The World Turned Upside Down

Chapter Eighteen

Chris and I went to bed in an extremely good mood that night. So good, that both of us ended up falling sound asleep as soon as we laid our heads on our pillows.

Chris did not have to go to the Bakery that day. It would be just me and the guys recording so he would be taking care of our children. He was happy to finally be able to spend a full day with them. After having breakfast with the kids we took them for a stroll to the park. It had been raining early in the morning but now the sky was clearing and the sun had started to make an appearance.

“I can’t remember the last time the four of us came here,” Chris said while we walked among the tall trees.

“It was three months ago. When Apple came for her visit, remember?”

“Oh yeah, yeah, I do remember. I’m glad we’re doing this together now. It’s so lovely out here, so peaceful,” he said his voice full of wonder. “We need that.”

“It is indeed lovely,” I said.

We sat by a pond and let the tots feed the ducks, Milo was afraid at first, as he always was when I brought him here, but soon he got more confident and was laughing and clapping happily along with his sister.

“Look children, it’s a squirrel!” Chris said pointing to the little animal.

Milo started walking towards it but he soon lost his balance and landed bottom down on the floor, scaring the animal away. Chris and I could only laugh at his face.

“Oh, she left!” Chris told him. “Don’t worry, honey, let’s watch the ducks,” he said offering his hand for support. Our son took it and they both came walking to where I sat with Violet.

As the time for their morning nap got nearer, their eyes started drooping and they became a bit cranky. We immediately knew it was time to head back home, so we packed the few toys they’ve brought, put the twins in their pushchair and made our way back.

Unfortunately, we could not avoid being caught by paparazzi. There was the same man that before, plus another one we had never seen, both of them taking pictures from across the street. I feared Chris’ reaction. I took a glance at him; he seemed remarkably calm, although his hands, which tightly gripped the buggy, betrayed him. I discretely moved my own hand and set it atop his in an attempt to give some comfort. He looked at me with a small smile on his face. “Thank you,” he quietly said and intertwined his pinky finger with mine.

Three minutes later, they had gone and we both let out a big sigh of relief. “I’m so proud of the way you handled that!” I sincerely told him. “So proud.”

His smile got bigger and he actually blushed, “Thank you, love.”  

The first thing we did upon arriving was putting the kids in their cots. They were almost asleep. “Come here, honey,” I said to Milo as I lifted him up to carry him upstairs. He looked at me tiredly and put his head on my shoulder. He was so cute, I couldn’t resist kissing him all the way to the nursery. Chris came right behind me with our daughter in a similar drowsy state.

I gently placed Milo in his cot and he was out almost immediately. Chris was still with Violet when I left the kids' room. I went to our bedroom where I started picking clothes up to do our laundry. I quickly put them all in the laundry bag and headed out. I hadn’t made it to the door when I almost bumped into Chris.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked with a laugh.

“To put these clothes in the washing machine?” I answered, my hands holding the large bag.

“I’ll do it later, don’t worry,” he told me taking the laundry from me and placing it on the floor.

“It’s not a probl..”

“Jonny!” he interrupted “I’ll do it,” he insisted.

“OK, you win,” I let out a quiet laugh.

He got closer and put his arms around my waist, looking at me with a caring and dazzled expression. I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “You’re so wonderful,” he told me. A warm feeling rushed inside me. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his in a long tender kiss, cupping his face with my hands while we poured all our love into that one kiss. It was so incredible. We broke apart after a few minutes and he put his forehead against mine. “I love you so much,” I whispered to him. “You have no idea how much.”

“I love you too, babe. With all my heart.”

He gave me a sweet short kiss and I hugged him tightly. I burrowed my head on his neck and I gently nipped at his tender skin. He released a deep breath and raised his head slightly granting me full access to his neck. His wandering hands found their way under my shirt and I shivered. My lips trailed from his neck, up to his chin and finally to his gorgeous mouth.

“Let’s make the most of the children’s nap,” he said between kisses. I bit his lip and he pushed against me, getting even closer.

“I can’t get enough from you, my handsome husband,” he breathlessly said before pulling me down on top of him on the bed.

“Wow”, was all I could say afterwards.

“That was amazing,” he said panting.

When he regained his breath, he turned on his side to face me and I did the same. We shared a smile but soon our expression turned contemplative, we searched each other’s eyes and I traced his face with my finger as I thought of everything we'd been through. Not only in these last few months, but everything, since meeting at university to celebrating our union in front of our family and friends and of course welcoming those two lovely babies into our family. So many years and so many things and finally here we were, together. 

“You’re the love of my life,” I softly told him.

His eyes filled with tears and he whispered “You’re my life, Jay.”