Scott's P.O.V.
"DAD! COLTON POURED COOL AID ON MY DRESS!"
I groan and fall back on the couch as three children come tumbling into the room. One holding a white dress with a giant red stain on the front, one with a pitcher of cool aid, and another wearing a lopsided grin on his face.
I sit up and look at my three kids, wishing that Abby were here to handle this instead of me. I narrow my eyes at the three of them. Nathaniel is older than Colton and Lauren, who are identical twins, by about two years. Lauren looks like she's on the verge of tears as she stares down at her now ruined dress. I look at Colton who doesn't seem guilty in the slightest as he smirks down at the dress.
"Come here sweetheart," I open my arms and my little girl wraps her arms around my neck as I pull her on to my lap. I glare at the boy over her shoulder, but all he does is smirk back at me. Yup, he's definitely the spitting image of me as a child. I wipe at Lauren's tear stained cheeks and smile at her. "Don't worry about it, I'll buy you a brand new dress that's even better than that one. And if you want to you can go poor some cool aid on one of your brother's favorite shirts."
"Wait what?" Colton frowns at that when he hears me. "She can't do that."
"And," I continue when Lauren doesn't stop crying. She looks up at me, obviously messed up over the fact that Colton ruined her favorite dress. "He won't be seeing any of his game systems for the next week. Does that make you feel better?"
"Can I have some ice cream too?" Lauren sniffles and wipes at her cheek with her palm.
"Of course," I pick her up off of my lap and set her on to the floor. "Run into the kitchen and I'll get you some, okay?"
"Okay," she smiles happily before skipping off into the kitchen.
"Colton," I stand up and rub at my face before looking down at my son. "How many times have I told you not to mess with your sister's things?"
"I didn't mean to Dad," he whines. "It just slipped. You can't just take my Xbox from me, and she can't pour anything on my shirts!"
"I don't remember you becoming the parent," I kneel down in front of him as he crosses his arms over his chest. "Maybe now you'll learn not to mess with other people's stuff."
"That's not fair!" His lip starts to tremble a little bit and I give him a bored look. He's about to use his fake crying act on me. It might always work with Abby, but I'm not as soft as she is with him. "I won't do it again."
"I know you aren't going to," I pet his head. "But that doesn't mean that you aren't still getting your punishment. You still won't be seeing your Xbox for a week."
"But Dad," he whines as I stand up. "I'll tell mommy on you. She won't let you take my stuff from me."
"Colton your mommy bought Lauren that dress," I laugh at his attempt to manipulate me. "You're lucky that I'm the one who found out. You'd be in a lot more trouble if it were her that found out."
I, of course, know that's a lie. I've found that between Abby and I, she has a much softer spot for the kids than I do. That's not to say that she cares about them more than I do, but it's easier for them to get away with something when Abby is around. All they have to do is give her their puppy dog eyes and she's a goner. It's actually quite surprising that I've ended up becoming the strict parent when everyone else always thought that it would be the other way around.
Colton gives me an angry look before storming out of the room. I shake my head at the mini me before looking over at Nathaniel who's been standing off to the side this whole time.
"And what do you want?" I ask raising an eyebrow at my firstborn. I know that he looked a little bit like a red potato the day that he was born, but it's actually shocking looking at him and seeing the resemblance that he and I share. It's almost kind of creepy.
"Um..." He sits down next to me and stares down at the ground like he's about to drop the biggest bomb shell of his life on me. "Well there's this girl in my class-"
"Oh," I laugh as I lean back. I already know where this conversation is going, he's got a crush and he wants to ask me for advice. "You've got a crush."
"No," he laughs loudly and continues laughing as if I've made the funniest joke in the world. "There's this girl in my class that has a crush on me and I was wondering how I could say no to her in a funny way. Like should I do it in front of all of her friends or...?"
"What's the actual fu-" I stop myself before the word slips out of my mouth, knowing that Abby made me sleep on the couch the last time that I cussed around the kids. "Why would you do that?"
"Because she's a nerd and no one likes her. Plus she's really weird cause she stutters all the time for no reason," he shrugs as if it's the most simple thing in the world. "She has to know that I really don't like her."
"Well Nathaniel," I squint at the tinier version of myself. "You've obviously lost all of your common sense. If I hear anything about you doing anything to that girl, you're immediately grounded for the next three months."
"Three months!" He jumps up from his seat and stares at me like I'm crazy. "But that's not fair, why should I be grounded for doing something about it?"
"Why should she get embarrassed just because she likes you?"I give him a challenging look, but all he does is cross his arms over his chest and pout. "Now get out of here, you're making me even more upset just by looking at you. You don't act like that with anyone."
