Fate's Cruel Hand

Chapter 3

Lise

Present time

I sighed when I heard Zak's wailing pick up again. He had been crying like this all evening off and on. I set the juice back on the counter, where I had just picked it up from, and walked as quickly as I could over to Zak's high chair.

"Come on Zak," I sighed, unhooking the tray from the chair. I put my hands on my hips as I stared at him. "You'd get your juice a lot faster if you would just sit there and behave" I told him and his tears began to slow as I spoke with him and I gave a small sigh of relief.

"Mama up" he said in his adorable little voice as he stretched his tiny little arms up to me. I shook my head at him,

"You are such a spoiled little brat, you know that?" I asked him as I picked him up from the chair. He immediately latched onto my hair and began running his hands through it, actually that was sugar coating it, a lot. He was actually yanking my hair, hard.

I swung him onto my hip, at the same time as I swept my hair away from his grasp and over my other shoulder. He didn't like this though and he began to cry again.

I glared at him, as if that could make him stop. I groaned in frustration and started bouncing him a little on my hip,

"Zak, baby, you're driving Mama crazy!" I shook my head at him and made my way back around the table and to the counter. I opened up the cabinet that we kept our cups in and groaned again, "What are we going to do with you Asher?" I turned my head to face a still crying Zak, "What are we going to do with him Zak? He put all your sippy cups up top again! He knows Mama can't reach them up there"

"Mama juice" he managed to hiccup out in between wails. I sighed,

"I know, I know baby. I'm working on it" I cooed at him as I stood up on my tiptoes and struggled to reach even one of the stupid cups. I was so killing Asher whenever he got home. I had just managed to reach the handle of one with one finger when Zak suddenly stopped crying and let out a loud giggle, startling me.

I glanced at him in surprise and confusion before a deep voice interrupted the now silent kitchen, Asher,

"Hey there you little rascal" he cooed, I turned to face him, and Zak turned his head to look at him from the new angle as well, a brand new giant smile resting on his face, "Are you giving your Mama a hard time again?" Zak giggled.

"Ashwer juice!" he exclaimed. Asher surveyed the situation, taking in the open cup cabinet and the bottle of juice on the counter.

"Of course I'll get you some juice munchkin, it's not your fault your Mama's short" if looks could kill, he would be dead right now. It was his fault that the stupid sippy cups were out of my reach to begin with. And now he waltzes in to save the day, furthering Zak's favoritism of him. Asher chuckled,

"Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me" he whispered in my ear as he reached up, easily might I add, and grabbed a sippy cup from the top shelf. I smacked him lightly with the hand that wasn't holding a child which only caused him to laugh harder.

"Go sit down Lise, I'll get the kid his juice" I was about to protest but Zak interrupted me by shouting,

"Juice!" I sighed,

"Alright, but I swear Asher, if you put his cups up there again I'm going to do more than just smack you" I told him, I walked over to the table and sat in the closest chair. Shifting Zak so that he sat on my lap. I absentmindedly bounced him on my knee, causing him to erupt into a fit of giggles. A smile found its way onto my face,

"There's the beautiful Lise I know and love" Asher exclaimed smiling, then handing Zak his juice he cooed, "Isn't your Mama just beautiful?" Zak responded with a happy