complete surprise. Already, Brendan is looking just like me; he has dark hair and my green eyes. Sarah has the same dark hair, but she has Jasper's blue eyes. They're both adorable.
Later on that evening when all the kids are sleeping, Jasper and I take a walk. My mom said she would stay at the house in case the kids wake up, so we don't worry about them being alone. Eventually, we find ourselves in our spot in the woods, next to the creek. We sit down and just revel in the presence of each other and the peace of the night.
"Did you ever think it possible?" Jasper asks.
"What?" I ask.
"Us being together, having six kids, living in that huge house," he says.
"No," I thought. "Not at first anyways. You were always just my friend."
"Until the day I kissed you," he says. I look up at him and his eyes are shining, just like I know they do whenever he is happy.
"Why did you kiss me that day anyway?" I ask. It's never something I've asked him, but I've always wondered.
"It started the summer before. Toward the end of the summer, when I was about to leave and you were still just a little girl and I was going to be eighteen soon," he says.
"I was fifteen! That's not little," I say.
"Well, I thought it was," he says, "I was getting thick headed, Alice, I was becoming a man and thought that you were just a naïve little girl that wouldn't understand. So, then I left and didn't see you until the very next summer. When I came back, I wasn't expecting you to have changed, but you did. You looked different, talked different, held yourself with more dignity than before. I fell in love with you… or realized that I had always loved you."
"That day I kissed you, I just wanted you to be happy. You seemed so upset that I was going to leave and then you got happier when I told you I was staying. So I wanted to make you even happier and tell you, show you, why I was staying."
"So you kissed me," I say.
"Yes," he says.
"I'm glad you did," I say.
"I am too," Jasper says.