"Options... I've ran out of Options..." (Book 3)

Chapter 12 - "Memorial Picnic..."

Chapter 12 - "Memorial Picnic..."

Clara's PoV

'Do you have to slam the cupboards?' John squirmed as I bounded around the kitchen in an angry, now rather foul mood.

'Yes' I growled, looking for the bread and the sausage rolls.

'Whoa. What did that loaf of bread ever do to you?' Richard scoffed as he dropped Henry in the kitchen who almost immediately ran towards John and clung to his leg.

'Oh shut up' I snapped as I went back to ferociously buttering the bread - and waited for Richard to leave.

'Why are you doing the school run?' John asked in confusion then realised what I had realised.

Evie was in the car. She must have been.

'Lilly had to take Ollie to the doctors... So I volunteered since I was going that way anyway that I would pick them up...' He mumbled.

'So Evie is just outside? In the car?' John hummed, pushing Henry off his leg and went towards the front door.

'Are you not going to stop him Clara?'

'Nope. I'm throwing him to the Sharks' I scoffed.

- - -

'Hi Mummy' Evie said as she appeared in the garden about 20 minutes later.

'Evie? What you doing here?' I hummed with Poppy on the opposite side of the garden table as I had been dragged into a game of 4 year olds scrabble.

The best she could spell was her own name - and even that was easy because it was just three of the same bloody letter.

'Dad said that you wanted me to come in for the picnic. He said he'd pick me up at half 8' she mumbled.

It really saddened me that she was so serious about living with Richard.

There's no way that Lilly will go for that of the two of them ever get back together.

'Oh? Did you want to join in?' I asked.

'Yeah Evie. You can be on my team. You can spell and I can't' she said sadly.

'That's because you four dopey' Evie said rolling her eyes.

The game went on for some time whilst John was at a football practice with Henry and Avia was laying out all the picnic blanket for our little memorial picnic.

It was a little cold for a picnic at the beginning of October but as long as we have a scarf on - it'll be fine.

'How are you doing over there?' I hummed as she precisely laid the checked blanket on the grass by our little memorial and made sure it was held down so that it wouldn't blow away.

She was so much like me these days with her little organisational skills and obsessiveness.

She missed Evie though whilst she's been away. She said she complains about having to tidy up after Evie's mess all the time but that now she's not there she misses the mess to tidy up.

As soon as John got home - the girls were interacting and chatting on the picnic blanket because Evie was still not talking to John.

I know that Avia was trying to persuade her otherwise as was I - but Evie is a stubborn little thing as we've all - always known.

'Hey little dude. How was football?' I smirked as Henry ran around the garden with his cute little football boots on and kept kicking the grass.

'He made progress today. He kicked the actual ball' John laughed as I rolled my eyes and went back to our game of scrabble with Poppy.

- - -

Right. Up you get' I smirked, pointing at the sofa for the almost three year old to jump on. 'Stand there... And then jump on my back okay?' I suggested.

'Okay' he shrugged with a giggle.

'Now. Hold on to my neck and jump up'

He nodded as I turned around and he jumped onto my back and suddenly I felt the weight of the tiny little thing on me. 'You ready?'

'Go. Go. Go' he giggled as I took off running around the garden with him on my back straight away and listens to the ring in his giggling voice.

There was something about Henry that just made me laugh. He was definitely a delicious little thing and would be making hearts stop in the future - and I'm pretty sure that because he is the spitting image of John.

'Giddy up. Giddy up' he laughed.

I never wanted a son. It wasn't something that I thought about. When I was given three daughters I wouldn't have lost sleep over not having a son but Henry is so much different to the girls.

He's a breath of fresh air.

'What on earth is going on out here?' John chuckled as he appeared from the kitchen with the picnic basket.

'Mummy Clara is being a horsey and I'm the person' Henry squeaked kicking his legs as I dropped him to the floor.

He stood with a smug little smile that looks adorable with his bright dimples. He was wearing his little brown shorts and braces that came over his shoulders with his tiny vans and a cool looking shirt.

I had never been overly close with Henry as he got older because he became a bit of a Daddy's boy but recently he's come out of his shell and he's got a lot more chatty with me.

'Well I can see you two are having lots of fun' he chuckled, as Henry ran off to play on the slide. 'Are you finished being angry with me yet Clara because it's getting old' John mumbled.

'I'm not angry. I'm just mad that you went all that time and didn't tell me?' I complained.

'And if I had told you - you would have got annoyed that I'd gone without you and then you would have swapped and rearranged your day so that you could come with me and I didn't want that. I love you Clara but sometimes it's hard to admit the true way you feel, around people that you love the most and then you said you were taking Avia and I just couldn't do it with all those people there' he argued.

'I'm not angry anymore I promise'

'Your bonding with Henry? How come?'

'It's just a fun game that we play. I can be the fun parent when I want to be' I scoffed with a smirk and the flick of my hair.

'Listen... I have an idea? An idea to really remember Lissy?' John suggested making my eyebrow raise.