Twin Image: Family, Before Anything

Chapter 8

~Three years and two months later~

-July 5th, Sunday-

~Jade's POV~

"Jane and Tobias, stop running around this apartment right now!" Lauren yells, making me glance up from my book. I see my son chasing his cousin around the room, and I wait until Jane runs pass me to snatch up my son. I snatch and tickle him, and he wriggles in my arms. "What did I tell you about running around this apartment little boy?" I ask him, "You said no wunning mommy." He tells me, in that sweet little three-year-old voice I've grown to love. Lauren snatches up Jane, tickles her and tells her the same just before a knock is heard from the door.

"I got it!" My husband says, coming down our spiral stairs. He opens the door, and in files my older brother, and his wife. Not to mention, a stroller for three. Three toddlers to be exact. "Oh beautiful, nurturing, caring and loving sister of mine!" My brother calls for me, and I set my book down while my son runs to his uncle, aunt and baby cousins.

I stand, "yes older, and father of three brother of mine?" I ask him, and he stops the big train of a stroller and I admire my nieces and nephew. Natalyn , Grayson, and Megan. Natalyn smiles at me, "Can you please, please, please watch your nieces and nephew for like an hour, or a day maybe? Or a week possibly?" He asks me, and I really look at my brother. His hair was disheveled, there was baby puke on his shirt, and he looked beyond stressed and so did his wife. I smile at my brother, "Of course I can, but only for an hour. Since you've never got the chance to watch Junior for more than that. Now go you two, before I change my mind." I say and he kisses my cheek, and I'll admit, I've never seen two people leave an apartment faster. They left so fast they almost hit one of our own cousins with the door.

Christian, Carter and Genesis all walk in with my uncle. I look at my teenaged cousins and I notice all kinds of new things about them since the last time I saw them. Christian got a new piercing, Genesis dyed strands of her hair red, and Carter, well Carter shaved his head. "Oh goodie! You three come help with your cousins, or your first cousins once removed or whatever-you-wanna-call-it, just come help me take care of my brothers babies." I say, and they don't oppose, roll their eyes, or suck their teeth, since all three of them love me. I spoiled the hell out of them when they were growing up, and I've always been their favorite.

And my brothers hate that. I pick up Natalyn, and she wriggles and bounces her legs all excited. I love that my sister-in-law and brother came to me, wanting to name her after me. Miles told me he wanted to because A. Her hazel eyes were just like mine, and because and I quote, I've been the one constant good thing in his life, since birth. And Grace said that she wanted to, just because I waved at her that one day I came back to Amity, and she told me seeing us defy the city laws and seeing me wave to her, changed her life.

It made her realize she didn't have to listen to her parents, and stay in Amity with them. I helped her make her decision, just in time. I changed her life, and now she's here in Dauntless, and these babies are here essentially because of me. I was so touched but, I felt that their little girl needed a uniqueness of her own so, I suggested Natalyn, and they loved it. She's here because of me, and I technically named her so, I'm not surprised she lights up at the sight of me.

It's like she knows. Christian picks up Grayson, and Carter picks up Megan. They're all almost two, and they all got their moms dark red curls. And besides Natalyn, they all got their moms eyes too. Suddenly, and rudely, my husband steals her from me, and spins her around.

And of course, my husband is, and always will be the one person she'll like just a little bit more than me. I watch Jane tackle his legs, and he picks her up with his other arm. "Heyyy, those are my nieces you jerk." I say, and he sticks his tongue out at me, and so does Jane, leading to of course Natalyn doing it as well. "Well, I married you so, that makes them my nieces by law." He says, and Jane puts her hand on her hip, and continues to stick her tongue out at me. He smiles at her and Natalyn, and that's when it really hits me.