Epilogue: Did I intend for this chapter to be this long? No. Do I regret it? No. Buckle up kids, this is 18.000+ words… Take a bathroom break, get some snacks and drinks before you start reading, it’s gonna take ya a while.

 

 

 

Day 1

 

Olivia came on a Wednesday, at 3 o’clock. The whole family was home waiting for her, Jennie having picked up Hanna, Lea, and Ava early from kindergarten while Rosie got their house ready.

 

“She’s here!” Jennie called out as she saw a familiar car pull into their driveway. Olivia had never been to their house before, they’d always met in public, or at the caseworker’s office, and Jennie was really anxious about whether or not Olivia would like it.

 

“I’ll get the door,” Rosie hurried over, removing invisible dust off her skirt before opening the door just as Olivia and their caseworker came to the door. “Hi Olivia, welcome to your new home.”

 

“Hi.” Even though she’d met her new family many times, and they’d gotten along well, she was still shy. Suddenly she was at their house, and it was a lot bigger than any house she’d ever visited before, which scared her a little bit.

 

“Come on in, we’ve been waiting for you.”

 

“Thank you again for doing this, I know she’s going to love it here,” their caseworker entered their house, Olivia’s suitcase in tow.

 

“I really hope so, we’re going to try our hardest.”

 

“Olivia, sweetie, I’m going to go now, is that ok?” she sat down in front of Olivia, taking her hand as she her hair.

 

Olivia looked at her with big, blue eyes, slowly nodding. “Okay. When will you come pick me up again?”

 

The thought of ever losing Olivia was heartbreaking to both Jennie and Rosie, so Rosie crouched down in front of Olivia as well, trying to reassure her that this was her forever home.

 

“I won’t come to pick you up ever again, I will only come to visit you. This is your home now; Jennie and Rosie are going to take care of you from now on.”

 

“We’re going to take care of you, and we’re going to love you so much, cutie. I promise you won’t have to go live with anyone else ever again, is that ok?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. You like the sound of that?”

 

Olivia nodded slowly once again, her big eyes staring at Rosie now. “Do I have my own bedroom?”

 

“You sure do. We decorated it just for you. Do you wanna go see it?” Rosie asked, holding her hand out for Olivia to take.

 

“Okay.” It took her a heartbeat, but then Olivia took Rosie’s hand, the two parents sharing a huge smile at the small victory. They’d taken the classes; they knew fostering to adopt could be rough. Olivia was young, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t gone through something major that was bound to affect her life. She’d lost her mom, and was receiving therapy for that, and it wasn’t unusual for any foster kids to act out.

 

“Say bye bye, then we can go have a look.”

 

“Bye ‘Cia,” she gave her a hug, Patricia had been her caseworker since her mother had died, and Olivia had gotten along really well with her.

 

Once the door was closed again, and they were suddenly alone, Hanna watching Olivia closely. She was excited to have a little sister she could actually play with. She loved the twins, but they still weren’t that much fun to play with.

 

“I know you’ve met us before, but we’re gonna introduce everyone anyways.” Jennie smiled her mom smile, that comforting, warm smile that made you feel at home, made you feel loved. “I’m Jennie, and you can call me that, or mom, mommy, auntie, Nini, or anything else you want. This is my wife, Roseanne. I call her Rosie, but she also likes to be called mom or mommy.”

 

“Can I call you Nini and Rosie?”

 

“Of course you can, I’d like that.”

 

“Me too, I like being called Nini. This is Hanna. She’s going to be your big sister now. Hanna is five, and she’s going to be in your new kindergarten. And then these two,” Rosie lifted up Olivia so she could see Lea and Ava in their highchairs. “Are Lea and Ava. They’re twins, and they just e last week. They’re also in the same kindergarten, but in another section. They’re your little sisters.”

 

“I’ve never had a sibling before.”

 

“Neither have I,” Jennie smiled at her, trying to make her feel more comfortable and at home. “But you’re lucky. These three are pretty great, and since you and Hanna are the same age you’ll always have someone to play with.”

 

“I love to play. What’s your favorite toy?” Hanna was the outgoing kid who talked to everyone about everything. She loved people, seeing every day as a new opportunity to make friends.

 

“I like dolls.”

 

“Me too! I have so many, c’mon, I’ll show you!”

 

Jennie and Rosie laughed, because of course Hanna would just come in here and take over. But they were so glad the two got along and that Hanna was so welcoming of her new sister. “We appreciate that, Hanna, but I think we need to show Olivia around a bit first.”

 

“Okay,” Hanna shrugged, she’d have plenty of time to show Olivia her toys, the girl was, after all, moving in.

 

“This is our kitchen, the fridge is here, and in here is the pantry. If you ever want anything to eat or drink, please don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll help you.”

