**Ch 3: Back on Routine

After we went inside, I followed Rose to her bedroom, and I helped her give the vamp baby a bath in his infant bathtub from on top of the long black and silver marble sink. The little vamp baby was two months old now, and he was a happy baby. Every day, he'd always smile and hardly ever cry. He'd cooed as Rose wiped the washcloth down his body and arms while I cleaned his legs.

"Somebody's enjoying his bath." I commented with a big smile as I washed between his tiny piggy toes.

His bright emerald green eyes looked at me, and his parted smile only beamed brighter when he crooned softly. For a tiny being, he is quite alert.

"You little flirt." Rose giggled because she saw his cute playful response to my voice.

Since his vamp parents were raising him, he was more aware of his instincts. Whereas a human-raised vamp baby will forget who they are as an Apex predator because of the absence of his or her vamp father. Compared to human babies or human-raised vamp babies, he showed his intelligence.

"He's such a cutie. I can't get over his snow-white blonde hair that he inherited from Ace." I mentioned it because it was too adorable.

"I know." Rose giggled. "He looks so much like his daddy."

"He has your eyes." I mentioned because I saw a lot of features that he had gotten from her. Like her nose and eyes are two things to name.

Once his bath was done, she wrapped him in a baby towel, and we then took a seat on the bed with him. I padded him dry while Rose got his clothes and a diaper unfolded to be used.

"A little motherly advice for when you have your triplets. Always put their diapers on quickly before they pee everywhere, especially with boys." Rose advised, and she couldn't stop laughing while she was putting his diaper on.

"I'll keep that in mind." I chuckled since I could only imagine.

I've overheard Ace say he peed like a rainbow, and it somehow managed to nail Rome across the living room, all because Ace was taking too long to put on his diaper. This happened when I was in a coma, so I missed the priceless moment of that happening to Rome. I'd pay money to see a replay of that one. Rome, our childish jokester, got what he had coming to him, and I missed it.

"How do you dress him without breaking him whenever he's wiggling around?" I asked because he was exceptionally fragile, yet his arms and legs never stopped moving while she was putting his PJs on him. Kind of like the triplets in my tummy. They're always moving, especially when they hear Kai's voice.

Rose shared. "At first, I was scared, but you get used to it. You'll learn how to gently move the clothes around their wiggly limbs."

I smiled at the baby when Ace walked into the bedroom. "I see someone is getting pampered," he commented when he saw Rose had finished dressing their offspring.

"Yes, he did," Rose replied, picking up her baby. "I'm hoping he goes to bed."

"I should probably head to my room," I declared, inching my body off the bed, and Ace offered his hand to help me stand. I wasn't huge, but the pregnancy weight was certainly there.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Kai's minions finished cleaning up the bloody mess on your balcony, so you won't smell any dead birds or blood," Ace informed me, which was such a relief.

"I'm glad to hear that. My nose smells everything," I annoyingly huffed at my outward statement, and they laughed at me.

"Pregnancy does that." Rose giggled as she rocked the baby in a rocking chair from in the small living room by their balcony.

"I'll let you guys get him to bed."

Before I had a chance to leave, Ace asked me. "Are you going to college tomorrow?"

"I don't think so." I frowned because I was sort of scared to go.

Ace smiled. "Don't let yourself feel demoralized or frightened. We'll be guarding the campus," he claimed.

"No offense, but other vampires always seem to somehow get around you guys," I reminded him.

Ace reassured me, "Vampires are always everywhere, and we always figure out a way to outsmart each other, but it doesn't mean you should give up your life and your ambitions. No one can touch you yet, and Rex will never come back to Earth. Everything is good."

"Alright, fine. I'll go, but if anything happens, I will blame you," I asserted, and Ace only chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ace informed me as I opened the door. "If you need anything, text me or summon me in your head. I'll be right over."

"Will do," I confirmed before closing the door.

~~~

The next day, I was up early for college, but I'd been up for hours since I had to change my sleeping patterns around to avoid Orlando from entering my dreams. Of course, my ex-fiance had to have a powerful gift that gave him access to anyone's dreams. After I learned he was a dream walker, my sleep schedule hadn't been the same, I irritatedly thought as I was getting ready. Afterward, I drove to college and did my usual routine schedule by going to my morning classes.

"How was your trip to the island?" my best friend Nora asked me after we both arrived in Mrs. Nasberry's class.

Little did anyone know that Mrs. Nasberry was disguised to look like an old librarian lady. Meanwhile, she was a gorgeous vampiress. Her vampiric enchantment makes the human eyes see whatever the vampire or vampiress wants them to see. In class, she was stern and uptight. Back at home, she was fun and exhilarating. Everyone called her Aunt Nasberry because she's Kai's aunt since she's Mrs. Collin's older sister.

"Mm, it was fun." I sadly lied to my best friend.

Nora didn't know I'd been in a coma for all those weeks she hadn't heard from me. Mia informed me that she had told Nora that Kai and I went to his private island, and I couldn't reach her because there wasn't any cell phone service or phones at all, for that matter. This little island lie has been going on since after Kai woke up. It was the only excuse he came up with because he chose not to tell me the truth about vampires after he bailed me out of jail in Egypt.

"I'm sure that had to be a nice vacation. Mia showed me a few pictures," Nora mentioned, and I wasn't sure how Mia pulled it off by showing her these pictures, but she somehow did.

I faked a smile. "It was a nice getaway."

"Alright, class, let us begin." Mrs. Nasberry started her lecture, and thank goodness she did. Otherwise, I'd have to keep lying to Nora.