A Different Reality (Lasting Love)

Please Don't be Mad

I open the door to an almost spotless house. For most people, after a long day of being outside in the ridiculously hot weather, this would be amazing, but I know my husband and children. This is a cover. They did something. Something is either broken or somebody is hurt.  Or both.

Bentley sees me walk in from where he was playing and runs right up to me.

"Mommy up!" He lifts his arms. I rest him against my hip causing the baby to move again. It kicks for a few seconds from the commotion before finally calming down. Kay runs out a few minutes later begging me to get her a drink.

"I'll get it, Kay." Justin walks out to the fridge getting her favorite apple juice out "I told you not to bother mommy when she gets home.  She's tired."

"It's fine, babe." I sit at the table with Ben "They can't help it."

"Mommy we clean up." Kay says walking over to me "Daddy maked us help."

I pick her up and set her on my lap "I saw, honey. You did a really good job! Why'd you clean up the whole house though?" I ask directed more towards Justin.

"We just wanted to have it all nice for you."  He walks over towards us and picks up Ben "Right, buddy?"

He shakes his head no.

"Daddy do it." He mumbles.

"What did daddy do?"  I look up at Justin "What are you hiding?"

"I don't know what he's talking about, babe."  He leans down to kiss me "I just know you've been super tired lately and filming in this heat doesn't help.  I wanted to have the house look nice for you."

"Justin, I'm not stupid.  Just tell me." I put Kay down and walk around the kitchen trying to find something.  When I don't see anything I look all over both kids to find any sign of injury and don't find anything.  Justin stands there looking at me like I'm crazy.

"Okay, fine you win."  I give up walking towards the steps "I'm exhausted and the baby has been kicking all day so I'm sore and wanna go to sleep."  I start to walk through the living room and Justin stops me.

"Go the other way, that's quicker."  Now I know something is definitely wrong, and it has to be in the living room.

"Okay, tell me what you did."  I start to get a little angry "I'm sick of being lied to."

"Just know that we were all having fun and it was an accident."  He motions to the kids who have huge grins on their faces "They're too cute to be mad at."

"They might be, but you're not looking very cute at all right now."  I push past him to look. 

Walking in the living room, nothing different jumps out at me.  I look at the coffee table and couch carefully to make sure that there aren't any marks on them and don't find anything.  Just as I'm about to give up looking, I notice that our wedding picture isn't hanging up where it always is.

"JUSTIN!" He runs right into the room with the kids following "Where the hell is our wedding picture?!?"

"Ben do it!"  Kay yells right away "Not me."

"Oh really?"  I lean down to her level looking in her eyes "You didn't help at all?  What about daddy?"

"Okay, I hewp."  She gives in and walks to the couch in defeat knowing that she's in trouble.

"I still want to see it."  I glare over at Justin "What did you guys do?"

"Relax, Jen."  He walks over to rub my enlarged belly "You're not supposed to get this stressed or upset.  It's not good for the baby."

"Do not use this baby as your excuse!"  I yell "Go get my freaking picture and let me see what you did!"

He puts Ben down to go get the picture, and he runs right over to me crying because of me yelling.  I pick him up and calm him down while I wait for Justin.

"Here."  He hands me the picture frame.  I hand him Ben and sit down on the couch looking at it in shock "What the hell happened?  The crystals are shattered!"

"We were playing catch with stuffed animals."  Justin explains "It got a little out of hand, and apparently Ben has a stronger arm than we thought.  He threw it over that way and she was throwing another one at me so I didn't notice right away.  By the time I got over to catch it, the frame already fell."

"My grandmother made us this, Justin!"  I start to tear up thinking about how this is one of the last things I have from her "She made this for us right before she died!  You know how much it means to me!"

"I know, Jen!  And we're really sorry!"  He walks over to try to comfort me "We all felt horrible after it happened, right?"  Both kids nod their heads.

"This is why we have a playroom that doesn't have valuable things in it."  I sigh looking at them "Just don't do anything like this again, okay?  I don't want any of you getting hurt."

"I promise."  Justin leans over the kids kissing me "I do have some good news though."  I nod my head for him to keep talking "I was able to get all the crystals and the pieces and I called around and found someone who can fix it for us.  She can use those pieces, it'll just look a little different."

"Thank you."  I smile kissing him back "That means a lot."

"You welcome, mommy!"  Kay joins in hugging me.  Ben jumps off of Justin's lap as well "I sowy."

"It's okay, buddy." I kiss his forehead "Just don't do it again.  Mommy doesn't want you to get hurt."  He quickly looses interest in me and moves his hands around my belly making the baby move. 

"I love you guys."