Unfamiliar

[Taniya_K]

Once again, thank you all for the lovely comments! I’m glad that you liked that chapter, and that you’re happy it’s girl! Hope you enjoy this one too! Thanks to Laura for proofing this once again! You're a lifesaver...!!

Chapter 72:

He stared over the edge of the plastic crib that was placed in front of where he sat in the surprisingly comfortable chair. It was most probably for the mothers who had just gone through the pain of giving birth, Aden rationalised, a smile forming on his lips at the thought of it. Skimming his eyes over the perfectly still baby, all wrapped up in a pink blanket courtesy of the hospital, he kept a lookout for any signs of distress. Glad that there wasn’t any, he glanced up over to the bed where Belle was also sleeping. Once again, his eyes trailed over her body, covered in a light sheet to see if there was any movement there. However, as he had predicted, Belle was well and truly worn out from the 9 hour labour and dozed soundlessly.

Spotting a small fidget out of the corner of his eye, Aden looked back at his daughter to see her start to squirm around. Quickly, he sat up straighter, unclasping his hands from where he had been resting his elbows on his knees to reach out with a hand and into the bassinet. Gently, he stroked the back of his index finger down her cheek, hoping that it would get her back to sleep. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, instead making her fuss around a bit more.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Aden murmured, shuffling forward in his chair to tug lightly at the blanket that was wrapped about the tiny baby. As he did so, her eyes blinked open briefly to show him her brilliantly blue eyes. One of her bare arms came flailing out of the wrap as soon as was possible and Aden couldn’t help but smile lovingly at the sight of her curled up fist flying through the air as if wanting to grab onto something. Not one to deprive her of anything, he gently ran the tips of his fingers over the arm, travelling upwards towards the hand. Once there, he managed to keep a soft hold onto her wrist and coerced her little fist to open up with a single touch of his thumb.

The impossibly small digits curled around the base of his first finger, not even able to get it all the way around. With her eyes shut once more, Aden wondered whether she had fallen back asleep until he felt her hand tighten ever so slightly on his finger. It tugged on his hand and he let it move effortlessly to where she guided it up towards her face. Once again, Aden stroked her delicate cheek with the back of his fingers as the baby turned her face in the direction of his motions. Her plump pink lips began to move against the skin of his wrist, causing him to pull free of her loosening grip and run his thumb over them with a featherlike touch.

It was still hard for him to get his head around. Even as he touched her, felt her existence with his own hands, it wouldn’t sink in. 9 months of preparation and knowing, yet actually seeing his daughter with his own eyes put it all to shame. Nothing had prepared him for this. This overwhelming feeling of pride and awe that somehow bypassed the one he felt when he felt the baby first kick, when Belle had told him that the baby had moved, when they had seen their baby for the first time at the ultrasound, and so on. It was nothing compared to what was building inside of him with every second he spent in her presence.

“Shhh…” Aden whispered as a small whimper escaped from the newborn’s lips. He continued to caress the top of her head, loving the feel of her dark wispy hair that he had no doubt would lighten in time. Keeping a watch on her, Aden waited as her whimpering continued, trying to work out if it were worth the risk to continue with what he was doing to sooth her, or if she was going to start crying soon. His mind was made up for him as she became a bit louder and Aden’s eyes quickly averted up to where Belle laid, hoping that she hadn’t awoken. “Alright, alright, you win, baby girl.”

Standing up, Aden took his hand away from her head for a second as he sorted out her blanket before lifting both her and the fabric up into his arms. Making sure to keep a hand behind her head and neck to support it as he had read and been taught, he held her delicately up against him as he retook his seat, bouncing her lightly to stop her from crying. Getting comfortable, Aden leant back against the cushioned chair and then rearranged the now wide-eyed baby in his arms so that she was resting along his right forearm with her head supported by both the crook of his elbow and his chest as he made sure that she was cuddled up to him snugly. With his other hand, he draped the blanket loosely over her tiny frame to keep her from any unknown draft although her arms managed to find their way out of it.

She squirmed in his arms for a while as he rocked her lazily in the position that he sat in. It seemed to work as she stopped fussing around so much and her whimpering began to cease, much to his relief. Instead, her bright beady eyes became transfixed upon his face, although he doubted that she was actually seeing him. He knew very well that neonates couldn’t recognise people or see properly either, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to pretend that she did.

“Hey…” Aden spoke in a low voice so that it wouldn’t stir Belle. “So, what’s up with all this fussing around, huh? Anyone would think you didn’t like me.”

At his words, she became almost still in his arms. Only her arms continued to move around while her eyes closed and opened at even, though long, intervals. Following the curve of her body, Aden brushed his hand from toe to head as if to remind him that she was really there before managing to get a hold of his baby’s hand once again. Her fist uncurled just the littlest bit, but enough for him to insert his pinkie finger inside before she squeezed it close around it, the miniature fingers hardly applying any pressure.

“That’s better.” He smiled at her while jiggling her hand softly, glad that she was still being quiet. “See, I knew you’d be a good girl for me. Cos you know who I am, don’t you?” She pulled on his hand once again, bring it up to her mouth in an action that seemed like an intention to suck on it in a way that, to him, showed her acceptance of both him and his question. “Yup, that’s right; I’m your daddy. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

Her eyes had drifted shut as he spoke quietly, and Aden wondered once again whether she was sleeping or not. The grip on his finger had started to go lax, but her other arm was held up in the air slightly above her torso, indicating that she was probably still awake. Deciding to let her be, he relaxed more in his seat and slid down a bit into a more slouching position with one ankle up upon his other knee so that he had to move the baby up to keep a good hold onto her, and watch her contently. He had slipped his other hand out from hers and rested it lightly on her chest where he could feel it move with ever breath she took.

Time had barely passed before Aden was snapped back to reality from his runaway thoughts as the child in his arms began to struggle against his hand and protest with sound. Instinctively, he began to rock her although it was a bit hard from the position that he was in.

“Hey, now. C’mon, pretty girl, you don’t want to wake your mummy up, now do you?” Almost as soon as he had began to speak, she quietened down, eyes shining bright up at him. Aden rearranged the blanket around her to give her some more comfort. “You’re a little attention seeker, aren’t you? Just like your mother. I guess it’s only fair that you get something from her though, seeing as it’s clear that you’re going to get all your good looks from me.”

The sparkling blue eyes kept on blinking up at him, only being disrupted by her still flailing hand. Aden couldn’t help but to take in everything that was him in his little girl; the eyes, the lips and Belle had been fairly certain that she would have his dirty blonde hair too. But there was, in fact, a lot of Belle in her too. The main thing that he could notice were her cheeks. Although they were as chubby as every other babies, there was some uniqueness in them that he was sure came from his wife’s genes. And then there was the fact that, as time went on, Aden was fairly certain that many of her great traits would show up in their daughter; something that he was grateful for.

Pressing a delicate kiss to her unbelievably soft hand, he kept on watching her as she did the same to him. Suddenly, she shifted around and began to whimper once more, eyes squeezing shut in a threat to start wailing which made Aden sit up a bit once again in his chair to cradle and rock her.

“Shh… We don’t want to wake up Mummy, remember?” As if she were understanding his words, she unscrewed her face but kept her eyes close even as her whimpering ceased. Carefully, Aden repeatedly skimmed his fingers over her hair in a calming manner. “That’s a good girl, listening to what Daddy says. You better keep on doing that, when you start growing up and all. It’s a big world out there, and it’s not all nice. But you do what I say and everything will be ok.”

Aden let out a deep sigh as he kept on gazing down at his daughter, wondering for how long exactly she would be able to keep her innocence. Even more; how long he was going to be able to make sure she was shielded from everything that he didn’t want her to know. He knew that it wouldn’t be as long as he wanted to, but he took comfort in the fact that it was yet a long time off.

“You don’t understand a word I’m saying, do you, sweetheart?” He chuckled as her face remained the same even though her opened eyes may have suggested that she was hanging on to every word leaving his mouth. “Never mind, I’ll keep on reminding you as you grow up. Just remember that your daddy loves you, and he’s always going to be here for you to keep you safe and happy, alright?”

As in agreement, one of the baby’s tiny hand came up to rest by her head and incidentally onto his hand while her eyes began to close once again. A buzzing sound from Aden’s pocket alerted him of a text message being received. Curious, he slowly removed his hand from his daughter’s head, carefully placing her hand to rest on his arm even though he knew that it would have laid her painlessly anyway.

He retrieved his phone from his jeans pocket, trying not to move and jolt the girl in his arms as he did so. Luckily for him, it was on the left one, meaning that it was easily accessible. Opening the text from Nicole, he smiled at the information she passed on. Sending thanks in reply, Aden switched on the camera on his phone and positioned it perfectly so he could capture his sleeping girl, or so he assumed, in the adorable fashion that she was cuddled up to him. Taking a couple to be on the safe side, he quickly saved them and replaced his mobile as she began to stir once again, making it obvious that she hadn’t fallen asleep quite yet.

“Am going to have to keep on talking until you fall asleep?” Aden joked, rubbing his thumb along her jaw as he did so. “You love being in the centre of attention, don’t you?”

“It’s not the attention she loves; it’s your voice.” His head snapped up to see Belle watching the two of them intently, a wide smile that he couldn’t help but mirror on her face. “She probably recognises it, what with all the talking you use to do.”

“Hey.” Aden smiled softly at her. “I didn’t know that you were awake.”

“I wasn’t. She’s not the only one who likes your voice.” Belle informed him with a smirk that instantly turned into a smile again once she had pushed herself up into a sitting position and saw him playing quietly with the baby in his arms.

“Sorry. We didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s alright.” She dismissed easily. “It was a good sight to wake up to, to be honest.”

“Yeah?” Aden asked her, somewhat shyly, looking back up at her from where he had tilted his head down for a second.

“Definitely.” Belle assured him. “How is she?”

“She’s great. Absolutely perfect. Aren’t you , sweetheart?” Directing the question towards his newborn daughter, she simply blinked up at him in response. “She says ‘yes’.”

“Is that so?” Belle laughed as Aden stood up cautiously.

“Yup. We have out own method of communication, you see?”

“Really? What else has she been saying then?”

“Well, for one,” He began as he took a seat next to her on the bed so that he was facing her. “She really wants to meet her mummy properly.”

“What a big coincidence? Cos I’m dying to hold her, too.” She played along, taking her gently as Aden passed her into her waiting arms carefully, like he had done one a while earlier. He sat back to see her coo softly to the baby girl. “Hey, there. Hi. I’m your Mummy.”

“Like mother, like daughter, huh?” Aden chuckled, smoothing a hand over the baby’s head as she laid perfectly still for the moment in her mother’s arms, eyes moving around as if she was searching and recognising her just as Belle did the same to her.

“Wow.” Belle breathed out, instinctively pulling her closer into her body and using one hand to run over her tiny form while holding her securely with the other arm. “She’s so, so, so… so…”

“Wow?” Aden supplied as she faltered, failing to find the right word to describe her.

“Yeah.” Belle giggled, sniffing slights as tears brimmed her eyes. “Great, now I can’t see properly.”

The both laughed at her words; Aden reaching over before Belle got the chance to rearrange her arms to wipe away the tears that had managed to spill over. She closed her eyes momentarily to get a hold of her emotions, opening them to see Aden leaning over and pressing a tender kiss to their daughter’s forehead. He lifted his own head to look up a her before silently taking her willing lips with him for a brief but passionate kiss, backing away when the baby in her arms began to whimper; an arm thrashing out against her chest as if to claim all of her attention.

“Shh… We didn’t forget about you, baby. We would never do that!” Belle insisted, rocking her gently while holding onto her hand which clasped at her finger now. Her small sounds of distress died down quick enough as she became more fascinated by the slender digit in her hand. “That’s a good girl.”

The three of them were able to sit and relish the moment quietly, both parents watching as the newborn fiddled with Belle’s finger with both her hands. It was a small thing, but the joy it brought the two of them was enormous, and they were sure that it would keep on growing.

“So,” Belle broke their serenity reluctantly, her eyes still focused on the bundle in her arms. “How long do we have her to ourselves?”

“Um,” Aden laughed, looking down at his watch. “I’d say about an hour or so. But knowing your mother, she might be here at any given time.”

“We’ll just have to make the most of her right now then, don’t we?” She spoke quietly to her baby, tapping her chin slowly with the finger that she still enclosed. “Because God knows when the next time we’ll get you back again will be after they all arrive!”

“Unless we teach her to cry every time someone else tried to hold her. Then we might get her to ourselves for years!” Aden suggested, making Belle giggle and shake her head.

“I doubt even that would stop them.” She told him as she felt the grip on her finger loosen and then slip off completely. She watched as the small hands curled up into baby fists; one on her chest and the other by her ear, her eyes drifting shut. “Do you think she’s sleeping?”

“We’ll have to wait and see.” Aden whispered back to her.

“She’s so small. And light. Everything’s ok with her, right?” Belle asked him worriedly, looking up at him with her bottom lip between her teeth.

“She’s more than fine. Been checked over, weighed, cleaned and everything else. I saw it all myself.” He reassured her as a loving smile appeared on her face.

“Really?”

“Yup. Weighs 5lbs 8oz, by the way. And was born at 3:52pm, today.” He filled her in cheekily.

“I can vividly remember that it was today, Aden.” Belle reminded him with a roll of the eyes.

“Just making sure.” Aden said calmly, wrapping the blanket around his daughter’s body a bit tighter than it had been to secure her arms inside as much as possible. “I can barely remember my own name when I look at her sometimes.”

“Yeah, she is quite mesmerising.” She agreed after a beat, her heart melting at his admission. It was completely true. Hard as she knew the transition to becoming parents was going to be, she stomach flipped at the thought of it. Just looking at the miracle of a creation in her arms, all of her maternal instincts that she had feared of never feeling came rushing to her. There wasn’t any doubt in her mind that nothing would come before her precious daughter. Nothing else really mattered when she looked down at her except for keeping her happy, loved and safe; all three that she knew Aden must have also vowed for his baby girl.

“What are you thinking about?” Aden murmured into her ear as he came to sit behind her, chin resting on her shoulder with an arm around her waist and the other helping to hold their girl just so he could touch her somehow.

“How beautiful she is.” Belle answered, lifting a hand away from her and running her fingers over the soft white bodysuit that covered most of her body underneath the blanket. “And how lucky we are.”

“We made that.” He said proudly, boyish grin in place as he tilted his head forwards towards her so that Belle could see him when she turned her head to look at him slightly. “She’s all ours.”

“That she is.” Belle nodded, retracting her hand quickly when she began to fidget in her arms, scared that she may have woken her up. It took a few more seconds before her eyes blinked open and laying entirely still as if in content. Her bright blue eyes took her breath away. “You know what else she is?”

“What?” Aden questions quietly, reaching out to tighten the blanket around her as a hand began to fuss around under it.

“Nameless.” She pointed out to him as he laughed. “And we have a girl…”

“True.”

“So, go on. What name did you choose?” Belle sighed, preparing herself for the worst.

“Um, actually…” Aden trailed off with a sheepish look that made her eyes widen in shock.

“Please don’t say you’re sticking with ‘Tinkerbelle’?!” She hissed at him before turning back to their baby. “Look at her, Aden. Do you really wanna be the one responsible for her being teased all through her life? She’ll get picked on in the playground!”

“Belle, seriously! You really do underestimate me.” He tutted, swapping his arms around so that he could use the now freed one to squeeze his little finger into her small fist that had began to hover in mid air. “Daddy wouldn’t let that happen to you, now would he? He‘ll protect you.”

“Daddy won’t have the chance to if he doesn’t choose a good name, now will he? Mummy will hurt him.” There was a small squeak-like sound emancipating from the wrapped up newborn as if a cross between the beginning of a wail and a burp. When it didn’t resolve into crying, Belle chose to take that as a sign. “See? She agrees with me.”

“That wasn’t agreeing.” Aden scoffed. “That was taking offence at the fact that you would hurt me!”

“Aden, she’s barely 3 hours old. I doubt she even cares about you.”

“That’s not true! She loves me already, don’t you, angel?” The said baby‘s eyes averted from her mother to Aden, staring at him instead and clenching onto his finger as if taking sides. He could tell that Belle had seen what had happened by the unimpressed look on her face.

“Well, she won’t anymore if you name her after a Disney character.” She retorted, neither one of them taking their gazes of her even though they continued to argue in hushed voices.

“I didn’t say I was.” Aden defended himself, bouncing the arm that he had a small control over ever so delicately.

“Then what was the name you chose?”

“I actually, kind of,” He hesitated before taking a deep breath when realising that there wasn’t much that she could do to him with such innocence laying in her arms right then. “Didn’t choose one.”

“Aden!” Belle exclaimed in shock quietly.

“It was too hard! You try choosing one.” Aden replied quickly with a small pout, turning all his attention to the baby where he continued to play with her; smiling when allowing her to press wet ‘kisses’ against his finger as she brought it up to her lips and proceeded on sucking on the side of it slowly.

“What are we going to do with your daddy, hey, missy? It’s almost as if he wants to keep you as ‘Baby Girl Jefferies’!” She gasped mockingly, smiling down at her while fingering the small plastic hospital band on her foot that stated that as her name along with Belle’s. Her heart fluttered at the small reminder that the being in her arms was her child; something that she was sure would take time to get use to and not grin stupidly over.

“Hey, that’s not a bad name, you know?” Aden interrupted her thoughts, his words causing her smile to die down as she gave him a warning look. “No? Ok.”

“You didn’t think of anything, Aden?” She asked him incredulously.

“I couldn’t decide. Besides,” He shrugged his shoulders though he knew that she couldn’t see it, trying to remain nonchalant. “I thought we were going to have a boy.”

“What? Since when?” Belle questioned, thoroughly shocked.

“A few days ago.” Aden mumbled against her shoulder.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Cos you would have laughed and gloated about it.”

“I would not!” Belle replied lightly, laughing anyway before claiming their baby’s attention by tapping her on her cute button nose slowly. “See? Daddy’s not as clever as he likes to think he is!”

“But is still way more cleverer than Mummy. Let’s not teach her wrong, Belle. Honesty from the start.” Aden hurriedly added teasingly as Belle rolled her eyes.

“So should we tell her she was unplanned?” She whispered to him so that only the two of them could hear. Although she was fairly sure that the third person in the room couldn’t understand her, especially as she was more intently playing with her father’s small finger, Belle lowered her voice just in case. “And that we don’t have a name for her?”

“It’s not like she’ll remember.” He brushed off before continuing when Belle shot him a dark look. “But I’d rather not.”

“Now what do we do?” She asked him exasperatedly after shaking her head at him.

“What was the name you chose? We can use that.”

“That wasn’t the bet.” Belle pointed out to him.

“Belle, do you really want to tell her some years down the line that she was named according to a bet we had?” Aden said dryly, sitting up a bit straighter when the grip of his finger dropped off.

“Better than telling her we didn’t have name for her!” She countered, and almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a small cry came from the currently nameless baby

“Hey, hey. We haven’t forgotten about you yet! We’re fighting over you! See how much we love you? Not even a day old and you’re already in the middle of everything.”

“Aden!” Belle reprimanded him even as a smile tugged at her lips and their daughter stopped making a sound.

“What? It’s true!” Aden insisted, to which Belle simply cuddled her still form closer to her. Neither one of them said another word as she held her tightly with Aden wrapping her up in the blanket once again, tucking it all around her. He was pretty sure that all of the images of newborns being swaddled from books and the neonatal ward he had just visited had been imprinted into his mind. There was something about it that made him think that a baby was more happier and comfier that way, and as his own closed her eyes and drifted into sleep soundlessly, he was convinced it were true.

“’Crystal‘.” Belle said after a while. She could feel Aden stiffen behind her, moving away from where his cheek had been resting against hers to look at her.

“What?” He asked her in clear shock; his voice slightly raspy and deep from the emotions and thoughts that were brought forth from just the one word.

“’Crystal‘. That’s the middle name I chose.” She clarified, turning her head to face him as he shuffled a bit so that he was now in her view though never removing his arm from around her waist.

“I never told you that.” Aden said straightforwardly, something that she knew was coming. And she dreaded the reaction to her reply.

“Justin. Yesterday. I asked him.”

“Why? You could have asked me.” He told her softly and Belle subtly released the breath that she had unknowingly held, giving him a ghost of a smile instead.

“But then it wouldn’t have been a surprise. Besides, I didn’t know whether I’d like it or not.”

“Which you don’t. Cos it’s an item and a word and an…” Aden listed coolly, pausing to think about why else the name was hypocritically suggested by her. “Adjective.”

“I like it though. And I think it suits her, don’t you?” She asked him, looking down at the sleeping child in her arms; cooing almost inaudibly to her even though she couldn’t hear her. “Pretty baby has pretty clear blue eyes.”

“Belle…” He trailed off, dropping his hand onto one of her crossed legs and rubbing it soothingly as he thought.

“My choice remember? If you don’t mind, that is. I’d understand if you did cos, no offence to her, but I wouldn’t want to name our daughter after my mother-” She quickly added, only to be cut off by Aden’s loving voice as he reassured her.

“No, I don’t mind. Of course I don’t mind. It’s whether you do or not.”

“I suggested it, didn’t I?“ Belle reminded him before carrying on to explain. “It just- it clicked to me yesterday when I was clearing up that I never asked you once what your mum’s name was. Then the idea struck me. I mean, I didn’t think we’d need it for another 2 weeks, but I thought it over in the 2 hours that I laid there in bed wondering if this was really happening, and it just fitted, you know? I mean, out of that whole list we made, none of them meant as much as this one.”

“You’re amazing, you know that?” Aden replied after a brief pause. His words were smooth and low, which only made them more heartfelt, bringing forth a few tears in her eyes as she looked down coyly. “After everything; the whole 9 months and everything before and after, you still want to name our child a name that basically breaks every rule that you had put in place while selecting all those names. Just for me?”

“I’d do anything for you, Aden. You should know that by now. And it‘s not just for you.” Belle informed him, finally glancing back up to him to share a smile. “Besides, we can change the spelling of it so it’s more modern and different.”

“How so?”

“Swap the ‘C’ for a ‘K’, and the ‘y’ for an ‘i’?” She suggested. Aden’s forehead creased as he thought about it, trying to envision the name before pulling out his phone to type it out, making Belle laugh.

“You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?” He questioned her jokily; holding out his phone so that the two of them could see the name ‘Kristal Jefferies’ typed out on the screen.

“2 hours worth. I think I might have had a dream about it earlier on too.” Belle laughed, biting her bottom lip and then nodding at the mobile in his hand. “What do you think? Does it suit our baby girl?”

“I think it might just.” Aden chuckled, brushing a kiss against her jaw before resting his forehead against her temple as both their eyes went to the same young person. “But you know, just because you spell it differently, doesn’t change the pronunciation. Or the meaning itself.”

“It’s ok, Aden. We all have to make sacrifices and-” She took a deep breath in to gain confidence and strength to finish the sentence. “And I was wrong.”

“You were? Wow, never thought I’d ever hear that!” Aden taunted, exactly as she had been expecting.

“I was. I admit it. It doesn’t matter about the fact that it’s a word and can be used in the middle of a sentence, or to describe something, because that’s what names are for. It’ll describe her as something beautiful, pure, special, rare and probably expensive too.” Belle explained slowly, smirking a bit with her last words as she look over at Aden. “That is if you consent, of course.”

“After that, how can I not?” He grinned happily at her.

“Good. Cos I’m getting attached to it.”

“Plus, I like ‘Kris’.” Aden blurted out of nowhere, earning himself an odd glance from his wife. “It’s cute and it’s more modern and doesn’t sound like a ‘thing’ either.”

“Kris.” Belle tried out, watching as their baby’s mouth puckered and moved a bit in her sleep. “Got to admit; it’s better than ‘Beanie’, sorry to sa-”

“Krissy.” He interrupted her hurriedly. “’Beanie’ is cute, don’t get me wrong, but she’s definitely a ‘Krissy’.”

“Krissy?” She asked him with attentiveness. “That’s just a cross between ‘Kris’ and ‘Beanie’.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Aden said sheepishly before a movement out of the corner of his eye claimed his attention. “Oh! Look; she likes it too!”

“Or she’s hungry.” Belle argued though she didn’t even attempt to hide her joy when the small legs began to kick around under the restraints of her blanket. “What do you think, sweetie? Are you hungry or do you like the nickname ‘Krissy’?” When her eyes didn’t open and no cries broke out from her lips, but instead fell right back asleep, Belle smiled over at Aden, who was already looking pretty pleased. “I think you might have been right.”

“Of course I was. I already know what my girl likes and doesn’t like.” He told her proudly even as he laughed and threw her a wink.

“If you’re that certain, then why don’t you pick out her other name?” She challenged him, causing him to grimace slightly before putting on a thoughtful look. They bathed in the silence for what seemed hours; averting her eyes between the two most important things in her life right then before the anticipation and curiosity of what Aden was thinking of got the better of her. “Well?”

“I’m still thinking, sweetheart.” Belle pursed her lips and then let out an impatient sigh.

“There were plenty of names that you liked, remember?” She reminded him while trying to rack her brain for one. “Like ‘Carmel’?”

“Nah, that’s not her.” Aden claimed. “That’s the problem. All the names I thought I liked doesn’t suit her. She’s so much better than most of them.”

“She really is.” Belle agreed in near awe. “Look, don’t worry about the name. We have ages yet, anyway. Something will come up.”

Belle saw him nod once. It was obvious from his posture, facial expression and lack of words that he was still thinking about it. She avoided looking down at the phone in his hand that he had started playing around with; the small, single tapping sounds, following by one long one telling her that he was choosing different names and inserting it with what they had already, only to delete them when he didn’t like it.

Letting him carry on with his method, she gave all of her attention to her child. After 9 months of carrying her around, it was amazing to finally see the little girl. Even more so was the fact that she was so light and tiny compared to aching she use to cause her mother’s body. She had been holding her for almost 30 minutes yet she could hardly feel it on her arms. When she thought about it, Belle was pretty sure that she could cuddle her girl for a lifetime and never complain. There were just some things that nothing in life could compare to, and holding her baby for the first time was at the topmost of her list right then.

“How about ‘Sierra’?” Aden asked her carefully after a short while as she tore her eyes away and turned to face him. “Yes or no?”

“Why ‘Sierra’?”

“It suits her. It sounds like a calm and precious name, you know? Someone you’d associate…” He trailed off as he tried to think of a way to describe what he felt when he said the name. The indefinable warmth and love; the serenity it brought him with it as well as a hint of being important. Like a princess or a daddy’s girl; both of which, in his eyes, Aden had no doubt she was going to be. “Someone you’d associate innocence and beauty with.”

“I like it.” Belle whispered as her emotions began to get the better of her.

“Yeah?” He enquired with shyness.

“After that, how could I not?” She repeated as they both laughed. “I love it. It’s perfect. It‘s her.”

“So, that’s it then? We have a name?” Aden asked her excitedly. When she nodded, he brought up his phone once again and typing out the name as it were. “It goes well.”

“Let’s see.” Belle glanced at the screen as he held it up a bit more before shaking her head. “I thought you liked ‘Sierra’?”

“I do. That’s why I put ‘Kristal Sierra Jefferies’.” He read slowly to her.

“I can see that, Aden. But I chose ‘Kristal’ as a middle name, not as a first.”

“Are we still going with that stupid bet?” Aden questioned her in outrage.

“No, it’s not that.” Belle quickly assured him, and he prompted her to explain with a simple raise of an eyebrow. “When she’s going to write her name down, like at school or something, she’s not going to write her full name all the time, now is she? It’ll just be the first and last name. And ‘Crystal Jefferies’ was your mother, honey. This is our daughter.”

“So ‘Sierra Kristal Jefferies’ then?” He adjusted, forgetting about the mobile phone and saying it out loud instead.

“Well, that’s what I think. But it’s up to you, Aden.” She told him with a sweet smile. Aden chewed on his bottom lip as he thought it over, eyes trained onto the little girl that the name would be bestowed upon in the end. “Whichever way you want it, it’ll be fine by me.”

“I think,” He finally started, smoothing the tips of his fingers ever so lightly over her delicate hair. “I think that you’re right.”

“You sure? If not, then that’s fine. Like I said; we don’t have to decide here and now.”

“I’m sure.” Aden reassured her while feeling a small fussy movement from his finger when the baby girl began to stir again. “I think this time she might be hungry. Or bored.”

“Of sleeping? I doubt it.” Belle scoffed, waiting until her eyes opened slowly to speak again. “We have a name for you now, baby. Isn’t that great?”

“No answer. Is that good or bad?”

“At least she’s not crying.” Belle commented as Aden laughed before speaking to the child who watched her without knowing or understanding what was happening. “What do you think, missy? How do you fancy being called ‘Sierra’ all your life?”

“Sierra…” Aden murmured after a handful of seconds passed with no response.

“Does that mean she liked it or not?” Belle questioned him with confusion.

“I don’t think it means she didn’t like it.” He replied thoughtfully. “But I dunno if it means she likes it. She responded to ‘Krissy’ pretty easily, remember?”

“Maybe she didn’t like ‘Krissy’ but likes ‘Sierra’?” She suggested while her child laid continuously still in her arms, only interrupted with the odd movement of hands or feet.

“I think she liked ‘Krissy’.” Aden defended. “Didn’t you, angel? You like being called ‘Krissy’ yeah?” As if on cue, just like before, she began to kick her legs under the tightly wrapped blanket which raised both of her parent’s’ eyebrows.

“I guess we’ve got our answer.” Belle said factually. “Unless, of course, she’s responding to your voice and touch instead of the name. Because let’s face it, I don’t think she knows what we’re saying and she was always an active baby with you around!”

“Either way, I’m liking ‘Krissy’.” He shrugged and carried on playing with the neonate’s hair; watching her head turn away as he trailed a finger softly down her cheek a couple of times. “What‘s the decision then?”

“I like ‘Krissy’ too.” She sighed heavily, relaxing back more against Aden’s shoulder and the arms that held her while tilting her head towards him. “’Kristal Sierra’ then?”

“Just because we like ‘Krissy’, doesn’t mean we have to change it, do we? I mean, everyone calls you ‘Belle’ when your name’s really ‘Susan’.” He argued with a small smile that she reciprocated. “Her name’s Sierra Kristal Jefferies.”

“Final decision…”

“I’ve made up my mind.”

“So have I.” Belle grinned widely at him as he nodded. “’Sierra Kristal Jefferies’ it is then.”

“We have a baby girl.” Aden said softly with a smile.

“That we do.” She giggled before leaning in the final few centimetres and bringing him into a kiss that last much longer than the previous one, conveying every feeling insides of them to each other and then some. Belle could feel his hand sliding onto her back, tenderly running down the centre of it in a way that sent tingles through her entire body. It became enough to urge herself to pull away before they got too carried away.

“I love you.” He sighed happily, resting his forehead against hers while catching their breaths.

“I love you mo-” Belle replied, only to be interrupted by a series of whimpers from the one person feeling left out in their little family of three.

“Aw, we love you too, Krissy.” Aden chuckled, pressing a kiss against her soft cheek, nose and forehead lovingly as Belle looked on. The tears pricked her eyes once again and threatened to fall as she witnessed the beautiful sight before her. With her heart in her mouth, rendering her silent, Belle realised just how perfect her life was right then.

---

And there’s her name! I’m glad to finally get that down as it’s been bugging me for a while now [since about my first fic ]

Anyways, like always, I hope you enjoyed it

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Sooooo sorry about the long gap! And am soooo sorry that I said I'd try on Sunday, and failed until today. But to make it up for it, this chapter is a long one. The longest that I've ever done. I just hope that it doesn't drag on or get too boring or repetative.

Enjoy!

Chapter 73:

“Aden!” The excited voice was accompanied by the clinking of her necklace and the pattering of heels on the hospital floor as she hurriedly made her way over. Slowing down to meet her halfway, he couldn’t help but smile when he spotted the helium filled, metallic balloon bobbling behind her with the words ‘Congratulations! It’s a Girl!” shining on it. “Where is she?”

“She’s with Belle.” Aden informed her calmly, a smile forever on his face. “Where’s Roman?”

“He’s coming.” Nicole replied distractedly, peering over his shoulder to see down the corridor of the maternity ward with several rooms and closed doors. “So, daddy, how are you feeling?”

“Pretty good.” Aden said matter-of-factly. “How else am I meant to feel?” She rolled her eyes at his smart reply, carrying on without bothering to tease him back.

“How about Belle?”

“She’s good. Tired, but you know what she’s like.” He informed her casually. “Can’t really tear ourselves away willingly or for too long either, so that doesn’t really help.”

“Then what are you doing out here?” Nicole taunted, a mock irritated look on her face as he winced dramatically.

“I may have called Amanda ‘grandma’ a few too many times since she got here.” Aden admitted with a sheepish smile, though humour still lined his words.

“Oh.” Nicole said indignantly. “She’s here?”

“Yeah…” He drew the word out, forehead creasing as he tried to work out why his surrogate sister and best friend would be upset by that little fact. Shaking his head mentally and putting it down to being a ‘girl thing‘, he carried on happily. “You can go see if you want, but there’s a lot of tears, just so you know.”

“Hmm…” She frowned momentarily before her eyes lit up and she quickly pulled down her Gucci bag from her shoulder and dug into it with one hand. “Anyways, here.”

“All done?” Aden asked her, accepting the spare key to their place that he had handed her a few weeks beforehand.

“Yup. Sorted out and cleared.” Nicole replied, smiling once again.

“Nothing broken?” His tone was serious and concerned though the smirk on his face gave her a reason to throw him a dark look.

“Hey! Give me a bit of credit!”

“Sorry. Thanks, Nic. I owe you one.” Aden said, this time his sincere words were genuine as he pulled her into a brief hug.

“Anytime.” She brushed off his words, hitching her bag up her arm, all the while careful not to lose the tight grip on the pink ribbon that was tied up to the balloon. “How long has Amanda been here then?”

“About an hour now.” He answered after consulting his watch to check the time. “Why do you ask?”

“Just her or…?” Nicole arrived on, ignoring his question. At her words, Aden chortled a bit sadistically before replying.

“If you’re trying to ask if Drew’s here, then no, he’s not. Yet.”

“I wasn’t!” She hissed at him, though her voice rose with the second word. A small tint of red appeared at her cheeks, and as Aden was about to verbalise his confusion as to why she was blushing, another voice joined their conversation.

“Wasn’t what?”

“Nothing.” Nicole was the first one to answer her dad’s question; her answer a bit too fast for Roman’s liking, who gave the two of them suspicious looks.

“It was nothing.” Aden backed her up, his eyes flickering from her to him with a smile. Roman seemed to accept it as he merely nodded

“Hey, mate.” He turned to Aden with a wide smile that could definitely be seen as being filled with pride and joy, much like his own though to a lesser extent. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“So, how is she?” Roman questioned him softly. “And Belle?”

“They’re both doing good. Both tired too, though Belle‘s fighting it.” Aden joked, making the other two laugh along as they all knew how stubborn the said woman could be sometimes.

“What does she look like?” Nicole spoke up suddenly, eyes shining bright once again.

“Who, Belle? Haven’t you met her before?” He teased, earning himself a light punch to the arm.

“No, stupid! My new niece!” Aden let out a small laugh at her huff.

“She’s gorgeous.” Aden informed her proudly, smiling lovingly as he recalling the little time that they had been allowed to with her alone and take her all in before the first visitor arrived. It hadn’t been enough, he knew that, but there was more time to come.

“I could have guessed that myself. Any specifics you want to give me?” Nicole huffed, eyeing him carefully when he simply shrugged.

“Oh, well, you know. Ten toes and fingers, two eyes, two eyes, a mouth, nose and 4 limbs.”

“Just the 4?”

“Nicole!” Roman reprimanded though with amusement. Aden laughed as Nicole rolled his eyes at him.

“Relax, Dad. He knows I’m kidding. Name? If you guys still haven’t came up with one, I’ll let you have ‘Nicola’.” She suggested with a hopeful tone even though they all knew the chances of Belle letting that happen was pretty slim.

“As honouring as that is,” Aden began sarcastically, crossing his arms loosely. “Sorry, but she has a name.”

“What is it?”

“Sierra Kristal.” He informed them, a smile breaking out on his face while doing so. It was the first time that he had spoken the name aloud outside of Belle’s room, or to someone else other than Belle. It had been her who had had the honour of telling Amanda, which was only reasonable.

“That’s beautiful, Aden.” Roman spoke up as Nicole agreed wholeheartedly with a dignified nod of her head and smile.

“Yeah, well, it’s suits her.” He shrugged almost self-consciously, taking a couple steps to the side that encouraged the other two to move also so that they were no longer standing in the middle of the corridor and blocking the way for others.

“Urgh, don’t go getting all soppy on us, please.” Nicole grimaced in horror. Looking at her, Aden let out a small chuckle when he caught her glancing over his shoulder still and practically bouncing on her feet to get moving.

“Nicole, you can go see her.” He told he softly, turning slightly to point down the hallway with his elbow. ”Second door from the end on the right.”

“Yeah, alright.” She answered after taking a moment contemplating whether she wanted to be alone in a room with Amanda and Belle, and of course, the baby. “Dad, you coming?”

“Um…” Glancing over at Aden, he gave her a small smile before replying. “I’ll catch up in a moment.”

“You should go see her too.” Aden said as Nicole retreated down the corridor with a hint of anticipation and wariness, both of which had been clear in her words to Roman.

“Where’re you heading off to?” He asked his instead.

“Home. Got to get some stuff for Belle and the baby. And the camera.” Aden rolled his eyes as he remembered the mini, quiet tantrum Belle had thrown when she had discovered that the camera on his phone wasn’t anything as good as she had liked. He had tried to reason that a few pictures were better than none, but she had managed to sweet-talk him into going to get her professional one, saying that in a few years, they’ll appreciate it. Knowing that she was right, Aden had given in only seconds before her mother had appeared. “Thought I’d go now while Amanda’s with her.”

“Do you want a lift?”

“Nah, that‘s ok. I think I’m over the shock now.” He laughed, shaking his head wryly though making no motion to leave yet.

“So, a girl, huh?” Roman spoke up with a gleam in his eyes, which were still crinkled by his smile. Aden tilted his head down, nodding, albeit shyly, at his words.

“Ooh, yeah. I’m scared already.” He added a dry laugh to his words while looking back up at his pseudo-father, not missing the sympathetic glance he had given him before rearranging is face to remain caring yet not pitying.

“I think that‘s expected, mate.” Roman informed him making Aden smirk.

“True, but it‘s still so unbelievable.”

“It‘s only been a couple of hours. Might take a bit longer to get your head around it.” He advised him as Aden shrugged lightly and nodded.

“I guess. It’s just… I have a daughter. I mean, how did that happened?” He replied in wonder and joy before cringing as he realised what he had said. “Ok, well I know how but-”

“I get you.” Roman cut him off with amusement as the two of them dissolved into a light laugh. “It’s a bit of an awe, isn‘t it?”

“Just a bit.” Aden agreed sarcastically and then sighed. He stuffed one hand into his jeans pocket as he let his head drop to the side to rest against the pale hospital wall tiredly. “I have no idea what I’m doing with her either. So far, all I‘ve had to do is hold her and stop her from crying, which wasn‘t so hard. ”

“It‘s better than nothing. I can‘t even get Nicole to be quiet, so you already have one up on me.” Roman joked as they both chuckled, knowing how true his words truly were. “But seriously, Aden, you’re worrying about it too much. I’d be lying if I said that you won’t make mistakes, but you’ll learn from it. It‘s all in the experience.”

“Yeah, well, let’s just hope that with the experience, I don’t end up being a screw-up of a dad.” He confessed solemnly, verbalising the thought that had been streaming through his mind from the very first second that he had laid eyes on his precious baby girl. The need to protect and do only good by her only intensified when he held her, never wanting to let her go and out of his sight ever again. “She deserves way more than that.”

“You won’t be. We all have faith in you, son. It’s just you who doubts your abilities.” Roman told him earnestly, carrying on without any acknowledgement to the slip that Aden had truly heard and caught. He didn‘t say anything to stop him, even as a shy smile tugged at his lips. “She’s one lucky girl to have a dad like you to be there for her and look after her. And I know that Belle would say the exact same thing. You’ll be a fantastic father. You already have been for the past 9 months. If you keep on going, I might have to hand Nicole over to you too.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Aden asked him suddenly; disbelief colouring his words. “Roman, if I become [half the father you‘ve been to Nic and I, I’d be happy.”

“Thanks, but I think you’re forgetting that I didn’t have to raise her from birth.” He replied with a rueful laugh.

“No, just from 17 when she was a spoilt little princess.” Aden countered smarmily. “I think that was harder.”

“Nothing that’s worth it is ever easy, anyway.” Roman said wisely.

“I suppose not.” He murmured before letting out a heavy sigh. Pushing himself off the wall, he threw a look over his shoulder towards the room where his wife and daughter currently resided, a small, proud smile appearing at his face at just the thought of it, and then carrying on. “Alright, I really should head off before Belle bites my head off for taking too long.”

“And the quicker you leave, the quicker you can get back, hey?” Roman taunted, not missing the glance that he had thrown down the corridor only seconds beforehand.

“Read my mind.” Aden admitted, laughing as the elder man clapped him on the shoulder as he passed him by. While walking towards the main lifts, he gazed down at his watch, realising that it had already been just over 20 minutes since he had first left Belle’s room. Upon the realisation, Aden sped down the stairs instead, not being able to let anymore time pass by unnecessarily before he could get back again to where he wanted, and needed, to be.

---

By the time that he got back to the hospital, Aden wasn’t too surprised to see 3 more people gathered inside the small hospital room.

“Wow, this place is popular.” He joked as he made his way over to the bed where Belle was sitting at the head of. Her legs were curled up to a side with a pillow on her lap, and Aden could instantly tell that she was still feeling a bit self-conscious so soon after giving birth, although she had changed into her typical nightwear of a tank top and pants.

“That’s all down to this little one, here.” Irene informed him as she lightly shook the arm that she had a hold on from where the baby rested soundlessly in Annie’s arms. The two of them were standing at the end of the bed, cooing quietly at the newborn. “She’s a looker, Aden. Absolutely gorgeous.”

“Oh, I know.” He replied arrogantly, smirking while handing Belle her camera out of the small bag that he had brought back with him.

“Definitely going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up.” Amanda commented from where she stood next to Roman by the side, while Nicole was sitting in the chair beside her.

“If she’s ever allowed to the see the light of day.” The younger blonde pitched in mockingly. “Right, Aden?”

“We’ll have to wait and see about that.” Aden told her, throwing her a wink and relaxing back against the top of the bed next to Belle, who had finished cleaning and putting her camera together.

“Here, guys. Smile!” She called out softly to her foster mother and siblings. Geoff sat at the end of her bed, body turned half towards her although he was now reaching out to stroke the baby’s hair delicately.

Snapping a few pictures in a matter of seconds, they all spared a few laughs about how their daughter would soon become the most photographed person in the world, ahead of even top A-list celebrities. Neither one of the parents said anything to deny it as they both knew that the likelihood of it being true was very high.

Continuing to take more photos as Amanda cradled her granddaughter to her, Aden couldn’t help but to grin at how captivated everyone was by her tiny being. Soon enough, she was passed on to Roman, who took her gracefully, as Amanda regretfully informed them that she had to leave to head back to the city.

“Do you really have to go right now?” Belle asked her sorrowfully, upset clear in her voice.

“I’m sorry, darling. But you know I can’t leave the boys alone for too long. Who knows what they’d get up to!” She joked as Belle accepted her reasoning. Promising to visit very soon once again, and offering the two of them her congratulations, Amanda pressed a kiss to Belle’s cheek before doing the same to Krissy’s and then leaving.

“Ok, c’mon. A picture with Aunty Nicole and Granddad Roman.” Belle spoke up as the door shut once again, aiming the camera over to where Roman was now perching on the arm of Nicole’s seat.

“Whoa, ‘Granddad’?” Roman quickly stopped her, chuckling wryly and shaking his head. “I think just ‘Roman’ will suffice.”

“Aw, c’mon, Roman. If Amanda can suck it up, then I’m sure you can too.” Aden taunted as the rest of them laughed freely.

“No offence to her, but I think Amanda’s a bit older than Dad, anyway.” Nicole commented with a small scoffed as she fiddled with one of her niece’s feet that had came free of the blanket wrapped around her.

“Don’t let Mum hear you say that. She’s already having palpitations every time she’s reminded that she’s now a grandmother.” Belle told her, throwing Aden a discreet dark look as she did so. “Anyway, it’s up to you, Roman. We won’t mind either way.”

“Thanks guys.” He replied without adding on anything else on the matter. “She’s a quiet one, you know? Are you sure she’s yours?”

“Hey!” Belle exclaimed in an offended tone, though the smile playing on her lips, as well as everyone else’s including Aden’s, downplayed it. “We’re just lucky, that’s all.”

“That’s what you think. Wait until you get to take her home.” Irene said with a huff. “Then you’ll learn how lucky you guys really are!”

“Well, I guess we‘re the lucky ones then.” Geoff spoke up. “Considering that you guys moved out before the baby was born. We won’t have to put up with that.”

“Haha!” Aden replied sarcastically as Belle chortled deeply in the base of her throat.

“Don’t worry about that, Geoff. We’ll make sure that you get your fair share of babysitting duties, too. And just for that, including nights.” Even as the words left her mouth, she was able to guess that they all knew that her words were just a threat that she wouldn’t go through with any time soon, although no-one called her bluff upon it. Before Geoff got the chance to reply to her words or apologize, there was a knock at the door before it was pushed open to reveal two more people.

“Ok, this room is crowded.” Ric stated the obvious, his words almost similar to those that Aden had used only a little while beforehand. He was still stood in the doorway with Mattie behind him in the hallway as he faltered with whether to come in or not. “We’ll wait outside for a bit then.”

“What?! Why?” The muffled exclamation from the girl standing on the outside rang through to their ears. Belle was just about to open her mouth to reply to her best friend, who was still out of sight, when a tiny whimper filled the silent room that soon broke out into a series of wails.

“Oh, someone’s trying to claim some attention!” Roman chuckled as he swayed the crying baby in his arms gently, but to no avail. The door had shut again with the two of them remaining politely outside; Matilda no doubt in a bad mood about it already.

“I think she’s trying to prove you wrong, Dad.” Nicole told him as she continued to cry loudly.

“Could be.” He agreed before standing up and nodding towards the new parents on the bed. “She could just be fed up of us, though.”

“I don’t blame her.” Aden joked as he sat forward to take Krissy from Roman carefully before settling back against the bed and nestling her up to his chest as tightly and comfortably as he could. Using the hand that wasn’t holding her body to his, he rearranged the pink blanket around her to cover her exposed foot and arms while rocking her in a slow, soothing motion and murmuring softly down to her as she began to quieten down in response to her father’s actions.

“Alright,“ Irene spoke up after a moment where they all watched on without a sound nor knowing what to do. “I think that was a good as sign as ever for us to leave. Especially with the other two waiting outside.”

“Alright. C’mon, Nic.“ Roman agree with the red headed lady and ushered his own daughter up. “We ought to get going too before the nurses come and throw us all out.”

“But we just got here!” She moaned, ignoring the fact that the ‘just’ was now over an hour. When no-one bothered to reply to her, Nicole stood up with a sigh and moved her bag higher up her arm and followed her dad as he said goodbye to the small, new family on the bed. Pressing a sisterly kiss to Aden’s cheek, she did the same to the now awake and content baby in his arms. “Bye, Krissy. See you soon.”

“Not too soon…” Belle muttered under her breath as she continued to snap pictures as quickly as she could. She could tell that Aden had heard her words when his head swivelled to her with a raised eyebrow that she pointedly ignored as Nicole and Roman exited the room.

“Ok, now us too, kids.” Irene nudged Annie and Geoff ahead as they reluctantly did as she said. “We’ll visit tomorrow, ok? But if you need anything, you give us a call, alright? Night or day-”

“We know, Irene. Thank you.” Belle cut her off with a grateful smile and reciprocating the embrace that she wrapped her up in as she shuffled into the middle of the bed briefly. Pulling away, she watched as Irene spoke quietly to Aden and Krissy, cooing at the wide-eyed baby who stared intently at her.

“Bye, Belle.” Annie’s voice broke her out of her thoughts as she turned back to her and hugged her when she bent over to her. “Congratulations, again.”

“Thanks, Annie.” She replied, smiling up at her younger sister of sorts before she moved over to the side where Irene had backed off.

“Bye, baby.” Annie whispered while dropping a kiss onto her forehead while tucking her own hair behind her ears in an almost shy manner. “See you, Aden.”

“You too, kiddo.” He replied as Geoff practically dragged her away from where she stood simply gazing at her new niece from the side of the bed. The three of them said their final goodbyes only a second before they left and allowed the other two visitors in.

“Oh, my God! Baby!“ Mattie’s exclamation was the first thing that was spoken between the 4 of them as she hurriedly made her way to the bed. In her arms were a bouquet of flowers and a small, pink teddy that she handed over to Belle without another word to her. “Aw, Aden! She’s so cute!”

“Hello? Remember me? Your best friend?“ Belle laughed as she placed the gifts next to the ones that the others had brought her and her daughter before waving a hand at her.

“I have a new best friend now!” She commented, not tearing her eyes away from the bundle in Aden’s arms; her eyes fixated back onto the girl who was paying her the most attention in the room.

“I think it’ll take a bit more time before you get anything more sensible out of her.” Ric said to her instead. “Congrats, by the way. From the two of us, I guess...”

“Thanks, Ric.”

“Can I hold her yet?” Mattie asked then as she tore her eyes away and firstly to Aden, and then Belle in question.

“Should we let her?” Aden stage-whispered to Belle who looked as if she was contemplating it before rolling her eyes and nodding.

“I guess it better be done.” She laughed while moving back to her stop at the top of the bed as Mattie sat at the edge of it. Cautiously, Aden lent forwards to place his girl into her very willing arms. “Just be careful. Don’t get too excited!”

“I won’t, I won’t!” Mattie assured her with a new found composure, remaining completely still as she settled in her arms. “Wow! Look at those blue eyes! She’s so beautiful.”

“We already know that.” Belle merely said, cheekily.

“Of course they do.” Ric joined in while pulling up a chair to next to where Mattie sat on the bed so that he could sit and look at the baby himself. “She’s small, though.”

“Well, she wasn’t going to come out the size of an adult, now was she?” Belle remarked lightly as she curled up to Aden’s side and going back to her camera once again. She could feel Aden chuckle at her words as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and rested his arm along her shoulders to hold her to him. Without adding anything else, she smiled at the sight of Ric looking slightly wary of the newborn yet had a hand on Mattie’s arm as she turned towards him slowly and talking to her slowly. She snapped a few more keepsake pictures before Matilda spoke up again.

“So, Sierra, right?” She asked her attentively as she spotted that the girl in question was beginning to fall back asleep again.

“Krissy.” Aden corrected her.

“Oh. I thought it was ‘Sierra Kristal’, not the other way around…” Mattie trailed off, shrugging as small as she could so that it didn’t disturb the peaceful baby in her arms.

“It is.” Belle informed her with a hint of defence in her tone. “But we like ‘Krissy’ too.”

“Right. I guess it’s up to you.” She murmured, squinting a bit and tilting her head to glance down as she tried to figure out whether she liked the name or not. “Yeah, I think I can see why. It suits her.”

“I think anything would suit her right now.” Ric commented in his usual way of speaking first, and then thinking. “Except for ‘Beanie’ that is.”

“Ha ha!” Mattie stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend and then spoke lowly to the baby who she had affectionately called ‘Beanie‘ for the past 6 months. “You and I both know that Aunty Mattie’s name is better than your mummy and daddy’s name for you, don’t we?”

“Mattie, she’s sleeping.” Ric told her deadpanned.

“Doesn’t mean she can’t hear!” She hissed back quickly, pulling Krissy tighter to her.

“Actually, I think it does.” Belle interrupted them from where her and Aden had been sitting and simply watching them.

“Shhh… We don’t want to listen to Mummy.” Mattie ignored her, gently rocking the sleeping baby as if she were awake. “You may no longer look like a bean-”

“Thank God for that!” Aden cut her off with his quiet exclamation that they all heard.

“-but you’ll always be my Beanie.“ She completed after giving him a dirty look for breaking her off, and then shook her head while taking in the newborn in her arms once again. “You know, I can already see her being a bit of a rebel when she grows up.”

“Don’t go giving her any ideas as of yet! Let her leave the hospital first, yeah? Then we’ll talk about her future.” Belle said incredulously though with a small laugh.

“And even then, she’s not going to be a rebel.” Aden added to his wife’s words, his own being determined with no room to argue.

“I dunno. She’s pretty cute and adorable. The right kind of face and mix to seem innocent-”

“Let’s not finish that thought off, ok?” This time it was Belle who cut her off; only this time she did it effectively with a scoff.

“Alright, alright. She’s still adorable. And cute. And so cuddly!” Mattie gushed once again before letting out a heavy sigh. “I want one now.”

“What?!” Ric spluttered as a look of worry crossed his face. Belle and Aden did their best to hold back their laughs as best as they could at the sudden horror etched across his features; both knowing that this wasn’t the first time that Mattie had said or done something that indicated that she was ready to become a mother herself.

“Good luck with that, mate.” Aden chortled, causing Belle to give him a slap to the chest even as she giggled along.

“Relax, Ric!” Mattie rolled her eyes at him, her lips pursed slightly. “Don’t worry; I don’t fancy going through the pain of childbirth anyway.”

“You’re not going to get a baby any other way, Mattie.” Belle told her, though they knew that her words weren’t technically true.

“That’s alright; we’ll just steal this one.” She shrugged again in response, her words serious as always. “She’s perfect enough, and very tiny and quiet so that people wouldn’t notice.”

“Somehow I think these two would.” Ric told her, amusement now lining his words.

