*define family*
Elle came through the door, and took a deep breath, tucking her hair behind her ear. She smiled to herself. He was going to be so happy.
"Hey, you're home!" called Drew from the kitchen. Since Elle had given him proper lessons, he had flourished in his cooking, and now was extremely good at cooking savoury food- he knew exactly how to season food to get a good flavour kick out of it. He walked up to her, and struck a pose. "Do you like my new apron?"
"Kiss the cook," she said with a small laugh. "Cliche."
"You love it," he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead. "How was the audition?"
"I got the part, rehearsals begin next week, production is in a year from now."
"That's amazing!" He kissed her happily, and she chuckled.
"You seem to be in a good mood," said Elle with a small smile. "What's up?"
He grinned. "I have an interview with a publisher next week, I'm excited to show them the manuscript. They might take it on!"
"That's amazing, sweetheart," said Elle, sitting down. Drew noticed her tiredness, and turned off the stove.
"Hey, everything okay?"
"Of course. Just a bit worn out," she said quietly. "Don't worry about me."
"Nothing's hurting, is it? No bruises?"
"None."
"Good," he said, kissing her quickly, and going back to the stove. "Anything you'd like to have as a snack? I'm making salmon and asparagus."
"Drew, aren't those expensive foods?"
"The guy down at the market gave me a whole bag of asparagus for free, said he didn't want it. And the fish, well... I figured I needed to spoil you a little." He smiled. "Any snacks?"
She tried to keep a straight face. "Blueberry yoghurt."
"I think we have some in the fridge," he said, checking quickly. "Ha, we do. Here you go, love."
She opened it, taking a bite, before saying, "Hey, wanna know a fun fact?"
"Go on," he said, not turning away from the stove.
"A blueberry is how big a human embryo is at seven weeks in the womb."
"Huh. Random fun fact."
"Yeah, the doctor told me that when I went in today for my checkup."
"The doctor said that? Why woul-" Suddenly, he stiffened, his hand hovering over the asparagus.
"Drew," she said quietly. "We did it. I'm seven weeks along."
His breathing was fast and shallow, and he turned around with tears in his eyes. His dimpled smile had never been bigger, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "We did it?"
"Yes. You're going to be a dad," said Elle with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes too.
He turned off the stove, then hugged her, kissing her all over her face and crying. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you, Ellie. Thank you, God, for blessing us both. A baby, Ellie, our own little baby..." He cried into her hair, his shoulders shaking with joy. "Oh my God, I don't think I've ever been so excited." He put a hand over her stomach and laughed. "A baby, Ellie!"
"I know," she said. "I'm so happy."
He kissed her. "I love you," he said. "More than life. More than anything. I love you so much, Cookie. Thank you for being everything I could ever want."
"Thank you, too."
"For?"
"Being mine." She kissed him softly. "This is the least I could do for you."
He smiled and began to cry again, and she wiped his tears away. "Everything's gonna be perfect now," she whispered. "I pinky promise."
Drew lifted her off her feet and spun her around, making her laugh. "I know we don't have much money right now, but I'll get ten jobs and work overtime if I have to. This baby is gonna have the best childhood we can give her."
"No need. We can ask Pa for-"
"No," he said firmly. "I'm providing for this child, okay? Not Hunter."
She nodded. "Alright. I understand" And she did understand. She understood that Drew needed to prove this to himself, that he could take care of a child without someone else's help. That he would be the best father he could be. This was his child, not Pa's, and he deserved that right.
He kissed her again, before turning back to the stove. "Well, this calls for celebration, doesn't it?" he asked. "See, I knew, without you even telling me, that tonight was special."
"Sure," she said with a smile. "Tell yourself that."
"Do you want salmon? Is there something else you'd prefer?"
"No, no, salmon- salmon is good."
Drew sniffled again, and looked at her, smiling at her softly. His eyes were red, but they'd never been happier. "A baby," he repeated. "Our baby."
"Ours," she replied gently.
He hugged her one more time. "I love you so much. I'm so glad I married you. Our baby... she's going to be beautiful."
"Of course she is. She's half you." She brushed his curly fringe out of his eyes and kissed him softly. "I love you, too. I'm yours."
<><><><><><><><>
Spencer's phone rang, and he picked up. "Hello?"
"Oh, Spence! Awesome. I'm sorry, I've been calling around, and no one else would answer the phone."
