Chapter 52: Ties That Bind

The Pruett house was more chaotic than ever between the seven people that already lived there, the eighth one coming any day, and other changes around the house. Jayden, taking his role as man of the house seriously, considered Asia’s request for a new room. He also took the time to canvas the rest of the house and assess all of their needs. He found that their were other needs apart from the new bedroom, so he called a contractor to get started on the construction right away. He had them add two additional rooms:  the new bedroom for when the baby grows up and a bigger office. Because of Bianca’s new-found interest in computers, an additional office was definitely necessary, but he also wanted a space that the children could also just hang out in. The downstairs office was turned into a proper art studio for Maliyah to work in.

Upstairs, the contractor expanded the area around the stairs to create more space for the gym. All of the equipment was moved out of the gym, and that room was turned into Jayden’s new office.

Finally, Jayden couldn’t forget about Bianca’s request….

Here are aerial views of the finished product!

Despite the busyness of life, Jared still found the time to dote on his wife and made sure she felt cared for despite the understanding they had between them.

“Oh my god! He just kicked me,” Jared said with excitement.

“He? How do you think it’s a boy?”

“It’s a Pruett man thing, I guess. We always think about boys!”

“Will you love it if it’s a girl?”

“I will love it even more if it’s a girl! And then I’ll have Jayden install the best security system and hire armed guards to put at the door in case some knucklehead decides he wants to take her out!”

“Seriously, Jared? You’re not gonna be one of those ‘she’s not dating ’til she’s 30′ types, are you?”

“Of course I am! Every father is like that.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I wouldn’t know anything about that. I don’t even know who my father is!”

“Really? I mean, I knew your mom was single and you and your brother have different dads, but I didn’t realize you never knew the man.”

“I’m sure I knew him when I was little, but that was soo long ago. Anyway…don’t want to talk about that anymore because our baby has a daddy, and he’s not going anywhere, right?”

“Heck no! You’ll have to kill me first.”

“That’s what I thought. So what about names. Do you have any favorites?”

“Oh. No. I actually haven’t even thought that far. I figured we’d meet the kid and see what he looks like. Or, she.”

“I’ve had a name picked out ever since I was a little girl.”

“What is it?”

“Kolby!”

“Kolby? Hmmm, that’s nice. Is that a unisex name?”

“I don’t know. We can make it one with the spelling, I guess.  K-O-L-B-Y for a boy and K-O-L-B-I-E for a girl.”

“That works! I love it. And I love you.”

“I love you t–OHHHHH,” Asia yelled out in pain.

“What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

“GREAT PLUMBOBS AND LLAMAS!!!”

“What?”

“KOLBY!!!”

The labor had begun, and the baby was on its way! Jared was in a panicked and terrified state, but he gathered himself and got Asia to the hospital in time to meet Kolby safe and sound.

“Hey little Kolby! You’re just the handsomest thing! You’re going to be smart just like your parents, so why don’t you go ahead and say daddy. Come on…say daddy!”

One thing about having a large family is that there were always people around to help out, and Jared and Asia definitely needed it. Asia worked nights, and Jared had started working at 6 a.m.! But, between all the different schedules in the house, Kolby was always cared for and never had to go to daycare. Brandon, who has a soft spot for family in his heart, decided to try his hand at this whole baby thing to see if he could get it.

“Hey there little cuzzo! Oh…what’s the matter?”

Kolby was not a happy baby and he cried and cried and cried. But Brandon was determined to make him happy, so he did everything could. He talked to him, cuddled him, made faces at him, and everything that babies usually enjoy, but Kolby still was not happy.

“Come on, little man! I’m trying to make you happy but I don’t…WHOA! That’s a really strong odor, dude! Ummmm…your mom is sleep, and your dad is at work…BRITTANY…BRITTANY…man, where is she? DAD! Where is everyone? Geez…I’m gonna have to do this myself then….”

“That was THE grossest thing EVER and I NEVER want to change another diaper EVER!!!”

Despite being grossed out by poopy diapers, Brandon felt really proud that he finally made Kolby happy without anyone’s help. Over the next couple days, everyone had their fair share of changing Kolby and making him happy.

One afternoon, Jasmine and Mackinzie came by for a visit. Mackinzie was hoping to christen the new pool, but she never actually got in. Instead, Jasmine, Mackinzie, Brittany, Bianca, and Brandon sat in the living room and enjoyed some much needed family time.

“So, how do you kids enjoy growing up in this house,” Jasmine asked.

“Oh, it’s divine,” Brittany swooned. “I mean, look at all we have! It’s just soo great!”

Jasmine had just discovered that Brittany was a snob just like her mother and decided to share a little advice.

“Oh, child. Life is more than big houses filled with fancy pieces of art and furniture. It’s about the people who live in the house. What’s the point of having a family if you don’t know the people you live with, or don’t even like them? Why do you think I keep coming here? If you think it’s because I miss this house and the fancy things in it, you’re wrong. I miss the people in it. Be sure to love your family and make lots of friends, because when you die, your money and fancy things will not be there for you.”

“You’re soo cool, Aunt Jasmine! I love it when you visit,” Bianca said.

“That’s soo sweet. I know I’m cool. The voices in my head can’t take credit for that!”

Everyone laughed heartily. Even in her old age, Jasmine was still a bit of a live wire. They continued their visit for a while and went on their way. Maliyah decided to take advantage of the time before the girls went their separate ways.

“Hey girls…sit down for a second. I want to speak with both of you.”

“What’s up, mom,” Brittany asked.

“I just want to say two things, and then you can go about your business. The first thing is that I love you both even though I don’t spend nearly as much time with you as I should.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that, mom” Bianca asked.

“I have my work to think about too! There aren’t enough hours in the day to give the proper time to everything. You understand that, right Bianca?”

“Sure, I understand. You chose your career over your own family. You don’t talk to us, and I see how you treat dad. I understand quite well.”

“You understand nothing, CHILD! We put you in the best schools, buy you the best clothes, get you the best music instructors! We have prepared you all quite well for when you leave this house. But when you leave and you’re on your own, I still have my work! So, forgive me if I like spending time trying to prepare myself for my own future!”

“Whatever, mom. You don’t love us. You only think you do!”

Bianca ran out of the room before the tears came. Maliyah was quite shocked and didn’t know what to say. Brittany, who remained, sat next to her on the couch and tried to smooth things over.

“Mom…you said you had two things to say. What was the other thing?”

“Oh, Brittany, my love. You are the light of my life! I was just going to say that I don’t want you girls to get sucked into what society says you need to do. If you don’t want to get married, then don’t get married. If you don’t want to have kids, don’t let anyone convince you to have them. If you want to be successful and focus on your career, do that! Do whatever YOU want to do!”

“I don’t want to get married, mom. I want to be a famous musician and do concerts all around the world!”

“Good! Do that! We will support you in whatever you want to do.”

“Will daddy be upset?”

“Maybe. But who cares? It’s all about what you want!”

Brittany felt a bit uneasy about her mother telling her to disregard her father’s feelings. But at the same time, she felt liberated to go after her dreams. Maliyah, on the other hand, knew that she may have started trouble.