I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In

Leland stirred, feeling the weight of Isabelle's head nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Her body was curled into him, her leg slung over his. With the arm that cradled her, he pulled the thin sheets up that had slipped down their bodies during the night. Trying not to wake her, he untangled himself from her grip, slipping on a pair of boxer shorts that lay beside the bed. Sleepily, he moved down the hallway, entering the kitchen to grab some water. He caught a glimpse of the clock, hung on an empty wall opposite his kitchen bench. 4:30am. He stretched, glad to have a few more hours of sleep before having to go and pick up Zahli.

Avoiding creaky floorboards he made his way back down the hallway. Out of habit, he glanced into each of his children's bedrooms; Leiah's, empty, Cobie's, empty, Dakota's, empty. He stopped suddenly, stepping back to see if he had missed Dakota's figure underneath the bedcover. No, he definitely wasn't there. Leland shook his head, walking back into his own bedroom to grab his phone. Dakota's phone rang out; once, twice, three times. He let out an aggravated groan, awakening Isabelle who sat up in bed, pulling the sheet tight around her body.

"Sorry baby," he whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you."

She rubbed her eyes, squinting as she looked up towards Leland, "It's okay. Are you alright?"

"Dakota isn't home yet. I told him not too late."

Isabelle sighed, "Baby, it's not that la-" Her eyes caught a glimpse of the time on her alarm clock, "4:30? Does he normally come home this late?"

Leland shook his head, punching in Dakota's phone number and calling once again. Still no answer.

"We can drive around to see if we can find him, if you're worried," Isabelle softly spoke.

"I'm not worried. He knows how to defend himself," Leland dialled once more. Nothing. "I'm just pissed that he stayed out late after I told him not to. No phone call, nothing." He sat beside Isabelle in bed, stroking her chocolate hair delicately, "Go back to sleep. I'm gonna wait up for him."

Shaking her head, Isabelle rolled out of bed, moving towards the chest of drawers and rummaging through one to find her pajamas. She turned to face Leland, a cheeky smirk on his face as he watched her slip an oversized shirt over her head.

"I'll make coffee," she laughed, brushing past him towards the hallway. He watched her walk out of the bedroom, placing the phone back up to his ear and hearing the voicemail message repeat itself.

Leland fell onto the sofa, flicking on the television, as Isabelle exited the kitchen, settling his coffee on the table in front of him. He thanked her, pulling her down onto the spare space in front of him. She leaned down, kissing him sleepily.

The front door creaked open. Isabelle turned to face the doorway, seeing a sheepish looking Dakota step through.

"Is dad waiting for me?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck. Isabelle nodded, glancing down at Leland, who was rising from his lazing position. "I'm sor-"

"Where the hell have you been?" Leland spoke, folding his arms over his chest. Isabelle could tell he was angry. She shifted uncomfortably on the lounge, her eyes glancing towards Dakota who hung his head. "Do you think this is what I meant by 'don't be home too late'?"

"I-" Dakota went to speak, but was cut off by his father once more.

"It's four-thirty in the morning!" Leland yelled, his posture firm.

Isabelle rose from the sofa, resting a hand on Leland's arm, causing him to glimpse towards her. She gave a small smile, "He might have a reason for coming home so late."

Leland softened his stance, although he kept his arms planted over his chest. He turned back towards Dakota, and raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

Dakota shifted nervously on his feet. "My friend was supposed to give me a lift home, but he left without telling me. I had to walk back."

"Why didn't you call me?" Leland said, his voice still slightly raised, "At least let me know you were going to be late home!"

"I knew Isabelle was tired, and I thought you guys would've been in bed."

Isabelle cast her eyes back to Leland. She could tell he was annoyed; he was stiff and his jaw was clenched. She looked over to Dakota, who was slightly slumped, very obviously exhausted. Regardless of the time, he had just walked all the way home. She stretched her arm across Leland's chest, interlocking her fingers with his and forcing him to break his folded arms apart, causing him to glance down at her. She spoke softly, "He looks exhausted. Maybe you can talk to him after his had some sleep?"

Leland took a moment to mull over what Dakota had already said, and the questions he wanted to ask. He glanced up at Dakota, who was still standing patiently in the doorway. He nodded his head towards the hallway, "Get some sleep." Dakota looked graciously towards Isabelle, nodding slightly at his dad before walking quickly towards his bedroom. "This isn't over, Dakota," Leland called out, before a soft thud indicated the bedroom door had been shut.

"I didn't mean to overstep," Isabelle sighed, "He just looked so tired."

A smile broke out on Leland's face as he stepped towards Isabelle, wrapping his arms around her waist, her own arms draping over his shoulders. He stooped over, kissing her gently, "You didn't overstep at all."

Isabelle stifled a yawn, causing Leland to laugh slightly, "Let's go get some sleep before we have to pick Zahli up."

"That sounds good," she laughed, following his muscular figure as he trekked through the dimly-lit hallway and into their bedroom.

--------------------------------------------

"Zahli, be careful," Isabelle scolded, as she caught the cup of juice from spilling over the wooden dining table. Her peas had already been scattered across the white tiles of the dining room, and she had accidentally sprayed ketchup onto Leland's white t-shirt.

Zahli's big, blue eyes stared up apologetically at her mother, "Sorry mama."

"Just sit down properly and eat like a big girl," Isabelle said, cutting into her steak.

Zahli glanced over to Dakota, who was trying to hold back laughter. She smiled widely, poking a cube of steak, that Leland had cut up for her, with her fork and munching on it.

Isabelle shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips, "I didn't realise how much of a clown you were, Zahli."

"I not a clown!" Zahli tilted her head to the side, pulling a funny face at her mother.

"How much sugar did you have today, kiddo?" Leland asked, laughing slightly as he tickled her ribs. She giggled gleefully, causing Isabelle to smile. "Did Grandma give you lots of lollies?"

"We made cupcakes," the little girl grinned, scooping up a few peas and popping them into her mouth.

"I'm guessing you ate a few," her mother laughed, leaning against the back of her chair and taking a sip of water. She glanced across at Leland, who was watching her, a goofy grin spread across his face, causing his dimples to show.

Zahli cut through the silent moment, chewing noisily, "And Kota gave me lollies in the car."

Isabelle let out a loud laugh, "Dakota! You're to blame for this sugar high?"

"It was only a couple," he chuckled, looking at Isabelle sheepishly. "Isn't that what big brothers are for?"

"I can only see this kid getting cheekier with big brothers," Isabelle laughed, pointing her thumb in Zahli's direction. Leland smiled, standing up and grabbing the empty plates from the table. As he walked behind Isabelle, he kissed the top of her head affectionately, letting his hand linger on her neck. She gazed up at him, her own lips pulling into a wide smile. She felt complete for the first time, like she had finally realised where she was meant to be in life. Her heart swelled as she watched Leland settle the dishes into the kitchen sink and take a swig from his glass, resting against the counter. She could hear Dakota and Zahli chatting animatedly on either side of her, their laughter echoing in her mind.

This was exactly where she was supposed to be.