Chapter Three

***OLIVER POV***
​

"OLLY OLLY!" Beauty Shrieks at me as I get ready. I look over at her and frown as she flies over to land on my shoulder. I brush her off and she flies around the room shrieking.

"Beauty Home!" I shout making her shriek again before heading over to her large cage in the living room. I roll my eyes and finish getting ready. Rolland and I were heading over to Jeremi and Lucas's house tonight for dinner and I was just getting ready. I check my phone to see That Rolland had texted.

FROM The Hubby

Babe I'm running late at work,
I'll meet you at their place.

​

I roll my eyes again and sigh. Poor guy, He worked so hard at Kenna's father's car garage that he would sometimes take a double shift for extra cash. He didn't need to. We were financially stable for now. With his paycheck and mine. but he felt the need to work more, to make sure Allen wanted for nothing. Speaking of Allen. I wonder over to his room and shake my head as I hear the screaming voice of Maria Brink blasting out of his room. I bang on his door, jumping back when I hear Panther Barking his head off.

"ALLEN COME ON I NEED TO DROP YOU OFF AT BRITTANY'S NOW IF YOU STILL WANT TO GO!" I shout over the music. A few minutes later the music stops and Allen emerges from the room, Panther squeezing by him and barking at me before tearing into the living room. "S**T!" I race into the room only to see Panther clawing at the window where Beauty was perched on top of. He starts growling and whining, snapping his jaw at her. "Panther DOWN!" I snap making him cower, "Cage!" I point and he crawls into his large cage. I lock him up and grab my car keys as Allen pets Beauty. "Come on kid." I say ruffling his hair which is so much like His brothers. He swats my hand away and together we head out to my car. He gives me a puppy dog look and I toss him the keys. "Fine Drop me off at Jeremi's and you can take the Mazda, Just fill her up with gas before you come home, I'll get a ride with your Brother." I say. He cheers and rushes to the Drivers side. I shake my head. I remember when this kid was a frightened twelve year old Obsessed with my Pet Macaw. Now he was a sixteen year old with a drivers licenses and a new girlfriend almost every month. I sighed. Rolland and I needed to talk to him about that. But for now, He could take my car to go on a date with his latest girlfriend Brittany. I get in the car and snatch the FM transmitter from him before He can. He glares at me. "Hey its my car get over it kid." I laugh and plug in my phone, flipping through the music until I land on one of my favorite songs.

"All you'll ever be is a faded memory of a bully Make another joke while THEY hang another rope so lonely Push them to the dirt to the words don't hurt Can You Hear Me No one's gonna cry on the very day you die you're a bully" Shine down sings to me and I smile. This song use to be the theme of my High school existence. Lucas Carver and Arnold Gordon use to pick on me, they almost killed me once. But that was years ago. Lucas was now a great guy who treated my sister with the Upmost respect and loved my Niece with everything he had. Arnold Gordon, I shudder, Well he was a different story. He was still the gutter trash he was back in high school. Twenty minutes later we drive into Jeremi and Lucas's drive way and I get out.

"Just remember kid, fill the gas." I stay sternly. He just waves me off.

"Yeah yeah See at home Oliver." He says with a smile before backing out and driving away. The sounds of Breaking Benjamin following him. I roll my eyes and head up the pathway, letting myself into my twins house. The sounds of shouting reach my ears before I spot my sister and Lucas.

"SHUT UP B***H!" He screams his voice loud. Jeremi just stares at him, fixing him with one of her famous Glares. I shiver. Damn my sister was STILL scary!

"Call me a b***h one more time and I swear you'll be singing soprano for a month!" She hisses, her hands crossed over her chest. I could see they were balled into fists and I knew she was angry. And that's my que . I pop into the living room, my toothy grin in place.

"Well look at what the Tide washed in. Oh wait its me!" I say cheerfully. Jeremi eyes Lucas one more time before looking at me and rolling her eyes, her anger washing out of her.

"You've been watching Mama Mia again haven't you?" She says with accusation. I give her a guilty smile.

"Guilty is charged." I say with a shrug. I spot a bouncing movement behind Her and push my sister out of the way, dropping to my knees in front of my niece. "REGAN!" I cry happily and pluck her out of her playpen. She squeals with laughter and grabs my shirt tightly in her small hands, a goofy smile plastered on her face. I tickle her stomach and hug her as she shrieks with laughter.

"Where's the purple haired wonder?" Lucas says with a grumble. I look up at him and glares. He knew I hated when he called Rolland that. When I had first met Rolland he had dyed the tips of his hair Purple, I had begged him to keep it and four years later he still had the purple tips, his hair down too his shoulders. Lucas and Rolland had become very close friends in the past four years. They had helped each other out of their s****y home lives. It was always funny to see them together. One would never imagine that in high school the two were practically mortal enemies, constantly threatening each other and causing bodily harm to one another. I stand up with Regan in my arms.