 

“I can help too! I know where mommy hides all the best snacks.”

 

“Of course you do, bear.” Jennie laughed; it wasn’t like she didn’t know how sneaky her daughter is. “This is the living room, and here’s the dining room. There’s a bathroom over there,” Jennie pointed to a door, “and in there is the playroom. I’m sure Hanna will show you that later.”

 

“These doors open up into the garden, so the living room and garden becomes one, and out here we have a sitting area with a barbecue, and a trampoline,” Rosie opened the door, leading them all outside, her and Jennie carrying one baby each. “Lots of grass to play on, and a-”

 

Olivia gasped, cutting Rosie off, “you have a POOL?” Her eyes were wide as she took in what was definitely the most beautiful garden she’d ever seen. Not that she’d seen very many, but still.

 

“We do! Do you like to swim?”

 

“I don’t know how to, but I like pools.”

 

“That’s ok, I don’t know how to either, but mommy’s been teaching me. She can teach you too.”

 

“We’ll practice lots, when summer comes, you’ll be living in the pool.”

 

“Guess what!” Hanna was jumping up and down, eager to show Olivia everything.

 

“What?”

 

“We even have fishies!” Hanna took her hand, pulling her over to another corner of the garden, pointing down to the koi fish, swimming in the pond.

 

“Woooooow,” Jennie was almost certain Olivia was completely mind blown, and probably also quite overwhelmed, and they’d only shown her one floor so far.

 

“You can explore more here later, let’s go upstairs. This is mine and Jennie’s bedroom,” Rosie opened the door, showing off their massive bedroom, which included an en suite and walk in closet. “You’re welcome to come here whenever you want, if you feel scared or just don’t want to be alone. This room is Hanna’s, this is the bathroom you’ll share with her, this is the twins’ bedroom, and finally,” they approached the last door in the hallway, “this is your bedroom. Go inside and have a look.”

 

Olivia’s bedroom was beautiful, light pink walls, one decorated with cherry blossoms. Her bed was in one corner, her name on a sign over her it. It was girly and princess-like, and Olivia refused to believe that it was all hers. Princess dresses were hanging on a small clothing rack, a tipi in another corner, and a bookshelf full of children’s books. And most importantly, on her bedside dresser, there was a photo of her mom.

 

“Mommy,” she whispered, looking at the photo.

 

“Is it okay that we put her photo here?” Hugging the photo to her chest, she nodded. Her mommy would’ve loved this bedroom.

 

“Do you like it?” Olivia nodded again, looking around, trying to take it all in. It was a lot bigger than her last house. And way bigger than the apartment she’d shared with her mom, it almost made her wonder if she’d get lost while looking for something.

 

“Mommy and mommy haven’t showed you everything, upstairs there’s a bathroom, guestroom and office, downstairs there’s another guestroom, and in the basement, we have a movie room, a music room – that we can only go into supervised, and a small gym.” Hanna said excitedly, wanting Olivia to know where absolutely everything was in their house.

 

“Oh. Wow.” Yup, definitely a heck of a lot bigger than anywhere she’d ever lived before.

 

“Do you guys want to watch a movie, maybe? Or do you want to play?”

 

“I want to play before dinner and then watch a movie, what about you?” Hanna looked at Olivia with questioning eyes.

 

“Uhm, okay.”

 

“Great, let’s go!” Hanna grabbed her hand, practically dragging her out of her bedroom and towards the stairs.

 

“Careful with the stairs, bear.”

 

“I knooooow, mommy.”

 

“Well…that went well?” Jennie said, making it sound more like a question than a statement. “Hanna seems excited. And of course Olivia’s a bit quiet, it’s her first day here, and our house is a lot to take in.”

 

“Do you think it’s a little too much?”

 

“I mean, yes, but it’s not like we moved here for her, so it’ll be fine. I’m sure she’ll get used to it soon. Hopefully Hanna doesn’t overwhelm her though,” They laughed, thinking about how their eldest daughter’s energy levels definitely matched Lisa’s.

 

“What do we do now? Olivia’s busy with Hanna, it’s too early for dinner, it’s the twins’ nap time,” she looked down at the clearly drowsy girl in her arms, her head constantly dipping down as her eyes closed, the movement waking her up again, only for her to repeat the action.

 

“How ‘bout we put these two down for their nap, then we can cuddle on the couch?” Jennie grinned, looking forwards to a little alone time with her wife.

 

“You’re speaking my language, Mrs. Park!”

 

-

 

“Holy ,” Jennie whispered, just as Rosie crawled into bed next to her.

 

“What is it, babe?” she s her arms around Jennie’s waist, resting her head on Jennie’s chest, Jennie instinctively lacing her fingers into Rosie’s hair, massaging her scalp.

