Love, Helena

Chapter 1

"Mama, Is daddy coming home tonight?" little Ophelia asked, running through the study to her Mom, her honey locks bouncing up and down her shoulders.

She clutched onto Wren's night gown, snapping her eyes from the pages of the book she was reading to the little girl that looked so much like her. It always warmed her heart and tugged at it at how Ophelia, Philly, was a mini version of her. She shut the book and set it down on the windowsill, taking the barely four year old in her arms and settling her on her lap, taming her hair and tucking it behind her ears.

"How do you manage to become prettier everyday, my Philly?" Wren cooed; her baby girl started giggling, burying her head in the crook of her mama's neck.

"Will I be beautiful like mommy some day?" she looked up at Wren with hope glimmering in her wide eyes.

"Oh you will be the prettiest girl in town, a heart breaker." Wren tapped her nose lightly, feeling so much love for the bundle of sunshine in her arms.

"Mom," Lennon's irritated whine from down the hall as he stomped his way to the study.

"Oh no," Ophelia gasped snuggling closer to her mother's chest.

Helena sighed already knowing how this is going to pan out. The blonde haired sixteen year old with cornflower blue eyes was now staring at his little sister with arms crossed over his chest. He pointed to the little devil, the frown indicating his annoyance definitely a trait he inherited from his father. "Mom she ruined the homework I've been working on all day long!"

"Philly!" Wren reprimanded trying to pry the little one's arms from around her. She soon gave up the fight and pulled away pouting at her mother. "Why did you do that?"

"Lenny was being mean. He didn't wanna play with me, and he said I was annoying and shut me out of his room." She said puffing up her cheeks defiantly, looking back to her big brother.

"You were annoying! I was doing homework and you were being loud and making a mess of my room." He retorted.

"B-because you ignore me!" She screamed in a high pitch voice.

"Okay, enough both of you." Wren put up her hand, stopping the shouting and tantrums about to ensue. She was already feeling a headache looming without all of this noise. She turned to the girl on her lap, "That was not a very nice thing to do Ophelia! You can't just ruin your brother's homework because he didn't play with you."

Philly stuck out her bottom lip giving her mom puppy eyes as she started protesting "But-

"No buts young lady," Wren cut decidedly and looked up at Lennon who was sporting a triumphant smirk on his face that fell instantly when he caught his mom's stern gaze, "And you mister, will not call your little sister annoying or kick her out of the room. Next time you settle your problems with compromise, am I clear?"

"Yes mom..." Lennon looked down obediently. Lennon always ended up listening to his mother anyway. Helena couldn't help but think how much trouble Len saves her. For a sixteen year old, he never really was rebellious enough to give her unnecessary trouble, unlike her eldest twins who were more challenging than she thought teenagers could get.

"Good, now apologize to one another." Wren concluded, both their heads shot up to protest again but she raised a challenging brow. They instantly blurted in unison, "I'm sorry!"

Ophelia climbed down from her mother's lap and went to her brother clutching his pyjama pants hesitantly and whispered guiltily, "I'm sorry Lenny. I won't do it again."

He bent down and smiled at his little sister. He could never stay angry with her for long anyway. "I'm sorry too, Philly. I promise we'll play in the garden together in the morning."