Kissing in Kansas (5 page)

And there it is.  That's why I'm here. 
"My work will still need to be done on East coast time.  I'll start work around eight in the morning and be done by four.  I won't need a lunch break.  I can walk them over at 7:45 every morning, and pick them up at 4:15.  That'll give me time before and after to get everything in order."  She'd feel like she was working less hours this way, but really it would be the same.  There just wouldn't be an hour commute on the subway or a break for lunch.

"That sounds good.  If you ever need to work late, just let me know.  It would be my pleasure to keep the girls any time."

"Thank you!" Samara told her.  "I guess I'll see you in the morning with the girls."

"I'll look forward to it."

They left, going back to the house.  "What do you girls think we should have for supper?" she asked.

"For supper?" one of them asked.  "I want pizza."

Henry laughed.  "You always want pizza, Avy."

"I want tacos!" Abby said.

"And you always want tacos!  Maybe Aunt Sami can make something new that we'll all like."

Samara smiled.  "Maybe I can!"

As soon as they got home, Samara looked at Henry, taking one of the girls from him.  "This one is Avy, right?"

He nodded.  "Yeah, I've still got Abby."

Samara carried Avy up the stairs and into her bedroom.  "I think we should put some nail polish on you.  Would you like that?"  She rarely painted her nails, but a friend had given her a bunch of polish for her last birthday, so she had a lot of colors to choose from. 

Avy nodded.  "My mommy used to polish my nails."

"Well, we can polish them any time you'd like.  How about purple?"

"Purple is a nice color."

"I think so too."  Samara went to her suitcase and dug through her nail polish, finding a purple quickly.  She couldn't continually mess up on which girl was which.  She was afraid she'd lose their respect quickly if that happened.

Ten minutes later, Avy ran down the stairs, showing off her pretty purple nail polish. 

Samara wasn't surprised when Abby came into the room, holding out her hands.  She hurried into the bathroom and came back with blue polish.  "This will match your eyes!"

Abby looked at the polish, seeming to consider it for a moment.  "I like it!"

Once she'd polished Abby's fingers, she was sure she could tell them apart for a while.  Thank God.

*****

They had a movie night that evening, watching Samara's favorite children's movie, Beauty and the Beast.  "I'm going to marry Beast someday," she told the girls in a whisper.

"But you're married to Uncle Henry!" Avy protested.

"Oh yeah.  I forgot!" Samara said with a wink toward Henry.

"I can be a beast if you need me to, Samara.  I can keep you from reading and yell at you a lot."

"Try it!"

The girls giggled. "Uncle Henry never yells," Abby announced.  "He's too nice."

"Oh really?  That's just 'cuz I haven't been around yet.  I bet I can make him yell a lot."

"You can?  How?  Are you going to try to make him mad?" Avy asked.

Samara shook her head.  "No, I have a feeling that it's just something I'm going to be really good at."

"Why?" Abby asked.

Samara thought really hard about the question.  "Because we're married, and we don't know each other very well yet.  As we get to know each other, we'll have some troubles."

Avy shook her head.  "Not with Uncle Henry.  He doesn't yell."

Samara leaned down and kissed the little girl on the forehead.  "We'll see."

"We will?" Abby asked

"Or we'll all hear at least." Samara grinned.  The movie had just finished, and she looked at the clock.  "It's time for baths."

"Baths?" Abby asked.  "Uncle Henry makes us take baths on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  What day is it?"

Samara sighed.  "Well, it's not Tuesday or Saturday, but I think little girls should take baths every day."

"Every day?" Avy asked.  "Our skin will dry up and fall off.  That's why we only take them two days.  Mama made us take them every day too, but Uncle Henry said he got us just in time to save our skin!"

Samara looked at Henry.  "Really?"  Looking back at the sweet girls, she said, "Bathing every day does not make your skin fall off.  I'll only wash your hair on Saturdays and Tuesdays, but you need to bathe every day.  I think your uncle just didn't want to have to give you baths every day."

Abby looked at Henry, her eyes wide. "Did you lie to us, Uncle Henry?"

Henry looked embarrassed.  "Well, now I wouldn't call it a lie.  It was just—a different version of truth."