“No, no. I can come up with a plan…” Mattie assured him, her tone distant as if she really was thinking up a difficult and foolproof plan. Sharing concerned looks, Ric simply rolled his eyes while the other two found it harder to brush off Mattie’s words as more time passed and she yet seemed to be deep in thought.

“Ok…” Aden drawled out the last syllable for a second, unwinding his arm from around Belle and moving forwards towards the other girl a bit. “I think it’s time to hand her back over.”

“What?” She snapped out of her own world. “No! It’s hardly been any time.”

“Well, if you’re looking to spend the rest of your life holding her, then I want her back.” He countered, raising an eyebrow at her as she scowled back at him.

“A few more minutes isn’t a lifetime, ok?” Mattie insisted. “Besides, Ric hasn’t held her yet.”

“Uh, that’s ok.” He quickly told her while sitting back in the chair. “I think I’ll wait until she’s a bit bigger before that.”

“Aw, Ric! She won’t bite or anything. She’s doesn’t even have teeth yet!” Belle joked though her mouth had turned into the basis of a small pout. “Just for one pic. I need one of her and you on the day she was born. It‘ll take two seconds!”

“Belle…” He groaned as Belle smiled sweetly at him around Aden, who had been in their way. “Two seconds and that’s it. The last thing I need is for her to answer ‘yes’ when someone asks her if she was dropped on her head as a baby, when she grows up, because of me.”

“She won’t!” Belle laughed freely as Mattie passed her daughter over to a close-to-petrified Ric. Once she was settled, Ric remained a bit rigid in his posture, relaxing back against he back of the chair only when Mattie pushed him lightly on his shoulder. “See? You’re doing fine.”

“For the time being.” Aden added unnecessarily as he took his place back at he top of the bed again.

“Aden!” Both Mattie and Belle snapped at the same time.

“You’re not helping anyone, Aden!” Belle said even as a smirk began to pull at her lips before she turned back to her camera and Ric and Krissy. “You two look sweet together, Ric.”

“Hmm…” He replied noncommittally and Belle assumed that it was so that there would be nothing else to tease him with later on. “Are you done yet? I think she’s waking up.”

“Ric, she’s a baby, not some kind of animal!” Mattie reprimanded him. “She’s not going to hurt you or anything.”

“Just a couple more.” Belle told him as she worked slowly, wrongly enjoying the uneasiness that was clearly being expressed by Ric. She had only managed another three before small sounds of distress emitted from the bundle in his arms as he looked up, horrified.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Probably why she’s crying.” Mattie muttered, taking her from his before either Belle or Aden could reach for her. She rocked her delicately in her arms, talking to her in a babyish voice in hopes of soothing her. “Shhh… Don’t worry about Uncle Ric. He’s just not used to small, delicate, precious things. He’s a big, rough monkey, so he’ll only play with you when you’re older and bigger.”

“Gee, put it nicely, why don’t you, Matilda?” Ric said dryly as the others laughed.

“I’m just being honest.” She replied innocently, continuing with the rocking although the cries continued to sound loud and clear. “She’s not getting any happier.”

“Yeah. Maybe she’s hungry?” Belle questioned, turning to look over at Aden who simply shrugged.

“Could be. It’s been a couple of hours since you fed her last.” He reasoned.

“And she didn’t really have much either, I don’t think.” She said a bit worriedly, sighing when Aden simply shrugged once again, although he accompanied it with a nod.

“Ok, well, I guess that was our cue to leave.” Mattie laughed, handing over the crying baby to her mother as Belle dropped the camera to the side at once.

“Sorry, guys. You can stay if you really want and come back later…?” She suggested as Mattie shook her head lightly.

“Nah, it’s alright. We’ll come and visit again tomorrow. When are you going home?”

“Tomorrow morning sometime.” Belle informed her, recalling how the doctor had told them earlier on that they would both have to remain overnight just for precaution as Krissy was born two weeks earlier than expected. Although it wasn’t something unusual, they were still wary and neither Belle nor Aden were going to argue with them on that.

“Ok. Well, either tomorrow evening, or later on in the week then.” Mattie smiled at her while leaning forwards to give Belle a brief hug, mindful of the crying baby in her arms, and then placing a sweet kiss onto both their cheeks. “See you later. Be good for Mummy and Daddy until then!”

“I’m sure she will.” Aden remarked with a teasing glint in his eyes as Mattie rolled her eyes at him and also gave him a small embrace.

“You know she’ll miss me.” She told him as he chuckled mockingly.

“Oh, of course.”

“What was that?” Belle interrupted as Ric stood up from his chair after sharing a small conversation with her and headed towards the door.

“Nothing.” They both informed her lightly. Nodding her head in a way that showed that she didn’t believe them, she bid her and Ric goodbye without another word on it as they left, closing the door shut behind them.

“See? Didn’t I tell you that Krissy crying would make people leave?” Aden reminded her. Belle laughed at his words as the upsetting sounds from the baby in her arms still filled the room, although they were quieter than before. Changing her stance, she sat crossed legged in the middle of the bed to face Aden at the top of the bed and held her daughter up along her body, hoping that the change in position would help.

“I think her crying going to drive us out soon, possibly.” She replied a little while later as the crying failed to cease, even as she rocked the both of them in hopes to get her to settle down.

“I doubt that will ever happen.” He said confidently, reaching out slowly to run his fingers up and down her back tenderly through the blanket.

“Do you reckon she’s hungry then? She would have calm down otherwise, right?” Belle asked him in concern. Everything inside of her was screaming to do whatever it took to make her baby girl happy again, but right then, she had almost no idea what to do, nor did she trust herself to make a decision without Aden’s input.

“It’s either going to be that or that she needs changing, then.” He suggested and Belle thought it over before shaking her head.

“It’s not that, I don’t think.” She claimed and Aden nodded at her words.

“Are you ok to feed her? Or do you want me to call the nurse again?”

“No, it’s ok. I have to get the hang of it sooner or later considering that I’m out of here tomorrow.” Belle sighed softly while handing Krissy over to him gently. “Besides, I think I’m getting the gist of it.”

“Ok, if you say so…” He trailed off as he took her into his arms, holding her body to him just as Belle had done and shushing her quietly while peppering tiny kisses to the top of her head. Reluctantly, he handed her back over, watching as Belle rearranged the two of them to get into a more comfortable position once she had began feeding. When Krissy’s cries had died down instantly and didn’t fight what was happening, they both shared a smile of happiness that they had got their first challenge right without the help of anyone else. “So I guess she was hungry then.”

“Looks like it.” Belle giggled at the proud tone in his voice and she couldn’t help but to realise that she felt the same.

“We’re getting quite good at this parenting thing, don’t you think?” Aden questioned her as relaxed on the bed.

“Don’t jinx it, honey. It’s only been a day. Less than that!” Belle laughed at his confidence when he simply shrugged his shoulders in reply. “Did you bring something to change Krissy into?”

“Yup!” He answered, popping the ‘p’ in the words as he leant over to grab the bag that he had brought from the house. Placing it next to him on the hospital bed, he unzipped it and riffled through it for the single item that he was looking for.

“Wow, that’s a lot of stuff for just one night, Aden.” She teased before she spotted some of his own clothes in there. Smiling softly, she shook her head lightly and then spoke again. “You don’t need to stay the night too. We’ll be fine here.”

“I know.” He told her coolly, taking out the item he had been asked for and began looking for something else. “But I want to. I don’t really fancy going home to an empty place while my girls are over here.”

Belle rolled her eyes but smiled at his touching, yet possessive, words. It felt good to hear them leave his mouth in reference to the two of them, and just replaying the words in her mind made her tummy flip. She averted her eyes downwards as they threatened to glaze over with tears. Watching Krissy as she fed silently with her eyes remaining closed, she finally tore them away and back to Aden when she heard him throw the bag back onto the floor.

Her eyebrows drew together as she looked at the other item that laid on the bed next to the plain white all-in-one. Once he settled back onto the bed, Aden let out a low laugh as he took the ultra-soft teddy into his hands and faced it towards her.

“You like it?”

“Aw, that’s too sweet!” Belle smirked, taking in the mainly pink bunny with the hints of purple. It had wings attached to the back of it and the words ‘Daddy’s Angel’ sewn onto it’s feet. “And so, so true.”

“I thought so.” Aden agreed, acting blasé. Belle opened her mouth to taunt him just as Krissy pulled away from her claiming both of their attentions as always. “Done?”

“Seems like it…” She murmured, unsure but let it go when their baby didn’t start to cry again. Passing her over to Aden’s willing arms, Belle sorted herself out again before patting the bed in a sign to place her down. Giving her a confused look, she carried on to explain to him what she was getting at. “Well, we can’t change her if you keep on holding her, now can we?”

“We could try.” He suggested, still cuddling his daughter close to him until Belle threw him a look that made him give in to what she wanted. Laying her down, Aden smiled as her eyes flickered open again and her big, blue eyes stared right up at him as her mother began to unwrap the blanket from around her. Kicking her legs when they became free of their restraints, the both laughed until Krissy became unsettled as Belle undid the poppers on the bodysuit that she currently wore . “Shhh, pretty girl. It’ll only take a moment and then you’ll be nice and dressed up again.”

“Let go of her hand for a second, Aden.” Belle instructed him when she tried to get the arm of the new suit onto her, only for Aden to get in the way as he continued to play with her and stop her from getting upset. “There we go, baby. All done.”

“She doesn’t seem too happy about that.” Aden chuckled as Krissy continued to thrash her legs in jerky movements, not allowing Belle to button her up. “Here, I’ll do it.”

“Alright…” She sighed, knowing that he had the advantage of being on her side rather than at her feet although she still felt a bit awkward that she hadn‘t managed to complete the task by herself. A buzzing sound behind her tore her away from her spiralling thoughts about what kind of mother she might end up like as she turned around to grab her phone. Looking the sender of the text, Belle’s face fell a little bit.

“What’s wrong?” Aden asked her while wrapping the pink blanket around the now dressed baby loosely for once.

“Nothing.”

“Then why do you look so disappointed?” He prompted her when Belle dropped her phone back onto the side along with her camera and simply shook her head.

“It’s really nothing.” Belle said and waved a hand airily to make it seem like something minor, something that Aden didn‘t fall for at all. “It’s just that Drew hasn’t gotten back to me yet…”

“Oh.” Aden replied cleverly, biting back all the remarks he could make and going for the comforting route instead. “Maybe he’s just busy with work or something, and hasn’t even checked his phone yet.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” Belle laughed a bit forcedly before leaning over Krissy and running her fingers over her body slowly. “Look at who’s a gorgeous baby now, huh? Daddy didn’t do a bad job at picking out your suit, did he?”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He joked as he watched Belle play with her delicately, showering her with kisses while Krissy stared back totally captivated. Taking out his phone, Aden snapped a couple of his own photos of the two of them before either of them could react.

“What was that for? Didn’t I tell you to use the camera?” She reprimanded him, although there was humour lining her words.

“I need some for my own collection.“ Aden replied smoothly with a grin. “However, as we were speaking of brothers, Justin wanted a pic of the two of you and I figured this was the easiest and quickest way to do so.”

“Right.” Belle nodded, crawling to sit opposite him so they were on either side of Krissy now. “I’m going to ignore the weirdness in that request and just accept that he wants to see his beautiful niece.”

“It’s a good picture, by the way.” He informed her while sending it to his brother, who was still on the other side of the country. When he got no reply, Aden looked up to see Belle still cooing down at their little girl while one of her tiny hands had fisted a small bit of her hair. “Hold still.”

“I’m not going anywhere even if I wanted to.” Belle giggled at him and she could hear the small clicks of the camera on his phone. “Are you done? This is hurting my neck.”

“Yeah, I’ve got enough.” Aden laughed as Belle smoothly removed her hair from Krissy’s clutches, replacing it instead with her thumb.

“Where did you get that from?” She asked him after they had lapsed into a small silence, nodding towards the teddy that laid next to him.

“Just a shop in town.” He told her, picking it up and rubbing the soft fur slowly. “I’d seen it ages back and I just had to get it. It’s my first real gift for her.”

“Aden, you’ve given her a lot already.” Belle countered softly, smiling up at him.

“But this is the first thing I’ve bought for her especially. After knowing that we had a daughter and exactly what she looked like and was called.” Aden carried on, using the ears of the bunny to tickle Krissy under her chin first and then along her cheek. His motions made her head turn towards him, and the teddy, although she made no acknowledgement of the new toy. “It had to be something special and personal.”

“I think it will be. Her first present from her daddy. She’s never going to let it go when she can actually start playing with it.” Belle reasoned, reaching out to touch the plushie herself and wasn’t let down when it felt incredibly soft under her fingertips. Letting her hand drift down the toy and onto Aden’s hand, she looked up at him as he did the same; her hand trailing up his arm to lay lovingly on the side of his face. Pulling him closer to her, she brushed her lips against his tenderly, not letting it get too far before they both back away. “I can’t wait to get home tomorrow.”

“Me either.” Aden breathed, pulling her hand down into his own and pressing a kiss to her knuckles before laying them down by the top of their daughter’s head, still joint. “It’ll be good to have her to ourselves at last.”

“May take a couple of weeks before that happens,” Belle jokingly informed him, “But I get what you mean. It’ll be great to be a proper family; just the three of us.”

“Just the three of us…” He trailed off as his mind started playing over how different, but better, their lives were going to be from now on. Surprisingly enough, he realised, out of all the emotions that he currently felt, excitement and joy managed to break out in front at that moment, even before fear.

“Getting married to you,” Belle began seriously to break him out of his thoughts, an emotional glint in her eyes as she looked from him to Krissy and back again. “That was one of the greatest days on my life, along with a certain others. But today… Today has got to be the most perfect one ever.”

“Yeah, mine too, babe. Mine, too.” Aden agreed, knowing exactly how good it all seemed. Almost surreal, as if it would only take a single blink for it to all be ripped away from him and be transported back to the life that he thought he deserved. One where he didn’t exist to Belle, nor did Krissy to either of them. The one where he couldn’t possibly be this happy. But he kept on blinking, and things kept on staying the same, so he took all that he could right then, like he had been doing for the past 3 years.

---

Yeah, so... Sorry if it's a bit or off. Hope you liked it anyways

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Right, so once again, I am SO sorry for the lack/delay in updates. But it’s that dreaded time of the year so yeah… Anyways, here’s the promised chapter. It’s more like a filler, but I hope you like it! It’s another very long one, again. Sorry! I’m aiming to get this fic over for Chapter 80, so chapters are getting longer and longer just to make sure I get everything in.

Anyhooos, enough of my babbling. Enjoy!

Chapter 74:

Tugging on the strap a couple more times and then attempting to manoeuvre it to the side before pressing down on the release, Belle sighed heavily. Nothing happened. Trying once more, frustration got the better of her as she slumped sideways back into her seat.

Looking out of the open door, she spotted Aden returning back to them after emptying out the boot of the car which had been filled with presents, flowers and clothes. Belle stuck her arm out of the door as he neared, clicking her fingers rapidly to claim his attention.

“Yes, sweetheart?” He asked her politely, leaning against her back door to look at her, his shades gleaming in the sunlight that shone off of them.

“The baby‘s stuck.” She informed him gruffly. At his raised eyebrow, Belle carried on to correct herself. “The baby‘s car seat is stuck.”

“What’s with the clicking?”

“Krissy’s asleep. Didn’t want to yell.” She explained with a huff before turning back to the car seat and trying to release it once again. “What have you done to this?!”

“Nothing!” Aden said defensively, leaning down to look into the car carefully. “Look, press down on the release and use that thing at the back.”

“No wonder I was doing it wrong! I completely forgot about the ‘thing’!” Belle hissed at him as Aden let out a small chuckle at her irritation.

“Alright, here. Get out and I’ll do it before you break my car.” He held out a hand for her, waiting for her to accept it as she threw daggers at him.

“Your car?” She questioned him incredulously, taking hold of his hand and applying as much pressure to it as she could while stepping out. “You’re more worried about your stupid car than your child?”

“Of course not. It’s just that, knowing you, you’d break my car at any given chance. Wouldn’t do a thing to Krissy, though.” Aden replied with a smile, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek and then took her place in the car. “Mummy’s really useless at these kind of things, isn’t she?”

“I can still hear you.” Belle informed him as she took the last of the flowers out of the trunk and shut the door to it.

“Though she did give me you, so I guess ‘useless’ is the wrong word.“ The dramatically whispered words were at her ears as she came to stand to the side, watching as Aden easily removed the car seat and slid out. Without saying a word to her, he reached back inside and lifted the handle up to carry their daughter soundlessly into their home for the first time.

“Ready?” He asked her while shutting the door and locking it. Gazing at his sleeping baby, Aden smiled softly, tucking in the loose corner of the blanket that covered most of her body.

“Yup, let’s get this little one in.” She grinned, her agitation from only moments earlier forgotten in the midst of the excitement and his heart-warming words.

“After you, babe.” Aden insisted, placing a hand on her lower back while ushering up to the entrance of their house, which was already open. They had barely crossed the threshold when he heard her exhale heavily, turning around with the smile still on her face and closing the door behind them. “So, welcome home, precious. It would have been more exciting if you were awake-”

“Aden!” Belle reprimanded him half-heartedly as he threw his sunglasses and keys to the side, and walked over to the couch. Laying down the carrier gently onto the coffee table, he watched Belle as she began to make her way towards them, only to go behind the sofa with the intent of heading to the kitchen.

“Hey, you sit down. You’re supposed to be taking it easy today.” He quickly intercepted her path, grabbing her by the elbow and led her to the couch without letting her protest. “What do you need?”

“Just water. And put these with the others.” Handing him the bouquet of flowers, Aden nodded and did as she requested. By the time he returned back into the front room, he wasn’t surprised to see Belle perching on the edge of the couch, eyes trained on the sleeping baby and a hand stifling a yawn. They had both stayed up most of the night, catching 4 hours sleep the most. Neither one had been able to switch off or let the buzz of pride they felt when looking at their girl ebb away. And now it was catching up; to her more than him.

“What?” Belle asked him softly as he stood by the end of the couch with a small smile on his face.

“Nothing.” He shook his head and gave her the bottle of water that she had asked for. “You look tired though…”

“I’m alright. Nothing a bit of food and drink, and a nice hot shower won’t fix.” She dismissed easily while taking a swig of the chilled water. “See? Feeling better already.”

“Even so…” Aden trailed off, rolling his eyes at her cheeky grin. “C’mon, let’s show Krissy her room and put her in her own bed. Then you can do the same too.”

“Aden-” Belle began with a sigh that he pointedly ignored as he came to a stop in front of where he had placed the carrier and lifted it steadily once again. “Fine. But only because I want to show her her nursery.”

“Whatever you say, Belle.” He chuckled lightly, following her up the stairs. They didn’t exchange any words as they made their way down the hallway, although Aden had to do his best to hide a grin of excitement that threatened to break out on his face.

“Ok, so here we are.” She announced, turning around to face him as he took the final couple of steps up to where she stood by the room and the closed door.

“You can do the honours.” Aden insisted with a nod towards the door handle. Not needing to be told twice, Belle twisted it slowly and pushed it open. He waited outside for a couple of seconds, looking down at the girl that he was carrying to check if she was still happily sleeping. It was only when he heard Belle’s gasp of surprise that he entered behind her quietly.

“Oh, my God!” Belle whispered in shock. “What-? How-?”

“Wow... Looks like a fairy came to visit last night, huh?” He commented, taking a look around the room that was now decorated with more toys and items than any other room in the house. “Or a princess.”

“Nicole did this?” She exclaimed, twisting to look at him as she approached the series of shelves on the side of the room that were now piled with teddies and dolls of every shade of pink and purple. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” Aden smirked, going over to the changing table to put down the carrier in his hand. “I think Roman helped out a bit with the organizing. I might have altered a few things yesterday, but Nic did most of it.”

“Ah, so you are involved.” Belle pointed out, running a hand over the purple netted fabric that hung in front of the window and the seat, as if providing a screen to look through. Seeing it closely, she could see that it was split in half so it could also let in all the sunlight without blocking it if wanted. “This is just… Wow.”

“I’m glad you like it. It took me ages to come up with it!” He informed her while cradling Krissy to him after picking her out of the portable car seat. “There’s something like that for the crib too, but it needed a hook on the ceiling so we decided to leave it until a bit later.”

“How did you manage all this? I mean, it’s all pink. What if we had a boy?” She questioned him, walking up to the other side of the cot and lifting the gray teddy that she had bought for the baby several months before out of it to make space for Krissy herself as Aden lowered her down.

“Well, basically,” Aden began, leaning on the side of the crib with his forearms to look at Belle, while her attention was shifted to the sleeping baby. “You remember that day that Nicole and I went into the city for some shopping?”

“Uh…” Racking her brain, Belle thought about it before a slow smile tugged at her lips. It had been the day that she had spent with Mattie and gotten the locket as a birthday present. “That was when Justin came over, right?”

“Yeah, that was it.” He confirmed for her. “On that day, while we were in the city, we went to this baby store because Nicole wanted to buy some stuff. You know, that really big one that we went to the first time round?” At her nod as she looked up at him, curious for the rest of the story, Aden carried on. “Well, Nic couldn’t choose something that was gender specific so instead we made a list of items for a boy, and one for a girl.”

“So she went and bought it all yesterday? After you told her it was a girl?”

“Yup. She just had to go pick it up cos she sorted something out with one of the sales person in the store to have it all arranged.” He informed as Belle stared at him in awe.

“It must have cost a fort-” Belle started, only to be cut off with a quick kiss.

“Don’t say it. It’s just a little something for my baby girl. I didn’t want her coming home to a room that was white, cream and yellow with hints of brown.” Aden told her forcefully yet softly and then reaching out to pat the head of the toy that Belle still held. “And gray, of course. Just say that you like it.”

“I do. Aden, of course I like it! I love it. Even if it does look like a spoilt little princess’ room. The pink and purple might take a little getting use to before it stops hurting my eyes, but I think it’ll be worth it.”

“That’s good, cos it wasn’t going to change if you didn’t like it, anyway.” He teased her. “But seriously, you ok with it? I know that you and all things glittery and pink don’t go together-”

“-but this room isn’t for me, so it’s fine. It gives it personality and warmth, and love. It’s what every baby girl should have.” Belle assured him while rounding the crib to come to his side, wrapping an arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder for a moment. “We should cover her. We’ve got another blanket, right?”

“Um, if we didn’t, we have a few now.” Aden chuckled as she let go of his arm and walked over to the chest of drawers. She opened the middle one which had contained only a few bits and bobs that they had brought earlier for the first few days after the baby was born. Now, however, it was filled with various clothes, mittens, booties, hats and blankets, all in shades that matched the rest of the room.

“I’m not even going to comment on this.” Belle giggled, running the tips of her fingers over the ultra soft, newborn all-in-ones and other suits. Coming to a pale yellow blanket that went with the small motif on the white sleep suit that Krissy wore right then, she pulled it out and went back to the cot. She draped it delicately over the lower half of the small form, knowing full well that it would be kicked off soon enough. “There. Now she’s well and truly home.”

“Nah, not yet.” He disagreed with her while she gave him a curiously look from the corner of her eyes. “That’ll be when she actually takes a look around and sees where she is. Then she’ll be home.”

---

Walking out of the steamed up bathroom from both of their showers, Aden smiled to himself as his eyes laid upon Belle, who sat upon the bed with her legs crossed and feeding Krissy. He had just barely heard her cries over the shower when she awoke a few minutes beforehand as Belle had brought her into their room. It had immediately sent a small tingle of elation through him at the little reminder of what had occurred the previous day.

“Hey,” He said softly while retrieving the jeans he had thrown to a side earlier on and stepping into them. “How’s she feeding?”

“Yeah, pretty good. I think.” Belle replied with a hint of uncertainty and a grin as she watched him buckle up his belt. “It’s only been a day so we’ll have to see. I need to get the hang of it properly, too.”

“You’re doing great, babe.” Aden assured, going up to the side of the bed where she was situated and pressed a kiss to her forehead before running his fingers over Krissy’s hair as her eyes looked up at him. “Still craving for my attention, I see.”

“Hmm…” Belle simply said noncommittally. Rolling his eyes, he backed away and went to pull out a top from the dresser. He had just pushed it shut when the chimes of the doorbell resounded through the house. Both of their gazes fell to their little girl immediately, relieved when it seemed that she either didn’t notice or care as she continued to feed. “Go answer that before they ring again.”

“But if we leave it, they might go away.” He pouted, climbing onto the bed next to them, only to receive a dark glare from his wife. “Alright, alright; I’m going.”

“Thank you…!” She called out in a low voice as he jumped up from the bed, turning his t-shirt around in his hands while walking out of the room.

Aden had only made it halfway down the stairs when the bell rang again, making him hurry down faster after pulling on his top. He glanced out of the window as soon as he passed it, but was disappointed to see that there was no-one visible from his point of view. Sighing, he ran a hand through his wet hair, making it stick up in all directions, before unlocking the front door and opening it.

“Hey!” The preppy voice of the blonde teenager reached him only just as he caught sight of who was on the other side of the door. She pushed her big, black sunnies up into her hair while looking at his with disgust. “Nice do.“

”Thanks.” He muttered while smoothing it down with a palm as he stepped to the side to let the blonde in. Aden ran his fingers through his hair once again when the flatness got too much for him; just about to shut the door when he spotted two more figures walking up the walkway. “Didn’t want to be seen with the oldies, hey?”

“Something like that.” Nicole murmured, looking around the front room. He could tell that she was searching for Krissy, especially when her eyes landed on all the items that were visible from in the kitchen. “Belle’s got her upstairs, Princess. Wait a moment.”

“Whatever.” She huffed, though a gracious smile curved her lips as she sat herself down onto the couch and reached for the nearest magazine. Aden rolled his eyes with a smirk at her actions before turning back to see Roman and Leah walking up the steps to the front door.

“Hey, mate. Thought we’d come around and see how you’re all doing.” Roman greeted him.

“We brought some food too.” The woman next to him added, holding up the small wicker basket hanging from her arm at him.

“Cool, and thanks. You didn‘t have to.” Aden said gratefully, accepting the basket from Leah and letting them in.

“It’s not much, but we thought that one less thing off your mind for a day or so would help.” She added as Aden nodded and took it into the kitchen where he placed it precariously onto the already covered table, before deciding it was safer to place it onto the island in the middle of the kitchen.

“Not to mention it gives them an excuse to see the baby too. Dad’s turned into such a softie, it’s not even funny anymore.” Nicole spoke loudly, ensuring that he heard as he returned back from the adjoining room

“When was it ever funny?” Aden asked her seriously while sitting on the arm of the sofa she was sat in.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s enough, you two!” Roman chastised half-heartedly, a smile tugging at his mouth.

“So how are Belle, and Krissy, is it?” Leah asked him as she perched on the edge of the single seater to look over at him.

“Yup, and they’re doing fine. Just trying to get into a routine right now.” Aden answered as Nicole threw down the magazine she had been flipping through onto the coffee table and turned to him.

“What about the nursery? Did she like it?”

“Yeah, surprisingly enough, Belle loved it.” He told her as the blonde shook her head delicately at him.

“Not Belle, you doofus! Krissy! The room’s for her!” Nicole scoffed while Aden raised his eyebrows at her clipped words.

“Considering she’s a day old, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Neither would she.” He informed her with amusement lining his words as his eyes avert to Roman’s, who was openly laughing, and then over to the staircase where he could see a small shadow on the wall moving. “But, you can ask her yourself if you really want.”

At his words, and a nod in the direction where Belle was already near the bottom of the stairs, the other three had all swivelled their heads in her direction. Leah had already stood up and headed over to her, awing over the still, but awake, baby that Belle held up to her body.

“Aw, guys. She’s beautiful.” Leah cooed over her, watching as her bright blue eyes skipped around the room from where her head rested against her mother’s shoulder.

“That she is.” Belle agreed with shy smile, pulling her away from her body to cradle her momentarily before passing her onto the eager older woman. “Here. I think you know how to do this.”

“Had a bit of practice, yeah.” She joked, accepting her readily and cuddling her close. “Wow, she’s pretty light.”

“Yeah, well, did you not see Belle? It’s amazing she had a kid in the first place.” Nicole mocked lightly from where she was now texting on her phone; Aden peering over her shoulder nosily to see what she was writing.

“Nicole!” Roman chided her from where he sat next to her though no-one else said anything in response to her words.

“She’s a good baby too. Aren’t you, little one?” Leah continued to bounce her gently in her arms. Almost as soon as the words that were directed at her left her mouth, small whimpers began to emit from her tiny lips. “Oh! Looks like I spoke too soon.”

“Funny, that. She did the same thing when I said that yesterday.”

“Maybe Mattie was right. She’s already shaping up to be a rebel.” Belle shrugged coolly, speaking to them all although looking over at Aden; the only other person who knew what she was talking about. The only verbal reply that she got was from Nicole, after first giving her a scoff.

“Like you said, she’s a day old. I doubt she knows what she’s doing.” She told them with a matter-of-fact tone that raised most of their eyebrows. Especially with the underlying tone that just barely stained her words with jealousy. “She probably just hates Dad and Leah’s voices.”

“Ah, thanks, Nicole. That’s always great to hear!” Leah commented with a laugh, sharing a mock-worried look with the other person in question before turning back to Belle as the fussing failed to calm down with time and Leah‘s gentle motions. “I think she wants you back.” She said lightly, having another quick cuddle and then handing the newborn back to her mother. “So, have you guys been busy today, or…?”

“Nope. It’s just been the three of us.” Aden replied when he looked up from prying in on Nicole’s privacy as Belle comforted and hushed their daughter by the window. “Pretty quiet, actually.”

“You won’t be saying that for long, mate.” Roman chuckled, nodding towards where Belle had managed to calm down Krissy as she joined them again.

“I guess we’ll have to see, hey?” He shrugged off even as a smile spread across his face when his eyes found his wife’s for a split second before she tore them away. A small silence lingered in the room with only the sounds of Nicole’s manicured fingernails tapping against the metallic keys of her phone interrupting it. Shaking his head minutely, Aden looked back up at Belle to see her rocking Krissy slower than before. “She asleep?”

“No, not yet. I don’t think she’ll drift off too soon anyway.” She replied softly.

“Maybe we should get going? I’m sure having us lot around wouldn’t be helping matters yet.” Leah suggested with a tone of guilt.

“Of course not; you guys just got here. There’s no point of leaving.” Belle dismissed easily, before carrying on to add in an insistent and casual manner. “Actually, it’s almost time for dinner if you want to stay. I’m sure Aden would be more than happy to make something for us all.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll just warm up what Leah brought us. Easy as.” Aden countered her pointed words, flashing her his typical boyish grin at her with them that made her bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reciprocating it. Instead, she turned back to back Leah, who still stood near to her.

“You brought over some stuff? You didn’t have to.” She said softly, repeating the same words that Aden had said.

“I know, but after Nicole filled us in with the nursery and all, there wasn’t much I could really buy for the baby, now could I?” Leah joked as she reached out a hand to grasp onto Krissy’s baby fist that flailed around in the air.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Aden’s got that all covered.”

“Hey, you’d be complaining if I hadn’t!” Aden interjected while Belle rolled her eyes at him playfully; the smile she had been trying to hide finally breaking out.

“So you guys are staying then, yeah? You’re not going to say no to this little face, are you?” Belle asked them with an innocent look, tilting her arm up slightly so that Roman could see a wide-eyed Krissy in her arms from where he sat.

“I guess she has a point there.” He chuckled, shaking his head lightly and facing Leah as Belle grinned in triumph.

“Oh, alright, then.” The older woman gave in, laughing. “VJ’s over at a friend’s, so I guess I have no other reason why not to.”

“Righto, then. Now that that’s settled, I guess I better start slaving away in the kitchen, then.” Aden stated cheekily, pushing himself up to sit upright from where he had slouched to lean against the length of the couch.

“Don’t be silly, Aden. There’s just about enough food for the 5 of us. I’m sure Roman and I would be able to be handle it quicker.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, Leah; I’ve got it. I’m going to need the practice, anyway.” He mocked laughingly and watching as Belle simply raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, you ought to start from scratch rather than heating up stuff then.” She retorted with a corner of her mouth kicking up into a smirk.

“Never mind, mate. It’s practically done. It won’t take the two of us long.” Roman said with amusement while shuffling to the edge of the sofa with the intent of getting up.

“Yup, Roman’s right. Leave it to us.” Leah agreed, letting go of Krissy’s hand and walking around the couches towards the kitchen. She patted Roman on the back as she passed him; the two of them exchanging warm smiles before heading into the next room with a light chatter.

“Hmm… Dinner by two professional chefs. Sounds good. I could get use to that.” Belle commented as she finally sat down in the single seat, cradling Krissy closer to her as she got comfortable.

“Uh… what about me?” Aden asked her with a scoff.

“What about you?” She sneered teasingly back at him, making him huff.

“Ouch! Fine. See if I’ll ever get up in the middle of the night to make you anything ever again.” He informed her, to which Belle simply shrugged at him in a carefree manner. Shaking his head, Aden looked over at where Nicole was still sitting, but this time with her phone put away. Reaching out, he tugged at the bottom of her long, blonde hair to claim her attention, “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing. Why would you ask?” She replied smoothly.

“You’re quiet. It’s not right.”

“Good to know.” Nicole murmured before letting out a small and almost inaudible sigh.

“Everything alright?” Aden questioned her softly, leaning forwards so that he could catch sight of her face.

“Yeah, Aden. Everything’s just fine.” The teenager insisted, although her tone contradicted her words. Aden shared a looked with Belle; his more of concern while hers was intrigued. Neither one of them said anything else on it, letting it go into the silence until Nicole spoke up once again. “Can I hold her? Considering I did up her room and all.”

“Yeah, of course.” Belle quickly responded; shuffling forwards to stand up with her arms occupied. Instead, before she got the chance to move any further, Aden stood up and took his daughter from her arms to steal a quick cuddle before handing her over to his pseudo-sister. Smiling at him gratefully, Belle turned back to Nicole as she accepted the precious bundle from Aden. “Thanks for that, by the way. The nursery looks gorgeous.”

“Anything to get a one-up with this one against Matilda. Can’t have her hogging my niece and taking over the ‘favourite Aunt’ role.” Nicole joked, rearranging Krissy in her arms so that she had one hand free to play with her.

“You’ll have quite a big of a fight there, Nic.” Aden told her with a laugh as he sat on the arm of the sofa behind Belle.

“I can take her on.” Nicole said with nonchalance that made Aden chuckle deeply.

“Reall-?” He began suggestively, only to be cut off by a stern look that was thrown at him by Belle from over her shoulder. Clearing his throat, he decided against finishing off his sentence, and slid down into the seat next to Belle. Rather squished in the sofa that was made for one, Aden pulled her legs over his and her into his arms so she could rest again him.

The couple sat in silence, watching as Nicole folded over the sides of the blanket that Krissy was wrapped in over her lower body lightly and push her own hair back over her shoulders, no doubt having learnt what babies could do to hair. She spoke in a low voice towards her, and although they could barely hear what she was saying, both Aden and Belle knew that her tone was tender and loving. The only words that they could catch were her own name and the variety of nicknames that went with it that Krissy was allowed to call her. The rest of the words were either too quiet or drowned out by the giggling and laughter coming from the kitchen.

“What’s going on with them two?” Belle asked Aden quietly, not taking her eye away from the other two people in the room.

“Who?” His tone was perplexed as he peered over her shoulder to follow her eyes, which led him to Nicole. It was only when Belle tilted her head towards him to see the confusion clear on his face that she nodded in the direction of the kitchen. “Roman and Leah?”

“Yeah, who else is in our kitchen?” She rolled her eyes as Aden ignored her words.

“Nothing. Why would there be?”

“Are you even listening to them?” Belle questioned him, incredulous as his easy dismissal. They both stayed silent for a second as the sounds of joy floated through from the adjoining room, with the atmosphere and sounds of amusement being classed as flirtatious.

“Hey, Nicole?” Aden called out suddenly. It took a few more tries before he broke into her world as she carried on talking to the 1 day old girl in her arms. “Nic!”

“There’s nothing going on.” She told them in a bored voice without a second glance. “Well, nothing that I know of.”

“It’s definitely not nothing.” Belle countered, grinning widely as she looked towards the kitchen although there was nothing for her to see.

“No, no, no.” Aden spoke up hurriedly, picking up on her tone of excitement. “Don’t go playing matchmaker, sweetheart. It’s really not your strong point.”

“How would you know that?” She asked him sceptically, turning to face him.

“Who have you ever set up that’s lasted?”

“Us.”

“That was me.” Aden reminded her factually. This time it was his turn to give her a warning look that made her exhale dramatically and slump back against his shoulder.

“Ok, ok, I won’t interfere.” Belle relented, although a sly smile still stretched across her face.

“Promise?” He prodded her, carrying on when she didn’t reply. “Belle, promise me you won’t.”

“Fine, I promise!” She told him after a small while. Sighing once again, she let her eyes drift back over to where Nicole was still talking away to a completely captivate Krissy. “What do you think the chances are of Nicole beating Mattie out on the ‘favourite Aunt’ role?”

“Pretty high right now.” Aden replied after a second’s think. Nodding, Belle chuckled in her throat as a thought came to her about her best friend.

“Mattie’s going to throw a hissy fit when she finds out about Nicole decorating the nursery. Not sure how she’s going to top that!” She said with a giggle and a shake of the head.

“$20 says that she won‘t. Nic‘s going to win.” Aden’s tone was confident and straightforward that made Belle twist to look at him once again with a small scowl on her face.

“Aden! You can’t make bets on these kind of things! This is our daughter’s life we’re talking about! Her aunts are going to be very important role models for when she’s growing up.” She hissed at him while he gave her a small, sheepish smile. Pursing her lips, Belle turned back to face Nicole. “Besides, it’s Matilda. She doesn’t lose.”

“Really? You think Matilda can top that?” He pointed his little finger across to the two of them, both of whom look very happy and oblivious to their conversation.

“Yes, I do.” Belle merely said.

“$20 says she won’t.”

“Did you not listen to a word I just said? I am not going to bet $20 on it!” She snapped at him, frowning.

“Sorry.” Aden muttered, pressing a sweet kiss to her jaw as her tense posture loosened up.

“Make it $200, and you’re on.” She challenged him, her tone entirely neutral.

“Awesome.” He laughed, holding out a hand that Belle took and shook, and then let it reset intertwined on her lap. “We’ve got a deal, babe.”

“We’ve got a deal.”

---

Laying her head on his shoulder, Belle tightened the arm that was wrapped around Aden’s waist and let out a quiet sigh. It had just passed 10pm, and after the others had left an hour or so beforehand, the two of them had gotten around to finally sorting out the small gifts that they had received and clear up any mess. Krissy had fallen asleep before they had ate dinner; ensuring them another small thing off their minds for the littlest of whiles.

Now, they sat on the couch with Belle cuddled up on his lap as he relaxed with his feet upon the coffee table. There was hardly a sound in the house; the TV off as was almost everything else bar the lights which were low. Watching their beloved daughter sleep was enough to keep them occupied and happy, as was having the time to just themselves.

“I think…” Belle whispered without moving her eye away from where Krissy slept in the carrier on the other end of the sofa that they were on, though she lifted her head up slightly.

“You think…?” Aden prompted her, his voice just as low although he had managed to rip his eyes away to look at the side of her face. Using a free hand, he pushed the hair that strayed at the side of her face behind her ear before looping it back around her to keep her to him.

“I think that we really need to get something for Krissy to sleep in downstairs. That car seat-slash-carrier can’t be good for her all the time.” She finished with a tiny nod, glancing towards him briefly and then back again.

“Ok, I guess you’re right.” He agreed. “So what’re you thinking? Another cot or something?”

“No, something portable. Like a carry cot or one of those…” Pausing, Belle racked her mind for the word or the description of the item that she was thinking of. “Baskety thingys.”

“Yup, a ‘baskety thingy’ sounds great.” Aden mocked, a smirk accompanying his tone dry as Belle gave him a shove to the shoulder and consequently ended up pushing herself away from him.

“Actually, no.” She hurriedly continued as a piece of information that she had unknowingly sorted in her brain came to a light. “I remember reading about this other thing in one of those magazines that Mum brought over when she wanted to plan a baby shower. It’s called a baby hammock or something, and it looked so cute!”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Yeah, well, neither had I.” Belle confessed awkwardly, shifting to finally face him. “But it’s supposed to be good for the baby, and it said a whole lot of other things about it in the mag. Which I would go to get to show you if I wasn’t feel so lazy.”

“I’ll just take your word for it then.” Aden laughed, pulling her back to rest against him as she had been doing so earlier. An arm went around her slim waist while Belle shuffled to get as close to him as possible. He knew that it felt a bit odd for the both of them after 6 or so months of having a baby bump in their way, but the difference wasn’t something that he was going to complain about. Especially not as he leant his head back against the couch to look over at his sleeping baby girl or as Belle let out a content sigh when she laid her head back onto his shoulder. “This is nice.”

“Definitely is.” She agreed in a hushed tone with her eyes fluttering shut slowly. Belle could feel Aden press a kiss to the top of her head, making her smile softly without even bothering to open her eyes again. Time seemed to stand still, or rather pass quickly as what felt like seconds later, she snapped her eyes open when small cries of distress reached her ears. “Uh-oh.”

“She’s got a great sense of timing, this little one.” Aden stated faux-solemnly, reaching out with a hand towards her as they both laughed. The small whimper began to escalate, and before long they turned into loud cries.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Belle pushed herself forwards off of Aden, sitting in front of the carrier where she carefully unwrapped the blanket from around the neonate and picked her up. “Shhh…It’s ok, my baby. It’s ok.”

“She’s probably just hungry.” Aden told her, running his fingertips over Krissy’s back as Belle continued to try and sooth her.

“Yeah, probably.” She murmured, laying her cheek atop of her head while rocking her gently; the crying never ceasing. “Should we take her upstairs? It’s pretty late. We may as well put her straight to sleep in her crib for the night, right?”

“Yup, sure.” He nodded, assisting Belle to stand up before following suit. “Look, you head up and I’ll make sure everything’s good down here and be up in a sec.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, course.” Aden chuckled, shrugging lightly. “It’s not like I’m going to be able to solve her problem, now am I?”

“Ok. Just don’t take too long!” She told him with a small laugh before heading towards the stairs and up, all the while still trying to hush the baby in her arms until they got to their destination.

Aden watched, only standing up himself when she was out of sight although he could still hear the screeches from his newborn daughter. Smiling to himself, he got about doing what he had told Belle he would do, trying to be as quick as he could yet still make sure it was all safe, before following her upstairs. It had only been 15 minutes but by the time he had reached the nursery, the crying has long stopped, something that he had realised a while back, and Krissy was being redressed.

“Everything good?” He asked, coming to stand at the top of the surface that was a dual changing table and leaning down to press his lips to the baby’s forehead. Her eyes were blinking at long intervals, with only twitches here and there which were no doubt the result of sleepiness.

“Seems like it.” Belle replied distractedly as she did up the final poppers on the sleep suit, making sure that they weren’t out of order.

“She fed pretty quickly.” Aden commented whilst lifting her up into his arms and cuddled her to his chest almost as soon as Belle took her hands off of her. “Sure she had enough?”

“Yes, Aden. It‘s all good.” She rolled her eyes at his overly concern, a grin tugging at her lips as she spotted him sway gently with Krissy to lull her to sleep. Her eyes kept on drifting over from tidying up to where he had taken her to the window, murmuring words so quietly that she doubted even the girl in his arms would have been able to hear them if she had been able to understand them.

Once she was done, Belle headed towards the door of the nursery and dimmed down the light slowly until it clicked off. The moon was full and it lit up the room naturally; along with a couple glow-in-the-dark butterflies that had been stuck onto the ceiling that she had just noticed.

Aden turned around to face her when he was sure that Krissy was fully asleep. Without another word from either of them, he laid her down carefully into the soft, blanket swaddled cot, both unintentionally holding their breaths until he backed away in hope that she wouldn’t wake up again.

“Leave her.” Belle placed a hand onto his forearm as he went to cover her with another blanket, stopping and dropping it back to the bottom of the crib at her words. “She’ll get too warm. She’s fine for now.”

“Ok.” He agreed with a nod. Pressing two fingers to his lips, Aden brushed them with a featherlike touch against his daughter’s cheek to stop her from stirring. “Night, angel.”

“Nighty night, baby. We love you.” Belle whispered, stroking her fingers delicately over the same cheek before backing away and going to join Aden as he sat on the small, cream couch in the corner of the room. “So, day 1...”

“We got through it alright, don’t you think?” He questioned her, playing with the teddy that he had picked up from where he had placed it earlier on the seat that he was sitting on. It was the fluffy bunny with wings that he had bought for Krissy the day before. Although she couldn’t do much with it yet, he wanted it to be near her nonetheless.

“I think so. I mean, she’s still here, looking happy and asleep. And we’re still here, looking happy and almost asleep. To be honest, I feel pretty awake.” She corrected herself as Aden looked over at her with an incredulous look.

“I guess you can get up in the middle of the night then.” He told her while relaxing back against the couch lazily.

“I was going to have to anyway.” Belle teased, slapping his leg softly. “Seeing as you aren’t able to solve her problem.”

“Haha!” Aden said sarcastically at her repeated words, lifting up an arm as she snuggled up to his side with her legs curled up next to her. “There’s a way around that, you know.”

“I know. We’ll get to it.” She informed him, using one hand to clasped onto the teddy that Aden still held onto. “Let’s just get use to all this first before we start to change routines.”

“Sure. Whatever you want.” He mumbled into her hair. Lifting her head up from his chest, Belle placed a chaste kiss to his lips; going back to her position before either of them could take it further. “What was that? Can‘t I get a real kiss?”

“Not in front of the baby, you can’t!” She explained as Aden laughed, threading his free hand through her loose hair and kneading his fingertips into her skull. It took only a few seconds before she let out a low moan, which was hastily followed by another slap to the leg. “Stop it!”

“I was just trying to relax you!” Aden offered as a reason, even though humour lines his words.

“I am relaxed!”

“Ok, ok. Sorry.” He quickly apologized, their voices still somehow hushed in the tranquillity of the baby’s nursery.

“Sorry, but the last time you did that, look what happened.” Belle said snappily, pointing towards the sleeping baby in her cot.

“Are you complaining?” Aden asked her sceptically.

“No, of course not!” She replied defensively. “I’m just saying that we know where it’ll lead to. And we can’t yet. Whether we were here or in our room.”

“Alright, I get.” He insisted after letting out a deep breath. “And it wasn’t the last time. It was several times before that. Perhaps even several before that ev-”

This time, instead of trying to argue with him, Belle did the one thing that she knew would truly shut him up, even if it did go against what she had just said. She kissed him. Full on the lips with love and passion flowing freely between them. And like she had predicted, it worked.

---

Blinking, it took a moment or two before Aden could distinguish between when his eyes were open and when they were shut. The darkness of the room lightened up with time as the moon continued to shine through it even as it travelled through the sky.

Looking down to see what it was that tickled his chin, he smiled sleepily to see Belle laying practically on top of him. Lifting a hand from where his arms kept her securely to him, he pushed back her hair to see her eyes shut with gentle breaths leaving her body in a steady pattern. With her arms wrapped around his waist tightly, one hand still holding onto the teddy, and a leg twinned with his, there was no way that she was going to let go of him any time soon.

Aden averted his eyes, finally, to the side as his eyes adjusted to the new setting. The smile on his face grew as he took in the rest of nursery. They were still on the couch, where they had been after talking for an hour or so after she had kissed him. He couldn’t recall how they had gotten into the position that they were in, but they had made it somehow and had fallen asleep too.

Glancing over towards the crib, he was glad to see and hear that Krissy was still sleeping soundlessly. Even though there was no clock around, and with his phone dug deep into his pocket, Aden could guess that it hadn’t been very long. At least not long enough for his baby girl to get hungry again.

He shifted slightly and let out a silent groan as his back protested in the awkward position he was in, along with the uncommon sleeping furniture. However, even with the knowledge that his back would be aching in the morning or whenever they got up, Aden couldn’t bring himself to move. There was no pain shooting through his ribs, which were now close to being back to normal, and with both Krissy and Belle sleeping contently, he decided to stay put. Closing his eyes once again, sleep washed over him easily as he remained in a place that he knew was truly perfect.

---

Once again, I hope you liked it. And thank you all for the comments from last time! They all make me

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Sorry once again for the big gap between the updates. I'll try to be quicker for next time, but no promises! Hopefully, this long chappie will make up for it? Just a handful more to go! Enjoy!

Chapter 74:

“Can I drop her in now?” Exasperation was clear in his words as he relaxed back against the counter, letting his head bang against the smooth faux-marble with a small thump.

“No!” Belle almost yelled, a look of horror crossing her face which transformed into a dark glare when Aden smirked at her.

“I didn’t mean it literally.” He rolled his eyes at her before turning to the small bundle in his arms, wrapped in only a fluffy white towel. “Like Daddy would ever hurt his angel.”

“I know you’re trying to be funny and all, but please stop. You‘re starting to scare me.” She told him seriously from where she was sitting on the other side of the baby bath that they had prepared in the main bathroom. Although she had been the one preparing it all, making sure that the water was just right and that they had everything, Aden had kept himself, and Krissy, busy by taking a seat opposite her on the tiled floor and talking to her about the ritual of bathing. “And the longer you take with all the stupid jokes and prep talk, the longer I have to sit here freezing my butt off.”

“Well, who told you to wear something so thin? I’m perfectly fine here.” Aden retorted, pulling at his jeans quickly before going back to cradle his daughter with both arms. “Besides, she’s going to have her first proper bath. Wouldn’t you be scared if no-one told you what was happening?”

“She’s 2 days old. I don’t really think she cares.”

“Of course she cares!” He countered, holding Krissy closer to him in a protective gesture and then whispering to her in a voice that was just loud enough for Belle to hear. “We don’t want to listen to Mummy, do we? She doesn’t understand what you’ve been telling me.”

“Oh? Is that a fact?” Belle asked him as she pushed herself onto her knees to kneel next to the small bathtub that was now ready. “Care to fill me in on what she’s been telling you then?”

“Not particularly.” Aden shrugged nonchalantly at her. “It’s private father-daughter stuff., if you get what I mean.”

“Really?” She questioned him in return, a smile threatening to break out on her face even as she did her best to remain unnerved. When he nodded, Belle let out a small sigh and glided a hand over the warm water in front of her. “Oh well, then. I guess they’ll be plenty private mother-daughter stuff when she starts talking boys.”

“That’s uncool, Belle. Very uncool.” He muttered after a brief pause while shooting her an unimpressed look.

“I’m just saying…” She said brightly, the smile now shining clearly on her face, before holding out a hand towards him. “Alright, c’mon. Time for our little miss to have her bath.”

“Right, then.” Aden agreed, sitting up straighter and shuffling to the edge of the small tub. “How do we do this?”

“Well, I think the gist of it is that we have to get her into the water.” Belle informed him dryly.

“Really? Would never have guessed…” He bit back as he unfolded the tightly wrapped towel from around her tiny body. They could both tell the moment that the cooler air hit their daughter’s body, as Krissy began to let out small whimpers at the loss of the heat and the swaddling. As quickly and carefully as he could, Aden began to dip her attentively into the warm water that was before him. Almost as soon as her feet touched the liquid and her legs began to sink under, the cries began to quieten down.

“Ok, you support her head and neck, and keep her entertained, and I’ll do the rest, yeah?” She instructed him, already smoothing a hand over the small, chubby arms to layer them with water.

“Sounds great.” Aden smiled, glad that he had the easier job that would be the least likely to get him into any trouble with his wife. He watched Belle cupped a handful of the water before letting it trickle down slowly over Krissy’s chest, her arms flailing slowly in an act of protest. Capturing a hand before it got the chance to get into contact with the water and splash them, Aden managed to get his thumb into the tight fist that curled around it; still trying to fight him and the new sensation of the water. “C’mon, baby girl. Mummy’s going to start thinking that you don’t like her.“

“Why would I think that?“ Belle asked him incredulously while using a soft flannel with a dash of baby body wash to cleanse her as well as she could.

“Cos the second I let go of her and you touch her, she starts crying.” He stated matter-of-factly while she shot him a look up through her eyelashes and fringe. “What? I’m just saying…”

“Ok.” She merely replied with a smile that he couldn’t see before turning back to the almost content baby. “Your daddy’s so crazy! He thinks your whole world revolves around him!”

“Ahem! I’ll let you know that it does, and it will for a very long time!” Aden said in a tone that left for no argument, although Belle couldn’t help but to let out a little giggle at his words.

“If you say so. So I guess every time she cries, she’s asking for you? Even when she’s hungry?” Belle countered his theory, arguing softly with each other though all their attention was being paid to the girl that they were both holding onto now.

“Well, she’s not asking for you. She’s just asking for her food.”

“So her world revolves around food then, not you or I.” Belle concluded, throwing him a smirk as she sat back to retrieve a clean flannel. Receiving no reply for her answer, she laughed once again while soaking the soft, small towel into the water and skimming it tenderly over Krissy’s body to get rid of any left over residue of the bath wash or dirt. Travelling up to her face, Belle dabbed lightly over her round cheeks and button nose, smiling as her thrashed her legs a couple of times with all the energy that she could muster. “Oh, does my baby like that?” The kicking continued every so often as Belle repeated the actions, giggling at response that she was getting. “You’re a little water baby, aren’t you?”

“Either that, or she really wants to get out of it.” Aden commented, a smile also stretched across his face while nodding towards where small droplets of water had splashed onto the bathroom tiles. “Is she done?”

“Yup! I don’t think we’re supposed to leave her in here for too long, anyway.” Belle told him as she recalled the information that she had read only an hour beforehand when she was getting ready for this moment. “Have you still got a hold on her? I’ll grab the towel and you can pass her to me.”

