Chapter 56: Santana's Big 3-0

Santana's POV

*Saturday 6th January 2024*

We're into a brand-new year now and things are somewhat back to normal for me. I'm not back at work full time just yet but Brittany and I have been working a bit more recently so things are starting to feel like they used too. I haven't decided when I'll fully go back to work and I'm ok with that for the moment. I just want to enjoy this extra time with my children and when the time is right, I'll spend more time at work.

The kids are upstairs napping and Brittany is out running some errands so I thought I would make the most of my time off and do some household chores. I had some laundry to do and some vacuuming as well but I need to hold off on the vacuuming in case it wakes my sons up from their nap. I'm currently just cleaning the kitchen floor as I dance along to the low music I have playing to keep me motivated.

"Hi" Brittany smiles at me amusingly.

"Uh…I didn't know you were back yet" I say embarrassed. I'm not usually one that embarrasses that easily especially in front of someone I love so much like Brittany, but I am embarrassed right now.

"I figured that" she smirks.

"Pretend you didn't see me dancing" I say as I walk towards her.

"Is my wife embarrassed right now?" Brittany asks amused as she wraps her arms around my waist.

"Little bit" I mumble.

"Why? It's only me, babe" she smiles.

"I'm embarrassed because you're such an amazing dancer whereas I'm sort of just average so you must think I look stupid" I state.

"I don't think you look stupid at all" Brittany reassures me. "You are a good dancer babe, so don't be embarrassed about it. You looked cute" she says.

"Thanks" I say as I kiss my wife.

"So…where are my little angels?" Brittany asks.

"Still napping upstairs" I smile.

"Ok, well maybe you could keep dancing and I'll join in" she suggests.

"I don't know" I say unsure.

"Come on, it'll be fun so just dance with me" Brittany smiles as she twirls me around in her arms.

"Ok but you got to take the lead" I tell her.

"Ok, I'll do that" Brittany says as we join hands together and gently sway to the music.

"Maybe we should change the song" I say since the one playing doesn't really match our rhythm.

"What shall we change it too?" my wife asks.

"I don't know, something fun or romantic" I shrug.

"Or…how about something sexy" Brittany smirks at me.

"Dancing sexy with you sounds good" I smirk back at my wife.

Once we find a song we both like, Brittany wraps her arms around me and we start dancing. I turn around to have my back to her as I lean in close to her as we dance together. Brittany places her hands on my hips as I lean my head back and rest it on her shoulder. We continue dancing for some time and as the minutes go by, the dancing begins to heat up.

"Uh…we need to stop" I say, trying to catch my breath as I pull away from my wife.

"Why?" Brittany asks confused.

"Because it's beginning to turn me on and that can't happen right now" I reply.

"I don't see why not" Brittany smirks as she wraps her arms around me.

"It's just not a good idea" I shake my head.

"I don't see the big deal myself but clearly you do so is everything ok, babe?" she asks me.

"Yeah, it's just the boys will be awake soon so I really don't want us to start something we can't finish because that'll make me feel more frustrated" I point out as I pull away from her.

"Ok, fair enough" Brittany nods.

XXX

The kids went to sleep for the night a little while ago so Brittany and I had been spending some time together downstairs. We watched some TV and just talked to one another, enjoying the chance to hang out. We're now both upstairs in our bedroom. Brittany is already in bed, all changed and finished with her nightly routine whereas I'm not. I got distracted by my cell when a work email notification came through so I was reading that which caused me to fall behind slightly with my bedtime routine.

"Ok, I am finally done" I say as I pull back my bed covers and crawl into bed.

"That's good" Brittany smiles at me.

"Are you tired?" I ask curiously as we get comfortable in each other's arms, with me spooning my wife from behind.

"Maybe a little bit but I'm not like going to fall asleep right this second" she replies.

"Me too" I agree.

We lie together for a few minutes before I decide to change things a little. We both said we weren't particularly tired right now so I see no reason why we couldn't use that to our advantage. We're alone in our bedroom with our kids fast asleep in their own rooms so we should make the most of the situation. As much as I love lying in bed with my wife, wrapping my arms around her, I think it might be fun to turn the dial from cute to sexy.

"Babe…" Brittany says as I begin kissing her neck.

"Uh-huh?" I say as I continue.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asks, struggling not to moan at the feeling.

"What do you think I'm doing?" I ask, a hint of tease in my tone.

"It feels like you might be trying to start something right now so I'm just surprised" she tells me.

"I know I don't always make the first move anymore and initiate sex as much as I used to but I am trying to start something right now" I say as I gently turn her onto her back so I can straddle her hips.

"Ok" Brittany replies excitedly.

"It's come to my attention recently that it's about me a lot of the time when we have sex so tonight it's all about you" I smile.

"I don't want it to be all about me, I want it to be about you too" Brittany says as she pulls my head down to kiss me.

"I'm good, I don't need any attention right now" I smile. "As much as I love it when you're in control, tonight we are mixing things up" I add.

"Ok" Brittany smiles.

"Tell me what you want and I'll do it" I smile.

"I want you" Brittany replies.

"I know and you'll have me but what would you like me to do especially?" I ask again.

"I don't want us to do anything different, I just want you" Brittany says blushing.

