always you - Chenford

short story - part 6

'Shh' Lucy shushed to her daughter as she was trying to get her to sleep. 'It's okay Junie' Lucy said to her daughter, as she softly bounced her in her arms and walked around in dim lit living room. She didn't want to wake Tim up, since he did have to go to work in a few hours. The first 4 weeks had been exhausting, but amazing. Tim and Lucy had both been in awe by the little girl, and every small little new thing she did caused for them to forget all the dirty diapers, loss of sleep and all the other things that came with a newborn. But since a few days, Tims paternity leave had ended and Lucy was on her own most of the days. She couldn't complain much though, June was an easy baby, smiled a lot and only cried when she was in real need of something. Sleeping however, was something the little dark haired girl loved to do during the day, and at night not so much. Besides the moments she would be awake to be breastfed by Lucy, she loved waking her parents up. Tim would mostly get out then, in hopes to let Lucy rest, but now Lucy felt like Tim needed sleep most, since she could nap during the day. 'Still up?' Tim said softly and put his hands on Lucys shoulders, before he kissed her cheek. 'Yeah, she's fine when she's in my arms, just not when I put her in the co sleeper' she said before she yawned. 'Just get back into bed, and sit with her there. I don't mind be awoken by you two. I'll live Lucy' Tim said and guided his fiancée back to their bedroom.

When Lucy woke up, it was just her in the bedroom. The co sleeper next to her was empty and so was Tims spot in the bed. Lucy got up, and walked into the kitchen, where Tims was sitting and holding his daughter, and enjoying her with one of the many stuffed animals she had. He didn't notice Lucy, who stood staring at what happened in front of her in awe. 'You two are adorable' she said and walked over to Tim. 'I know' Tim said with a smile and gave her a kiss. Lucy placed her arms around his neck and rest her head on his. 'We did a pretty good job with her, don't you think' Lucy said and stroked June's cheek. 'Definitely' Tim smiled.

As Tim walked towards his office, he felt a hand on his shoulder. 'How's June' he heard a woman say, and recognized Angela's voice. Tim turned around to his best friend before he answered. 'June is doing the best she can. Lucy and me however, we could use some uninterrupted sleep and quality time' Tim said and Angela laughed. 'Got it, Wesley and I felt the same the first few weeks with both Jack and Mari' Angela said and paused for a second. 'How's Lucy holding up?' she asked. 'I think she's doing okay, maybe sometimes pretending it isn't as hard as it actually is, but she's an amazing mom' Tim said, a smile brought to his face by the thought of her. 'Well, just know that if you ever need a sitter, you can bring June by at any time' Angela said. 'I'll keep that in mind, thanks' he answered and continued on to his office. He sat down, and before he started going through the files in front of him, he switched the photo in frame in front of him. The old one was him and Lucy, at the beach, just after they got engaged. But it was no longer just the two of them, so Tim changed the picture to the one he took just after June was born, sitting in bed, Lucy holding her in her arms. 'That's better' he said and smiled at the sight of his two girls.

June is now 4 months old
'So you'll take her to her appointment' Lucy said and sat down next to Tim on the floor, where he was playing with June on her play-mat. 'Yeah sure, just to the doctors for her shots right?' he asked Lucy, and she nodded. 'Thank you, you're great' Lucy said and gave him a quick kiss. 'I know, I know. How late are you leaving?' Tim asked Lucy, who was gonna go dress shopping this afternoon with Angela. 'Any minute, depends on when Angela is here' she said and looked at her daughter. June had been doing great, she started sleeping more during the night and only woke up when she needed to be fed, and since Lucy also pumped now, Tim could do it sometimes too. Now that they were back in a more stable and calm point in their lives, they had started planning their wedding. They were still deciding on the big things, like the date, theme and venue, but Lucy felt eager to choose a dress, so today, with the help of Angela, she would be doing that. It didn't last long until there was a knock on the door. Lucy got up to open it and was met by Angela. 'Hello hello, ready to go dress shopping?' she asked Lucy as she walked in. Angela quickly went over to June, who at this point was in her dad arms and had gotten off of her play-mat. 'Ugh guys, she's adorable' she said as she stroked June's cheek. 'You're giving me baby fever little Junie, do you know that' Angela whispered to the little girl, who was just happily smiling. 'She tends to have that effect on people' Tim said and handed his daughter to Lucy, so she could say goodbye. 'Bye honey' Lucy said before she kissed the little girl all over her face, making her smile even more. 'I'll be back soon' Lucy said and handed her back to Tim.

