My Cowboy and Our Kids

Thomas Sway

"Mommy!"

I turned around and crouched down so my eyes met 2 year old Viviana's.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked wiping her tears away.

"Gio threw baby." She said holding up her muddy baby doll.

"Come on." I stated picking her and her baby doll up.

We walked through the kitchen door and I sat her down out on the porch.

"Ryder, I thought you were supposed to be watching them." I scolded.

"I am." He stated, then looked around.

"Looking for your daughter?" I asked.

"Boo!" She screamed and giggled as she jumped out from behind me.

"See, she's right there." He called from the yard.

I unlocked the safety gate, relocked it and went down the porch steps to the backyard.

"You need to watch them better. They're starting to run now and you missed the fact that Giovanni threw Vivi's baby doll into the mud." I stated.

"I'm sorry, Jada, I'm just trying to take care of the horses." He replied hopping up onto his horse, Hail, as in the weather.

"Ryder, we are getting married soon. Ever since the triplets were born, you've been different... You've been so distant." I complained.

"Maybe that's because I'm just stressed. I haven't slept in two years and I work all the time to pay for this place." He answered.

We soon began to argue louder.

"Seriously? I work too! Plus, I go to college online." I replied.

"Let's not fight. I guess I just miss being a kid again and all of the fun we had." He stated.

"I miss it too, and while we are on the subject of missing things, I miss your cute little pet name for me." I responded.

"What pet name?"

"Exactly. Ryder, you used to call me Doll. All the way up until the day we moved." I answered.

"Oh yeah!" He got off the horse. "I love you, Doll."

He kissed me and walked over to play with the kids.

"Doesn't count." I called from behind.

"I figured." He answered still walking away.

Everything is different now. I mean, I kinda expected something to happen when I found out I was pregnant, but what I didn't expect was this. Before, Ryder and I were close. We actually talked and joked around and cuddled. We acted like a couple in love. Now here we are. We say we love each other, but do we really mean it? I think that we just put up this front. I mean, I'm only 18 and I'm supposed to get married next month, but I don't even know if that's what I want. We are both different people now and I just think that we are only together for the kids.

I went back up to the porch and sat in the sun.

"Viviana." I stated and she snapped her head around. "Do you want mommy to play dollies with you?"

She nodded cheerfully. Out of the three, she's the brightest. She's so intelligent, like her mommy, and she speaks the most. We played dollies while Ryder monitored the boys and made sure they weren't eating the rocks they were playing with.

About an hour later, Vivi wanted to go inside and the boys were in desperate need of a bath.

"Ryder, do you want to help me give them a bath?" I asked as I looked across the yard.