Chapter 21: Poppy

       "Daddy, guess what?" Alan said as he ran over to Grayson. "I'm six now!"

       "No, I'm six now!" Orchid said. "You're still five!"

       "Nuh uh!" 

       "Uh huh!"

       Grayson sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You two do know that you share a birthday, right? Nolan as well. Come on, we go over this every year."

       "I don't want to share a birthday with him," Orchid said.

       "And I don't want to share a birthday with her," Alan shot back, sticking his tongue out at Orchid, and she stuck her tongue out.

       Every year, the two of them always argued about whose birthday was really on the twenty-sixth and no matter how many times Grayson and I told them that they shared a birthday, they wouldn't listen.

       "You see?" Ryder said. "This is why I'm happy that I don't have a twin. Or a triplet. May twenty-second is all about me and nobody else."

       "You do realize that a lot of people in the world have the same birthday as you?" Grayson asked.

       "Well, yeah, but I'm talking about the family," Ryder said. "That day is all about me."

       "Every day is about you," Grayson said.

       "Well....You're not wrong," Ryder said.

       Grayson snorted and rolled his eyes as Nolan walked out of the bedroom the kids were sleeping in. He ran over to me and gave me a hug. "Morning, Mommy," he said.

       "Good morning, Nolan," I said. "And happy birthday."

       Nolan smiled. "Thank you."

       "No, it's my birthday," Alan said.

       "No, mine!" Orchid said. I sighed. Here we go again.

      "We all share a birthday, remember?" Nolan said, his eyebrows furrowed. "We were all born on the same day."

       "And you guys always wonder why I have a favorite sibling," Ryder said. "Nolan is the only one thinking logically."

       "Ryder, you shouldn't have a favorite sibling," I said.

       "Why not?" Ryder asked. "You do."

       "Because I only have one sibling," I said.

       "Yeah, and I only have one non-annoying sibling," Ryder pointed out. "Besides, Dad has a favorite child. Me."

       "I know, and he really shouldn't," I said, looking over at Grayson with a raised eyebrow.

       "Oh, come on, don't give me that look, Flower," Grayson said. "He's our miracle child, conceived through ang--"

       "Don't say it," I said. "And I'm serious. You really shouldn't have any favorites."

       "It's not like Ryder is the only one I love," Grayson said. "I love the triplets, you know that. They are my children. I just....favorite Ryder."

       I sighed, and then a huge argument broke out between Orchid and Alan, once again talking about their birthday. I didn't understand why they couldn't understand that they shared a birthday. They had to argue about this every single year. Nolan was the only one who understood.

       Seriously, they were six years old now. It wasn't hard to understand that they were all born on the same day.

       "I'm mad now," Orchid said, crossing her arms off her chest. 

       "Will some TV make you feel better?" Grayson asked and Orchid nodded, so Grayson turned on the TV for them and Orchid picked out a movie.

       Unfortunately, another argument broke out when Orchid's favorite actor appeared on the TV. "Look! That's my husband!" she said.

       "No, that's my husband," Nolan said. He always did that just to bug Orchid.

       "No! Dad, tell Nolan he can't have a husband," Orchid said.

       "Well, he technically can," Grayson said. "But the three of you really need to stop arguing over the smallest of things, or else there will be no birthday cake tonight."

       "That's rude," Alan said. "Will you still be able to eat the cake?"

       "Yes," Grayson said.

       Alan gasped. "That's even ruder. It's my birthday. I deserve cake."

       "Wait, no, it's my birthday," Orchid said. "I deserve cake."

       Ryder groaned. "Oh my....Okay, all three of you have the same birthday. You were born the same day. What's so hard about that to understand?"

       "Uh, the part where I'm sharing a birthday," Alan said. "I don't want to share a birthday."

       "I don't want to share a birthday either," Orchid said. "Mom, can I have a new birthday? My birthday could be on Christmas!"

       "That's not how birthdays work," I said.

       "Yeah," Ryder said. "Birthdays are days in which you are born. All three of you were born six years ago on the same day, on December twenty-sixth. It's not so hard to understand, geez."

       "You're too sassy for a nine-year-old," Grayson said.

       "I'm sassy because my siblings are annoying," Ryder said. "And because of you."

       Grayson shrugged. "Fair enough."

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Lol, I wanted a longer chapter but I really have to lay down now because I'm starting to feel sick again. I wanted a hot bath but for some reason, there's no hot water. :/