Animalistic (Tiger in Her Bed)

The room was silent for a second and the next, it exploded with cheers. Savannah jumped from her seat and lurched to Arielle to give her a bone-crushing hug. The matriarch of the family might be slim, but she packed a lot of firepower. Everybody congratulated them.

“How far along? Have you gone to the doctor? When is your due date?” Savannah bombarded her with questions. “I can’t believe I’m finally going to be a grandmother!”

Vanessa grinned next to her. “Way to go sis, the pressure is off of me.”

“What are you talking about? We’re definitely going to try harder,” Quinn said to his new wife. “I’m not going to lose to Trent.”

“Don’t make this a contest. You’re being ridiculous.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“Damn it, woman, you’re so going to get it.” Quinn pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her amorously.

“Children, play nice,” John chimed in. “I’m pretty sure, soon this house will be filled with little Quinn’s and Trent’s. Just imagine if one Quinn or Trent is a handful, a dozen of their little clones would turn this house upside down. Mother is going to be very busy.”

“John, I’m not a baby factory,” Vanessa smacked John’s shoulder.

“Speaking of that,” Uncle Victor addressed John. “When are you going to get married? Don’t you have a special lady? You’re not getting any younger, you know? How old are you? Thirty-five?”

“I’m almost thirty. I’m in the prime of my life. Don’t make me sound like an old guy.”

Savannah also chimed in, “Yeah, John. Your brothers are getting married, but you’re still sowing your wild oats left and right. It would be nice if you found a nice girl and settled down. Your father would want to see you happy, with a family of your own.”

John visibly shuddered. “No. No way. I’ll never settle down. I’ll never fall in love or get married.”

“That’s what I thought before I met Arielle,” said Trent, looking at her with his kitten-in-love gaze. “She proved me wrong.”

“That’s not going to happen. I like being single and I’m going to be single until the day I die. Just you watch. Children and married life aren’t for me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Big talk.” Trent waved him off.

“I mean it.” John was adamant. “I’d never get married.”

Trent rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that, brother o’ mine.”

The End…