"Ok" I say while giving my wife a flirty wink.

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*Thursday 11th January 2024*

I'm really having mixed emotions about tomorrow. It's my 30th birthday tomorrow and I don't really know how I feel about that. On the one hand I don't really want to get older but on the other hand, I have achieved a lot in my life so far so what's not to be happy about or proud of. Brittany tells me age is only a number and I guess she does have a point because what is the difference between today at 29 years old and tomorrow at 30. I'm not going to suddenly change overnight.

I'm at home right now and I'm supposed to be working but my concentration isn't really there. I don't know if the lack of focus is because it's my birthday tomorrow or the fact the kids are here so I just want to be with them. Jaxon and Xavier are taking their afternoon nap at the moment so this should really be a prime time to work but I just don't want to. After thinking about it for 5 minutes and deciding I will do a little work, I'm saved by my doorbell ringing.

"Hey" I smile as I open the door.

"Hey" Carly smiles back. "Is this a bad time, are you busy?" she asks.

"No not at all so come in" I say as I move away from the door to let her inside.

"Thanks" she says as we make our way to the living room to sit down.

"So, what's going on?" I ask curiously.

"I wondered if you could help me with something?" she asks.

"Depends what that something is" I tease.

"You're like the most successful businesswoman I know and the best sister ever so will you help me get this business idea that I have off the ground. I don't know how to do this or where to start" Carly states.

"Of course, I will help you" I smile. I want my sister to do something she is passionate about so I'll do anything I can to help her achieve that.

"Thanks" Carly smiles.

"I do just want to point out before we start that this might not be an easy ride to begin with but I have no doubts you'll make it a success though in the end" I tell her.

"Yeah, I don't expect this to be easy so I know what I'm getting myself into. I saw how hard it was for you when you started your own business so I'm aware" Carly replies.

"That's good" I nod. "Now, even though I'm going to help you get started, it might be an idea to talk with Brittany too because she has a degree in finance so she could be useful here. We want to start off on the right foot so if there is a way to keep our money in check then we need to know" I add.

"Ok, cool" Carly nods.

XXX

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Brittany asks as she walks into our office.

"I'm helping my sister with a few things" I smile.

"That's cool" she smiles back. "Hey, do you ladies want some coffee?" Brittany asks us.

"I would love some" I say.

"Me too" Carly smiles.

"Ok, I'll get right on that. I want to check on the boys first but then I'll make us all some coffee" my wife tells us.

"Sounds good" I nod.

Once Brittany has checked on the boys and made some coffee, she joins my sister and I in the home office. Carly and I finish what we're discussing before we get some input from Brittany. I actually think between the three of us we'll have Carly's business venture off the ground in no time. It's going to be really exciting because we've finally found something that could make my sister happy so it's nice to see her get back to her own self again.

"I should probably go now and give you both a chance to hang out together but thank you so much for today" Carly says.

"Honestly, it was no trouble" I smile at my sister.

"I will see you tomorrow" Carly smiles.

"Ok, see you soon" I smile back.

"Bye Carly, take care" Brittany says and then my sister leaves.

"So…just you and me, and me and you right now" I smirk.

"That seems correct" Brittany smirks back.

"Shall we forget about work and have some alone time?" I suggest as my arms slip around my wife's waist.

"It does sound nice…"

"Do not say the word 'but' right now" I say interrupting my wife.

"I wasn't going to" Brittany says.

"It sounded like you were going to say something else so what was it?" I ask.

"I wasn't going to say 'but', I was going to say 'although'" Brittany laughs.

"It means the same thing" I tell her.

"I know" she laughs again.

"Babe, I want your attention so don't deny me it by doing something else" I state.

"I'm not trying to deny you my attention, I was just going to point out that Xavier is due feeding soon so he and Jaxon will likely be awake in the coming minutes" Brittany says.

"Ok, well they're not awake right now so spend time with me until they do wake up even if it's only for 2 or 3 minutes" I tell her.

"Ok" Brittany nods.

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*Friday 12th January 2024*

Today is the big day. I turn 30 years old today so it's going to be an interesting day. Brittany and I obviously aren't working because we thought it would be nice to spend the day together with the kids. I'm having a birthday party later with all of my friends and family which Brittany and the rest of my family have organised for me which was really nice. I knew about the party because it wasn't exactly ideal for it to be a surprise because it took so much planning. Also, as I keep saying it is a big birthday so I wanted a party anyway so had Brittany not told me about it then I'd have organised my own which makes no sense.

I'm currently in the kitchen alone right now. I woke up earlier than everyone else so I checked on my children before coming downstairs. Brittany was still soundly asleep when I left the bedroom as were the kids so I didn't see the point in wakening any of them so I came downstairs to hang out. I've just made myself some coffee so I'm sipping that as I sit at the kitchen table, just having some time to myself to reflect on some stuff.

"Why is the birthday girl out of bed already?" Brittany asks as she enters the kitchen, 10 minutes later.

"I just woke up earlier than planned so I decided to get up and check on the kids" I smile as I leave my seat and walk towards my wife, wrapping my arms around her.

"Happy birthday" she smiles back before stealing a quick peck on the lips.

"Thank you" I tell her.

"I checked on the kids as well before I came down and they were amazingly still asleep" Brittany says.

