Spencer adjusted the collar of his son's shirt, giving the five year-old a once over before his big night out. "You ready, buddy?"
"Yeah," Jackson replied hesitantly.
"You nervous?"
Even though his fists balled up by his hips, Jackson shook his head no.
"What're you gonna say when you see her?" Kneeling in front of his son, Spencer watched him carefully.
"You look beautiful," Jackson recited.
"That's right." Spencer ruffled Jackson's curls before standing and leading him out of the room. "Now let's go see if your date is ready."
"Are you ready, mommy?" Jackson yelled as he ran off ahead of Spencer.
"Hey," the father called after him, "that's not how we meet our dates."
"Oh yeah," Jackson came to a halt a few feet from the bedroom door.
Spencer smiled as he caught up with Jackson. The two week countdown to date night with mommy had really built up the anticipation.
"Can I go now?" Jackson looked up, his legs jittering.
"Come here," Spencer motioned towards the reading nook on the far side of the master bedroom. Earlier that day, he had hidden a small bouquet of roses for their son to give to his mom. "Give these to mommy."
Jackson nodded, enthusiastically accepting the new responsibility.
"Alright, go get her."
He bolted towards the bathroom. "Mommy!"
Coming up after him, Spencer leaned against the doorframe, watching his wife spray perfume on her neck while their two nine month olds sat by her feet. Somewhere along the very short journey, Jackson had forgotten his mission. Squatting in front of his brother and sister, he held a hand up to Gianna, laughing as his sister dropped the hairbrush she had been gnawing on to go for his finger instead.
"Help me." Olivia dangled a thin gold necklace in front of the mirror. A Mother's Day gift from him and the kids. Along the chain, there was a letter for each of their kids' names.
Spencer stepped forward and brushed her curls, styled half up, half down, out of the way so that he could connect the clasp to the small loop.
A laugh bubbled out of her when he finished off his assignment by pressing a lingering kiss to the side of her neck. "It's not your turn."
The lightness in her voice made him wish he could take his son's place. "I know," he mumbled against her skin. "Just thinking about what I'm missing out on."
"You can have me any other night." She patted the back of his head. "Tonight's all about Jackson."
"He's excited," Spencer chuckled as he pulled away.
"I bet he is." Olivia grinned, turning over her shoulder. Jackson was calmly repeating the words high five as he presented his palm to the twins. The flowers rested on the floor next to him, dangerously close to Caleb's grasping hands. "You ready to go, baby?"
Hearing his cue, Jackson perked up, his head whipping towards Olivia. "Yes, mommy."
"What did you want to say to her, buddy?" Spencer asked, prompting his son.
"You look so so so pretty." Remembering his gift, he thrusted the small bouquet up at his mother.
Olivia reached down to scoop up her son, wrapping a hand around his head as she repeatedly planted kisses on his cheek. "Thank you soooo much."
Proud to be both the source and on the receiving end of his mom's happiness, Jackson beamed.
_____
On the car ride to the restaurant, Jackson sat in his booster seat, on his best behavior while he stared out the window.
"You okay back there, baby?" Olivia peered back at him through the rearview mirror. Car rides with just her and one of her kids were pretty infrequent these days, and she was finding the stillness to be a little eery.
"Yes!" Jackson smiled, kicking his legs against the back of the passenger seat. "I'm so happy with you, mommy."
Olivia pouted, keeping her eyes on the road as she merged onto the highway exit. "I'm so happy to be with you, too, baby. We're almost there, okay?"
"Okay," Jackson replied, his voice content as he went back to looking outside.
When they reached the restaurant, Jackson did everything just like his father had instructed him to. He opened doors, checked in with the hostess—with a little help from Olivia—, and held his mom's hand as they walked towards their table. For a second, Olivia wondered whether he had done this before in another life, but then he looked up at her, in need of help with reading the kid's menu, and she knew that he was still her baby.
After deciding on his usual order of chicken tenders and fries, Jackson looked around skeptically, surveying the other families at the neighboring tables. He wasn't new to eating out, but Olivia could see the apprehension of him not having his brother and sisters around.
