Our Father

Chapter 1

Grace switched off the alarm clock next to her with a groan.
"Mom where's my- are you still in bed, seriously!?" Poppy moaned at her mother.
"I'm awake Pops, what do you need?" She asked, stretching and sitting up against her headboard.
"My English essay where is it?"
"Here" she reached over and grabbed it off her dresser, handing it to her eldest daughter "I proof read it. It's good"
"Great thanks. You understand Virginia Woolf so much better than me"
"Coffee" Miles smiled at his mother, as he entered the room and handed her a mug.
"Sustenance, I thank you" she smiled at her eldest child.
"I'm working today but I'll be back in time for dinner" he told her.
"Great" Grace took another sip of her coffee.
"Do we have to go to dinner? Dad doesn't even care about us. Why is he even showing up now after all these years?" Poppy groaned.
"Your father loves you endlessly Pops. Sometimes marriage just doesn't work out" she shrugged.
"Because guys are assholes"
"Language!" Grace shouted after her as she stormed out of her mother's bedroom.
"Who's an asshole?" Archer asked.
"Language" Grace repremanded her second eldest.
"Dad" Miles told him.
"Oh, makes sense" Archer nodded before leaving the room.
"Your dad loves you all. He just fell out of love with me!" Grace shouted loud enough for all of her children to hear.
"And he fell into his secretary's vagina" Miles joked with a smile.
"Enough, okay. Your father loves you all-"
"If he loved us he wouldn't have fucked his secretary" Miles smiled leaving the room. Grace fell onto her back with a deep sigh of frustration.

Grace got ready for the day and headed downstairs in search of some more coffee. As she entered the kitchen Alex smiled.
"Hey momma" they moved to put their plate in the sink.
"Hey baby" she smiled at her youngest as she poured herself another cup of coffee.
"Mom where's my football?" Oliver asked.
"On the back porch" she told her third child before taking a plate of pancakes from Miles.
"Found it" he shouted.
"Mmmmm. Don't you dare ever move out" Grace groaned at the taste of the pancakes.
"Don't jinx it" Archer joked as he entered the kitchen.
"The bus is here" Poppy announced.
"Have a good day. Learn things" Grace shouted as four out of five of the children left the house.
"I've got to get to work"
"Me too" Grace looked at her watch again "I'm running late" she groaned throwing her dishes into the sink.
"Wash your own dishes!" Miles yelled.
"I'll do it later! Love you!" Grace shouted before the door slammed behind her.

Grace parked her car and crossed the street to her art store.
"Hey sorry I'm late" Grace apologized to Rose as she put her bag behind the counter and grabbed her apron.
"Take all the time you need" Rose smiled tying her apron for her.
"The kids were grilling me about their dad and cursing" she sighed moving her hair from under the apron string.
"Sounds awful" she handed her a coffee.
"What's wrong with you? Your being oddly silent and agreeable"
"Aisle 1" she frowned.
"You look like you've seen my ex-" Grace froze as Silas stood in the aisle a smirk creeping at the corners of his mouth.
"Gracie" he smiled, more like smirked, at her.
"Silas" She let out the breath that had caught itself in her throat.
"How have you been?" he slaunted over to her.
"How's your new wife?" She fired back, walking away from him.
"Your funny. I forgot that about you" he smirked.
"What are you doing here? Alex's birthday isn't for another three days and you usually send a card and a present" she organised things behind the counter.
"Well it's my little girls sweet 16 I thought I should be here"
"Funny" she smiled folding her arms over her chest "What about Miles's 18th? Or Archer and Oliver's? What about Poppy's sweet 16?" She questioned.
"I realised I've missed out on their lives. I want in" he tried to reach for her hand but she walked away.
"It's your own fault. I didn't make you sleep with your secretary" she fired back as she began stocking shelves.
"I deserve that-"
"You deserve a lot more. You know this morning I had to stop them from bad mouthing you, I told them how great you are-"
"You did?"
"Don't interrupt me. They hate you just as much as I hate you. You did that, not me. And if you want to fix it, it's going to take work and I am not forcing them to see you either" she sighed angrily, throwing small tins of paint onto the shelf.
"Fine" he agreed.
"Fine" she grunted.
"It's nice to see you again" he dropped his voice and moved a piece of hair out of her face "Your still as beautiful as the day I married you" he smiled down at her.
"Your still the same asshole who tricked me into marrying him" she hissed, walking away from him. Silas looked at his ex-wife's ass as she walked away, back behind the counter.
"Enjoy it while you can. Our kids will probably have you out by the end of the week" she smirked. Silas smirked back, slipping on his sunglasses he left the store.
"Asshole" Grace groaned.

"Why is he here?"
"What happened to hello my daughter. How have you been?" Grace said sarcastically.
"Hello, Grace. Now tell me about Silas" Her mother ordered.
"He's an asshole" Grace whispered closing the door to her bedroom.
"Don't let my grandchildren hearing that language"
"Of course not mom. Silas is difficult, more so than he was before I married him. I just don't understand why he's here now after all this time" Grace sighed as she fell onto the bed.
"Do you think he's left that woman?"
"Ashley. I doubt it. When she gets her claws into anything she wants she doesn't let go"
"So maybe he misses you" She suggested.
"I doubt he feels any remorse"
"He was so in love with you. Don't you remember? He stayed in the town for a week just so that he could see you. He was besotted with you and every child you had" she reminded her.
"I know. He used to bring me flowers after every business trip and he never forgot anniversaries or parties, that's what made the affair even more surprising" Grace sighed.
"I'm sorry sweetie. I'd better go and let you get to bed. Talk to you soon, I'll see you for Alex's birthday"
"Okay. Bye mom. Love you"
"Love you too"
"Tell dad I called"
"I will"
"Bye" Grace hung up the phone and threw it onto the bed next to her with a sigh.

Flashback:
Grace pulled open her curtains, seeing the field of flowers beneath her window. She pushed it open starting at the tulips in awe and in the centre stood Silas looking up at her with the smirk that stops her breath every time.
Grace ran down the stairs and into her front garden, every one in town seemed to be staring at her as she approached Silas.
"Hey" he smiled, his hair falling into his face.
"Hey" she smiled "What is all this?" She motioned around them.
"Your favourite flowers are tulips"
"I know but why are they so many outside of my house"
"Because I'm in love with you" he admitted "I've been in love with you from the moment I saw you in the window of your father's store that night my car broke down. I knew I was going to marry you then and I'm asking you now, Grace Joanne Delaney will you marry me?" He asked.
"I barely know you Silas" she laughed.
"We can get to know each other later. We don't have to marry now, we have all the time in the world and I want everyone to know that your my darling, no one else's" he smiled taking her hand.
"Yes" she smiled.
"Yes?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" She shouted gleefully, jumping into his arms.
"Good. Otherwise these flowers would've gone to waste" he smiled, placing her back on to the floor.
"How many are there?"
"A thousand. A thousand tulips for the most amazing girl in the world" he smiled kissing her "You will have the best ring that I can find on any continent in the world" he assured her.
"I don't need anything fancy. All I need is for you to love me"
"I think- I can, do that" he smiled kissing her again as the townsfolk around them burst into cheers for the couple.