Positive Regard

Chapter Forty Three

Pepper and Tony came over for dinner and realized that having kids was a terrifying idea. Stephanie pitched a fit and Henry was going through a phase of hating everyone and everything. Bucky and Henry had been in bad moods all day. I didn't want to, but I was tired and stressed so I cried, which resulted in Stephanie crying harder, and Henry started crying too, and Bucky snapped at both of them. Pepper and Tony sat there watching with wide eyes.
"Honey, I think we're in way over our heads here." Tony whispered.
"Oh yeah." Pepper nodded.
"I'm sorry." Henry said quickly, wiping his eyes even though he was still crying.
Stephanie held her arms out to Tony and told him to hold her.
"No." Bucky said calmly. "You're going to your room, Stephanie. You're in time out."
She started screaming.
"Then you don't throw your fork! Go to your room. Now."
"No!"
"Do you want a spanking?"
"No!" She crawled under the table.
Bucky looked at me. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Daddy said a bad word!" Stephanie screamed at the top of her lungs.
I shook my head. "I don't know, Bucky." I put my hand on Henry's shoulder and tried to stop sounding angry. "Come into the living room and we'll talk."
Bucky got on the floor and started talking calmly to Stephanie, but she responded to everything with screeching and hitting Bucky and the table legs, so he dragged her out and carried her upstairs.
I mouthed a "sorry" to Pepper and Tony as I followed Henry into the living room. "Okay. Wanna tell me what's going on, sweetie?"
He wrapped his arms around me, crying into my shirt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Please don't hate me. I'm sorry, Rose. I'm really sorry."
I wrapped my arms around him. "It's okay, baby. I love you."
He started crying harder. "I'm sorry."
"Sh. It's okay."
"Please don't send me away."
"You aren't gonna get sent away, sweetie. You're stuck with us."
"I'm sorry I've been bad." He held onto me, still crying.
"It's okay, honey. Everything's okay. Calm down, there's no reason to be upset. Take a deep breath."
He let me go and wiped his eyes. "I'm really sorry, Rose. I didn't mean it."
"I know. It's okay." I sat down on the couch.
He sat beside me, looking at his hands.
"Why are you so angry tonight?"
He shrugged.
"You don't know?"
He shook his head and sniffled.
"Well, let me know if you figure it out."
He nodded. "Yes ma'am."
I kissed his head, and he started crying again. I wrapped my arms around him and leaned back in the couch. He pulled his legs up and leaned against me, crying into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry I've been so bad." He repeated. "I'll do better."
"Okay. Thank you, I appreciate it."
"My dad said kids wouldn't misbehave if they got hit harder."
"Nobody's gonna hit you."
He sniffled. "I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
After a while, we went back into the dining room. Henry was apologizing to Pepper and Tony when Bucky came back.
"Where's Steph?" I asked.
"Asleep on her floor." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You okay, doll?"
"Fine. You?"
"Fine." He reached out and tousled Henry's hair. "Everything good, bud?"
Henry nodded. "Yes sir. I'm sorry, Bucky."
"It's okay, kiddo."
Henry stood up and hugged him. "I love you."
Bucky smiled. "Love you too, kid."
After dinner, Henry went up to his room and Pepper looked at me with wide eyes. "Is my kid gonna be like that?"
"Which one?" Bucky asked.
"Both."
I shook my head. "Nah."
"Are you lying to make me feel better?"
"Of course not." I lied with a smile.
Bucky shook his head. "She's lying. Kids are awful most of the time. But sometimes they're not so it's a nice break. Besides, I get to leave for work relatively often."
I elbowed him. "It's worth it. Did you bring the picture from the ultrasound?"
She pulled it out of her purse and handed it to me.
"Are you feeling better about it, Tony?" I asked, glancing up from the picture so I could watch him react.
"I guess. Not the labor part. Or the parenting part. But the baby part's okay." He smiled, looking relatively calm, for him.
I smiled and gave the picture back to Pepper. "It'll be okay. Bucky, did you leave her on the floor?" I turned to raise my eyebrows at him. I wanted another child.
"Yes."
"You didn't wanna move her to the bed?"
"No. I wasn't about to mess with God's blessing." He grinned.
Tony and Pepper left around ten. Bucky and I walked them out, and as soon as we went back inside, Bucky told me no.
"No what?"
"No more kids."
"But Bucky--"
"No. Two's enough." He shook his head and turned to lock the door. "No."
"But Bucky--"
"No."
"The original plan was four--"
"Plans change. No more. Two's enough."
"But I want a baby. They aren't babies."
"Steph can sit in your lap and suck her thumb or something. No more kids."
"Fine." I huffed. "You're an ass."
"You were at dinner, right?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Okay, but a baby."
"No babies. Yes bed." He smiled. "I'm gonna go put Stephanie in bed."
I went to tell Henry goodnight. He was laying in bed, reading a book on the Revolutionary War that Steve had gotten him. He loved history.
"Hey." I smiled as I came in.
He looked up from the book. "Hi."
"Learning anything new?"
"Yes ma'am."
I listened as he told me about it. Bucky came in after a minute and joined me.
"Sounds like you learned a lot new." I smiled.
He nodded.
"We're going to bed. And it's time for you to, too."
"Can I finish this chapter?"
"Might as well."
"But you have to go to sleep after." Bucky said.
"Yes sir. I will."
Bucky ruffled his hair. "Night, kiddo."
"Night."
I kissed his head as I stood up. "Goodnight. Love you."
"Goodnight. Love you too."
We left and closed the door. Bucky said Stephanie wanted me to go into her room, so I did.
"Mommy?" She asked from bed.
"Yes ma'am." I came in and sat on the edge of her bed. "You need something?"
"To tell you goodnight."
I leaned down and kissed her head. "Goodnight. I love you."
"I love you too, Mommy. Will you read me a story?"
"No. You need to go to bed, you're tired."
"I'm not tired." She said grouchily.
"Your behavior at dinner tells me differently."
"I'm not tired!"
"See, that tells me you're tired." I smiled and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight."
"But I want a story."
"Well, even if you're not tired, I'm tired. No story tonight."
"Tell Daddy to come read me one."
"No story tonight, Stephanie. Goodnight."
She huffed and rolled over.
I started to leave, but she called me back, so I turned around. "What's up?"
She held Puppy out to me.
"What are you wanting?"
"Give him to Daddy."
"You don't wanna sleep with him?"
"He's to protect Daddy's dreams."
"Daddy's okay."
"But he has bad dreams. So have him let Puppy sleep there."
I took Puppy and kissed her head. "That's very thoughtful of you. Thank you."
"Uh-huh. 'Night. Love you."
"Goodnight. Love you too."
I left, leaving the door cracked because she refused to sleep otherwise. I went to my room.
"You okay?" Bucky asked, already in bed.
"Fine. You?"
"Fine. Whatcha got?"
I handed him Puppy. "Stephanie sent him for you."
"Why?"
"To protect your dreams." I smiled.
"Why would she say that?"
"Kids notice things."
"She's so fucking cute."
"Sometimes." I smiled and went to the closet to change.
I got changed and went to get in bed, turning off the lights.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He put Puppy between our pillows.
"Yeah. Just tired." I kissed his cheek. "Goodnight. Love you."
"You too."