just_1_word | 39.10. Parent
39.10. Parent
Co-written with agentsullivan
[Follows THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS]
It was just on dusk, and while one part of New York wearily signed off the for the day to head home after a hectic work day in the chaotic city, another part was just warming up to see the nightlife that promised to come alive, no matter what day of the week it was. Ali was standing out on the balcony of the apartment watching the darkness gradually fall as the sun set in some place beyond the high rise buildings. She had her sleepy baby daughter nursed protectively in her arms, fed and freshly bathed in her little sunshine pyjamas ready for bed. The little strawberry blonde head was tucked up under Ali’s chin, and she pressed a soft kiss to Jamie’s hair and smiled as she looked down at the baby hand holding a bunch of her t-shirt at her chest. Motherhood had been such a terrifying, unknown concept to Ali when she had been pregnant with Jamie, but now it was mostly second nature. She still thought she had the ability to really suck at it, but at the same time, in moments like this, she managed to convince herself that maybe she hadn’t done half bad after all. Her baby girl was healthy, loved, content, and happy. Maybe she didn’t suck as much as she thought...
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the door of the balcony slide open. She was only pulled from her reverie when strong arms wrapped around her from behind and embraced both her and their daughter. He smelled sweet and familiar, his cologne having come to be her favourite scent and one she could now link to warmth, love, and comfort. She turned her head with a smile. “Two more minutes and I would have started to get worried,” she told him and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.
Andrew laughed quietly, his lips still against hers. “You’re going to make it hard for me to be all spontaneous,” he told her and rubbed his hand affectionately across the baby girl’s back. “Sorry I’m late, sweetheart. Got caught up in traffic after I decided to stop at Ben & Jerry’s to stock up the freezer. I bought one of all your favourites and one of every of their new falvours for you to try.” His hands slipped lower to rub Ali’s swollen stomach. It was early days, but there was a definite bump there now, and he couldn’t help it, he loved rubbing it and watching her grow slowly knowing it was their baby in there.
“You, Andrew Connor, are my hero,” Ali said with a grin. “Who needs a knight in shining armour when I have a paramedic with enough ice cream to last me at least two days? Are you hungry? I kept your dinner warm in the oven, but you’ve got to promise not fall asleep and nearly face-plant in it again like the last time you did a double shift. You must be buggered from your four am start.” When she first discovered she was pregnant again, she had worried how she would actually take to Andrew’s attentions of her pregnant state. She was so used to hiding it, and being ashamed of it, that it had been a learning process to see it in a different light. She still hated being pregnant. That might not ever change. Some women just seemed to take to it like a duck to water, but Ali wasn’t one of those. Some time over the past couple of weeks, though, she had accepted she was expecting again and found that Andrew was the key to helping her embrace the pending incubation, and even start to feel excited about it. She liked when he rubbed the small bump, and got excited over things like the size of newborn baby booties. She loved watching him read her pregnancy books and talk to Jamie about becoming a big sister when he bathed her or fed her. But the thing she loved the most was that smile that seemed to stem from head to toe when he told people he was going to be a daddy ‘again’. That small word on the end of his declaration warmed her heart. They were going to be a proper family, all four of them, and after all the crap she had tried to see through and fight through on her own for the past few years, she was more than ready to accept this cosy normalcy with open arms. She wanted to be a mummy, and a wife her husband looked forward to coming home to. Sure, it wasn’t going to be easy, because she was still who she was at the end of the day - a bitch who swore too much and was never backwards in coming forwards - but that’s who he fell in love with, right? She could be all of those things and still be her. That was the plan, anyway. She knew he would understand if, at times, she didn’t have the energy to be all at once, and that was just one of the many reasons she loved him.
Andrew kissed her throat softly. “Hmm, I am. But will it keep? I thought we could put Sunshine to bed and then take a bath together. Maybe use the candles and those bubbles you like so much. I think I could put up smelling like a big… peach? Just for one night,” he teased, curling her hair through his fingers and nuzzling the back of her neck.
