𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐋𝐘 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | MJJ

LOVE LINE | 01

THU, NOVEMBER 26TH, 2015...

"Solay, come help your brother set this table!"

Carnation opened the stove to check on the turkey and make sure it was cooking right. She needed for it to be done within the next fifteen minutes as her ex-husband and family would be arriving shortly. She was ready to eat and have these children knocked out for the night so she could clean up after a long day of cooking and go to bed.

"Mommy, Sayon hit me!" screamed Saint.

She suspired, much bothered and ready for the night to end already. Hosting meant she was doing most of the cooking, and that also meant she was on her feet for the majority of the day. Carnation woke up at 8 in the morning to start cooking, and it was going on 12 hours later with not so much as a break.

If she could pay for a day of peace and quiet, she'd do it in a heartbeat.

"Oh, my goodness. Lord, give me the strength." She exited the kitchen that led to the dining room and saw her middle and youngest children going at it like they typically do.

Saint was pressed up against the table, his arm extended and hand pushing at Sayon's forehead to keep him at arms distance-literally. Sayon whined and wailed, trying to remove his older brother's hand from his forehead.

"Can y'all chill out for day, please?" Carnation grabbed her youngest and moved him away from who she knew was the victim. Solay, standing feet away and watching in amusement, glanced at her mother and fought away a smile. "Solay and Saint, go set the table like I said. Sayon, go find something else to do and stop bothering them."

He threw his head back as Carnation placed him on his feet again. "I'm not, mommy."

"Go, please."

His whining began again but she was thankfully saved by the bell-the doorbell, which rang three times.

"Is that daddy?" Solay exclaimed and ran off to the foyer to answer it.

"Finally!" exaggerated Saint. He ran right after his older sister.

Carnation picked up Sayon again to try and be of comfort to him. The crying was something she didn't want to deal with on top of everything else. She took her son and went to see who it really was at the door. Just as she approached, Solay was jumping into her father's arms. He squeezed her tight.

"I missed you," she mumbled into his neck.

"I missed you so much more." Michael loves all of his children dearly, but his connection with Solay is something completely different. Whenever they're together, they were joined at the hip.

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and forehead as Carnation put Sayon down again so he could say hi to his father. Michael then picked up his two sons, kissing and hugging them as well. Once their greetings were out of the way, Carnation sent them off.

"You two," she addressed her two oldest, "go do what I said."

Michael stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, watching with a smile as his kids ran off. He and Carnation then made eye contact and his smile turned into an ambiguous grin. She rolled her eyes before he could even speak.

"How are you, beautiful?"

"Don't start with me." She waved him off, highly unamused.

"I can't compliment you now?"

"No." Her response was brusque.

Still leave it to him to fuck around and raise her blood pressure. Some things never change, even after nearly a decade.