31 Days of Autumn Read Free

an appetite as large as your father’s.’
    ‘Where Daddy?’
    ‘Daddy will be down in a minute.’
    ‘Oliver want Jo-Jo,’ he pouted, pointing to the
room next door. I kissed his forehead and shifted him to my hip, then made my
way through the en-suite to the nursery next door, feeling my heart swell with
love as I looked into the crib. My six month old son was still fast asleep,
flat on his stomach, just like how Oliver used to lie. ‘Jo-Jo,’ yelled an excited
Oliver with a clap of his hands.
    ‘Sssshhhh,’ I laughed, putting two fingers on
Oliver’s lips in a bid to hush him. ‘You’ll wake him up. He’s a baby and needs
lots more sleep than you.’ I smoothed some of Oliver’s dark hair back from his
forehead, which I kissed. Oliver looked just like his dad, whereas Jonas had
much lighter hair, and some of my features were already discernible on him. I’d
so wanted a girl throughout my pregnancy, but when we found out we were having
another boy, I couldn’t stay sad for long. Dan had been over the moon, but
despite being a nervous wreck during the birth, he knew how much I wanted a
girl, so he’d promised me that we’d try again. ‘Let’s leave him to sleep a
little longer while we get breakfast ready, ok?’
    ‘Ok,’ Oliver beamed. He put his arms around my
neck and snuggled against me. I headed through to the kitchen and strapped him
into his booster seat at the dining table. I lay out his crayons and paper each
night before I went to bed so he’d be occupied the moment he sat down, and sure
enough, he started scribbling straight away. I went to get him some juice and
set the coffee machine. I smiled to myself as I heard Dan bounding down the
stairs. The smell of his first morning coffee, along with the promise of food,
always roused him. ‘Daddy,’ Oliver called, craning his neck as he waited for
him to appear, then yelled with happiness when he did.
    ‘Good morning, Ollie. What are you drawing
there?’ Dan crouched at his side and kissed him, then ruffled his hair as he
sat down next to him to observe his progress. Dan was the only one who called
him Ollie, everyone else called him Oliver. I made our coffees as I watched
them with a smile. Oliver loved his dad, especially when he had time to play
with him. I headed over with Dan’s coffee, squealing as he slapped my backside
when I walked away. He burst out laughing and Oliver started giggling. He
adored Dan’s laugh, though his deep singing voice was still a whole other
matter. I started preparing a full English breakfast as I listened to the two
of them having fun together and sighed, full of contentment. I was so happy. I
wished my mum and dad were here to see what an amazing life I had.
    We’d just started eating when I heard a cry
from Jonas’s room.
    ‘I’ll go,’ Dan offered, kissing my cheek. ‘You
eat too many cold breakfasts as it is. Enjoy it and I’ll get him changed and
bring him out in a while.’
    ‘What about your breakfast,’ I protested,
looking at his virtually untouched plate.
    ‘Stop worrying about everyone else. You know me
and my appetite, I’ll eat anything and everything. Eat yours warm for once,’ he
ordered, before tossing down his napkin and striding out. I took his plate and
put it under the grill, which was still warm, to try and keep his food hot
while he was gone. I wolfed mine down while also helping Oliver to draw. It
nearly broke my heart to see Dan appear with Jonas in one arm, dressed in a
fresh romper suit, yawning his head off.
    ‘Jo-Jo,’ Oliver called, holding out his arms.
Dan crouched next to him and let Oliver give his baby brother a big wet sloppy
kiss, before handing him over to me to feed.
    ‘So, what’s the plan for the day?’
    ‘When he’s fed, I’ll get Oliver cleaned up and
changed, then have a shower myself. Dress in running gear. Mrs. McAdams is
coming to look after the boys while we go out for the rest of the day,’ I
confirmed.
    ‘We’re going running?’ he