Lauren danced around her kitchen, humming to herself as she finished the last of the heart shaped brownies she has been making. Right as she finished icing the last one, the rest of the Walker family burst through the door. Joe had gone to pick the kids up from their elementary school thirty minutes ago, and Lauren was starting to wonder when they would return home. Snow covered, her children rushed towards her. Ava, being the eldest reached her before Mitch did.
"Happy Valentine's day mommy." they told her. Lauren bent down so she could wrap her arms around both of them. "Happy Valentine's Day to you too." Lauren replied kissing each of them on the tops of their heads. Mitch squirmed away from his hug giggling. He had never been the affectionate type. The playful child couldn't be held down with hugs and kisses for very long, even on Valentine's Day.
Lauren released the two, laughing. It wasn't long before they were back at their mother's side. This time both of them danced around her, holding out card they had made themselves. It was obvious that both Mitch and Ava were proud of their works.
"Look what I made you mommy." Ava said jumping up in down in front of her brother, her auburn curls floating around her face and framing her blue eyes. "Look at mine before Mitch's." she added, smiling and holding up the home made card to her mother.
Lauren took the card delicately. The card had been cut out of pink construction paper and covered in glitter. Like Lauren, Ava shared the same obsession with anything sparkly. Inside the heart were the words "I love you." written out in cursive. Lauren could tell it was the works of a third grade class project, but she didn't care, it was precious.
"Thank you Ava. It is lovely." she told her daughter, pulling her in for a hug. This time Ava was the one to kiss her mother's check before skipping off to color in the living room. Lauren Watched as Ava opened her My Little Ponies coloring book to a clean page and began to neatly fill in the shapes with her crayons. It wasn't long before attention returned to Mitch.
Mitch walked forward with the same clam demeanor as his dad, his brown eyes twinkling with delight. "Here you go mommy." he said, holding out another homemade card. After Lauren took it from him, he stood, jumping from foot to foot with a smile on his face.
The rectangular shaped red card had little buttons glued all around the edges. "I love you forever mommy" was correctly spelled out in the center which was quit the accomplishment for a first grader. Lauren loved it. "Thank you Mitchie. She said pulling her son into her arms again. "I love you too." she added before he could pull away.
On his way out if the kitchen, Mitch stopped by the island and pulled down a brownie for himself. He had always been the one to find Lauren's treats before anyone else. Before Mitch even got to where Ava was in the living room, the brownie was already gone. Only the crumbs surrounding his mouth were left as evidence.
Lauren laughed and looked up to see her husband waiting patiently in the door way. Her smile widened as from behind his back, he pulled a single daisy. The daisy had always been their flower, a symbol for their undying love for one another. Joe walked toward Lauren and placed it behind her ear. "I love you." Lauren said simply as she wrapped her arms around Joe's neck, moving closer to him.
"Love you too bugaboo." he said gently kissing the top of her head. "Happy Valentine's Day. I may not have a homemade card for you, but I can ensure you that I will always love you unconditionally for the rest of our lives and beyond." Joe added before closing the gap between him and Lauren.
Lauren savored the kiss between her and Joe. Now, with Ava and Mitch getting older, she found little time to spend with her husband. When both of them finally pulled away, they were breathless. "You are more than I could have ever hoped for. I'm so lucky to have you." Lauren said before Joe pulled her into a hug. She buried her face into the crook in Joe's neck and relaxed against him.
The moment didn't last long though. Ava and Mitch were soon back over by their parents. Lauren pulled out of the hug, laughing and catching Joe's eye. They both knew the moment wouldn't have lasted long. As Joe leaned down to pick up Ava in his arms, Lauren did the same with Mitch. Giggles from the kids danced through the warm air of their home as their parents playfully swung them around until they landed softly on the couch.
The Walkers spent Valentine's Day together as a family. By the end of the night, all the brownies had been devoured and a blanket fort had been built in the living room in front of the fire place. Ava and Mitch were fast asleep in the arms of their parents as Lauren and Joe enjoyed the calmness of their home and the warmth of each other.
"I would never give away any of this." Lauren said, her head resting on Joe's shoulder. "Not the times I wish would last forever or the times I feel like everything is going to fall apart. I love every moment of my crazy life, because I get to share it with you." She finished, looking up to catch Joe's eyes with hers. She saw Joe smiled as he reached out and brushed a piece of hair out of her face.
"Me either." He responded softly "I love you so much more than I could ever express, Lo." He added, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him.
Eventually they both fell asleep, each with a child in their arms and with a fort of blankets and pillows surrounding them. Both Lauren and Joe knew that no matter what day of the year, they would always show the same affection towards one another. It didn't have to be Valentine's Day for them to realize how lucky they were to have each other. They were reminded of that every day through the little things and it was the little things that kept them falling head over heels for one another; little things like a simple daisy.