Avy shook her head at Henry.  "You did lie to us.  How can we ever trust you again?  I'm so disappointed."  Avy got down off the couch and took Samara's hand.  "Can we take a bath together in Uncle Henry's big bathtub please?"

Samara nodded.  "Of course, you can.  Do you want bubble bath?"

Abby squealed excitedly.  "Bubbles!"  She ran for the stairs, Avy at her heels. 

As soon as the girls were out of earshot, Samara rolled her eyes at Henry.  "Their skin would fall off if they bathed every day?  Really?"

"I'd have told them I lied before they were old enough to start stinking!"

"That doesn't make it any better.  Unbelievable."  She hurried up the stairs to find the girls sitting on the floor in her bathroom totally naked.  She started the water.  "Did you get a bath last night?"

The twins nodded in unison.  "Yes, ma'am.  Anytime we have to stay the night, Grandma Betty gives us a bath," Avy answered.

"Did she start watching you when you moved in with your uncle? Or did you know her before?"  Samara added bubble bath to the tub while the water ran. 

Abby shrugged.  "We've always known her.  Since we were teeny tiny babies.  She knew our mommy."

"Okay, I'm glad you've always known her.  She seems to really love you girls."

Avy nodded.  "Of course, she does.  We're lovable."

Samara laughed.  "You sure are!"  She picked up Avy and put her in the tub and then Abby.  "Do you have boats?" she asked, looking around the bathroom for toys.

They shook their heads.  "No boats at all.  We used to, but Uncle Henry threw them all in the garbage," Avy said.

"He did?"  Samara frowned.  "Rubber duckies?"

"We don't have any bath toys at all.  It's so hard to have fun in the tub without them.  We used to have a little orange fish that squirted water out its mouth.  I liked to squirt it at Avy."

"That does sound like a lot of fun!" Samara told them.  Why was Henry against bath toys?  The girls would have more fun in the tub with toys.  She gave them each a washcloth.  "Scrub your sister's back for me."

She moved over and put the seat down on the potty, picking up her Kindle from where she'd set it on the counter.  The girls would be fine while she read. 

She made it through exactly one chapter before the cries of, "Aunt Sami!" started.  When she looked up, she saw that the girls had managed to empty the bathtub of water, but not down the drain. Instead, the water and bubbles were all over the floor.

"Wait in the tub while I clean up the mess," she said calmly.  She got out a towel and threw it on the floor, skating around on the mess, soaking it up as best she could. 

"Let us help!" Avy said, standing in the tub watching. 

"No, you sit down.  Let me get this cleaned up, and then I'll get you both out.  I don't want you falling on the slippery floor."  Samara grabbed another towel, hanging the dripping one off the side of the tub.  Four towels later, the floor was dry enough to get the twins out.  She dried them quickly and took them through the halls naked to put their clothes on. 

She'd need to remember to take their clothes with her into the bathroom.  It wasn't brain surgery.  She'd just never had two children to raise before. 

Once the twins were dried and in their pajamas, she tucked them in.  "Wait," Abby said.  "You told us you'd read stories."

Samara stopped at the doorway.  "You like stories?"

They both nodded.

"Okay, then let's all meet on Abby's bed and we'll read."  When Abby moved to the bed Avy was in, Samara got confused.  She looked back and forth between them.  "Did I get your names confused?" she asked.

"No," Avy responded. 

"Well, then why did Abby get in your bed?"

Abby grinned.  "You put us in the wrong beds."

Samara sighed.  "Of course, I did.  Let me find a good book."  She walked to their bookshelf and picked out two books, both by Dr. Seuss.  She was a huge Dr. Seuss fan.  She moved to sit between the girls and opened up
Green Eggs and Ham.

The girls were great listeners, taking turns flipping to the next page for her.  They loved
Green Eggs and Ham
and giggled hysterically through
Hop on Pop
.

When she closed Hop on Pop she kissed each girl on the forehead.  "Get back in your beds, and under your covers, and I'll tuck you in again."

"Can we have more stories tomorrow?" Avy asked after they'd complied, and Samara was tucking her in to sleep.

"Absolutely.  Tomorrow night, I'll let each of you pick out one story."

