Chapter 2
Chapter Two
LEX
As I press send, I sit back on my chair in my home office and wait for our group chat to explode.
“Three, two, one …” I say out loud.
Tate: WTF do you mean pack a bag for ten days for each member of my family including children.
Grayson: I thought Tate was bad last year with giving weird clues.
Bella: Why am I packing for my kids, Lex! This is my “mommy needs a break” time!!!
Paige: Mason, be prepared when I get home. You are telling me where we are going or you are sleeping with one of the kids.
Mason: Hey, leave me out of this, I’m just the pilot.
Paige: Yes, my pilot, remember? I pay your wage!
Mia: Well, technically, I pay half of it now.
Lex: Touche, sweetheart.
Mia: Don’t think that you are off the hook, Lex. How am I going to have time to pack four bags for the kids?
Tate: It better be somewhere warm, you know how I hate the cold.
Tilly: You are such a child, Tate. But seriously, Lex, are we packing for hot or cold weather?
Grayson: I’m working up to Christmas Eve and on call for the few days before we leave. How the hell am I organizing the kids?
Bella: Can you all just stop, and can we go back to this is an adult-friendly trip? Drinking, relaxing, and lots of uninterrupted sex.
Tate: Yeah, Tink! That’s my girl.
Lex: Seriously, Bella, you had to go there. We nearly made it without the word sex being mentioned.
Bella: Have you met my husband?
Lex: And he has rubbed off on you.
My sides are hurting from laughing so hard at the speed with which the messages are rolling up the screen in front of me.
Lex: We are seven days away from our flight, where you and your children will be boarding the plane. Pack for warm weather. That is all you get. Enjoy your day.
Grayson: You suck.
Tate: What he said!
Bella: This time I agree.
Paige: Me too.
Mia: No comment.
Tilly: Sorry, Lex, I’m with them.
Mason: Well, aren’t you all going to be eating your words next week.
Mason did try to warn me that there would be mutiny when I started to prepare them for the trip, but he also thought it was a brilliant plan.
Lex: I can’t wait!
The alarm on my phone starts ringing to tell me it’s time to leave to pick Kayla and the twins up from Jonathan and Beth’s house where they have spent the afternoon.
I’m sure they’ve had a great time with their grandparents doing Christmas activities.
Jack has been at a music workshop with some friends, so Mia will grab him on her way home.
The moment I’m in the car and driving down the road, my phone starts ringing, and it’s Mia.
“Hi, baby, how’s your day going?”
“Don’t you ‘hi, baby’ me. What are you up to? Why are we taking the kids with us? I don’t get enough time with you as it is, I didn’t want to share you. I mean, I love the kids, you know that, but I’m so confused.”
I can’t help but burst out laughing at her.
My wife was such a shy, uncertain woman when I met her, but it didn’t take long for her true self to shine through.
She is a confident, intelligent, and strong woman now, and even in the bedroom, she’s happy to take what she wants.
Which I’m certainly not complaining about.
“Mia, trust me, you will still have plenty of Sexy Lexy time. And you don’t have to worry, I will pack for the kids and myself. You just need to pack for yourself.” I hate hearing her sigh with disappointment, but it will be worth it.
“When you asked me to clear our calendars for ten days, I’m not going to lie, I got a little excited at the thought of getting so much time without the kids.
But you’ve never let me down before, so I’ll trust you.
Just please tell me that I’m not going to have to listen to Tate or all the other children complain for ten days straight because they aren’t happy with your choice. ”
“I love how you included Tate in with the kids.” That has her letting out a little giggle.
“And you don’t have to worry; this is going to be the New Year’s Eve of all New Year’s Eves so far.
You and the kids will love it, and I’m just going to say one more thing.
I did ask for your help, and you told me I was on my own, so… ”
“Ughh, I hate that you remembered that. I have to go, I have a Zoom meeting before I pick up Jack. Say thanks to Dad and Mom for having the kids. I’m sure they have had a great day with Nanny Beth spoiling them rotten.
” I love hearing Mia refer to Jonathan and Beth as Mom and Dad.
She deserves the love of a big family who wrap their arms around her and help her flourish.
“Will do. Message if you get stuck on your call and I’ll grab Jack too.
” When I was growing up, I had a driver, a nanny, butler, and cook, and I could do that for our kids too, but that’s not how we want them growing up.
