Chapter Song - All You Need Is Love by The Beatles
"What are Yankees?" Bridie asks, tilting her head as she inspects her child size Yankees baseball jersey.
I shake my head with a small smile. "They're the best baseball team ever, thats what they are," I answer as I brush through her hair. "And we're going to a game of there's tonight," I say.
"Are they good?" Hallie asks, her feet swaying back and forth as she sits on the bathroom counter. Dressed in the same jersey and a pair of jeans, her hair sits in two low pigtails with a navy head band to match.
"Mhm, very," I nod.
Baseball has been a staple in my life since I was a kid. From playing catch with my dad when I was really little, to playing on the softball team in high school and watching every game with Nick as teenagers.
I'd never gone to an actual game until a few months ago - a date surprise by Danny. Now we've decided to take the kids to their first game, since Archer isn't as small anymore and can handle louder crowds as of now - but of course still needs ear muffs to drown out the noise.
"Pick two bows," I tell Bridie, and she scrounges around the bow box.
"These ones!" she exclaims, passing me two dark blue bows for both her braids.
I smile. "Perfect choice. Now, lets go get our shoes on and get goin'," I tell the girls, and they rush out of the bathroom.
Making our way downstairs, Danny makes sure they put their shoes on while I go grab Archer from the lounge. "Archie, baby," I sing-song as I enter the lounge room.
Sat on the floor, surrounded by a mix of trucks and Bratz dolls, he smiles brightly when he sees me. Archer has to be the happiest little baby alive, especially around his family - I like to think he's full of the same love Mrs Mimi was.
"Ready to go?" I crouch down beside him, his arms instantly going up in silent plead to be picked up. "Okie dokie, lets go get some shoes on," I kiss his chubby cheek.
Turning the T.V off, I head back down the hallway and to where the girls and Danny are. I sit Archer on the small bench and slip on his sneakers, the girls shooting question after question about baseball.
"Can we get cheesy fries?!" Bridie jumps excitedly.
"And slushies!?" Hallie adds.
Danny laughs. "Of course," he agrees, and they squeal. "We ready to rock and roll?" he asks us all, and I nod.
Grabbing my dad's baseball cap, I slip it on, taking a glance in the mirror. My hair is down today, sitting just above my elbow, and I can't help but think about my dad.
I should've had the opportunity to go with him to a game, talk and laugh as we watch our favourite team like we used to. But I can't, and my heart still winces at that fact, but I take pride in knowing I can show his grandkids the best sport and pass his love on to them.
"Coming?" Danny pops back into the entryway, placing a hand on my back.
I smile up to him. "Yep, I'm ready now," I peck his lips, before we get into the car, the kids already chatting amongst themselves about what not.
Yankees Stadium is mainly filled with Yankees fans, though a few Giants fans are spotted around. The girls hold my hands as we walk to a main gate, Danny holding Archer in his arms.
"Excited?" I ask the girls.
"Yes!" they exclaim simultaneously.
Making our way inside, we head straight towards our seats which are on the second floor, a perfect view of the entire stadium. "It's huge!" Hallie gawks as she stands on her seat.
"There's so many people!" Bridie adds, before sitting back down in her seat.
"I'm hungry, daddy. Can we get some food, now?" Hallie asks, and he nods.
"I'll take the girls with me, do you know what you want, baby?" he asks me.
I hum in thought. "I'll just have some nachos and a coke," I tell him, and he nods, pressing a kiss to my lips before leaving Archer and I.
I lean back into my seat, Archer on my lap even if he has his own seat. I knew the girls loved cuddles and we're overall very touchy people when it came to showing affection, but Archer takes it to a whole other level.
And of course I don't mind one bit, but this boy loves being near Danny or I. Whether just sitting on our laps and snuggling up to us, or wanting to sleep in our bed because he can't spare not being close to us.
He has gotten better at staying in his own bed, and will only wake us up if he has a bad dream, but he always wants to be hugging or touching someone. It's the cutest thing ever, and I soak up every second of it.
"Mummy?" he asks, and I hum in response, taking in the large stadium. Turning in my lap, he faces me with his big caramel eyes and hair dark like Danny's.
"What is it, bub?" I question.
"Do I have to sit in my seat?" he asks with wide eyes.
I smile. "You can sit on my lap or daddy's," I reassure him, and he smiles brightly.
"I love you, mummy," he says, wrapping his arms around my neck and snuggling into me. I wrap my arms around his small frame, hugging him tightly and kissing both his chubby cheeks.
