❥𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐋 || 𝑀𝐽 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 ❥/𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑑/•

🌸𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝚂𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝙴𝙽🌸

𝙾𝙲𝚃𝙾𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟹𝟶𝚃𝙷, 𝟷𝟿𝟿𝟶.
𝟷𝟶:𝟹𝟶𝙰𝙼.

"Hey baby,"

Sarisha opened her eyes to the soft whisper of her husband's voice, making her frown a little as she tried to allow her consciousness make sense of her surroundings. Ever since she had entered her third trimester, she had been finding it to be a bit of a chore when it came to waking up in the mornings - for she would always be completely unaware of her surroundings for a minute or two until she would awake properly.

Of course, Michael had known of this, and he remained the doting, patient husband that he had always been - helping her feel secure every morning as she woke up. He had gone so far as to rearrange his schedule outlines for the entirety of Sarisha's third trimester, just so that he had the majority of the morning free - all done in a bid to be there for her every step of the way. He was always right by her side when she awoke, and if it hadn't been for him - her mornings would have been a lot more challenging. Whenever he was there, she felt safe - and nothing mattered more to Michael than the woman he cherished.

"Happy birthday," he smiled when she had finally opened her eyes wide, her doe-eyed stare shifting to him. "My love is twenty four now," he reflected.

She laid there for a few seconds, blinking up at him. He was propped up on of his elbows beside her, gazing at her with nothing but tenderness and love. There wasn't a single aspect of her that he didn't adore.

"Agh, I'm sorry," she winced, knowing that she had had another blank moment yet again.

"Sarisha," he narrowed his eyes as she carefully adjusted herself into a seated position. "How many times have I told you not to apologize," he shook his head. "You're lucky it's your birthday, otherwise I'd have really chastised you relentlessly,"

She emitted a weak giggle as she brought her hand up to brush her hair behind her ear, her eyes hastily catching sight of a very noticeable diamond bracelet on her wrist that she knew she hadn't owned before.

It was certainly not a bracelet that she remembered having on the night before either.

The bracelet wasn't too thick, but thick enough for anyone to see just how resplendent the diamonds were.

Michael's lips quirked into a smirk when he saw Sarisha's eyes widen at the sight of the bracelet.

"Michael, what-" she stopped mid-sentence as soon as she saw the expression on her husband's face. "You....didn't.....need to do this," she cracked an overwhelming smile.

"You say that every year, and every year I do it anyway, because I love you," he raised his eyebrows. "And no matter how many gifts I give you, it'll never be as valuable as the gift you've given me, and it certainly will never compare to the gift you're going to give me," his eyes fell to her stomach, a wistful sigh falling past his lips as he reached out to place his large hand on the bump gently.

His entire hand covered Sarisha's bump, for her frame was fairly small - but it was perfect for the both of them. Every aspect of their relationship, both physical and emotional, was perfectly crafted for them.

"What are we going to name her?" he asked after a quiet moment.

"I was thinking....Misha," she bit her bottom lip as it curled into a smile. "Michael and-"

"Sarisha," he completed for her with eyes that shone brighter than anyone had ever had the privilege of seeing. "It's perfect,"

"Of course, just like her father," Sarisha smirked, placing her hand over his.

"You know, if you weren't heavily pregnant with our daughter, you would not have gotten away with that smirk," he cleared his throat. "Just saying,"

"Hm, now you've got me curious," she played along, batting her eyelashes at him. "What could you possibly have had planned? I should like to know,"

"When all is said and done, my darling Sarisha, only then will you know," he shook his head, not wishing for his thoughts to stray any further than they already had. "You'd best believe you'll find out soon enough," he then clasped her hand in his. "But for now, I have something to show you,"

Her eyes widened with interest as he clambered off of the bed, slowly guiding her to her feet as well. It took her a bit of effort, but with her husband's help, she had rose to her feet quicker than she would on her own.

"Oh no, please don't tell me you've got more presents - because you always do that!" she huffed when he instantly flashed her a guilty smile.

"Listen, I can't help myself from showering you with gifts, more so for your birthday!" he defended as he guided her out of the room. "Yes, I'm guilty of having a whole lot more gifts for you downstairs, but I'm not the only one,"

Sarisha frowned as she took her time to cautiously descend the staircase with Michael right by her side to make sure she was alright. As they got closer to the bottom, she could hear the sound of chattering from the living room area - as if there was a little crowd.

"Michael..." she trailed off upon finally arriving in the living room, her face growing brighter at the sight of her husband's family gathered in the area - family that was now her own as well.

Once they became aware of her presence, they all broke into smiles, heartily wishing her a happy birthday.

"They all have gifts for you as well," Michael whispered into his wife's ear. "We may or may not have been planning this for the last month,"

Her eyes began to tear up with utter joy as she saw her mother-in-law approaching, a delighted smile on her lips.

"My sweet daughter is simply glowing!" Katherine reached out to embrace Sarisha. "Oh sweetheart, you just grow more radiant by the day!" she rubbed her back before pulling away to look at her. She brought a hand up to caress Sarisha's cheek lovingly, her eyes warm and kind. "Happy birthday, darling,"

The rest of the family huddled around her to wish her a happy birthday as well, showering her with infinite affection - making her feel the sort of belonging that she had once thought was much too far out of reach.

In a few hours, however, it would all be gone.

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