Ring by Spring| ✓

ten.

"ONCE UPON A TIME, THE END."
Small hands and dark curly heads of hair surrounded me as I finished telling my impromptu story.

I waved my hands manically, awaiting their loud cheers and the light taps of their hands on my legs urging for an encore.

It never came.

The bright smiles on their lips dimmed as if a dark cloud had come over us.

Here comes the rain; tears danced down their cheeks.

The thunder; their lips were quivering.

The lightning; whimpers and whining escaped from their small lips.

All four of the youngsters did this scarily in sync.

"Oh, no," I gathered the children to me for a hug.

Simirin is already stressed enough with trying to get small details done before the big day, so I can't call her and ask for advice. The other members of the wedding party are out running errands and fulfilling their duties with their partner.

Speaking of a partner where is mine?

Graham is supposed to be helping me with babysitting the kids, but he had walked out a few minutes ago saying he needed to make a call.

Simirin had thought it was smart to assign Graham and me to babysit because my major is Elementary Education and Graham is apparently funny.

"Ethan," I murmured softly trying to get the four-year-old to stop crying.

The boy had claimed he was the oldest out of his siblings; they are quadruplets.

Ethan just cried harder, pulling on his dark curls.

"Ellie," I reached to the second oldest, but she just batted my arm away.

"Gustin," He looked like he was ready to fight, so I retracted my reaching hand from him.

I was about to call the youngest member of the quadruplets, but little footsteps and significant steps garnered my attention to the staircase.

Graham and Grary, hand in hand descended the stairs.

I'm literally a horrible babysitter I didn't even notice she had escaped.

"Well, well, Annie, you monster making babies cry."

"Yeah," Grary cosigned, giggles bubbling from her throat.

"I didn't know my story would make them cry." I shrugged innocently, standing up from the couch.

"Annie, you can't classify the six words you said as a story."

He laughed and tugged his hand out of Grary's grasp and sat down on the rug. His presence caused the kids to swarm around him as if he were a jar of honey and they were bees.

"I'll tell you, kids, a real story." He gave me a pointed look and patted to the available space beside him.

I sat, avoiding eye contact.

As much as I hate to admit it, my jealousy toward Graham tainted the story for me. I guess being funny had the upper hand over majoring in elementary education.

This time, at least.