"Oh, I love you so much more, sweet boy," I tell him, pulling back so I can see his little face. "So much, and you know that," I say.
He smiles again. "I know, and Hallie and Bridie, too?"
"I love you three more than the entire world. All of you, there just aren't words to describe how much I love you," I tell him, and he presses a small kiss to my cheek.
Sitting back down, he leans against me as he gazes around the stadium curiously. "How do they play?" he asks.
"The game?" I question, he nods. "Well, there's two teams. One starts off as the fielders, so they fill up the green field," I point to the field and bases. "And the other team bats, trying to hit the ball the pitcher throws as far as possible so they can run to the bases," I explain.
"The aim of the game is they want to get as many runs, or points as possible," I tell him, and he nods.
"They have to run fast," he comments.
I hum. "They sure do," I say. "Are you ready to cheer super loudly when they get a run?" I ask him excitedly, shaking him lightly.
"Yeah! And for food," he giggles.
"Perfect timing, cause look who's back," I point to the girls and Danny who come back with our food.
The girls take their seats to my left, Danny on my right and taking Archers seat as he remains on my lap. "Mm, finally," I hum in delight, taking my nachos and coke.
"What did you two get?" I ask the girls, Danny giving Archer some fries for him to munch on.
"I got a hotdog, and look at how much sauce I put on it!" Bridie smiles excitedly, showing me her ketchup covered hotdog.
"Woah, it looks like a crime scene, babe," I joke, and she snickers. "Hal' baby, what about you?" I ask her.
"I got the same, but I only put a little bit of sauce on. You should've seen the server, he kept staring at Bridie with the funniest face," she giggles, making me laugh at the thought.
Taking a bite of my nachos, I relax into the plastic seat, all of us busy with our food. "Those good, Archie?" Bridie asks her brother.
"Yeah, want?" he asks, and she nods, taking a cheesy fry from his small basket.
"Did you ever play baseball?" Hallie asks both Danny and I.
"I played softball, which is practically the same," I answer, biting into another nacho, and chasing it with a sip of coke.
Danny sits back, taking a bite of his burger. "I did in middle school, but Uncle Benny played all throughout both middle and high school," he answers.
"You played football, didn't you?" Bridie asks.
He smiles. "Mhm, in college as well,"
"In the ancient times," I joke, and he pinches my thigh in rebuttal. "Only kidding," I kiss his cheek, but he turns catching my lips in his instead.
I smile against his lips, before pulling away, seeing his lazy smile and drunk on love eyes. "I love you," he says, making my heart flip like usual whenever he says those three words.
"I love you, too," I press another kiss to his lips.
"Oooh," Bridie and Hallie giggle at Danny and I. I laugh at their silliness, before turning to the game that begins with loud music and cheering from the crowd.
"Daddy," Archer taps his arms, pointing to his ears in silent telling he wants the earmuffs.
Danny reaches down to my bag and grabs them, placing them carefully on his ears and making sure they sit on him comfortably. "Daddy," he whines again, reaching over to Danny and I lift him up and pass him over to Danny.
He leans back into his dads chest, Danny's arms holding him and like always my stomach flutters with lustful butterflies whenever I see him with our kids.
"Ooo, brain freeze!" Hallie exclaims, holding her forehead as her face crinkles.
I wince for her. "Just breathe," I reassure her, leaning over and rubbing her leg softly. "Better?" I ask once she relaxes, and she nods with a soft smile.
"Do you wanna sip, mummy?" Bridie asks me, holding her raspberry slushies over to me.
I nod, taking a sip of the cool drink. "Oh my god, it's so sour," I shake my head, making her giggle almost evilly.
"It's super sour raspberry," she smiles brightly, and I groan.
"Lives up to its name," I smile.
"Look at my tongue, it's so blue," Hallie sticks her very blue tongue out, Bridie gasping which morphs into giggles. "Daddy! Look!" she calls over to Danny and he leans over.
"Oh woah," he laughs. "You look crazy, bub," he says and she snickers.
"Mines all red," Bridie comments.
"Very, thats for sure," I smile.
As the game properly starts, my mind zones straight into the game, the girls getting as into it as I am, even if they don't completely understand the rules. Archer cheers when everyone else does, giggling when Danny lifts him up in the air.
The Yankees lead by a few runs, and I lean back as they switch innings. "Mummy, I have to go to the toilet," Hallie comes up to me.
"Me too, lets go," I grab her hand. "What about you, Bridie?" I ask and she shakes her head.
"I'm okay," she says.
