"Maxon, you need to eat something."

I stood in the doorway of his office, watching my husband pour over the paperwork that covered his desk. Work towards abolishing the castes was a lot harder than anyone thought.

"I will, just give me a minute."

"You said that last night and never showed up. You barely ate anything at lunch today, too. You've got to take a break, Maxon."

"We have a deadline, Mer. I'm not going to shy away-"

I walked over to his desk, pausing by his chair before I grabbed his hand. He looked up, his eyes tired behind a pair of reading glasses I didn't even know he needed until after we married. "I know you do, and I'm going to help you tonight. But you need to eat some dinner, tuck your children in bed, and then we'll handle this, okay? They've been asking about you all day."

He took off his glasses with his free hand and laid them on the desk before rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I hate it when you are right."

"Happens pretty often, huh?"

Maxon chuckled. "What's for dinner?"

"Your favorite. Steak and potatoes." Maxon's eyes brightened at my answer. "And I didn't even suggest it. You can thank the head chef for that."

"That's probably because I gave them all a raise."

"Or it could be because they actually like you, and they all know how stressed out you are. Nicole even made chocolate cake."

Maxon stood and stretched. "Chocolate cake?" He pulled me into his arms. I leaned forward, placing a soft, easy kiss against his lips.

"Yep."

"Sounds tempting. Almost as tempting as my wife." He brushed his nose against mine.

"You noticed, huh?"

"I always notice. Right now, I just have the opportunity to do something about it." His fingers drummed lightly on my waist as he planted a kiss on each cheek. Maxon's stomach let out a large growl, which I snorted at.

"As delightful as that sounds, if you want to spend your break with me, we can do it in the dining room, with our kids, with a plate of food in front of you."

"But then I couldn't do this." Maxon's hands drifted down, pulling me flush against him. His lips traveled down my neck, making my heart flutter wildly.

"Maxon, this isn't going to work. You need to eat!"

Maxon pressed his lips just under my jawline, right below my ear. They brushed my ear, his breath warm and soft against my skin. "Who says I wouldn't be eating?"

"DADDY!"

Two series of high pitched giggles and screams came from the hall, our toddlers just on the other side of the door.

"Always right on time, those two," Maxon noted slyly.

"Later," I promised as I took his hand in mine. Maxon groaned good naturedly before leading us both to the door. The nanny opened it just as we approached, an exasperated look on her face.

"I'm sorry, your majesty."

"No need to apologize, Margaret." He sunk to his knees on the carpet, crawling towards the door. "Where are my two monsters?"

Eadlyn giggled from the other side. Ahren jumped out, growling as he leapt towards Maxon. He caught Ahren, gently pinning him to the floor and tickling him. My son's laughter filled the room. Eadlyn darted out and tangled herself with her brother and father.

"Two tickle monsters after me!?" Maxon was on his back now, letting the pair have at him. They both tried to tickle him, their fingers clumsily moving over their father. "Help!"

"No, momma!" Eadlyn squealed.

"Play!" Ahren added. He leapt from his father, coming to pull on my hand. "Peas?"

"After dinner," I amended as I picked him up. "If you and your sister eat all of your dinner, maybe we will have time to play with Daddy some more. Can you be good and eat?"

Ahren nodded his head excitedly. Maxon rose from the floor, Eadlyn wrapped against him. She was telling him about her doll, which he listened to as intently as he would any dignitary or council member.

Together, we all walked into the small dining room, which we used for our everyday meals. The food was already laid out on the table, the smell absolutely divine. We settled into our seats, Maxon with Eadlyn and mine with Ahren. Even with the nanny's help, feeding the twins was a job in itself. Lately, all they wanted to eat was chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. After eating a few bites of my own meal, the battle began.

"No!" Ahren protested as I tried to get him to eat some broccoli.

"It will make you grow big and strong, just like Daddy!"

"No!"

I threw a piece into my mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing. "So good! Don't you want to try some?"

Ahren eyed the vegetable, still looking unsure. "No."

"Here buddy, try this." Maxon reached over and grabbed a stalk and swiped it through the macaroni and cheese, covering it in the golden sauce. "It's yummy!"

