The Best Day
“Alright kiddos, y’all be good for Mama, okay?” You lean down to give them both a kiss and they grin up at you.
“Okay!” Ali says.
“They’ll be great, detka. I promise to bring them home in one piece,” Natasha says and you laugh.
The kids hop into the car and Nat hugs you. You nuzzle your face against her neck and she holds you tight.
“I love you, y/n. I’ll see you tonight,” Natasha says.
“I love you too, Natasha. So much. Make some core memories today, babe.”
“We will,” Nat says and she kisses you softly before she gets into the car as well.
You watch them drive off and then go inside for a day of paperwork.
Natasha sings along to the radio with the kids and they get to the park just before the afternoon. If there’s one constant memory Natasha remembers from her time living in Ohio, it is playing on the swing set with Yelena. So, as simple as it sounds, this activity with the kids means a lot to Natasha.
Ivan runs to the slide immediately and Ali follows to help him. From a bench on the side of the playground, Nat watches on for a while as the kids play.
An older woman sits next to her and she offers Nat a kind smile.
“I used to come here all the time with my kids,” the woman says. She doesn’t offer anymore information.
“It’s relaxing out here. My kids love it,” Nat says.
“Hm. Soak it up while they’re young. They’ll be grown in the blink of an eye.”
“It’s already happening. My wife and I are considering adopting another baby,” Natasha says with a huge smile gracing her face. She’s unsure why she’s telling her. Maybe she’s just excited for someone other than the two of you to know.
“The more the merrier,” the lady chuckles. “Well, I better be going. You have a great day, ma’am.”
“Thank you, you too,” Nat says. She feels a warmth in her chest at the interaction.
Just then she looks to see Ali at the top of the slide about to go down and Ivan at the end cheering her on. Nat stands from the bench and walks over to the kids.
“Mama, watch! I’m going to go super fast!” Ali shouts.
“I’m watching, baby,” Nat says as she lifts Ivan up from the ground and kisses his cheeks as he laughs wildly.
When Ali gets to the bottom of the slide, she takes a turn getting soaked in Nat’s affection.
The three of them continue to play for a while until it’s getting close to evening.
“I’m hungry,” Ivan says matter of factly and it makes Nat grin at him.
“Okay, bud. What do you guys want for dinner?” Nat asks as they start to walk towards the car. Each kid holds one of her hands.
“Burgers? And a milkshake?” Ali suggests.
“That’s a great idea,” Nat says.
“Can Mommy come? I miss her,” Ivan says, despite it only being four hours since he last saw you.
“Yeah we’ll invite her. I miss her too,” Natasha says. And she really does. She didn’t want to spend the day without you but she knew how much you needed some time to get some work done.
You’re sitting in your home office when your phone rings.
“Hey, babe!” You answer it.
“Hey, you’re on speaker in the car. Say hi to Mom, guys,” Nat says. You hear some mumbled greetings and you greet them back. “Can you meet us at the diner in 20?”
“That sounds great, Nat. I’ll be there. I love you,” you say.
“Love you, detka,” Natasha says before hanging up.
When you get to the diner Natasha and the kids have already taken claim of the usual corner booth the family sits in.
“You’re here!” Ivan says when you slide into the booth next to him. He wraps his little arms around your neck.
“Hi, Ives. Wow, you’re so sweet today,” you say as you hug him back. “How was the park?”
“It was good,” Natasha offers.
“It was the best!” Ali says excitedly. “Mama made it so fun!”
“I’m so happy to hear that, sweetheart. And yeah, Mama’s kind of the best, huh?”
She nods exaggeratively and you chuckle. You look to Nat to see a glimmer in her eyes and you know how overwhelming it is for her when the kids love her so easily.
“Here y’all,” you reach into your purse for a few dollars. “Do you want to go play the games?”
The kids run off to play and you switch sides to sit next to Nat. She wraps an arm around your shoulder and you lean your head on her shoulder.
“Did you get your work done today, detka?” Nat asks.
“I did. Thanks for taking the kids to the park. I know they loved and will remember it.”
“I think we should go forward with the adoption application. Our family is ready to grow,” Natasha says with a huge grin on her face.
“What changed? I mean, I’m glad you feel that way, but we haven’t talked about it since we tabled it last month,” you say.
“I just really think we are a great family and we would offer a kid so much love,” Natasha says and you kiss her sweetly.
“Let’s do it, babe,” you agree.
That day after the park was the first time that you felt like Natasha was really confident in her parenting skills and no matter how old the kids get you will never forget that look in her eyes when she finally realized just how amazing she is at being a wife and a mother. And to you, she’s the greatest one in the universe.