Adventures in an alternate dimension Book 2

Chapter 55 - The Weight of Decisions

Vannessa's POV

The mug of chamomile tea felt lukewarm against my palms, the steam a comforting wisp against the chill that always seemed to linger in Aunt Ashlynn's living room. The hum of conversation, punctuated by the occasional giggle from the triplets, washed over me in a wave. It had been a symphony I'd grown accustomed to over the past two months, living here with Ashlynn, her four husbands, and their gaggle of rambunctious kids.

Across from me, Eric, my husband, stirred his tea thoughtfully. The late afternoon sunlight slanted through the window, casting long shadows across the worn plaid rug. Caleb and Levi, our two-month-old twins, slept peacefully in their twin bassinet nestled beside the fireplace.

"So," Ashlynn began, her voice a warm alto, "you two mentioned wanting to talk about something?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "We've been thinking... about moving."

The room seemed to hold its breath for a moment. Even the triplets, usually in a state of perpetual motion, paused mid-destruction of a tower of blocks.

"Moving?" Skylar, Ashlynn's husband with the perpetually amused glint in his eyes, echoed. "Where to?"

Eric squeezed my hand under the table. "Port Angeles," he said, his voice firm. "We've been looking at job opportunities there, and..." He trailed off, his gaze flickering to the sleeping twins.

"It would be a fresh start," I finished for him, the words tasting unfamiliar on my tongue.

Ashlynn's face, usually an open book of emotions, remained unreadable. Her gaze flitted between us and the six little faces staring at us with wide, curious eyes. Grace, the eldest, tilted her head, her blonde curls bouncing. "Are you leaving us?" she asked, her voice small.

A pang of guilt shot through me. These kids, these chaotic, wonderful kids, had become an extension of our own little family in the short time we'd been here. Levi, usually the fussier of the twins, seemed to thrive on the constant attention from his older cousins, especially the ever-patient Jade. Caleb, on the other hand, mirrored Ava's boundless energy, their gurgles often erupting into full-blown giggles during their playtime together.

"Honey, no one's leaving you," Eric said, his voice gentle. "We just... we think it might be good for us to have our own place, you know? A place to raise the boys."

Thor, Ashlynn's tallest and arguably most stoic husband, spoke up then. "It makes sense," he rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly. "You two are starting a family. You need your own space."

But the words felt hollow to me. This ramshackle house in Forks, overflowing with mismatched furniture, colorful toys, and the cacophony of a large, loving family, felt more like home than any place I'd ever lived.

"We just... we wouldn't be that far," Eric added quickly. "It's only a couple of hours' drive. We could visit all the time."

The idea of those visits, carefully scheduled interruptions in a life we were building on our own, felt sterile compared to the spontaneous sleepovers, the shared meals that stretched late into the night with laughter echoing through the house.

Emmett, the quiet one of the group, chimed in then. "Maybe you could find a place with a big yard," he suggested, his gaze flickering to the cramped living room that currently housed not only us but Ashlynn's ever-expanding brood. "The boys would have room to run around."

The thought of a big yard, a place where Caleb and Levi could learn to crawl and explore without fear of knocking over a precarious tower of blocks or interrupting a tea party, was undeniably appealing. But the idea of that space coming at the cost of this... this beautiful, messy, overflowing life we'd become a part of, felt like a bitter pill to swallow.