"Daddy!" Aurora, my two year old daughter screamed in delight as Antonio entered the house, running up to him.
Antonio's eyes lit up as he bent down and picked her up in his arms. "My angel, I missed you so much."
She grinned back at him. "I have a suprise fo you!" She squealed.
"Really?" Antonio asked and she nodded her head eagerly.
"Lemme get it." She said, wiggling in his arms before he set her down and she ran out the kitchen.
I stood up from my bar stool and walked towards him. As soon as I was close enough, he pulled me towards him, encasing me in his arms.
"Hi." I said softly as he nuzzled his face in my neck.
"Mmm hi.." he placed a kiss on my neck. "I missed you." He whispered and for some reason his Italian accent seemed thicker than usual.
"I missed you more." I pressed myself further into him.
"Not a chance." He pulled away slightly, to press his lips against mine. I sucked in a sharp breath as I started moving my lips against his sensually, my hand gripping his jacket collar. He angled my face to the side so that he could kiss me more properly.
"Mom, Dad come on!" I heard Alexander complain making me pull away.
"Sorry son." Antonio chuckled as I walked away from him. "Can't help it." He winked and I rolled my eyes.
"Hey Dad." Alexander went up to his father with a smile on his face and Antonio crouched down to his level.
"Hey, son." He asked Alexander as he sat on his leg.
"Did you get the aeroplane I wanted?" He asked, looking up at Antonio with hopeful eyes.
"Sure did." Antonio said and his eyes lit up.
"Where is it?!" He asked.
"Check my bags." He smiled.
"Thank you! You're the best!" He exclaimed before running off as Aurora came in with a card in her hand.
"This fo you." She grinned up at Antonio.
Antonio picked her up and opened the card. It had an extremely messy 'I love you daddy' written on it, with each letter in a different coloured marker and a squiggly drawing of Antonio and her.
She'd learned how to hold a pencil but her writing was obviously messy.
"That's me?" Antonio asked, pointing to a place on the paper.
"Yup. I made you blue be-khoz you only have blue cothes." She beamed.
Antonio chuckled. "You're such a smarty pants." He pinched her nose playfully making her giggle adorably.
"I love it sweetheart, thank you." Antonio said, kissing her head and she grinned, running off to her playroom.
"Where's Nathaniel?" Antonio asked.
"Fast asleep." I said as I closed the fridge door after putting the pizza dough in it.
He nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the living room couch as we sat down comfortably.
"How was your trip?" I asked, tilting my face to look up at him.
He tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear as he spoke. "Tiring." He said.
"You should rest while I finish making dinner." I said.
"In a while." He said, tucking my head under his chin. "I want to spend time with my wife."
I smiled like an idiot at his words and kissed his Adam's apple. "I love you."
"I love you too, beautiful." He said making my heart flutter. Even after all these years, hearing him say those words warmed my heart.
"Mummy?" I heard Nate's voice from the guest room. I was feeding him there so I decided to tuck him in there.
"I'll go get him." I said, getting up and walking up to his room.
When I reached it he was lying in the bed staring up at the ceiling which was crowded with glow in the dark stickers.
"Good morning." I cooed and his eyes snapped to mine, a grin forming on his face instantly.
"Mummy.." he murmured, extending his hands out to me.
"How'd you sleep, baby boy?" I asked as I held him up on my hip.
"Good..where is dada?" He asked, stretching his small arms up in the air. He had habit of calling Antonio 'dada' unlike the other two.
"Living room. Do you want to go meet him?" I asked and he nodded.
"Alright." I said as I kissed his forehead. "I love youu." I said.
"I lub you too, mummy." He said and as soon as he saw Antonio he extended his arms out to him, grinning.
"Hi." Antonio said to him as he took him in his arms and tickled his small tummy making him snigger adorably.
"Did you miss me?" Antonio asked and Nathaniel nodded vigorously before he started yapping on about his day.
I smiled leaving both of them to bond as I went to the kitchen to continue making dinner.
