"I'm sorry, babe. I thought it would go faster."
"It's okay."
He wraps his arms around me, and I chuckle, hugging him back. Oh, I missed him... He smells just like my Liam.
"I missed you too," I sigh.
"Me too. ...Aren't you tired?"
"A bit. But it's alright, I'll nap later. Are we still going to Nora's this afternoon?"
"Yep. Still, you should rest. You're always running left and right these days..."
He pulls the blanket over me, and I happily snuggle against him. It's true I am tired, but with the sun already up, I don't feel like sleeping right now... and I want to enjoy my time with them.
"I'm worried," he sighs. "You're always running around on top of your work here. You're going to overexert yourself again."
"Don't worry. I promise I'll stop and let some of the other older witches help if I'm really tired. The older ones are starting to get real good now, a handful can even use the teleportation spell... I just went this time because I've been following that girl for a while, she's really got no one to help. Next time, I'm sitting out and staying with my babies, I promise."
"Hm. Good, then. ...But what about your husband? I have been feeling super lonely too. Very, very lonely, you know. I'm super pitiful."
I laugh, and give him a bunch of kisses on his cheeks to apologize. Oh, my Liam... I hope he never stops being playful and childish like this. It really helps me stay focused on what matters and relax. He's like my inner strength. I just need to go home to him, and everything else can be blown away.
"...I'm sorry," I sigh after a while.
"What? Why?"
"I feel like I'm a bit... you know, always leaving you with the kids. You have your job at the police station, the werewolf stuff, the house and stuff, while I'm... super focused on witch stuff. I just feel a bit bad..."
After a while, he suddenly starts laughing. Why is he laughing? It's not funny! I'm really trying to be sincere here... I slap his shoulder, a bit annoyed.
"Stop laughing!"
"Sorry... Damn, I love you, witch!"
Before I can even react, he suddenly overpowers me and makes us roll on the bed, him getting on top of me.
"You're not funny..." I grumble a bit, annoyed that he's not taking my apology seriously.
"You're the funny one," he chuckles. "My wife is sorry about being a super badass and busy witch while I get to stay home and play with our babies? Excuse me?"
I sigh, but he shakes his head, and puts a quick kiss on my lips.
"Mara, I'm super proud of you. You're doing a ton of stuff at the same time, and unlike what you're thinking, you're here for our family, okay? That's why our kids notice if their mom is gone even for one night. Sure, it was a bit hard at times, but we always decided and did things together. And we have a big family exactly for that, so we can rely on our pack when you and I are both busy. Don't apologize for being a kick-ass mom who's helping tons of little witches without a mom out there. Cynthia understands, and she is super proud of her mom too. And Milo... Well, he'll just keep biting his dad and pulling Spark's tail for now, I guess."
This time, I chuckle, and surrender, putting my arms around his neck. It sure was hard sometimes... although I did take real breaks when our babies were born, or when the family needed us. Silver City is still my home, after all; wherever I go, I'll come back to this place. Moreover, it's not like we didn't get to enjoy ourselves... Liam and I traveled a lot together before we finally decided to move out and have a family of our own. Even Kelsi got a taste of motherhood before I did with her twins... although her pregnancy wasn't really planned, as it happened when she was still studying. It wasn't so easy for me either. Liam and I had a full two years of focusing on our careers and other things before I finally got pregnant. Now we have our two babies, our new apartment, the cat, and even our daughter's magic turtle...
Suddenly, we both turn our heads as we hear running from the hallway. Here she comes...
"Dad! Dad, I lost Gem again!"
Cynthia barges in, still in her pajamas, her hair in an utter mess and looking panicked. She frowns when she sees the two of us hugging, with Liam on top of me on one edge of the bed.
"Miss Cynthia, what did we say about running into a room without knocking?" growls her dad.
"Mama!"
I smile and push him away to open my arms as my daughter dives into the bed and into my embrace.
