IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THIS - EPISODE 27

Lavender’s viewpoint

I lazily sat on the seat, staring at the television with hope of seeing anything exciting but so far, I’d seen nothing. Rominic and I were finally returning home after almost two weeks. We got news that Rylee was destroying the gala preparation. Apparently, somebody changed the theme to a Halloween death trap and no one could stop her, not even Phineas. I decided we had enough vacation, time to get back to work and take care of our lives. Although he was still in his sex crave mode, he was better than he was when we first started.

He kept me in bed all day, never letting me step out of it except to eat, sleep or use the bathroom, and I walked around completely naked. I’d lost the number of time he randomly pushed me to this wall or table, threw me in here or there and made me go through a whole lot of position he has missed. I lost the count of the packs of condoms he used and it got to the stage we just stopped using. Now I was praying the pills actually work or pregnancy is waiting for me. There was no way I wouldn’t get pregnant if the pills don’t work.

Part of my exhaustion was because of the fact that I’d spent over two hours in bed with him, before he finally slept off. I couldn’t sleep, my legs were killing me so I ended up sitting and waiting for the jet to land so I could see a doctor and get some painkillers and pills I would be confident in. I didn’t really blame him for exhausting me. I wasn’t complaining, just tired and needed a break, one I knew I wouldn’t be getting anytime soon.

“Lame,” I changed the channel with a puff. I kept flipping through channels until I came across a news talking about Rominic’s upcoming gala, the gala they had no idea Rylee was destroying. They had given the gala such high review, making the expectation very high so if anyone should walk in and see what Rylee did, it would be a problem. It wasn’t just a gala, it was the company’s anniversary so it was a very big deal. I seriously need to get back there.

I sighed heavily and palmed my face. The woman started talking about the possibility of the press getting a photo of my kids since they might be there, another reason for paparazzi to swamp the place and business associates to sweep in to see their future adversaries or for whatever reason they would want to see them. Unfortunately for them, my kids were going nowhere. I still wanted to make sure they were safe, at least for now. Rominic didn’t agree with that and insist that at least, Zachary and Serafina tags along as future successors. The other three were obviously not into business, the two oldest were. We were going to argue about that later and I knew I would lose because Zachary and Serafina would really want to go, along with the others.

Then there’s me. I would be there too and there was no way I was going to go after or before him, Rominic wouldn’t let me. He wanted to show me off. I didn’t want to. I was still insecure due to how we ended things in the past. Once I’m seen with him, one reporter would figure it out and everything would blow up at my face. I don’t want it, at least not yet, or ever.

