Marriage Trials {Sequal}

Chapter 4

-Alana-

"6...7..."

"8,9,10!" I gasped loudly before nodding my head slowly at Caelyn. I've been trying to get her to make it to ten for like a week now; those teachers at her pre-school weren't worth shit to be honest.

"Chris! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! She made it to ten!! MY BABY COUNTED TO TEN!" I ignored Caelyn and Paris' hushed giggles as I looked over at Chris. He only gave me a weak smile before going back to tending on his phone. Today was Sunday, aka family day; so whatever the fuck he was doing on that phone he would have to postpone it until later on when the girls went to bed. "Excuse me sir, can you please put your phone down? This is Sunday."

"And?" He looked up at me for a few seconds before quickly breaking eye contact when he received the glare I was sending him. Not even trying to argue with him in front of the girls right now, I turned back to Cae and picked up her numbers book to go over it with her again.

"Alright. You made it to ten baby, how bout fifteen?" I looked down at her with a hopeful smile on my face. I really wanted to get her to twenty because at the age four, the highest number that I taught Paris to count up to was twenty-five.

"Fifteen?" She knitted her little perfect eyebrows together before looking down at the 'Hello Kitty' counting chart I placed in front of her. After about a minute of contemplating, she finally looked up at me and nodded hesitantly. "Okay, mommy. Fifteen."

"Yes! Alright, repeat after me. Eleven..."

-

"Eat your food, Paris. I didn't bring us out for you-"

"But I don't want it. Daddy, I'm full." Caelyn and I shook our heads at the same damn time as we watched Chris take the rest of Paris' spaghetti's off her plate and scraped it onto his. "Really, Chris?"

"What? If she not gonna eat it then I might as well." He shrugged nonchalantly with a mouth full of spaghetti before smiling down at Caelyn. She playfully pushed him away from her when he tried to steal a meatball from off her plate. Caelyn did not play when it came to her food, nuh uh. You could be her best friend (which I am, just saying) and she still wouldn't give you a bite of her food.

"Thank you daddy." Paris kissed Chris' cheek before sitting back down in her seat then reaching for one of the mini Cinnamon Pretzels in the basket. "Um, no. None for you." I quickly grabbed the basket from her reach then placed it beside Cae's plate. Caelyn dropped her fork then looked over at me for confirmation as she stuffed her hand into the basket. I nodded at her then looked back over at a fuming Paris.

"How come she get to have one? I asked first!" I looked from her pink face and over to Chris who was back on that damn phone like his daughter wasn't making a scene right now. "Chris."

...

...

"CHRIS!"

"Damn, what? I'm right here." He quickly locked his phone then threw it onto the table before giving me his undivided attention. I eyed him suspiciously before nodding over to a vexed Paris. Once he saw the look on her face his completely softened and he was now pulling her closer to him in the booth.

"What happen, Paris? Why you-"

"She not making me eat Pretzel! But Caelyn can eat Pretzel when I ask first!" She glared at me for a second before she went back to giving Chris the puppy dog eyes. I only shook my head at her for thinking that I gave a fuck if she was pressed right now, and rolled my eyes at Chris for actually trying to remove Caelyn's hand from the basket as she went to take her second piece. Told you my baby was greedy.