Stephanie's POV

"Mommy!"

I hear the tiny footsteps of our five year old daughter as she runs down the hallway.

Maya is first to meet her at the door of our bedroom. "Yes sweetheart?" she asks in an amusing tone as we both look at Riley wearing nothing but her underwear, two different socks and holding out her dress.

"I can't put this on" she says looking rather frustrated with herself.

"Ok let's see" Maya takes the dress and helps put it over her head. "There you go"

"You look beautiful princess."

"Thank you mommy" she turns my way with the cutest smile on her face. "I am going to put on my shoes"

With that she skips out the door towards her room. I turn back and walk into our closet to find some earrings to wear.

"You were saying about tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah." I glance back as Maya steps into the closet as well. "So Karen will pick up the twins around four, and my parents will bring them back the next day."

"Ok that's perfect." She smiles and put on some shoes before she sits down by her dresser.

"Baby can you please just check on Jonah? We need to leave in like five minutes."

I look at her touching up her makeup and I smile at the sight. The way her hair falls perfectly down her back and the way her newly done nails go so well with her wedding ring and bracelet around her wrist. I can't help but lean against the drawer and stare at her for a few more seconds.

"Baby!" she laughs as we make eye contact through the mirror.

"What?" I ask innocently as I slowly walk closer to where she sits. As she continues I let my hands slide down her sides and my head dip into her neck where I leave soft kisses. "You are so beautiful."

"What?" She laughs and looks at me with a frown through the mirror.

"What?" I ask her back and stand up. "I'm giving you a compliment."

"Thank you baby" she blushes and turns her head back to me. "But it's a little unexpected."

"Mommy!"

We both smile at the voice of Jonah on his way to our room. I cup her chin and give her a quick but meaningful kiss. "It's good to know that I can still surprise you."

She only softly laughs as I walk out of the closet. A few feet away from the door Jonah comes running into our room. "I am ready" he says looking proud.

"Yeah" I cheer him on his accomplishment and lift my hand for a high five. "Let's go get mommy from the airport."

"Ok" he smiles and slaps my hand.

Alex is coming home two days earlier than what we expected. She called us last night saying she's not attending the conference anymore. She didn't exactly say why she's not going anymore, only that Dr Wilson is now going.

But nevertheless we were very happy to hear that because the last three days were horrible without her. I have missed her so much, we both have and just like every other time everything feels wrong without her.

It feels incomplete.

Riley and Jonah cried every single night before bed. They miss her so much and it broke my heart. We tried the FaceTime thing but that made it worse. They cried even more when Alex couldn't call them because she was in surgery. I know she tried her best because the apology messages came through the next morning.

I would also call Alex a few times during the day just to hear her voice. I knew she was busy with work and sometimes she didn't answer.

And even I was sad about that.

I also left work earlier to go pick up the twins, spending some time at home. It started snowing this week so that also help take their mind off Alex being away.

But this will all be over soon. She is coming home.

After getting the kids in the car, with a juice and a snack we finally got on the road. The airport is about an hour's drive and I have no doubt they will complain about being either hungry or thirsty.

A few minutes on the road we both get a message at the same time, and that can only mean one thing, it's our beautiful wife.

I smile and pick up my phone to read her message out loud.

Alex💜 : Just landed. Can't wait too see you!! 🥺

"Oh my gosh, I can't wait either." Maya sighs in the driver seat.

"I know baby, me too" I put my hand on her thigh and give her a light squeeze.

Me: We can't wait either. We are on our way baby!! 😍

After I reply I put my phone away and look back at the road with my hand comfortably on Maya's lap.

"Mommy can we play I spy?"

I look back at Jonah from the passenger seat and he looks at me with excitement written all over his face.

How can I say no to that face?

Since they are a little older now, Jonah, in some way looks like Maya. His slightly curly hair is a shade lighter than Riley's and he has piercing blue eyes. Riley on the other hand has green eyes just like Alex and her hair is just like hers and mine, mostly straight with a wave at the ends.

Other than the slight hair and eye differences, are they one person. And everyone says they look exactly like Alex which I don't mind at all. My whole family is absolutely beautiful.

"Hmmm" I pretend to think for a moment and he frowns. "I spy with my little eye... " I pause and look around the car, seeing his face light up again. "Something that starts with a M"

Both of them look all over the car and I see Maya laugh. "Every time?" she says playing with my fingers in her lap.

"Uhmmm, motorcycle?" Jonah yells out.

"No" I shake my head.

"Mango juice?" Maya says with a small chuckle.

