“Yes, I ate all the muffins, because I have no self-control and I hate myself.” (Pregnant Arawen?)
(Plus Corso dealing with a crabby pre-schooler because guess what I’ve been doing all week!)
“Dunks, I don’t see ‘em anywhere.” Corso sighed, takinganother look through the cupboard.
“But I saw them!” As his whine escalated, Zeva descended,arms wrapped around Corso’s leg as he sank to the floor in despair. “I wantmuffins!”
Corso kept digging through the assorted foodstuffs, ignoringthat the blood circulation in his calf was being cut off. “We’ve got somecookies, fruit snacks-“
“Dunks, I can’t feel my leg.” Corso wiggled his leg todislodge the distraught four-year-old, to no avail. “Come on, gotta picksomething else.” Zeva let out a whine and threw himself backwards onto thefloor, spread-eagled and lower lip quivering. Corso sighed through his nose. Aweek ago, they’d had a perfectly placid little boy who was always content to gowith the flow of life, never minding what happened around him, then it seemedtheir little guy had been replaced overnight. A tantrum over muffins wasstandard compared to some of Zeva’s other fits that day; First, he didn’t wantto wear socks, then he didn’t want to sit at the table and eat his cereal, andone miniature crisis after another.
Corso had decided to let the little guy wear himself out onthe floor before presenting the options again, when he caught sight of his wifeout of the corner of his eye. Arawen put her finger up to her lips as shepushed an empty bag into the garbage. Corso let out a little snicker. Thatsolved the mystery of the missing muffins, at least.
Once Zeva had been convinced to take a packet of miniaturecookies and had run off to sit on the back steps, Corso leaned back against thecounter with a groan. “What’s gotten into that kid?”
“He skipped the Terrible Twos. I figured he’s just hittingit a bit late.” Arawen sidled up to Corso’s side and cuddled him as best shecould with the bulk of her belly in the way. “You did fine.” Her hand followedthe arc of her belly down and then up again, until Corso rested his hand on topof hers. “You in there, you had better not be getting ideas.”
“Babygirl’s gonna be good as gold.” Corso chuckled.
“So, yes, I ate all the muffins because I have noself-control and I hate myself.” Arawen stuck her tongue out at Corso’slaughter.
“Or, we can say babygirl wanted the muffins real bad.” Corsopressed a kiss to her temple and gave Arawen’s tummy a comforting pat. “Babe,you’ve got an excuse. You’re eating for two, aren’t ya?”
“Been eating for four, more like.” Arawen muttered.
“I’ll getcha some more of those muffins when I go pick upthe parts for the generator tomorrow.”