“Munchkin, I swear to God, if you don’t stop I don’t know what I’ll do!” I shouted.

He stopped hitting the tennis ball against the wall, but moved on to entertain himself with the kiddie guitar he got from Michael last Christmas.

“Patrick! Your sister is sleeping! If you don’t want to sleep, that doesn’t mean others don’t need it!”

“She sleeps too much. She’s no fun.”

“Yeah, you did it too when you were thirteen months old. Now play quietly and let me work.”

He scoffed, shuffling out of the living room.

I turned my whole attention to the laptop, checking my emails and responding to my faithful clients, sending new appointments to my teams, and asking Cynthia the usual about my employees’ behavior without me being there. She was my number one spy.

From: Cynthia Morrison
To: Brian Kinney
Date: July 10, 2010 12:02
Subject: Hectic

It’s crazy in here today.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I MISS YOU!!!!

Ted and I aren’t that scary.

You’re the only one who can keep the herd under control.

Yours truly,

Cynthia Morrison
PA to Brian Kinney, CEO Kinnetik Inc.

From: Brian Kinney
To: Cynthia Morrison
Date: July 10th, 2010 12:05
Subject: RE: Hectic

What the fuck happened?

Aren’t the storyboards done yet? I hope no one changed my idea for the smartphone commercial or I’d rip them a new one!!!

You can be scary when you want. I can’t say the same about Theodore.

Let me know if the idiots I call employees need a video conference, you know, as a reminder of who’s the boss. And that I’m still lurking around, even though I’m not there.

Brian

A crash from the kitchen pulled me from the couch.

I’d had it with him!

I’d be surprised if the day didn’t end in tears.

Munchkin eyed me warily, backing away from the broken glass, chewing on his lower lip.

“What the fuck is wrong with you,” I snapped.

“I wanted some water.”

“And couldn’t you ask me?” My eyes landed on the chair pulled below the top cupboard and its open doors, then to the broken glass again. “No way! You didn’t!”

“I was thirsty.” He stomped his foot, but cowered in the corner of the kitchen. At least, he knew it was bad what he’d done.

“Do you want to fall down and break something?”

“I nearly did…but eventually only the glass got broken. I caught on the edge of the sink.” He beamed.

My heart jumped in my throat and I forgot about being mad at him. “You fall? Fuck, Munchkin.”

“Not really. I told you, I caught myself,” he argued weakly.

I could see his arm red. “Are you hurt?”

He shook his head, but his lower lip trembled.

“Come here. Let me see.” I crouched and opened my arms. He rushed to me in a nanosecond, and I cuddled him close. As much as he drove me nuts, I couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. Especially when he endangered his own life.

“Ow,” he mumbled when I pressed my fingers to his elbow.

“Christ. You’re going to put me into an early grave. What’s wrong with you, kid? Seriously. Ever since Justin went to New York to talk to his client, you seem to be possessed.”

“I miss Dada.”

“Well, I miss him too, but you don’t see me going berserk.” A loud wail made me cringe. “Shit. Peanut’s awake.” I steered him to the living room with a fresh glass of water. “Stay put and try not to break anything else in the meantime.”

I found Peanut crying and screaming at the top of her little lungs, limbs flailing. “Shh. I’m here.” I picked her up gently, bouncing her a little. She relaxed instantly.

It still freaked me, the connection we had. Whenever she was in my arms, she was the perfect angel, but I couldn’t say the same when anyone else held her. I was close to Munchkin too, but Peanut was a whole different story.

Justin joked there was a paranormal connection between Peanut and me. I had no idea how to explain it. We were complete when we were together. I was the only one she listened to, the only one she accepted to be fed by; she usually cried ugly tears whenever Justin attempted to feed her or change her diaper. He took it like a trooper, but I could tell it hurt him our baby rejected him.

“Daddy, phone.” Munchkin appeared from behind me, holding my ringing cell phone.

“Thanks, kiddo.” I accepted the call, placing the phone between my shoulder and ear, while busing myself with Peanut’s diaper. “Theodore! What’s up?” I asked when the call connected.

“I.R.S.”

“Sorry? What the fuck do they want?”

He chuckled. “It means: Irreconcilable Rare Stupidity. It’s a new term Cyn and I came up with.”

“Who does it apply?”

“Everyone?”

“You included?” I laughed, before sighing. “Maybe I should have listened to Justin and put my picture on every wall in Kinnetik.”

“They’d have probably thrown darts at it. The winner would be the one who got the arrow between your eyes.”

“Funny,” I muttered, finishing with Ruby. “So where’s the fire?”

“You need to come over. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”

“You do know I’m alone with the kids, right? Justin’s in New York with his client until Saturday in the very least. That’s two days away.”

“I know, Bri. But it’s beyond me to keep everything under control. I’m not cut out to be a leader.”

“Fuck, Theodore.” I gritted my teeth. “Go, get dressed. And don’t take forever!” I ordered to Munchkin. “We’ll be there as fast as humanly possible.”

I hung up before he could say anything else.

I had Peanut dressed in ten minutes flat, then got myself dressed in less than five minutes, which was the fastest I’d ever gotten ready to go out, before I went to Munchkin’s room, ready to shout at him. Surprisingly, he wasn’t there. I found him downstairs, dressed and with his shoes on.