"H-Hey," he said, his heart racing. "Erm, what's up?"
"I'm, er... in a bit of a mess. My mom's car is broken and I went to the laundromat with some clothes, but now it's raining, and I can't walk back without getting the clothes wet again."
"Oh, it's not far from here. Did you want me to ask my mom to pick you up?"
"Only if it's no trouble," he said. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get ahold of anyone else, and-"
"Don't apologise," he said. "We'll be there soon."
"Okay. Bye!"
Spencer walked into the living room, where Ryan was marking papers. "Ma?"
"Yes, darling?"
"Oliver's stranded at the laundromat, can we pick him up?"
"Stranded at the laundromat? You mean the one down the road?"
"The one near the Walmart."
"That's a seedy little place," said Ma with a frown. "He shouldn't be alone there. Sure, I'll come. Hold on." She quickly neatened her papers and grabbed her car keys. "Nick, I'm leaving the house for a bit, check on the roast!"
"Yes, Ma!"
She got her car keys and left, Spencer following her, and said, "So... are you and Oliver good friends?"
"I'd say so."
"Best friends?"
"God, no. I bet he doesn't see me as that much of a fantastic friend."
"He called you, didn't he?"
"He said he'd been calling around, and that I was the only one who answered."
"Hmm. The fact you were on his list of people to call in a crisis is enough, in my opinion," she said nonchalantly, and Spencer blushed.
"It's not like that."
"Alright."
They got to the laundromat, where Oliver was sitting inside. His eyes lit up when he saw Spencer, and he smiled back, his heart fluttering.
"Go on then," she said, and he climbed out of the car, beckoning to Oliver. He appeared to sigh in relief, before grabbing a basket probably as heavy as he was and running outside, opening the door of the car and clambering in.
"Thank you, ma'am," he said breathlessly. "I really appreciate it."
"Not a problem, Oliver," said Ma. "I'm Ryan."
"Pleasure to meet you." He grinned at Spencer, who smiled back through the mirror.
"How far to your house?"
"A few miles, not much."
"You walked a few miles with the laundry?"
"Well, someone has to," he said, though Spencer could hear the slight tension in his voice. Ma seemed to sense it, too, and didn't question him further.
After some directions from Oliver, Ryan arrived at a small house, with a small garden filled with roses. "Roses are Pippi's favourite."
"Pippi?"
"My younger sister. Mom was crazy into books when she was younger. She named us after her favourite characters."
Ryan thought for a moment. "Oliver Twist and Pippi Longstocking?"
"Exactly."
She smiled. "That's sweet. All my children seem to be named after birds."
"Oh?"
"Robin Eleanor, Spencer Lark, and Scarlette Wren."
"Spencer Lark," he repeated quietly. "That's an odd coincidence."
"Why?"
"My middle name is a bird, too. Oliver Jay."
"Huh, what a coincidence," said Ryan. "We'll help you carry the laundry inside."
"That's fine, ma'am-"
"I insist," said Ryan, taking the basket from him. "Here, let me."
Oliver handed it to her gratefully, and she realised why. It was far heavier that he had let on. She staggered up the stairs with the basket, and Oliver rang the doorbell.
The door opened, and a small girl with bright blue eyes smiled up at them. "Hi Oli!" she chirped. "Hi Dr Hayes-Lockhart!"
"Pippi! It's nice to see you!"
"You know Pip?" asked Oliver, ruffling her hair and making her giggle.
"I'm her music teacher," she responded. "Where's your mom, sweetie?"
"She's resting."
"No, no, I'm awake," said a voice, and a small woman with dark hair and blue eyes like her daughter walked into the room. "Sorry, I'm not well at the moment. How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks. It was raining, so we decided to drop Oliver home, is that okay with you?"
"That's- yeah, thank you so much." She held out her hand. "I'm Harper Dalton, pleasure to meet you."
"Ryan Hayes-Lockhart, the pleasure is all mine."
"Excuse me for the house being so messy, it's usually cleaner, but- oh, gosh, would you like a cup of coffee or-"
"No, thank you, it's-"
"I insist. You helped my son when he needed help, and I'd like to repay you. It's no trouble."
"Mom, you should sit. I'll make the tea."
"Thank you, darl." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I- I'll help, if you want?" asked Spencer.
"Sure. Come on!"
