Chapter 8: chapter 8

ZACH’S POVI woke up to a foot in my mouth and a lot of giggles. I squinted at the bright light as I forgot to close the curtains the day before but still, it was so damn bright for early morning. I groaned and physically removed the little foot against my mouth and turned on my back. I draped my arms over my eyes and tried to get some shut-eye. But the giggles were insistent and someone was squeezing my stomach out. “Daddddy!! Wake up!” Theo said dramatically.My brain registered all things at once. First, I might have overslept. Second, I had no idea how the kids came here on their own. Third, Amelia was angry with me. My little heart fluttered to the thought that if Amelia was still here and she let the kids in but I know it was futile cause if that was the case, the kids would be hogging their mom. I squeezed my eyes and sat up on the bed while the weight machine on my stomach went tumbling down to my legs.Theo just giggled and started to climb me up. I turned my head saw Gianna on her stomach looking at her iPad intently while tapping on the screen to cut the virtual fruits.  I looked on my nightstand and looked for the baby monitor and saw Riya standing on her crib and trying to suck on her toy bunny’s ear.What the time was? I frowned and took my phone and tapped on the screen to look at the time and I nearly swore. It was nine and I have yet to feed any of my babies. No. No. No. I quickly gathered squirming Theo in my hand and pocketed my phone in my sweat pants. And I was thankful, I had sense enough to wear my pants the day before. “Gianna. Come on. Let’s get breakfast ready.” I said and grabbed her iPad from her when she just acted like she didn’t hear me. “Nooooo. Daddy, give me back.” She yelled and tried to grab it out of my hand but I just walked away knowing that she would follow me. She is already acting like a moody teenager and I don’t even want to know what she would be like as a real teenager. I quickly walked towards the next room and opened Riya’s nursery. When she saw us, she started jumping up and down on her crib. I let Theo down and grabbed Riya by her arms. “Is my baby girl excited to see me or her brother?” I asked with a smile and snuggled against her thick cheeks. “Buhhhhhh.” She made that sound and some spittle went over my neck. “Your brother, I take it,” I said and pretended to be sad by drawing my mouth down. She just tapped my cheek and giggled.“Daddy, give me my iPad. I have to finish my game.” Gianna tried to take it from me but I just inserted it between Riya and me. Gia’s face screwed up and she started crying. Loudly.“Baby, don’t cry,” I told her and tried to grab her shoulder but she escaped from me and started running outside. “Heck,” I said out loud and jogged outside with Theo in my tracks. Gia was sulking on top of the stairs with hiccupping sounds and tears. Gosh, I feel like I am failing at this and the day didn’t even start yet.  My stomach rumbled remaining that it was late even for me for breakfast and no wonder the kids would be hungry and I should blame myself for her tantrum. “Here.” I gave Gia her iPad and she grabbed it and put it against her chest protectively.I sighed and open the kid’s safe gate and assisted them while they walked downstairs. My stomach rumbled again as I poured water in Mimi’s bowl and settled the children against the breakfast bar. I didn’t even have a single idea about what to do today. Fruits, it is. I opened the fridge, ignoring the note pasted on it, because if I look through it now, I may lose it. I don’t know what Amelia wrote in that but I don’t want to read that this hot minute.A huge bowl full of pancake batter stared back at me. Amy. She not only managed to sneak out on me but she made breakfast. Damn her for being perfect except sneaking out on me. Grateful, I took the bowl out and set it on the counter before taking Riya’s pumped-out milk and some fruits. I saw the eggs and bread chilling out on the counter too. I want to text her and say how much I love her and don’t want her mad at me. I paused, what is restricting me from doing just that?Fear that she would ignore me. But it was not my first rodeo. So, I took out my phone and texted just that as I put on my apron to protect my bare chest and got on to work. First, I started heating a bowl full of water, and next to it I started the pan. “Okay, guys, listen.  Pancakes or cereal.” I asked across the counter. “Pancakes!!” Theo yelled enthusiastically by putting his hands high up in the air. Gia just ignored me. Gosh, that girl.“Gia!” I moved towards her and she mumbled lastly like she thought I would grab her iPad again if I neared her. “What did you say?” I asked again, I heard her clear the first time.She mumbled, I again asked the same question and started tickling her from behind. “Daddy, No!” She laughed. “No!! I want pancakesss! Stop!!” I laughed with her but released her with a kiss on her head. The mood lightened and I felt lighter even though the unsaid thing with Amelia sat like a sharpened thorn at my side. I shook that thought away and started the pancakes and put the chill breast milk in the boiled water. I took the eggs next and cracked them open in a bowl and added pepper and salt. I was a simple guy. Next, I took some bacon strips and laid them out on a plate. After the pancakes were ready, I told the kids to choose their toppings and I grudgingly added some sprinkles to my plate too.  After I poured some maple syrup on both of their plates, I gave Riya her bottle and she started drinking it on her own in her high seat and I sprinkled some cheerio before her to munch on. Side by side I started tossing the slices of bacon and cutting fruits. After making my plate full of pancakes, eggs, and some bacon, I sat next to Gia and gave both Theo and her orange juice and the apples I cut. After half an hour of eating while checking emails and messages obsessively, I still didn’t get the text I was waiting for. Amelia didn’t even see my text. I tried to clean up the dishes while Theo sat next to the sink and babbled. Riya was nodding off and the soft melody heard throughout the house through the speakers calmed my frayed nerves. After I dried off the dishes, I finally made-up fake confidence and grabbed the post-it notes on the fridge. ‘Try to help Gia with her homework and don’t give her iPad for more than an hour. Don’t forget to bathe Theo after breakfast. Riya usually takes 6 to 7 ounces of milk with three hours intervals and you know her nap time. I will be home late today.’So, freaking formal. Like I didn’t know these about my own kids. Admittedly, I didn’t know how many freakin ounces Riya drank daily. I muttered to myself and gave Mimi her food and some rubs. Her tail wagged against the floor. “At least you like me, girl,” I said to her and gave a final pat before standing up.According to Amy, I have a lot to do. And she would be home late. I scowled at that. Don’t act like a caveman, I chastised myself. …..After making myself some coffee, I tackled the day’s work. First, I gave Theo a bath while putting Gia on baby duty. I didn’t know if Theo was clean or not but I was drenched at the end of his bath. I toweled myself dry and ran to my room to change into other shorts before running back to Riya’s nursery. It was nearly eleven by the time I changed both Theo and Riya’s diapers and ushered all the kids to my room.