'That one looks spectacular on you Lucy' Angela said as Lucy walked out in another dress. She had been trying probably all the types there were, but she hadn't come across the dress until now. 'Thank you' Lucy said and paused to look in the mirror again. She wore a white v-neck dress, with long sleeves that were see through, through a flower lace pattern. It was a mermaid type dress, and the fabric was soft against her skin. Lucy felt beautiful in the dress, and when the bridal stylist who worked at the shop did a quick hairdo and and added a veil, that feeling grew. 'You look amazing' Angela said and smiled at her friend. The two always liked each other, but had definitely grown closer since Lucy and Tim had gotten together, and even more when June was born and they could bond over motherhood. 'Tim will definitely cry when you walk down the aisle' Angela said and Lucy smiled at the thought.

After finishing up at the bridal shop, Lucy and Angela decided to get a drink before heading back home. 'Can't believe I just bought my dress' Lucy said before she took a sip of her wine. 'Me neither, it took me weeks to find one. Surprised you managed it in one afternoon' Angela said, making both woman laugh. 'How do you feel being out of the house?' she asked Lucy in a genuine tone. Lucy took a moment before she answered. 'Guilty' she sighed. 'I feel like I'm abandoning June, while I know I'm coming back, and besides, she's with Tim' Lucy said, fidgeting with her fingers. 'I felt the same the first few months with Jack' Angela told her. 'You're not a bad mom for spending time without your kid, in fact, it's good you do something for just you and recharge, so you can be the best version of yourself for them' Angela said and put her hand on Lucy's. 'You're doing great' she encouraged her. 'Thank you' Lucy smiled at her. 'Now lets enjoy our wine and some kid free talk before we go back' Angela said.

Even though Lucy really enjoyed her time with Angela, she couldn't wait to see her little girl again. She quickly walked up to their apartment and opened the door. 'Hey Luce' Tim turned around his head, he was sitting on the couch watching a game. 'June is sleeping, think she'll be awake any moment' he said and stretched out his arm to Lucy and gestured for her to join him. 'How was the dress shopping' he said as Lucy joined him on the couch, and he put her arm around her. 'I found my dress, and it's beautiful. Angela said you were gonna cry when you see me' Lucy said and looked at him. 'I'm not gonna cry' Tim huffed. 'Yeah, you said you wouldn't cry when I would give birth either, yet here we are' Lucy laughed, and Tim gave in. 'Okay, yeah, I will probably cry' Tim said. 'But you could walk down the isle in your pyjamas and I'd cry' he said to Lucy, who softly slapped his arm. 'You're gonna love it, I'm sure' she said. 'As long as you wear it, I will' he said and kissed her hair. Lucy rested her head on Tim's chest, but it did not take long before she heard her baby fuss and wake up. 'And now, it's back to mom duty' she said and got up to get her baby.

A few hours later, Tim and Lucy had eaten dinner, cleaned up the apartment a little and were back on the couch again, watching true crime. June was sleeping on Tims chest, and Lucys head was once again resting on his shoulder, which gave her a perfect view of her baby. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Tim spoke up. 'Why don't we just pick a date now' he said, surprising Lucy. 'I thought you didn't want to do that yet' she said and turned her head so she could look at him. 'Well, yeah, but with you buying. Your dress and things getting real, I don't want to wait' he said and stroked Lucy's hair. 'It became real the moment you put that ring on my finger Tim' Lucy laughed, and Tim joined her. 'How are you feeling about somewhere in May, the weather is doable and the landscapes will be beautiful' he said and let Lucy think for a second. 'I think that would be great' Lucy answered, imaging what it would look like. 'It would be logical then to go with a flower theme, maybe green and white?' she asked her fiancé. 'I think that would be perfect' he said and kissed her temple. 'Do you also want to pick the exact date' Lucy asked him, thinking about which number she would like. 'Maybe the 20th? It's the first number that came to mind when I was thinking about it this afternoon' he said, looking at Lucy. 'I would love that' she said before they shared a kiss, and Lucy smiling at the thought of finally being able to call him her husband in a few months.

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