"That's good" I nod.

"Shall I make myself some coffee and we can spend a little time together before our children do wake up?" she asks me.

"Yeah, let's do it" I smile.

After hanging out with my wife for a little while, we heard the baby monitor go off in Xavier's room so we went upstairs to check on him. He was awake and looking for us so we got him out of bed and headed to Jaxon's room to see if he was awake too. Jaxon must have heard us enter the room because he was just wakening up when we went inside. Brittany picked up Jaxon and the four of us went downstairs together.

"I think it's breakfast time for everyone, what do we think?" Brittany says.

"What do you think Jax, are you hungry?" I ask my son and he nods his head.

"That's settled then, I will make us all some breakfast" Brittany tells us. "Shall we go with some eggs?" she asks.

"Sounds good to me" I smile. "Jax, do you want to sit at the table and play with your toy train for 5 minutes while mommy cooks breakfast and I feed Xavier?" I say.

"Ok, mommy" Jaxon smiles at me.

I get Jaxon settled at the table with his toy and then take the bottle of milk from Brittany that she prepared for me for Xavier. I join Jaxon at the table and begin feeding Xavier as Brittany starts cooking breakfast. As soon as breakfast is ready, I'm finished feeding Xavier so I gently place him down in his bouncer to sit while the rest of us begin eating. I eat while simultaneously entertaining Xavier while Brittany simultaneously eats and helps Jaxon to eat.

"I think everyone has finished eating so how about we leave the dishes for me to clear up later while we go to the living room and do something special" Brittany says.

"I wonder what that might be" I smirk.

"Yeah, I think someone might have some presents to open" Brittany smiles.

"Mommy needs to open all of her birthday presents now so do you think you could help me, Jax?" I ask my son as all 4 of us enter the living room.

"Yes, mommy" Jaxon smiles at me.

"Thank you" I say as Jaxon and I take a seat on the couch next to my birthday presents while Brittany and Xavier sit together on the other couch.

I start off opening my presents from my parents and siblings before opening the gifts from my close friends. I then move onto opening my birthday presents from my children, which I have to say in my biased opinion are the best ones yet. Brittany has just handed me an envelope which I'm assuming is my birthday present from her so I'm opening it up now, even though I have a really good idea of what it is.

Brittany said since it's such a big birthday then she wanted to get me something really special so she asked what I wanted most as a present. All I really wanted for my birthday was to spend time with my wife and children so I decided a vacation with them was what I wanted as a present so on Sunday we're going on vacation for a week, just the 4 of us. I am so excited to get away from all of the work distractions and just be with my favourite people for the week.

"Last few gifts now" Brittany says.

"Yeah" I smile as I pick up another gift. "Wait…this present says it's from you" I tell my wife confused.

"Yeah, it is" Brittany smiles at me.

"You gave me the vacation though as my present" I point out.

"Yeah, I know but it's your birthday so I wanted to spoil you a little so I've got you a few more gifts than I said I would" she tells me.

"I do appreciate it so thank you" I smile.

After finishing opening all of my birthday presents, I got to hang out with my favourite people. Jaxon and Xavier then took a nap as usual while Brittany and I hung out. The kids are awake again now and all ready for my party, waiting patiently on me. Brittany and I are currently getting ready for my party right now, trying to hurry up before some of my family get here to help Brittany set up the party. The rest of the guests are then expected to arrive soon after that.

"Come here" Brittany says with a smirk as she points to her lips.

"Ok but just a peck on the lips babe because I've just done my makeup" I tell her.

"You have?" she says surprised.

"Yes, I have, does it not look like I have?" I question my wife.

"Um…"

"Are you seriously telling me you can't tell the difference when I wear makeup and when I don't?" I ask her.

"I'm only teasing because of course I know" Brittany smiles.

"Good" I smile back before giving Brittany the peck on the lips she requested.

"Ok, I'm ready so I'm going to go downstairs and see what I need to do for the party so why don't you hang out with the boys and I'll see you soon" Brittany says.

"Ok but are you sure you don't need any help?" I ask.

"No, it's fine. Your parents and siblings should be here any minute to help me so I want you to relax tonight as much as possible" she states.

"Ok" I nod.

XXX

My birthday party is just about to get started. Some of my guests are here already but there's still a lot of people left to come. Obviously, Britt and the kids are here, and my parents are here along with my siblings but that's about it. Brittany's side of the family aren't here yet and neither are my close friends so the party isn't exactly in full swing yet. It has been nice so far though getting to spend a little time with my family on my birthday.

"What can I get you to drink, red wine or champagne?" Brittany asks me.

"Red wine but only a small glass right now. I want to pace myself because the last thing I want is to be drunk before everyone gets to the party" I say.

"I could just make you some coffee if you prefer until more guests arrive" Brittany suggests.

"No, we don't need to go that far. I still want my alcohol" I chuckle.

"Ok" Brittany laughs.

After spending some time with my family, everyone else began to arrive. Brittany sorted out drinks for everyone and I went around the room talking to some of my guests, thanking them for coming and giving me some great birthday gifts. I'm just talking to Quinn right now when I see Brittany walk over to us.

"Hey, I'm going to excuse myself for 10 minutes because the kids are looking a little sleepy so I want to put them to bed" Brittany whispers in my ear.

