(y/n pov)
"I'm on paternity leave!" Ethan shouted. You smiled, cutting the carrots into smaller squares. Maddie climbed all over him as he tried to break the banana into pieces. "I'm not supposed to be working," He told you. You smiled, shaking your head.
"You could at least help Gray with editing," You told him. He shook his head, holding up a piece of banana for the almost two-year-old to nibble on.
"Yum!" She yelled, chewing on it slowly. You smiled at her, carrying your cutting board back into the kitchen. "Yum yum yum!" She said again, as Ethan fed her another piece.
"I think someone's got too much energy this morning," Ethan said, pulling her off his shoulders and onto his lap. She giggled, taking the banana peel from him, holding it with her tiny fingers. "Oh no, that's garbage, we don't need that," He told her, taking it from her, and tossing it into the small green compost bin. She watched him do it and began tugging on his shorts.
"Down!" She shouted as she pointed to the ground. He sighed and put her down. She ran over to all the toys she'd scattered around the living room. Ethan followed her there, sitting in the center of the large blanket you'd put down so she wasn't sitting right on the rug.
He crossed his legs as she brought back her purple toy truck. He smiled as she handed it to him. "Ooh, I like this one," He said, rolling it around. She giggled and ran to get her plastic animals. You walked into the living room a small bowl of cantaloupe, cut into tiny pieces. Ethan took it as you walked away.
"Hungry?" He asked Maddie. She ran back to him nodding. He smiled, taking a tiny piece of cantaloupe on the baby spoon as pushing it to her mouth. Ethan smiled as she chewed it, wobbling around the living room. Ethan put the tiny bowl on her small table and leaned back onto his palms.
Maddie picked up every toy bear she saw as she walked around, creating a small pile in her dad's lap. You looked out from the kitchen and smiled, washing the dishes that Ethan refused to do. "Jump?" Maddie asked, pointing to the pile of stuffed bears in Ethan's lap. Ethan grinned, holding his arms out.
Maddie grinned the same grin, turning towards him, She leaped into his lap and into all of the stuffed bears. You smiled as Ethan squeezed her into a hug. She squealed and wriggled away from him. "Let's eat some more fruit princess," He said, picking up the bowl, far too small for his palms.
"Maddie?" You called out. She turned at the sound of your voice. "Can you get me that container love?" You asked her. She looked around the living room, before spotting the tiny container she'd been playing with the night before. She picked it up and showed you. You nodded and she ran over.
Reaching up to the counter to put the container away, she grinned at you. "Welcome," She said to you before running back to the living room. You smiled shaking your head.
"Thank you," You said. Ethan chuckled as she ran over to him, mouth open. He fed her a piece of cantaloupe and she walked over to her little water bottle, chewing on it.
"Need some water, angel?" Ethan asked. She nodded, handing him the bottle, mouth still full of fruit. Ethan sat up, setting the fruit down before picking her up. She held onto his neck as she handed him the water bottle. "'scuze us, we're staying hydrated," Ethan said, shoving you away from the sink.
You sighed, shaking your head at Maddie who just giggled, You reached up to wipe her mouth and Ethan washed her water bottle, before filling it with the cooled boiled tap water you kept in a pitcher on the table.
Ethan screwed the cap back on before handing the bottle to her. Maddie sipped on the water, smiling at you. You smiled back before turning the stove on. "Hot!" She said, pointing at the stove. You nodded.
"It is hot," You told her. She nodded, proud of herself and pointed to the living room.
"Go," She told Ethan. Ethan raised his eyebrows, taking her to the living room anyway.
"Bossy, are we?"
---
"She's not eating the rest of it, babe," Ethan shouted to you, from the living room. You looked out to see Ethan holding the cantaloupe in the baby spoon out at Maddie, who just shook her head and ran off. He put the fruit back and stood up as she ran out to the foyer.
"It's almost time for lunch anyway, just leave it," You told him. He nodded and followed Maddie out of the living room.
"We don't need to go downstairs right now, princess, c'mon," You heard him say. You turned to see Ethan carrying Maddie into the kitchen. "Ask mommy what we're having for lunch," He told her, setting her on the counter. She kicked her feet and looked at you.
"What for lunch?" She asked you. You smiled and held up a piece of a steamed carrot.
"We're having carrots and chicken strips," You told her. She clapped and looked over at Ethan, who shoved a breaded chicken strip in his mouth. "That's for Mads," You said, slapping his arm. He rolled his eyes rubbing at where you hit and frowned at Maddie.
"Maddie wants to share with me, right princess?" He asked. Maddie shook her head and grinned. "You don't wanna share with daddy?" He asked her Maddie giggled. You laughed and put her food on her tiny plate.
"You want an egg too, love?" You asked her. She looked at the egg in your hand and nodded. You smiled, taking your hardboiled egg and placed it on her plate. She smiled and pointed at it. "It's your egg, honey," You said, handing Ethan her plate. She frowned.
"No no no no no," She said, pulling Ethan's arm away from you. You furrowed your eyebrows. "Mama's egg!" Maddie yelled pointing at it. You shook your head.
"Mama doesn't want it," You told her honestly. She looked at you for a moment and you nodded. She sighed loudly and Ethan chuckled.
"Time for lunch?" He asked her. Maddie nodded, raising her arms. Ethan held her plastic plate with one hand and lifted her in the other. Putting her in her highchair he put the plate in front of her. "You wanna eat by yourself?" Ethan asked her. Maddie frowned.
