Remember Forever (Book 9 in Nemi Forever Series)

Chapter 7

Nick

Anyone who knows me, knows that I really don't like to dress up in costumes, for Halloween as one example. I do it, now, for my kids, mostly. A few times I have done it because Demi asked me to, but I prefer to dress in normal clothes. On occasion, Demi would convince me to dress like a character for some sexual role playing, but that usually just consisted of wearing different clothes or a tiny accessory from a costume. For Halloween, this year, my boys were all going as Superheros, so Demi talked me into being Superman. She was dressing up as Superwoman, so I was willing to look like an idiot if it meant seeing my wife in form fitting spandex & a mini skirt. Jerry was going as Spiderman, Reid was going as Captain America & Avery was The Incredible Hulk. Now, the girls were not dressing up as superheroes, even though, I thought it would be adorable. Mercy was dressing up as a Zombie beauty queen, which was her brother's idea & she loved it. The baby girls were both going as animals. One was a bear & the other was a Dalmatian dog, I just didn't know which was going to be which yet.

On October 27, the Saturday before Halloween, we were having a Halloween party at our house for the kids & their friends. Demi was going all out & I was dreading it, to be honest. I was trying to keep an open mind & I would try to have fun, but my heart wasn't completely in anything as the anniversaries of Olivia's death & Delaney's death were fast approaching.

I was starting to have nightmares about Olivia & I was starting to feel the guilt again, but I didn't tell Demi about it. I didn't want to upset her & she had so much going on as she prepared for the party. I kept quiet about it, but I did make an appointment with my therapist. I kept on breathing & trying to remember all that I had to be thankful for. My therapy session helped, too, because I could talk freely about it & that, in itself, helped a great deal.

I woke up on Saturday morning, kinda late, since I had been out the night before, til early hours of the morning. I heard a noise & looked to my right, not seeing Demi in bed with me. I figured she was up early, freaking out about how much she had to do before the party that evening. I sat up & rubbed my face, trying to wake myself. As I slid my hands down my face, I saw where the noise, I heard, was coming from. I smiled, seeing one of the twins opening one of the dresser drawers. I smiled because she was dressed in her bear costume.

"Hey!" I called out & watched my daughter jump. She turned around, her eyes wide & I saw that it was Harper. "What are you doing little bear?" I asked, getting out of bed.

Harper giggled when I grabbed her & lifted her up over my head. "No, daddeeeeee." She screeched, hating when I lifted her over my head like this. Her & Riley were 16 months now & they had such different personalities, it was kind of amazing. Mercy & Jerry were very similar in their personalities when they were younger. They changed a little as they got older, but they still had similar traits. Harper & Riley were almost complete opposites of each other.

I kissed Harper's face all over, then held her on my hip as I headed out of the bedroom. I heard Riley crying from the twins room, so I headed in that direction. When I got to their room, I saw Demi trying to get Riley to put on the dalmatian costume, but Riley was not having it. I didn't blame her & I sympathized with her. Demi let out an exasperated sigh when she saw me.

"No one could ever say she isn't your daughter." Demi rolled her eyes as she stood up & tossed the dog suit on the chair nearby. Demi took Harper from me. "At least one of my girls will be dressed as a cute, cuddly animal." Demi said in a baby voice then kissed Harper's cheek.

Riley ran to me, her arms up, signalling that she wanted me to pick her up. "Hold you." She whined. When any of my kids said that, my heart melted. I picked her up & kissed her cheek, then smiled when she snuggled up against me, laying her head on my shoulder. I felt her gratitude that I saved her from her ruthless, costume toting mother.