by Sadie King © July 2024
Six years later…
Freya
“And blow.” Hudson puffs his little cheeks out and half blows half spits at the candles on his birthday cake.
His little sister joins in and so do the older kids, and finally his five candles are blown out.
“What did you wish for?” Maisie asks.
“That I could be superman.” He flicks the red cape that’s permanently wrapped around his shoulders and jumps down from the chair and proceeds to run around the kitchen with his arm out in front of him, his little fist clenched and a determined look on his face.
His little sister climbs down off her stool and runs after him. Maisie, always willing to join in with the little kids despite being ten years old now, chases after them, and soon they’re all giggling and laughing in a heap on the floor.
“Shhh, you’ll wake the baby,” shouts Dora. She trots over to the basinet in the corner where her youngest brother is sleeping despite the chaos that’s going on around him.
“Who wants cake?” Nate holds up the big knife and all the kids come running back to the kitchen island.
He cuts into the cake and hands out thick slices as the kids scramble to get theirs.
“Sit down to eat it,” he warns Hudson. “And if anyone drops crumbs, they’ve got to pick them up.”
I catch his eye and smile. He’s relaxed a lot, my husband, but he’ll always be a man who likes a clean house. I’m just grateful he likes to clean it himself.
I bite into my piece of cake and close my eyes for a moment, enjoying the tastes bursting on my tongue. When I open them, my husband is staring at me.
“It’s a good cake.”
He nods and licks his lips. His eyes dart to mine, and I know what he’s thinking. I give him a secret smile, and he sidles over to slide an arm around me and steal a quick kiss.
As soon as the kids are in bed, we’ll have our alone time.
The toddler whines to be picked up, and I pull her onto my lap. Her face is smudged with chocolate cake, and Nate takes a wet wipe from where he keeps a packet always on the table and wipes her face and hands.
Maisie, still her daddy’s girl, climbs onto Nate’s lap and rests her head on her dad’s shoulder. He kisses the top of her head.
Nate never did get a paternity test, and he doesn’t intend to. He may never know the truth about Maisie, but it doesn’t matter. He loves all his kids fiercely, and I love him for that.
Hudson runs around the kitchen island like a mad thing, and Dora puts the music on and practices her dance routine in the living room. It’s not long before the baby wakes, and I pick him up for his afternoon feeding.
Family life is messy and chaotic and unpredictable. It’s frustrating at times and surprising at others. But it’s always the only place I’d ever want to be.
As the baby latches on for his milk, I take Nate’s hand, and we enjoy the chaos of our family life together.
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