Abby smiled, hugging Samara when it was her turn to be tucked.  "I love reading stories.  You're going to be the best aunt
ever
."

Samara laughed.  "I'll certainly try to be."  She left the room, shutting off the light, and immediately went to her office. 

She powered up her computer and ordered each of the girls ten shirts that were identical with small differences.  There.  She wouldn't have a hard time telling them apart now.  While she was there, she also ordered several bath toys for them.  She was a strong believer in good bath toys.  Yes, that was the answer.

Since wearing her sexy nightgown hadn't really worked on Henry the night before, she went to bed in her usual panties and a tee-shirt. 

When she walked into the room where Henry was already in bed, he closed his eyes.  "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Of course not.  I just want you to think of me as attractive."  She moved to the center of the bed, pressing as close to him as possible.  "You
do
think I'm attractive, don't you, Henry?"

"I think you're trying to kill me," he said, rolling to his side so his back was to her.

Samara didn't take a moment to think, instead, she pressed up against his back, her breasts against him and her knees tucked behind his.  She rested her cheek on his back with a smile.  "I think you're pretty sexy, Henry Crider."

He groaned.  "Stop saying things like that to me."

"Oh, I couldn't.  I would never lie to you.  I won't even tell you your skin will fall off if you bathe too much."

"Am I ever going to live that down?"

"Never."

Chapter Five

Henry woke Samara at half past five the following morning.  "I need to leave for work by 6:15, and we all like to eat breakfast together."

Samara groaned, but rolled out of bed.  Henry was already dressed for the day.  "Give me five minutes." 

When she got downstairs five minutes later, the girls were sitting at the table wearing their pajamas, and Henry was giving them each a glass of milk.  "So what should I make for breakfast?" she asked.

"Pancakes!" Avy said.

"Yeah, pancakes!" Abby responded.

"With bacon," Henry told her with a grin.

"I'm starting to feel like a short order cook around here," she grumbled under her breath as she got down a mixing bowl and turned on a burner on the electric stove so the griddle could heat while she was mixing up the pancakes.

Henry walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.  "Thank you for cooking breakfast for us," he whispered against her ear.

Samara left the whisk in the bowl, and turned around, her mouth going to his.  She knew the twins were watching, so she didn't let her hands roam, but she gave him a kiss he wouldn't forget while he was working that day.

When he lifted his head, she could see that his eyes seemed a bit glazed.  "Go sit down so I can cook," she said, reaching for the coffee pot.  He'd had the brains to start the coffee before waking her, and she drank a mug-full while she stood guard over the pancakes. 

Once she was seated, they all held hands, and Henry prayed for them again. 

The girls went on and on during the meal about how she was the 'best pancake maker in the world.' 

"I'm glad you like them!  What did Uncle Henry make for breakfast?"  She had a feeling she already knew the answer, but she felt like she should ask. 

"Cereal," Avy said with a frown.

"Sometimes Pop Tarts," Abby said.  "And we like Pop Tarts, but pancakes are better."

Samara grinned.  "Well, I'm so glad you're happy with the pancakes.  I won't let Uncle Henry feed you cereal anymore."

"Thank you, Aunt Sami," the girls said together.  Sometimes it seemed like they shared a brain. 

After breakfast, Henry kissed each girl atop her head.  "Be nice to Aunt Sami today.  She has a lot to do."  When he got to Samara, she stood and wrapped her arms around his neck.  "You were going to kiss me goodbye as well, right?"

Henry nodded, brushing his lips against hers.  "I'll be home around six."

"Wow.  You're going to be out of the house for twelve hours today?"  That was going to make for a really long day for her.  She hoped it wouldn't be that much every day.

He nodded.  "The house we're working on is about forty-five minutes out, and there was a lot of rain that kept us from working.  We're pushing to get this one done by our deadline."

Samara looked at the girls who were ignoring both of them, eating their pancakes.  "All right.  I'll handle it.  Dinner will be ready at six when you get here, and we'll just make it work."  She wondered if there was another woman alive who could have married the man without getting angry with him about everything he expected.  She doubted it.

He smiled at her, kissing her softly once more.  As he left, he thought about how Samara really was the perfect wife for him.  She may not like his decision about having sex, but she was great with the children, and a wonderful cook.  Yes, he'd made the right decision.

