You Outshine the Morning Sun

Lin

A/N: I'm going to NYC today! Maybe I'll meet Lin and he'll be my friend!! 🤞🏻

I gazed down at Pippa, reclined on the couch with a sleeping baby on her chest.  She was out cold and it was only 9:00.  I carefully picked up Raina and took her back to their room to change her.  Once she was in a fresh diaper I cuddled with her for a few minutes, singing her a song as she fell asleep again.  She was pretty easy.  I was a lucky dad.  I set her in her crib and then went out to the kitchen to pour myself some wine.

With Austin's phone call earlier, I decided I needed to research custody agreements more.  I wanted to be prepared for what we would be facing.  And I did mean we.  Molly wasn't my biological daughter, but I loved her to death.  If she went away, it would not only tear Pippa apart, it would tear me apart.

I started to feel better as I read articles and news stories.  A father taking his biological child overseas to live when the mother was perfectly capable of raising the child herself was pretty much unheard of.  Pippa would have to agree to it, and I knew she never would.  Maybe when Molly was older and more independent, Pippa could stomach her going to Japan for a summer, but not now.  Not when she was eight years old.  Molly panicked when she was away from her mother for a day.  There was no way she would thrive for months on end.

Pippa began to stir on the couch, turning over on her side.  She sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around a bit.  Her eyes came to settle on me.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hey," she said, checking her watch.  "Where are the kids?"

"They're all in bed," I told her.  She sat up completely and stretched, yawning.

"Sorry," she told me.  It honestly hadn't been too bad.  The older two were pretty self-sufficient, and only sometimes needed a little kick in the butt.  The babies were good sleepers and easy to put down as long as they had a good cuddle.

"It's no problem," I told her, closing my laptop.  "Listen, Pip.  I don't think you have anything to worry about.  He's not gonna be able to take her out of the country without your permission.  And you and I both know that's not what's best for Molly right now."

"I would think that would be obvious," she agreed, sitting cross-legged.  "She shuts down when she's away from me for a day."

I nodded in agreement.  "So don't stress yourself out about this.  You're healthy, you're not in trouble, and you're employed.  There's no reason they would grant him prolonged custody."

She bit her lip, and I could tell the gears in her mind were going.  "But what if he takes her?  He could just book a flight and take her."

I stood up and sat next to her, rubbing her back.  "You can't think like that," I whispered patiently.  "You and Austin may be divorced, but he's a decent guy.  He wouldn't do something like that."

"I never thought he'd try to get custody like this," she pointed out, shaking her head.

I kissed her temple and studied her face.  "How about you go relax some more?  Take a nice hot bath?"

She was quiet for a few moments, then nodded in agreement.  I kissed her hair as I stood up, bringing her with me.  "I'll pour you some wine."

I poured a glass of Pip's favorite and then started down the hallway with it.  She was stopped at the twins' room, leaning against the door frame.  I stopped behind her, squeezing her hip gently with my hand.  I pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

"C'mon," I urged her gently, taking her hand.  I tugged her along into the room.  Pippa dug around in her dresser drawers for fresh panties and a nightgown while I started the bath for her.  I poured in the lavender bubbles and set her wine glass on the tile of the tub.  I felt the water with my fingers and determined it to be perfect. 

Pippa walked in, gathering her hair in a top knot.  I took the opportunity to snake my hands to her hips, then around her back.  I leaned back a little, studying her beautiful face.  These days, she didn't bother with make-up much, and I loved it.  I thought she was most beautiful with fresh skin.  I kissed below her ear, then her cheek, then her soft lips.  She kissed me back gently, our lips moving with each other's for several moments.  Pippa let her forehead rest against mine, smirking a bit.

"Thank you," she said softly.  I kissed her forehead.

"That's what I'm here for," I told her, kissing her nose.  I reached down and found the hem of her shirt, then pulled it over her head.  She was self-conscious about her belly, so I didn't look, but I thought she was beautiful.  Pip kicked off her jeans and panties and I helped her step into the tub.  I heard her let out a satisfied moan as she slipped beneath the bubbles.  She gaze up at me as I turned off the water.  Before I left, I kissed her once more.  I dimmed the lights and left her to her serenity.