19.
The kids had barely been home from school for half an hour and already they were falling out, Killian could hear them bickering over something in the play room. He closed his eyes, begging for some peace for just a second, until finally he slung the dish towel down on the counter, giving up on the dinner prep so that he only had to put the lasagne in the oven when Emma came home.
"What's going on in here?" he asked sternly, stood at the door of the room at the front of the house that was now their play room.
"Hope's bein' mean!" three year old Oliver mumbled sadly.
"Yeah, 'cause he's bein' stupid!" seven year old Hope answered back.
"Hey!" Killian raised his voice, getting both kids' attentions. "What is the rule about that word in this house?" he asked them.
"Not to say it 'cause it's mean to call people stupid," Hope muttered apologetically.
"Aye. So what do you say to your brother?" he asked her.
"Sorry Ollie," she muttered and cast her dad a full on scowl before returning to the pile of Legos she had tipped out on the floor. Hope was busy putting the finishing touches onto the Lego castle she had been building for days.
"What you doing, buddy?" Killian asked Oliver. He crouched down beside the child sized table and chairs, eyeing all the crayons, glue and pots of the evil that is glitter he had got out.
"I make a ballyties card," he replied, clumsily folding a piece of craft paper in half. "Miss Ashley said ballyties day is soon," he spoke of his pre-school teacher.
"I see," Killian nodded, trying to work out what the heck that was when at home.
"Ask him who he's giving it to?" Hope piped up, looking over with a smirk.
Killian gave her a funny look, but then put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Who's it for, buddy?" he asked.
"Mommy," he grinned, choosing over his crayons.
Hope giggled from the floor. "But he can't daddy! He can't give mommy a Valentine's card, can he?" she protested.
Killian sighed under his breath, Valentines, so that's what his son meant. Hang on, was that day close again? He'd have to check. "And why can't he give his mother a card, little lass?"
"Because," Hope began, fixing her hand on her hip with an assertive manner, "you are married with mommy, so she's your Valentine. You have to give Valentines to someone you want to be your boyfriend or girlfriend, someone you love," she explained in her child like understanding.
"Right," Killian nodded again and pulled out a chair beside Oliver. He carefully folder his much larger adult frame down onto it. "The way I understand it is, you give Valentines cards to people you love, people you think are special. And you think Mummy is special, right?"
Both children nodded.
"And you love her?" he asked.
"I do!" Oliver shouted, drawing what Killian thought was meant to be a heart, or maybe a flower on his paper.
"Yeah," Hope answered with a little suspicion in her tone, "but...she's not a girlfriend, is she?"
"No, she's not." He patted his lap and urged her to come over and sit with him. "Love isn't just something that happens between boyfriends and girlfriends or even husbands and wives. Love means you like someone a great deal, that you think they're very special to you and you care for them a lot. Love is for everyone," Killian tried to explain, but sighed when he saw the befuddled expressions both children were giving him. He ran his hand through his hair thinking that maybe he wasn't explaining this very well and tried again. "See, there are different kinds of love. Like, you love me and mummy, right?" Both children nodded enthusiastically. "But you also love people like Granny and Ashley or your friends, only it's not the same, it's not as, well I don't think it's as much."
"We love you most, daddy," Hope confirmed for him.
"Thank you my little cygnet," he smiled and kissed the top of head. "And you can even say you love things like... your Legos and books or your favourite foods, like mac and cheese and chocolate ice cream. Do you understand?" he asked them.
"I love choccy ice c'eam!" Oliver looked up at his father, giving him a beatific grin.
"Oh, I know you do, buddy!" Killian chuckled as he ruffled his dark curls. "But you don't want to marry it, right?" he asked, receiving a bewildered snort from his son in reply. Obviously his explanation had gone right over the little lad's head, but it was possible that Hope might understand.
"So...you can love lots of people and even things, but in different ways?" she asked curiously, glancing up to her father for confirmation.
"Aye, that's about it lass," he kissed the top of her head. "So, if Valentines day is just about celebrating people you love, then I think you can give anyone a card to show them you love them and care about them, right?"
Hope nodded and grinned at him, kissing his scruffy cheek and sliding off of her dad's lap. "I'm gonna make cards too!" she decided.
"Great idea," he said and then groaned as he got to his feet – he was getting too old to sit in those tiny chairs. "Now, I'm going to finish preparing, so place nice until I'm done, then we can watch a movie until your mother gets home."
"'Kay daddy," Oliver agreed.
"You got it!" Hope giggled and gave him the thumbs up as he left them to no doubt make a mess with the crafts.
Stepping back into the kitchen, Killian paused to check the calendar that Emma kept hung on the wall. Sure enough, his son was right and it was Valentines day this weekend. Damn! He'd have to get a card and figure out something special to do for his wife. Not that Emma was big on Valentine's day, or so she'd have you believe. She might scoff when presented with a bunch of flowers and a card, but secretly he knew she appreciated the gesture and loved him for it.
