'Tinnn!'
The oven's timer beeped. I picked up the tv remote and quickly paused the movie I had switched on minutes ago. I made my way to the kitchen, slid on the oven mitt and brought out the Apple pie; 'Tia's favorite'.
The sweet, buttery aroma filled the air and I smiled sheepishly. Moments like this reminded me of why I tried so hard. I loved my wife, I love her so much it hurt. There was a time when her laughter was so sweet, effortless and contagious. She was carefree, life was simple, perfect and wonderful.
But I knew she hadn't been very happy for some time, and I knew it was my fault. I couldn't give her what she wanted the most, but I was determined to make up for it in every other aspect.
I set the pan of Apple pie aside on the counter, pulled the plates I had earlier dropped on the counter closer to myself. I turned to pick up some table forks when my phone buzzed. It was an official email from Ms Gomez's company.
I rushed to read the content, my eyes scanned the message and my heart leapt.
'Yes!' I screamed loudly, pumping my fist in the air. I even spun around and did some sloppy Michael Jackson moves, grinning like a fool.
I only stopped after I heard the familiar sound of tires crunching the driveway. Tia's car. I peeped through the window and saw the kids and her getting out of the car.
Moments later, the front door flung open.
'Daddy!' My daughter, Mollie shouted. Her voice rang out, high-pitched with excitement.
She bolted toward me and I scooped her into my arms, just as Finley came charging behind me. He leapt on me and we landed on the floor together, laughing so hard I could barely catch my breath.
Tia walked in after, carrying the kids' schoolbags. She paused at the sight of us on the floor and let out a soft smile.
'Something smells good.' She said as she walked towards the dining table. Dropped the bags onto the chair and headed towards the kitchen.
She reached out for the pie with one finger and I panicked. 'Don't!'
She rolled her eyes in playfully, still smiling, then walked towards me.
I struggled to get back up, Mollie and Finley still clinging to me. 'Did you add blueberries?' She asked. Her face was glowing, looking really soft and cute.
'Yes ma'am, just for you. I added blueberries.' I responded with a tease. 'Now go wash your hands before you ruin my masterpiece.'
She giggled, gave a heartwarming smile and dashed upstairs.
'I'll be right back down,' she screamed, her voice fading as she hurried up the stairs. 'Just let me take a quick shower.'
I watched her disappear, my kids tugging at my arms. For a brief second, everything felt right again. Almost perfect.
'You're home early today.' Finley commented. His voice, sharp yet soft at the same time.
'Yes, young master. Daddy had very little work to do at the office today.' I replied, putting on my best Alfred impression from his favorite cartoon.
Finley and Mollie burst into a contagious laughter, their giggles bouncing off the walls.
'We have a new art teacher.' Mollie chimed in, excitement twinkled in her eyes. 'And his drawings are super cool.'
She ran to grab her bag from the chair and pulled out a sketchbook from it. She flipped the page open and showed me a drawing.
'Wowww! This is sooo cool.' I said, exaggerating my awe but she grinned wider.
'His name is Mr Cruz and he's so huge.' She stretched out her little arms out wide. Her tiny hands tried to capture just how tall and broad this man must have been, and I couldn't help but chuckle at her seriousness.
At that moment, Tia walked down the stairs, putting on a gold slip dress that hugged her body, her damp hair framing her face. I watched her in admiration as she made her way down the stairs.
'Let's eat!' She announced with playful enthusiasm and excitement, throwing her hands in the air.
She set the table, while I returned to the kitchen for the pie. But before I could even pick it up, my phone buzzed.
'Who's Ms Gomez? And what news is she talking about?' I looked ahead, Tia staring at me with confusion.
'Ohh! I was going to mention.' I responded quickly. I picked up the pie and walked carefully to the dining room. 'I applied to be the sole supplier of cement for that new project along crane wood, and I got the contract. Ms Gomez is overseeing it and just wanted to confirm I'd received an email.'
Tia stared at me still with confusion and now with anger. When she finally spoke, she questioned, 'when did all these happen Kayden? and you never mentioned a word?'
'I was waiting for it to click before I told you.' I said in my defense. 'I didn't want you to get worked up over nothing, just in case it didn't pull through.'
'Really?' Her voice rose with frustration. 'So now we wait for things to 'click' before we talk about them?' 'If I had seen this message, you probably wouldn't have mentioned anything about it.' She spurted.
The kids sat in silence, they looked sad and almost teary.
I tried to calm Tia down, 'babe, it's not like that. Let's eat first, we'll talk about this after.'
But she dropped my phone on the table with a loud thud and walked away in anger.
I swallowed hard. 'It's okay.. Mom and dad are fine.' I said to the kids as I picked up their plates, served them a piece of the pie each and went after Tia.