Dear Diary, I am a mom. And let me tell you, it’s been rough. Especially with school. So, I feel much older than I am.
My mom tried to convince me she could handle taking care of baby Amy (who she mistakenly thinks is Gigi about eighty percent of the time). Because I didn’t want to crush what was left of Mom’s spirit, I found a caregiver for her who also watches the baby. She’s experienced, and just what both my mom and my child needed.
Mom doesn’t feel threatened by Kasey because she thinks Kasey is a nanny for Amy only.
She really listens to Mom, and my greatest hope for the situation came true because they are the best of friends now.
Little Amy is growing by leaps and bounds!
She can put three words together to form a sentence which has been amazing because I can understand what she needs now that she can express it better.
She can walk, put pegs in her pegbox, and likes her toy xylophone.
As for potty training, we’re almost there.
I think.
No, I pray.
School has been okay. I met this boy named Everett Wakefield who likes me for reasons unknown to me.
You see, I haven’t been especially friendly to anyone because it’s too emotionally taxing. I’ve got enough on my plate without worrying about boys, or even friends, too.
Everett walks me home every day since his house is another block over.
He’s so… wholesome. And his eyes reflect light like deep, blue pools of water.
But I have to remind myself I am not interested. He’s so pure, I’d probably corrupt him. There is no way he could possibly deal with my past in Midnight Hollow or the fact that I have a child at such a young age.
And did I mention the money? What if he found out how loaded I am? Would he treat me different?
It’s best not to go down certain roads, no matter how tempting they may be.
But those eyes.
“Look up there,” he said, jogging me back to reality, “a hot-air balloon.”
“Beautiful,” I murmured, dragging my gaze from his eyes to the sight in the sky.
“Wouldn’t that be fun?”
I nodded, picking up my pace since my house was only two blocks away.
“Wait,” he called, catching up to me in three strides. “I have a question for you.”
Now he was staring at the ground, kicking a pebble back and forth.
“Okay.”
Finally, he took a deep breath, then looked me in the eye. “Will you go to prom with me?”
“Wh-at?” I choked out, swallowing back a gulp of air.
“I’d-I’d like it if you went to prom with me.”
A bark of laughter escaped my lips, and my hand flew to my throat.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I stuttered with a frown. A flash of adrenaline tingled through my body as my heart sped up.
I wanted to hide under a rock when I saw him frown, too, his expression mirroring mine.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that you surprised me.”
“If you already have a date…” he said, his voice trailing off.
“No, you are the only one who has asked me. And, I’d love to go to prom with you.”
What was I saying? Wasn’t it mere moments ago when I was touting the value of keeping to myself?
Except I was still a teenage girl in high school. And part of me wanted to go to parties, and the prom, too.
I was still thinking about Everett late in the night. Amy had a nightmare, and it took me some time to get her back to sleep. When I ventured into the hall, my mother was sitting there, still dressed.
Sitting next to her, I tried to smile.
“Guess what, Mama? A boy named Everett asked me to senior prom today.”
Much to my surprise, she scooted closer to me and held me in her arms. Tears filled my eyes. Even though I was exhausted and had to get up for school in a few scant hours, I didn’t want to move or spoil this moment. How many times had I longed for my mother’s arms?
“That’s wonderful,” she said. “I would like to meet this young man.”
A soft smile curved my lips as I cherished this time with her. “I want you to meet him, too.”
“Did I ever tell you about when you were born?”
“No.”
“You were just what Daddy and I hoped for. We didn’t care if you were a boy or girl, and oh, my, when we saw all that red hair!” She giggled like a younger version of herself. “Of course, you got that from your Grandma Kara. Now, she was a spitfire, that woman.”
“I remember.” In fact, I hated Grandma Kara for being the dominant influence in sending me and Gigi to boarding school. It was then I realized Mom may have known a different, better version of her.
“She took to you and Gigi right away. When she was older, she was a crabby old lady, but when she was younger, she was quite nice most of the time.”
We sat like that for hours, and I think I even drifted off. Finally, Kasey came to get her.
“I didn’t know she got up and dressed,” Kasey said.