Ali smirked. “Apple,” she corrected. “Typical bloke, doesn’t know one fragrance from the other.” She tried to remain stoic, but even through his paramedic overalls, she could feel his body’s arousal pressing against her. God, she loved that. She was sure if he stayed there long enough, she could get off just from imagining what was down his pants from the way it felt against her butt. It seemed she was maybe off the hook for the moment for her whole birthday secret faux pas. She could never argue with hard evidence. “Do I get to play with your toys in the bubbles?”
“I know your fragrance,” Andrew told her with a mischievous smile, rubbing his hands slowly over her hips. “That’s the only one I care about.” It was only then that something on her caught his attention when it seemed to shine, catching the light from inside the apartment. He was taller than her, so he looked over her shoulder a little more and got a better view of her feet, laughing. “Are you wearing diamond high-heel shoes with your track pants?!”
Ali pressed her lips together but she was soon sniggering. “Yes. Yes, I am, gorgeous,” she confirmed, wriggling her toes in her new Manolos. True to her word, she had worn them all afternoon around the house in her daggy clothes and indulged in the way how extremely expensive shoes could make even the crappiest feeling pregnant cheek feel sexy. It was almost touch and go when she nearly dropped a spoonful of chocolate ice cream on them, but she averted the crisis when it landed on the floor instead. They might need new carpet in the hall as a result, but that would still probably be cheaper than the shoes. “Do you like them?”
Andrew was still laughing. “Well, yes. They’re beautiful. I’m sure they would look beautiful with a nice… why are you wearing them with your track pants? I probably shouldn’t ask, should I?” he guessed, knowing Ali well enough these days to not need to actually try and work out why she did some things. It was just her, and he loved everything about her.
“Hm, nope. I think it’s safer not to,” Ali agreed with a smirk and then gave him a tender kiss on the lips, letting in linger.
Andrew nuzzled his nose against hers affectionately, enjoying their cosy moment together with their daughter. “I missed you today, you know. I know I got a little shitty about the dinner thing, and I’m sorry. We can go another time when you’re feeling better. I thought we could just take it easy tonight. Relax, spend time together, think of baby names,” he added with a laugh.
“Baby names,” Ali said with a smirk, glancing over her should to catch sight of his face. She stroked her fingers through Jamie’s fine blonde hair and then nodded. “Okay, I guess that’s important and not something I let myself get too invested in last time. So, baby names. I take it Bart or Homer are off the list?” she joked.
Andrew sniggered and wrapped his arms around them both again. “Actually, I though if we maybe have a boy we could name him-” But he was cut off when Jamie’s little hand grabbed for his arm as she spat the pacifier out to coo a soft ‘Da Da’, her little fingers brushing across his forearm.
A laugh of disbelief escaped Ali as she looked down at her daughter, her face breaking into a grin. “Oh my god!” she cried and lifted Jamie up so she could see her gorgeous little face. “Did you just say ‘daddy’, baby? Is that your daddy?” she said, kissing Jamie’s forehead. She looked to Andrew, grinning as she felt happy tears in her eyes, and placed Jamie into Andrew’s arms. “You’re her first word!”
“O-Oh shit!” Andrew gasped in disbelief, grinning himself as he kissed Jamie’s cheek and hugged her close to him. She really said it! She reached for him, and she said it! He was stunned, and he wanted to run out into the hall and tell anyone who was listening that his baby girl just said her first word, but he also wanted to cry because it was just one of those moments that felt so awesome, you weren’t quite sure what else to do. She was already snuggling into his chest and he nursed her securely in his arms. “See, this? This is why our accident is worth every minute,” he told Ali, smiling tearfully at her.
Ali nodded and it was her turn to wrap her arms around him in a warm hug. She gave him a kiss and just held onto them both. “It’s all going to be fine,” she resolved, determined now more than ever to move on from the painful mindsets and just be happy, because hearing her first child’s first word and hearing it be exactly what it should be? Not a lot could beat that feeling, and she knew now that she really was ready to face the mummy thing all over again.
