A/N: The morning after chapter 6 :) Enjoy! xx Mariah

He woke and she wasn't there, her side of the bed was empty and the soft trickle of the shower could be heard along with the hum of his wife's voice.

She didn't wake him.

He pushed himself up from bed, hoping to catch her before she got out since it was still six thirty and the kids didn't have to get up for another hour. They could still have their fun.

She walked out of the room in a towel, wrapped so tightly around her he could see every curve of her body.

"You're awake," she sighed. "And naked."

He smiled at her, knowing he could use this to his advantage, as he has so many times before.

She looked away and walked past him to her side of the closet. She didn't want to give into him, but God she did.

The thing was, sex had always been their language. To not have sex was to not communicate. But she didn't want to give into this urge either. To give into the way he was looking at her, to the way he was outright hoping to trick her into forgiveness right now.

She dropped the towel. His eyes shot to her, and she heard his sharp inhale, but she walked to the closet, ready to get dressed. Because two could play at this game, and she wasn't going to show her hand first.

"Riley," he stepped toward her, he was so close, but just right out of his grasp.

"Kyle," she warned as she grabbed her mom bra, she called it, and put it on before grabbing a shirt. Soon she was dressed in jeans and a green blouse. "Get dressed, I'm going to get the kids up."

"It's not even seven thirty," he said walking toward her.

"Their bus comes at seven thirty," she sighed. "We still need to pack their lunches, make sure they eat and go through Katie's spelling list with her and make sure Travis' math homework is finished."

"We can get that done at seven," he laughed, palming her ass as his erection brushed up against her.

"I'm not in the mood Kyle. Not after last night, you don't just get to smooth things over with sex." She said flatly. "We won't be that couple who doesn't talk. Last night was not okay, you yelled at me and you scared the hell out of Travis and Katie."

"I'm sorry Riles," he kissed her and she pushed him away.

"You may be sorry, but I'm not ready to forgive you." She answered and walked past him. "Get dressed."

It didn't take long before she'd gotten both kids up and dressed and eating at the breakfast bar.

"Alright Katie, spell autumn." She said taking a drink of her coffee while Kyle helped with Travis' math homework.

"A, u, t, u, m, n?" Katie answered quickly with a smile. "Right?"

"Good, yes." She smiled and winked at her, taking another drink. "Alright, spell beak."

"B, e... umm... e, k?" Katie stuttered.

"No. try again baby." She took a bite of toast.

"B, e, a, k?" Katie replied.

"Good. Next word is a bit harder, spell delicious." She dunked her little piece of toast in her coffee and popped in her mouth.

"Umm... d, e, l, i, s... i, o, u, s?" Katie stuttered. "I don't know mama. This word is too hard."

"No, you know this Katie. You started out write baby, d, e, l, i," she smiled. "What's next?"

"D, e, l, i, c?" Katie asked looking up at her.

"Keep goin' baby," she tickled her sides. "You've got this."

"I, o, u, s?" Katie stuttered.

"Yes!" She squealed and high fived her. "That's my girl, spell... firefly?"

"F, i, r, e, f, l, y." Katie smiled. "Too easy mama."

"Alright, smarty pants, now spell miserable." She laughed and took another sip of coffee.

"Uh... m... i, s, e, r, a, b... l, e?" Katie bounced in her seat. "Only one more?"

"Atta girl, just one more word baby." She said softly. " Spell tomorrow."

"Okay, t, o... m, o, r, o, w?" Katie replied.

"Almost baby," she finished her cup of coffee and got up to put it in the sink. "You're missing one letter."

"Uh... t, o, m, o... r, r..? o, w?" Katie answered.

"Yes! You've got this in the bag baby," she rinsed her glass and rounded the counter to kiss her head, giving her the list. "Put this in your backpack for me?"

"Ok mama," Katie giggled, hopping down and running over to her Tangled backpack.

"How's math comin' along?" She leaned down next to Travis, Kyle looked up to an eyeful of his wife's cleavage and smiles. "Oooh that's a hard one, but it's your last. Come on baby, you've got the rest of these right, you've got this one."

"I can't do it mama, it's hurting my head." Travis sighed. "Daddy is bad at math, can you help?"

"He is bad, isn't he?" She whispered and looked at her son's second grade math, he was getting too big.

"Hey! I can hear you." Kyle laughed and wrapped his arms around the pair, tickling their weak spots.

"I surrender!" Travis laughed and Kyle turned to Riley, giving her the worst.

She couldn't stop laughing and he leaned in, capturing his lips in hers.

He leaned her against the table, arms around her waist and she melted into him and kissed him back, hand touching his cheek.

"Mom? Dad?" Travis called out. "The bus is gonna be here soon. Is the answer twelve?"

"Uh," she stuttered and ruffled his hair. "Yes. It's twelve buddy, good job."

Kyle leaned in for more as Travis stuffed his paper into his backpack and she turned her head, sliding out of his grasp.

"I love you mom," Travis hugged her.

"I love you too baby," he kissed his forehead as he nuzzled against her stomach.

He was going to outgrown her in a few years, he'd shot up five inches in the past two months.

"I want a hug too!" Katie squealed and wrapped her arms around her mom.

"Mama snuggles, I want in!" Kyle laughed and walked toward them as the bus honked.

"Love you daddy," Katie hugged her dad and ran out the door and Travis just walked past him.

"Travis," Kyle sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I'm gonna be late," he closed the door behind him. "Love you."

"He has a right to be mad," she muttered, grabbing their cereal bowls and OJ glasses and walking toward the sink.

"Can we just be okay for the football game?" He asked, leaning next to her.

"Oh hell," she sighed. "I forgot about that."

"We're still goin' right?" He asked.

"Yes. I already told the kids," she said cleaning the dishes. "And we need to talk about last night... what was that?"

"I was out of my meds," he sighed.

"I thought the doc took you off of those, sayin' they were narcotics." She said wiping her hands off. "Too addictin'."

"Well I was to finish out that bottle and it was gone, but I'm still used to the pain being gone by takin' a pill." He muttered. "And last night was the first night of workin' them off."

"Well you need to get this under your belt, because I can't handle that every night. Not again," she sighed.

"I'm sorry babe," he touched her cheek "Never again."

"Never again?" She looked up at him.

"I promise," he kissed her and she wrapped her arms around them.

They were ok, for now.