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"To the park!" Leilah called, placing the tinted sunglasses above her nose and raising to the tippy toes of her shoes—her arm pointed upward in no particular direction as if she were about to lead the children on their biggest adventure yet.
This would, however, actually come in a few months time.
The children all giggled at their Aunt's playful mood that she often had or at least showed herself to be to the rest of the world. She always managed to put at least a small smile on their normally cheerful little faces.
I chuckled at her child-like behaviour before turning away from her and toward the three children to the side of me.
My knees carefully hit the carpeted ground leaving me at their level of sight—eyeing each one carefully as if I could forget how they looked at any given moment. Knowing me, they knew that they were all about to get somewhat of a lecture, making them each groan simultaneously.
Putting on my best lecture voice, I started to direct my sentence with a finger to make sure their eyes and ears followed every word. "Alright, guys, don't get lost . . . and make sure that Auntie Leilah stays out of trouble. You know how much mischief she can get into."
Leilah lightly huffed and turned her head toward a wall, and all three of the kids snickered before jumping as a big group into my arms, making me lose my big scary mojo and fall into a big giggling heap.
I hate leaving them to go to work.
Slowly, I peeled their tightly gripping bodies away from me. "Be good kids for Leilah and Darren. I don't want any behavioural issues, alright? No treats from work if you don't behave."
"Okay!" they all said so innocently—as if they'd never done anything wrong in their entire childhoods.
That would be one heck of a lie.
I sighed, knowing that that was incorrect. "Alright. I'll believe you this time." My tone changed after a sudden breath in, "but I'm serious," my eyes met Leilah as I spoke, knowing this tone would only really be understood by her . . . and maybe Keir, "...kind of. No big problems, at least."
Ace stuck his small thumbs from beside him. "You go it, Miss boss lady!"
The girls both giggled at their brother's silly statement and Sera's sister joined along with them.
"Sera, your children really are a delight!" she said as she clasped her ring and bracelet-covered hands in a swooning sort of manner. She said this every time, and she made it known every, single time.