Word Count | 1,764
Co-written with agentsullivan
[Follows THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS]
It was just on dusk, and while one part of New York wearily signed off the for the day to head home after a hectic work day in the chaotic city, another part was just warming up to see the nightlife that promised to come alive, no matter what day of the week it was. Ali was standing out on the balcony of the apartment watching the darkness gradually fall as the sun set in some place beyond the high rise buildings. She had her sleepy baby daughter nursed protectively in her arms, fed and freshly bathed in her little sunshine pyjamas ready for bed. The little strawberry blonde head was tucked up under Ali’s chin, and she pressed a soft kiss to Jamie’s hair and smiled as she looked down at the baby hand holding a bunch of her t-shirt at her chest. Motherhood had been such a terrifying, unknown concept to Ali when she had been pregnant with Jamie, but now it was mostly second nature. She still thought she had the ability to really suck at it, but at the same time, in moments like this, she managed to convince herself that maybe she hadn’t done half bad after all. Her baby girl was healthy, loved, content, and happy. Maybe she didn’t suck as much as she thought...
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the door of the balcony slide open. She was only pulled from her reverie when strong arms wrapped around her from behind and embraced both her and their daughter. He smelled sweet and familiar, his cologne having come to be her favourite scent and one she could now link to warmth, love, and comfort. She turned her head with a smile. “Two more minutes and I would have started to get worried,” she told him and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.
Andrew laughed quietly, his lips still against hers. “You’re going to make it hard for me to be all spontaneous,” he told her and rubbed his hand affectionately across the baby girl’s back. “Sorry I’m late, sweetheart. Got caught up in traffic after I decided to stop at Ben & Jerry’s to stock up the freezer. I bought one of all your favourites and one of every of their new falvours for you to try.” His hands slipped lower to rub Ali’s swollen stomach. It was early days, but there was a definite bump there now, and he couldn’t help it, he loved rubbing it and watching her grow slowly knowing it was their baby in there.
“You, Andrew Connor, are my hero,” Ali said with a grin. “Who needs a knight in shining armour when I have a paramedic with enough ice cream to last me at least two days? Are you hungry? I kept your dinner warm in the oven, but you’ve got to promise not fall asleep and nearly face-plant in it again like the last time you did a double shift. You must be buggered from your four am start.” When she first discovered she was pregnant again, she had worried how she would actually take to Andrew’s attentions of her pregnant state. She was so used to hiding it, and being ashamed of it, that it had been a learning process to see it in a different light. She still hated being pregnant. That might not ever change. Some women just seemed to take to it like a duck to water, but Ali wasn’t one of those. Some time over the past couple of weeks, though, she had accepted she was expecting again and found that Andrew was the key to helping her embrace the pending incubation, and even start to feel excited about it. She liked when he rubbed the small bump, and got excited over things like the size of newborn baby booties. She loved watching him read her pregnancy books and talk to Jamie about becoming a big sister when he bathed her or fed her. But the thing she loved the most was that smile that seemed to stem from head to toe when he told people he was going to be a daddy ‘again’. That small word on the end of his declaration warmed her heart. They were going to be a proper family, all four of them, and after all the crap she had tried to see through and fight through on her own for the past few years, she was more than ready to accept this cosy normalcy with open arms. She wanted to be a mummy, and a wife her husband looked forward to coming home to. Sure, it wasn’t going to be easy, because she was still who she was at the end of the day - a bitch who swore too much and was never backwards in coming forwards - but that’s who he fell in love with, right? She could be all of those things and still be her. That was the plan, anyway. She knew he would understand if, at times, she didn’t have the energy to be all at once, and that was just one of the many reasons she loved him.
Andrew kissed her throat softly. “Hmm, I am. But will it keep? I thought we could put Sunshine to bed and then take a bath together. Maybe use the candles and those bubbles you like so much. I think I could put up smelling like a big… peach? Just for one night,” he teased, curling her hair through his fingers and nuzzling the back of her neck.
