How Unexpected- Baby 53

Laura aged up to be a gorgeous young woman with my father's stunning brown eyes and my orange hair. She's as bubbly as ever and it makes her happy when she makes people smile. She matured quite a lot and stopped with the pranks, thank goodness. I would definitely be sad to see her go, but of course I needed her to move out to make room for more kidlets.

Midnight and Platinum were just... perfection. Mid was a beautiful teenager who had a thing for baking. The house was almost always filled with the aroma of key lime pie, cobbler and cookies. The family was always in for a delicious treat for dessert, even though if I didn't stop accepting second servings I'd soon outgrow my jeans. Platinum was just as sneaky as ever and was always making deals with the locals. He loved money and saved every penny. When I asked why he liked to do this, he replied, "Becoming a mob boss is an expensive process, mom." He was joking of course, at least, I hope.

Caramel and Toffee were adorable little boys who spent almost all of their time outdoors, whether it was on the slip n' slide, spring riders, playground or tree house. It took a lot of convincing and bribing to get them to come inside for bed or baths, which could be annoying but overall I was glad they didn't spend all their time playing video games like a lot of my other children.

Erik... oh goodness, that boy was adorable and always had my attention. He loved to play with his older siblings and loved to be read to sleep by his mother. He liked stories from me, and playtime with his brothers and sisters, but he loved to just talk with Jesse. Once Jess taught him to speak, he wouldn't shut up when he was around him. It really was adorable and I got a good chunk of home videos of him saying silly things to his daddy.

Laura hugged the family goodbye and headed off on her own. She had no idea what she wanted to do with her life yet, but that was okay. She was still young and would figure it out eventually.

The sun was shining brightly, so I changed little Erik into a fresh diaper and stripped him of all other garments so he wouldn't get hot. "Howsy, mama! Howsy! Me wanna wide!" I giggled and walked him over to the spring rider horse.

I plopped him down in the plastic saddle and he began to sway from side to side, making the springy pony bounce up and down as he moved. His laughs echoed throughout the hot summer air and even as sweat soaked through my clothes, I couldn't help but be happy along with him. Although the wetness became too much to handle, so I ran inside, leaving Erik in the care of Midnight, and changed into a flowery orange bikini. When I came back outside, the four older kids were sliding down the slip n' slide. "Mind if I join you?" I asked them.

Toffee smiled at me and said, "Sorry Mama, but who would play with Erik?" I took this into consideration and scooped up my toddler, giving him kisses all over his exposed tummy. I skipped over to the beach chairs, set out an umbrella and put Erik in the grass in the shade. He played with his toy car for a while until his older siblings got bored and moved to the sprinkler. Erik quickly lost interest in the car and ran through the water as everyone else, including me, waggled their butts in the beautifully cool liquid. Every once in a while someone would open their mouth to try and catch some H2O for a drink, and I soon realized that drops of water wasn't going to quench their thirst.

I ran into the house, made some lemonade, ran back outside and poured some glasses for my tired children. As they gulped down the yellow goodness, they sighed and after went inside to head to bed. Of course our nightly routine wouldn't be complete without a story being read to Erik, so after that was done I slipped into bed next to Jesse and fell asleep almost instantly.

Do you remember when I said Jess and I were growing apart? Well, when I realized he wasn't cheating on me, I knew that it was time to end what we had. Of course, just until my challenge was over! I needed more room for my kids and I truthfully couldn't divide my attention evenly. There needed to be a change and the only thing I could do to make things fair was to take a break.

He agreed to this with assurance from me that it was only a break and after the challenge we could resume our relationship. I said this, but I wasn't sure. I loved him more than anything, but it could be a while before I finally finished and by then I could have met someone new.

I found the next challenge father, Sky Neverard. He reminded me a lot of Skye, which made impregnating myself with his children a little bit awkward. If he looked like Skye that would mean... I would soon find out what mine and my best friend's children would look like...

Jesse packed up his things and moved out, giving me a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I needed to talk to someone about it, and Skye wouldn't do. Jess was her son and I didn't want to put her in an awkward situation. The first person I thought of was Calista. I dialed her number and when she picked up, I said, exasperated, "Hey, I need to talk to you about something."

"Is something wrong?" she asked. I could hear the concern in her voice.

"What? N-no! Everything's fine, I just need someone to chat with, and Skye isn't an option this time."

"Hm... This is something you can't even talk to Skye about? There must be something seriously wrong. Meet me at the bistro in ten minutes, okay?"

I agreed and got in the car. When I got there I didn't have to wait for long because she arrived shortly after in her car. We sat down at a table and she looked me over.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

I thought about how to word it. "Well... Jesse and I broke up and... I don't feel bad about it at all."

She sighed. "Skye told me about how you thought he was cheating on you. When you thought that, was there even a little part of you that was relieved that he was gone?"

I nodded slowly. "I haven't been single very long in this challenge and I thought it would be nice to spend time with just my children."

"Are you sad he's gone? Even a little?"

It was silent for a moment before I whispered, "No."

She smiled slightly and stood up. "I'm sorry Paisley, but maybe you just weren't meant for each other. It was nice to see you so happy while you were with him but everyone else agrees that his effects faded after a while. I think you'll enjoy being a single, young challenge mother. I have to go now, but I hope you can figure all of this out. Bye Pais," she said and walked off to her car.

