I wake up to soft lips kissing up and down my neck, making me smile softly. And then the lips are on mine.
I open my eyes to see Asheley's beautiful face as she pulls away. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her again, this time deepening it and pulling her arm so shes sitting on top of me.
"I love you," she says when she pulls away.
"I love you, too," I say happily.
"Daddy!" a small voice yells as the owner runs down the hallway. I chuckle softly and Asheley moves so I can get up. "Come find me!" I hear Lief's voice shout from some other part of the apartment now.
I chuckle and walk down the hallway into the living room. I stop for a moment to glance around and then keep walking slowly until I hear quiet giggling when I get into the kitchen. I go under the archway and look around again until I see his feet sticking out from under the coffee table.
I silently walk over to the table and get on my knees behind him.
"Raaaaar!" I yell as I grab his legs and slide him out from under the table making him scream, high pitched and loud. He flips over to look at me and I quickly start tickling his sides, making him scream even louder with laughter. "I found you!"
After a minute I stop tickling him so he can catch his breath. I look at him and see his eyes are bright with happiness along with small tears of laughter.
"Now how about breakfast?" I suggest. He nods as I scoop him up in my arms and he rests on my hip as I stand up straight.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" I hear a sleepy Dane grumble as he comes in the room, his hair all over the place and a groggy look clouding his eyes.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," I mutter to Lief behind my hand. He snickers softly.
"Heard that!" Dane calls over his shoulder as he goes into the kitchen and pours himself some coffee.
"You were supposed to," I reply as I set Lief on the couch before going into the kitchen and starting breakfast, Lief following me of course.
"What do you want for breakfast?" I ask Lief.
He shrugs. "Waffles?" he asks innocently. I smile.
"Sounds like a plan, Stan," I say, making Lief giggle, grabbing the waffle maker from on top of the cabinets. "Dane, do you want any?" I ask my best friend.
He shakes his head. "Nah, I'm not feeling too good. I think just coffee is enough today," he tells me. I reach over and put a hand on his head before feeling the back of his neck.
"You feel a little warm. Maybe take some aspirin and go lay down. Also drink lots of water." He nods before grabbing a water bottle and going back to his room.
As I'm making the waffles arms suddenly wrap around my waist and a head rests against my back since Asheleys not tall enough to put her head on my shoulder.
"Morning," she says.
"Morning," I reply as I finish preparing the last bit of food. "Breakfast is ready."
I take the plates to the table and help Lief get his food before getting my own.
"Daddy... ?" Lief says, his voice trailing off a bit.
"Yes?" I ask him, looking at his light green eyes and blonde hair.
"Can you teach me how to shower? I want to be a big boy like you," he tells me. I chuckle lightly.
"Lief, you're only four-"
"And a half!" he butts in. I roll my eyes a bit.
"Yes, which means you still take baths," I tell him.
"But daddy," he whines.
"Graham, why don't you have him shower with you? I showered with my mom when I was little," Asheley tells me.
I blush. "A little girl showering with her mom is much different than a boy showering with his dad. How about I sit outside the shower and teach him how to do it so I can still keep an eye on him. Does that sound okay, Lief?" I respond.
"Yay!" he cheers before digging into his food. I've never seen such a small boy eat so much.
Later we're sitting on the couch, Asheley next to me and Lief on my lap as we watch cartoons.
Suddenly my attention is pulled away from the TV when Dane bolts into the bathroom, totally forgetting to close the door, and then the sound of him throwing up distracts everyone from the show. I cringe a bit along with everyone else before I get up, setting Lief in my place, and walk into the bathroom where Dane is hunched over the toilet, breathing heavily.
"Dane, what happened?" I ask as I walk in, closing the door behind me so the others don't get grossed out more.
He goes to respond but vomit interrupts his words. I set my hand on his back and rub it softly.
"Let it out," I tell him. Once he's done he takes a second to catch his breath.
"I was just drinking my coffee and reading and then I was running to the bathroom," he says. I sigh.
"How does your stomach feel?"
"It hurts, like, it's all cramped up," he tells me.
"Sounds like the stomach flu. Don't eat anything because it'll just come back up. Drink lots of water but only sip it. I'll go get you the cold pack and the hot pack so you can switch between the two," I tell him. He nods as he moves to the sink to brush his teeth.
-
I walk into Dane's room where he's lying in his bed, the comforter pulled up to his chin. I set a small trash can down next to him so if he throws up again he doesn't have to get out of bed. I also hand him pills and set the temperature packs on his night stand.
"I have class in a little while. Asheley is gonna go to the store and she's taking Lief with her. Are you gonna be okay here alone?" I ask him. He nods, a miserable look on his face, before he rolls over and hides it in his pillows.
"See you later, man," I tell him, patting his back before leaving the room.
I go back to my room where I finish getting ready for school. When I come back out, Lief is running around in his pull-ups with Asheley chasing after him with a shirt in her hands.
He giggles uncontrollably as Asheley says his name over and over again.
"Daddy!" Lief cheers when he sees me and runs up to me, hugging my legs.
"Hey, bud. What are you doing?" I ask.
"Playing with mommy," he replies.
"Does she seem like shes having fun?" I ask him, my voice slightly firm. He looks back at Asheley just in time for her to scoop up the half naked toddler. He giggles when she tickles him.
"Need help getting him changed?" I ask her. She nods a bit with an exasperated look.
"Yeah, he just doesn't like me," she says.
"Nuh uh! I wove you both! I like to play," he says, crossing his arms.
I chuckle lightly before helping Asheley get Lief dressed. Once I'm done I sigh.
"I have to go now. Just so you know I have work after class. I'll be home at around six thirty," I tell her. She gives me a quick peck and I kiss Lief's head. He hugs me before I leave.
