Drumming his fingers against his leg, the cab couldn't drive fast enough for Jon. It was Wednesday morning and he had three whole days to spend with his girls. Having Friday off was great and Saturday's show was right in town. Maria had even said she'd bring the girls to the arena for a visit, which just meant extra time with them. Looking out the window at the passing scenery, the dirty blonde chewed on his thumbnail. He never imagined looking forward to such a thing. Hell, he never imagined having kids, let alone twins, never mind actually wanting to be a part of their lives.
He straightened up as the cab took an exit off of the highway and they ventured down a tree lined road. Not that where Maria and the girls lived was bad, but he always thought it could be better. It was a condo and the girls shared a room. It was a decent size, but he wished they could have a yard with a swing set for them. Maybe a pool. He'd never broached the subject with Maria, thinking it was none of his business. He hadn't exactly earned his right to make suggestions like that about her life.
Jon grinned as the car pulled up to the building the girls lived in. Maria was sitting on the front stoop as the girls played on the grassy area under a tree. Paying the cab driver with cash, he was quick to get out and get his bags. Just as he was yanking his suitcase out of the trunk, he heard the high pitch yell of 'daddy!' followed by Maria's shout to not run in the street. Obeying their mother, the girls waited at the curb of the sidewalk for their father, jumping into his arms the second he was close enough. He knelt down on the pavement to hug them. He never thought he'd see the day where he could miss two little creatures so much.
Clearing her throat, Maria made her presence known. Jon smiled up at her as he straightened up to his full height that towered over all of them. "I'm here," he announced, his smile turning to a full on dimpled grin as the girls continued to pull and prod at him, though they barely reached his hip.
"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," Maria smirked right back at him, reaching for his suitcase. "I'll take this. You take those," she told him, motioning to the twins who were literally trying to climb him at the moment. "It's almost lunch time," she added, more for the girls than for him, though his stomach suddenly growled which made his daughters laugh. Scooping them up easily, he followed Maria inside, checking out the state of place and making mental notes. Two bedrooms, a nice sized living room, dining room, and a porch where some plants sat in pots.
He noticed that Maria brought his suitcase into the girl's room and he bit his lip. Her room had been completely off limits the last few times he had come to visit. True to her word, she had made him sleep on the couch, which wasn't so bad and wouldn't have been this time had he not pulled a muscle in his back. The discomfort was worth spending time with them, though. He had a lot of making up to do, a lot of proving himself, if Maria was ever going to let him have the girls for a visit on his own.
With the girls back on the ground, they were still little bundles of energy as they ran around, wanting to show him their new toys, their newest drawings, and their reports from preschool that were sent home regularly. Sitting on the floor, he took it all in. They were in the middle of showing him the proper way to brush Barbie's hair when Maria announced lunch and the girls jumped up and scrambled to the table. "You hungry?" she asked him as he pulled himself up from the floor. "I've got stuff for sandwiches."
"Yeah, just point me in the right direction," he told her as he joined her in the kitchen.
"I've got it, don't worry. Go sit with them and make sure they take little girl sized bites and don't choke to death," she told him casually. The thought of them actually choking was enough for him not to put up a fight about her making him lunch so off he went for daddy duty. A plate with a sandwich was soon placed in front of him and he felt fingers in his hair, scratching his scalp. He couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment and let out a little groan, that scalp scratch was one of his weaknesses.
"Daddy sounds like Aunt Cindy's cat!" Emma laughed from her seat.
"He does, doesn't he?" Maria smiled, smoothing Jon's unruly curls away from his face, and went back to the kitchen to fix herself some lunch.
'Progress,' Jon thought as he watched her walk away. 'Definitely progress.'