4. Hyacinth

Chapter Four

HYACINTH

I had failed everyone today.

My youngest two had missed having naps and dinner, Azalea had gotten away with watching television all evening and poor Marco had been left to try to figure everything out on his own.

He had even told me that he hadn't watched kids of such a young age before, but I'd still left him to fend for himself.

Guilt stirred inside me.

It was still early and yet he was locked up in his room, looking tired and worn. If I hadn't been so tired myself, perhaps I would have thought to disperse some relaxation into his room so that he could get a good night's sleep.

Sighing, I went to the kitchen, finding a plate of food saran wrapped in the fridge with some left overs in a container.

It looked interesting. Some sort of stew or curry. Whatever it was, my mouth started to water at the smell while it was heating up.

The taste lived up to my expectations once I took the first bite.

I had to hold back a moan as my eyes drifted shut.

Wow. Perhaps I was wrong about earth's food. Perhaps I was just eating the wrong things.

Surely if Marco could cook a meal so filled with flavor, he wasn't the only one. That must mean there were others who enjoyed an abundance of taste the way that my people did.

It wasn't anything like papilionoidean food, but it was filled with warmth, spice that infused each mouthful and filled my body with warmth.

When I was done, I felt full and sleepy and relaxed, my mood lifted.

Despite the early hour, I ended up going to bed as well. Normally, this would be the time I pulled up the Alien Mates app and tried to find someone worth talking to, but I didn't even think of it tonight.

Instead, I picked up the book long forgotten on my night stand and started reading it over again.

I couldn't pay attention to the words for more than a chapter though, my thoughts preoccupied by the man in the room next to mine.

Setting the book down and switching off the night light, I laid back onto my pillows, subconsciously looking at the wall between us. The house was silent. He was probably already asleep... I just hoped he would be happy here.

Tomorrow, I will make things right , I silently promised.

I woke up from a deep sleep to an abundance of light in the room, which was strange and disorienting. I always woke up early, while it was still dark, so for a moment, I thought I was somewhere else entirely.

It took me far too long to realize that I had slept in.

Shaking myself, I crawled from bed, went to my washroom and quickly showered before hastily getting dressed as sounds echoed up the stairs.

I followed them down to the kitchen, where to my surprise, everyone was already up. Aster and Iris were in their chairs, eating breakfast. Well, Iris was eating it. Aster appeared to be playing with it. Azalea was sitting at the island. Marco was on the other side, holding a piece of paper and reading to her.

"Two times five," he said.

"Ten," she answered.

"Good. Two times six."

Azalea paused long enough to count.

"Twelve!"

"Great! You've got this!"

She beamed—a complete turnaround from yesterday, I thought—and then finally, Marco glanced over and noticed I was standing there.

"Oh, good morning," he said, smiling shyly. His eyes flickered over me but he quickly looked away, turning to the stove. "Want some breakfast?"

"Sure," I said, entering. "What's going on? Do you have a test?"

"Yes, I forgot to study!" Azalea pouted.

"That's because you were watching TV all night," I chastised, coming up behind her to place a kiss on top of her head.

Marco glanced back at us, biting back a smile.

"She was in a panic until I said I would help her," he said, turning around with a plate laden with breakfast food.

He set it in front of me and I took it to sit down next to the other two so I could give them some attention too.

"Come sit and eat with us?" I asked.

Marco paused, looking surprised and shook his head.

"I actually ate already," he said, blushing. "The little ones woke up early, they were hungry."

He looked genuinely embarrassed, clearly taking responsibility for that even though the blame surely fell upon me.

"You should have woken me," I said. "I was home."

He shook his head at once.

"That's what I'm here for, right?"

"I suppose so..."

It was true, yes, but I still felt strange about it. I didn't want to completely stop parenting. I did need help though. That was part of why I had been looking for a nanny and a significant other. Not that I wanted a partner just so that they would watch the kids, but because it felt like my family was incomplete. I was ready to have someone to love in a different way.

Biting my tongue, I turned to my breakfast which was tasty, but plain, exactly what I'd come to know of human food. Eggs, toast, butter.

"What was that curry you made last night?" I asked.

"It was just something I threw together. Indian-ish, I guess. Why? Did you like it?" Marco asked at once.

"It was amazing," I told him sincerely. "I hope there are leftovers."

"Can I have some for lunch?" Azalea added and Marco beamed.

"Of course!"

He went to work, packing her lunch bag while I helped Aster get some food into his mouth.

"We played puppies," Iris informed me. "Marco was daddy puppy."

I grinned at the image of the three of them crawling around the playroom and shook my head.

"Then who am I supposed to be?" I teased.

"Other daddy," Iris said easily and my heart warmed at the thought.

I glanced over at Marco. He didn't acknowledge us but his ears were adorably pink so I knew he had heard. I wondered what he thought of that idea...

If only I had arranged for a date instead of a nanny. But at the time, getting home help had seemed more pressing than finding a partner. Now that Marco was in my house though, he was stirring unavoidable feelings and it had only been one day.

"What time is Azalea's car arriving?" Marco asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I'll walk her there today," I said, glancing at the time.

Azalea groaned.

"I don't want to walk."

"Sorry Hun, you need the fresh air, and it's a beautiful day."

The morning was in fact a little bit chilly, but once we got moving, we both warmed up.

It was a nice day, but truthfully, I had wanted to speak with Azalea alone and driving wouldn't allow us enough time.

Glancing down at her little blue form as she held on to her backpack and skipped over the sidewalk cracks pulled my heartstrings. She was so sweet, but I knew that this transition to a whole new planet had been very hard for her.

Reaching out, I placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a half-hug while we walked.

"How do you like Marco?" I asked.

She paused and didn't look up and then shrugged, not answering.

"At first I thought you didn't like him, but then you were being nice this morning."

She sighed dramatically.

"I didn't not like him," she insisted. "I just... Is he going to leave like Justine did?"

I frowned, realizing the issue at once.

"Do you miss Justine?"

"I liked her and she just left."

"It was only meant to be a temporary job for her for the summer, but that doesn't mean she didn't like you. She loved you three and promised to visit when she's on break."

"I know," Azalea said quietly.

I didn't know how to keep the conversation going. Clearly she was worried about getting attached. I understood that. We had left everyone she knew back home just over a year ago and then her second most constant person had left and a new guy had moved in like it was nothing.

"Marco was nice today," she said. "He helped me with my homework."

"He's a nice guy," I said, relieved that she had gone on. "You can still miss Justine, of course, and Marco might not stay forever, but let's just see what happens..."

She nodded, sniffling and swiping at her eyes just as we reached her school grounds.

"Come here," I said, crouching down and pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, daddy," she mumbled, her small arms tight around my neck.

When she finally released me, it was because one of her friends shouted her name.

"Okay bye!" she shouted and skipped off excitedly.

I stood, shaking my head and watching her go for a minute.

This parenting journey was filled with so many ups and downs. I had wanted them desperately, the cuddles and the sweet little faces. I had wanted to have this family, that was why I had fertilized those eggs and I didn't regret it in the least. They were my pride. But goodness was it overwhelming at times.

I hoped I was doing the right things for them...