let the games begin
𐬿 𐮚 ミ★ ☆彡 𐮚 𐬿
THE UPCOMING FUED WAS ALL SHE COULD THINK ABOUT. Scarlett Rae Porter couldn't help to admit that she was nervous for Benny and The Sandlot bunch, but she was ready for Jacob Phillips and his team to be shut down. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face after they defeated them, she didn't have a doubt in her mind that they were going to walk away the winners.
After Scarlett finished her daily routine, she skipped down the stairs and to her surprise most of their friends were piled in their family living room. The humidity was even worse downstairs and Scarlett wished that her house didn't get so hot easily. Some of the preteens acknowledged the girl as she passed them, she beelined towards the kitchen, her green eyes falling on a lean figure happily digging away at the meal on his plate. As she passed the dining room, out from the corner of her eye she saw the Darlington girl eating with David, not looking pleased by the amount of boys in the house. Even though she had her father by her side, the two were in an uncomfortable silence as they picked at their homemade meal, Jamie tried hiding her sad expression but the redhead could see right through her façade.
Scarlett couldn't help but feel bad for the brunette, even if she didn't like her, she knew how it felt to be alone and not know a singe person you're surrounded by unwillingly. She continued her way to the kitchen anyway, not quite ready to immediately kindle with the older teenager. Benny and Kenny sat together at the island, an open space between the two and Scarlett took the stool seeing as her mother was already preparing her a plate. The Jet smiled to greet his girlfriend before sliding his chair closer to hers, continuing to chew on his scrambled eggs. Scarlett leaned her chin on the palm of her hand, using her other one to place a soft hold on his thigh.
"Good morning, Scarlett." Helen gave her daughter a small smile, placing the dish of eggs and a couple slices of bacon arranged perfectly in front of her.
"Morning mom." Scarlett hummed, closing her blue eyes in comfort as Benny traced a finger along her arm.
The older redheaded woman eyed the action from her peripheral with a taste of bitterness falling on her tongue as she placed a round chocolate chip pancake on the porcelain plate, also sliding over the pitcher of syrup with a tight smile. Helen turned away, finally having the chance to grab a dish of her own after making sure that all of the children and the other adult in the home were fed first. It was something that she always did, even with Nikolas Porter, it was the way that she was raised and many generations before, she was the picture perfect housewife as some would say. She didn't like the thought of her daughter fooling around with a boy so soon after the incident, Scarlett Rae Porter needed to heal after such a deep wounded trauma, it was the reality and you couldn't just shake that off. Helen had plans to get her daughter the best professional help that she needed, even if she had to send her away again. It was something Helen thought about even if her daughter agreed with the idea or not. Scarlett hoped that if she showed that she was okay and improving exponentially , her mother and her step father wouldn't send her somewhere that was possibly even further than her current boarding school, she'd rather go back to the god forsaken school then have to start all over again.
The younger redheaded girl was beginning to feel a bit more happy since she's met the boy sitting next to her, it was something about him that she adored and she wanted nothing but Benjamin Rodríguez, until the day she took her last breath. She would hate to not be able to see him as much as she can when the semester rolls around again and she'll have to say goodbye. She didn't want to, but she'd do her best in school and stay out of trouble if that meant seeing him every single holiday until she finished school and they could always be together. She would do anything to just be by his side, they don't need anything just other than themselves.
Scarlett ate her food rather quickly, knowing that they would need to leave soon to get to The Diamond, Jacob Phillips's and his minions field. The boys and Scarlett helped cleaned the kitchen before darting out of the house and making their way to the field, bats, gloves and baseballs in the boy's hands.
𐬿 𐮚 ミ☆ ★彡 𐮚 𐬿
The group of young friends all walked together, either talking amongst the other or just keeping quiet and mindlessly walking in between the moving bodies. Scarlett kept a brisk pace next to Benny, noticing a anxious boy inching his way towards her, she couldn't help but watch him with amusement as he easily blushed under her gaze.
"Uh, hey Scarlett." Smalls greeted, nervousness clearly wrapped around his sentence.
"Hey Smalls, what's wrong?" Scarlett asked bluntly.
"W-what do you mean?" Smalls knew he was always worried about something, he just didn't want to admit it, but today was different, they were playing against their arch nemesis, who Scarlett strangely distanced herself from when she had hurt her wrist. Scotty Smalls wasn't naïve like his friends, he knew something bad happen between the two, but he didn't want to exactly pinpoint it and be wrong, it wasn't his business.
