Filed To Story: The Lingering Kiss of Farewell Novel
“No, that is none of your business.” She told him and walked outside to stand with the boys. “It’s a nice view.” He heard her tell the boys, and they smiled up at her.
“Every room has a view, lots of windows,” Callum stated, and came back inside and looked at him. “You got snacks?”
“I do, but you might not like them, more for adults.” He stated “Come and see.” he walked over to the pantry and saw his son look at many things and then just look up at him and kind of shake his head.
“How about we go and do some shopping, and you can pick out the snacks you want, theres a mart down the street.” He smiled down at him and Callum nodded and yelled out to his mum that he was going to buy snacks with his dad.
She turned and looked at Callum and then him, “Best take both of them, they don’t always eat the same snack foods.” She told him and then turned back to sip her coffee as she leaned on the railing. Much the same way that he did, he realised. “Enjoy taking them to a supermarket, and don’t get sucked into buying everything.” She half laughed. “I’ll stay here.”
He just nodded and grabbed his keys. He probably should have thought about it before pulling into the garage, but he wasn’t yet used to the life of being a dad, so it was a learning experience, and after this he’d know what to have in the house for their next visit by taking them with him, and seeing what it was that they liked.
It was indeed a learning curve. At one point, he only had one of the boys with him and he kind of half panicked when he realised that only Vincent was standing next to him. “Where’s your brother?” he asked
“I don’t know.” Vincent had shrugged. “I’ll go find him.” He’d stated and Calvin had to latch a hand onto him to stop him from running off. “I can’t lose both of you, you’re mother will kill me.” he muttered. “Stay here with me.”
He’d turned around and went back the way they’d come, and found Callum two isles down looking at lollies putting things in his own basket. “Do you know how worried I was?” Calvin snapped. “You were just gone.”
Callum turned and looked up at him. “You said to get a basket and choose snacks.” He stated right back.
“I didn’t state for you to wander off. If I lose you, how do you think your mother will feel? Let alone she’ll likely never trust me with you ever again.” Calvin huffed. “Stay by my side, or there will be no snacks,” he muttered
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Callum stated, staring up at him.
Calvin took a breath in and recalled Marilyn’s words ‘enjoy taking them to the supermarket.” And he understood this was normal for them, to just run off and find things they likely wanted. Only back home in their own town, they probably knew everyone and where everything was. She likely just let them because it was their home. But this was a much bigger place, and he couldn’t have anything happen to either of them.
Marilyn would likely never forgive him. Hell, he’d likely never forgive himself. Maybe he wasn’t ready to be on his own with them. It was different out at Cliffside, she was just outside in the guesthouse, and he’d not taken them off the estate where he could possibly lose them.
“I want you right next to me at all times. If you want to go down an isle, just tell me and we’ll go down it. Do not wander off,” he stated firmly, and saw them both just frown at him.
Heard Callum mumble something about “mum wouldn’t put us on a leash.”
He ignored it, they were just going to have to deal with it until he could control and contain them, when cut shopping or going somewhere. This was likely, he now realised, the very reason she’d not let him take them Christmas shopping: He would probably have lost them among the crowds that day.
He could tell they were unhappy by the time they got back to the apartment there was nothing he could do about it. Marilyn was sitting on the lounge with her laptop in front of her and both boys went and sat with her. She half-smiled and shook her head. “I’m certain it wasn’t as bad as you think it was,” she told them, and although he knew she was addressing the boys.
“Callum ran off, and I had to go and find him.” Calvin muttered.
“The joys of being a parent. You found him I see,” she stated simply.
He didn’t like it, regardless of what she expected to happen. “I’d much prefer they were better behaved when out with me.”
Marilyn looked right at him and just laughed. “Oh, do you now? Just expect everyone to fall in line with your wants and needs, do you? They’re just seven and go ahead and try to punish them. See what happens,” she stated flatly. “You won’t like it. If you smack one of my boys, I’ll return the favour. You have no rights as far as I’m concerned on that matter, until you’ve gotten to know them and learned all about them. Until then, disciplining the twins is solely up to me.”
He walked away from her towards the kitchen. She’d turned his words against him, and he didn’t much like it. “I had no intention of disciplining them.” He stated, “I just don’t want them to run off again.”
Marilyn
She arrived at dinner at Anabell and Wil’s place, and had collected her dress to get changed here. She didn’t need Calvin seeing what she was going to wear, he’d gotten a little too comfortable in that apartment of his at times, and she wasn’t needed to dress up for dinner; it was just the three of them. Anabell let her into the apartment and smiled at her, “How’s it going?”
“Painful at times.” she shook her head and stepped into the apartment where she greeted Wil, there were already extra seating and tables set up for tonight’s party, which didn’t start until eight.
They ate a simple meal at the kitchen bench of pizza, while the caterers were setting up. “How many have you got coming?” she asked.
“About 20 couples,” Will stated, “It’s going to be a fun night, and proper catering is required. Seeing as they’ll be here for five hours or more, there will be lots of appetizers and a few larger-style foods for those that opted not to eat before coming, and of course, cocktails, wine and champagne.”
She could see there were five tables lined up along the far wall, with round-tiered serving platters to have things laid out on them. There were three servers and from what she could tell, an actual chef over there prepping food, so everyone knew it was fresh and prepared well. The room was nicely decorated in a silver and black theme, with pops of gold. “It looks good,” she told them.
“Now what you don’t know, but need to know.” Wil stated “Calvin will be here at some point, he’s opted to drop all the other events and come here at the last minute.”
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.