"He had to work late, He'll be here shortly." And as if he knew we were talking about him we hear a knock on the door before it Opens. Rolland saunters in, My heart fluttering in my chest. I would never get use to seeing my husband. My Husband, I would never get use to calling him that. We had dated for three years and got married about five months ago. We had broken up for about a week during our first few months of dating but I tried not to think about that. It was around the Time of Rolland's assault trail, the one his old Foster brother Jeff had put him through for beating him up. I was the one who had Punched the kid, and eventually the jury had believed me and Let Rolland off the hook. His Foster brother on the other had had gone to jail for trying to seduce a minor, I think he was now on the registry. Meh Who cared. Rolland spots me and gives me his lazy sexy smile, the one that went straight to naughty places. I give him my toothy grin, making him shifty right back. He walks over to me and snakes a hand around my waist, giving me a deep loving kiss.

"Ok Gross! Stop making moves on each other while holding my daughter!" Lucas grumbles walking over and snatching Regan out of my arms. Rolland looks over at him.

"Sorry man." He says, letting go of me, only keeping one arm around my waist. Jeremi looks at me and smiles.

"Twin darling care to help me in the kitchen?" She ask walking to the kitchen without waiting for my response. I give Rolland another kiss before following my sister into the other room to make dinner. I hear the boys turn on the TV and hear them setting up the Play station. Ugh Video games, Why couldn't they watch a good horror movie instead? Like Halloween? I enter the kitchen and stop dead in my tracks as I see Jeremi silently crying as she prepares the food.

***JEREMI POV***

"Twinny why are you crying?" Oliver whispers in Alarm. I look up at him and brush away my tears, forcing a smile that I knew wouldn't fool him.

"I'm not crying, I just yawned, you know I tear up when I yawn." I say, sniffling giving myself away. He just stares at me and I sigh. "Its nothing, Just a fight with Lucas." I knew I wouldn't be able to hide this from him. Oliver may be the weaker of the two of us but he was fiercely protective of me and would go all Diva on Lucas's a*s if he had too. I snicker at the imagine, The drama queen VS the bad boy. Yeah I'd pay to see that. Oliver comes over to me and Wraps me up in a hug.

"Why were you fighting?" He whispers softly, kissing my forehead before letting me go. I shrug. I really didn't want to tell Oliver the truth. Lucas had seen Arnold today and after spending some time with his sister, niece and nephew he went back and hung out with the kid, getting high and drinking. He had gotten heavily into drinking and smoking weed after his father had been sent to jail, Arnold didn't really help. But Lucas had smartened up and distanced himself from Arnold to try and get clean. He didn't want to become an alcoholic like his father. He had just come home high out of his mind. I didn't want that near our daughter. He had sworn to me that he wouldn't do that once Regan was born. He broke that promise. That's the fight Oliver had walked in on, I don't think Oliver noticed but Lucas was still high off his a*s, slightly tipsy too. But He was good at Hiding it, he use to hide it all the time in High school, no one really knew he was trashed unless he was black out drunk which he never showed up to school as. "Twinny? Where'd you go?" Oliver says with worry, waving his hand in my face. I tear myself out of my thoughts and shake my head, putting another smile on my face.

"Nothing really, he skipped a class today and I was just riding his a*s about it." I say, only giving my twin part of the truth. He had skipped his last class of the day to hang out with his sister. I wasn't really mad about it, just annoyed. Oliver shakes his head, He knew there was something I wasn't telling but I knew him, He wouldn't try to pry  it out of me.

"Alright now Children what is in store today?" He says putting on a fake old ladies voice. I laugh and punch him lightly on the shoulder.

"Ok Mrs. Doubtfire." I mutter making him give me his toothy grin. That grin, it was his signature. "We are making your favorite. He punches the air and dances in a circle making me burst out laughing. We get started making the food and with the mundane work of cooking my mind wonders back to Lucas. I really hope he wasn't falling back into his old ways, the thought terrified me to no end.

***LUCAS POV***

"Man you're eyes are bloodshot." Rolland says, his eyes glued to the screen. He was playing Red dead redemption and I was cool just watching. I shrug. "You got high didn't you?" He says softly, making sure his voice didn't carry over to the kitchen. Regan lets out a small cry and whimper and I get up to go over to her, picking up her toy which she had thrown out of the play pen. I pick her up and place her on the rug we put down for her. She immediately gets on all fours and crawls around. Sitting back down I keep one eye on her while shrugging to Rolland's question.