Ryan followed Harper into the living room, which was tiny, and bit her lip. "Hey, just so you know, Oliver's free to call us whenever he needs a ride someplace."
"Thank you," she said gratefully. "You see, he's... he's working very hard these days. I'm not well, and... see, I've got diabetes. Insulin is expensive, and... well, it's just something that's hard to work with."
"Of course," said Ryan. "My eldest had leukemia for a large part of her life. Diagnosed the year I met my husband."
"From a past relationship?"
"Yeah, he was married, and his wife passed away. His daughter was six when I met her, I was her music teacher, and he and I just sorta... clicked."
Harper smiled, looking into the kitchen and how Spencer and Oliver were talking and laughing. "I'm glad that Spencer's being raised by good people, then."
Ryan looked up at the wall, at five framed photos. There was one of Harper, Oliver and Pippi at the beach, one of two older people, another one of two older people, one of Harper and a man, and one of the same man with war medals and badges. Harper noticed her looking. "That's my husband. His name is Liam."
"Liam, huh?" asked Ryan gently. "Is he-"
"Overseas. Yeah." She sighed. "I can't work, and he was never rich enough to afford a full education, so he signed up for the army. He comes back once a year, for two weeks at a time, but not often."
"My brother was in the Navy. I understand." She smiled slightly. "When's he coming back next?"
"He left just recently. Three months ago. He'll be back in around six months."
"Mommy, I'm really hungry," whined Pippi, coming in. "Do we have dinner tonight?"
She sighed. "Honey, I... there's cereal, or there's a pie if you want to share it with Oli."
"No, Mom, she can have the pie, I'm not hungry," said Oliver cheerfully, but Ryan could see that the poor boy was definitely hungry, as was his mother. Spencer was quiet, but he seemed to notice it too.
"Actually" said Ryan, "I left a roast in the oven before I got here, and I made extra. There's plenty to go round, why don't you come to our place and have dinner with us?"
"N-No, I couldn't possibly-"
"It's really no trouble," said Spencer, his English accent showing again.
"I have a little girl at home, around Pippi's age. She doesn't talk, but she's great fun to play with, and she loves watching movies."
"I like movies too!" said Pippi excitedly.
"We really shouldn't-"
"No, come round! I made bread and I made dessert, too," said Spencer.
"You cook?"
"Yeah, I love it. I made panna cotta with mixed berry compote."
Ryan put a hand on Harper's shoulder gently. "It'd be our pleasure to have you over."
Harper pursed her lips, then nodded. "Okay. Sure!"
<><><><><><><><>
"My dove, I was- oh? Who's this?" asked Hunter, opening the door as Ryan walked in.
"This is Harper, Pippi and Oliver. Guys, this is Hunter, my husband."
"Nice to meet you, it's a pleasure," he said with a smile.
"I knew I had seen you somewhere before!" said Harper. "You're Hunter Hayes' wife!"
"She's beautiful, what can I say?" said Hunter with a wink, and Ryan laughed slightly. He kissed her cheek.
"Hunt, they'll be joining us for dinner."
"Perfect! I'll set the table," he said quickly, clapping his hands together.
"Why don't you take a seat?" said Ryan. "Spence, do you mind-"
"Not at all, I'll entertain."
Spencer brought everyone into the living room, where they started chatting about all sorts of things. Oliver talked about his surfing, and how much he loved to swim, while Harper discussed the beach house they owned over in Florida. Pippi was happily sat on the floor with Red, happily playing with dolls and seeming unperturbed by her quietness.
There was another knock on the door, and Spencer heard the door open, and a cheer. "Hey, darling!"
"Hi Pa," said Elle's voice, and Spencer perked up.
"Ellie?" he called.
"Spence!"
He ran into the hall and hugged her tightly, making her laugh. "Hey, easy there. I'm fragile."
"I've missed you so much!" he said, going and hugging Drew. Drew laughed, ruffling his hair. They both looked happier, holding hands and smiling. Elle was practically glowing.
They sat together in the living room, and Drew struck up conversation with Pippi and helped Red to talk with them as well, while Elle laughed with her parents until Ryan called everyone down for dinner. Pippi and Oliver ate hungrily, and Drew didn't miss the doe-eyed way Spencer was looking at Oliver.
There was time. There was always time for family.
*a/N: snaj
no it doesn't mean anything, it was a keysmash
nethii <3*