Chapter 133

The living room was suspiciously quiet.

Too quiet.

Which usually meant one of two things in their house:

Either little Ruby was asleep…

-or Lisa’s daughter was planning something chaotic.

Lisa narrowed her eyes from the kitchen counter, slowly lowering her coffee mug as she peeked toward the carpeted living room.

There sat eight-month-old Ruby Kim-Manoban in the middle of a fluffy blanket mountain, surrounded by toys she had clearly rejected for being beneath her standards.

Her tiny brows were furrowed in concentration.

A plush carrot? Ignored.

A squeaky duck? Thrown away.

Her expensive educational baby cube? Licked once and abandoned.

Meanwhile, Jennie sat behind Ruby on the couch wearing one of Lisa’s oversized hoodies, scrolling through her phone peacefully like an innocent angel who had definitely done nothing wrong in life.

Lisa squinted harder.

“Why are you both quiet?” she asked suspiciously.

Jennie looked up lazily. “Your daughter is thinking.”

“My daughter?”

“Mhm.” Jennie grinned. “Not ours. Yours.”

Ruby immediately turned toward Lisa at the sound of her voice.

Big round eyes.

Squishy cheeks.

Tiny pout.

Complete carbon copy of Jennie.

Lisa melted instantly.

“Oh no…” Lisa clutched her chest dramatically. “Baby dumpling looked at me. I’m weak.”

Ruby slapped her tiny palms together happily.

Jennie snorted. “You lose all function around her.”

“She has your face! What do you expect from me?”

Lisa immediately crawled onto the floor beside Ruby and scooped her into her lap.

Ruby squealed.

“There’s my baby!” Lisa attacked her cheeks with kisses. “Who’s gonna say Mama first, hm? You are. Right?”

Jennie burst out laughing from the couch.

“Babe.”

“What?”

“You’ve been campaigning for months.”

“Because it matters!”

Lisa held Ruby up dramatically like she was presenting a trophy.

“I carried emotional support during Jennie’s pregnancy. I deserve Mama first.”

Jennie nearly choked laughing.

“You did not carry emotional support.”

“I rubbed your feet!”

“Once.”

“I complained in solidarity!”

“You cried because I ate your fries.”

“They were OUR fries.”

Ruby blinked between them like she was watching a tennis match.

Then she yawned.

Lisa gasped softly.

“Oh my god. Jennie. Look at her tiny yawn.”

“You say that every day.”

“Because every day she’s tiny.”

Jennie rolled her eyes affectionately.

Lisa continued her mission immediately.

“Mama,” Lisa repeated slowly to Ruby. “Ma-ma.”

Ruby stared.

Lisa pointed to herself.

“Mama.”

Ruby blinked again.

Jennie smirked from the couch. “She’s judging your pronunciation.”

“Traitor.”

“Mama,” Lisa tried again desperately. “Say Mama. Maaaa-maaaa.”

Ruby suddenly grabbed Lisa’s nose.

“Buh.”

Lisa froze.

Jennie burst into laughter.

“Oh my god, she said your first syllable and gave up.”

Lisa gasped dramatically. “Ruby! Don’t embarrass me in my own house.”

Ruby giggled.

Then-

“Mm…”

Lisa straightened immediately.

Jennie looked over too.

Ruby’s little lips moved carefully like her brain was working overtime.

“Mm…”

Lisa grabbed Jennie’s arm so hard Jennie yelped.

“She’s doing it.”

Jennie was already laughing.

“She’s thinking!”

Lisa looked ready to cry.

“Mama,” she whispered encouragingly.

Ruby stared directly at Jennie.

Then her entire face lit up.

Tiny hands flailed excitedly.

And clear as day-

“Mommy!”

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Lisa froze like her soul had left her body.

Jennie blinked once.

Then twice.

“…Did she just-“

“Mommy!” Ruby shouted again excitedly at Jennie.

Jennie SCREAMED.

“Oh my god!”

Jennie immediately grabbed Ruby from Lisa’s stunned arms and covered her face with kisses.

“My baby!” Jennie laughed breathlessly. “Did you say Mommy?!”

Ruby squealed happily.

“Mommy!”

Lisa sat motionless on the carpet.

Devastated.

Heartbroken.

Betrayed.

Jennie looked down at her wife and immediately lost it.

She laughed so hard she leaned against the couch for support.

“Oh my god, your face!”

Lisa pointed accusingly.

“You cheated.”

“I literally did nothing!”

“You bribed her somehow.”

“With what? Milk?”

Ruby copied Jennie’s laughter with her own tiny squeaky version.

Lisa clutched her chest harder.

“Oh wow. Even her laugh is against me.”

Jennie grinned wickedly before sticking her tongue out teasingly.

Lisa gasped dramatically.

“You’re evil.”

Then Ruby-

Ruby looked at Jennie…

and copied her perfectly.

Tiny tongue out.

Tiny grin.

Tiny squishy menace.

Jennie wheezed laughing instantly.

“BABE LOOK!”

Lisa stared at the identical expressions.

Then slowly covered her face.

“There’s two of you now…”

Jennie cuddled Ruby proudly against her chest.

“I guess she is really obsessed with me… right, baby mandu?”

Jennie gently poked Ruby’s tiny nose.

Ruby squealed.

“Mommy!”

Jennie screamed happily again.

Lisa collapsed backward onto the carpet.

“I lost.”

“You lost badly,” Jennie corrected between giggles.

“I practiced every day!”

“And I didn’t even try.”

“That’s the worst part!”

Ruby bounced excitedly in Jennie’s arms before suddenly looking toward Lisa.

Lisa perked up hopefully.

“Yes? Baby? Mama?”

Ruby grinned.

“Mommy!”

Jennie cackled loudly.

Lisa pointed at Ruby in betrayal.

“You tiny traitor. I changed your diapers.”

Ruby simply drooled proudly.

Jennie wiped tears from laughing too hard.

“She chose her favorite parent.”

Lisa gasped. “Excuse me?!”

Jennie hugged Ruby tighter smugly.

“Evidence speaks for itself.”

Lisa narrowed her eyes before suddenly lunging toward the couch dramatically.

Jennie shrieked laughing as Lisa wrapped both her wife and daughter into a giant cuddle attack.

“No favoritism in this house.”

Ruby squealed loudly from the middle.

Jennie laughed breathlessly while Lisa buried her face into both of their cheeks.

“You’re both bullies.”

“Mama,” Jennie teased sweetly.

Lisa looked up hopefully.

Then Jennie pointed to herself.

Ruby immediately squealed.

“Mommy!”

Lisa let out the loudest offended noise imaginable while Jennie laughed so hard she almost fell off the couch.

And somehow-

somehow-

even Ruby started laughing at Lisa too.