We were all sitting on the couch and I listened carefully as they told the story.

"I was friends with your aunt Sophie, in high school." Momma started.

"Fifi." I smiled.

Momma chuckled and nodded.

"Then, Sophie got out of her abusive home because Uncle Rico suspected something was wrong and called people who could help. They took her away from the people that were hurting her and she was put in a place where she could get adopted." Momma said.

"Like an orphanage?" I asked, a frown forming on my face.

I started remembering the feeling of rejection I'd felt countless times when people would come see me in the orphanage and pick another girl who didn't still suck on her thumb, or one that talked more than me, one that smiled, one that was more comfortable around people. Truth be told, I never really liked being around people. Maybe it was because the lady at the orphanage hit me.

"Kind of, yeah." Momma nodded. "But at this point, I'd lost contact with your aunt Sophie for a while. It had been about a year since high school."

I saw how Daddy was looking at Momma while she told me the story. He looked so in love. I don't think he was even listening, he was just so calm and he was staring at her like she was the most amazing person in the world.

"She got adopted by Nana Lucie, you'll meet her eventually. She's the sweetest, and she made Sophie feel better and helped her get healthy again." Momma continued.

"Like Vivi is doing for me?" I asked.

"Yup, exactly." Momma smiled, rubbing Vivi's arm with a proud look in her eyes.

"Ok, then what happened?" I asked.

"Then they found out that Sophie's real dad wasn't the man who used to hurt her, Sophie's biological mom was bad, and she forced herself on Sophie's dad and got pregnant with Sophie just to hurt Lucie and her old boyfriend, who is Sophie's dad. He's your Papa Devan." Momma explained.

"So they were together before Aunt Sophie was born?" I asked.

"Yeah. Papa Devan and Nana Lucie met when they were very young. They were together for nine whole years, then that evil lady ruined it and hurt Papa Devan, so he left. It was a mistake, but he had his reasons. We all understand why he did it and we all forgive him for leaving. Then he came back when they all discovered Sophie was his daughter and they became a cute, happy family." Momma explained.

I smiled. I liked that. This family was strong. They took care of each other and they knew how to forgive each other and listen and understand. The more I heard about them and their stories, the more I realized I was safe with everyone. No one would ever hurt me in this family. They listened to each other and they were all prepared to explain. They made mistakes sometimes, but they forgave each other and they tried to see things from each other's point of view.

"Ok, and then how about you? Were you already with Daddy?" I asked.

"No. Not yet.... on my side of things, I was at home with my parents, Sophie was probably on the Island before she reached out to me. My mother and father, they took me to a gala." Momma said, her mood getting a little dampened.

"Come here, Hazelnut." Daddy said, holding his arms open for his wife.

Momma got up and she walked over to Daddy, he pulled her into his lap and he kissed her on the forehead.

I turned so I was facing them and I rested against Vivi.

"At the Gala..." Momma continued. "I got a message from Sophie after so long. She was with Nana Lucie at this point. And for the next little while after that, we talked. I also talked to your Aunt Em. My parents weren't great and I moved out of their place, finding my own place. It was lonely though."

I nodded, taking her hand when I noticed these memories weren't very happy.

"Then Sophie found her dad and once she got over the initial shock and sadness about her dad's story, she decided we should all have a big feast. She invited me to the island to have the feast with them. But deep down she was hoping I'd fall for this big guy." Momma said, kissing Daddy on his lips very briefly.

"And you did?" I giggled.

"Yup. The second I saw him, I was gone. Sophie was with Rico at this point. They were together and Em invited your Uncle Killian to the Island too. So everyone was all paired up. It was incredible." Momma sighed longingly.

Momma looked so happy remembering that day.

"That day, the day I met your dad, was the day I lost my first kiss to him. We tried to take things a little slow, but heaven knows we failed." Momma chuckled.

"Daddy, did you fall for her right away?" I asked.

"I did. I saw her and I was obsessed from the first moment. Then she hit me in the face with a door by accident and it all unfolded from there. What I loved most about her was that she teased me and she joked around with me. She was like me, a little different from the others. She was as adventurous as I was and look at her." Daddy said, pushing Momma's curls away from her face. He looked into her blue eyes and stroked her cheek.

He was so in love. Even after all those years.

"She was always and will always be the most beautiful woman in my eyes. She's my everything." He smiled. "We got through a lot together, we learned how to handle each other when one of us was upset and we went on so many adventures. I have so many pictures, I can show them to you one day."

"Yes, we have to show you all the pictures from everywhere." Momma cheered.

"They went to every single country in the whole world." Vivi told me.

"Woah! That's crazy!" I giggled.

"And we still do our crazy adventurous things. We just went skydiving last month." Daddy told me.

"Isn't it scary?" I asked.