There are times we use our nanny, drivers, and sadly security at times, which comes with the territory of being wealthy, but we love the chaos of a household that’s just two working parents and four crazy kids.
Mia laughs at me when I often tell her how much I longed for this as a child.
My childhood was lonely, and I vowed never to let that be the case for our kids.
It's seven pm by the time we all sit down to dinner together.
“Daddy, where are we going on holidays after Christmas?” Gabe asks quite innocently.
“What makes you think we are going on a holiday, Gabe?” I look up from my plate where I’m cutting my steak, only to see Mia with a smirk on her face.
“I heard Poppy and Auntie Paige talking on the phone. She was complaining she didn’t know where she was going, and then about all the kids coming on the trip. Then Poppy just laughed at her.” He is still totally oblivious to what he is saying.
Damn it, I didn’t want to tell the kids this early because now I will have to put up with twenty questions a day from them. Plus, they don’t understand that they can’t know anything.
“Wait, are we going on your New Year’s Eve trip?” Jack sits up, paying attention now. “Where are we going?” He pulls his phone out of his pocket, about to text his friends to brag he is headed off on an adults’ trip.
“Put that phone on the table right now. You know the rules about phones at the dinner table.” I never imagined I would be able to yell at him when he was four and curled up on my lap telling me stories.
But there is a lot of difference between four and fourteen.
I have developed quite the authoritative father voice in the last ten years.
It's like a battle of wills, his fingers hovering over the phone, desperate to type the message but not game to defy me.
“Jack.” Mia speaks his name calmly, and he lowers it back onto the table face down, a little huff leaving his mouth.
“Well, it’s a surprise, but yes, after Christmas you are all coming on our New Year’s trip this year.
I can’t tell you where we are going because no one else knows yet either.
” All the younger kids are bouncing in their seats, and Jack is smiling, because that’s as cool as it gets at his age.
“We will be away for ten days.” And that’s the moment Jack’s face changes.
“Ten days, that’s way too long,” he grumbles.
“Pardon. Why is that?” I challenge him.
“I’ve got plans.” I can see Jack’s hand itching to pick up his phone and rant to his friends.
“Yes, you do, with your family and extended framily. I’m sure your friends will still be here when we get back.” I’m trying so hard not to lose my temper with him. We have a great relationship, but we also still have the normal father-teenager push and pull every day over things.
“How do you know that?” His eyes are boring into me, like he wants to push the point. He is as tall as me, just not filled out quite yet, but it’s coming, I’m sure.
“Because I too was your age once, and my friends are still hanging around now. That will happen for you too.” I glance at Mia, who I know is on the same page as me.
“Whatever,” Jack mumbles and then just continues with eating his dinner. He doesn’t make eye contact with either me or his mother for the rest of the meal.
Gabe, Remi, and Kayla continue to chatter on and tell us about their day and what they got up to with their grandparents. And if I’ve learned one thing with broody teenage boys, it’s that you are better off leaving them alone to get over whatever it is that’s pissing them off.
Finally, all the kids are showered and in their rooms for the night. I pour myself a scotch and sit in front of the Christmas tree, watching the snow fall outside the window, when Mia comes into the room and crawls into my lap. She takes the scotch out of my hand and has a sip.
“Well, that was an interesting dinner,” she comments and passes the glass back to me. “Obviously we have reached the stage where holidaying with your parents is no longer cool.”
I chuckle at her. “Maybe, but I have a feeling it’s something else.
Why don’t you head up to bed and I’ll be there shortly.
I just want to chat with Jack on my way up.
” I take one last sip of the scotch and pass the glass to Mia for her to finish.
She’s not a big drinker but some nights she just likes that little night cap with me.
“Do you want me to speak to him?” she asks as she stands.
“No, I think this is a guy chat.” I wink at her, and it dawns on her what I’m thinking, but then I see the panic in her eyes that she is starting to lose her little boy as he keeps growing up.
“I think I need another scotch.” She groans as I take her in my arms, kiss the top of her head, and send her on her way toward the staircase with a little tap on the ass. I check the house is locked up for the night and then head up to Jack’s room.
Knocking on his door and opening it slightly, I poke my head through to see him lying on his bed with his music journal where he scribbles lyrics.