Passion's Instinct

Forty Two

Natalie

We sat at the table for dinner that evening, and Temple was all but focusing on her food.

"Daddy!"

Hayden turned to her and picked up her spoon. "You better eat some before it gets cold." He tried to put some in her mouth, but she turned away and shook her head, giggling.

"Temple," Hayden warned, a little more stern this time. "You need to eat something. Do you want dessert later?"

"Yeah!"

"Then eat up," he said, raising the spoon to her mouth.

"No!" Temple screamed, whipping her head the other way, making her curls bounce everywhere.

"Temple--"

"I don't want to eat! I not hungry!" she protested.

"Honey," I started calmly, reaching across the table to tuck a section of her hair behind her ear, "if you're really not hungry, then you can get down from the table. But you can't have dessert until you eat your dinner, okay?"

"I just want to marry Daddy!" she said.

Sawyer started giggling hysterically, and Hayden smiled. "Why?" he asked her.

"Because, he's cute. And nice."

Hayden and I exchanged glances, smiling. "But I'm already married to Daddy."

"We can both be married to him," Temple said, smiling. She giggled and took her bottle with both hands, lifting it to her mouth.

"Okay," I said, and Hayden shook his head vigorously. I laughed.

"We can both be married to him."

"Yay!" Temple said, throwing her arms around his neck. Before she let go, I pulled out my phone and took a picture.

"Come on, Natalie," Hayden complained. He shook his head slowly and told the kids they could get down from the table and go play.

"Just have a little fun Hayden. She'll want to be married for you for a couple of years, but she'll only obsess about it for about a year."

"A year of obsession?" Hayden groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Why did you encourage her like that?"

"Or maybe a few months, if you hope for the best! And besides, you have to admit -- it's cute."

He met eyes with me, frowning. I smiled at him, raising my eyebrows and waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, it's cute," Hayden finally admitted. I kissed him once, but he held on a few seconds before he let go. "Just be playful about it. Don't take it seriously, it's just a cute thing," I said.

"Yeah, I know."

"Alright. I'm going to clean up dishes. Why don't you go hang out with your kids?" Hayden nodded as he got up, pushing his chair in.

As I reached the sink, I felt a pair of hands take my waist and pull me the other way. I turned around, Hayden smiling at me, his eyes glinting in the dim light of the kitchen.

He lifted me onto the counter, and I laughed. "Stop."

I leaned down because I couldn't resist that grin. He pulled me down and kissed me, his lips soft against mine.

After a few seconds, I pulled away. "Stop, Hayden. I literally have no makeup and sweatpants on."

"Well, you're literally beautiful."

I shook my head and he ran his hands through my hair, smiling at me. "I'll never understand how I got so lucky as to have met you. And you'll never understand how beautiful you always are, inside and out, no matter what. Even if you don't have makeup on, or if you have sweatpants and a t-shirt on. You're beautiful to me, no matter what the circumstance."

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing him one more time. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"I don't know what I would do without you either. But then again, I don't like to think about what it would be like without you or the kids in my life. Even if Temple wants to marry me."

We both laughed softly with our arms around each other. Hayden's eyes were smiling themselves when he met my gaze. He seemed so happy. And yet all along, that's exactly what I had wanted for him. For all of us.

"Dishes," I mumbled, reminding him of my job.

"Right," he said. "And I can't neglect the kids."

"You're right about that."

"Hey, how about I switch with you. I do the dishes and you go play with the kids. I promise I'll do them all right and I'll be there in a minute."

"Alright," I agreed. I slid off the counter and grabbed his collar, pulling him towards me.

"You better do them right."

Hayden swallowed, nodding. "Yes, milady."

We laughed together as I walked away and watched him walk to the sink, piling up a dish. I turned around and smiled to myself.

Life was so much better in Canada.