"What do you want to talk about, Jaxie? It's just you and me tonight, so we can talk about whatever you want."
Jackson bounced in his seat and then immediately delved into the wild ongoings of his five year-old life. With each new story, he grew more animated, soaking up every bit of Olivia's undivided attention. It seemed that high five training was going well with his siblings, and he was very proud of his newest lego fort.
The food's arrival gave him a chance to catch his breath and Olivia the opportunity to watch him while he wasn't rambling at a mile a minute. More days than not, she worried that he felt left behind or forgotten as the middle child. It didn't help that things seemed to be constantly changing in the young boy's life. As a result, this one-on-one date was part of Spencer and Olivia's plan to make sure he wasn't overwhelmed.
"Are you excited to start kindergarten soon?" Olivia asked once he had abandoned his plate of tenders.
Jackson pressed his palm into the table, ignoring the question. "Mommy, where's the crayons?"
Olivia nodded towards the edge of the table to where the small four-pack remained untouched, but he didn't reach for it. Instead, he simply kept avoiding her gaze.
Teaching their kids to be open with their feelings was a high priority for Spencer and Olivia, and while Sienna had the confidence to express herself freely, Jackson always required some additional prompting.
"Do you feel scared?"
Jackson shook his head.
"What about nervous?"
As he sunk further back into the booth, his shoulders came up to his ears.
"Do you feel sad?"
He nodded.
"It's okay if you feel a little sad sometimes. You can always talk to me even if you don't know why you're feeling that way, bubba."
Jackson reached for his water cup, but when he couldn't quite get to it, Olivia scooted it closer for him. He held it steadily between both palms, taking a long sip before pushing it back onto the table. When he didn't offer anymore context to his feelings, Olivia scooted out of her booth and slid in next to him.
"Hey." She brushed her thumb along the smooth skin on his cheek. "It's okay if you're sad about starting something new." Then realizing what may be holding him back, she whispered, "we don't have to tell daddy about this part of our date."
"Can SiSi go to big kid school with me?" the five year-old mumbled.
All the benefits of homeschooling immediately flooded into her mind even though she knew the idea didn't stand a chance with Spencer. "Oh, baby, SiSi will be at school at the same time as you. She's going to be in fourth grade, so you'll be in separate classes, but you'll see her in the hallways and you can say hi. And on the first day, mommy, Caleb, and GiGi will walk you all the way to your classroom."
"And daddy?" He peered up at her.
Her heart broke in two. "He'll be at work already. Remember, football season is starting soon, and we'll get to go to the stadium again to watch daddy play," she offered, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.
Jackson dropped his chin to his chest. "Oh yeah."
"Come here." Olivia pulled him into her lap, wrapping her arms around the body that was growing way too fast for her liking. "Whenever you feel sad or like you want to spend more time with mommy and daddy, you tell us, okay? Mommy and daddy will always make time for you."
"I be good so mommy and daddy don't be extra tired," he frowned.
Olivia also frowned. Apparently, Sienna's life lesson had stuck a little too well.
"No, baby, mommy has just as much time for you as she does for Caleb and Gianna. Mommy will never be too tired for you," she hushed.
Little arms wrapped tightly around her neck as she pressed kisses to his forehead.
"What's one thing you want to do with just us before school starts?" she asked once she felt Jackson start to relax in her arms.
"Water park!"
"Okay," Olivia grinned. "Water park it is."
Jackson began to wiggle out of her lap. "Can baby GiGi and baby Caleb come?"
"Are you sure you don't want it be just us?" Olivia tilted her head to make eye contact.
"No, I love them. And SiSi," he added, never forgetting his big sister.
"Of course, they can come," Olivia confirmed, making a mental note to find the next availability in Spencer's schedule as soon as they got home.
While her mind drifted to making plans, Jackson tugged on her sleeve. "Can I get ice cream?"
She smiled. "Of course, baby."
"Thank you!" he cheered, then throwing his arms around Olivia's waist, he giggled. "I love you, mommy."
_____
Spencer sat in the living room, enjoying his well earned silence after successfully getting both babies to bed. Sienna was at her grandparents' house enjoying a movie night with Billy and Laura, so on this rare occasion, he had the house to himself. Dinner would be for one.
