Disclaimer: I’m just borrowing these characters, they belong to Pixelberry
Author’s note: Oh look, more ridiculous family fluff for Seth and Kaylee. I thought of this while at work a while ago and finally got it to cooperate. This is dedicated to my dear friend, enmchoices, for her birthday 🙂
Summary: Kaylee enjoys some down time with her friends during her daughter’s birthday party.
“You know you can hire people to be the entertainment, right? You didn’t have to dress your daughter up as a clown for her own party,” Victoria remarks as I approach the table she’s perched at.
“How nice of you to offer her your services!” Teja quips back with a smirk, earning a death-glare from the blonde. “I don’t know, I think it’s cute; kind of like a… poodle. Aw, I bet she even knows tricks!”
I roll my eyes, but snort in amusement and settle into a chair beside my friends, allowing myself to get off my feet for a few minutes before the rest of the guests arrive. My gaze follows theirs and a blazing fire of happiness ignites in my chest.
My relative giant of a husband stands hunched down under the blue and red bridge of a play structure. Above him, our newly two-year old daughter wears an inquisitive look as she tentatively crosses the bridge. Her tight flaxen curls have been tamed momentarily into three pigtails, a small one behind each ear and one large puff on the very top of her head; indeed resembling the fancy cut of a poodle.
“We didn’t need any clowns today, but I’ll keep you in mind for next time,” I respond with a smirk, my eyes locked on Victoria. She sneers at me for a moment before flashing a teasing smile back.
“Like could afford my prices anyways.”
I wait for our chortling to die down before continuing, “Vivi insisted on Seth doing her hair for the party and who was I to say no to such a sweet request?”
“Someone with eyes,” Victoria remarks without missing a beat.
“And someone with a heart.” Teja throws a side-glance and another smirk Victoria’s way before turning to face me. “Viv is quite the Daddy’s girl isn’t she?”
“Oh, the biggest, but I love it… most days. She’s got him wrapper around her finger. It’s been… interesting… getting him to not give into her tantrums.”
“I was the same way with Alexander at first, and then Parker talked some sense into me,” Victoria admits. Teja and I snap our heads in her direction, expressions of complete shock plastered across our faces.
“You were the softy?” I finally ask incredulously after far too many seconds of stunned silence pass, all of us sparing a glance at the long-legged raven-haired boy attempting the monkey-bars not too far away.
“What? He’s my baby boy and I love him. I’m not some heartless monster you know.”
“Heartless, no. More than occasional stone cold…” Teja begins only to be interrupted by the incessant chatter of an approaching toddler.
“Mama, mama, mama! Ladel-bug! Daddy find ladel-bug!” Vivi exclaims with unbridled excitement as she bounds over to us, Seth trailing behind her. She points to her father’s cupped hands and looks up at him expectantly.
When he opens his hands to reveal the tiny red insect with black spots my first instinct is to shudder, but I managed to restrain it and curve my mouth upward into a gentle smile instead. “What a beautiful ladybug you’ve found! Thank you for showing me, baby.”
The small girl’s radiant grin morphs into a deep frown, her crystal blue eyes wide with disappointment as the bug quickly takes flight. “No! No buh-bye ladel-bug!”
Seth crouches down, getting as close to his daughter’s level as possible, his face a breathtaking portrait of tenderness. “But Little Bear, your ladybug friend told me while I was carrying her that she has a party of her own to get to. You don’t want her to miss her own daughter’s birthday, do you?”
“N….no,” she replies with a small sniffle, then promptly turns away from him. Apparently satisfied with the explanation, my daughter’s mood rubber-bands back to what Seth has begun calling her ‘excitable puppy mode’ as her attention switches to the women to my left.
I’m lost in a dreamy bubble of amusement, watching Viv try to tell Teja and Victoria a story using only jumbled three word sentences, when familiar strong arms engulf me from behind. A contented sigh escapes my lips as I lean my head back into Seth’s chest.
“And how’s my other favorite girl doing?” Warm lips brush against the back of my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, but I giggle softly.
“Alright. Making myself rest a little before the chaos erupts.”
“Good. Let me know what else I can help with. We can’t have you turning into a frazzled mess again like last time, especially not now.” His thumb traces slow circles over my ever-so-slightly rounded stomach, his other hand hiding the loving gesture from view.
Only days earlier we’d found out our cozy family of three would be welcoming not one, but two, new members in less than six months time. While the prospect of our quickly growing family excited (but also mildly terrified) us, we weren’t ready to share our news with anyone yet. Both of us thoroughly aware of the media storm that accompanies being a highly popular celebrity couple expecting a child, we’d agreed to wait a few more weeks before letting anyone else in on the secret, including our loose-lipped daughter.
“Well, I was doing great at relaxing until Viv brought that thing over. Couldn’t it have ‘accidentally’ flown away or something?” I tilt my head back, flashing him a brief look of disgust before a smirk teases at my lips.
“And risk upsetting my little girl on her birthday? Never!” Seth gasps in mock horror, his eyes crinkling with a smile a split-second later. “I still can’t believe you’re afraid of ladybugs.”
“Hey, you’re not the one who lived through the Great Japanese Beetle Invasion of ’04,” I retort with a shudder, a vision flashing through my mind of a score of half-dead reddish-orange insects raining down upon me from a swinging light fixture. “And I’m not afraid of them; they just give me the heebie-jeebies a little.”
Seth contorts his head so his still smirking mouth can capture mine in a quick but loving upside-down kiss and I melt into further into his embrace, forgetting the world around me for a moment.
“Wow, and in front of the child,” Victoria articulates loudly, pulling me back to reality, and I focus my attention back to the three faces now staring intently at Seth and me.
“Oh, I’m sorry Vicky, did we disturb you with our love?” Seth quips and we both snort in unison, causing Vivi to burst into a high-pitched fit of giggles.
“Ouch!” Teja gasps, pressing her palm to one side of her jaw. “I think I just felt a cavity form from watching all that sweetness.” She flashes a joking grin.
Seth and our two friends continue to joke back and forth. Vivi returns to my side, resting her head on my knee. I gently stroke her back, my fingers mirroring the movements Seth’s thumb continues to make along my stomach. Happy tears, brought on by the combination of the touching moment occurring around me and the hormonal hurricane inside, suddenly gather at the corner of my eyes. A thought that’s been occurring to me much more often lately flitters into my mind again.
I’d moved to LA roughly ten years ago, looking for my big-break, a chance to chase down my dreams and make them a reality. While I’d certainly found that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity ridiculously quickly, I’d in turn found something I valued above it all: a group of true friends to share in the ups and downs of life and a man, perfect for me, with whom I have built a life and family.
-The End
