Full Bloom

In My Bedroom

"Mom, are you in there?"

I looked up from my laptop and at the door. Chrys walked in, still dressed up from her outing. I sat up, adjusting myself. Back then, I thought being pregnant with one baby was tough. I never imagined how hard it would be with three.

That's right...I somehow got pregnant with triplets. I couldn't believe I was starting all over again with three little babies. But it was such a huge blessing. I wondered about my lost baby all the time, still. If it really was a girl and I named her Iris, she'd be around sixteen now. The way I saw it, I was getting back a baby I'd lost, plus two bonus babies.

"Hey, how was your date?" I asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Not bad. Ivan is really nice. I think I'll actually see him again," she said, chuckling.

"Oh wow. That's great! That's much better than the last one."

"Yeah, you never know what you're gonna get with these dating apps," she said, rolling her eyes. Poor girl. She'd met so many creeps. "So, what did you want to show me?"

"Ta-da!" I said, handing her my laptop. "I did it! I finally finished my book."

"You...were writing a book?"

"Yeah. About this crazy life we've led. Me being a teen mom, my first daughter becoming one, and then my second daughter becoming one with a big superstar. Sometimes it almost feels like this stuff is made up, I swear."

Chrys smiled. "It really does, doesn't it? I just can't believe you actually wrote this. Why did you call it Full Bloom?"

"Yeah, you know, because all my kids have flower names? It's just a rough draft."

"How long did this take you?" she asked, her fingers scrolling on the keypad.

"Let's see...I started it last month when I got stuck on bed rest. I can't do anything all day, and I've thought about writing for a while, so I figured, why not just do it?"

"Wait, what is this about a dance battle for Prom Queen? You never told me about this!"

"There's a lot of stuff I've probably left out of my life story when I told you two stories," I said, laughing.

"I really need to find out more about this dance battle. I didn't even know you won Prom Queen." She shut the laptop. "This is really cool, Mom. Are you gonna publish it?"

"I don't know. That's a lot of work. I don't know if people will even like something like this, you know? Teen pregnancy is kinda taboo in places."

"I think you should publish it. It may help some people who are teen parents. I would've loved to read something realistic like this when I was pregnant. Hey, maybe Poppy and I will write our own books. Ha! It'll be our own family teen pregnancy series."

"That's a good one! We'll call it the Everston trilogy!" I said.

Chrys and I were both in a fit of laughter. I couldn't believe that the little baby I talked about in my book was already twenty-one. They grow up so fast.

"Anyway, I'm going to pick the boys up from Poppy's place. I was just stopping in to see if you needed anything. I know Michael is working a long shift tonight at the hospital," Chrys said.

"Just like he always is," I said. "And, I'm okay. I've got my water bottle and some snacks."

"Okay. If you say so. I'm gonna go grab the boys and pick up a pizza. I'll see you in an hour."

"Alright. Thanks for checking in. Love ya, Chrys."

"Love you too, Mom."

She got up and left. I turned on the lamp next to me. It was getting dark in here. I heard Chrys open and close the front door. I was all alone, just me and my three little ones. I grabbed my phone, and in a spur-of-the-moment decision, selected Chase Hetcher from my contacts.

The phone rang three times and went to voicemail. I knew he was busy on set, but my fingers were so swollen that it was hard to text. I just called everyone for the time being.

"Hi, you've reached the personal voicemail of Chase Hetcher. To leave a voicemail for my agent, Tim, press one. For media requests, please press two. If you're a friend or family, please press three."

I pressed three.

"Please leave your message after the tone."

"Hey Chase, it's Jen. You know I can't text with my fat fingers right now. Anyway, I finally finished my novel and was wondering if you'd be able to do me a favor and put me in contact with your editor. I think I'd really like to see if I can get it published. Talk to you soon, kiddo. Bye."

I hung up the phone and layed back in bed, feeling the movements of the triplets. I rubbed my belly, thinking of Fern and Lily, my two baby girls. Honestly, I worried. My mother was a teen mom, so was I, and so were both my big girls. Hopefully Fern and Lily wouldn't meet the same fate. Otherwise, the Everston series would become more than just a trilogy.

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The end! Thanks to all who read this story! Hope you check out the rest of the series as well! 

If you've read all three books, which one was your favorite, Full Bloom, Surprisingly Perfect, or Drama Momma?