Growing Together

Chapter 12

5 years later

I hear the front door unlocking. The boys run to me immediately, seeing me sitting on a stool next to the kitchen island, on my laptop. "Hey you two," I smile at them, squatting down to give them kisses. "How was the last day of preschool, huh?" I ask. They got 5 a few days ago and are going to kindergarten in September.

"We learned to read," Finn tells me proudly.

"You did?" I chuckle. "What did you read?"

"A book about bears," he tells me and Dash nods.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," Dash whines.

"Okay, go wash your hands," I snicker and they run to their bathroom. I smirk at Jug while standing up and he gives me a kiss.

"It was more like a picture book, but they did read the short sentences," he tells me.

"I'm glad. Maybe they'll ask less once they start reading books," I say, making him laugh. I kiss him once more and then sigh. "Let me guess, you're hungry too?"

"Damn right I am," he smirks. Jug only left home to go and pick the boys up and before he left we ate snacks. "You still have that fish in the oven or did you eat it already?" he teases.

"I'm not you, baby," I giggle and take it out. He smiles at the good smell, placing the rice and salad on the table while I put fish there.

The boys come back, giggling. "Oh no, what did you two devils do now?" Jug smirks, lifting them on the higher stools.

"Nothing," Dash giggles.

"We washed our hands," Finn agrees with a sneaky face.

"You didn't drown anything in the toilet this time?" I smirk at them, placing orange juice and some glasses on the table.

"No," Finn giggles.

"Boys, you can't do that," Jug sighs, both of us taking a seat around the kitchen island/dining table as well.

"Why?"

"Because we say so," I say with a strict tone, having explained to them hundred times already why they can't do things like that. "Next time you do it, you skip dinner," I tell them. Of course I wouldn't let them skip dinner, but at least they know to take me serious, 'cause they've both had time-outs while me and Jug were eating before.

"Okay, mommy," both of them say sadly.

"Now, what did you drown?" I ask with a sigh.

"A rubber duck," Dash tells me with a small giggle.

"And did it go down?"

"No, it's swimming there," Finn giggles.

"Alright, at least no plumber," Jug tells me, holding his smile back.

"Yeah," I sigh. "Alright you two," I say, helping the boys fill their plates and glasses, trying to get them to eat with a fork even though most of the food gets still pushed on it with a hand.

"Are we going to grandpa?" Finn asks, seeing the packed bags next to the apartment door.

"Yeah, remember we're going for the whole summer?" I ask him.

They both nod while eating. "Right, so after eating we're gonna get ready and you two pack all the toys you want to take, but not too much, alright?"

"Okay, daddy," they both say, Dash spilling some juice because of it while not noticing. They can be really hyper some days while some days they can just sit and draw. Today seems the active day since they both answer at all of it, not just with nodding. The car ride is going to be hell.