Dad Next Door: Volume 1 (Under Editing Soon)

One

The sun is beating down from clear blue skies, barely even a wisp of a cloud in sight. The rays of the sun kiss and sizzle at the skin on this hot summer's day. Bees picking pollen from each flower dotted in the garden, their fuzzy bodies lifting from the bursts of colour and whizz away back to their hives.

The scent of faint cut grass from the previous night entwine with the lavender hue coming off the lavender plants in the corner of the garden. There's also a scent of pavement cooking under the sun and the earthy smell of the soil that hasn't had contact with rain in days, possibly even weeks (I haven't exactly kept up with the weather).

The smell of sunscreen overpowers everything else as I slather a load on the smooth skin of Darcy, her bouncing on the spot, head turned towards the small green paddling pool laying in the middle of the garden—where her sister is already merrily splashing inside. Her curls are pinned up in a messy bun that I did previously so that her neck beaded with sweat would cool off.

"Come on, Daddy! I want pool!" she whines, trying to pry her wrist from my soft yet firm grasp.

"Sit still, I've only got your face to go!" I inform, clicking the lid shut and using the rest of the cream in my hands to slather along her face, dotting her nose. "See, all done." I turn my head to Robin who has his finger up his nose.

He plods over to me and leans his head against my chest, his finger still very much wedged up his nostril.

"Okay, Munchkin, gotta get yours done now, don't we?" I say, bringing the sunscreen out and squirting some into the palm of my hands and begin lathering it into his small legs.

He begins screaming and pulling away but I won't let him go. "Dop! Dop!" he pleads, beginning to cry. "No wan', no wan'!"

"Robin! You have to sit still! You don't want sunburn!" I say loudly to be heard over his deafening screams.

Natalie is looking over, frown on her face, and Darcy has her hands covering her ears.

"Nooo!" he whines, jiggling on the spot, beginning to slap my arm.

"Right!" I boom, a little annoyed at this act he always throws whenever sunscreen is involved. "That's it, no paddling pool for you then. Come on, we're going inside. If big boys don't get their sunscreen, they have to sit indoors on their own." I pick him up, all the while he kicks out, crying harder.

I don't back down though, keeping my ground. I open the door and it leads into the kitchen. I plop him down in the corner of the front room, being able to see the girls still, as the room in open planned and is apart of the small kitchen.

He throws a tantrum, screaming, kicking, hands in fists and hitting the carpet floor.

I heavily exhale, averting my gaze towards the girls who have now begun using old sieves and spoons, pretending to make soup with the pool water, and back to a crying Robin.

"Once you've calmed down, I want you to let me put on the sunscreen so we can have fun outside and eat some ice lollies," I explain calmly, sitting on my knees beside him, palms on my lap.

He soon calms down, bottom lip sticking out and teary eyes looking up at me. There's snot dribbling out his left nostril so I wipe it with the hem of my pink short sleeved top.

"Right, are you calm?" I ask and he simply nods. I return it and open my arms out. "Come give Daddy a cuddle." He wraps his tiny arms around my neck and lifts his legs around my waist. "We do not hit or kick people, Robin, it is unkind and we don't do unkind in this family, do we?"

He shakes his head. "Sowwy, Daddy," he quietly says into my neck and I kiss his temple.

"Right, will you stand nicely and let Daddy do your sunscreen now?" I ask and he stands up, placing his thumb in his mouth like he does every time he's finished a tantrum, his left hand playing with my curls.