 

“We have four kids, Rosie, FOUR!”

 

“Yeah, we do,” Rosie giggled at Jennie’s sudden realization.

 

“Have we gone mental?”

 

Rosie could hear from Jennie’s tone that she wasn’t entirely serious, more coming to terms with the fact that they were suddenly a family of six. “Haven’t we always been, babe?”

 

“…”

 

“Tonight was nice though, wasn’t it?”

 

Jennie smiled as she thought about their first evening with Olivia; they’d had dinner, watched Moana in the movie room (Olivia’s eyes had lit up when they handed her her favorite snacks – pineapple lumps), put the twins to bed, given Hanna and Olivia a bath, read them bedtime stories, and then tucked Olivia in, saying good night, telling her they loved her, each of them giving her a kiss on the forehead, before doing the same with Hanna.

 

“It was really nice, I must admit that even though I love babies, it is really nice being able to skip the sleepless nights phase.”

 

“I’ve always said that the best days of my life was when I first met you, our wedding day, Hanna’s birth, and Lea and Ava’s birth, but to be honest, I think it was the day the twins started sleeping through the night.” Rosie laughed, feeling Jennie’s body move as she silently laughed as well. “Her personality is so different from Hanna’s. I hope she becomes more comfortable with us over time. Not expecting her to turn into Hanna, by any means, but I just want her to know that we do love her, and that we will care for her forever.”

 

“Aww, baby, I know she will. We just need to give her some time. She first lost her mom, then her first foster family, she must be scared of losing someone else. But I know I love her, and I know you do, so if we just continue showing her that, I know she’ll be okay.”

 

“Thank you for agreeing to do this with me. I know it’s a massive decision to make, taking in another child, and I can’t imagine doing it with anyone but you.”

 

“I like to think that this is what we were destined to do. She’s such a wonderful little girl, and she’s lost everything. She deserves a family that can give her everything, and I want us to be that family for her.”

 

Rosie leaned her head back, kissing Jennie’s law. “You’re amazing, and I love you.”

 

“Psh, says you. I love you too, gorgeous.”

 

 

&

 

 

Day 14

 

“Did it happen again?” Their eyes met in the mirror, Rosie doing her hair as Jennie walked into the bathroom.

 

“Yeah, it did. They’re downstairs having breakfast now.” Jennie sighed, running her hand through her hair. “Do you think she’s ok?”

 

“I mean, it’s not a big deal. Maybe we should talk to Hanna after work today? Maybe we can work out a temporary solution?”

 

“I think we should. We need to read her signals, and Hanna doesn’t seem to mind, so if we talk to her first, I think she’ll be fine with it.” She tilted Rosie’s head back, kissing her forehead and smiling softly. “Are you taking them to kindergarten today?”

 

“Yeah, and I’ll pick them up for you since I know you have that meeting today.”

 

“God, I love you. I’ll pick up some takeout on the way home. I need to get going now, but I’ll see you around four thirty.”

 

“Have a good day at work, I love you.” They shared a few sweet kisses before Jennie hurried downstairs, kissing all four of her children goodbye.

 

“Mommy’s taking you guys today, and she’s picking you up. I know you always do, but behave today, I love you.” Lea laughed as Jennie tickled her belly, Ava just giving her a ‘what are you doing?’ look, making Jennie laugh. She was definitely not ticklish. But she did love it when Jennie or Rosie attacked her face with kisses, her laughter bubbling through her body, making everyone around her smile from ear to ear. “Bye, I love you, and you, and you, and you” she kissed each of them as she said it, grabbing her car keys, closing the front door behind her right as Rosie came downstairs.

 

“Good morning my loves!”

 

--

 

“Good afternoon, my loves!”, she beamed at her two oldest kids as they ran towards her. “You two ready to head home?” she gave them both kisses, moving to pack their backpacks.

 

“What’s for dinner today, mommy?” Olivia was being good, sitting down and putting her shoes on, while Hanna was twirling around, asking questions, rather than getting ready to go home.

 

“I don’t know Bear, mom’s getting takeout. Now come on, we need to go get Ava and Lea too, and you’re the only one who’s not ready.”

 

“Do I have to wear shoes?” It wasn’t the first time she’d heard that question coming from Hanna. They lived in a country where people frequently walked barefoot, especially children, and Hanna wanted to leave her shoes off all the time. Jennie, however, was absolutely not a fan of Hanna walking barefoot in supermarkets, or anywhere that wasn’t a private property for that matter.

 

“You definitely need shoes, come here, I’ll help you.” She crouched down, helping Hanna put on her light-up shoes, putting one backpack on each shoulder, and one tiny hand in each of hers.