Mostly because he wasn't one of those men who only did his bit on Valentine's Day and thought he'd filled his quota of romance for the year. He was always doing sweet things for her and for them, they had a regular weekly date night, they made time for each other and sometimes he bought her flowers simply because he knew she'd had a rough day at work, or it was the time of the month and she was cranky or whenever she wasn't feeling her best. And sometimes he bought her flowers or candy just because.
Whilst Emma wasn't so forthcoming with the materialistic gestures, she would often leave him little love notes around the house. She would text him, depending on her mood, sappy or sexy messages throughout the day. Some of which, had he been a more innocent man, would have left him blushing. And it was usually she who planned their date nights.
But that wasn't the only way they expressed their love for one another, it wasn't all in the physical act of giving items. It was in the way he never complained when she tucked her toes under his thigh to warm them at night when they were on the sofa together. It was how she willingly surrendered the TV remote to him and allowed him to choose what to watch as they were winding down of an evening. The way he would run her a bubble bath when he knew she was tired or stressed. Or how she would automatically help him with something he found difficult to do with only one hand – no questions asked, no assumptions made and never made him feel less for it, she was just there for him. It was in the way they made love to one another and even in they way they fought together.
They had that rare, all-encompassing, deep love that was routed in friendship, devotion, passion and lust. A love that neither of them would ever take for granted, especially not after what it had taken for them to get where they were today.
"So, did you all have a good day?" Emma asked her family as they settled around the table later for dinner.
Hope nodded, her mouth full of garlic bread as Oliver piped up, almost bouncing in his seat. "Mommy! I maked you a…"
"Ssh Ollie!" Hope hissed. "It's s'posed to be a secret!"
"What's a secret?" Emma asked Oliver conspiratorially as she helped him cut up his lasagne.
"Nuh uh!" He shook his head, keeping his lips tightly sealed.
Emma laughed at him and kissed the top of his head, handing him his knife and fork back. "How was your day, babe?" she asked Killian before gratefully taking a sip of her wine.
"Fairly peaceful, until I collected the urchins from school," he teased their children. "Did you have a good day, Swan?" he asked.
"It was...fairly uneventful," she shrugged.
"Well, perhaps I can change that later," Killian winked.
Killian stirred in the bed, wakefulness trying to end the dream he'd been having as he screwed his eyes tight shut. But then someone sighed beside him and he realised something much better than any dream lay in his arms. He blinked his eyes open, only to be met with a mass of blonde hair in his face.
He tightened his hold on her as he used his chin to move the hair slightly and pressed a warm kiss to the back of her neck. "Good morning," he murmured gently.
Emma merely moaned in response, she would never, ever be a morning person. But her hand found his placed gently on her belly and laced her fingers through his. They lay together for awhile longer, waking slowly and simply enjoying the quiet time of day before the madness began. "Good morning," she eventually mumbled and rolled over to face him. He took her in his arms as she rested her head on his chest.
"Happy Valentines day," he said with a smile, resting his chin on her head.
She peered up at him with a frown on her face. "It's Valentines Day? Are you sure?" she asked, feigning nonchalance.
"Aye," he chuckled. "Your favourite day of the year."
Emma pulled a face at him and tugged at the hairs on his chest.
"Hey!" he yelped and swatted her hand away. Capturing it in his, he brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "I love you," he told her sincerely. Emma rolled her eyes as he turned her hand over and kissed the middle of her palm and slowly the kisses travelled up her arm, over her shoulder, along her neck and her jaw, until he claimed her lips in a tender kiss.
The kiss quickly deepened as her leg was thrown over his thigh and his hand buried itself in her hair, holding her close as he angled his head, his tongue sweeping into her mouth, kissing one another hungrily.
"How long do you think we have?" she asked in panted breaths as they paused to breathe.
Killian lifted his head and gazed over her shoulder at the clock on her bedside. He groaned in disappointment when he noted it was almost eight am already. "Any minute now," he muttered, rolling and reaching to the side of the bed for his pajama pants that never actually made it in to bed last night.
He pulled them on, moments before their bedroom door was crashed open and two excitable kids bounded into their room, wide awake and full of it as they both climbed up onto their bed.
"Happy Ballyties day!" Olly bounced in the middle of the bed, repeating his statement over and over. Until Killian grabbed him and pulled him down into the bed, tickling him as he squealed with laughter.
"Did daddy give you a valentine card?" Hope whispered to Emma seriously.
"Not yet," Emma shook her head.
Hope looked positively shocked as she turned daggers on her father. "Daddy!" she admonished him.
"What did I do?" he looked up from tickling Olly, wide eyed.
"You didn't give Mommy a Valentine!"
"Your mother will have to wait and see if I have anything for her," he winked. "Now, how about you two young whippersnapper's come and help me make breakfast? Give your mother a few minutes to wake up," he suggested.
"Okay," Hope agreed instantly and began to scramble from the bed. She loved cooking with her dad.
"What will it be, love?" he asked Emma as he flung the sheets back, burying a giggling Olly within them. "Pancakes? Waffles? French Toast?" he offered.
