"Aria breathe woman!" I laughed as one of my best friends chattered at me over a million words a minute it seemed. "I'm sorry Willow! It's just so much has happened in the last few years you've been gone, and all of a sudden you're calling me to tell me you're pregnant? You realize I need to go visit you right and meet your soon to be baby, right?! Do you still live in Appaloosa?" I paused at her last question. I didn't know how to tell her that I'd moved to her hometown... a.k.a her least favorite place in the world.
"No... I'm not living in Appaloosa Plains anymore. I'll go visit you when the baby is born Aria. Uhh... Austin and I haven't found a permanent place to stay yet. We're in Sunset Valley right now, but we don't like it all that much. We're gonna see about moving to Starlight Shores in a month," I lied through my teeth. What was the worst she would do? Tell me we weren't friends anymore because of where I'd moved to? I knew it was stupid, but after what I'd been through... I'd learned to be wary of upsetting people with petty thing.
"Oh have you gone to see Danielle if you're in Sunset Valley? You bitch you'll move to Mila's town, but not mine? I see how you are-" Aria was cut off by a baby screaming in the background, "I have to go Willow, but you had better call me! Okay?" She laughed.
"Ok," I smiled weakly as I hung up the phone.
"You really shouldn't lie to your friends like that," Austin chuckled as he came up from behind me.
"I know that I'm just..."
"Worried she'll get mad and not ever want to come see you because you moved to her least favorite place on earth?" He laughed as he finished me sentence "She comes to visit her parents despite the fact they live here, why not you?"
"I don't need your smartass to remind me that I'm being dumb about not telling her," I grumbled.
"Yes you do, otherwise you'd continue being stubborn and not just tell one of your best friends that you're living in Hidde-" I shut him up with a kiss.
Austin spun me around to face him and slowly began to sway to the music coming from the radio. I smiled and rest my head on my husband's shoulder as we danced in place. Everything had seem to come together for us so easily that I was scared to trust it. I was terrified of trusting the happiness that fell upon my famil, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.
Austin looked me in the eyes right as I was getting ready to cry. "You know... It is snowflake day tomorrow, and you still haven't told me what you want," He mentioned as he ran a hand through my hair.
"... sing for me?" I asked as I placed my head back on his shoulder so I wouldn't have to look him in the eye. He didn't hesitate for even a moment when he broke out in song right as it hit the chorus of a song he loved to sing to me.
"Crazy girl, don't you know that I love you? And I wouldn't dream of going no where. Silly woman, come here let me hold you. Have I told you lately I love you like crazy, girl..." Tears streamed from my eyes as I listened to him as we danced in the living room in a world all our own.
Well the next morning Xander woke us up at pretty much the crack of dawn and we went to the living room so he could open his presents. Needless to say he got more gifts than any normal boy his age would know what to do with. Even Storm got a squeaky toy as a present.
"Hey Mom, do you think we could go to the park where the winter festival is being held and go snowboarding?" Xander asked after he'd played with his toys for a while.
"Xander, your mother is in no condition to go snowboarding, but I can take you buddy," Austin offered Xander while shooting down me doing anything at the same time.
"I'm just pregnant... geeze," I mumbled under my breath as Xander ran to his room to get ready to leave.
"I know, I just worry about you Sweetheart," He said as he kissed me on the cheek.
"Dad lets go!!!" Xander shouted from down stairs.
"I'll be right there Xander I'm saying bye to your mother and soon-to-be sibling," Austin laughed.
"Bye Mom!!!" Xander shouted again and then slammed the front door behind him as he went outside.
"You'd better hurry up or he might try to leave without you," I chuckled.
"Daddy has to go now sweetie but your big brother and I will be home in a few hours ok? Don't you dare decide you're ready to see the world before I get home," Austin said to the baby growing inside of my stomach.
"Will you be alright home alone my love?" Austin asked as he put his snow boots on.
