Chapter 5

My parents and I are sitting at the table, waiting on the others to come down to eat. Mrs. Shannon places a bowl of fruit in front of me since my morning sickness acted up yesterday. The first scream reaches our ears followed by the sound of quick footfalls down the steps. Huxley walks in with pink hair and angry. Keeping my face blank, I look at him with innocent eyes.

"I love the new look brother. I didn't know that you wanted pink hair," I say in my most innocent voice.

Huxley narrows his eyes at me. "I know you did this. I will get you back after the arrival of our little guest." His eyes briefly go to my stomach as a evil smirk plays on his mouth. I return it with my own, adding in a wink for effect.

"I did no such thing! Why would I do that to my favorite brother," I say with mock hurt. Huxley just looks at me, not buying my act of innocence.

The next shouts reach our ears before Jaxon and Megan come running in. Jaxon is looking at me with anger as he tries to ignore the smell of his hair. Megan looks at me almost the same and I can see her mouth red from trying to scrub the lip stain off.

"Why lube, sis?" Jaxon asks. I see him trying to breath through his mouth so the smell doesn't invade his senses.

"What are you talking about, brother? Why did you ask me about lube?" I say with the same innocent face I did with Hux.

"You know damn well you put strawberry scented lube in my hair gel. You know I can't stand the smell. There is also the fact that it is hard to get out of my hair since I washed it twice since I put it in," Jaxon seethes as he stares me down. I just look at him with a blank face as Hux bursts out laughing in his seat.

"The reason... you can't... hahahaha..." Huxley tries to talk through his laughter. He tries to calm down enough to get his sentence out by taking a few breaths. "The reason you can't... get it out is because... it's oil-based then. Water based is easy to clean off." Our father looks at me in surprise before busting out in laughter as well. Now I can't help but bust out laughing too.

Jaxon's eyes go wide and looks at me like he wants to tackle me. Just as he prepares to jump, his eyes go to my stomach before thinking better of it. Megan still has not said a word but is squinting her eyes at me.

"Megan, I love that color on you. Makes your eyes really pop in color," I say through my laughter.

"This isn't funny, Nat. I can't get the damn stuff off," She says as she tries to rub at it again.

"That's because it is a stain, not a gloss. It won't come off for at least 12-24 hours," I tell her trying to hold my laughter in. The look I got was priceless. Megan immediately freezes in mid-rub of her lips as her eyes widen. Her expression is like I just told her that Channing Tatum was waiting in the next room.

"I will get you back for this. You won't know when it will be coming either," Megan declares as she takes her seat with Jaxon.

"Don't get to mad. Just wait until you see Grayson's punishment. What happened to you will look like Christmas morning compared to what I did to him," I tell her as I go to sip my coffee. As soon as it reaches my lips, my cup is taken from me.

"What are you doing, young lady? You can't drink that while you are pregnant," my mom says as she takes my cup further from me.

"I know this mom, that is why it is decaf with no sugar or creamer." I watch as she takes a sip to confirm that I was telling the truth. Her face scrunches up as soon as it hits her tongue. "Never mind, you can have that back."

I take my cup back and take a sip of it. It's not my favorite but I need my coffee in the morning and this is my only option. Huxley tries to keep his laugh in at the fact that I can't have the one thing I rely on in the mornings to start my day. Cutting my eyes at him makes him straighten up just by the look in my eyes.

Our mother finally notices Huxley's hair and starts laughing. I see her secretly take a picture from behind her glass so that he wouldn't hide. I will definitely have to get her to send that to me later.

"Huxley, my son. I love the color, it's just not yours. Next time try more of a purple hue," mom says after she controls her laughter. Huxley looks at us all like a deer caught in headlights as we start to laugh again. All Huxley can do is give us all a death glare that ends on me. "Any how, we have an appointment to get to so finish up so we can get to that."

