All by Chance {Brollins}

/ Chapter 5 \

"Banana." Rebecca smiled while putting extra emphasis on each syllable, holding a cut-up slice of banana with her hand and placing it on the high chair table.

Danielle stared at her with pure admiration filling her eyes as she heard Rebecca repeat the word for the tenth time. She let out a small giggle and clapped her hands together. "Balala."

Rebecca laughed while shaking her head, "No, silly. Ba. Na. Na."

"Balalalalalalalala." Danielle countered, endlessly repeating, 'lalalala' while smiling and hitting her hands on her small, plastic table.

Rebecca stared into the little girl's dark brown eyes and took in all of her tiny, little features. Seeing her small nose and tiny lips perfectly fit her face, seeing little brown curls surround her head. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with pure joy while watching the little girl play around with her food. Rebecca's smile never faltered, even when she continued shaking her head and tried protesting the little girl's pronunciation of the word.

"Okay, okay. You win, balala it is." Rebecca stood up and made her way over to the kitchen counter. Danielle's eyes were glued to Rebecca's actions as she watched her start to chop up more banana slices.

Rebecca looked at Danielle and saw a smile plastered on her face. "Don't get used to it, I'd never hear the end of it if your daddy heard me losing an argument to a baby."

Danielle giggled and made grabbing motions with her hands, pleading for more food and attention from Rebecca. "I'm coming... I'm coming. You're a hungry little monkey, aren't you?"

Rebecca made her way back over to Danielle and proceeded to feed her the slices of banana while making funny faces, all while Danielle laughed in the process.

This was all Rebecca wanted. Moments like this, memories like these.

Making her giggle, feeding her, cuddling her, taking care of her.

She was so close to that once.

Coming back to her senses and out of her thoughts, Rebecca refocused. Shaking her head in hopes of clearing all of her thoughts, she blinked away any tears that began to form. Quickly she redirected her attention back to Danielle and her bananas.

Colby had been put in charge of some conference meetings, so he'd been in his home office in meetings and answering any calls. After finishing up upstairs, Colby made his way back downstairs to see what the girls were up to. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard Rebecca's faint voice, encouraging and cheering Danielle with whatever it was they were doing.

When he reached the kitchen, he watched as Rebecca fed slices of banana into Danielle's mouth, constantly changing the way she'd feed Danielle the pieces. She switched from making train noises to flying the banana piece around the air like an airplane. Danielle's giggles filled the room, and Colby remained unmoving, completely transfixed by the scene he was watching.

She may not have been Danielle's mother, but people who didn't know were never able to tell. They just had a special bond, something unbreakable, something that just seemed so natural, and Colby didn't have a single issue with it.

He appreciated all the help he could get, and Rebecca was his greatest source of it. She never hesitated to stop by and take care of Danielle whenever he needed it. She always made sure that he knew she was there for them, and she never hesitated to lend a helping hand.

Danielle hadn't said anything remarkably close to 'Mama', since the night prior, and Colby still wasn't exactly sure how to feel about it. Part of him selfishly wanted the little girl to say it in front of her, and maybe it could light a fire for the two and a potential relationship. But the thought of Rebecca hearing Danielle say it also scared him because he knew it could just end up pushing Rebecca away to create some space, so the little girl wasn't confused.

He continued admiring the two, seeing Rebecca have a conversation with a blabbering Danielle, although they had no real idea of what the other was actually saying. He smiled as Rebecca answered her random noises and giggles as if they were really communicating and having a real conversation. He listened to the baby voice Rebecca put on whenever teaching Danielle a new word or encouraging her with whatever it was that she was doing at the time.

Colby watched as Rebecca softly tickled all around Danielle's face, and once again, Danielle's giggles could be heard, echoing throughout the house as her little eyelids fluttered and her hands waved around.

"Tickle time!" Rebecca continued with her baby talk, letting her voice, once again, switch from her normal tone to a baby voice.

"I hear someone using a baby voice." Colby sang out, chuckling as he could practically feel Rebecca roll her eyes.

"Dada!" Danielle squealed with happiness when she caught a glimpse of her father behind Rebecca.

Colby's heart fluttered with complete joy, and his eyes gleamed when he heard Danielle's response to seeing him, "Hi, Peanut!"

Rebecca turned around with a smile on her face as she watched him walk over to Danielle and release her from her high chair, throwing her up in the air lightly and catching her before resting a giggling Danielle against his chest.

"I hope she wasn't troublesome." Colby smiled, rocking Danielle as he spoke.

"I don't think she's capable." Rebecca shook her head, "She's an angel. And if she wants to cause some trouble, I think I may just be the perfect influence."