~~~
"Goodnight, sweetheart." I kissed Alexander's forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mom." He yawned lazily, his eyes half closed as he fell asleep.
I switched on the night light before leaving his room and going to Nathaniel's. He was already fast asleep in his bed, his blanket clutched to his chest, even though he'd slept about an hour in the afternoon. He had a small blanket about the size of a napkin and he never slept without it, I found it so cute.
"My sweet boy." I whispered as I took his tiny hand and placed a kiss on it. I wrapped him up in his comforter before leaving the room.
When I reached our room, Antonio was lying shirtless, on our bed with Aurora on his stomach, her hands scratching his jaw which had a rough texture because of his stubble. She was a daddy's girl for sure.
"Daddy, why your skhin sho shalp?" She murmured.
"Because of my beard, sweetie." Antonio told her.
"I no like it." She said and I could hear her frown through her voice.
"Why not?" Antonio asked.
"Be-khoz it don't feel good." She murmured.
"Do you want me to get rid of it?" He asked her and she nodded.
"Aurora, sweetie, I think it's time for you to go to bed." I said.
"Daddy's gonna tuck me in." She said, crossing her arms.
"He'll tuck you in. Let's just go change right now." I said, extending my arms out to her as I picked her up.
"Mummy?" She asked softly.
"Yes?"
"Don't be sad but Daddy change me tonite." She murmured and I chuckled, so did Antonio.
"Of course, he can change you." I said.
"Yay!" She squealed extending her arms out to Antonio.
I smiled letting go of her and handing her to Antonio who got up. "Let's go?" He asked and she nodded.
"Good night Mummy." She said and I leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"Night, sweetie." I said before going inside our bathroom to get ready for bed. I took my time getting ready, doing my whole skincare routine before changing into a t shirt and panties.
When I went out the bathroom, Antonio had stripped down to his boxers only and was lying in bed.
He opened his arms when he saw me and I smiled, getting into bed, letting him crush me to his chest.
"Don't get rid of your beard." I murmured, running my thumb over his jaw.
He smiled at me lazily before kissing my lips. "I won't, I know how much you love it."
"I do." I let out a small laugh.
"Go to sleep. You seem tired." I said.
"But I wanna talk to my wife." He said.
"She's not going anywhere. You can talk in the morning." I said caressing his face.
"She better not." He said and I smiled.
"Go to sleep."
"I love you." He whispered before closing his eyes and within minutes his breathing evened and he fell asleep.
I kissed his lips lingeringly, happy that he was finally getting some rest.
~~~
(Narrator's pov ahead)
The thud of Nathaniel's small feet was the only sound audible in the Martinez household at four am in the morning. The three year old was missing his parents after having a dream about them but of course he didn't know it was a dream.
With his bugs bunny 'blanky' as he called it, in his hand, his small feet lead him to the door of his parents bedroom. Standing on his tippy toes he reached for the doorknob and started jiggling it with all the might, this three year old had in him.
Struggling to open it with one hand he let go of his blanket and reached with his other hand successfully twisting it open. Bending down to pick up his blanket again, he pushed the door open and went inside.
The room wasn't fully dark, there was a lamp glowing in the corner of the room, illuminating it. He walked towards the bed, recognising his mothers long blonde hair sprawled on her pillow but she was wrapped up in his father's arms.
Clenching the bedsheet in his tiny hands tightly he struggled to get on top of the bed. In the process, he let go of his balnky, dropping it on the floor.
Getting on the bed, he looked at the ground with disappointment. His blanky was too far.
"Mummy.." he said softly to his mother, but she had her back to him.
Huffing in frustration, the three year old crawled on top of her, making her snap her eyes open.
"Nathaniel..?" She murmured, her voice groggy.
"Blanky.." Nathaniel said, pointing down to the ground.
Confused, his mother struggled to get out of his father's arms and pick up the blanket without disturbing him but she couldn't and Antonio's eyes fluttered open.