Grayson walks in as we start to eat and laughs at the three clowns sitting at the table. My parents choose to ignore everything as they eat at the head of the table. Keeping my face blank, I eat my fruit as I think to myself 'just wait brother, you aren't safe from punishment'.

"If some want to ride with me, we can take my car and follow the rest who ride with mom and dad... well Jaxon will have to wear a hat. I don't want that new gel of his to ruin my upholstery," Grayson says as we finish up our breakfast.

"It's not my fault. Our dear sister decided to switch my hair gel with lube," Jaxon said defensively.

Grayson tries not to laugh as he glances at me with playful eyes. I bet that he is thinking that he is glad I didn't do anything to him. This is going to be great! "Well, go get a beanie to wear anyway."

Jaxon leaves the room, grumbling to himself. He comes back after a few minutes with a smirk on his face. My guess is he looked out the window and saw the surprise.

"All right family, let's get going!" Jaxon announces in a excited tone. I am not sure if he is excited about seeing Grayson's reaction or the appointment. Could be both for all I know.

We all get up and head to the door to walk out. Looking over at Grayson, I see him on his phone while walking out the door. Our parents slow down and stop when they see the car and try to hide their smiles. He gets almost to his car before he looks up.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY CAR?" Grayson yells out before turning to me. I can't help the laugh that comes out of me at the sight of the hot pink that adorns his precious car. The windows have 'Honk for a good time', 'I like pink', and 'My sister is the best' all over them in hot pink car chalk. I also went a step further and put a dildo on the center of the top of the windshield and wrote 'I am a unicorn' under it.

Grayson goes to tackle me before he stops, remembering that I am pregnant. I smirk at him as our family is pretty much on the ground with laughter.

"Maybe next time you decide to dump water on someone, make sure it's not the person with an arsenal of prank gear," I say with an evil look.

"I thought that I was in the clear, meaning that I am your favorite brother," Grayson all but whines.

"You will never know who the favorite is, if there is even one to begin with." I say as I look at all of my siblings.

"We will take my truck instead," Huxley declared to the group as he heads over to his 2020 Ford F-150. I walk over to the truck while Grayson is still staring at his car and open the front door. As I am about to get into the front passenger seat, a hand on my arm stops me.

"Oh no little lady. I am getting the front since you decided to use my car as an art project," Grayson states as he tries to move me.

Looking at him, I give him my best puppy dog eyes and poke my bottom lip out. "But bubba, I will be much more comfortable in the front."

Grayson gives me a "are you serious?" look but doesn't budge. "The back is just the same. You are not far enough along to be uncomfortable."

We have a mini stand off until Hux leans over the center console. "She gets shotgun, bro. She has been through to much already to be stuck with the PDA poster children in the back."

Grayson huffs his annoyance but goes to the back door and gets in. I hop into the front seat and buckle my seat belt before Grayson could change his mind. Hux glances in the rear view mirror and silently chuckles before he puts the truck in gear. Curious, I take out my compact mirror to 'check' my makeup and angle it to see what Hux was finding funny. In the backseat, Jaxon and Megan are making out while Grayson looks on with disgust. I hold my laughter in and put my compact back in my bag.

A half hour later, we are pulling into the parking lot of "Strayder and Family" clinic. Hux parks beside our parents car and we all get out. Well all of us who realized that we arrived at the clinic. Grayson was the first to get out of the truck like it was on fire just to get away from the live show in the back. I look over at Hux at the same time he looked at me. We both bust out laughing because we have been in Grays situation before.

"I'm riding back with you guys," Grayson says to mom who is looking at us like we are crazy.

"Why?" She asks. Looking through the windshield, she sees the heavy make out session. "Never mind, I wouldn't want to be stuck back there either."

Mom walks to the back door of the truck and opens the door. Stepping up on the side step, she reaches in and whacks Jaxon on the head. "Cut it out, you two. We have a baby to go see."

Walking into the clinic, I see pictures of babies all over the walls. From early development through the stages of pregnancy. My nerves start to spike as everything starts to become real to me that I am pregnant. Becoming a mother was always a dream of mine, but I always thought that Christopher would be here with me.

