Chapter Ten
Nathan
When I wake up, I can already hear the twins laughing. It brings a smile to my face to hear it. I love those boys a lot. I quickly get ready because I only have six days with them.
When I came out of my room, I find them at the kitchen table with Amara having a big breakfast.
“Good morning.” She smiles. “Come join us.”
“Det är gott,” Copper says. It is delicious.
“Det ser ut som det.” It looks like it. The food does look delicious and I know she spent a lot of time on it. She must have woken up early to start it. “Thank you, Amara.”
“You’re welcome.”
I sit down and pile the food onto a plate. Each bite is better than the last. I’m thankful for her. Even though she and I haven’t had another date… yet… I’m ready to have one with her. I have fun with her. She makes my day better the more time I spend with her.
“What are we going to do today?” Drew asks.
“I think we’ll go to the park and maybe play ball hockey.”
They both cheer loudly. I know how much they like being outside and playing. It’s supposed to be a nice day and hopefully, it won’t be too humid either. I know they want to be on the ice and play hockey but playing in the park and on roller blades is a close second.
After we finish breakfast, I tell the boys to help clean up.
“I hate dishes.” Drew moans.
“It doesn’t matter. If Amara cooks then it’s our job to clean up. If I cook then she cleans up. We split all of our duties of cleaning.”
“How come?” Copper questions.
“Because it’s not one person’s job to do all the housework. It’s the job of everyone who lives in the house.” I explain.
“Makes sense.” Drew nods and the three of us finish up everything.
As I tell the boys to get ready so we can go, Amara comes out looking gorgeous as ever in her white shorts and purple tank top. Her hair is up in a high ponytail.
“I’m going to work.” She picks up her purse and keys.
“Hey.” I gently pull her into the kitchen and give her a quick kiss. “Thank you for breakfast.”
Her cheeks heat up. “You’re welcome.” She kisses me this time for a little bit longer. “I’ll see you after work.”
I can’t help but check her out as she’s walking away. I take a deep breath and lick my lips, still tasting her. I can’t wait to spend some alone time with her.
This has been an amazing day. The boys and I have been at the park all day. We went to the nearby deli and had a spectacular lunch. However, they have more energy than I do and I’m becoming tired. I get them home and we all take a shower and change since we did sweat a lot.
We are playing Super Mario Party when Amara comes home.
“How’s your day guys?” She sits down on the couch since we’re all on the floor.
Drew and Copper quickly go into details about our day. Their smiles are contagious because my cheeks hurt from all the smiling I’m doing.
“Nathan, what do you have planned tonight?”
“Not sure. Why?” I turn off the game and face her.
“Baylor thought we could take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese?”
“What’s that?” Copper flops into the seat next to her.
“It’s a pizza place—”
“Pizza!” the twins yell.
“And they have games you can play.” She continues with a giggle.
“Sounds great. Let’s go!” I say.
“I’ll text Baylor.” She pulls out her phone and texts her.
I drive us all over there and meet Alden, Baylor, and Kace outside. My brothers are super excited to see him again. As we get inside, order, and find a table it’s hard to calm any of them down. They hadn’t even had sugar today.
“Okay, let me get you some tokens.” I tell the boys. Alden paid for the dinner, so it’s only fair that I pay for the games.
I watch them for a moment and then leave them alone. The space is open and I can see them from the table.
“Are you two nervous about tomorrow?” Baylor asks Alden and Amara.
“Hopefully I’m granted bail after I kill him.” Alden grumbles.
“We’re not killing Jack. We’re going to tell him off and then leave.” Amara counters.
“If you say so.” He rolls his eyes.
“I don’t think I’m nervous, but it’s been so long since we’ve seen him. I don’t know what to expect.” Amara shrugs sadly.
“Are you meeting your brother tomorrow as well?” I ask.
“No,” she answers. “We’re just talking to Jack.”
“Do you want to meet him?” Baylor questions them both.
“It’s weird, but we can’t fault the son because of what Jack did.” Amara sips her water.
“I’m sure you both will make a sound decision.” I try to make them see the brighter side of this – they have a half-brother. I can’t imagine my life without the twins. They mean a lot to me. “Having another sibling isn’t a huge deal. It’s actually quite cool.”
“I’m sure he’s a good kid.” Amara gives a small smile.
The boys come running back just as the pizzas arrive. I’m not sure how they’re all bouncing and hopping around but they are. They’re all talking about the game they played and won. As they polish off their own pizza, Alden and I finish the second one and Baylor and Amara have barely touched theirs. We let the boys play some more.
After another hour and more tokens than I can count, I gather up my brothers and we all head out. We say our goodbyes and I drive us home. The twins are falling asleep when I pull into my parking spot, I have to shake them awake. I can’t carry them both up but between Amara and me we get them onto the air mattress. They pass out right away.
“I’m tired but going to try to study,” Amara whispers, then kisses my cheek and heads down the hall to her room.
I follow her and when she’s about to close the door I stop it. “Amara, thank you for today.” I cup her face and kiss her soundly on the lips. Kissing her brings many different emotions to the surface, but I love it.
“I needed that.” She giggles.
“Me too.” I softly touch her lips one more time. “Go study and get some rest. I know tomorrow is going to be emotional for you. Please remember I’m here for you no matter what.” I know she’s nervous about seeing her father. I can see it in her eyes.
“Thank you. I’ll let you know how it goes.” She has a sad smile as she steps back and shuts the door.
Deep down, I want to kick it down and wrap my arms around her. I want to protect her and take her sadness away.
I want her to smile every day because she’s with me.