“Like have a boyfriend?” Amelia questions then turns to Eric.
“Look, I don’t know why she just looked at me.” Eric raises his hands, playing innocent. He’s notorious for being a bad influence and trying to teach her new things, which in my opinion are not age appropriate.
“Sure, one day, if Daddy doesn’t unalive them first,” Charlotte mutters.
Ava reaches out her hand, gently caressing Addison’s face. “My baby.”
We always knew Amelia would have reservations once the baby came home. Of late, she’s been playing up to garner our attention. Most of the time, she’ll blame Ava, but we know who is behind it.
“How about I go spend some time with Amelia?” Charlotte mentions quietly.
“Good idea.”
Poor Addison is passed around to each of our family members. It gives me an opportunity to take a small break, knowing tonight may be a sleepless night with all three girls settling into the new routine.
Mom and Adriana have outdone themselves with the food. I hadn’t realized how famished I was until I walked into the dining room and saw platters of food, all of which looked incredibly delicious.
We take turns eating. Then, I make sure the girls eat to distract them while Charlotte feeds Addison. When night falls, everyone says goodbye, and I’m glad for the peace and quiet.
Amelia and Ava are tired after running around with Andy. Ava falls asleep as soon as she’s bathed, and her head hits the pillow. Amelia, though, she’s wide awake.
“Daddy, I don’t want any more babies in the house.”
I force a smile, not sure how to tackle this conversation.
“It’s nice to have a big family, lots of love to go around,” I inform her.
Amelia crosses her arms. “I can give more love so we don’t have any more babies.”
“That’s not quite how it works.”
“Why?”
“Because God’s plan may be different.”
‘But why?” she questions again.
“Amelia, sweetheart, it’s late. How about we read a story and then go to sleep? There’s plenty more time tomorrow for questions.”
“I’m not tired.”
“Okay.” I nod, then grab a book from her shelf. “I’ll just read for fun.”
Not even a quarter into the book, Amelia’s eyes begin to droop. I glance over, smiling at her sleeping face. I don’t blame her for feeling this way, but I didn’t expect her to be so resistant to a new baby.
When she’s fast asleep, I tuck Amelia into her special blanket, then turn the light off. I quickly check on Ava, who is still fast asleep. With quiet steps, I walk toward our bedroom to find Charlotte in bed breastfeeding Addison.
“How did you go?”
I rub my chin, then let out a yawn. “Which answer will make you happy?”
Charlotte releases a sigh. “She’s still upset, isn’t she?”
“Amelia is stubborn.”
“Yeah, but we can’t ignore how she feels,” Charlotte points out.
My fingers begin to unbutton my shirt before I remove it to go shower. Charlotte's eyes wander down my torso, but she quickly turns away.