Our Time Will Come - An After Story

129

Hardin

"Oh my gosh, would you just look at them?" Tess gazes at me with admiration in her eyes. The twins have been crawling around the house for a few weeks now, but they have now started to stand, using the furniture to hold themselves up. "We're going to need eyes in the back of our heads, baby" I joke. It's true, they're only nine months old, but already so damn mischievous. I fucking love it. I still can't believe that I have four kids. Four. I wouldn't have it any other way, but fuck, it's a lot.

I smirk to myself when Miller gets too cocky, and removes both of his hands from his grip on the sofa. The panic on his chubby little face and the way he grabs onto his sister for balance, makes the whole thing even funnier. "They're literally best friends" Tessa's bottom lip begins to wobble and I find myself rolling my eyes. "Why are you crying now?!" I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest for comfort. "Because, they're just so cute and they're growing up so fast!" her voice grows softer. We have this same conversation every week, but every week I listen to her, place a kiss into her hair and reassure her that everything will be okay.

"You did a good job of dressing them today" my wife tells me, her frown turning into a smile as she pulls away from our embrace. I silently thank her. "I'm learning" I smirk. Compared to some of the ghastly clothes I've mismatched them in before, I have done a good job. I decided to dress Miller in a pair of baby- blue, cotton dungarees with a long sleeved plain white tee underneath. The urge to dress him in black ripped jeans, a black tee and a leather jacket, is strong, I have to admit. Saff is wearing the lemon coloured dress that Carol sent in the post, the sleeves are frilly and I thought it would be cute for a spring day like today. Being a father to a baby girl, turns me into one soppy bastard.

"Anyway" Tessa retrieve's the twins from their spot. "It's dinner time for you little monsters" her smile is wholesome as she holds a twin on each hip. I get a kick out of the way they try to reach across to each other, it's like they can't be apart for more than a few seconds. I set the high chairs up in the dining room and call Auden down from his room in the process. I take Mills from Tessa as she fastens Saffron into her chair, and do the same with him.

Only seconds later, Auden saunters into the room, his eyes glued to the iPad, as per usual. "Aren't you going to go outside and play today? You know, get some actual fresh air?" I tease him whilst snatching the device from his hands. I place it out of his reach, so he has no excuse but to actually communicate with his mother and I. He breathes a dramatic sigh, cupping his chin in his hands as he takes a seat at the table. "What's the point?" He huffs. Oh, how hard it must be being ten years old. "Charlie is in Washington and I can't play football by myself" I smirk at the way he rolls his eyes, it's like looking at a younger version of myself. Only, I know for sure that I wouldn't be playing football at his age, I was too busy burying my head in books, or some shit.

"Oh buddy, Charlie will be home before you know it. Plus, you'll be back at school before you know it. Enjoy spring break while you can" Tess ruffles a hand through his unruly hair, before portioning her infamous Mac and cheese onto his plate. "Thanks, mom" the little man forces a smile. Auden being so bummed about Emery and Charlie being away, makes me realise something that I gave hardly any thought. I was so worried about how Emery will react to Charlie's scholarship, that I didn't even think about how little Auden will feel. He has grown so close to Charlie in these last few months and I know that he'll take it hard when he has to leave, in less than six months time. Fuck, I need to come up with a way to speak to both Emery and Auden about the whole thing, and fast.

Tessa takes a seat beside baby Saffron, starting to feed her a tiny portion of her homemade Mac and cheese. I get a kick out of the way she pretends the spoon is an airplane, sound effects and everything. The way she's more amused than the baby, is some adorable shit. I feed my boy, and he appears to be loving it. Tessa's Mac and cheese is becoming a hit with the twins, I must say.