“She’s sitting up, isn’t she?” He pointed out as Belle removed the hand that she had placed on Krissy’s back in an instinctive gesture, even though she knew that Aden had had her held up properly and safely. Aden tugged delicately on the hand that was wrapped around his thumb, trying a couple more times when the baby’s grip didn’t loosen. Leaning forwards, he lifted the hand up closer to him as he pressed a small kiss to her miniature fingers before backing off to see her eyes trained on him. Pulling once again, he wasn’t too surprised that he could now pull his digit out smoothly in response to the new feeling that he had introduced to the back of her hand. He wasn’t sure where he had picked something like that up, but it had been something that he knew would work nonetheless. “You want her now?”

“Always.” Belle replied sweetly, making Aden chuckle as he moved his newly freed hand to Krissy’s lower back and lifted her up from the water as carefully as he could without nudging or annoying her. They were both grateful when she continued to remain silent when he placed her into Belle’s towel covered arms, who hastily covered her up and then patted her dry. “Ah, look who’s a gorgeously clean baby now!”

Aden let out a small laugh at her words, the interaction between the two of them never failing to bring a smile to his face. Drying his hands on a spare towel, he kept an eye on them as he began to clean up the mess that they had made and put away the items that were scattered over the floor. He pushed himself up onto his knees as Belle carried on cooing at Krissy, holding her up at her face level to pepper kisses over her cheeks and rub her nose against hers, not sure whether he had been forgotten about already or not. Shaking his head at himself, Aden picked up the baby bath and travelled the small distance to the edge of the larger tub to pour the water down the drain.

“Who are we looking at?” He could hear Belle whisper, and as he looked towards them over his shoulder, Aden wasn’t too surprised to see the big, blue eyes focused on him from where her head rested against her mother’s chest.

“Told you her world revolves around me.“ Aden smirked though his eyes held a proud glint; throwing them a wink before turning back towards the bath and leaning over to twist the tap on to run the water briefly.

“We love Daddy, don’t we? Even if he is a bit arrogant.” Belle spoke into the towel that was wrapped tightly around Krissy with a corner covering her head to keep her as warm as possible.

“Thanks!” He scoffed at her words, the grin on his face concealed to her as he continued with the job at hand.

“But he’s also great and smart, most of the time.” She paused to let out an inaudible giggle as he shook his head without facing her. “Not to mention loving, and strong, and protective, and very, very sexy.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that.” Aden told her with a tone of seriousness, even as a smile spread across his face. “She’s at an impressionable age.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got her ears covered.” Belle replied in the same tone, wriggling her fingers on her right hand to show him where they laid when he finally turned the tap off and faced them. “Ok, so I’m gonna take Krissy to get ready before she falls asleep or gets hungry, yeah?”

“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll be there in a sec.” He agreed, nodding, while Belle pushed herself up onto her feet, her hands holding her daughter close to her body as she made her way to the nursery.

With the door already open, she entered the elegant room without stopping and headed straight over to the changing table where she had everything laid out already. Although the routine was very new to her, it didn’t take long before Belle had unwrapped the towel from around the baby’s body, smoothed a little bit of baby oil onto her skin and got her into a nappy successfully. All the while, she murmured hushed words to her to keep her quiet, and Belle was gladly rewarded when the fussing was kept to a minimum.

“Done, yet?” Aden asked her as he entered the room, coming to a stop next to where they were situated to see that Belle had just began to dress her up in an off-white babygro, making him frown. “Why white?”

“Why not?” She easily countered, tenderly pulling Krissy’s arms through the correct holes and sleeves before beginning to button the poppers on the suit.

“Because she’s a girl, and there’s a few pink all-in-ones for her.” He informed her, reaching out for Krissy’s hand and smiling softly as she clasped her little hand around his small finger.

“There’s a lot of pink in this room, Aden. We’d probably lose her in it if we dressed her up in pink!” Belle joked.

“I like it.” He shrugged coolly, stroking the index finger of his other hand over his daughter’s cheek to make her turn her head in his direction. “Next time, you can take care of decorating the nursery.”

“Firstly, I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I told you it’s beautiful, didn’t I?” She reminded him. “And secondly, what’s this about ‘next time’?”

“You know, for the next kid we have.” He clarified, eyes flickering towards her to see her raised eyebrow and disbelieved face, and then back to Krissy as she began to let out little sounds of distress.

“Daddy’s so funny, isn’t he?” Belle spoke to Krissy while holding onto her covered feet lightly, although he knew from the glances that she was throwing him that the words were for his benefit. “If he thinks that I’m going through that again, then he’s got another think coming. You may definitely be worth it, sweetie, but I’m sorry to say that you’re going to be an only child.”

“Belle, it’s only been a couple of days.”

“Yeah, exactly. The pain is still fresh in my mind. It’s not happening again.” Her words were straightforward as she let go Krissy‘s feet and allowed Aden to pick her up like she knew he wanted to.

“You say that now-” He was cut off by her dry chortle deep in her throat as she went over to the window seat for blanket that laid discarded there from earlier on in the morning. “And if you end up pregnant again by surprise?”

“That hardly ever happens if we‘re sensible.” Belle dismissed, tucking the blanket into Aden’s elbow to keep it with them.

“Really? Cos I’m sure we always have been, and looked what happened.” Aden laughed, tilting up his arm to show her Krissy from where she laid cradled in his arms.

“Twice. That hardly happens twice.” She corrected herself while tidying up a few things around the room as they talked. She could tell by Aden’s silence that he didn’t believe her, yet didn’t argue against her. “Fine. We’ll just stop the chances from it ever happening entirely.”

“How, exactly?” He asked in confusion as she stood in front of him with her arms crossed loosely in front of her.

“You’re a smart person. Figure it out yourself.”

---

“…and that’s Mummy and Daddy on their wedding day. You were there too, in Mummy’s tummy.” Belle explained quietly to Krissy, who she held in her arms. She had just woken up from her late afternoon nap, and Belle was keeping her entertained with the photos that were lined up in their house in the front room while Aden made the two of them something to eat. “And that is your Aunty Mattie with your Aunty Annie. We like them the most, ok? More than your Aunty Nicole.”

The sound of light laughter drifted from the kitchen as Belle heard a cupboard nearer to her shut and Aden shuffle back towards the stove. She wasn’t sure what he was making, or how she had managed to get him to cook without any argument, but it smelt good and she wasn’t going to deprive him of the joy.

A small sound that seemed to be intent on claiming her attention again emitted from the child in her arms, and when Belle looked down at her, she wasn’t surprised to see that her eyes were fixated straight ahead as if she knew what her mother was trying to show her. Rearranging the small, pink hat that covered her head for warmth, Belle pressed a kiss to the top of it and lowered her voice more before carrying on.

“Now, this is your Grandma Amanda. She’s going to spoil you the most after Daddy, though she doesn’t like being called Grandma. But we love her, so you’re going to have to say it every chance you get, just for the fun of it. Just like with your Granddad Roman. Who is…” Belle moved to the right slightly so that a picture of Roman, Nicole and Aden came into their view clearly. “There. With your Aunty Nicole, and Daddy. But we already know who Daddy is, don’t we?”

As if she understood the words that were being spoken to her, Krissy’s hand clenched with a tiny power around the fabric of Belle’s top that she had a weak grip on. Feeling the top scrunch up a bit, Belle looked down to where a fist had formed before skimming her thumb gently over the back of her mini hand in an attempt to loosen the grip. It took several seconds but finally, she was able to worm her pinkie finger into the grasp instead.

“We need to put some mitts on these pretty hands before you hurt yourself, don’t we?” Belle thought out loud as she brushed a finger over her soft, yet growing, fingernails. Sighing, she managed to extract her digit from the loosened hold and tucked the arm back under the blanket that Krissy was covered with before turning back to photos. She didn‘t speak as her eyes took them in. Most of them were new, but there were a handful of old ones from when she had first came to the Bay, and while at school, that were mixed into the collection, including the collage that Mattie had made her for her birthday.

Belle let out another heavy breath as her eyes ran over a picture from the previous New Years when she and Aden had gone to the city to celebrate it with her family there. A picture of her and Drew caught her eye. She was in black dress that minimised her 8 month baby bump, while he wore a plain white shirt with dark pants, the two of them standing in the middle of the driveway of Amanda and Peter’s place as they left for the meal they were heading out to.

She pursed her lips as she recalled the conversation that she had had with her own mother only that morning, informing her that Drew had gone on a trip without anymore of an explanation. Although she had said that he had his phone with him, of course, Belle hadn’t bothered to ring or text him again after still having not heard from him once since she had given birth.

“What’s wrong, baby? Are you hungry?” Belle’s thoughts was diverted when she felt Krissy begin to squirm around in her arms. When she stopped almost as soon as she spoke, and when there were no wails to follow, she assumed that she was simply missing the attention that she had suddenly lost from Belle. “Sorry, sweetie. I was just thinking of your Uncle Drew. We don’t like him at all right now, ok? We thought he loved us, but seeing as he hasn’t even bothered to speak to us once since you arrived, I guess we were wrong. But that’s ok! Cos we don’t need him, do we?”

“Don’t need who?” Aden’s voice interrupted them, making her spin around to face his as he walked over from the threshold of the kitchen. “Hope you weren’t talking about me.”

“Like I would ever say that out loud.” She teased, causing him to throw her a mock wince before leaning down to drop a kiss on Krissy’s head and smoothing a hand down her back.

“If you ever did, I know that precious over here would tell me in an instant.” He retorted with a smile, one that Belle reluctantly gave back. “So who were you talking about, then?”

“No-one.“ She shrugged lightly, fiddling with the loose blanket in her arms until she looked up to see Aden’s persistent stare. “Drew.”

“Ah, right.” He nodded, running a hand delicately through her free hair before leaving it to rest against her neck to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “Not that I oppose to you telling our daughter to hate him or anything, cos I really do promote the idea, but you do realise that the phone works both ways, right?”

“Yes, which is why I’m waiting for him to get back to my text.” Belle told him testily. Eyeing her carefully, Aden gave in with a single nod and pressed his lips to her forehead lovingly.

“Just try not to stress out about it, alright? I’m sure he has a valid reason why he’s taking his time.” He pointed out to her softly. “Besides, it’s only been a couple of days.”

“Yeah, the same couple of days where both Cassie and Lucas have found the time, and a place in Luc’s case, to get back to me about it.” Belle scoffed, recalling the emails that she had exchanged with both of her best friends who were in different continents from everyone else.

“Ok, so they’re not doing him any favours. But he’ll get in touch soon. One day, at least. And on that day-” Aden began until the shrill ringing of the house phone started up as soon as the last word had left his mouth. He headed towards the phone that sat on the opposite end of the room as he continued talking to her. “On that day, just say the word and I’ll gladly sort him out for you.” He told her confidently while picking up the handset and holding it up to his ear. “Hello?”

Belle bit her bottom lip in an attempt to stop herself from either laughing or reprimanding him for what he had said about Drew. She wasn’t sure, in the current mood that she was in with him, what she felt. Looking down at where Krissy’s eyes had fluttered shut once again, Belle made her way towards the kitchen from where the waft of Aden’s cooking was enticing her.

“Hold on- Belle!” Aden’s voice stopped her halfway towards her destination, glancing over at him to see that he was still listening to whoever was on the other end, although he had covered the mouthpiece with his other hand. “Annie wants to know if it’s alright for her to pop over.”

“Yup, sure. That’s fine.” She smiled as he resumed the conversation with her little sister. It wasn’t long before he was off the phone, joining Belle in the next room where she was trying to figure out what he had made.

“She said she’ll be here in around an hour or so.”

“That’s great.” Belle replied enthusiastically as Aden slipped his hands between hers and Krissy’s bodies to lift her to him. “Careful! She’s sleeping.”

“No, she’s not.” He chuckled lightly, showing her as the bold eyes blinked slowly while looking at nothingness. “I think she just got bored of you.”

“Sure, sure.” She jested, sticking her tongue out at him before lifting the lid on the cutlery that rested on the stove to see what was inside. “Hmm… Stir-fry. Yum.”

“Didn’t I tell you I’m an awesome cook?” Aden reminded her egotistically, holding Krissy close to his chest and resting his cheek lightly on her head for a moment just to take her all in.

“Nothing to be too proud of, honey. This’ll just secure your job to cook for the rest of our lives now.” Belle said saccharinely, pushing herself onto her toes and brushing a kiss to his cheek. “I knew marrying you was a good decision.”

“Just for the food? I thought there was a bit more to it than that.” He replied with a suggestive tone to his words as he re-entered the front room with Krissy to get the carrier so that he could put her down while they had dinner.

“Well, yeah. I mean, there are a few other things, I guess.” Belle called back while busying herself with setting the table, a cheeky smile on her face that was getting hard to keep out of her tone. “But I thought we had this discussion about that earlier?”

“Yeah, but you were joking, right?” Aden laughed, returning back to her with Krissy tucked in neatly although she now seemed further from sleeping than before. When he got no reply, but instead having make do with Belle’s back, he tried again, though this time his words here laced with agitation. “You were joking, right?”

“I dunno. What other way can you think of that would 100% guarantee no surprise pregnancies?” She said seriously, handing him a plate as he placed the carrier down onto the chair at the end of the table with the two of them taking seat on either side of it. “Abstinence is the only solution.”

“Ok, sure.” He simply answered after a while, making Belle snap her head up at him.

“What?”

“Sure. You know, I agree.” Aden clarified while taking in a mouthful and reaching out to his daughter as she sat in silence for the moment, knowing it wouldn’t be long before it shattered with cries of hunger.

“You do?” Belle asked in shock, watching until he swallowed, taking his time to spite her.

“Yeah, course. I mean, it’s not going to last. You and I both know that it won’t. But ok.” He explained in a bored tone, averting his eyes to her quickly and then back to Krissy.

“You don‘t think I‘m serious.” She stated with a huff, dropping her fork and crossing her arms.

“Of course I think you’re serious, babe. I just don’t think you’ve got the…” Trailing off, Aden searched for the right word. “Ability to resist.”

“Aden, honey,” Belle started sweetly, loosening her posture and leaning forwards to rest her arms on the table. “I’ve just gone through 9 months of raging hormones; the last 3 of which you were critically injured. Believe me when I say that I have the ability.”

“Alright. We’ll just have to see then.”

“Fine. We will.”

“Ok, then.” Aden smiled at her. He knew that, had he left it alone, the subject of the conversation from the afternoon would have been long forgotten in a few weeks. However, just mentioning it, and calling Belle’s bluff, instantly brought forth her determined self that refused to ever give in or be wrong. But neither one of them were people who gave in easily, and the challenge, Aden realised, would have some fun consequences if he had anything to do with it.

---

The doorbell rang loud and clear through the empty house. Growling under her breath, Belle pushed herself up from the rare comfortable seat she had taken on the floor of their living room with her laptop open in front of her. She had been in the middle of a roll for her newest article, and a guest wasn‘t welcome right then.

Walking slowly towards the front door with her aching form, she did as Aden always told her to do when she was home alone and peered through the peephole to see who it was. Not recognising the man on the other side, but knowing that the blue uniform he wore was that of the Yabbie Creek police, she unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

“Belle Jefferies?” He asked her politely and formally.

“That‘s me.” She confirmed, a frown marring her features when she saw Charlie exit the police car and make her way up to the house. Self-consciously and protectively, Belle wrapped her arms around her body. “What‘s going on?”

“Belle, there’s something that we need to tell you.” Charlie piped up, taking in charge of the situation, no doubt because she knew her more personally. There was something about her words, even though they were soft and gentle, that sent shivers down Belle’s spine.

“What is it?” She replied, not letting the fact that her voice shook detriment the confidence in her.

“Can we come in, Belle?”

“No, I’d rather you tell me what this is about first.” Belle said straightforwardly, eyes jumping from the female to the male and back again as she watch them exchange looks too. “Charlie?”

“Belle, I think it would be in your best interest if we came in.” The detective persisted, but Belle stood her ground, holding on tightly to the door with one hand as if to either stop anyone from getting in, or to slam it in their faces. When she failed to answer, Charlie nodded and took a step closer to her. “Ok. It’s about Aden-”

“What about him?” She asked reluctantly and fearfully. If she were honest with herself, she could see it written all over their faces and in their eyes what was coming next, but denial was stronger and she refused to even think it until she heard it.

“There’s been an incident, Belle. Aden was taken to hosp-” Charlie had began slowly, taking small steps closer to the lad in front of her until she was able to grasp onto her arm for the inevitable.

“’Was’?” Belle repeated after swallowing hard, her heart already freezing mid-beat as she awaited the next words.

“Belle, I’m so sorry-”

“No…” She managed to get her body to gasp out. “No, you’re lying…”

“I wish I could say I was, Belle-” Charlie tried, only to be stopped when she realised that there wasn’t anything more that she could say. “Belle, c’mon. Let’s sit down for a bit.”

“No. No, it’s not true. No!” Her legs were working out of sync with what she wanted. Taking a couple of steps back, she could feel them begin to buckle under her as Charlie’s words went right over her head. Soon enough, everything went quiet, and even her sight became distorted. She couldn’t see anything, nor hear. And when she came to think about it, she couldn’t feel anything either. That was until the familiar feeling of a tap at her stomach, in the form of a kick, broke it all and everything disappeared.

A stifled cry left her mouth as Belle pushed herself up in her bed with an elbow. Leaning forwards, she gasped for breath, struggling to get a grip of herself. She closed her eyes for a second before opening them to stare down at the bedroom floor with her hair serving as blinds to her sight.

Belle cursed under her breath and ran her free hand through her tangled hair. Calming down, the remains of her dream hit her hard again, and she found herself laying her hand on her flat abdomen just to make sure that it really hadn’t been a reality that she had remembered.

Laying back down again, she turning around onto her back and then onto her other side, not too surprised to see that the bed was empty. She knew that Aden would be making a fuss over her if he had been there. Casting out a hand over the place that he had last laid, Belle could feel the warmth from it, though it was fading rapidly. She tilted her head up slightly to look at the baby monitor that still sat on the bedside table with no sound being received from it at that current moment.

Closing her eyes with the intent of ridding herself of the thoughts of her dream, Belle snapped her eyes open soon enough when she failed miserably. The words still rang clear in her head and the images of the faces of those who had came to deliver her to bad news, she knew, would be imprinted into her mind for a while yet to come.

Belle rubbed a hand over her face in an attempt to seem more awake before sliding across Aden’s side of the bed and padded out of the open door. There wasn’t a light on in the house, but with the moon still full in the sky, it was enough for her to make her way towards the nursery. A ghost of a smile had already appeared on her face the second she had left their bedroom.

With his back against the doorjamb, and her, Belle let out a small giggle when jumped at her touch, skimming her hand around his waist to make her presence known. Aden unfolded his arms as she leant into him, laying her head on his bare chest and winding both her arms around his midsection to hold onto him tightly. He reciprocated by wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and kissing the top of her head before resting his chin atop of it.

“You can’t watch her all the time, you know.” She whispered, both their gazes set on the baby who was nestled contently for the time being in her crib, unaware of her father’s permanent stance at her door or her mother’s excitement that bubbled up inside her every time she laid her eyes on her daughter.

“I can try.” Aden murmured back, and she could feel him smile into her hair as she chuckled softly. “What are you doing up, anyway?”

“I was missing my comfy pillow and hot water bottle.” Belle informed him seriously, not letting him see the smile that widened on her face.

“The last time I checked, you had a nice selection of pillows under your head as you slept, regardless of the absent hot water bottle.” Aden quipped, finally tearing his eyes away from the inside of the room as Belle pressed her lips to his shoulder briefly.

“I said my comfy pillow. Singular, too.” She joked, turning her head up to face him and letting him linger his lips a millimetre above hers to build up her desire for him more, whether intentionally or not.

“You look tired.” He mumbled; lips brushing against hers as he did so. “Everything ok?”

“Hmm…” Belle simply replied and tilted her head back down again. “Like I said; I was missing you. Want to come back to bed now?”

“You do know that Krissy will be up soon again, right?”

“Might as well catch up on some sleep now, then. Considering last night was fun and all.” She rolled her eyes and nodded towards the couch in the corner of the room before backing away from him. “C’mon. She’ll be fine for a little while. Then you can spend the whole day tomorrow guarding her when we go shopping.”

“Damn right I will.” Aden grumbled, allowing Belle to take a hold of his hand and pull him away from the door without another word. Throwing him a subtle smile over her shoulder, she led him back to their room where they climbed into bed again, still in the silence.

Waiting until he settled and turned to face her, Belle snuggled up as close to Aden as was humanly possible. She couldn’t recall the last time that they were able to get so physically close, and she was pretty sure that she hadn’t missed such a small thing so much before. Entwining her leg with his while looping an arm around his waist, Belle tucked her face into his chest and inhaled the familiar scent of him to remind herself that he was there. She felt Aden run a hand over her hair before asking if she was ok once again. Instead of replying this time, she simply pressed herself closer to him and nodded minutely as her eyes began to drift close, heavy with sleep that pulled her under within seconds.

---

Aden wasn’t sure what it was that had broken him out of his relatively deep slumber, but even in his half-awake state, he knew that something was wrong. His suspicion was proven right when the person providing him warmth from next to him was ripped away in a motion too quick for him to even comprehend. The cool air that hit him was enough to bring him back to reality, rubbing at his eyes as he opened them fully to adjust to the dimness in their room.

The first thing that Aden could see was Belle sitting up with her elbows supporting her on the bed. Taking in her form, he noticed her breathing was rapid and uneven, and that her eyes were still closed. Fear was etched across her beautiful features, along with confusion that seemed to take over with second that passed.

“Belle?” Aden called out delicately, pushing himself up so that he was at the same level as her. Her eyes shot open at his voice; turning her head to face him as they seemed to scan him before she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. Concerned, and slightly scared, Aden wrapped an arm around her back and held her as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. “Hey, it’s ok. It’s alright. I’ve got you, sweetheart, I’ve got you.”

He continued to hush her soothingly as he felt her breathing begin to calm down, with her heaving chest slowing down with every other inhalation. Although he wasn’t too sure what was going on, Aden was fairly sure that he could make an educated guess with the reaction that Belle had given him. His mind flitted back to the morning before Krissy had been born, where she had had another nightmare, though she had never told him what it was about. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind, as Belle pulled away hesitantly, that they held same contents.

“Bad dream?” He asked her softly, trailing the back of his free hand over her cheek lovingly.

“Something like that.” Belle mumbled, averting her gaze from his to the side. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, babe. You want to talk about it?” Aden tried, waiting a bit as she failed to reply. “Was it the same as last time?”

“What last time?” She questioned him quickly, wondering how he had known about her previous nightmare that was eerily alike only a couple of hours beforehand.

“A couple of days ago. Remember? When I had to go to the city with Mattie for uni?” Aden explained to her, still keeping her close as her arms went lax and slid down in between the two of them.

“I guess so. I can’t remember.” Belle lied, not keen on the idea of bringing up the past images when she already had so many in her head that were refusing to be banished to the back of her head where she could lock them up and forget about for the rest of forever.

“Belle?”

“It’s nothing. I just overreacted.” She told him with a fake, and a bit over-the-top, light tone accompanied with a strained smile. There was no intention inside of her wanting to confess all to Aden. The last thing she wanted was to put all of her problems about nightmares onto him, or for him to think that she still hadn‘t come to terms with what had happened and how close she had been to losing him. “Sorry. I didn‘t mean to worry you.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it…” Aden said a bit distractedly when she laid back down again. “Are you sure it’s nothing? You know you can talk to me-”

“I know.” Belle interrupted him, this time with a genuine smile as she placed a hand onto his face and pulled him into a brief kiss that was only cut short by small cries that began sound through the monitor. “I’ll grab her.”

“You sure? You still seem a bit…” He trailed off with a small shrug as Belle sat up in bed and swung her legs off the bed. “A bit shaken up.”

“It’s fine.” She dismissed easily, though it took all her power to remain nonchalant. “Besides, she’ll be hungry and there’s nothing you can really do about that.”

Aden pursed his lips as Belle exited the room before he got the chance to get another word in about the situation. It was clear as anything that she was hiding something from him other than what the nightmare had been about, and it killed him that he didn’t know. He prided himself in the fact that he knew Belle better than anyone else, both due to the fact that he could read her easily at times and that she told him and let him into more things than she had with anyone else. And right then he knew that she was being haunted by something that was obviously hurting her, and he had no way of stopping it.

---

Hmm... Not too sure whether that was in character or not. But I hope it was alright, anyhows

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Firstly, I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry for the massive delay in the updating! So many things have happened, and unfortunately, I'm running low on time to simply sit down and write. However, 3 weeks in the making, this chapter is finally done. And it's 23 pages long in Word, so I'm hoping it's worth the wait... However, seeing as it is 3 weeks in the making, I apologize if the mood/writing/tone changes weirdly.

Chapter 75:

Muttering the list under her breath, Belle packed the bag in the neatest way possible. It wasn’t a proper changing bag but rather one of her own that she had managed to transform into one. It had been big enough and she figured that it looked better than half of the stuff she had seen, especially compared to their prices that she had no interest in paying. None of them had suited her style anyway, considering that most were designer and like something out of Nicole’s wardrobe.

A heavy sigh escaped her as she retreated to the fridge for a couple of ready bottles of milk, still going through the list in her head. She was sure that she was missing something off of it as she went back to the bag on the kitchen table to make sure.

“Hey, you ready?” Aden called out from the front room. The words registered with her, but she failed to come up with a response as she rattled through her mind once again. “Belle?”

“Hmm…?” She finally replied as he appeared next to her with Krissy held safely in his arms.

“Are you ready to go yet? We’ll be late otherwise.” He repeated, eyeing her and the contents in the bag. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I’m forgetting something.” Belle informed him and Aden peered into the bag for a moment before answering back.

“Teddy.” He stated with a nod, gently swaying on the spot to sooth the baby who he had just picked up from her hammock in the front room after her last nap. “That’s the only thing I can think of.”

“It’s the only thing that you ever think of.” She retorted dryly, though a smile tugged at her lips as she glanced over at him to see him whispering softly and dropping kisses onto Krissy’s head. “She ok?”

“Yeah, just getting a bit cranky I think. Probably missing her favourite teddy.” Belle retracted the hand that she had been rubbing slowly on her back, hoping to help calm her down.

“I doubt it.” She told him, giving up with the bag and accepting that if she was forgetting something, it either wasn’t necessary or Amanda would probably have it. A sudden worrying thought flitted through her head, and Belle spun back to face Aden to ask him. “You don’t think she’s ill or anything, do you?”

“What? I don’t think so…” Aden’s brow furrowed as he tried to see if Krissy felt warmer by pressing a hand to her cheek lightly. “She seems fine.”

“Maybe she’s just too warm? Or cold?” Belle suggested, coming up to him and peering across his shoulder to look at her.

“You want to know what I think?” He began as Belle rearranged the blanket that hung half off Krissy’s body, and the hat on her head. “I think you’re going into crazy-mother mode.”

“Aden!” She reprimanded with a frown. “So I’m a bit concerned about my daughter. Shoot me!”

“She’s fine. You know what she’s like when she gets up sometimes. And look at her now.” Aden turned so that she could see her face clearly from where it laid against her father’s broad chest. “She’s perfectly happy. Aren’t you, my angel?”

“Ok, fine. You’re right; maybe I am overreacting a little bit.” She sighed, catching hold of Krissy’s covered hand and pecking her cheek as her blue eyes shone back at her. “I just haven’t really been out on my own with her yet. It’s kinda scary.”

“You’re not going to be on your own. Amanda’s going to be there, right? And didn’t Mattie say that she’ll tag along too?” He pointed out to her, following her into the front room.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s just…”

“Just, what?” Aden prodded as she trailed off, busying herself with gathering her phone and keys.

“Nothing. Never mind. I’m just over thinking things.” Belle shook her head and offered him a smile as she came back over to him. “We’ll be just fine without Daddy, won’t we, sweetie?”

“Oh, you know you’ll miss me hopelessly.” He joked when Belle went back to final check things before pulling Krissy up to face level with him. Her eyes seemed to be searching his as he lifted her up a bit higher and nuzzled his nose against her, pressing kisses to her chubby yet unique cheeks while bringing her down again. Her arms flailed effortlessly against him, with one hitting him square in the jaw. “Ouch! Are you really not going to miss me, baby? Daddy’s not going to be able to stop thinking about you all day.”

“Aden, is everything in the car?” Belle interrupted him, tearing his attention away from the girl in his arms for a few seconds.

“Yup.”

“Everything?” She asked his sceptically as Aden sighed.

“Car seat’s fixed in and the pram’s in the back. What else was there? My bag’s there too, actually.” He told her as she pursed her lips to think about it.

“Right, well I have Krissy’s bag and you have Krissy herself. I think we’re ready to go.” Belle stated with a smile and a relieved sigh.

“Finally!” Aden exclaimed, heading towards the front door while looking down at Krissy, who was still wide awake. “You know what, little miss, I don’t think you love me as much as you claim you do. I would expect a few attempts of making me stay rather than a punch in the face.”

“That’s because she’s as bored with you as I am.” Belle interjected when she followed them out of the house, locking the door behind her. “It may have only been 3 weeks for her, but it probably feels like the 3 months it’s been for me.”

“Is that so?” He asked her, only to received a noncommittal shrug in reply. Scoffing, it looked down at Krissy, pulling her away from his body a tiny bit so that he could get a good look at her. “You’re not as bored with me as Mummy says, are you, precious?”

“I think that says it all.” Belle laughed from where she opened the trunk of the car to place her bag as Krissy began to squirm in his arms; arms thrashing slowly again against him.

“Right, then. If that’s how it is, then maybe I should go away and never come back then. What do you think about that, Sierra Kristal Jefferies? Would you care if Daddy went far, far away?” As if on cue, Krissy’s fussing began to calm down until her face scrunched up and let out a beginning whimper that quickly grew into cries.

“Oh! Looks like you’ve got your answer there.” Belle giggled, coming up to them as he tightened his hold on his baby daughter and rocked her gently.

“Shhh… Daddy didn’t mean it, baby. Of course he wouldn’t leave you or Mummy. He loves you both so, so much.” Although his words were spoken to Krissy, dropping kisses to the side of her head after every other word, he caught Belle’s eyes at the end, letting her know that the words were just as much for her too. “Shhh, sweetheart. C’mon, we’ve got to go on a little trip now.”

“Hmm… To the city. How fun!” Belle added, amusement clear in both her tone and her face though her words her mockingly sarcastic. “Ok, here. Hand her over to me otherwise we’re going to be mega late, which would not be good for you on your first day back.”

“Hold on; I think she’s quietening down.” Aden told her, refusing to hand her over until he was sure that she was happy once again.

“She’s probably still tired, and standing out here in the sun isn’t helping matters much.” She informed him, and Aden squinted as he looked up towards the clear blue skies of Summer Bay, even at 8 in the morning. When he titled his head back down again, a lazy smile graced his features when the crying began to die down into small hiccoughs that stopped rather quickly.

“Good girl.” He whispered, pressing another kiss to the top of her covered head and passing her over to Belle, who took her acceptingly. Almost as soon as she had her in her arms, wails began to emit from the baby before she got the chance to climb into the car. Sighing once again, she allowed Aden to aid her in, overlooking her as she strapped Krissy into the car seat with the sounds of distress being produced every so often. “Is she ok?”

“Yeah, she’s settling down now.” Belle replied as he shut the door and got into the driver’s seat. He hadn’t even put on his belt before he had turned around to make sure that they were both fine again. “Aden, seriously! Who’s going into crazy-father mode now?”

“I’m just checking!” He insisted even as he shot her his typical cheeky grin, turning around to slip on his sunglasses and turn on the engine before finally putting on his belt. Peering via the rear-view mirror, he chuckled lightly to see Belle playing with Krissy; the teddy that he had bought for her in her hands. He wasn’t sure where it had came from, or how he had missed it when Belle had gotten into the car, but he was glad nonetheless. “You both ready?”

“Yes! Aden, ask me that one more time, and I’ll really make sure you won‘t be coming back!” Belle snapped with a roll of the eyes, making him laugh a bit louder. Small whimpers began to sound from Krissy’s lips as Belle finished speaking and Aden finally got the car into gear and onto the road. “Hey, hey. Mummy’s still here, and so is your teddy!”

“Where did you get that from, anyway?” He questioned her, eyes jumping from the road to the mirror and back again before he got into trouble. Belle giggled softly at both his words and Krissy’s silence as she smoothed one of the bunny’s ears down her nose. This time, the only sound coming from her were little gurgles that they were both waiting to be transformed into laughter.

“Magic.” She told him, throwing him a wink through the mirror before scowling at him as he grinned back when their gazes met. “Eyes on the road, Aden!”

---

Belle wasn’t surprised to see the front door of her mother’s house open when they pulled up into their driveway a while later. By the time Aden turned off the engine, the blonde’s voice rang loud and clear as she yelled out her younger half-brother’s name; no doubt already running late for school.

Barely out of the car with Krissy’s carrier in her hand, which she had managed to unclip herself, Belle let out a small giggle as Ryan bounded out of the door with their mum close behind him as if to make sure that he actually left the premises of the house. Both stopped in surprise when they saw them, although Ryan was closer to her than Amanda.

“Wow, she’s grown.” He commented while peeking over to see his sleeping niece snuggled comfortably in her seat.

“It tends to happen with babies, Ry.” Belle teased as he gave her a small sarcastic look that reminded her that Ryan was no longer the little boy that she had first gotten to know in the Bay, but rather a teenager ready to go through his typical moody phase soon. “Don’t you have school to head off to?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ryan grumbled before glancing over his shoulder at where Amanda was nearing them. “I’ll see you later then, I guess.”

“Yup, sure will.” She replied as he continued on his way down the drive way and onto the road a he headed for school. Turning to her side, Belle took a couple of steps closer to where Aden had been busy with taking out the bag from the back seat and the pram conversion from the trunk, which he had just slammed shut.

“Want me to take these in?”

“Nah, it’s alright. I’m sure Mum and I can handle it. You ought to get going before you’re late.” Belle replied as he scoffed; a smile curving up his lips as he did so.

“Don’t worry about it. A few minutes isn’t going to harm anyone.” Aden merely said, reaching out a hand to tenderly stroke the back of his forefinger up and down Krissy’s cheek, both of them watching as her nose twitched at his actions and her mouth began to suckle subtly on something non-existent.

“Stop that!” She hissed at him with a giggle. “You’ll wake her up and that’ll be more trouble than it’s worth right now.”

“Sorry.” He laughed while Belle took the items out of his hands to prompt him on his way. “I guess that’s my cue to leave, yeah?”

“Yup.” Her answer was straightforward and Aden couldn’t help but to grin at them.

“Alright, alright.” He sighed, laying a hand onto her own cheek and bringing her in for a quick kiss in front of both their daughter and her mother. “Don’t miss me too much.”

“We won’t.” Belle shrugged, smiling though he couldn’t see it as he pressed a gentle kiss Krissy’s hand and then looking up at her sceptically, causing her to roll her eyes. “You know we will, but I didn’t think you needed the ego boost.”

“Always need the boost, babe.” Aden informed her, backing away to walk back over the driver’s side before he lost the sudden motivation to move away from them. “See you two in the evening, ok?”

“See you then.” Belle nodded, heading over to where the only other person close to them was waiting only a few feet away.

“Laters, Amanda.” He called out to her, receiving a small wave in return.

“Bye, Aden.” She replied as he got into the car, the words reaching him just as he shut the door and turned the key in the ignition. Shifting the gear stick into reverse, he gave them, or rather Belle in particular, a last wave as she reciprocated it before disappearing out onto the road.

Shaking her head minutely, Belle turned to face Amanda, who had already taken Krissy’s carrier out of her hands. Regardless of the fact that the little girl was still peacefully slumbering away, the older blonde cooed over her briefly. It was a sight that Belle had become unsurprisingly use to, always bringing out a small chuckle, and a proud motherly smile, at the way that most people acted around her.

"Mum, you'll wake her! It's hard enough to get to sleep with Aden around, let alone without him to keep her happy." She said with an amused tone, though her words sounded more like a whine. Shooting her a small reprimanding look, Amanda stood up straight to let the baby be for the time being.

"Let's go inside, darling." She replied, a bright and loving smile appearing on her face immediately. Nodding, Belle followed her mother back into the coolness of the house rather than standing in the hot sun that had been beating down on them. Once inside, it took a small moment for her eye to readjust to new settings. She could hear Amanda's low words and shuffling, though she was sure that neither was towards her. It was only when Belle stepped more indoors that she could see her leaning over the baby seat, undoing the belt as slowly and carefully as she could without waking Krissy up.

"She'll be fine in that for now, Mum." Belle told her, stopping a few feet away as she watched Amanda finally get the baby free from the carrier and into her arms while still sleeping.

"Don't be silly, Belle. She'll be more comfortable in that." She pointed out. Belle had no idea what the 'that' had been in reference to until she followed the direction in which Amanda was heading in. There, by the alcove in the front room that they were currently stood in was a small Moses basket. It was almost identical to the one that the elder lady had wanted to buy Belle a few weeks beforehand when her and Aden had travelled to the city to go shopping for the baby hammock, and some other bits and bobs.

"Why do you have a baby basket, Mum?" She asked her carefully as Amanda lowered her daughter down into the said item; blanket, teddy and all. "Take the teddy out. She doesn't sleep with it yet."

“Because, I figured that with all the time that you're going to bring her to visit here, it would be worthwhile to have.” Amanda explained matter-of-factly, the small pink and purple teddy now in her hand. “Besides, I want my granddaughter to be comfortable, otherwise she'll think of me as the 'wicked' grandmother, and we all know that's reserved for Irene.”

“Mum!”

“I'm just kidding, Belle.” She laughed airily, stepping back from where she had just drawn a drape to stop the room from overheating as the sun shone directly into it. “There we go. She'll be asleep for a few hours now.”

“Hopefully. Though very unlikely.” Belle added, following the long haired blonde into the kitchen slowly.

“So,” Amanda began after a brief pause, puttering around in the room that was slightly cluttered from breakfast. “Didn't you have a hospital appointment on the weekend?”

“Um, yeah. Well, I didn't, but Aden and Krissy did.” She corrected her from where she leant against the counter in a position so that she could see through to the front room at where the basket was.

"Did it all go ok?" The elder lady prompted her when Belle failed to offer anymore information.

"Yeah, went fine. Krissy's growing perfectly well and all." Belle replied, still keeping her eyes trained on the girl currently in question.

"And Aden?"

"Aden's fine too. He's been discharged from out-patient finally." She told her with a small sigh as she turned her head to face Amanda. Her mouth had unpursed, most probably to question her daughter on her hesitation, when the sound of the front door opening claimed both of their attentions. "Who's that?"

"That would be-" Amanda was cut off this time as the door was slammed shut; practically at the same time where Belle had moved so that she could catch a glimpse of who had entered the house. It only took a couple of seconds before the cries of a rudely awakened baby filled the house, and Belle could just about hear her mum's dry mutter of the name that she had been about to say as she headed back into the front room. "- Drew."

"Idiot!" Belle snapped at him, hurriedly picking up Krissy before she got even more irritated.

"Well, how was I meant to know?" Drew retorted incredulously as Belle continued to shoot him dark looks over her shoulder while comforting the child in her arms.

"Maybe if you used your head once in a while, it would help." Her words were hushed, but they still managed to carry the anger that was clearly being aimed at him, as did her expression and eyes.

"Even if I didn't know that the baby was here?" He asked her with a bit of nonchalance, walking over to the stairs where he dumped his rather large rucksack.

"'The baby' is your niece, and if you bothered to ever keep in touch then you would know." Belle hissed with a raised eyebrow although her attention was mainly focused on Krissy, who continued to fuss around despite her mother’s attempts to calm her. She didn’t, however, miss the mirrored look that Drew shot her, or the scoff that he let out before replying.

"Give me some time and I just might have. I haven't been home for a minute yet and you're jumping down my throat about something you know nothing about."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell someone who cares. I'm a bit busy here." Belle told him almost childishly, slowing down with her rocking of the baby as she began to quieten down.

“You’re the one who started to attack me the minute I walked through the door.” Drew argued, not letting her dismiss him, or their conversation, that easily.

“I wouldn’t have had to attack you if you showed some consideration for others!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t know you were here!” He repeated. Belle opened her mouth to add something else to her side of the argument, but she was beaten by the one other person in the house who wasn’t currently in that room.

“If you both stop yelling, I think Krissy will settle down better.” Amanda interjected before facing the boy who stood with his arms crossed in a defensive manner. “Take your stuff upstairs, Drew.”

“Gladly.” He muttered, practically stomping his way up the stairs after hitching the bag up onto his shoulder.

“I wasn’t yelling.” Belle insisted in a murmur when Amanda fixed her a glare that made her feel like a naughty schoolgirl. “Why didn’t you tell me that Drew was returning today?”

“Must have slipped my mind.” The blonde shrugged and then turned on her heel to re-enter the kitchen. Rolling her eyes behind her back, Belle glanced down at her daughter. Her eyes were wide and staring at something over her shoulder that she herself could not see. Deciding that laying her down and leaving her be would probably be the worst thing to do, she kept her with her, held tightly in her arms, as she followed her mum once again.

“You know, even if you had told me that Drew was returning today, I wouldn’t have not came.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, darling.” Amanda replied, sweeping a towel across the cleaned the counter in a perfect picture of innocence. “Like I said; it had slipped my mind.”

“Right. So it hadn’t been an attempt to get us talking then?”

“Like you said, Belle; you would have came either way, so there was no need for me to interfere or anything.” Amanda said with a smile, finally done with the tidying up and relaxing into one of the stools sitting in the middle of the room. “How is she?”

“Awake.” Belle laughed, pulling Krissy's tiny body away from hers and handing her over to Amanda's outstretched arms. She held her high, both watching as the baby girl made a grab for the shiny blonde hair that framed her grandmother's face.

"Whoa...! Careful there, sweetheart.” Amanda chuckled, tilting her head in the other side to pull her hair out of the small yet tight fist. “She's got a good grip.”

"That she does.” She agreed while passing her mother the teddy that she had placed onto the table as she asked for it.

"Here you go. Is this what you were looking for?” Amanda cooed softly and rubbed the nose of the bunny against Krissy's own, making her arms reach out in search for it. “I bet you're missing your daddy, aren't you?"

"Don't remind her." Belle moaned mockingly, sobering up when the thumps of approaching footstep reached her ears as they bounded down the stairs of large house. It wasn't long before Drew strode into the kitchen to join them.

Silence filled the room almost immediately. Drew didn't even falter as he walked past her to get to the fridge for the juice carton, or when he reached over her shoulder for a glass. Only the sounds from Amanda and Krissy, mainly in baby talk or gurgles, focused Belle's attention as she tried to remain as cool as he was. Neither one met each other's eyes, nor did they acknowledge their existence. That was until he walked up to where the other two were situated in the kitchen.

Belle watched through slanted eyes as Drew managed to squeeze his little finger of his free hand into the tiny fist. Betrayal washed over her as, only a few seconds when Krissy had found no joy with the digit, he trailed the arm of the teddy down her cheek. At the baby's sounds of delight, accompanied by a small thrashing of her legs, she let out a huff.

"What?" Drew asked her impatiently, glancing over his shoulder at her.

"I didn’t say anything." Belle replied, her words sharp and precise.

"You didn't have to. That scoff was loud enough to say a lot more than words could have." He informed her in between a couple of sips of the orange juice he had poured himself.

"It wasn't a scoff." She said matter-of-factly. A thought passed her mind wondering why she was arguing such a little point, but she pushed it aside and reminded herself that she deserved to be mad at him.

"Whatever it was; what?"

"Nothing." Belle smiled falsely; something that Drew caught onto as he turned to face her fully and crossed his arms as he had before. "What?" She now asked.

"I didn't say anything, either." He shrugged, offering her a sweet smile that made her bite the inside of her cheek to remind herself to keep her cool. "Look, what's your problem?"

"My problem? You're kidding me, right?" Belle questioned in outrage.

"Nope." Drew simply answered.

"My problem, Drew, is the fact that it's been 3 weeks. Are you really going to pretend as if that's nothing?" She asked him sceptically.

"Yeah, fine, it's been 3 weeks." He agreed, although he said it more calmly than she had. "But you do know that communication works in both ways? You can't blame me."

"You mean apart from the fact that I did text, and call, you?" Belle asked smarmily, vaguely registering a close to inaudible cry that was clearly the consequence of their raising voices.

"Once!" Drew retorted with a roll of the eyes just as Krissy began crying, loud and clear. He tutted mockingly while turning his head to look at where Amanda had quickly dropped the teddy to a side and cradled her close to hush her. "See what you've done now?"

"What I've do-?" Belle began in disbelief, standing frozen halfway from where she had been heading over to her upset daughter. She glared over at Drew, which soon turned into an incredulous look as he raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him and his words. Frowning as he went back to his drink without another word, she did the first thing that came to her mind, and something that she couldn't remember doing for years. "Mum!"

“There’s no point whining at me, Belle.” She replied while standing up, rocking Krissy gently in her arms and whispering soothing words that was only meant for the little girl to hear. “I’m going to take her into the front. You two sort this out, and you sort it out now, alright?”

“But-” She began, only to be hushed by a stern look that was thrown at her, and then at Drew who had failed to respond to her in any way. Frowning, Belle crossed her arms and took the steps back to lean back against the counter opposite her step-brother.

Once again, they settled into a silence. She watched him as he glanced at her every now and again, never once letting his eyes linger long enough for her to read whether he was just pretending or was really not that bothered. The uncomfortable quietness alone was enough to make her yell, or burst, but having to listen to her daughter’s subdued cries caused her grip harder onto the counter behind her to stop herself from probably unsettling her from where Amanda was doing a good job.

Belle was snapped out of where her eyes had drifted down to the floor with her mind elsewhere when Drew moved from his position. Still without another word being spoken, he crossed over to the sink to drop his glass and then headed straight for the doorway to enter the front room. She stood with a look of disbelief aimed at his retreating back before shrugging and walking over to where Aden’s gift, and subsequently Krissy’s favourite toy, laid facedown on the surface. Picking it up, she ran a hand tentively over the soft bunny’s head, not having another second before Drew re-entered the kitchen. The annoyed look on his face was justified when her mother followed him with the most strictest mum-like look that she had ever seen on her face.

“Both of you, sit.” She commanded them. Drew did as she said; slumping into the nearest chair by the table while Belle stood rooted for a moment. Amanda pulled out a chair and looked towards her with an expectant look. “Now, Belle.”

“Look, Amanda. She doesn’t want to talk, and basically, if it saves me a headache, I’m happy with leaving things alone.” Drew told her though he kept his gaze fixed upon the girl in question as she made her way over to take the seat that was waiting for her after a moment’s pause.

“Is that why you haven’t spoken to me? To save yourself from ‘a headache’?” Belle retorted as Amanda took a step back and away to create the illusion that she wasn’t prying into their conversation.

“Honestly? Yeah.” He admitted easily. “The last thing I wanted was for you to be yelling at me down the phone while I was away. No offence.”

“Well, if you had replied the day Krissy was born, we’d both have been happy, wouldn’t we?” She snapped, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms; the teddy still held tightly in her hand.

“I was going to, and I would have, if other things didn’t happen. I just forgot, I guess.” Drew explained. His tone was as calm as ever even as a small sheepish look passed his features.

“You forgot?” Belle repeated incredulously.

“Yeah. Well, no.” He quickly corrected himself. “I did remember, but it was like 3 in the morning and I figured you’d be even more mad if I called then.”

“And for the 3 weeks after?” She questioned him. She knew that what he had said was true, especially with a newborn baby around, but Belle wasn’t in the mood to forgive and forget so easily.

“No offence, sis, but you’re scary when you’re angry. I thought with time that you might calm down or something.” Drew told her straightforwardly. She glared at him silently, working through the many different things that she could possibly say to him, most of which let her resolve the anger at his words without saying anything out loud. Exhaling deeply, Belle let it go and asked him something else that had been playing on her mind.

“So what have you been doing for 3 weeks? How did you get that much time off work?”

“Nothing much.” He shrugged, carrying on after a brief pause. “You know, just the usual; surfing and having fun.”

“And work?” Belle prodded.

“I got time off.”

“For that long?”

“That‘s what I said.” Drew insisted. Like always, his words seem laidback though Belle could see the tightness of his jaw that he had tried to hide.

“I heard you.” The words had just left Belle’s mouth when her attention was claimed by the small whimpers being emitted from the front room. Sitting up straighter with the intent of getting up, Belle stopped when Amanda spoke up; making her presence known for the first time in minutes/

“I’ll get her.”

“No, wait-” She began, only to be cut off by the blonde who was already halfway towards the threshold of the two rooms.

“It’s alright, Belle. She’ll be fine with me.” Amanda told her lightly and waving her off.

“That clearly didn’t happen the last time.” Belle muttered, leaning to her side so that she could see Amanda, who ignored her words and went to get Krissy. She pursed her lips and watched from where she was as she picked her up from the basket and cuddled her tenderly with the cries dying down soon after. Letting out a breath, Belle turned back to Drew who had started to flip through the nearby newspaper. “You’re lying.”

“What?” Drew asked in a bored tone, giving the paper all of his attention.

“You’re lying.”

“About what?” Looking up at her slowly, Drew leant forwards on the table for a second to hold her gaze.

“About what you’ve been doing for the past 3 weeks.” Belle carried on with the same coolness that he had been imitating only a little while beforehand. When he didn’t answer, but instead swallowed and then went back to the paper, she went on. “Drew, I’ve known you long enough to know when you’re lying. And that excuse for why you’ve been ignoring me is pretty lame.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said dryly, though the words had an edge to them that made them contradict him.

“Yes, you do. Just tell me the truth, Drew. It‘s the least you can do.” Pausing, she waited as his hand stilled on the corner of the paper, clearly taking in what she was saying. However, as Drew kept up the façade of reading, Belle sighed and slumped back into her chair. Placing the bunny onto the table in front of her, she too pretended to be busy and used a finger to go around the outlines of the wings attached to the back of it while speaking in an inquisitive tone. “What were you doing? Or should I say who?”

“No, you shouldn’t, cos it sounds really weird coming from you.” Drew told her when he glanced at her, s look of utter confusion with a hint of disgust on his face. “Never ask me that again. Please.”

“I’ll find out in the end.” Belle replied, ignoring his last few words and pulling the small teddy into her lap to avoid the look on his face for the time being.

“Whatever.” He murmured, noisily shutting the paper and folding it over to put it to one side. “Does this mean you’re not angry at me anymore?”

“Maybe…” She shrugged, eyes jumping up to his and then back down again when she spotted the smile on his face, which in turn made her frown.

“Good. Because you really are scary when you’re mad, and Amanda wouldn’t let me forget it either.” Drew laughed and Belle did everything that she could to keep the grin that threatened to break out on her face at bay.

“Hmm…” She merely replied, trailing off into the silence. The silence, which she realised with a relief, included no crying. Peering into the front room, she finally let out a small smile as she saw Amanda walking slowly around the room with Krissy in her arms, obviously having been rocked to sleep.

“So, uh, Krissy….” Drew spoke up to claim her attention once again.

“What about her?” Belle questioned, her words careful and slow, making him quirk an eyebrow in her direction.

“She’s cute.” He informed her to her surprise, before smiling once again. “You sure that she’s Aden’s?”

“Pretty sure.” She said while standing up, throwing the teddy in his direction, which he caught effortlessly. “Like you said; she’s cute.”

---

"Aw, look at this! Belle, this is definitely a must have!" Mattie exclaimed, calling for her attention from where she was a few feet away. "Belle?"

"Where are you?" She replied while looking around her when she failed to spot her best friend in the store they were in. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know, darling." Amanda answered distractedly from beside her. "What do you think about this?"

"That she won't get the chance to wear it before she outgrows it." She told her matter-of-factly, eyeing the beautiful pastel purple with pink dress that would currently be ideal for Krissy. "But you're not going to listen to me like the other 5 times you've asked me, so yeah; it's pretty."

"Yes, I thought so too." Amanda smiled happily, adding it to her small collection of items that she was holding. Deciding to save her breath, Belle shook her head and informed her mother that she was going to find Mattie, to which she got a mere nod as the elder lady moved onto something else.

"Matilda?" Belle called out quietly in the rather busy store, especially for a weekday. "You better not have kidnapped my baby." She muttered under her breath while walking over to the place that she had last seen her. Fortunately, the girl was still there, leaning forwards into the pram in front of her as she arranged something that Belle couldn't see. "Mattie..."

"Hey, there you are!" She smiled at her as she stood up straight. "Here, look! Isn't it just gorgeous?"

"It’s a bit big for her, don't you reckon?" Belle answered, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face nonetheless as she looked into the pram at the sleeping baby, who Mattie had temporarily covered in a wispy white fairy dress.

"Look, it even has a wand and a tiara!" Mattie pointed out, ignoring her words and picking up the said items in her hands.

"Oh, wow... Look at that!" Her words were forced, as was the laugh she let out and the over sugary-happy tone.

"Don't you like it?" Mattie asked her in an upset tone and a tiny pout, though she carried on and placed the items into Belle's arms as she pushed the pram.

"I like the dress."

"And the rest?" She prompted her.

"The rest just seems a bit over the top." Belle explained, tapping the wand in her hand against the tiara, both of which were made of plastic and sprays a shiny silver. "I mean, it's cute and all, but she's not going to fit into this until she's like 1, and I doubt she'll care enough about a tiara and wand then."

"You just don't like it cos it's girly." Mattie huffed, coming to a stop near the children's toys. "But we do, and as per the role of favourite aunt, I get to do the right opposite to what you say."

"Everybody does the opposite to what I say. Have you not seen my mum?" Belle rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder to see if she could find the woman she was talking about. However, like she had expected, Amanda was no where to be seen.

