Part 19



I’ve been home a week from the hospital and Lilee is almost two weeks old. It feels so good to have my body back to myself. I have finally recovered from my illness and I can spend hours just looking at my sleeping daughter. I swear, she’s the cutest thing I ever seen!

”It’s not fair, she only looks like you.”

I look up and smile at Matt who just entered the baby room.

”That’s weird,” I tell him, ”because I don’t think she looks like me at all.”

”Liar.” He walks up to me to kiss my cheek. ”I hope she inherits your talent.”

”Don’t worry, I’ll force it on her.”

”Are you ready?”

I look at my wristwatch with a frown.

”I don’t understand how fast the clock is ticking today.”

I get up from my seat and find myself pressed to Matt’s body. He puts his arms around me and his breath tickles my neck before he kisses me there. My knees starts to wobble and I moan out of pleasure.

”You are so beautiful, Molly,” he whispers in my ear and I lean back so I can gaze into his eyes.

”Just wait a few weeks and you’ll find me smashing hot. I’ll be back in shape in no time.”

”Fitness freak.”

I stick out my tongue and he laughs at my silly behaviour.

”I must, they booked my first concert in three months. I have a lot of work before then. I am going to spend most of my time in the fitness centre, so you better not regret being a stay at home dad.”

”I don’t really have a choice since I quit my job,” he says and flicks my nose. ”I can handle you being busy and not around. I don’t want you to feel bad about it, I’ll support you in everything.”

His nonchalant tone doesn’t bother me. I smile knowing he means it but it will definetly be a problem in the future when my daughter wants to have me around more. I will spend less time working now compared to before Lilee was born though.

”Do I look okay?” I ask and look down on my light yellow dress.

”I barely notice that you’ve been pregnant. It must be all that food you refuse to eat.”

”I am getting my appetite back! Stop pestering me about it.” I give him a sad look and he takes a few steps back. ”I will eat a lot tonight, I promise.”

”You better.”

”I do not have an eating disorder.”

”You’re always smashing hot Molly. Fat or thin, it doesn’t bother me.”

”Thanks,” I smile to him genuinely happy because of his comment.

The door bell interrupts our conversation and we open the door together, smiling at the first guests who is visiting us since Lilee was born. Everyone is coming over to meet our little angel and I am looking forward to see everyone again after so many weeks.

”Where is the baby, where?!” Katie squeals jumping up and down with a huge grin on her face. She pushes her way into the apartment and disappears into the baby room.

”I’m sorry, she’s been so eager to meet her cousin,” Joan excuses as she walks into the hall and gives me a present bag.

”Oh, thank you! You didn’t have to buy anything,” I blush, really happy.

”Everyone is going to give you gifts and try to steal your baby away, you should get used to it,” she says with a grin.

Matt helps her off with her red coat and I give him a coat hanger.

”We don’t mind Katie,” I say with a laugh. ”She is just like her grandma.”

”I have such an embarrassing family!” Joan complains with a grimace. ”I don’t know how Matt turned out to be the perfect gentleman.”

”Me neither, I failed to find anything wrong with him so far.”

Matt rolls his eyes besides me.

”You know that I am standing here right?”

”Yes, were not blind,” Joan teases him. ”I am happy you and Matt are doing so well, I never thought he was going to come over his obsession on Darlene.”

I give her a huge grin.

”Oh believe me, he is still obsessed over her.”

”Darlene can’t compare to my Molly though, I’m mesmerized.”

”And you don’t mind?” Joan asks me worriedly.

”Well actually, why would I? He’s not been creepy around me at all.”

”I don’t think my brother told you about his unhealthy obsession. He travelled around just to get a glimpse of her, wrote a lot of love letters and saved all news articles he could find about her. He told everyone that she’d be the only one for him. I swear he could recognise her anywhere.”

”Oh, really Matt?” I turn to my blushing finacé. ”You have to show me your collection.” Unbelievable! I never thought Matt could be a guy like that, and I thought I was head over heels!

”Keep your mouth shut, Joan, you’re embarrassing me!” he tells his sister in a rush.

”Oh, no it’s cute!” I insist with a huge grin and I reach up to touch his red cheeks. ”No one is perfect Matt, please open up to me,” I beg with big eyes he finds hard to resist.

”What, aren’t you mad?” Joan asks me a bit taken back.

”Did you come here to make us fight or to see Lilee?” Matt tells her harshly.

”I came here to see your happy Darlene-free family!”

”Don’t say that Joan. You know I’ll only settle for her.” He slips up, but I really don’t mind.

”What do you mean?” she asks with a confusing frown.

Matt embraces me and kiss my lips gently, the small touch makes me all warm and I smile lovingly back to him with a nod telling him it’s okay.

”Well, you said I would recognise her anywhere,” Matt starts slowly. ”And so I did.”

”What do you mean?” she wonders with no clue of the meaning in his words.

”Are you really that blind? Look at her.”

She looks at me, looks at Matt and then at us both, still clueless.

”Molly is Darlene,” he helps her. ”The girl I’ve been crushing on for years.”

That’s enough for his sister to finally understand. She studies me closely.