"No"

"The moon!" Riley now yells out.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion. "No sweetheart, it's not the moon."

"I give up" Jonah sighs back into his car seat.

"Me too"

"It's mommy!" I smile wide and point to Maya. It takes them a few seconds but they eventually get it and they both start laughing.

"Ok my turn" Maya states and thinks for a few seconds.

We play the game almost all the way to the airport. It kept them occupied and excited so I count that as a win. I wasn't in the mood for their whining all they way to the airport.

Maya parks the car and we help them both from their car seats. As we step out Jonah grabs onto the first leg he can find and that was Maya's. He doesn't do well with strange places but after he realize that he isn't alone or if he gets comfortable, he will losen up a bit.

"Come on bubba" she smiles and grabs his hand.

"Mommy hold my hand!" I look down at Riley who has her teddy in her one hand and the other one reaching out for me.

"Just a minute sweetheart. I just want to get your juice."

I reach in the back of the van, grab their juices and place them in my handbag. Maya locks the car and we starts walking towards the elevator.

We get to the waiting area and we luckily grab two open seats. Alex shouldn't take much longer but it's much easier to keep the twins close when they sit on our laps.

Jonah is on Maya's lap now, laying back against her chest while playing with his action figure dinosaur. Riley has turned around in my lap, playing with my hair. "When is mommy Alex coming off the plane?" she asks with a sad expression on her face.

"Just a few more minutes. She is just getting her bags" I smile and tuck a few pointy hairs behind her ear.

"But why is she taking so long?" she whines and falls against my chest. "I miss her"

"I know. She'll be here any minute ok" I whisper and kiss her head.

"Riles" Maya calls on her and she looks up at her. "Mommy said she bought you guys a present."

"Yay!" they both cheer with their hands in the air. Riley falls backwards but I catch her before she falls off my lap.

I look at Jonah and he is laughing his little heart out as Maya kisses his cheeks and neck. He tries to push her away but he secretly doesn't want her to stop.

I look up at the crowd of people and way at the back my eyes land on our beautiful wife. She is wearing black pants and what I think is actually my white button up shirt, tucked in at the front.

Her hair is hanging in her natural soft waves and she has that gorgeous loving smile on her face. She probably saw us from the escalator and I have no doubt that she wants to run but her bags are kinda holding her back.

"Oh look over there!" I gasp and Riley snaps her head around and Jonah sits up straight.

"Who is that?" Maya points out with an excited voice.

It takes them a few seconds but when Alex gets closer they both jump up from our laps.

"Mommyyy!!!"

We let them down and they run to Alex. She bends down to her knees, not caring about anyone around her and catches them both coming at full speed.

"Aawhh my babies" she laughs in pure happiness, holding them tight in her arms. "I missed you so much." she smiles and kisses their heads multiple times.

They both giggle but hold onto her for dear life. I totally get it, Maya and I will most definitely be hanging onto her like that tonight.

"Hi honey, welcome home" Maya steps forward as Alex stands up with the twins clinging onto her sides.

"Awwhh my lovies" she pouts and leans closer to give Maya a soft kiss.

"Hey baby" I smile and go in for my kiss too. I am not happy about the duration of my kiss but the kids are here so PDA is limited for their sake.

"Oh my gosh I missed you so much" she whispers while looking at me and Maya. I can see the tears building up and threatening to fall.

"We missed you too babe" Maya smiles and I grab her bags.

"Riley, Jonah. Tell mommy what we played in the car."

I quickly changed the subject to draw Alex's attention away from crying. I can tell she is really emotional right now but the sooner we get home, the sooner Maya and I can give her some much needed love.

These few days have been so hard for her. It was hard just to leave us for a one day, now she had to be away for a few days. I can't imagine how that must feel.

Before we start walking Alex quickly puts on her coat. There is definitely a huge difference in the weather from California to New York.

As we walk to the car, Riley and Jonah clings onto Alex's hands while Maya and I walk hand in hand behind them.

The walk to the car was quick but the twins haven't stopped talking. They have so many things to tell Alex and she enjoyed every second of it.

"Mommy can we go to the park when we get home?" I hear Jonah ask Alex as we start our drive home. He asked Maya and I on the way to the airport but we told him it's too cold today.

They are predicting snow tonight and I for one am really happy Alex is back. Tonight I'll have two bodies to keep me warm.

"Jonah" I raise my voice a little and look back at him. "What did we tell you about going to the park today?"

He sulks down in his chair and pouts.