"Two seconds and I'll come with you" I tell her.

"Stay and have fun, I won't be long" Brittany smiles.

"Honestly, I insist" I say. "I'll be back soon Quinn" I tell my best friend.

"It's ok, just take your time because none of us are going anywhere" Quinn smiles.

Brittany and I get the boys and then head upstairs with them. Xavier was already falling asleep in my arms so we went to his bedroom first and put him to bed. We waited for a few minutes to make sure he was settled before going to Jaxon's room with Jaxon. He was still awake when we lay him in bed so Brittany got one of his favourite books out and read it to him.

"Are you getting a little tired, buddy?" Brittany asks Jaxon as he starts closing his eyes.

"Yeah" Jaxon says sleepily.

"Ok, let's get you settled" Brittany says as she puts the book down and pulls the covers over Jaxon.

"Goodnight, buddy" I tell Jaxon as I kiss him.

"Night, mommy" Jaxon replies.

"Goodnight sweetie" Brittany says before kissing Jaxon.

"Night" Jaxon replies to Brittany.

As soon as Jaxon is settled and has gone to sleep, Brittany and I go back downstairs and join everyone. Brittany gets me another drink and then we start mingling with our guests again. I've been talking to some of my family while Brittany has been hanging out with some of our friends. I kinda want to spent a little time with my wife now so I've walked over to where she is with Mercedes and Sam, sitting on the couch.

"Hey, guys" I say as I sit down, squeezing myself in between Sam and Brittany.

"It's ok Santana, I'm in love with Mercedes not Brittany" Sam says laughing.

"I didn't say you did love my wife" I frown in confusion.

"I think he's just teasing you about the way you squeezed yourself in between us instead of sitting on the empty seat at the other side where there would be more space" Brittany tells me.

"To be honest, you two were sitting closer together than required" I shrug.

"Mercedes is right there though" Brittany laughs.

"I know that and it's not that I thought anything was going on. I just would prefer a little more distance between you and someone other than me" I state.

"So, if it was me sitting next to Brittany and not Sam, would you do the same thing?" Mercedes wonders.

"Yeah of course" I nod. "It wouldn't matter who it was, if it's not me then it's not happening" I add.

"You are way too cute; do you know that" Brittany smiles as she hugs me tightly.

"Thanks" I smile back.

"So, how is the birthday so far?" Mercedes asks me.

"It's been great. I had a lot of fun earlier spending the first part with my children and now I'm having fun with the rest of the people I'm closest too" I say.

"That's good" Mercedes smiles.

"What about you two, how are you doing?" I ask.

"We're doing ok but that's easy for me to say because I'm not 7 months pregnant unlike my wife" Sam says.

"Are you starting to really feel it now with the pregnancy and everything that comes with it?" I ask Mercedes.

"Yeah, definitely" Mercedes replies.

"I can totally empathise with you but it does get better, I promise" I reassure her.

"Yeah, when you have that baby in your arms, you'll forget all about the stress and everything" Brittany says.

"Exactly" I agree.

"Thanks" Mercedes smiles.

"Hey, I'm going for another drink so does anyone want anything?" Sam asks us.

"No, I'm good" Brittany smiles.

"Yeah, I'm ok too" I reply.

"I will have another drink but I'll come with you" Mercedes tells Sam as they stand up.

"We'll catch up with you both later" Brittany says and then Mercedes and Sam head to the kitchen.

"I haven't seen as much of you tonight as I would have liked" I tell my wife as I move to sit on her lap, wrapping my arm around her.

"Maybe not but you're seeing me now" Brittany smiles as she wraps her arms around me tightly.

"That's true" I smile back as I rest the side of my head against Brittany's. "Can I just say, you smell amazing right now" I point out.

"Thanks. It's my new perfume, do you like it?" Brittany replies.

"I really do. I might have to steal it sometime and use it myself" I tease.

"Steal it all you want because what's mine is yours" my wife says.

"I like that" I smile.

"Speaking of liking things, I really like what you've done with your hair tonight. I like it when you wear it down, it's sexy" Brittany tells me.

"Thanks" I say as I seductively flick my hair over my shoulder.

"What are you trying to do to me tonight?" Brittany says. "The sitting on my lap and being all sexy is getting too much for me" she teases.

"Uh…let's talk about you. You haven't taken your hands off me since I sat down. If anything, you're doing things to me" I smirk.

"Yeah, I am guilty of constantly touching you. I had my arms around you when we were talking to Mercedes and Sam, and then I haven't stopped caressing you since you sat on my lap" Brittany replies.

"Yeah, you've been stroking my leg and let's not forget that right hand that's supposed to be on my waist that has creeped down towards my butt" I smirk.

"What can I say, you're irresistible" Brittany laughs.

"I mean the kids are in bed and everyone here has seen us being affectionate before so I wouldn't be against the idea of like, kissing you now" I smirk.

"Come here" Brittany smiles as she gently pulls me closer to her and kisses me.

"I love it when you kiss me" I tell her as I lean back in to kiss her.

"Me too" Brittany says before kissing me again. "As much as I like this, I need to stop because I need the bathroom" she says after a few minutes as she slowly pulls away from me.

