𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨

Chapter 18

Your POV

     I scrambled to unplug the griddle, that was the source of all of the smoke, and grabbed the decorative hand towel that was on the oven handle and waved it around the smoke detector violently to try to cease its dreadful screaming.

     Bucky had opened the back door as was waving some of the smoke out, while Grant munched on a piece of bacon.

     By the time the smoke detector had shut up, it was about seven o'clock in the morning (0700). What looked to be pancakes, where burnt to a crisp, and my griddle was beyond repair. I sighed as I looked from the griddle, to Bucky, and back again. He had a guilty look on his face as he slowly slid the back door shut.

"I swear you're trying to burn our house down. First the popcorn, and now this?" I started our serious, but ended with humor in my voice.

"Sorry?" He looked almost scared as I stared him down, him moving away from the door slightly as Grant walked past him and out the back door with Manny in his arms, a huge smile on his face.

"You can make it up to me by taking me and Grant out for breakfast." I smile sweetly at him and he laughed and nodded.

     I slipped past him and out the door to watch Grant and Manny run around the backyard. Grant was still in his pajamas and his hair was still wild as a lion's mane. Grant took a break in one of the lawn chairs that was on the small concrete patio, and Manny came hopping over to me as I sat down in the chair beside Grant.

      I picked up Manny as Grant looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I acted confused as I rubbed Manny's head, another hand joining mine. Bucky had come out also, and was leaning against the back of my chair.

"Don't you remember what today is?" Grant looked at me hopefully.

"No, no I don't recall.....Buck, do you remember what today is?" I furrowed my eyebrows in mock thought.

"I'm pretty sure today's Sunday." Bucky looked down at his nonexistent watch and shrugged at me in fake confusion.

"It's my birthday!" Grant exclaimed.

"It is? I feel like I would have remembered if it was." I shrugged nonchalantly and continued to stroke Manny.

"Yeah, I feel like you would know, of all people." Bucky leaned down and kissed my cheek before he headed over to Grant.

"Happy birthday squirt." Bucky ruffled Grant's hair and the little boy stuck his tongue out at him.

     Bucky stuck his tongue out at Grant also, and I laughed at the grown man standing before me, acting like a child.

"Happy birthday, Grant." I got up and peppered kisses all over his face, hun pushing me away from him in mock disgust.

"Mommmm!" He whined as I continued, Bucky also joining in.

      Soon, we were all giggling and laughing at each other, all basking in the morning sun and the love that our small family radiated.

*****

     We did an assortment of things on Grant's birthday, we went out for breakfast, took Manny to the park, had ice cream for lunch (upon Grant's request), and we also stopped by the AT&T store to get Bucky a new phone, which he took several pictures on.

     We ended the night with a movie at the house, and everything was perfect. There were no worries of Grant having to go back to daycare in the morning, or me to work. We just enjoyed the comfortable air as we snuggled up, as a family.

A/N:

Sorry this chapter is so short! We're nearing the end :(

-Tallie (4-6-21)