"You do it," She frowned. Ethan smiled, shaking his head. Maddie reached for his pocket and he sighed, pulling out his phone for her.
Ethan put on her favorite nursery rhyme video and sat it up for her to watch. As soon a she became occupied with the video, he began feeding her bits and pieces of her lunch.
"I can do it if you're hungry," You told Ethan. He shook his head, ripping up the baked chicken strip. "You sure?" You asked him. He nodded smiling at you.
"I'll eat with you later," He told you, feeding his daughter some more chicken. You smiled nodding.
"Make sure she eats all the carrots and chicken, if she doesn't eat the egg it's fine," You told him. Ethan nodded, ripping up the chicken strip with his large hands.
"Sheep!" Maddie yelled as she pointed to the screen. You smiled as Ethan checked it out. "Baa!" She started. Ethan chuckled, feeding her some more chicken.
"That's right, princess, sheep go-" But just then, Ethan's phone started ringing. Ethan picked it up as Maddie watched her video go. You sighed, taking your own phone out.
"Here you go, my love," You said. Ethan pouted at Maddie and stood up, answering the phone call.
"Grays at a meeting, I have to take it," Ethan told you. You smiled shaking your head. Ethan kissed you before handing you Maddies plate and walking out.
"Where daddy go?" Maddie asked you as you fed her some carrots, that Ethan had left to the side. "Come back!" She yelled out the hallway. Ethan popped his head back in and winked at her.
"Daddy's on the phone," You said as she chewed on the carrot. "He'll come back soon, okay?" Maddie nodded and went back to her video.
Ethan walked in a few minutes later, around Maddie's highchair and kissing her face, his stubble scratching her face. She frowned. "I'm eating," She whined, trying to watch her video. Ethan raised his eyebrows at you and laughed.
"We're almost done sweetheart," You said sneaking in her unfinished cantaloupe from earlier. She ate it without a word and you sighed, standing up. "Alright, mama'll be back," You said with a smile.
"And Maddie's done with this," Ethan said pulling your phone away from her. She frowned at him, reaching for it.
"Not finished," She told him as he pulled her out of the highchair.
"We can finish it later," He told her. You smiled to yourself, filling her sippy cup with water.
"Here you go," You said, reaching up to give her the bottle as Ethan walked into the kitchen with her.
"What colors your water bottle?" Ethan asked her, pointing to the plastic as she drank from jt. She pulled it from her mouth and grinned.
"Puple!" She yelled. He smiled.
"And what colors daddy's water bottle?" Ethan asked her. She looked around the kitchen, eyes landing on Ethans hydroflask.
"Yellow!" She yelled. Ethan smiled, squeezing her into a hug. You smiled and shook your head walking over to the sink. You looked out from the window that let you see through to the dining table and smiled as Ethan peppered his daughters faces with kisses.
Maddie let out a yawn, holding onto Ethan's neck and giggled, right after. Ethan's eyes widened as he looked at you. "What?" You asked as she giggled.
"Her yawn!" Ethan said. You raised your eyebrows. "Her yawn is so fucking cute!" Ethan said looking at her. You shook your head laughing as Maddie pinched Ethan's nose.
"Is someone tir-" But Ethan cut you off.
"Yawn again, princess," Ethan asked. You shook your head laughing as Maddie stared at him confused. But naturally, she yawned again, making Ethan smile. "I think it's time for nap time," Ethan said, moving her to his other arm. You sighed, wiping your hands on your sweats.
"She just ate, tired already?" You asked her. She nodded, another yawn escaping her as she reached over to you. You took her into your arms and she rested her head against your neck. "Let's go upstairs, sweetheart," You said softly.
Ethan followed you both out of the kitchen, and upstairs to the room the three of you shared. You set Maddie on the bed, resting her on a pillow as you sat next to her. Ethan joined you and Maddie giggled. "Daddy nap time!" She exclaimed. You smiled and pushed back her curly hair. Ethan nodded.
"Yup, daddy's having a nap too," He said, lying down against a pillow. He pulled her on top of him, so she was lying on his chest and grabbed onto his t-shirt. "Get her blanket," Ethan whispered to you, as Maddie began to drift off to sleep.
You grabbed Maddie's blanket from the edge of the bed and placed it over her little body, lying on Ethan. You smiled at the sight and ran a hand through Ethan's hair. "So, I'm going back to work," You whispered. Ethan raised his eyebrows. "I've been on 'maternity leave' for too long," You said with a smile.
"I'm surprised they let you stay with her for this long," Ethan said. You sighed, nodding. "Almost two years," He said, looking down at her. You smiled.
"Well, they want me back, and she starting daycare tomorrow, so," You whispered. Ethan nodded, grinning. "I'll come for the first few days, then you stay for a bit," You told him. He nodded.
"I can't wait for her to play with kids besides Gray's," Ethan whispered. You nodded. "And then she starts school too!" Ethan said. You smiled.
"And, maybe we can do it all over again?" You asked him. Ethan's eyebrows furrowed as he became confused. "Maybe we can, I don't know, have another baby?" You asked, a smile edging on your lips. Ethan's eyebrows shot up.
"You really want to?" He asked. You nodded.
"I don't want her to be lonely." You said. Ethan laughed. You put a finger to his lips and he shut up. "She'll wake up," You whispered. Ethan smiled, pulling her off of him and back onto the pillow.
"I think," Ethan said before pulling you into a kiss. "I think we should get started before she wakes up."