Love Lasts Forever

nails!!

The chaos hits me like a whirlwind. I step into the living room, and there's Taylor giggling as she tries to yank a toy from Nico. Demi, my three-year-old diva, is oblivious to the commotion, meticulously giving her Barbie a makeover. "I told you, Taylor! She needs more glitter!" she commands, her tiny fingers applying an excess of sparkly stickers to the doll's dress.

"Demi, it's a Barbie, not a Christmas tree!" I laugh, shaking my head as the twins wrestle over a plush dinosaur nearby. Suddenly, I hear a shriek from the corner of the room.

"No! Mine!" screams Victor, pulling the teddy bear away from Sabrina's tiny grasp. She retaliates with a squeal and a headbutt, and I can only watch, hands planted on my hips.

"Alright, chaos crew, let's settle down," I call out, trying to negotiate peace. "Who wants a snack?"

The twins freeze in their tracks, their eyes lighting up at the prospect. "Me, me!" they shout in unison, immediately distracted.

"Demi, Barbie needs a break. How about we give her a snack too?" I suggest, saving that poor doll from her glamorous makeover gone wild.

"Fine, but only if she gets peanut butter!" Demi agrees, abandoning her glittering project without a second thought.

"And a cookie!" adds Nico, who has successfully snagged the dinosaur.

"Okay, snack time, but just one cookie!" I remind them as I herd them towards the kitchen.

After the chaos settles and the kids are munching on their snacks, I finally get a moment to breathe. "Now, where's my phone?" I mumble, sliding onto the couch. I pull up my beauty salon app with one thumb while squeezing the noises of happy munching out of my mind.

"Harper, are you seriously doing this again?" Charlie's voice breaks my concentration as he saunters in, an amused grin plastered across his face.

"I need this! It's self-care!" I shoot back, indignantly tapping my finger on the screen.

"Self-care? You mean self-indulgence. What did you spend last week?"

"My nails are an investment in myself," I defend, reading over the services offered. "And I think I deserve a little pampering."

"I don't know, with how much glitter is flying around here, I'd say it's more like a sparkly gelatinous puddle." Charlie teases.

"Ha ha, very funny." I roll my eyes, ignoring the playful jab as I send an appointment request. "You're just jealous you can't get manicures."

"Why don't you just use my card for your shopping spree? God knows you'll end up spending it."

"Charlie!" I gasp, half-laughing, half-mortified. "You know I can't resist a good sale!"

"The last time you went out, you came back with three shirts and six pairs of shoes," he teases, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed.

"And I wore them all!" I shoot back playfully. "And I might have gotten that cute teddy bear for Victor."

His eyes soften. "Alright, alright, go on. Enjoy your beauty day. Just don't forget who pays for the cookies," he says with a smirk.

"Deal," I say, and I leap up from the couch, heartlightened by his teasing.

I grab my phone again and rush out the door, already dreaming of flawlessly polished nails and freshly styled hair. "I owe you one!" I call back, already planning my next shopping trip in my head.

"Make it two!" he calls back, chuckling as I head into the beauty world, where splashes of color and the smell of hair products greet me like an old friend.