Illegal Moves

Chapter 12

Iona's POV

I quickly send Aleks a text.

Me: Jim and Maria are out. I have 2 watch kids. U come over here.

Aleks: OK! Be there shortly.

Me: Order some pizza?

Aleks: Fine, whatever makes you happy, Lol

Me: Thanks! :)

Jim and Maria were leaving on a Saturday night and leaving the kids with me. I didn't really mind, I hadn't seen them in forever. Not really just a week but still. Megan and Jack are playing in the living room watching Max and Ruby and Adeline is in her room sleeping. The kids were content so I went into my room and got some homework done. I see headlights in the driveway. I look down from my window. It's a familiar truck. I race down the stairs to greet Aleks. I open the door and take the pizzas from him. Megan and Jack get up and race to the kitchen screaming "FOOD!" They settle into the chairs at the island. I hear crying from the baby monitor. "Can you dish them out some pizza, I'll be right back," Aleks gives me a frightened look. "Just ask them what kind of pizza they want and give it to them. They are not shy kids so don't be afraid," I leave it at that and go get Adeline. It was hard to believe that she was almost a year old already. I bring her back downstairs and join the others in the kitchen. I place Adeline in her high chair and get her baby food out of the fridge. "Aleks have you ever kissed Iona," Jack says giggling. Megan starts to giggle too. Aleks chokes on his pizza and starts laughing. I know what he was thinking. He was thinking I've done a whole lot more than just kiss Iona but he would never say that to a five year old. "Jack I don't think that's a very nice question to ask him," I say sternly. Aleks gives me a look like why are you being so hard on him. "He's five!" I whisper. "He doesn't need to know stuff like that, just eat your pizza," I turn toward Adeline and start feeding her her mashed carrots baby food. After all the kids have eaten, I send them into the living room to play. Aleks and I follow. I bring my plate full of pizza with me. I sit down on the couch and turn on the tv to Grey's Anatomy while Aleks sits on the floor and plays with Jack and his legos. This was Aleks' first time actually meeting the kids and it was going really well. Until Megan started to fight with Jack. Jack had built a lego car and Megan goes and takes it out of his hands. "Megan give it back!" Jack whines reaching for it. Aleks tries to step in. "Megan why don't you give it back and I will make you one just like it," he says reaching towards Megan for the toy. She jerks it away from him.
"Okaaaaay," He puts his hands up in surrender motion and looks at me for help. "Megan give Jack his car back or go upstairs in your room," I say sternly. She was in one of her not listening moods so she doesn't do anything. Jack finally gets ahold of it.
They start pulling it back and forth. I put my pizza down and get up to break it up when it goes flying out of both of their hands and hitting Adeline right in the head. She immediately starts screaming her head off. I rush to her and pick her up rocking her back and forth. She lays her head on my shoulder and continues to cry. I put my hand on her head where the car had hit her. I rub it smoothly but that doesn't help she just keeps crying. "Both of you up to your rooms now!" I say pointing up the stairs and shouting over the screaming baby. I don't even wait to see if they go to their rooms because I head to the kitchen with Adeline to make her a bottle. She's still screaming when I'm finished making her bottle. I put it to her lips and she takes it in her own hands. I rock her back and forth. Within minutes she's asleep in my arms. I put her bottle on the counter and walk back into the living room. Jack and Megan are gone. Aleks is on the floor picking up all the legos. He puts the last piece away and stands up. "Well that was interesting," he says blowing out a breath. I hold the sleeping baby out to him. "I'm good," he says putting his hands up.
"Oh come on just take her," I say pushing her into his arms. He backs up even further.
"Iona, I don't want to," he says.
"Do it," I say laughing. He didn't seem to think it was all that funny
"Dammit Iona I said no!" He yells at me. His loud voice wakes the baby. Aleks rolls his eyes and stomps up the stairs. I go back to the kitchen and give Adeline the rest of the bottle. In no time she is back asleep. I walk up the stairs and put her in her crib in her room. I turn her light off and go into my room. Aleks is stretched out on my bed watching tv on my little tv. I grab the remote and flick the tv off. I walk across the room and sit at the end of the bed, giving Aleks space. He has never yelled at me like that before. "Aleks what just happened down there," I ask him like I'm talking to a delicate toddler that's about to cry. "I don't want to talk about it!" he says harshly.
"Fine," I say simply. I get off the bed, grab my backpack and head down the stairs. I go to the kitchen and work on the rest of my homework. Once I finish I go into the living room and watch tv. After about ten minutes of the show, Aleks comes down the stairs with Megan and Jack on his hips. He walks to me and then sets them down on the ground. "Ok, go ahead," He urges them on.
Jack and Megan speak at the same time. "We're sorry we didn't listen to you and that we hit Adeline on the head," they say looking at the ground.
"Well thank you for the apology. Apology accepted," I say hugging both of them.
"K, now both of you up to bed, I'll be up to check and see if your asleep in a few minutes," Aleks says in a stern voice. They scurry up the steps.
I look up at him. "And I'm sorry I snapped at you. I had no right to," "And I'm ready to explain," he says sitting down beside me on the couch. I turn towards him and sit criss crossed. "I was engaged once, and she was pregnant. Long story short, she was in a car accident and she and the baby were killed. I haven't been able to hold a baby since," How awful! And there I was forcing Adeline at him. My heart ached for him. No one should ever have to go through something like that. I wonder if he had such a big house for just one person because that was going to be there house. I thought about something for a while.
"That's who the girl in the photo is," I say.
"What photo?" Aleks asks.
"The one on your office desk,"
"Why were you in my office," He asks a little harsh.
"Don't act so snobbish, it was the first time I spent the night at your house and I was looking for your room and went in the wrong room."
"Oh well ya that's her," he says frowning.
"She's very pretty," I compliment her.
"Yeah, yeah she was," He says still growing.
"How long ago?"
"2 years ago, and then I went into a slump and started getting drunk all the time to make the pain go away. I almost didn't get my teaching license," He stands up. "I better go check on the kids," I grab his hands gently and pull him onto me.
"The kids are fine," I say bringing his lips to mine. He kisses me back with an intensity I didn't know he had in him tonight. I pull back "I'm so sorry that I was forcing Adeline on you," I say frowning.
"Let's not talk about it anymore, actually let's not talk at all." He says laying me back on the couch. He quickly removes me shirt and starts kissing my neck.
"How about we not do it on my couch," I suggest laughing.
He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist and he carries me up to my room. When he shuts the door he says "I need you right now," He says laying me down on my bed removing his shirt. I pull him back down on me and wrap my body around his. "I'm right here," I whisper in his ear.

I wake up in my bed alone. I crawl out of bed and put some clothes on and go downstairs. Megan, Jack, and Aleks are in the kitchen making pancakes. Really it was just Aleks, and the kids were watching but still, it was a sight that warmed my heart. Aleks seemed back to normal. I made sure he forgot. Wink, wink. Before any of them see me I turn back up the stairs and go get Adeline. I retrieve her and then go into the kitchen.
When Aleks sees us he says "There they are!" He flips a pancake in the air and it lands back on the pan. Without Jim and Maria here, we looked like a family.