"daddy's going to come pick you up!" i told ayla and luke as they were sat on the floor, playing.
"yay! daddy!" ayla said.
colby and i had dated for two years and then we had twins, luke and ayla. a few months later we got married and then 9 months after that we had lennon. and then a year later, he cheated on me and we called it quits.
we got a divorce, which broke everyone's hearts... especially ours. i regret the divorce pretty often. i think we would have been able to work through it. i know i still love with him.
"hey babe." ethan said to me when he walked into the kitchen, kissing me on the cheek.
"hey. i'm taking the kids to colbys in a bit." i said, making him scoff. "what?" i asked annoyed.
"he's an asshole. but at least that means the kids won't be up our asses tonight." he said, making me roll my eyes.
"that's a really shitty thing to say. at least he cares about his kids being in his life." i said, grabbing lennon's cup to take to her. luke and ayla are 6 now and lennon is 4.
"baby, you know i didn't mean it like that." he said as i handed lennon the cup.
"just stop." i told him, sitting with ayla to play dolls with her.
ethan was a teen dad. he knocked this girl up when he was 17 and then left her. he pays child support and everything but we only get her one day a month and that's enough for him. when she's here, i'm normally the one taking care of her.
"aylaroo, are you excited to see daddy?" i asked her, combing her american girl dolls hair.
"i'm so excited, mommy! i miss him." she smiled.
colby and i live about an hour to two hours away from each other depending on traffic. he gets them for a few days each month so it's up to us to determine when he has them. it really depends on their school schedule.
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i finished packing the kids overnight bags. they were staying at colbys for the next two days. colby has a girlfriend, brittany, now. i actually get along with her pretty well. everything i do is for the sake of our young kids.
"you guys ready to go?" i asked ayls and lucas who were sitting on aylas bed.
"yes mommy." they both giggled. i'm so blessed
"okay... grab your bags!" i told them, picking up lennon's bag as they each got their own. "make sure you wear sneakers because i think dada is taking you guys to the park!" i told them, making them both jump for joy. i went over into the living room and picked up lennon who was watching tangled.
"you ready?" ethan asked me, walking into the living room with his keys.
"you're not coming." i told him, making sure i had the right set of keys.
"don't be like that." he rolled his eyes.
"just stop it, they're my kids. i'm taking them." i said. i may have been overreacting but my kids are my life. and he was acting like they're just a nuisance. i walked out the door, making sure i had all of my kids and their stuff.
i let ayla and luke get into the car to buckle themselves as i put lennon in her car seat that she has yet to learn to use.
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i ended up taking the kids to the grocery store as i was half an hour early to our meeting spot since i thought traffic would be worse.
"mommy, can we get dada and brit-brit something?" ayla asked me.
"of course aylaroo. what do you want to get them?" i asked. it's nice that colby and i can have a healthy co- parenting relationship for our kids.
"a ring!" ayla suggested.
"for daddy or for brit?" i asked her.
"for daddy... brit-brit doesn't wear rings." she told me.
"we can get daddy a ring... we have to go to a different store though. what should we get brit?" i asked the twins, seeing as lennon fell asleep.
"can we get brit-brit starbucks?" luke asked me.
"that's a great idea!" i told him.
"and we should get her a cake pop!" ayla said, making me smile at them.
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"hey." i smiled to colby, closing the car door.
"hey." he smiled back, also shutting his.
"len is asleep. she'll probably be cranky when she wakes up since she hasnt eaten." i told him, opening the door of the car to let ayla and luke out.
they both got out and ran directly into colbys arms, both of them yelling "daddy!" it was adorable.
"is brittany with you?" i asked him.
"she is." he told me.
"the kids picked you each something out on the way." i laughed, letting ayla hand him the little ring box.
"this is so sweet, aylaroo. thank you, lukey." colby said before opening it. he ended up really liking the ring that the kids picked.
"hey brittany!" i smiled when she got out of the car.
"hey girl!" she smiled, hugging me.
"the kids wanted to get you starbucks." i laughed, letting luke hand her the drink and ayla hand her the cake pop.
"that's so sweet guys! thank you." she smiled, hugging both of them. "i actually have something for you guys to give to your mommy." she told them, leading the kids around the car.
i looked at colby in confusion and then ayla appeared, holding a bouquet of roses and luke holding a picture frame. i knew the picture as one of myself and the three kids right after lennon was born... the happiest id ever been in my life.
"that's so cute! thank you guys so much." i smiled, hugging brittany and then colby.
i talked with them for a few more minutes until they got back into their car so i could say my goodbyes to my kiddos.
no matter how many times i have to do this, i cry every time.
i said my goodbyes and colby got back out of the car to get lennon from me.
"you're such a good mom, you know that right?" he asked me.
"i really needed that reassurance... thank you." i admitted to him with a small sigh.
"i mean it. i promise i'll take good care of them." he laughed.
"i know you will." i smiled.
"have a safe trip home, i love you." he said... realizing he messed up. "shit i'm sorry." he said, face palming. "i didnt mea- just forget about it." he laughed, hugging me.
"drive safely! tell len i love her when she wakes up!" i insisted.
i need to get my life back together. ethan is clearly not a solution. i was thinking that i should get a house closer to colbys so it's easier for us to share the kids... they'll always be the main priority. and whatever happens, happens.
when colby and i were together, he could change my mood just by seeing him. and watching how good he is with our kids is so adorable. all i know is that i miss him more than anything.