"Nope." Mattie replied quickly before coming to a stop in front of a small space that was taken up by large boxes piled high upon each other. "Wow, look at this!"

"Hmm...?" Belle replied noncommittally as she slyly slipped the two plastic items in her arms over onto a nearby shelf as Mattie's attention was captivated by something that she couldn't see right then. "What is it?"

"A play mat! Oh, it looks fun!" She had already left the pram's side to take a closer look at the toy.

"We already have one." Belle informed her, giving her a subtle shrug and fussed with the blanket covering Krissy. "Annie and Geoff bought it."

"I've never seen it." Mattie retorted as Belle stood up straight to look at her with a wide grin. She had no doubt that if it were possible, Mattie would have somehow eliminated practically everyone who threatened to come in the way of her being Krissy's favourite.

“That’s because it’s still boxed up. It’s pretty new, actually.” She teased sadistically and effortlessly, glad to have gotten a reaction from her best mate as she scowled in her direction.

“This one’s better! It has all these toys… with… it.” The last three words left her mouth slowly as something else caught her eye behind the pile of boxes that Belle could also not see. “Right, forget that. This is what Krissy needs!”

“What is it?”

“A dollhouse!” Mattie exclaimed in almost awe. “It’s so big! Look! It even has working lights and a small garage and car!”

“And it’s also for ages 3 plus.” Belle read off the box with a scoff as she rounded the toys that had been in her way to see it. She had to admit that the dollhouse was quite nice, and rather big, but currently she knew that it was also impractical. “And it’s way too expensive.”

“So? Can you really put a price on your daughter’s happiness?” She asked her seriously, hands on hips with her eyes jumping from the sleeping baby to Belle and then back again. “Besides, it’s not like you can’t really afford it. I mean, I‘ve seen Krissy‘s nursery.”

“This may come as a shock to you, Mattie, but I didn’t marry Aden for his money.” Belle told her with a small frown.

“I would have. Why else would you marry him?“ Mattie asked, her voice normal as if they were having an everyday kind of conversation as she took the few steps nearer to them again and leaning over the side of the pram in hope that Krissy had woken up. “Except for, well… You know. And giving us all this little cutie here!”

“Hmm, yeah, you’re right. Can’t think of another reason why at all.” She said with sarcasm heavy in her words. “But I’m still not buying the dollhouse. Maybe when she’s three you can give her it.”

“Or I can just buy it now and give it to her for later.”

“You buy it now, and I won‘t let you have the opportunity to give it to her.” Belle threatened her, handing over the dress that was draped over her arm to her and then pushing forwards the pram to search for Amanda once again.

“Ok, fine.” Mattie gave in with a small grumble. “A little overboard, but fine.”

“Sorry. I just don’t want her to be spoilt.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

“She’s a bit young to understand any of that, Belle.”

“I know she’s too young right now to particularly care about anything in specific, but it still remains the same fact.” Belle sighed, finally spotting her mother in a section on the other side of the section that they were in. “Trying to control Aden not to go over the top is hard enough, without you and Mum added to it. Like you said, you’ve seen the nursery already. And as much as I love it, it‘s enough for now.”

“Alright, it’s your call. Doesn’t mean I’m not buying this though.” Mattie nodded before holding up the dress in her hand. The puffed out skirt of it was held out by it self, and as she shook it gently to find the other two items that she had chosen with it, Belle could see a couple of sequins shining moon-like brightness back at her. “Hey! What happened to the tiara and the wand?”

“I dunno…” Belle replied innocently, paying all of her attention on getting to where Amanda was. “Are you sure you picked it up?”

---

"Oh, looky here! What's this?" Mattie spoke quietly in a baby voice as she trailed one of the teddy rabbit's ears across Krissy's cheek. Unfortunately, her flailing arm simply battered it to a side as she continued to cry. "How long does it take them to warm up a bottle?"

"I don't know..." Belle murmured as she reached out a hand to grasp onto Krissy’s lightly from where she laid in Mattie's arms. The two of them were sitting at a table in a nearby café for lunch. Amanda had disappeared into another shop only a couple of stores away, but the two young girls had continued with their way towards their destination when their youngest companion had woken up hungry. "Looks like they heard you, though."

"At last." She muttered even while faking a polite smile at the waitress who brought the milk back over to them. Holding out a hand towards Belle, Mattie waited until she checked it before practically swiping it from her own hands. “I can feed her, right?”

“If you know how to.” She nodded while turning slightly in her chair to face them properly. They were sitting outside in a small veranda that was part of the café, with the sun still providing some warmth with the wind giving them a welcomed coolness.

“Of course I do.” Mattie rolled her eyes, proving her point as she finally gave the bottle to the baby who had already quietened down at the sight, or rather the smell, of her food arriving. “I was just wondering whether she’ll take it from me.”

“Well, as you can see, she doesn’t really care.” Belle laughed, smoothing her hand over Krissy’s head and pulling off the soft hat that covered it before running her fingers through her short, darkened blonde hair.

“All we care about is getting our food. Right, baby?” Mattie cooed at the girl who simply stared back up at her, her brilliantly blue eyes blinking every so often. “Eating and sleeping. And Aunty Mattie, of course.”

“Huh!” Belle scoffed humorously. “The only person Krissy cares about is her daddy.”

“Well, someone has to, I guess.” She laughed as Belle slapped her lightly on her shoulder. There was a brief pause as they both watched Krissy happily drink her milk without another sound, even as Belle let go of her hand. “So how is Aden, then?”

“Fine. I told you this earlier.” She replied dismissively.

“I know you did. But considering that you’ve replied ‘fine’ to practically every question I’ve asked about how he is, I’m guessing that everything’s not so ‘fine’…?” Belle remained quiet at her question, so Mattie carried on. “How are you? Honestly.”

“Mattie-”

“No, c’mon Belle. It’s just you, me and the little one. If you’re not talking to Aden about it, then you need to talk to someone.” She cut her off gently. “Have you spoken to Aden?”

“Nope.” Belle sighed, turning slightly in her chair to rest her elbows on the table in front of her while tilting her head in their direction to keep an eye on her daughter. She trusted Mattie with her life, but while Krissy was so close, she couldn’t not look. “They’re not so frequent, and Aden’s never bought it up again so it’s kind of been forgotten about.”

“If you’re still dreaming about it, then I doubt it’s been forgotten.”

“Not forgotten by me. I wish!” She chuckled wryly. “I meant by Aden. Or at least he’s pretending to forget so that I don’t do the same.” At Mattie’s confused look, Belle exhaled and rested the side of her head against the heel of her palm to keep on looking towards them. “Aden. He’s kind of in the same boat, if you get what I mean.”

“Right. So you think he’s playing ignorant to your nightmares so you do the same to his?” She caught on, watching as Belle raised her eyebrows and nodded in answer. “Well, personally, I think that’s really stupid. Of both of you.”

“Thanks.”

“I thought you and Aden ‘don’t do secrets anymore’?” Mattie pointed out as a small tint of red coloured Belle’s cheeks as she took a breath to get rid of them.

“We don’t.” She simply said.

“Clearly.” Mattie muttered sarcastically.

“Ok, so maybe we do. But it’s not really a secret. I know he’s having bad dreams, and he knows I am. We just don’t know what about.” Belle justified, keeping the bit about the fact that she had a pretty good idea what Aden’s nightmares weren’t about to herself. She couldn’t explain how or why, but she knew that they weren’t about the memories that had been buried in his mind for the past decade or so. They were somehow different, including the way he reacted to them. “Look, things really are fine. Can we stop talking about this?”

“No, Belle. When you use the word ‘fine’ over 20 times a day, then things really aren’t ‘fine’!”

“Maybe I just like the word!” Belle retorted, a frown marring her features as Mattie glared at her in a way that they both knew meant that she wasn’t believing a word coming out of her mouth. “Mattie, we’re in a really public place. Can we not talk about it here?”

“So there’s something to talk about then?” Mattie twisted her words, catching her out. “And this place isn’t that public. What are you so scared of, Belle?”

“I’m scared of being scared, alright?” She exclaimed in a hushed voice, her eyes fixed upon the half empty bottle of milk that Krissy was still drinking to avoid Mattie’s face.

“Of what?” The curiosity, along with the care and love that always underlined Mattie’s words when they had a deep and meaningful, girly conversation, was there loud and clear for Belle to hear even without glancing at her.

“Do you know,” She began slowly, averting her eyes back up to hers while subconsciously twirling the two interlinked rings on the fourth finger of her left hand with her thumb. “That today is the first time that I’m spending more than a couple of hours away from Aden since the accident?”

“No, I didn’t know that.” Mattie replied, a tone of understanding colouring her words even before Belle went on to explain what she getting at.

“I know; it’s stupid. I mean, after more than 3 months, I’m supposed to be sick of him and be glad for time without each other.” Belle smirked without amusement, her gaze flittering down to the little girl in Mattie’s arms. “Or at least not worry practically every second of the day about the most ridiculous things ever.”

“Belle, after everything, I think it’s normal to feel like this.” Mattie tried to advise her. “Perhaps, after a day- after today, it’ll get easier.”

"Yeah, maybe." Belle agreed half-heartedly. "Alright, seriously now. Can we stop talking about this?"

"Sure. But if you're still saying 'fine' tomorrow, or in a week's time, I'm going to bring it up again. Ok?" Belle laughed softly at her words and nodded. "Good."

"Oh, I meant to ask you. Have you, or Ric, spoken to Drew recently?"

"Not that I know of." Mattie shook her head. "Didn't you talk to him this morning?"

"Yeah, I did." Belle confirmed.

"And...?"

"I dunno. I've just got this weird feeling about what he's saying." She told her, carrying on when she looked blank. "Like he's hiding something or lying about something. It's not like Drew."

"I think them 3 months together are beginning to show." Mattie said with a shake of the head. "Aden's beginning to rub of on you."

"I think he has a girlfriend."

"What?" Mattie almost yelled in shock. "Who? Aden?"

"No, you idiot. Drew!" Belle rolled her eyes, not able to keep the giggles from escaping her mouth, even when Krissy began to whimper from where the bottle had been pulled out of her reach. "Keep up, would you? Besides, Aden would have a mistress, not a girlfriend."

"Drew has a girlfriend? What's so big about that?" Mattie asked her while giving the bottle back to the restless baby in her arms, who took it without any other argument.

"Nothing. It's just interesting." Belle shrugged.

"Aden having a girlfriend would be interesting. Drew having one, at the moment, is intrigui- Ow!" She broke suddenly in a small yelp.

"Oh, no, no, no, sweetie. We don't want to pull out Aunty Mattie's hair." Belle quickly told her daughter soothingly while coercing her to open the tight, though small, fist that she had made to grab onto Mattie. "There we go. Did you get bored with our conversation, baby?"

"Well, it certainly did the trick to change the convo!" Mattie laughed as Belle leaned forwards and pressed a kiss against Krissy's forehead. Only a few seconds later, she finished with the bottle, leaving a small amount of the milk at the bottom of it. "Are we done?"

"Looks like it!" Belle smiled while taking the bottle off of Mattie as she rearranged the position that she held her in. "You know what you're doing?"

"Yes! Trust me a little, would you?" Mattie huffed as she gently patted Krissy's back to burp her.

"I do! But you, uh... You forgot the towel." Belle dug into the bag that laid on the chair next to her, pulling out a small white piece of fabric. Her hair created a small curtain to keep Mattie from seeing the huge grin that was currently on her face. Turning back to face her, she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing. "Oh, oops. Too late now."

---

"I'm sure he's hiding something, but it's not like it's any of my business, so I can't just ask him. And I'm meant to be mad at him, and instead..." Belle's voice trailed off. Unsure of whether she was expecting a reply or not, Aden stayed quiet until she prompted him. "What to you think?"

"Honestly?" He asked her, looking up from where he had been going through a shopping bag that was on bed in front of him. Aden paused as his eyes followed Belle, crossing the room from their adjoining bathroom to the drawers dressed in just her underwear and a tank top. He kept any thoughts to himself while she calmly pulled out her pyjama bottoms, only clearing his throat discreetly and carrying on speaking when she disappeared back into the bathroom. "That I don't particularly give a damn."

"Yeah, that's exactly what I was waiting to hear." She drawled dryly from the other room.

"Look, if you told me that he was being an idiot, or mean or whatever, then I would care. If you wanted me to do something about it, then I'll be more than agreeing." Aden explained to her, carrying on with snooping through the shopping that she had done that day. "But, sweetheart, I've got to tell you; if you're going to talk about his love life, or lack of one, then I'm not going to care. At all."

"Fine." Belle sighed, though the smile on her face was evident in her voice. "So how was your first day back then?"

"Yeah, good. Long, I guess." He replied without any additional enthusiasm.

"And missing us just made it longer, right?"

"You know it." Aden laughed, though his words were as honest as her factual tone. "Missed my baby like crazy."

"She missed you too. And, scarily enough, so did I."

"Good thing I came back, huh?" He smiled boyishly though no-one could see it.

"Definitely." Belle replied seriously. "Who else would get up to feed Krissy at 3am?"

"Ouch! Love you too, babe." Aden chuckled as her own laughter reached his ears. Standing up, he replaced the items back into bag that he had ended up tipping out. "Hmm..."

"What?" Belle asked him warily, hearing his footsteps near her softly over the carpeted surface.

"Didn't you buy me anything?" Aden answered when he appeared at the doorway, where he leant again jamb casually.

"No... I didn't realise I have to get you something when I go shopping." She replied slowly, eyeing him carefully as she dropped the hairbrush she had been using onto the counter. "I'll remember than for next time. Hey, I can take Mum and Mattie again and turn you into our little doll!"

"You know that's not what I mean by 'anything'." Aden scoffed while pushing himself away from the threshold and stepped into the bathroom. He came to a stop behind Belle, who was busying herself purposely with tidying up the space in front of her. "Or 'buy me', for that matter."

“What did you mean, then?” Belle questioned him with an air of faux innocence, biting her lip to keep her grin back.

“I think you know…” He murmured, slipping his arms around her waist while tenderly nuzzling her neck. Dropping kisses along her bare shoulder, Aden could feel her freeze suddenly as he dipped his thumb under the band of her pants to skim lightly over the fabric of her underwear, telling her what he meant without saying it.

“Aden…” She began, immediately placing a hand onto the one that had found it’s way under her clothes to stop it from going further. Turning around in his arms, Belle failed to keep the coy-like smile off her face this time when she took in their closeness. “What are you doing?”

“If you’ve got to ask, then I’m clearly not doing it right.” Aden quipped with a raised eyebrow, making Belle melt into light giggles as she stared into his darkened blue eyes.

“Maybe you’re no-” Belle started in a teasing whisper, only to get cut off when Aden swooped in for a kiss, rendering her silent. It didn’t take much for her to reciprocate; hands gliding effortlessly down his torso and around the hem of his t-shirt while his found their way to shoulders before threading his fingers through her hair, pushing it away from her face.

It took a few more seconds, which with each their kisses grew more passionate and steamy, before Belle could get her body to work with her mind and tugged off the shirt that she desperately needed to get out of the way. She let it drop discarded onto the cold tiled floor as Aden pulled her closer and away from the counter with small steps, never once breaking off their embrace or kiss.

His hand trailed a fiery path up her back from under her top, nails barely touching her skin, yet the smoothness of them gave her a tingly jump whenever they did. Pressed up to him as much as was possible, they both shared a small laugh as Aden bumped into the doorjamb on their way back into bedroom; their sense of coordination slightly off while so caught up on other more important things.

Pushing Aden up against the flat of the frame, Belle captured his bottom lips with hers once again. Taunting him shamelessly by nipping at it with her teeth, she raised her arms to rest against his shoulders as Aden began to push up her top with the intent of losing it too. She could feel the coolness against her back, where nothing was pressed up against it unlike her front and sides, as it slid up.

It had reached halfway when she broke away from him suddenly. She stiffened and placed her hands on his chest to stop him, causing him to look down at her in confusion. Belle could tell the exact moment when Aden realised what was going on simply by the way his face fell with both disappointment and a hint of sheepishness.

“It’s a good thing.” Belle murmured, manually pushing his hands down from where they had frozen on her body and onto her covered hips. “It’s only been 3 weeks, and the doctor said 4 to 6.”’

“Doctor’s say a lot of things.” Aden grumbled, resting his forehead against hers when she didn’t move.

“And we did say some abstinence would do us some good.”

“You said. I never agreed.” He argued, pulling her closer to him when she tried to back away. “And I never said anything about having sex.”

“Oh, right. So we were heading towards the bed for what? A shower?” Belle asked his sarcastically, a smile breaking out on her face when he nodded seriously.

“We could have been. Your sense of direction has always been dire.”

“Hmm… Well, with that, I’m going to go. She’ll only get more upset if we leave her.” Belle giggled, nodding towards where small cries were being emitted through the baby monitor that laid on the bedside table.

“I’ll get her.” Aden sighed, rubbing his hands over his face as Belle managed to leave his embrace.

“No, it’s alright. I want a quick cuddle before we head to bed anyway. You stay here and take that shower you wanted.” She teased, pushing herself up onto her toes to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, before whispering teasingly into his ear while running her fingers down his bare abdomen, making him groan. “And, uh… Make it cold.”

---

Once again, I'm so sorry about the long wait. I just hope it was worth it

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

So sorry for the wait once again. I managed to get this done only a little while ago, so I apologize if it's a bit iffy/OOC/plain crap Hopefully, it's not, though

Thank you all for the wonderful comments once again. Each and every one of them keep me writing

Chapter 76:

"Look, there's Daddy!" She whispered excitedly to the baby girl who she held in her arms as they entered their bedroom. "C'mon, you can do Mummy's favourite job and wake him up."

Belle didn't get much of a reply from the 6 week old that she held as she crossed over to the bed where Aden slept soundlessly. Perching on the edge of his side, she ran her free hand tenderly through his tousled hair before softly calling out his name. Getting a mere groan in response as he pressed his face further into the pillow, she rolled her eyes while retracting her hand to hold onto Krissy. Carefully rearranging her hold on her, Belle lifted her away from her body and laid her gently onto Aden's bare back.

Aden shifted practically the same time as Krissy, both turning their heads to the side. He finally opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder in an attempt to see her, only to see that her head had turned in the other direction towards her mother.

"Good morning." Belle chirped at his half-sleep form, keeping a hand on Krissy's back to make sure she was safe and steady, even though she was laying down. "Don't move too much."

"What time is it?" He muttered, dropping his face back into the pillow. His actions caused his body to jerk slightly, earning himself a steady drum of kicking against his back. "Hey…!”

"Didn't I tell you not to move?" Belle laughed, lifting Krissy back up delicately before placing her onto the bed on her back next to him, her head resting against the soft pillow for support. "And it's just past 9.30."

"Already?" He moaned as he twisted onto his side, feeling the bed dip a bit behind him as Belle stood up. Propping himself up onto an elbow, he skimmed a hand lightly over Krissy's front. "Good morning, baby. You look pretty happy. Has Mummy fed you?"

"Yup, she has." Belle replied from where she was at the vanity table, clasping on her bracelet. "Also been changed, dressed and played with."

"Well, isn't someone a pampered baby this morning!" Aden spoke to her, jiggling the arm that he held in his grasp lightly and dropping a kiss to her cheek with her other hand reaching out touch his familiar face. There was a gurgled giggle-like sound accompanying a smile when Aden carried on, peppering kisses on her cheeks, forehead and nose.

"As much as I’d hate to break in," Belle's voice interrupted him, making him look over at her, both with smiles on their faces as she carried on. "I have to go. Like now. Are you two going to be ok?"

"Yeah, course. I've done it before, and look, we're both here, aren't we? Both in one piece, unharmed and the house still standing. What's a few more hours?" Aden reminded her with a nod. His head was soon pulled in the opposite direction when Krissy managed to grab onto a handful of his hair and pulled as hard as she could, as was her custom. Smoothly removing her hand from him, a skill acquired after a lot of practice, he held it out flat and pressed a kiss to the palm, blowing lightly as he did so to make her thrash her legs slowly in joy. "What was all that about, huh, angel? I didn't forget about you. Or are you trying to make me choose between you and Mummy?"

"Now that's a hard decision to make." Belle smirked, watching as Aden continued to play with his baby daughter. "You sure you'll be ok?"

"Yes, I'm sure. She'll probably fall asleep within an hour or so anyway." He told her without sparing her a glace, missing her hesitant nod.

"True, I guess. I'll definitely be back before you have to leave." The tone of her voice didn't manage to reach the confidence that her words seemed to hold. Although, as Aden had pointed out several times, she knew that he was perfectly capable of looking after Krissy himself, having done it a couple of times already, she couldn't fight the want to stay. Work had called her in for only of couple of hours for an important meeting, and thankfully it had been on a day when Aden had the morning off. After reassurance that it wouldn't affect her maternity leave as such, she had agreed to go in. "Ok, I really have to go now. Am I forgetting anything?"

"Just my kiss." Aden replied solemnly, though a boyish grin shone on his face. Grinning back at him, she stepped closer to the side of the bed where Krissy lay, currently happily occupied by the thumb in her mouth as her eyes followed her mother when she knelt quickly onto the bed with one leg and leaning over to brush a kiss to her forehead.

"Be a good girl for Daddy, yeah, baby?" Belle whispered while backing away before she got too attached. Something, that she quickly realised, was already too late.

"Always is." Aden said with a smile as she leant forwards to press her lips to his momentarily.

"You behave too." She murmured, and Aden could feel the words form on his lips as she spoke them. "I'll find out if you don't."

"No, you won't." He simply replied as Belle backed away and stood up.

"Right, I'm really going now." She nodded, picking up her mobile from the bedside table, and her bag from the floor. Twirling back around to the bed, she fought with jealousy at the sight of Aden still in bed with their little girl next to him. Suddenly, she understood why Aden spent practically every waking minute that he was home with Krissy, something that kept her happy as well as him.

"Weren't you going?" Aden prompted her as she froze next to the bed, head snapping up at his words and shaking it to clear it.

"I am, I am." Belle assured him, running the back of her index finger down Krissy's cheek before pressing another quick kiss to her cheek. "I'll see you later, sweetie."

"Bye!" The baby girl waved an assisted hand in her direction along with Aden's teasing voice, to which she stuck her tongue out at while heading for the bedroom door. “Don’t miss me too much!”

“You know I won’t.” She called back from where she managed to leave the room and walk down the hallway. Aden chuckled at her reply, hearing her footsteps patter lightly on the carpet as she took the stairs quickly and reached the bottom in a matter of seconds. A minute later and the front door was slammed shut, all the while he remained in the same position as before.

“Looks like it’s just you and me now, Krissy. Your mummy doesn’t even love me enough to miss me. Nice, huh?” Blue eyes, just like his own, blinked back up at him as he sighed mockingly. “I know, I know; who cares, right? Just one less person you have to share me with.” She continued to watch him as he spoke, limbs jerking every now and again as she kept herself entertained with his presence. “Well, as long as I have you, baby girl, I’m happy. Just don’t tell Mummy I said that, alright?”

Not receiving, or expecting, a reply to his one sided conversation, Aden began to sit up in the bed. Rolling away and onto his back, he briefly shut his eyes to rub them gently before pushing himself up and relaxing against the pillows behind him. Once settled, he carefully lifted Krissy up in his arms and held her to him, snuggling her small, warm body to his to simple cherish the few quiet moments of the morning.

Boredom, however, soon set in with the little girl as she squirmed against him, making him drop his phone back onto the pillow next to him and turn all of his attention to her.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Aden asked her while pulling her away from him so that he could look at her properly. The small sounds of cooing that she had been letting out quietened down almost immediately, with a hand stretching out cosily in the closeness to press palm-flat to the side of his mouth when he opened it to speak. Turning his head slightly, he managed to pry her hand away, giving it another light kiss before he tucked it back down to join the other one where it rested against her chest. “I hope that wasn’t your way of telling me to shut up, otherwise you and I, missy, are going to have problems. I get bossed around enough as it is, what with that cute little smile your mummy gives that makes me do anything she wants. The last thing I need is for you to follow in her footsteps.”

The lack of animation from Krissy gave the illusion that she was listening to every word that he was saying and understanding them, when he knew very well that it was just his voice that she heard. Shaking his head lightly as her tiny fingers of the same hand curled around the bottom of his silver chain, Aden dropped a kiss to her head and peered over at the time. He may have said that he didn’t want Krissy bossing him around, but he was pretty sure that it was basic knowledge that she already had him wrapped around her miniature, little finger.

“We’re going to have to get up, honey. What are the chances of you falling asleep so I can have a shower first?” He questioned her seriously. Krissy continued to simply stare at him, hand tugging lightly on his chain as Aden changed the position of his arms around her so that he could hold her securely with just the one. “I’ll take that as ‘none’, then, yeah? Never mind, Daddy has a lot of stuff to do anyway. Including the work that he was supposed to have finished last night instead of lying to Mummy and putting you to bed. But that’s another thing we don’t tell her about.”

Aden pushed the covers aside from where they still covered the lower half of his body and then sat up straight. He slowly shuffled to the edge, making sure not to nudge the currently content girl in his arms, before standing up. The cool air of the room hit him quickly as he realised just how underdressed he was.

Laying Krissy back down onto the duvet for a soft platform, he eased away her hand, which was soon going to be her mouth, from his chain and then backed away from the bed, all the while keeping an eye on it to make sure she was ok. Throwing on a pair of discarded bottoms, he searched for a top among the discarded items of clothing from the previous day or two that was still clean enough to wear for the time being. His search ended as the lonely girl from the bed began to whimper, giving up and rushing back to her before she began crying.

“Shhh… Daddy’s here, baby. Daddy’s got you.” He hushed her hurriedly, picking her up and rocking her in his arms only a second later. “He didn’t go far, see?” Her cries had began to die down almost as soon as he had held her, and completely stopping when he spoke. “That’s better. Alright, so any idea what we should do now?”

Looking down at where she was nestled against his chest, a soft smile lightened his features when he spotted her smooth pink lips part in a small yawn. Turning to walk out of the room, Aden kept glancing down as Krissy refused to close her eyes, instead sucking on the tips of her fingers as she stared at the scenery that passed them by, letting out a small gurgle every now and again.

“What’s that, angel? You think Daddy should eat and then let you sleep?” He whispered, tilting his head towards her as he pretended to listen to her. “What a great plan! I was thinking the exact same thing.”

---

A small sound vibrating through the silent house made Aden pause. Waiting until he heard it again, this time loud and clear, he threw the towel that was in his hands onto the kitchen counter next to him and hurriedly entered the front room. He sneaked a quick glance over at where Krissy was sleeping in her baby hammock, glad that whoever was at the door had decided to knock instead of using the doorbell. Unlocking the front door and pulling it open just as the person on the other side had finished knocking for a third time, Aden froze when he caught sight of who was waiting.

“You gonna let me in then?” They spoke up after a moment where all that Aden had managed to do was to raise his eyebrows in surprise.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Aden managed to get out, stepping back to allow him in. “What are you doing here?”

“What? You didn’t think I’d forget my little brother’s birthday, did you?” Justin told him with a scoff while Aden shut the door, smirking at his words.

“Considering you’re a few weeks early, I’d say yes.” He chuckled as Justin cursed under his breath.

“I knew I got it wrong.” He admitted before shrugging nonchalantly. “Never mind. Better early than late.”

“True, I guess.” Aden agreed, still smiling at both the fact that he had gotten his birthday wrong, and that he was actually there. “Never mind. How are you here, anyway? I thought you were on the other side of the country?”

“I was. Job’s done so I thought I’d have a little detour for a couple of days. Come and see my new niece.” Justin informed him, taking a quick look around the room, stopping when his eyes laid onto what he was searching for. "And she's sleeping. Perfect timing."

"She's just over a month old, Justin. It's all she does." Aden told him lightly before walking past him towards the kitchen.

"That wasn't a complaint, bro." He told him while following into the next room. "So what's going on? How's things?"

"Things are good." Aden shrugged in addition to his words as he carried on with drying the last few plates that he had just washed.

"Just good? Could that be cos Belle's left you?"

"She's at work." He said. Even with his back to him, Aden was pretty sure he could hear his brother roll his eyes at him.

"Seriously? She's at work and you're here minding the baby?" Justin asked him in disbelief. "Guess it's clear who wears the pants in this relationship, then."

"Hey! You got lucky and picked the one day that Belle had to go in to turn up." His tone was filled with defence though he struggled to keep the smile from his face to ruin his fake exasperation.

"It's not just that." Justin argued, sliding into one of the stools to face Aden as he turned back the job he had been doing. "I guess it was inevitable."

"Nothing was 'inevitable'. You don't know what you're talking about, J." Aden replied, his insistent tone as he half-heartedly argued with him making his slip seem natural as it had been 8 years beforehand.

"Dude, you live with two chicks." He said in a voice that made it seem like his words explained everything. "I feel for you, Aden. You hardly had any male friends to begin with."

"What? Where'd you get that from?" Aden questioned him in confusion before shaking his head. "Never mind. It's not true. And at least I have two chicks. How many do you have, exactly?"

"Oh, yeah, your daughter and your wife. Well done there, Aden." Justin replied sarcastically, making Aden bite back a laugh that threatened to break out at his near disgusted tone. "The latter of which is at work, bringing home the bacon and all, while making you stay at home to clean and watch the kid. Seriously, bro. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time I come around, you'd be sporting long blonde hair and going by 'Adenette.'"

"Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about that. I've been told I wouldn't suit long hair." Aden retorted without missing a beat, or the small curl of Justin's lip as he had spoken when he had turned to put away the cutlery. "And I can think of plenty of other names that I'd prefer to that."

"The point was," He carried on, ignoring Aden's snide and easiness about his taunting. "That you're turning into a girl."

"I'm not turning into a girl, Justin. Just cos my life is practically filled with everything you despise of, doesn't mean it's not right."

"I think it's general knowledge by now that my way is the only right way." Justin replied smoothly and earnestly while climbing off the seat to head to the fridge.

"And by general knowledge, you mean by just you, right?" Aden teased, glancing over at where the other man was standing with the refrigerator door open. “Help yourself.”

“I am.” He said dryly, peering into it before pulling out a bottle and kicking the door shut behind him. “At least you have something decent to drink.”

“Ain’t it a bit early for beer?” He asked him, looking over at the clock to see that it hadn’t even hit midday and then over at Justin, who had frozen with the drink halfway to his mouth with incredulity written all over his face. Letting out a breath, Aden held out a hand in a gesture of an apology. “Forget I said anything.”

---

The two of them were still in kitchen, simply talking and teasing easily, when Belle returned back home 30 minutes later. The door had opened and shut pretty quietly, footsteps approaching the kitchen after a moment where she had undoubtedly gone to check on Krissy.

"Justin.” She said, pausing in the doorway with a soft smile even though surprise coloured her face for a split second, despite her following words. “I thought I heard your voice."

"Morning, Belle." He greeted her, his familiar and typical smirk on his face as he carried on. "Whoa, you've lost a bit of weight. Looking good there, though."

"Still as charming as ever, I see." Belle remarked, her smile growing at his words. "And it's past morning, in case you haven't noticed."

"I'm jetlagged." He quickly answered, words so serious that she would have believed them if it weren't Justin. "How was work?"

"Fine." She shrugged noncommittally before turning to Aden, who was leaning lazily against the counter skimming through the back page of a newspaper. The ghost of a smile on his face, however, told her that he had been listening to their conversation too. "I need to head upstairs quickly. How long before you're leaving, Aden?"

"Um..." He looked at his watch before averting his eyes to her, leaving the paper discarded to a side. "About 20 minutes or so."

"I'll be 10." She promised him, backing out of the room soon after adding that she'll talk to them in a bit.

"Where're you off to?" Justin asked him almost as soon as she left.

"Uni."

"Oh. How long for?"

"A couple of hours. Should be back by the evening." He informed him. "Belle's going to be here, anyway. You can stay here, don't worry."

"That wasn't what I was worrying about, but trust me, it doesn't help." Justin muttered, taking the last swing of his drink and placing the empty bottle back down slowly.

"What?" Aden merely replied, perplexed.

"Being alone here with Belle. There's just something about her-" Justin broke off at the sharp warning look that Aden shot him while taking the bottle out of his hands as he began to annoy him with clunking it against the worktop. "Not like that! Ok, maybe like that, but that's not I was talking about."

"What were you talking about, then?"

"Mate, she's a nice girl and all, but if I'm going to have to spend an extended period of time with her alone, I am going to say something to her that she'll want to murder me for. And something tells me that she would." He admitted. "And I don't know about you, but I kind of like being alive."

"Maybe you ought to learn how to hold your tongue then." He suggested with a chuckle at is words.

"No thanks.” Justin scoffed. "Rule number 1 of the perfect life; don't change for anyone, especially not for a girl you'll know for longer than a night."

"And if you know them for just a night...?" Aden prodded.

"Well, then I'm anything she wants me to be." He flashed his younger brother a wide grin along with his smooth words, making him laugh in return.

“That’s just way too much information.”

“I could tell you more, if you really wanted to kn-” The last word was halfway out of his mouth when another sound drowned it out. Aden pushed himself away from the surface that he had been leaning against almost immediately and made his way to the front room where the cries were growing with time. Wincing at the sounds, Justin followed him at a slower pace, crossing the threshold of the two rooms while Aden gathered the distressed baby in his arms. “Damn, she’s loud.”

“Gets your attention though, doesn’t she?” He replied with a smirk in between shushing the girl that he rocked gently, happy that she was quietening down almost instantly.

“Hell, yeah. She doesn’t get that from Belle, by any chance, does she?” Justin questioned him, acting blasé though his words were highly suggestive.

“You keep saying things like that, and Belle's not going to get the chance to murder you." Aden told him in a low but threatening voice.

"It was just a question." Justin shrugged indifferently and made his way over to the couch for a seat. "What's wrong with her, anyway?"

"She's probably hungry." Aden muttered in reply, distracted as he glanced down at Krissy as she continued to make her presence, and needs, heard. "Are you looking for food, baby? Is that what's wrong?"

"If she can answer to that, then she's one heck of a baby." Justin quipped with a laugh while watching Aden calmly comforting her.

"Haha." He merely said with a dry tone. The crying had ceased to a bare minimum as he took a couple of steps nearer to where Justin was sitting. "Here, you go to your smartass uncle while I get a bottle."

"What?"

"It's not hard." Aden told him in reply to his shocked voice. "You've held babies before."

"Yeah, and I usually give them back when they start crying. Not take them." He informed him, sitting forwards and up in an alert position nonetheless.

"Its the same thing-"

"I highly doubt that." Justin muttered, cutting him off briefly.

"You said you came to see her, did you?" Aden reminded him.

"See. Not touch." Justin replied before quirking an eyebrow in realisation. "Wow. Never thought I'd ever do or say that."

"Ok, well if you're not going to that, then go into the kitchen and warm up a bottle then, would you?" Aden asked him as an irritated and hungry Krissy began to cry louder.

"What do I look like to you? Your wife?" Justin scoffed, relaxing back against the couch once again and then letting out a small sigh. "Gimme her. And don't think I don't know that you're conning me into this. I know you can do both without me."

"Whatever." He laughed, carefully rearranging his arms and hold on the baby girl before successfully passing her to his brother. He took her gracefully and held her almost as if she were about to explode in his arms. "Relax, Justin. This is one girl who won't hurt you. Yet."

"What do I do? She's still crying and it's really unfamiliar territory for me." He said, still stiff as he had been before Aden had spoken.

"Just imagine she's asleep and rock her. Alright?" He explained, backing away and making his way towards to the next room as Justin nodded and visibly relaxed like he had said. Aden was pretty sure that he could hear a small scuffling sound at the top of the stairs, but he put it to a side as Krissy's distress stole his attention.

He was already pulling open the fridge door when the easily recognised patter of feet came down the stairs slowly before pausing at the bottom.

"Looking good there, Justin." Belle commented sweetly, mimicking his words from earlier and watching with a soft smile as he continued to do as Aden told him.

"Why, thank you." He answered back a bit arrogantly, head tilted down at the bundle in his arms for a while before a clicking sound made it snap out as he cried out in horror. "No, no, no!"

"What?" She asked him innocently while continuing with what she was doing. "It's just a few little pictures. No harm in that, is there?"

"Yes." Justin said seriously back to her as she took a final few before giving up as the images were ruined by his frown.

"Don't tell me.” Belle jested, stowing away her camera to the side and away from him, before turning back to him. “You have an image to uphold, right?"

“Something like that.” He grumbled with a pout forming on his face. Belle couldn’t help but to giggle lightly, politely hiding it from him, when the hungry baby in his arms began to fuss around more and louder after Justin had stilled in his actions. “Where’s Aden got to?”

“Just a sec, mate.” Aden called out in reply, obviously having eavesdropped into their conversation.

“Here, I’ll take her.” Belle told him, perching onto the sofa next to Justin and delicately wrapping the blanket that was hanging around her loosely over her in a manner to make it easier to take her from his arms.

“No, it’s fine.” Justin said stubbornly, carrying on with what Aden had told him to do somewhat awkwardly. “I can manage.”

“Clearly.” She nodded, leaning back a bit away from him casually while carrying on. “Have you ever held a baby before? Just out of interest…”

“Yeah, of course.” He informed her with an incredulous scoff, his mouth pursed for a second before the edge of it kicked up into a smirk. “It may have been a while back, though. And I may have dropped him a couple of times. But hey; you still found him normal enough to marry him.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding.” Belle practically begged him when there were no signs of joking on his face or in his words.

“Belle, seriously. What do you take me for? Of course I’m kidding!” Justin chuckled, his posture seemingly relaxing as he got the hang of rocking Krissy, who continued to emit small cries despite his efforts. “He was like this before I dropped him. He has a thick head, remember? The falls did nothing.”

“I heard that!” Aden exclaimed as he re-entered the room, pausing behind the couch and glaring slightly at the two of them; especially Belle as she tried to cover the grin on her face with the back of her hand. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Belle took the warm bottle from his hands quickly, offering him a smile that was overly sweet and only made him roll his eyes at her. "Do you want to feed her, Justin?"

"Sure." He shrugged calmly, taking a moment to free a hand and then accepting the bottle from her. "So how do I do this?"

"Basically, the aim is to get her to drink it." Aden answered in a faux earnest tone.

"Very funny, college boy." Justin muttered, shaking off Belle's attempts to help him as she reach for his hand. "I've got it!"

"Alright, alright! So I see." She remarked, shaking her head lightly as he did manage to get Krissy to stop crying when she finally got what she had been looking for.

"Ok, now that’s done, I need to get going." Aden spoke up after a few seconds, pushing himself away from the couch and walking over to the side nearer to the door to pick up his ready stuff. Belle turned to look at the time quickly and then back at him, a bit surprised that it was already time for him to leave.

“Now?”

“Yeah.” He nodded, eyeing her carefully while picking up his phone and keys. “Why? Something wrong?”

“Nope, of course not.” Belle smiled, clapping a hand onto Justin’s shoulder. “We’ll have all kinds of fun. Don‘t worry about us.”

“I wasn’t going to until you said that.” Aden told her with a small huff.

“Seriously, bro. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her.” Justin insisted as he neared to where they sat once again.

“Gee, thanks. My mind’s so at rest.” He quipped sarcastically, reaching the edge of the sofa where he leant down to drop a brief kiss to Belle’s lips before pressing his fingers to his and then against Krissy’s cheek. Her blue eyes seemed to follow him, he noticed, and a small hand grasped onto the edge of his little finger of the hand that lingered near her head. “I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

“Don’t hurry back.” Justin smirked in a small sugary voice as Aden tenderly removed his daughter’s grip from his hand and headed back towards the door.

“I’ll give her an alibi, if so be it.” He warned his brother as Belle sat confused.

“Duly noted.” Justin replied in a quiet tone that Aden just about heard as he opened the front door and left. Belle glanced over her shoulder to watch as the door shut, turning back to the other remaining adult with her with a perplexed look.

“What was that all about?” She asked him, pushing herself off the couch.

“Nothing important.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” Belle questioned him, raising an eyebrow as she picked up her camera once again and sat back down in the armchair far from Justin and his reach. “Don’t react.”

“Of course I’m going to fu-” Justin began in a hiss as Belle snapped away without a moment’s hesitation, getting cut off but her strict look.

“Don’t swear in front of my baby.” She told him politely, not bothering to look up at him even as she continued with the photos.

“This is why I’m never going to get married.” He informed her, stealing a glance at her from where he had averted his eyes back to the baby in his arms who was still taking her time with her milk. “Or having a kid, for that matter.”

“You seriously think that you’re never going to have kids?” Belle asked him in disbelief, putting away the camera.

“Yup.” Justin replied confidently. “Too many strings and responsibility. That life ain’t for me.”

“Hmm…” She said, stifling a laugh as she watched at how good he was with Krissy. “Well, I’ll keep a track of that for the years to come then, yeah?”

“You do that.” He threw her a wink, giving her a smile that she could only call boyish and compare to Aden’s. It didn’t make her heart skip a beat, or cause the butterflies in her stomach to flutter, but it did make her smile back nonetheless. “Right, so this one’s done with this. Now what?”

“Just put the bottle to the side and pat her back lightly.” Belle instructed him, resisting the urge to take more photos.

"So how are things?" Justin asked her the question that he put to his brother earlier that morning.

"Yeah, good." Belle answered with a subtle smile, nodding towards him as she carried on. "Nothing's really changed since you were last here except for her."

"I see." He nodded. A rare and unusual look that Belle knew only too well as brotherly concern passed his face before he enquired more. "How's uh... How's Aden doing? You know, after the incident and all."

"He's fine. Been given the all clear, discharged from outpatient and is back to normal." Belle summarized the important points for him. "Well, as normal as Aden ever was."

"That's good then." Justin grinned slightly and visibly relaxed at her words.

"You do know that you could have just asked him yourself, right?" She told him, leaning an elbow against the back f her seat and supported her head upon her hand. "He would have told you."

"I know."

"But...?" She prompted him.

"But nothing. I just didn't want to bring up the past with him without knowing where he stood with it." He explained to her, taking his eyes off of where they had skirted to her back to the gurgling baby in his arms.

"It's in the past. Most of it, anyway." The last few words that Belle added on in a quieter voice, and running her hand through her hair too, made Justin's head snap up to her. He opened his mouth to make a comment about it, but was stoped when a small hand skimmed past and over his jaw in an attempt to recapture his attention successfully.

"Looks like she likes me." He laughed, not doing anything to stop the exploring hand or seeking eyes from taking him in.

"Well, you look like Aden. What's not to like?" Belle told him with a light giggle that died in her throat when Justin gave her a smirk and a suggestive look, realising her mistake. "Not me! Her!"

"Sure, sure, sweetheart." He laughed, making her scowl at both his tone and the pet name. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

---

Her bare feet pattered lightly across the kitchen tiles as she headed to the fridge. Opening the door, she pulled out a bottle of water and orange juice as a cool breeze swept in through the open back door. Dressed in just a black shirt that was technically Aden's, she was surprised when no goose bumps raised on her skin as she stepped outside onto the back patio.

Standing still for a moment, a small smile curved her lips as she took in the sight. The pool's lights illuminated the back yard, making the water shimmer like diamonds as the gentle wind caused it to move. There was another smaller light on, lighting up the area nearer to her where Aden still laid lazily stretched along a sunlounger. Dressed simply in his pale green t-shirt and black jeans from the day, his head was tilted towards where the baby hammock was placed almost opposite him.

"She still sleeping?" Belle asked him in a whisper as she placed the two bottles onto the table next to him.

"Yup. She'll be out for the night now." Aden told her, both of them knowing that 'the night' would last only until 4am in Krissy's case. His eyes unashamedly took her in, travelling from her feet to her face ad back again. "Comfortable now?"

"Very." She simply said, climbing onto the lounger that he sat in without another word. She positioned herself in between his legs, shimmying back until she could rest against him and an arm came around her waist to hold her close. "This is nice."

"Definitely." Aden agreed, pressing a line of kisses along her shoulder, only backing away before he got too carried away. "I'm glad Justin didn't want to stay right now. Didn't I tell you that our baby's crying would keep people away?"

"Hmm..." Belle laughed, recalling how Justin had politely yet straightforwardly had explained to them that he didn't fancy being woken up at all sorts of time during the night, adding that it wasn't his problem to handle or experience. "You have a point there."

"I always have a point, babe. And it's always right, too." He claimed, making Belle giggle and gently hit his shoulder.

"Let's not get too carried away there, yeah, honey?" She teased as he playfully bit her earlobe in response. Squirming slightly in his grip, Belle decided against carrying it on and relaxed back against him once again simply letting her mind wonder or watch Krissy's nose twitch in her sleep every once in a while.

“You fancy a swim?” Aden broke the silence that they had fallen into. Tilting her head up to look at him, she shot him an ‘are you for real?’ look as he chuckled softly. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”

“It’s almost midnight!” She argued, groaning slightly as he pushed her forwards and slipped off the seat.

“So…?”

“And we don’t have any swimwear on.” Belle pointed out, trying with all her might, and failing, to fight Aden’s pull as he tugged on her hands that he had grasped and pulled her to stand up too.

“We’ll just swim in what we have on underneath.” Aden told her easily.

“I don’t have anything on underneath.”

“Even better.” He grinned slyly, gliding his hands around her waist and then under the shirt, only to be disappointed when he felt the lacy fabric of her panties. “Liar.”

“Aden…” She moaned as he brought back his hands to hers and took small steps back towards the poolside. “What about Krissy? She’s sleeping. We can’t just leave her.”

“We’re not leaving her, we’re going to be right here.” He informed her, pausing when he reached the edge of the pool. “It’s not like we won’t hear her if she wakes up. Which she won’t.”

“What if she…?” Belle trailed off, trying to think of a valid excuse that would get her out of what Aden was successfully managing to convince her to do.

“What if she, what? Gets jealous?” Aden asked her teasingly. “She’s a month old, Belle. She’ll be fine.”

“Aden, we can’t. We don’t have any clothes, and I don’t fancy swimming in this.” She said strictly as he continued to tug her closer to him while she continued to resist.

“It’s our pool. We can wear, or not wear, whatever we want.” He countered, shooting her a cocky smile and trailing his hands up to the bottom of the shirt that she wore and began to undo the buttons slowly. “You know you want to…”

“Aden…” She moaned once again when he leant in and nuzzled her neck seductively, making her want to agree to almost anything and everything that he said. It took a few seconds, when Aden had undone only the second button, for her to snap back to reality. “Aden!”

“What?” He asked innocently, not moving away even as she pushed him away with her hands on his chest.

“Stop it!” Although Belle had meant to sound serious and strict, a giggle that she couldn’t help flowed out from her lips and prompted Aden on further. “Aden…! Why aren’t you listening to me?”

“Ok. You really want me to stop?” He sighed, backing away to glance at her and resting his hands lightly on her hips. “If you’re being 100%, utterly serious, then say the word and I’ll stop.”

“I am.” Belle nodded, biting her bottom lip to keep the grin from breaking out on her face.

“You sure?” He tested her.

“Yes.”

“Sure, sure?” Aden asked her carefully, his fingers massaging delicate circles into her waist through the shirt.

“Yes!”

“100% sure?” He prodded. Belle saw the dangerous glint in his eyes as he took a minuscule step backwards and she swallowed hard at the sight in front of her as he stood in the minimal light looking as handsome as ever.

“Aden, seriously-” She broke herself off while grabbing onto his wrists, pulling his hands off of her body with all the strength that she had. He let out a small upset sigh and gave her a saddened puppy dog look at her actions, which only made the butterflies in her stomach flutter their wings harder. Rolling her own eyes, Belle placed her hands on either side of his neck and brought him into a full, passionate kiss in an attempt to apologize and coerce him out of his disappointment.

Aden, however, seemed to have other ideas; replacing his hands onto her waist and pulling her flush up to him. It was only a second’s thought that flew through her mind at his actions as she instinctively pushed him away again. But this time, she had managed to summon up more energy than previously, and before she knew it, Aden was under the water behind him.

“Oh, my God!” She gasped out, hands covering her mouth in shock as she realised what she had just done. Her eyes skimmed over the pool, glad that the lights were on, in search for her husband. When she couldn’t see anything but the froth of the water that had been created by the splash, worry sunk in and Belle knelt carefully by the edge of the pool. “Aden?”

Belle held her breath in a vain attempt to perhaps hear something other than the sloshing water as it began to calm down. Although in reality it must have been less than 20 seconds, it felt like Aden had been under for minutes. She threw a wary look over her shoulder to check on Krissy, glad that she was still sleeping regardless of the sound that they had made, and that she hadn’t witnessed her mother perhaps drowning her precious dad. Luckily for her, though, Belle looked back over at the pool just in time to see Aden resurfacing. She let out her breath with relief and sunk back to sit on her feet as he ran his hands over his face and through his hair.

“God, Aden. I’m so sorry!” She apologized quickly as he made his way over to where she was.

“Yeah, I’m sure you are.” He muttered, and Belle finally let out the giggles that she had be keeping in since the shock had left her body.

“I am. Seriously, I am.” She insisted. Aden didn’t bother replying this time around, but instead pushed himself out of the water by using his arms as leverage on the side of the pool. Belle watched without even bothering to hide her roaming eyes. Her stomach had started to do back flips already at the sight of him, soaked from head to toe. With his t-shirt matted to his body, she could see every muscle that rippled with the exertion that he put onto the top half of his body as he finally got himself out of the pool and sat down next to her. “So… Have a nice swim?”

“Haha.” Aden said sarcastically as Belle laughed a bit more, grateful that she had the ability to suppress her urges to give in to her needs from when she had been pregnant. Her laughter soon enough died in her throat as he pulled his top away from his body and then over his head, dropping it into a wet heap by the side. When Aden moved onto his jeans, Belle turned to face the pool; sitting at the edge with her feet now dipping into the cool water. She watched him out of the corner of her eyes as he unbuckled his belt and undid the button and zip, before slipping it down smoothly, yet awkwardly, as he remained sitting in the same position as her. Chucking it to join the t-shirt that he had thrown to the side only moments beforehand, Aden sighed and pushed himself back into the water wearing just his boxers. “You coming in now?”

“Nope.” Belle shook her head, tightening the grip that she had onto the edge of the pool.

“C’mon! It’s nice and warm. Krissy’s asleep, too.” He tempted her, eyes going behind her to check for himself that what he had said about their daughter was actually true. “And I’m already in. Half naked…”

“What’s your point?” She scoffed, kicking her legs gently as he slid his hands up them under the water.

“That I’m irresistible. I saw you looking before.” Aden told her with a sly grin, his hands working their way up to her knees and leaving a trail of water behind. “I know you want me.”

“Oh, please! It’s been years, Aden. You’re not still using the same lines, are you?” Belle criticized him, still trying to get him off her as his hands made their way to her thighs whilst he pressed his lips to her leg slowly. “Aden, stop it!”

“No. You don’t get to offend me and expect to get away with it!” He told her as she thrashed her legs in the water a bit more to splash him before pressing her foot gently to his shoulder and pushing him away from her.

“Offend you? I was merely making an observation!” She explained, amusement lining her words as he swam back over to her.

“You know you love it. You wouldn’t still be with me if you didn’t.” Aden pointed out to her, capturing her leg as she tried to shove him away again. Holding it tightly in his hand, he pushed down the anklet that she still wore ever since he had given it to her on the first night of their honeymoon, and trailed a line of kisses from her inner calf to her knee.

“Ad-” Belle began, the words starting off as a moan at his tantalising touches, which soon broke off into a small shriek as he wrapped an arm around both her legs and forced her off the clay side. “Aden! Put me down!”

“Really?” He questioned her with his typical ‘bad boy’ grin as he took a couple of steps back into the centre of the pool, using his free arm to help keep balance. He could feel Belle being to laugh, even as she tried to hide it, as she placed her hands on his shoulders for support. “Should I put you down now?”

“You going to anyway.” She huffed, and no sooner had the words left her mouth did she feel herself being lower down into the water. Aden kept his arm around her with the other holding onto her arm to make sure she went steadily until her feet touched the bottom of the pool. Sighing, she looked down at where the black shirt had now stuck to her body. “You jerk! I can’t believe you did that!”

“Live a little, Belle.” Aden rolled his eyes and rested his hand lightly on her waist. “Now, isn’t this nice?”

“Not particularly.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He exhaled heavily, a pout forming on his lips. “We’re uneven.”

“What?” The confusion in her voice was soon gone as she felt his fingers fumble with the 4 buttons that were let to be undone on her top. “Aden, we’re outside in the pool! Anyone could see!”

“We’re in our pool, in our back yard. What are you scared of? If anyone wants to see, I’ll get them charged with trespassing.” He informed her, ignoring her unimpressed look and leaning in to kiss her. When Belle turned her head to the side, however, Aden went for her neck and happily peppered it with tingling kisses in the spots that he knew she couldn’t help but enjoy.

“And we’ll get charged for indecent exposure.” Belle argued softly, her arms tightening around his shoulders as he carried on with his pleasant torture. Aden didn’t give her a reply this time around, instead focusing on making his way up to her jaw line while reaching the last button on her shirt. He backed off to see her looking behind her at where Krissy still slept peacefully in her baby hammock, and then around to see if anyone was looking. Knowing that her stubbornness against the idea was waning, Aden undid the final button and ran his hands up her sides to her shoulders, intent on taking it off.

Belle looked back over at Aden as his hands paused on her shoulders. A smile formed on her lips as she took in the lust that shone in his eyes; something that she had no doubt was growing deeply in her own. Loosening her arms from around his neck, she glided them down the planes of his muscular torso, taking in every contour, be it from his fine form or from his operation. By the time she had reached his abdomen, her lips were already claiming his hungrily yet lovingly. She let go of his body as Aden slid the shirt off her, never parting from their clinch once, not even to see where the shirt that he had thrown to the side had landed.

