McKenzie
“Wake up, honey.”
I open one eye and glance at the clock.
“Don’t call me honey when you’re waking me up at one in the morning.”
“I’m not waking you up, he is,” Luke murmurs before rolling over.
Only Mac is crying, and if I don’t get up, Lucy will join in, so I drag my butt out of bed. Luke has to get up in less than three hours to go to work at his part-time job for a shipping company. It’s only temporary until he starts school in a month, but it helps pay the bills.
The twins just turned four months old and are thriving. Mac’s blue eyes stare back at me from his crib as he coos and smiles. He and Lucy have been home for about seven weeks.
“Are you talking to me?” I ask him with a grin. “You have to do it quietly so you don’t wake up your sister.” He coos again and kicks his chubby legs. “Shoo wee, you have a stinky diaper.”
I get Mac changed and rock him back to sleep. At least one of them will get me up another time tonight, and I have to be up for good at six-thirty to get ready for my full-time job as a bank teller.
We don’t like it, but the twins must go to a sitter three days a week, and Luke’s mom watches them the other two work days.
After Liv and I were released from the hospital, Amanda and Shelby gave us a baby shower. All of our friends pitched in to buy us many of the baby items we needed.
I don’t think our male friends ever dreamed they would be attending a baby shower at the age of eighteen, but they were good sports about it and showed up, too.
Before the twins left the hospital, I was having panic attacks over them coming home. After several talks with Luke, I realized I was worrying about my ability to parent because of the abuse I suffered from my father.
Even though I had never behaved violently in my life, I had fears that I would lose my temper and harm the babies. Luke convinced me to finally share with my mother the secret I had kept from her for so many years.
She took it hard, and I found out my dad had abused her at times. We went to several counseling sessions together, and it did more for us than I ever imagined. I realized I should’ve shared it with her when I was young.
We’re closer than before, and it helped us both begin the healing process from the abuse and abandonment we felt from my father. It helped my mom so much that she has gone on a few dates with a male nurse.
After putting Mac back into his crib, I slide into bed and spoon with Luke. Without entirely waking, he pulls my arm around his waist and places it against his chest. I love this man.
Luke
The alarm clock goes off, and I struggle to get out of bed. It’s four in the morning, and I have to go to work soon.
I’m about to hit the shower when I hear Lucy begin to cry. I stand at the bathroom door, debating whether to hurry in and let Kenz get her, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
“Hi, baby girl.” Lucy smiles, batting those eyelashes like her mommy. It makes my heart feel something most eighteen year old males don’t get to experience.
I change her diaper, which was something that took a little time to get accustomed to. She kicks her legs the entire time, making it quite a challenge.
“Lucy, I have to get in the shower. You need to cooperate. Remember, this family operates from teamwork.” She grins at me, and I wipe away the drool on her chin.
I’m not sure if it’ll work, but I turn on the contraption attached to the side of her crib that plays soothing music and projects colorful stars on the wall. I pray it has her drifting back to sleep.
As I drag myself to the shower, I think about the stars moving on the wall and recall a special moment Kenz and I shared when we were younger.
***
Age 15:
“I miss Liv,” Kenzie says. “I wish I could’ve went to summer camp with her, but Mom couldn’t afford it.”
“But then you wouldn’t be lying here, taking in this awesome view of our solar system.”
She giggles, and I can’t help but notice out of the corner of my eye, her newly visible boobs, bouncing as she laughs. We’re stretched out on a blanket, side by side, gazing up at the stars.
I suddenly feel her hand in mine.
“You’re right, Luke. I wouldn’t be lying here next to you ... my favorite place to be.” Her voice is sweet and soft, and it makes me want to roll on top of her. I squeeze her hand and take a deep breath.
“A shooting star, Luke,” she says excitedly as she points to the sky.
“Make a wish, Kenz.” Her eyes close, but I see the faint smile on her mouth from the moonlight. Her soft skin is glistening, crimson lips owning the onyx space surrounding us. I do this with Kenzie any chance I get.
“What’s the record for how many we’ve seen in one night?” she asks.
