Clary woke up on the green plush couch, sunlight streaming in through the large windows of her home, lighting up the kitchen and living room. She looked down to find herself covered in orange paint and still wearing the clothes she'd gone out in the night before. She got up, cursing to herself for having gotten paint on the velvet of the tufted sofa. She nearly knocked herself over getting up, tripping over a wooden toy car. She cleaned the toys off the floor and put them on the coffee table. Reaching for her phone, she finally moved towards the kitchen.
She had just turned the coffee maker on when Isabelle answered her call. "I'm so glad we went out last night! I had such a great time! I haven't seen you drink so much in ages!" Isabelle continued ranting as Clary poured herself a cup of coffee into her favourite blue mug and pulled some fruit out of the fridge. "What was your favourite part? I loved that bar, it was fantastic, and I'm all for having a wild night, but that wasn't wild it was just homey and fun, maybe it's because we were all together again."
"Izzie, you're going to talk my ear off!" she pulled a few plates out of a cupboard and placed them on the island, before changing her mind and setting the large walnut table. "You wouldn't know why I woke up with orange paint, would you?"
"Maybe Johnny got into your paint supplies this morning?"
"To my knowledge, he's still asleep, and I seem to have gotten it all over the couch?" she sighed, "I can't believe I named my kid Jonathan."
"Well, Jace was happy." she laughed, through the speaker, Clary could hear someone asking Izzie why she was up, "Who wouldn't want their kid named after him."
"I was high on painkillers, and when he suggested it, I must have thought it was a great idea." She put the fruit on the table, cut up some more canteloupe and added utensils. She could hear little feet running from the loft above, "The monsters have woken up, I've got to go."
When her children ran down the stairs, their golden hair shining from the light streaming through the window, Clary couldn't help but smile.
"Mummy, guess what Georgia showed me!" yelled Johnny as he reached the bottom step, "She showed me this magic trick! Real magic!", Clary picked him up as he reached her and swung him around before seating him on the bench by the table. Clary's daughter gave her a hug from behind and sat down across from Jonathan. Clary brought out some toast and assorted jams. They settled down to eat.
When Clary got up to grab the children some milk, Jace opened the door and walked into the home. He kissed Clary on the cheek before going back to the entrance to hang up his coat. "I've brought some real breakfast food!" he announced, hugging his children. He placed a box of doughnuts on the table and both children lunged as Jace sat down beside his daughter.
"What do you guys want to do today? I was thinking maybe we could go visit the zoo while your mommy paints, or we could take her with us to Newport for the day?" Addie and Jonathan nodded, grinning, their faces covered in powdery sugar.
"You want to take us all to Rhode Island for the day?" Clary raised her eyes skeptically, "Nearly a four hour drive each way, to… look at mansions? Walk the cliffs?"
"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure we'd find plenty of fantastic things to do!" her children nodded enthusiastically from the table, Clary sighed looking at their sweet faces.
"I'm going to take a pass, but you can all go if you'd like. Just be back in time for dinner!" she threatened, a sparkle in her eye.
"Thanks for letting me take them out today."
"Anytime, I actually got quite a few things done today." "Did you guys grab your bags?" she placed Jonathan on top of a kitchen stool and helped him tie his shoelaces. "Have a fantastic weekend, I'll see you tomorrow." And it was in times like these, watching her ex-husband walk down the street with their children to her old home, that made Clary feel lonelier than ever.