"That's ok. I need to fix my makeup anyway, most importantly my lipstick because it's smudged with yours" I smirk.

"Ok" Brittany laughs as we get up from the couch. "I'll be back soon" she says and then we head off in different directions of the house.

As soon as I've redone my makeup, I head back to the living room. I'm just talking to my brother when I see Brittany enter the room and walk towards me. She almost reaches me before she is cornered by my grandparents, wanting to talk to her. I wait for a few moments to allow them to talk but when I realise my grandparents aren't going to release her any time soon, I figure I should go and rescue my wife. Brittany is just too polite that she wouldn't say she needs to leave.

"Hey, can I steal my wife for a second please?" I ask my grandparents as I join them all. "I need to talk to her about the kids but we'll catch up with you all later" I add.

"Ok" my grandma smiles.

"We'll be back soon" I say before taking my wife's hand and leading her away.

"Are the kids, ok?" Brittany asks me concerned.

"Yeah, they're fine. I used it as an excuse because I thought you looked like you needed rescuing" I tell her.

"I did actually" Brittany chuckles. "They kept talking to me and I didn't want to leave because I don't like offending them. They didn't like me when I first started dating you and I'm not sure they even do like me that much now so I need to stay on their good side."

"They do like you, honestly" I smile. "They're just a little intense sometimes that they can make people uncomfortable. They don't mean it but it just happens especially when they say things we have no idea what they're talking about" I say.

"Yeah, that sorta happened" Brittany laughs.

"Anyway, you're free now" I smile.

"I am and thank you" Brittany smiles back. "I do have to do something right now, though" she adds.

"What do you mean?" I frown in confusion.

"I'll be back in a second" Brittany tells me, not really answering my question.

"Why, where are you going?" I ask curiously.

"The bathroom" Brittany shrugs.

"Nice try, you've just been" I tell her.

"If you really must know, I'm going to light the candles on your cake" Brittany sighs. "It was supposed to be a surprise" she adds.

"Aw, that's sweet. I'm sorry babe" I say as I kiss her cheek.

"I guess you probably would know I would get you a cake anyway, right?" Brittany asks.

"I had a feeling since it is a milestone birthday" I smile.

"Ok, you wait here with everyone and I will go to the kitchen and light the candles and then bring the cake through" she tells me.

"Ok" I nod.

I hang out with my friends and family for a few minutes while Brittany is in the kitchen with my mom, sorting out the cake. As soon as they come back into the room, the lights are dimmed and everyone starts singing 'happy birthday' to me. Brittany then walks towards me with the cake and places it down on the table in front of me.

"You know I am scared of fire so can you help me blow out my candles?" I ask my wife.

"Of course, I can" Brittany smiles at me. "Ok, make a wish" she says and then we blow out the candles together.

"Do you want to say a few words, Santana?" Quinn asks and I nod.

"Firstly, I just want to thank everyone here for coming tonight because it's been an amazing day and I loved spending it with my family and friends" I start off. "Also, I really need to thank everyone for putting this party together because I know it was hard work" I add.

"Brittany did most of it so she deserves the credit" my mom smiles.

"That's not true, everyone pitched in" Brittany smiles.

"I also just want to thank everyone for the lovely gifts they gave me. They're all really special so thank you all so much" I say genuinely. "I'm not really sure what else to say so let's have some fun and keep this party going" I add.

"Ok a quick toast to the birthday girl before we put the music back on" Brittany says. "To Santana, happy 30th birthday" she says and everyone raises their glasses in the air.

After another few hours, it was time for the party to end. Everyone went home and Brittany and I went straight upstairs to get ready for bed. My parents wanted to stay and help clean up but Brittany said she would take care of it in the morning with me promising to help so we kinda left everything in a mess. It was late already so there was no point in everyone hanging around longer than they had too.

"So, how does being 30 feel?" Brittany asks me.

"Honestly, it doesn't feel much different" I shrug.

"That's good" Brittany smiles. "So, have you had a good birthday?" she asks me as we climb into bed.

"Yeah, it's been really amazing. I got to spend it with everyone I'm closest too and I got lots of gifts which is a bonus" I smile.

"I'm glad you had fun" Brittany smiles.

"I really did, it was such a special time" I smile back.

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*Saturday 13th January 2024*

I'm just heading downstairs to get some coffee right now. I woke up before Brittany and the kids again this morning and as much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I just couldn't. My head was killing me so the next best thing to sleeping off the pain is to try some coffee so that's what I'm doing. I am so glad we decided to go on vacation tomorrow and not today. I am really starting to feel the consequences of drinking so much alcohol last night so the thought of going anywhere today is a big no.

"Morning" Brittany says cheerily as she walks into the room.

"Morning" I mumble.

"Are you ok?" my wife asks.

"Hungover" I reply with a sigh.

"I'm actually feeling ok this morning" Brittany shrugs.

"I don't understand why I get so hungover every time I drink these days. I mean you don't seem to have that problem so why am I different?" I say.

"I don't know, honey" Brittany says. "It's maybe because we don't drink as much as we used to when we were younger so our bodies adjust differently these days" she adds.

"Maybe" I say. "Just please don't let me drink too much when we're on vacation because I would hate to spoil the time with our kids. I mean I would obviously never get drunk when they're there but I mean, just make sure I don't drink much that could cause a hangover" I explain.