Breaking away only in the need for air, Belle rested her forehead against his, the water from his hair dripping slowly onto hers. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her chest from where he had pulled her tightly to him the moment they had no other barrier between them.

“Take it all the way?” She whispered after a beat. Her fingers were already fiddling with the elastic of his boxers with her thumbs dipping in at the back teasingly.

“Up to you.” Aden murmured, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately before taking her bottom lip with his. Belle fought with everything inside of her as he ran his tongue over the edge of it and then slithering in to find hers. She gave him as good as she got, shortening their passionate and fiery embrace only when he pulled away as she began to push down on the one piece of clothing he had on.

“What are you scared of?” Belle repeated huskily. A smile began to spread across his face as he let his hand wander down from her back to her hips, fingers slipping under the edge of her own underwear. She gave him a challenging look as he ran his finger around the hem of it, smirking down at her slyly as she carried on inching his down.

It wasn’t long before Aden had made his decision after the table had turned onto him. Belle had known that baiting him would simply make him want her more, and soon, two more pieces of clothing ended up in the same direction as her shirt. And, once again, neither one seeing where it landed as they gave back in to each other, with the moon as their only witness, or so they hoped.

---

Hope it was worth the wait

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Sorry for the long wait once again. I haven't had the time to long on to the net in a while, but I did manage to get this written, though. If there are any mistakes, sorry again. It's what happens when you write it over a long period of time And with no spellchecker

Forgot to mention - Thanks to Laura for the idea... She knows what I mean!

Chapter 77:

“Aden, no. You’re going to make her sick.” Belle told him strictly as she entered the kitchen to see Aden lifting their 2 month old baby girl into the air repeatedly, having been rewarded by gleeful cooing and a toothless smile permanently on Krissy’s face at his actions that prompted him on.

“She’ll be fine.” Aden shrugged calmly, though stopping nonetheless at Belle’s dark glare. “She didn’t take the bottle.”

“She didn’t? Why not?” She asked him in concern, eyeing the discarded full bottle behind him on the counter.

“Dunno. Maybe she’s not hungry yet.” He informed her with a hint of sarcasm, nestling the little girl into his chest, holding her to him with both arms and swaying her gently. “Didn’t she wake up a bit later for her last feed?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Belle murmured, watching them carefully as if she would be able to deduce the cause of the problem simply like that.

“Something wrong?” Aden spoke up when he spotted her eyes on him.

“Nope. It’s all normal, right?” She replied, forcing a bright smile onto her face and walking over to where they were to drop a small kiss to back of Krissy’s head before leaning up to press one to his lips, allowing it to linger for a few seconds. “Shouldn’t you be heading off, like, now?”

“I can spare a couple of minutes. Looks like you might need it.” He added, nodding towards where Belle was retrieving several different fruits, and some milk, from the fridge to prepare her breakfast.

“Well, if someone had been kind enough to make some for me, I would have the time to take her off you.” Belle told him pointedly, letting the refrigerator door slam shut behind her after pushing it close with her elbow. “And I wouldn’t have to have my hands full with this instead. But no. Now that you have Krissy, I’ve been pushed into second place.”

“What can I say? I just love her more than you.” Aden said in a serious, yet cheeky, voice.

“Oh? Is that so?” She questioned him, raising an eyebrow at him over her shoulder where she failed to keep a small smile from tugging at her lips when she saw him peppering tiny kisses over one of the baby’s chubby cheek and the hand that she was attempting to grasp onto his face with. “You are so wrapped around her little finger. You know that, right?”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It will be when she’s 16 and begging for the most expensive pair of shoes you have ever seen to match the equally expensive dress for her first formal.” Belle pointed out matter-of-factly.

“There’s no formal for 16 year olds.” Aden said coolly as she nodded.

“There is when you’re dating an 18 year old.” She countered. Even with her back towards him, she could still tell that he was thinking through her words, unimpressed with her attempts to taunt him.

“Yeah, well, that’s something that we don’t have to worry about.” He replied with a voice that left no room for argument. “Not going to happen.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait 16 years and see.” Belle shrugged, a smirk playing on her lips that was still hidden from him.

“So,” Aden began casually. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Nice change of subject, there. You’re going to have to face it one day.” She laughed, finally turning to him briefly to see his non-expressional look as he continued to cuddle Krissy. “But, today, we’re going shopping.”

“For anything in particular?” He asked, coming to a stand next to her by the counter in the middle of the kitchen.

“Nope. Just a day out for baby and me.” Belle replied, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

“Sounds like fun.” He commented dryly, waiting for her to finish with what she was chopping so that he could swipe a piece of melon.

“Aden! What happened the last time that you took food from me when I was still preparing it?” She reminded him, stopping what she was doing for a moment as he slowly moved his hand away and tucked it closer to his body.

“Mummy cut Daddy’s hand open last time. It really hurt.” Aden whispered at a volume so that Belle could still hear to Krissy, who was more interested with the dark blue t-shirt that he wore and was clasping at difficultly.

“It was a small scratch.” Belle corrected him with a scoff.

“It didn’t stop bleeding for days!” He retorted, backing away from her slowly as he did so to return to where he had been standing before.

“Because you kept on poking at it and stopped it from healing.” She corrected him once again. Opening his mouth to retaliate, Aden was cut off when a small whimper escaped Krissy’s lips that threatened to escalate.

“Ok, ok, you have my attention, angel.” He hushed her, pulling her away from his body slightly and raising her up. “What’s wrong?”

“Maybe she’s hungry?” Belle suggested, clearing up with what she had used once she was done and passing them as she went over to the sink. The cries had already died away, with Aden continuously shushing her and rubbing her back.

“You hungry, baby? Here.” Aden offered her the cooling bottle of milk that still sat on the counter behind him, only for her to simply blink at it before looking away, uninterested. “Nope, not hungry.”

“Probably got bored then.” She said teasingly as he scowled back at her. “Nothing much to do when you’re just holding her there.”

“What else is she going to do, anyway? This keeps her happy.” He pointed out, cuddling the baby girl closer to himself.

“Well, as true as that may be, she definitely can’t go with you to uni.” Belle told him, setting down her breakfast onto the dining table before returning to where Aden was and laying her hands gently onto Krissy’s body. “C’mon, Daddy’s got to go now.” She murmured gently, lifting her away from Aden and into her own arms just as she began to cry again. “No, no, shh. It’s just me, sweetie.”

“Maybe she could go with me.” Aden chuckled as Belle attempted to quiet her down.

“Don’t you even dare to try it!” She warned him, shooting him a dark glare that transformed into a ghost of a smile when Krissy’s cries began to cease. “See? Time to go, babe. Everything‘s good here.”

“Sure?”

“Sure, sure.” Belle assured him, nodding with her words for emphasise.

“Alright.” Aden gave in, lacing his fingers through her hair and pulling her into a kiss, only backing away when the need for air began to burn his lungs. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yup.” She smiled as he skimmed a hand over Krissy’s head and pressing his lips to the top of it quickly. The little girl, however, didn‘t seem to phased to with gesture of affection as she continued to stare over her mother’s shoulder at nothingness. “You going to say bye to Daddy?”

“I guess not.” He sighed dramatically, dropping another kiss to her cheek which finally got her attention; turning her head in the same direction just as Aden left.

“You missed him, sweetie. He’s already gone, now.” Belle spoke to her in a low voice as the front door was slammed shut, though the sound was muffled when it travelled to the room that they were in. “But never mind, you still have me!”

Still holding her close in her arms, Belle walked over to where she had already set her breakfast and took a seat. Rearranging her hold on Krissy so that she could keep her close and still eat, she crossed her legs on the chair and lightly allowed the tiny feet to rest atop of her thigh to help her keep upright. She knew that she could have left her in her hammock, where Krissy would be more than happy, but Belle had no urge to leave the baby girl alone when she didn’t have to.

“Sorry, baby. This food isn’t for you yet.” She told her in a soft voice when Krissy’s small hand flailed towards where she had forked a segment of an orange into her mouth. Cries began to sound almost as soon as the food had disappeared and she had spoken, making her drop the utensil back into the bowl in front of her. “I’m sorry, honey. But trust me, when you can eat it all, you won’t want to.”

Rocking her gently against her body with both arms, Belle murmured small words of comfort in hope to relax the upset girl. When nothing seemed to work, she retracted a hand and carefully stroked Krissy’s cheek, circling her thumb closer to the side of her mouth. Her head moved automatically towards her mother’s motions, the crying decreasing into whimpers as her mouth instinctively sucked lightly on her largest digit.

“Oh, now you’re hungry? When your daddy tries to feed you, you’d rather play. But when Mummy wants to eat, you get hungry, huh?” She shook her head mockingly, forking another piece of fruit into her mouth before changing the way she held Krissy to cradle her as the cries began to sound once again. “Ok, ok, I hear you. You’re lucky I love you so much. There’s no-one else I’d give up my breakie for.”

---

“Ok, so let’s see,” Belle began as she laid Krissy down onto the changing mat that was already out on the floor in her nursery. She preferred it compared to the dressing table, especially when she was alone with her, mainly due to the lack of height and everything that could go wrong. Aden had told her that it was a bit over-obsessive but she didn’t care. It put her mind at ease, and her daughter didn’t seem to mind, so she carried on doing so. “What do you need to know?”

Carefully, as Krissy’s eyes were kept trained on her as she spoke to her, Belle unwrapped the fluffy white towel from around her small body. Although the room was pretty warm, with the sun shining in through the big window, Belle knew that the cooler feeling after having a bath and being smothered in a towel would affect her greatly.

“Alright, well, firstly, I know this is going to come as a shock to you, but Granddad Roman has a new girlfriend!” She gasped mockingly with a light giggle, working as quick as she could to get on her nappy before the small struggles turned into ones of anger, accompanied by crying. “Now, I know what you’re thinking. That your granddad is too old to have a new girlfriend, right? Well, I’m sorry to tell you, little miss, that you are wrong. He may be your granddad, but he’s not that old. Besides, him and Aunty Leah are very cute together.”

Whimpers began to sound from the baby’s pink lips just as Belle finished up with her diaper, making sure that it was done right and secure. Hushing her gently, she squeezed some baby lotion from the bottle next to her into her hand, rubbing it between her palms to make sure it wasn’t too cold before massaging it carefully over Krissy’s body, who still fussed around in discomfort.

“What’s wrong, huh? I didn’t mean they were as cute as you, sweetie! Never as cute as you! But we can’t stare, ok? Cos they’ll be working, so no funny business is allowed by them or us. I know it’s going to be hard, but that’s the rules. And no squealing, either, I’m afraid. I think we’ll just have to pretend like we don’t know…” Belle sighed, smiling when Krissy finally calmed down as she smoothed her hands over her arms. “That’s it, honey. You’ve got the hang of it already!”

Belle spoke happily, cleaning her hands on the discarded towel before pushing herself forwards a bit to reach over her baby girl for the baby grow that she had picked out for her. As she did so, Belle could feel Krissy’s tiny feet kick up against her chest while a hand came up to grab her necklace. Looking down as she backed away slowly, she took the locket out of her delicate hands tenderly before pressing a kiss to her miniature hand.

“Do you like that? Aunty Mattie gave it to Mummy for her 21st. It’s pretty, isn’t it?” Belle picked up the locket to glance down at with a free hand, the other holding onto Krissy’s arm as her feet jerked up and down. When she looked back over at her daughter, she couldn’t help but to let out a small laugh when she saw that her attention had already wandered to the ceiling. “You only liked it because it was shiny, didn’t you? I don’t blame you; you are only 2 months old, I guess. Just as long as your fascination with shiny things doesn’t escalate into an obsession like your Aunty Nicole, alright?”

Krissy’s bright blue eyes shone across at her mother as Belle began to dress her up in the pale pink all in one. Chosen by Aden, it had a small purple butterfly design up the left hand side and came with matching everything; something that had made Belle laugh when he had shown her. They already had enough clothes for her that fitted at that current moment, but neither one could restrain themselves at buying small things every now and again, which eventually led to an accumulation of clothes that would no longer fit within a matter of weeks.

“Speaking of your aunties, I’ve just remembered that Aunty Nicole and Uncle Geoff broke up. Again. So if they’re angsty with each other, you’ll know why. But I can’t see why they would be so mean with my gorgeous little baby around!” She informed her with a grin while picking her up to dress her easily, carrying on with filling her in with the latest gossip of Summer Bay as they prepared for an afternoon out. Laying Krissy back down onto the mat, she managed to pull both of her arms, finally, through the correct holes and started to button up the poppers on the suit. “And, according to Daddy, Joey came back to the Bay a couple of days ago.” Krissy let out a small gurgle at her words as Belle run her hands over her body to make sure that she was fully dressed properly. “I know it’s exciting, my baby, but we have to keep hush about that too. That includes around Charlie, too, ok? So no giving away that we know anything because Daddy’s bad at keeping little secrets nowadays.”

Sitting back from where she had been kneeling ahead slightly, Belle ran her eyes over Krissy’s form, watching as she tried to pull her foot towards her mouth in an instinctive manner. Reaching out, she caught the covered foot before it got too near; peppering kisses to the bottom of it to receive sounds of glee from her daughter at her actions. Looking back up at her, there was a small smile forming on her open mouth and Belle couldn’t help but the reciprocate it widely.

“Alright, looks like you’re all ready for a day out with Mummy!” She exclaimed, shaking her legs gently as they thrashed within her light grip and watching as she amused herself with nothing.

Letting out a content sigh and a giggle, Belle reached out to the side for her bag which had now transformed into a modern and chique changing bag. Glancing at Krissy every now and again, she rifled through it to make sure she had everything that would be necessary. The only thing that was missing were the bottles that were currently in the fridge, but she knew that she would grab them last.

“Have I forgotten anything, Krissy?” She asked her in a contemplative tone, knowing that she had everything that she needed in the bag, yet still felt as if she was missing something. Looking down at the quiet girl, a smirk pulled at her lips when she spotted her left bare hand in her mouth. Her eyes skimmed around her, lifting up a discarded towel to uncover the two little purple hand mitts that came with the suit.

As carefully as she could, Belle took a hold of one of her hands with the intent to place the small, soft items on. The arm, however, began to jerk almost as soon as she had managed to slide one on and not a second passed before Krissy began to whimper. Exhaling, Belle removed the mitten from her hand to see her fingers wriggling slowly, grasping at the air as she settled down once the restraint was gone.

“I guess we can do without that for now.” She murmured, putting them into the small pocket on the side of the bag, finally glad that the feeling of missing something was now gone. Slipping the strap up onto her shoulder, Belle gently lifted her daughter up from the floor in one smooth motion and into her arms. “Right, now let’s go before Mummy remembers something else!”

---

After successfully detaching the car seat from her car by herself, Belle shut the door behind her and locked it with ease. She hitched up her bag onto her shoulder as she made the short journey across a small footpath to the Diner, smiling to nobody when she looked down into the carrier to see Krissy happily laying there while sucking on her tiny thumb to keep her occupied.

The first thing that caught Belle's eye when she entered the building was, through the small flurry of school kids on a break that kept the workers busy, a certain someone who she hadn't spoken to in a few day sitting on the couch next to the counter.

Taking a look around, Belle walked up to the lone figure who seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Morning." She greeted him, not entirely surprised to receive no sort of acknowledgement in return. Sighing as she let a couple of seconds pass by, she placed the baby carrier in her hand down at the other end of the sofa before waving a hand in front of his face. "Geoff? Geoffrey..."

"Huh?" He snapped out of his world with a shock at the sight of his elder de facto sister standing in front of him. "Oh, hey, Belle."

"Everything ok?" She asked him politely though she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Geoff shrugged as Belle smoothly slid the carrier so that it was between them as she sat down. She didn't say a word as she shuffled to face him, an elbow resting on the back of the couch with the other hand undoing to strap on the carrier and loosening the blankets around Krissy.

"I dunno. That's what I was asking you..."

"I'm guessing you know."

"Yup." Belle nodded, not even asking to clarify as to what it was he was talking about specifically.

"Good. And before you ask; no, I don't wanna talk about it." Geoff carried on, finally turning his head to face her for longer than the period that he spoke to her for.

"Alright." She merely replied, continuing to feign nonchalance as she pulled out Krissy's teddy from her bag that she had set aside and began playing with her.

"We've broken up before. Just, this time, it's for real. No biggie. It's done." He told her, twisting his body slightly in towards her subconsciously.

"So, what? You decided that there was nothing better to do than laze around here?" Belle asked him with mocking intrigued that made him shrug again.

"Either here or at home."

"Let me guess. Irene threw you out to stop you from moping around?" She questioned him, knowing that that was exactly what the older woman would have done as she had experienced it firsthand herself.

"No. She asked me to work." Geoff informed her, a ghost of a smile carving his mouth when he heard happy coos emit from the baby in front of him, legs kicking lightly under the purple blanket that had a matching design to the suit that Krissy wore.

"And yet you're sitting here because...?"

"Because his long face was enough to drive away half of the customers." Another voice completed Belle's question before Geoff even got the chance to open his mouth to reply.

"That, I can see." She laughed up at the red haired woman, both of them pointedly ignoring Geoff's unimpressed look.

"So, darl, how's everything going?" Irene questioned her softly while leaning down to peer at Krissy, who simply gazed back at the new distraction, before she lifted her up out of her seat and into her arms. "Wow, missy, you just seem to be getting bigger and bigger every time I see you!"

"Maybe that's because you don't see her that often." Geoff commented in a bored tone while reaching out for a magazine and then slumping back into his seat, missing the two incredulous looks he was thrown.

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine today?" Belle retorted dryly, rolling her eyes over at Irene who had taken a seat in the armchair to her left.

"It's not just today." She commented with a small shake of the head as she held Krissy in her arms and accepted the toy that Belle handed over at her. "Anyway, how is everything? And everyone?"

"Everything and everyone is good." She nodded in reply. "Aden's off at uni again, so we're off to pick some stuff up for tomorrow. Including, hopefully, a cake?"

"I'm sure we can sort that out somehow. But, uh..." Irene paused for a second, glancing up at her quickly to see her quirk an eyebrow. "It's all a bit last minute, ain't it, love?"

"If I could, I'd leave it until tomorrow, Irene. Aden has a way of finding things that aren't meant to be found." Belle sighed while running a hand through her hair. "I don't even know where I'm going to hide them. It's not like I can bury it all in a drawer."

"If you tell me what it is, then maybe I could help!" She advised her as Belle giggled lightly.

"Not a chance. I'm not risking him finding out." Belle told her pointedly, knowing that she was making a big deal out of it all. "I'll find a way to keep them out of sight."

"Alright, then. What's the plan for tomorrow?"

"No plan, really. Aden's got uni in the morning, then he's going out with mates for a bit and then home." She informed her pseudo-mother with real nonchalance.

"That's it?" Irene asked in disbelief, still entertaining the baby girl in her arms who was slowly yawning and growing sleepy. "Darl, it's not really a great way to celebrate a birthday."

"Hey, it was his idea! I'm up for anything, but he didn't want to make a fuss. Not to mention Krissy, too."

"Well, I'd be more than happy to take this little one for a few hours if you two wanted to have some time to head out or something." She offered lightly, stopping with the teddy and playing as her eyelids began to flutter close.

"You're kidding me, right?" Belle chortled deep in throat when Irene sent her a confused look. "You really think that you're going to be able to get permission to take Krissy away from Aden on his birthday? Take me, and he'd be fine. Take his precious baby girl, and he'll be in a mood for the rest of the day."

"He's really smitten, isn't he?" Irene asked her with a hint of gushing.

"That's one way of putting it." She muttered in reply, recalling what she had told him earlier that morning.

"If that's the case, then how about you guys come over for dinner? We can have a small celebration of sorts." She suggested, continuing before the younger woman could say anything in response. "It wouldn't have to be for long, and we could invite Roman and Ni-" Irene broke off suddenly to shoot a small look over at Geoff, who, it had seemed, not heard a word that was passing in between the two of them. "Just a little something to mark the occasion. You could invite Justin too, if he's still around?"

"Yeah, he's here until the weekend." Belle nodded, knowing that this would probably be the last time to see him before he left for his next job. "Actually, it does sound like a good idea. I'm sure Aden would be fine with it too."

"Good, it's sorted then. Just let me know what Aden says and leave the rest to me!" Irene smiled happily before looking down at the girl in her arms. "Looks like all this excitement has worn this one out."

"Well, it'll make the drive to Yabbie Creek easier." She smirked, amused as Irene kept Krissy with her even though she was now fully asleep. "Hey, do you have any more plans for him?" Belle asked, jerking her thumb over at Geoff.

"Even if I did, I doubt they'd be done."

"Good." Belle smiled, reaching out a hand and clapping him on his shoulder with a bit of force. "Oi! You busy?"

"Not really..." Geoff replied in confusion.

"Excellent. You're going to come shopping with us."

"Well, actually-" He hurriedly tried to correct himself though Belle cut him off before another word could come out.

"No, no. You said you're free, and I need the extra hands." She decided for him, ending any sort of argument that would have came from him. Geoff merely let out a heavy sigh, throwing the magazine that he had been reading onto the small table in front of him and pushed himself off the couch.

"Are we going now?"

"Looks like it." Belle replied, sharing an amused look with Irene who had strapped Krissy back into her car seat and was now covering her lightly with her blanket. "I'll see you later, Irene."

"See ya, love. Have fun." They shared a brief hug after Belle had handed over her bag and the teddy to Geoff so that she could carrying her daughter easier. "Thank you for this."

"No problem." She laughed, knowing that Irene's hushed words were about her taking Geoff with her.

"C'mon." She said happily while poking the boy in his back to make him walk. "If you're good, I'll even buy you lunch."

"Oh, why didn't you mention that before? Food!" Geoff remarked sarcastically as they left the diner.

"What's with the sudden surge of sarcasm, Geoffrey?"

"What's with calling me 'Geoffrey' all of a sudden?" He retorted, making Belle's lips kick up in a semi-smirk.

"Nothing. Didn't know calling you by your name was a bad thing." She told him as they approached the car. "I'll stick to Geoff."

"Yeah, good idea." He agreed, muttering the words.

"Ok, seriously, Geoff. If you don't want to talk about it, then stop being so dark and gloomy about it. If you do wanna talk about it, though, I'm right here." Belle told him straightforwardly where they both paused in their journey. When Geoff didn't reply, but simply exhaled deeply and tucked his hands into his pockets, she knew that he had given in. "Good. Now let's get going."

---

"Oh my God." The soft exclamation reached his ears as soon as he stepped through the door and into their house. He only had had a single beer, regardless of the fact that the people who he had been with had insisted on buying him more for a birthday drink. Yet still, even after being sober enough to drive home perfectly in control like ever, he was worried that he was hearing things.

"Were you talking to me, Belle? Cos I have been known to have God-like abilities." He remarked with a smirk that she couldn't see when he realised that she was in the next room.

"Aden?" She called out in confusion, appearing in the threshold just as he shut the front door and turned to face her. There was a wide grin on her face and a twinkle in her eyes as she hurried over to him, talking with a childlike excitement. "Aden! I have a surprise for you!"

"Is it a naked kind of surprise? They're the best..." Aden suggested while she continued tug him into the kitchen without another word. "I'll take that as a 'no' then."

"It's better than that!" Belle insisted as they entered the room. They paused on the other side of the island in the middle where she spun to look at him. "Happy birthday!"

"Is that what the smell is? It's nice." Aden answered with a furrowed brow, clearly not sure with what was going on.

"I know! Great, huh?" She asked him in a chirpy voice that made him look at her oddly.

"Belle, you alright? You didn't drink some Russian water instead of the normal stuff, did you?" He questioned her seriously yet with a hint of teasing as she rolled her eyes and grabbed onto his hand once again. "Or have some coffee? It's known to mess with you if you haven't had it in almost a year."

"It's been a year already?" Belle mused loudly before shaking her head and leading him closer to the tray that still sat on the counter. "Besides the point. The point is, however, I made you a birthday cake! Or 12, rather."

"They're not cakes, sweetheart." Aden pointed out as he spied the chocolate treats in front of him.

"Cupcakes. Slight technicality that no-one cares about." She brushed aside with a wave of the hand.

"Why are there 12?"

"Cos I didn't know how they would turn out. Well, taking into account last year's disaster, I thought I'd try a smaller version. Then I realised that my mistake was timing last time, so I thought I’d experiment with the timings, but when I took the first one out, voila! It was done and tasted great! I had 12 left to do, so I put them all in together. And it gave me time to make and put on the frosting!” Belle finished off her explanation with a huge smile, obviously happy with herself for having done something right. “Amazing, huh?”

“You could say that.” He replied, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

“How proud of me are you?” She asked him with a rare hint of arrogance that made him chuckle before sobering up to answer her.

“Very, babe. Very much so.” Aden said while looping an arm around her waist. “But what do we do with them now?”

“Eat them, I guess.” Belle told him; contemplation written all over her face that soon vanished as a thought struck her. “If we stick two candles into all but one, then it’ll be perfect!”

“And the 12th?”

“Eat it, too. Here. Try it.” She reached forwards to pick up the closest chocolate cupcake and held it towards him expectantly. When he failed to take it, and when his smile died down a small bit, Belle frowned in confusion.

“Uh… You first?” Aden said, trying to be as tactful as he could. His attempts had clearly not worked when she pulled away from him, all sense of happiness gone as she turn away from him slightly.

“Fine. Krissy‘s sleeping upstairs. Go check on her.”

“No, no, no! I was just teasing you, Belle. I’ll have it.” He quickly amended, reaching out for her even as she tried to brush him away.

“No. Forget it now. I spend the past hour or so slaving away in the kitchen for you, and you don’t even appreciate it.” She huffed childishly, crossing her arms as she reluctantly allow him to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

“I do appreciate it! I do! Honestly. Look” Aden insisted. Keeping one arm locked around her shoulders, he swiped a finger over the top of one of the cupcakes before inserting it into his mouth. “Yum!”

“Sure.” Belle commented blankly, although her stance relaxed slightly against him as she let her arms loosen. “Have the cake part of it now, too.”

“Alright. I mean, you said you had one already. And you don’t look like you’re at death’s door.” He justified while faltering a bit, though a tone of humour lined his words as she looked up at him incredulously. Letting out an inaudible sigh, Aden broke off a piece of the chocolate treat, if it could be called that, and carefully ate it. Raising an impressed eyebrow at her that made her smile happily back at him, he began to break off another piece, only to pause when he reached the soft centre of the cake. “Um… Is it meant to be like this?”

“No, of course it’s not meant to be like that!” Belle replied after a second‘s pause. A miniscule pout had appeared from her smile as she hit him gently on his chest at his attempt to stifle a laugh. “I can’t make a simple cake, Aden. How am I meant to be able to make a cupcake with filling?”

“It still looks nice.” He tried, seriousness coming back to him once he took in her disappointed look.

“Just leave it. I’ll throw them out.” She sighed, resting her head against his shoulder in an act of giving up.

“No! I’ll have them.” He hesitantly insisted. It was clear that his tone didn’t do anything to fool Belle as she leant away from him to shoot him a look of disbelief.

“Aden, you really will get food poisoning from them if you do.” She warned him.

“Nah. I’ve had cake batter before.” Quickly dismissing her words, he dipped a finger into the warm, sticky goo and ate it before Belle could say another word. “It’s not too bad. Chocolaty.”

“I think I put too much in. It was enough for me, so you know…” She admitted, thinking out loud as she did so. Shaking her head gently, a smile kicked up the corners of her mouth while she let out a deep breath and leant back into his chest. “Aden, stop it. You’ll make yourself ill.”

“They’re nice.”

“I got that already!” Belle laughed, pulling his hand away from where he was reaching out towards the crumpled cupcake once again. “Ok, really, honey. You’ve made your point. You appreciate it. Now stop! Please?”

“Fine. But only cos you said so.” Aden replied. He kept his small sigh of relief to himself as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders to hold her tightly. They fell into a bout of silence that was only broken when Belle turned her face inwards towards his body and giggled lightly.

“I can’t believe you would have ate them all.” She murmured into his neck.

“Better believe it, sweetheart. I’d do anything for you.” His earnest words earned him another incredulous look, although this time it was accompanied with a sly smile that he could only reciprocate.

“Even eat my crappy cakes and food?” Belle asked him sweetly, backing away to look up at him.

“Even that, if I had to.” Aden nodded, dropping his hands to her waist as her arms came up languidly to rest loop around his neck.

“What did I do to deserve you, huh?” She sighed happily while a faux confused look passed his across his face.

“What? You mean apart from serve me half-done and poisonous food?” He taunted her with a chuckle. “Dunno how anyone could keep away!”

“Yeah, I can’t either.” Belle agreed, fighting to keep the smile off her face while pushing herself up onto her toes to give a long and deep kiss. “I love you. And for the record, they’re not really poisonous, but I am sorry for ruining them.”

“Don’t worry about it. They do actually taste great.” Aden told her as she fell back to the flats of her feet with her hands trailing halfway down his chest.

“Maybe I could stick them back into the oven for a bit to bake again?” She thought out loud, eyes landing onto the tray where the cupcakes were still lined up bar one.

“Not with the frosting on it, babe. It wouldn’t be worth it.” A wince accompanied his words as he thought about the mess and horror that that situation would most probably create.

“Ooh, yeah. Forgot about that.” Belle muttered in realisation, biting on the inside of her cheek as she struggled to think of any other way to remedy her mistake.

“Hey,” Aden’s voice broke her out of her thoughts, making her turn back to face him. “I love you. And thank you for the effort. And, um… You were serious about the no more cupcakes, right? Cos, I love them and all, but it’s a bit too strong for me.”

“Hmm… I’ll let you off.” She told him after pretending to think about it. “But only cos it’s your birthday.”

---

“Hey! Looking good!” Aden grinned as he entered their bedroom to spot her by the vanity table, picking out some earrings to match her casual dress.

“Just ‘good’? Well, I guess it’s better then last time.” She replied dryly, not bothering to look at him either directly or via the mirror in front of him. She could hear the small gurgles of a 2 month old that Aden was keeping an eye on as he sat on the bed.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I said ‘pregnant’!” He exclaimed, making her scoff as she walked over towards the bathroom.

“You said ‘fat’.”

“No, you said fat. I said ‘pregnant’.” Aden insisted. She took a step back so that he appeared in her line of view when she turned to him momentarily. His attention had been focused on laying Krissy down onto the bed next to him, dressed in a simple white suit, that he missed her looking at them.

“Either way, that was certainly not the response I was looking for.”

“Right, so, for curiosity’s sake, and future reference, when you say ‘I look fat’, I’m supposed to say…?” His voice came through into the bathroom as she got back to getting ready for heading out to Irene’s for dinner.

“For starters, not ‘you are fat-’” Belle began, only to be cut off with an exasperated growl.

“I said ‘pregnant’!”

“Do you really think that makes much of a difference?” She countered, to which he had no reply to. “What you should say to an 8 month pregnant woman with your child is, ‘you look gorgeous , honey. No-one would be able to tell you’re even pregnant.”

“Which would have been a blatant lie that you would have yelled at me about.” Aden carried on without missing a beat.

“No, I wouldn’t have.”

“Yes, you would have.” He stated plainly. “I know when there’s no winning with you.”

“There is if you used your head every once in a while.” Belle muttered just loud enough for the acoustics in the bathroom to make them audible for him to hear.

“Fine, I’ll remember that for next time.” Aden gave in with a roll of the eyes that she couldn‘t see. Silence followed when Belle didn‘t bother to reply to his words. “Besides,” He started slowly, capturing her attention with his sly tone. “I thought you didn’t like being so skinny? Or what it that you wanted a ‘rounded’ body? I can’t remember exactly. But that was you, right?” His words, filled with fake sincerity, made her pause with what she was doing, going through her memories to see if she could recall ever telling him that.

“You read my diary?” Belle asked him in disbelief, moving to the doorway of the bathroom and crossing her arms.

“Yup. Got to say, you must have been the most angriest 13 year old girl I’ve ever known.” He told her straightforwardly that simply made her glare at him before shaking her head minutely.

“Why-?”

“Why I read it? Cos you gave it to me-” He cut her off nonchalantly, only for her to do the same to him.

“I was going to say, why now? I gave it to you ages ago.” She corrected him, curiosity clear in her voice.

“Cos I got bored one night, and there was nothing to read.” Aden shrugged before resting his elbows on the bed behind him and leaning back, causing Belle to swallow discretely at the sight of his black shirt pulling tight across his chest.

“How about your uni stuff?” She managed to ask him finally.

“I doubt a 2 month old would appreciate that.”

“You read it to our daughter?!” Belle questioned him in shock.

“Relax, Belle. It’s not like she understands. I just thought it would be good to get some insight into what to expect if she takes after you.” He dismissed with smirk, reaching across to the baby girl who was happily keeping herself entertained with the corner of her blanket in her mouth. Removing it gently, Aden allowed her to grip onto his little finger to keep her happy just in time to stop her from crying. “Hey, did you really dye your hair blue on accident?”

“Oh, God.” Belle whispered, cringing slightly at the memory. “I actually managed to forget about that.”

“How does that happen, exactly?”

“It’s a long story.” She replied, her tone heavily hinting for him to let it go.

“We have time.” Aden carried on, chuckling silently as she gave him a dark look while walking into the room.

“No, we don’t.”

“Please? It’s my birthday.” He asked, saccharinely.

“No.” Belle answered blankly.

“Please?”

“No.”

“Pretty please?” Aden tried again, knowing that his pestering would either annoy her to no end or break her. He hoped for the latter considering that they had to go out soon and having the silent treatment wouldn’t make it easy.

“Nope.” She repeated dryly.

“C’mon! I ate them cakes, remember?” He stated, looking over his shoulder towards where Belle was sorting out her bag.

“So? You wanted to!” She reminded him, turning to face him as he turned back to Krissy.

“I thought we didn’t keep secrets from each other?” Aden said with a saddened tone that made her inhale deeply. She stood still and closed her eyes before reaching up a hand to rub her temple slowly as if even thinking about the past gave her headache.

“You‘re going to laugh.” Belle told him.

“I won‘t.” He promised, smiling over at her as she stepped closer to where the two of them were.

“I was young and I was rebelling against my very strict parents.” She began, letting out a tiresome sigh and taking a seat on the other side of where Krissy lay. “I thought I’d be clever and scare them by dying my hair blue with those wash-out dye things. But, it turned out, my ex-best friend was illiterate so it ended up being semi-permanent instead of non-permanent. I was grounded for about a year.”

“Seriously?” Aden asked her in awe, glancing up at her quickly from where he had turned his body inwards to face her and make it easier to play with his daughter.

“Well, no. But it felt like it.”

“Hold on.” He sat up a bit straighter and looked at her with a bout of confusion that made her a bit wary of what his next words were going to be. “Why didn’t you read it before you used it?”

“I was 14! I just assumed it was what I thought it was.” Belle tried to defend herself, only for Aden to snort in laughter as he tried to keep to his promise. “I knew you’d laugh!”

“I’m not laughing! I’m just… Smiling. Loudly.” He retorted, failing in trying to keep quiet as Belle got up and slapped his lightly across his head as she passed him.

“Whatever. Don’t even know why I married you sometimes.” She murmured loud enough so that he could hear her while rounding the bed and crouching down by the bedside table.

“Cos I knocked you up.” Aden replied matter-of-factly.

“Ha ha.” Belle’s words were dry and a bit muted as she shuffled around with one arm under the bed to look for something. “You are such a catch.”

“Oh, I know.” He answered with his typical arrogance. “What are you doing?”

“Hold on a second.” She told him instead, leaning away from the bed and opening the bottom drawer of the bedside table. Fishing out what she was looking for, she got to her feet and headed back towards Aden.

“What’s this?” He asked, eyeing the medium sized rectangular and flat item in one of her hands, and another small box in her other; both wrapped up neatly in wrapping paper.

“They’re called presents. Birthday presents, to be precise. I was meant to give it to you earlier, but there‘s been no time until now.” Belle informed him politely, adding a smirk after a while. “You didn’t think I’d forget to get you something, did you?”

“No, I guess not.” Aden said slowly. “I never really expected anything.”

“Yes, well, that’s the beauty in giving presents. The surprise makes it better.” She teased him, handing over the two items to him and taking her place back on the bed. With both his hands needed to hold them, Aden retracted his finger from Krissy’s grip, making her whimper in upset. Before she could begin to cry, Belle lifted her up carefully into her arms, rocking her for a mere second before she settled down. “Are you going to open them then?”

“Yeah, of course. Which one first?”

“Up to you.” Belle shrugged lightly. “The small one’s from Krissy and the big one’s from me, if that helps?”

“I think it does.” Aden smiled, putting aside the larger gift to focus on the small one. It was wrapped in shiny gold paper with more golden ribbons curled and stuck to the top of it. He could tell by a simple glance that it was Belle’s doing.

“Thought as much.”

“So, angel, you gong to give me a hint as to what’s in here?” He held out the present close to her, and he could spot her eyes becoming mesmerised by the new object. With her tiny hand trying to reach out for it and grasp onto it, he brought it back to him to the great distress of Krissy.

“Uh oh. You shouldn’t have done that!” Belle giggled as the baby girl’s face scrunched up and began to wail. “She’s got this new fascination with shiny things.”

“Could have done with that info a minute ago, Belle.” Aden laughed, pulling off a piece of the ribbon and letting it hover above Krissy to hopefully quieten her.

“Sorry. Here, give me that.” Without waiting another second, she took the ribbon out of his hands and lopped it around her finger. Slowly, she let it linger over Krissy’s hand before gently stroking it against the inside of her palm. It didn’t take long before her crying came to a halt. “See? Problem resolved.”

“That was good.” He grinned, running his free hand over his daughter’s head as she occupied herself with the ribbon that hung from Belle’s finger and was just about in her reach now.

“I know.” She mimicked his looked with a smile gracing her features too before nodding at the present in his hands. “You going to open that any time soon?”

“Right. Forgot.” Twirling the object around in his hand, Aden pulled off the rest of the ribbons with one easy motion before getting started on the wrapping. It didn't take long to rip it off, though he tried to do it as carefully as he could. Inside was a black box, one that he immediately recognised as a jewellery box. "Belle..."

"What? It was her choice." She said innocently, holding Krissy up a bit more to show him who she meant. "Open it?"

"It's amazing how much babies earn these days." He remarked while trying to find the side where the box would open.

"Tell me about it." Belle agreed with a silent laugh just as he managed to find the edge to open it. There, sitting in the middle of the black velvet lining, was a ring. It was a similar size to the one that he wore on his index finger, only with raised silver sides and a black path in between them. Right in the centre of it was a simple, stud diamond that gleamed in the lights. "Well?"

"Wow."

"Does that mean you like it?" Belle asked him as he looked up at her with a grin.

"Yeah, babe, I like it." Aden answered her, placing a hand tenderly on her cheek and leaning in to kiss her passionately. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She nodded as he pulled away. "Though it's not really me you should be thanking."

"Oh, right. Of course." He chuckled, leaning down to press a delicate kiss to Krissy's cheek and then her hand that he managed to get a hold of. "Thank you, baby. Daddy loves it."

"She also says that you're welcome, and asks whether you're going to put it on any time soon." Belle informed him, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"A bit rude, ain't that? What if I don't want to wear it?"

"What, after you just said you loved it?" Belle retorted sceptically. Aden dropped Krissy's hand to enable himself to pick the ring out of the box.

"What's this inside?" Aden questioned her as the inside of the ring caught his eye.

"Just a bit of information in case you ever forgot." She replied earnestly. Aden squinted a bit and tilted the jewellery until the inside of it was shining in the room's light. The engraving was in the familiar script that was used on their wedding rings, and Belle's engagement ring. And like them rings, this one also stated initials, a date and a time.

"'SKJ'? Who's that?" His playing dumb only earned him a deathly glare, which is pointedly ignored while trying on the ring on every finger to see where it fit.

“It’s the same size as the wedding ring.” Belle informed him. “I didn’t know the size, so I got it made to the same one.”

“Perfect fit then.” Aden said, sliding it onto the fourth finger of his right hand.

“Good. Cos getting it resized would have been hard.” She laughed before pulling across the other present that he had laid to the side quickly. “This one’s not really much of a present-”

“Can I see it first?” He cut her off. Shutting her mouth, Belle nodded and Aden impatiently ripped off the wrapping with little care. It didn’t take long at all, and once he turned it around and upside down, it became clear what it was.

“I was thinking we could hang it on the wall in here. Or the nursery.” Belle said, watching as his eyes roamed the canvas that he held, waiting for a response. “Or maybe downstairs, if you wanted to? Aden?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” He murmured, tracing his fingertips over the greyscale photo with a featherlike touch, a soft smile appearing on his face as he took in the image. It was one of many that Belle had snapped of him playing with Krissy only a couple of weeks beforehand. Even though there must have been hundreds of other photos with the same type of picture, the black and white of this one simply made it better.

“I’m going to take that silence as a good thing.” Belle spoke up after a moment, smirking as Aden chuckled and placed the canvas to the side and turned back to her.

“Definitely a good thing.” He winked at her before leaning in to kiss her once again, parting only when the other person in the room started to whimper at the lack of attention that she was now getting from both her parents. “Hmm… I think she’s trying to hint something.”

“Yeah, that we’re going to be late for your birthday dinner if we don’t get going.” Belle replied smartly, making him groan and back away out of her personal space so not to get tempted to carry on. “Here, you take Krissy and put her into her car seat while I go and get her bag.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Aden quipped while accepting the baby from her along with her roll of the eyes and small giggle as she stood up.

“Seriously. A great catch.” She retorted dryly, to which he merely flashed a cheeky smile while ignoring her words.

“Right, c’mon then, gorgeous. Off to Nana’s we go.” He had barely reached the door when Krissy began to cry once again. Slowing down, Aden repositioned her to hold her upright and shushing her lovingly. “You’re not supposed to cry when we go to Nana’s! You cry when we go to Grandma’s.”

“Oi!” Belle’s unexpected yell reached his ears as she followed him a good few feet behind, making him wince. “Don’t tell her that! Mum’ll never give her back if she thinks we’re turning her against her.”

“And here I was thinking you were upset because I offended your mother.” Aden teased, hurriedly making his way down the hallway as Belle headed for the nursery. A sheepish look passed her pretty features at his words, making him laughing mirthfully before he disappeared down the stairs to hopefully settle the girl in his arms.

---

The awkwardness had finally became too hard for him to ignore when the conversation that him and Nicole had been having turned towards something to do with Geoff. Neither one took it any further to ask him, but the silence that they met only made his presence more obvious.

The three of them were sitting in the front room of the beach house, with Aden and Nicole on the couch, and Geoff on the floor by the lounger as he played with Krissy. Irene and Roman were busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner, while Belle was giving Annie a mini session of girl talk in her room.

They had only arrived at the house 20 minutes previously to find the place rather tense. Annie and Geoff had both been in their rooms, both having relationship problems. Belle had immediately offered to talk to Annie, but Aden had instantly knocked any ideas that she might had been having about him talking to Geoff about his break-up. Thankfully, Roman and Nicole had arrived soon after, so he had something to do. Though, both him and Belle knew, that he'd rather do nothing than help out Geoff right then.

The quietness had now almost got him to the point of giving up on his subtle attempts of beating around the bush about the break up when the patter of footsteps came down the stairs.

"Thank God." He murmured. It had been loud enough for the blonde next to him to hear as she punched him on the arm. "What?"

"What's going on?" Belle asked as they joined them, sitting on the arm of the couch next to him while Annie went over to where Geoff was to play with their niece.

"Nothing." Aden sighed. "Everything sorted? I had a backup plan if the ‘big sis Belle’ one didn't work."

"It's sorted." She nodded, looking over at Annie to await confirmation.

"Yeah, everything's good." She agreed with a smile.

"Awesome." Aden commented.

"What was the plan?" Annie asked him, beating the others to it. Aden grinned cheekily at her that told them all that would probably not have been a good idea.

"Alcohol. And lots of it."

"Aden, she's not 18 yet." Belle reminded him matter-of-factly and pointedly even as Annie giggled lightly, obviously assuming that he had been joking.

"So?" He scoffed. "It's not like anyone really waits until 18 to drink." Belle merely gave him an unimpressed look at his words, though none of the other's said a word against him. "In fact, I know of an incident that happened when you were 15 and included a lot of alcohol and nudi-"

"Ok!" Slapping a hand over his mouth as quickly as she could, Belle laughed a bit nervously at the fact that he had read such information. "No-one needs to hear about that."

"I disagree." Nicole interrupted, adding her first bit their conversation. "Tell us more, Aden."

"I don't think so." Belle hurriedly said, eyes jumping from her husband to his best friend and finally to her foster siblings and her daughter before letting them fall to the side. "It was a long time ago, alright?"

"Even more reason to tell us." Annie said, her voice and words innocent though Belle hugely doubted they were.

"No!" She exclaimed. "I was stupid and naive."

"And no doubt embarrassed if it includes being naked." Nicole smirk as Aden laughed quietly, making her finally remove her hand from him before he bit her.

“You be quiet otherwise you’re not going to have a home to go to tonight.” Belle quickly snapped at Aden as he opened his mouth to reply to the blonde’s words.

“He can stay at ours.” She dismissed with an airy wave before turning back to the guy in the middle of them. “C’mon, give us some stuff that we haven’t heard before about mamma over there.”

“I don’t think it’s worth the risk…” Aden replied slowly, leaning away from Belle and dropping his voice so that it was only audible to Nicole. “I‘ll tell you other time.”

“Oh, me too, please!” Annie added, obviously having heard what he had said from her place on the floor in front of Nicole. Earning herself a couple of warning and deathly glares, a guilty look covered her face as she hurriedly turned her attention back to entertaining a tiresome Krissy.

“No-one’s telling anyone, anything.” Belle stated, eyeing Aden pointedly, who held up his hands and finally gave in.

“When did you become such a spoilsport?” Nicole huffed, sinking into her seat as boredom overtook her again.

“When you all started to talk about my private life.” She answered. Her head snapped to her left when a motion outside the double doors caught her eye. “Hey, look who’s here!”

“Don’t change the subject.” Nicole told her as Belle stood up and went to open the door, ignoring her.

“Justin.” Belle welcomed him cheerfully, causing him to look at her suspiciously. “Never been happier to see you.”

“Why…?” He asked apprehensively, tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans to retain a casual posture while stepping into the house.

“Cos we’re hungry.” She said dryly, making him smirk and shrug slowly.

“Sorry. Ran into someone.” The wink that followed, almost identical to the one that Aden had given her less than an hour beforehand, didn’t leave much to be debated about what kind of ‘someone’ that was.

“I’m sure you did.” Belle murmured while closing the door behind him.

“Hey. Happy birthday, bro.” Justin greeted him, shaking his hand briefly even as his eyes flitted over the girl sitting next to him and back again.

“Thanks.” Aden replied, laughing, clearly not missing the travelling eyes.

“Nicole. Good to see you.”

“Wish I could say the same about you.” She retorted, a fixed stubborn look on her face as Justin simply flashed her a bright smile nonetheless.

“And as pleasant as ever.” He added, squatting down by Krissy and stroking a finger down her cheek lightly. “Kids.” Nodding at the two Campbell siblings, he managed to get a timid smile from Annie, and an unimpressed look from Geoff. “Hey there, beautif-” The last word was nearly out of his mouth when he was cut off by her whimpers that grew into cries in no time. “What?”

“She doesn’t like you… Maybe?” Annie supplied, turning her statement into a question out of politeness and a bit of awkwardness.

“Wouldn’t blame her.” Nicole muttered as Justin tried to comfort her without much success.

“She’s probably just tired.” Aden countered, leaning forwards with the intent of getting up to take her when Belle placed a hand on his shoulder to beat him to it.

“I’ll take her.” She insisted, already lifting her up as Geoff stood up and walked away towards the kitchen while Justin simply got up too. “Hey, shush, baby. Did naughty Uncle Justin make you cry?”

“At least she’s learning early.” Nicole commented wryly, causing both Justin and Aden to laugh, to which she scowled at the unexpected reaction.

“C’mon. Let’s go see if Nana set up that little cot for you in Mummy’s old room.” Belle spoke in a low voice to her still upset daughter while making her way to the room under the stairs.

“It should be up and ready, love.” Irene’s voice made her paused momentarily as she reached the doorway, throwing her a smile over her shoulder.

“Thanks, Irene.”

“Right, now that we’re all here,” She looked directly at Justin in a silent method of chastising as she came to a stop by the end of the couch where Nicole sat. “I think it’s time we all finally ate. And the table isn‘t going to set itself.”

“Of course, Irene.” Justin was the first and only one to reply, causing Irene to stop in her tracks to look at him sceptically. “A pleasure as always by the way.”

“Oh, please. That didn’t work with this one over here, and it sure heck won’t work with you.” Irene told him, jabbing a thumb over to Aden and then pointing towards him. “Now, move your backsides. The food’s getting cold and we have a birthday to celebrate.”

“Ok…” Turning to his brother as he stood up, a confused and disappointed look appeared on his face. “What’s with everyone tonight? First Belle‘s scarily cheery with me, then Nicole… Well, Nicole’s always a bit cold, but the little chick cried, and you know she never cries with me, and now Irene. Did someone die?”

“Not that I can recall of.“ Aden replied with a fake seriousness that soon split as he smiled wide and clapped him on the shoulder. “Maybe it’s just you, mate.”

“What?” Justin asked in confusion, a frown forming on his forehead as he thought about it. It didn’t last long; a simple shrug of the shoulders to clear his mind and mood easily. “Nah, as if.”

---

With light talk and a lot of laughter, dinner had been a fun, though long, affair. The only odd this out had been the unusual quietness coming from Belle’s left hand side where Justin sat. No-one had commented on it, and she was pretty sure that she had been the only one who had noticed his occasional smirk that he had tried to hide. She wasn’t sure why, but it had gotten her curious.

So when Roman and Irene got up to clear the table with the warning to the rest of them not to move, she inconspicuously leaned over towards him as Aden began a conversation with Annie while the other two remaining at the table sat silently.

“Why are you so quiet tonight?” Belle questioned him, waiting until she saw him chuckle lightly out of the corner of her eyes until she turned to face him.

“I was hungry.” Justin replied coolly.

“Is that speak for something, or is that the truth?” She asked him, unnerved. “Because it doesn’t really speak much for your state of mind when you smirk at your food.”

“You’ve been looking too close, Mrs. Jeffries.” He tutted her, a sly tone underlying his words that made Belle bite back a smile. “Can’t say I blame you though. But you may want to keep it on the d-l with Aden sitting right there.”

“I’ll try my best to control myself.” Belle answered dryly before speaking normally once again. “You didn’t answer my question though.”

“It was the truth.” Justin told her easily. “I was hungry.”

“Hmm…”

“What?” He asked, his voice low so not to draw attention. At Belle’s blank expression and raised hands in surrender, he sighed and rolled his eyes. “Alright, you’ve beaten it out of it. I was trying to, you know… What do they call it?”

“Call what?” Belle prompted him as he tried to rack his brain for a certain word or phrase.

“When you keep a comment or opinion to yourself.” He muttered a second before his eyes lit up and he slumped back in his chair with a grin. “Got it! Bite my tongue.”

“Wow, I never thought I’d see the day.” She teased him. “So what brought on this sudden onset of table manners?”

“I have manners!” Justin insisted, scoffing lightly at her.

“So I see.” Belle agreed, gigging. “Just don’t change too fast. We might not be able to keep up.”

“You know you love my real self.” He whispered, a smirk curving up his lips. Opening her mouth to shoot down his assumption, Belle was beaten by sudden, loud crying emitting from her old bedroom. “She agrees.”

“You wish.” She merely replied before turning to Aden, who had broken out of his conversation with Annie to look at her with confusion. It hadn’t been long enough for Krissy to have become hungry again, or to be changed.

“She probably just needs to be settled again.” Aden answered their unasked question, and just as he began to push back his chair, two voices jumped in to stop him.

“I’ll get her.” They had been the first words spoken by Nicole and Geoff since the elders of the table had left to prepare the cake. Freezing as they heard each other’s voice saying the same words as their own, neither one moved even as Krissy continued to cry.

“Can I get her?” Annie asked the two parents instead, both of whom agreed. She hurriedly got up and was in the other room in a few seconds. A little moment later, with a few hushes and some louder baby talk, Krissy’s cries had died down into whimpers that signified a job well down by the teenager.

“So…” Justin spoke up to break the silence they had fallen into. “Trouble in paradise, or something?”

“What happened to biting your tongue?” Belle asked him immediately as Geoff sat up straighter in his seat with some tension.

“I got bored of it. No-one got anywhere being nice.” He shrugged, sharing a smile with only Aden, who pretended to take a sip of water to hide his own grin, before turning to the two in question. “So…?”

“Something like that.” Nicole answered, feigning disinterest as she picked at her cuticles.

“We broke up, actually.” Geoff, as always, corrected him so that they were all on the same page.

“I see.” Justin murmured thoughtfully as the blonde girl finally faced him briefly.

“And that’s all you’re going to see, if you catch my drift.” She told him in a low, threatening voice.

“Sure. Though your presumptions are very much wrong.”

“Really?” Nicole asked in fake shock. “So you don’t go around chasing everything and anything in a skirt with a pulse?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say anything.” Justin replied slowly. “Besides, with the way the town gossip mill works around here, I’m not sure that you’re one to talk.”

“Wha-?” She began to argue, her face growing largely into the same tint and shape as a tomato as fury overtook her.

“Let’s not talk about this.” Aden quickly cut her off, earning himself surprised glances from almost everyone around. “Hey, her dad’s in the next room. If you really want to go down this road, then it’s your funeral, mate.”

“Plus, I’d really be fine with the lack of insight in your private lives.” Belle added with a hidden shudder. The subject was then let alone, with the sounds of plates and cutlery disrupting the silence until, once again, Justin broke it.

“So, Nicole,” He started, avoiding eye contact with anyone as he leant his arms forwards on the table as he paused, making the rest of them wary slightly. “How’s your mother doing?”