"So?" I grumble. I really didn't need to get another lecture. I had gotten an ear full from Jeremi already. So WHAT if I got high and tipsy? I haven't done any of that in almost three year, I deserved to let loose at least once! didn't I? "It was one time in the past three years." I say leaning back into the couch watching his character Tomahawk some guy in the chest. "Nice one!" Rolland grins.

"He's part of that clan that is really good on here, Everyone is terrified of them but not me." He says His face going back to being serious. " Lucas I get it man, you want to let loose, But you have Regan to think about. Plus do you really want to end up like Him? You almost did once, Don't go back to it." He says sternly. I roll my eyes and wave him off.

"It was three drinks and a few tokes off a joint. I'm not about to get shitfaced Like I use to." I snap, my throat burning. It always did when I was stressed out, But I always ignored it. I wouldn't become an alcoholic, I wouldn't let myself get that far. I could keep an eye on my partying, that is if I chose to go back to it. About an hour later Jeremi calls from the kitchen that dinner is ready and I scoop up my daughter and head into the dinning room with Rolland. He kisses Oliver and sits down next to him as Jeremi takes Regan out of my arms to put her in her High chair. She wont look me in the eyes and I know she is still angry with me. I feel my anger boiling but I refuse to let it surface. Rolland shoots me a knowing look and I just glare at him before sitting down. Rolland had the worst Anger issues I had ever seen, Worse then mine but he knew how to control it, I didn't. Jeremi goes back into the kitchen and comes back out with two hot pans full of Broccoli chicken and cheese dinner. She disappears again and I hear the blender going and laugh. The Doctor had told Jeremi that when Regan was old enough for solid foods it was perfectly ok to purée whatever we were eating and give it to her. So at the tender age of seven months Regan had been tasting foods like steak chicken and ham all pureed. Tonight she would be eating the dinner with us. Jeremi comes back in and hands Regan a small bowel of mushed up food. Oliver looks at it and wrinkles his nose.

"I never thought my dinner would ever look so unappealing." He says looking away to scoop food onto his plate. We all dig in, making jokes, talking, catching up, laughing when Regan gets pureed food all over the tray of her high chair. I loved my daughter, but she was so messy, I dreaded what her room would look like once she was a child. After we were done I leave to go give Regan a bath and get her ready for bed as the other fight over which movie to watch. I look down at the little angel in my hands. I hug her close and kiss her forehead.

"I love you baby girl." I whisper and give her a quick bath, She squirms and tries to climb out making me laugh. She hated bath time, not event he little rubber duck would keep her entertained. I finish the bath and wrap her up in a fluffy towel which instantly dries her tears. She rubs the towel over her face and giggles as I walk into her nursery. I put her on the changing table still wrapped up and grab her feet pajamas and a clean diaper. I dress her and sitting with her in the rocking chair and rock her until she settles down, her eyelips dropping closed. Carefully I get up and place her in her crib, turning on the baby monitor before leaving the room. I grab the monitor from our room before heading back into the living room. Jeremi Looks up then quickly looks away.

"Sleeping?" She asks quietly. I nod.

"For now, here." I hand her the monitor as I sit on the couch. I try to wrap my arms around her but she moves just out of reach, instead resting her head on her brothers shoulder. Anger shoots through me followed by guilt. Rolland gives me a stern look, reminding me of our talk and I sigh. I lean back into the couch and watch the movie with them. They had settled on an old movie called Friend Green Tomatoes. Personally I loved this movie, it was funny and sweet. But I would never admit that of course. It was a total chick flick. But hey what can you expect from two gay guys and a girl. We finish the movie about an hour later and Oliver and Rolland head home, promising to make another date night with us all. Jeremi hugs her brother tightly before letting him go. She watches as they drive off before shutting the door. "MiMi?" I whisper as she locks the front door. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

"I'm Going to bed." She says and tries to walk past me. My hand shoots out and I grip her arm, preventing her from walking away. She glares at me, one of her famous venom filled glares and I let go, stepping back. " I don't want to fight with you Lucas. Please just... Just sleep on the couch tonight." She says leaving to head for our room. I follow behind her and while she goes to the bathroom to shower I grab my pillow and a spare blanket from our closet. I go back to the living room and make up the pull out bed. I had just crawled under the blankets when I hear her come back into the living room. "Just tell me why?" She whispers. I was tired, and my anger lashes out.

"I thought you didn't want to fight? You have me on the couch. Now just leave me the F**k alone!" I snap. She gasps and quickly shuffles out of the room, slamming our door loudly. A few minutes later I hear the piercing wail of Regan. Grumbling I crawl out of the pull out bed and head to my daughters room.

Tonight was going to be a Loooooong night.