A few weeks later
Logan POV
I quietly enter our house since it was past midnight. I gently enter my office and try to figure out where to hide the box I had acquired earlier today. While I was silently putting it away in one of my desk drawers, I am startled by my wife's voice
"Where have you been all day?" I gather the courage to turn around and face her, only to be met by eyes that tried to keep themselves from glaring at me
"I'd like to apologize for coming home so late. I had something to take care of" her eyes were scrutinizing me and I knew she wouldn't stop there
"I believe you've misunderstood my question. I asked for a place, not for an activity" I sigh and answer truthfully
"I was in London" her eyes go wide at my answer and out of nowhere she starts laughing. Soon enough her laughter subsides and she turns around and leaves. Why is she acting so bizarre? I follow her down the dark hallway and grab her hand to make her face me
"Star, what's going on with you? Why did you leave all of a sudden?" I could notice that her eyes couldn't focus on me. They would look towards me, but it felt like she was looking through me. As soon as her lips part to answer me, we hear the heartbreaking cry of our daughter coming from the bedroom. In a split second, Star yanks her hand out of my grasp and dashes in the room. I follow her figure once more and hear her mumbling while taking Celeste in her arms
"Not again... I had just put you to sleep, so what's the matter now?" Her voice was so gentle but at the same time so tired. I make my way over to them and ask
"May I try to soothe her?" Star looks at me with worry in her eyes and says
"You're just a figment of my imagination. My husband is yet to come home" her words surprise me
"I am home, Star. You're not imagining me right now" I kiss her forehead and she watches me bemused. When she slowly starts to trust me, she hesitantly lets me hold the baby. Now that our protostar is in my arms, I begin humming a lullaby I heard Star whisper to her before and she falls asleep soon enough. Once I'm sure she won't wake up for a while, I place her back in the crib and make my way over to my wife who has been watching silently from afar. She looked exhausted and guilt began filling my chest. It was because I was away today. I quietly guide her out of the room and into my office and make her sit down on the little sofa next to the window. I crouch in front of her and take her hands in mine
"Please forgive me for leaving you alone today" I kiss her hands and don't dare look her in the eye
"You're forgiven, Logan" her soft voice fills the room and she places her cheek on the top of my head "Why were you in London? I don't remember you telling me about a trip. I could be wrong though. I might've forgotten about it" she sighs
"I didn't tell you about it. It was an impromptu trip. I've been planning a gift for you and only today was I able to get my hands on the present. I had to fly to London and pick it up myself instead of waiting for it to be delivered" she pulls back and takes my head in her hands and kisses me on the lips
"Just having you as a husband is the best gift you could give to me" I smile at her words
"You flatter me too much. What if I get too cocky?" She chuckles and responds
"So what? I have one man in my life that I will love no matter what. Even if he becomes an arrogant idiot" she kisses my cheek and adds "Now show me the present" I laugh out loud at her childish behavior and leave her side to take the box I had hidden earlier
"I had hoped that it would've been done before you gave birth, however it took longer than I expected. That is why I rushed to London to get it" I bring the box over to her and place it on her lap
"So this is a gift for having given birth? But you had already brought me flowers at the hospital"
"Flowers aren't merely enough to show my appreciation. This is a gift to show my gratitude for being in my life and for making every single day better with just your presence. I know that since Celeste was born you've had a difficult time. I've noticed how you try your best to hide the exhaustion and how you push yourself to keep going without complaining about anything. Seeing how tired you were today that you couldn't make the difference between reality and your imagination made me feel extremely guilty for being unable to take some burdens off your shoulders. Thus, I promise you to do better as both a father and a husband" I wipe a tear off of her face and I kiss her
"You've been a wonderful partner, Logan. You've already taken so many tasks over, from cooking all of my meals and cleaning the house to taking care of Celeste as often as possible. Honestly, I
can't thank you enough. There's no need to feel guilty about earlier" her hands brush my face lovingly
"How do you manage to make me fall in love with you even more?" I utter, being in a daze while watching this beautiful woman in front of me
"Maybe in the same way that you are able to make my heart flutter every time I see you" she kisses me and adds "I'll open my present now since I know how eager you can be when it comes to surprises" She knows me so well. With that she looks closely at the box in her lap and notices the writing on the ribbon. I can see her eyebrows rise and she quickly looks at me. She smirks and says
"My, my! You spoil me too much, Logan"
"Can't a husband pamper his wife with luxury gifts?" I say referring to the Graff jewelry I have bought for her
"How could any woman refuse such a grandiose gift from such a remarkable man?"