 

Dinner was…chaotic, as to be expected with four children; two of which were still lucky if they got 50% of what was on their plate into their mouths (to this day, Jennie would still insist that the best present she’s ever received from Rosie, was the Roomba she got for their 4th anniversary. There was only so much Kuma could pick up), one who talked so much that she almost forgot to eat, acting surprised when her food was starting to get cold, and finally, one who was still shy about eating, not really believing that she could actually eat as much as she wanted.

 

But they got through it, Jennie and Rosie sharing looks and small smiles in between picking up fallen sippy cups, cleaning dirty hands and faces, and trying to get a bite in themselves.

 

“Is everyone finished?” Rosie stood up, picking up her own plate while looking at her two eldest daughters, the two youngest eating rice from each other’s plates.

 

“Yes, mom, thank you for dinner, can we go play?” Hanna could not sit still any longer.

 

“Are you done too, Olivia? You can have more if you want?”

 

“No thank you, Nini, I’m full.” She replied politely, gathering up her plate and utensils.

 

“Don’t worry about your plate, sweetie, I’ll get it. Why don’t you go to the playroom for a bit? Hanna, you stay here, we wanna talk to you for a second.”

 

“But moooom, I wanna play too.”

 

“And you’ll get to very soon,” Rosie ruffled her hair, taking everyone’s plates to the kitchen while Jennie cleaned up the twins.

 

“Am I in trouble?” her eyes were big as Rosie picked her up, placing her on her lap, safely in her arms.

 

“You, my beautiful little bear, are definitely not in trouble.”

 

“Then why can’t I play?”

 

“Because mommy and I want to talk to about something, then you can go play.”

 

“Okaaay, what is it?”

 

“Olivia’s been sleeping in your bed, right?”

 

Hanna nodded, snuggling into her mom’s arms. “Uh-huh. She comes in after you’ve tucked us in.”

 

“And is that okay with you?”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“Well, mommy and I wanted to know if maybe Olivia and you could share a room for a little bit? I think Olivia feels very safe with you, and maybe it’ll help her feel more at home.”

 

“And you don’t have to say yes, Bear. If you want to have your own room, that’s absolutely okay.”

 

“It’s okay, I like Livie, she can share my bed. Sometimes she hugs me before she falls asleep, I like that.”

 

“You are the best big sister in the whole world, Nana.”

 

“Even better than auntie Alice?” She looked up at Rosie with big, excited eyes. She’d grown up hearing stories about her mommy and auntie Alice, and she knew how much her mom loved her own sister.

 

“Even better than auntie Alice, but don’t tell her, it’ll be our little secret.” Rosie winked, kissing Hanna’s fluffy cheek.

 

“Cross my heart. Can I go play now?”

 

“Go ahead, Bear, thank you for being so good with Olivia.” Jennie smiled at her, her hair before kissing her other fluffy cheek, oh-so similar to her mom’s.

 

“Well, that was easy.”

 

“I wonder if this will keep up when she’s a teenager, or if were in for a hell of a ride.”

 

“Baby,” Rosie Jennie’s thigh lovingly, “we have four daughters under the age of six, thinking about their teenage years will give you a headache.”

 

Laughing, Jennie jokingly collapsed onto the table, head on her arms. “Oh god,” she groaned, “what have we done?!”

 

“We can always send them off on holiday to Australia and Korea,” she laughed, pulled Jennie closer to her.

 

“Amen to that. I’m sure our moms would love having them over.”

 

“Speaking of which; my mom’s been asking when they can come meet her.”

 

“Let’s see how it goes at Lisoo’s place next weekend, then we’ll see. I don’t want to overwhelm her too much, our family isn’t exactly understated.”

 

“You don’t say. C’mon, let’s give the twins their evening bath, I think Lea has enough food on her shirt to last her a week.”

 

“She gets that from you.”

 

“Oh yes, I do remember giving birth to her, oh wait, no, that was you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, but she’s still very much your daughter.”

 

“They sure are,” Rosie beamed, kissing Lea’s pitch-black, super soft hair.

 

--

 

“Olivia, can we come in?” They peaked inside her room, where the four-year-old was getting ready for bed.

 

“Mhm,” she nodded, sitting down on her princess bed.

 

“We talked to Hanna earlier, and we were wondering if maybe you wanted to share a bedroom with Hanna for a little while?”

 

“I don’t want to bother her.”

 

“Sweetie, you’re not bothering her at all. She said she wanted to share a room with you. She likes it when you hug her.” They were sitting on each side of her, Jennie’s arm around her, both hoping she felt comfortable enough with them to open up.

 

“She does? I like hugging her too, and her cheeks are so squishy. Just like Rosie’s!” Her smile was shy, eyes peaking up at Rosie.

 

“Do you know what I used to call Rosie when we were younger?”