"Welcome to Strayder and Family Clinic. How can we help you today?" The lady behind the desk greets us.

"We have an appointment with Dr. Lily. It will be under Natalia Anderson," mom tells her. I see the lady look at me and give me a slight nod. From what I remember, Dr. Lily Strayder is a really close friend of my mothers. She knows that my identity is strictly confidential right now and judging by the nod from the receptionist, she does too.

"Have a seat for a moment, please. I will let her know you are here," the receptionist says as she stands up. She disappears through the door that leads to the exam rooms and comes back not even a minute later with Dr. Lily in tow.

"Izzy! I am so glad to see you," Dr. Lily says as she hugs my mom. She looks over at me with a smile. "Come with me and lets see this baby."

We all follow her through the door to the exam room. I get up on the table as everyone else squeezes into the room. Dr. Lily looked like she wanted to tell the boys to wait outside but thought better of it.

"If you will lay back and lift your shirt to the top of your stomach, we will do an ultrasound to see how the baby is doing," Dr. Lily states as she rolls over the monitor and starts preparing the wand. I lift my shirt up to just under my bra and lay back. "Now this will be a little cold, just warning you."

Dr. Lily squeezes the cold gel on my stomach and starts to rub the wand over my abdomen. After a minute of searching, she holds her position and turns the monitor so we can all see the screen.

"There is your little peanut. Everything looks great and you have a perfectly healthy fetus growing. Congratulations," Dr. Lily states as I stare at the monitor. "I will print off multiple because I already know that everyone will want one. Your mother has been waiting for a long time for a grandchild and may want to brag a bit," she states with a laugh that gets the room laughing as mom looks sheepish.

"Lily, don't pick on me. I have four kids and no grandchildren yet. You would be the same way if it were you," mom defends herself.

"I know I would. Just wanted to mess with you a bit. So Jaxon, when are you and Mrs. Megan here going to have a little mini you running around?" Dr. Lily asks, turning to a blushing Jaxon and scared Megan.

"We want to see some of the world before we fully settle down. We have a few trips planned that we want to go on and Megan won't be able to enjoy them if she is sick to her stomach like poor Nat here," Jaxon states. Megan is still looking like a deer in headlights and I know why. She actually confided in me about the discussion of kids. The thought of being a mom doesn't scare her, she wants that more than anything. It's the fear that she will not be good at it and be a bad mother. I told her that every woman has that fear but when she's ready, go for it and her motherly instincts will kick in.

"Well, when you decide it's time, please let me be your OBGYN. I helped bring you all into this world with your mother and it would be a blessing to do the same for you all," Dr. Lily states and looks at me with a smile.

"I didn't have one set up yet so that position is open for me Dr. Lily," I tell her with a chuckle. Dr. Lily smiles bigger and looks at mom in excitement.

"That makes me happy that you will let me help bring your bundle of joy into the world. Also, please just call me Lily," Lily states as she helps me clean off the gel. "Would you like to do the early gender blood test? You are far enough along that we can perform it and we have the equipment here to be able to tell you today."

"Yes, please. I am pretty sure mom is almost bursting inside to know if she needs to get pink or blue baby things," I reply. Looking over at my mom, I see that I am right just by the look on her face.

"Okay, we will draw some blood and get it in our lab before your mom does it herself," Lily states as she reaches into the cabinet for the items to draw my blood. "This is also what we were going to have to do next anyway since we need to check your levels." Lily takes my blood and walks out to take it to her blood work lab down the hall.

As we wait, everyone starts to take bets on what the gender is. Dad and the boys are team boy while the ladies are team girl. I honestly don't care what the gender is, just that the baby is healthy. About a half hour later, Lily walks back in with a envelope and stands in the opposite corner of the guys.

"Are you all ready to know the gender of baby Anderson?" Lily asks the room.

"Yes," everyone replies at the same time.

