Blended Family

Lin

My daughter is not a giggler so I was surprised to walk in one afternoon and hear Joey cackling with teenage laughter in the living room.  She and Elliott were both sitting on the floor, Nintendo Switch controllers in their hands as they battled each other at Mario Kart.

I set Jack down on the floor to crawl and went to the fridge to get some fruit for a snack for him.  I observed the two teenagers, previously foes, jabbing at each other with their elbows, laughing, as they played.  They were...flirting.

The round ended and Joey pushed Elliott playfully as the results came up.  Elliott had won in the last lap, apparently.

"In your face, Miranda!" he told Joey, and she laughed.  Her eyes were playful, happy.  I got out a little bowl and filled it with blueberries for Jack.  I set the bowl in his high chair then strapped him in.

"Anyone else for a snack?" I called to them.  It was only then they seemed to notice me.  I looked at them with amusement.

"Sure," Elliott said, pressing pause on the game.  They both wandered over to the counter and I set out the blueberries and also got out the strawberries and pineapple.  Both had very healthy appetites.

"Intense game?" I asked them, snagging a strawberry for myself.

"I hadn't played Nintendo Switch in months," Joey commented.

"I used to regularly kick your butt," I reminded her, thinking back to our Mario Kart duels.  I was a child of the 90's so I was skilled at the game.  I could drop a banana in the exact right place for maximum disruption.

"Yeah, whatever," she laughed.  "Do you wanna play, Dad?"

"Nah, I've gotta get dinner started.  Maybe later," I said. 

The two teens shoved some more fruit into their mouths and raced back to the carpet to continue their game.  I shook my head and grinned as they started trash talking each other immediately.  I was glad that Joey was having some fun.  She studied way too much.  I needed to talk to her later about what extra curricular she'd be giving up.

Throughout dinner, Joey was giggly.  Pippa shot me a curious look, obviously equally as perplexed as I was.  Joey was never a girly girl so it was uncharacteristic for her to be so flirtatious.

When dinner was done, I called Joey over to help with the dishes.  For once she didn't complain.  I washed and she dried.

"You seem to be having fun with Elliott," I commented, rolling my sleeves up a little more.

"Yeah," she smiled.  "He's alright I guess."

I smirked.  "I'm glad you were having some fun.  You need more of that."

"Yeah, I guess," she said, drying one of the pots.

"Speaking of which," I handed her another pot.  "Which extra curricular are you giving up?"

I think she was hoping I'd forget.  She sighed and rolled her eyes.  "Do I really have to?"

"Yes ma'am," I told her.

Another sigh.  "I guess yearbook."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes.  Why?  Are you going to criticize my choice?"

"No," I said.  "I thought you really liked yearbook."

"I do," she said.  "But someone's making me choose something."

"Alright, alright," I chuckled as I finished off the last pot.  I pulled the plug and dried my hands on a towel.  I playfully whacked her with the towel on her leg.

"Owww!" she complained as she finished drying.

"In bed by ten, please," I told her, though I knew I'd probably have to still force her.  Pippa was in the process of getting Alex and Jack ready for bathtime.  Jack was crying and Alex was jumping around being silly.  I scooped Alex up and blew a raspberry on her tummy, causing her to squirm and laugh.

"Lin, I'm trying to calm them down," Pippa chided me as she got Jack from his high chair.  I set Alex down in the bathroom and told her to get undressed as I started the bath.

"Go potty before you get in," I told her, checking the temperature.  She did and I heard Pippa wrangling Jack out of his clothing in the bedroom.  Soon we had two kids in the tub, playing quietly with their water toys.

"I've got this if you wanna go relax," I told Pippa.  She gratefully accepted, heading straight for her bedroom.  I knelt down next to the tub and poured water over Jack, which he loved.  He giggled and giggled as I kept refilling the tub and showering his shoulders and belly.

They must have already gone through the whole girl/boy body discussion with their parents before they passed because luckily Alex didn't ask any questions.  I wasn't really sure I wanted to have that conversation.  I scrubbed the kids down and washed their hair, then rinsed them all off. 

They ran to their room with their towels and I started to get them into their PJs.  Alex still wore a Pull Up at night in case she had accidents.  Once they were both cozy in their jammies I sat in the rocker with them both in my lap to read stories.  This was my favorite part of the day, reading to them.  I'd always loved doing it when Joey was small.  At some point, she outgrew it.

Once I finished the second book I declared it bedtime.

"One more story!" Alex requested.

I gently set her on the floor and stood up with Jack.  "No, it's bedtime.  Hop in and I'll tuck you in."

I gently set Jack down on his back in his crib and made sure he was okay before going to Alex's toddler bed.  We decided Alex would move into my old room this weekend.  Jack had a tendency to wake his sister up at night with his crying so this would be a much better arrangement.

Alex cackled and kicked her legs as I approached her bed.  I smirked and knelt down next to the mattress, then pulled up her covers.

"Wiggle worm," I accused her.  "Good night, sweetheart."

I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and then turned on her nightlight.  I left the room, hoping not to get called back.  We had the baby monitors set up to see both cribs with two separate cameras.  The feed went to one monitor, changing back and forth to both beds.  I opened Pippa's door, finding her laying on the bed reading.  She wore reading glasses which I thought was really sexy.  I smirked as I scooted onto the bed right next to her on my stomach.  My hand rubbed at her belly as I sighed out tiredly.

"Bedtime go okay?" she asked, playing with my hair.

"Yeah it was fine," I said as I yawned.

"Sounds like bedtime for you too," she said.

"I've got a couple more things to do to get ready for tomorrow," I told her, though I didn't feel like moving from this spot.  "Elliott and Joey seemed to have eyes for each other earlier."

"Yeah they did," she agreed.  "Is it a little creepy that they're kind of step-siblings?"

"A little," I said.  "It makes me a little nervous that they're in the same house.  Easy access."

"Maybe we need to put locks on their doors," she said.

"Won't do any good if they let each other in," I pointed out.

"Hmmm.  True," Pippa admitted.  "We'll have to keep an eye on those two."

My plans of preparing more for my meetings the next day were shot as Pippa laid down facing me and we cuddled.  Somewhere between the snuggling and the kissing I fell asleep, still in my clothes.