Many of you asked me to continue with "The Birthday Suite", so I decided to do a little one-shot sequel to it. Perhaps I'll manage something longer later on, or the other big sequel I'm supposed to be writing, but I'm once again struggling with writer's block. Anyone who's great with plots, hit me up ;) But for now, just enjoy this one-shot. If you haven't read "The Birthday Suite", I suggest you do so; otherwise this may not make much sense.
The Birthday Surprise
Rating: K
Summary: Sequel to "The Birthday Suite". Another birthday, another unwelcome surprise.
.
"Really? A soccer outfit?"
Lilly grinned, despite the look of death she was receiving from her girlfriend. Miley held up the little shirt and pants combo, eyes narrowed. It looked a lot like the outfit Lilly had bought James a year ago, except bigger and with even more soccer balls decorating the blue fabric. Additionally, Lilly held a small soccer ball in her hands, the sly grin on her face irritating Miley.
"And a soccer ball? He can't even walk right, Lilly."
Lilly tossed the ball lightly at Miley and it bounced off her arm. "It's plush, he won't even be able to destroy anything. And he needed a new soccer outfit."
Miley sighed and shook her head, though she was acting much more annoyed than she actually was. Lilly, easily able to tell she wasn't in the doghouse, leaned forward and pecked Miley's lips, before grabbing the plush ball and sliding onto the floor. James, who had been busy making a mess of his building blocks, looked up at her with big, blue eyes that melted her heart every time. He smiled as he saw Lilly and when she handed him the soccer ball, he seemed even more excited.
"Happy Birthday, Pele," said Lilly affectionately. James threw the ball and Lilly couldn't help but join his happy laughter as she retrieved it for him.
Miley rolled her eyes at the nickname, but couldn't help smiling nevertheless. After Jake had gotten her pregnant and left, she hadn't expected to ever find someone who would love not only her, but also her son. Lilly had loved them both from the first moment on. For someone who had claimed to be terrified of children, Lilly was great with James and he absolutely adored her, too. Miley couldn't have asked for a better girlfriend.
"You're not gonna get him a soccer themed gift every year now, are you?" asked Miley somewhat apprehensively while she watched them play with the ball.
Lilly turned to her, face contemplative. "I wasn't gonna, but now that you mention it, Miles…that's a great idea!" Miley groaned, but Lilly only laughed. James, though unsure why one of his favorite people was laughing, joined in, his cute baby giggles even making Miley smile.
"Hey Miles, I think he wants to wear his new outfit," said Lilly, eyeing the farm animal combo he had on now, likely a gift from one of the Tennessee relatives.
"No way, Lils, I finally got him clean and dressed and the party's in half an hour. I'm not changing him again," said Miley and got up with a sigh. She hadn't really wanted to have a birthday party for a one-year-old, but had been overruled. Thankfully she had convinced everyone else to only invite family and close friends, but it was still more than enough.
"Your mommy is lazy," said Lilly to James conspiratorially. James was torn between following his mother and staying with Lilly and his new toy, but when Lilly held his sippy cup out to him, his decision was made.
When Miley returned from the kitchen just a few minutes later, James had somehow managed to spill the entire contents of his sippy cup onto his shirt and pants and was happily slapping his hands onto his clothes to make a splashing sound. Lilly sat by his side, watching him with a grin, but her face turned contrite when she saw Miley's glare.
"What happened?"
James stopped his movement and looked up at his mother's less than happy face. "Uh oh," he said and Lilly burst out laughing.
Miley shook her head and leaned down to pick him up. "Uh oh is right. Did Lilly put you up to this?"
Lilly stood as well, shaking her head vigorously for James to imitate and he did it happily. Lilly smiled triumphantly at her girlfriend and Miley made a face at her. She handed the sticky baby to Lilly and smiled. "Well then I'm sure she'd love to get you cleaned up."
Lilly stuck her tongue out at Miley, but grabbed the soccer outfit off the couch and headed towards the stairs with James. Miley couldn't hear what Lilly was telling him, but his excited squeals told her he was thoroughly enjoying himself. She shook her head, smiling. No, she couldn't have asked for a better girlfriend.
xxx
James was the center of attention and he was loving it. All the people that normally showed him a great deal of attention and love were being even more attentive today, constantly picking him up, hugging him and offering him new toys. Miley couldn't help but smile as her son picked his way through all his relatives as they sat around the living room, exciting them with his wobbly steps and happy smile. He certainly was a performer, but she seriously hoped he'd have no plans to become an actor. Anything but that, even a soccer star was better.
Someone dropped into the cushions beside her and Miley turned to look at her girlfriend. Lilly gave her an exhausted look and Miley nudged her in the side. She'd let Lilly take care of James while she and her dad's girlfriend, Lorie, set up the food and drinks for the guests. James, able to feel the excitement in the air, had been incredibly energetic all day and had seemingly tired Lilly out in no time.
"You're getting old, Lils, when a one-year-old can tire you out," said Miley softly, grinning at the look she received.