"No, don't make that face" Alex who is sitting in the back with them, wipes her hand over his mouth. "That is not going to work"

"Is he making a face?" Maya asks with a small smile.

"Yeah" I softly laugh. He always makes that face and it's really hard saying no to that sweet pout.

"What did mommy Stephanie say about going to the park?" Alex asks him.

He sighs and throws his head back. "It's too cold today"

"Yes it is, and you have to listen to mommy ok" she raises a finger at him. "Stop taking chances"

"Sorry mommy" he mumbles and looks down at the action figure in his hands. He knows exactly what he is doing. He might be five years old but he is fucking smart. He loves taking chances.

Alex looks up at me and smiles with a quick wink. She knew just as well as me what he is trying to do. But my mind still on the strict tone in her voice. It's fucking hot when she disciplines the kids in that tone.

"So why did your lovely boss decide to go to the conference?" Maya asks and breaks my concentration away from my thoughts.

"I told him to go" she says in a low voice and I see her just casually looking out the window.

"Did you do it because of our fight?" Maya asks and looks up into the mirror to see her.

"No, baby" Alex says in a gentle tone. "It's not about that."

"What was it then?" Maya asks and I turn my whole body around in the seat.

Alex can see my concern and she softly sighs. "Don't look at me like that. Can we talk about this tonight?"

The frown doesn't leave my face and now my suspicion grows. There is something she's not telling us and I know Maya is thinking it too.

"Please lovies? I'll tell you everything, I just want to enjoy this day with you."

"Is it something serious?" I ask in concern. "Because you're making me a little nervous."

"No, it's not serious but now is not the time to talk about it."

"Okay" I sigh in defeat but I respect her request. There are a lot of times where we can't have certain conversations in front of the twins. Whether it's when we have conflict or even when it's not appropriate. We wait till the kids are asleep and have some privacy in our bedroom.

The rest of the drive home was quiet from my side but the twins had all kinds of questions for Alex about California. I didn't really participate in the conversation because my mind is somewhere else. I'm really concerned about Alex and I can't help but think the worst.

As we walk into the house the kids run in their own directions. Maya and I offer to take Alex's bags and she also runs into the house. The cold weather is definitely catching up on her now.

"I'm so happy to be home." She breathes out and starts taking off her boots. "The house is nice and warm."

We move closer to her like a magnet and Maya wraps her hands around Alex's waist to hide her face away in her neck. My arms sneak around her from behind and I feel her one hand reaching back behind my neck.

"I can't tell you how much I missed you" she whispers and I feel her hand in my hair as I softly kiss her cheek.

"We missed you too baby" Maya whispers from the other side and I hum in agreement.

"I'm never going away for five days, again." She whispers and I lift my head when I hear the croak in her tone. "It was fucking horrible."

I put my lips back against her cheek as a tear slips from her eyes and Maya immediately cups her face. "I'm sorry, honey." She says in a gentle tone and wipe her tears away. "But you are home now."

"Yes" I smile and step in front of her as well. "And we are all staying home tomorrow."

"Aren't you working tomorrow?" She asks with an exciting smile.

"No, baby" Maya smiles and kisses her jaw. "We need some alone time."

"I want to-"

"Mommy Alex!"

All of us turn around to see Riley come into the kitchen with her coloring book. We step away from Alex as she bends down to Riley's level. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Can I show you all the pictures I colored?"

"Of course you can" she smiles. "But I have to go take a quick shower and-"

"No mommy!" She whines and falls against Alex's body which makes my heart melt.

"Riles" Alex says in a sweet tone. "I was in another hospital this morning and there were a lot of sick people. I don't want to make you sick."

"I won't get sick, I promise." She answers with a convincing tone which makes us all chuckle.

"Riley, mommy will be quick." I say and run my fingers through her hair."Come help me make some dinner and mommy will be back before you know it."

"Okay" she says with a defeated tone and Alex gives her a few kisses on her cheek.

Alex then stands up and Maya takes one of her bags. I send her a quick wink and they both walk up the stairs.

Maya still feels really guilty about our fight the other day and so do I. We haven't really talked about it and just kinda ignored it for the past few days. It seemed like the right decision at the time because we were all extra emotional about it, so hopefully we can just have a normal conversation about it now.

And I'm sure she is upstairs giving her multiple apology kisses. I will definitely do exactly that when I get a chance to be alone with her.

I start getting some ingredients ready for dinner tonight but Riley lost interest about ten minutes into the preparation. She probably ran up to their room because Jonah is there. She would much rather play with her dolls than sit here with me and I totally understand that.