"Very scary." Momma giggled. "But that's what makes it so fun."

"You guys are crazy." I laughed.

"Momma." I said.

"Yeah, baby?" She asked me.

"When did you know Daddy was in love with you for real?" I asked.

"It was the second day on the Island. We went exploring, and we found this really pretty place with a big pond and a waterfall and the way he looked at me, the things he said to me. How he told me he liked everything about me, even the things I didn't like about myself. It made me cry." Momma said.

"That's how you knew?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's how I knew he loved me." She smiled. "Just the way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered to him at that time. It was so different and special."

I smiled, hoping one day Vivi would look at me the way Daddy looked at Momma. Even now, he looks at her in such a special way. Momma looked at Vivi and then at me with a smile. It seemed like even she was thinking about us being together.

"One day, you and Vidal will have that." Momma told me, kissing the back of my hand.

I smiled. I didn't want to comment on that. If Vivi didn't love me yet, there was no need to put pressure on him. Maybe he just wasn't ready to say it yet or something. Everything would work out in the end. I had my family anyway if it didn't work out. It would be ok.

"Even if it doesn't work out. We're always here for you. Things might get complicated with you and Vidal, but they probably won't be too complicated, you guys have a different kind of path to a relationship. But everyone is different and everyone has different experiences." She said to me.

I smiled and nodded. I knew she would support me even if things with Vivi went horribly wrong. I just imagined how ugly things would get if Vivi could never love me. My heart would be broken. I could never watch him find another girl and be with her. It would end me.

My eyes started to water and Vivi grabbed the sides of my face, making me look at him.

"No. Stop it." He said to me. "Don't go there. Not even in your head."

How does he even know what I'm thinking?

"I'll always be here. I'll always be your Vivi. Remember what I told you? Right now we're not ready for a relationship. But one day we will be and you're going to be my girl." Vivi insisted.

I looked into his hazel eyes, seeing how serious he was about this. He wanted it to work out, maybe even as much as me. Maybe he had feelings for me already but he just couldn't love me quite yet.

I nodded. I would listen to him. I would trust his word. He was going to be mine eventually. He seemed so sure of that. I just had to wait now. I had to continue, and wait for him to feel what I feel.

"Who do you think you're meeting next?" Daddy asked me.

"Uhm... well, I already met Uncle Rico... but maybe we could get to know each other better." I said, not sure I was ready for anyone too new.

"I think he would love that." Daddy smiled, handing me his phone.

I looked down and saw some messages from 'Idiot'.

"Why does it say idiot?" I asked.

"That's Rico.... it's been his name in my phone since we were in high school." Dad laughed.

"Why?" I giggled.

"Because he was an idiot." Dad laughed. "He stole my lunch that day."

We all laughed about that. That was pretty funny.

"What did you eat?" I asked.

"I had to drive to a diner and get some other food." Daddy sighed. " I really wanted the chicken wrap Momma made me though."

He had a pout on his face about it even now after so many years.

"Aw, I can make you a chicken wrap to make up for it." I giggled, petting Daddy's face.

Vivi resembled Daddy a little bit, but his hair was Momma's of course. His eyes were much lighter that Daddy's though, but the way their faces rested, it just looked so familiar when I looked at Daddy. They weren't necessarily similar because of their appearance, but the way they held themselves.

Daddy kissed my hand and smiled.

"I'm going to take you up on that offer at some point." He told me.

I giggled and looked up at Vivi again.

"So Uncle Rico is next? You wanna do that tomorrow?" He asked me.

"Yes, please." I smiled.

"But he's kinda hard to get to isn't he?" I asked.

"Yeah, but he already loves you, so you already have an advantage." Vivi told me.

I giggled and nodded, hoping I could see Uncle Rico's emotional side tomorrow. He was usually very stone-faced. But hopefully I could get a smile or something. Uncle Rico was the one who helped me meet Vivi after all, so of course I already liked him. He was my doctor.

My doctor was next.

"You still haven't read the texts." Daddy told me, pointing to his phone.

"Oh." I smiled, looking down at the phone.

Idiot - How is she? Do you think she'll be ready to actually meet me properly soon?

Idiot - Does she hate me?

Idiot - She hates me because I don't show emotion, doesn't she?

Idiot - Do I scare her?

Idiot - Are you going to answer?!

Idiot - Yo, idiot! Respond!

I giggled and continued to read the string of texts from Uncle Rico.

Idiot - Ricardo! I swear to God! Tell me! Does she want to meet me?

Idiot - You're being an idiot, I know you're reading this!

Idiot - Is she at least getting better? Did you get a hug? Do you think she'll hug me?

Idiot - I hate you.

Idiot - Idiot!