Everyone froze at his words until Aden began to cough slightly at the water that he had obviously choked on while trying to hide his laughter. Still nonchalant, Justin’s eyes wandered around the table as Nicole simply stared back at him, the red returning to her face as she did her best to not let him play her and Belle covered her face with a hand.

“I’m go-going to check on Annie.” Geoff managed to stutter out a split second later, jumping out of his seat and towards the room opposite the bathroom as quickly as he could. It was only then that Irene re-entered the room with a suspicious look on her face.

“What’s going on?”

---

Hope it was worth the wait, and sorry for the length. Only 3 more chapters left of this though so a lot to get in...!

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Thank you all for the lovely comments, and the well wishes. You have no idea how much I appreciate them. Sorry for the long wait, once again. Hopefully, the next one won't take such as long, though I wouldn't hold my breath on that. And also, hopefully, this chapter will make up for it...

Major thanks to Laura for proofing this chapter! And everyone else who have been eager for this chapter.

Chapter 78:

Twisting the lens on her camera, Belle snapped three more pictures. She tried to remain as inconspicuous as was possible from her position next to the baby girl on the floor. While the two and a half month old played happily with the set of plastic keys in her hands, Belle managed to take a couple more before Krissy moved again. Smiling as she opened her mouth slightly, Belle leant over her to continue with her job.

All around her were discarded toys that the little girl had played with and grown bored of after a few minutes. And, as predicted, the colourful fake keys were soon joining them as Krissy accidentally dropped them from her chubby fingers and onto the floor next to her.

Belle snapped a couple more photos, catching practically ever emotion that passed over the young girl's face until a whimper left her plump pink lips.

"Shh, baby. Mummy's right here." Belle quickly tried to hush her as her whimpers turned into crying and her yellow onesie covered legs began to kick at nothing. Working around the flailing arms, Belle placed her camera to the side before lifting Krissy into her own arms. "Alright, it's ok, honey, it's ok."

Swaying her softly, Belle rubbed her back soothingly while rearranging herself to sit cross legged as her knees began to ache.

The crying had soon enough died down into little hiccups that were gone within no time. Removing a hand to clear a space nearer to her on the playmat that was spread out on the floor, Belle carefully laid her back down onto it.

Sitting back, a grin spread across her face when the blue eyes, just like her father's, followed her. Her feet continued to kick at the air subconsciously, while a hand found it's way to her mouth.

Picking up her camera once again, she managed only a single photo before Krissy began to squirm around again. Knowing that keeping her occupied would keep her happy until her mid-afternoon nap, Belle replaced the camera to the side again and picked up a toy from next to them.

Smirking at the choice, Belle gently removed Krissy's tiny hand from her mouth and softly rubbed the long, fluffy and multicoloured snake along the back of her hand. The teddy had been a gift from Justin, and in all honesty, it's awkward eyes had freaked her out. However, considering that the sight of an almost 3 month old was still developing, it was one of Krissy's favourite toys. But even with that, her attention was still fixated on her mother.

When she failed to response in any way as Belle swapped the snake for the keys again, and then the bunny plushie, she reached forward to delicately hold her hand in her own. A smile curved her lips as Krissy grasped onto her little finger, pulling it lightly before letting her hand slide away with boredom.

"What is it that you want, hey, sweetie?" Belle asked her, tenderly smoothing the back of her fingers down her cheek with a feather-light touch. Finally, Krissy tore her eyes away from her and tilted her head to the side towards her hand. It wasn't long before the jerking in her legs stopped and she tried to reach out for her with her own hands.

Belle giggled lightly, continuing to stroke her baby's face and watching as the tinkling of the charms on her wrist right next to her ear captivated her to no end. Trying to hold it, she knew that Krissy's lack of hand-eye coordination would finally lead to frustration, and therefore upset. So, to help her along, Belle used her free hand to guide it near to her bracelet before allowing a charm to lay lightly against the tiny palm.

The new cold and hard item had caused Krissy some delight, who began cooing quietly while tugging on it with all her might, which fortunately wasn't much.

"You really like the pretty things, don't you?" There was another light coo in answer to Belle's words that, if she didn't know any better, could have been mistaken for an actual reply. "Wouldn't blame you, anyway. That's from your daddy, so it's always going to be special."

Before Belle could get another word out, the familiar sound of tires on gravel sounded from outside. A frown marred her features as she looked at the time and saw that it was extremely unlikely for it to be Aden. The engine was soon cut and a door was slammed shut. Still not bothering to move, Belle kept her eyes on her daughter, who remained oblivious to the rest of the world as babies usually did while occupied.

The sound of another door being shut followed before footsteps could be heard climbing the few steps to the door. Before she could do anything, the doorbell rang clear through the house, startling Krissy, who tensed almost immediately. Her hold on her bracelet was lost as whimpers began to emit from her trembling lips.

"No, no, no, honey. It's just the doorbell. It's ok." Hurriedly gathering her into her arms, Belle held her tightly while simultaneously getting to her feet as the bell rang once again.

Glad that Krissy had calmed down almost as soon as she had held her, she let out a deep breath as the doorbell rang for a third time. It was all that she needed to figure out who the person on the other side was.

"Afternoon, Drew." She greeted him a bit irritated, opening the door and stepping back to allow him in, along with the package in his hands.

"How'd you know it was me?" He asked her, making his way straight over to the couch to dump the long, thin rectangular item onto it as Belle carefully shut and locked the door while keeping a hold on her daughter too.

"Who else turns up out of the blue and rings the doorbell as many times as you?" She remarked dryly, taking a seat on the end of the sofa that wasn't occupied by the package as Drew sat down and relaxed back on the lounger. "What's this?"

"A present from Amanda and Dad from New Zealand." He replied.

"Oh, yeah. How was their romantic getaway then?" She asked him curiously, laying Krissy down on her lap cautiously while also making a mental note to call her mother soon.

"Alright, I guess. You're better off asking them." Drew shrugged without much enthusiasm. "We were just glad they came back."

"What? Wasn't doing all the housework and cooking for a week a great experience for you two?" Belle teased, laughing lightly as Drew merely remained unimpressed at her words. Krissy, however, began drumming her feet in soft kicks against her stomach while she kept a gentle hold of her hands. "You think Mummy's funny, don't you?"

"Only cos she can't understand what you're saying." He retorted with an eye roll.

"Yeah, well. Whatever." She practically huffed, deciding to ignore his words instead of rebuking. "Anyway, I'm sure they were glad to come home, too. I mean, it's not like they can't go on a nice anniversary trip abroad whenever they wanted to. Oh wait, no, they can't! Not with Peter's job and all."

"I didn't say they couldn't go." Drew defended himself. "Just next time, I'd rather not be left alone with just Ryan."

"I'm sure he felt the same way." Belle informed him wryly. "Lucky Mum, though. She must have had a great time if she hasn't even called me yet."

"So great, she won't shut up about it." He muttered before perking up a bit and raising an eyebrow in her direction. "If you think she's so lucky, then maybe you ought to drop a hint around the house, and who knows where you'll be in a week."

"Drew, don't start." She told him warningly, knowing exactly what he was getting at. "It's none of your business what Aden does or doesn't do with that money."

"I didn't say it was!" He quickly answered with a scoff. "It was a mere observation."

"Right. Sure." Belle said, shaking her head softly while turning her attention back to the baby on her lap.

"It was!" Drew insisted before exhaling deeply and slumping back in his chair again, giving up. "Hey, could you get me some water, please?"

"Do I look like your servant to you? You know where the kitchen is." She shot at him with a look of disgust, even though he didn't bother to move.

"I know, but I was polite. I said 'please'." He pointed out, holding Belle's glare until she finally rolled them and looked away.

"Fine." She sighed, lifting Krissy into her arms before standing up and laying her back onto the playmat in front of him. "Here. Look after her."

"What do I do?"

"Just play with her and keep her from putting anything into her mouth." Belle informed him as she entered the kitchen, hearing soft shuffling from behind her as Drew did as she asked.

"And if she does put something in her mouth?" He called out to her as she filled up two glasses with cold water.

"Then take it out!" She exclaimed with a scoff, returning to the front room.

Without another word, she hand him a glass before taking a seat on the couch again. She hid a smile by sipping her water while watching the other two play. He had dangled the snake teddy up above Krissy so that it was just within her reach. Gurgles and laughter-like noises sounded from her little lips as he moved the snake up and away from her flying hands ever now and again when she got close to touching it. A ghost of smile curved itself upon Drew's own face, though she didn't comment on it.

Instead, placing her glass to the side, Belle lifted the present into her lap. Figuring that the long package would be too hard for her to open, she let the edge of it balance on the floor with a knee behind it to keep it up. Tearing the deep purple wrapping steadily and neatly, she first came to a silver frame that only piqued her curiosity.

"Wow, that's pretty nice." Drew commented, having seen the front of it that was obviously facing his direction. Before Belle could reply, a little cry broke through the room as Krissy fussed around on the mat, clearly not liking the attention off of her, or the snake too far away.

"Looks like someone wants you." She nodded towards her daughter, even as he had turned back towards her at her whimpering already. "Keep it going, you're doing good. If you keep it up, you might get back into my good books."

"You cannot be serious! It's been months, Belle. Let it go already." He exclaimed with a small huff.

"No." Belle simply said while lifting the present back onto sofa so that she could see it properly. The word 'Sierra' was written across the glossy framed paper, each letter a different mix of colours and made up of animals and birds. The letter 'S' consisted of butterflies, while the 'R's was made up of dolphins and what looked like a pine tree. The 'A' was done in a design from a bird with a luxuriously long tail sitting on a tree, while the 'E' and 'I' was made from dragonflies and little birds. The multicolour made it even more beautiful, and the silver frame made it look even more valuable than it probably was. "Whoa, it really is pretty. Why didn't I get one?"

"Don't complain; neither one of us did." Drew told her.

"If you went and got me one, it would make up for what you did." She said in an innocent tone while picking up the wrapping and laying it on top of the gift on the sofa to get it out of harm's way.

"How are you still mad about that? I've seen you so many times since." He pointed out to her, eyes quickly averting to her before turning back to playing with his niece.

"Some things are unforgivable." Belle told him while sliding onto the floor. Although she was a bit back from where Krissy was happily playing and cooing as Drew allowed her to grasp onto the snake's head ever once in a while, or let it brush against her cheek or nose, she was still close enough to reach her, need it be. Instead, she pulled the pink and purple bunny into her hands and let her thumb skim over the words 'Daddy's Angel' sewn onto it's legs as she spoke nonchalantly. "Especially when you lie about where you were, too."

"I didn't lie!" Drew replied. Although his words were clipped with added force, his voice didn't rise at all.

"Yeah? Well, I found out that for the majority of the time that you were on your supposed trip away, the surfing conditions were next to nothing." Belle informed him calmly. "And I know you wouldn't have stayed away if you couldn't surf there."

"How do you know all that, exactly?" He asked her after a moment's pause, a deep sigh leaving his body as he did so.

"Drew, I'm a journalist. I'm naturally curious. Mix in being a mum to a 2 month old who sleeps for a lot of the day and being on maternity leave, there isn't much I can't find out on my trusty old laptop." Belle explained matter-of-factly. "So, was it a girl?"

"Was what a girl?"

"The reason why you were away for three weeks." Belle clarified. She glanced up at him as he sat up a bit straighter.

"Kinda." He muttered, throwing her the snake while slumping back in his seat.

"'Kinda'? How's it 'kinda'?" She giggled as he fixed his jaw. Waiting for an answer, she leant forward to hover over Krissy quickly, watching as her eyes studied her from a new angle before reaching out to her. Bringing her back to lay in front of her on the mat as Belle sat back, she smiled as the baby lips formed an 'o' shape as she yawned. There was no doubt that the excitement of Drew's game with her had worn her out and that sleep was now calling upon her.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this." Drew grumbled as he rested his head back against the corner of the backrest and sunk a bit lower in his seat. "She's not really a..."

"A what?" Belle prompted him from where he had trailed off. "She's not really a girl? Cos if that's it, then I'm not one to judge. Or is she meant to be a gir-?"

"Belle, stop! Please!" Drew hurriedly stopped her, holding out a hand in her direction as if he could physically stop her from the distance. "No, and definitely no."

"So, she's not a what, then?" Belle prodded. The amusement at his reaction was stifled as she lifted her sleepy daughter into her arms and rocked her soothingly, burying her face in her soft hair to hide her grin. "Any time today, Drew. I have things to do."

"Look, you're the one making me tell you. If you're going to moan, then there's no point." He told her as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ok, then." Belle replied slowly, drawing out both of the words before pausing. "Do you still see her?"

"Yes." Drew answered.

"I'm not making you tell me, by the way. If you don't want to, you don't have to." Belle informed him coolly while turning her head to rest her cheek on top of Krissy's head as she began to get comfortable in her mother's arms and drift asleep. "Wait, how do you still see her?"

"You'd go back to holding a grudge against me if I didn't tell you." He pointed out and a smirk curved upon her face, even as she kept it hidden from her, knowing that he was right.

"Didn't say how you still see her if she lives so far. I know you haven't been on any trips recently. Someone would have said so." Belle pointed out, finally turning her head towards him to nod at the pink baby blanket that hung over the back of his seat. "Pass me that, please."

"That's because she doesn't live far away. She's from the city." He explained, pulling the blanket down from over his shoulder and then throwing it towards her.

"Really?" She questioned him, intrigue clear in her tone and expression as she covered Krissy's back with the blanket before tucking it in at the edges under her hold. "I'm taking it that you haven't told Mum or Peter. Or anyone, for that reason."

"Why should I?" Drew scoffed, reaching for his half empty glass of water and taking a minuscule sip from it before fiddling with it on his lap.

"True." Belle nodded, stretching her legs out and pressing a kiss to the now-sleeping baby's forehead before rearranging her arm to cradle her instead. "She's not married, though, is she?"

"No!" Drew immediately answered, pushing himself up in his seat as he became more alert, though a disgusted look passed his face. "What kind of person do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" She retorted sceptically. Drew remained silent to her words; replacing his glass onto the side with careful, precise motions and then leaning forwards slightly at the edge of his seat to rest his elbows on his knees. "Awkward silence..."

"Yup." He nodded once. "Were you thinking...?"

"Yup. The house doesn't help either right now." Belle grimaced, trying her best to push away the thoughts of long ago to the back of her mind, and beyond, like they had been for years. "Weird. I've never really thought about it all like that before."

"This place never reminds you of it?" Drew asked her incredulously.

"Not until now. And it's never going to again if I have anything to do with it." She added in a murmur, already working on erasing the thoughts. "You?"

"Not until now." Drew repeated. "Really awkward."

"She's not a guy, right?" Belle suddenly asked him, going back to their previous conversation and earning herself a dark glare. "What?"

"No! I told you that, already!" Drew insisted. "Geez, sis."

"Sorry. I just had to make sure." She told him, smirking lightly when realising that the tense atmosphere had now vanished.

"Look, if you really must know, she's... Older." He said the last word with a little sigh that made her even more curious.

"Older?" Belle asked, eyebrows scrunched up in deep thought for a second. "Like, a few months or years older? Or, like Colleen older?"

"Neither, and gross." Drew grimaced at the mere thought of Belle's latter option. "In the middle."

"Oh." She simply said. "Where in the middle?"

"Why are you so interested?"

"I like gossip." Belle shrugged good-naturedly. "I'm just asking, ok? Can't I be interested in your life? It's not like it's a similar thing, and you did the same when you found out about Aden."

"That was different. He's a jerk." He said in a factual tone, ignoring the unimpressed look at that he got in return. "She's more younger than older."

"Like Mu-?" The words had spilled out of her mouth before she could think, only managing too stop when there was no point to. Silence, again, fell upon them until the tension eventually made Belle giggle quietly. "Awkward, again. This is really weird."

"And funny, apparently." Drew muttered before taking a deep breath and sitting up straight again. "I'm going to go see Ric."

"He'll be working." She informed him, carrying on before he could get another word in. "And Mattie's at uni."

"I need to go see Leah anyway." He announced, standing up. "I'll see you later. I'm leaving the car."

"Alright. See ya." Belle called out as he reached the door. He had just opened it before telling her the same, and leaving with the door slamming shut behind him.

The sound of Drew's footsteps across the gravel in the front was drowned out when Krissy awoke from the noise and began to cry. Rolling her eyes at his tactfulness, Belle changed the hold she had had on the baby girl so to be able to whisper reassurances into her ear easily. It wasn't long before they died down into little hiccoughs as she nestled herself into her mother's warm body.

"That's good, baby. Just go to back sleep." Belle continued to hush her while getting to her feet with the intent to head up to the nursery. "Uncle Drew left his car here. We'll go key it later, ok? It'll make us all happy. But just go back to sleep for now."

---

She curled her legs under her, getting comfortable on the beautiful white sofa again. Throwing the two baby blankets over the back of the couch, Belle opened the book that she had gone to retrieve from the shelf not too far away.

There was a needed sense of tranquillity in the nursery. With almost no sound coming from the sleeping baby or anything else, and the net drawn over the window to bring a calm sunlight into the room, there was no better place that she could think about going.

Belle turned back to the baby scrapbook, taking in each page and item, from her first scan to the list of names that they had made. There were a good amount of photos stuck in with practically everyone they knew holding Krissy, especially those of close family and friends. It took her a good 30 minutes to reach the next blank page, ready for the update in pictures of how much the baby girl had changed.

Carefully laying the book onto the floor next to her, wide open on the empty pages, Belle retrieved her camera from where it had been balancing precariously on the armrest behind her and began flicking through the images that the card held. Most of them were from that day, although there had been a few that she hadn't gotten the time to transfer onto her computer taken the previous weekend with Mattie and Ric. They were mainly pictures that made her laugh, especially those with Ric in them, looking as though Krissy was something that might just explode in his arms at any given second. The ones with Mattie, however, were the total opposite, with her striking different poses in them all.

Without stopping or looking up, a smile graced her lips as she heard the front door open and close quietly. She carries on browsing through her pictures as footsteps could be heard shuffling downstairs from one room to another before the familiar sound of the fridge door being shut sounded.

It was only when Aden appeared in the doorway of the slightly darkened room that she looked up at him.

"Drew's car's in the driveway." He spoke with scepticism, pausing momentarily by the changing table, where he placed his half drunken orange juice bottle. "Why?"

"Cos it's Drew." Belle answered with a shrug, watching as he rolled his eyes and walked over to the crib. "Don't wake her."

"I won't." He whispered before squatting down next to it on the side that Krissy's head was turned. Cautiously, he slipped a finger in between the railings of the cot, trailing it softly over her nose and grinning as she crinkled it up in her sleep without any other motions. "Sleep tight, angel."

Aden stood back up and headed towards where Belle still sat going through her pictures. Throwing himself onto the other end of the couch, he slowly kicked his shoes off before turning his head to face his wife. It didn't take long until she looked up at him, allowing him to lean over to her and bring her into a brief, yet deep, kiss. Breaking away when they both needed to breath, Aden laid down with his head cushioned by her lap and brought his own legs onto the rest of the sofa.

"Tired, babe?" Belle asked him a bit sardonically as he yawned.

"Just a bit." He murmured. "Didn't sleep much last night."

"How come?" She questioned him in genuine concern. If Aden hadn't been able to sleep, then there were hardly any nights that she was none the wiser.

"Cos it took over an hour for Krissy to drift off again after I fed her." He informed her, turning his head in the direction of where the girl in question laid without a care in the world.

"You should have woken me up. I would have taken over, Aden." Belle told him, running a hand through his hair tenderly as she put her camera to a side for the time being.

"I know, but it was fine." He said nonchalantly. "Just sat with her here and read to her."

"My diary, again?"

"She likes it. It keeps her quiet and focused." Aden explained, a smirk tugging at his lips nonetheless.

"She'd love anything you read to her." She laughed lightly, allowing her hand to drift over the side of his face as he rolled onto his side. "Where is it hidden, anyway?"

"Like I'd tell you." He scoffed while picking up a discarded pair of hand mitts from the floor and playing with them.

"It's under the sofa, isn't it?" Although it was sounded like a question, the tone of it made it seem more like a statement.

"No." Aden replied after a small pause. "So why was Drew here?"

"No reason. Just came to visit, I guess. He brought over a present from Mum, too." She added pointing over to where she laid the framed script up against the wall on the other side of the room.

"What is it?" Aden asked, frowning when he failed to make sense of what was on it from his position.

"It says Sierra." Belle informed him.

"Hey! That's our daughter’s name!" He exclaimed with mock excitement.

"Yeah, funny that. What a coincidence, huh?" She played along, though the dryness in her voice was much more obvious.

"Things with you and Drew back to normal, then?" Aden asked her casually, looking up at her a bit awkwardly when she didn't answer instantly. "I just thought, with his car still here and you not bitching about him, things were back to normal again. Of course, if you say something, I will stop talking-"

"Aden." Belle began, voice tinged with amusement. "I dunno."

"Don't know, what?" He prodded, turning onto his back once again. When she failed to reply, but instead seemed lost in her own thoughts, he slipped on one of the little mitts onto the tips of two of this fingers and reached up to brush the ultra soft fabric against her cheek. "Belle..."

"Quit it, Aden!" She giggled lightly as he moved his hand out of her reach after she had attempted to make a grab for it. "Drew has a girlfriend."

"Really? How utterly boring." He commented sarcastically, a small pout forming on his face as Belle finally managed to snatch away the mittens from his hands as he had been playing with them.

"She's older." Belle carried on. "Like, Mum's age, older."

"Ok, it's kind of interesting now." Aden remarked with a smirk. "I'm just going go put this out there, just this once, but is it-?"

"It's not Mum, Aden." She cut him off, knowing exactly where he had been going with it. "She's not like that anymore, and neither's Drew."

"Well, clearly, he is." Aden chuckled, earning himself a slap to the chest. "What? I'm just saying."

"Well, don't." Belle almost growled, causing him to hold his hands out in surrender. "I wish I knew more. It can't end good if it's all hush-hush like this."

"Sweetheart, I don't know if you've noticed, but Drew's an adult who's free to do whatever he wants." He told her pointedly, before breaking out in a smile. "Besides, we started off all hush-hush, and now look at us."

"True, I guess." She agreed, the smile on his face spreading to hers. "Alright, you know what? It's none of my business, so I'm going to forget about it for now."

"Cool." Aden nodded, pulling down one of the blankets from the top of the sofa to him to play with. "What are you doing in here, anyway? The rest of the house is completely deserted, you know?"

"I know. But there wasn't anything else for me to do so I thought I'd update the scrapbook." Belle explained while picking up her camera again. "Although I left my laptop downstairs, so it's rather more of me just relaxing doing nothing."

"Sounds good to me." He groaned, stretching out along the couch and grasping the blanket tightly in a hand like a child would. "Wake me up in an hour or two."

"Your darling daughter will be up by then, don't worry. She'll get you up." She said with an exaggerated sincerity.

"I'll make sure to thank her." Aden muttered, his eyes already shut in an attempt to sleep.

Smiling at his words, Belle stayed quiet so not to disturb him. She knew that his day at university would have consisted of back to back lectures, starting at 9 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. Just the thought of it made her want to yawn.

Instead, she carried on browsing through the pictures of her camera. Each one, silly or beautiful, made her grin. Especially those with Krissy in it. She knew it was a biased opinion, but every image with the little girl stood out more positively and brighter than the others. That was until she came across one that she was fairly certain she hadn't taken, or been near when it had.

"Aden." Belle spoke with a clear and precise voice that only drew a groan from him. "Aden!"

"What?" He grumbled, opening his eyes for a split second to see her unamused face.

"Explain this to me." She told him, holding the camera above him so that it's screen was visible to him when he opened his eyes again. A chuckle left his mouth as he took in the image. "It's not funny!"

"It actually is. And rather cute, too." Aden grinned. "You have to admit it's cute."

"You're giving her a beer bottle!" Belle exclaimed as she set the camera aside. Although she wouldn't admit it to him, the picture was rather adorable, with Krissy's hands grasping at the cold bottle as Aden held it near for her.

"It wasn't open, anyway. And I was right there. I wasn't going to let anything happen." Aden told her earnestly, though the smile was still wide on his face. "She was grabbing for it so I gave it, and Ric was near to the camera so we thought it was too funny to not take."

“She’s 2 months old!”

“Yeah, exactly. It’s not like she’ll ever remember it or anything.” He argued, closing his eyes once again even as he carried on. “Relax, would you? Stop being such a spoilsport.”

“I am not being a spoilsport!” Belle huffed before exhaling deeply to calm herself down. “Right, seeing as you’re here now, I’m going to take a shower.”

“You had one this morning.” Aden pointed out, groaning slightly as she began to move under his head.

“Yes, but Krissy woke up before I got the chance to wash my hair properly, and it’s been bugging me all day.” She explained as she tried to make him move off of her. "Aden! Let me go."

"No. Sleeping." He replied, hurriedly closing his eyes and mockingly pretending to sleep.

"Fine." Belle sighed, sliding hand under his head and quickly standing up before letting taking her hand away to make his head drop down onto the sofa.

"Wait!" Aden groaned while pushing himself up onto his elbows as she paused on her way out of the room. "You want company?"

"I thought you were sleeping?" She answered sceptically, a hand on her hip and an eyebrow raised as he nodded slowly.

"I'm willing to make the sacrifice." He told her seriously with a face so straight that only the look in his eyes as they almost smiled at her telling her the truth.

"That's alright. I'd feel bad." Belle said, shrugging softly. "Besides, Drew might come around at anytime."

"It won't be the first time we don't let him in." Aden reminded her with his 'badboy' smirk.

"'We'?" She asked in outrage. "That was you!"

"Well, what did he expect? It was the middle of the night."

"It was 8 in the evening." Belle corrected him dryly though with an increasing volume that he noticed immediately.

"Shh..." Aden put a finger to his lips as he sat up awkwardly with his legs still stretched out in front of him before pointing over to the crib in exaggerated motions. "You'll wake the baby."

"Fine." She repeated, relaxing her stance. "I'm going."

"Fine." Aden mimicked, throwing himself back onto the sofa as Belle left the room. Letting out a deep breath, he pulled the remaining blanket off the couch and put it with the other one still in his hand. Playing with it mindlessly, a wry smile spread across his face as he rubbed the soft and cuddly fabric between his fingers with both hands. Even after a wash, they still remained as baby soft as ever.

The sound of distant water running in a shower soon reached his ears. A frown settled on his face as he grumbled to himself about annoying and ungrateful people. Sighing, Aden dropped the blankets to drape over his face and covered it was his hands while letting out a quiet growl. There was no doubt that sleep would not be coming to him right then as he listened to the suddenly louder patter of water and the thoughts in his head as to who was in the shower.

The welcomed sound of a mobile beeping distracted Aden as he retracted a hand and dug into his jeans pocket. Using the other hand to pull down the blankets only so that one eye was uncovered, he wasn't too surprised to see no message, especially seeing as he hasn't felt it vibrate.

Intrigued, Aden pulled the rest of the blankets off of him and sat up, looking around for Belle's phone. Finding it easily on the floor next to the scrapbook and camera, he plucked it up and laid down again. Not one to pry or invade his wife's privacy, Aden simply pressed a button on the keypad to light up the screen. In the second that it was visible, he was able to see that the text had been sent from Drew.

All sense of respect of privacy was soon gone as he unlocked the keypad and typed in her PIN code to open the message. A grin tugged at his lips as he quickly jumped to his feet and threw the phone onto the sofa, letting it bounce with the force he had put behind it. Passing, and stopping briefly, by the crib to make sure that Krissy was still sleeping peacefully, Aden smiled softly at the sight of her dozing without a care in the world except for the thumb that was in her mouth. Glad that she wouldn’t be waking up soon, he left her side and took careful steps out of the room and towards his own.

The water was still running when he reached the closed door of the en suite bathroom, and Aden smirked as he managed to open it effortlessly. Still walking with the quietest steps that he could, he managed to shut the door behind him without a sound or letting in any draft that would make Belle aware of his presence.

Knowing that moving would probably give him away, especially in the steamed up room that had already condensed onto the mirrors and tiles, Aden worked as quickly and silently as he could to unclasp his watch and necklace to join the pile of jewellery that was already there. Once that was out of the way, he hurriedly pulled off his top, leaving it to fall onto the floor next to him, and began working on his belt. Forgetting about the metal on it, he pulled it out of the loops and let it drop to the hard floor.

The sound echoed through the room, making Aden cursed under his breath as he heard a gasp.

"Aden..." Belle said in a tone that was mixed with both fear and warning. Staying quiet, he carried on undressing, trying to remain as innocent as he could as the rustling of the shower curtain indicated that it had been moved before the glass door opened. "Aden! What the hell?"

"What?" He replied with a cool shrug while kicking off his jeans and turned to where Belle was glaring at him with just her head sticking out of the shower while a hand gripped tightly to the door.

"Why are you here?"

"You know you'd like the company." He smirked, leaning back against the counter with crossed arms as she reached out for a towel before disappearing back into the now-off shower, firmly shutting the door behind her and drawing the curtain around too. "Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that. You didn't say 'no'."

"I gave you a reason that should have told you no." Belle grumbled.

"It became invalid." He informed her while pushing away from the counter and nearer to the shower cubicle. "He texted saying he'll be around for it tomorrow."

"So you decided that gave you a free invite to share my shower?" She asked sceptically, opening the door once again and freezing as she came face to face with a slightly arrogant and confident Aden. "Not going to happen."

"Oh, I don't know..." He said in a low and husky voice, taking the two tiny steps that brought him right up to her and laying one hand on her towel covered hip. "Think about the fun we could have."

"Even so, I'm done with the shower now." Belle smiled sweetly, placing a hand of her own onto his and trying to ignore the intense look in his smoky eyes. With height being of her advantage right then with her still standing on the edge of the shower, Belle was able to back away as he leant up to kiss her. "Don't try it."

"Try what?" Aden questioned in perfect fake confusion, trying to kiss her once again. "Stop teasing."

"I'm not teasing, Aden." She replied, fighting to keep a smile at bay as he growled in frustration when she moved back once again.

“Really?" He murmured in a sultry voice that made her tingle in pleasure, even as she continued to back away from his advances.

"Really." Belle stated as his hand fell from her body. Yet, she still stood where she was, a reluctant smile playing on her lips until Aden suddenly stepped forward into the shower and literally backed her into the wall. "Aden!" She squealed when he wrapped a muscular arm around her slim waist, pressing his body lightly against hers as he finally got to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

Belle could feel every part of her body on fire, whether they were touching his warm body or the cool tiles against her shoulders and calves. Their lips moved in sync with each others' after years of practice, but like always, it was a kiss like no other. Nothing ever had matched the same emotions, situation and passion, and she was pretty sure nothing ever would again. Yet, it wasn't a bad thing at all.

"Told you." Aden breathed heavily a few seconds after parting, resting his forehead against hers. "Tease."

"How?" She mumbled as he nibbled gently on her lower lip.

"You lured me into the shower." He explained, pulling away as his words sunk in and processed in her mind to reached behind him to shut the shower door shut. He left the curtain as it was, returning back to torturing Belle with peppered kisses along her neck while urging her away from the wall and towards the front.

"Did not!" She protested, placing her hands on his well defined chest, a thumb inadvertently brushing against the scar that ran down it, and pushed him away a bit.

"What?" He asked, now genuinely confused as to why she had stopped their fun. From the flushed look on her face and the seductive sparkle in her eyes, he knew she was into it as much as him.

"Don't you see something horribly wrong with his situation?" She questioned him pointedly, gesturing to herself as goosebumps began to form on her exposed skin.

"Yeah, you're right." Aden replied, nodding thoughtfully a split second before he twirled them around so that he could reach out for the shower knob and switched it on.

"That wasn't what I meant." Giggling as he twirled them back around again so they both were under the steady stream of hot water, Belle sighed and gave in, but not without a light punch to his shoulder first. "Great. Now the towel's soaked."

"Well, we can take care of that pretty easily." He informed her, hands already working their way to where the top was tucked under to keep it up. With one simple motion, Aden was able to undo it, allowing Belle to pull it away from her body and toss it behind him before taking charge and tugging on his wrist to bring him, a bit stumbling, to her. "There. Done."

"Hmm..." She murmured against his lips in the kiss that she had brought him into. Running her hands through his wet hair, she let one run sensually down his back, pausing at the small of her back and then followed suit with her other hand down his other side. His own hands threaded through her hair, but Belle was more focused on the hem of the piece of clothing that still covered Aden. "Your boxers are wet too, now."

"Pretty fixable." He whispered, hands now skimming down her arms to get to where hers laid on his waist, half on his body and half on his underwear.

"True." Belle replied, quickly catching his hands and bringing them up to her own waist. "Let me."

"Whatever you want, sweetheart." He drawled in his typical way, not showing the surprise that took him when Belle managed to turn them around and push him into the wall forcefully though painlessly.

"Whatever?" She teased, taking a couple of steps back. Removing one hand, she reached out towards the shower controls.

"What are you doing?" Aden asked, sobering up slightly and taking in his wife's mischievous yet sexy look as she leant back into him and kiss him hard.

"You said you wanted fun." Belle explained in a low voice, backing away again but this time bring him with her. "You know what's a lot of fun?"

"What?" He replied suspiciously, turning his face away from where she ran a finger flirtatiously down the side of his face. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see her other hand stretch out once again, but he couldn't tear them away from hers.

"You and..." Trailing off, Belle tiptoed to speak directly in his ear, keeping a hand on his chest to keep her balance. "A very nice and lovely cold shower."

As quick as her reflexes would let her, Belle pushed him lightly away from her and turned the right dial to bring down a shower of gradually ice cold water. Jumping back, she tugged the shower door open and exited, giggling as she found herself another towel and listening to him curse her.

"Say what you want. I did warn you." Belle called out gleefully, and within seconds, she could feel the heat from the water once again.

"That was cruel, Belle. Just plain cruel and evil." He muttered.

"Yeah, well..." She shrugged to herself while using a hand to clear up some of the condensation from the mirror. "What ya gonna do about it?"

"You know what I'm gonna do?" Aden asked her rhetorically as the shower was turned off. "I filing for a divorce."

"Fine." Belle shrugged to no-one. Knowing that it was only time before she paid for it, she hurriedly left the room as the shower door opened to reveal an unimpressed Aden that only made her find more glee in her little prank.

---

Feeling the heat of the early morning sun directly on her through the windows, Belle pulled up the corner of her duvet to cover her face. Tugging on it as it snagged somewhere, she groaned in frustration when it wouldn’t budge and instead, turned around. She shuffled into the middle of the bed without opening her eyes, hoping that she would reach where Aden laid before she fell back asleep again. Keeping on moving, she frowned, waking up slowly, as she failed to come in contact with anything.

Finally, as she threw an arm out across the bed, Belle let her eyes crack open to see that the space before her was empty. Patting the pillow lightly, as if it would magically give her the answer to her question, the frown on her face softened a bit when she felt the slight warmth that still radiated from it. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed herself up onto a hand to look around the room even though she knew he wasn't there. However, Belle was able to spot the mess on the side where the clothes from the previous day was usually stacked neatly, and soon after hear the sound of running water as a tap was turned on.

"Aden?" She called out, clearing her throat as her voice came out hoarse from sleep. "Aden...?"

She waited for a few seconds for a reply before throwing the covers aside and pushing herself out of bed. Standing unsteadily for a moment, she allowed for the head-rush to go before heading over to where the bathroom door was closed. Placing a hand on the handle, Belle spoke up before entering.

"Aden? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." His voice was rough and slightly forced that made her twist the handle to open the almost always unlocked door.

"You sure?" Belle asked, watching from the doorway as he turned the cold water tap off and reached out for a towel to dry his face and hands.

"I'm sure." He murmured, busying himself with folding up the towel and placing it into the hamper. "Just give me a moment. Go back to bed."

"Looks like you've had a moment." She commented, eyeing the pair of jeans that he had already pulled on. Her response was silence as Aden stayed where he was. "Did you have another nightmare?"

"Something like that." He answered with a sigh, still not sparing her a glance but instead became more interested in where his hands gripped onto the edge of the counter.

"You know, if you want to talk about it, I'm always here for you, Aden." Her tone was soft and gentle, finally coercing him to look at her. A smile had curved his lips, but she could tell in an instant that it was more wry than real.

"Yeah, I know." Aden nodded while laughing dryly, crossing his arms over his bare chest and leaning lazily against the bathroom counter. "Just like I'm here for you when you have your nightmares."

"Aden, I don't-" She broke off as he scoffed lightly, his posture softening nonetheless. "Ok, maybe. But it's different.”

"It always is." Aden sighed. Belle had just opened her mouth to protest against his words and presumptions when the familiar sound of crying came through the baby monitor in the bedroom. "I'll get her."

Belle stepped aside as he brushed past her, leaving both the bathroom and bedroom without another word or glance. She waited until she heard the crying begin to cease to follow him to the nursery. Pausing by the entrance of the room, she watched silently as Aden murmured inaudible words to the little girl that had helped to hush her along with the steady, slow pacing that he kept going back and forth on in front of the window.

She remained where she was, simply watching the two of them until he turned to face her. Not even shocked at her presence, he continued to make his way over to the crib to lay the girl down again.

"Is she asleep, again? I thought she would be hungry." Belle asked in confusion, finally stepping into the room and making her way over to the crib.

"Clearly she's not." He muttered while draping a light blanket over Krissy's tiny body. She remained quiet as she stopped by the edge of the cot, peering over and into it at the sleeping child.

"I didn't think she'd fall back asleep again, though. Especially so easily." She said with a heavy sigh as Aden backed away.

"Maybe she wants a Saturday lie-in." He replied with a mere shrug as he sat down on the window seat.

"She's not the only one who wants a lie-in." Belle told him softly. Staying where she was for a little while longer in the quietness of the room, she eventually turned to face him before walking over to where he was. Pushing aside one of the purple fabric drapes, Belle let the light shine brightly into the room as she sat down next to him, back against the side wall and facing Aden even though he still didn't face her. Keeping her eyes fixed on him, seeing his jaw clench and unclench at steady intervals as he stared at down at his hands, Belle drew in a breath and then let it out with a bit of shakiness. “Aden, what I said-”

“It’s alright.” He interrupted her before she could get another word out.

“No, it’s not.” She insisted, sitting up straighter and leaning forwards towards him to lay a hand lightly on his lower back. “I’m still here if and when you want to talk, but I guess I kind of understand now why you wouldn’t want to.”

“It wasn’t a nightmare, as such.” Aden finally admitted, looking up at her before exhaling and slumping back against the cool window, feeling her hand drop off of his body as he did so. A look of confusion was clear in Belle’s features, carrying on as he saw her mouth open to say something. “You know how after the accident, I couldn’t remember anything about the day?”

“Yeah…” She replied a second before what he was trying to tell her became clear. “Oh. You’re remembering?”

“Yup.” He confirmed with a nod. Sighing deeply, Aden turned his eyes back to his hands where he rubbed the faded scar on his palm from the day of the incident in the fire as it began to tingle almost subconsciously. “It’s, uh… It’s a bit weird and full on, I guess. I didn’t expect it to happen after so long.”

“It’s alright, though, Aden. It was bound to happen at some time or another.” Belle assured him softly. “And I can only imagine how full on it must be. But you shouldn’t try to keep it all to yourself. If you don’t want to talk to me, you could see a professional, maybe?”

“No, thanks.” He dismissed easily. “It’ll be fine with some time. They’re just memories.”

“Yeah, well, we all know how that can turn out, don’t we?” Belle said pointedly, making Aden look away and bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying something abrupt and wrong.

“These won’t affect me forever. Once I remember it all, I’ll get over it.” He told her with a shrug. “It’s funny, too. There are things that I can remember, like snippets of talks I had with Nicole and Justin at the house, and when I called you in the morning…?” He turned to her with the last words, changing his tone to make it a question as uncertainty overcame him. When she nodded to inform him that what he was remember was in fact true, he carried on with a bit more confidence. “But other than that, it’s just images. Although, I can remember this one thing. I think it was in some other room, and there were a load of toys, and around the top of the room there was this train set. It was like one of them types that you see in those films with the rich little kid having his own toy room, you know? Anyway, I can just remember thinking how cool it was and how if we had a boy, I was so going to get one of those train sets even though you would probably say no.”

“Very true.” She giggled lightly as Aden smirked and rolled his eyes at her response. “But it sounds kinda cool.”

“It was awesome.” He chuckled, letting his head thump back against the window pane as the tension that had been lingering around the two of them finally dispersed entirely, leaving the silence that they sat in to be a comfortable one.

“Can I-? Can I tell you something?” Belle broke the silence with.

“Sure.” Aden answered, eyebrows drawn together in intrigue as he looked at her to see her shuffle in her seat almost self-consciously.

“I know it’s been almost 6 months since the incident, but I don’t think there’s a day where I don’t think about what could have happened.” She confessed with a wry smile. “And, um… You know they say that you dream about what you did or thought about the most during the day?”

“No, not really.” He replied slowly as Belle frowned and tilted her head to the side a little bit.

“Really? Cos I read it from one of your uni books.”

“You must have read it wrong then.” Aden told her nonchalantly, earning himself a scowl for his efforts. “Or I could have…”

“I vote for that.” She said with a huff, letting out a sigh as he looked over at her with an apology before outstretching his hand towards her. Without a word, she took it and allowed him to pull her next to him, curling herself up to his side and encircling an arm around his waist as his came around her shoulders.

Belle could feel the heat radiate from both the sun outside and Aden’s body as she took it all in. With what they had been talking about, it had made her wary all of a sudden about how lucky she was despite what had happened. The feather light touch of his fingertips as they skimmed over her bare upper arm brought her back out of her thoughts, along with the kiss that he brushed to the top of her head.

“So you dream about that day, then? That’s what the nightmares are about?” He questioned her after a moment.

“No.” She corrected him, lifting her head up to look at him before laying it back onto his shoulder. “They’re all different. Some about that day, some just totally random. But they all have you dying.”

“Oh.”

“Yep.” Belle merely added in a whisper. Even though she had finally told Aden, and he had admitted to his bad dreams too, nothing inside of her seemed to have settled down in terms of fear and dread as she had expected it would have.

“You know it’s not going to happen- That it didn’t happen, right? I’m right here.” He told her in a gentle, yet forceful, voice.

“I know. Trust me, I know.” She laughed almost teasingly, not moving an inch from where she was. “I just remember that time sometimes, and how scary it was, and I don’t even want to let you out of my sight. I know it sounds crazy-”

“It doesn’t, babe. It doesn’t sound crazy.” Aden hurried cut in to assure her, lovingly rubbing her arm as he heard her voice begin to get heavy with emotion before she cleared it. “It’s normal and all, but things happen that you can’t control, Belle. That’s life.”

“I know.” She repeated with a sigh, tightening the arm that she had around his waist as if it were possible to somehow bring the two of them closer.

“Maybe you should speak someone? You do seem to have a high opinion of them…” He joked, causing her to slap his lightly on his chest and throw him a sarcastic look.

“No, thanks. I think it just needs time. Time to get over it and time to see that not everything’s going to go to hell in any given second.” Belle told him with a positive tone to her voice. “Besides, you’re here if I want to talk, right?”

“I’m always here for you, sweetheart. No matter what.” Aden agreed as she pushed herself away from him for a moment to look up and press her lips to his in a brief kiss. She had just laid her head back onto his chest, feeling him move to rest his cheek on top of her head, when she spotted movement from the crib in front of them. It wasn’t long until small cries for attention began to sound and Aden laughed. “Now she’s hungry.”

---

Hope you enjoyed it.

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

mad4homeandaway, Hi, and wow! That must have taken you so long, but I'm so glad that you've enjoyed them! I always love new readers!

Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait. I hope that the next one won't be as long as I'm back at uni and have more motivation to procrastinate from work, now

I huge thanks to everyone to made me want to write this chappie for about 5 days straight until about 3 in the morning You all know who you are

Chapter 79:

A sudden loud crash woke Belle up with no warning. Her heart was thumping in her chest and she could hear it pumping the blood around her body in her ears. Pushing herself up onto her elbow, she looked up at where Aden still slept peacefully, regardless of the sound. Glancing at the baby monitor, it surprised her more that Krissy had slept through it, too. But then again, she was taking after Aden more and more everyday, and he had always been a heavy sleeper.

The sound vibrated through the house once again, and being awake this time, Belle relax when she identified the sound. Sinking back onto the bed, she laid her head onto her pillow and shuffled up closer to Aden’s side in hope to drown the sounds out. Unfortunately, she discovered 3 minutes later that, it didn’t work.

Belle turned around to her other side, now facing the balcony doors and the drapes that had been pulled shut for the night, with just a little strip allowing the moonlight in. She kept her eyes open as the flash of light lit up the room dimly before the thunder followed, making her jump even though she had expected it. The arm that hand been wrapped around her waist loosely tightened and she felt her husband twist onto his side before pulling her back towards him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked her sleepily, rubbing soothing circles on her hip.

“There’s a storm outside.” Belle replied in a low whisper. “Did you shut the doors?”

“Downstairs? Of course.” Aden murmured without another thought to it.

“I meant these ones.”

“Yeah, probably.” A yawn followed his words as he snuggled up closer to her, burying his face into the back of her neck and pressing light kisses down the back of them.

“Will you check?” Belle asked him in a voice that she hoped was sweet, even though she knew that this late in the night, the only tone of voice that he would respond to was a sultry one.

“You check. I’m sleeping.” He mumbled.

“Please, Aden?” She pleaded, squeezing the hand that laid on her waist and looking over her shoulder at him. “It’s really loud. I think it’s still open a bit.”

“It’s meant to be loud. It’s a storm, Belle.” Aden countered, making her huff and throw his arm off of her.

“Fine. I’ll do it myself.” Belle threw aside the covers and slid out of bed; the coolness of the winter night hitting her immediately. “So much for being my hero.” She grumbled under her breath while checking to make sure that the doors really weren’t open. Slightly upset that they hadn’t been, she drew the curtains once again, this time shutting them fully.

“Told you.” Aden replied cheekily as she walked back to the bed.

“Whatever.” She murmured, climbing back in and laying down facing away from him once again. She remained near to the edge, more due to childish behaviour than anger or annoyance, and wasn’t too surprised when Aden moved closer to her until he was pressed right up against her back.

“Night, sweetheart.” He whispered into her ear, dropping a kiss just below it before laying his head down again.

“Night.” Belle said with reluctance. Exhaling deeply, she tugged lightly at the covers to pull it up to her shoulders before lifting her head up a bit so to move her pillow a bit down. Jerking at it with a bit of effort, she growled under her breath as she peer over her shoulder to see the reason why it wouldn’t budge. “Aden!”

“What?” He answered with a moan that told her that she had woken him up again.

“We have a double bed for a reason.” She told him pointedly, only to hear a sigh in reply to her words. “And two pillows.”

“I like this better.” There was a smirk forming on his lips as he spoke and his eyes fluttered shut. “It’s like when you use to stay over at mine before we got married.”

“That’s because you had a single bed and we had to. Now, we don’t. So budge.” Belle pushed him on his shoulder, trying with all her might to make him roll over.

“No.” He merely replied, the smirk still placed firmly on his face.

“Aden…!” She whined, jerking her leg in the bed in a stomping motion that would have been the beginning of a tantrum had she been a 5 year old. “I wanna sleep.”

“Sleep, then.” Aden patted the pillow in front of him that was left for her, cracking open one eye when he didn’t get an answer. “Belle, c’mon. You’re only arguing because you’re being stubborn. You know you really don’t care.”

“That’s not true!” She exclaimed just as a clap of thunder rumbled outside and then throughout the house. Before either one of them could get another word out to argue, the light whimpering of a 3 month old came through on the monitor, and soon turned into wails as the seconds ticked by. “This isn’t over.”

“Alright.” He smiled, rolling over onto his back when she got out of the bed and headed towards the door.

“Driving me flipping insane…” Belle breathed out when she had left the room and was safely out of his earshot and halfway to the nursery. It didn’t take long for her to reach the open door; the crying being her motivation to comfort her before her maternal instincts were taken over by her maternal body. Walking straight over to where the crib stood in the middle of the room, she leaned over and picked up the upset baby. “Hey, there, darling. Shh, it’s ok. Mummy’s got you now.”

As predicted, the words and the secure hold that she had on her daughter was enough to quieten her down. That was until another roll of thunder sounded, making her jump and Krissy cry again. Hushing and bouncing her gently, Belle picked up a blanket and wrapped it around the little girl in hope that it would comfort her. When it did nothing to help her, she sighed and kept on pacing the room with the hope that she would soon fall back asleep again.

“C’mon, baby girl. It’s just noise, and Mummy’s right here. She’s not going to let anything happen to you.” Belle whispered to her, dropping kisses on the top of her head before resting her cheek atop of it. “I know you’re not hungry yet, and you don’t need a change. Do you want Daddy? Is that what this is about?” She asked her as if she could answer, pulling her a bit away from her body only to find that her wailing only got louder at the act. “Ok, ok, shh. It’s ok, baby, it’s ok.”

Cuddling her tightly to her body once again, Belle smiled in despite of the situation as the crying slowed down, though it didn’t cease. Just the fact that Krissy knew who she was and sought comfort from her made her heart swell with love and pride, even if it was just past 3 in the morning. As one of the tiny hands grasped onto her top with as much effort as she could, Belle froze as another clap of thunder was heard. She had seen the lightening reflect throughout the room just a few seconds before it and somehow she began to understand why Krissy was so upset. It had been enough to scare her, especially as the patter of rain joined in with the rest of noise.

Continuing with trying to hush the girl in her arms, Belle leaned over the edge of the cot to switch off the monitor where it hung on the side before leaving the room. She had almost made it to the door of her and Aden’s room when she spotted him in the doorway. It was clear that he had intended to come to the nursery, and Belle wasn’t sure whether she should feel glad that he was offering help or upset that he didn’t think she could do it herself. However, as she took in his dishevelled and sleepy form, a smirk formed on her lips without even thinking about it.

“Where’re you going?” She asked him nonetheless, following him back into the bedroom.

“I was coming to see what was wrong. You switched the monitor off.” He answered, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he sat back down onto the bed. “Everything ok?”

“I think she’s just scared.” Belle answered, rubbing Krissy’s back while walking around the bedroom with no avail.

“Or you’re making her dizzy.“ Aden chuckled lightly as he watched the two of them while stretching his legs out along the bed. “You’re making me dizzy, that’s for sure. Come and sit down.“

“I don’t know what else to do. It’s not like we can turn the weather off.“ Finally sighing, Belle headed to the bed once again and climbed onto her side of it.

“It’ll pass. Hopefully soon.” He told her before reaching over and laying his hands on either side of Krissy’s body. Careful not to hurt her, he took her out of Belle’s arms and cradled her in his own. “Hey, pretty girl. What’s the matter, huh? C’mon, Daddy’s got to get up extra early tomorrow for uni. Driving while tired isn’t going to be fun.”

“Somehow, I don’t really think she’s going care about any of that.” Belle commented in amusement, curling up her legs under her as she remained where she was.

“Sure she does. She loves her daddy. Doesn’t want him to get hurt, do you, angel?” As he spoke, the two of them couldn’t ignore the fact that Krissy’s crying had began to die down. Her fussing had also began to cease, with her legs kicking against Aden’s chest only once in a while as her arms stopped flailing around in the air and began to settle down. “There, you see?”

“That’s only because you’ve distracted her.” Belle huffed, not impressed with the look of victory on his face. Keeping her eyes fixed on her baby daughter, she stretched out a hand to run a finger delicately down her cheek as her tears turned into small hiccups. “And because you’re covering her ears with the way you’re holding her.”

“Am not.” He hurriedly scoffed, rearranging his hold on Krissy so that he was no longer actually covering her ears. Her soft hair tickled the crook of his elbow where her head laid, and as she turned her head to blink up at him before letting them droop shut again, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. “Told you she loves me more than you. She’s quiet for me.”

“Doesn’t mean she loves you more. It means that the storm’s stopped.” Belle informed him with a giggle, and now that he paid attention, he realised that the only sounds that he could hear were the steady beats of rain against the windows. “Besides, everyone knows that every little girl feels the safest in their daddy’s arms.”

“Well, I try.” Aden retorted, a smile curving his lips that told her that her words were something new for him, and the twinkle in his eyes told her that he liked it. “You think she’s asleep now?”

“I hope so.” She whispered in reply, tucking the blanket under the baby’s chin to get a better look at her face.

“I’ll go put her back to bed.” He told her, sitting up straight slowly and sliding his feet onto the ground before he stood up. The littlest jolt could wake her up, and Aden wasn’t going to take the risk. However, he didn’t even get the chance to shuffle down the bed to get up when a flash of lightening brightened the room again. Belle groaned a split second before the roll of thunder crashed through the house and Krissy woke up, startled. “No, no, no…” Aden murmured, changing his hold on her as she began to cry so he could speak directly into the young girl’s ear and rock her easier. “Shh, baby. Daddy’s here.”

“I knew that was going to happen.” Belle groaned as Aden settled back on the bed.

“You knew the thunder was going to return?” He asked her incredulously, all the while continuing with comforting the crying girl in his arms. “You should be a weather woman. Probably be the only one who gets it right.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” She muttered back, softly trailing her fingers up and down Krissy’s back as her cries turned into small, frequent whimpers that escalated with every loud clap of thunder. “It’s going to be a long night, isn’t it?”

“At least you’re at home tomorrow.” Aden reminded her as she laid her head on his shoulder with a yawn.

“Yes, because being at home with this little one is so much more easier.” Belle remarked with a scoff while wrapping an arm around his waist as she snuggled more into his side.

“It’s more fun, that’s for sure.” There was a small sound in response from her that seemed to agree with what he had said. “If you want to swap, you know I’d be more than happy to.”