Lily opens the envelope and looks at the results. "Baby Anderson is a..." she pauses for the anticipation to build, "Boy!" The room fills with cheers from the guys as mom and Megan are tearing up from happiness. I am having a little boy. In seven months I will have a little boy to call my own.

"Congratulations, Natalia. I want to see you back in three weeks for another checkup and you are all set. Go get some prenatal vitamins and start taking them if you aren't already," Lily states as she hands me an appointment card for my next visit.

"Thank you Lily. We will see you in three weeks," I tell her as I walk out the clinic on cloud nine.

Three months later

I am sitting on the exam table at the clinic for my routine prenatal checkup as Lily is preforming an ultrasound to get measurements on my little boy. Mom and the guys have already went all out on the nursery. The room has been painted blue with gray accents with mahogany furniture. Elephants are all over the room as well as a few cars. Jaxon stated that he wanted little man to start early on learning about cars.

"So have you picked a name yet?" Lily asks as she is taping keys on the machine.

"Not yet. I have a few that I like but haven't made a decision on which one yet," I tell her,

"Well when it gets closer to time for his arrival, I am certain you will have one picked," she assures me.

"I am to. Jaxon got mad because I wouldn't name him after him," I say with a chuckle. Lily laughs and shakes her head.

"We definitely don't need another Jaxon running around. He gets into trouble enough that the poor kid would be confused on who they mean," She chuckles out. "What ever name yo..." she trails off her sentence as she looks at the screen with intense concentration.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay with him?" I ask, getting worried with the way she is looking at the screen.

Lily looks at me and realizes that I was starting to worry and immediately explains herself. "Don't worry. Everything is just fine. We may have missed something the last time you had an ultrasound."

"What could we have missed?" I curiously ask. What did she find and is it bad?

"Well, how do I put this? What we didn't see last time is that someone was hiding," she says as she turns the monitor towards me. "You are actually having twins." On the screen is not one, but two little heads and four little arms.

"Twins?" I ask shocked.

"Yes, and by the looks of it, a little boy and a little girl," She states with a smile.

"How did we miss that last time?" I ask as I look at her in surprise.

"It is common that when there are twins, the other is concealed by the one in front and is easily missed. I am sorry that I did not notice last time," she apologizes.

"Don't be sorry. It's a common thing with twins. My mom will be excited now since she was team girl," I reassure her with a smile.

When I leave the clinic, I call mom to see if she was home yet. When I get to the house, she meets me at the door.

"Is everything okay? Is peanut healthy?" She starts firing questions off before I am not even two steps in the door.

"Everything is fine, where is everybody?" I ask as I put my coat into the closet.

"There in the back yard," she says as she looks at me with concern. Motioning for her to follow, we head to the back yard. We are met with Grayson and Huxley wrestling in the grass as Jaxon and dad look on with money in their hands. Megan is over by the pool sitting in a sun chair, playing on her phone. Typical Friday evening here at the Anderson residence.

"Hey, guys. I need to tell you all something," I loudly say and everyone stops what they are doing immediately. They look at me for a split second before I am bombarded with the same questions my mother asked not five minutes ago.

"Calm down everyone. Everything is fine. Just she missed something at the last ultrasound I had," I state, trying to calm them down.

"What could she have missed?" dad asks, looking worried.

"Well it seems like she was hiding behind her brother," I tell them and watch their reaction. For a minute, they all just stare at me trying to process what I just said.

"Wait, you just said that SHE was HIDING. Does that mean what I think it means?" Megan asks as she looks at me with excitement.

I nod at her with a smile. "Yes it does. I am having twins so you and mom get your girl."

Everyone starts to clap and congratulate me on the news of having twins. We are all smiling until Grayson asks the one question that makes my smile vanish.

"So, are you going to tell Christopher about them?" He asks me.

I look at him with no expression and say, "No. At least not yet."

Christopher and his mistress are probably living the good life at the moment and there is no telling what she will do when she finds out I am carrying his heir. Only time will tell.