"I got Kayden, you handle Bryton." Lee said as we walked out of the airport terminal
Lee was holding Kayden's hand and I was carrying a screaming, crying Bryton. Great start to our vacation.
I sighed and stopped near the bathrooms, handing Lee my bag and grabbing the diaper bag I walked into the bathroom. "It's okay Bryton." I soothed as I gently bounced him and got the changing table ready. "That was a scary plane wasn't it." I cooed as I changed his diaper causing him to smile and babble.
Once finished, I picked up Bryton, threw away the dirty diaper and grabbed the diaper bag and walked out to find Lee holding Kayden.
"All good now?" Lee smiled
"All good." I chuckled
We got our luggage and then got our rental car and where on our way to the place we rented for our stay. A few weeks ago, Lee and I decided we should take the boys and go on our first family vacation since we became a family of four. A few months after the BOTFA panel at the San Diego Comic Con, Lee and I welcomed our first son Kayden. After we had Kayden, I brought up having another one and Lee was partial to the idea. Yes, he loved being a dad but his career and the fans made him not ready for another one. That changed when we unexpectedly got pregnant with our second son Bryton.
"I can't believe we're actually here!" I exclaimed looking out the car window taking in the scenery with excited eyes
Lee chuckled, grinned and took my hand in one of his "You said you've always wanted to come to Scotland, so here we are!" He said just as he pulled up to the almost castle like house we'll be staying in
My eyes widened even more and I looked at Lee with the biggest smile, "You are the best husband in the world!" I leaned over and kissed his cheek multiple times making him laugh "I love you!" I exclaimed and immediately got out of the car and admired the beauty of the house.
After giving me a few minutes to compose myself, Lee and I got the boys and our luggage and went inside where it was significantly warmer. Of course, we decided to vacation here during winter!
Our first night there was spent exploring the house and having a family night spent indoors with a homecooked meal. Of course, our first night would also mean that Kayden and Bryton would be sleeping with us because they aren't used to a foreign place.
Day 2 was spent exploring the little town we were in. Granted it was a good fifteen-minute drive from the house to the town but it was nice being secluded. That was something we were used to back home. The shops were lovely as was the two places we stopped at for lunch and dinner. Everyone was friendly and the fans gave Lee his space which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was nice not to be mobbed by a horde of fans for once.
Day 3 we ventured further out and managed to come across a zoo that the boys absolutely loved! That took up our entire day and it was a moment I wouldn't trade for the world. Seeing Lee with Kayden on his shoulders as we walked around, smiling and pointing out the animals, laughing and conversing with our son and to top it off at one point he not only had Kayden on his shoulders but he had the baby carrier strapped to his chest. That became my new background on my phone. Kayden on Lee's shoulders with Bryton strapped to Lee's chest, both Lee and Kayden with bright smiles on their faces and their eyes lit up with excitement.
Day 4 and 5 were spent with Lee and Kayden having a father-son day while I stayed in the house with a sick Bryton. He started teething which brought on a fever and an upset stomach. Lee had offered to stay in and help me with our youngest but I didn't want Kayden to be cooped up in the house, so I insisted that they go out and enjoy this time together.
Day 6 was another day spent in together watching movies and playing hide and seek or building forts. However, when the boys went to bed, Lee treated me to a romantic candle light dinner proceeded by taking me outside onto the back terrace where we danced under the moonlight to our song and then a nice warm relaxing bath. That night he was rewarded for being the best husband in the world.
Day 7 we spent it at the house again but this time we were outside playing with the boys. Kayden loved running around and playing airplanes with Lee. As for Bryton, he was loving expressing his freedom of finally walking on his own. Well more like running and me chasing him. Their laughter and smiles made mine and Lee's day.
That night Lee and I were sitting on the couch in front of the fire place after just putting the boys to bed. He set his glass down and looked at me, "Let's have another one."
I looked at him, "You want another kid?" I asked a little shocked that he was the one to bring it up
He nodded with a smile, "I do."
"What brought this on? You were very adamant when we were pregnant with Kayden that you wanted to wait until your career settled down and you were ready for another one. With Bryton, you were adamant and persistent that we'd wait until he was five or six and once again about your career." I stated turning to face him
Lee placed his arm on the back of the couch and brought his hand up and propped his head up. He looked at me and took my hand in his, "Spending the last week here without any distractions from work has been amazing. I just... I don't know..." He blew out a breath "I've been thinking about this for a while now and..."
I cut him off, "How long is a while?"
He smiled sheepishly, "Since Bryton was a week old..." My eyes widened a little. Before I could say anything, he continued, "One day as I was sitting in bed holding him, I realized that these moments we have with them when they're that little pass by fast. I wanted to get as many of those moments stored away as possible. Looking at this small little human that we created, knowing he was going to grow in the blink of an eye made me realize that I didn't want to keep waiting for the right time for our family to grow. I looked from Bryton to your side of the bed were you and Kayden were curled up asleep. It was that moment that I realized there was never a right time and my career will always be the way it is." He took a deep breath "We discussed kids when we dated and after we married. We settled on the number of kids we wanted. My decision was made eleven months ago and this week has only solidified it more. Especially watching you with our boys today."
I smiled as my eyes teared up, "Okay." I softly said "We'll have another one." Lee grinned and kissed me.
After the brief kiss, I took our empty plates and cups to the sink and came back a few minutes later after quickly washing them. When I walked back I saw Lee put his phone away and I raised my eyebrow, "Where you on your phone?" I teasingly questioned and he grinned
"I was just posting something to my Instagram account." He said and patted the space beside him so I sat down, "I'll show you what I posted." He kissed my head
He pulled out his phone and showed me the picture collage. The pictures were captured in the perfect moment. Kayden and Bryton had decided to run away from Lee and I. We were laughing as I chased after them. The first picture was of our backs to the camera and me with my arms reached out towards them, Kayden and Bryton had looked back and you could see their laughing smiling faces. The second picture was when I captured the boys, I had just scooped them into my arms and lifted them up twirling around. Lee managed to catch our laughter and smiles. The third picture was a selfie we took with the boys right before we went inside to eat. Lee had the biggest grin on his face, Kayden was smiling wide showing his missing tooth, Bryton was smiling while wearing Lee's sunglasses and I had the biggest smile on my face. The fourth and final picture was taken more recently. It was of me on the couch with Bryton in my arms asleep with his head on my chest and Kayden asleep with his head on my lap. I was looking down at the boys with a loving smile.
Lee's caption said:
First out of country family vacation! Checked the important things off my list: took my wife to Scotland, spent the best week with my wife and boys without any interruptions and made the decision to add on to our little family. I'm looking forward to our next visit here because our boys will be a little bit older and there will be more of us. Till next time Scotland! Love the Pace family: Lee, Desiray, Kayden and Bryton.