"Ok" Brittany smiles. "So, can I steal a kiss since we haven't kissed this morning?" she asks as she bends down towards me.

"Yeah of course you can" I say before leaning in to kiss my wife. "I've just made coffee; do you want some?" I ask.

"Yes, please" Brittany smiles.

We sit together and drink our coffee before we both reluctantly decide we should make a start on clearing up from the party last night. I started by picking up all of the trash lying around while Brittany moved some of the furniture back into place that we had shifted aside for more room for our guests. We're now just clearing up the kitchen and wiping down some of the surfaces where we had all of the food.

"I guess I should go and see if the boys are awake now" I say.

"I'll come with you" Brittany says as she wraps her arm around me as we leave the kitchen, heading upstairs.

"Oh honey, why?" I groan as Brittany switches Jaxon's bedroom light on.

"I'm sorry, is the bright light too much for your head?" she apologises.

"Yeah, a little bit" I admit.

"Hey, good morning sweetie" Brittany says as she reaches down and picks Jaxon up.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask my son as I kiss his head.

"Yeah" Jaxon says quietly, taking a minute to fully wake up.

"Shall we go and see if your little brother is awake too?" Brittany asks Jaxon.

"Yes" Jaxon nods his head.

After hanging out with the kids for a while and having breakfast, Brittany and I went back to cleaning up from last night. I then did some laundry while Brittany watched the kids and then we switched so Brittany could do what she had to do and I hung out with the kids. Jaxon and Xavier are both taking a morning nap now so I'm using my free time to do a few things for myself and Brittany is currently in the shower.

"Hey" I say to my wife as I enter the bathroom.

"Babe, I'm in the shower" Brittany laughs.

"I know" I shrug.

"I'm naked right now" she adds.

"Yeah, I know" I shrug again. "Look, I've seen it all before so it's not a surprise to me nor does it offend me."

"Ok" she laughs again. "What are you doing in here anyway?" she asks curiously.

"Looking for my moisturiser. I cannot find it anywhere" I say.

"It's on the top shelf over there. I found it downstairs but I put it over there out of the way" Brittany says as she points to the bathroom cabinet.

"Thanks" I smile.

"You may not have a lot left though" my wife points out.

"What do you mean? I just opened it the other day and my skin is not that dry that I've used it all" I frown in confusion.

"Jaxon was squirting it all over the downstairs bathroom" she tells me.

"Are you serious?" I sigh. "This is expensive cream; it's supposed to last me sometime."

"I know but that's what happens baby when you leave it lying around for our one-year-old to get a hold of it and play with it" Brittany shrugs.

"It was obviously an accident because I hardly put it in Jaxon's hand and said, go play" I state.

"I get that it was an accident, honey. I'm just saying these things happen around toddlers" she replies.

"I've not got enough left to take on vacation now" I say.

"How about when I'm done here, I'll nip to the mall and buy you some more. It'll be my treat" Brittany suggests.

"You don't have to do that because it's my fault so I don't want you paying for it. It's an expensive brand of cream" I tell her.

"I know but you're worth it" Brittany shrugs.

"You're way too good to me" I state. "Kiss" I say as I walk towards the shower where Brittany leans out and kisses me.

"Ok, I need to finish now" she says as she stands back under the water.

"If the kids weren't almost awake right now, I'd be in there with you" I say to my wife with a wink.

"That's good to know" Brittany laughs.

"See you soon" I say and then leave the bathroom with what's left of my moisturiser.

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*Sunday 14th January 2024*

It's vacation time for my little family now so we're currently at the airport. My dad wasn't doing much today so he offered to give us a ride so we took him up on it. It let us get dropped off right outside without having to park somewhere far away and juggle all of our luggage and two small kids. We've all just been hanging around waiting for the call to board the plane. We're hoping it won't be too long now because we're getting a little anxious about flying with two young kids.

"I'm going to the bathrooms to change Xavier's diaper; do you want to come?" Brittany asks me.

"Do you know, you say the most romantic things to me" I tease.

"Very funny" Brittany laughs. "I meant, do you and Jaxon want to come so you're not sitting alone when I'm not there. I didn't mean it was going to be a fun activity so you should join us" she adds.

"Yes, we will come because it might be an idea to check Jax's diaper too" I say.

"Ok cool" Brittany says and then the four of us head to the bathroom.

We just manage to finish up in the bathroom and leave before our gate opens for us to board the airplane. We grab everything we had with us and make our way onto the plane. It takes some time for us to get on and find our seats since it is so busy. When we do finally get on, there is a sense of relief that we've overcome one of the hurdles for the day. Going on vacation is always fun but the actual getting there part can be tricky, especially with two small children.

"Are you going to sit in your seat yourself?" I ask Jaxon.

"Yes" Jaxon replies, smiling at me.

"That's a good boy" I smile back.

"Do you want to take the window seat, Jax?" Brittany asks him.

"Yes mommy" Jaxon says, smiling at Brittany this time.

"Ok, I'll help you into your seat" Brittany says as she gets Jaxon settled then herself before taking Xavier from me so I can sit down.

"Ok, we're sorted" I smile as I sit down.

