Lustrous

Epilogue: Just One of Those Days

I opened the door to mayhem.

Quick run before they see you! My inner self screamed at me as she already made a beeline for the front door.

I was seconds away from taking her advice, turning on my heel ever so slightly and facing the door before...

"Mummy?"

I turned at the small, innocent little voice that had caught me red handed. Damn it. I cursed under my breath and turned back to find the little figure looking up at me with a pouty face and wide, slightly glossy eyes.

Oh dear god he's gonna cry! Why did I ever let you have one of these things?

I pushed my inner self back down into the soulless pit I now keep her in and turned my attention to my son.

"Hey baby," I held out my arms and he quickly ran into them, wrapping his small arms around me and threading his little fingers into my hair - like he always did when something was wrong. "How was your day?"

"Hmm." He murmured and readjusted his teddy in his hand.

Riley was barley three, small for his age and so quite I hardly hear a peep out of him. He only speaks when he needs to and prefers draw how he feels rather than tell me. Despite his personality, Riley was the spitting image of Anthony - Golden eyes bright and fierce with the same dark brown hair that was only growing darker with age. His cute little cheeks held two dimples either side on the rare occasion he smiled.

I hugged my little boy, noting his want for attention. It seems he's gone without today and by the sounds coming from the kitchen I knew why.

"Hudson in trouble again?" I asked him as I kissed his little head. Hudson was our oldest and dear god he was trouble. He was like a little hurricane that ripped through our lives on a daily basis. Anthony and I both admitted that if we had of waited until Hudson was a little older and saw what we were in for as parents, we probably never would have gone back and had another two. He had his father's bone structure and dark hair, but his eyes were a few shades darker than mine, a deep brown that often looked black during his tantrums. He was our devil child.

"Daddy said he's in big trouble." Riley muttered into my shoulder. I took a deep breath and gently threw down my bag and kicked off my heels, my feet aching from a long days work.

I took a deep breath and entered the kitchen. Flour and crumps littered the bench top and floor. Anthony stood, his arms crossed glaring at our oldest child while he glared right back. It was battle of wills and had been since the moment he turned two. You'd think for a six year old he would be less inclined to challenge his parents but he did it on a daily basis. I shook my head and turned to face the little face in the corner.

Our youngest and only daughter sat in a playpen in the corner, smiling like a little ray of sunshine as she kept putting her toys in her mouth. I kneeled down beside the cot and faced Riley. "Can you watch Alex for a minute?"

His pout deepened a little as he let go and stood before me. His little head turned to his baby sister and he gave her a warning glare. "Okay, but if she pulls my hair I going to hit her." He spoke as he opened the gate to the play pen and sat down in the corner, arms crossed and staring at his little sister as she crawled over to him. I watched them for a moment, waiting to see their reactions. Alex, her hair much lighter than her brothers was tinted red and her eyes were a light brown with small green flecks that reminded me of my mothers. She moved to sit on Riley's lap and found herself easily entertained by playing with his shoes laces. Riley looked bored and disinterested but he sat there quietly letting his little sister busy herself.

With my two babies busy, I turned my attention to the hurricane. "Hudson." I spoke firm and stern, raising my voice ever so slightly.

He shot one last glare at his father and turned to face me. He eyes still hard and as dark as a winter storm. "Don't you glare at me." I scolded him and walked in between father and son. Kneeling down in front of Hudson, I grabbed his hands softly even though he tried to pull away. His eyes dropped and he didn't once look me in the eyes. He only seemed to look me in the eyes when he was glaring at me. "You want to talk?"