“Twelve.”
“You have the best memory. Did you make a wish, too?” Her head turns, and I get the best view, one better than any fleeting star. Kenzie’s crystal blue eyes twinkle, the gleam bright from the moon.
“No,” I reply before looking back to the sky.
“Why? You make me do it.”
“I feel selfish to wish for anything else.”
“That means something came true,” she says, once again excited. “What was it?”
Rolling on to my side, I lift our hands, so I can lace our fingers tighter. Kenz rolls over, too, looking eager as ever to hear my answer. I watch as she glances to our hands and begins abusing her lip.
“Growing up, I would wish on every shooting star that your dad wouldn’t hurt you again. It finally came true, and that’s why I know our record, Kenz.”
She yanks her hand away and slings her arms around my neck, knocking me over to my back. For only seconds, her mouth presses hard to mine.
“Luke, that’s ... I don’t even know what to say. You gave up all those wishes for me.” She slides off and scoots against my side. Kenzie’s hand covers my hammering heart ... the one that beats continuously, so it can experience another day with her.
“That’s not true. They were for me, too, so I wouldn’t see you hurting again.”
Her hand moves from my heart and snakes its way behind my neck. Fingers are soon exploring my hair, causing a spine-tingling pleasure as memories flicker through my mind. Kenzie is stars and summertime, fall and leaves, winter and snowmen, and spring and rain. I’ve shared it all with Kenzie Baker.
“Make a wish for you, Luke.”
“I’ll make one for the both of us.”
***
Rushing, I rinse the shampoo from my hair and grab the towel. I have to tell Kenzie.
“Honey, wake up.”
She whimpers before rolling onto her back. Water from my hair drips onto her face, so she opens her eyes wide.
“Luke, what are you doing? Are the twins up?”
“No, I realized two things in the shower, and I’m dying to tell you.”
“Seriously? You’re waking me up to chat?”
“I know, I’m sorry, baby.”
She sits up and yawns as she scoots back against the headboard. “OK, what is it?”
I give her my boyish grin, hoping to smooth over her lack of sleep.
“If I wasn’t so tired, I’d lure you back to bed. You look hot wearing only a grin and a towel.”
“Do you remember when we were fifteen, and we laid on the blanket and gazed at the stars?”
“Which time? It’s too early, Luke, and we did that often.”
“It was when I shared with you about wishing for your dad to stop hurting you. You also kissed me, so like I could forget.”
“Of course, I remember.” She nods several times, probably hoping I’ll hurry up, so she can have at least one more hour of sleep.
“I realized we were always dating, Kenz. Since we kissed that first time, at ten years old, we’ve been dating. We just kept it PG. Well, until last year.”
She smiles at me. “Even at four-thirty in the morning, you’re being romantic. You’re right. I guess we always were. What’s the second thing?”
“I remembered the wish I made that night.” My grin only stretches farther. “I wished that I would get to marry you someday.”
Her eyebrows raise. “You wished that at fifteen?”
“Yep. You had me pretty excited that night. Marrying you meant sex was a sure thing.”
I grab her face and kiss it all over. She tries to pull away since every part of it is getting wet from my hair and mouth. After jumping up and heading toward our dresser, I throw my hand back at her and point.
“I’m marrying your cute ass, Kenzie Baker, as soon as I can take care of you the way you deserve.”
She giggles and holds a finger to her mouth, signaling for me to speak quieter.
“OK, but this cute ass would like to stay in bed for another hour. I love you, you confusing boy.” She rolls over but soon sits back up. “Luke ... that night, I wished that whatever you wished for would come true.”
I stare at her briefly, soaking in another special moment. “I love you, Kenz.”
Having babies at eighteen is no picnic, and it’s made life hard for us. While our friends are out enjoying the summer before they begin college, we’re working and getting little sleep.
We will be living vicariously through Dalton and Liv as they stay in a college dorm and go to parties. But what’s done is done, and I will never regret having or keeping Lucy and Mac.
Our four hearts are forever attached, and we need each other to exist like the earth needs its four seasons.