"Fresh toast! Fresh toast!" A muffled voice requested from beneath the sheets he was struggling his way out of. "I want fresh toast daddy!" Olly beamed when Emma pulled the sheets off of him.
"Fine," he sighed and found a T-shirt to pull on with his pants, "French toast it is." He kissed Emma's lips quickly and herded their two children down the stairs.
After Emma had performed her morning ablutions, she wandered downstairs to the kitchen herself to the delicious smells of coffee, syrup and fried breakfast foods. The table was set and she smiled at the sight of a bunch of red roses waiting on the table, along with a card and small gift left in her usual place.
"Something smells good!" she said to announce her arrival.
"That would be me," Killian joked, turning to give her a smirk.
"It's the French toast, daddy!" Hope informed him with a sigh, making Emma chuckle.
Silently, Emma pulled a card and small gift from her pocket and plopped them down on Killian's place at the table, before pulling out a chair and helping herself to the carafe of coffee. Killian served up four plates of French toast and bacon and took a seat himself.
Before they started to eat, the kids insisted that they open their cards and gifts, eager to know what was inside themselves. They each opened the cards, smiled at what had been written and shared a soft kiss with one another, before tearing into their gifts. They only bought each other silly little trinkets for Valentines Day, nothing extravagant or flashy, just simple and sometimes kitschy. This year, Emma had bought him a bottle of rum and a keychain that had a skull and crossbones in a heart. Killian had played it safe and bought her a box of her favourite chocolates, as well as the roses.
"And you can get your gladrags on tonight too," he declared, "we're going out for dinner."
"What's gladrags?" Hope asked, giving her father the most curious look.
"He means my fancy clothes, a nice dress or something," Emma explained to her.
"Oh," she nodded. "Daddy wants you to look pretty for him," she smiled knowingly.
"You're mother is always beautiful to me," Killian said as he beamed at her, leaning over to give her another kiss as Hope and Oliver turned to one another, pulling a grossed out face.
"Come on, eat up before this gets cold," Emma said, taking the syrup bottle from Oliver before his breakfast was swimming in the stuff.
Both of the children were very restless throughout breakfast, the pair of them needing to constantly be encouraged to eat by their parents, even though it was one of their favourite foods. Ollie, fidgeting in his seat, kept glancing towards their playroom and then looking intently at his sister. He made to get up a few times, until his dad warned him to sit back down. Hope claimed she had finished numerous times after taking just a few bites all in her haste to leave the table.
"Seriously, do the pair of you have ants in your pants?" Emma finally asked them, stilling Ollie's bouncing leg.
Ollie broke down into giggles at the statement as Hope shook her head. "Can we get down now?" she asked.
"You haven't finished," Killian nodded towards her plate.
"Can we get down for just a minute and then finish?" she tried a slightly different tactic.
Emma glanced at Killian. "Fine," she gave in with a sigh, wondering what their children were up to now.
Both of them scampered off towards the playroom, some scrabbling around was heard, drawers being opened and slammed shut, before they charged back towards the kitchen with items in hand.
"We maked you stuff!" Oliver announced, slamming them down on the table.
"You did?" Emma asked, touched as she held her hand to her chest and pouted at Killian.
Her little boy nodded. "For Ballyties!" he grinned, proud of himself.
"Cards, for both of you," Hope added, passing the ones she held to Killian. "For Valentines Day 'cause there's lots of different loves and we love you both and want you to know that we think you're special." She smiled up at her parents.
"When did you get so clever?" Emma asked, running her hand over her daughter's unruly blonde curls.
"From daddy!" she answered instantly.
Emma chuckled as she opened her cards, a cloud of loose glitter falling from the make shift envelope. She admired the childish squiggles, scribbles, the over use of glue and what appeared to be half a tub of pink glitter stuck to the paper. "They're wonderful," she declared. "Thank you," she kissed both children as Ollie tried to squirm away.
"I love them," Killian added, pretending that there were no tears in his eyes from his kids' thoughtful gesture.
"Actually," she began, eyeing her husband, "we have something for you both too."
"For me?" Ollie asked, poking himself in the chest.
"For you and your sister," she said as Killian got to his feet and rummaged in the basket on top of the fridge. From there he produced two small bouquets of chocolate heart shaped lollipops tied with a ribbon.
"Yay!" Ollie squealed and reached for his.
"You may have one now, after your breakfast and save the rest for later," Emma told him as Hope flung her arms around her dad, giving him a hug and beaming up at him.
"Thanks daddy and mommy," she whispered.
"Well, we love you both and think you're pretty special too," he smiled down at her, scooping her up in his arms for a cuddle.
"And Jacie loves Hope too!" Ollie let slip
"What kiddo?" Emma asked her son, pulling him onto her lap.
"Jacie at school, he gived her a card!" he whispered loudly.
"Ollie!" Hope hissed at him.
"He what?" Killian howled.
This is the last story I currently have written for this series. I have more ideas, so more will come - just not sure when they will be written and/or posted right now.