Second Chance at Love(19)
Annoyed, Kyle scrunched his face up and his hands balled into tiny fists. “Stop treating me like a baby! I said I remember everything!”
Slapping her hand across his mouth, Ashley hissed, “Shhh! You’re gonna make Mommy come out here.” Giving him an evil glare, she warned, “You better not mess this up, you little brat.”
Kyle snatched Ashley’s hand away from his mouth. “I’m not a brat! Knock on the door before I leave. ” He threatened, crossing his toothpick arms across his chest.
Rolling her eyes, Ashley huffed, “Big baby,” as she knocked on the door. Kyle was such a pain in the butt. As far as she was concerned her parents should have left him at the hospital.
“Come in.” They heard their mother’s soft voice call out.
Turning the knob, Ashley entered first and then Kyle. They didn’t wait to be invited onto the bed as they both climbed up. Each of them settled next to their mother as if that’s where they belonged.
Karen put the daily planner down she had been glancing through reviewing tomorrow’s schedule. Although she had the day off from work, she had a list of other things she had to do. Pick up dry cleaning after dropping the kids off at school. Drop off Ashley’s and Kyle’s gently used clothes to the Salvation Army. Be at the nursing home by eleven thirty to volunteer to help feed the residents. The one highlight of her day was her lunch date with Dom at one forty-five. After that she had to run to the supermarket to pick up a few things for dinner. And last, she had to be at school by three fifteen to pick the kids up. She was tired just looking at all she had to do.
Wrapping an arm around each of her children, she kissed them tenderly on the forehead. She knew they were up to something. They only came into her bedroom and got in bed with her when they wanted something or had a bad dream. And since it was their bedtime, it wasn’t a bad dream bringing them to her bed. “I thought I told you two to go to bed. You have school in the morning.”
It was Kyle who said, “We are Mommy. Me and Ashley—”
“Ashley and I,” Karen corrected. She couldn’t help but to hide her chuckle as Kyle let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders. She knew her son didn’t like being reprimanded, but he would carry himself like a little gentleman and he would speak correct English.
Trying again, Kyle let out a deep breath and started to talk all over again making sure he spoke correctly. “Ashley and I were wondering if we could have our own special Christmas at home.”
Perplexed, Karen asked, “Your own special Christmas?”
This is when Ashley jumped in to help her brother out. “Yeah, like how Aunt Starr and Aunt Summer always have stuff at their houses. Can we have our own special Christmas here?”
“I thought you guys liked going over your aunts’ houses for the holidays.”
“Mommy, we do like it. But we want to have a Christmas with our own family.” Ashley pressed.
“And we want Mr. Dom to come too,” Kyle blurted out, his dark eyes imploring their mother to agree with them.
Speechless, Karen opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. Her children were trying to create their own little family with a mother and a father. What was she going to do? How was she going to tell them that this wasn’t a good idea? That asking Dom to spend the holiday with them and not his family would be imposing on his time? Letting out a deep breath, Karen said, “Babies, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Mr. Dom may already have plans.”
The dejected looks on their faces broke her heart. Again she asked herself what was she going to do?
Ashley timidly suggested, “Maybe Mr. Dom could come over for a little bit.” Anything was better than nothing. She and Kyle’s main objective was to get her mother and Dom to spend more time together so they could fall in love and get married.
“Yeah, Mommy, could you ask him?” Kyle pleaded, his large eyes filling with tears.
Oh God, these kids were killing her softly. Kissing Kyle’s forehead and then gently stroking Ashley’s cheek, Karen conceded. “Okay, I’ll talk to Mr. Dom.”
“Yay!” Ashley and Kyle screamed as they started jumping up and down on the bed.
Karen laughed. “Stop jumping on my bed!”
Both kids flopped down at the same time and kissed their mom on the cheek. “Thanks, Mommy! You’re the best!” Ashley sang, happy at the prospect that things were going right along with her and Kyle’s plan.
“Don’t thank me yet. We don’t know what Mr. Dom is going to say.”