when all is said and done | e.d.

epilogue pt. 9

ethan

*three years later*

"harp— ow, nova. no, don't hit your sister— harper, when's the last time you took ruby for a walk?" i call out the bedroom door, desperately trying to calm down the girls.

noelle takes a doll and tries to slam it over her sister's head, but i catch it and pluck it from her hands before she can.

they're just like grayson and i.

fighting one moment, best friends the next.

my wife pops her head in the doorway with a smile directed at the girls. she then looks to me and says, "a couple hours ago. want me to take her out again? she seems fine."

ruby comes jogging in and nova and noelle automatically shriek and giggle, running over to pet her. the dog sits there and happily takes the attention.

i shake my head. "no, she's fine."

"momma," nova looks up to harper and says softly, holding a half eaten cheerio in her hand. i've never understood how bird-like toddlers eat.

harper bends down to get eye level. "what?"

"when is g-grandma coming?" she asks, stumbling over her words only slightly.

noelle learned to speak so early, and it always shocks everyone with how grown-up she sounds.

nova, on the other hand, started with a struggle.
i made tons upon tons of flashcards to practice words with her, and harper always had to step away because she felt so bad that noelle was getting them, but nova wasn't.

my mom is coming to town for the weekend to help us move into our new house.

clearly the two bedroom brownstone in lincoln park just doesn't work for us anymore. it was great for just harper and i, but not for the girls.

we're moving closer to my work, which only extends harper's commute by 15 minutes. worst case scenario, she'll just have to leave earlier in the morning.

"soon," she smiles, reaching out to pet her hair before standing back up.

both of their little dark haired heads run from the room, clutching all sorts of stuffed animals and other toys.

while one twin has reading troubles, the other has separation anxiety. i'll wake up frequently with noelle wedged in between harper and i, or she'll wake us up to sleep in her room. there has been countless mornings where i've gotten up with an empty spot next to me, and then gone into the girls' room to find harper curled up in noelle's bed.

she's definitely starting to grow out of it, and i'm glad. sleeping on a toddler's bed does horrible thing to a 29 year old guy's back— i can confirm.

harper lets out a breath, coming to sit next to me on nova's bed. she picks at the black and white polka dotted comforter, and smiles up at me.

i quickly look towards the open door to see if i hear any small footsteps nearing the hall, and when i don't, i duck my head down to connect our lips.

turns out, when you have kids—especially toddler age—you don't get much alone time.

at all.

... none.

harper usually handles the discipline, since i can never bring myself to reprimand them. i'll try sometimes, and then end up sighing and walking out of the room, telling harper that she needs to handle it.