All I Ask of You

Chapter 44

Raoul had pulled himself together, and Erik spoke again, "Raoul, I would like to be apart of his life... as his teacher and a family friend."

"Shall we begin with dinner this evening? I'd enjoy getting to know your girls. I'm sure Marguerite would love to have some friends too."

I glanced at Erik and he nodded, "We would love to."

"I should be going then. I'll have our cook prepare a wonderful dinner and I need to retrieve the children from school."

"Sounds wonderful," Erik replied.

Raoul left our home and Erik hugged me tightly. "I have news."

"Okay?" I smiled at him. He was as excited as a small child.

"I have been looking at property on Coney Island, and I would like to open a park."

"That's wonderful!" I smiled inside. Maybe this was the way it was meant to be. Maybe this was the Phantom's destiny all along, except he was actually happy.

"Erik, seeing you so happy... living the life you deserve... it melts my heart."

"None of it would be possible without you."

Two Months Later...

Our third baby was born on a rainy April morning. I prayed the entire time that he or she would be born healthy. Genevieve was a blessing, but I worried about the toll it would take on Erik if we had another child that was different in some way. No matter how successful Genevieve was, he blamed himself for her not having a normal life. I reminded him often that her musical abilities weren't going to allow her to have a normal life anyhow.

When our third baby was placed on my chest by the town doctor, I cried happy tears. "It's a girl!" The doctor smiled.

Erik's hand trembled in mine, "Is she healthy? Is everything normal?"

I looked her over quickly and checked her toes, fingers, and eyes, "Erik, she's perfect..."

He cried as did I as we introduced ourselves to our newest addition: Georgette.

In the hours that followed, our other daughters got to meet their newest sister whom they adored. The girls sat in bed with me and spoke gently to their new sister. I glanced up and saw Erik lurking in the doorway just watching the whole scene.

His eyes were teary and for a moment I didn't understand why until I visualized the situation from his perspective. A man who had wanted nothing more than a normal life now had four women that loved him more than anything. It had to be overwhelming for him.

Genevieve broke my thoughts, "Papa! Come here," she could feel his presence in the doorway.

"My apologies, my dear."

"Papa, describe how beautiful Georgette is to me."

"Oh my dear, Genevieve... She is as beautiful as the most delightful aria."

"What kind of an aria?"

"One that begins in minor, crescendos and modulates to a major key."

"Wow, she is pretty," Genevieve smiled.

"Indeed, she is... as are the both of you," Erik smiled pinching their noses.