“Cuddle time!!” I yelled and grabbed both Theo and Gia and flung them on the fluffy bed on either side of Riya. All of them laughed and I started making monster noises and tickled them and bit them.After fifteen minutes of that, it settled down as Riya started to sleep. After I made Gia lose her iPad, I grabbed her and her brother in a hug and made them sleep against my arm and looked to my other side and verified if Riya was still asleep. I exhaled a puff of air and closed my eyes. Exhausted. I didn’t sleep well at all last night and even if it was midnight when I went to bed, I would be fast asleep by my Amy at my side but last night I got some shut only after two hours of tossing and turning and then to I slept inhaling Amy’s scent on her pillow. I know her reaction is warranted but I don’t have a clue as to what to do about that. She had to be patient for a few more days. I could never imagine my life without my sweet Amy and I never thought of myself as a family man but these kids are my life now. I would make this right. ……It was after 8 and Amelia was still not home. I was sick worried about her even though she told me she would be home late. It doesn’t stop me from checking my phone obsessively. When she had client meetings or negotiations, she would be back home by six at the least but today she obviously thought she didn’t want to be back soon. And I totally agree she needed a change of scenario. But the least she could do is text me or reply back to my hundreds of concerned messages. I felt like I could lose myself. I fed the kids and watched a movie with them. It was nearing nine, I had to soon put the kids to bed and there was still no peek from Amelia. I was getting frustrated, so I decided to grab myself a beer to cool me down.I left the kids and checked on Riya who was playing with her own legs and went to the kitchen. In the beverage cooler, I took a bottle and was about to pop open the cap with an opener on the fridge when I heard my phone ring from the living room. I abandoned everything and ran back to the room where the kids were trying to take the phone from the coffee table but I was faster and grabbed it. It was Amelia. I thought this could be the moment where I would get a call from one of my colleagues or family and I would be disappointed that it was not my wife. But it was. I hastily accepted the call and kept the phone in my ear but pulled it back when loud music blasted through the speakers.“Amelia?” “Zachhhhhhh.” She slurred and I heard her curse and curse again. My hand instinctively curled against the phone. She doesn’t drink. Apart from light beers, she stopped drinking while she was pregnant with Gia, and with breastfeeding continuously, she fully stopped. So, her slurred voice reminded me that I played a part in it for her to cross the line. “Amy, are you okay?” I asked and put her on speaker while I tracked her phone in the ‘find my friend’ app. “Zachhhhh. I am high.” She giggled and giggled and it was so unlike her that worry started to seep into me. I saw her phone located near some club and I was sure that, that was where she was. I was about to ask her if she wanted me to come and get her when I heard her sniffle a little. “Amelia, answer me right now.” She was getting me anxious, even the kids got silent. “I think.. shit…I think I got drugged.”My heart stopped for a minute and I cursed out loud. “Fuck.”“Papa use swear word.” Theo pointed out silently. My whole world seemed to crash down. Shit, I have to act fast. “Amy, I am coming for you right now. Don’t go outside and don’t go with anyone. Be with your friends, I will be there in fifteen minutes. Baby, can you hear me?”“Yeah.” She slurred. I cursed again and immediately called my sister. “Brother, it is late in the night. Do you want something?” She asked sleepily. I felt bad for waking up but I have to go back to my wife, so I cared about nothing now. “Mia, could you come to take the kids to your house for the night?” I asked while I ran upstairs to grab a t-shirtShe sounded more alert now. “Sure. What happened?”“I will tell you later. Can you come to take the kids?  Right now.” “Zach you don’t have to ask me, I am already up.”“Thank you so much, Mia. I owe you one.”“No problem. Be safe.”I hung up and ran downstairs and took my car keeps before going to the kids. “Hey, I am heading out right now to get mama, Auntie Mia will take you home for the night. Okay?” I said to the kids. Theo nodded his head. “Is mommy, alright?” Gia asked as she looked up at me. “Yes.” I lied and sent Darlene a message about looking out for the kids till Mia came. Even though my sister was only five minutes away, I want to go as soon as possible to the club. Darlene texted me right back saying no problem. So, I leaned down and kissed all of them, and ran outside.It took me seventeen minutes to reach the club with the traffic and I was glad I didn’t get pulled over. After paying the bouncer a fortune I was inside the hotel turned pub but inside it was all rock and the whole floor seemed to vibrate. I immediately scanned the people nearby and didn’t see Amy. It was tough too because I didn’t see what she was wearing this morning so I had to focus on everyone’s face in this strobing light. But as I neared the bar, I saw her. Leaning against a pillar trying to keep herself on her feet and in front of her was a guy who was trying to keep his hands on her waist even though she tried to swat him away with her limp arm. I saw red.  …..- VV 🖤💫……Don’t forget to comment and to give your ratings and do follow me! Check out my Instagram for upcoming chapter’s sneak peek.