But with the way Benny was so angry the night he spilled himself at his front door, it was clear to him that whatever Jacob Phillips had done to Scarlett wasn't right, Scotty wouldn't ever live with himself if he ever intentionally hurt someone.
"I can tell that you're worried about something." Scarlett looked at him closely, seeing the way he quickly glanced away from her with sweat running from his hairline even though they had just gotten outside not too long ago.
"Man, is it that obvious?" He chuckled nervously and his smile slightly dropped when she nodded but he sighed, "I'm just worried about the game, what if I m-mess it all up?" Smalls asked worriedly, looking up at her with big innocent eyes and Scarlett couldn't help but feel her heart tug for him.
"You won't mess up Smalls, you've been doing really good at practices! I think you really improved since you're first try at baseball." Scarlett thought back to when he couldn't simply catch a ball, but now he could throw the ball from the outfield all the way to the home plate.
"Y-you sure?" Smalls muttered unconfidently, he tugged at his T-shirt which Scarlett thought was too nice and clean for a baseball game.
"I'm positive, Scotty. Don't put yourself down, you'll be fine." Scarlett sent him a wide smile, a smile that was uplifting.
Smalls released a needed breath, shaking off his worries, "Thanks, Scarlett."
Scarlett nodded before pulling him into a small side hug before the boy even knew what was happening, she let go and he blushed profusely while scratching at the back of his neck. Scarlett only smiled at the boy and went back to the tall tan boy, the two were quiet for rest of the walk to Phillips diamond.
𐬿 𐮚 ミ★ ☆彡 𐮚 𐬿
The boys were rowdy and loud upon their arrival at the diamond, causing Phillips and his team to pause their practice and turn to see who was making all of the ruckus. Phillips rolled his eyes at the boy's childish ways but stopped and smirked when he saw the read headed beauty walking close with them.
"Are you kids ready to get your asses kicked?!" He yelled from across the field.
"I wouldn't think it like that Phillips! Are you ready to have your asses kicked?!" Scarlett retorted and the boys around her cheered, Benny placing a passionate kiss onto his girlfriends cheek.
Phillips huffed before whirling the ball in his hands to the catcher who stood in the batting cage while he stood tall on the mound, his face turning red in embarrassment.
The Sandlot bunch made their way onto The Diamond, some spitting on their field. The Diamond boys sneered from their positions, their bright white uniforms glaring off of the beating sunshine. Scarlett rolled her eyes, none of them intimidated by the rich boys, they were prepared for this. Since Scarlett didn't play, she would keep score for them, knowing that the boys actually playing wouldn't be able to keep track of how many runs and hits that they made throughout the game.
Phillips walked over to Scarlett who stood near first base, leaning against the fence and watched as her boys warmed up for the game. Her face scrunched as she watched him walk closer to her, her heart thundering against her chest, "What do you want?"
"You know what I want." Jacob slyly smirked, Scarlett rolled her blue eyes, making sure to keep a distance away from him.
"Forget about it. My parents, brothers, and boyfriend all want to murder you for what you did to me so good luck getting through them first," Scarlett scoffed, looking away from him and towards her little brother, seeing him already watching them from him spot. Jacob followed her gaze, noticing Rodriguez eyeing him down, his hands clenched into fists. Some of other boys side glanced the two, not liking how close Phillips was getting to their friend.
" 'Boyfriend'?" He echoed, not looking pleased with the news. Scarlett rolled her green eyes, of course that's all he would take from what she said, not even acknowledging the part of them hating the boy.
"Yeah, Benny's my boyfriend." Scarlett informed, watching his face, he didn't look happy about it but also like he wasn't surprised that the two were now together.
"Well, that's not a shocker since he practically kisses the ground you walk on." Jacob expressed annoyance, as if he was bothered by the tan boy's actions.
The redheaded huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I'd rather that than be forced to do what I don't want."
"You loved it, don't lie to yourself," He loomed over her dangerously, "You were doing everything just right."
Tears welled up in her eyes, "Because you made me."
"I was just doing what I wanted to. I thought you were enjoying it-"
"Just shut the fuck up and leave me alone, Jacob! I don't want to talk to you, be near you, or even have to look at your ape shape of a face ever again." She finally snapped, that's when Ham and Benny had enough, putting themselves in between the girl and the boy in front of her. Benny held up a bat to his chest.
"You heard her, back the hell up Phillips! We're only here to play a ball, she doesn't concern you or your posse." Benny spits, pulling the girl behind him. The boys from both Benny's team and Phillip's team watched tensely, not really sure what to do.
