Like Father, Like Son | Phantom of the Opera

xxxiii. A Gift

The boy immediately looked up at Gustave. "Really?" he asked before he turned to me. "Uncle Erik, Christine loves me!"

"Of course she does. There is no way she couldn't," I replied with a smile.

I looked up a moment later when the front door opened and Marguerite walked in along with quite a few other women that I assumed were aunts and cousins of Lara's. "Good afternoon," I said to them, letting Gustave take Christine back before setting William on his feet and then standing up myself. "I just came to help set up a bit, I'll be out of your hair in a moment."

"Yes, I'm sure you'll want to be. All we'll be doing is talking about pregnancy and babies and opening gifts. Nothing a man would be interested in," Marguerite replied, laughing along with her family.

I forced a small smile, though I hardly understood her point; if I had been a father to a new baby, I would want to soak up any information I could get.

"And why is that?" I inquired. "Should a father not know those sorts of things?"

"He is to support the child, not actively raise it. He would have no need for those sorts of details," Marguerite said simply, shooting me a tight-lipped smile before she stepped away with the other women to set down their gifts.

I stifled any desire to reply to that remark and simply let them start getting ready for the party while I stepped out of the room, heading upstairs to check on Lara, who had been told to stay up there until everything was ready. I had never understood the feeling that a father should have no role in the rearing of their child; they played a role in creating the child, why shouldn't they help? Not to mention the fact that the mother already did so much, so, to me, it only made sense that the father would assist her. Still, I didn't want to ruin the day with my commentary, so I bit my tongue.

I pushed those thoughts aside once I reached the master bedroom, knocking softly and waiting for a moment for the door to open, then smiled at Lara once I saw her.

"Hello, dear. How are you doing?" I asked as she hugged me. "You look lovely."

"Oh, I'm doing well. And thank you; Jane insisted that I dress up a little bit," Lara replied as she stepped over to her vanity and sat down. "Gustave bought this dress for me not long before I found out I was pregnant with Christine, so I didn't actually get a chance to wear it until now."

"Well, he has good taste in dresses for a man, I'm impressed," I said with a laugh. "Your mother and who I presume are aunts and cousins arrived a moment ago, by the way, so you won't be a prisoner up here much longer."

"Fantastic. Thank you, Erik."

I noticed then that she was having a bit of trouble with braiding her hair, so I took it upon myself to step over and stand behind her so I could offer my assistance with the task.

"I suppose I've fallen out of practice with doing my hair. I've only had it in a low ponytail or down altogether these last few months; I haven't had the energy for more intricate styles," she said as she gave me a smile as silent thanks, I assumed, before starting to put in her earrings. "I'll get back to doing braids soon enough."

"Well, I'm happy to help for now. I've had plenty of practice with Lizzie over the years," I said, rather proud of how quickly I managed to put together a braid that draped down Lara's back. It had ended up more intricate than I had originally intended, but I figured that a few extra details wouldn't kill anyone. "There you are. Now you just have to wait a while longer to be permitted to join us downstairs. Christine is doing just fine, by the way; William has been fawning over her. I even helped him to hold her and he was thrilled."