“Is that what we say first? I don’t get a ‘hi, Mom’ or a ‘good morning, Mom’? Just ‘pancakes’?”
She proceeded to tickle him, and he screamed to the high heavens. He tried to scramble away from her, but she wasn’t having it. She needed her early morning tickles and cuddles from her baby.
“Oh, no. Don’t leave now!”
She dragged him back to her and ticked his little stomach. His giggles were infectious. She smiled and loved this type of morning. She pulled Kian into her arms and fell back on the pillows and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“Morning, Mommy,” he said. He was all smiles.
She grinned and popped another kiss on his forehead.
The only thing that would have made this morning better was if Vic was still here. She glanced at the pillow where he’d lain last night. A longing ache filled her chest. What would it feel like to wake up with him every day, have the kids run in the room to join them? The fantasy brought tears to her eyes. She sniffed and blinked them away.
“That’s my big boy.”
He crawled out of her arms and grabbed his blanket.
“So, I take it you would like some pancakes for breakfast?” she said.
“Yes!” He bounced on her bed and waited for her to make her move. He paused and looked around the room. “Was Daddy here? I dreamed he was. He kissed my head, but when I woke up, he wasn’t there.”
A sigh escaped her. Vic must have checked in on Kian before he’d left. She smoothed down Kian’s curls.
“Well, maybe it wasn’t a dream,” she murmured.
“Why didn’t he stay for pancakes?” Kian asked.
Of course her child would be concerned about pancakes. Sometimes she thought he loved them more than he loved her.
“Should he have?” She scooted to the edge of the bed and stood. The ache between her legs reminded her of her activities of the night. Before she headed down to thekitchen, she needed to relieve her bladder, brush her teeth, and wash her face.
In that order.
She’d take her shower after she’d fed her child. He wouldn’t let her rest if she didn’t.
“Yup. He loves pancakes. He said you make the best pancakes.”
She glanced at her son, and in that moment, she saw nothing but Vic. Kian had features from both of them, but right now, she saw Vic.
She smiled softly.
She had asked Vic for another baby.
She wasn’t supposed to be falling in love with him.
Vic stood in the middle of his backyard and stared at the superhero-themed kingdom that had taken over his property. It looked like Marvel Studios had exploded across the grass. Balloons in red, blue, and gold, a giant inflatable Hulk bouncer, a Captain America shield-toss station, a face-painting booth, and tables draped in comic-strip linens with a cake that was stacked incredibly high.
All because Kian had turned five.
Where the hell had the time gone? How was his son fiveyears old already?
A faint ache filled his chest, and before he could get lost in his sentiment, a small body slammed into his leg.
“Daddy! Look! I’m Spider-Man!” Kian wore a full Spidey suit with a mask. His giggling was infectious.
Vic bent down and scooped him up, tossed him on his shoulder, and spun around a few times, which earned him a squeal that pierced the air.
“I thought it was the real Spider-Man!” Vic laughed and set him back down on his feet.