Senioritis 3

Epilogue

He picked her up so she could sit on the kitchen island, jokingly making a big deal about how grown up she was getting and how he could barely lift her.

"You have flour on your nose." Keoni giggled, pointing back at him.

"Really...do I?" Peter replied, pretending to be shocked and putting flour on her own nose. "Whoops - now you do too."

Keoni was in hysterics again. Peter thought she kinda had his laugh too. MJ had been sleeping throughout the morning after being up with Nari all of last night, so Peter had done Keoni's hair today. It was his own attempt of two French braids into a low ponytail. It wasn't as perfect as how MJ always made it, but Keoni had assured him that it looked pretty.

Peter had put her in a slightly oversized purple tie-dye top and denim shorts, before lathering her in sunscreen. Her skin had become bronzed from being out in the sun all day. Peter made sure to help her wash her hands first in the sink before guiding her through spreading tomato sauce on the dough.

They talked and laughed for some time, finishing up the pizza. Peter put it in the oven and they jumped around on the trampoline until the sun set. He'd become accustomed to doing all the dad things he'd never had to do before. Like cutting her pizza into square, bite-size pieces. Letting her have apple juice but secretly watering it down in her cup so she didn't get a sugar high.

Adjusting the temperature of water in her bath so it was just right. Creating bubbles with her favourite lavender soap, turning off the bathroom lights and entertaining her with glow sticks. Washing her mass of curly hair and rinsing it without getting shampoo in her eyes. Brushing carefully through the tangles and braiding it back again. Assisting her as she brushed her teeth. Dressing her in her favorite long-sleeved pyjamas that had rainbow patterns on them.

Then he dimmed the lights in Keoni's 'big girl room' and lay with her under the covers. He read her another one of her books while she listened intently and helped him turn the pages.

The wallpaper in Keoni's room was an artistic masterpiece, Peter thought. MJ had managed to incorporate those same paintings of the sky and clouds that she'd done years ago, blending it effortlessly into outer space and galaxies. When she was on maternity leave away from all the work she did in hospitals, MJ worked hard on her art business on the side.

She'd spend hours on paintings, often falling asleep with the brush in her hands, or on business calls with the team that designed her wallpapers. At every re-stock on 'Keoni and co.', the site would crash and they'd be sold out of everything in minutes. One of the Kardashians had featured her wallpaper in an Instagram post once. Of course Peter had thought that was a big fucking deal. She also had a podcast. Peter loved setting up all the equipment for her weekly, and eavesdropping on the funny stories she would tell about him and the kids sometimes.

MJ always had a lot of stories to tell.

Her last episode was called 'Turning into a Mom - Zombie. Take 2.'

"Can we name the planets again?" Keoni asked, as Peter put down the book. "Like I do with Nana?"

May was Nana. Ally was Noni.

"Of course we can." Peter said, as she snuggled up closer to him and put her arms around his neck. "What's the first one you see...right by the Sun?"

"Umm..." Keoni muttered, staring up at the wallpaper. "Mercury...?"

"Yeah, it's Mercury." Peter smiled, turning to look at her quickly. "I'll go next...okay...I know that one's Venus."

"Then..." Keoni continued, squinting a little. "Planet Earth. Where we all live."