Snatching the headphones off my head, I felt the urge to clap. My boy was something of a whiz with the guitar. I turned my head and looked at Michael. He shook his head in disbelief. Who knew that my wild and crazy son would turn out to be an incredible musician?
“That was it,” I said into the mic, looking back at Fox from the window of the producer’s room in my basement.
He gave a thumbs up and slid off his headphones before trudging through the double soundproof doors from the recording room.
“Pretty good, right?” Fox asked, plopping himself on the stool between me and his grandfather.
“I was wondering,” Michael said, stroking the rough stubble on his chin. “I could use a guitarist for my upcoming tour—”
“No fucking way,” I interrupted his offer. “Dad, if anyone’s taking him on tour, it’s going to be me.”
Fox grinned, loving the banter.
“Thanks for the offer from both of you, but I’m going to college,” he said, shutting us both down.
He’d just graduated high school less than a month ago, and it wasn’t the first time he’d warned us that he wasn’t getting into the music business.
I just nodded, patting his leg before standing up.
We’d been down in the studio for a good couple hours recording a few parts for Michael’s upcoming album, which Fox had been more than happy to help out with.
“Right, college. Following in Uncle Joe’s footsteps, huh?” Michael teased, ruffling Fox’s hair. “Are we going to have another brainiac in the family?”
I laughed, stretched, then turned to the door as I heard faint footsteps pounding down the stairs.
The door that led upstairs opened a little and a head popped through the crack.
“You guys done yet?” asked my little girl. “Mom said dinner is getting cold waiting for you.”
I held out my arms and she ran to me, hopping up into my embrace. Kitty was already seven, going on eight, so I wouldn’t be able to keep picking her up after too long. I treasured the moment, knowing it wouldn’t last forever.
“Let’s head up,” I told the boys, throwing my daughter over my shoulder as we went up to the kitchen. Violet was there with Robin underfoot and Colt attached to her hip.
“Where’s Raven?” I asked, looking around for my middle child.
Violet blew some hair out of her face, giving me a smile.
“She’s out playing. Can you call her in?”
So much for dinner getting cold.
Happily, I put Kitty down and snatched up my second to youngest to get her out from under her mother’s feet, then meandered out the door with her on my shoulder now.
“Raven!” I called, not sure where to look first.
Raven was my wild child, and she was always getting into trouble. It didn’t help that my three middle kids were all girls, and the boys were the youngest and eldest. Kitty was easy-going and sweet, with her mother’s fierce protectiveness, and the little girl on my shoulder was cute as a button, but also just a plain ol’ mess. She was only three though, so nobody seemed to mind. Raven though…I worried about her. There was an adventurous spirit in that girl that sent her on all kinds of adventures, whether they were safe or not.
I found her in the backyard drawing a picture of a snail she found on the far side of the lawn.
“Dinner!” I called out to her, but she ignored me, because of course she did. “Don’t make me pick you up too!”
Finally, she looked my way and grinned a mischievous smirk at me.
“You couldn’t lift me,” she dared, yelling across the yard.
“Challenge accepted!” I roared, gripping Robin in my arms before running after my six year old.
She led me on a chase around the yard, and I’d only barely missed stepping on the snail she’d been drawing, but I did end up catching her and throwing her over my shoulder, too.
Damn, the kids were getting big.
When I finally got back into the house, Violet saw me with a daughter over both shoulders and laughed.
“Aren’t you glad you’re home for the next two months?” she called, a happy twinkle in her eyes.
Fuck yeah I was glad to be enjoying some R&R. Every time I was on tour, I missed the hell out of my family. Spending so much time with them, going to swimming lessons and sports and ballet brought me so much joy, it was almost kind of stupid.
I fucking loved my family.
“Couldn’t be happier,” I told my wife with a wink.
She shook her head at me, her sweet smile never budging as she shifted Colt around to her other hip.
“Kids! Table!” she called, then turned to Michael who was helping Kitty with a puzzle at the table. “Are you staying for dinner, Dad?”
My adoptive father turned to his daughter-in-law and shook his head.
“It smells great, but Abby is expecting me. Let’s plan dinner together sometime this weekend though. Abby’s been complaining that it’s been days since she’s seen the kids.”
I huffed a laugh. That totally sounded like something my mom would say.
“Well, if she stops being a badass orchestral musician playing shows every night, she’d see them more,” I said with a snarky wink.
“Never thought I’d be the one left at home married to a touring musician.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “She’ll be excited to hear the tracks Fox layed down, though.”
“Send me the finished track when you’re done with it,” I reminded him, dropping both girls to their feet so they could listen to their mom and get to the table.
Michael agreed, showing himself out.
We yelled a round of goodbyes to him then I made my way over to my wife.
“Smells great in here,” I told her, slipping my arms around her waist.
She hummed and leaned back into me as Colt reached up and stabbed my eyeball.
“Damnit!” I hissed, squeezing my eyes closed.
“Colt, be nice to Daddy!” she told him, choking on a laugh.
I just popped my good eye open and gave a playful growl, nipping my teeth toward his chubby little fist. The toddler erupted into a volley of laughter, cackling as I kept nipping at his knuckles.
“Now now, children,” Violet chastened teasingly, turning just enough to plop Colt into my arms.
I took him and settled him into the high chair at the table, setting a blunt plastic fork on the tray.
Looking around, I saw all three of my kids, ranging from one to eighteen and my heart filled with so much happiness it threatened to explode out of my chest.
“Ready?” Violet asked, sliding an arm around me as she gave me a small squeeze.
“Hell yeah,” I agreed, putting my arm around her too.
Meeting her smile with one of my own, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.
“Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night,” I whispered into her ear.
Violet looked at me, love reflecting back.
“And yet I wish but for the thing I have;
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.”
She always knew the right things to say, and any time I whipped out a little Romeo, the woman knew the perfect line to throw back at me.
“I love you,” I told her in a reverent hush amidst all the chaos of the kids. “Thank you for giving me this life. This is everything I ever wanted and more.”
My wife just looked up at me with a cheeky grin.
“I can think of two or three ways you can make it up to me,” she whispered back, bumping my hip with hers.
Licking my lips, I looked damn forward to saying thank you with a handful of orgasms and a long cuddle.
“Deal,” I shot back, then turned to the kids.
“Let’s get this show on the road!”