I gazed out of the kitchen window fondly as I dried the last few plates. My two little angels were playing with the snow in the backyard, building a giant but definitely lopsided snowman.
I watched as they animatedly chatted with each other, two pairs of bright violet eyes sparkling like the morning dew as they happily patted away at the last snowball to be added to the top of the snowman. The ball was so big that it was nearly as large as Liam’s crouching figure.
Even my guards looked a bit unsure of themselves as they watched their madam wobble from side to side with a giant ball of snow in her arms.
Ever since the day Liam shoved that little boy off of his mom, he had insisted on staying with Jane for the rest of the trip, not that I minded in the slightest. He followed Jane around everywhere and wanted to help her with everything. It was actually quite adorable to watch him follow his mom around like a little duckling.
Unlike when he was with strangers, Liam always turned into an adorable little baby boy when he was around Jane or me. He would seek our attention like a normal child. Bashfully asking for cuddles or trying to show us his little accomplishments, like making his own hot chocolate. Just a single pat on his head or a quick praise could put a smile on his face for the rest of the day.
It reminded me that he was just like any other five-year-old despite his unusually high IQ score.
He just wanted to be loved.
But with his past, at least based on the snippets that I had managed to piece together, I could understand why he was so protective of this little family he had managed to finally grasp onto.
The way his attitude would take a complete turn for the worse the moment he thought that someone was threatening his home… How he could turn into a rabid dog instead of a fluffy bunny in a mere second… The unexpected level of possessiveness…
He was scared that it would disappear at any moment.
I sighed at the thought. If only there were some way I could give his mind a bit of peace, to reassure him that we wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
I was lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice the backdoor opening until I felt a pair of slim arms slip around my waist from behind.
My favorite voice floated sweetly into my ears, asking quietly, “What are you thinking so hard about, Achi?”
I smiled at the familiarity as I placed the last cleaned plate onto the drying rack. I smoothly turned around in her hold and wrapped my arms around her waist, reciprocating her hug. Giving her a light Eskimo kiss, I reassured her, “It’s nothing, love. Are you done building your snowman already?”
Her eyes lit up at the mention of her snowman, and eagerly pointed out the window with a bright smile. “Do you think it looks good?”
I looked over at the highly crooked snowman in amusement. It was still somehow standing with all sorts of twigs and stones sticking out of it. “It looks wonderful, darling.”
She hummed happily in agreement. “I think so too! But Liam fell into a mound of snow on our way back in and got soaked, so he’s taking a quick shower right now to warm himself back up.”
I chuckled softly as my eyes dropped down her delicate features. I gently brushed my knuckles along the side of her face, tracing her chilled skin, and asked worriedly, “What about you, my love? You look a bit pale too.”
She closed her eyes and leaned into my hand, letting out a soft hum in comfort. “I’m fine, Achi. You worry too much.”
I sighed as I trailed my fingertips over her cheek, mindlessly pushing her hair back to reveal more of her porcelain face. I was honestly a bit worried about her recently.
Even though she still acted like herself and I always made sure not to let her do too much, she still seemed to get getting increasingly more tired recently. I always made sure she ate and slept enough, but her skin would continue to lose a bit more color every day regardless of whatever I did.
To add on…
“Oh, you made a tuna melt! Do we still have chocolate milk to go with it?”
She had been asking for very weird food pairing, usually between some sort of chocolate-flavored item and a savory dish that definitely didn’t need a chocolate accent.
At first, I was worried that the bizarre pairings were the cause of her weakening body, but it seemed to be helping her eat more than usual, so I quickly crossed it out as a reason.
I watched as Jane pulled away from me and rummage through the fridge. It didn’t take long before she pulled out a carton of milk and a bar of solid chocolate with a giddy expression.
I smiled fondly as I watched her excitedly hop around the kitchen, pulling out a small saucepan as she went.
Her eyes shimmered as she glanced up at me, innocently asking, “Do you want some as well?”
