Do you know what sucks? Sure, Dorian would often be away from home because he has to travel, but that’s a whole different story when Jess does. One thing is sleeping in a hotel room but sleeping alone in your own bed… Wife, come back.
It’s been a few days since Jess had to go on a little trip, leaving Dorian all alone with Shay, Zoe and Aidan. That wasn’t the first time, and Dorian didn’t have a problem with… well… He didn’t have a problem with that, he loved spending more time with his kids but he missed his wife. Especially now when he was on a break. At least that was a good thing, being on a break when Jessica had to leave. Lying in bed that weekend morning, waking up early as usual, he was staring at the empty side of the bed before hearing footsteps coming down the hallway. His kids running down the hallway and stopping right in front of the door. That’s what they’d usually do if Dorian wasn’t the one to wake up first and check on them before going to his practice. Shay would pick up Aidan with a little bit of struggle to help him open the door before running in, jumping up on the bed and attacking their parents with hugs. Waiting for that to happen, Dori looked at the door with a soft smile, that smile growing when he finally saw them bursting through the door. [color="lightsteelblue”]”Good morning, monkeys,”[/color] picking up Aidan as Shay and Zoe got up on the bed, he pulled them all closer to him, enjoying these first morning cuddles. With Aidan on his chest, Zoe’s arms wrapped around his arm, he was playing with Shay’s hair. [color="lightsteelblue”]”What do you want to do today? And nooo…”[/color] Glancing between Shay and Zoe, a playful smile appeared on his lips. ”We can’t go to Disneyland. We’ll have to wait for mom to come back. We don’t want her to be sad because we went without her, do we?” Look, they are always asking to go there. There’s not a week when they don’t try this and Dorian could take them but would he really risk losing another kid again? That would never happen again but you know… You never know. But it’ll never happen again. Never. Maybe.
Nooo, he heard his kids before Aidan mumbled something about soccer, making Dorian smile. [color="lightsteelblue”]”But what first? What does mom always say?”[/color] [color=“mediumpurple”]”First we brush our teeth, then breakfast and theeen we can play.”[/color] [color=”#9d7691”]”Whaaaat’s for breakfast?”[/color] [color=“mediumpurple”]”Pancakes!”[/color] [color=”#9d7691”]”Pancake-”[/color] [color=“mediumpurple”]”Can we makee pancakes?!”[/color] [color=”#9d7691”]”Can we make pancakesss, daddy?”[/color] Laughing lightly and nodding, Dorian straightened up, still holding Aidan. [color="lightsteelblue”]”We can make pancakes. But now go brush your teeth.”[/color] He didn’t even have to finish that for Shay and Zoe to jump down from the bed and run to the bathroom. [color="lightsteelblue”]”Do you want pancakes?”[/color] Smiling sweetly at Aidan, Dori waited for him to nod and wrap his arms around his neck before getting up and joining Shay and Zoe. This is another thing you might see in this house - Shay and Zoe on their little stools, Aidan sitting on the counter while they all brush their teeth, a different competition each time while their two dogs are jumping around, excited for the morning and kids to give them allllllll the love they have. That’s followed with them all going downstairs, Shay feeding the dogs and this time Dorian entering the kitchen to grab everything they’ll need for breakfast. [color="lightsteelblue”]”Who wants to help-”[/color] Does he even have to call out for them? No. Turning around his kids were already dragging chairs to where he was so they could help him make pancakes, Aidan hugging his leg, just waiting for his dad to pick him up. [color="lightsteelblue”]”What do you want to do? Watch or help?”[/color] Once again holding his son in his arms, he asked as he was watching Shay cracking eggs with Zoe. Sometimes remembering everything is not such a bad thing. Thank you Jess for making pancakes with your kids in the past? They could make their girls into their personal chefs if you think about it. Just no playing with the stove…that makes things harder. Okay, no personal chefs. [color="steelblue”]”I… want to helwp,”[/color] well okay little guy. Once again placing Aidan on the counter, Shay being the good sister she is grabbed flour and helped Aidan with it, bringing a smile to Dorian’s lips for a hundredth time that morning as he kissed the top of her head. [color=“lightsteelblue”]”Good job.”[/color] Do you know what else happened, who got a little jealous? [color=”#9d7691”]”Daddddy, look,”[/color] you guessed it… Climbing up to sit on the counter, Zoe took the milk her dad placed there and wanting to get a “good job” made a mess. Pouring in some milk, the bottle slipped from her hands spilling all over the counter and then the floor, even making the bowl flip over but Dori caught it before it could fall down and break. They all stayed silent for a moment, not moving, just looking at the mess Zoe made before Dorian laughed lightly… Did he need to take in a deep breath first and tell himself that was fine? Maaaaybe. [color="lightsteelblue”]”Okay, get down, just be careful. Let the dogs out and be with Aidan, I’ll clean this up and make us breakfast,”[/color] looking back at Zoe, she seemed quiet and was not following her siblings, so Dori gently lifted her chin up, whispering. ”Hey, it’s fine. I love you… go play.” As soon as she slowly nodded, he helped her get down. His gaze remaining on the girl until she was gone and then with a sight turning back to clean the mess… But that was when he heard loud crying coming from the backyard.
To be continued