"Austin just go I'll be fine!" I laughed at him, "I've got a not-so-vicious guard dog to keep me safe." Austin rolled his eyes at me and kissed my stomach and then kissed me before he grabbed his jacket and headed down the stairs.
I stood up and watched my boys leave from the window in the living room. A small smile spread across my lips which was soon replaced by a sigh. Now that Austin and I had gotten settled in to our home I needed to call my friends to say hi, let them know I was ok... A part of me even wondered if they had noticed I'd been missing. I pushed the thoughts away from my head and called Aria's sister, Mila.
"Hello?" She answered rather skeptically. "Hey Mila... It's Willow, remember me?" I chuckled nervously.
"Willow where the hell have you been?! She screeched on her end of the phone. I explained her everything that had happened, and she told me about everything I'd missed while I'd been gone. From Danielle getting engaged to Aria dating Levi and then Aria's bitchy trashy ass whore daughter disgracing all vampires for some petty revenge, and Aria sleeping with Levi's brother. I sighed heavily I had missed a lot... and why had Mila told me more about Aria's life than Aria had herself? Were we just not close anymore? When I got off the phone with Mila I made a mental note to visit Aria as soon as I possibly could.
All of a sudden Storm ran up to the window and started barking towards the gate. "Call down Storm," I said and stroked the fur on his neck back into place. "I wonder who's visiting this late.... Oh god damnit, really?" I muttered when I caught sight of who was walking in the gate.
Sonia Jett... My mother-in-law. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love Austin's mother, however we had a tendency of... butting heads from time to time. We never fought. I would just complain to Austin about all the things that had irritated me while she had been visiting.
"Willow! Oh goodness you are just absolutely gorgeous Dear! Look at you, Oh I so hope you have a little girl this time," Sonia immediately started ranting when I let her in the house, "Where are Austin and Alexander? I have gifts for all of you!"
"Austin took Xander out snowboarding for a few hours. They should be home soon though, Xander's insane school wants him to be in class tomorrow. Can you believe that? The day after a holiday?"
"Humans have a bizarre logic when it comes to certain things. When you get to be as old as I am you just get used to it," She laughed and patted my shoulder.
"Go make yourself at home in the living room upstairs, Sonia. I'll join you in a minutes but I want to change into my pajama's so I'm a bit more comfortable." With that she went upstairs and I went into my bedroom and got ready.
I went back upstairs after I'd gotten dressed and was about to sit down to talk to Sonia until Austin got home, when second child decided it was ready to be born. A contraction made me almost fall over from the pain. Instantly Sonia was at my side asking if I needed her to do anything.
"Get Austin..." I was barely able to whisper as another contraction sent me into a world of pain.
Austin's PoV:
"That was so much fun Dad! Did you see when I did that flip? Did you see the looks on everyone's faces?" Xander continued to brag about how well he did with snowboarding for the first time. He really did exceptionally well for a ten year old, and I was happy that he had so much fun. We were walking up the driveway when I saw a woman with black hair and a purple coat on rush out of the house as if it were on fire.
"Mom!" I exclaimed and waived to her when she turned around. She nearly flew down the stairs and wrapped her arms around me. "Austin, sweetheart, I've missed you so much!"
"Are you ok Mom? You seemed like you were in one hell of a hurry to get out of the house," I was really hoping nothing had happened between her and Willow.
"Oh yes Willow asked me to fetch you because she's in labo-"
Before my mom could even finish the sentence I ran as fast I could back into the house. I had really been hoping she wouldn't go into labor tonight. My legs didn't feel like they were moving fast enough even though I was by my wife's side within a manner of seconds and was with her every step of the birthing process.
and no, I did not pass out this time.
"She's gorgeous..." I whispered as I walked up behind my wife as she watched our newborn daughter sleep.
"She is absolutely perfect," Willow whispered and leaned her head back and onto my shoulder, "Our perfect little Kiara Lilith Hunter."
