Ashton: “Daddy, you promise you’ll be back soon?” your daughter spoke as she looked into your husband, Ashton’s, eyes. He had knelt to her height on one knee. He kissed her forehead and booped her nose.
"Of course I’ll be back soon, only a few months, sweetie." He picked her up one last time. The three year old cradled her head in the crook of his neck. You could tell she never wanted to let go. She was going to miss her favorite person in the world, her daddy.
"I love you, Sophie, and I’ll miss you so much." He said as he rubbed her back gently. "I want you to be a good girl for mommy while I’m gone. I promise to video chat or call whenever I can, okay baby?" He said.
"Okay daddy, I love you too." Ashton set her down on the ground of the airport where she stood in front of his tall figure, having to look up just to see his face.
—
"Daddy, mommy took me to the store today and bought me the best stuffed animal!" Sophie yelled excitedly over the video chat.
Ashton had set himself privately in the back of the bus to FaceTime with his daughter. It had only been one month of the tour and he was missing her like crazy. He felt like he was missing so much in her life by not being with her. He missed the nights they would fall asleep cuddled together when she would get scared of the dark. He missed the mornings when they would wake up and watch cartoons together while eating cereal on the couch. He even missed messing up her blonde curly mop of hair that he would have to style whenever you were busy.
"You did?!" Ashton sounded so excited. He probably really was considering he is a child at heart. "Show me, sweetie!"
Sophie gave you the phone giving you a minute to talk with Ash alone.
"Here it is daddy! Do you like it?" When Sophie returned she held up a teddy bear almost as big as her. She had dressed it in one of her 5sos shirts.
"I love it, I want one too!" Ashton said with a giggle. "Whats its name?"
"His name is Mr. Cuddles, because I miss your cuddles. Mommy helped me name it." Sophie said squeezing the bear.
"I love it, Soph, I can’t wait to get home and see it. And see you!" Ashton said with a grin.
"Ash, we gotta get backstage now." Luke said opening the back door of the bus.
"Oh, hi Soph!" Luke waved into the camera before giving Ashton a minute to say goodbye.
"I love you, sweetie, I’ll talk to you later. Goodnight."
Ashton locked his phone, staring at his wallpaper. It was a picture of him and Sophie when she was a baby. He would give anything to be back with her, holding her, and watching her grow. He wished she was right there with him.
That night Sophie lay awake next to her bear. She thought of the times her daddy would lay with her in her big girl bed and sing her to sleep while he ran his fingers through her hair and fell asleep with her. He wouldn’t be back for what seemed like forever and those times couldn’t return soon enough.
Luke: "Daddy no!" The toddler screamed as she grasped onto Luke’s legs in an effot to stop him from packing. She was young but she still knew that when he was packing his suitcase, he would be leaving again. Luke couldn’t stand to see his daughter so upset.
"Cailey, please don’t do this. You know daddy has to go." Luke said trying to pry her off. She didn’t budge.
"Please, daddy!" She cried. You walked into the room and helped pull your daughter off of her father.