"Sure?" I double check, and she nods. "Okay, we'll be right back," I say, before leading Hallie through the busy crowd and to the nearest bathrooms.
Weaving through the crowds and keeping a firm grip on Hallie's hand, we finally make it to the bathrooms before the line gets to long. I stand behind a few other ladies, with Hallie leaning on my legs and my hands looped over her shoulders.
"Do I have to go by myself?" she asks, peering up with a hint of nerves. It's quite crowded in this bathroom, so I understand why she's nervous to go into a stall by herself.
"You can come with me, it's okay," I reassure her, and she sighs, relieved. It's incredibly busy not only in the bathroom, but the entire stadium and I'd rather just keep her by me.
After we're finished up in the bathrooms, we make our way back to our seats, Bridie standing in front of a giggling Archer as she makes funny faces to make him laugh.
Sitting back down, Bridie changes seats to sit on the other side of Danny and Hallie takes her old seat besides me, Archer now back on my lap and a little tired. I hold him to my chest as his face rests on my shoulder, rubbing his back in soothing circles as we watch the game.
"Run! Run!" Hallie jumps excitedly, Bridie besides her as a player runs from home base to first after batting. "Woo!" she cheers, smiling brightly.
"He's so tall," Bridie comments, pointing to a Yankees batter.
I nod. "Woah, very," I peer down, seeing the overly tall baseball player. "You okay, Archer?" I whisper to him.
"Yeah," He mumbles, his fist tightly coiled around my bomber jacket.
I press another kiss to his head, before returning my gaze back to the game. The crowd flurries with tension when one of our batters hits the ball hard and high, cheers echoing around the stadium as the ball disappears into the crowd.
"Thats a home run," I smile, clapping as the crowd cheers on the player running from base to base with ease.
"Whats that?" Hallie asks.
"Well the ball went into the crowd, so none of the fielders are able to catch it, so he can run through all the bases without getting caught out," Danny explains, and she nods.
As the game goes on and comes to an end, we wait a little for the crowd to thin out before we exit from our seats. I carry Archer as the girls hold onto Danny's hands, leading us through the still pretty thick crowd, but not as dense.
"Bed time?" Archer mumbles.
"Mhm," I hum, still rubbing his back softly as I carry him.
Reaching the car, we buckle the kids in and make our way through the traffic. It takes an expected while to get home and once we're back, I take Archer upstairs, while Danny takes the girls into the lounge to wind down.
"Lets get you into your pyjamas, hm?" I say, Archer only nodding sleepily.
Grabbing a pair of matching green pyjamas, I undress him from his clothes and slip his pyjamas on. He had a bath before we left, which I knew would save time once we arrived home, since I knew Archer would be tired and ready for bed.
"Okay, finally time for bed," I whisper softly, carrying him over to his crib like bed and tucking him in. I place his favourite stuffed toy under his arm, which is of a purple monkey and is always dragged around the house.
"Night night, sweet boy," I kiss his forehead, his eyes fluttering closed as he drifts into dreamland.
Light footsteps catch my attention as I remain seated next to Archers bed. Danny walks in, coming over to me and crouching. "The girls are ready for bed, just winding down on the couch," he tells me and I nod.
"I could just stare at him forever," I comment, referring to a peaceful sleeping Archer.
Danny hums. "I know," he says and I meet his eye, a knowing look glinting in the lamp light.
"What?" I whisper, smiling because I already know the answer. "Thats four, you know?" I question, but he only grins.
"I didn't say anything," he puts his hands up in mock defence. "We can certainly try, and if we get lazy with protection and get surprised, would that be so bad?" he questions rhetorically.
I nudge his shoulder. "We're already lazy, I'd be surprised if I weren't pregnant now," I joke, and his eyes widen slightly. "I'm not pregnant," I tell him.
Standing up, he pulls me up by the shoulders, cupping my face in his hands. "I wouldn't mind either way, I'm happy now," he smiles lazily, kissing me softly, his thicker beard grazing my skin.
"Lets let him sleep, and get back to the girls," I hold his hand, leading him out of Archers room. I close the door softly behind me, the hallway dim as the moonlight peaks through the large front window.
Though I gasp lightly when he squeezes my ass from behind, pulling me against his chest as he laughs lightly. "Oh, stop," I nudge his hands away, but it only results in being picked up bridal style and carried downstairs.
"You know, I don't mind this, you should carry me everywhere," I smile, patting his cheek lightly.
He kisses my forehead. "I wouldn't mind it," he says sweetly, even if moments later he throws me on the couch and I land in a pile of blankets.
