Dad Next Door: Volume 2

One

Louis P.O.V

Why the fuck are mornings even a thing?

Like, okay, sure, the whole scientific shit behind it such as the sun rising and falling with us spinning around it. But like, why does it have to be a thing? Why can't we just say it's night time all the time? Or goes from afternoon to night?

I hate mornings, right, especially now with the bleeding school run. 

It's stressful, that's what it is. Making sure the kids have everything they need, now that they're in big school, it means more stuff they need and more shit to stress about.

"Dotty, love, come on, get off your phone, you need to get dressed! Gotta leave in fifteen!" I call over to her from her open bedroom door. 

She has her nose buried in her phone, like every morning and she just swats her hand over toward me to silence me. 

And hell to the no.

I stalk my way in, throw the duvet off her body and hoist her into my arms, dragging her out her room and she begins screaming protests, kicking and flailing around. 

"Papi, get off of me!" She screams, pulling at my long hair. 

"You don't swat me away, Darcy!" I argue back, putting her up right in the hallway. "Are you going to do as you're told before you daddy comes up those stairs and gets you into more trouble?" 

She bites down on her back teeth, arms crossed. 

Why are teenagers so feisty? 

I run a hand through my hair. "Dot, please? Just go get changed and come have some breakfast, yeah? You need to catch the bus."

She rolls her eyes, stepping back into the room and slamming the door behind her. 

Okay, I don't blame her. I know this is what she's like in the morning. It's every morning the same and as soon as afternoon comes running by, it's like something in her shifts and she's her happy self again. 

She takes after me. We both hate mornings. 

I step down the stairs and Clifford comes barging his way through, tail hitting the wall with a thud. He licks at my leg and I ruffle his fur. 

"Morning, lad!" I coo, patting his head. 

He runs back over to the kitchen, both of us following our noses to the scent of eggs and bacon.

"Oo, look at you making a big boys breakfast this early in the morning," I tease, pecking my husband on the lips. 

It still feels amazing, having the word husband lingering on my tongue. It's like when chocolate coats the tongue, it's sweet and smooth and velvety. 

He groans. "Lou, you've got real bad morning breath."

I narrow my eyes at him, hitting him upside the head. "You're so rude to me, Harold!" 

I ruffle Robin's hair from where he's buttering a slice of toast at the kitchen island, already in his school uniform and I peck Natalie's temple from where she's packing Robin and Darcy's lunch boxes.

"Aw, thanks, Nutty, that's great help, love." I give her a smile and she gives a cheesy one back, one full of teeth, dropping it soon after. 

I put my hands up in surrender and go back over to where Harry's slaving away at the stove, flipping an egg over. 

"You're such a great house wife." I wrap my arms around his waist, popping my chin on his shoulder. 

He scrunches his nose up over his shoulder toward me, going back to flipping pieces of bacon.