"Tell me if you like what I've prepared for you, Star" I smile at her and she opens the box
Airi POV
In front of my eyes was a marvelous jewelry set. The necklace had multiple emeralds surrounded by diamonds in an intricate design. The earrings, ring and bracelet followed a similar pattern that was created with uttermost attention. I gently touch the pieces of jewelry and soon enough notice the star motifs hidden in the placement of the jewels. When I don't say anything due to being in awe, Logan says
"I had them customized for you and so, it took a while for them to be crafted with utmost care. If you hadn't realized it already, I have chosen emeralds to compliment your eyes and if you look closely you can notice the design I requested to be carefully implemented. It took a while for the craftsman and I to get the perfect designs, however I think they turned out great. If you find the gift lacking in any way-" I cut him off before he could finish that sentence
"Lacking? Logan, how could I possibly find such a genuine gift to be lacking? I am grateful to receive such a sincere present from you. Thank you so much for preparing this for me. There was no need for going the extra mile, however I truly appreciate your efforts. I love you and I'm ecstatic with these jewelry pieces"
"I love you too" I see his lovable grin and I kiss him tenderly. After we pull apart, he gives me another little box I hadn't noticed before
"To match her mother, I have prepared a gift for our Celeste as well" my face lights up at his thoughtfulness and I open the small box which contained a pair of stud earrings made out of the same emeralds as my set
"I believe she'll love her gift just as much as her mother loves it. We are two lucky girls to have you in our lives" he takes my hand and brings it to his lips to place a gentle kiss
The next day
Logan POV
I am woken up by the sound of my daughter fussing in her crib. I look over at Star who was fast asleep. She had woken up an hour earlier to feed Celeste. I peek over my wife's shoulder to look at the baby who was throwing her arms and legs around and when she hears the movement, her small eyes gaze in my direction. I knew she couldn't see me since her vision wasn't clear at such a young age, but what I didn't expect was for her to smile at me with such warmth. This was the first time I have seen her smiling while fully awake. I couldn't help the grin from forming on my face at my daughter's cuteness. Thus, I gently sit up from bed and pick her up from her crib to start our day while letting Star sleep in
"You little troublemaker! You think I'd let you wake your mommy up after she took such great care of you yesterday? No way! We're being considerate today and we will be spending some quality time as father and daughter while mom is resting. Got that?" I pretend being stern with Celeste, even though she probably doesn't understand what I'm telling her. It has taken a while for me to get comfortable talking to a little person who can't answer me, but now it has become an usual thing I do in a day. As if to try and respond to me she drools on my shoulder. This has also become a normal thing to me. I make my way to the sofa in our living room and carefully place her on her belly and then I grab some tissue paper off of the coffee table to wipe her mouth and my shoulder
"It's time for some belly time" the smile she once had on her face fades away and now she's wearing an expression that would make me feel guilty if I didn't know any better. I sit down on the floor in front of the couch to be sure she doesn't fall off "I know you dislike this vehemently but it's for your own good. Look at me starting to sound like my own father..." she watches me with the same scrutinizing eyes Star has. I couldn't help myself from gently poking her cheek with my index finger "You know, I missed you yesterday. And I apologize for being away for a whole day" I look her in the eye and I continue "I've already apologized to your mother, so there's no need for you to have such a cold look in your eye" I joke around and somehow I get her to smile at me once more "Would you look at that? Both of my precious girls have forgiven me" I kiss her forehead and after 2 more minutes I pick her back up "Celeste, do you perhaps have any idea where mommy placed the sling wrap?" I wait a bit as if I would actually get a response and then say "That's what I thought. I'm sure that if I ask her, she wouldn't have any idea either" I chuckle and start searching for the sling wrap, only to find it hung over one of the lamps in the living room. I expertly put it on, since I've been tying it up for my wife all the time, and then I place my daughter close to my chest and secure her in the wrap carrier
About 40 minutes have passed and in that time I had changed my daughter and I've prepared our breakfast for this morning. I glance down at my chest and notice that she's been napping for a while now
"I was wondering why you were being so calm" a smile makes its way on my face. Taking care of such a small child is quite a difficult task, but these peaceful moments where both the parent and the kid are relaxed are so fulfilling. I gently pat the baby's back and grab one of the phones that started to vibrate on the counter next to me. It was Star's and she had received quite a few emails. I look through them, glancing over the ones relating to statistics and updates from different hospitals throughout the world. The second to last email has caught my eye. It was from the manager of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. The content of the message was merely confirming his presence at a meeting. Why is Star planning a meeting with a soccer manager?
"You have no idea what a heartwarming view this is" Star's voice breaks my confusion and I turn towards her. The way she was smiling at me made all of my doubts vanish. My wife comes over to us and she kisses my lips and then the head of our daughter
"You should've slept for a little while longer" I brush a strand of her hair away from her face
"I missed the warmth of my husband" she goes around and hugs me from the back, placing her hands on the bundle on my chest "So warm, so lovely" she nuzzles her head in my skin and places a kiss on my shoulder blade. I place my own hands on hers and I could feel her smile
"Are you hungry?"