Jacob raised his hands in the air in surrender, backing away from the three, "I got the message loud and clear. Only here to play baseball." He turned away, going over to his team without another word, not liking being suddenly attacked.
Scarlet huffed, putting her arms around her stomach as they watched him walk away. Benny peered down at the girl, "Are you okay?"
She glanced at her little brother who gazed up at her curiously, she sucked in a quick breath, something only Benny noticed, "I'm fine."
"Really?" Ham questioned.
The girl nodded while putting on a fake smile, "Yeah, I'm sure."
Hamilton didn't push on it, noticing that Jacob's team was positioning themselves on the field, waiting for them. He nudged Benny who noticed and turned to his friends, "Get ready to bat!" His attention fell on the girl in front of him, placing gentle hands on her shoulders, "Why don't you take a seat on the bench? I don't want your feet to start hurting from standing so much."
She smiled at him, "Okay, Benny."
Scarlett took spot on the empty bench, her attention falling on the game in front of her. She was used to only having to hear her friends play most of the time at the Sandlot, always having a magazine on hand to distract her from boredom but now she had to pay attention to their game, so at least she wasn't too bored.
Time passed and from what the scores Scarlett had on her paper, Benny and the boys were leading, by a lot. They were striking out the the Diamond boys every inning, the only problem that they had was their opponent team getting home runs every so often, but they remained strong.
"You know, if I had a dog as ugly as you, I'd shave it's butt and tell it to walk backwards." Scarlett overheard her brother insult one of the Diamond boys, which brought Scarlett into historical fits of laughter.
It was the last inning and the Sandlot boys were out on the field while Phillips and his team batted.
"Batter up!" Ham screeched, Phillips came up to home plate with a bright red helmet on his head and wooden bat in hand.
As Benny was pitching Ham asked Phillips, "Hey, is that your sister out there, naked?" Phillips missed the ball and looked at Ham with a dark glare. Ham pretended to act innocent and Scarlett giggled under her breath,
Benny pitched again and Ham hollered, "Out!" Before Phillips could even attempt to hit the ball hurtling towards him.
"Shut up, Porter!" Phillips snapped, his eyes trailing behind the redheaded boy and to the girl who stood behind him and the fence. Scarlett threw a glare at him and looked away her eyes falling back to focusing on the notebook in her hands, tally marks messily covering the lined paper.
Benny threw the ball and this time Phillips finally hit out to the outfield towards Smalls. Phillips team praised him as he jogged to first base but immediately stopped when Smalls caught the ball in his dirtied glove. Scarlett jumped up from her seat and cheered for Smalls as he smiled brightly at her and his team before throwing the ball to Kenny and jogging with his teammates off of the sandy field.
An expression of concentration was on the girls face as she added up their total scores, the boys on each team sat on their respective benches and patiently waited to hear who had won. Scarlett walked out onto the pitchers mound, feeling a dozen of eyeballs on her she took in a deep breath before announcing, "The Sandlot wins!"
The Sandlot boys lifted from their seats, celebrating amongst themselves while Phillips starred at her with disbelief, "No, that can't be true! You probably counted wrong." He denied as he stepped towards her to take a look at the scores, his face dropping when he saw the total.
"Just so you know, Jacob, I'm in AP math, I don't think I could of messed up simple addition," She mused before shoving the paper into his hands before walking off to the boys who were cheering, but the girl paused for a second, turning her head to gaze back at him, "And Jacob?" The boy looked up at her from the paper filled of the numbers and tally marks she scribbled on, wondering what she possibly had to say, "If you ever touch or even look at me again, I'll beat the absolute shit out of you with no hesitation and that's a promise. I hope you rot and have a miserable life."
He gawked at the seriousness displayed on her lightly freckled face, showing him that she wasn't playing around either. Jacob frowned at he watched her stomp away, finding her intimidation to be unsettling, no wonder she went to specialized boarding school. His heart roughly pounded against his chest, thinking to himself that he was going to distance himself from anything that had to do with the girl.
But she'd always be on his mind, Scarlett Rae Porter was one of a kind, a diamond in the rough and he wanted his greedy hands all over it and for it to only be in his grasp. Unfortunately, he lost that diamond in the depths of the trenches to never be found again.
