Where's My Happily Ever After?

"Babe, please don't cry," Edwin mumbled, his face buried in my hair as we stood in the driveway, watching Nathan start up the car. I shook my head furiously.

"I'm not Wonder Woman," I reminded him quietly. I felt a squeeze on my fingers and I smiled down at the little girl beside me. She tugged on my hand and I crouched beside her. "Yes, honey?"

"Why are they leaving?" she asked me, staring up at me through puppy-dog eyes. I smiled grimly.

"They're having a baby." I told her half the truth, not trusting my voice to hold out. "There wouldn't be room. We hardly have the room for our family."

"Little brother," she reminded me, smiling brilliantly. I nodded, forcing myself to stand up beside Edwin. "Up!" I glanced down and smiled, scooping her up into my arms and setting her on my hip. Edwin wrapped his arm around my waist and secured me by his side. I leaned against him, not trusting my body to hold me up.

The time certainly was ticking away. I only had about a month and two weeks left to go until we had our baby boy. And Edwin was getting a little better, but I wondered if that was because of the little seven-year-old witness that was constantly supervising us.

I choked back tears as the car shot out of the driveway. Quinn glanced back once at me, but she looked like she pitied me. She had shaken her head, looking down. I bit back the urge to cry. Mommies can't cry in front of their babies.

Yeah, I was officially a mom. We'd gotten the paperwork done just two days ago. Edwin had finally come through for little Monique. Funny that just a week ago Quinn and I were close as can be and now she's leaving because she thinks I turned my back on her. But that was in the past now. The only people I had left were my Edwin, my daughter, and my unborn son. That should make you happy, but you never know what you have until it's gone.

Edwin pulled me out of my thoughts as he tugged me towards the house, smiling softly. Manny wriggled out of my arms and bounded into the house. When we stepped inside it felt so lonely and big. I shrunk into myself a little as Edwin whispered sweet nothings into my ear and Manny skipped throughout the first floor of our home. She stopped suddenly and almost fell over.

"Mommy," she mumbled, turning to me. "I'm going to go to my room, okay?" I nodded, squeezing Edwin's hand. She hugged my leg before prancing up the steps and into Quinn's old room.

"Jade, we should go tuck her in," he suggested, kissing my hand softly. I nodded, mouthing a silent "okay" since I couldn't find a voice to answer with.

Edwin allowed me to get myself up the stairs even though I ambled up each step slowly. I almost fell three times, but Edwin always caught me and let me keep going. It probably took five minutes and by the time we got to the second floor, I was so tired, so I stopped to keel over, panting. Edwin gripped my arm and pulled me back up. I evened my breaths until they were silent again.

I heard a quiet sobbing. My heart shattered in half when I tip-toed up to Manny's door to see that the sniffling was coming from inside the room. Edwin bit his lip.

"I'm not so good with that kind of stuff," he told me, regret in his voice.

"It's okay," I choked. I smiled painfully, but I hoped it was more convincing than I thought it was. "It's a woman thing anyway." I kissed him softly before knocking twice on her door before opening it slowly. I peered in and she glanced back before hanging her head.

"I'm going to bed, Jade," she mumbled, her voice muffled by tears. She snatched a pillow and hugged it to her chest. I bit my lip before stepping into her room and closing the door quietly behind me.

"Honey, it's okay to be sad," I told her, sitting down gently beside her. I put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her over to me so she could sob in my shoulder.

"I miss them so much," she confided quietly, her small, delicate shoulders trembling with each syllable.

"I know. But just remember the good memories. When I start to miss my baby sister, I pray to her in Heaven, baby. I tell her how my day was and how much I miss her and just what the world's like. Yesterday I was telling her about Edwin and my new baby girl. She thinks you're the most adorable niece she could have ever gotten." I smiled softly as two tears silently rolled my cheek. I wiped them away before she could notice.

"Can she really hear you?"

"Of course she can!" I grinned, kissing the top of her head. "She tells God about how proud she is of me and my family, I'm sure. She's watching over me. You're family is watching over you, too. Want to know a secret?" She nodded, curiosity filling her big eyes. "A few years ago when I was curling my hair, I touched the hot post and burned my finger. I didn't have anything to make the pain go away, so I tried to ignore it. But then, when I got in the car, I saw some burn cream lying on the floor of the car. I don't buy that stuff and I honestly had no idea where it'd come from. But I think I know."

"Where?"

"I think my sis is watching out for me and sent me it. And I truly believe it and it makes me smile every time I think about it. Surely that's proof enough that angels exist."

"Hey, mommy?" Monique mumbled, snuggling her face into my arm. I rubbed her back softly.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"What's 'Heaven'?" I stared at her, stunned.

"Have you never been to church?" I whispered. She shook her head and I smirked. If Edwin was listening in on our conversation he was going to faint. "Then guess where we're going tomorrow?"

"Church?"

"Bingo!" Do vampires go to church?

And sure enough I heard a thud! Manny and I darted to the door and opened it to reveal an Edwin lying collapsed down on the floorboards.

"Hey, honey," I mocked, laughing as he lay there. He twitched once and I nearly fell over. "You're coming with us, love." He opened and eye and stared at me in horror.

"I repent, lord! Jade, I'll burn if I step foot on holy ground!" he hissed, shielding his eyes as though some unseen light was shining in his face.

"Oh, don't be a baby."

I could almost picture a priest shaking his flask of holy water at Edwin, screaming, "Christ compels you! Demon be gone!"

Oh, church is going to be fun!