Chapter 35 - Life

Storm arrived bright and early, an hour early. Bleary-eyed, Cam opened the door and found the grinning kid staring up at her.

“Morning, Cam,” she said brightly; a little too brightly, but Cam let it slide. Storm was a good kid, unique, and Cam liked that. The youngster wore smart trousers and a bright t-shirt, satchel over her shoulder and across her chest, sunglasses on her face, already the Hollywood starlet.

These lessons had been going swimmingly. But they’d done them three evenings this past week, and now it was the weekend, and as much as Cam wanted to keep Michelle engaged and help Storm, she was beginning to wonder if it was all a bit too much. Right now though, she needed to get her brain into gear and let Storm into the house, and then she had the task of reminding Michelle that she was booked up this morning.

With one eye still half-closed against the light, Cam opened the door more widely. “Alright? Bit early, ain’t ya?”

“Better to be early than late.” Storm shot her another big grin. “It’s okay, I can wait, go through my lines or something.” She looked around the room, her eyes searching for something.

“It’s on the shelf over there,” Cam said, smiling to herself as she rubbed her eyes and tried to wake up properly. The previous evening had been just lovely. An impromptu party and then, when everyone had gone, Cam and Michelle had relaxed on the sofa. Michelle had read, while Cam just enjoyed the closeness.

They’d both fallen asleep on the couch, before heading up to bed. But just as they’d gotten back to sleep, Noah woke for his feed. She was barely back into bed, and then Darcy woke for a diaper change. Cam was just nodding off again, and Noah needed a change.

“Oh for the love of god,” Cam complained as she pushed the covers off, ready to deal with whatever needed doing.

“It’s alright, I’ll go,” Michelle said, pulling her back into bed. “You sleep. I got this.”

Cam’s eyes were closed before Michelle was even up. “I got the…” she mumbled without finishing. Michelle chuckled.

“I guess I’ll never know what you got?” She leaned in and kissed Cam’s cheek before heading over to see to Noah.

It was gone two a.m. when Michelle climbed back into bed and snuggled up against Cam’s warm back. “So…sleepy,” she said just before drifting back to sleep again.

Storm didn’t hesitate and strode quickly across the room to find the shiny award for best actress that had pride of place on the shelf. She was about to reach up and take it when she stopped and looked back to Cam for permission. “May I?”

Shrugging, Cam nodded. She knew Michelle wouldn’t mind. “Go for it. I’m just gonna get some coffee. Michelle will be down in a bit, alright?”

Absorbed in the little fantasy of being named best actress herself, Storm barely acknowledged her with more than a grunt.

In the kitchen, Cam prodded the machine and managed to make a mug of steaming black coffee. Just the smell of it was enough to give her a hit. But she needed milk before she could drink it. Grabbing the carton of milk, she pulled out a carton of OJ too, pouring some into a glass for Michelle.

She walked back into the lounge to find Storm with her eyes closed, holding the award as though she herself was on stage accepting it.

“I’ll go get her then.” Cam laughed to herself.

* * *

Pushing the bedroom door open with her toe and then closing it again with a push against it with her backside, Cam entered the bedroom. Light was flooding in through the windows, and she took a moment to take it all in. Her wife, snuggled under the covers, and her two children sleeping soundly in their bassinets.

“This is the life,” she said to herself before taking a sip of her coffee and then placing her mug down on the bedside cabinet. Wandering around the bed to Michelle’s side, she peered in at each baby and grinned like an idiot, before placing the glass of orange juice beside Michelle. “Babe.” She gently shook her wife and perched on the edge of the bed. “Storm is here.”

“Hmm.”

“Sweetheart.” Cam stroked her face and moved the hair off of it. “Time to wake up.”

“Don’t wanna,” mumbled the sleepy voice.

“I’ve put some juice by the bed, and I can entertain Storm for the next 30 minutes, but then you need to be downstairs keeping your promise.” She leaned down and placed a gentle kiss against Michelle’s temple.

Slowly, dark, sleepy eyes flickered open. “You are too sweet.” She smiled lazily. “Are they okay?”

Cam’s eyes followed her wife’s towards the bassinets. “Yeah, seem so.”

“Alright, I’m awake. Tell Storm I’ll be down in a moment, tell her to go through the vocal exercises that I taught her. That should keep her busy enough until I come down.”

“Okay, baby.” Cam stood up and then changed her mind and sat back down again. “You sure you’re up to this today? Probably should have gone to bed instead of reading. What are you reading anyway? You were proper engrossed.”

“It’s just a book.” She blushed a little before sitting up. “And I think the problem was two little munchkins needing their mama.” Michelle rubbed at her eyes before reaching for Cam’s hand. “I don’t know if I am up to it,” she admitted, “but I am going to get up, face the world, and make the best of today.”

“Good girl.” This time when Cam leaned in, she captured her lips, slowly caressing with her own until Michelle pulled away giggling.

“I haven’t brushed my teeth.”

“Never gonna care about that.” Cam grinned, leaning in again.

Two firm palms pressed against her chest. “You are frisky this morning. Not that I am complaining, but…”

“I did come up here to get you out of bed, not keep you in it.” Cam laughed, and this time, she did stand and back away from the bed. “Okay, time to get up. I’ll take these two down with me. They’ll both be awake soon.” She reached in and plucked each sleeping baby from their bed and into her arms. She had learned quickly how to carry both at the same time. It wouldn’t be for much longer though; as they both grew, they’d become too big and too heavy, but right now, none of that mattered.

As she descended the stairs carefully carrying the twins, she could hear Storm reciting lines. Standing hidden from view, Cam listened in.

“What do you think, kiddos?”

She didn’t know much about the art of acting, other than the little bits she had picked up from watching Michelle over the past few years, but even to her untrained ear, she could tell that Storm was pretty good.

Every word uttered was filled with emotion; it made Cam want to listen further, so she did. Plonking down on the bottom step, she let her head rest against the oak banister and listened, until she remembered what Storm was supposed to be doing and that she had two babies to wash, dress, and feed.

She pushed up with her thighs taking the strain and stepped into the room. “Hey, Michelle said to start going through the vocal exercises she taught you, and then she will be down in a min.”

“Sure, I can do that,” Storm said with a grin as she noticed the twins. “Uh, you don’t have to watch though, okay?”

“Right, I guess I can…” Cam looked around the room. There wasn’t really anything else she could do. “I’m going to…” She started backing away.

“Mama is home. I know she would probably put up with you,” Storm offered, without an ounce of malice.

Nodding, Cam smiled. “Yeah, that could be a plan.”

Cam turned to head back up the stairs, but she met Michelle on her way down. “As you can see, I am up.”

Cam smiled. “Great, I’ve been given my marching orders. So, I’m going to sort the twosome and take them over to Lucy and Nic’s for a bit, they can play with Wyn and have some baby bonding time with their own age group while you and Shirley Temple down there do your thing.”

“Oh, maybe we can go somewhere else…I don’t want you to feel like you have to leave.” Michelle grimaced a little and shrank back into herself.

In an instant, Cam pulled her close. “I really don’t mind. I like Lucy, remember? We can catch up again, down a few, maybe play that new game she bought for the kids but is really just an excuse for her to play it.” She kissed her wife gently. “And when I get back, maybe we can have some us time? I know Mum won’t mind sitting the kids.”