“But, you’re so hard.”
“That’s not for you.” Her mouth opens and she realises what I mean.
“She’s a child!”
“No she isn’t, not that it has anything to do with you. I think it’s best you go. I’ll call a taxi; you can wait in the garden until it arrives.”
“And let someone kill me?” She’s so dramatic.
“Fine, stay in the living room.” I sit in there with her, an awkward silence pushing down on us as we wait for the taxi to arrive, then making sure she leaves my home.
Making my way up to bed, I find it empty. I'm not sure if I am mad or pleased. Either way, I owe Gemma one for tonight.
Chapter
Thirteen
GEMMA
In the morning,I sneak into the children’s bedrooms. Eden wakes up without any problems, but Ace is more difficult. Both of their rooms look like a tornado hit them, and I make a mental note to get them to tidy them up later with me. It’s something else we can do for Alex. Ace is groggy, but we go downstairs. The cake we baked is in the fridge; it didn't come out too shabby, if I do say so myself.
Eden pours the orange juice, and while doing so, she overfills the glass, spilling it all over the counter.
“Oops.” She giggles.
“We’ll sort it later,” I say as I help Ace put the bread in the toaster. I fry the eggs and bacon, then place the beans in the microwave for five minutes.
Soon, we have burnt toast, half a cup of orange juice, a cold coffee, sticky beans, and crispy bacon covered in brown sauce. I don't even want to think about the eggs in the burnt pan in the sink. There is a painting of the four of us on our picnic that Ace made and a handprint from Eden.
The kids lead the way upstairs, and Ace opens his father’sbedroom door with a loud bang against his dresser. Eden follows with the paintings, and I bring up the rear with the tray of food and drink.
“Happy Father’s Day,” we all shout.
Alex sits up, looking around in a sleepy confusion. “What?” he asks, rubbing his eyes.
“Happy Father’s Day,” we shout again.
“Thank you.” He sits up straighter and gets settled before he takes the tray from me, looking at the delights we made for him.
“Great,” he says with a hint of sarcasm. I feel a bit annoyed by his tone of voice; we spent a lot of time coming up with this idea.
“Eat, Daddy,” Eden orders him.
Taking his first mouth full, I quickly put my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh as he chews through the food.
“We made you this.” Eden gets into bed next to him, showing him the paintings.
"It's beautiful, thank you," Alex’s tone has changed. "Best Father’s Day gift yet."
“I forgot the cake,” I remember, running back downstairs to retrieve it. When I come back, I overhear them talking amongst themselves.
“Why don’t you marry Gemma? She makes you smile,” Ace asks with so much innocence.
“Because I don’t love her and we aren’t dating,” Alex says with a lower tone.
Eden quickly quips, “She loves you. Her face turns pink.”
Does it? God, if the kids notice that, then Alex notices.
