dchfour

Mike plopped down on the couch, flowers in his lap, his head thrown back on the pillows at the top of the couch, his hands massaging his temples. �Why� why did she have to interfere? Just because he had unburdened himself that morning, didn�t mean he wanted her assistance with the problem. If that was her intention. �Oh God�, he prayed. �Please don�t let her open her big mouth about that morning�. Faith would not understand, he was pretty sure of that� Women rarely did. Lisa was the only woman he had ever known that took things like fidelity lightly. Maybe it was because of her own father, who knew? He wasn�t even sure if it was a good thing, just convenient.

He felt, rather than saw, the small hand touch his knee. When he looked down, there were two big brown eyes (mirrors of his own) looking back at him. Smiling, she didn�t say a word� she didn�t have to, she climbed up in his lap completely assured that of all the women in her Daddy�s life� she was number one.

He put his hands under the small shoulders and lifted her up the rest of the way, giving her a tight hug as tears, she could never have understood, fell on her black, curly hair.

�How was YOUR day, sweetie?�

�We made cookies.�

�You did? Wow! Can I have some?� How wonderful � to live in a world of cookie dough and crayons.

Her brown eyes sparkled at him and her little hands touched his face as she nodded happily. Then he felt her little body tense, getting ready to jump down. Probably to retrieve the cookies� Quickly he grabbed her, holding her tight, not wanting to let her go�

�Daddy!� Paris squirmed and wiggled as she laughed. �Led go�� she pleaded, thoroughly enjoying the game.

�No, never.� He held tighter still. �I�ll never let you go.�

�Peese� she pleaded, laughing.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blonde head peek around the corner.

�You go get the cookies� and I�ll go get a book. How �bout that?� Mike lifted the little girl off his lap and placed her already moving feet on the floor, and watched for a moment as she hurried off toward the kitchen.

Looking in the direction where the blonde head had been only minutes before, Michael smiled, got up and began to creep to the edge of the doorway. He hesitated a moment at the threshold, then pounced around the corner to the delight of the little boy behind the edge of the wall.

�AaaaRRRRGGGGG!!!!!� growled Michael, �Who�s that I see, spyin� on me?�

�ME!� giggled the little blonde.

�You, huh? Well, what story would YOU like me to read?�

�Peter Pan!!!� Prince shouted with glee�

How appropriate it seemed that Peter Pan was his son�s favorite book.

�Peter Pan it is.� He exclaimed as he hoisted the child into the air and onto his shoulders. �Let�s go get it.�

Lisa smiled and waved as Faith stepped out of the car and closed the door. She rolled down the window when she saw Faith�s hand motion.

�Are you sure you won�t come in?� Faith asked, pleading. She hadn�t wanted the afternoon to end. She had had so much fun. Lisa was really hysterical and made her forget, for a while, how miserable her morning had been. She didn�t want Lisa to leave, and she wasn�t sure she wanted to go back in that house alone.

Lisa read the look of desperation in the younger woman�s eyes. Reaching across the width of the car, she patted the hand that held tightly to the door through the open window. Faith had told her about the morning, a version not too different from the one she had already heard, but with the added benefit of Faith�s own fears.

Don�t worry, sweetie, if you�re here, he cares�� looking into Faith�s worried eyes, Lisa smiled gently. �You�re one in a million, my dear.� She had to suppress a laugh as she though, that might be just about the right figure, too. �You�ll be just fine� go on now.� Lisa began to roll the window shut and Faith moved to let the glass glide into place� Poor thing, Lisa thought, this one may not be strong enough either. One in a million, those may just be her odds of success as well.

Faith watched the car pull out of the drive and to continued to stand there for several minutes after it was gone. She watched as the big, black wrought iron gates opened and closed, she watched as a gardener put the finishing touches on a hedgerow he was trimming in the distance. The sun was beginning to slowly disappear on the western horizon and the day would soon be over. If only she could be sure tomorrow wouldn�t be another repeat.

Turning to head toward the door, she saw Mike�s car parked to the right next to the walkway. The little, black, speedy sportster fit him, she thought. Hot, wild, and thoroughly unpredictable� suddenly she didn�t like the sleek, black machine very much and she kicked a tire as she walked past.

Faith walked up to the living room entrance and looked at the scene that unfolded before her eyes. Michael, a child under each arm, propped up against the couch, glasses of milk on the coffee table in front of them and a half-eaten plate of chocolate-chip cookies on the floor besides them.

�Hey guys� I�m missing story hour?� She smiled as Mike looked up over his shoulder at her standing behind the couch. �Can I listen too?� Then she caught her breath as she looked down and saw the discarded roses lying forlorn on the couch. �For me?� she said weakly, looking back at Michael.

�Ummmhummm.� He patted the floor beside him and Prince. �There�s room here.� He smiled and motioned with his head for her to join them on the floor. �Did you have a good time today?� he asked, trying not to sound too interested.

�Daddy� Read.� Paris insisted, tugging on his shirt. She was never happy about sharing her father�s attention, especially with strangers.

Michael smiled and continued to read the story as the two babies at his side nodded slowly off to sleep. Faith walked around the couch and sat down to listen. Looking at the man reading the children�s book to his babies made her warm back up. This was the man she had come to love. His genuine love for his kids shone in his eyes as he accentuated the words with verbal accents.

Prince and Paris were sleeping before the last page turned and Michael slowly stood, picking up Prince in his arms to carry him up to bed. He looked at Faith, imploring her to please bring Paris. She looked down at the sleeping girl and nervously picked her up and began to follow Michael.

�Thanks, it saves me an extra trip.� He whispered as they walked down the hall to the children�s bedrooms. Faith put Paris into her bed, pulled up the covers to the little girl�s chin, turned out the light, and closed the door quietly. She walked as lightly as she could to the next room where Michael was sitting on the edge of the bed where he had laid the sleeping boy, stroking his blonde hair. �He looks so much like his mother.� He whispered, not looking up at her. �Sometimes acts like her, too.� He smiled and began to get up. �You didn�t answer me before.� He looked at her quizzically. �Did you have a good time today?�

�Yeah. I had a GREAT time.� Putting her hand up to her mouth to silence herself, she looked past him at the sleeping form on the bed. When he didn�t stir, she breathed a sigh of relief. �Sorry.� She whispered.

�That�s okay. Once they�re in bed, they sleep pretty soundly.� Closing the door behind them as they left the room, he looked over at her. His plans had been crushed, and lay in ruins, kinda like the flowers on the living room couch, and suddenly he was a little too tired to offer dinner, or anything else� definitely to tired and drained to offer an apology. He continued to walk up the stairs and to his bedroom without looking back to see if she was following. Once in the bedroom, he fell on the bed, exhausted, emotionally and physically. He heard her come in and close the door but he didn�t bother to look up. He felt her touch his back, her soft hand through his silk shirt felt heavenly. �I�m glad you had a good time.� He mumbled, drifting off to sleep.

�Thank you for the flowers.� She ran her fingers through his hair as he began to snore softly.