“I was trying to make you and Mom breakfast before you leave, but the pancakes burnt, and I ran out of batter. So then I tried making scrambled eggs, and they all stuck to the bottom of the pan. And now we’re out of pancake mix and eggs.” He drops his shoulders, obviously disappointed.
I walk toward him, pull him into my chest, and wrap my arms around him. “It’s okay, buddy. It’s the thought that counts.”
“Ew! What stinks?” TJ enters at the worst possible moment.
“Your ugly face.” Ginny nudges him with her shoulder as she walks past him.
And this is why we need a couple’s getaway.
Ginny and TJ are just over three years apart and are always at each other’s throats. She just had her thirteenth birthday a week ago and is already playing moody teenager.
I love my kids, they’re my whole world, but they’re a handful. Between Ginny throwing attitude around like glitter, James exploring his creative side and nearly burning the house down, and TJ getting into everyone’s business, they keep us on our toes on a daily basis. They’re all close in age, and remembering back, it made for some long and interesting nights when they were all little. We found out we were pregnant with James only six months after Ginny was born. After that, Viola got her tubes tied, and we were content with our one boy and one girl. Thirteen months after that, we got the surprise of our life when we found out we were miraculously expecting again—three kids in less than four years. I smile thinking about it. “Sounds like a presidential debate in here,” Viola says, entering the madness.
That makes me snort, but it goes way over the kids’ heads.
“Worse,” I snicker. “Alright, let’s clean up so we can get going.”
“I’ll load the dishwasher,” James offers.
“Ginny, you too,” I say before she can bail. Her book is open with her eyes glued to the pages. I’m not remotely surprised she’s a bookworm just like her mom. Viola doesn’t get to read as much as I know she’d like, but Ginny definitely picked up the habit since she was a little girl.
“I didn’t do this!” she complains, barely looking up.
“If I have to help, so do you!” TJ shouts at her.
“Okay, indoor voices please,” Viola reminds him. “Ginny put the book down for ten minutes.”
“Ugh. So unfair.” She rolls her eyes—her favorite way to express her unhappiness—then sets the Harry Potter book down on the clean part of the counter. “I was getting to a good part.”
“You’ve read that stupid book like a thousand times!” TJ sneers.
“It’s not stupid, you are!” she retorts. “Book seven is the best in the series, thank you very much! Not like you’d know since you can’t read.”
“I can too!” he argues back.
There isn’t enough alcohol in the world right now.
“Ginny, quiet and help,” I direct at her in my deep Dad tone that says I’m not tolerating anymore arguing. “TJ, zip it and help James.”
A moment later, the three of them are quietly working together, but the stares and scowls are loud and clear.
I grab Viola’s hand and pull her into the hallway.
“Have I told you how sexy your bossy voice is lately? Because itreallyturns me on,” she says in a hushed voice.
“I do it specifically for you,” I tell her with a wink. “Now, you want to deliver that BJ now or in the shower?”
“I said in the car,” she reminds me, smacking my chest. “So nice try.”
“It’s fine. I plan to have you naked most of the weekend anyway.” I wrap my hands around her and squeeze her ass.
“Of course you do.” She smirks, sliding her hand down and rubbing against my dick. “That’s exactly why I packed light.”
Two hours later, the kids are dropped off at my parent’s house, and we’re on our way to the airport. Viola delivers on her promise, and it takes all the willpower in the fucking world not to pull over on the side of the road and fuck her mouth like I wanted to.
“You’re filthy, Mrs. King,” I tell her when I park the car in the airport garage.
She licks her lips with a devilish smirk. “Just paying my debt.”