“Less than half an hour for us to be ready to leave the house? It’s a new personal Kinney record. High five, Munchkin.”

He beamed, slapping his little palm to mine.

The last leg of the car ride was filled by Ruby’s loud wails after Patrick poked her for the kicks of it.

The second we were parked in front of Kinnetik, I picked up Peanut, shushing her, draped her bag over my shoulder, before ushering Munchkin toward the door.

“Why would you do that?” I demanded, shouldering the front door open.

“She was too quiet.” He shrugged.

“And now she won’t stop crying,” I hissed, bouncing her in hopes to get her to settle.

As we strolled to my office, everyone gawked at our show, and a few brave ones offered to help with Peanut. I appreciated the thought and would remember it on pay day. They’d get a raise.

“Come on, Peanut. Stop crying. Your brother didn’t mean it.”

“Like she understands,” he mumbled.

“She does. Don’t you?” I lifted her above my head, before cuddling her close to my chest and kissing her head.

“Da-da.”

“Yes. It’s okay. Tell her you’re sorry,” I told Patrick sternly, opening the door of my office.

“Why should I apologize? She’s too sen…sense…siable.”

“Sensible. Sensitive, even.” I rolled my eyes. He was too cute when he tried using words he could barely pronounce. “You wouldn’t like it if I poked you out of nowhere, either. Oh, hey Theodore,” I greeted, noticing him on the couch.

He eyed me curiously for a few seconds, before standing. “I’m really sorry for dragging you here when you’re clearly busy.”

“It’s okay. Now, what exactly happened?” I slumped in my chair, rubbing Peanut’s back. She was merely sniffing by now, but the storm wasn’t over.

“Is she all right?” Ted nodded to Peanut.

“Why don’t you ask that little devil behind you?” I pointed to Munchkin, who was currently inspecting the fruits on the table.

Ted gave me a sympathetic look, which I hated. I didn’t need his pity.

“How about you bring me the head of each department in the meeting room? Five minutes.”

“Sure thing.” He left in a hurry.

“Did you think that she might be hungry?” Munchkin suggested. “Dada is right. You blame other people a lot.”

I snorted, but the kid had a point. “Hmm, you might be onto something. She didn’t eat much before her nap.”

“See?” He eyeballed me.

“Since when do you talk to me like that?”

“Dada does it all the time. It’s not like you listen to him anyway.”

“Munchkin!” I gasped. He was too smart for his own good. “Why don’t you bring me a banana? You can take one for yourself, or whatever else you want.”

After the first bite, Ruby took the banana from my hand, eating on her own.

“See? She was really hungry. Stop blaming me, Daddy. You forgot to feed her, and me, for that matter.”

That smart mouth of his would get him in trouble one day, but I didn’t expect any less from a combination between Justin and me. Munchkin couldn’t be a saint.

“I just told you to grab something to eat, as well. And careful with how you talk to me. You shouldn’t repeat everything you hear Justin say. For a WASP he has politeness issues.”

“I’m so going to tell Dada you forgot to feed us.”

“I’m so going to tell dada you fucked with his paint tubes again,” I retorted, not knowing better than to argue with a six year old.

Munchkin put his little hands on his hips. “I’m going to tell Dada how much you cursed! So far, I reached thirty.”

Why, oh why, did he have to ace math all of a sudden?

Not one to back down, or not have the last word in an argument, I stood, narrowing my eyes. “I’m going to tell Justin what a troublemaker you’ve been! He won’t make any more goodies for you.” It was a low blow, especially said to a child.

And I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth; more so when Munchkin promptly burst in tears, throwing himself on the floor. Going into a full-blown tantrum, complete with wailing and lying on the floor and kicking his legs was a Taylor trademark gesture. Jennifer had told me not that long ago that Justin used to do the same when he didn’t get his way. I believed her, because I could still clearly remember the seventeen year old brat I picked from under the lamppost.

“For fuck’s sake!”

“Thirty-one,” he hiccupped.

I gripped my hair with one hand and with the other, I hit Cynthia’s intercom button. “Get in here. Now!”

“Stop crying. I won’t tell Justin anything, if you don’t. I’ll buy you a Happy Meal on the way home,” I compromised.

“You can’t buy me with unhealthy food.”

Christ. This kid is going to be the death of me. “Munchkin, stop crying. You’ll make yourself sick.”

Cynthia stepped into my office as I was on my way to the little drama princess. I deposited Peanut in her arms, hoping like hell she wouldn’t burst into tears, before I crouched to Patrick’s side.

“Are you done crying?”

“I hate you!”

“Of course you do.” I rolled my eyes. “How about we drop by Debbie’s after I’m done?” I propositioned.

He picked his head up from the floor, staring at me with wet blue eyes. “How soon?”

“Half an hour, tops.”

“I’ll count.”

“I’d be worried if you didn’t. Can you deal with them?” I glanced at Cynthia who seemed frozen in place. “Cyn?”

“Yeah. I can do it.”

“I’m right through that door if you need anything,” I told Munchkin. “But be good for Cynthia. I promise to fix whatever the problem it is soon, then we can leave.”

“Just go already,” he mumbled, rolling around on the floor, lying spread-eagle and staring at the ceiling, tears rolling from his eyes.

“You should try for an acting career when you grow up,” I muttered, strolling to the conference room.