Always Us

not toys

"This one is mine," Sienna snarled.

"I was here first!" Jackson yelled, yanking back.

"I'm older!"

"She likes me better!"

The star of her two older siblings' argument, a ten month-old Gianna giggled gleefully. Caleb, on the other hand, crawled as fast as his tiny limbs could manage towards the playroom door.

"No she doesn't!" Sienna screamed.

Changing his war tactics, Jackson dropped the chubby feet he had been grasping and swiped his tongue up Sienna's arm. A hysterical shriek rang through the entire house.

A shriek that was cut short the second she saw her mother, eyes ablaze, standing in the doorway with her second tea party participant on her hip.

_____

On the other side of the property, his zen playlist played from the outdoor speakers as Spencer calmly enjoyed his morning tending to his vegetable garden. He had gotten a glimpse of the neighbor's sorry-looking patch and was proud to say there was no competition. His family only ate the best of the best.

He swiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes assessing the readiness of his prized zucchinis. Perhaps one more day. Then he would harvest them. For now, he moved onto the herbs for tonight's dinner.

He was mid plucking thyme when his wife's yelling wiped all thoughts of horticulture from his mind.

He rushed inside, panicked at the sight of his wife fuming as she paced around the kitchen with both babies on her hips. "Hey baby, what's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do with them," she replied, exasperated. Unable to throw her hands up, she dropped her head back.

Spencer slowed, cautiously watching the babies as he inched around the island. When he got close enough, he reached to safely remove his youngest kids from their mother's grasp. Though neither seemed to mind, her grip was unnaturally tight on their thighs.

"No, not them." She pulled them closer to her body, offended.

"Oh." His eyes darted between Gianna and Caleb as they clung to their mother's neck. They were still in that phase where their mother was everything to them. Though Spencer felt confident that he was breaking through to at least one of them.

"The other two," Olivia sighed.

"Oh," Spencer repeated, his mind piecing together what had most likely transpired in the house.

Now that the twins were older, they had developed minimal interest in their age appropriate toys. Instead, their eyes followed Sienna and Jackson's every move, desperate for the day they could join in on the shenanigans. It didn't help that Sienna and Jackson saw the babies as excellent pawns for their games. And while the idea of one's children entertaining themselves would make most parents jump for joy, Spencer and Olivia had one problem—Jackson and Sienna never wanted to play together.

"We can talk to them again," Spencer tried, but Olivia just shook her head.

You can talk to them again were the last words Spencer heard before his wife stormed out of the kitchen. Babies and all.

_____

Walking towards the playroom, Spencer put on his best serious face. Usually, he and his wife did their best to not yell at their kids as a way of modeling healthy emotional regulation. But after seeing his wife's frustration, he knew the kids were driving Olivia to her wits' end. Sternness was the way to go in this situation.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his resolve dropped the second Sienna caught sight of him and scrambled over. "We were just playing, daddy," she pleaded, her eyes blinking innocently.