Chapter 1
<<< Damien >>>
My eyes crack open to the daylight seeping in through the blinds. I take a deep breath while feeling my wife snuggled up beside me. She’s still lost in her dreams.
My fingers brush a stray lock from her face and her nose twitches adorably. With a grin, I tuck the rebellious strand behind her ear and trace circles along her cheekbone. Her lips curl into a sleepy smile. And then those emerald eyes flutter open to meet mine, and I’m reminded why I’m utterly smitten. After nearly nine years of marriage, you’d think I’d be immune to such charms, but nope, my wife’s got me wrapped around her little finger.
Those eyes have been my kryptonite since day one. Back then we were just two strangers in a coffee shop when she decided to spice up my morning with a hot tea shower. They say love at first sight isn’t real, but try telling that to my heart when her eyes locked onto mine for the first time. Love’s a funny thing, isn’t it? One minute I’m minding my own business, and the next, I’m falling head over heels for the adorable klutz who drenched my shirt.
“Hey there, sleepyhead,” I plant a kiss on her forehead.
“Morning,” Serena yawns out. “Have you been awake long?”
“No. I just woke up and wanted a moment with you before-” I’m cut off as the sound of our bedroom door swings open right at 7 AM - as it does every morning without fail.
And just like that, our peaceful moment before the kids wake is shattered. Our little human alarm clocks never miss a beat no matter the day. As much as I love these early mornings, there’s a part of me that dreams of a day when they’ll learn the art of sleeping in. Maybe when they’re teenagers? A parent can dream, right?
Parker makes a beeline for the bed. “Morning! Time to wake up, Mommy and Daddy!”
Parker is seven and all boy - especially when it comes to anything with wheels or engines. As the CEO of Stone Construction, I often find myself on construction sites surrounded by powerful machines. The times my employees allow him to climb into the rigs to lend a hand are the moments he lives for.
Serena lets out another yawn as Parker leaps onto the bed. Now, I’m cradling two in my arms while awaiting Emma’s grand entrance. She’s not the speeding bullet of energy her brother is - she is way calmer. Maybe that’s just boys vs. girls?
“Morning, bud.” Serena playfully tosses his shaggy, dark brown hair.
“Morning, Mommy.” He flashes her his signature boyish smile before snuggling into my chest.
My arm wraps around his dinosaur pajamas - the ones he insists on wearing night after night because they’re his absolute favorite. So now we own seven pairs of them. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.” He lets out a tiny yawn. Then his striking green eyes, that mirror his mama’s, lift to me. “What are we doing today?” he asks with excitement.
Today, we have something fun planned for the family. They’re still in the dark about our plans. “Let’s wait for your sister before-”
“I’m here.” A little voice pops out of nowhere. “I wanna know what we’re doing today.” Emma slowly enters the room wearing her princess nightgown clutching Smoose - her stuffed animal moose.
Her blonde curls are a riot of bedhead, sticking out in every direction like she’s stuck her finger in an electrical outlet. I reach for her and pull her closer to complete our snuggly cluster.
Emma recently turned five and beams with pride about being a big girl. A little chuckle escapes me every time we introduce her to someone new; it’s the first thing out of her mouth: “I’m Emma and I’m five now. I’m a big girl.” Without fail, she extends one hand with all of her fingers splayed wide. She loves her newfound ability to display all her fingers on one hand to show her age. The reactions she gets from people never cease to brighten her day, always filled with enthusiastic ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs.’
“Morning, princess.” I plant a kiss on the top of her head and her wild curls tickle my nose.
“Morning, Daddy,” she mumbles while rubbing her sleepy eyes.
I lock eyes with Serena and silently ask, ‘Should we tell them our plans now or make them wait?’ We’ve got this silent communication thing down to an art form after all these years. With a nod, she gives me the green light.
“We’re spending the entire day at the beach!” Their cheers erupt throughout the bedroom and their earlier sleepiness is now a distant memory.
Emma snaps upright and her eyes zone in on me. She inherited my bright blue eyes - it’s like staring into a mirror. “We haven’t been to the beach in forever.” I stifle a chuckle. Our last beach trip was a month ago, but to her, it must feel like an eternity.
My thoughts drift to our boat which is awaiting a repair - part of the reason we’ve been absent from the beach for the past month. Today, we’ll take the scenic route and drive to our sandy destination.
“Can we build a sandcastle?” she pleads, batting her eyes dramatically - a trick I’m certain she’s picked up from her beloved princess movies. I half-expect her to add the classic hands clasped beneath her chin for an extra dose of adorableness. Though, she usually saves that for moments when she expects a possible ‘no’ from me.
“I don’t want to build just a sandcastle.” I see her face briefly pout - before I bring out the big guns. “What I really want is to build an entire sandcastle city, with a moat surrounding it!” Her eyes light up when she realizes I have something bigger in mind. “How does that sound?”
“That’s the best plan ever!” Her smile widens as she bounces on the bed.
“Are Olivia, Mason, and Blake coming too?” Parker asks.
“Not today, bud. They have other plans.” I asked my best friend if he and the family could join, but they have a cousins birthday party to attend.
Emma’s disappointment is written all over her face. Truth be told, I share her feelings. There’s always an extra dose of laughter and energy when the whole gang is together.
Serena’s drowsy voice suggests, “What if we all snuggle together for a little while and watch something before getting ready for the beach?” She’s always been slower to wake compared to the rest of us.
Their cheers echo off the walls as Serena passes me the remote. I power on the TV as Emma squeaks, “Oooh, can we watch Bluey? I want to see if they have any new episodes.”
“No objection here,” I say, glancing at Parker. “Are you good with that, bud?”
“Yeah. I like Bluey too.” He nestles himself between Serena and me.
The bedroom door practically flies off its hinges as Bingo, our Toy Australian Shepherd, bursts into room. She leaps on the bed and playfully licks Emma’s face.
“Good morning. I missed you,” Emma says in a baby voice. “Look Bingo, we’re going to watch you on TV!” Her giggles fill the air.
She named our dog after a character from the show we’re about to watch. We adopted Bingo from the dog shelter when Emma was just three years old. From that day forward, she insisted on calling her Bingo. She refused all other names - so Bingo stuck.
Bingo settles into Emma’s lap as I select an episode. Saturday mornings hold a special place in my heart - my family snuggled together. Nothing gets better than this. I glance over at Serena, who’s cuddling Parker.
Leaning in close, I whisper in Serena’s ear, “I love you more.”
Before she can respond an unexpected tap lands on my shoulder. “Hey, there are no secrets in this family!” Emma scolds while wagging her tiny finger. It’s adorable coming out of a five-year-old’s mouth while caressing Bingo’s head.
I reach over and playfully tickle her as she squirms and giggles. “It wasn’t a secret. I just told mommy that I love her more.” I raise my fingers in the air like tickle monsters while waiting to pounce. Meanwhile, Bingo watches my fingers, wondering what I’m up to.
“Sure you did,” Emma draws out with a dramatic eye roll that would make any teenager proud. I can’t help but chuckle at her sassiness, realizing I might have underestimated just how fast the eye-rolling phase would kick in.
I release my pretend tickle monsters and make a playful advance toward her. She giggles before my fingers make contact. Instead of tickling her, I kiss her head. “I love you, princess.” I pull her and Bingo even closer as I click play.
