Second time lucky

31

The house was quiet when my eyes opened, too quiet. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand that said it was still early. Four in the morning to be exact, which explained the silence.

I rolled over into a hard, warm body, squeezing my eyes closed hoping I hadn't woken him. I looked up, taking in his sleeping features, peaceful, and just as handsome as ever. I had been weak last night, craving attention in anyway I could get it.

Now? Right now, I wanted to savor the feeling of being wanted for a little while longer. I knew better, and yet I didn't care. I draped my arm over his body and nuzzled myself closer to him.

Instinctively he pulled me closer in his sleep,his hand settling on my waist as I listened to the sweet rhythm of his heartbeat. It almost felt as if nothing had changed since high school, as if the last four years were nothing but a strange dream.

I closed my eyes and went back to sleep until the feeling of cold sheets and the sound of the children downstairs woke me.

It was almost seven now and the kids were going to be late for school if I didn't hurry up. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs as they stood in the kitchen smiling up at Riley.

"You little terrors going to be good today?" He asked them.

"Yes daddy!" They replied.

"Good, because only good kids get cookies for breakfast, but you can't tell your mom!" He said.

"We promise!" Emelia smiled.

"Okay, let's get you both to school." He said before the sound of small feet running towards me grew louder.

"Mama!" Connor grinned hugging my legs as Emelia hugged the back of them. "Can daddy put us on the bus?"

"Yeah, have a good day okay?" I bent down to give them both a kiss and a hug before they bolted out the door with Riley trailing behind them.

Luckily for him the driveway was the bus stop for preschool so within a few feet of being outside they were already there. I didn't want to spy on him so I walked upstairs to my room and watched from the window where I was out of sight.

When the bus pulled up both the kids hugged Riley and climbed on the same way they usually did. When he turned back to the house I caught him wiping his eye with the back of his hand.

Obviously I knew the feeling, I had been there myself the first couple of days of school. The feeling that time flew by quicker than you could blink. That they were growing up too quickly and no matter how tight you held on, they just kept growing and turning into their own little people.

I approached the stairs calmly to avoid giving off the impression I was watching him. As I rounded the corner and stepped down I caught his gaze, sad and emotional.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I erm, well I don't know. I just feel like they are so big now, I missed so much." He sighed as his hand ran through his hair.

"I can show you some pictures of you want? I think I have some videos somewhere too." I offered as I continued walking down the stairs.

"Really? Could we.." he trailed off and as guilty as I was feeling I knew I couldn't make this about me.

"Yeah come on. The photo album is in the living room." I smiled before pulling him to the couch.

I took the little white book from the shelf and sat beside him. Thankfully Averleigh had insisted that I date each picture and arrange them chronologically. I'll admit I thought she was crazy at first, but now it made explaining their lives so much easier.