After he was gone, Samara got the girls dressed, letting them dress exactly alike, because she knew she'd still be able to tell them apart by their nail polish.  She took a quick shower, while the girls played quietly in their room. 

When she was dressed, and her hair was back in a ponytail to keep it out of her way, she walked down the hall to check on them.  They each had a small pile of books by their beds.  "That's a lot of books," she said.  "Don't you think they should stay on the shelf?"

Abby shook her head.  "Those are the books we want you to read us tonight."

Samara looked at the piles again.  "That's way too many books to read in one night."

"Not if you read until Uncle Henry comes home," Avy told her.

Samara sighed.  "What about dinner?  I have to teach you girls to cook sometime, don't I?"

The girls looked at each other, obviously excited by the prospect of helping cook.  "That would be all right," Avy said.  "We'll let you teach us to cook."

Samara grinned at them, looking at the time on their Minnie Mouse clock.  "It's time to go see Grandma Betty."

Abby jumped to her feet.  "We love Grandma Betty, but we want to stay with you."

Samara frowned.  "I'll be working here all day.  I really need you to go to Grandma Betty's.  I'll be picking you up early, though, and we'll read a little before we start cooking supper."

Once they were downstairs, she took each girl by the hand, walking them the short distance next door.  "You two be good for Grandma."

"We will," they chorused. 

She waved to the girls as she set out back to the house, glad they already liked her.  She went straight upstairs to her office and set up Skype to call Lachele.

When Lachele's face popped onto the screen, she had a huge smile.  "SamiSunflower!  How's married life?"

"I can't believe you set me up with a man who just wanted someone to mother his dead brother's children!  What were you thinking?  He wants to wait at least six months for sex.  He barely knows I'm there if I'm not cooking or taking care of the girls."

Lachele grinned. "He thinks he only wants someone to take care of the girls, and really that is the reason he contacted me now.  He wants you, though.  You're perfect for him, and I bet he already realizes it."

"But..."

"Give it a little time, Sami.  Keep trying to seduce him. If he hasn't done you within a couple of months, I'll bring you a vibrator."

"Oh, I can just hear his reaction to that!  Do you know what he told those precious girls?  He couldn't bathe them every night because it would make their skin fall off.  Do you believe?"

Lachele didn't laugh at that.  She cackled.  Hysterically.  "Oh, that's just like a man who doesn't want to have to give baths every night, isn't it?"

"He told them they could only bathe on Saturdays and Tuesdays.  When they pointed out that their mother had bathed them daily, he told them he'd gotten them just in time to save their skin."  Samara shook her head.  "Of course, when I bathed them last night, they covered the entire bathroom floor with water while I was reading."

"You're going to be a great mom to them, Sami.  And then you're going to have more Matchrimony munchkins for me.  I can feel it!"

"Not unless the man starts putting out.  He thinks his goobies will shrivel up and fall off if he touches me."  Samara sighed.  "I'm so frustrated with him!  I could handle all the kid stuff and all the cooking and cleaning if I just got some out of it."

"He won't be able to hold out for long.  Face it, Sami.  You're a beautiful, intelligent, giving woman.  Just jump on him when you go to bed tonight.  He will thank you for it later!"

Samara laughed.  "I think it's time for you to go vibrator shopping."

"I have more faith in you than that!" 

"Okay, Lachele, what work do you have for me to do today?"

Lachele smiled.  "Two new client interviews.  We're going to do a few via Skype and see how they go.  I don't want you to have to travel much now that you're married with twins."

"Give me the information."

*****

By the time Henry got home from work, Samara was exhausted.  She'd risen early and hadn't stopped working since.  Between cooking, the little cleaning she'd been able to accomplish with the girls, and her day job, she felt a little like Cinderella.  It would all be worth it if there was sex.  But there wasn't.  And wouldn't be.  Maybe she would take Lachele's advice.

Henry walked into the kitchen to see the girls setting dishes at the table while Samara used a mixer on some mashed potatoes.  He took a deep breath, smelling the delicious aromas.  "I could get used to coming home to these smells."

Samara smiled over her shoulder at Henry, glad he was finally home.  "Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes if you want to shower."

