“This is crazy,” Audrey says. “I swear I just had him.”
“I want to see Daddy,” Charlie says, tugging on my hand again.
“Such a Daddy’s boy you are.”
“We love Daddy,” Madi says.
“Of course you do,” I say. “But I’m Daddy too.”
“No, you’re just Dad,” she responds.
“Oh, okay.Just Dad,” I say to myself as we head inside and up the stairs to the lounge area.
“Whoa, look who it is!” Leo shouts, kneeling down to give Charlie a high five, then standing back up to give one to Madi.
“Hey, Leo,” Audrey says with a smile.
“Audrey,” he says in this low tone that lets me know exactly what he’s thinking.
“Okay, on that note, where is my husband?” I ask.
“In the office,” Leo says, eyes only for Audrey.
I can’t be sure who it was, but I’m certain I heard someone leaving the house early this morning, and he is the number onecandidate as the culprit. Audrey won’t tell me though. Funny how the tables have turned.
I take the kids into the back where the offices are while Leo makes puppy dog eyes with my sister. I put Madison down when we reach the door, and both of them run for Jericho. He spins in his chair, opening his arms wide for them.
“How are my little munchkins?” he asks, hugging them tightly.
It’s been four years, and it still melts my heart when I see him with them. It was the sweetest thing when they were babies and they’d sleep soundly in his arms, but seeing the way they smile when they see him? Nothing is better than that.
My gaze moves down to his ring finger. I’ll never get tired of seeing that black band there, but what hits me harder is the cursiveMthat’s tattooed into his skin beneath. The thing that drew me to him in the first place. Of course, it was a different letter then. AnFthat had me approaching him in a bar to ask what it was about. Deep down I think I knew what it was, but none of that really matters now. All that matters is that we’re here and we’re happy.
“Good,” they both say in return as he puts them down and gets up. He gives me a kiss.
“And how are you?”
“Grossed out by Leo and my sister almost making out on the kitchen table.”
He barks a laugh. “I knew that was him leaving the other morning.”
“That’s what I was thinking!”
“How’s Noah? Excited?”
“And thoroughly embarrassed by all of us dropping him off, especially because there’s a girl in the class that I think he likes.” I waggle my brows.
“Is that so?”
“Yep,” I say. “her name is Tasha, so make sure you let Greg know to give you the low down.” I sneak a glance at the kids. “Madison, put that down,” I say. She gives me a big smile as she sets the stapler back on the desk. “Charlie, hey, no. We do not—never mind.”
Jericho looks over his shoulder, shaking his head at Charlie, who has drawn a line across his upper lip with the blue highlighter that was on the desk.
“Do you miss your job yet?” he asks with a grin.
I roll my eyes. I said I was only going to take a year off from work to stay with the kids, but then I didn’t want to leave them. So now, I’m a stay at home Dad, while my rugged firefighter husband works his ass off to support us. He knows I’d go back to work if we needed, but he says we’re fine. So, I believe him.
“Only on days that end in Y.”