𐬿 𐮚 ミ☆ ★彡 𐮚 𐬿
After the satisfying win, Scarlett and her friends thought it was a bright idea to celebrate down at the local fair that was being held up in the middle of town. They had changed out of their dirtied clothes and finally wore something clean, it was the first time Scarlett saw Benny out of regular jeans, a white tee and a jersey hanging from his shoulders. Now, he wore tan kakis and a freshly ironed collared white shirt with his hair gelled back as his usual black converses completed his outfit. Scarlett wore a matching purple and white polka doted set, her hair twisted into two braids as white laced socks and black leathered Mary Janes graced her feet.
"Hey guys, it's all on me tonight!" Benny said proudly, he pushed the boys away from the booth, placing his own cash in front of the fair worker, "Ten tickets, please." The boys thanked the Jet as he gave each of them a ticket, ending on Scarlett who gave him a kiss on the cheek which made him smile and blush ferociously.
They were making their way into the crowd of people, only stopping when Bertram hollered at them, "Wait! I almost forgot!" He stuffed his hand into his back pocket.
"What did you almost forget, Bertram?" Kenny asked, inching back to his tall friend.
"This!" He pulled out a squashed package of chewing chaw. Most of the boys around Scarlett stared at the chaw with interest, exited to get a taste of the chewing tobacco. Scotty Smalls being as naive as he is had no clue to what the tall boy was even holding.
"What is it?" He asked, obviously oblivious to the chaw.
All of the boys turned to stare at him in disbelief, Smalls cowered from their hard gaze with a look of embarrassment evident on his face. Scarlett put an arm around his shoulders in comfort when she noticed that he didn't like all of the sudden attention on him, but the boy only felt even more warm than previously by the feeling of the girls body close to his. She didn't notice this, just thinking that he was sweating from feeling dumb.
"Big Chief. The best!" Bertram praised as he took in a deep breath of the chew, showing off the flattened package.
"Jeez Smalls, I suppose you don't even know who the Babe is either. It's plug, wad, chewing tobacco!" Ham explained, annoyed at the boys lack of knowledge of many things.
"Well, what do you do with it?" Smalls innocently questioned.
Hamilton sighed heavily before snatching the chaw from Bertram's hands, "You chew it, of course! Come on, all of the pros do it." He encouraged as he took a handful and tossed it into his mouth like it was nothing before passing it back to Bertram who also took some, everyone else but Scarlett, Benny and Smalls followed in suit.
"Yeah yeah, and it gives you tons of energy!" Yeah-yeah spoke excitedly as he placed some into his mouth, the wideness in his eyes showed that the chaw was already put into work. The three teens sat back and watched as the boys soon became energetic from the chaw that was in their mouths.
"Let's go ride some rides!" A hyper Squints yelled, his entire body shaking as he stood next to his friends, the majority agreed with him and followed after him when he dashed away.
While they ran away, Scarlett dragged Benny and Smalls to a small ice cream parlor that stood off to the side of them. The two boys shared amused glances, allowing the girl to tug at their sleeves to wherever she wanted, they knew they wouldn't be able to get out of it anyway.
They entered the retro diner, finding themselves occupying a cherry red leathered booth near the glowing jukebox that played 'Happy Together by The Turtles', different types of conversations from customers around them also filling the space. They ordered their dairy treats and Benny offered to pay but Scotty Smalls refuted, offering to pay for their sweets instead.
"Thanks for the ice cream, Smalls," Benny smiled softly at the blonde boy sitting in front of them, shamelessly digging into his frozen treat.
Smalls sheepishly smiled, a ring of vanilla custard around his mouth, "It's no biggie." Scarlett giggled behind her cup, finding his mess amusing as he was always looking put together.
Their conversation fell back onto baseball antics, Scarlett sat silently and stared at Benny from his side, seeming to get lost into her own thoughts. The boy didn't mind when he found her doing this, which was getting to be pretty often lately. She leaned forward, completely missing the tip of the plastic straw as she mindlessly gazed at the tan boy, not seeming fazed by her previous actions. She put it to her lips finally without tearing her eyes from him.
Shouting and people scrambling around outside was what tore Scarlett's attention from Benny, everyone around them peering over their booths to see what all of the ruckus was about. The sight of a group of kids stumbling from a ride, vomit coating the front of their shirts caused people to gasp lightly. There was bile everywhere, covering their previous seats on the metal contraption all the way to the dirt they slumped themselves over, getting sick all over the ground, a couple found nearby trash cans thankfully.
Scarlett, Benny, and Smalls gaped in horror at the sight in front of them, realizing that the boys were in fact their friends. The redhead gravely glanced back toward their table, pushing away the glass of her almost finished milkshake that stood in front of her, not having the appetite anymore after what they'd seen.
