Baby on Board

Sapphires

"OK, that's it," I said in my most authoritative voice. I was stood over Aimee, Lauren and Joanne, hoping that I wouldn't have to fight for Sera. I'd win, but I'm sure it would get messy. Forcing my way into their group, I reach out my hands towards Sera. Lauren begrudgingly handed her over. "Hello, darling. Shall we go and get Mummy?"

Getting Mummy was easier said than done. It took ten minutes of constant pleading, another five minutes of Sera screaming and Nate banishing Lottie from work for the next fifty and a half weeks to eventually get us into a position where we were ready to go back to the car. Getting back to the car was a marathon and then strapping Sera in was a near-impossible task, meaning that, in total, we'd been out of the house for at least three hours. This didn't really bode well for us because just as soon as we stepped over the threshold, Sera dropped a stink bomb which Daddy needed to clean up. 

While I set about changing Sera- not only needing a new nappy, but also a new outfit- Lottie jumped in the shower, getting ready for our date tonight. Since our talk on Sunday, I've been determined not to let the fact that we have a baby stop us from focusing on our relationship, which is why I had planned to take Lottie out tonight. Plus, I had something that I needed to give her. 

I had arranged a babysitter and everything. Granted, the sitter wasn't the most reliable and once Lottie sees who it is, she may back out from the date, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Just as soon as I've sorted Sera out, jumped in the shower and put on my suit. Then we're a go for tonight. 

Of course, Lottie looked amazing when she was dressed and ready to leave. Her dress was draped around her midsection, hiding what she affectionally called her 'mummy tummy', and she bravely wore a pair of heels that I hadn't seen her wear since the very, very early days of her pregnancy. I think the last time she was this tall, it was when I flew out to Paris to declare that I would very much be involved in our child's life. She wore her hair in loose curls that cascaded down her back, her make up was minimal to show off her post-baby glow, and a pair of white gold studs adorned her ears. Walking down the stairs to be greeted by such a sight was surely every man's dream. 

"When's the sitter arriving?" Lottie asked as she walked into the family room ahead of me. My eyes lingered to her backside. In my defence, the way her hips swayed made it practically impossible not to stare. "Isaac, if that's where you think my eyes are, then you really need to go back to anatomy classes. As I was saying, if the sitter isn't here soon, we'll-"

The sound of the doorbell drowned out the rest of Lottie's sentence. Holding up a finger to shush her, I ran to the door and pulled it open, revealing our babysitter. "Great, you're here. The girls are in the family room."

When Lottie saw who was at the door, she nearly pitched a fit. I could see the cogs of her mind whirling as she planned an exit strategy, formulating excuses so that we couldn't go out. When it seemed as if she had hit on one, Sera decided to make her presence known, clearly unimpressed that our visitor hadn't made a fuss over her already. 

"God, babies are so whiny," Keira grumbled as she peered over at Sera who was in her motion rocker. As Keira inched closer, Sera's cries muted, her eyes scanning Lottie's cousin with distinct interest. Keira did exactly the same in return. "Huh, she stopped screaming. Great. Logan is on his way. He stopped to get us pizza but he's coming. He doesn't really trust me to do this solo. And I cannot believe that Martha ditched us. For a date! Selfish bitch."

Lottie scowled. "Firstly, no swearing in front of the baby."

"Hey, if you don't want a sitter, that's fine with me," Keira rebutted. 

"Secondly," Lottie said, ignoring her cousin's comment. "Do not call Martha a selfish female dog." 

Keira muttered something under her breath but nodded and ushered us to the door. I was slightly scared to leave Sera alone with Keira but really, what's the worst that could happen? Keira wasn't that irresponsible and if Logan was going to be here too, it would be fine. I left her everyone's contact number, including the restaurant's number, reassuring her that we would break every traffic law in the UK to get back to the house if something went wrong. Although, I added, if there was something wrong, Keira and Logan were to take Sera straight to the nearest hospital.