To my utter shock, Adam's face broke out into a grin when I told him of our baby, and he immediately started talking of plans for our future. I couldn't believe he was willing to give up his freedom, his other girlfriends... but he told me they meant nothing to him now that we had a child on the way.




Adam moved in shortly after. Now that he didn't have to worry about paying rent, I urged him to quit his bartending job and to follow his aspiration of becoming an athlete. He soon found a position as a mascot for a local sports team.




The job allowed him a lot of free time, which he always spent with me, and with the baby safely growing inside of me. We spent hours discussing baby names and making plans for the nursery.




Before I knew it, those nine months were through and our baby became a reality! I gave birth to a healthy baby boy, whom we named Jordan.




Adam continued to surprise me by quickly becoming a doting, loving father. There was hardly a moment when the two were apart, and I rarely had to feed or bathe Jordan because Adam was always two steps ahead of me.




Jordan was also spoiled by his grandparents, who were thrilled to have a baby to fill their days and make them feel young again.




Mom and Dad were acting like newlyweds again, showing their affection for each other at every opportunity. It was endearing, and I wondered if—and hoped that—Adam and I would last as long.




Though I had worried that Adam would find monogamy impossible and stray to other women's beds, I doubt he ever did. He didn't even look at the voluptuous maid with lustful eyes; instead, he told her tales of the cute things Jordan did each day.




Jordan certainly was the light of Adam's life, especially as he grew older. Adam was the one who taught him how to walk and talk; he was there for cuddles and kisses the minute Jordan started crying.




Even so, I couldn't help but be surprised when Adam suggested we forego our usual precautions, and try to have another baby. Was this really the man I once thought would run from the responsibilities of a child?




Soon enough I was pregnant for the second time. Both Adam and I were thrilled once again with the promise of a new baby, and Jordan couldn't wait to meet his little brother or sister. Our family was thriving; life seemed perfect.




Until the horrible night when, against all odds, a satellite fell from the sky onto our very own front lawn. We rushed outside to see the satellite sparking and smoking, and a shadowy figure approaching it. That's when I remembered with a chill that Dad had been outside stargazing... and I realized he had been killed by the satellite.




Dad's death brought back painful memories of losing Grandma and Grandpa only a few years earlier, but this was much more difficult to endure. This was my father, the man who raised me. Worst of all, he'd never get to see his second grandchild, and the baby within me would never have a Grandpa.




But when one door closes, another opens, and the birth of my second son brightened our world once again. Reid was a beautiful baby, and would've made his grandfather very proud.




Once again, life seemed perfect. Adam and I had built a family of our own, with two wonderful boys who made our lives truly rich. But one afternoon when Jordan and I were playing and Adam had just fed Reid, he decided that our life wasn't perfect...




And he dropped down onto one knee and presented me with a glittering diamond ring!




Of course, I said yes, I would marry him! Jordan was just as excited as we were that his parents were going to be married, and though he was too young to understand, Reid smiled and laughed happily, too.




I had always doubted that Adam, a once free-spirited ladies' man, would ever make the final commitment of marriage, and now he was doing so with joy and happiness on his face than I could have expected. As he spoke his vows and placed his ring onto my finger, I knew, finally, that we would last.




After the wedding, time continued to pass and our boys continued to grow. Reid became quite the fussy toddler with a great temper. He cried often, and nothing held his attention for very long.




On the other hand, Jordan had always been so easy to please. He was content to amuse himself, whether it was with his many toys or by simply jumping on his bed.




He was also doing wonderfully in school, bringing home straight As since he'd started the first grade.




Once he began school himself, Reid wasn't as apt a student, and I had to lecture him to complete his homework on most nights.




Despite their differences, Jordan and Reid got along well with each other. Reid looked up to Jordan greatly, and wanted to be just like his big brother.




But Reid's mischievous personality couldn't be buried. While Jordan spent his afternoons doing his homework, reading, and practicing on the piano, Reid ignored his responsibilities to cause trouble wherever he went.




I couldn't help but wonder if Adam's favoritism towards Jordan was part of the problem. As Reid's behaviour worsened, Adam lectured him more often, while his affection was always reserved for his eldest son, his good son.