“God, no. I’d shoot myself in the head before I even considered taking your course.” She laughed before letting out a deep, but content sigh. “You know, if you forget about the fact that it’s half 3 in the morning, and that it’s a weekday, this is quite nice.”

“It is. If you forget about that, and the fact Krissy’s going to start crying again in a minute or so.” Aden told her. When he got no response, he looked over at her and wasn’t too surprised to see that her eyes had drifted shut. “You better not be falling asleep on me, gorgeous.”

“I’m not. Just thinking.” Belle smiled without opening her eyes.

“About…?” He finally prompted her when she failed to carry on.

“About life in general.”

“Don’t go into too much detail there, Belle.” Aden remarked sarcastically, only to earn himself a dark glare as she tilted her head up and opened her eyes to look at him.

“About how I never thought I’d end up marrying the lowlife bully in my class and be here in bed with him and our daughter within a few years.” She explained to him with a teasing tone. “Or that I’d willingly give up working properly for a while and stay at home without going stir crazy.”

“Trust me, babe, I never thought I’d be here either.” He replied with a smile that soon turned into a furrowed frown. “And I prefer the term ’bad boy’ than ‘bully‘, but when was I ever a lowlife?”

“You were the most lowlife-” Belle broke off and reached out with a hand to cover Krissy’s ears to stop her from hearing what she was about to say about her father. “-idiotic tool that I had ever known.”

“Yet here you are.” Aden smirked, causing her to roll her eyes.

“I said ‘were’. You’ve lost the lowlife bit now, but you can be an idiot and a tool sometimes.” She countered slyly that made him chuckle lightly before pressing a soft kiss to the side of the sleeping baby’s head who was still in his arms. “What? No comment…?”

“Nope.”

“So you’re agreeing that you’re an idiotic tool then?” Belle asked him in disbelief, pushing away from him in shock and confusion.

“Does it matter? You still married me.” He reminded her with his typical grin that made her both smile back and clench her hands to resist the urge to strangle him. “Besides, you’re still the pretty little rebel from school, anyway.”

“I’ll take pretty and rebel, but I’m not little in any way or form.” She huffed, raising an eyebrow at him in a menacing look.

“You are little. But it’s in a good way.” Aden told her softly. “Except for when you were pregnant. You weren’t so big, but you weren’t really little either.”

“You know, I’ve finally realised why we put that bed in the spare room.” Belle said icily, narrowing her eyes at him while crossing her arms.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He laughed, removing an arm from holding Krissy to wrap around Belle’s waist and pulling her closer to him until she was back by his side. “You are and always have been and will be so so beautiful and sexy.”

“I’m glad you think so.” She replied, this time in a softer and quieter tone as she relaxed against him when he brushed his lips against her temple.

“I know so, Belle.”

“Good. Cos, you know… You’re kinda sexy yourself.” She said in a nonchalance voice, lifting up a hand and holding her forefinger and thumb a few millimetres apart. “Just a tiny bit. But it’s there. Mainly in the scars.”

“You find scars sexy?” He questioned her with an interesting smirk.

“I find scars very sexy.” She whispered into his ear, using her free hand to trail along the one on his bare chest while biting lightly on his earlobe.

“Hey! Not in front of the baby.” Aden hissed at her with false annoyance.

“I guess you’re right.” Belle sighed dramatically and patted him gently on his chest. “Never mind. Next time, hey?”

---

Aden walked from one room to the other, all the while continuing buttoning up his top and keeping an eye on the time. Now in the bedroom once again, he looked around for the item he was searching for. Being near to half 7 in the morning, Belle still dozed peacefully in bed. He, himself, had woken up later than normal after spending half the night up. The storm that had been outside had returned soon after he had put Krissy back to bed in her crib, which did none of them any good. It hadn’t stopped completely until around 5 o’clock, with the baby waking up every now and again out of both fear and hunger before that.

Sighing, he carried on searching the room for his phone. It usually always laid on the bedside table so that he never had to get up if someone decided to call or text him while he was still in bed. But, for some reason, it wasn’t anywhere to be seen when he checked there.

“C’mon, where are you…?” He mumbled under his breath as he skimmed over the vanity table before entering the bathroom to see if he had, for some reason, misplaced it there. Disappointed, he re-entered the bedroom and walked over to the bed, this time on the other side to see if perhaps Belle had taken the phone. He didn’t even have to get any nearer to it than the 4 feet that was currently in between him and the furniture to see that it wasn’t there. “Stupid phone.”

The words, this time, hadn’t been so quiet, but Aden was glad to see that it hadn’t been loud enough to wake Belle up. Sitting at the end of the bed, he pulled on his socks and shoes even as his eyes carried on glancing around the room. A small sound suddenly caught his attention, and as he looked up to where Krissy laid in her baby hammock, a smile spread on his face when he saw her bright blue eyes shine back at him. He hadn’t thought that she would be up so early, especially after the night she had had, with Belle suggesting to bring up the hammock to let her sleep in their room for the night so that they didn’t have to keep on getting up. It had been a good idea, and for some reason, it had felt comforting having her sleep in the same room as them.

“Good morning, sweetheart.” Aden greeted her while standing up to hover over her, the smile still on his face as her mouth moved with the gurgles and baby babble that she spoke. “You trying to talk to me, baby?”

More babbles emitted from her as Aden gathered her up into his arms, loving the feel of her warm body as he cuddled her and swayed her softly. Small giggles began to sound from her lips, making him pull her away from him a bit so that he could look at her.

“You’re like a little teddy bear, you know that?” He whispered to her, her mouth going still as if she was trying to listen and understand his words. “Are you still tired? Daddy’s sorry for waking you. He’s just lost his phone and really needs it before he goes. You know where it is?” Krissy blinked at him until he finished talking before gurgling in response to the silence. Her hand reached out at him, grabbing onto his hair and pulling with as much force as she could. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s in there, baby girl. But thanks for trying.”

Carefully twisting his head away to make her let go of his hair without pulling it out, Aden dropped kisses atop of her head as he brought her to lay it on his shoulder, which she did happily. A hand had grabbed onto the end of the collar, keeping the little girl occupied for a small moment as Aden carried on with his search. He knew for certain that it was somewhere in that room, but he had no idea where. And with it being on vibrate, it wouldn’t do much use for calling it. Exhaling deeply, he gave up and decided that if he hadn’t found it by the time he had to go, he’d simply take Belle’s for the day.

Feeling his stomach begin to rumble in protest to his hunger, Aden gave up with his search. He had made it out of the door way when he looked back and saw the small mess that he had made while trying to find his phone. Grimacing at the fact that he knew he would get an earful about it from Belle when he got back again, Aden shrugged and turned away to travel downstairs.

“Let’s just pretend we don’t know anything about it.” He whispered with a nod at his daughter, who had stopped tugging at his collar and instead simply laid against his shoulder watching the world around her. “Doing good, baby. You and me can be partners in crime. You know Mummy would never yell at you for anything. She’d yell at me though. She’d hurt me, too. You don’t want Daddy to get hurt, do you?”

By the time that he had reached the bottom landing of the house, Krissy had began with her cooing again, with small babbles interrupting it. She continued to communicate in her own way even as he perched on the arm of the couch and pulled her away from his body to let her sit on his lap with his hands supporting her back and head.

“You have no idea what Daddy was saying, do you? You just like the fact you have some attention, aren‘t ya?” Krissy’s cooing continued as Aden bounced his leg lightly in joy for the 3 months old. “Never mind. We’ll just have to work on it some more.”

Getting up, Aden held her tightly against him once again while walking over into the kitchen. His stomach rumbled once again as he simply thought about breakfast, and as he got to the fridge, he reached a dilemma. As good as he liked to think he was in the kitchen, there was no way that he could make anything except for warming up bottled milk, which he was now an expert at, with a baby in his arms. Instead, he returned back to the front room and headed over to where the car seat was placed.

“Righto, angel. You’re going to have to sit in here while Daddy makes something to eat, because he’s really hungry.” Lifting up the carrier after he had strapped her in, Aden brought her back into the kitchen and laid it down in the middle of the table to be on the safe side. Having picked up a couple of toys on his way, he handed her a fairly big jingling toy of a polar bear and waited until she became enticed by it to back away and get started on his breakfast.

Knowing that there wasn’t enough time for a relaxed and proper morning meal, Aden simply stuck to some toast and coffee; something he was in dire need of. He had just inserted two slices of bread into the toaster when he heard a soft thump accompanied by a light tinkle of a bell followed by small gurgles that turned into whimpers by the time the kettle had boiled.

“Hey, hey, hey.” He called out soothingly as he poured the water into his mug for the coffee. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the little girl fuss around in her seat as she cried, the fact that he was there doing nothing to calm her down. Closing the lid to the milk that he had just used, Aden replaced it back into the fridge before heading over to the table. Picking up the polar bear toy from where she had dropped it, he stroked the ultra soft fur of it against Krissy’s cheek while hushing her, only for her to bat it away with a clenched up hand without even looking at it. “Ok, I get it. Come here, then.”

Undoing the straps that kept her safe in the carrier, Aden picked her back up again and held her tightly to his chest. Although he rubbed her back and swayed her gently while murmuring small reassurances into her ear, Krissy didn’t stop crying. It was only when he heard the toaster pop up from behind him that he realised what he was forgetting and was probably causing her the distress.

“Ok, ok, I’ve clocked on now. You’re jealous of my food and want some of your own.“ He sighed, pressing a light kiss to Krissy’s head before turning back to the fridge where he knew there were a couple of expressed milk bottles prepared for her. “ How does your mummy manage to do all this in the morning, huh?”

“With great difficulty.” Aden spun around, surprised that he hadn’t heard her come downstairs.

“Did we wake you?” He asked her innocently, turning back to the fridge and retrieving what he had been looking for.

“I‘ve been awake since you tripped over your discarded jeans 20 minutes ago. Where, incidentally, I also found this.” Belle held out his phone to him before realising that his hands were very full and tucking it into his pocket. Now with her own hands empty, she laid one on Krissy‘s back and the other on his arm. “Here, let me.”

“It’s alright, I’ve got it.” Aden told her, making her roll her eyes and almost pry her out of his arms.

“Aden, I’m up now. Let me feed her. You eat breakkie.” She instructed him, watching him replace the bottle back into the fridge in defeat as she took a seat at the table and arranged the girl in her arms so that she could feed her. “Look at you, missy. You don’t let Daddy eat or Mummy sleep, but you still get your own way, don’t you?”

“I think she’s spoilt.” Aden spoke up in a tone of realisation while taking a seat opposite her on the table.

“Really? Now, who do we know that would possibly want to spoil her?” Belle replied sarcastically, both of their voices now a bit quieter as Krissy’s cries halted immediately as her needs were answered to.

“I think Nic’s the worst. And Geoff and Annie are pretty good at it, too.” He answered coolly, trying to keep a smirk off his face. “Then Irene, Roman and Amanda, of course.”

“Yeah, of course.” She rolled her eyes mockingly at him when he smiled widely back at her. “Aren’t you going to be late?”

“Not by much.” Aden merely shrugged, taking another bite from his toast and leaning back in his chair whilst taking a sip of his drink.

“If you’re going to be late, then there’s no point in rushing.”

“Who said I was rushing?” He asked her with a scoff, leaning forwards on the table with his forearms with a light sigh to act as if he was relaxing. “Got all the time in the world.”

Instead of replying, Belle shook her head at his teasing and looked down at where her daughter continued to nurse from her. Running the back of a finger down her cheek to capture her attention, Belle was surprised when her eyes blinked up at her for just a second before averting back to the side.

“Hey! I’m the one feeding you.” Belle exclaimed, clicking her fingers to try and make Krissy look back at her, only for her to seek out the cause of the noise and then try to look back over at the other side of the table.

“She can’t get enough of me.” Aden laughed, winking over at both of them. He loved how from the position that she was in, the blueness were at the corner of her eyes as she strained to look at him, even though he hadn’t really been doing much to entertain her with. “You want to spend the day with Daddy, sweetheart?”

“Don’t tempt her.” Belle told him quickly as he drank the last of his coffee and stood up from the table. Both kept quiet; waiting to see whether there were going to be any protests from the little girl or not about the sudden disappearance other father from her view. When her eyes simply drifted back up to her mother’s, Belle let out a little giggle and smiled in a ‘I told you so’ way at Aden. “Clearly, she’s had enough for today.”

“Hmm…” He merely mumbled, wiping his hands dry on a towel and then walking back to the table. “If I go now, I might not be late at all.”

“Maybe you ought to go then.” She replied, acting cool even though there was an underlying tone of cheekiness in her words.

“I am, I am.” Aden said, coming to a stop behind her and resting his hands lightly on her shoulders before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Get some sleep, alright? You look tired.”

“I could say the same for you.” Belle retorted, hearing his chuckle lightly as he remained in the same position that he was in.

“But unlike me, you can’t have any caffeine to wake you up.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” She finally sighed, speaking seriously and honestly. Aden nodded and leaned down over her shoulder to steal a quick kiss from her lips. “Oi. Go!”

“I am!” He repeated indignantly, removing one hand from her shoulder to stroke over Krissy’s soft hair and then backing away completely before he got too resolved to move. “I’ll see you later.”

“See ya.” Belle called out after him when he disappeared into the front room. “Drive safe. For both of us!”

“Always do.” Aden replied with a light scoff that she could hear over the opening door. “Anything else before I go?”

“Nope, we’re good. “ She answered back before hurriedly adding. “Unless, of course, you want to stop by the Diner on the way back for some cake.”

“I’ll think about it.” Was the response that she got before he said he was leaving and let the front door shut behind him, leaving an amused Belle behind with a smirk on her face and a pretty sure feeling that she was going to get some chocolate cake.

---

A knock on the door made her pause in the middle of stacking the dishes back into the cupboard. When it sounded again, confusion ran through her even as she left the kitchen and headed to the front door. Peering through the window to see who it was, relief flooded her to see her best mate.

“Hey.” Belle greeted Mattie as she entered, dragging a big wrapped up package behind her on the floor. “Should you be doing that?”

“Do you want to carry it?” She replied sarcastically as she started to push it towards the space behind the couch. “I told him not to put it back into a box”

“Told who what about what?”

“Never mind. I‘ll explain later.” Mattie brushed off, standing up straight with her hands on her hips to take in the other girl. “You look like hell.”

“Thanks.” Belle rolled her eyes at her bluntness and ran a hand through her hair to push it back from her face. “So, what’s up?”

“Nothing special. I had the day off and I thought I’d come and see my best friend and favourite little girl” She answered, practically bouncing behind her as Belle lead her through to the kitchen. “Is she sleeping? I thought she might be cos it’s like 2, so I didn’t ring the doorbell.”

“She is, and thank God you didn’t.” Belle informed her while replacing the last of the cutlery and shutting the cupboard doors before pouring two glasses of water.

“Why not?” Mattie asked, taking one of the glasses and following her back into the front room where they sat onto the sofa. When Belle didn‘t reply but slumped lazily against the back of the couch, a guilty feeling came upon her. “You know, maybe I should go. You look really tired and busy, and I should have called-”

“Matilda, shut up. You can stay. I could do with the company to keep me awake.” Belle cut her off with a laugh and a grin. “I’m not busy anymore. Besides, it feels like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Well, if someone hadn’t decided to run off the city for a week, then maybe it wouldn’t have been ‘ages’.” She said pointedly, joining Belle in slumping back in the sofa next to her.

“I didn’t run off to the city!” She laughed, slapping her lightly on her arm. “It was just a week with Mum, and to be honest, it was really nice while it lasted.”

“Oh?” Mattie perked up, her whole demeanour ready for some gossip that only amused Belle.

“Nothing interesting, Mattie.” Belle told her calmly, making her relax again in slight disappointment.

“What was it, then? Does it explain why you’re so tired?” She pried before letting out a gasp and dropping her voice even though there was no-one else there. “Have you and Aden started to have se-?”

“It’s not that.” She interrupted her once again, this time rather hastily. “It’s just that change from here to there and back again has disrupted Krissy’s sleeping patterns and all, so it’s hard to keep up with her. And I‘m tired cos of the storm last night, too.”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping when she sleeps?”

“I don’t sleep in the day. If I do, then I can’t sleep at night and I apparently get grouchy and keep Aden awake too.” Belle muttered with a tone of disgust that told the blonde that she didn’t believe what Aden said about her.

“Alright, then. Well, I’m glad to be of service then.” Mattie nodded with a huge smile. “Though, you know, Krissy’s 3 months now…”

“I know, and I don’t want to talk about it.” Belle said dryly, taking a sip of her water to act nonchalant.

“…which means that it’s been 3 months since-” She carried on, ignoring her best friend’s words.

“Mattie, I said I don’t want to talk about it!”

“I’m just saying, alright?” Mattie replied. After knowing her for as long as she had, even her fiery temper or words weren’t enough to put her off something like this. “You look as great as you did before you got pregnant. Even better, actually.”

“Have you been checking me out, Matilda Hunter?” Belle asked her with a sly smirk that made the girl in question merely sigh deeply, not appreciating her joke. “Look, no offence, Mattie, but this has nothing to do with you. We have a 3 month old, ok? Life’s busy and we’re busy.”

“If this was about the fact you had no time, then maybe I would believe your excuses.” Mattie told her stubbornly. “You know, maybe you should talk to Aden about this.”

“Mattie, I have. I told him I wasn’t ready yet, and he’s fine with it, ok? Now, can you let it go?” She questioned her pointedly, a frown forming on her face as Mattie simply looked at her.

“You should tell him why.” She advised her softly and caringly, before adding a hint of amusement to he voice. “Otherwise, you might end up being those married couples who never have sex.”

“What’s it to you if we don’t?” Belle asked her straightforwardly, the tension that had been in the air dissipating slowly as she relaxed the posture that she didn’t know she had been holding.

“Well, if you don’t, then I won’t get another niece or nephew.” Mattie informed her with a small pout, making Belle giggle and smile.

“Even if we do, you’re not getting another one from me.” She told her, patting her leg lightly. “But you know, you do have a sister and 3 brothers. And other friends. And, of course, you can have kids yourself.”

“Yeah, but none of them have that cute smile or those eyes.” Mattie sighed, a smile curving her face as she looked over to where the photo that Belle had gotten printed for Aden’s birthday hung on the wall to the side. “Unless you let me borrow Aden for a little while.”

“Over my dead body. Them pretty eyes are for me.” Belle told her, the smile on her face ruining the strict effect that she was trying to keep.

“No fair.”

“Hey, you can always try with Justin.” She told her as the thought suddenly came to her. A slightly horrified look came across Mattie’s face as Belle turned in her seat to face her and lean back against the armrest instead. “No?”

“Not even if the survival of mankind depended on it.” Mattie said with a huff, watching as Belle laughed and dug into her jeans pocket for something.

“Aw, too bad. We could have been family, then!” Belle exclaimed with a faux sad face as she clipped on her bracelet around her wrist. “Though I guess Ric wouldn’t have been too happy about that.”

“No, I wouldn’t think so.” She replied a bit distractedly. “You’re not wearing the locket. Why aren’t you wearing the locket? I swear, if it’s around that teddy’s head-”

“It’s not on the teddy.” Belle spoke over her, holding out a hand at her to stop her. “Krissy pulls on it a lot and I don’t want it to break. Because I love it so much.” She added at the end with a sweet smile.

“You still wear the bracelet though.”

“That’s cos she doesn’t pull on it as much.” Belle told her with a stifled smile at the look of disdain on her face. “Plus, I’ve worn this practically everyday for the past 2 years. It’s weird not wearing it.”

“Yeah, but if you think about it, you could say the same thing about the locket in 2 years’ time.” Mattie pointed out to her. Belle’s brow furrowed as she thought about the logic before opening her mouth to reply.

“But then, wouldn’t it be 4 years for the bracelet?” An indignant huff was the reply to her words, indicating that Mattie hadn’t been impressed by her version on the logic, even as it made her giggle silently. If there was one thing that she could always count on, it was the near-childish behaviour and competitive streak in Matilda showing when it came to the little things.

“It would still be 2 years.” She muttered in a tone of defeat that lasted for only a moment before she inhaled deeply. Repositioned herself with sudden interest, she took a hold of Belle’s right arm to look at the charm bracelet closer. “This hasn’t changed lately, has it?”

“Nope.” Belle shook her head as she let her hand drop into her lap again.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It’s odd though cos I thought Aden would have added something for Krissy by now.”

“Hmm…” Mattie murmured, thinking about it for a second and then lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Maybe he just doesn’t love you that much to spoil you anymore.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Belle sighed mockingly, putting on a fake frown before a thought came back to her. “You know, actually, Aden was very secretive all last week while we were at Mum’s.”

“Yeah? How so?” She asked her, intrigued once again with the new information and gossip.

“He just kept going out to do ‘stuff’ but kept saying it was for uni.” She told her with slight coolness that told Mattie that Belle wasn’t too fussed about it, but rather just curious. Her, on the other hand, wasn’t in love with the guy and said the first thing that came into her mind.

“You don’t think that he’s… You know?” At Belle’s blank expression, Mattie rolled her eyes and carried

on. “Having an affair?”

“I wasn’t until now.”

“It fits with what you said.” Mattie told her.

“A lot would fit with what I said.” Belle countered her argument with.

“Yeah, but think about it. Maybe he’s spending his money on the other girl, so he forgets about buying them little things for you.” She added, raising an eyebrow as if to tell her that it’s the obvious answer.

“It would explain a lot.” She finally agreed, although the tone of her words were a bit too calm considering what they were talking about.

“If you want, I could find out who it is for you. I’m good at these things.” Mattie offered, making Belle smile, especially at the serious look that was currently on her best friend’s face.

“It’s alright. I can take care of it myself, I think.” Belle said with a wink and a nod and a sombre look on her face that she was sure looked as real as she wanted it to be.

“If you insist…” Mattie trailed off, the end of her last word being met by the beginning of whimpers sounding from over the baby monitor. “Oooh, someone’s awake.”

“Yes, she is.” She sighed, not bothering to move for a second until Mattie herself got up and held out her hands towards her.

“C’mon! If you don’t come, I’ll go by myself. And you know you don’t want to leave me alone with that cutey. You might never see her again.” She said innocently, making Belle smile and grab onto the hands with a shake of the head before behind heaved up onto her feet with a light pull. By the time she could get her bearings, Mattie was already on the second step of the stairway. Taking her own time, Belle laughed silently to herself as she realised that this was probably the first time that she had to follow someone other than Aden up to the nursery for the crying baby.

---

Drying her arms on a small towel, Belle made her way back to the nursery from the bathroom. They had just given Krissy a bath and allowed a happy Mattie to take the little girl back to her room to get ready while she cleared up the mess that had been made. She had almost reached the opened doorway of the room when her friend‘s voice drifted out and towards her.

“…This little piggy went to the market, and this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had roast beef,” Belle held back a laugh as she entered the room to see the two of them on the floor; Krissy laying on the changing mat with a towel wrapped around her and Mattie kneeling before her. One of the baby’s feet was in her hand, and the other was completely still as she paid all her attention to her aunt’s rhyme. “And this little pig had none. But this little piggy cried ‘Wee, wee, wee’ all the way home!”

With the last word, Mattie tickled the sole of Krissy’s foot, finally making her jerk and kick, even as her gurgling giggles filled the room at the feeling.

“What happened to getting her ready?” Belle spoke up, coming to stand next to them and looking down at the girl who was speaking in her own language towards her new best friend.

“Well, I got the diaper on and then she looked like she was about to cry, so I thought I’d play.” Mattie replied, not sparing her a glance but instead wriggling Krissy’s little toes around like she had been doing with the nursery rhyme. “It worked, huh?”

“That it did.” She finally laughed and headed over to the dresser to pick out an outfit for her daughter. Plucking out a white and pink onesie, she threw it over to Mattie. “Here, get that on her before Aden gets home. He’ll have a fit if he sees her like this so long after having a bath.”

“Why?” Mattie questioned her incredulously, but doing as she said anyway.

“Because he must have read somewhere that if you leave a baby half naked for longer than 5 minutes after having a bath, they can get ill.” Belle tried to quote from memory what she had been told. “Or something to that effect. Bottom line; don’t let Aden see.”

“He’s gonna be a nightmare for this little one when she’s all grown up.” Mattie informed her matter-of-factly while buttoning up the last of the poppers on the suit, just as Krissy began to fuss around. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I can’t reach your feet anymore.”

“Wanna see something cute?” Belle asked Mattie while coming to kneel on the side of where they were, but far enough back so that she could lean back against the sofa in the room.

“Sure.” She replied, looking up for a second from where she was tracing a finger around Krissy’s palm and removing it when she came close to capturing it. In Belle’s hand was a soft looking white all-in-one suit with clear pink writing on it. Frowning, she held out her free hand for her to pass it to her.

Removing her hand for a minute from the baby, Mattie laid the suit on her lap; a smirk on her face as she looked at the words. On the front, in a stylish script writing, were the words ‘Say I’m Cute or…’, and when she flipped it around, the laughter erupted from her mouth as she read the continuation of the sentence.

“’My daddy will hurt you‘?” Mattie read the words out loud. “Where did you get this from? It’s dead on.”

“Isn’t it just?“ Belle agreed, taking back the clothing and folding it up. ”Nicole made it.”

“She did?” The humour in her voice was all gone now as the ‘rivalry’ between the two best friends of the little girl’s parents reared it’s head again.

“Yup. She’s doing that fashion course now, so she made it for her coursework.” She filled her in, smiling at her reaction. If she was completely honest with herself, Belle knew that Mattie was going to react in this way, and a part of her knew that it was why she had shown her in the first place. “I’m gonna dress her up in it one day when it fits. Aden hasn’t seen it yet.”

“He’ll like it, that’s for sure.” Mattie commented with a small smile before turning back to the baby who was babbling to herself. “This one really likes to talk, doesn’t she?”

“She just spent the last week being in the constant presence of my mother. What else would you expect for her to pick up from her?” Belle reminded her with a roll of the eyes.

“How to spend money? Go shopping? Get her own way with everything?” Mattie answered even though the question had been rhetorical. “Speaking of last week, actually, did you find anything out about Drew’s new girlfriend?”

“No, and how did you know about that?” She questioned her, intrigued and slightly concerned that she may have let it slip one day.

“He told Ric that time he was here. And I might have overheard.” Mattie told her with a light shrug.

“Oh, right. But no, he didn’t say a thing, and he never said when he went to see her. I think it’s gonna take a bit more time before we find out for sure.” Belle shrugged before pushing herself up onto the edge of the sofa as her legs began to ache.

“He can’t keep it a secret for too long, anyway. He’ll mess up at some point. This is Drew we’re talking about.” She said with amusement and then shook her head as if to rid the thoughts about it from her mind. Her attention went back to Krissy almost immediately, watching as she tugged at the end of the blanket that was now half upon her and as she made little noises of content. “Belle, I love her. Look at her! She’s got to be the happiest baby in the world.”

“You wouldn’t have been saying that if you had been here last night.” Belle scoffed, though a smile graced her features also as she watched her baby girl play with the blanket that Mattie had pulled out from where it had been stuck under a cream bottle.

Silence had overcome the two of them as they both stared fixated at the baby. Belle had to admit that it was probably the longest time that Krissy had had interest in a single toy or item before, but she wasn’t complaining. There were happy gurgles sounding from her mouth, and she had finally managed to grasp onto the smooth fabric with both hands after many tries. It didn’t last long as her grip onto the blanket loosened and covered her face. Under the sudden darkness, Krissy began to flail around her now empty hands and legs, and began to cry.

“Hey, what happened? Did someone turn off the lights?” Mattie giggled while pulling off the blanket and throwing it to the side towards where Belle sat laughing, too. “Aw, don’t cry, honey. Aunty Mattie’s here to keep you entertained!”

Belle was about to move to help her when she heard the front door downstairs slam shut. She was pretty sure that neither of the other two had heard it, especially as Mattie picked Krissy up and rocked her gently. The amazement was clear on her face as the baby girl began to calm down almost as soon as she had soothed her.

“You can put her down now.” Belle informed her with a soft smile.

“I don’t want to.” Mattie pouted, still swaying her even though the tears had ceased entirely now.

“You might want to before she starts getting bored and begins to rip out your earring.” She warned her. They had been the magic words and almost immediately, Mattie had replaced the young baby back onto the mat. She carried on playing with her, however, until she suddenly froze and looked over at Belle.

“Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Belle frowned in slight worry, thinking she was talking about Krissy.

“The footsteps.” Mattie replied and Belle let out a breath of relief.

“Yeah. It’s Aden.”

“Someone say my name?” Both of them looked over to the doorway as he entered the room, his cheeky grin plastered on his face. “Hey, Mattie. I take it that the package downstairs is from you?”

“Yup, and now that you’re here, I can show you!” She exclaimed, sitting back on her heels as Aden rounded both her and Krissy and crouched down by her head. “Actually, it would be so much more easily and quicker if someone else, someone stronger got it instead…”

“Aden…?” Belle prompted when he failed to response to Mattie’s obvious hint.

“Hm…?” He asked, looking up at both of them from where he had been brushing his fingers over Krissy’s chubby cheeks to see them stare at him. “What?”

“Go get the package.” She told him. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow and amused look on his face before shaking his head.

“What‘s the magic word?”

“Now?” Belle replied saccharinely and teasingly.

“Fine.” Aden sighed and stood up without adding another word in protest and left the room.

“Wow, I expected more of an argument.” Mattie confessed as Krissy started to whimper. “Heh, someone misses him already.”

“All she does is miss Aden.” Belle told her, kneeling back onto the ground next to her and rubbing her thumb over her cheek slowly in the same way that her father had been doing only seconds before. It was enough to stop her complaining; head turning in her direction and eyes trying to identify her. “It’s just me, baby. Daddy’ll be right back.”

As if on cue, Aden returned only seconds later. He groaned as he placed the package down in an empty space in the nursery before standing up straight and stretching lightly.

“Jeez, what’s in there, Matilda?” He growled, stepping over the low item to head back to his position next to his daughter. This time, he sat down on the floor next to Belle and took over from what she was doing.

“Open it and find out.” She said. No-one got the chance to reply before a phone began to ring loudly. “Oh, that’s me. Right, don’t open it until I get back, ok?”

“Yeah, course.” Belle assured her as Mattie narrowed her eyes and left the room to answer the call. Smiling as Aden slowly stretched out on the floor and began playing happily with the giggling baby, Belle sat where she was and fiddled with Krissy’s hand until a finger was grasped tightly by the girl in question. “How was uni?”

“Fine. Boring. Long. Tiring.” He stated emotionlessly. “I take it from the way you look you didn’t get any sleep at all.”

“You all know how to make me feel so great, don’t you?” Belle muttered in annoyance as Aden looked up at her with a smirk. Leaning towards her, he pressed a light kiss just below her shoulder in apology.

“You look beautiful, Belle. I’m just saying you look tired.” He told her. “You should take better care of yourself.”

“I’ll be fine after tonight. Just need a night’s sleep.” She brushed off quickly.

“Alright. Well, I have tomorrow morning off, so you can have a lie in, yeah?” Aden informed her softly, eyes jumping from Krissy to her and back again.

“Yeah, sounds good.” She answered. Biting her bottom lip, she debated herself whether to say something else about something that had just came to her mind. “You know, Aden, Mattie and I had the strangest conversation earlier.”

“Really?”

“Yup. She thinks you’re having an affair.” Belle told him straight out, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as his head snapped up at her in surprise.

“Really?” He repeated with a chuckle. “And what do you think?”

“That you don’t have a death wish.” She said matter-of-factly with a nod of the head.

“I really don’t.” He agreed and Belle laughed as he winked up at her. Hurried footsteps could be heard, and mere seconds later Matilda re-entered the room.

“Ok, back. Now you can open it. It’s for Krissy, obviously, but considering she can’t open it…” Trailing off and sitting back down again, she looked over at the young parents.

“You can open it, babe.” He told her, and when Mattie nodded eagerly in consent, Belle stood up and went over to where it laid.

The wrapping was a shiny pink colour that she was able to rip off easily. Inside, like Mattie had complained about, was a box. This box, however, was a plain brown one and it was easy to figure out that whatever was inside hadn’t come in the this particular box. Using her nail to break through the tape that kept the top flaps shut, Belle lifted them up followed by the two on the adjacent sides of the box. Inside was a mass of white tissue paper that she managed to stuff into one of the corners on the box to let her see the content.

“Oh, my God.” Belle gasped as her fingers brushed the extremely soft fur of the toy inside. She would see with the minimum light that entered that it was mainly white with a bit of pink; kind of like the suit that Krissy currently wore.

“Can we all see it, please?” Aden spoke up, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah, sure.” She merely replied, finding the lower parts to it that were far more sturdier and pulled it out of the box.

“Is that what I think it is?” He asked her before turning to Mattie, who simply shrugged.

“Mattie, it’s beautiful.” Belle sighed, crouching down next to the rocking horse that she had now placed onto the floor. It was mainly soft and furry, with the tail and mane in pink and the rest in white. The only wooden part of it was the rocker at the bottom and a bit in the front, all which was pink too. There was a small seat on the horse’s back, and the short height and fluffiness of it told her that it was meant for younger children.

“Wow.” Aden added after letting out a low whistle. “That must have cost-”

“Nothing more than I can afford.” Mattie quickly cut him off, although she had been expecting those words from Belle instead.

“Isn’t this meant for older children, though?” Belle asked her, using a hand to rock the toy with.

“Yeah, but it can be for future use, and decoration for now. I just saw it and it was pretty cheap,” She looked pointedly at both of them at the last few words. “So I though ‘why not?’. I needed to spoil her with something.”

“Well, thank you, Mattie. It’s perfect.” Belle said, shuffling over to where she was and bringing her into a hug.

“I’m just glad you liked it. I got Ric to put it together at home first so that it looked better.”

“It certainly does look good.” Aden added while picking Krissy up from the floor and sitting her up carefully on his lap to face the new toy. “Look what Aunty Mattie brought for you? Do you want to try it out?”

“Aden, she’s too young.” Belle chastised him as he stood up with the girl in his arms. “She’s going to fall off.”

“I’ll hold her. Relax, would you?” He laughed and ignoring her scowl as he knelt down next the new toy. He could tell that the other two were watching intently when he lifted Krissy up onto the seat. Keeping a hand behind her back to support her head, Aden rested the other one on her front to make sure that she wouldn’t fall off like Belle has predicted and rocked the toy lightly. “What do you think, sweetheart? Do you like it?”

Krissy had kept on babbling while Aden entertained her until her new surroundings on the rocking horse had fascinated her into silence. Without another sound or movement except for the occasional kick of the leg or brush of hand against his, she didn’t respond to what was happening to her. The only signs of recognition that she made was when Aden spoke up, causing her to turn her head slightly in the direction of his voice.

“I don’t think she knows what’s happening.” Belle commented when Aden looked over at the two of them over his shoulder.

“I think she does.” He replied, watching as the baby girl’s eyes began to blink slowly. “I think she’s falling asleep.”

“It’s like when you use a rocking chair, or when you rock her yourself.” Mattie said matter-of-factly, a smile gracing her features at the fact that Krissy liked her present.

“It’s a good think we don’t have a rocking chair, then.” Aden laughed before lifting the girl off the rocking horse before she did fall completely asleep. Almost as soon as he had her in his arms, Krissy began to squirm and whimper. Hushing her softly, he walked back over to where they had been before to gloat to his wife. “Told you she knew what was happening.”

“She’s just upset that you took away the soft and moving thing from her. Not the actual rocking horse.” She retorted, taking her from his arms and rocking her lightly like she had been only moments beforehand. Her actions had worked and Krissy fell silent within a few seconds. “There we go. See?”

“Yeah.” Aden mumbled in slight disappointment. “Whatever. I’m gonna go have a shower, yeah?”

“Ok.” She replied, laying a settled Krissy back onto the mat in front of them as Aden left the room. Looking over at the toy and then at Mattie, she shook her head at her.

“What?” Mattie asked in confusion.

“I can just see the attachment forming between Aden, Krissy and the rocking horse right now.” Belle admitted with a giggle.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is when I won’t get the chance to spend any time with Krissy alone. It’s hard enough as it is, but now you’ve just ruined my life.” She told her with fake irritation and roll of the eyes.

“But it’s cute. Like, really cute just how much she loves Aden. They’re too adorable together.” Mattie paused after the words left her mouth. “Wow, I never thought I’d ever call Aden adorable. Then again, I never thought he would be so cutesy and not in a sickening way, either.”

“It is kinda cute, I guess.” Belle murmured with mock nonchalance as she gave Krissy her teddy of the bunny that Aden had given her. “I just hope she grows out of it a bit when she grows up.”

“If he’s got anything to do with it, I doubt she will.” Mattie told her with a little sigh while listening to the little girl giggle as she tried to make a grab for the teddy that Belle now held above her. “Ok, seriously, can I borrow him for a little while? It’s not like you’re using him…”

“I tell you what. If you manage to convince him, and take him away from this little missy, then you can have him.” She reasoned with her.

“Where there’s a will, Belle,” Mattie told her. “There’s a way.”

---

“Hey, Mattie?” Aden whispered as the two of them climbed down the stairs. Even though Belle was upstairs feeding Krissy, he still kept his voice low until they got a bit further away. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure, I guess.” Mattie replied, following him into the kitchen. “Something wrong?”

“No, course not.” He answered, giving her a genuinely wide smile. “I need your help with something. Something for Belle, and I figured you helped with keeping the trip a secret last time, and you’re her best mate so you’ll know the best.”

“Ok…” She said a bit confused. “What is it?”

“You need to promise me that you won’t breath a word about it to Belle, ok? Cos I really want it to be a secret.” Aden told her strictly, causing her to throw her hands up in the air.

“I know, I know. I can keep a secret.” Mattie insisted as Aden sighed and pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket before handing it over to her. Looking at him curiously, she opened up the folded paper and read the list of things that was on it. “Oh. Wow.”

“Yeah.” He simple answered, leaning against the island in the kitchen as worry began to ebb at him. “Do you think she’ll like it? I mean, it’s Belle and she hates surprises and fussing over her, but what do you think?”

“I think I wished I married you instead.” Mattie said with a huff. “But you know, keeping this in your back pocket is just asking to be found out.”

“I only put it there to give to you, Mattie.” Aden told her. “And uh, maybe in the next life, yeah?”

“Hmm…” She murmured, the thoughts about the conversation she had had with Belle coming back to her. “Should I keep this then?”

“Yup. If you want to help, that is.”

“Consider it done, Aden. Trust me, with me helping, it’ll be the best that it can possibly be!” Mattie exclaimed with a huge smile and tucking the piece of paper into her jeans pocket. “Wait, is this what you were being all secretive last week?” At his sceptical look, Mattie shrugged and carried on. “Belle just said.”

“No, it’s not, actually.” He told her with a choked laugh.

“Oh. Right…” Mattie trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable for bringing it up.

“Don’t worry. I’m not having an affair.” Aden assured her, chuckling before turning serious even as his cheeky smile graced his features. “Although, if I was having an affair, I wouldn’t really admit it to my wife’s best friend, now would I?”

---

Krissy's Rocking Horse

Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry if it dragged on a bit; I tend to keep on doing that. Anyways, just one more chappie, and then the epilogue left!

xoxo

[Taniya_K]

Right, well, I can't believe I'm doing this. Although there is the epilogue left after this, this is the last chappie of this fic so it's a bit too long as I tried to get everything in at once Sorry for that.

This chappie is for everyone who's been telling me that they'll be about the fic ending, and even moreso for Naomi, for whom the first bit is for, and Laura Hope it helps cheer you up.

Chapter 80:

Aden smiled softly as he re-entered the front to see Krissy happily playing with her toy centre and not even caring that no-one else was there to give her attention for the moment. It was something that was becoming more and more familiar, being able to pop in and out of the room for a few minutes and to see the 4 month old still doing what she had been without a fuss.

Taking another sip of his cool water, Aden rolled his eyes as he caught sight of the time. Placing the bottle down onto the coffee table that had been pushed to the side to make space for the play mat and toys, he headed over to the bottom of the stairs, making sure that Krissy was still within sight as he did.

“Belle!” He yelled up the stairs. “Hurry up! We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Came the reply a few seconds later, followed by rushed footsteps and the crunching of some plastic.

Sighing, Aden shook his head in despair, looking at his watch and calculating the time while slumping down onto the couch next to where Krissy laid. He managed to figure out that if they left within the next 20 minutes, then he would be in the clear with the plans that he had for the night. The plans that included, to the slight worry to both of them, leaving their daughter with Irene overnight. He knew that nothing would happen, and was pretty sure they were ready for it, but after 4 months with her presence every night, and 9 months before that, it was almost scary to think about having a night without having to be parents as such.

He stretched out along the length of the couch, laying on his side and letting on hand dangle off the side of it to play with the little white beanie hat that was placed on Krissy’s head. She was already dressed and ready, in her plain white suit with hand mitts on the side for later on. Aden, too, was ready; dressed simply yet a bit stylishly in a black shirt and jeans. Belle had questioned his attire with a simple raised eyebrow though he did his beat to ignore it while passing her by.

Accidentally pulling off the little hat, Aden chuckled lightly as the baby girl’s legs began to thrash along with her arms when he let it hover above her face teasingly. Her tiny hands tried to reach out for it, sounds of both amusement and frustration sounding from her mouth as she did so. He continued to let the hat bounce around in the air about her, allowing her to capture it lightly before pulling it out of her grip. The look of pure concentration on her face made Aden laugh, especially when she managed to get a hold of it and her face lit up unknowingly.

“Right…” Belle’s voice broke him out of his game with Krissy, making him look up at her with a bit of difficulty in the position that he was in.

“Ready?” He asked her before spotting the stuff that she had dumped onto the armchair in front of her. “Sweetheart, you do realise that we’re only leaving her for a night, don’t you? And even with that, it’s at Irene’s. I think she’ll have a kitchen sink…”

“You’re a real laugh, Aden.” She commented dryly, glaring at his smirk as he pushed himself up onto his elbow, his hand and the hat that she had put on her baby’s head hanging off the side of it. “What were you doing?”

“What?” Aden questioned, following her gaze to his hand. “Oh. Just playing. You ready then?”

“I think so.” Belle replied, biting her bottom lip. “I don’t know what she’ll need. I’ve never really packed her an overnight bag.”

“I’m sure whatever you’ve put in there already will be more than enough. Leave the rest of the stuff here.” He advised her before feeling a small tugging at the clothing in his hand. Looking over, his eyes widened in shock while dropping the hat and relaxing his arm to lay down again. “Hey, did you just roll over for Daddy?”

“She always rolls over now. It’s her new trick.” Belle told him while gathering up the spare things that she hadn’t managed to fit into the bag to take it back up. “She seems to find fun in scaring the hell out of me.”

“No, she just rolled over onto her front. She’s never done that before.” He informed her before leaning over and picking up the little girl into his arms when she failed to do anything but lay there. “Have you, angel? You did it just for Daddy, didn’t you?”

“I’m sure she’ll do it again.” Belle told him, smiling nonetheless at both the new milestone and as he laid back down on the couch, half propped up by the armrest with the 4 month old sitting up with his support on his abdomen.

“I think Mummy’s just jealous that you wouldn’t roll over like that for her.” Aden whispered dramatically at Krissy, tickling her lightly on her tummy and under her chin to make her gurgle delightfully. “But that’s ok. Because we all know that she’s not as special as I am.”

“Not special?” She repeated with a fake tone of hurt. “What’s so special about you, exactly? You’re not the one who had to carry her around for 9 months and then go through the excruciating pain of giving birth.”

“No, I did not.“ He agreed merely, trying to think of a comeback that would rival hers, though still coming up blank. “But I am awesome.”

“Oh, yeah. So awesome.” Belle said sarcastically, picking up the pile she had made.

“And don’t you forget it.” Aden told her, throwing her a wink with his typical ‘bad-boy’ grin that simply made her shake her head minutely while heading for the stairs. Pouting though she wasn‘t looking, he turned back to the giggling baby that was currently sitting on him and pressed her nose lightly. “You think Daddy’s awesome, don’t you?”

“She’s not laughing with you, Aden. She’s laughing at you.” Belle called out, almost near the top of the stairs but still near enough to hear his words and Krissy’s laughter.

“Lying is a bad thing. We don’t like liars.” He mumbled to Krissy, who was still babbling in her own language, finding intrigue in the open button of his shirt as she played around with it. “Glad we have an understanding.”

When the only answer that he receive were more babbles and small silences when she concentrated on something, Aden smiled to himself as he reminded himself that his baby girl was still just 4 months old, and couldn’t reply in a way that he could really understand. Exhaling deeply, he kept one hand behind her back and head to keep her supported even as she leant forwards slightly while using his other hand to pull on the hat back onto her head. The soft, light brown hair that covered the top of her head had been sticking up in all directions, and figuring that trying to smooth it down would just be a waste of an effort, he simply covered it back up again.

“I think you’re ready to go for your first sleepover at Nana’s house, baby. Feeling excited?” Aden asked her in a low voice while straightening out her suit and held onto one of her hands for her attention. “I remember my first sleepover at Nana’s house. Kind of.”

Aden winced as he recalled the first night that he had spent at the beach house. Most of it was a blur, regardless of the fact that Belle had told him about it, in quite a bit of detail too, a few times. The only thing he could remember was the shock and amusement in the morning, and everything from then on. A part of him wished that he had been in the right frame of mind the night he had initially climbed in through her window, but then another part, probably the largest part, knew that if he had been in the right frame of mind, he would never have done it.

Snapping out of his thoughts when he felts a persistent pull at the back of his neck, Aden wasn’t too surprised to see that Krissy had moved on from the button to his shiny, silver chain. He took it out of her grasp easily before lifting her up slightly so he could sit himself up into an upright position and then held her up against his with her feet resting lightly on his legs.

“I really hope your first sleepover at Nana’s isn’t like mine. Because if I find a boy in that crib tomorrow morning,” He added, peppering a series of kisses to her cheek and making her gurgle at the feeling. “Then you won’t be allowed out of my sight until you’re 40.”

“Like she’s allowed, anyway.” Belle’s voice drifted over to him as she descended down the stairs. He noticed that she had changed her top to a long, grey t-shirt as opposed to the white and black short one she had had one before with her black jeans. “What? You poshed up a bit, so I thought I might as well too.”

“Glad you did, too.” Aden told her, grinning widely and appreciatively as his eyes wandered over her body until she came to a stop at the bottom. “Gorgeous.” He said matter-of-factly, the smile not vanishing even as he stood up and walked over to her, or when a little hand came up to press and bat softly against his mouth.

“Someone’s jealous…” She sang, smirking as Aden pressed kisses to the hand before turning to look at the baby in his arms.

“No need to be jealous. There’s enough of me for the both of you.” He stated a bit arrogantly as Belle reached out for Krissy, who went to her with a bit of reluctance.

“Only for the two of us, I hope.” She replied pointedly while laying Krissy down into her car seat.

“Well…” Aden trailed off cheekily, watching as Belle hushed the little girl gently as she began to fuss around at the loss of contact and interesting things while her mother buckled her in safely.

“That better be a joke, Jefferies.” She warned him in a low growl, not even having to look up at him for him to know that she was only half joking.

“You know, that had almost no effect when you’re last name’s the same.” He said instead, and he didn’t have to wait long before she punched him in the arm. He hadn’t seen it coming considering that Belle had been busy tucking in a blanket around Krissy in her seat and keeping her occupied with her hair that she soon replaced with the bunny teddy bear. But she had managed to get a hand free to hit him quickly before going back to the job at hand as if nothing had happened.

“Look, make yourself useful, would you?”

“Um, I was before you took her away from me.” Aden scoffed, crossing his arms immaturely. “She was perfectly fine when she was with me.”

“So I suppose you were going to walk to Irene’s with her and her stuff, then?” She asked him sarcastically.

“What do you want me to do?” He replied, answering with another question and relaxing his posture.

“Grab her stuff and put it in the car, and make sure everything else in still in there.” Belle instructed him, finally standing up straight to look down at the girl whole was all nice and neatly tucked into the car seat.

“I’m sure it is. Not like it’s gonna go for walkies or anything.” He murmured while going over to the armchair for the bag. Noticing Krissy’s play mat and toys out as he did so, he debated with himself whether he should put it away before realising that it would only cause suspicion if he did it now.

“And you can stop making stupid jokes otherwise I’ll leave you at Irene’s instead, and me and Krissy can have a night in alone.” She told him, following with the car seat on her arm as they headed for the front door.

“Alright, alright.” Aden gave in with a huff, locking the door behind them as they left the house. “Sheesh. You’ll be glad if you don’t later.”

“What?” Belle called out from where she had already opened the back door of his car.

“Nothing, babe.”

---

Pulling up the driveway of Irene’s place and stopping the car, Aden switched off the engine before staring at Belle via the rear-view mirror. Raising an eyebrow at her in scepticism, she threw him a questioning look while undoing her seatbelt before getting started on the car seat next to her.

“You cannot say that you didn’t see that.” Aden told her, his voice tinged with annoyance.

“Yes, I did.” Belle replied nonchalantly as he climbed out of the driver’s seat and shut the door before opening the one on the other side to her. Leaning in to help her from his side, she sighed as the look on his face didn’t change. “They weren’t doing anything, Aden. Relax, would you?”

“He’s like our age.” He informed her, although it had been the first time they had both seen the blonde haired boy.

“I’m sure he’s not. Even if he was, so what?” She asked him rhetorically, finally getting the seat free. Opening her own door, Belle stepped out before reaching back in for the baby while Aden shut his door and went to the trunk.

“She’s 17.” Aden merely stated when she joined him at the back, looking back towards the road where they had came from to see the two people they were talking about still there.

“Look at her. She’s blushing!” Belle almost squealed.

“Even though they’re not doing anything?” He repeated dryly, closing the boot after taking out Krissy’s bag from it. Following his wife’s gaze, Aden looked over to the edge of the beach a little distance away where they were still talking until the girl looked up at them. Her eyes jumped back suddenly and it wasn’t long before the two of them went their separate ways. “Who is he, anyway?”

“I don’t know, Aden. But shush, Annie’s heading over.“ She pointed out even though he had already noticed it. “Don’t embarrass her about it, ok?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Aden retorted before locking the car and making their way towards the veranda of the beach house.

The kitchen door, as always, was open and Belle knocked on it lightly with her free hand to announce their presence. Not bothering to call out when she saw that the downstairs was empty, she turned to look at Aden, who merely shrugged at her.

“Weird.” She commented, walking over to the dining table and placing down the car seat. Peering quickly into it, Belle was surprised to see that Krissy was awake even though she wasn’t making any noise. “What’s keeping you so busy, sweetie?”

As if in response to her words, the 4 month old began to gurgle while reaching out her arms towards Belle. One of her hands was covered with a soft, white mitt that had been put on in the car, making Belle wonder if taking the other one off had kept Krissy occupied for so long.

“Did you take your mitt off? Is that why you don’t want our attention, so we don’t put it back on again?” She asked her quietly while pulling off the blanket from around her to find the other hand mitt caught on the side by the handle, which must have helped for it to come off. Laughing to herself, Belle lifted the girl into her arms before picking up the blanket and wrapping it lightly around her. “Here, let Mummy take the other one off now, too. Otherwise you’ll look like a fashion victim and we can’t have that.”

“Would never have thought I’d ever hear those words from you.” Aden laughed, joining her by the table after tucking his phone into his jeans pocket and pulling off the other mitt before throwing it back into the car seat.

“Must have picked it up from those desperate daytime TV shows.” She shrugged as footsteps sounded from outside. It was only a few seconds later when Annie appeared in the doorway, smiling brightly at them.

“Hey! You’re early. Irene said you wouldn’t be here until 5ish.” She told them as she approached them.

“Really, now?” Belle replied, staring darkly at Aden, who merely smiled back sheepishly. “I was told half 4.”

“Hey, if I said 5, you wouldn’t have been ready until 5:30.” He defended himself.

“But you didn’t, and we’re here for 4:30 anyway.” She retorted with a scoff, turning away from him to look at her younger foster sister. “So where is everyone?”

“Irene’s at work and I think Geoff’s at church. But they both should be back in a bit.” Annie replied with a smile.

“Church?” Aden asked in confusion. “But it’s Friday.”

“It may be news to you, but church is usually open every day.” Belle remarked with a roll of the eyes as he scowled at her words.

“So, Annie,” He began, while walking over to the couch and perching on it’s arm. “Who was that guy you were talking to?”

“What?” Her head snapped over at him from where she had been cooing over Krissy. A red tinge coloured her cheeks as she stopped what she was doing and shook her head lightly. “No-one.”

“That’s what I said.” Belle spoke up before he could, adding forcefully. “Didn’t I?”

“No.” Aden replied truthfully. At the fierce look that she threw him, he sighed and huffed quietly. “Yeah, whatever. It was just a question.”

“I’m gonna go put this in the bedroom.” Annie finally said, picking up the bag containing Krissy’s stuff and heading for the room under the stairs without waiting for an answer, leaving the two of them alone.

“Didn’t I say not to embarrass her about it?” Belle hissed at him, coming to a stop before him.

“I didn’t! I only asked her a genuine, interested question. If I really wanted to embarrass her, I could have asked why she was blushing and flirting with him.” He pointed out to her with a smirk, earning himself a shove to the shoulder that made him grab onto the side of the sofa to make sure he didn’t fall back.

“I’m going to go talk to her. And when we come back, you’re going to have short-term amnesia about it all, alright?” She told him.

“Whatever you say.” Aden agreed tiredly before holding his hands out towards Krissy, only for Belle to take a step back. “What?”

“She’s coming with me. Babies cheer people up.” Belle informed him straightforwardly.

“What do I do then?” He asked her in disgrace, continuing in the same tone. “What if Geoff comes back?”

