The Luna and her Quadruplet Pups by Jane Above Story

Ella

I’m gaping at Ethan, wondering where on earth this came from.I already explained to him why I haven’t shared our baby news with the pups yet, and I can’t believe he would dismiss those concerns so quickly.

What am I saying? I think grimly. Of course I can believe it. This isn’t the same Ethan who lowed you, remember?

“No, it’s too soon.” I object, feeling furious that he chose this moment to have this conversation, when I should be enjoying watching the children unwrap their new pet.

On the floor in front of us, the pups are carefully unwinding the ribbon from the box containing their new bunny, positively quaking with excitement. They’re wearing identical expressions of utmost focus, brows furrows and lips pursed in concentration. No sooner have they freed the ribbon and carefully lifted the flaps of the box, that a little white blur comes bursting out, hopping right out of the box as the pups squeal with surprise and excitement.

“It is a bunny!” Paisley exclaims, “I knew it!”

“Wait, where are you going!” Riley directs her words at the bunny itself, which is enthusiastically exploring the penthouse and seems completely unbothered by the fact that four puppies are in hot pursuit, eager to catch and cuddle it.

“That bunny has nerves of steal.” I observe dryly .”Oh I tested every bunny at the pet store.” Ethan whispers, standing much too close for my liking. “I knew we would need a brave one to survive the pups.”

I can’t help but smile as I watch my children giggle and beam, following the bunny around and asking it questions. Is it from the wild? Does it have a name? Is it a boy or a girl? Is it white because it came from the North Pole? They don’t seem to mind that the bunny isn’t answering any of their questions.

When the bunny hops onto Ethan’s foot, I begin to wonder if this bunny is brave or just stupid. I know it was raised around wolves, but surely it recognizes a predator as dangerous as my ex- husband? Shouldn’t it be more afraid of being gobbled up? Ethan scoops up the furball in one large hand. “Let’s see, little bunny, what’s your story?”

Ethan lifts the rabbit to his ear, pretending to listen intently then nodding along as if the bunny is speaking to him. “He says he’s a boy, and he calls himself Mr. Fluff though you can give him a nickname if you like, and yes, he is white because he comes from the arctic, though he’s only ever visited the north pole itself.”

“Daddy ask him if he’s wild!” Paisley chirps excitedly.

“Mr Fluff, are you wild?” Ethan presses, speaking very solemnly to the little fuzzball resting in his palm. He holds the bunny to his ear again. “Ah, he says he was wild once but he got tired of living in all that snow and hopping around so much just to find his dinner, so he went to Santa and asked him to find him a nice family that would give him a home, and lots of treats so he can get very fat.”

the pups again is near the top of the list. It drives me mad that he can be so fun and loving with him, when I know he plans on phasing himself out of their lives. It makes everything feel so very insincere. What’s worse than my outrage for

he pretend to be nice until we go

he show me a fraction of this warmth,

to hold him? He told me he loves cuddles but only if you

their little paws with reverence, as if they’ve been assigned a very solemn duty indeed. Parker takes the bunny first, cuddling him to his chest and stroking one finger down his pink, twitching

you want.” Riley adds, hesitantly reaching

bunny language!” Paisley looks up at Ethan

just about listening with your

mind and let him

you want to

the white creature to his sister’s ear. Her sweet face lights up like fireworks, and she grins up

smiles proudly. “You’re a

I’m glad that this game has distracted him from thoughts of telling the pups about the baby, at least for now. Of course, almost as soon as I think this, he finds a way to prove me wrong. The

tell them about the baby while we’re together, so we can both

goes wrong?”I whisper, hating speaking this particular fear

eyes, but it disappears as quickly as it surfaced. “If something does go wrong and the pups know,

about me and I

probably more stressful for them to know you’re upset but not understand why, then to have you talk things through with them. Besides, if you share your feelings with them, they’ll learn

I bottle things up and hide them from my children, they’ll learn to do the same. It goes against my every instinct, but when Ethan continues, I know I

be placing a burden on them, you’ll just be teaching

it up only makes them think it’s wrong or shameful. And we don’t even know if that

reply, wrapping my arms around myself protectively, and

Fluff isn’t