Passion's Instinct

Fifty One

Hayden

After Natalie's parents left a week later, we found some old picture albums that her mother had left in the bedroom they stayed in and were looking at them one evening after everyone was home from school and work.

We sat huddled together on the couch, with blankets and pillows surrounding us and the kids sprawled over Natalie and I. The dogs were even on the couch, which I never let them do.

Usually.

As we opened the first book, the first thing staring back at us was Natalie's fourth grade school picture.

I started to laugh, just because it was cute, but Natalie took it the wrong way and threatened to find my third grade school picture and show it to the kids.

And I really hated that picture.

My face turned straight right away and I rubbed her cheek with my thumb. "Please don't show them," I begged. The kids laughed, and so did Natalie.

I glared at her, and when we turned to the next page, there was a picture of Natalie with her parents in kindergarten. I smirked, again, because it was cute, and also because I was under the pressure of her stare from where she sat beside me.

"Hayden," she warned, and the kids laughed again. She stood up, crossing her arms. "You know what?" she said, grinning, "I change my mind. I'm bringing the picture up right now."

She picked up her phone and in a few minutes' time, she turned her phone around to show the kids my third grade picture. (A/N: see media)

I flipped out immediately and grabbed her phone, wrenching it out of her fingers and holding it where she couldn't reach it.

"Wait!" Temple cried, laughing so hard tears were surfacing. "I want to see that picture!"

"Yeah, me too!" Sawyer agreed.

I sighed and stared at their pleading eyes, and so I gave up and showed them. "This," I started, shaking my head and smiling, "was me when I was eight."

"Aww!" Temple said. "I want to date him!"

Natalie smiled as I continued to shake my head, smiling as well. "Oh, boy," I muttered, "this really is going to be a long stage, isn't it..."

**********************************

"Hayden, I've made a decision."

I looked up at Natalie. "What?"

I laid on the couch that night after the kids went to bed, my head in her lap. She stroked my hair with her fingers, running them through it.

"Well, you know how we're coming up on four months, which means an ultrasound?"

"Yes."

"Do you just want to wait until the baby's born to know the gender?"

I groaned, rolling my head around in her lap. "No..."

"Why not?" she asked, laughing. "Don't you want it to be a surprise this time? For our third one?"

"I don't know..."

"Would you rather me talk about names? Hey, we could name him Anakin if he was a boy."

I laughed, shaking my head and running a hand down my jaw. "No."

"Lorenzo?" Natalie asked, grinning. She laughed. "I'm kidding."

"Padmé?"

"Clay?"

"Rifka?"

"Stephen?"

"Evey?"

"Stop."

"Why?"

"Stop," Natalie laughed.

I smiled and reached up, squeezing her cheek playfully. She laughed even more, batting my hand away.

"So, you said Lorenzo, right?"