 

“What?” Her eyes shifted to Jennie; curiosity evident in her voice.

 

“Chipmunk, because her cheeks puff up when she’s eating.”

 

Olivia’s giggle was gorgeous, floating freely through the room as her eyes turned into crescents. “Chipmunk? Like Chip ‘n’ Dale?”

 

Rosie teasingly rolled her eyes with a groan. “Yes, like Chip ‘n’ Dale.”

 

“That’s funny,” her giggling still hadn’t stopped, and Rosie didn’t even mind that she was technically laughing at her. “Can I call you that too?”

 

“You can, but only you, okay?”

 

“Only me and Nini, right?”

 

“That’s right, only you and Nini.”

 

“So what do you say, cutie, do you wanna share a room with Hanna for a little bit?”

 

“Can I bring Cuddles?” she grabbed the teddy bear from her bed, hugging it tightly to her chest. It was her most prized possession; the bear her mother had given to her when she was born.

 

“Hanna definitely won’t mind another teddy bear in her bed.” Jennie smiled, picking up the little girl, and her teddy bear, carrying them down the hall to Hanna’s bedroom. “You ready for bed too, Bear?”

 

“Mhm, I moved my bears so there’s room for Livie and Cuddles.”

 

“That’s very nice of you, Nana. Now get comfy both of you, and we’ll read you a story, sing you a song, and then it’s lights out, okay?”

 

“Mommy?”

 

“Yes, bear?”

 

“Can we talk a little bit after you turn the lights off?”

 

“A little bit, but I don’t want to hear you two giggling in here all night, d’you hear me?”

 

“Yes mommy.”

 

“Thank you Nini.”

 

“Now, what story should we read today? Any suggestions?”

 

As usual, Hanna was naming out book titles left and right, never quite deciding what she was in the mood for any given night, but Olivia looked up at Rosie with big eyes, motioning for her to come closer so she could whisper in her ear. “Can you read Guess how much I love you?” “That sounds like an excellent idea,” Rosie whispered back, standing up to grab said book from Hanna’s bookshelf.

 

“The experts have spoken, today’s book of choice is,” she drummed her fingers on the wooden shelf, giving herself a drumroll, “Guess how much I love you!”

 

“Yay!” Jennie cheered, encouraging Rosie and making her two oldest girls laugh. “Though I already know Rosie loves me the most.”

 

“Nuh-uh, mommy loves me the most!” Hanna jumped on her mom, fighting for Rosie’s love.

 

“What if I love Olivia the most?” Rosie asked, pulling said girl onto her lap, knowing she’d never dare say it herself.

 

“Do you, mommy? Do you love Livie the most?”

 

“I think…no, actually, I know, that the person I love the most is not a person.”

 

“I knew it, she loves Kuma the most.” Jennie joked, poking her tongue out.

 

“Almost, it’s not a person, because it’s people. I love Jennie, Hanna, Olivia, Lea, and Ava all the most out of everyone in the world.”

 

“All of us?” Hanna sounded skeptical.

 

“All of you. I love each and every one of you five just as much.”

 

“Even me?” Olivia’s voice was quiet as she stared at Rosie.

 

“Even you, cutie. Now you two better stop distracting me and extending your bedtime,” She tried to look strict, but everyone knew Rosie was the softest mom.

 

 

&

 

 

Day 19

 

“Today,” Jennie began, pulling Olivia to sit with her and Rosie, “we’re going to go visit our best friends, Jisoo and Lisa. They have two boys, Logan, who’s almost your age, and Lucas, who is a little bit younger than you.”

 

“We love them very much, but sometimes they have a lot of energy, so we just wanted to let you know that if you feel overwhelmed, or tired, or anything else, you can come to us, ok?” Rosie took Olivia’s hand in her own. “You can play with them, with yourself, with Lea and Ava, just Hanna, or not play at all if you don’t want to. I know meeting new people can be a bit scary, so we want to make sure you know that you can always come to us if you need to.”

 

“Okay. Hanna already told me about them, she said they’re silly, just like Chichu and Lali.”

 

“That’s right, they are super silly! Lali and Chichu are so excited to meet you, they love you so much already.”

 

“Already? But they haven’t even met me?”

 

“We’ve told them so much about you, and showed them photos, they feel like they already know you.”

 

“Mmkay. Are we going now, or can I go play with Nana?”

 

“The twins are still napping, so you can go play for a little bit.”

 

--

 

“Hi auntie Chichu, hi auntie Lali!” Hanna ran straight into them, giving them both her signature hug as soon as they entered their backyard. “This is my new little sister, Livie.”

 

“Hi Livie, it’s nice to meet you.” Lisa crouched down in front of her, Livie still holding onto Jennie’s hand.

 

“You too. You’re Lali.”