"I know this is a family vacation with our children but I do think we can put a romantic spin on it at times" Brittany smiles at me as she puts her free arm around me.

"Yeah, I think we can" I smile back. "Even if it's just as simple as watching a movie together when the kids go to sleep, it'll be alone time" I add.

"Exactly" Brittany agrees.

XXX

Brittany, the kids and me are heading out of the airport now to make our way to the hotel. We're renting a car from the airport for the week so we're just walking to the parking lot now to collect it. We figured renting a car was the best option because we didn't want to rely on public transport all week when we could have a car and do as we please whenever we want. It can be quite chaotic sometimes trying to get two toddlers and all of their stuff into cabs and buses so if we have a car then we can take our time and not get stressed out.

"So, our first ride on an airplane with 2 toddlers. I think we did ok" Brittany says as we continue walking.

"Yeah, I think so too" I smile.

"I was slightly embarrassed during that 20 minutes where Xavier wouldn't stop crying but he calmed down eventually" she replies.

"I know what you mean but it couldn't be helped" I nod.

"The woman sitting behind us was not happy at all with the noise" Brittany points out.

"I know but judging by her reaction, she clearly doesn't have kids. You could be the best parent in the world and your baby would still cry. It's just one of those things that all parents understand whereas non parents just don't get it" I shrug.

"I guess" Brittany smiles.

"I'm just not going to let it bother me because like I say, all parents understand these things happen. However, if we do happen to be on the same flight home, I may have words with the woman. She should know better than to judge a woman's parenting" I say.

"Exactly" Brittany agrees.

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*Monday 15th January 2024*

It's our first full day on vacation today and it's been going great so far. We just had a quiet night last night and didn't do too much so today we'll probably do something more exciting. The boys were tired yesterday but hopefully they'll feel refreshed this morning and want to do something fun. I've just finished in the shower now so I'm going to see what my family are up to and get a chance to hang out with them.

"Hey" I say as I walk into the living room part of the suite.

"Hey" Brittany smiles back as I sit down with her and the kids.

"So, what should we do today?" I ask my wife and kids.

"It's your birthday vacation so what would you like to do?" Brittany asks me.

"I think I want to take a hike somewhere" I say. It might be nice to be outside for a while and get some fresh air.

"Ok, let's do that" Brittany smiles.

"Shall we go downstairs for breakfast first?" I suggest.

"Yeah I think we should because I'm getting hungry and I think the boys are too" she replies.

"Ok" I nod.

Once we were all ready, we headed downstairs in the hotel and had breakfast. We're on vacation so we took our time to eat and just hang out because we didn't see the need in rushing. We then got our stuff together and got the kids settled into their stroller and headed off on our hike. We didn't really know the area yet so we just started walking and seen where it took us.

"The heat from the sun is unreal today" I say as I wipe sweat away from my forehead.

"It's not the sun that's making it hot, it's you that's hot" Brittany smiles.

"Thank you" I smile back. "Although I could say the same about you. There's something so hot about you taking this hike in your stride as you push a stroller uphill with two infants inside" I add.

"You say that a lot but I don't find it a big deal. I'm just pushing my children in the stroller" Brittany shrugs.

"It is a big deal to those of us who aren't as fit as you. Pushing a stroller uphill is not easy for the regular person" I say.

"Ok, fair enough. I will take the compliment" Brittany smiles at me.

"Good" I smile back.

"We should go and get some lunch somewhere once we're finished the hike" Brittany tells me.

"Sounds good to me" I smile.

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*Thursday 18th January 2024*

Even though we're still on vacation and could be doing something fun, Brittany, the kids and me are just having a relaxing afternoon in our hotel room. Xavier is currently napping but Jaxon hasn't napped yet so I've been trying to do little activities with him to tire him out a little so he can take a nap. I feel like he needs to have an afternoon nap otherwise he'll be tired earlier than normal in the evening and his whole sleeping pattern will be disturbed.

"Your teddy bear looks a little tired, Jaxon. Maybe you should snuggle up to him and sleep too" I suggest to my son.

"No" Jaxon giggles.

"Ted is very tired; he needs to go to sleep" I say. "Come on, you cuddle him and take a nap together" I add.

"Ok" Jaxon says after a minute or so.

"That's a good boy" I say as I kiss my son's head. "Mommy and I will be right here when you wake up" I say as I tuck him under the covers.

"Ok" Jaxon nods. After waiting for 5 minutes to make sure he was fully asleep, I make my way to the other area of the suite where Brittany is.

"Jaxon is finally asleep so what do you say we take a little nap ourselves?" I ask with a smirk.

"I'm not really tired right now babe" Brittany replies.

"Oh, I didn't mean we would go to sleep. I thought we could do that other thing besides sleeping that we do regularly in bed" I say, smirking again.

"Are you coming onto me Mrs Pierce?" she asks, smirking back at me.

"What would you do if I said I was?" I flirt.

"Firstly, I would do this" Brittany says as she pulls me closer and wraps her arms around me. "Then, I would do this" she says as she leans in towards my lips and kisses me.

"Then what?" I ask with a curious smirk.

"Then my hands would start moving down your body, caressing every curve there is" she replies as her hands sneak under my shirt.

"I'm not going to lie, I am starting to get turned on already and we've barely started" I admit.