To make up for Reid's strained relationship with his father, I gave him all the love I could, though Jordan was never forsaken in the process. Though I became Reid's favorite parent, I believe he still resented me for keeping a place in my heart for Jordan, too.




Meanwhile, Mom had retired and left the running of Sugarqube to her most competent manager, though the business would always stay in the family. She was enjoying her free time very much, and was acting as playful as a child again.




However, she still missed Dad a great deal, and her youthful exuberance faded when it was time to climb into her empty bed. But I knew Dad was watching over her, and that he'd never truly be gone from our lives.




The boys simply adored their Grandma, who was more a friend to them than a grandmother. She was Reid's most favorite playmate, and she was the one Jordan went to with girl problems once he was a teenager.




Jordan was becoming more and more like his father every day. One look at the two of them eating a meal together was enough to assure anyone they were father and son.




Surprisingly, Reid often cleaned up after himself, and sometimes the rest of us, after eating. However, he chose the wrong responsible habit to adopt, since Adam, in his perpetual messiness, overlooked it completely.




Though Reid was very envious and resentful of his brother for being the apple of their father's eye, he still looked up to him very much, and as each birthday passed, I knew Reid was wishing to grow up to be like Jordan.




But it wasn't to be so. While Jordan continued to excel in school, Reid continued to struggle. Jordan enjoyed attending a prestigious private school, while Reid hated the "ugly" uniform and "stuffy" teachers.




Homework was a devilish chore for him, and often he went to bed with piles of assignments sitting untouched on his desk.




He was also becoming quite a dark and morbid person, spending far too much time in the family mausoleum for my liking.




Many nights he'd run back to the house looking pale and frightened, as though he'd seen a ghost, yet he kept going back to live amongst the dead.




Soon their number would grow, as it came time for Mom to leave this world and enter the next.




She didn't seem frightened or reluctant to go; in fact, she seemed relieved, happy to be joining the loved ones who had already passed: her own parents, my uncle Connor, and especially Dad.




Reid was devastated to lose his Grandma, his closest friend and greatest confidant in our household. I feared her death would only drive him further into himself.




As I had expected, Reid became more and more detached and hostile towards others. Though he could catch any girl's eye, he often ignored them as though they weren't worth the effort. That is, until Jordan showed interest in one of them.




Reid seemed to thrive on the competition, on the idea that he could win the girl. For that reason alone, I believe, he began flirting with Shannon.




When he cared enough to show it, Reid had a considerable amount of charm, and so it wasn't difficult for him to win Shannon's heart. She gave him his first kiss, and with it, his first victory over his brother.




But the victory, and the peace it had given Reid, was to be short-lived. In a single moment his newfound confidence was killed, and he retreated deeper into his cold, angry shell...




For he discovered that Shannon was giving her kisses to more than one Foxworth brother.




Reid and Jordan's friendship was shattered beyond repair. I was gravely disappointed in Jordan for his actions, but I couldn't be proud of Reid, either, for the hatred and violence he now had for his brother.




I hoped that once Jordan left for college, Reid's wounds would heal, but he only spiraled faster into delinquency. He snuck out of the house more times than I can count and returned late into the night smelling of liquor, tobacco, and a variety of women's perfumes.




He also decided not to go to college, despite my pleading for him to seek higher education. Instead of strengthening his mind and preparing for his future, Reid spent his late adolescence wallowing in cigarette smoke and drinking himself into a calmer state of mind.




Every day I tearfully wondered how I could've gone so wrong with my second son. There was only one way I knew to help his self-esteem, to give him a goal and motivate him to do something with his life. Both Reid and Adam were shocked when I announced that Reid would be the heir to the Foxworth legacy. But while Adam was disappointed with my decision, Reid seemed to brighten.




As he entered adulthood with the knowledge that he was the future of this family, a subtle change came over him. He was the gentler, kinder Reid he'd been as a child. He even rescued a stray kitten from the streets! I finally relaxed, and let myself believe he could grow to be a respectable man despite his unstable past.




And then, Jordan returned home from college, bringing a beautiful young woman with him—the woman he would marry. I warmly welcomed her into our family, though I felt a chill run through me when I noticed Reid watching from the shadows, and I knew what the strange glint in his eye meant. When had Reid ever not wanted what his brother had?