After Happily Ever Afte- Astrid Ohletz Page 0,44

Toby and Ella while Kym stumbled blurrily past her to the guest room. When Anna walked into her bedroom, she smiled to see Lane already under the covers. After brushing her teeth, she crawled into bed, the euphoria of soft sheets enfolding her. With a chuckle, she remembered Kym going on about ‘bedgasms’ the week before. Nothing beat this feeling. Falling next to Lane, who was half-asleep lying on her side, Anna sighed contentedly as Lane blindly groped around, grasping Anna’s hand from behind and pulling her against her back. Wrapped around the warmth of Lane, the band around her chest eased. Eyes already closing, Anna curled around Lane’s back, kissing warm skin under her lips as Lane mumbled sleepily.

“What, Lane?”

Voice husky, Lane murmured, “All good romances start in the supermarket.”

Humming her agreement, Anna buried her face into Lane’s hair and fell asleep almost instantly.

What felt like only hours later, a noise that no one wanted to hear that early in the morning assaulted them.

Children. Very, very awake children.

Hair everywhere and squinting from the brightness, Anna sat bolt upright. Next to her, a groaning noise was Lane’s only contribution as she rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head.

Anna’s bleary eyes finally focused on Ella, holding on to Toby’s hand and kneeling on the edge of the bed, both of them giggling and jumping.

“Aunty Na! You’re awake, and it’s Toby’s birthday!”

If one didn’t know better, they would assume it was Ella’s birthday.

“Is it?” Grinning, Anna pulled him onto her lap, tickling him and planting kisses all over his face and head. He squealed and squirmed until she stopped, and he sat up, grinning and flushed, hair like a nest atop his head. “Happy birthday, little man!”

“Birfday.”

Attempts to smooth his hair failed, so she cupped his cheeks, pulling him in to kiss his forehead. “Yup, it’s your birthday.”

Wasting no time, Ella crawled up the bed and flopped onto Lane, who made a loud “oof” noise without moving or otherwise acknowledging Ella’s presence. Sprawled over Lane, Ella said none too quietly, “Wake up, Lane!”

A whimper came from under the pillow.

“Wake up!”

Finally, Lane seemed to realise there was no escaping. Wild and tangled hair emerged from under the pillow when she pulled it away from her face. Anna had the urge to bury her hands in it and kiss her. With a glance at the two kids, though, she realised that at this rate, she’d have to wait until tonight.

“I’m awake.” Not even attempting to sit up, Lane turned her gaze onto the bundle in Anna’s lap.

“Happy birthday, Toby!”

Far too enthusiastically for morning, Toby waved his hands at her. Anna wrapped her arms around him and hugged him against her. “Do you know what birthday boys get?”

Before anyone else could say a word, Ella beat them to it: “Presents!”

“Yes, Toby gets presents, but he also gets birthday breakfast.”

“Panks!”

That word was always a disaster. Smiling, Anna repeated, “Yup, pancakes.”

Trying again, he said, “Panks.” He nodded very seriously, as if there had been a difference.

“Did I hear ‘pancakes’?”

Kym rounded the doorway into the room and flopped on the end of the bed, both Ella and Toby crawling over to land on her in a hug.

“Whoa! Morning, guys. And happy birthday, Toby!”

With a grin, she blew a raspberry on his neck and he squealed, crawling back, giggling, to Anna. Changing his mind partway and heading for Lane instead, he lay on her and snuggled into her neck. Lane rubbed his back, and he wiggled closer against her.

Anna patted his bum, which was sticking up in the air. “Mister Toby, how did you get out of bed?”

A giggle was his only answer as he burrowed further into Lane, who did nothing to discourage him.

Another giggle, higher pitched and telling, made Anna turn around to raise her eyebrows at her niece. “Ella?”

Green eyes widened. “Yes?”

“How did Toby get out of his cot?”

Kym suddenly became extremely interesting as Ella, her lips curving up in spite of herself, made zero eye contact and played instead with Kym’s fingers. “Um…”

Making Ella crack was easy. All Anna had to do was stare at her. It worked every time, even when she just felt Anna’s glare. Ella lasted all of five seconds, and Kym visibly smothered a laugh.

“Well, I woke up, and I was so excited for Toby’s birthday. So I maybe went into his room and woke him up.”

Yet another giggle came from Toby. Lane poked his ribs and made him yelp and laugh loudly.

“So how did he get out?”

“Uh—”

“Did you