He strode across the kitchen and grabbed her, kissing her soundly on the lips.  "I'm on my way now."

Samara looked back down at the mashed potatoes she was mixing.  "What was that about?"

"Uncle Henry only knows how to make frozen pizza and cereal," Ava told her.

"And Pop Tarts!" Abby said.

Suddenly Samara understood.  She was not only taking care of the children, but she was feeding him all the time.  He'd definitely gotten the better end of this deal. 

He came down with his hair wet, just as Samara was putting biscuits on the table.  She'd made a pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, and biscuits.  She slipped into the booth beside Avy, and took Henry's hand when he sat down beside her. 

After their prayer, Henry said, "You are the best cook in all of Kansas.  You truly amaze me, Samara."

"She's a good reader too," Avy told him.  "She read us a gazillion books before we started cooking."

"A whole gazillion?  Wow!"  He looked at Samara waiting for her to protest all the praise, but she didn't. 

"I'm just doing what you wanted me to come here for."

It wasn't until she said those words that Henry realized their marriage was all one-sided.  She'd moved halfway across the country to be his wife, forgoing sex, taking care of twins, and cooking.  What was she getting out of it?

As soon as they were finished eating, he got up to clear the table.  "I'll take care of dishes while you bathe the twins," he offered.

"Oh, that would be wonderful!"  She took the girls upstairs, starting their bubble bath, before hurrying down the hall to get them pajamas and underwear.  They seemed to be outgrowing most of their clothes, and though she'd ordered some shirts the night before, she realized it was probably time to just go get them entirely new wardrobes.  From what she could see, Henry didn't need her money, so she could spend hers on clothes for the girls.

When she got back into the bathroom, both girls had stripped, but were waiting for her to put them in the tub.  Once she'd thrown them both in, she picked up her Kindle.  "Wash each others' backs, and no splashing water on the floor tonight.  No messes."

"Okay," Avy said with a grin.  The little girl had been in a mischievous mood all evening, and her grin scared Samara a bit. 

Instead of giving her book her full attention as she would have preferred, Samara watched the girls out of the corner of one eye.  When she saw Avy pick up her washrag and ring it out over her sister's head, she'd known she was right to do so.

Abby sputtered before she picked up the soap and threw it at her sister, hitting her in the face with it.  Both girls immediately started wailing. 

Samara set her Kindle on the counter.  "Avy, Abby, stop that this instant!  What is wrong with you two?"  It was so strange to see the girls fight with each other.  It must feel like fighting with your own mirror image.

The girls continued to glare at each other.  "Avy stole my doll during nap time today!" Abby complained.

"Abby wouldn't let me choose the naptime book, and it was my turn!" Avy protested.

"Both of you will stop.  If you want to continue to take baths together, then there will be no fights in the bathroom.  That's enough of your wild behavior."

Abby looked down, obviously contrite. Avy simply glared.

Samara found another way to tell the twins apart in that instant.  Avy held a grudge and Abby didn't.  "Avy?  You misbehaved as well, not just your sister."

"I don't like Abby.  I don't want to be her sister anymore!"

Samara tried not to laugh at that.  "You would hate not having Abby for your sister.  You two are acting ridiculously.  No more. Do you understand?"

Avy glared at her sister one last time before saying, "Yes, ma'am.  I'll try to be nice."

"I'll let you choose the first bedtime book, Avy.  I'm sorry I was mean to you," Abby mumbled.

Avy seemed to contemplate her sister's apology.  "I forgive you.  You chose my favorite book, and that helps a lot."

Samara bit her lip.  Avy had been holding a grudge for hours, because her sister hadn't let her choose a book, but she'd chosen her favorite.  Really?

She got the girls out of the tub, and dressed them in their pajamas. "You have a few minutes before we'll start reading.  Want to go down and hug Uncle Henry?"

The girls hurried down the stairs in their footed pajamas, Avy leading the way in purple, and Abby bringing up the rear in blue.  Samara was determined to color code the girls as often as humanly possible.

When she got down to the bottom of the stairs herself, she found both girls sitting on their uncle.  "Uncle Henry!" they were squealing.  "We missed you while you were gone all day!"

Samara stayed back, waiting for the girls to have their time.