The girls rush over and crawl on top of me, and I can't help laughing as they tickle me relentlessly. "Ah! Girls," I sigh, sitting up and they calm down.
Danny slouches down next to me, consuming my lips in a firm passionate kiss. The girls give us a cuddle as the late news plays on the T.V, before busying themselves with their toys on the floor - they aren't really interested in the news.
Smiling to myself, I peer up to Danny. Dark hair ruffled, beard a little untamed but I find it sexy like the wild lumberjack he always appears to be. His eyes are focused on the T.V, but he glances down when he feels my stare.
"What?" he asks with a small smile.
I bite my lips out of nervous excitement. "You know how before I said I wasn't pregnant?" I question rhetorically.
He doesn't react straight away, only staring at me blankly before it clicks. "Are you serious?" he questions and I just grin brightly.
"Holy shit!" he yells, pulling me on top of him.
"Daddy said a bad word!" Bridie calls out, and I laugh.
Danny pulls back and stares up at me. "Fuck, I love you," he kisses me harshly, before holding me in a tight, loving hug.
I lather in the strength of his arms around me, taking him all in. He sits me on his lap, arms draped loosely around my torso, staring at me with the love of all our alternate personas living in different universes.
"Mhm, I'm well aware, thats why I'm pregnant again," I joke, but am completely serious.
He tips his head back as he laughs, the one i'm so untimely obsessed with. "I can't help it," he sighs happily. "You're..." he drifts off, searching my face as if it'll unlock the word he seeks.
"Perfect? Beautiful? Amazing?" I smile brightly, listing off all my amazing qualities.
He tilts his head, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. "You, and thats every perfect word mushed together to describe you," he says and I melt, the outer rim of my eyes stinging with unleashed emotion.
"Don't make me cry," I sniffle.
"I wasn't trying to," he pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my head. "But I did promise in my vows to remind you everyday how much I love you, so, I'm simply fulfilling them," he says.
I sigh, leaning against his chest. "Thats why I married you,"
"And because I'm so handsome?" he questions.
I shrug a shoulder. "Eh, you're alright looking," I joke, and he pinches my waist. "Fine, you're very handsome, incredibly," I tell him.
Relaxing into the comfort and safety of him, I watch the girls as they play with their toys on the lounge floor. Only a few years ago was I sitting on this very couch, sneaking glances at Danny over a bowl of pasta while Ratatouille played on the screen.
Now I'm in his arms, our bands of promise encircled around our ring fingers as they encircle the entirety of our home and kids. One another a surprise like our entire story was, with just another tease, taunt and crimson blush after the other.
It was all against reason, but not because of our universal golden tie, no. It was against reason because there is nothing that reasons the irrevocable sparks that burned us both, and scarred us with a love we were in a blind search for.
We may have been an abnormal repercussion in the space time continuum, but we were never against reason.
***
Authors Note:
Oh my god, let me just go cry in a corner. This book has been so fun to write, from the very beginning it's been such a blast to plan and write each chapter, and watch as Danny and Daphne grew together.
They're such an adorable flirty couple to write, and just slowly creeping them closer and closer together, chapter by chapter was so exciting. I'm truly so grateful for all of the readers both present and future for sticking by for each new published chapter - I literally love you for that.
The fact you stuck around and have genuinely liked, and enjoyed every chapter and word i've written is an inexplicable care you've graced me with - so thank you. Writing is a severe passion of mine, and with wattpad not being the place of my best words, it's easily incredibly special to me since it's where i found my love for it.
As a writer you're meant to be able to put feelings into words, but thats a struggle when there are no words to explain the bittersweet feeling mixed with intense gratefulness I feel finishing this book. Both Against Reason and The Devil & The Angel books have been a safe little bubble for me to escape to, and is where I actually found my passion for writing.
But, any who, you the readers are the only reason this has any attention. From votes, comments, reads, or just simply adding it to your reading lists, all of them I cherish and love seeing in my notifications box. So I hope this book or my others have brought/bring you a sense of comfort, inclusion or safety, thats all I aspire to do when I write.
I do have plans for spin-offs or sequels, but thats up to you if you actually want me to pursue them. Or if you have any other ideas for spin-offs, please let me know! But i'll let you go with a BIG BIG thank you again, since I can't say it enough, and keep an eye on my page for new stuff to come! xx
Anyways, lots and lots of love,
AshtrayKale :) xxxx
P.S if you want the full book playlists visit my Spotify: Ashleigh Powell, to find Against Reason full playlist. ;)