Living on Love

thirty-six

A/N: I just wanted to say that this will officially be the last chapter. I knew I wanted to end this somehow when Mac died, I just wasn't sure how. I finally found a cute way to end it, although it's probably still an abrupt ending, but one that would make sense and incorporate Dalton since I tried to stick to real-time time jumps once I got inactive with this story. I wanted to thank each and every one of you for supporting me with this story even though it's been so inactive! 

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"Piper! Absolutely not!" Ariana snapped, making the toddler flinch and drop the lipstick she had in her hand. "Where'd you get that, young lady?"

"I get it," Piper said.

"Yeah I know you got it, but where? Were you in Nonna's room?"

"Yeah."

"You stay out of Nonna's room unless I'm in there," Ariana said as she picked the lipstick up from the ground and her granddaughter. "Stella Joan!"

"Kitchen," Stella called out.

Ariana walked into the kitchen, placing the three-year-old on the counter. "Your daughter got into my lipstick."

"That sounds familiar," Junior said.

"Has she done it before?" Ariana's husband, Dalton asked. Ariana met Dalton after she considered moving. In the end, she decided even though the bad memories of Junior falling down the stairs and Mac dying in the house still sat with her, there were more good memories than anything. So, after she told Dalton that they wouldn't be moving after all, he asked her out, they ended up going out a few times, falling in love, and getting married last year. The kids took to him really well and really liked him, and were even grateful for him and sometimes called him 'Dad' when it slipped out.

"No, but her mother has," Ariana said.

"You're a little old to be making a mess with lipstick, aren't you?"

"I was literally a baby," Stella said. "Piper, why were you in Nonna's room?"

"I's wookin' for Nonna," Piper said.  

"Well then you should have yelled for me. Say 'Nonna, where are you?' instead of going into my room when I'm not in there. And if I'm not in there, then you come out. You can't play in Nonna's makeup," Ariana said

"But I be pwetty wike Nonna."

"You're already pretty honey," she said, kissing the toddler's forehead. 

"You're the prettiest Piper I know," Dalton said. 

"Aw, you's tute," Piper said.

Ariana laughed and pushed Piper's bangs out of her face. "You stay out of my room, okay? You're not in trouble this time, but next time you will be. Momma, you keep a better eye on her."

"I was doing homework, excuse me," Stella said.

"You can do homework and be a mom at the same time, I promise. Where have all my other five million kids gone?"

"Triplets are in the pool, Mars is in the game room I think, and Mikey wasn't feeling very well, so he might be in bed."

"Alright. If you'll check on Mikey, I'll get the trio out of the pool so we can get dinner started," she said, looking at Dalton.

"Will do," Dalton said before disappearing out of the kitchen.

"Piper, come help me find the triplets," Ariana said, putting Piper on the floor. 

"Tids! I tummin'!" Piper said, running towards the living room.

"Wrong way!" 

"She's gone," Stella laughed.

Ariana walked to the back door and opened it. "Shelby, Makayla, Wilder! Get dried off and inside, dinner will be ready soon," she called out.

"Can't we get out when dinner's done?" Makayla asked.

"No ma'am, you can get out now because I asked you to. Come on," she said before walking back inside and towards the game room. "Mars, I want you to finish up on that and come help with dinner."

"Okay. I have one more round, but it shouldn't take long," Mars said.

"At least I have one kid that listens," she muttered to herself.

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"Jonah, if you don't get your damn feet off my furniture..." Ariana said, lightly smacking Stella's boyfriend's head. 

"Ow!" Jonah whined, getting his feet off the coffee table. "God, Ma..."

"Keep your shoes off my furniture. Come help me clean up this kitchen since you're not doing anything important."

Jonah got up and followed Ariana to the kitchen. "Don't you have kids to help you with this?"

"You call me Mom, you're one of my kids. You either wash dishes or put leftovers away."

"I'll wash. Wouldn't want you to get those nasty dishpan hands, huh?"

Ariana laughed and got into a cupboard, taking some lids out. "You remind me a lot of someone I knew once."

"Your looks cause I'm so good lookin'?"

"Fool... I might be almost in my forties, but I'm damn good looking for my age."

"Almost in your forties? You you kiddin'? Aren't you almost fifty?"

"Take it back," she said, spraying him with the detachable sprayer.

"Okay! You're not old, you're young and beautiful!"

"That's what I thought," she said, putting the sprayer back.

"Who do I remind you of?"

"The love of my life."

"Dalton? Nah."

"No."

Jonah looked at Ariana for a few seconds. "Are you coming on to me, Ma?"

"What? No!"

"You just said I remind you of the love of your life but it's not Dalton! What else am I supposed to think!"

"Not gross creepy stuff!"

"Then who is it!"

"Mac!"

"...Mac's the love of your life? That's kinda playing favorites."

"His dad. Mac the first."

"How do I remind you of him?"

Ariana shrugged. "The way you talk. The way you joke around. Some of the things you say remind me of him. Especially the way you act with Piper. Mac was the kind of dad you are. Funny, lighthearted, knows how to make them laugh, but also make them listen."

"He's the love of your life?"

"Always will be," Ariana said, putting lids on some of the tupperware. 

"Why are you married to Dalton, then?"

"Because I'm in love with him."

"How are you in love with two people?"

"For different reasons. Dalton knows my heart will forever be with Mac, but he knows I love him. I'm very thankful for Dalton. He saved me, in a way. But Mac was my first true love. My soulmate."

"How have you gotten on without him all these years?"

"By living on love."