I sighed. Calista was right. Even then, hours after I broke up with Jesse, I knew we probably wouldn't get back together, and I think he knew it too.

When I got home, Midnight ran over to me and hugged me. "Is it true?" she whispered. "Is Daddy really gone?" I nodded and hugged her tighter.

"It's just going to be me and you kids until the end of the challenge. I think it will be better this way," I replied, putting a smile on my face as I gently pushed back a strand of her red hair.

"I'm glad you feel that way. We were worried you were going to be sad."

I wasn't lying. I really was happy! I shouldn't have gotten into a relationship so early on in the challenge, anyway. Everyone warned me it would be a bad idea and look where I was standing! Single once more! Honestly, I thought it was going to be good. I could finally relax, knowing that I would no longer have to divide my attention between the kids and my boyfriend.

With a suddenly clear mind, I taught Midnight to drive. Platinum taught Erik to walk while we were gone, and when we got back I switched twins. This time, while I taught Platinum, Mid taught Erik to talk, leaving the worst part to me.

When we arrived back home from our stressful lesson, Midnight ran off to the basement while I scooped up Erik in my arms and brought him to the toddler toilet. He was a pro at pooping in the correct place, so we were finished quickly.

I scurried around the house, cleaning up this and that. Once dinner was made and the kids were in bed, I slipped into dreamland myself. When I awoke, my stomach was slightly bigger, so I ran my hand across it. "Hey there little one," I said gently. "It's Mommy. I'm going to give you so much love, you won't even know what hit you." I chuckled slightly and began my day.

*~Platinum's Point of View~*

How was I going to tell her? I was worried my own mother would disown me and tell me I was a good for nothing human being. I knew she would never act this way, but finding out your son is gay is sure to catch you off guard. I mean, Midnight was surprised and she was my other half! "Mom is going to accept you no matter who you date, Platinum, you know that," she said as I paced back and forth in her room. "She's our mother and she loves us. Stop worrying and tell her. If you don't, I will." She was seated on the bottom of her bunk bed, watching me stress.

"I know, I'm just concerned. She won't be expecting it, so what if she says stuff she doesn't mean and kicks me out?"

"Do you hear yourself? Mom is one of the most collected people I know. So, once again, stop worrying! Go tell her, okay? I'm going to a movie with Caramel and Toffee, but when I get back our mother better know you like boys." She jumped off the bed and walked out the door. I followed a few moments later and found Mom watching TV in the living room.

"Mom?" I squeaked. She jumped at the sound of my voice and turned off the television.

She looked at me expectantly. "Yes?"

I took a seat next to her on the couch. "Well, you see... Oh, there's no way to say this but this: I'm gay."

She looked taken aback for a split second before regaining her composure. "Really?" I nodded and she pondered what to say next. I was sure she was worried she'd offend me if she said something wrong. "How long have you known?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Since I started high school. While all my friends got crushes on girls, I got crushes on my friends. I didn't realize that's what was going on for a while, but once I figured it out... Well, I just knew. I'm really sorry."

"Sorry? Why on earth are you sorry?" she asked sweetly.

"I-I'm not normal," I stuttered.

She sighed. "Platinum, don't ever say that. You're perfect the way you are and if someone doesn't accept you as is, it's their problem. I don't care if you like men, women or puppies. You're my son and I approve of anything you choose. I'd be a terrible mother if I thought you needed to change. Your attitude towards it is the only thing I think should be different. Honey, you were sure your own mother was going to hate you because you don't like the opposite gender. If you're not confident about it, how will anyone ever accept you? I expect you to walk out the door every morning, proud to be yourself. If someone ever gives you a hard time, screw them! You're a beautiful person who could do great things."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked them away. "Mom... Thank you. Thank you so much." She stood up and pulled me with her. I hugged her and she kissed my head. "Now that I've told you, I have someone I'd like you to meet." She looked confused, but nodded. "He's my boyfriend and his name is Ryn Everard." 

The name Everard made her eyes widen.

"I'd like to meet him as soon as possible, okay?"

I nodded and grabbed Mom's keys. I didn't... steal her car, exactly, I just... borrowed it without permission and drove to Ryn's house. He greeted me with a peck on the cheek and I told him about the conversation with Mom. "So, she doesn't mind?" he asked.

"No, not at all. She said she'll love me no matter what. She wants to meet you as soon as possible."

He grinned. "Let's go, then. I'm not doing anything." He got in the car with me and we returned to my house. Ryn was baby number one in Skye's challenge, apparently, so he was a lot older than me, but that didn't matter to us. Age is just a number!

*~Paisley's Point of View~*

Ryn was extremely sweet and caring towards Platinum. He was really polite and even asked for permission to date my son. I approved immediately, which made Platinum smile. After giving them my blessing, I brought the younger kids to the beach for a day of fun.

My stomach was huge, indicating that it would soon be time for the little one to make an appearance. I was getting anxious for some reason, more so than I had ever been to see my child, except, perhaps, baby one.

When we got home, I immediately went into labor and waddled to my room. A surprisingly short few hours later, I welcomed Louise Parker into the world.

Thanks to Calista Smith for letting me use Calista in this post!