Always Us

mini me pt. ii

"This a different dude than the one she was dancing with."

Olivia nodded, offering Savannah a raspberry before popping one into her own mouth.

Spencer narrowed his gaze at the plate he was scrubbing in the sink. "And she likes this one?"

"I said they were paired together on a project."

"Hm." Spencer kept quiet while he finished the rest of the dishes. Wiping his hands dry on a towel, he leaned back against the counter and looked at his wife, who sat at the island, sharing a cheese board with their two youngest daughters.

"No! Like dis, mama." Savannah smushed a raspberry onto a slice of cheese then topped it with a cracker.

Olivia cocked her head at the toddler, her eyes darting across the kitchen at her husband. "Where did she learn that?"

Spencer crossed his arms, holding her gaze. "We were paired together in school."

Gianna's voice cut through their eye contact. "Sabie, I'll trade you one of my raspberries for three of yours."

"That's not a fair trade, GiGi," Olivia sighed, turning back to her girls, "don't do it, Sav."

Wide brown eyes whipped up to look at her. "Why, mama?"

"Because she's trying to take advantage of you, baby girl," Olivia explained, brushing the stray curls away from her youngest's eyes.

"No I wasn't!"

"You were, GiGi," Spencer cut in. "Now how about you go take that shower your mom asked you to take before dinner."

Gianna let out a humph but slid off her stool anyways.

"Little scam artist," Olivia snickered once it was only the three of them in the kitchen.

Spencer shook his head, his eyes full of amusement. "She learned from the best."

"Excuse me?"

"I've been executing unfair trades with you for over twenty years," he smirked.

"Okay, but I always made them worth it for you." Olivia looked down to check that Savannah was still caught up in stacking raspberries. "With sex." She shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."

"Yeah, yeah. But back to the important matter here—"

"Spencer, they're working on a school project! Let the girl live. She's inside our house. She's safe." Already moving on, Olivia shoved the mini charcuterie board towards the sink and pulled Savannah onto her hip. "Your daughter needs a bath."

Spencer assessed the pink stains on Savannah's white shirt and pushed away from the counter. He came around the island, took Savannah, and gripped onto his wife's hip with his free hand. "Liv, I'm gonna be honest. I'm drowning here. That's my little girl in there, and I don't know how to navigate this."

"I can tell," she laughed, sliding her arms over his shoulders. "But she's sixteen. There's going to be boys now."

Chuckling to himself, Spencer leaned forward and took her bottom lip between his, momentarily knocking the wind out of her. "I was sixteen once," he murmured, pulling away.

"She'll be fine," Olivia mumbled, fingers gripping onto the counter, her voice slightly less convinced. "She's a smart girl."

"But for real, Liv." He winked. "I'm following your lead."

"Mhm."

"Bath time, baby girl?"

"No!"

"Too bad," Spencer growled, his fingers digging into tiny crevices that pulled high-pitched squeals from their baby. "Tell mommy, it's bath time."