Chapter 51
Simon
We stepped into the penthouse, and a strange feeling swept over me. For eighteen years, there had always been something next. Now, our children were beginning lives of their own, and somehow, Bella and I were right back where we started. Just the two of us in the penthouse.
I walked over to the bar and poured us a drink while Bella sat on the couch.
“What do we do now?” I sat beside her. “For eighteen years, everything we did revolved around them.”
“Pretty much,” Bella sighed.
“We scheduled dinner around them,” I said.
“And vacations,” Bella added.
“And weekends.” I tipped the glass to my lips.
“And soccer, dance, and all the school events,” Bella said.
“And the doctor’s appointments, and birthday parties. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do with all this time.”
“We had a life before kids, Simon.”
“Did we, though?” My brow arched.
“We were married before they were born.”
“Barely. We found out you were pregnant on our honeymoon.” I set my drink down and pulled her legs over my lap. “What are we supposed to do now when we don’t have somewhere to be every Saturday morning? When there’s nobody waiting for us to come home?”
“I suppose we’ll figure it out,” she said.
“I don’t like that answer, sweetheart.”
“Of course you don’t. You want a plan,” she smirked.
“I like plans.” I smiled.
“You like control, Simon.”
“That too.” I grinned.
“We’ll be fine.” She smiled. “Think of it this way. We can go back to having sex all over this penthouse. Like we did before the kids were born. And we won’t have to rush, knowing they could walk through the door at any second because they’re three and a half hours away.”
“I like the way you think.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“We did our job. We raised our kids. Now it’s time for us to live our own lives again,” she said.
“Do you think it’s possible?” I reached over and softly stroked her hair.
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “I already miss them.”
“So do I, sweetheart.”
Two Months Later
Two months after we moved Julian and Olivia to Harvard, I discovered something unexpected.
I fucking loved being an empty nester. Although I’d never admitted it to Bella, I knew she loved it too.
We made sure to talk to the twins every day, and it was nice.
But having the penthouse to ourselves again was even better.
We’d found a new routine. Not the one we’d had before the kids.
There was no going back to that. Bella and I weren’t the same people we’d been before Olivia and Julian.
This routine belonged to who we’d become.
Friday nights were ours, and Saturday mornings didn’t start with an alarm. We ate when we wanted to, went out more, and could sit on the couch for three hours without someone walking in and accusing us of stealing their chargers. We adjusted, and I was proud of how well we’d done it.
I was sitting behind my desk when my office door opened, and Bella walked in.
“Hi, sweetheart.” I smiled.
“Hi. I just got off the phone with Olivia. She and Julian are coming home for a long weekend.”
“Excellent.” I smiled. “When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Are they leaving Sunday or Monday?”
“Monday morning,” she said.
“Good. That’ll give us four days with them.” I grinned.
I was happy and excited to see my children, but by Sunday morning, I wanted them both the fuck out. It started when they arrived home Thursday afternoon. I’d come home from work and tripped over three bags in the foyer.
“Jesus Christ,” I said.
“Daddy!” Olivia ran and threw her arms around me.
“Hi, princess.” I hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
“I missed you,” she said.
That was all it took. I no longer cared that I’d tripped over her three bags that she felt the need to just drop anywhere.
“I missed you too.”
I glanced over by the couch and saw another one of her bags. Instantly, my brows furrowed.
“How long are you staying?” I asked.
“Until Monday morning.” She grinned.
“Then why do you need four bags for a short stay?”
“One is laundry.”
“Of course it is,” I said.
“No, two are laundry. Our washing machine is better than the one at Harvard.”
“They’re washing machines, Olivia. They all perform the same basic function.”
“Ours are gross, Daddy.”
“Then clean them,” I said.
Bella walked into the room carrying a laundry basket overflowing with Olivia’s clothes.
“Don’t bother, Simon. I already tried,” she sighed.
“Care to explain why you’re doing her laundry?” I asked.
“I’m not.” She dropped the basket in front of Olivia. “Laundry room. You know the way.”
“Mom,” Olivia whined.
“You’re in college, Olivia,” Bella said.
“But I’m home. Daddy!” She looked at me.
“Your mother said to do your laundry.”
“Traitor.” She picked up her basket and stomped all the way to the laundry room.
Julian walked into the room with a heaping plate of Chinese food.
“Hey, Dad.” He grinned.
I stared at his plate. “Is that my leftover Chinese food from last night?”
“I don’t know. Was it yours?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Then probs.” He shrugged.
“I was saving that, Julian.”
“You can order more.” He went to his bedroom.
I looked at Bella. “How long have they been home?”
“Three hours.”
My children had been home three hours, and the penthouse already looked like it had been burglarized.
Their shoes were in the foyer, and Julian’s sweatshirt was thrown over the back of the couch.
