After Everything

Chapter 1 - Hardin

It's almost time for the kids to go to their first day of school, well Auden's first day of school and Tessa is going crazy to take a photo of them.

”Mom, we already took more than 20 pics and I don't want to take more, you know I hate photos, and it's not my first day of school, it's Auden's first day."- said Emery upset.

"I know Em, I just wanted the perfect photo to put here in our home, we need a big frame of you two!"

"Yeah, I got it mom, but right now I just want to go to school, I miss all my friends."

Emery has 12 years and Auden 5 and I can clearly see that Emery has got my attitude and she drives her mum crazy just like I do. And Auden is our sweet little boy.
We grabbed our things to take the children to school.

"Goodbye mom, goodbye dad, I would give you two a kiss but my friends are waiting for me"

"Have a good day Em, and behave yourself, I hope we don't have more calls of the director" - Tessa said to her.

"I promise I'll behave today, bye!"

"You better to Emery!" I said winking my eye to her and she smiled at me and turned around to meet her friends.

"I still can't believe how grown up our girl is, and how she just looks like you"

"Yeah baby she looks like me but she has a strong personality and she has got your bad attitude"

"My bad attitude? You love me because of my bad attitude"

"I love everything in you Hardin"

"Mom and dad I'm still here and I'm excited for my first day of school" said Auden with a really excited face.

I keep driving until we get to Auden's school and Tessa and I take him.

"Be a good boy you will love the school and you will learn a lot of new things"

"Yes I'm really excited to learn mom"

"Don't be too excited Auden, some classes can be really boring" I said that without thinking and he just laughed. He's got Tessa's personality but he looks just like me.

He gave a kiss to Tessa and then he hugged me and kissed me too.

In our way to the car Tessa said:

"Hardin, Auden's birthday is coming and I wanted to do something really special for him, he doesn't care at all of his birthdays and he has to know that birthdays are special"

"And what are you planning to do? That line “something really special” is making me think a lot and I'm not really enjoying the sound of that"

"Oh come on baby, what I have in mind is something big, like a big party with...with all our family together."

"Tess...You know that I don't want the family together, it brings me back a lot of memories that I don't want to remember, and I don't want Emery and Auden to see me fight, let's not bring them into this please"

"Hardin this is our family and I want to do something special for our son, he deserves it and you know he loves our family and he wants to be with all of them-"

"Tessa, can you please FORGET THIS?? I don't want to fight with you!" - I'm really angry and she's not doing this easy, I've been controlling my anger for these years and I don't want to go back, those years of therapy made me a fucking better man, I changed for her.

"I don't want to fight with you either but we have to talk Hardin."

I don't answer her because I'm not really in the mood for it. I just keep driving until we get home.
When we get there I get out of the car and I let Tessa behind, I'm mad and I don't want to talk with her.
In the hallway I see that she's following me and she tries to reach my hand but I just ignore it.

"Hardin I didn't took my day off for you to be mad with me!!"

"You took your day off because you wanted to!"

"You know I took my day off to be with you!! We haven't had a lot of time together and I thought we would do something FUN TODAY!! - she said screaming

"Sorry to disappoint you but I have work to do."

She looks at me a little upset and the elevator stops in our flat and she gets out almost running, I hate to see her like that but how come she brings back my family and hope that I will agree with everything she says when she knows that I don't want all of my fucking family with our children? I'm afraid that I won't control my anger and they will see who their father really is.
Tessa and I never fought in front of them, we discuss when we're alone and I just don't want them to see me really angry I'm more controlled now but I'm really scared to not control myself with all of them together.