Dream Parents

Chapter 1

??? POV
"Momma..." I heard a girl say. I decided to play around for a bit. I slowed my breath and went limp. "Mom..." I felt the girl get closer until I felt her feet right next to me. I immediately sit up grabbing the unsuspecting girl. She squealed as she hugged me. As soon as she finished squealing, I sit her in my lap. "Morning baby girl." I said. "Morning Mommy." She said, as I stood her up and looked over my daughter. She has long beautiful blonde hair, big blue eyes that looked much like mine, and a adorable face. She was still wearing her pink onesie. "Come on, sweet heart. Let's see if we can dig out a outfit for you and your brother." I said, walking over to a box of clothes. I open it before searching through the clothes before pulling out. A matching skirts for me and her and two shirt that said "Mama Bear' on one and 'Little Bear' on the other. I pulled out the shirt, only for another shirt to fall out, I picked up the white shirt, on the shirt had the words 'Papa Bear' It once belonged to my husband Bishop. I hugged the shirt burying my nose into it. It still had the smell of firewood and pine trees. I put the shirt back before closing the box and turning to help Kaylee get dressed. I walk into the bathroom, and brushed my long black hair before pulling it up in a messy bun. I walked into another room and in a small box of blankets and stuff toys, I looked in it to see a baby boy. I immediately pulled the baby out of the box and put him on a blanket on the floor before looking over my son. He was 1 year old, but you can see he was growing out his fathers blonde hair. He looked almost exactly like him. I looked at the outfit Kaylee brought me. It was a shirt that said 'Baby Bear' and a pair of white pants. I dress him, before giving Kolton his bottle, burped him, and put him in his rocker as Kaylee and I finished packing. "I think that's all of it, sweet pea." I said, strapping Kolton to me. "Mom, we forgot this box." Kaylee said, looking into the box. I open it and pull out a little photo album. The first picture showed of a baby with short blonde hair, wearing sunglasses. "That's the coolest baby I've ever seen, except for Kolton." Kaylee said, looking at the photo. "Yeah, it was the only way your father and I could keep you quiet. The minute we'd try to take them off you, you'd start crying." I explained, looking at another photo. It was of Kaylee in a Halloween Dalmatian outfit. "Wow...I want a dog now." She said, looking at me. "Yeah, keep dreaming kiddo." I said, flipping to another picture. It was of Kaylee in a Fairy outfit. "That was your fairy princess phase." I said, tapping her on the nose as she giggled. I flip to another picture. It was of Kaylee in front of a beautifully drawn flower. "Your first drawing competition." I said, before remembering the prize and the food poisoning. I flip to another picture. It was of a beautiful blonde baby, being held by a very handsome man. 'That was the day you were born. It was a funny story, Bishop and I crashed on our way to the hospital, I was freaking out the whole way, but Bishop was as calm as could be and told me 'Everything was going to be okay. Soon we'll have a beautiful baby and be alright.' I looked at the man again. He had a shaved, but still visible beard, dirty blonde hair, covered by a backwards hat. He had the biggest smile I've ever seen....I miss my husband so much. I felt a small hand latch onto mine. "Mom, the van is leaving soon." I looked at Kaylee before smiling. "Your right, let's move." I said, holding my daughter's hand and walking out of the house with my little family. I strap Kolton into his car seat, before helping Kaylee settle in. I hop into the driving seat, as the van was about to take off. "Mom, what's our new house like?" Kaylee asked. I cleared my throat and did my best announcer voice. "Nestled in beautiful scenic downtown Maple Bay, our new house features many areas for anyone to catch a wink." I said, smiling. "That's amazing." She said, smiling as we passed by multiple shops. It wasn't long until we pulled up to a cozy looking house with a 'For Sale' sign on the lawn. I got out of the car as Kaylee unbuckled Kolton. I pick Kolton up as Kaylee ran over to the sign. "Momma, can you..." Kaylee asked excitedly as I gestured for her to move away from the sign. I gave it a nice hard kick, sending it flying into a open trash can. Kaylee squealed and laughed as we walked into the house. I sat Kolton down in his rocker for his nap as Kaylee and I unpacked. Soon, we finished, I sat on the couch with Kaylee napping on me. I heard a knock on the door, I sighed, before picking Kay up and walking to the door. I open it to reveal, a handsome clean-cut blonde man, who was holding a plate of cookies. "Hello!" He said, smiling. "Hi..." I said, rearranging my grip on Kay. