The memory of how he’d put me on the spot at the mall resurfaced in my mind, and my expression soured. “What are you doing here? The kids and I were just about to go to sleep.”
Abruptly remembering how he’d changed beds without even asking me, I quickly added, “Don’t think that there’s space for you just because the bed is bigger now. You’ll take up Summer’s space if you sleep here. If you really want to be a ‘good father’, then go back to your study and sleep there!”
With that, I whipped around only to meet Audrey’s sad, puppy-dog stare.
As if having expected my reaction, she sat by the bedside with watery eyes and looked ready to burst out into tears at any second.
I took a deep breath to steel myself, not waiting for Ashton’s response before I caved. “Fine, fine. Stay if you want. I’ll take the right side and you take the left side, and the kids will sleep in the middle. Just try not to get too cuddly.”
Audrey threw her hands in the air and whooped in excitement, rolling over to lie down in the middle of the bed. She reached out and patted the empty spots to both her sides, calling out loudly, “Greg, Summer! Come on! Time for sleep!”
Upon hearing that, Summer and Gregory both got up from the sofa and headed towards the bed.
I’d expected them to sleep right by where Audrey was telling them to and thus take up most of the center of the bed, separating Ashton and me.
At first, they did exactly that, obediently taking off their shoes and crawling into bed to sleep next to their younger sister.
But as soon as I laid down next to them, Summer got up and moved towards the far right side of the bed.
Audrey instantly noticed this, whining and tugging on Summer’s clothes. “No, here! Sleep here with me! Summer!”
Summer, likely drained and jetlagged, didn’t budge an inch no matter what Audrey did.
In the end, Audrey had no choice but to get up from her own position as well, stubbornly squeezing in between Gregory and Summer and falling asleep there.
When I eventually opened my eyes, I instantly realized that there was now a sizeable distance between me and Gregory and jerked awake.
Pushing a hand against the bed to prop myself up, I wanted to reach over to correct their sleeping positions before a heavy weight pressed down on my body.
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