“A friend of yours filled us in on an upcoming mission you’ll be participating in later this month…”
Leo listened as the president expressed his orders in detail and put him in touch with one of his generals in Afghanistan. The president assured Leo that his team would have the necessary clearances to identify the traitors involved. It seems he held Serenity Securities in high regard and invited them to visit the White House upon their return.
Leo hung up the phone and rushed to his truck. Noticing the time, he knew Kit Kat most likely took the kids to their house, where Carol and Jake planned to watch them.
Turning the truck toward his cabin, He jogged up the stairs and let himself inside, expecting to see her waiting.
Instead, he found her washing dishes and holding Derrick on her hip. Melody seemed absorbed in her homework while Grace played with her spaghetti in her highchair.
“Did Carol and Jake want us to bring the kids to them?” he asked.
Kit Kat sniffed as she wiped her brow and took the pan from the stove. “They left over an hour ago,” she said stiffly.
Leo saw the time and inwardly groaned. “Something important came up,” he said. “I rushed over as soon as I finished.” He pulled out his phone. “We missed dinner. Did you eat? I can make you a sandwich, and we can still make the surprise.”
“Melody, why don’t you finish your homework in your room?” she suggested strongly.
His daughter slid from her seat and sent him a worried glance before leaving.
Kit Kat placed Derrick in his playpen while Leo fed Grace the rest of her food and handed her the sippy cup.
Wiping down her tray, he washed her face and hands before placing her in her playpen, filled with Navy submarines, warships, and a doll dressed as a SEAL.
“I know you’re mad?—”
“I stopped feeling angry an hour ago, Leo,” she gritted out. “You need to leave. I still have to give the babies a bath and do a load of laundry. Tomorrow’s purple day at school, and I have to find Melody a shirt.”
“I’ll help you,” he offered. “We can get it started, and then when Carol and Jake arrive, they can finish up.”
Kit Kat closed her eyes and seemed to count to ten. “I’m not going with you. You’re over an hour and a half late.”
“The President of the United States called me. It’s not like I can say, “Mr. President, I’ll have to return your call.”
“At least you thought of calling or texting him back. I didn’t even get a message,” she accused. “It’s not like it’s anything new. I don’t know why I thought this would turn out differently than any other time.”
“You’re not being fair. I’ve driven here every night and helped you put the kids to bed,” he said in a hushed tone. “You’re the one who refuses to let me stay.”
Kit Kate shook her head. “Why? Will you offer me moral support while you snore? I don’t think so. I knew exactly what kind of life I was committing to when I married you. We agreed on the number of kids and how to share the household chores. You’re not holding up your end.”
“You know my job has kept me away. You can’t fault me for helping our family. Did you want me to tell Matthew no? Maybe you prefer if I’d told Julio rescuing Rebecca from a sex trafficking ring needed to wait until I finished giving my kids a bath.”
“Yes, turn the tables on me. It’s my fault you neglected to go to your doctor’s appointment. I’m the reason you don’t come tobed with me. Yes, I may have asked you to stay at the facility, but you haven’t truly been here in a long time,” she shot back.
“I’m not saying it’s your fault. It’s obviously mine when I took the president’s call. I’m trying to save the rest of the evening, and you’re not working with me.”
“Working with you?” she repeated. “It’s all I do. I’m constantly rearranging my schedule. There are three kids here, Leo. They need constant care and attention, not your fifteen minutes of fame when you slide in at the last minute.”
“I do everything for you and the kids,” Leo argued. “I’m trying.”
“Really, Leo?” Kit Kat asked him with tear-filled eyes. “Where in line do I stand? After the president, the team, your job, the community,” she listed.
“Come on, Kit Kat. You know better,” he chastised as Grace started crying.
He bent to pick her up when Derrick started. Kit Kat headed toward the bathroom and ran water for Grace’s bath. Leo stripped his daughter down and plopped her in the water. He tenderly wiped her face and handed her a bath toy to hold while washing her hair. Leo rinsed it off and washed her body, noticing his wife disappeared into the other room. The silence signaled that she sat in the rocking chair to feed their son.
He dried Grace off and put her in PJs. “I need you to go to sleep, baby girl. I’m in trouble with your mama. If you don’t help me out, she might bury me in the backyard,” he said, picking her up and rubbing her back. Grace rubbed her eyes as he took her to her bedroom and lay her in the crib.
When he returned, Kit Kat rose from her chair, cooing softly as Derrick drifted to sleep. Leo checked on Melody and found her asleep, her book lying out in front of her. Leo gently shook her awake and helped her to bed.
