I groaned as the alarm beeped, waking me from the most amazing sleep ever. I was having that dream again, the one where me and Kelsi were lying on a beach somewhere, all alone, no one to bother us, before that stupid clock started making a noise. Feeling my wife sit up, I moaned that I'd be a few moments. It was our morning routine - she'd get up, go downstairs and make the morning coffee, while I'd get the kids out of bed and herd them downstairs.
"OK." She replied sleepily as she rolled out of bed, then I heard a thud.
"Sh-!" She almost swore, and I sat up and looked at her.
"You OK baby?"
"Stubbed my toe on Joe's stupid games console!" She replied, pulling her foot up onto her lap to check for any damage. "I swear sometimes I'm gonna throw that stupid thing out the window. I could have broken my toe, and then who'd look after the house?" She hissed, and I bit my lip, trying to hold in my laughter. OK, it wasn't funny, she'd probably have a bruise there later on, but hearing her rant on tickled me. She seemed different from the shy and retiring Kelsi I'd first met in high school, the one that wouldn't say anything unless absolutely forced to, the one who was terrified of my twin sister. I guess you could say she'd come out of her shell a little. Well, I suppose looking after three kids would make anyone less shy.
"What's so funny, Ryan?" She asked, and I shrugged.
"Nothing, my dear, nothing at all. You should put some ice on that." I replied, and she scowled at me before hobbling downstairs. I think it was safe to say that she was the tiniest bit annoyed, but I was sure once breakfast was over she'd be in a better mood…
"Mom, what's for breakfast?" Our eldest, Kayleigh asked as soon as she'd bounded downstairs. "Pancakes, once your father makes them." Kelsi replied as she handed me the batter mix.
"Good morning to you too." I smiled, taking the bottle from her, and she gave me a look that epitomised the phrase "if looks could kill".
"Can I have jelly on mine?" "No, you're fat enough!"
"Marie, stop teasing your sister!" Kelsi growled, and, at this, the two girls sat at the table without another word being said. I had been waiting for the "she's not my real sister anyway." argument, but with Kelsi in the mood she was in, they knew better.
A moment later, our youngest, and our only son, Joe, entered the room "Why's everyone so quiet?" He asked, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl and peeling it.
"Mom's in a mood." Kayleigh whispered as she got out of her chair and pulled four plates out of the cupboard. "You want pancakes, squirt?" She asked Joe, and he shook his head. Sitting the plates beside me, she gave me a smile, then sat back down beside Marie, and it struck me how different they were, in fact, they were almost the complete opposite. While Marie was light-skinned, almost pale, with a slender frame, curly blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, Kayleigh's skin was dark, she had deep brown eyes, framed with thick eyelashes, and black hair. Kayleigh was a little chubbier, but that was more down to puppy fat than anything else. Her mom was the same at that age. If you haven't guessed, we adopted her when she was four and her parents were killed in a car crash. She's thirteen now, and she's a great help to us, and to her younger siblings.
"Damn it, can't anything go right in this place?" I heard Kelsi mutter, and I flipped the pancake I'd been making onto the top plate and cautiously went over to her.
"What's wrong, honey?" I asked quietly.
"I spoiled the coffee. And my hair won't sit right. And my toe hurts!" She moaned, and I did the only thing I could. Pull her into a hug and tell her how much I loved her, even if her hair was a mess. Besides, there was enough orange juice to go around.
"Why do you love me when I'm like this?" She asked as I kissed her on the top of the head.
"Because that's just another side of you, and I love you even when you're moody." I explained, and she gave me a slight smile as she pulled the orange out of the fridge.
"Kayleigh, be careful with that pan." She warned as she caught sight of our daughter, who had taken my place at the oven.
"I'll get them ready, you go and get ready for work." She didn't need to be told twice, she ran upstairs faster than anything, leaving me with my three gorgeous kids.