"What's going on?" He murmured sleepily, in confusion before his eyes landed on his son. "Nate, what are you doing here?"
"Here." Corina handed the three year old his blankie. "Baby what are you doing in here?" She asked him.
"I miss you and dada.." he grinned adorably making her heart melt.
"How did you get here?" Antonio asked.
"I walk." He murmured, pointing to the door. "I gonna sleep with you tonite." He settled himself between his parents.
Antonio chuckled as he settled into the bed and Corina leaned forward to kiss Nathaniel's forehead.
"Milk, Mummy?" Nathaniel asked.
Corina got up from the bed and went to Nathaniel's room, coming back with his feeder.
"Here." She handed it to him and he greedily attached his mouth to it.
The three of them settled together in the bed, silently. Nathaniel twirled a strand of Corina's hair as the couple tried to go back to sleep while he was in no mood to do so.
"Mummy?" He said, once his milk was finished.
Corina took the bottle for him before telling him to go to sleep.
"But I not sleepy." He frowned.
"Sleep." She told him but he shook his head.
Ignoring him, Corina buried her face deep into her pillow longing for sleep.
He turned to his father. "Dada?" He called out.
"Nathaniel." Corina's warning voice came but he paid no attention to it.
"Dada..!" He whined as Antonio too ignored him.
"Nate, you'll get it bad from your mum if you don't sleep right now." Antonio said.
"But I want swing." His frown got deeper.
Antonio knew it was a bad idea to swing him every night before he slept but his laugher was the cutest thing in the world.
"In the morning." Antonio said.
"No right now I want it!" He whined.
"Nathaniel." He warned.
"I not sleepy!" Nathaniel cried out.
"Sweetheart, please go to sleep." Corina said softly, pushing his hair off his forehead. "Don't you have to go to the bookstore tomorrow? How will you wake up if you don't sleep."
"But mummy....I don't sleep without swinging.." he tried to explain.
"You can try.." Corina said before hugging him to her chest, resting his head on her shoulder, as she started singing a lullaby.
"Your hair so long.." Nathaniel murmured after a while, still wide awake and Corina rolled her eyes.
"Nathaniel, I'm going to send you back to your room." Corina said sternly.
"But I wanna stay with you Mummy.." he said.
"Then you have to sleep or I'm taking you back."
"But Mummy—"
"Alright, that's enough." Corina cut the three year old off and pulled away from him. "Go back to your room." She said in a harsh tone as she put him on the ground.
Tears welled up in his eyes and he shook his head, his arms extending out to his mother again. "No Mummy." He cried.
"I've had enough of your antics, Nate. You do not want to sleep." She snapped.
"Dada?" He turned to his father with tears streaming down his face.
Antonio got up and picked his crying son up in his arms. "Shhh, It's okay."
"I sleep with you.." Nathaniel sobbed in his neck.
"Of course, you'll sleep with us, yes." Antonio said, rubbing his back soothingly as he settled into bed with him.
"Mummy angry at I." He said once he'd calmed down, looking towards Corina's back that was facing them.
"Mhmm. Why don't you say sorry?" Antonio told his son.
"Mummy?" He said softly.
"What Nate?" Corina asked, turning around.
"I sorry." He mumbled adorably and he looked too cute for Corina to stay mad at him.
She sighed and scooted closer to him. "Are you going to sleep now?"
"I try.." he murmured and Corina rolled her eyes. He was so stubborn.
"Okay, now lie down." She patted her pillow and he did as she said, getting off his father's lap.
"Are you still mad at I?" He asked.
Corina leaned down to place a lingering kiss on his forehead. "I'm not. Just go to sleep, sweetheart."
"I lub you dada." He murmured, looking up at Antonio.
Antonio smiled down at his son. "I love you so much more." He whispered before placing a kiss on his forehead.
Nathaniel closed his eyes after that and his Mother hugged him to her chest once again and started singing his lullaby. Soon, all three of them were asleep and the Martinez household was quiet again.
~~~
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