He backs up a few steps and raises his hand at me. He shoots me his second finger. Not the middle finger, but his second finger. It's a dumb thing that kids do because they know that they can't flash their middle finger at adults. He then storms out of the room and rushes upstairs.
I'm raising a little dickhead.
The rest of the day passes by fairly quickly like it usually does. I get Lauren her ice cream and let her run around the house. I stay true to my word and let her dump cool aid on one of Colton's favorite shirts. He cried about it for a little while, but got over it when I offered him a snickers bar. Nathan has been cooped up in his room for the better part of the day, obviously upset that I didn't allow him to embarrass a little girl in front of the whole school. I'm laying on the couch when I hear the door open and a little girl screaming.
"Uncle Daniel!"
I turn my head to see my brother stumbling into the house with a giant bag slung over his shoulder. He drops it to the ground and crouches to hug his favorite niece, I roll my eyes at the pair, too tired to acknowledge the fact that Daniel just waltzed into my house again. How many more times is he going to break in before I have to just change the locks?
"You look..." Daniel walks over and stands next to me with the little girl sitting on his shoulders. "...Rough."
"I'm tired," I whine. "Abby should be home by now, also your nephew has adapted your ways. Nathan asked me if he could basically bully this girl at school."
"My ways?" Daniel asks as he sets Lauren down. She runs off into the kitchen as we begin to talk. "I think you mean he's adapted your ways. I've always been nice to the ladies."
"No," I shake my head in denial. "I was never mean to anyone just because they liked me."
"Really Scott?" Daniel laughs at me. "You don't remember Sandra Itchfield? One of your friends told you that she liked you and you called her Sandra Bitchfield for the rest of the year."
"But like that wasn't-"
"If I thought hard enough I could probably think of a long list of girls that you've bullied Scott," Daniel says shaking his head. "Including your wife. Admit that your son got his bully genes from you."
"Shut up," I groan once I realize that he's right. Now that I think about it, I was probably the absolute biggest jerk as a little kid. I run my hands through my hair as I think about how much of a little monster he's probably going to be. I don't know how my parents put up with me for all those years, I already feel like I'm not going to be able to put up with him.
"Honey I'm home!"
Daniel and I look over and see the door opening. A very happy looking Abby bounces into the room in her business suit and despite the recent realization that I just had about myself, I can't help but to smile at her.
Not too long after we got married and had Nathan, my Dad offered her the chance to take over his job at the college. He was getting to the age where he wanted to retire and know that the college would be left in good hands and Abby obviously has the best hands. After she started doing that full time, I decided to take time off of my job in order to look after the kids. Neither of us wanted to hire a nanny or anything like that, especially when they're so young. So I volunteered to let her work for a little while and I'd stay at home with them during the day. I do work during the week when they're at school though, that way I'm not at home doing nothing all. But Abby works pretty much seven days a week, so she can't always stay at home to look after the kids.
I stand up from my seat and make my way over toward my wife. She leans up and gives me a quick peck on the lips before leaning back and smiling up at me.
"It's unnaturally quiet in here," she sets her purse down on the floor. "Where are the little penguins?"
"Stop calling them penguins," I laugh before pulling her toward me again. I wrap my arms around her and gently rock us back and forth. "Don't worry about them. Don't you just want to focus on me for a second?"
"You telling me not to worry only makes me even more worried," Abby pushes on my chest but I don't let her go.
"If I tell you where they're at will you stay here with me?"
"Fine," she sighs before tilting her head to look up at me. "Now where are my kids?"
"I killed them," I shrug as I tighten my arms around her. "I didn't want you to find out this way-"
"Oh just shove it Scott," Abby finally pushes away from me and picks up her purse. "Kids! Where are you guys hiding?"
It doesn't take long for the three tiny people to reemerge from wherever they were before. Daniel waves at them and Abby, but the two boys make a beeline for Abby. I cross my arms over my chest as soon as I hear them begin to start complaining about not wanting to be grounded from their stuff. Abby looks over at me with an eyebrow raised in question, wondering why they seem so upset.
"Leave your mother alone and go to your rooms," I point to the two boys who give Abby one last puppy dog look before slipping up the stairs.
"What's wrong with them?" Abby walks past me and I trail behind her into the kitchen. I look over to see Daniel rolling around on the floor with Lauren on his back. This guy needs to get some kids of his own soon cause he'd probably be a great dad.
"Colton poured cool aid on Lauren's new dress," I sigh. Abby grabs a protein shake out of the refrigerator and I frown at it in distaste. I don't know why she drinks those things, they're absolutely disgusting. "And Nathan asked me about advice on how to basically bully this girl at his school that likes him."