“That’s all right. We’ve been having an enjoyable time, haven’t we, mama?”
“Oh, yes, indeed,” she said with a smile and a kiss on my cheek.
The early rays of morning were shining through the windows when I heard Amy stirring and crying out again.
“Who’s a little monster?” I asked, throwing her in the air. “Why are you crying?”
“No reason,” she said through her tears.
No reason was something Sebastian had taught her to say at a young age, and it caught on. Whenever she said it, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well, I think you could use a little rockabye, right?”
“Oh, yes!” she squealed.
One of my favorite things was to hold Amy tight and rock her. It was like holding Gigi.
As we rocked, I sang,
"Baby mine, don't you cry Baby mine, dry your eyes Rest your head close to my heart Never to part Baby of mine Little one, when you play Don't you mind what they say Let those eyes sparkle and shine Never a tear Baby of mine From your head to your toes You're so sweet, goodness knows You are so precious to me Cute as can be Baby of mine Baby mine Baby mine"1
Because I had a night of very little sleep, I played hooky from school. There was no one in this house to tell me I couldn’t stay home, so why not?
After feeding the baby, I turned her over to Kasey, then shuffled through the living room, running into Sebastian, who was just coming in.
“Well, well, well,” I said with mock displeasure, “look who the cat dragged in!”
He rewarded me with a wan smile.
“I was hoping not to run into you,” he admitted, although I couldn’t fathom why.
Circling around him, I held my nose. “Oh, boy, whoever you were with wears some tacky af perfume!”
He nodded. “I found it rather unbearable.”
“Then why did you spend your time with such a cheapo?”
Instead of smiling or laughing like I thought he might, he shrugged, then rubbed his forehead.
“You really did have a lousy time!”
“You could definitely say that.”
“Then why would you bother?”
He cleared his throat, closing the front of his jacket.
“There are things you do not understand about the vampire world.”
“Why don’t you try me?” I asked. “I mean, you look miserable.”
His shoulders slumped forward, and he stared at his feet.
“This is something to do with your quest.”
He nodded, still unable to meet my eyes. “Please, let us talk later. I-I need some time to gather myself.”
As I watched him climb the staircase to his room, I wondered what he was up to that had him so gloomy and pathetic. Raising my chin, I decided it was high time I found out.
Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting! I really appreciate it!
Citation
1Churchill, Frank, and Ned Washington. “Baby Mine.” Disney Wiki, 1941, https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Baby_Mine.
I know I haven’t been commenting much since I fell behind, but I’m trying to catch up now. I’m really sad that Gigi isn’t here anymore, but it seems like Sophie is at least finally getting to do some normal teen stuff, even if I can imagine it’ll get pretty dramatic before things truly calm down. Lovely chapter as always, Kym. 💕
That’s okay, Louise. 🙂 I understand completely. There’s nothing that says you have to comment on every chapter. xoxoxo ❤
I’m sad about Gigi, too. Right now, the important thing is that Sophie has a life.
I’m glad you liked the chapter. xo
I wondered when we’ll finally see the little one! She’s adorable.
I feel for Sophie. It feels like she’s years older than all of her classmates, but at the same time, she’s still a teen.
Yeah, I feel for Sophie, too, for the same reasons. It’s funny about Amy… I forgot to turn aging off until I was ready, so she turned into a toddler a while back when they were in Sunlit Tides. So I had to hide her since I needed her to continue being an infant. lol
much enjoyed this! as a fellow writer, would you be so kind as to guest blog post for my site? If you’re so inclined, here’s a link to general guidelines: https://wp.me/p6OZAy-1eQ
Wow, thank you for asking. I will read the guidelines and let you know once I’ve made a decision.
1. Uh oh…looks like Amy might look like Laris. At least in the eyes maybe. Hopefully she’ll stay cute LOL.
2. That boy’s eyes!! He is a stunner.
3. I’m glad Sophie hired someone for Jade.
4. Sophie better stay her curious behind home if she knows what’s good for her!
1. Oooooh, I hope she stays cute, too!
2. He’s such a good guy.
3. Me, too. 😀
4. Right?!!
It seems strange seeing my father’s name (Everett) in a story. It’s one you don’t see much anymore.
