Maddox
Five Years Later
I was deep in enemy territory.
But I was a brave man.
As quietly as possible, I closed the front door behind me, carefully toeing off my shoes on the mat before setting my bag on the floor. My eyes darted up toward the staircase, waiting.
Nothing.
Good.
I crept down the hallway, peering into open doorways and scanning each room as I moved slowly toward the kitchen, where the ringleader was cooking.
There she stood.
The creator of our chaos.
Stella hummed softly to herself as she stirred something in a pan, completely at ease in the middle of the battlefield she’d helped create.
Our son bumped along the walls in his walker, his tiny feet moving at surprising speed as he attempted to hunt Trixxie down. The poor cat darted out of reach every few seconds, clearly questioning her life choices.
I was halfway across the kitchen when—
“Hi-yaaaaa!”
Maddie exploded out from nowhere and attempted to karate chop my leg.
I chuckled and grabbed her.
“Hey, I was about to land a sneak attack on your mum,” I said, hauling Maddie onto my shoulders.
“I got you, Daddy!” she squealed, bouncing excitedly while gripping my hair.
Stella turned, wooden spoon still in her hand.
“You’d have gotten this,” she said, raising the spoon threateningly, “all over that designer suit of yours.”
I closed the distance between us and kissed her while Maddie leaned down and smooshed our heads together.
“Hello, love. Need a hand?” I asked just as Samuel crashed his walker into my leg.
“Up,” he demanded.
Stella shrugged helplessly. “You’ve got your orders.”
I crouched down carefully and scooped him up, nudging the walker aside with my foot to prevent any further collisions. I always tried to leave work a few hours early so I could spend some time with them. I hated coming home when Maddie was already going to bed.
I missed her entire day when that happened.
Stella leaned in and kissed Samuel’s chubby cheek. His tiny hand rested against her face for a moment before Maddie launched into an enthusiastic story about something that had clearly happened at nursery.
I carried both of them upstairs so I could change out of my suit.
Maddie landed on the bed with a squeal when I tossed her onto the mattress. Samuel, meanwhile, was released into the wild.
He shot off instantly, his little bottom wiggling furiously as he crawled toward our closet at full speed.
It wouldn’t be long before he was walking.
Maddie bounced on the bed, her red curls flying up and down while I shrugged out of my jacket and loosened my tie.
Home was chaotic.
And I loved it.
We both did.
Stella had tried to rebuild some sort of bridge with her parents, but the way Grace had looked at Maddie had filled me with a quiet rage I’d barely managed to contain. I stayed silent, though Stella hadn’t missed it.
After the hospital incident, she cut ties for good.
My mother might be… excitable.
But at least she loved us all.
“Catch me, Daddy!” Maddie shouted, already launching herself into the air.
My heart fluttered and I moved quickly into position, catching her mid-flight.
I held her close for a moment, kissing the top of her head while she giggled against my shoulder.
Then I heard Samuel chortling from inside the closet.
With a grin, I followed the sound.
He sat on the floor with the drawer wide open, triumphantly yanking socks and underwear out by the fistful. A small mountain of clothing had already formed around him.
“No, Sammy,” Maddie chided, wriggling out of my arms.
I lowered her to the floor and she immediately sat beside him, carefully picking things up and trying to put them back while he continued dragging more of his mother’s underwear out of the drawer with determined enthusiasm.
Samuel squealed with delight as another pair hit the floor.
Maddie sighed like a tiny exhausted adult.
While they were distracted, I quickly slipped into the bathroom to change.
Leaving them alone for too long was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Children could dismantle an entire room in under thirty seconds if properly motivated. And judging by the muffled giggles coming from the closet, Samuel was extremely motivated.
I pulled my sweatpants on and listened carefully.
Silence.
Then a delighted squeal.
Yeah… I should probably hurry.