Her gaze fell out of the window pane beside her, watching Ham hurl himself over some poor old ladies shoes, she shrieked in terror while Scarlett muttered to herself, "Well fuck."
The three reluctantly left their booth and made their way outside towards their friends. Scarlett stared down at her little brother who was dramatically gasping, "I think today's the day that I shall pass on."
She rolled her green eyes, "Oh stop being so dramatic and get up."
"I can't!" He whined, clutching his stomach as he curled up on the dirt.
She sighed heavily, greatly hating her next actions, the girl bent down and placed an arm around his waist and pulling his chubby arm around her shoulders. She made sure to avoid the chunks on his shirt, feeling herself swallow back at the stench that absolutely reeked. Scarlett heaved her brother from the ground, groaning at the additional weight as he used her a crutch.
Benny was carrying Timmy, the curly brunettes face twisted with pain as he laid in his friends arms, covered in his own throw up. Smalls let Squints lean against him as he clutched his stomach, clearly regretting his earlier decisions.
The three led the rest of their friends home before they separated, Scarlett having to have a hold on Hamilton as he whined, desperately grasping at her shoulders, "My tummy hurts."
"That's your own fault."
"You're my sister, you're supposed to comfort me!" He complained.
She rolled her eyes, "No."
" 'No'?" Hamilton echoed, she simply nodded, "What do you mean 'no'?!"
"It means that this is the consequences of your actions, not mine, so you'll have to deal with it." She said coldly.
"Jeez, what a great sister you are." He mumbled sarcastically.
"I know that I am but thanks for your reminder, Hammy!" She chirped and he scowled.
The two siblings made their way up the porch steps, their eyes catching on David sat on the bench swing alone, a cigarette hanging from his lips and a bottle of booze by his side as stressed creased itself onto his face. Scarlett stared at the cancer stick, smoking wasn't something that the man had done often but when he did it meant that he was on the breaking point.
"Go find mom and have her help you clean up," She pushed him towards the front door, him whining at having to leave her side but he followed her instructions anyways, "Goodnight Hammy."
"Night Scarlett." With that the screen door swung open and rattled closed, leaving the two alone on the porch in silence. Scarlett wrapped her arms around herself, finding the night breeze cold but she ignored it as she took a seat next to the quiet man who blankly stared ahead, puffing on the stick every so often.
They stayed like this for a few minutes, Scarlett surprised David with her calm presence, not used to seeing her look so...happy. He hated having to admit it that he's never really seen her smile in the years of getting to know the unstable girl, she always wore a bit of a frown, her green eyes glittering in the light. He didn't hold it against her though, knowing that she was still grieving the tragic loss of Nikolas Porter. He couldn't imagine losing his dad at such a young age, he probably would've gone insane so he gave the girl props, even if she was mean towards him.
"Are you alright?" Her question caught him so off guard that he choked on the smoke he inhaled.
"W-What?" He clearly heard her but had to make sure what she said was correct.
"Are you alright, David?" She repeated, her head turned to the side as she stared at the cigarette in between his long fingers.
He followed her gaze, sighing to himself as his words slurred from his tongue, "Yes, I'm fine Scarlett. You don't need to worry about me."
"I don't," She quipped "But I know mom does and she wouldn't like seeing you like this. So... what's wrong?"
The man eyed her questionably, taking a swig of the glass bottle standing beside him, "Since when all of the sudden did you care?"
The girl huffed, the smell of smoke and alcohol filling her senses, "Just answer the question."
David took a long drag of the cigarette, looking more relaxed when he blew out the smoke, "Well, my daughter hates me and I don't know how to get her to trust me again. Helen says to just talk to her and I've tried but it's not leading us anywhere."
"Do you know what she likes? Hobbies, interests or preferences?" He drunkly shook his head, "Well, then start asking her about that and then find something that she can do with you."
David thought to himself for a moment, liking the idea, "You know what, you're right."
"Of course I am." Scarlett grinned, appearing proud that she could help.
"You're a good kid Scarlett," He reached over and placed a careful hand on her cheek and the redhead allowed him to caress it, his caring dad side was something that she's yearned for for so many years, "I love you like you're one of my own, you and your brothers-" He hiccuped, "You're my kids too."
She leaned into his touch, knowing that he was only doing this because he was intoxicated but she didn't mind, she missed that fatherly touch. Even if he wasn't her biological father, her stepdad was the closest thing that she had to a father present in her everyday life. She wasn't ever going to fill Nikolas's place in her heart with anyone else but she missed hugging him, cuddling and holding hands as a father and daughter innocently would. She knew that her relationship with David wasn't going to be one like her fathers since they had a rocky start, but she hoped that maybe just maybe she could accept his place in her life even if this wasn't how she wanted things to be.