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Joseph. I'm your next door neighbor." He said. "Oh! Yes! Hello! I'm Amythestia. And this is my Daughter Kaylee." I said, holding my hand out for him to shake. "I saw the moving van and thought I'd bring over some cookies. My daughter, Christie wanted me to tell you know she baked them herself." He said, taking my hand. Joseph leans in and whispers. "But between you and me, she just sprinkled in the chocolate chips." He said, as we both laughed. "Yeah, but it's the thought that counts with kids." He hands me the plate of cookies, I quickly set them down on the coffee table and made my way back to the door. "Daughters are tough...Sons are also tough...Children in general are just...tough." He said, with a chuckle. "I hear you there. I mean, there'd have to be something wrong with you if you to try and raise more then two." I said, sighing. "I have four kids." He said, as I look at him. "Oh...I'm sorry...I didn't mean it like..." "Don't worry. You didn't mean to be rude." He said. "Is the mister around?" He asked. I sighed sadly. "No, Not anymore....He died." "Oh...Uh...I'm sorry for your loss." "No no. It's alright." We stand there for a few minutes in awkward silence. "I'm sorry, can you....close the door real quick?" I looked at Joesph curiously for a minute before closing the door. After a second, I hear a knock on the door. I open the door to see Joesph standing there with a huge smile. "Hey, I'm your new neighbor, Joesph! I promise to not talk about your dead spouse this time. I'm throwing a barbecue for the cul-de-sac and I'd love for you to come by and meet the rest of the neighbors in our community. Whadya say, pal?" He said, causing me to giggle slightly. "That sounds great. My kids and I would love to stop by. Also four kids is a perfectly normal amount of kids to have." We shake hands to seal the deal. "Well neighbor. I'll see you at 3 p.m. Sharp on Saturday." "Sure thing, neighbor." He turns and starts to walk off, before turning back to me. "Hey, in all seriousness, raising two kids on your own can't be easy. If you ever need to...talk about...stuff...I'm the youth minister at a church down the street." "Oh, I dunno. I wouldn't consider myself a 'Youth.'" "You look pretty young to me, but suit yourself!" And with that Joseph's gone. I close the door and sit back down on the couch, before eating a cookie. I have to admit....they are pretty good. "He seemed nice...." I heard Kaylee say as she slowly wakes up from her nap. "Yeah, I guess this makes it break time." I said, putting the cookies in the fridge. "Any ideas?" I asked, picking up Kolton and changing his diaper. "Well, there's a park down the road. Can we go to the park?" Kaylee asked as I grabbed the diaper bag and stroller. "I don't see why not." I said, strapping Kolton into his stroller, grabbing some snacks and drinks. I take Kaylee's hand and head toward the park. We walk down the sidewalk...it was beautiful. "Nice place isn't it, sweet pea?" I asked Kay. "Too nice...I don't trust it." "Good eye, honey. You can never be to careful. See that baby in the stroller over there? Government Operative." I said, playfully. "We're onto you, baby." She said, as we passed by the stroller. We eventually end up at a small park. Toddlers chase each other through the playground and dogs of all shapes and sizes romp through the grass. Kaylee ran off to play on the playground as I found a nice bench to sit with Kolton. I walked us toward it when- "Heads up!" Thunk! I was hit in the head with a frisbee. "Woof!" A corgi with a neat plaid handkerchief