“Please put on your seatbelt, the plane is preparing to land.”

~~~

The car drove into the compound, home sweet home. The house was blasting with music, Rylee’s doing. I left Rominic in the car and ran inside to meet my kids, I missed them. When I ran into the living room, Rylee stood on the table slamming her guitar strings as she bobbed her head up and down. As usual, she was dressed like the goddess of doom and destruction, heavy spiky boots threatening to break the expensive glass and already scraping it. I wouldn’t have cared much if Serenity wasn’t doing the same thing. Serenity wore a black leather skirt, a short one matching her black crazy leather jacket and lace up top. Her hair was black now, along with the stupid black makeup on her face and the boots I’m sure she can’t walk well in. She was also playing her little guitar, bobbing her head.

I placed my hands on my hips, turning my gaze to look at Phineas sitting on my sofa with legs crossed, sipping his wine as he enjoyed watching her. I really wonder what he see in her and why they can’t get married already.

I felt a pull on my skirt. I looked down to see Jewels looking up at me, hugging the mermaid doll Rominic bought her, steel blue eyes twinkling like diamond as she blinked her long lashes cutely. I scooped her up from the floor and carried her into my arms. “Hello, Beautiful,”

“Where’s Water Prince?” Ouch. She looked over my shoulder to see if she could spot Rominic. I get it, she liked him more. “Did he not come?”

“He did, probably trying to get our stuffs.”

“I’ll go help!” She tried to get out of my hold but I held her tight. “Oof, let go!” I reluctantly dropped her. She didn’t wait for a second before she ran off, not even sparing me a glance. I pouted disappointedly.

“Mom? Mom!” I turned to see Zayne running towards me, already spreading his arms apart. At least I had my own cute baby. I caught him when he jumped into the air, pulled him to my chest and wrapped his growing legs around my torso. “Mom, I’ve missed you, Zyaire shaved Mr. Ruffles so Serafina shaved his brows.” Straight to the details.

“Really? Guess you are happy big sister is taking care of you, huh?” He nodded with a goofy smile. I felt someone tap my thigh. I looked down to see Serenity impatiently waiting for her own hug. Rylee was still jamming to the music, Phineas still focus on watching her ass jingle. “Where are the others?” I asked as I dropped Zayne down.

“Sera is…”

“Dad!” I cringed from Sera’s squeal. She heartbreakingly ran past me to greet her favorite parent. Zachary was walking towards us, trying to peel Gabby off him. I smiled at the sight of her on his back, talking non-stop and clinging to him as he desperately tried to get her off him. My poor Zachary would never remain the same.

“Somebody, get her off me!” He screamed at the verge of tears. I averted my eyes from him to stare at Serene who was now in my arms and saying something about how cool Rylee is. I paid attention to her, frowning at the makeup on her face and the style of clothing Rylee was successfully possessing her with. I don’t like it. The style wasn’t good at all for my sweet little angel.

“Why are you dressed like this? I don’t like it.”

“Aunt Rylee said it’s cool and I like it. I love the leather and the rips and the… I don’t like the black though,” she pouted, “not completely my style…”

“Then maybe you can still dress like this but instead of making it black, you can make it colorful, what do you think?” Her eyes lit up with excitement and joy.

“That’s a brilliant idea, mom, why didn’t I think about it?” She mused. In the past, she would call me mommy, but now her new use of mom and the way she speaks testified of her incredible mental growth. The change of environment was really doing her a lot of good, all of them. I dropped her down just as Rominic walked in, Sera skipping in front of him and him smiling at Jewels using all her strength to carry one of my empty bags.

“Dad!” To say I was jealous was and understatement. All five of them squealed his name and ran to him, including Gabby. They simply forgot me. I huffed, crossed my arms and walked over to join Phineas in his seat. He laughed and handed me his glass to take a drink. Rylee already stopped playing. She was now seated with one leg carelessly raised and swinging side to side, a gum being nastily murdered in her mouth. Her arms were sprawled over the back of the chair, her gum murdering sound becoming more annoying every second. I scowled at her and looked at Phineas who had his arm around my shoulders now.

“What do you even see in her? I honestly don’t get it.”