"Can I-" She hesitated, glancing between the lit stick and the bottle of Tequila, "Can I ... hug you?"
David's brown eyes widened with shock, not seeming to believe her request, "You want to hug... me?"
"Mhm." She nodded, feeling his rough hand drop from the side of her face.
"Yeah, I'll take one." He accepted happily, placing his burning stick in the ashtray before the redhead wrapped herself in his arms and he placed thoughtful hands on her upper and mid back.
The hug felt warm and it was something that they both clearly needed, even if they didn't want to admit it, they appreciated the way they fit together perfectly making it easy to hold the other. David continued to hold Scarlett in his arms until she accidentally fell asleep, her light snores filling his ears as he finished his cigarette, making sure to keep it away from her sleeping frame.
The sound of the screen door screeching open caught his attention, seeing his wife step out from their home. She glanced at the two on the bench, a wide smile falling on her lips as her hands were placed over her heart.
"Is she asleep?" She questioned, her feet leading her over to the pair. He only nodded, wanting to keep quiet as his wife approached them and peered down at them in adoration, "Well, would you look at that." Helen lifted her daughters legs and took a seat, letting them fall down on her lap as she laid her head on David's shoulder, the man grabbing her free hand as she had the other fiddling with her child's hair.
"She asked if I was okay and we had a small talk, it was nice." His words were slightly slurred and Helen obviously noticed, lifting her head to glance at him.
"Were you drinking around her?" She hissed lowly.
David shamefully glanced downwards, Scarlett's head in lap, "Yes." He admitted.
"David you know I don't like that." Helen scolded, glaring at him with slit eyes.
"I know- I'm sorry."
She sighed, moving her harsh gaze off of him, "No drinking around the kids, that's all I ask of you David," She glanced towards to open ask tray, "I don't mind the- the smoking, but drinking around my children is completely off limits."
"I understand, amore mio."
The woman blushed at the nickname, he knew that she loved being called his love, ever since they first confessed their feelings to each other.
"Don't call me that right now." She sneered.
"Ma adoro il modo in cui arrossisci quando ti chiamo con quel nome." He confessed in his native tongue, he'd grown up in Italy, most of his family resided there.
Luckily for Helen she knew Italian, "Basta con i flirt, mio caro marito, dovrei essere arrabbiata con te."
"You love it." He cheekily grinned, placing a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
She groaned, wiping away at her cheek, "Gross."
David gasped, pretending to look hurt by her actions, "So rude!" He whisper yelled.
Helen sighed, glancing down at her daughter, "We should get her to bed." She moved to take bring Scarlett in her arms to carry her but was stopped.
"I'll carry her." Her husband offered, pulling the sleeping girl into his chest as they stood from the bench, one of his arms hooked under her knees while the other held her upper body, her head lazily rolling around on his muscled bicep.
"Thank you, David." Helen smiled up at the man.
He nodded before they made their way inside, Helen opening the door for him before they went in. David crept up the creaking stairs, doing his best to not wake the girl. After gently laying her, Helen pulled off her shoes while David stood by the bedside, staring down at Scarlett's sleeping face.
"David?" He heard his wife from behind him.
"Hm?"
"Do you want to get ready for bed honey?" She asked, placing a soft hand on his tense shoulder.
"Yeah, just let me say goodnight to her." He then leaned down and placed a careful kiss on Scarlett's forehead, "Goodnight, bella rosa."
Helen smiled at the scene, her heart filling with love as she watched her husband care for her child. He was always a man with a kind heart but wouldn't openly express himself, he'd grown up listening to never let his guard down or he was a wimp. Since he's met Helen, he was slowly crawling out of that shell of a mindset, wanting to be a valuable to his wife, and he was.
✃------------------------------------------------
Translations:
"Amore mio" - "My love"
"Ma adoro il modo in cui arrossisci quando ti chiamo con quel nome" - "But I love the way you blush when I call you that name"
"Basta con i flirt, mio caro marito, dovrei essere arrabbiata con te" - "Enough with the flirting, my dear husband, I'm supposed to be mad at you"
"Bella rose" - "Beautiful rose"
a/n:
I hope you enjoyed!!
Word count: 5596
Pls vote & comment!
ILYSM❤️
Revisited & edited: 01/29/2024