tied around its neck bounds up to me, wagging its tail. I look at him, before kneeling down to the corgi, turning the stroller to face me and the dog. "Hello!" "Arf arf!" He runs around in a circle and nudges my leg with his nose. Oh god...this dog is adorable! "Impart upon me your wisdom, tiny dog." "Woof woof!" "How long do I have left?" "Grrrr." "What's that? I'm already to late? My fate was predetermined for me long ago? I have no real agency in this cruel lifetime?" "Bark bark!" "Your right. I am the master of my domain for fate is unknowable. Thank you, wise dog." I said, patting him on the head, as Kolton laughed away at me and the dog. "You definitely could have caught that." A man in a Hawaiian shirt jogs over to us and takes the frisbee from me. "You know frisbee are traditionally caught with your hands, not your face." "You caught me off guard on this round, Not again, Not ever again." The man laughs. "Ha! I'm just messing with ya. I'm Brian, by the way." "I'm Amythestia and this is my son, Kolton. My daughter's on the playground." I said, looking over and waving to Kaylee, who smiles and waves back. I look at Kolton, who seems to be laughing at the dog. "It's great to see another parent and child out here on such a sunny day." He saids. "Where's yours?" I asked, as he gestures to a little girl reading a book on a blanket. She puts the book down and walks over to us. "This is Daisy. She's reading the Brothers Karamazov. Her teachers tell me that she has the reading comprehension of a high schooler." "How old is she?" I said, before looking back at Kaylee. "Ten! She's a precocious little youngster." "Really?" I asked, amazed. "She's beautiful and smart. All amazing women have to be..." I said, smiling gently at Daisy. "She's going to go far in this world." I said to Brian. "So, I take it you guys are new to the neighborhood?" "We just moved in, do you live around here?" "Yeah, we live in that cul-de-sac down the road next to the coffee shop." "What a coincidence, that's where we live too!" "Small world. Yeah, Daisy and I are in that little ranch-style house on the corner." "What a nice place." "Well, I'd hate to keep wasting your time." Brian says as Kaylee comes running over. "Oh, Brian this is my Daughter Kaylee. Kaylee, this is one of our neighbors, Brian." Kaylee looks at him before looking at me. "I like his beard." Brain and I burst out laughing. "It was nice meeting you both, but we better get going." I said as Kaylee waved goodbye to Brian and Daisy as we walk out. "Hey Kay, we're going to stop at the coffee shop before we head home, okay?" I asked as we came toward it. We go inside. It was a cozy and homey place. "Welcome to the Coffee Spoon, guys! How's it going?" A man asked. "What's with the name?" Kaylee asked. "Oh, It's uh...it's kinda dumb. It gets mentioned in a poem I like, and I thought it was a good idea at the time, and I suppose now it's still a good idea because like, the business is still running? But people ask me that question all the time and I give them this same answer every time and now I'm standing here rambling and I'm sure we're getting more and more uncomfortable the more I keep talking but man we're in it now and I can't stop. So, what'll it be?" I check over the chalkboard menu, as Kaylee looks at the sweets. "I'll have a Die Antwoord." I said. "Spicy." He said, as I thought for a minute before chuckling. "I guess it is." "Do you want that in a Small, Medium or Biggie smalls?" "Medium, and is Biggie Smalls big or small?" "Uh...I should change that, shouldn't I?" "In full honesty, I think it's unique." I said, moving my kids to the couches. Kaylee curls up on the couch leaning against me as Kolton is chewing on his hand. Mat sets my drink down at the table as I smile and thank him. "Hi! We're actually new in the neighborhood! I'm Amythestia and these are my kids, Kaylee and Kolton." I introduced. "Oh right on! Please to meet you three! You oughta come by when my daughter's hanging around the shop. You two might get along." "Yeah, I'm sure we'll maybe come in from time to time." I feel Kaylee nudge me. "I'm sure we'll be in here a lot." I smiled as Mat seemed to remembered something. "You know what? Lemme get your