Hiii! How is everyone? I'm trying to pack up my life to move in a few days so that's wild haha. I hope you're all staying safe and wearing your masks when you go out! We're almost done with this book! This chap is super duper sweet so I hope you all like it. Enjoy/comment/vote x
-ab
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December 22, 2028
Patrick
"I can't believe that you only have a bit more than one week of shows left," I tell Harper in the morning, as we are snuggling in bed, just savouring a few moments before Millie wakes up crying.
"Don't remind me," she sighs. "It has gone by so fast... but so slow at the same time, honestly."
She has one show today, two tomorrow, a day off, and then only eight more shows before the concert staging of Les Miserables closes. The new production is all set to open up in the newly renovated Queen's Theatre, which is now called the Sondheim Theatre, in the new year. The cast has been in rehearsals, and from all that Harper has heard, it is going to be a rather phenomenal production.
That knowledge that the show is going to be in good hands doesn't make her any less upset to be closing this chapter of her life, and I know that very well. She's scared to admit just how heartbroken she is. She thinks it'll make her a bad mum to admit that, since she's going to be staying home with her daughter once the production is closed.
I've told her that she should speak about it with Dr. Ritter, her therapist, during her weekly appointment. Ever since I convinced her to start going to appointments a few months ago, it has been helping her a lot. I know that she's grateful for it, and I'm so glad that it has been able to calm her down a bit. Her anxious little comments that she makes, on every topic under the sun, have decreased greatly, which has been so wonderful to see. I can see her confidence in herself growing, both as a person and as a mother.
I really think that she just likes having somebody to talk to on a regular basis, especially considering that whatever she blabs is not allowed to leave that office.
"How about we make smoothies this morning to celebrate almost being done with Les Mis?" I suggest to Harper.
She smiles. "I'd like that."
I know that Harper never says no to a smoothie.
After we feed Millie breakfast, we set her up in her swing, then pull the blender out of the cupboard. Harper chops up some strawberries, and I chop up some bananas, then we combine them in the blender with milk and orange juice.
"Watch Mills," I laugh, before pressing the button to begin blending. "She's going to freak at the loud noise."
"Oh, good point," Harper replies. She goes and picks up our little girl, holding her hands over Madeline's tiny ears, to try and shield her from a bit of the noise. It doesn't help too much, though, as the little girl is still startled and flings her arms and legs out in various directions.
"Shh, honey, it's okay," Harper whispers to our daughter, as the two sit at the kitchen table, the baby all snuggled up against my wife's body. "It's just the blender."
"Millie, do you want to try a smoothie?" I ask her, obviously not getting a response.
"I don't think it would hurt her," Harper shrugs. The two of us have been starting to introduce some baby food into her diet, as she has had a few teeth burst through her gums, and before we know it, she'll be ready to start actually chewing. Of course, that won't realistically be for quite some time, but she is plenty old enough to have some variety from her formula introduced into her diet.
I stick my finger in the mixture, and once I get a bit of smoothie onto it, I wave it in Millie's face. "Lick."
Harper can't control her burst of laughter as Millie sucks the smoothie off of my finger.
Her smile after that indicates that she decided the smoothie was yummy.
"She's going to be just like her mummy," Patrick laughs. "Smoothies and tea as beverages of choice."
"Do not give our baby tea yet, please," Harper informs me.
"Of course not. Tea won't stick on my finger so well," I wink at her, causing her to giggle even more.
"Wow."
After Harper and I enjoy our smoothies, we spend a bit of time as a family, playing with Millie, before fixing pasta for lunch, and sweet potato puree for our little girl.
"Well," Harper announces after we are done eating, "I'd better head to the theatre for the matinee."
"Yeah, we don't want you to be running late for a show," I agree with her. "Break a leg, as always."
"Who is coming over this evening when you have to work?"
"My mum is."
"Perfect," she says. "Make sure you thank her."
"I always do," I assure my wife. We share a kiss, then she gives Millie a quick cuddle before leaving.
"So, cuddly," I say, looking at my daughter, "what would you say to some telly?"
We have been watching little animated videos of nursery songs recently, and she has been loving those. They, understandably, captivate her attention much better than a full, 20 minute episode of a kids' show. They have nice, bright colours and the songs get stuck in your head... which is a sacrifice that I'm willing to make for this baby girl, because she enjoys the videos so much.
I turn one on, and she starts to smile, which absolutely melts my heart.
"Never grow up, cuddly," I whisper to her. The only thing that could make this moment more perfect would be if Harper were here, with her head resting on my shoulder.
But even without my wife, I still love everything about the scene unfolding in front of me. This little girl is so beautiful, and I just love her so much. I love her as much as I love Harper, but in a different way. In a way that I didn't know was possible. I feel so much love for one little tiny human, who hasn't even been in my life for a full year. That's crazy to me, yet here I am.
While Harper and I both hope that, someday, we can have one more child, we don't want that to be for a few more years. Right now, we want to enjoy our perfect little family and our first child while she is still so little.