"Starving. Truth be told I haven't had dinner yesterday" I click my tongue in disapproval and turn around to face her
"Why didn't you ask Stephanie to make something for you? She was at our place in the evening, no?" she glances to the side and says
"She had fallen asleep and I couldn't bring myself to wake her up since she hasn't been sleeping well at night" she looks at me with sheepish eyes and I sigh
"You can take a seat" I kiss her temple and she quickly goes to the table. I pass her one of the plates and I sit down to her left and begin eating as well
"Your cooking is delicious! Thank you so much, Logan. For everything" hearing her words filled a part of my heart with happiness
"Anytime, Star" we eat in silence before she asks
"Did you take my phone when you left the bedroom? I can't find it" I freeze at her words
"Yeah. I took it as to not wake you up if it rang"
"Alright! I appreciate your thoughtfulness" she smiles and goes back to eating
"By the way..." she looks up at me with a raised eyebrow "I looked through your emails"
"Really? Anything important?" Star inquires and I didn't expect her to be so unbothered by me checking her mail inbox
"There was something. From the manager of U.S. Men's National Soccer Team. He confirmed that he would be present at your meeting" she nods
"That's great to hear. Thank you, my love" again, absolutely unbothered
"Shouldn't you be upset that I took your phone without your permission?"
"Upset? Why would I be upset over such a thing?"
"I mean it is something regarding Blackmore Hospitals, right?" I hope it is just that and not something personal
"Obviously. Are you perhaps afraid that I'll say that it was confidential information that you shouldn't have read?" I nod and she continues "Logan, not only are you a partner of Blackmore Hospitals, but you are my husband. While confidentiality is a value I admire in all people, I believe it doesn't apply to our relationship. I do try to be professional when I'm discussing work with you, however I've never tried to keep things from you, unless I was legally bound by a non-disclosure agreement. That seldom happens and I wouldn't be receiving emails about it. Just like your own mail inbox, mine is usually filled to the brim with things you'd either find out about in a meeting or with things I'd tell you about. With that being said, you can check my emails or documents without asking for my permission"
"That really means a lot to me. I had no idea you saw things like this. The same goes for me. I don't mind you checking my emails or papers"
"I'm glad we're on the same page. But I'd never snoop around" she teases me
"Yet you're quick to use your private detectives" I tease her right back and she laughs
"You got me there. Now getting back to topic, you said that he agreed on the time and place?"
"Yes. What's the point of this meeting, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Remember how I told you that I have some projects in mind? This is one of them that I'm currently pursuing. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but since you weren't at home and you weren't answering your phone, I was planning to tell you today. Recently there have been talks about certain soccer players becoming exclusive clients at Blackmore Hospitals. That means that anything from checkups to surgery will be done at Blackmore Hospitals"
"Why would they become exclusives at your hospitals? If they're hurt, wouldn't they go to any hospital?"
"Since the Blackmore Hospitals have the strongest hold in the medical field thanks to our expansion in most continents, it is highly beneficial for soccer players who travel abroad frequently for matches. Becoming an exclusive client comes with certain privileges. The payments and treatments remain the same no matter in which county you are. Also, just think about the exchange rates and economical issues certain countries have. Maintaining the same payment everywhere is quite convenient. And for athletes who need frequent checkups and treatments, such an opportunity is invaluable, you know?"
"I do know. That's an incredible opportunity, Star. When did you think about this?"
"I had a lot of free time while pregnant" she admits and I chuckle
"So you're meeting with the manager of U.S. Men's National Soccer Team to discuss the players who will become exclusive clients?"
"Not quite" I raise an eyebrow at that answer "We had previously exchanged emails and he had mentioned that all of the players from the National Team have been convinced into becoming exclusive clients. Turns out they talked with one another during practice. Tell me how do National Teams work?" She wants me to deduce
"The athletes play in different teams across the world, but when FIFA World Cup takes place, they represent their country of origin"
"And what does that mean?" She smirks and it dawns on me
"You're not only signing with the National Team, but you're creating an opportunity to sign with other teams. You amaze me every day" I say in awe of my wife's business abilities
"Precisely! And you know what else I get?" I shake my head "A path towards becoming partners with FIFA" my eyes widen at her answer
"This is huge for your company. Such a partnership is desired by everyone. You have no idea how impressed I am by you"
"Thank you. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now I must sign with the National Team for its members exclusivity. They are not the only soccer players who have shown interest in becoming exclusive clients, but they are the majority. The partnership with FIFA isn't my ultimate goal, but it sure is an opportunity I can't possibly miss" she looks to the side and loses herself in thought
"What's your ultimate goal then?" She looks back at me and smiles
"You'll find out soon enough. For now I'll keep it to myself. I've learnt to not flaunt what I am yet to have. Enough business talk. Shall we spend some time together?" I grin at her offer and say
"We shall"