“Every man has his spec, no matter how odd it is. For me, I love my women dark and Rylee,” he sent her a very flirtatious wink, throwing his head back and laughing when her cheeks redden, even though she was trying to play it cool. I can never understand this two, never. It always amaze me the kind of love they possess. They loved each other to madness, yet would never hold each other back. Most of their relationship was spent apart from a distant, but it only made their love stronger. They could go two years without seeing each other and yet not cheat or let their attention stray away from each other. They would still kiss and have mind-blowing sex like they were never apart. I can never fully understand or get to that level of trust and love with Rominic.

And they never admit to dating.

“Nicky, little brother,” she said with a mischievous smirk, eyeing him mockingly. Rominic returned her smirk and mischievous glint with a wicked grin of his own.

“Rylee, goat sister, nice to see you again,” he said sarcastically. Her smile dropped. It took just a little for him to upset her. “So, how did your baby making go while I was away? Bad, wasn’t it?” Something flickered in Rylee’s eyes, briefly but I saw it. She kept her mouth pinned which was so not Rylee like. I think Rominic understood that something was off because his wicked grin fell into a concern one. She is his sister and twin after all. “Lee, you okay?”

“Don’t bother, she won’t share. I’ve been trying to get her to spill but she won’t,” Phineas sounded annoyed even if he looked absolutely calm. Time to end this awkward silence.

“Rylee, I’m taking over the gala preparation, no buts,” I spoke firmly, “and I really need to get some alone time with the guys, I miss them… And before you make any comment, Beau, yes, Ferris would be there, I would dress as hot as I wish to and he is married. No objection.” I stood up and scurried out of the living room. Rominic chased after me to continue the argument. When it comes to Ferris, we always fight. In the past, I would give in, but not anymore.

“Laverne…”

“No, I’m not doing that, Beau, not ever again. I will not abandon my friends to be with you alone because you are afraid one would take me away from you. They are my friends, Beau, and they remain that. If you can’t deal with it, then maybe we shouldn’t be a couple after all. Relationship is about trust, mutual one. I trust you and you should too, if not, this relationship won’t work. Why can’t we be like Phineas and Rylee? They are so in sync and love each other like crazy. I know we can never be like them but can we at least try? If not for anything, for our love to be eternal… Okay, we are eternal because if you leave me this time, I’ll murder you and go to jail…”

“Lavender!” I flinched, jumping up in surprise at how loud he shouted. “Jesus Christ! Don’t always assume my next statement base on the past. I don’t plan on stopping you from meeting your friends, I was only going to say that before you go,” he took in a deep breath and smirked, “I’m painting you with my cum, and you are not going anywhere without my name signed to your forehead.” He rolled his eyes with a playful smile while I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to stop myself from blushing, woefully.

“Can I be paint with cum too!” Oh shit. I looked at Jewels standing at the door, jumping and clapping in excitement. I raised a smug brow at him. He groaned. This was a him problem, not mine. No one told him to say that out loud. I laughed as I walked towards the bathroom, happy that for once, we didn’t fight over Ferris. Wait till he hears this. I still remember the bet we made. The day me and Nic go without fighting over him or me submitting, he would wear Anna’s bikini and twerk in a crowded bar.

Evil moment here.

Rominic’s viewpoint

I sat with one leg crossed over the other, my hand spread out on the top of the backrest and the other tapping the remote on my free knee. Serenity sat curled up against me, her head on my chest and hands around me while Jewels laid sprawled out on the sofa, sucking her thumb, her head on my thigh and other hand wrapping the hem of my baggy shirt into a ball.

Lavender was already asleep. She was too exhausted all thanks to me. Since my mother returned earlier, Zayne was with her. He was her favorite. Serafina suddenly decided that Perry dancing was her new life decision and Zachary, locked up in his room to avoid Gabby, even if she already left. The kid was trying. In ten more years, she would finally succeed in making Zachary commit murder. It’s just a matter of time.

“Dad?” Speak of the devil. He strolled over to me, his hands in his pockets, managing a cool boy pose with his dark outfit. I chuckled due to what he was wearing; Rylee’s shirt. He was acting more like Rylee than me, without the madness to coat it. Zachary glanced at the sleeping children and sighed. “Should I take them to their rooms? Mom is sleeping.”

“Neither of them would let go so no, I’ll take them in at my own time,”

“Jewels looks uncomfortable, dad, that position would make her neck stiff. Let me take her or drop your leg so your thigh would be lower,” he pointed at my legs, which was the smart thing I should have done from the very beginning. I carefully lifted her head, dropped my leg and placed her head back on my lap. “Hmm, dad, can I ask you if things with mom is okay? She looked really exhausted and mentally strained. Is she alright? Was the vacation too much?”

