Hello, everyone, I'm Tabitha Joy Stephens, most of you probably know that already, though. One year ago, my mom, Harmony Stephens, passed her legacy on to me. Over the past year, she's been teaching me how to cook things properly, and be a strong, capable independent woman, who, if need be can take care of her children, her self, her house, and hold up a good paying job. I honestly think she was really trying to make sure I knew what to do if me and my husband Kenny, (or Kendrick, as my mother insists on calling him) get a divorce, like her and my father did, such a long time ago. I don't think she ever got over it. She kept their wedding pictures and the wedding ring in a box under her bed. She still doesn't know that Courtney and I know where it is, and the contents of which are inside of it, and we don't plan on telling her, either.

My mother was a really amazing woman, and I'm more than happy to be aloud to follow in her footsteps, although, those footsteps are pretty large. She's mastered five skills; Cooking, Painting, Athletic, Handiness and Writing, she is also a legendary Master Stylist, that everyone in town knows. As of right now, I've only mastered the painting and writing skills, and that's because I learned them back when I was still a vampire and picked up things at the speed of light. I'm at the second from the top in my painting career, but hardly anyone knows of me, as I'm a loner and I don't like to be around very many people. I have a few other skills, like cooking, which my mom has been trying to help me with, but lets be honest here, I'm a god-awful cook. Mom insists that I'll get better as time goes on, but I doubt her, seriously.

Because it's what I do for my living, I spend about 70% of my time painting. I love to paint, it makes me feel free, and when I'm painting, there's nothing in this world that bothers me, I escape into my own little world.

That is probably why I'm so easy to sneak up on.



"Hello there, my lovely, lovely Tabitha, what are you painting today?" Kenny's voice rings right next to my ear.

I jump about three feet in the air, and turn around, startled, but happy to see him.

Kendrick is amazing. His eyes are a light, beautiful blue-green, and he never ceases to make my heart skip a beat each time he looks into my eyes.

I met Kendrick right after I got out of high school. He was my best friend, Tina Sinclair's cousin.
When I met him, we hit it off right away. I had never met anyone so amazing. Granted, I didn't meet very many people, and only about half the people I met I actually got to know and most of the time, it was forced, but it certainly wasn't that way with Kendrick. I wanted to get to know Kenny as soon as we started to talk, I wanted to be close to him, I wanted to love him. I wanted him to love me. So, naturally when he asked me out on a date, I simply could not say no, as a matter of fact, I think I may have been too quick to say yes. He didn't seem to mind though. We dated for four years before we got married, and we've now been married for a year. He moved in about six months before he proposed.

My mom and sister adore him. He's funny, sweet, really adorable, understanding, and incredibly handsome.

He also seems to understand me perfectly, because I don't always have to say things for him to know what I'm thinking. He just gets me.



"Oh, I'm just painting a picture of the river. Nothing too fancy." I smiled.

"It's looking really good, but no where near as good as you look, my love."

"You're so sweet to me," I laughed softly, "It's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, it kind of is." I giggled.

He just smiled and took me in his arms. He was very, very, very strong. Of course, he was in the Athletic career track, and had almost mastered the Athletic skill. I smiled up at him and we kissed each other softly

He told me that it was late, and that we should get to bed before it became too late.



I loved it when we would crawl into bed together, because most the time, before we actually went to sleep, he'd let me lay on his chest for just a little while, and sometimes, he'd even sing me a song to help me get to sleep. It was so incredibly sweet. Every time he did that, I'd fall a little more in love with him, realizing what an amazing man I had, and that he was always going to be mine. Always. At least, that's what I hoped and prayed for. I never wanted to lose him, he was everything to me. He was the only person outside of my family that I trusted.



He was also very warm, and he warmed me up, which was a good thing, because I had the strangest tendency to just about always be cold. I loved being with him. He was everything I needed, and everything I wanted, and I couldn't wait to have children with him,

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Courtney and I are still very close, despite her busy career and my many new found responsibilities of cooking and cleaning for everyone.

