Chapter 1
Zara
"Your hair looks funny with all that shampoo. Go look in the mirror."
"Donotget out of the tub," I firmly called out as I folded my seven-year-old's school uniform. "Kehlani, stop winding your sister up!"
"Okay, Mummy!"
There was a brief moment of silence before the whispering and giggling floated back down the hall, and I let out a frustrated sigh. It wasn't long before the splashing started up again, and I bit back a harsh reprimand. I'd already told them off for spilling half the tub's water onto the floor, even though I felt acutely hypocritical.
Growing up, my mum never let me splash too aggressively in the bath, and I always thought: 'When I have kids, I'm going to be a chill mum and let them splash as long and hard as they like.'
Well, as it turned out, a wet bathroom floor was not kind to my ass when I slipped on it. It also wasn't kind to the many socks Ihad to remove because I missed a wet spot, or to the towels used to mop up the mess.
Of course, I could have insisted they take a shower, but I didn't want to deal with my three-year-old's tantrum. She hated showers. Plus, bath time was a sure-fire way to get my tasks done.
Of course, that all went to shit when my three-year-old shouted, "Mummy, I wanna get out now!"
I stared helplessly at the stack of clothes on the bed that still needed folding. "But you just got in there," I called out, frustration bleeding through my tone. "Ten more minutes."
"I already pulled the plug," Sienna sang.
A tired sigh escaped me, and James' work shirt fell from my hands. Bloody hell, could I not just have twenty minutes to myself?
After handing them their towels and their new clothes, I quickly finished folding and putting the laundry away—pointedly ignoring the arguing and screaming coming from the bedroom. I just did not have the energy to deal with that right now.
My girls settled on the couch and I handed them their tablets so I could wash the dinner dishes. I winced when I saw the battery life on Sienna's pad—fifteen per cent. I usually charged them when they were in the bath, but I'd forgotten in my haste to get to my other chores. Oh, well.
After clearing the dishes, washing them and packing them away, I wiped down the benches as my girls happily munched away on sliced apples whilst watching Peppa Pig and Bluey.
I went through each room picking up dirty clothes, packing away toys that had been kicked under the bed, rinsing out the bathtub and mopping up the wet floor. Once everything looked reasonably clean to the naked eye, I sat down on the other sofa with a sigh.
"Mummy, can you fill up my water bottle?"
"Me too!"
Christ. It never stopped. Forcing a smile and swallowing back a groan, I filled both their bottles before placing a kiss on their clean heads.
"Anything else?" I asked. "Once I sit down, that's it."
"Nope! Thank you, Mummy," Kehlani replied.
"You're welcome, my babies."
Muting the TV, I tuned out the girl's chatter as I took out my phone and opened my eBook app. With any luck, I could get a chapter in before I was wanted again. One chapter where I could insert myself as a sassy baker who's charmed the pants off the local gruff MC president. A life where he wouldn't let her lift a finger or worry about a thing, while she baked for their town and popped out his babies.
A girl could dream.
It wasn't long before Sienna's tablet died, but luckily, they decided to lie on the floor and draw. It was always a relief when they decided to play nicely together. With a four-year age gap, it wouldn't be long before Kehlani grew out of dolls and pretend play, so I treasured these moments when their hobbies aligned.
It also meant that I had a few more chapters of the MC president finally making her his Old Lady.
"Mummy, look!"
A piece of paper with a crookedly shaped heart was aggressively shoved under my nose. "Oh, wow! Is this for me?" I put my tablet to one side. "Thank you, baby."
"I'm gonna make one for Daddy!"