After a while Maya came back into the kitchen and she made her presence known with the release of a deep breath.

"Did she ask you for a divorce?"

"Steph!" She gasps and as I start laughing she puts her bottom lip out in a big pout. "Don't joke about that."

I laugh a little harder and step closer to give her a hug. "I'm kidding baby."

Maya was worried that she made Alex feel so guilty that she might decide to rather step out of our marriage to prevent any situations like this in the future. That she doesn't want our kids to go through this everytime.

Alex always feels guilty about leaving but we would never ask her to quit her job. She is the fucking best surgeon in New York if not America, it wouldn't be fair to her or the people who needs her help.

Maya thought our sweet Alex who always thinks of everyone else might decide it's best if she walks away.

But we know Alex. She would never put our kids through a divorce. She knows what it's like to grow up in a broken home, it wouldn't be on the same level but she would never do that.

I put my hands on Maya's face and give her a soft but lingering kiss. "I would never let that happen, okay? No one is going anywhere"

"I don't want to be anywhere else." She smiles and I give her another kiss.

"That's great news baby, because I want to go to the couch." I smile and grab my iPad. "You can continue this right?"

She opens her mouth in shock and I laugh which brings me back to her but she didn't enjoy my attempt to lift her spirits. She grabs one of her wooden spoons and starts hitting me with it.

"Ow!" I laugh and try to grab her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" I plead in a sincere tone. "Can you please just help me with the steaks? I don't know what spices you use for that."

"You don't get any spices on your piece" she laughs and points the spoon at me.

"No, don't be like that" now I'm the one pouting and she is laughing at me. She just shakes her head and puts the spoon down but I'm not sure if it's safe for me to step closer yet.

"You can go upstairs, baby" she smiles. "Thank you for starting dinner."

"Will I get spices on my steak?"

"Yes" she laughs as she walks into the pantry "Just check on the kids please, they are in their room."

"Okay, mommy"

I hear her laughing but I continue my journey up the stairs to go see our wife. I do a quick check on the kids but they are keeping themselves busy and I decided not to draw any attention because they will definitely get curious and follow me to our bedroom.

I open up our bedroom door but I don't hear the shower running. My instinct takes me to the closet and as I come to the doorway, I see Alex already dressed in more comfortable clothing. She is busy unpacking her bags and I've never been more happy about it.

She probably heard someone come in because she looks up from her drawer just as she closes it. "I'm almost done."

"Is it my turn now?" I smile and lean against the doorway.

"Yes" she smiles and I meet her halfway where she runs and jumps into my arms with her legs wrapping around my waist. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, baby" I whisper and walk with her to the one side of the closet where she can sit on the counter. "Can I please just kiss you?"

She smiles and immediately pulls me closer for a kiss. I push her closer to my body and the next kiss our tongues brush against each other's. I breathe in her closeness and let my hand roam over her ass. We both softly moan and I can feel myself getting lost in the kiss already.

I missed her body, her touch, her lips and the feeling of holding her this close. It has only been three days but all the emotions that went along with those days made it feel much longer.

Another moan from her makes her deepen the kiss by taking control. Her face is a little higher because of the counter but I am not complaining at all. I love her dominant side.

Just as my hands sneaks into her shirt the sound of her phone ringing makes us both stop right in the middle of our kiss.

"No" I say in a breathless voice. "I don't even get you for two minutes?"

"I'm not going to answer, baby" she whispers against my lips and gives me a soft kiss. "But we should probably go downstairs anyway."

"No" I shake my head but she just laughs and rubs her thumb over over my bottom lip before she kisses me again.

"Yes" she whispers and I enjoy all the little pecks but it's not what I want.

"I haven't said what I wanted too, yet." I whisper in a much more serious tone.

"What do you want to tell me?" She smiles and wraps her arms around my neck.

"That I love you" I say with a small smile but then take a deep breath. "And I'm sorry for the way we left things." I sigh. "We should've been more supportive rather than angry."

"It's okay, baby"

"It's not" I immediately object. "We could've handled it way better. I guess we got used to you being home, except for the occasional surgery that goes late into the night."

"I'm never going away for that long again, I promise." She says in a low voice and rests her head against mine.

I take a deep breath and feel some relief and comfort from her words. I know it's not always up to her and I would understand if it happens again but for now, it makes me feel better.

"And I love you too" she whispers and kisses my forehead. "Can we go downstairs? I want to cuddle all my babies on the couch."

"Yes, please."