Run, Girl (If You Can)

Alice couldn't believe her ears. Roger really thought she was beautiful. Brock had never once called her beautiful. Lacy Knighton had been the true beauty in her circle who got all of the attention, may she rest in peace.

She had been touted as a beautiful bride but that was primarily because of how much money her parents forked out for her wedding dress. People had been more interested in the dress than in her. Such compliments meant nothing to her.

But hearing it from somebody whose opinion she valued…Alice found her face turning pink.

"Don't exaggerate," she mumbled.

"I'm not. You have a natural elegance about you no matter what you wear. But I personally think you look most beautiful when you're smiling because your eyes crinkle at the corners and it makes me want to smile too," Roger admitted, looking a little pink-faced himself.

Alice was touched. No one had ever said anything like this to her before. Emboldened by the compliments, she leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you."

He furrowed his brow, confused. "For what?"

"For giving me hope. If someone as good as you can like me I might not be that bad after all," she said with a slight smile.

Despite her poise, her self-esteem really was quite low. That was what happened when you dealt with backstabbers who didn't actually like you. Alice wished she could save her little brother from such a fate but her parents still refused to let her see him.  

Since no one had ever truly liked her it was a bit difficult for her to like herself. Had Aaron experienced the same thing? Was that part of why he was so different with his wife?

Roger sighed sadly. "He really did a number on you, didn't he?" He scooted closer so he could wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I guess I'll just have to tell you how wonderful you are on a regular basis until it sinks in."

Alice smiled contentedly and leaned into his embrace. "I can live with that."

She closed her eyes and savored the feeling of being wanted by someone who mattered to her. She could get used to this.

===

Keeley was half focused on supervising the babies as they played with the cats and half focused on the clock. Dinner was still warming in the Crock Pot because Aaron was running late.

He had texted her an hour ago to let her know he got held up because a meeting ran long. He was probably stuck in traffic right now.

She sighed. Having him home on time every day in this life had spoiled her. She wanted him home already so she could get the standard enthusiastic hug and kiss he always gave when he got back from the office.

Yep. Definitely spoiled.

Her phone dinged and she pounced on it. Was Aaron still being held up by something else? But no, the message was from Alice.

'Took your advice. It worked out pretty well'

She was about to clarify whether or not it was the advice she had given earlier today about Roger when she got another message. It was a sneakily taken selfie where his arm was around her and he was looking the other way. She had the biggest smile Keeley had ever seen on her face.

She couldn't help but chuckle slightly. That was certainly fast. Alice didn't waste any time at all. Good for her. The Alices of this world deserved to find happiness.

Keeley had been like her once. She hadn't expected to ever find happiness in a man again, let alone the same one. After being reborn her sole focus was on her career and making friends.

Things were so different now. She had friends, the promise of a future career, a family of her own, and Aaron's love. Life couldn't possibly be any better.

As she reminisced, a hiss and a child's cry caught her attention. She immediately looked to Kaleb, who was wailing as he nursed a scratch on his hand. He must have pulled Molly's tail again.

She rushed to comfort her son, pulling him into her lap. "Hey Kaleb, remember what Mommy said about being soft with the kitties?" He nodded pitifully and she continued. "If you aren't soft with them, they'll get scared and lash out."

Keeley stood and balanced him on her hip. "Come on, sweetie, let's get you feeling better."

She found the little first aid kit in the kitchen and cleaned the scratch with an antibacterial wipe before putting a bandage on it. Then she kissed it, making a dramatic "mwah" sound that made him giggle.

"All better!" she declared. Kaleb believed his mother's words and scrambled to get down and rejoin his sister in the living room.

What was she going to do with that kid? He got little injuries way more often than Violet did. He was far too adventurous. He was always zooming around and bumping into things. They had been forced to babyproof the entire house as soon as he could crawl. It was even worse now that he was walking.

Kaleb was only a year old but he loved balls and had a surprisingly good throwing arm. They had set up a little ball pool in one corner of the entertaining area on the second floor and he absolutely loved it. Keeley couldn't help but wonder if he would enjoy baseball half as much as his uncle and grandpa.

Violet tended to prefer soft toys like stuffed animals but she also enjoyed anything that made noise. They had bought a bunch of baby's first instruments like toy keyboards as well.

These days poor Keeley almost always had a vague headache because too many noisy toys were going off at once. That's what she gets for having twins. But she would take her babies over peace and quiet in a heartbeat.

The elevator door dinged and it took all of her willpower not to leave the twins unsupervised and launch herself down the stairs at her husband. When he reached the top of the staircase she ran at him anyway and threw herself into his arms.

Aaron returned her embrace tightly. "Seems like someone missed me," he said in good humor.

"I did," she admitted without shame. That didn't mean she couldn't tease him as well. "But I'm also starving since you made me wait for dinner. Go get changed so we can eat."

He gave her a quick kiss before leaving the mail he had collected from the doorman on the table and heading upstairs to do as she said.