I walked into the kitchen only to find Olivia’s purse on the table with its contents spilling out, and four dirty glasses sitting on the island, even though there were only two children. A few cabinet doors were left open.
“Julian!” I shouted.
“Yeah?” He walked into the kitchen.
“Why are the cabinets open?” I pointed.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“You were the last one in here. Close them.”
Friday night, they had some friends over, and they were loud.
“They couldn’t go out, why?” I asked Bella.
“I don’t know. They didn’t even ask if they could have friends over. They just showed up,” she said.
The intercom rang.
“Mr. Montclair, there’s a cookie delivery down here for Olivia.”
“I’ll send her down. Olivia!” I shouted.
“Yeah, Dad?” She emerged from her room, her two friends following behind.
“You placed a cookie order?”
“Oh, are they here?” She grinned.
“Yes. Down in the lobby. It’s nine thirty at night. Why are you ordering cookies?”
“Because we want them?” She frowned. “Come on, girls. Let’s go get our cookies.”
Saturday morning, I woke up to the twins arguing about something.
“What is going on?” I sleepily asked Bella.
“I don’t know.” She pulled the pillow over her head.
I climbed out of bed and headed to the kitchen.
“What is going on in here?”
“Julian ate the yogurt I brought from Harvard.”
“Seriously? I’ll buy you more,” I told her.
“You can only get it at Harvard. It’s homemade. I buy it every week at the farmer’s market.”
“Next time, pick me up some.” Julian grinned, opening the refrigerator.
“You’re a jerk!” Bella shouted.
“And obviously, you don’t know how to share!” He stood with the refrigerator door open.
“Julian?”
“Yeah?”
“Close the refrigerator.”
“I’m looking for something, Dad.”
“For what?” I cocked my head.
“I don’t know yet.”
“Well, figure it out with the door closed!” I spoke loudly.
Olivia started laughing, and Julian turned and looked at me.
“You’re cranky, Daddy,” Olivia said.
“I am not cranky.” I brewed myself a cup of coffee. “I was perfectly happy until I was woken up by you two arguing over a damn yogurt.”
“What’s going on?” Bella walked into the kitchen.
“Daddy’s cranky this morning,” Olivia said.
“For the last time, princess, I’m not cranky.”
By the time Sunday rolled around, there were towels on the bathroom floors, shoes were scattered everywhere, and every charger in the penthouse mysteriously disappeared. Bella and I were sitting on the couch, trying to watch the football game uninterrupted.
“Mom!” Julian shouted from the hall. “Have you seen my black hoodie?”
She closed her eyes and inhaled a sharp breath. I couldn’t help but smile.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re getting annoyed.”
“I am not.” She frowned.
“Sweetheart.” I smiled. “Don’t lie.”
“Mom!” Julian shouted.
“WHAT!” Bella shouted back.
“Never mind. I found it.”
“Still enjoying having them home?” I smirked.
“Shut up, Simon.”
Five minutes later, Olivia waltzed into the living room.
“Mom, where’s my white sweater?”
“I don’t know, Olivia. You washed it.”
“And you put my clothes in the dryer.” She placed her hands on her hips.
“Because you left them in the washer for six hours! Who does that?” Bella raised her voice.
“Great. Just great. That’s the sweater I was going to wear later.” She stormed out of the living room.
“How the hell does a white sweater go missing?” I asked Bella.
“I can guarantee you she didn’t even bring it with her.”
Finally, it was Monday morning. I felt terrible that I was happy my children were heading back to Harvard. Julian walked down the hall, dragging his bag behind him. Olivia followed with more bags than when she’d arrived.
“Do you two have everything?” Bella asked.
“Yes,” they said.
“Chargers?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Laptops?” Bella asked.
“Yes.”
“Laundry?” I asked.
“Crap. I left a few things in my basket in my room. I’ll be right back.”
I slowly closed my eyes and took in a breath. About ten minutes later, we’d finally got them to the elevator. We hugged them goodbye and told them to call us when they arrived back at Harvard. The elevator doors closed, and I glanced at Bella.
“Silence, sweetheart. Beautiful, glorious, fucking silence.”
“Thank God.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I love them more than life, but sometimes—”
“I know, sweetheart.” I kissed the top of her head.
“We better get to the office,” she said.
I glanced at my watch. “The office can wait.” I swooped down and picked her up.
“What are you doing?” She laughed.
“Taking you in the bedroom and having crazy loud sex with you. And then again tonight when we get home.”
“I love that idea. Can you do me a favor?” she asked as I laid her on the bed.
“I would do anything for you.” I hovered over her.
“I need you to make a list of rules for when the kids come home.”
“Seriously?” I grinned.
“Yes. And make sure there’s more than ten.”
“Your wish is my command. God, I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” She smiled.
Thank you for reading The October Arrangement.