"You would certainly know a lot about that wouldn't you?"
"C'mon," I groan growing more annoyed. "I was not that bad!"
"Scott you bullied a teacher by telling him that if he gave you a bad grade then you would ruin his life," she points out. "And then once he did give you a bad grade, you got him fired. And how did you get him fired again?"
"I don't really remember anymore-"
"Oh right," she laughs and takes a quick sip of her protein shake. "You left drugs in his desk."
"But-"
"No buts," Abby says shaking her head. "If there's something wrong with that child then it's your fault. I've done nothing but teach him how t be a gentleman. You're the one who let him watch a documentary on 'How To Be A Player' so don't think that it's my fault if he starts acting out."
"That was a good documentary," I narrow my eyes at her. "Besides my dad showed that to me when I was his age to."
"And you probably acted the exact same way that's he's acting right now when he was your age," she leans back against the counter and crosses her arms over her chest. "My son isn't going to grow up to be a jerk like you were so you need to go talk to him. Don't just threaten to punish him Scott. Tell him what he's doing wrong."
"But I don't feel like it," I step forward and put rest my hands on either side of her. I lower my face so that I'm hovering right next to her and she looks up at me innocently as my lips ghost over hers. "Don't you feel like doing something else? I haven't gotten to see you all day..."
"I actually do feel like doing something else," her hands slip up my abdomen and stop at my chest. I grin down at my wife sexily as she smiles back at me in a very seductive manner. "Cooking dinner."
She shoves me away and moves around the kitchen, ignoring me. I stomp out of the room, knowing that there isn't anyway she's going to pay attention to me while she's cooking. I walk back into the living room to see all of the kids huddled up on top of Daniel as they lay on the floor and watch TV. I plop down on the couch and lean back to shut my eyes for a few moments.
Life is certainly a weird thing to think about. You could like one thing at one point, and then completely hate it the next. You could think that someone is your friend for a long time, and then suddenly find out that they're actually your enemy.
Perhaps that's the beauty in all of it. Knowing that life is always going to change and bend in different directions. One day you could want to be a writer and the next you might want to be a politician. One day you might want every hot girl in the world and then the next one girl might end up becoming your entire universe.
I've not only found my universe, but I've found three other little things as well. And those three might not always be the most enjoyable things to talk to, but they're mine nonetheless.
I think about it about stuff like this a lot from time to time. Interestingly enough though, my mind always ends up floating away to one person.
Liam.
After all of these years it's still hard to think about. Hard to think about how he couldn't be here to be my best man and I couldn't be his. How he's missed out on so much that's happened in my life and how I've missed out on so much that's happened in his. And I do still sort of blame myself for everything that happened. If I didn't bring him along with me that day then maybe he'd still be here. Maybe it would have been m instead.
But I know that he wouldn't want me to be thinking like that, so I always try to get off of the subject. I spent months crying and grieving over my best friend. I don't try to forget about him though. In fact, we keep a picture of him hanging up above our fire place. The kids ask about him from time to time. I never know what to say to them when they ask though so Abby usually takes over. The first time that they asked about the man in the picture, Abby told them that it was our family's guardian angel and that he left because he was protecting me when we were younger and had to go on a mission. I know that story isn't going to hold them over for much longer, but it's going to be a while before I feel like I can tell them what actually happened.
The world is a funny place and nothing is ever going to always go our way. And even though Abby and I's love story may not be the most ideal one to think about, it's still beautiful nonetheless. Abby has even talked about writing a book on everything that's happened to us from beginning to end.
And I don't know about anyone else, but I'd read our story everyday for the rest of my life if it meant that I got to keep reliving it.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
There is your very last bonus chapter ever. Not much is going on with me, so this is gonna be a short author's note. I'm getting my driver's permit next week I believe, I just finished driver's training today. Fuck Fifth Harmony for what they did to Camila at the VMA's and have a good rest of your day :). I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!
Do you guys even still want a spin off for Daniel? Would you read it considering how long it would probably take for me to post it?
Are you happy with where I've left the story? I deadass thought about making a bonus chapter where they were broken up ten years in the future, but figured I'd rather not because then you'd all ask for a third book and that's not happening.
Should Scott pee on Abby and the kids?
Were the Scabby kids how you figured they would be? Who do you think they act like more?
Should I write a spin off with Nathaniel and stutter girl 2.0 ten years in the future? (Won't happen, but figured I'd ask)
Lastly, who's your absolute favorite character? Why?
Personal Instagram: lilchocolatedonut
Book Instagram: lil_chocolate_donut
Snapchat: momo36235
Vote
Comment
Follow
Fan