“Glad you could join us,” he said as he did the buckle on the strap. He wanted to gloat, since he’d won in a way, but that would be childish. Plus, he had to admit that he had no idea what he’d been going to do in the living room to make her comply.
Before opening the front door, he took a minute to scan the street. Nothing seemed out of place, so he pushed the stroller through and started on a course through the neighborhood that he’d already mapped out in his head. He might have to cut it short, since getting the kids into the stroller had taken longer than he’d expected.
After ten minutes of walking, he pulled up in the shade of an oak tree and reached for the twins’ water bottles. It was a cool day, but hydration was important. He handed one to Emma, but she batted it out of his hand.
“No,” she said as the bottle rolled across the sidewalk. Her little jaw stuck out, letting him know she was displeased.
“Mine,” Ava said softly.
“Yours?” Kenton retrieved the bottle that had rainbow stripes going around it. “This one is yours?”
Ava reached for it, giving him a shy smile. He stroked a hand over her hair. This one was a sweetheart. Emma had her good qualities, too, but the twins were night and day.
“So I take it this belongs to you?” He held out the bottle with stars on it to Emma, who immediately took it. “I didn’t know there were so many rules,” he muttered to himself. “How about a snack?” He pulled out two small bags of crackers he’d found in the kitchen.
“Don’t like those,” Emma said. When he glanced at Ava, she was quietly shaking her head.
Why were they in the cabinet if neither of the girls would eat them? Well, that’s probably why they were there and not in the basket of snacks on the counter. He blew out a breath. He should have realized that.
“Let’s go home,” he said half to himself and began pushing the stroller again.
When they were halfway there, a bee buzzed close to Ava. She squealed and swatted at it, bumping Emma in the head with her hand. Ten seconds later they were both crying, and Kenton had no idea why. The bee had flown off, and Emma couldn’t be hurt.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, trying to soothe them. “Nothing’s wrong.” But they both continued to cry, and despite his efforts to locate the problem, they kept it up until falling asleep just before they reached home.
Usually, when he approached his house, it was with a sense of pride in the knowledge that he owned the beautiful property. That day, he was filled with relief. It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day, but he felt nothing but frustration at the circumstances he found himself in. He wasn’t meant to be the guardian of kids who weren’t his.
This was way outside the plan he had for himself. He was supposed to be searching for a woman to share his home with, and then he’d think about kids of his own. He couldn’t do any of that until the threat against him, Mia, and the twins was eliminated.
As he pushed the stroller up to the front porch, Mia’s car turned into the driveway. She was early, way early. He watched as she stepped from the car. Part of him was worried that something had happened to bring her home before her shift was done, and part of him was enjoying watching her.
She was beautiful. His assessment of that hadn’t changed since the night when he’d discovered her living in his house. She was caring and nice, but definitely not a pushover. His mind went back to those few minutes when he’d held her two nights ago. It had been only a hug, but the feel of her body seemed to linger.
“Are they sleeping?” she asked softly as she walked across the leaf-strewn lawn to him.
“Just fell asleep. I’m going to move them to their cribs. Why are you home early?”
“I woke up at three, gulped down some coffee, and went in to get a jump on the day’s baking.”
Had she done that intentionally so she got home to oversee what he was doing? Didn’t she trust him?
“How long have they been asleep?” she asked, gently taking the water bottle from Ava’s hand.
“Five minutes.” His answer was terser than he meant it to be.
“They look comfortable.” She glanced at them where they sat in the shade. “Let’s leave them. It’s beautiful today, and we can sit on the porch while they snooze.” She gestured to the porch swing he’d hung the day before.
“No. I want them to always sleep in their beds. The routine is important, even if they did go to sleep a little earlier than I had scheduled.” Twenty minutes wasn’t huge, but he’d have to make adjustments to accommodate the change. “I’ll carry them upstairs.”
“Do you need some help?” she offered.
“No, I’ve got this.” He could carry a twin in each arm and come back for the stroller once they were settled.
“Okay, I’m going to grab a shower then.” She went past him to the door, and he thought he saw a smile on her face, but it was gone in an instant.
An hour later, he had to admit that Mia had been right. Ava woke as he put her down in her crib. She might have gone back to sleep, but her movements had roused Emma—who was willing to stay in her bed but sang loudly to a stuffed rabbit. Pretty soon, both girls were singing and talking, and any chance of a nap was gone.
After giving up on that, he fed them lunch without incident other than some cheese in Emma’s hair. Then he moved onto the educational part of the day. He’d read about making learning look like fun and wanted to try it. But then the girls didn’t want to color inside the shapes he’d printed out for them. Both of them scribbled across the pages with no regard to the circles and squares.
The same was true of the counting and color identification lesson he tried with blocks. Neither girl could stay interested in organizing the blue blocks into piles of three or the red in piles of four for more than a few minutes. Or if one was willing to play along, the other was off running in a different direction. He’d scooped up Ava just before she stuck her little finger into an electrical outlet, and he mentally put childproofing items on a shopping list.
In the meantime, Emma developed a fascination with turning a lamp on and off by using the switch on the cord.
By the time the twins were in bed for the night, Kenton plopped onto the couch in exhaustion. How was it that he could lead SEAL missions in which he slept little and moved constantly and not be tired, but keeping track of two little girls had done him in.
Mia came in from the kitchen with a beer in her hand. “Here. You earned this.”
“Thanks,” he said, accepting the drink. Mia had stuck around throughout the afternoon and early evening, but she’d let him handle the girls. He’d almost asked for help, but there was no good reason he couldn’t manage it. At least, that’s what he’d insisted to himself.
Mia sat down next to him, smiling. “Do you see why I parent differently? Trying to maintain a rigid schedule just frustrates everyone. Letting the girls do what is natural to them is better for them and you.”
“They run you ragged, too,” he said. He’d seen that with his own eyes. She had to give, give, give.
“Maybe, but I’m not fighting their natures.”
“I think they’ll follow a routine if I enforce it for a few days.” He took a swallow of his beer.