Stay With Me (Come Back to Me #2)

Bonus Chapter #1

"Nothing," I reply.

She gives me that look. "You have a shit-eating grin on your face, Justin. What's it about?"

I shrug. "Is it a crime to admire my two favourite ladies in the world?"

"Okaaay," she says, blushing. "Is everything ready for our guests?"

I nod, listing off everything that's been completed: the cake (which Addie made and I attempted to ice), the lasagna's been put into the oven, the Caesar salad is in the fridge, and the garlic bread is waiting to be toasted.

"Awesome," she says, stopping and planting a kiss on my cheek. "Now hold her so I can go get changed into something more party-like."

I chuckle to myself. "I don't know why you're always carrying her, Addie. She started walking at nine months. Hell, she can even dress herself and speak some words."

Addie looks me directly in the eye. "They grow up, Justin. And you don't want to miss out on anything. That's what my mom told me." She hands Mila over to me. "Besides, she's acting rather clingy right now."

Sure enough, Mila's small arms wrap around my neck and she rests her head against my chest, all while cuddling her blanket.

Addie heaves a sigh. "Of course she calms down with you."

I grin. "A daddy's girl just like her mother."

Addie sticks her tongue out at me as she fights a smile, and then heads upstairs to get changed.

While she's upstairs, I head to the kitchen with Mila. She's quieter than usual, but I think it's because she skipped out on her nap today. I hope she doesn't get too grumpy when everyone comes over.

"Happy Birthday, Mila," I whisper, tapping her on the nose.

She smiles and pushes my hand away. I'll admit, when I'm around my daughter, I instantly turn to mush. She's a little bundle of joy that makes me smile no matter what mood I'm in. When I was younger, I swore I would never be that kind of dad. The fact that I've proven my younger self wrong and had a kid while happily married, makes having Mila even better.

"Daddy, hug," she says in her squeaky little voice.

I give my daughter a hug without a second thought. Already, I can tell I'm going to be one of those dads that spoils his daughter beyond belief. Seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, just looking at that sweet, beautiful face. But just because she makes me happier than I could have possibly imagined doesn't mean I'm not going to make sure she learns life's lessons and turns out more like her mom, with maybe a couple of my attributes. I want her to have Addie's understanding and selflessness, my strength and resilience, all combined with characteristics from my mom and Addie's parents.

I want Mila to have the childhood that Chris and I didn't get.

"Okay," Addie says as she walks into the kitchen. "We're all set. Now we're just waiting on the guests to arrive." When she's standing in front of Mila and I, she adjusts the little white dress that's decorated with cherry blossoms that Mila is wearing. "This dress was the best gift I got at the baby shower," Addie adds. "Helene made a great decision getting us something that would fit Mila in the later years. We got so many onesies and outfits for her when she was a newborn."

I nod in agreement, looking at Mila. "Do you like the dress, too?" I ask.

"Yes," Mila replies.

Addie's words from earlier come back to me. Soon, Mila's voice will be different than it is now, soon her vocabulary will go from filling up one page of the dictionary to hundreds. I can understand why we need to document these small moments and keep them close to our hearts.