I was still slightly tired from the sun and beers, even though I'd only had two. Still, I chased the girls around the yard until I got a stitch in my side and waved them off to play on their own. I sat in the shade with a bottle of water as they played in our backyard playground, swinging on swings, climbing the monkey bars and jumping on the trampoline. Zara called them inside for lunch, so I dozed in my chair for half an hour until the girls demanded I play tag with them.
I was thirty-eight years old and a builder by trade, so I considered myself relatively fit. My stomach wasn't as hard asit used to be, but I was still trim with solid muscles. But running after a seven and a three-year-old really humbled you. My arms ached, and I was puffing like a long-term smoker. After more chasing and a bout of tantrums from Sienna because Kehlani was very obviously cheating at hide-and-seek, I claimed tiredness and sat back down in my trusty chair in the shade.
The friendly neighbourhood stray cat came around for attention, and my girls abandoned their play to kneel at my feet to pet it.
"Daddy," Kehlani started. "I heard you and Mummy talking about going out to a restaurant."
I cracked one eye open. "Mmm hmm. Do you know, your Mummy and I will be married for eight years next week. So we're going out to celebrate."
"Aww, I wanna come," Sienna whined. "Please can we come, Daddy?"
I shook my head. "I think Mummy's trying to get Rachel to come watch you. You like Rachel, right?"
Rachel was Zara's cousin and occasional babysitter when we were in a pinch. She was twenty-two and studying Early Childhood, so apart from being the only reliable adult we knew and trusted to watch our girls, she was also really good with them.
"I like Rachel," Kehlani confirmed as she continued to pet the black cat on her lap.
"I like Rachel," Sienna parroted. But then her little mouth twisted down. "But I wanna go back to Select!"
I swallowed back a groan. Select was a buffet-style restaurant. We took the girls last year for Zara's thirty-fourth birthday, and they both loved it—but mainly the dessert bar where they could fill their bowls to their heart's content.
The thing was, I was actually going to book Select for our anniversary dinner. The food was good, and you got yourmoney's worth if you went for two refills. Zara seemed to like it. I mean, she did book it last year, so I presume she enjoyed the food.
"Oooh, yes! I like the ice cream sundae," Kehlani gushed.
I scratched my jaw. "Well, I was planning on taking Mummy there next week," I revealed. I was sure she wouldn't mind if the girls tagged along with us. It would sure save the hassle of sorting a sitter and paying her. Well, Rachel refused payment, but we made sure to order enough food for her and the girls to feed a small army.
"Well, I guess you two munchkins can co–"
Their cheering drowned out my sentence, and I laughed at their antics. Before I forgot, I went online to Select's booking portal and booked a table for four for next Saturday.
The rest of the day went by quickly. The girls went inside soon after, and I urged Zara to have a lie down while I supervised their play. Turns out all they wanted to do was play on their tablets, so I handed them their devices while I read the sports news on my phone, in between fetching snacks for them. By the time dinner rolled around Zara was up making them mac and cheese, while I dozed off on the couch.
When I woke, I could hear the girls splashing in the bath. The kitchen bench was clean and void of the dishes that the girls and I had accumulated during the day. I quickly picked up the few toys left on the floor and fluffed the couch cushions in a half-hearted attempt to help out. Once their baths were over, Zara shuffled them off to bed as was routine on a Sunday before school.
I kissed the girls goodnight, but when I came back to the kitchen, Zara was waiting for me. Her hands were on her hips, and she had a face like thunder.
"Did you tell the girls they could come with us to our anniversary dinner?"
My brow knitted together as I slowly nodded. "Yeah. They wanted to go back to Select. I was already planning on booking it, and the girls love the place, so why not?"
"Wait. You were going to book us Select for our anniversary dinner?"
"Yeah. You liked it last time, and you were the one who booked it."
Her breath puffed out. "Yeah, cos' we had no one to watch the girls, so I had to pick a family-friendly restaurant. It's not somewhere you book for a romantic meal."
Incredulous annoyance travelled through me at her words, and I was pissed that my good intentions were being thrown back in my face. "Okay, sorry! I thought it was a decent place."
She sighed, rubbing the spot between her eyes. "Well, I guess we're bringing the girls now."
"C'mon. I didn't know. The girls love that restaurant, and it'll save us not having to sort a sitter–"
"James, it's fine. I got a headache, I'm going to bed."
I bit back a frustrated retort as I watched her retreat up the stairs. I couldn't fucking win.
Chapter 3
