Several days after my make-up with Luke, I got a letter in the mail. It was from my brother, announcing he had gotten engaged. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to the wedding due to my broken leg; on Dr. Jin's orders, I wasn't to leave the island until I was all healed up. The fracture hadn't been too serious, but it could get worse if I moved around too much.
I wondered what my new sister-in-law was like. Now I was more impatient than ever for my leg to heal.
But I got to meet her soon enough. On Summer second, which just so happened to be my one-year anniversary of living on Waffle Island, Luke proposed to me. As soon as the news that I was going to get married reached them, Mom and Shawn sailed over.
Shawn's wife was a petite, shy little thing with pale pink hair and large green eyes. It was kind of hard to believe that she was five years older than me. But Lydia was very nice, and we got along well.
Of course, Luke and Shawn hit it off immediately. They were so much alike, I already knew they'd make great friends.
But I was surprised by the change in personality when Luke met my mother. He turned into a polite and formal gentleman. I was taken aback, and pulled him aside after the introduction was over. "What are you doing?" I asked with a laugh. "Just be yourself."
"But what if she doesn't like me?" he said nervously.
I raised an eyebrow. "She's had to put up with my brother for over eighteen years. I think she can handle you."
He smiled somewhat bashfully. "All right, if you say so."
The wedding was huge. So many people came, I nearly keeled over in shock. But Luke was right by my side the whole time, and I found his presence distracting and comforting from my agoraphobia.
Afterwards, he moved in with me in my tiny house. We immediately set to remodeling it in order to house the two of us. Bo and Dale helped, even though Luke and I insisted on doing most of the work ourselves. A year later, we suddenly had to expand the house a bit more. I was pregnant... with twins.
To tell you the truth, I was somewhat terrified. One baby would've been shocking enough, but two at once? Long hours were spent on the phone with my mother, and Lydia - who had already had her first child. My niece's name was Clara, and Shawn completely adored and spoiled her.
Not to mention, my mood swings were terrorizing. Luckily Luke somehow knew how to handle me when I was irritated at everything. At one point, and this was one of the more humiliating moments, I broke down in tears for no apparent reason. Luke was always there for me, and I was infinitely grateful.
It was at the carpenter's shop one Spring day when my water broke. I was seized by paralyzing pain and nearly fell down on the spot. "Luke!" I called, straining to keep my voice somewhat calm, from where I sat in the back room of the shop. "I need to get to the clinic!"
He rushed over, wide-eyed. "What? Is it time? Are you sure?"
"These kids want out... Now!"
In the end, Dale and Bo had to help me to the hospital. Luke was practically useless, running around in frenzied panic. I almost had to smile in amusement. Then another contraction came and I bit the inside of my cheek and squeezed my eyes shut.
Finally, after five hours of labor, two new additions to the family were here; Micah and Zoey.
Micah, the older of the twins by a full two minutes, had Luke's blue hair and my brown eyes. Zoey, on the other hand, was the opposite; my green hair and Luke's yellow eyes. She was rambunctious and a trouble-maker; she took after her father immensely. Micah was more quiet and reserved, and, at first glance, seemed to take after me, but I warned people not to let it fool them. He had some of his father in him too, and would catch people by surprise with his mischievousness.
Luke and I took them to work with us often, not trusting them with their antics in the house alone. Also, the extra help from Dale and Bo was a real stress-eliminator.
"Mooooom!" a little girl's excited voice penetrated my concentration. With a sigh - not an unhappy one, mind you - I set down my piece of wood I was engraving and glanced over to see Zoey. She was grinning, a mirror image of her father's own signature smile, and had a long red piece of cloth tied around her neck in addition to her normal outfit, a yellow dress with a red vest. It matched Bo's everyday clothes. She was also wearing a white headband, tied around her forehead and pinning her green bangs to her face. I could barely see her eyes.
I raised my eyebrows. "What are you doing with Bo's headband?"
My daughter ignored my inquiry. "I'm a superhero!" she announced, striking a heroic pose. I had to laugh.
"Zoey, I need my headband back...!" Bo stumbled into the room, holding his blonde hair off his forehead with one hand.
Zoey shrieked and took off running away from Bo, but her costume hindered her; the cape was too long and her hair was in her eyes, so she tumbled to the floor immediately. She lay there giggling as Bo approached.
"Gotcha!" My longtime friend crouched down to grab her, pulling her up to a standing position. He held out his hand expectantly. "May I please have it back?"
"Okay..." She gave in, untying the fabric from around her head and handing it back to him. "Sorry, Uncle Bo."
He smiled. "It's all right. I like your cape, by the way."
Her face brightened and she twirled around. "Awesome, isn't it? I used one of the tablecloths!" She paused to readjust it, tying it tighter so it didn't drag on the ground so much.
"Oh, really?" Bo's smile was now a forced one. I had to cover my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh.
"Race you to the woods!" Suddenly my daughter was rushing out the door.
Startled, Bo started after her. "Zoey, wait!"
"Be careful!" I called after them, chuckling. I went back to work on my furniture. Bo usually ended up being our babysitter one way or another, half the time unintentionally. But he really enjoyed being around our kids, and Luke and I were grateful. Zoey could be a handful just by herself.
"Hi, Mom. What're you working on?" a quieter, calmer voice than Zoey's sounded beside me a few minutes later. I turned my head to face my son, gazing curiously at the wood burning I was doing.
"It's just a design for a desk I'm working on," I told him. "Would you like to help me?"
His eyes were a reflection of mine, brown as dark chocolate. They widened. "Can I?"
I smiled and gestured for him to sit in my lap. Peering over his navy blue hair, I set the engraver in his small hand and put my own gloved one on top of his. Gently, I guided his hand in the design I wanted.
"That's so cool!" he said in awe after I set the tool down again. He turned around to face me, eyes gleaming. I smiled.
"Hey Micah, do you know where your sister is?" Luke approached us, addressing his son.
Micah slid off my lap and shook his head. I spoke in his stead. "She went outside with Bo... Or more, ran away with Bo in hot pursuit." I chuckled, and my husband grinned.
"Well, it's almost closing time, so I was thinking we should head home," he suggested. I agreed, and stood up. The three of us said goodbye to Dale and then proceeded to collect Zoey, who at first was stubborn but Bo finally persuaded her to go.
"Tomorrow's an important day," Luke announced, our daughter on his shoulders and me holding our son's hand as we walked down the familiar pathway that the giant Mother Tree root used to be blocking. "My big seven-year-olds-to-be should get to bed early so they'll have energy for the awesome party we're gonna have!"
The twins both grinned, eyes sparkling in excitement. "I'm gonna be seven first," Micah boasted. "Cuz I'm the one who came first."
Zoey stuck her tongue out at her brother. "So what? I'm still cooler than you are!"
"Guys, guys," I butted in before things got too heated. "You're two minutes apart. Both of you will be seven at practically the same time!"
The kids stared at me uncomprehendingly. They were still too young to understand such a preposterous concept. I winced. I shouldn't have told them that Micah was born first.
Then Luke tried. "How about this? When you get your ice cream sundaes tomorrow, you'll be seven." He winked at me, discreetly. Of course, we would give them the sundaes at the same time.
Micah and Zoey looked at each other wide-eyed. "I'm gonna get my sundae first, just wait and see!" Zoey proclaimed.
Luke and I exchanged glances again, shaking our heads but smiling.