"That's a good thing, right?" Brittany smirks.

"A very good thing" I say before leaning in to kiss Brittany as my arms wrap around her.

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*Saturday 20th January 2024*

It's our last full day on vacation today because we all go home tomorrow so Brittany and I are trying to enjoy that last little bit of fun with the kids before we'll soon be back to normality. We all had breakfast together and then decided what we wanted to do for the day. Jaxon really wanted to go to the beach and as much as it's my birthday vacation, I would much rather my children did something they wanted than for me to pick something they might not like.

"Do you want mommy to show you how to build a sandcastle?" I ask Jaxon.

"Yeah" Jaxon says excitedly.

"Ok, we need to get some sand together first so lets fill up our buckets" I say as I get my spade and start putting sand into the bucket.

"Me too" Jaxon says as he starts throwing sand into the bucket.

"That's it, buddy" I smile at my son. He is so cute right now, it's unreal.

"I think Xavier wants to help too" Brittany laughs as he starts crawling towards me in the sand.

"Yeah" I laugh.

"Do you want to put some sand into the bucket?" Brittany asks Xavier as she shows him what to do. He just looks at her like she's insane.

"I guess that means no" I laugh again. Honestly, my children are the cutest.

"Just like this, sweetie" Brittany says as she gathers some sand in her hand and then puts it in the bucket.

"Can you do that Xavier?" I ask my youngest son. He looks at me for a moment before picking up some sand in his tiny hand. "That's it and into here" I say as I point to the bucket.

"No-no not there" Brittany says panicked as Xavier puts his hand, full of sand, up towards his mouth. "It's not for the mouth, sweetie" she adds as she gently takes his hand away.

"In here buddy" I laugh as I point to the bucket.

"I don't think he gets it, you two just build the sandcastles and I'll entertain Xavier" Brittany says, worried he might try and eat the sand again.

"Ok" I smile.

"Full" Jaxon states as he points to the bucket full of sand.

"It is full now so let's make this castle" I say as I smooth the sand over the top of the bucket. "What we need to do now is turn the bucket over" I tell him.

"Ok" Jaxon smiles.

"Hopefully when we turn it over, it'll stay shaped into a sandcastle" I tell my son as I turn the bucket over.

"What do you think Jax?" Brittany asks him as I take the bucket away.

"Castle" Jaxon says excitedly.

"Yeah, it's worked out not too badly. Maybe later we can make more and make an even bigger castle" I tell him.

"Ok" Jaxon smiles.

"It's getting warm so I think it might be time to take a dip in the sea now, what do you think boys?" I ask my children.

"Water" Jaxon says as he claps his hands together excitedly.

"You really do like the water, don't you?" Brittany smiles at Jaxon.

"Now?" Jaxon asks as he starts running down the beach.

"Not yet, buddy" Brittany laughs as she chases after him. "Mommy and I need to get Xavier ready and you need to get some water wings on" she adds.

"Not to mention, you and I need to undress down to our swimwear because I don't want our clothes getting wet" I state.

"Yeah, exactly" Brittany agrees.

"Ok, you two sit in the stroller for a second while mommy and I get changed" I say as we put them in the stroller and begin undressing.

"Why do we always attract the creeps?" Brittany says unamused.

"What do you mean?" I ask confused.

"I swear that man just broke up with his girlfriend so he could stare at you" she sighs.

"I doubt it honey" I shake my head.

"Honestly, he was staring at you as you undressed down to your bikini. I think he saw me glaring at him so he looked away but as I say, he was definitely looking at you" Brittany says.

"Well, he can look but he can't touch" I shrug. As much as it annoys me when people ogle unavailable women, there isn't much I can do to stop it. I just need to keep in mind that as long as the one person I want to look at me is looking, then other people don't matter.

"I know, it's just the audacity of some people" Brittany sighs. "Like I know you're super attractive so people will glance at you but it's when they can't take their eyes off you that pisses me off. It's like dude, I'm right here and I'm her wife."

"I do get it but you can't let it get to you" I say as I reassuringly squeeze her hand.

"Yeah, you're right" Brittany nods.

"If I let it get to me every time someone checked you out, I would be miserable more than I was happy which isn't good" I say.

"Fair enough" Brittany says.

"As long as we're both checking each other out when we change, no one else looking matters to us" I smirk.

"I suppose that's true" Brittany laughs.

"Seriously though, as long as I know you still look at me in the same way you used to when I change or whatever, I really don't care about anyone else" I smile.

"Me too" Brittany smiles back.

"Good" I nod.

"You do know I was just checking you out before that guy pissed me off, right?" she clarifies. "Like, I wasn't not paying attention to begin with" she adds.

"Yeah, I saw you and I appreciate it" I smile.

"Ok" Brittany smiles.

I know it sounds a little weird needing validation from each other since we should feel confident in ourselves but it is nice. I do feel attractive and I'm not ashamed of how I look but at the same time, it's good to feel wanted by your partner. Knowing Brittany still sneaks a look at me when I'm undressing confirms how she feels about me. I'm sure Brittany feels the same way when I look at her and honestly, it's easy to do because my wife is hot. She doesn't always believe it but it is true, Brittany is super-hot.


That's it for the chapter, let me know what you think.