Passion's Instinct

Forty One

Natalie

That afternoon when Hayden got back home, the kids and I crashed into him, giving him bear hugs. He fell to the floor and laughed as the kids climbed all over him and Kota started to lick his face.

He batted her away, smiling and wiping his chin off with the back of his hand. Temple climbed on his chest and curled up like a dog, and we all laughed. She laughed too, burying her face in Hayden's chest.

Hayden took her and set her down beside him, kissing her. "I love you, Dada!" she said, beaming.

"I love you too, Temple," he replied, pulling his hand through her curls.

"What about me, Daddy?" Sawyer asked, sticking his bottom lip out and standing over us, crossing his arms tight over his chest.

"What about you?"

"Do you love me?"

"Of course." Hayden brought him down and kissed the top of his head.

"What about me?" I asked, and Hayden just smiled. "You too, Natalie." He took my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine.

Once everyone had let Hayden get up, he stood, smiling. "I have a surprise."

"What is it? What is it?" Sawyer and Temple cried in unison.

"It's a surprise, I can't tell you. Do you want me to bring it in from the car?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Before he could walk away, I ran to him and pulled his head down to mine. "What is it?" I whispered in his ear.

He looked at me, smiling mischievously. "You'll see."

I didn't know what to expect, but when Hayden came in with a tiny husky puppy, I was completely surprised.

As Hayden held it back so it wouldn't run all around the house, he beckoned us forward to come pet it. "Come on," he said, "he'll calm down if you come scratch his head."

So I stepped forward and sat down in front of the puppy, scratching behind it's ears and the back of it's neck. It calmed down a little, but once the kids were all over it, it got more excited and started to cover them with kisses.

They laughed and pet the dog, until someone started to get jealous. Kota.

She started whining and howling, but stayed sitting in her spot behind us.

"Come here, Kota, it's alright," Hayden said, making a clicking sound with his mouth for her to come forward.

She slowly stepped forward, and the dogs touched noses lightly. Kota brought her face back abruptly because the dogs and shocked each other when they touched, but after that, the puppy escaped Hayden's arms and the two romped around together, pawing at each other and growling playfully and excitedly.

"Girl or boy?" Temple asked.

"Boy."

"What should we name it?" Sawyer asked.

Hayden and I exchanged glances, and he shrugged. "I don't know. You come up with some ideas."

"Anakin!" Sawyer suggested. He had recently taken a liking to the the Star Wars movies. Well, more like and obsession. The only one I wouldn't let him see was the Revenge of the Sith. I was too afraid he wouldn't understand and I didn't want him to see, theoretically, me die and Hayden burn up in a volcano. There weren't many life lessons for little children in that movie. I saw it as more of an older kid movie.

"Anakin?" Hayden repeated, smiling a little.

"Well, I'll give a list of ones I like, okay? Here: Anakin, Obi-Wan, Kenobi, Skywalker, Yoda, Mace, Windu, Rex, Cody..."

"Rex is cute," I prompted.

"Yeah, I like that," Hayden agreed, nodding.

"What about you, Temple?" I asked, turning to her. "Do you like Rex?"

"Rex!" she repeated, jumping up and down. "Rex, Rex, Rex, Rex!"

"I guess that's a yes," I said, laughing softly. Hayden glanced at me and smiled.

"Rex it is."