CAPTIVITY

4. Split

(Jonathan POV)

"Woah! Daddy why are yours better than mine?!" 

Finley pouts as he compares the two cookie sheets. My little round of cookie dough balls looked good enough to bounce, but my five year old son were a tad bit deformed. 

Okay, maybe a little more than deformed. 

"Buddy, I told you to do spheres. You made...Pyramids?" I start to mentally question whether Finley understands the concept of shapes as he gets defensive. 

"Pyramids will make better cookies than your stupid spheres." Fin huffs with that little spark of absolute determination to prove me wrong. 

In that moment I see a shit ton of Ashley in my youngest child which only hurts more. I pause for a moment and grip the counter top to try to regain control of my shattered heart. 

"Daddy?" I open my eyes to see the tips of my while knuckles and feel a little finger pressed against my cheek. I pull off a small smile and turn back to Fin.

 "Are you having heart pain again?" He ask with his little intuition always coming off as right. 

"Yeah buddy, daddy's just in a lot of pain." I try to explain without much depth. 

"Oh, Papa has heart pain sometimes too," Fin scratches his chin as he continues to put his little pyramids on the baking sheet.

 "It's okay daddy we don't have to make cookies if you're in too much pain," Fin says as he sits on our marble countertop. His little converse swinging back and forth with his scrawny little legs as he looks up at me. His bright hazel-gray eyes peering into my soul.

 I gently cup his little cheeks in my palms and kiss his forehead. 

"Nothing will stop me from helping you with your pyramid cookies," I tell him and he giggles, flailing his little legs in the air and kicking me in the gut without a care.

 "Yay!" He calls out in celebration before tracing a line on my face.

 "The flour makes you look like a kitty daddy," he giggles before I poke a little white dot on the tip of his nose. 

"Oh yeah? Well you look like..." The front door suddenly opens and AJ storms in.

 "Hey, how was Pract..."

he walks straight past me with his face flushed red with anger as he stomps up the stairs. 

"Ohhhhkkaaayyy then." 

That was odd, he's usually so calm and carefree. 

"Why is AJ mad?" Fin asks and I pat his soft fluffy brown hair jetting out at uncontrollable angles. 

"Well when you become a teenager you'll get mad sometimes too. It's a part of growing up." I explain and he nods. 

"I don't want to be a teenager daddy, AJ is a pain in the butt!" he whines as he forms the cookie dough in his hands and I make the last ball. 

"I agree, I don't want you to be a teenager either," I mutter under my breath and he eats a chocolate chip.

 "Where's Isle and Nat Nat?" He asks and I check my phone. 

"They're with their mommy tonight buddy. You know how you go with your papa some nights? Well, they go with their mama." I explain and he nods, Taking more chocolate chips and I quickly decide that if he grabs another handful I'm taking them.