.:Author's Note:.

Jonathan's kitchen at the top

Sorry for the delay, life has been a bitch.

Please excuse any mistakes

***

Jonathan's POV:

The doorbell resonated throughout the house just as I finished helping my girls with the last question on their homework papers. They squealed loudly, knowing exactly who was outside. Just as they were about to get up to throw the door open, I stopped their excited movements.

"Girls, pack away your things." I told them, getting up from the stool. "You know your Aunt Macy doesn't like to see messes."

"Yes, Daddy." They grumbled, making me grin. I left them in the kitchen and headed for the front door. Thanks to the decorative glass, I could see the outline of Macy's shape. I braced myself while opening the door, knowing what was to come.

"Bugsy!" Macy cheered before launching into my chest. I laughed as I hugged my sister tightly while she sniffled into my neck. Despite living in the same state, we didn't get to see each other often since we were always busy with work and other things. This was the first time I was seeing her in almost three months.

"Don't cry, Pebbles." I chuckled while setting her down. "You can't give your nieces a reason to tease you during your stay, now can you?" I joked. Macy gasped before quickly wiping her face dry.

"You're so right! Those little boogers are too much." She laughed. "Where are they anyways?"

"Aunty Macy!" My girls cheered before I could answer. They came rushing to the front door, pushing me out of the way so that their aunt could smother them in kisses. I smiled at the sight before grabbing Macy's bag and ushering everyone inside.

"How are you, my little lovelies?" Macy asked as she took a seat on the sofa, placing each twin on one side of her.

"We got suspended from school." April shrugged carelessly.

"Yeah, for kicking a boy's butt!" Alyssa explained.

"What? No way! Jonathan, why didn't you send me a recording?" Macy joked.

"Because I don't condone violence." I replied with a laugh. "Plus I wasn't even there to see it myself. I'm gonna go put these bags in your room."

"Thanks, Bugsy. Love you!"

"Yeah. Yeah. Love you too."

I left Macy and my girls in the living room to bond while I headed for the guestroom. Knowing that my sister was a slight germaphobe, I made sure to sweep and dust off every piece of furniture. Her comforter and sheets were crisp white, smelling heavily of bleach. I didn't understand how she could stomach such a strong scent but to each their own. Once I placed her bags next to her temporary bed, I left the room and closed the door behind me.

My sister and my twins were still busy conversing when I returned, so I got started on lunch to help pass the time. Grilled cheese sandwiches alongside tomato soup was a family favorite, so I knew that no one would have a problem if I served it for lunch. Macy, especially, would finish three servings alone.

While making lunch, my head filled with thoughts of Winston. I wondered what he was doing right now. Was he as excited about our date tomorrow night as I am? Shit! What kind of date should I even plan? I had like a day and a half to prepare! My mind filled with question after question and thought after thought until I started to panic a bit.

"I know that look." Macy voiced, distracting me from my own mind. I flipped the grilled cheese sandwich over in the pan before looking at her.

"What look?" I asked, knowing that despite my slight panic, my face had been blank.

"The look of a man who's worrying." She laughed while taking a seat at the stovetop island. "Bugsy, have you forgotten that we grew up together? I know all of your looks, and even with a blank face, I know when you're overthinking or second guessing yourself. What's wrong?"

When I didn't respond immediately, a knowing look crossed her face.

"Is it Winston?" She teased, making me roll my eyes. "It is!"

"Shut up." I muttered, causing her to laugh again.

"You know, you two would make quite the couple."

"Why do you say that?" I asked as I took the ready sandwich out of the pan before placing another set inside to grill.

"Well, while Winston is reserved and withdraws from people more often than not, you have a tendency to easily tear down people's walls. I was kind of surprised when he called me back last night and told me that he agreed to go on a date with you."

"Why? Should I be offended by that last statement?"

"Of course not! I was surprised because he actually wanted to converse with me. In the ten years that I've known him, Winston has never willingly talked to anyone from the support group. If anything, I should be praising you for getting him to open up, even just for a little bit."

"Thanks, I guess. But, can I tell you something?" I asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Anything. You know that." Macy immediately replied, causing me to grin.

"The girls think that Winston is my soulmate sent to me by their mother."

"We don't think; we know." Two synchronized voices joined the conversation, scaring Macy and me out of our skins.

"Holy shit balls!" Macy shouted, clenching her chest while Alyssa and April took seats at the island next to her.

"Girls, how many times have I told you both not to scare people like that? I'm going to have to put bells around both of your necks."

"You say that every time." Alyssa giggled while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, Daddy, and you never do." April continued.

"Well, I will." Macy grumbled. "I nearly had a heart attack!"

"We're sorry, Aunty." My girls said, making me frown since they hadn't apologized to me too. I was frightened as well!

"You're forgiven." Macy answered. "Now, tell me more about how you know Winston is your daddy's soulmate."

"Mommy told us." April stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I placed three separate bowls of tomato soup and some grilled cheese sandwiches in front of my twins and my sister. However, while Alyssa and April dug right in, Macy ignored the food altogether.

"You've spoken to Miranda?! You guys can speak to dead people?! Bugsy, they can speak to dead people?!" Macy disputed while staring between my girls and me with wide eyes.