Ali smirked. “Apple,” she corrected. “Typical bloke, doesn’t know one fragrance from the other.” She tried to remain stoic, but even through his paramedic overalls, she could feel his body’s arousal pressing against her. God, she loved that. She was sure if he stayed there long enough, she could get off just from imagining what was down his pants from the way it felt against her butt. It seemed she was maybe off the hook for the moment for her whole birthday secret faux pas. She could never argue with hard evidence. “Do I get to play with your toys in the bubbles?”
“I know your fragrance,” Andrew told her with a mischievous smile, rubbing his hands slowly over her hips. “That’s the only one I care about.” It was only then that something on her caught his attention when it seemed to shine, catching the light from inside the apartment. He was taller than her, so he looked over her shoulder a little more and got a better view of her feet, laughing. “Are you wearing diamond high-heel shoes with your track pants?!”
Ali pressed her lips together but she was soon sniggering. “Yes. Yes, I am, gorgeous,” she confirmed, wriggling her toes in her new Manolos. True to her word, she had worn them all afternoon around the house in her daggy clothes and indulged in the way how extremely expensive shoes could make even the crappiest feeling pregnant cheek feel sexy. It was almost touch and go when she nearly dropped a spoonful of chocolate ice cream on them, but she averted the crisis when it landed on the floor instead. They might need new carpet in the hall as a result, but that would still probably be cheaper than the shoes. “Do you like them?”
Andrew was still laughing. “Well, yes. They’re beautiful. I’m sure they would look beautiful with a nice… why are you wearing them with your track pants? I probably shouldn’t ask, should I?” he guessed, knowing Ali well enough these days to not need to actually try and work out why she did some things. It was just her, and he loved everything about her.
“Hm, nope. I think it’s safer not to,” Ali agreed with a smirk and then gave him a tender kiss on the lips, letting in linger.
Andrew nuzzled his nose against hers affectionately, enjoying their cosy moment together with their daughter. “I missed you today, you know. I know I got a little shitty about the dinner thing, and I’m sorry. We can go another time when you’re feeling better. I thought we could just take it easy tonight. Relax, spend time together, think of baby names,” he added with a laugh.
“Baby names,” Ali said with a smirk, glancing over her should to catch sight of his face. She stroked her fingers through Jamie’s fine blonde hair and then nodded. “Okay, I guess that’s important and not something I let myself get too invested in last time. So, baby names. I take it Bart or Homer are off the list?” she joked.
Andrew sniggered and wrapped his arms around them both again. “Actually, I though if we maybe have a boy we could name him-” But he was cut off when Jamie’s little hand grabbed for his arm as she spat the pacifier out to coo a soft ‘Da Da’, her little fingers brushing across his forearm.
A laugh of disbelief escaped Ali as she looked down at her daughter, her face breaking into a grin. “Oh my god!” she cried and lifted Jamie up so she could see her gorgeous little face. “Did you just say ‘daddy’, baby? Is that your daddy?” she said, kissing Jamie’s forehead. She looked to Andrew, grinning as she felt happy tears in her eyes, and placed Jamie into Andrew’s arms. “You’re her first word!”
“O-Oh shit!” Andrew gasped in disbelief, grinning himself as he kissed Jamie’s cheek and hugged her close to him. She really said it! She reached for him, and she said it! He was stunned, and he wanted to run out into the hall and tell anyone who was listening that his baby girl just said her first word, but he also wanted to cry because it was just one of those moments that felt so awesome, you weren’t quite sure what else to do. She was already snuggling into his chest and he nursed her securely in his arms. “See, this? This is why our accident is worth every minute,” he told Ali, smiling tearfully at her.
Ali nodded and it was her turn to wrap her arms around him in a warm hug. She gave him a kiss and just held onto them both. “It’s all going to be fine,” she resolved, determined now more than ever to move on from the painful mindsets and just be happy, because hearing her first child’s first word and hearing it be exactly what it should be? Not a lot could beat that feeling, and she knew now that she really was ready to face the mummy thing all over again.
Word Count | 1,764