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“Snack time?” That earns him a chorus of rowdy, delighted cries. “Oh good. What’s mommy making? I’m starving.”
I roll my eyes. “Good grief. We just had lunch an hour ago.”
“That was an hour ago!” Kayden protests, and the kids all chime in. “That was an hour of phone calls, emails, and wild play out in the yard ago.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You know,” Kayden says as I walk up to him. He bends and gives me a kiss on my lips while the kids reach out, pulling me in for a hug. Our laughter swirls around the backyard. “I’ve been considering homeschooling as an option for next year.” I pull back and shoot Kayden a dirty look. He grins at me. “No? Really? I’m shocked. I didn’t think you actually wanted a few hours of silence and the ability to pee in private once in a while.”
I snort. “The kids are excited to go to school, and it’s only for the mornings anyway. Don’t worry. It’s just a warmup before they’re old enough for the real thing. We’ll be so busy getting them off in the morning that by the time lunch rolls around, we probably won’t even have recovered. We won’t have time to get weepy thinking about them being out there in the world.” Even though I’m the one who says it, I have to blink back tears that aren’t caused by the wind. I really am looking forward to having a few hours to myself for just a few days a week, but after constant activity over the past years, it really will be a huge change. “Sadie might actually get some work done once in a while.”
“What’s that about work?” Sadie pops her head out the back door, and the kids scream in delight like it’s the best game they’ve ever seen. “I was making something to eat in here, and I heard something about a snack. No one could possibly want a snack, could they?”
Of course, that gets her a second round of excited yells, and even Kayden joins in.
“Auntie Sadie, make us raisin toast,” Theo begs.
“No, apples with caramel sauce,” Lea says.
“I want celery with cheese,” Reo cuts in.
“I’d prefer a big ham sandwich myself,” Kayden argues. He winks at me. “Unless you want to make tacos for us.”
Sadie rolls her eyes and glances between us. “You know, you two really are ridiculously in love. You have the sweetest family,” she says as she frames us with her fingers. “I could just take a picture of you right now, and I think you’d win every award for the sweetest, most beautiful, and adorable family in existence.” She says it like it’s nauseating for her.
Kayden throws back his head and laughs. The kids all pull at his neck and ears to try and get him to move them into the house, closer to the possibility of food. I wrap my sweater tighter around myself and smile so hard. If my face froze that way, I wouldn’t mind at all.
“One day, I’m going to write this down,” Sadie warns. “Your story. And how we got here.”
“Will you read it to me?” Lea squeals, not totally understanding the concept.
“When you’re older,” Sadie promises.
“You better not,” I threaten.
“Why not?” Kayden sets the kids down so they can go scampering off inside and then pulls me into his arms. “I kind of like the idea of reading our love story.” He kisses me again, but this time, it’s one of those romantic kisses the kids always gag about. “I don’t mind the whole world knowing that I love you.”
I glare daggers at Sadie. “Now look what you did, giving him ideas.”
She just shrugs. “I was kidding, kind of. Or maybe not. Maybe one day you’ll get a big printed out pile of words stuffed under your pillow, and you two can read it to each other and then burn it after. That seems truly romantic to me.”
“Thank goodness the house has lots of fireplaces.”
“Mooooooommmmmyyyyy!” Reo suddenly yells from the open door. “I’m hunnnnnnngggggrrrryyyy!”
“Duty calls.” Sadie disappears in a flash, ready to try and dole out snacks to our pack of circling sharks because three three-and-a-half-year-old kids are nothing less when they’re hungry.
“I wouldn’t mind reading it,” Kayden whispers in my ear, right before he scoops me up into his arms.
“Oh, for goodness sakes,” I protest weakly, but I place my hands on his chest and stare up at him anyway. I can’t even pretend for a second that I’m put out in any way.
“What’s it going to be?” Kayden asks in his deep, romantic voice. “Celery or apples?”
“You,” I purr as I drag his face down and taste his lips. “You’re the best snack of all.”
“Mother,” he jokingly chastises, pretending to be scandalized. “That’s very naughty.”
“Fine.” I roll my eyes. “Set me down, and we’ll meet whatever the demands are. Honestly, it’s not even worth an argument. We’ll just be eating the scraps anyway, so we better get in there before Sadie claims the rest of the caramel sauce.”
