𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | 𝘑𝘰𝘦𝘭 𝘗𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭

･ﾟ✧ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝐱: 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩

HANAE POV

Jennah came walking into my bedroom with a stuffed bunny in her hands, a bright smile upon her perfect lips. "Mama" Her hands in the air, waiting for me to pick her up. Bending down, that's what I did and I felt her small arms wrap around my neck. "Are you excited for your birthday, baby?" She simply nodded her head, pulling away from me and holding up her stuffed animal. "Dada!" I looked at the animal and nodded my head. Joel had gotten her it when he'd first visited me in the hospital after her birth, clinging onto it till this day. It brought a lump to my throat upon thinking about it, because Jennah was starting to understand that her father wasn't around anymore. And that reality broke my heart.

Luckily, things had been going good for the past month. I had gone out of the apartment and spent time outside, Jennah had returned after weeks of being gone with Kat and Yoandri. Surprisingly, Yashua had been coming around more often. After the night out the past month, we've been getting to know each other more than around the presence of Kat and he was a rather down to Earth guy. Of course he had his moments when people told him things and he'd call them out for it, but anyone could have those moments. All together he seemed like genuinely nice guy, resembling his older brother in a lot of ways.

"Mama?" Those words snatched me out of my own thoughts, looking down at Joel's reflection. It was insane how much Jennah resembled her father, from the curls to her eyelashes. The older she got, the more she would look like him. She'd even do quirky things that only Joel could ever think about doing. But those small thoughts would no longer upset me, neither break my heart. I couldn't prevent her looks to resemble him less, because this is how we created her. And with the months being separated from him, I had learn to deal with my own emotions.

I smiled down at her, pressing my nose against her cheek and listening to her giggles. "Do you want to visit auntie Esme?" Jennah clapped her hands, nodding her little head. "Okay, I'll get your things together and you go wait for me, okay?" Again, she nodded and I set her down and watched her walk steadily into the living room.

I turned to gather a small bag with her belongings: a few diapers, some smoothie bags, toys and other things that would be necessary for a soon-to-be one year old. I went to pick up my phone and keys from the nightstand, exiting my bedroom to go pick up Jennah. "Ready, baby?" She nodded, getting up from the floor and picking up her bunny, walking towards me and holding my index finger. We both left the apartment, locking it and taking the elevators to the parking.

JOEL POV

Walking through the hotel dorm, I dropped the bags on the ground and went to lay down immediately on the bed. It was unreal that tour had come to an end for now, another break well deserved after months of being on the road. I couldn't lie though, I loved the life I had been gifted with. But sometimes it became too much and all you wanted was to step back from the spotlight.

I brought out my phone, looking at my little sunshine lighting up my screen. I couldn't believe she was about to turn her first year in only a few days. It almost felt like it was yesterday that I stepped through the hospital and was met with the love of my life laying there with our creation in her arms. It had truly been the moment in my life when I had truly accepted that she was one I'd wanted to be with. Unfortunately, that wasn't how God had planned things to go and things had ended badly between us. After a few weeks of trying to get in touch, I had completely given up –– knowing for a fact that Hanae would want nothing to do with me, despite nothing even happening.