Sweet Nothings.

Contentment.

A/N: Since this anthology was created as a thank you for all the support on It started with a theory, it only seems fitting that the first one shot be for all my Nella fans out there.

P.S. Though this one shot in no way impacts or disrupts the actual story that is on my profile, it does contain spoiler alerts so if you have not yet read It started with a theory - I suggest you do before proceeding.

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Nick Brady liked to believe that his life consisted of two timelines- before Annabelle and after Annabelle. Before Annabelle, Nick had been simply passing through life, determined to prove love a fallacy but, the strong willed, independent, frustrating and gorgeous woman that he had married; had not only managed to burn away his old views on life but, she had managed to paint a stunning depiction of life with love, and in turn had warmed his dead heart.

He had never been a believer in love; his heart too hard from the filth of reality and yet, it had only taken the passion of his waitress wife; shoving his head in the clouds, for Nick to see that the view at the top was far better.

Annabelle had not only forced Nick to confront his fears and admit his desires but, she had also managed to pull Nick's mask away and let him see the beautiful man she had found life in and, in turn, Nick had found life in her.

Their marriage was not based heavily on passion, desire, lust or need but instead, their love ran deeper. Their marriage was all about trust, honour, friendship, understanding and a love so deep that their hearts no longer beat independently, but rather as one organ, pumping a song so sweet that it could only be heard by them and shared with a smile.

To Nick, life after Annabelle was one worth remembering and, as he paced along the white corridor, he smiled knowing that the best was yet to come.

"You need to relax son." Nick turned to his father and smiled grimly.

"I'm nervous." He admitted; sneaking another glance at the door behind Harold.

Harold smiled towards his son in admiration. "You did well." Nick furrowed his brows in confusion and Harold chuckled. "I'm proud of you Nick. Annabelle is a wonderful woman and I'm proud to call her my daughter. You'll make a fantastic father."

Nick grinned and quickly embraced his father in a tight hug. He squeezed his father tight in both fear and gratitude.

Pulling away, Nick looked at the door. "What could be taking so long?"

Harold grinned at his son, "They're just motivating her."

He growled softly, "I should be doing that, not my mother and my sister."

Placing his hand on his son's shoulder, Harold squeezed softly. "I think what Annabelle needs is motivation from those more experienced in child birth than you."

Nick grumbled under his breath and folded his arms across his chest. "Whatever."

♡♡♡

Sixteen hours later, Nick held in his arms the girl he would lay his life down for. Dragging a gentle finger down her rosy cheek, Nick smiled softly before placing a small kiss on her forehead.

She was beautiful- his little Sofia Grace Brady.

A sudden small moan from beside him drew Nick's attention away from the tiny bundle in his arms. Nick looked next to him and smiled down at his wife, curled up on the hospital bed with her lips in a serene smile.

Annabelle had been brilliant during the delivery. And though to Nick the actual process looked more painful than a thousand bullets to the chest, Annabelle had pushed through it all with the same determination and gusto that she applied to their marriage. She didn't give up but, rather she pushed through the pain until she was left with only a wobbly smile and a heart so full it threatened to escape it's shelter.

Nick couldn't be more proud of her.

Looking back at his daughter, Nick swept his eyes across her small body. His grin grew the more he stared at her beauty. His Sofie was still too small to have developed any lasting physical traits and her skin still resembled that of a wrinkled Martian but, he found he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"I love you baby girl. As long as I'm alive, I promise to protect you, to love you, to make you laugh and to wipe away your tears. I promise to guide you and encourage you but most of all, I promise to always remind you of how beautiful you are. You are never going to feel worthless as long as I'm around. It took your daddy a long time but, mommy helped me realise that in this world full of variety, we're all our own beautiful. As long as you believe that, no one else's opinion matters."

Nick kissed her button nose and whispered to his sleeping baby. "I love you."

"I love you too." Nick grinned and shook his head; his gaze moving away from his daughter and travelling up to connect with his favourite autumn coloured eyes.

"I was talking to Sofie."

Annabelle chuckled, "I know but she can't talk yet so I'm translating."

Nick smirked and shook his head at his wife's antics. "Well in that case, what else is Sofie saying?"

"She says that she's proud of you for staying strong and that she knows you'll be a great daddy to her."

Nick swallowed hard; his emotions clogging his throat. "What else?"

Annabelle smiled and reached her hand out for Nick. Nick shuffled the baby in his arms and reached across the small space for Annabelle's hand; lacing their fingers together when his skin met hers.

"She also wants to tell you that she's happy."

"I'm happy too. Very happy." Nick blinked his sudden wetness away and leaned forward to kiss Annabelle. Their lips met in a soft and gentle kiss, their mouths not moving far from each other.

Nick pulled away only far enough to look into Annabelle's eyes. "You've made me the happiest man Belle. Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, we still have midnight feedings to get through. We'll see how grateful you are when you've gone on two hours of sleep."

He laughed and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "I don't care. It's worth it."

"You think?"

He nodded, "You both are."

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This is only the first of more short stories to come in this anthology. It is also most likely not the last time you will see Nick and Annabelle. I may consider writing more about them.

The next update will be up in three days so add this to your library and reading lists to get updates.