Summer Love

Chapter 21

"Let's go to bed." Blake said quietly and Miranda nodded, accepting his help up off his lap.

She headed over to the sink and they both brushed their teeth in silence, before Blake relieved himself and Miranda washed her makeup off over the basin. When they were both done, Blake slowly led Miranda back in to their room with his hand supporting the small of her back. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, so he figured being quiet and supportive would be the best way to go. She didn't seem like she wanted to chat, so that was all he could think to do to help her.

Miranda took her bra off and Blake pulled his shirt off so he was in his boxers, while Miranda was sporting her white tank top and tribal printed pyjama shorts.

As Blake pulled back the covers, Miranda dimmed the lights down and climbed in to bed next to her Husband, who was looking an odd mixture of sheepish and guilty.

"Come here." He whispered when he saw the frown on her lips and Miranda scooted over so she could cuddle in to his side.

Miranda's stomach made a strange churning sound as Blake rubbed her back in circles and he frowned.

"You still need to see that Doctor if your stomach doesn't settle." He said carefully, knowing this was rough territory and Miranda just sighed in to him. Not the happy kind of sigh, it was a 'just shut up and comfort me' kind of sigh and Blake closed his mouth again.

He used his spare hand to switch the lamp off, but he had barely laid his head back on the pillow when he heard a little voice in the dark.

"Mommy?"

Blake heard Miranda sigh in to him again, so Blake sat up and turned the lamp back on, almost laughing when he saw that Sadie was standing in the doorway in nothing but her underwear. Blake noticed that Miranda didn't move to sit up, so he reached his arms out over her.

"Come here, Honey." Blake encouraged and Sadie looked over at him with squinty, tried eyes. Her hair was a mess and Blake could see that her cheeks were flushed.

Sadie climbed up on the bed and looked down at Miranda in confusion. She was a Daddy's girl all the way through, but like most children, she craved her Mother's arms in the middle of the night.

"Momma?" Sadie asked, feeling her Dad's big hands rub her bare back in circles. Miranda moaned and pushed herself up so she was leaning back against the headboard. Sadie frowned when she saw the redness of Miranda's face. She was only little, but she knew when someday had been crying.

Miranda opened up her arms and Sadie snuggled in to her immediately, resting her cheek against Miranda's chest so that she was looking up at Blake with tired eyes and a chubby cheek drooping out.

Blake knew Miranda was on the verge of crying some more, so he rubbed Sadie's cheek and felt that she was still a little warm.

"You okay Sweetie?" He asked softly and Sadie frowned.

"My tummy still hurts." She complained and Blake leaned in to kiss the side of her smushy face.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" He asked as he brushed the hair from her sleepy face and Sadie shook her head.

"Well close your eyes and it will feel better in the morning." He whispered as her eyelids got heavier.

Blake watched Miranda bury her face in Sadie's shoulder as she rubbed her bare back in soothing circles. He knew Miranda was trying hard to keep it together in front of Sadie, so when Sadie opened up one eye and looked up at Miranda, Blake sighed heavily when she muttered the one word nobody needed to hear.

"Baby." She said sleepily and Blake knew she wanted her doll, but Miranda's face crumpled up, much to Sadie's surprise.

"Momma?" She asked uncertainly and Blake wanted to comfort her, but he could see that Miranda was trying to hold Sadie away from her, not wanting this to upset Sadie.

Blake leaned in to kiss Miranda's face, but he knew he needed to take Sadie out of the room and let Miranda have her moment. He squeezed Miranda quickly, before he lifted a very confused little girl on to his hip.

"Come on, let's go get your Baby." He said gently and Sadie's face crumpled up as he looked over Blake's shoulder at her crying Momma.

"Daddy?" Sadie asked as Blake carried her down the dark hallway and in to her make-shift bedroom.

Blake ignored her until they were sitting on her messy bed and he had her straddling his lap, looking up with big, hurt eyes.

"It's okay, Honey. Momma's okay." He assured her, but Sadie didn't look convinced.

"Did I make her cry?" Sadie asked with a shaky voice and Blake's heart broke for the third time that night.

He reached in and kissed Sadie's trembling lips reassuringly and rested his forehead against hers, wondering what he should tell her. She was too young to understand, but he had to say something or she would think it was her fault.

"You didn't do anything Sweetie." He said in a steady voice and Sadie frowned in confusion.

Blake reached over and pulled Sadie's baby over so she could clutch it against her chest.

"You have your baby." Blake tried to explain in the most 3-year-old appropriate way he could think of. "But Mommy is sad because she wants a baby too."

Sadie looked up at Blake and scrunched her eyebrows up as she thought it through.

"Can we get Momma a baby then?" She asked, as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Blake gave her a sad smile and brushed the hair off her face.

"I'm going to make sure Momma gets her own baby." He assured and Sadie nodded, happy he was going to make it better.

"Can we go back to your bed?" Sadie asked as she held her baby to her chest and Blake hesitated, but didn't want to leave Miranda alone for too much longer.

Blake lifted Sadie and her doll up on to his hip and carried her back down the hall, pausing for a second at the door to assess the mood of the room.

Miranda was laying in bed on her side, but Blake couldn't hear her crying anymore. As he carried Sadie back over to the bed, he saw that she was awake and wiping the tears out of her eyes. Blake sat on the side of the bed and leaned down to plant a firm kiss on the side of his Wife's warm cheek.

"I love you." He whispered in her ear and Miranda looked up at him with sad eyes.

"I love you too." She replied in a small voice and Blake snuck another quick kiss, before Sadie pushed him out of the way and laid her little body down so her torso was facing Miranda's.

"Here, Momma." She half whispered, pulling her baby between them and Miranda closed her eyes, trying to hold her tears in unsuccessfully.

Sadie looked confused for a few seconds, watching her Momma cry, but when Miranda pulled both Sadie and the baby in to her chest, sadie relaxed in to that comforting and familiar embrace.

"Thank you, Sweet Girl." Miranda whispered in to Sadie's ear, before she kissed the side of her soft face.

She was heartbroken that she wasn't pregnant and she was going to try like hell to get another baby growing inside her, but she already had a pretty amazing baby to cuddle up with.