Sitting alone on the back patio, with the baby monitor in front of him, he relished in not having to share his food with any of his family members. Greediness seemed to be genetic, and Olivia had definitely passed down the gene to their kids.
After eating, he washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. With no one begging for his attention, he found himself leaning against the counter, wondering what he was supposed to do with his free time. But luckily, the front door unlocked a few minutes later, and he was saved from having to contemplate for too long.
"How'd he do?" Spencer asked, watching Olivia as she carried their sleeping five year-old through the entry way.
"He's ice cream wasted," she smiled, "but he was a perfect gentleman."
"Spencer James dating school comes highly recommended."
"Please don't talk about dating, we're barely managing kindergarten."
"I had my first girlfriend in kindergarten actually."
Olivia scowled as he took their son from her arms.
"What? Are you jealous?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "No."
"Celine was a great hand holder."
"Go put your son to bed."
While Spencer went to get Jackson changed and tucked into bed, Olivia headed to the kitchen to store away the leftovers, but just like her son, she got easily distracted and the box ended up open in front of her.
"Woman, I believe you just came back from dinner," Spencer snickered as he strolled in, catching his wife in the act.
"They looked good," Olivia shrugged, taking another bite from her son's leftover dinner. "I'll buy him more tomorrow."
"One day our kids are going to figure out that you're the one eating their food," he chuckled. But while he poked fun, he came up behind her, looping his arms around her waist.
She let out a content hum. "What did you eat?"
"Some spaghetti bolognese."
Her hand stopped midway to her mouth. His bolognese was one of her favorites. "Did you leave some for me?
"I wouldn't dare not to," he whispered, moving her curls away from her neck. His lips landed on her ear.
"Good," she hummed as she took another bite.
Spencer paused his worship. "Did he open the doors for you?"
"Mhm."
"Did he offer to pay?"
"I figured I'd cover him, seeing as he's unemployed and all."
Spencer furrowed his eyebrows. "I gave him my card."
"Why would you give a five year-old your credit card?"
He steadied his hands on her hips, still disappointed that his plan had faltered. "He forgot."
Ready for her husband to move on, Olivia looked over her shoulder and shrugged. "Even broke, I think he may have been a better date than you."
Spencer's eyes flickered back to her face, catching the playful glint in her eyes. His palms resumed their roaming.
"Oh, is that true?" he murmured, slipping his hand around to her stomach and pulling her closer.
Her eyes challenged him as she turned in his embrace. "You might actually need to get some pointers from him."
"How about we revisit this topic when I have your leg over my shoulder, huh?"
There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she kept him waiting, her coy smile taunting him until she finally breathed out. "Okay."
"You've never worn this outfit out with me," Spencer groaned as his mouth descended back to her neck.
She pushed him away. "Ah, tenders first."
They would most definitely get to have their fun, but right now, there was still one last piece calling her name.
He dropped his hands, smiling as he backed up to give her some space.
Pointing the tender in his direction, she informed him of their upcoming plans. "We're going to the water park next Friday."
"Does that mean we're getting a special appearance from the mommy one piece," Spencer smirked as he leaned back against the opposite counter and crossed his arms.
"Catch me pushing the double stroller with my two mini me's by my side," she laughed, strutting around the kitchen and posing for him with her imaginary stroller.
Spencer bit down on his knuckle as his eyes followed his wife. "My favorite view."
"Add in a crying baby or two, and I'll be the definition of sexy."
They grinned goofily at each other until Olivia froze, hearing a set of soft steps coming down the hall. Her hearing capabilities had improved tenfold the moment that Sienna learned how to walk, and with each kid she pushed out, it only seemed to get stronger.
Both parents' heads swiveled towards the kitchen entrance, where Jackson stood with his blanket thrown over his shoulder.
Olivia assessed her sleepy son while he rubbed a fist into his eye. "What's up, baby?"
"Can you tuck me in, too?" he mumbled.
"Of course, Jaxie. Anything for my favorite little man."
_____
A follow up to minor adjustments for those who wanted to see Olivia and Jackson have their moment.