"I've given up trying to understand this skill. I just sort of roll with it now." I replied, dipping my sandwich into my soup before taking a bite. Mhm. I am quite the chef!

"Dude, that's not something you just ignore. They can speak to their dead mother!"

"We talk to Grandma Amelia sometimes too." Alyssa added on, like a sort of afterthought. Now that, I did not know.

"You've spoken to Mom?" Macy and I asked at the same time.

Quick family tree rundown: My birth parents, Joyce and Christopher, divorced while my mother was pregnant with me. They realized a little too late that they no longer wanted to be with each other, which was how I remained in the picture. My parents remained good friends after the divorce and were able to give me a relatively normal life despite no longer living together the first few years.

Fast forward four years from my birth, and we are introduced to Amelia and Macy. My dad, Christopher, fell in love with Macy's mom, Amelia, and got married a year or two later. So now, I had two moms and one dad. But hold on, the family tree doesn't stop there.

A few months later, Mommy Joyce meets Augustus, Macy's birth father and Mommy Amelia's ex-husband (Augustus and Amelia also ended on good terms). They spontaneously got married, resulting in an additional father, which meant I now had two dads and two moms. In some weird twist of faith, I guess Macy and I were just destined to become siblings.

Another crazy thing, we all moved into one big house together. We had four parents under one roof who took care of us instead of just two. It was so cool to be able to live as one happy family. Our lives were the shit despite the endless spiral of bad dad jokes and demands to "go ask your mother."

Unfortunately, Mommy Amelia passed away two years ago. So hearing that the girls had been in contact with her was as exciting as it was terrifying and saddening.

"Yeah, we've spoken to Grandma." April grinned. "She says she's glad you've found someone, Daddy."

"And she wants you to stop searching for love, Aunt Macy. He's out there somewhere. Let him come to you." Alyssa said thoughtfully. I looked at my sister to find that her eyes were welling with tears. However, my girls were too occupied with their food to notice.

"Pebbles-"

"I need a minute, Bugsy." Macy said, quickly wiping her eyes before getting up from her seat. "I-I think I'm gonna lay down for a bit."

"Okay. I'll come get you before I start dinner."

"Thanks." She replied with a small smile before leaving the kitchen. I sighed as I rubbed my face tiredly. A small frown worked its way into my features while my girls stared at me innocently.

"We're sorry, Daddy!" They said simultaneously. "We didn't mean to make Aunty Macy upset."

"It wasn't you per se, girls. Aunt Macy just has some things she needs to work out on her own." I explained. They glanced at each other before looking back at me.

"But can we do something to make her feel better?" Questioned Alyssa, making me grin.

"I'm sure she would love a big picture of all of us."

"Oh, we can draw, Daddy!" April said excitedly.

"I know you both can. Why don't you girls go do that while I make her favorite cookies? We can have a little family movie night tonight."

"Yes!" They cheered before disappearing at nearly lightning speed. I chuckled as I cleaned out their plates, slurping up their leftover soup. Don't judge me.

I put Macy's food aside for later before pulling out the necessary ingredients for double fudge chocolate chip cookies. They were my sister's go-to snack, and I knew that a healthy helping of dessert would be just what she needed to get out of her sudden funk.

Just as I was putting the ingredients into a bowl to mix everything together, my laptop rang. I threw a few chocolate chips into my mouth before hurrying into the living room to answer the FaceTime call. A shit eating grin appeared on my face when Winston's quirky, glasses wearing, being came into view.

"Jonathan. Hi!" He smiled, and I nearly swooned like some lovesick teenage girl.

"Hey, Winston. What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Mr. Montego just sent a few wardrobe ideas to my house and I wanted to know if you'd like to see them."

"Sure, I'll take a look at them. Let me just finish preparing this cookie dough and put it in the oven."

"Cookies?!" Winston's eyes widened. "What kind of cookies?"

"Double fudge chocolate chip." I replied with a laugh, carrying my laptop into the kitchen and setting it down on the counter so that he could still see me.

"My favorite! Will you save some for me?" He teased, making me smirk. Time to get my flirt on.

"I wouldn't need to if you were over here." Oh yeah, real smooth, Jonathan.

Winston's face reddened as he looked away from the camera for a second before playfully rolling his eyes at me.

"Maybe I'd be there if I was invited." He replied, making me laugh. Spicy. I love it!

"Well, here's your invitation. Winston, would you like to come over?"

"What? Jonathan, I was only kidding." He said in surprise while his blush darkened. "I can't intrude like that. Plus, we already have a date tomorrow."

"You're not intruding. I want you here." I declared. I was dead serious about making Winston the happiest he's ever been, and in order to do so, I had to let him know that he was wanted. The negative feelings he had towards himself weren't justifiable at all; not in my opinion anyway, and they were keeping him back from enjoying life.

"My car is in the shop, remember?" He finally answered after moments of contemplation.

"That's okay. I'd be happy to pick you up."

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" He questioned with a wide grin, letting me know that he was okay with that.

"Nope. I'll be there in an hour." I said, with a grin of my own.

"See you then."