What a coincidence! 🙂 It’s a dignified name but one you don’t come across often. 🙂
AWWW I hope we see soon what has Sebastian so bummed out! Go get ‘im girl!
Sebastian is definitely bummed about Constance and her hindering of his quest. You can read about it here: BONUS POST: Sebastian Meets His Match.
Hopefully, Sophie doesn’t really find out! LOLOL
ohh it was FAB!
Thank you so much, Lisa. ❤
Looks like Sophie’s finally got her feet under her! But men…are throwing a wrench her way. XD
Ami is adorable! That hair! Such cute! :3
Yesss, Sophie is doing so much better. But yes, the men in her life…. LOL
I love Amy so much! I’m so glad you think she’s cute. 😀
Oh, oh, just what I was afraid of! If Sophie finds out Sebastion has been doing the dirty with Constance it will change her opinion of him, and possibly push her into Everett’s arms– Trouble stirs 🙂
Trouble stirs, indeed! 😀 And, you are probably right about Sophie, too. 😀
Thank goodness they found Kasey. It gave Sophie a much needed break so she can focus on normal school things. And do I see a love triangle in the near future? Hmmm. And the sweet mother/daughter moment was nice. And then you ended on a mini cliffhanger! I’m dying to know what Sebastian will tell her. Probably nothing. 😬
Kasey has made all the difference for Jade. They hit it off right away and Jade was already making improvement.
Hmmm…. there could very well be a love triangle brimming on the near future. But, would I do that?………… Oh yeah, I totally would. lol
I think it’s best Sophie stay out of Sebastian’s business. But I’m not sure she has the ability to stay out of it is the problem. lol
Lol. Of course you would. You’ve done so much worse than that. 🤨
LOL 😂😂
Hm, I wonder what eventually happened to Tilly. She doesn’t seem to be around anymore. I like Everett, but I definitely like Sebastian more and they have history with Sophie. Though he’s probably more age-appropriate, hundreds of years might be quite a big age gap, lol.
Oh, we will be seeing Tilly. She was actually at the nightclub Sebastian and Constance were at the other night. She showed up and was dancing on the counter. I tried to get a pic, but she stopped before I could. LOLOL
You’re right about Sebastian having that history with Sophie whereas Everett is new to the scene.
hahahaha @the huge age gap. LOL That cracked me up.
I’m thrilled to see her mom’s doing better and that they shared some mother-daughter time! Having the right caretaker makes all the difference!
I’m so happy about Jade, too. I think Kasey has been awesome for her.
I think it was important that Sophie have that moment with her mom. It’s soul-refreshing. 🙂
PS. Just thought I’d let you know that your Twitter icon underneath the post to share it on social media doesn’t tag your Twitter handle, it tags “Kymber” (rather than @RoLuvsSims). xx
Ooooooh thank you for letting me know. I’m not sure how to fix that, but I will try. Oh, and thank you so much for sharing my story on Twitter. xoxo
Ps. I love the flying pumpkin on your header. No idea how you did it but it’s very cool!
Aww I’m glad they’ve got a caregiver, that should ease a little pressure.
Everett, eh? That’s the surname of my first boyfriend (this was age 12, so I’m not sure “boyfriend” was really suitable given that I was too shy to even hold hands!) I think prom could be really good for her, and Everett too.
I do feel bad for Sebastian. I actually really like him but it seems like he’s got the weight of the world on his vampy shoulders. xx
I’m glad you enjoyed my flying, evil pumpkin. hahaha It was a plugin I found.
Kasey the caregiver really has improved Jade’s state of mind. She has a close friend now as well as someone to help her when she needs it.
Everett was the surname of your first “boyfriend?” Wow! I know how to pick ’em. haha I think Sophie going to prom is good for her, too, because it’s a rite of passage most teens go through. And, I think she’ll have fun for once.
Sebastian is in a state right now, for sure. Hopefully, his quest won’t lead him down too many dark roads.