 

“That’s right,” She smiled brightly, turning her head towards Jisoo, “and this is my wife, Jisoo, or Chichu if you’d like.”

 

“I’m Olivia, but Hanna calls me Livie.”

 

“What do you want me to call you?”

 

“Hmm…” her brows furrowed as she thought hard, “I like Livie.”

 

“Livie it is then! Do you want to play, Livie?”

 

“With Logan and Lucas?”

 

“Mhm?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Logie! Lulu! This is Livie, she’s my new baby sister!”

 

“She doesn’t look like a baby.”

 

“She’s not a baby, Logie, she’s just my baby sister, since she’s younger than me.”

 

“Oh, okay. C’mon, come see my new trampoline, mom bought it for me!”

 

“Logie, it’s our trampoline, not yours,” Lucas whined as he ran after his big brother.

 

“Whoa, that’s a big trampoline!”

 

“Right? I love it. Wanna try it?”

 

Hanna didn’t even have time to answer, she just ripped off her shoes and climbed up the ladder, pulling up the zipper for the security net. “This is so cool! I want one too!” Her hair was practically floating in the air as she jumped.

 

“But you have a swimming pool, we don’t.”

 

“Hmm, that’s true… I think I’d rather keep the pool. C’mon Livie, jump with me!”

 

“Well, they’re busy. Hey Lea, Ava, do you two wanna play with auntie Lali?” Lisa loved babies, she missed when her own were that small, but unfortunately for her, Lea and Ava were: 1. Barely 1 year old, and definitely not great conversationalists yet, and 2. Still tired from the nap so they barely even looked at her. “Hey, don’t let me down like that, guys?”

 

“Uhm, why don’t you take them to the swing set? They fit in one baby swing so you can place them back to back. Here, I’ll show you.” Rosie picked up one baby, Lisa the other, carrying them over to the backyard swing set they’d set up. “Just place Ava like this, and then Lea right here, and there you go. They won’t fall out, they both get to swing, and they enjoy it. If they get bored, you can bring them over to us and play with building blocks.”

 

“Nice, I love building blocks too, but first…” she pulled the swing back slightly, “weeee” she’d barely even let go when both twins burst into laughter, wind blowing in their short, black hair. “Don’t tell anyone,” Lisa whispered to them, “But you two are the cutest.”

 

“How’s it been?” Jisoo was warming her fingers on a hot cup of tea, sitting across from Jennie and Rosie so they could still keep an eye on the kids.

 

“It’s been surprisingly good. I’m still waiting for the tantrums to begin. She’s shy, doesn’t talk much, but compared to Hanna, no one does.”

 

“But it’s getting better. She’s asking questions, and she clearly loves Hanna. And her teachers say that she’s playing really nicely with the other kids there as well, so I guess it’s going a lot better than we’d ever expected. Like Jennie said, we’re almost waiting for things to get rough.”

 

“She seems sweet,” Jisoo smiled, watching Hanna hold Olivia’s hand as they jumped on the trampoline. “I know she’s been through a lot, but maybe you’ll get lucky and it’ll be relatively easy?”

 

“Only time will tell, I guess. But we’re really happy, she’s a great kid and I hope she knows how much we love her. Anyways, how are things around here?”

 

“Sometimes I think I have four kids. Scratch that, most of the time I think I have four kids.”

 

“…four?” Rosie questioned. “Lucas, Logan, Lisa, and?”

 

“Me!” She laughed, “I’m a kid too, but one of us gotta be responsible at least sometimes, right?”

 

“Probably a good idea, yeah. But they’re good kids. Especially the oldest, Lisa.”

 

“She’s the best,” Jisoo grinned, watching her wife make funny faces at the twins. “But yeah, I got lucky with all three of them. And all six of you.”

 

“Holy geez, there’s six of us.” Jennie groaned. It’s not like she hadn’t thought of that many times before, but still, six people were a lot. “Plane tickets are gonna cost a fortune.”

 

“Good thing we can afford it, huh?” Rosie laughed, Jennie’s back.

 

“Lesbians really do be crazy.”

 

“Word. Wine anyone?”

 

“None for me, I’m driving.”

 

“When have I ever said no to wine?”

 

“Coming right up.”

 

They’d lost track of time when Livie trudged over, Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosie still seated on the outdoor couches, while Lisa was on the floor of the patio playing with building blocks. “Nini?” “Yeah cutie?” Her hand soft, blonde hair. “Can I sit here with you?” “Of course you can, sweetheart. Come here,” Jennie lifted her up, putting her down on her lap, facing her, Olivia’s head resting on her chest.

 

“You tired, sweet cheeks?” Rosie moved closer to Jennie, Olivia’s back. “A little. Jumping is tiring.” The soothing on her back made her close her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

 

She’d already fallen asleep by the time Logan came running over. “Mom?”

