"Maybe… I think I left it in the bathroom drawer," Amelia mumbled, wracking her brain to remember where she'd last seen her ring. "What about yours?"
Nick scratched the back of his head, looking even more unsure. "Honestly, I don't even remember what it looks like."
They both stood there, feeling awkward and a bit embarrassed.
"Alright, let's go home," Nick said, taking her hand and leading her to the car.
"You're drunk," Amelia snapped.
"You're driving," Nick replied, trying to sound more alert than he felt.
The ride home was dead silent, the tension thick enough to cut. Nick leaned back in the passenger seat, nodding off from the alcohol.
When they finally pulled up in front of the house, Amelia let out a tired groan. "He's such a pain," she muttered under her breath.
She got out of the car and, seeing Nick still fast asleep, reluctantly slung his arm over her shoulder and half-dragged, half-carried him inside. "Please let the kids be asleep," she whispered to herself as she struggled with his weight.
But, to her dismay, both Sean and Maddie were still wide awake, waiting for them in the living room.
"Mom! Nick!" they shouted in unison, their eyes lighting up.
Amelia, startled by their sudden excitement, lost her balance. She and Nick tumbled to the floor in a tangled mess, with Nick landing right on top of her. In the chaos, Nick accidentally kissed Amelia as they rolled.
Sally, the nanny, quickly covered the kids' eyes, but Maddie peeked through her fingers and shouted, "They're kissing!"
Amelia, blushing furiously, slapped Nick's arm to wake him up. Nick groggily blinked awake, realizing the awkward position they were in. He scrambled to his feet, apologizing profusely. "Ah, my bad!"
Amelia stood up, smoothing out her clothes and glaring at Nick as she did the same. Nick turned to the kids, trying to brush off the embarrassing situation. "Maddie, how are you feeling?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"I'm better, Nick!" Maddie chirped happily. "Like I promised, I took my medicine and ate all my food."
"Good girl!" Nick praised her with a proud smile. "But why are you guys still awake?"
"We were waiting for you to read us a story," Sean explained. "You make it so fun! Not boring like Mom."
Maddie quickly chimed in, "Mom's good too! She has a sweet voice, but the way you read the stories is really funny."
Nick felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't realized how much the kids were looking forward to him being home. 'Being a father was proving to be more challenging than I thought. Can I be a good one in the future? No. I don't even plan to remarried after divorce.'
"I can read tonight," Amelia offered, trying to take control of the situation.
But the kids quickly answered, "No!" in unison.
Maddie immediately felt bad. "Sorry, Mom! It's just that—"
Nick gave Amelia a reassuring look. "Just for tonight," he whispered.
Amelia stood at the doorway, arms crossed, watching as Nick effortlessly slipped into 'dad mode.' He led the kids down the hall to their bedroom, their tiny hands gripping his fingers as they bounced along beside him.
Once inside, Nick scanned the bookshelf and pulled out a worn storybook with a big smile on his face. "Alright, kiddos," he said, waving the book in the air like it was some kind of treasure. "You ready for tonight's story? It's about cops... and robbers!"
The kids' eyes lit up instantly, and they scrambled onto their beds, tucking themselves under the covers, already giggling in anticipation. "Yeah! Cops and robbers!" Sean cheered. Maddie wiggled excitedly beside him, clutching her stuffed bunny.
Nick plopped down on the edge of Sean's bed, flipping through the book's pages dramatically. "Okay, so, once upon a time, there was this super sneaky robber, right? He was the best in the world. Could sneak into any bank, any museum—didn't matter. No one could catch him!"
He leaned in close, lowering his voice to a whisper, which immediately made both kids go wide-eyed. "Except… for one cop. The best cop in the world. Fast, smart, and always one step ahead!"
Maddie gasped, clutching her bunny even tighter. "Who was the cop? Was he a superhero?"
Nick gave her a wink. "Even better. His name was... Officer Nicky!"
The kids burst into laughter. Nick continued, doing a silly voice as Officer Nicky, puffing out his chest and pretending to march around the room.
"And so, Officer Nicky was hot on the trail of the sneaky robber. He chased him through the streets, jumping over fences, dodging traffic, even swinging from a rope like a superhero!"
Sean leaned forward, eyes glowing with excitement. "Did he catch the robber?!"
Nick paused, dramatically holding up one finger. "Not yet, but it was close! They ran into a big old warehouse, where the robber tried to hide. But Officer Nicky was too smart for him. He could smell danger!"
Nick wrinkled his nose, making exaggerated sniffing sounds that had the kids giggling uncontrollably again. "He sniffed out the robber, who was hiding... behind a pile of crates! And with one big leap, Officer Nicky pounced and grabbed him! 'Gotcha!' he yelled!"
Sean threw his hands up. "Yeah! He got the bad guy!"
Nick nodded, a proud grin on his face as he finished the story. "That's right, kids. Officer Nicky caught the robber and saved the day!"
After finishing the story, the kids, all tired out from laughing and cheering, were hanging off Nick's arms.
"Maddie, go crash in your own bed, it's too cramped with all three of us," Sean complained.
"Just for a bit, I wanna cuddle Nick too," Maddie begged. Sean couldn't say no. In the end, the three of them ended up sharing the bed again.
"So, we should report all crimes to the police?" Maddie asked innocently.
"I'll report to the cops if anyone messes with me," Sean added confidently.
Nick, still fighting off the effects of the alcohol, yawned loudly. "Well, not all crimes go to the police," he mumbled, clearly drifting off.
"What's an example?" Sean pressed, still curious.
Nick's eyes fluttered shut as he muttered, "Your mom's crime…"
"Mom's crime?" Sean and Maddie both asked, their eyes wide with confusion.
"For being too alluring even when she's mad," Nick slurred, his voice barely audible before he passed out, snoring softly.
Maddie climbed into her own bed as promised, and Sean cuddled up next to Nick, falling asleep quickly. Maddie, however, lay awake for a while longer, puzzled by the new word she'd learned. "Sean, what's alluring?" she whispered, but Sean only answered with a loud snore.
"Who's the real pig here?" Maddie muttered to herself before finally drifting off, still curious about the meaning of the word.
***
In the middle of the night, Nick woke up to a weak slap on his cheek. He was half-surprised to find himself sleeping next to Sean again. A smile crept across his face as he gazed at Sean's handsome face, so much like Amelia's.
Gently, Nick slid his arm out from under Sean's head, careful not to wake the boy. After planting a soft kiss on Sean's forehead, he did the same for Maddie before quietly leaving the room, making sure not to wake anyone.
Nick had been about to grab a drink of water from the kitchen, but instead, he found Amelia holding a bottle.
"Hottie, you're already up?" she asked in a teasing tone.