One year later

"Clem! Clementine, you home?"

Clementine laughed as she followed the sound of John's voice to the kitchen.

"Of course I'm home, silly, I haven't even put any clothes on yet today, I'm still in my jammies." She stepped into his arms, loving the smell of him, the feel. She ran her fingers through his crisp, curly hair.

"Now you mention it, this is the nightgown you were wearing last night, isn't it?" John smiled at her.

"Breastfeeding a newborn doesn't really require a lot of clothes, I've found," Clem told him drily.

"Good thing you look so yummy in your night clothes, then," John quipped, kissing her warmly. "Speaking of which, where's the baby?"

Clem gestured toward the monitor that sat on the counter. "It's been a few hours, she should be waking up any time now. I just sent off some emails and made some phone calls to Ana, and I was going to try to sneak in a shower. I didn't know you'd be back so soon."

"I'll listen for her, you go take your shower," John suggested, patting her bottom through the nightgown. "Maybe even put some clothes on after, hm?"

Clementine sashayed out of the kitchen, knowing John was watching her go.

John made himself a quick sandwich, and managed to eat half of it before he heard the sound of a baby's cries through the monitor.

"Coming, coming!" He sang out, rising from where he'd been sitting on the deck, watching the ocean in the early afternoon light.

He hurried to the nursery and scooped up the two month old, who was wailing, waving two fists in the air.

"Sorry, my little Magnolia Blossom, are you wet?" John crooned as he laid her down on the changing table.

The baby regarded him seriously, tears gone now that her needs were being met.

John quickly and expertly changed her, marveling again at her soft, pink skin, tiny fingers and toes, and gorgeous eyes that looked like they were going to be the color of fall leaves.

"Ah, Maggie, you're just perfect, aren't you?" he asked, smiling down at his daughter.

Maggie stared at him as if trying to decipher his words.

He picked her up and carried her out to the deck, letting the gentle breeze lift her fine, brown hair, which was just starting to curl.

"Here I am, here I am," Clem said, coming out on the deck. "Wow, I feel almost human again. And look, I'm wearing pre-Maggie pregnancy clothes!" She did a little twirl for John, showing off her capri pants and T-shirt. "It's the first time they've fit since she was born."

"You look positively delicious," John assured her, delighted that Clem was feeling so well.

"Okay, let's get you fed, Magnolia Blossom Darling Ezekwesili," Clem said, reaching out for her baby. She lifted her shirt and undid her nursing bra and put Maggie to the breast, loving the feel of nourishing her child from her own body.

John watched, wondering if the overwhelming feelings in him when watching his baby nurse would ever subside. He scooted closer to Clem and put an arm around her.

"So, did you take care of whatever you needed with Ana?" he asked.

Clem nodded. "That Addie, the one we hired? She's amazing, I think I can take the full year off to be with Maggie before I have to get back to day to day. Anastasia likes her, too, says she's got a lot of 'get up and go,' if you know what that is."

John laughed. "I can figure it out," he assured Clem.

"What about you? How's the album coming?"

"Nearly finished," John said with satisfaction. "Just a few touches here and there in the mixing to get through. I think we're looking at a summer release, right before we head to England to begin filming." John was going back to England to shoot a movie, and Clem and Maggie were going to join him.

Clem leaned her head on John's shoulder. "So, things are working out for us, aren't they, Johnny?"

He nodded, kissing the top of her head. "We're growing up, that's for sure."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from baby Magnolia as she nursed.

"Are you happy?" John asked Clem after a while.

Clementine nodded, looking down at the baby. "I've never been so happy. I feel like, you know, what you said, about being both the beautiful blossom and the edible fruit? Yeah, I feel like that."

John gave her a squeeze while stroking the baby's head with his other hand. "Good. Good. You always should, and I hope you always will."