 

“Yes, Logan?”

 

“Is Livie from Jennie or RoRo?”

 

“She’s both of theirs, Logie.”

 

“Noooo mom, I mean, was she in Jennie’s belly or in RoRo’s?”

 

“Ohhh, okay. Well, neither actually. Livie had another mommy, but she isn’t here anymore, so now she lives with auntie RoRo and auntie Jennie. Who did you think was her mom?”

 

“Hmm…” He looked closely at all three in question, apparently ignoring the fact that Livie had blonde hair and blue eyes. “I think she looks most like Jennie.”

 

“Like Jennie, huh?” Rosie copied him, staring closely at the two. “Yeah, I definitely see it. I think she might be Jennie’s. Good job, buddy.”

 

“I’m gonna go play again now, bye.”

 

“How old do you think he’ll be before he realizes?”

 

“20, if we’re lucky.” Jisoo deadpanned, “he’s Lisa’s son.”

 

&

 

Day 65

 

“How do you tell them apart?”

 

“It’s easy, can’t you tell?”

 

“…no?”

 

They were standing in the twin’s bedroom, staring down at the two sleeping babies, who looked unsurprisingly identical. They were monozygotic twins after all.

 

“That’s Lea, and that’s Ava.”

 

“But how can you tell?”

 

“See right there?” she pointed to one of the babies, standing on her tippy toes so she could reach over the side of the crib.

 

“Mhm?”

 

“That’s Ava. She has the same birth mark as mom, a small mark under her left eyebrow. Lea doesn’t have that.”

 

“Oh, I never thought about that before.”

 

“It’s okay, you’re not the only one. Grandma mixes them up all the time,” she giggled, looking at her oldest younger sister. “But you can also tell because Lea has longer hair than Ava. And when they’re awake, you can tell because Lea has a lot more energy than Ava, she’s never quiet or still. And Ava isn’t ticklish, but Lea is. And me.”

 

“They look so alike.”

 

“Mhm. When they were babies, mom and mom would put different colors on them, so we knew easily who was who.”

 

“They are so cute, I just wanna squish their cheeks.”

 

“Auntie Chichu says mommy has mandu cheeks. I think the babies do too. And auntie Lali says me and mommy have chipmunk cheeks.”

 

“What’s a mandu?”

 

“Dumplings.”

 

“Oh.” She giggled, “they do have mandu cheeks. What do I have?”

 

Hanna eyed her closely, occasionally poking her cheeks. “Yours are squishy too. I think you have one mandu cheek and one chipmunk cheek.”

 

Tiny hands went up to touch her own cheeks, filling them with air as she poked them, feeling the difference. “I think you’re right. I do have one mandu cheek and one chipmunk cheek.”

 

“Do you speak Korean?” They’d moved on from the twins, instead going to play with the tipi in Livie’s room.

 

“Uhm, I don’t think so?”

 

“Annyeonghaseyo.”

 

“Oh,” Livie froze, looking at her sister. “Uhh, no thank you.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“What?”

 

“I just said annyeonghaseyo.”

 

“No thank you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I was speaking Korean.”

 

“That was Korean?”

 

“Yes, I said hello.”

 

“Oh,” Livie’s cheeks became bright pink as she hid her face by turning away from Hanna. “I thought you said that onion has a sale. But I don’t like onions.” She felt silly, but then Hanna started laughing while pulling her in for a hug, and for some reason she didn’t feel so silly anymore. Usually, she’d feel that maybe people were laughing at her, but with Hanna it didn’t feel that way at all. With Hanna it felt like they were laughing with each other, laughing at the silly situation and the silly misunderstanding, and Olivia’s pink cheeks were no longer pink with embarrassment, but rather pink with joy and excitement of sharing a moment with the girl who had become her big sister.

 

And it made her heart clench a little bit, because she loved living here. She loved Hanna and Lea and Ava, and maybe even Rosie and Jennie, but her heart hurt because she missed her mom, and she wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for her mom dying, and she didn’t want her mom to be sad that maybe Olivia was actually doing ok? She had people who loved her, maybe even loved her almost as much as her mommy had done, and would it be so bad if she loved them back? Did that mean that she would forget her mommy?

 

She hoped not.

 

 

&

 

Day 100

 

“Guys, can you quiet down please? You’re gonna wake the twins.”

 

“Sorry mommy.”

 

“Sorry Chipmunk,” Livie giggled as Hanna continued making funny faces.

 

“Once this movie is done, you can either go outside and play, or go to your playroom, but no more TV time, okay?”

 

“But mooooom,”

 

“Don’t ‘but moooom’ me, I’ve heard it all before, missy. I’ll be right back, behave.” She kissed both of their heads before heading upstairs where Jennie was doing some work in their shared home office.

