Settling in Seattle

Chapter 32- Do You Regret It?

"Did you guys have fun?" Hayley walked out of the kitchen with Rosalie in her arms, she was wriggling slightly, and her arms were reaching out for her parents who'd just arrived home. She was laughing and smiling happily.

"We sure did!" Mike replied and swooped in, taking Rosalie and raising her up to the sky, soon bringing her back down and cuddling her tight. She had dribble down her chin, but her eyes were cloaked with adorability. He kissed her on the top of the head and she assumed her position on his side, Mike grasping her upper legs.

"How was she?" Rachel asked whilst putting her overnight bag that Mike had packed onto the floor and pulling off her boots.

"Good, she was a bit of a nightmare to put to sleep, but as soon as she was down she slept through most of the night." Both women smiled at each other, before Rachel leaned in to hug her thanks.

"Thank you for this," Rachel shook her head and looked at her husband who was babbling along with their daughter, "He's a very last-minute man." She apologised for him.

"It's my pleasure, she's not too bad!" They all laughed, and Mike passed Rosalie to Rachel, she snuggled her in close and he continued a conversation with Hayley. Rosalie still had bright scarlet cheeks, and Rachel held her in closer, squeezing her, happy to be reunited.

"I love you baby." She murmured as she kissed Rosalie on the top of the head. Hayley left soon after, they all waved her off.

"Rach?" Mike shouted from the nursery.

"Yeah?" She was sat in the bedroom, on her laptop.

"Can you come here a sec?" He had gone to change Rosalie, so Rachel immediately jumped up and walked across to Rosalie's room.

"What's up?" She wandered in and Rosalie was led on the changing table, legs kicking in the air, and Mike had one hand on her stomach to keep her from moving.

"Look at this." He grinned slightly and beckoned Rachel nearer, she followed and peered over the baby, who's onesie was half buttoned.

"Woah." Mike gently placed his finger on Rosalie's little lip, and she opened her small mouth, revealing two teeth, one at the top and one at the bottom, just visible out of the gum. They both smiled and laughed at the babbling child.

"Hey Rosy, you've got your first teeth!" Mike hauled her up and tickled her stomach. His wife beamed from ear to ear watching him interact with her.

"Daddy hasn't done this up!" Rachel quickly buttoned her up and kissed the top of her head. She'd noticed how curly it looked.

"Right, this calls for celebration, I think we should start her on some solids." Mike turned to Rachel who shot him a suggestive look.

"I was thinking we can try some pureed sweet potato, just something small to start her off?"

"Yeah, sure, and then we can make something nice for lunch at the same time." Mike played it off, and Rachel went into the chest of drawers in search of a bib.

"Ookay, you ready?" Rachel stirred the orange substance around with the baby spoon, whilst Mike lifted her into the high chair. There were small wisps of steam emitting from it, so she blew the spoonful carefully, before testing it on her bottom lip.

"Taste nice?" Mike joked, and she rolled her eyes towards him. Rachel gave the spoonful to Rosalie, and her face distorted slightly, before smiling and moving her mouth to swallow the new food.

"Good girl bubba!" Rachel exclaimed, and Mike clapped, as he watched his daughter and the pizzas in the oven.

"You like it?" Mike walked towards the chair and ruffled her small, dark curls slightly.

"Here, you go." Rachel passed another spoonful into her mouth, and gently tipped it in, mopping up the remanence around her chin that she had spit out with the spoon. She ate half of the small bowl, which was a big achievement for such a small person.

"How did you manage to get it here?" Mike laughed as he grabbed a wet wipe from the packet and began to clean her up.

"She was getting it from the potato she didn't manage to swallow!" Rachel was pouring the rest of the puree into a freezer bag so that she could use it again at a later date.

"Right, we're going to eat this pizza that you made, and then we're going to have some family time, just us together." Mike unclipped the bib and folded it up.

"Family time?"

"Just a film!"

"Oh, alright!" Rachel took it out of the oven, placed it on the counter and got out a plate ready whilst Mike unclipped and released Rosalie, placing her into the play mat a couple of feet away. She was reaching for all the animals that were floating above her head.

"Why did we go out last night?" Rachel sat down on the sofa with Rosalie in her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why did you decide to just up and book all that?"

"I did it because I love you. We hadn't had a break with just us since you were pregnant, and I just realised how hard you work to make her life the best, I wanted to make you feel special."

"Okay, but something triggered it, you wouldn't have just done that?"

"I would've, I love you, that's the reason," Mike looked at her slightly confused, "There was no other reason other than you needed a break." Rachel smiled, and Mike kissed her head as she leant into him.

"Do you regret it?" A small voice came from Rachel's mouth.

"What?"

"Do you regret conceiving Rosalie?"

"No... How can you even say that? Do you?" Mike snapped.

"No, but I do think if this wouldn't have happened then everything would be different. We've never even really talked about it. Just because of a small hiccup, we were thrown into a whole different world, my career used to be the second most important thing, after you. Now all my priorities are different, and I love her with all my heart. But there's a part of me that still wonders what would've happened..."

"What would've happened if I was more careful?"

"That's not what I meant. I was the one that got taken off birth control because of the other medication."

"Yeah but ultimately it was my fault, and although it was the best thing that's ever happened, it still could've not. I just wasn't thinking one night."

"Mike, it's not your fault. I don't want to seem ungrateful or horrible, it takes two to make a baby, I was just pondering."

"Just pondering?"

"Why do you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like it's something shameful."

"It's not shameful Rachel, what were you wondering about?" Mike changed his tone slightly, and Rachel sat up, still rocking Rosalie on her knee.

"I was just thinking about how we got here."

"We got here because that's what we were set to do."

"I know, and I'm sorry I brought it up."

"No, you brought it up because you've been thinking about it. Thinking about what would've happened if I had just kept it in my pants that night."

"Mike, that's not what I've been thinking about. It wasn't just your decision to have sex that night."

"Then what have you been thinking about." She looked up at Mike and sighed.

"It doesn't matter, you clearly can't see it anyway."

"What has happened over this pondering time?"

"Nothing." Rachel mumbled, and Mike got up and left the room, Rachel rolling her head back.