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Slade handed off the remainder of gear to Wintergreen as they stepped into the manor's open entrance hall and let his senses take in the state of the house, seeking out his family by scent and sound and general feeling. Giggles and soft music from the kitchen pulled him in that direction and he gave his longtime friend a nod of parting as he headed off to find his youngest children and wife.
The smell of boiled sugar and artificial fruit flavor hit his senses as he got closer and he wondered what exactly Addie had cooked up. The love of his life tended to stick to more healthy fare when she cooked and by the time he actually reached the end of the hall, he was curious. The Billie Holiday CD Addie had playing over the kitchen stereo masked any sound he made as he entered the kitchen's threshold and he was treated to a brief moment of just getting to watch without being noticed.
Joey and Dick were perched on the stools of the bar with a variety of cookie cutters spread around them and trays of red and blue jello set in front of them. Joey pressed a dinosaur-shaped cutter into the red tray and Slade smirked as he watched Addie slowly pull the surrounding jello away from the cut shape. The jello dinosaur jiggled as she lifted it off the sheet and the boys giggled as they watched her transfer it to a waiting plate where a variety of other shapes were already spread out.
Her eyes flashed up and Slade saw a brief moment of fright spread across her features before recognition overwhelmed it and she smiled at him. The boys twisted to see what had caught her attention and Slade turned his attention to his children.
“Daddy!” and “Dad!” were simultaneous and Dick was first off his stool with Joey moving as soon as he realized his baby brother was. Slade knelt and caught them both before scooping them up. Dick got settled on his left arm and he took more liberty with Joey by wrapping his arm around the bigger boy's waist and letting him hang. They both giggled furiously and Joey twisted a little to look up at him through the fall of blond curls. His eyes sparkled and Slade chuckled at the seven-year-old as the boy dropped his eyes back to the tile.
“You scared me,” Addie told him as she walked over to him.
“It wasn't intentional,” Slade told her. His strength let him keep a secure hold on both children as he leaned forward to kiss her then he moved to settle Dick back on his barstool before hoisting Joey up and resettling him as well. “What are you making?” He asked as he looked between the boys for an answer.
“Jigglers!” Dick chirped. He lifted a red star off the plate and gave it a little shake to show Slade what he meant. Joey grinned as the star twisted and flexed and Addie walked back around the counter to resume her place as the five-year-old lay the star back down.
“It's your turn, Dick.” She reminded him. The dark-haired boy nodded and Slade gave both boys' hair a quick tousle before walking around the bar island to join Addie. He brushed back a loose lock of hair that had fallen out of her messy ponytail and kissed her neck quickly before moving to lean against the bar so he could watch as Dick pressed a giraffe-shaped cutter into the pan of blue jello. Addie leaned over the table to extract it and Slade watched in silence as the boys took turns picking out different shapes.
The trays were quickly reduced to the scraps that had been left between the cut-out pieces and Slade got a handful of bowls down from the cabinet when Addie asked him to. His wife divided up the misshapen pieces, mixing blue and red together, and saving a little for herself, then handed the bowls off to the boys. They chirped thank-yous before dropping down off their stools and disappearing with their bowls.
“You're giving them sugar before dinner?” Slade wrapped his arms around Addie's waist and kissed her ear. “Tsk, tsk. Woman, you're going soft on me.” He teased lightly. Addie leaned back against his chest and fished a sliver of blue jello out of her bowl with a bit of a smile on her face. Slade could see how the colored powder had stained her fingertips.
“They'll eat dinner or they won't get the bigger pieces, which is what they really want.”
“Blackmail, I like it.”
“You would.” Addie twisted in his hold and looped her arms around his neck. When she kissed him Slade could taste the residual sweetness of the jello in her mouth and deepened the kiss, searching for more of that elusive taste.
“I don't need to see that.” They broke apart to find Grant leaning in the open entranceway of the kitchen. “Joey said they were done.” He explained.
“Your tray is in the fridge. It should be firm enough to cut by now.” Addie stepped out of his hold as she spoke and moved the empty trays off the counter so there would be room for Grant to lay his tray out.
“You're growing like a weed kiddo,” Slade told his oldest as he pulled the boy into a hug. Grant had only recently turned nine but he was quite a bit bigger than both his brothers. Slade knew already that Grant was going to be built like him when he was older.
“Thanks, Dad.” The two of them pulled apart as Addie carried a tray of lime jello to the bar and in a moment of impulse Slade decided to lift the nine-year-old up into his seat. Grant gave him an annoyed look that was tinted with amusement and Slade slid onto the barstool beside him then pushed the pile of cutters close so Grant could pick through them. “Do you want to make some?” Grant asked. He spread the pile out with his hands and pulled out anything that was girly before setting them to the side. He did not want any of his jello cut into hearts or rainbows.
“Sure Kid.” Slade watched his son's hands as they moved over the cutters and took note of which ones seemed to be the boy's favorites before picking up an airplane and pressing it into the green sheet. Grant grinned in approval and picked up an elephant. They pushed different cutters into the pan without removing any of them and then passed the pan to Addie so she could remove the excess. There was far less waste that way and Grant ended up with several more shapes than Dick and Joey had been able to manage. Addie passed the bowl of scraps to Grant and gave his hand a quick tap when he tried to take one of the actual pieces.
“After dinner.” She warned. Grant's face twisted in a pout but he knew better than to argue with her and quickly disappeared from the kitchen so she could set to work on actual dinner preparations. Slade remained seated on the stool and propped his cheek on his hand as he watched her rinse the pans and put them in the dishwasher.
“Do you want me to cook so you can relax?”
“That would be wonderful.” She admitted.. She crossed the kitchen to the fridge and pulled the door open and Slade moved to wrap his arms around her from behind as they surveyed the selection. “Are you up for grilling?” She asked. Slade kissed her neck and nodded.
“Sure.” He noted that there were chicken breasts for the boys and some good-looking steaks that he, Wintergreen, and Addie would enjoy. “I'll worry about dinner and you can go do whatever you need to in the meantime.” He captured one of her hands and kissed the fingertips quickly, not caring that they were stained or that he would taste the artificial fruit flavor on them. “Then maybe we can send the brats to bed early.” He purred playfully. She melted against him and Slade kissed her neck again, a promise that there would be more later if she wanted it.
“I would like that.” She agreed, then she left him to cook and Slade noted the slight sway of her hips that promised that there would be more later.