"Chee?"

"Yep, tastes like cheese!"

Ahren took it from his father and slowly took a tentative nibble. His eyes brightened slightly. "Good job!" Maxon praised. "Eadlyn, do you want me to get you one?"

"No! I do."

Maxon handed her a piece of broccoli, which she promptly dunked into her mac and cheese. "Thank you," I whispered. The past couple of nights without him was a handful. They always seemed to eat better around him. He gave me a wink before directing his attention back to the kids. He ate while he fed them, the room full of giggles and happy smiles. Once they'd finished most of their plates, I cut two slices of cake. Each was big enough that Maxon and me could share with the twins.

"I can help you get them into bed tonight," he offered while giving Ahren a small bite.

"You don't have to do that, Maxon. I know the reports need to be finished tonight. You need some sleep, too."

"More!" Eadlyn demanded of me. I gave her a look, to which she looked down at her plate.

"What do we say, young lady?"

"Peas?"

"Very good!" I acknowledged as I gave her a bite of mine. I quickly took a bite as she chewed. It was no strawberry tart, but Nicole's chocolate cake was right up there with it. I turned back to Maxon. "You get to work, and once I get them into bed, I'll come down. We can team up and tackle this together."

Maxon set his plate on Ahren's highchair. "I'm sorry things have been so crazy lately. I just…I want to get this right, America."

I leaned over to him, brushing my fingers along his cheek before pressing a soft kiss there. "I know you do."

"MORE PEAS!"

Just as Ahren yelled it, a toddler sized fistful of cake smacked Maxon in the face. Ahren had his little hands in what remained of the slice, eating it just as much as throwing it. I quickly set my plate down, covering my mouth to keep from laughing.

"Something funny, your majesty?" Maxon offered before reaching for a napkin. I shook my head, a few giggles escaping from in between my fingers. I turned back to Ahren, to access the damage. Something gooey, soft, and hauntingly chocolatey hit the side of my head. I turned in the direction of my husband, who sat grinning, a fork poised with another bite of cake.

"Maxon. Calix. Schreave. What do you think you are doing?"

"Having a little fun?" He deposited a sizeable piece of cake on each of the twin's trays. "Isn't the saying all work and no play make a very dull boy? Are we dull, Ahren?"

"NO!"

"I didn't think so."

"Maxon, don't you dare-"

"Get mommy!"

Thankfully, I missed most of the throws from my children, but Maxon's forkful crashed right into my hair. I grabbed what remained of my piece, shoving it into his face. We made a mess of the remainder of the cake, all of us covered in the desert. Eadlyn and Ahren had the biggest smiles on their faces, both eating or throwing what they could get their hands on.

Maxon took hold of me, his hands caressing my cheeks. There was chocolate icing smeared over his brow, the left cheek completely covered in cake. "I love you."

"Don't you dare think I'm going to forget this. I'll have my revenge," I swore teasingly. "And I love you, too."

"I think it's safe to say that we all need a bath," Maxon observed as he stood. He licked around his lips, clearing some of the cake and icing there. "And that I'm going to need to give the cleaning staff yet another raise for this mess."

"No!" Ahren cried happily. Eadlyn joined him, softly singing "no" over and over again.

"No to the bath or the raise?" Maxon questioned.

"No!"

"It is their favorite word," I noted.

"Out of the few they know, that is true. Ahren, my son," Maxon began as he picked him up. Eadlyn reached out for me, and I took her into my arms. "Let me tell you about the proper way to make a budget cut."

"Cut?"

"Yep, cut."

I shook my head as I laughed lightly at their antics. Eadlyn listened intently to her father's words as we climbed the stairs to give them both a bath. He'd turn to Eadlyn as he spoke, giving them equal attention. It would be a long night, but moments like this, where there was just the joy of my husband and children, were worth it.

HI ALL! I know its been forever, but there's a good reason for that. I needed to take the time to edit my original story and finally get the crazy plot line I've had in my head down on paper. Good news is that I am *FINALLY* ready to start querying! EEK! If you ever have any ideas you'd like me to write, just shoot me a PM or hit me up on my blog, which can be found on my profile.

Hope you all enjoyed!