The baby project~~

5

Ace~

I come down the stairs, my hair still dripping from the shower. I'm shirtless, and the cool air feels great against my skin. I spot Rose at the breakfast counter, feeding Liam and Noah, who are happily eating. Emily is lying in her crib, looking a bit fussy.

Rose's eyes widen when she sees me shirtless, and she blushes. "Ace, put a shirt on!" she says, trying to sound stern but clearly flustered.

I flash her a smirk and shake my head. "Nah, I'm good like this."

I walk over to Emily's crib and pick her up, smiling at her. She immediately quiets down a bit, seeming comforted by my presence. I carry her over to Rose, who looks slightly taken aback by the scene.

"We need to go out today and find us a job," I say, giving her a playful wink. "And by the way, we've got to get the kids into school and Emily into the nursery."

Rose's eyes widen in realization. "Oh fuck, yeah, we do! I completely forgot."

I chuckle and give Emily a gentle bounce. 

Rose quickly finishes feeding Liam and Noah and grabs her phone to call Lily. She needs to figure out which schools the kids should go to. As she's on the phone, I watch her with a mix of admiration and curiosity.

"Dada, do you love Mummy?" Liam asks suddenly, his big eyes looking up at me with innocent hope.

I'm caught off guard by the question. "I don't know, buddy. I don't really know yet," I reply, trying to be honest without hurting his feelings.

Liam's face falls a bit, and it's clear he's disappointed. Just then, Rose walks back over, her phone call wrapped up.

"Okay, we're going to Winston's Kindergarten for Liam and Noah, and Fiona's Nursery for Emily," she says, sounding relieved to have the plans set. "Fiona's opening a nursery to make some money, and she has to take care of a baby girl too. I don't like Fiona much, though."

The name Fiona sounds familiar to me, but I don't say anything. I just listen as Rose talks about it.

"Fiona is the one opening the nursery?" I ask, trying to get more details.

"Yeah, that's the one," Rose replies. "She's pretty much doing it for the money. She doesn't really care about the kids, and I never liked her much."

I nod, taking in the information. "Got it. Let's get everyone ready and head out."

Rose quickly says, "One sec," and dashes upstairs. I hear her moving around and then see her coming back down in a pair of jeans, carrying small backpacks for Liam and Noah.

She's busy organizing things upstairs, so I pick up Emily and then help Noah, while Liam follows behind us. I head out to the car, juggling the kids and making sure everyone is settled.

I get everyone strapped into their seats and start the car, waiting for Rose to finish locking up the house. As I glance back, I see Liam looking out the window with excitement and Noah playing with a small toy.

Rose comes out a few minutes later, locking the door and hurrying over to the car. She gets in and gives me a quick nod.

"Ready?" I ask, turning to her with a grin.

"Ready," she replies, her face showing a mix of determination and excitement.