“Zach, stop worrying, she’s fine,” he pouted, showing me he didn’t believe me. She wasn’t mentally stressed, just physically from the activities of the past week. “She’s just tired from all the site seeing, meeting of people and sitting down for hours to get back here. Jetlagged. She’s be fine, just needs enough sleep…”

“And time to bound with her friends. I think you should keep mom away from work for now… I know she has the party to plan but Sera and I was thinking that maybe we could handle it,” he shrugged. I would have laughed if some other children said this but I knew them very well so laughing was not a thing. They were serious and they could actually pull it off, but I wasn’t ready to risk it.

“Or…!” I jerked up startled by her sudden appearance. I placed my hand on my chest and exhale, turning to glare at her over my shoulder. Serafina grinned sheepishly. She was wearing a funny hairnet, hands draping over the chair, hands that held Perry captive. The poor bird had his mouth sealed with a gaff tape, his wet black wings taped together as well. She was holding him by his feet.

“Sera, what did you do to Perry! You dyed him black!” Zachary screamed. Sera smiled and lifted the bird, smirking evilly at it.

“This foolish bird called me a witch and since I’m a witch, all witches have a crow or a fowl for sacrifice. Perry volunteered to be one for me, so I gave him the job. Aren’t I sweet, little brother?”

“Absolutely not! Give me back my bird, right now!”

“Stop yelling, you’ll wake them up,” she whispered, “and Perry is ours. Mom bought him for all five of us so I have the right to do what I want with him. Today, I’m a witch, and he’s my victim.”

“Sera, if you let him go, I’ll buy you a new dress,” I offered. She frowned, something wasn’t right with her frown. I knew then that she was angry at something else, not Perry. “Sera, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she murmured. She dropped Perry and ran back upstairs. I immediately looked to Zach for help. He was avoiding my eyes.

“Zach, what’s wrong?” I also noticed Zyaire was acting weird but just shrugged it off. Something, they were all upset about something. Except Serenity and Zayne. “Please?” Zachary untied Perry, still ignoring me. Well, there was only one person to ask then. “Perry, if you tell me the answer, I’ll buy you those cookies you like.”

“Their birthday, today is their birthday.” My eyes widened with shock and disbelief. I seriously had no idea because no one gave me a specific date, but that gave me no right to miss it. I looked at Zachary who had his head bowed and shoulders slumped. They didn’t know we were coming but expected us to call, then when they saw us, they thought we came for their birthday but when we uttered no words, they knew we forgot.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t know…”

“Mom never forgets, but she did,” he broke into a sob, “nobody remembered and we told them. I told grandpa and grandma, they forgot. Aunt Rylee too,” I lifted Jewels’ head, shifted to the side and dropped her own the chair. I gently dropped Serenity and stood up. It’s not everyday you see him cry, or Sera at all. I crouched in front of him, grabbing his small palms in mine and squeezing it. “I know you and mom is trying to fix things, but it still hurts that nobody remembered even if they see our faces. Mom has never forgotten, she…”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry she forgot because of me. You know she would never do anything to hurt you and neither would I. We’ve just been so occupied…”

“We are still your children, you don’t always have to forget us and makes things all about you two. For once, can’t we act like kids and not have to understand why the two of you are like this? Why can’t we be normal children and get mad because our parents forgot our birthday? Why? Do we always have to understand? I don’t want to understand, I want to be angry that you both forgot but I can’t because I know why. I don’t want to understand.” He cried with his head still down. He was right. I’m always focus on Lavender, mostly on her and not them and it was the same thing for her. We really needed to start thinking about our children, we need to remember we have five expecting better care from us. They didn’t ask to be born, they just found themselves born and it was high time we took better care of them, like real parents should.

“I…”

“Zachary! Zachary! Za-fucking-chary!” Okay, what? Is that Serafina? Her excited shriek echoed through the whole house, forcing Serenity up as well. Zachary left me and ran upstairs to see what she was screaming about. Soon, I was hearing Zyaire’s excited shriek. I carried perplexed Serenity and ran upstairs to see what they were screaming about. Zayne was already screaming with them and I could hear Lavender laughing inside.

