A few weeks later, I arrived back from work one evening to find her in the twins' bedroom, reading them a story. They were both snuggled up in their bed; giggling and finding whatever she was reading to them incredibly amusing.

I stood against the door frame of their dark bedroom which was lit up with lava lamps and fluorescent colors, they created shapes like dolphins and birds, it flicked across each animal like an automated picture book.

Technology. We didn't have anything like that when I was a kid. But even though we had a TV now, with hundreds of cartoons, Lily would do anything possible to avoid it. She hated putting them in front of the TV, she liked reading to them, creating adventures with them, drawing with them and playing with them. 

I didn't have the time. It was our restaurant, but we agreed to share the responsibility, even though that didn't quite go to plan. 

She was just a better parent than me. And she knew it. Sticking them in front of the TV was my happy place. And she could always tell.

"The captain stormed across shore," she told them in a deep, moronic voice that made me hold my breath to keep from laughing. "A-hoy! He yelled to his crew, I've returned!"

The girls stopped giggling, their mouths fell open. 

"Captain, we saw your body sink into the water!" she continued. "One of his crew said in complete disbelief. The captain laughed, holding out a single coin in his palm." 

She put her palm out, showing them a coin. They giggled with excitement and Jade took the coin from her hand, observing it.

"Next!" Jessie squealed.

"Captain, you've found the coin of immortality! His crew yelled. Yes, I did laddies," she put on a strange Scottish accent for that, and I covered my mouth. "I found the coin, so we can now sail the blue ocean for ever."

Jessie and Jade screamed, happy with the ending of the story. 

"And the captain and the crew, with the coin of immortality, lived pirately ever after."

"More!" they clapped. "More, Mummy."

She closed the book and dropped her lips to their foreheads. "Tomorrow. You need to sleep now." She reached across and flicked off their night-light, but she liked to keep the animal lava lamps switched on, in case they woke up during the night. "Good night my angels."

"Night, Mummy," they said said together. 

She rose from their bed, and her eyes met mine. She didn't say a word, she just smirked. She always knew when I was behind her. She passed me in the doorway, eyeing me as she approached the light of the landing. 

I walked into the bedroom and their eyes lit up. "Daddy!"

I smiled, dropping down onto the bed. "Shush." I whispered, putting a finger to my lips. 

They smiled, covering their mouths with their small hands. I reached over to their night stand, and I took out a book from the pile. "Don't tell Mummy," I said. "One more."

I glanced down at the cover of the random book, and I sighed to myself, rubbing my head. It was something about a fox and a rabbit, I don't know. I squinted down at the words, trying my best to tell the story. I wasn't as good as Lily, I was bad, and that's exactly why I could send them to sleep. I began reading, slowly, painfully. A few pages in and their eyes were already closing, as much as they tried to fight it.

Just like she had known I was there, I knew she was there. Standing in the doorway. I felt her presence in an instant, even though she didn't make a sound. 

I set the book down as the girls were completely lost in their dreams. I turned, meeting her soft eyes, she uncrossed her arms and I walked into them, pushing her gently out of the bedroom into the landing. 

She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, her lips falling hard against mine. I unraveled the straps of her gown which were tied around her waist, revealing a set of black underwear that sent me into a frenzy.

"Tired?" she whispered.

I raised an eyebrow. "No, but you will be."

She grinned at me, folding her hand into mine and she began walking backward, pulling me into our bedroom across the landing. Her eyes danced with a re-occurring fire; she let her seductive, calm charm rule over her desire to speak. I crushed my lips into hers again, running my hand up her body as she rolled her head back with a little moan. 

I wasn't sure if it was that time, or the time in the morning, or the time the day after, or the time the day after that or after that, but sometime, somewhere, somehow that week--we created another baby.