”Oh my god,” she says slowly. I meet her shocked eyes and it seems like she wants to hide somewhere. ”It is really you!” she cries after a closer inspection and she finally recognises me.

”Yes,” I tell her with a calming smile.

”Oh my god!” she bursts out again. ”You have a baby with my brother!”

”Congratulations sis,” Matt taunts her.

”You knocked up Darlene, Matt! How could you?”

We just look at her as she tries to get her senses back.

”Maybe I shouldn’t have told you,” Matt finally says after a long silence. ”We are adults, not teenagers.”

”Mommy look! She’s so cute!”

We turn around to see Katie holding Lilee in her arms, they look so cute together. I reach for the camera on the drawer to take a picture of the two cousins when Katies mom starts screaming.

”What are you doing! Katrina, be careful with that child, she’s worth… worth…” Joan stumbles over the words.

”It’s alright dear,” I tell Katie and lead her to the living room. ”You are a big girl now, I’m sure you won’t drop her.” The girl looks worryingly back at me.

”What’s wrong with mom?”

”Nothing, shes just hysteric at the moment.” I tell her calmly. ”Can I take a picture of you two on the couch?”

”Sure.” Katie carefully takes a seat on the couch and Joan is shaking besides me.

”Katie sweetheart,” Joan says. ”This is Darlene and her baby, you must treat them very well!”

”Mom, please,” the girl says rolling her eyes. ”I’m not blind or stupid just because you are.”

She smiles adoringly and I snap a lot of pictures of both of them.

”Uncle Matt!” Katie yells. ”Lilee and I are going to be best friends for the rest of our lives!”

”That sounds good,” he answers her and turns to Joan. ”Both Molly and I will appreciate if you don’t tell mom and dad.”

”It’s for Lilee’s sake,” I continue. ”We don’t want the media swarming her when she’s so little. I hope you can forgive me for not telling you sooner. I don’t trust your parents to keep quiet about this.”

Joan nods, still in deep thought.

”I don’t want to dissapoint you, I promise to treat you like… like Molly.”

”Thank you,” I say with relief. ”That is all I ask of you.”

”Don’t worry, I am clam now. I just lost my mind for a few minutes.”’

”That’s quite alright.” I assure her. ”Just assume no one knows, then you won’t slip up.”

It knocks on the door and Matt leaves the room to open the door. Joan makes a ”my mouth is sealed” gesture and I give her thumbs up. Eric walks into the room and I fly into his arms, so happy to see him.

”Eric!” I yell into his ear. ”You are finally here!”

He pats my back and I take a few steps back.

”Glad to please you madam. You look a lot thinner than last time I saw you. The sickness must have made you drop a lot of weight.”

”Oh, not you too!” I complain at his worried expression. ”I am supposed to lose weight.”

”I don’t mind if you keep a little of this,” Matt teases and pinches my hip so I jump high.

”Don’t be silly! I want to get back into shape. Will you train with me Eric?”

”Yeah, you didn’t buy me that gym card for nothing right?” he answers with a raised eyebrow. ”Do you feel better now?”

”I told you over the phone that I’m fine!”

”Good, now I want to meet that angel of yours.”

I push him towards the cousins in the sofa and are having a nice couple of minutes together before another set of guests are arriving. It is my dad’s family and Bree, dressed in a too short silky blue skirt, jumps into my arms, just like I did to Eric.

”Honey! Are you alright?” she shrieks squishing me.

”I’m fine, say hello to Lilee everyone!”

Bree finally lets me go and I carefully take my daughter from Katies arms and walk up to my father.

”Someone wants to say hello to her granddad,” I say with a smile to my teary eyed father.

”Hi Lilee,” he says warmly. ”Can I hold her?”

I nod and he takes her into his arms. She wakes up from her sleep and looks around with her big eyes.

”Isn’t she the cutest one!” Bree squeels next to me.

”She definetly is,” my dad answers patiently, used to Bree’s overacting behaviour.

”I bought a gift,” Eric says and holds up a big present.

”We brought gifts too!” says my sister who flew down here just to meet Lilee.

”Thank you all! That is really sweet.”

I had a few rough weeks and the atmosphere is so loving right now that I start crying out of happiness. Martin hands me a napkin and I accept it thankfully.

”I brought them for Bree but I’m sure she won’t mind” he says teasingly.

”Martin!” Bree complains and we all laugh.

The last guests is Matt’s parents and his father has pretty much the same reaction as my dad. Our living room table is over flowing with gifts and I look at them like it’s Christmas and pushes Matt towards them.

”Everyone! Time to open presents!” I cheer and they all swarm around us with anticipation.

I force Matt to open them, it looks cute and my heart is swelling for him. How can I ever tell him how much I love him so he can understand?

The gifts consists of a few toys and the cutest girl clothes I ever seen.

”Look Lilee, it is all yours,” Matt says to her. ”Say thank you.”

”Maybe she should learn to say dad before thank you,” I smile.

”Why not mom?” he asks.

”Because we both love you.”

I lean in to give him a kiss, a kiss too long since our guests starts telling us to stop.