The Unexpected

Epilogue

Today is my thirty-seventh birthday. My son is eighteen and my daughter is thirteen. I lay in bed thinking about how far my family has come. It seems like just yesterday when Alex was staring down at his newborn sister. Now he's a senior in high school and Addison is in middle school.

As I'm staring up at the ceiling, the sheet around my feet lifts up. A smile forms on my lips as Tyler makes his way to the top of the bed, trailing kisses up my bare body. His head pokes out from beneath the blanket and he pecks my lips. "Today is your day. You can have anything you want." He says softly.

I raise my eyebrows, smiling. "Anything?"

He nods. "Anything. What do you want?"

Placing my hands on his shoulders, I kiss him before pushing him down slightly and pulling the sheet over his head. He chuckles slightly before burying his face between my thighs. Just as my back arches off the bed, I hear a door open and close. Tyler quickly sits up with the sheet hanging from his head. "Who is it?" I whisper frantically.

"The kids are the only ones with keys." He says.

We rush out of bed and begin pulling on our clothes. "Where are my shorts?" I whisper-yell.

He throws my shorts at my face before pulling on his boxers and a pair of basketball shorts. I quickly finish dressing before following Tyler out of the bedroom. We follow the soft noises coming from downstairs until we reach the kitchen. Alex stands at the fridge, pulling out a few things. "Why aren't you in school?" Tyler asks.

Looking over his shoulder he smiles at me. "Happy birthday, mom. I got you those."

He nods towards the island where there's a dozen roses with a card and a small gift. "You've always been such a sweetheart." I smile. "Thank you."

"No problem." He says, looking in the fridge again. "I thought you guys were going out to lunch."

Tyler looks down at me, grinning. "We decided to stay in. I made her lunch."

Alex puts a water bottle on the island along with stuff for a ham sandwich. I grab the bread from the counter and place it on the island with the other stuff. "I'll make it. Talk to your dad."

"Thanks mom." He kisses my cheek before sitting on the barstool across from me.

After washing my hands, I begin making his sandwich while listening to their words. "Well?" Tyler asks, still waiting for an answer.

Alex looks at me nervously, knowing he gets away with everything when it comes to me. "You can't say anything until I'm done explaining." Tyler nods, crossing his arms over his chest. "I skipped school -"

Tyler smacks the back of Alex's head, glaring at him. "Dad!"

I shoot Tyler a dirty look and he shrugs. "I said I wouldn't say anything."

Shaking my head. I return to the task at hand. "I was getting one of mom's gifts." Alex says.

I push his sandwich and water bottle towards him then begin putting the stuff away. "So you're telling me you skipped an entire day of school for damn flowers and a card?"

"Don't forget the box." Alex says sarcastically, his mouth full of food.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth." I scold.

Tyler waves his hand towards Alex. "You baby him so he gets away with everything. He can't just skip school. Don't yell at him for other things until he gets his punishment for this."

"Punishment?" Alex groans. "I'm eighteen and I'll be leaving in a few months. Plus, when ypou find out why I skipped school, you won't be mad."

When we hear a door open in another room, Tyler and I stare at each other in confusion. Then our eyes turn to Alex who is smiling at his plate. "Happy birthday, mom!" Addison yells.