I politely shook my head, trying very hard not to show much disgust for such a pairing. “I-I’m alright, my love… I already had a cup of coffee today…”
She nodded understandingly, taking no note of my forced tone, and went back to hovering over her chocolate milk mixture.
By the time Liam joined us in the kitchen, Jane had already poured out the hot chocolate into two mugs, handing one of the cups to Liam as she settled down on the seat next to us.
Liam was snacking on a few of the fruits that I had prepared early as I worked on drying his damp hair, something that quickly became a routine ever since we moved in together.
He eagerly accepted the hot chocolate from his mom and let out a delighted hum after he took a sip. He happily chirped, “Thank you, mom!”
Jane patted his head lovingly before tucking into her tuna melt sandwich, altering back and forth with sips from her hot chocolate, and even occasionally dunking her sandwich into her drink.
Both Liam and I stared at her, slightly horrified by how much she enjoyed the pairing.
She tried offering us a bite, but we quickly shook our heads, not wanting to take the risk.
As I finished drying Liam’s hair, I set the towel aside and leaned back into the sofa, wrapping an arm around Jane’s shoulder. I pulled her into my chest and watched as she finished off the last of her sandwich.
“Did you like the trip, Jane?”
She nodded happily as she licked the last few droplets of sauce off her fingertips.
I glanced at Liam, who was snuggled between us. “What about you, Liam?”
He nodded his head eagerly. Swallowing a large bite of his Nutella sandwich, he replied with a soft smile, “I liked it a lot. I never got to go on a vacation trip with mom before… I was always too worried that something might happen to her while we were in a foreign place, so I never asked… But I’m glad Dad is here. You make everything better… safer… And you taught me how to go skiing and sledding! So it was a lot of fun!”
I patted Jane’s head softly as tears welled up in her eyes. With how often her emotions seemed to swing without much reason, I was getting better at figuring out whether tears came from joy or something worse.
Jane tackled our little one in a giant hug, sniffling, “You think of me too much, honey… You should be more selfish and live like a child… Not worrying about things like this…”
Liam struggled against her tight hold. Completely caught off guard by the sudden onslaught of affection, he whined softly, “Mommm… You’re squeezing me too muchhhh…”
But Jane took no note of his words and simply pulled him even closer to her. Her voice lowered, making Liam falter ever so slightly as she solemnly whispered, “I wish I had found you just a bit sooner… Before you got hurt by that woman… If I could, I would give you the whole world because you deserve it, Liam…”
He softened as he wrapped his arms around his mother, returning her embrace. He tucked his chin over her shoulder and quietly replied, “You already gave me everything, mom… You gave me a home… Found me a dad… Accepted all my flaws… I couldn’t possibly ask for more from you…”
Jane frowned at his reply and tried to argue, but Liam quickly cut her off and refuted resolutely, “I don’t need the world when I already have you and dad. All I need is our little family.”
I chuckled softly as Jane’s jaw went slack from getting told off by her own son before it turned into a small pout.
I wrapped my arm around the two, hushing the two with a loving kiss on the tops of each of their heads. “Why are the two of you arguing about such things? You should know that your husband and your dad already has the world at his fingertips, and I plan to give both of you just that. I vowed to build a world where our family could run freely, and I don’t plan to break my promise anytime soon, okay?”
They nodded synchronously, peering up at me with their matching violet eyes like a pair of meerkats.
In a single swoop, I pulled my two chaotic angels into my lap and snuggled up to them, eliciting delightfully sweet giggles in response. I pressed a firm kiss on both of their cheeks and continued, “All you need to do is to keep walking forward and living how you want. Just know that you picked a strong husband and father who will always be standing behind you, protecting and supporting you every step of the way.”
No matter what may be thrown our way, my angels will always be put first.
It is what they deserved and I would make sure that everyone who ever dared to touch them or even look at them a little bit wrong would regret it for the rest of their life.