guys' opinion on something." Mat goes into the back and comes out with a fresh plate of something that smells amazing. "I'm working on a new banana bread recipe and I need help coming up with a name for it." "Well we'll have to taste it, first." Kaylee said, happily to Mat. "I was just going to give you some free banana bread anyway." He said to her as I laughed along with Kolton. Mat serves @both Kaylee and I a piece, we both happily chow down. "This tastes amazing!" I exclaim. "Thanks, the secret ingredient is bananas, so any ideas? I'm stumped." He said, as I chuckle. "I think the only thing, I can give you are band puns but I'll give it a try...." I thought for a bit. "Banana Bread Kennedys." I said, looking at Mat. "You know like the punk band." "I thought all you knew was Band puns." "I'm a hard mom." "That... actually has a nice ring to it." "Really?" "Yeah. Banana Bread Kennedys. Strong decision. That's art, baby." Mat said, as I blushed slightly before looking at him. "I wanted to say "baby" because I thought it would sound cool but once I said it, I realized that it just doesn't sound good coming out of my mouth and maybe I should leave saying "baby" to the professionals. Enjoy your coffee!" I smiled at him, slightly. "Thanks baby." "See? It sounds good when you say it." I laugh as I sip my drink. Across the way, I notice a man. He's sitting by himself, brooding over a cup of coffee. Ours eyes meet, just for a moment. I quickly turn my gaze to Kolton, who was currently sleeping. I finish my drink as Kaylee finishes her banana bread. "Thanks for stopping in!" Mat yelled as we go to the door. "Take care!" I said, back as I walk out the door with my kids. As we're walking home. I hear heavy footsteps come up behind us. "Tia! Bro!" At the sound of my nickname, I turned to be met with a familiar looking man, with a adorable baby girl strapped to his chest. "Craig?" He was my old friend from college. "Bro." "Dude." "It's been to long." "Yeah wow, you look great!" I said, giving him a smile. "Haha, yeah. I cleaned up my act." I felt Kaylee pull on my hand. "Kaylee, this is my friend Craig, we went to college together. We were really good friends." "Woah, she's grown." Yeah, I remember, Craig was there when Kaylee was born. "Hello! And Hello cute baby!" She said, touching the baby's foot. "Aw. Thank you. The last time I saw you I think you were a lot smaller though. This is River. Say hi, River." Craig picks up her tiny wrist and waved it around. River gurgles, happily. "Are you...babysitting?" I asked. "Nah dude, River's my kid." "Man, it has been a long time. Feels like one minute we're rolling up to exams with bad hangovers and the next we're both parents. Where ya been, man?" I said, turning the stroller around. "I was working out in California and just relocated the business back to Maple Bay." "No kidding! The kids and I just moved to this side of town. How's Smashley doing? I mean Ashley, Ashley's her name." "She actually still goes by Smashley. And uhhh, we got divorced last year." "Oh, Dude. I'm so sorry." "It's old news. We take turns taking care of River and the twins. It's all copacetic." "Twins?! You have three kids!" I asked surprised. "Ain't life something, bro? Right?" He said smiling. "Keg-Stand Craig is a father! Of three!" I said in surprise. "Ah bro, I hate to be that guy, but I'm in the middle of my daily jog and I have to really keep up my heart rate, Brought River along for, you know, resistance training." "You jog daily? I'm so busy with my kids, I barely have time to actually exercise. My regular exercise is probably playing with my kids." I said, looking at him. "Well, it's never go late to join back up and join me, dude." "Haha I don't know...." I said, as we walked. "Come on, it'd be fun. We could grab breakfast afterward, catch up. We could do a Bro Brunch like the good ol' days." "All right, sure. Sounds great." "Great, let's get that going soon. I better get moving. Good to see you, guys." Craig said, before putting his earbuds back in and jogged off. "Can't believe how much has changed since college." I said, to Kaylee before heading to our house. I put Kaylee in her bed, Kolton in his crib, and I laid down on the couch, falling asleep.