Chapter 1

I groan as I lay my book down and make my way to the nursery. So much for studying. As I enter the light purple room, a smile comes to my face. My fiance is trying to get my three month old daughter to stop crying by singing to her. I can see his mouth moving, but his words are too soft for me to hear from my place at the door. I lean against the door frame, trying not to interrupt them. A tug on my pant leg brings my attention to my other daughter standing beside me.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." She says, staring up at me with her deep blue eyes. I laugh softly and pick her up, carrying her into the kitchen. I set her down on the counter and start searching through the cabinets for something edible. Stale cereal, a half empty box of baby formula, and a packet of hot chocolate are all I find. Time to go grocery shopping.

"Go grab your jacket sweetheart. We're gonna go buy some food." I say as I set her back down on the tile floor, smiling as I watch her run off to her bedroom. I walk back to the nursery and pray that Lizzie hasn't fallen asleep already. When I walk into the room, Alex is just getting finished changing her diaper. I smile and sneak up behind them before he turns around. I wrap my arms around his waist and he slowly turns around and kisses me.

"Aren't you supposed to be studying?" He asks, trying to look stern, but his grin stills shows through.

"Well, I was, but we are completely out of food. And, Julie would like to have dinner sometime tonight." I answer and take Lizzie out of his arms and place her back on the changing table.

"You still need to study. I'll go get us something to eat." He says as he gently takes me by the arm and leads me back into the living room where my books and notes are scattered everywhere. Reluctantly, I obey him and sit back down and open the book again. He disapears back into the nursery. A couple of minutes he reappears and grabs his jacket off the back of the couch and then turns his attention to me.

"I'll be back in about fifteen minutes. Julie wants pizza so I'm going to go to Pizza Hut. Lizzie's asleep and Julie's watching TV in her room. If you need anything, I've got my cell. Bye, sweetheart." He says as he searches his pockets for his keys and then leans over to kiss me goodbye. I watch him go out the door and then go back to my studying. Not five minutes later, Lizzie starts crying again. One again, I lay the book down and walk to the nursery. I walk over to the crib and pick the wailing child up, gently rocking her back and forth as I pace the room. I turn the lamp beside the rocking chair on, turn the overhead light off, and sit down and rock her for awhile. How in the world am I supposed to plan a wedding, raise to kids, and finish school? Not that I don't love Alex, Julie, and Lizzie. I do, its just too much for me to take at one time. After I had had Lizzie, Alex had forced me to go back to college and get my degree. Surprisingly, neither of the girls are ours. Well, both of ours biologically anyway. Alex had had Julie with his highschool sweetheart. They had married, but Julie's mother had died in a car accident a couple months after she was born. Alex had raised Julie on his own, with some help from his neighbors. I had gotten drunk at a party and had slept with a guy. I had met Alex when I was around two months pregnant. We got paired up to do a project on Shakespeare for our literature class. I had told him about Lizzie and he had stuck by me. I had moved in with them a couple months before Lizzie was born. He had actually proposed while I was still in the hospital.

I quickly bring myself out of my thoughts and look down at the sleeping infant in my arms. Just as I am laying her back in her crib, the phone starts ringing. I rush into the living room, thankfully silencing the noise before it woke her up.

"This better be good." I say as soon as I had answered.

"Geesh. What's up with you?" Oh, great. Just who I need. Cheyanne.

"Cheyanne, what do you want? I just got Lizzie back to sleep and I have to study for like ten exams tommorow." I reply, too exhausted to be polite.

"I just wanted to know how you were doing! And, you have a dress fitting tommorow at three." The wedding is in like a month. And, Alex has to work tommorow until four. Which means I'll have to find someone to watch the girls.

"Okay, sorry for snapping. I really have to study now. Bye." I say before hanging up.

I settle back down on the couch and open the book again. Before I have even finished reading one page, my eyelids start to feel heavy. I lay the book on the coffee table and yawn. I close my eyes and lay my head back against the couch.

"Charlie, sweetheart." I hear, and someone is gently shaking me. I groan and curl myself up into a tighter ball. I hear a chuckle, and then I'm being lifted up into strong arms. He carries me into our bedroom and gently lays me down on the bed. I snuggle under the covers, way beyond the point of tired.

"Night, baby." Is the last thing I hear before drifting back off to sleep.