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Jocelyn and Braden

Braden threw back the rest of his coffee “I need to go”

“You haven’t even had breakfast yet” I frowned at the scras and toast I’d made him

“I’ in the sink, leaned down to brush my lips with his and then rounded our kitchen island to kiss Luke and Beth on their foreheads “See you all tonight”

“Bye Dad!” they yelled after him as he hurried out of the kitchen Luke is Braden had left

“Are you kidding me?” I snorted My six year old had just eaten cereal, two slices of buttered toast and a handful of raisins for his breakfast “Where do you put it?” I scraped ave him the rest

Luke frowned at the disproportionate portioning “How coot more?”

“Because she’s got a baby in her belly, silly,” Beth said with a superiority she liked to lord over her brother whenever she could If she weren’t also incredibly overprotective of hiap, and not to ly adorable, I’d call my eldest an unbearable smartass

That’s just what happened when two suess

“Don’t call your brother silly,” I reminded her

Beth sighed heavily, like she was ninety instead of nine “Sorry I’m just cranky because of this Valentine’s Day stuff at school”

She also talked like she was ninety That’s where the charly adorable part came into play “What Valentine’s Day stuff?”

“We have to ive it to them”

I bit back hter “Well, baby, that’s what you do when you ive it to them”

“I don’t have to

“Re rule number five”

He sed and grinned atto people dressed as Santa when it’s not December because it’s not really hier portending to be Santa”

“The North Pole,” Beth corrected hi And that’s rule number seven”

I wrinkled hter “You are cranky today, Miss Wite-Out” I turned back to Luke “Rule nu with your mouth full”

He stuck his thuot it

“Back to you” I leaned across the island and tucked Beth’s soft hair behind her little ear “What’s the proble?”

She shrugged “What if I make a card for Aaron and he doesn’t make his for me?”

Aaron was this adorable kid a full head shorter thanand had done for the last year They were ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’

“I’m one hundred percent positive that Aaron will make his card for you, and it would be sad if he made a card for you and you didn’t for him He’d be really upset”

Beth stared atthis like it had world ie it kind of actually did “Okay Better feeling silly than hurting his feelings I s’pose”

And another reason I adored my kid

“Beth, you know you don’t have to make a Valentine’s Day card for anyone if you don’t want to, right?”