DIFFERENT

34 -- All The Love

Once upon a Time, in the faraway kingdom of New York, lived two handsome Princes, Larry and Laurent, and their beautiful Princess, Michaela.  Familiar ?  Our Royal Family are now happy at home, living the loved up life they've always dreamed of, happy and content ......

"And they all lived Happily Ever After !"  Laurent told Michaela, finishing the real life fairy tale that was their life.  He tickled her tummy, eliciting a tiny giggle as he popped the last fastening on her onesie, lifting her gently off her changing table in the nursery.  

"Ooofff, you're growing up too fast, not-so-little-one" he complained happily, sweetly kissing his daughters cheek.  Michaela was six months old now, and growing up way too quickly for Laurent's liking, for both their liking.   She was doing all the things that would be expected of a baby her age, rolling, turning over, eating solid food, sleeping through the night, and their favourite, smiling at them, and giggling.  They could spend hours, if she let them, hovering over her, both of them making silly faces, singing and cooing as she babbled and giggled away at them, and a lot of times, it brought them to tears, they were so happy.  They wanted things to stay this way forever.  They would need another baby soon, obviously.

Laurent placed Michaela gently on her play mat in the living room, so she could play with her toys to her heart's content, as he sat watching her attentively, enjoying a warming mug of tea.  Larry was working today, so Laurent was at home, taking care of their daughter.  As he still had a few months left before he had to return to work after his sabbatical, this was their arrangement for now, and it worked well for all of them.  Michaela got to spend every day with either daddy, or papa, and at the weekends, both.  Although, every day he was working, Larry would face time with both his babies several times a day, seemingly getting no work done whatsoever.  When he literally ran in through the door at night, without so much as a peck on Laurent's cheek in greeting, he would take her from Laurent's arms, and spend the evening bathing her, talking, cooing, laughing and playing, eventually, reluctantly, tucking her up bed.  

So much had happened in the six month's since Michaela's birth, and their wedding day at the hospital.  

Laurent was enjoying being a "stay at home" dad, which gave Larry the opportunity to spend some time attending to, and growing his business, building it even more into the burgeoning I.T. and A.I. powerhouse it was gaining the reputation for being.  He was employing more staff, and entering into more contracts overseas, including London.   He had missed the work, exercising his mind, solving problems, taking responsibility.  He was enjoying being back at work, but was missing both his babies just as much.  But he knew Laurent would be going back to work soon, and back to London, and their roles would be reversed, again.  So he would take this time to lay the groundwork for his new projects, so that when he did step back, his business would virtually run itself, he hoped, with minimal intervention from him.  

On the other hand, Laurent was enjoying being Michaela's primary caregiver for the moment, also knowing things would change again soon.  As much as he would miss her, and Larry, when he was away, he missed "his guys" in London too, and was looking forward to seeing them again, doing the "hands on" dancing and choreography he loved so much, that was so much a part of his soul.  He and Larry had been talking about buying a home in London too, with the aim of maybe spending the summers there, and when she was older, maybe moving there permanently, as they loved the idea of Michaela being educated in England.