“Then you can try out this thing that normal people do and have a conversation.” She said in a slow tone. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“But-” Aden began, causing her to turn around and walk away from him without another word or look to shut him up. She could hear him huff unimpressed as she reached the half open door. Knocking on it, she entered to see Annie setting up the portable crib.

“Need some help with that?” Belle asked her softly.

“It’ll be done in a second.” She replied with a shake of the head. “Just a couple of clips.”

“Ok.” She nodded, sitting down in the middle of the bed that use to be hers and gently sitting Krissy onto one of her legs. “Listen, ignore what Aden said. He was just being protective and a bit of a tool.”

“I know.” Annie murmured a bit distractedly, and Belle wondered whether she it was due to the crib she had now set up and was lining with a flat mattress and blankets, or due to the blonde boy on the beach.

“Annie…?” Belle spoke up after a minute of silence as the younger girl finished with the job at hand.

“Yeah?” She replied, standing at the end of the bed to speak to her. Belle simply patted the space in front of her and Annie reluctantly sat, exhaling deeply as if she knew what was coming.

“I’m not gonna force anything out of you, but you know that if you want to talk, I’m here, right?” She told her with a little smile that Annie reciprocated. “And if you don’t want to talk to me, this one here is great to simply vent to. She doesn’t even interrupt you. Most of the times.”

“I don’t know about venting to, but I wouldn’t mind playing with her.” Annie replied, smiling genuinely for the first time since they had arrived as she reached out and picked Krissy up from where Belle had sat her on her leg. “Such a cutie.”

“You won’t be saying that tomorrow morning when she’s up crying at 6am.” Belle insisted with a laugh as Annie cradled the girl in her arms and fiddled with her small hands that kept them both happy.

“That’s ok. Geoff’s room is the closest, so it’ll be louder for him.” She replied matter-of-factly, the smile on her face dying down into a mere ghost of one as she carried on staring at Krissy and keeping her amused with her fingers. “Can I ask you something?”

“Are you talking to me or her?” Belle asked her, smirking lightly when Annie looked up at her giggling.

“You.” She answered unhelpfully.

“Go on…” Belle prompted her, pulling her other leg under her to cross them.

“How long does it usually take for you to like someone else after you’ve just broken up with someone?” Annie questioned her in a small and quiet voice that almost made Belle giggle at the innocent the young girl possessed.

“Honestly, Annie?” She replied sympathetically. “You can like someone else even when you’re in a relationship. It’s called being human and not having any control over your feelings.”

“Really?” She asked her in shock and something that sounded like relief. “Because it’s only been a little while since Jai and I broke up, and it feels kind of weird.”

“I’d be more surprised if it didn’t feel weird.” Belle said simply, shrugging lightly to assure her that it was completely normal. “All you’ve got to figure out is if it’s a good weird, or a bad weird.” She advised her, making Annie go quiet as she thought it through, attention going back to the gurgling baby in her arms. “Although, if you want my opinion, from what we saw from earlier, it looked like it was a good kind of weird.”

“I think it is…” Annie replied with a bit of uncertainty and thoughtfulness. “It’ll go though, won’t it? I mean, if something was to happen with me and him, then it wouldn’t be so uncomfortable all the time, will it?”

“I doubt it would be uncomfortable, but it‘ll be weird for a bit.” Belle informed her, a saddened and disappointed look coming upon her sister’s face at her words that made her carry on. “When Aden and I first got together, it was weird. And it wasn’t always the good kind of weird. It takes time to get over it, but when you do, it feels great.”

“What if it doesn‘t go away?” Annie asked her fearfully.

“It will, Annie. If you really like him, and him you, than it will.” She told her with certainty before smirking and adding in a playful tone. “And then you’ll get all those crazy feelings like butterflies and mental dizziness and not being able to stop thinking about them even when they drive you nuts.”

“And when you get over that?” She questioned her with a small smile, and Belle got the feeling that she was explaining something that Annie had already experienced before.

“You don’t.” Belle answered simply, keeping a smile to herself at Annie’s surprised look and at the simple thought of the fact that over 2 years on, she still felt the same as she had from the moment she had fallen hard for Aden. “Look, first loves are different from any other. Some people are lucky and their first love is their true love, but most aren’t. It’s not a bad thing though, ok? You make mistakes, you learn and you experience for the better. Hence the weirdness, and hence all the other weird and wonderful feelings you get along the way.”

“So you’re saying that what I’m feeling for Romeo is ok and will get better?” Annie asked her, looking as if she was holding her breath for Belle’s confirmation although it wasn’t what she got.

“I’m sorry, what?” She exclaimed incredulously.

“What?”

“’Romeo’?” Belle repeated, the smirk appearing on her face once again.

“What about him?” Annie asked in confusion, making Belle laugh.

“Nothing. Just… Seriously?” She replied, giggling before raising a hand to her mouth to stifle and stop the laughter. “Sorry. Just- Nothing, sorry.”

“Ok.”

“But yeah, that was what I was saying.” Belle finally answered her question, and Annie visibly relaxed. “If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen. Don’t worry about it; you’ll only make a mess of things if you do, alright?”

“Yup, got it.” Annie said, her tone cheerful and her moon back to normal. “Just one more thing, though.”

“Sure…”

“Could you not tell Geoff about any of this? Or Irene?” She asked her politely. “Actually, Aden, too.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Belle grinned, tapping the side of her nose as she did so. “Although, if you don’t want anyone to know, you should really stop flirting so obviously on the beach.”

“We were not!” Annie gasped suddenly, jolting the baby in her arms as she sat up straighter and making her cry. “Oops.”

“Oh, come here, baby.” Belle cooed softly while reaching over to pull Krissy into her arms and cuddle her whist swaying to hopefully calm her down. “Did Aunty Annie scare you? I’m sure she didn’t mean to.”

“Sorry.” She whispered, running a hand gently over Krissy’s back and biting her bottom lip guiltily.

“It’s ok. It happens a lot.” Belle reassured her as the cries turned into light whimpers. “That’s better. Should we go see where Daddy’s got to?”

“She’ll like that.” Annie commented, getting up from the bed as Belle shuffled to the edge to do the same.

“Tell me about it.” She rolled her eyes playfully before Annie turned around and walked out of the door of the bedroom with Belle following.

Slightly surprised, both girls stopped by the stools near the alcove when they spotted Aden and Irene in the kitchen having a little conversation as she prepared their early dinner. The atmosphere in the room was light and there was a smile on both of their faces that made Belle oddly suspicious.

“What’s going on here?”

“Nothing.” Aden replied coolly, rounding the breakfast bar and coming up to her to take the now quiet Krissy out of her arms. “Everything ok?”

“Yup, why wouldn’t it be?” She asked him pointedly, as if to remind him of their little arrangement from before she had gone to speak to Annie.

“Cos I heard her crying?” He answered, turning the statement into a question to see if his response was one that would let him get away with what he had done before.

“She’s fine.” Belle brushed off, heading into the kitchen to join Irene as Aden took Krissy into the front room with Annie trailing behind them. “What were you two talking about?”

“That would be none of your business, girly.” Irene told her, pointed the wooden spoon that she had just pulled out of a drawer over at her, making Belle pout.

“No fair.” She sighed, crossing her arms like a child and was glad that she was now leaning against the counter that next to the fridge so that Aden couldn’t see her to make fun out of her.

“Is everything sorted for tonight?”

“Yeah.” Belle nodded slowly. “Everything that she should need is in her bag, and,” She paused, pulling open the fridge door to check something. “Aden’s already put the milk in here so that’s good.”

“I was talking more about you and Aden, darl, but that’s good to know.” Irene chuckled.

“I dunno about tonight. It’s all Aden’s idea and plan. By the time we get home, it’ll be like 8ish so I don’t know what he wants to do with the night in alone.” Belle stated, tearing a leaf of lettuce into small strips. “I’m actually getting worried now. You don’t think he’s done something stupid, do you?”

“I assure you, Belle. It’s nothing stupid.” Her foster mother informed her while keeping her attention fixated on the salad she was preparing.

“But it is something right?” Belle asked, a sudden bolt of curiosity and excitement going through her. “Can you give me hint?”

“Nope.” Irene simply replied.

“Please?” She pleased, clasping her hands in front of her and putting on her best puppy dog face that she could master. “For me? For Krissy?”

“No and definitely no, because she’s going to be here tonight.” Irene laughed at both her words, actions and the crestfallen look on her face. “Trust me, love. It’ll be much more worthwhile if you don’t know a thing about it.”

“If I don’t like it, can I blame you?” Belle asked her sardonically, throwing aside the stripes of lettuce.

“No, you cannot.” Irene replied before tutting at the mess she had made. “Here, why don’t you make yourself useful and stop with the yapping?”

“Urgh. It’s like I never left.” She grumbled mockingly while accepting the knife and a couple of peppers for the salad, doing as she was asked anyway as Irene merely laughed.

---

“Do you think this was a good idea?” She asked him, breaking the silence that had surrounded them for the past 5 minutes after the meaningless conversation they had had when leaving Irene’s place.

“Yes.” Aden replied with a small nod.

“You’re only saying that because it was your idea.” Belle rolled her eyes, tilting her head up from where it laid on his shoulder to see him smirk.

“Ergo, a good idea.” He concluded, chuckling lightly as she hit him on the chest. “She was fine when we left. It’s almost 8:30 so she’ll be all sleepy and off to bed soon, ok?”

“You’re not worried at all then? What if she can’t sleep or misses us?” She questioned him, her tone softer than her sharp words as she stood straighter; all the while carrying on with the slow pace that they were walking.

“Of course I’m worried, but I trust Irene. And she’ll sleep fine. She won’t miss us nearly half as much as we will.” He answered, hoping that his responses to her questions would be enough to stop her from stressing.

“You don’t know that.” Belle muttered, laying her head back onto his shoulder as he squeezed her hip gently where his hand rested.

“If there was the slightest thing wrong, you know that Irene would call us. And we’d be there in an instant.” Aden reminded her, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “Besides, Krissy looked pretty content with annoying Geoff. She’ll be more than worn out by the end of the hour, I promise you.”

“True.” She giggled, remembering how attached the little girl had become to her uncle and found sudden joy with his inability to play with kids and tugging frequently on his floppy hair to make him yelp, thus making her laugh.

“Good. Now just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening.” He told her before dropping his voice and whispering in a slow and sultry voice. “And the night.”

“Hmm… We’ll have to see about that.” Belle joked, winding one of her arms around his own waist to pull him closer as a light breeze made her shiver a bit. “Why did you insist on walking back?”

“Because it’s romantic.” Aden replied without missing a beat, and when she looked up at him, she wasn’t too surprised to see his typical grin curving his lips.

“Is this a way to seduce me?” She asked him, giggling deep in her throat as he scoffed and led them off of the pathway they had been on and onto the beach.

“If I wanted to seduce you, I wouldn’t ask you to walk home. Especially not the long way.” He told her cheekily. “I’d want to get you home ASAP.”

“Well, if that’s the case, then why are we spending the one night off from parenting walking?”

“C’mon, Belle, where’s your romantic side?” Aden questioned her before sighing and dipping his head down slightly to whisper in her ear. “The clear sky, full moon, plenty of stars, just you and me walking together on the beach..”

“When you put it like that…” She trailed off, leaning up to brush her lips against his briefly. “How about we sit down?”

“Uh…” He began somewhat awkwardly as they paused in their walking. Glancing at the time on his watch before digging into his pocket for his phone, Aden winced and then smiled saccharinely at her like he usually did when he wanted something. “We can’t.”

“And why not?” Belle pried, pulling away from him and crossing her arms.

“Because I have something planned and if we sit here, we won’t get up for at least another hour, and then it’ll suck.” Aden told her, trying to be as inconspicuous as he could. “I promise, we can go for walk in the morning before we got pick up Krissy. Or tonight, if you really, really, really want to.”

“I guess so.” She sighed dramatically, wrapping her arm back around his waist as they carried on with their trek back home. “But I’m gonna hold you to the promise.”

“I know.” Aden chuckled, slightly relieved that she hadn’t asked what the ‘something’ that he had planned was. “Just out of curiosity, how tired are you today?”

“Why?” Belle questioned suspiciously.

“Out of curiosity! Listen, woman.” He huffed.

“Alright, alright.” She giggled softly. “But no, I’m alright. Surprisingly. Must be this fresh air and dinner with the others.”

“And cos you’re here with me, naturally.” Aden added matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, naturally.” She repeated as he tugged her closer into him while winding his arm around her shoulders.

Neither one of them said another word as they continued down the beach until they reach the side of the maid road which eventually led up to their place. Climbing up the sand dunes carefully, both still having their shoes on and making it a bit difficult, they shared jokes and laughed at one another at the smallest things that they could find to tease each other about.

The normal 15 minute walk from Irene’s place to theirs ended up taken them just a little over 45, though most had to do with their slow pace than the longer route they had taken via the beach. They had fallen back into a comfortable silence, broken only by light jibing or poking until they had approached the end of their road. Almost as soon as the house came into view, Aden froze.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” He muttered to his wife’s confusion.

“What?” She asked him, having been slightly to his left and so having a few trees blocking her view for another couple of steps. That was until Aden hurriedly twirled her around so that she was facing him with her back to the house. “Ok… What the hell?”

“I… uh…” Aden faltered, keeping one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder to make sure that she didn’t turn back round again like he knew she wanted to. “You know how much I love you, right?”

“Oh, god.” Belle moaned exasperatedly. “What have you done?”

“Nothing! Why would you think I’ve done something?” He asked her incredulously, forgetting for a moment the reason behind his actions.

“Because when you start something with ‘you know how much I love you’, it’s usually so that you can remind me of the answer later when I’m about to kill you.” She explained to him straightforwardly, as his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

“That’s not true.” Aden argued. “I said that when I asked you to marry me.”

“No, you said ‘you know I love you’. Slight difference, but it’s got a total different meaning behind it.” Belle pointed out to him.

“I’m sure it wasn’t…”

“Aden, I can remember it like it was yesterday, ok? Trust me on this.” She suddenly snapped, only for him to grin back at her widely. “What?”

“You remember it like it was yesterday?” Aden asked her slyly.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I? It was a good moment.” Belle said, acting nonchalant though the ghost of a smile on her face betrayed her true feelings.

“I like that you remember it.” He grinned widely. “Word for word, too. Because I can’t.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m cheesy and corny, and all that.“ She rolled her eyes before reaching out and pulling him closer to her by his shirt. “But what’s any of this got to do with… With whatever you’re hiding.”

“That thing I planned isn’t really a small thing.” Aden admitted, carrying on before she could interrupt. “And I recruited some help, who herself recruited some help for today to help set it all up.”

“Something tells me this ‘help’ is my so-called best friend.” Belle commented, narrowing her eyes at him as she recalled the moments between Matilda and Aden where they had had a private conversation while she had disappeared out of the room, or their sight.

“Yup, and as you obviously know what Mattie’s like, when you turn around, this shouldn’t come to much of a shock to you.” He explained to her. “But I’m not saying anything more, and if you do manage to figure out what the ‘something special’ I had planned is, just keep your mouth shut. Please?”

“I’ll try my best?” She replied, turning the answer into a question as she did her best to keep her excitement under wraps. “Can I turn around now?”

“I guess so.” The words had just left his mouth when Belle had stepped back out of his grip and spun around. A gasp left her mouth as soon as she saw the house, and the blue fairy lights that were hanging from the balcony, over the little tree shrubs and wherever else they could reach. In the dark evening, they glowed brilliantly and made their home stand out from the rest of the houses along the street.

“Wow…!” Belle sighed contently, eyes still wide as she felt Aden rest a hand on the small of her back to urge her forwards.

“I didn’t ask her to do that. I didn’t even know about it.” He told her, awaiting the rebuke that he was sure would soon come. When she failed to reply when they carried on their journey to the house, Aden glanced over at her with a confused look. “Though I’m now wishing I hadn’t said that right now.”

“Is there anything else you want to say before we get there?” She asked him, ignoring his words.

“Nope. Just… Don’t kill me. Please?” Aden replied sweetly, forcing her to turn and look at him weirdly as he simply shrugged and looked back innocently. “Ready?”

“You’re making it sound so scary, Aden!” Belle almost screamed as he took hold of her hand.

“It’s not. I promise you, it’s not.” He assured her, rubbing his thumbing soothingly along the back of her hand. “And if it is, you have your own knight in shining armour here to save you.”

“Really? Where?” She gasped, dramatically looking around them, earning herself a light shove.

“Do you want to see your surprise or not?” Aden growled at her, stopping and therefore making her stop too.

“Yes, I do! I’m sorry, ok?” Belle replied, tugging on his hand and putting on a sad face until he moved. “Good. Now c’mon. Let’s see what your ‘surprise’ is!”

---

Belle let out a long sigh as she twisted the lid of the mascara shut again and placed it next to the rest of the makeup that she had just put on. Staring at herself in the reflection of the bathroom mirror, she smiled softly at the image. Regardless of the fact that it was nearly half 9 in the evening, she felt so alive and was buzzing. Most of that, she realised, could have been due to all the adrenaline and excitement running through her since stepping in through the front doors of their house less than an hour ago, or due to the face that ever since then, she hadn’t done anything but smile until she was ushered upstairs by her best friend to get changed.

The long grey top that she had had on was now replaced by a mid-thigh length black and cream dress that she knew she hadn’t owned before, whilst her skinny jeans were now plain quarter-length black leggings. The outfit had been laid out on her bed, along with the ballet pumps clearly for her to wear on the floor next to them, ready for her to get changed into.

Walking back into the bedroom, Belle inhaled deeply to try and calm herself. The beat from music that was playing loud downstairs in the house could be felt as vibrations through her bare feet. Luckily for her, a knock on the door, followed by Aden announcing that it was just him, wasn’t drowned out by the sounds from downstairs.

“Hey.” He smiled as she opened the door for him before he locked it behind him. His eyes unashamedly took her in, whistling in appreciation as he did so. “Wow. Matilda made the right choice.”

“Thanks.” Belle smiled, twirling around for him with a little giggle. “Now I understand the shirt.”

“It’s so we match.” Aden winked before pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly as she embraced him just the same.

“Thank you so much.” She whispered, closing her eyes briefly before falling back onto the flats of her feet. “This is just so awesome.”

“Yeah? You didn’t expect it at all?” He asked her, pushing back some of the hair that framed her face from where she had pin half of it up stylishly.

“Nope. Not until we got to the driveway. But even then, I was surprised when I opened the door.” Belle told him honestly, giggling again as the moment replayed in her head. “I thought Matilda was about to cry.”

“She said she was ready! It’s not my fault, alright?” Aden defended himself, also remembering the small tantrum that the blonde had thrown when the two of them had entered the house, only for her to be still decorating the staircase with Christmas tinsel. Everybody else who had been there, however, had seemed to have started the party earlier even without the music; shouting a mix of surprise and whooping at her entrance, which had mostly confused her until she had read a banner hanging above the arch to the kitchen. “But you like it, yeah? Nothing to complain about or yell at me at?”

“Well, I think you and I both know that I hate the fuss-” Aden groaned out loud and tightened the arms that he had around her to pull her back towards him as if to quieten her. “But considering that it’s all done now, it’s perfect. And I‘m so glad that everyone‘s here.”

“Matilda took care of the guest list. I wanted something kinda small cos I know what you’re like, and she ended up crossing out half the town from the list I had made and changing it into a party for the younger generation.” He informed her as she back away a bit. “Hence why Drew’s here, and a couple of other friends of yours not from the Bay.”

“You couldn’t throw me a 21st without inviting my brother!” Belle giggled, punching his arm lightly before winding her arms around his neck. “Regardless of all that, and the decorations, and the dress, and the actual party, it’s the thought that counts.”

“Well, this had been a pretty long thought so does that mean I get a bigger thank you?” Aden asked suggestively, making her smile teasingly before pressing her lips to his. It didn’t take long before it deepened into a more passionate one, filled with every emotion that was unspeakable, want and lust. The only thing that broke them apart, to the disdain of Aden, was another knock on the door.

“I don’t want to know what’s going in on there, but the birthday girl needs to make a bigger appearance at her own party!” Mattie’s voice reached their ears through the locked door, forcing the two of them apart.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing dodgy.” Belle laughed, opening the door for her to enter.

“Yet.” Aden added in a murmur that they both heard.

“You, out.” Mattie pointed to him before jabbing a thumb over her shoulder to indicate where she wanted him to go.

“But I’m not the birthday girl.” He pouted mockingly.

“Thank God for that, because I’d hate to give you the present I have for Belle.” She remarked, pulling on his arm to make him move. “Now run along. We’ll be down in two ticks.”

Without another word, Aden rolled his eyes and pressed another kiss to Belle’s lips before doing as he had been instructed. Making sure to shut the door behind him, he left the two girls to their privacy.

“You shouldn’t have bought me anything. You already gave me a present, remember?” Belle told her, fingering the locket that hung from her neck.

“I know, but this is more of a fun thing than a birthday present.” Mattie laughed, crouching down by the bed and reaching underneath it for something.

“Uh, Matilda?” She simply said in question until the girl stood up again with a flat, rectangular box in her hands.

“Here. I saw this while shopping for some of the decorations and knew it would be prefect for you.” Mattie informed her, handing her the pale pink box. “And Aden. And tonight.”

“’Marital Survival Kit’?” Belle said, reading off the top of the bow, raising an eyebrow in the direction of her best friend.

“Just open it before you judge it.” Mattie scoffed, sitting on the edge of the bed. Simply nodding, Belle joined her and laid the box on her lap before shimmying the top off of it.

Inside, all that she could see was white tissue paper. Pushing it aside, only to reveal more, she glanced over at Matilda, who urge her to carry on. Finally reaching the last sheet that Belle could see through, a small bubble of giggles left her mouth. Slipping a hand underneath it, she pushed the folds over the sides of the box and stopped.

“What do you think?” Mattie asked her, curious and excited at the same time.

“I don’t think you want to know.” She replied, eyeing the contents carefully. It was neatly set out, making it seem presentable and would have been appealing if just skimming her eyes over them hadn’t made her stomach twist in slight anticipation, or make her blush at the thoughts in her head.

“You like it.” Mattie stated smugly. “I can tell by the look on your face and the way you’re trying to stop from grinning.”

“Shut up.” Belle growled, before picking up the small piece of glossy paper that laid in the middle of the things. It explained what most of the things did, not that she couldn’t figure it out. She may not be as educated as the girl next to her, but she knew the uses of handcuffs, a blindfold and pretty saucy lingerie, especially in the way that Mattie clearly intended for it to be used. “I see you’re interesting in my personal life again.”

“It’s just a gift. Thought it suited you seeing as you are my only married friend.” She said innocently as Belle shoved the tissue paper back into the boxed, smoothing it down so that the lid could fit back onto it.

“Thank you, anyway.” Belle laughed, pulling her into a quick hug. “And for the party, too.”

“Anytime, Belle.” Matilda smiled, showing her just how true the words were. “But how about we put that away now, you get your dancing shoes on and we go and enjoy this party of yours.”

“Sounds like a great idea.” She agreed with a smile, getting up and tucking the box back under the bad before slipping on her shoes. “Though these aren’t really dancing shoes, and I doubt they’ll be much dancing tonight.”

“We can make anything happen, tonight, Belle.” Mattie said in a mystical voice, followed by the two of them giggling before they left room. Belle made sure the door was shut behind them before walking down the hallways towards the stairs, passing the nursery on the way. She twisted the door knob as she did so, surprised when it failed to move much. “Aden said to lock it before everyone got here.”

“Of course he did.” Belle smirked, admitted to only herself that she was glad that he had.

By the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs, both of them chatting about a matter that neither one wanted their other half to hear, Belle couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious as she saw both Geoff and Annie in the small crowd of people in her house.

Making her way over after excusing herself from Matilda, who had had a good grip onto her arm, Belle managed to get to Geoff who, she was glad to see, not at that moment preoccupied.

“Oi, what do you think you’re doing here?” She asked him roughly, poking him in the back a couple of times to make him jump.

“That hurts, you know.” Geoff replied while arching his back to ease the pain a bit. “And I was invited. I also helped with the planning a bit.”

“Yeah?” Belle questioned with fake scepticism, crossing her arms to make herself look the part. “Who’s looking after my daughter if you’re here?”

“Irene.” He informed her, carrying on as her mouth opened to say more. “And before you ask, Krissy was sleeping the last time we saw her and she was perfectly fine.”

“The overprotective father already attack you about it?” She said knowingly, chuckling lightly before she felt a warmth breath against her ear.

“Just like the crazy mother?” Aden whispered to her, the smirk on his face clear in the words that he spoke.

“Get lost.” Belle growled at him, pushing him away with a hand only for him to get closer with an arm around her waist. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“I didn’t! Geoff saw me coming, did you?” He asked him even as the boy in question had had his attention focused elsewhere already. Snapping his fingers at him, Aden called out until Belle slapped a hand onto his to stop him from being so rude. “Hello…?”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” Aden mumbled, turning Belle around in his arms as he had done a while beforehand outside the house as Geoff slinked away into the kitchen probably to get something to drink or eat. “Stop worrying and start enjoying, ok? Krissy’s fine.”

“I know, I know.” She sighed, resting her hands on his shoulders and he swayed them gently even though it was totally against the music that was currently pumping through the house. “It’s hard to switch it off.”

“Maybe this’ll help…” He said before pressing his lips against hers once again. The kiss this time didn’t have the opportunity to deepen when a loud, forced coughing sounded from behind her.

“What?” She asked, breaking away from Aden though not looking over her shoulder, even as he did.

“We don’t need to see any of that.” Drew told her, a chuckle following that she knew as Ric’s.

“It’s a party, isn’t it? I may be a little out of practice, but I thought this is what usually happens.” Belle stated with nonchalance, trying her best to keep a straight face as Aden laughed and slipped away from them.

“She’s got you there, mate.” Ric commented as Belle turned around, just in time to see him salute her with he beer bottle in his hand at her quip.

“It’s not really a party when there’re parents around.” Drew retorted, shrugging his shoulders dismissively as his scrunched his nose up as if to criticize the event.

“Well, if that’s the way you feel, then you know where the door is.” She informed him, crossing her arms and stepping closer to him as if to challenge him. “But for me, this is my party and I’ll do whatever I want to.”

“I’m sure we’ll all be happy as long as it’s not ‘whoever’.” Ric interjected, causing Belle’s jaw to drop open before she smacked him so hard on the arm that it made some of his drink spill over onto his top. “What was that for?”

“Because you deserved it.” She said sweetly. “You know, if you can’t drink properly, we have a few bibs upstairs for Krissy that I wouldn’t mind lending you.”

“Haha.” Ric laughed sarcastically, brushing off the droplets off himself and his top before they stained. As Mattie approached the three of them, who were still laughing despite Ric’s slight embarrassment, the teasing started up again regardless of the fact that a whole party was going on around them for one of them, reminding the belated-birthday girl of all the fun times that they use to have, and the current guarantee of times still to come.

---

Shutting the door behind him as quickly and inconspicuously as he could, Aden’s eyes roamed over the people who were packed into his house looking for one person in particular. It wasn’t an easy feat, considering that her height wasn’t really something that stood out, but once he found Annie by the threshold of the kitchen, he wasn’t too surprised to see Belle right next to her.

She had told him before he had popped outside for a second that she was going to go find the younger girl, and as he made his way over, he couldn’t help but notice the smiles on their faces. The one on Belle’s was clearly one that she usually used to get her way, while the one of Annie’s was somewhat shy and nervous.

“What’s going on here?” He asked, coming up behind his wife for the second time that night and squeezing her waist lightly to make her jump.

“Aden!” She squealed, almost spilling the drink that had been in her hand. “How many times?”

“How many times, what?” Aden replied cheekily, coming to a stand besides her and taking the drink out of her hands to finish it before throwing it into the bin.

“How many times do I have to tell you, and do you mind?” Belle raised an eyebrow, glancing pointedly at where the empty cup was now discarded.

“Don’t worry about that. I have something to show you.” He told her before looking over at Annie. “Mind if I borrow her for a second?”

“Sure. I have a phone call to make anyway.” She smiled back, gesturing to the phone in her hand.

“If you want some privacy, go upstairs to our bedroom. The door should be open.” Belle informed her in a low voice.

“Actually, I locked it. But…” Trailing off, Aden dug into his pocket before pulling out the key to their door that had never been used by them before that day. “Here. Enter at your own risk.”

“Um…” Annie replied timidly, holding the key between her thumb and forefinger carefully.

“Don’t worry, the place is completely safe.” Belle assured her with a chuckle. “Just don’t look under the bed.”

“Why? What’s under the bed?” Aden replied this time, confusion written over his face.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She laughed deep in her throat teasingly while throwing him a wink before turning back to Annie. “Say as I said. If you want, of course.”

“Yeah, I will. Thanks.” Annie mumbled before heading off into the crowd and going towards the stairs.

“Who’s she calling?” Aden questioned Belle as soon as the girl in question disappeared up the stairs.

“No-one.” She told him, turning to face him. “What did you want to show me?”

“She’s calling the blonde from earlier on, isn’t she?” He asked her, though his tone hinted that he already knew. Belle merely shrugged while casting an innocent look towards him.

“You wanted to show me something…?” Belle prompted, causing him to sigh when he realised that he wasn’t going to get a straight yes or no answer from her.

“Yeah, come with me.” He took hold of her hand and guided her out of the kitchen, through the front room and out the front doors. Although he knew that people saw them, Aden also knew that no-one was going to follow them.

“What’s going on? It’s freezing out-” She began before he hushed her. There was now a smirk on his face as he led her quietly towards the edge of their driveway and behind some of the overgrown shrubs that were covered in the blue lights.

“Here, look.” Aden told her when they stopped, his voice almost inaudible to even her.

“I can’t; this this is in my way.” Belle huffed, her voice just as low out of the natural urge to mimic him.

“Peer over the side, you genius.” He rolled his eyes as he took a few steps towards her to stand behind her and do as he had told her. “See?”

“Oh, my God!” She exclaimed in shock, the volume of her voice raising slightly though not by much. “No freaking way! Is that who I think it is?”

“Yup.” Aden laughed, winding an arm around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “Mystery solved, huh?”

“I can’t believe it. I’m seeing it, but I can’t believe it!” Belle whispered in awe until the shock of it sunk in and she giggled quietly. “What’s going on? I can’t hear them, but they look like they’re fighting.”

“From what I heard earlier-” He started only to earn himself a weird look. “What? I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was out here on the phone and they were closer by then. I got suspicious about why she was here, and even more when I saw Drew. Turns out that being nosey has it’s perks.”

“So what’s going on? That’s his secret girlfriend?” She asked him regardless of the fact that she found his methods of finding out such information wrong. “It’s got to be. Fits the description, and look at them.”

Aden did as she said, although he knew that her words weren’t to be taken literally. But when he did look at them, it all clicked. Far from the house, on the other side of the road, stood Drew and a tall, leggy, blonde woman with shoulder length hair. If he didn’t know any better, he’d call her pretty. The posture that the lady held was one of tiredness as if she was exhausted from explaining something, while Drew stood up straight with a hand reaching across the short distance between them, resting lightly on her waist. There would be no doubt to anyone who saw them that the two people were in a relationship.

“Apparently,” Aden began to tell her what he had heard and found out about the situation, speaking directly into her ear so not to be overheard by them. “He wanted her to come to the party because Matilda said he could, and should, so he had invited her, but she said no. But he hadn’t told her when it was, so he asked her if they could meet up tonight here in the Bay, so she came, not knowing why tonight especially.”

“That’s why she’s kinda angry?” Belle asked, wanting to get all of the information before she began judging her.

“Yeah, and because she didn’t want to come to the Bay with him in the first place.”

“Because of obvious reasons.” She added as Aden nodded. “How did you find all this out from a couple of minutes’ worth of eavesdropping?”

“People argue quickly.” He shrugged as Belle shook her head lightly.

“He clearly doesn’t know why either.” She tutted at the fact there were a few lies being held back. “How could he not know?”

“Would you really think he’d date her if he did?” Aden replied dryly. “And I’m not going to touch that second question.”

“God.” Belle groaned, resisting the urge to rub her hands over her face for a fresh look on what was happening.

“First my brother, now yours.” Aden chuckled, earning himself an elbow into his ribs. “Ow. Injured.”

“You’re fine.” She muttered, even as a little shot of guilt ran through her before turning her attention back to the scene in front of her. “It’s like a family affair.”

“Is it wrong that this is more interesting right now than your party?” He asked her in a slow but wry tone.

“Hey, an illicit affair coming into the light?” Belle commented, her words having an underlying tone of humour. “Now it’s a party.”

“You trying to say all my hard work and effort into throwing you a party wasn’t enough?” Aden questioned her, an overly hurt tone accompanying his words.

“You’re the one you said this was more interesting.” She hissed back before raising a hand and patting him lightly on his cheek. “C’mon, let’s go back in. People will be wondering where we are, and I’m cold.”

“I can keep you warm…” He suggested slyly as Belle simply chuckled deeply, pulling away from him and walking back towards the house.

“You wish.“ She scoffed, making sure she didn’t raise her voice too high so that the other couple would hear.

There were no sounds of footsteps behind her, but Belle forced herself not to look back until she reached the first step that led up to the door. Peering over her shoulder, she bit the inside of her cheek as she spotted Aden with his phone to his ear, kicking small pebbles every now and again as she guessed it kept on ringing. Although he had said he had been on the phone only a little while earlier, she was sure that he was actually doing the one thing that she hadn’t found the time to get away and do.

Opening the door and entering the house when a sudden breeze made her shiver in her short sleeved dress, Belle almost laughed at the instant contrast of the heat from the outside and the inside. The warmth covered her in less than a minute, making her feel as if she was melting.

Knowing that a cool drink would help to settle matters, she made her way through to the kitchen, stopping every now and again to talk to people about something or another, or just to her a happy birthday, even 6 months later.

Finally reaching her destination, Belle managed to pour herself a cup of cool water straight from the tap without an interruption until a girl bounced up to her side and simply stared at her.

“What?” She asked self-consciously, turning to face her.

“What was all that about?” Mattie questioned her suspiciously.

“Nothing.” Belle shook her head, only to receive an incredulous look in return. “You’ll find out in due time, don’t worry.”

“Hmm…” Pursing her lips, she could see that the blonde was fighting with herself with whether to leave the subject matter alone or not. When a heavy sigh left her lips, Belle smiled in victory, though she didn’t let her see it, knowing that she didn’t need to tell her best friend what she had just found out without first speaking to her step-brother. “So, I did a good job with the party, right?”

“Yes, you did.” Belle agreed sincerely, laughing and hugging her as she did so. “Thank you for helping out with it. Aden told me you basically took over at the end.”

“Someone had to. That boy was getting too careless.” Mattie ridiculed mockingly with a huff before putting on her sweetest smile. “Although, it did get me thinking.”

“Yeah? What about?” She asked, refilling her cup up with water as the thirst she felt refused to be quenched.

“Well, now that he’s thrown you a belated 21st birthday party, maybe now I could throw you a belated hens night, too.” Mattie suggested, making her smile with her.

“I don’t think it works like that. I’m still 21, but I’m not still single.” She reminded her, scrunching up her nose if the realisation of the information made her a bit upset.

“Yeah, but,” Pausing, Matilda took a step closer and lowered her voice. “No-one else needs to know that.”

“True, true.” Belle giggled, placing her cup down before she did something horrible with the water inside of it. “Thanks for the idea, but it’s a bit too far gone now, and it wouldn’t really be fair on Aden.”

“What wouldn’t be fair on me?” Aden’s voice suddenly joined the conversation, making her jump again.

“Aden!” She snapped, twirling around to face him where he stood grabbing another drink. “Why are you doing that tonight? You’re, like, stalking me or something.”

“It’s not stalking if I’m in my house and we’re married.” He pointed out to her matter-of-factly, approaching her and changing the subject back again. “What’s wouldn’t be fair? You didn’t find the cake, did you?”

“No, and it better be chocolate.” Belle replied threateningly.

“Would I even try to get any other cake?” Aden dryly answered while she simple smiled and shook her head in response. “Alright, then. So, for the third time; what wouldn’t be fair on me?”

“If Mattie throws me a hens night.” She told him casually as he raised his eyebrows in interest.

“And why wouldn’t it be fair? I’m sure guys don’t have hens nights, so I wouldn’t be feeling left out or anything.” He said jokily.

“You know what I mean.” Belle sighed, rolling her eyes towards Matilda would was still stood next to her though she hadn’t spoken a word regarding the conversation yet.

“Yeah, I do, actually.” Aden agreed, nodding his head and leaning against the counter before shrugging with one shoulder. “And I think that if Mattie’s up to it, and you, of course, then you should have one.”

“Really?” Belle questioned him in incredulity, crossing her arms as a smirk curved her lips. “You’re only saying this so that you could have a bucks night, aren’t you?”

“No!” He gasped, pretending to be offended by her assumptions before carrying on in a quieter voice. “I already had one…”

“You what?” She exclaimed, as he merely shrugged, avoiding her eyes and trying to act as nonchalant as he could, while Mattie’s laughter rang clear in her ears.

“It what when I went away on that course a few days before the wedding, remember?” Aden reminded her, trying to act as if it wasn’t such a big deal, even if the unbelievable look on her face made him want to crack. “A few of my mates threw me one. It wasn’t my idea.”

“It never is, is it?” Belle replied sarcastically, exhaling heavily and shaking her head lightly. “Why didn’t I know?”

“You didn’t ask.” Aden shrugged again, adding his smile to it that simply earned him a glare. “Hey, what happens on the bucks night, stays on the bucks night. Right, Mattie?”

“I’m not getting involved.” She hurriedly interjected, standing where she was and listening to their conversation nonetheless.

“Thanks.” He said dryly, looking back over at Belle who was sporting a sceptical look. “It was just a few drinks and laughs. No girls or strippers, I promise.”

“It’s a good thing I trust you, Aden.” She told him as he downed the rest of his drink, a satisfied and relieved look masking his face in reply to her words.

“You know,” Mattie began, claiming both of their attentions as she entered the conversation once again. “You should use this knowledge against him forevermore, and have your hens night, too.”

“The first, I will, but I don’t know if I want a hens night.” Belle explained with a sympathetic smile. “It’s been ages, and with Krissy now as well, it’s not like I can drink. It wouldn‘t be worth it.”

“Maybe another time then?” She suggested in a hopeful tone that Belle couldn’t disagree to.

“I’ll think about it, yeah?” Belle told her, knowing it was the best that she could offer right then without disappointing the other girl.

“So that’s sorted then?” Aden suddenly asked. When he got a raised eyebrow from the both of them, he literally took a step back fro where he had pushed himself away from the counter in a bit of cautiousness. “I was just wondering.”

“Why?” Belle asked him suspiciously. His reply was a cheeky smile that made her even more curious.

“Come with me and you’ll find out.” He answered, grabbing a hold of her hand and leading her around her best friend, towards the back door of the kitchen.

“What’s up this time?” She questioned him, waiting for an answer as he unlocked the door and stepped out onto the poolside patio. “You know, this is my party. You can’t keep taking me away from it. If you wanted some alone time, we had the perfect night for it.”

“And we’ll have more of it later on.” Aden winked at her as he spun around once she was outside too and halfway across the path. “But right now, I just want to know if you’re having a good time.”

“I am.” Belle smiled, stepping up closer to him until she was able to hear every breath that he took. “It’s actually quite amazing that you would do something liked this for me.”

“I told you I was amazing.” He said arrogantly as she agreed sarcastically. “Besides, I did say that I would do something for your birthday once things had calmed down.”

“Trust, but I didn’t expect this, or for you to actually remember, to be honest.” She confessed sheepishly, giggling lightly at his look of outrage.

“Thanks.” Aden laughed. “But it’s good that you’re enjoying yourself, cos that’s what tonight’s for, alright?”

“Oh, I am. Though tomorrow morning might be another case with the mess and all…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of that too.” He assured her, bringing a huge smile onto Belle’s face.

“Seems like you’ve taken care of everything.” She replied, intrigued. “Any chance of you getting Krissy back tonight, too?”

“I doubt it, especially not this late.” Aden sighed heavily, even as a soft smile curved his lips, though she frowned. “Look, I’m worried too, but Irene’s had great experience with kids so I think she could handle her for one night. And it’s too late to call again, anyway.”

“’Again’?” Belle questioned him, wryly. He smiled shyly in response, no saying anything to defend himself. “She’s fine?”

“She was sleeping when I called.” He told her as she nodded, the words settling her mind slightly. “Anyway, there was a reason why I dragged you out here in the cold to speak to you.”

“It’s not that cold over here, anymore.” She replied, nearing him even more until there was just the tiniest gap in between them. “The reason…?” She merely breathed out as her hands settled on his waist, and she could see his eyes turn a shade darker in lust in the dim light. “Aden…”

“You’re teasing me again.” He growled, taking an unwilling step back away from her before he lost total complete control over himself.

“Sorry. The cold does weird things to my head sometimes.” Belle giggled, dropping her hands and looking at him sweetly that only made him exhale deeply in relief. “You were saying, before?”

“Oh, yeah. Here…” Aden dug into his jeans pocket once again and pulled out a familiar looking black, drawstring pouch. She simply held out a flat hand, palm facing up, as he undid the knot on the strings and tipped out the contents into her hand.

The charm felt warm in her hand, contrast to what the metal usually felt like when she held it. Of course, having been in Aden’s pocket for a while would have warmed it up. Simply looking at it, even from upside down, Belle could tell what it was. The ’S’ shape was clear in it’s bends, and when Aden pushed it around with his finger so that it faced her, she could now see the little pink sparkling gems that lined it throughout. The only difference with this charm compared to the ‘A’ and the ‘B’ that she already had, apart from the colour, was the small pastel pink butterfly on the bottom curve of the letter.

“It’s beautiful, Aden.” She gushed quietly as he picked it up from her hand before taking her wrist into his hand and began to find a place to hook it on already. “I had been wondering when I was coming, though.”

“Yeah, about that…” Aden laughed as he finally made a space and clipped it on for a temporary purpose until they got inside and alone so he could do it properly. “Sorry, but it took some time to get the money sorted to pay for it.”

“What?” She asked him in confusion, pulling her hand out of his and bringing the bracelet up to her eye level to look at it. “How much did it cost?”

“Nothing extraordinary.” He chuckled, bringing her hand to his lips to press a kiss to it before letting it go. Belle allowing it to glide smoothly down the planes of his chest as his arms wounds around her waist lightly. “You know how Mattie thought I was having an affair?”

“Yep.” Belle nodded, stretching out her arms and letting them rest gently on his shoulders. “I said you weren’t.”

“I’m not.”

“I know.” She rolled her eyes as if it was common knowledge.

“Just making sure.” Aden told her impatiently, his fingers drumming against her hips as he did so. “Anyway, all them times that I had to go out was because I was sorting things out. With the bank and a lawyer.”

“Why…?” Belle asked him, suspicious and concerned for the reasoning behind it.

“Because I’ve decided that it’s time to settle down properly and live normally.” He told her definitely.

“I doubt normal will ever be on the cards for us.”

“I meant normal as is possible or us.” Aden corrected himself, dramatically serious.

“Better.” Belle agreed, threading her fingers through his short hair at the nape of his neck. “What have you done with the money then?”

“Well, I figured I would keep a bit of the money for us. Like, in a savings account for emergencies and until I finish university and get a job, and until you go back to work fulltime.” He explained her to. Belle nodded in understanding, but didn’t say anything to prompt him on. “And with the rest of it, I set up a little trust fund for Krissy.”

“Are you serious?” Belle asked him in shock, backing away a bit to get a better look at his face as if to see if he really was being honest or not.

“Yup.” He confirmed, finding humour in her disbelief. “It’ll be hers when she has to go of to uni herself. Unless, of course, Justin wants his cut, or we have another baby, then we can just split it.”

“That’s just…” Trailing off when words began to fail her, Belle grinned widely and giggled as she pulled him into a tight hug that he gladly reciprocated.

“A good idea, huh?” Aden supplied, receiving a nod in reply. “I seem to be full of them, don’t I?”

“Let’s not get carried away.” She whispered teasingly into his ear before pulling him into a deep kiss.

Being alone in the back of their house, neither one of them paid much attention to anything else but each other. The door had been shut, and no-one had any reason to come outside join them.. The tips of Belle’s fingers dipped under his collar at the back though it couldn’t get much further than that right then. Especially as the kitchen door opened, neither one of them noticing the presence of another person until an exclamation reached their ears.

“Gross. I came out here to tell you that it’s time for the cake, not to be scarred for life.” The voice managed to penetrate through to Belle, who broke off the kiss and looked over her shoulder in slight shock to see who it was that was now walking up to them with a cheeky smirk and a beer bottle in his hand. “Surprised?”

“Just a bit.” Belle replied before turning to look at Aden, who was clearly as shocked as her though he was smiling too. “You didn’t know?”

“Nope.” He admitted as her arms fell down from him so that she could stand by his side. “I told you that Mattie took care of invitations in the end.”

“And I got one, little bro.” The other guy said proudly, coming to a stop opposite them so that they could now all see each other properly. Even in the dark of the night, the light from the windows and the moon made it easy for both Belle and Aden to see that Justin hadn’t changed a bit. The scar above his eyebrow was still visible, though it no longer looked so fresh.

“What are you doing here?” Aden asked him, his words lined with both delight and scepticism, exchanging a look with Belle that asked if she knew anything about it. When she merely shrugged as he pulled her closer to him with the arm was that around her shoulders now, they both turned back to the other man.

“I told you, I got an invite, and I’m not one to turn down a party.” Justin informed them before holding up the bottle in his hand after taking a swig from it. “Or free alcohol.”

“Well, that is what Matilda’s good at.” Belle replied sarcastically, recalling their wedding reception and the open bar then too.

“It’s a good party. Must thank her for it…” He murmured, making Belle stifle a laughter at the thought of Justin thanking Mattie, or least his version of it. “So, where’s the little chick while this party’s going on?”

“Irene’s looking after her for the night.” Aden filled him in, smoothing his fingers up and down Belle’s upper arm as he watched Justin for any reactions. He wasn’t sure why, but even after so long, there was a part of him, a part that he hated and hope would go soon, that didn’t trust his brother’s face value.

“So that means you have the place to yourselves tonight?” Justin figured out, adding a small grimace as his mind obviously began to wander and think.

“Get out of the creepy place, Justin. Really don’t want to discuss this with you.” Belle shuddered, the ghost of a smile on her face ruining the disgusted look on her face.

“Why not? I’m family.” He exclaimed incredulously, putting on a hurt voice as she scoffed.

“Yeah, that’s why.” Belle informed him, both of them laughing before she looked over at Aden, who was still stood next to her but with only a small smile on his face. It was clear that he wasn’t really listening to what they were saying, but rather just listening to them talk. “Everything ok?” She asked him in a low whisper.

“Hmm…? Yeah, course.” He replied, shaking off his distracted form figuratively before directing a question to his brother. “How did you get time off work? Last time we spoke, you said it was a big job and all.”

“Yeah, well, you know how it is. Things always turn out simpler than they seem.” Justin laughed. “It was almost done so I passed it on to someone else to take over for me so I could come.”

“How long you’re here for this time, then?” Aden asked him, both curious and slightly apprehensive.

“A couple of weeks at least, I guess. Might be more if nothing else comes up.”

“Good.” Belle replied happily when Aden only nodded. “We’re glad that you managed to make it, and I’m sure Krissy will be too.”

“I’m just glad that I was invited and not forgotten about.” Justin said, putting on a sad face with his words.

“Why wouldn’t you have been?” Aden spoke up, shrugging coolly as he did so. “Like Belle said; you’re family.”

Belle grinned at the words. She could see that Justin was doing his best to not do the same thing as her, knowing that Aden’s fairly innocent words meant a lot more to him than it ever could to anyone else. Aden, himself, was still pretty nonchalant, even as he turned his head to drop a kiss to the top of Belle’s head when she shivered unconsciously in the light, late autumn night breeze.

The silence that was shared between them was only a few seconds long, though it seemed longer as no-one did or said anything else. Before Belle could say something to carry on their conversation, or start a new one to disperse the quietness, the kitchen door that led to where they were opened again to show them a pretty peeved off Mattie.

“Guys, c’mon!” She huffed at the three of them when they all faced her, hiding their smiles at her annoyed look. “The cake’s going to melt if you don’t blow out the candles and eat it now.”

“’Melt’?” Belle repeated in confusion before her eyes widened in realisation, turning to her husband with excitement. “Oh, my God. Did you get me an ice cream cake?”

“It was meant to be another surprise…” He grumbled, staring pointedly at Matilda who promptly disappeared back into the house after muttering a small sorry.

“Aw, so you do listen to me!” She exclaimed with a childlike excitement, throwing her arms around his neck once again to hug him.

“Yeah, course I do.” Aden replied as she fell back onto her feet, the grin still on her face as she turned to Justin was rolled his eyes and walked away towards the door. “Should we go in? Mattie’s right about it melting.”

“Yup, let’s go.” Belle agreed. She waited until Aden started to go ahead of her to grab onto his hand and tug hard to make him twirl around to her. Quickly as she could, she placed both her hands on either side of his neck and pulled him into a quick and passionate kiss that was over before he could respond. “That was a thank you. Now let’s go.”

---

Aden moaned as he collapsed upon his bed. Peering over at the alarm clock, he was surprised to see that it was just after 2 in the morning. The time had gone quickly during the party, whereas the past hour had gone super slow as he helped clean up.

Now, with the whole house clean as they could bother to get it as, it was only him and Belle in the quiet place. He could still hear a slight buzzing from the loud music, and from the excitement of the night, plus a bit of the alcohol.

Kicking off his shoes, Aden pushed himself up to sit back against the headboard. The door to the adjoining bathroom was shut, but from the muffled sounds that came through it told him that Belle was busy in there. While he had been cleaning up, she had taken Drew to another room and spoken to him about the girl who had turned up for him. Aden hadn’t been able to hear much of it, having it been a private conversation, but from what he had gathered, the information that Belle dawned to light for him didn’t make Drew very happy. And as much as he didn’t really care for the guy, he really hoped that things worked out for him. The last thing that he needed was for Belle to either blame herself for them breaking up, or trying to play matchmaker after that.

Letting out a deep breath, he cleared his mind about Drew and decided to rather to focus on the positives than the negatives. As he unclipped his watch, dropping it down next to where his phone and wallet now rested on the bedside table, he let his mind wander back to the party. There had been a smile on Belle’s face practically all the way through. The only times that it had disappeared was when he sneaked up on her, where it was replaced by a scowl that didn’t late too long.

Leaning forwards slightly, Aden got to work on the buttons on his shirt. Undoing them quickly, he slipped out of it and threw the black clothing onto the floor before slumping back to the headboard. He waited impatiently for Belle to get out of the bathroom so that they could go to bed, even though he still had to get changed. She had told him, quite slyly, that there was a surprise for him that she had to show him before they went to sleep, but as of yet, he was still as clueless as he had been back then.

Aden closed his eyes with a sigh, listening to the soft rustling from behind the closed door that made him curious. Soon after, there was a click that indicated that the lock was now undone, and only moments later, the sound of the door opened reached his ears.

The door was opened slowly, and Aden kept his eyes closed, listening intently as soft footsteps fell on the carpet as she crossed over the room towards the bed. A pause in the journey piqued his interest, but he didn’t open his eyes until he heard her clear her throat in a seductive way.

He sighed in mock annoyance, tilting his head down and finally opening his eyes. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light, but once it did, they widened in clear shock. Using his hands, Aden pushed himself up straighter on the bed, all the while taking in her appearance.

She had slipped out of her dress and leggings, instead being replaced by a sleek, lacy, black negligee. It was just longer than the dress that she had worn, but with her legs now bare and her hair now loose and wavy, it made her look much more sexier.

“That’s my surprise?” Aden eventually said, his voce coming out a bit huskier than he planned.

“What do you think?” She asked him instead, removing the hand that she had placed on her hip and walking the rest of the way to their bed.

“Yeah…” He merely said, making her roll her eyes and placing a knee onto the bed next to where he sat. Before she could do anything else, his hand came out to rest on her waist, helping her as she climbed over to straddle his lap. “Very nice.”

“There’s more, but I think I’m gonna save that for another day.” Belle whispered into his ear, thinking about the box that was hidden once again under the bed. “I figured,” She carried on, trailing her hand down his bare torso and getting started on undoing the belt that was looped around his jeans. “That tonight, even handcuffs wouldn’t stop you.”

“Definitely not.” Aden murmured, a hand working it’s way up her bare thigh while the other stopped her hands from working on the button and zip of his jeans after she had thrown the belt to the side. She let her hands pause in their actions as the hand that had stopped them was laid tenderly against her cheek and brought her forward for a kiss.

It was a kiss that matched the passions of the one that they had shared earlier in the day, except this time, they both knew that there was no limit to what they could and could not do. Without breaking the kiss, Belle could feel Aden’s hand skim over her body, front then the back as he looked for a way to get her out of her clothing. The tingling sensation that his search left stopped when he found the hem of the back of it, and she could now feel his hand against the bare skin of her back as it worked it’s way under.

His ministrations caused her stomach to start to flip, especially when they broke away from each other for air and she felt his hand slip away and out from her body. Aden’s lips worked their way across her jaw, down her neck and finally across one shoulder while shifting one of the thin spaghetti straps of the negligee off it.

“I love you so much.” Belle managed to say, her breathing heavy as she spoke directly into his ear. She felt him stop and lift his head up, causing her to pull away so that he could see him properly.

“I love you more.” Aden teased, resting his forehead against hers and stealing another kiss from her.

“Yeah?” She asked, cheekily, running her fingertips down the side of his face as she did so. “Wanna show me?”

“Definitely.”

---

Belle's 'S' Charm

So, just one more update left. Hopefully, that should be up soonish so I can complete this fic for once and for all.

I hope you all enjoyed this [mega long] chapter. And I hope that any questions that were left have all been answered...

xoxo