One night she burst into my room, and insisted that she had to say something that was very important, and she wanted me to be the first to know.

"Okay, okay, what is it, honey?" I asked, putting a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Well...." She began, "I just got promoted, and I feel like I'm at a place now where having a man in my life would be a good thing."

"Uh huh...?"

"And, do you remember meeting my friend Lukas? Yeah, he works in the same building as me, but for a different company. I'm in journalism, he's in business, you know the deal. Anyway, we've been seeing each other for about two-ish years now, we just haven't been together because I explained to him my work situation."

"Oh, that's interesting..." I smiled.

"Yeah, and about six months ago I told him that I was ready for a relationship, and tonight, he proposed to me!"



"Oh, wow! Really! Oh honey, I'm so happy for you!" I squealed.

"I'm so happy too! He's such a nice guy, Tabs, he really is."

Tabs. That was her nick-name for me, and only Courtney was aloud to call me Tabs. My mom and husband could call me Tabby if they wanted to, but only Courtney could call me Tabs. She's been calling me that ever since she was a toddler.

We've always been close. It didn't matter that we didn't have the same father. Our dads were never in our lives. We were a family of women, who stuck close together and didn't need anything else. Maybe that's why we get along so well, I'll never know.

My father just came into my life. After 20 years of being divorced from my mother, I'm just now starting to get to know him, and that was mostly because he came to my wedding. However, Courtney's dad never shows up to anything, and our mom always invites him, he just simply doesn't want to come.

So even though we're only half-sisters, we're still sisters, and we're still family.



"I'm so, so happy for you Court!" I giggled.

"I'm happy too! Oh my god! You're going to be my maid of honor, and you HAVE to help me plan!"

"Of course, my dear." I laughed, "Of course."

"Kay, good." She smiled.

"I also have some pretty big news." I whispered.

"You do?' She asked, slightly concerned.

"Yup, I just found out today."

"What did you find out?" Courtney softly questioned.

"Well, I found out that I'm pregnant!" I squealed happily.

"Wow! That's awesome! Congrats!" She smiled and hugged me really tight.

"Thanks, hun!"

"C'mon!" She smiled as she pulled me down the stairs, "We have to go tell mom!"



As soon as my mom found out that I was pregnant, she started feeding me my favorite foods, and lots of really tasty things that were good for me to be eating. She always made sure I had a ton of food, and that I also had a ton of water.



After I went to go see a doctor to confirm my pregnancy, I told Kenny.

I took him by the hand and led him over to the side of the room after he finished his dinner.

"Hey darling," he smiled, giving me a quick kiss, "what's up?"



"Well," I paused, "I have some pretty big news, but don't worry, it's good news."

"Alrighty then," he said, laughing, "What's the news, then?"

"I'm pregnant!"



His hand immediately went to my belly and he left it there, and then he looked up at me and smiled.

"Oh my god, we're gonna have a baby!"

"Yeah! We are!" I laughed.

He smiled and gave me a big hug and said he was so happy, and that he couldn't wait to meet the next baby Stephens.



Every night when he came home from work, he'd listen, talk to, and feel my tummy, to "check" on the baby. He was so excited, he kept saying that he couldn't wait, and he read just about every parenting book he could get his hands on.



After he'd check on the baby, he'd kiss me, tell me how much he loved me, and that he would be nothing like my dad when it came to raising our children. He swore every night that he was never going to leave me or any of the children we had, he was going to stay with us, and I wouldn't have to do it alone.



If I ever was scared, or unsure, all I had to do was hold his hand. For some reason, that simple act was enough to make me believe anything he told me.



The night I went into labor, I was just about to sit down to eat some dinner, and then it just happened, I felt my water break and I ran out to the car, telling Kenny to get the things we had packed up for this trip.



Kenny freaked out a little at first, and my mom just looked a little smug, but she quickly helped him compose himself and sent him out the door to drive me to the hospital.



At 1:09 AM, Paige Irene Stephens was born, and she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life. I just had my first baby, and from what my mom has told me, this is where the real fun begins.

I guess we're just going to have to wait and see.