Wishing for the Future

Chapter 7

|Jade|

"Damn tent!" I cursed as I tried to connect a short pole to another pole. I'm here in the backyard preparing this big transparent tent for the camp-night out. I don't really approve of this, but the twins insisted that I fix the tent already if it's only 2:00 in the afternoon. I mean, we're going to use it tonight, why do I have to prepare it hours before the moon comes out?

Tori's upstairs helping them change in there swimsuit because they want to have an early swim. "Damn it!" I threw the pole into the heap of tent materials. I swiftly look at house and see Tori and the kids laughing at me. I return my attention to the tent and find the manual.

I got the correct pole to connect with the small one. I keep going and slowly the tent seems to form. A few minutes later I'm finished with the tent.

"CANNONBALL!" I heard  a small voice and splash from behind me. I quickly turned around to see Trent in the water with a big grin on his face.

"Trent!" Tori called. " You don't have sunblock yet!" And holy crap. Tori Vega has a nice body. She's wearing this small white bikini that made her tan skin glow more. Her breast may be fuller than mine, but I can tell any guy who got a hold of those will be more than satisfied. And her curves. Damn. She's not that curvy the last time I saw her in her swimsuit. And her tan legs...Damn, I wonder what those feel like when they're wrapped around my -

What the hell, Jade?! This is Tori Vega for crying out loud. Did you just seriously check her out? You hate her. You don't compliment her sexy figure in your head!

But damn and she's my wife

I did a really good job in my marriage. I laugh at the thought. I, Jade West, have a wife and kids. A wife. My wife is Tori Vega.

"But mommy," Trent's whine pulled me out of my thoughts. "Sunblock's for girls."

"No, they're not," Tori argued. I watched her place two towels on one of the lounge chairs and sat down. She motioned for Maui to come closer to her and she applied sunblock on the kid. "I just don't want you to have a sunburn, honey. Come here."

"But mooooooooommmyyy,"Trent whined. He came closer to the edge of the pool where Tori is nearer. "I don't get sunburned." He pouted.

"Yes you do," Maui said

"You sit down for 3 minutes, Maui. Let the lotion sink in." Tori said and Maui smiles and sits next to her.

"I -I don't," Trent pouts.

I walk around the pool to go near them. Tori looks up at me and says, "Jade, please tell your son that he needs sunblock so that the sun won't burn his skin."

I chuckle. "Oh now he's just my son?" Tori gives me a look that says, 'just-tell-him.' I sit close to her, beside Maui. I'm not really comfortable with the closeness, but this is for the kids. You see, earlier, Tori and I decided to act like a couple for the sake of the kids. We can't afford to have them ask questions. I told her that;

"What?" Tori shrieked. "I am going to pretend to be in love with you, West!"

Rolling my eyes, I said, " Tori, can you really answer the kids' questions if they see us hating each other?"

 "Well..." She started thinking.

"My parents always fight," I began to say, making sure I don't have any emotions in my voice." And base from experience, it's not a good feeling to little children."

"I - I'm sorry to.."

"Don't be," I cut her off. "SO what, are you in ?"

"For the kids' sake okay."

"Trent," I began. "You won't look good in red. Please listen to your mom."

Trent pouts a lot more and I give him a warning look. He began to climb out the pool as fast as he can. Tori thanks me quietly and applies lotion to the boy.

While she was distracted, I went up to put on a swim suit. 

I found a black bikini in the closet where we hid earlier. It must be mine, since it fit me perfectly. When I go back to the backyard, I see Trent and Maui playing and swimming around. Tori's reading a book and relaxing in the lounge chair she was in earlier. I sit on the other one beside hers, and watch Trent and Maui have a swimming race. These kids are a good swimmer for their age. I wonder if Tori was the one who suggested to make the kids take swimming lessons.

I feel someone staring at me intently . I know it's Tori, of course, so I watch her in my peripheral vision. And yes, she is still glancing and giving me an appreciative look. I smirk. At least I'm not the only one. 

"Stop staring, you creeper, " I said, jokingly. I don't want to start a fight with her. Look where it got me the last time. I look straight at her, just as she held the book in front of her again, pretending to read. 

"I-I'm not staring." 

"Whoa Vega, you may be a good actress but you're a terrible liar." 

Tori looks at me with a smug face, setting the book on the table between us. "You called me a good actress." 

Oh shit, I mentally scolded myself. I didn't mean to say that. I do admire her acting skills, yes. But I live to insult Tori Vega.  And I hate her, I remind myself. "Yeah, I'm just going easy on you. This whole situation is stupid. I don't feel like insulting you."

"Gee," she began, sarcastically adding, "I don't know what to say, West. Thank you."

"Stop being sarcastic, Vega . It doesn't suit you."I turn my gaze from her to the kids. Silence is heavy around us. I hear a sign from her, but I don't look. 

"Do you think we'll be back to our old lives?" Her worried voice reaches to my ears. 

"I don't know, Vega." I answer her honestly, 

"I really don't know."