“What…” Inside the room were opened presents wrappers and some few wrapped up ones. Zachary and Serafina were both holding a similar card, like an ID card. Zyaire was hugging a set of new video games and Zayne was clapping over a huge cake. Serenity jumped wide awake immediately while I was thrown into confusion.

“Mommy, I thought you forgot our birthdays,” Serene gasped as she made her way over to a present. Lavender laughed.

“Never. Your father and I just wanted to surprise you all,” we did? “We both bought a lot of presents and with the help of your grandma and aunty, we successfully hid them. Your grandfather got you all membership to the next season of Forest Kids,” what’s that? They looked very excited.

“What’s that?” I just had to ask. They all gasped as if I just asked the most outrageous question while Laverne giggled profusely.

“Dad, Forest Kids is a television series, like real life adventure. It starts with getting the rare membership cards, then going to the great challenge where you have to fulfil tasks to determine if you will be part of the cast. It’s shown on TV. Then if selected, you become part of the children to star in the game…”

“Zyaire, that’s no way to explain it,” Sera scolded, “when chosen, you will be grouped into teams and given your own cabin. Then the teams would go up to the forest to fulfil tasks that requires both intelligence, agility, reflexes, leadership, cunningness and the knowledge of nature. Since we are already five and quintuplets, we would be put in the same team and since five makes up a team, we won’t need anyone else. I’m a natural born leader and totally have the style and cunning awesomeness to lead my team to victory!” Zachary rolled his eyes. “Zyaire is like the king of sport, so agility and reflexes check. I forgot to mention speed, that is Zayne’s zone. Serenity knows everything about the natural and artificial stuffs around the forest from watching the TV closely and Zachary is our brains and brawn. We will so win!”

“If we can make it pass the first test.”

“No probs, little brother. This present is amazing! Grandma, tell Grandpa I love him! Whoo!”

“Now that’s over, your grandma baked the cake Zayne is in love with,” Lavender chuckled. Zayne was already stuffing his face.

“And I’m preparing a all-you-can-eat feast tomorrow to celebrate with family and friends.” Mom said, already counting the list of food she would use to send everyone into a coma.

“Being the awesome me, I got you all tickets to your favorite rockstar, me,” Rylee said smugly. I scowled at her. Knowing her, she probably bought them a skull or a snake. I’m speaking from experience.

“Aunty, you got us paper planes,” Zach said with a frown. Rylee shrugged.

“I put a snake in your father’s bed on his fifteenth birthday, don’t expect anything from me.” Phineas gave her a incredulous look. Yes, why not be different with the kids? They are not me. She shrugged, knowing exactly what he was thinking. That’s not her. She would usually just blame me for Phineas giving her that look and then I’ll end up with a broken nose or pretty black eye.

What’s up with her?

Serene finally got one box open, causing an excited squeal to leave her mouth. It was a cat, a fuzzy little kitty. “That’s your dad’s to you, Serene,”

“Thank you, thank you, daddy!”

“He bought the games for Zyaire, Zayne, you got a membership to art class. Ready to be a professional artist?”

“After I fumish bis cake,” he muffled, mouth full of cake. “As for you, Zachary and Serafina, he convinced me to let you both plan the gala,” she grumbled out grudgingly. That was a one minute decision to save me. She clearly gave her presents to them for my sake. “I didn’t get you guys anything but my unconditional love and faithful affection, and a night out to Castle Las Vista.” A thunderous shriek literally blocked my ears for the next two hours.

~~~

“Rylee, can I talk to you?” I asked after the ten minutes of silence and her fidgeting. I walked into her room and planted myself on the bed, then spent the next ten minutes unnerving her with my stare, slowly manipulating her into giving in the moment I ask. I made her vulnerable just by staring, something no one else but me could do. We might fight the hell a lot, me getting beaten most of the time, but when she was down and worried about something, only I could rip it out of her. She’s very secretive.

“What is it?” She snapped.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you sad? Why are you worried?” She rolled her eyes around, her now glassy eyes. “Spill, remember I’m your brother and brothers are forever? Especially when it comes to me? Who else can tolerate your beating as much as I do? Talk to me, what’s wrong?”

“I…” She played with her fingers as her tears dropped, “I… Remember… I…”

“Rylee,” I grabbed her fingers to stop her from shutting me out, “tell me, what is it?”

“Remember that time I came back and had sex with Phineas throughout the night well I may or may not have forgotten to take working pills and now I’m pregnant.” She rushed out in one breath.

Oh boy.