Climax King

Epilogue

"Ashy!" Elinor, my youngest daughter squeals as the front door latches shut. The sound of Moony fills the room as she races over to Ash.

I look from the kitchen and into the foyer to see Ash petting Moony while simultaneously holding onto Elli

I wipe my hands on a towel before walking into the foyer as well. "How was the drive?" I ask as Ash stands from the floor with Elli in his arms.

"Same as always. I left the cheesecake in the car, you want to go grab it, Elli?" He asks my five year old, making her nod her head vigorously before racing out the front door.

"You better go help her or we're all eating floor cheesecake and this isn't Friends," I say, shifting on my foot to make sure she got the door to his truck open.

Ash rolls his eyes at my lame reference before he walks out to help her.

"Ash is here!" I call up the stairs. Loud thudding footsteps come to follow and four more children race downstairs.

"Where, Mommy?" Jordan, our newest edition asks as he peers from the bottom of the stairs around the large foyer.

His answer was soon to follow as Elinor and Ash enter with a large rounded cheesecake.

Ash is immediately bombarded by the kids and Moony joined in soon after Matilda, Ginny, and Dallas' arms were flung around Ash's body.

I watch the group converse with a bright smile before the realization that dinner wasn't don yet hits me like a rock.

I enter the kitchen and smile at Orie who had a habit of entering through the back to refrain from being mauled by the kids. She was stirring the pasta thankfully, because I sure forget that existed. I hardly ever cooked, and when I did, it was for special occasions like today.

Each month we host a family dinner, inviting everyone we could. Of course it meant more food than normal, but that just played into the children's lunches. Therefore, it was a hell of a lot easier than waking up early and packing five lunches.

"You are a life saver, my love," I sigh, grabbing my glass of nearly finished wine.

You try dealing with five kids ages 5-10. It makes you want to cut off your own fingers and feed them to the weirdos on the black market.

"I know. Someone should wife me up already like damn," she dramatically says, just as Zack walks in from the foyer.

"Somebody has you bitch," he chuckles, kissing her cheek lovingly.

Orie and Zack have been happily married for two years now, and from Orie's clear baby fever, and the nights we spent in the living room discussing it, they were most definitely trying.

"Yeah well, you suck ass," she mumbles, placing the wooden spoon she'd been using beside the stove top.

"No. I suck-"

I immediately cut him off knowing my kids weren't too far away, "How about the weather? It's been a great August!" I exclaim, making them laugh at my horrid attempt of hanging the topic.

"Can we play outside, Mommy? Please, please?" Matilda asks, smiling brightly at me with pure hope.

I nod my head, making her bolt past the kitchen with the others and immediately out the kitchen door and into the backyard.

I open the window in front of the sink in order to hear them just Incase one of them gets hurt.

Ash groans tiredly as he passes as well and goes outside to play with them.

"Where's the husband?" Orie asks, popping in a peanut from the snacks we mostly laid out for the kids. If they got anything from me, it was their constant hunger.