 

“Hey babe, brought you some coffee and avocado toast, figured you’d probably be hungry.”

 

Jennie twirled in her office chair, pulling Rosie on her lap so she was straddling her, Jennie’s hands firmly planted on Rosie’s . “Mmm, have I told you how much I love you?”

 

“Every night, baby.” She smiled, brushing her nose against Jennie’s, her arms wrapped around her wife’s shoulders.

 

“Good, because I love you more and more every day.”

 

“Which is also good, because God, I love you so much, Jennie Ruby Jane Kim.”

 

“It’s Jennie Ruby Jane Park to you, dear.” She smirked, nuzzling into Rosie’s neck.

 

“Best decision I’ve ever made, marrying you and making you mine for forever.”

 

“You’re saying that as if you made the decision and not me.”

 

“If I remember our wedding correct, Mrs. Jennie Park, fate chose for us. Deal?”

 

“Deal.” Jennie sealed the deal by slapping Rosie’s , grinning as she did so.

 

“Such a bad girl,” she rolled her eyes as she playfully rolled her hips into her wife’s hands. “Here I am, trying to instill morals and values into our daughters, while you treat me like your little plaything.”

 

“Mmm, that’s because you are, baby.” Her butterfly kisses felt amazing against Rosie’s collarbone, her head lolling to the side to give Jennie more room. “My favorite little plaything.”

 

“Baby,” she sighed, clearly not wanting to move. “We’ll have to continue this tonight; the kids are alone downstairs and I don’t want them to wake the younger kids.”

 

“Can’t we just be bad for once?”

 

“For once?” She snickered, leaning in to kiss Jennie’s pout. “We’re bad all the time, baby girl.” With that, she left Jennie’s lap, forcing her wife to reach out to smack her again.

 

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me after calling me baby girl, you know what that does to me! Yah, Park Chaeyoung, come back here!” But Rosie just smiled innocently as she twirled her hair around her finger, blowing Jennie a kiss before heading back downstairs.

 

She was in the kitchen going through their fridge, trying to decide what to have for dinner, when she heard small feet pitter pattering behind her.

 

“Mommy, can I have some more milk please?”

 

Rosie froze, because this was the first time she’d ever heard those words come out of that mouth. Turning around slowly, she bit her lip to try and hold back the tears and the massive grin that was threatening to rip her cheeks apart.

 

“I’m sorry sweetie, can you repeat that?”

 

“Can I have some more milk please?” Olivia asked, holding her plastic cup out for Rosie to take as she watched with big, blue eyes. And Rosie couldn’t help but feel slightly sad that she didn’t call her mommy again.

 

“Of course you can, sweetheart. Here you go, oh and before you go back,” she crouched down, her thumb before trying to wipe away Olivia’s milk moustache – the ultimate mom move.

 

“Eww, mommy,” she giggled, before throwing her arms around her mom in a quick hug. “Thank you, mommy.”

 

And Rosie’s heart still stopped beating. She had three other children who called her mom on a daily basis, but this felt so different. Livie had chosen to call her mommy, she hadn’t been pushed to do so, she hadn’t heard it from she was a baby, Jennie and Rosie hadn’t stood over her crib trying to get her to say ‘mama’. Olivia, and Olivia only, had decided that now was the right time to start calling her mommy instead of Rosie, and the thought made her feel dizzy, her heart exploding into a million butterflies while her head swirled like a tornado.

 

She just hoped she’d call Jennie mommy too.

 

Oh, right, Jennie! She had to tell her right away!

 

“Be right back again, behave,” she gave them another kiss on the top of their heads, her lips linger a little bit longer on Olivia’s head, before she sprinted upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time.

 

“Babe, babe!” She started calling out before she was even on the final flight of stairs.

 

“I knew you wanted to be bad,” she smirked, once again twirling her chair to face her wife.

 

“No, no, it’s not that!” her hands were on her knees, hunched over as she tried to catch her breath, butterflies occupying her entire chest now, not leaving any room for oxygen. “It’s Olivia,” she had to catch her breath before she could even continue, Jennie’s brows furrowing with worry. “Is she okay?”

 

“She’s amazing,” Rosie beamed, finally realizing what had just happened. “She called me mommy, Jennie. I was in the kitchen, and she called me mommy and asked if I could give her some more milk, and I gave her more milk and then cleaned her milk mustache and she said ‘eww mommy’ and hugged me and said ‘thank you mommy’ and oh my god, babe, my heart is exploding, I’m so happy, I don’t know what to do with myself.” She’d run out of breath about 30 seconds ago, but she somehow still managed to keep going, needing to get it all out before it exploded inside of her.

 

“She cal