AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My children laugh and cheer, drawing a few interested looks from other people milling around the school grounds. As I watch other parents say goodbye to their children, a sudden sharp sadness pierces through my chest, and I reach for Kristof’s hand on reflex.
It hits me then how much I’m going to miss having them with me all day long. I don’t regret fighting for this because I know it will be good in the long run, but it’s a lot harder to say goodbye than I expected.
“Now, you’re going to be nice to the other children, aren’t you?” August says, setting both children down on the ground.
“Yes!”
“And you’ll be good for your teachers like you’re good for me?”
Two heads nod quickly.
“And you will look out for each other because family is important, okay?”
“Yes!” Tatiana smiles while Ivan groans and sticks his tongue out at his sister.
August laughs and ruffles their heads, then they turn and run back to Kristof and me.
We crouch to meet them, and I immediately pepper kisses all over both their faces.
“You’re going to do amazing, okay? We’ll be back in a few hours to pick you up,” I say, fighting the unexpected rush of warmth behind my eyes.
“And I want to hear everything about your day, okay?” Kristof says.
“Yes. Bye!” Tatiana presses a wet kiss to my cheek, then sprints away with her backpack clutched in one hand. I expect Ivan to follow, but he lingers next to me, clutching my bracelet.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
“I’m scared,” he whispers, and he turns his wide eyes up to me, making my heart ache a thousand times worse.
“Scared of what?”
“What if no one wants… wants to be my friend?”
Oh.
“Sweetie.” I stroke his hair and kiss his forehead. “Do you remember how we talked about sharing the things you like with new people?”
Ivan nods.
“And you practiced it with Daddy’s and my friends?”
Another nod.
“Then it’s just like that, but this time, when you tell someone your favorite cartoon, they’ll be watching it too. And you can talk about that until you’re comfortable talking about something else, okay?”
Ivan nods, kicking one foot against the ground. His eyes drift away from me to the other children filling the playground, and then, in a sudden rush, he kisses my cheek and sprints away.
His shyness melts away, and the smile I love so much spreads across his face when he reaches the gaggle of children his age.
“They’ll be amazing,” Kristof says, sliding his arm across my shoulders and pressing a tissue into my hand.
“I know,” I murmur, dabbing at my eyes. “I just will miss them so much, and?—”
I pause as a familiar stature catches my eye across the parking lot. The gardener stands with a broom in hand, absently sweeping the same spot over and over again while his handlebar mustache bobs up and down.
“Is that… Alexei?” I burst out laughing at the sight of him, and Kristof squeezes my shoulder affectionately.
“Don’t worry. He’ll keep an eye on things outside, and Andrev won’t let our kids out of his sight.”