Idiot - Heeeeeeellllloooooooo

Idiot - I'm not leaving you alone until you tell me what I want to know.

Idiot - I hate you so much!

Idiot - Ok. I'm sorry. I don't hate you. Just tell me how she is.

Idiot - Ok, fine. Don't say anything. But you will not be seeing me for the next three months.

Idiot - You're stupid.

"Aw, Daddy, respond... he's mad at you." I giggled.

"Nah, he loves me too much to be mad." Daddy laughed.

"He didn't actually steal your face though. How could you possibly look so similar?" I asked.

"They're twins." Momma told me.

"Yeah, but... how?" I asked.

"Well, you know how girls have eggs and guys have sperm?" She asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded, remembering something along those lines from the stupid education they tried to give me in the facility.

"Well, when the sperm and the egg come together... they form a baby. But it's not an actual baby yet, just a tiny little.... like a blob..... and the blob can split into two. So that makes two babies instead of one. But because they came from the same blob, they look exactly the same." Momma explained.

"Oh.... that makes sense... so Arabella's little girls are the same?" I asked.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"So did you guys come out at the same time?" I asked Daddy.

"Nope. I beat him by three minutes. So, I'm the older one." He laughed.

"Oh, then we can definitely say he stole your face, not the other way around." I giggled.

"Yeah! That's my bunny!" Daddy cheered. "High five."

He raised his hand and I gave him a high-five.

"Guys.... I have a question." I said.

"Yeah... what's up?" Daddy said.

"Do you think it's weird how I got comfortable with you guys so fast?" I asked.

"It's not weird, Sweetheart. When things click in our head, things can be really unexpected. I think it just clicked in your head that no one here was going to hurt you, and you still panicked, but the entire time, you still knew you were safe. It takes time to get used to things, but you eventually just forget your fears and things get a lot easier." Momma told me.

"I never liked meeting new people, even when I was really little in the orphanage." I told them.

"Really?" Momma asked me.

"Yeah. I used to meet people who were looking to adopt a little girl." I started. "And there was the mean orphanage lady. She used to hit me because I sucked on my thumb and stuff and she used to hit me before I met anyone and tell me I had to talk." I recounted.

"H-how old were you?" Daddy asked me, a huge frown forming on his face.

"I was six when I was kidnapped and taken to the facility." I sighed.

"So you were less than five and that woman hit you?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"How old was the lady? Was she an old woman? Do you think she's still alive?" He asked me.

"Uhm... like younger than you guys are now.... so she's probably still around...." I said.

"Oh... she's... nope.... I'm calling Dad." Daddy said, getting very angry. "She could still be doing things like that to other kids for all we know."

"Dodo, relax." Momma said to Daddy.

"No. That's so messed up. She was a child. No one touches a child like that. Especially our kid. I need to make sure it isn't happening still." Dad said.

"Alright. But... calm down." Momma said to him.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Anyone who hurts my bunny gets punished. Ok? I'm not letting this slide. You did nothing wrong and they hurt you, which means they are bad people and they deserve to be punished. And Daddy's going to make sure they're punished for what they did to you and the other kids." Daddy told me, picking up his phone.

"Can you call Papa later?" I asked.

"Of course... continue." Daddy said to me.

"Well.... I just didn't like meeting people. I'd always hope that they'd get me out of there, but I got nervous and it made it hard to talk... so they'd ask questions and I wouldn't answer and I'd get so stressed out that I'd suck on my thumb and then I'd get punished...." I said.

"That's so fu-" Daddy started.

"Don't you dare swear!" Momma smacked him.

I giggled and Daddy looked over at me, a smile forming on his face. I guess he just needed to see me smile and see that I was ok now.

"It's easier to talk about what happened to me now." I said.

"Is it?" Momma smiled.

"Yeah... it's not pleasant. But I can talk about it. The orphanage wasn't bad, but the facility was.... messed up." I said with a sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Momma asked me.

"What is there to talk about?" I sighed. "I was there from six to eighteen learning how to please a man by cooking for him, cleaning and looking pretty. They also gave us random lessons, like to educate us. But in isolation. I knew there were other girls, but I never saw them or knew them." I sighed.

"Then when you turned eighteen?" Momma asked hesitantly.

"They... they.... they stripped me and locked me up in a torture room. The goal was to beat me into submission. They succeeded." I said, my hands shaking a little.

"We've got you now, baby." Vivi told me, kissing my forehead.

"No one touches my bunny, Hazel's Princess or Vidal's Kiwi. Got it?" Daddy asked me.

I smiled.

"I love you guys." I said, and they all squished me in a big hug.

If I was with these people, I didn't have to worry about anything. The past was actually the past for once. I didn't have to live with it. I was better. I had moved past things. It happened faster than I ever would've expected, but I was safe and I finally understood that.