"I'll remind you of that next time you're exhausted," countered Lilly and stuck her tongue out. She reached for Miley's hand and laced their fingers together. Even though it had been awkward at first with Miley's extended family when she'd suddenly started dating a girl, they had all come around eventually and accepted them. Lilly figured they'd realized how much she loved Miley and James and how she now couldn't imagine her life without them. A decision made in the blink of an eye, her mother's voice reprimanding her to be nice, had changed Lilly's whole life. What if she hadn't held those elevator doors for Miley?
"You know, everyone loves his new outfit," said Lilly almost triumphantly, trying to banish the what-ifs that would have left her life empty.
Miley raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, everyone but Mamaw who gave him the other outfit, which is why I put him in it in the first place. You know how she is."
Lilly swallowed hard. "You didn't tell her it was me, did you?" She'd met Miley's grandmother a few times over the past year, but the woman still scared the crap out of her.
"I thought it was James?"
"That's what I meant," said Lilly, grinning. Miley only rolled her eyes at the blonde and Lilly leaned over to kiss her girlfriend's cheek.
"So, you two have any plans to get married?" Lilly's head shot around to look at the blonde woman just to her left, who was smiling at them. Jake's mother, Tami, was a regular visitor and often picked up James to take him places or babysit for Miley. Lilly had been skeptical at first about Jake's parents, after hearing stories about Jake from Miley, but they had been very nice and wanted to be involved in their grandson's life, even if Jake wasn't. And they, too, adored James and he was happy to have even more people doting on him.
Miley laughed at the near panicked look on Lilly's face. "I think you just made her go into shock, Tami."
Lilly puffed out her chest, insulted almost at their insinuation that she couldn't handle the thought of marriage to Miley. In fact, there was nothing she'd love more than to marry Miley and maybe even adopt James, but she knew it was still early in their relationship and they had plenty of time. "There's no need to rush anything. Everything will happen in due time."
Everyone else laughed and Lilly wasn't sure whether she ought to be insulted, but James chose that moment to trip and bang his head on the ground. His wails immediately stopped all conversation and though he was promptly picked up and tended to by two grandparents, a great-grandmother and his goofy uncle Jackson, his pitiful cries continued. Robby Ray picked him up and carried him to Miley, knowing well that sometimes no one could compare to mom.
"Here you go 'lil bud, mommy will make it all better."
Miley threw her dad a look, but took her son from him. James settled into her arms still crying, but calmed down almost immediately. Miley wiped his teary face while he continued to sniffle. Everyone else, seeing he was fine, continued their conversations, but James decided to stay where he was for a bit. Even a superstar sometimes just needed his mommy.
xxx
James babbled happily as he inspected the food on his high chair table before him. He had a few pieces of his all-time favorite, banana, and a small piece of birthday cake. Unfortunately for whoever would have to clean him up, he was much more interested in smearing the colorful icing across every imaginable surface than in actually eating the cake. The adults were spread throughout the living room and kitchen eating their food and it wasn't until James had covered himself nearly completely in icing and banana mash that Lilly noticed. She grabbed a paper towel and tried to clean off what she could, but his clothes were covered as well, and she picked him up.
"Hey Miles, look what Jamey did again," she said when she saw her girlfriend and tickled the baby's belly to make him laugh.
"You mean what Jamey did on his own this time?" said Miley and stood, setting down her own plate.
Lilly held out the sticky baby to Miley with a grin. "I think his diaper's wet, too." When she saw the face Miley made, she shrugged. "Hey, I'm sure one of the many grandparents or other relatives here would love to change him."
Miley took James from Lilly, careful not to let his stickiness contaminate her. "I think I'll just do it myself. Will you take my plate?"
Lilly nodded and stopped Miley from leaving with a hand on her hip. She leaned in and kissed Miley softly, but didn't linger in light of the dozens of eyes probably on them right now. When she pulled back, James was making kissy faces of his own in imitation of her and she laughed. Miley took him upstairs to the nursery to change him into his fourth outfit of the day. He talked happily while she cleaned the banana and icing off of him and changed his diaper and Miley was happy just to have a few quiet moments alone with her son. He'd always been a happy baby and enjoyed company, but all those people downstairs constantly fawning over him was testing Miley's patience.
She dressed him in some sweatpants and a t-shirt with a tractor, to appease Mamaw, not caring if he wasn't looking fancy at his party, when she heard the doorbell. Miley didn't think anyone was missing, but didn't think much of it and finished up with James. She immediately noticed something had changed coming down the stairs, because there was a sudden lull in the conversation that hadn't been there before. When she stepped back into the room, James in her arm, all eyes turned to her and she stopped, confused.
"Miley."
She turned to the doorway, where her father stood with a stormy look on his face, still holding the door open as if hoping their unexpected visitor would leave. Miley clenched her jaw as she looked at the visitor, anger and pain and sadness flooding her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and clutched James a little tighter.
"Jake, what are you doing here?"
It was as if her acknowledging him validated his presence and he stepped closer. Robby Ray moved to slam the door shut, but remembered his manners and closed it more appropriately. Lilly, on the other hand, had no worries about manners, only about her girlfriend, and stepped up behind Miley, eyes narrowed at the young man standing there.
"I came to see my son," said Jake as if it were the most normal thing in the world, smiling as if this weren't the most awkward situation.
"Really? Did you get lost on the way or something, 'cause it took you a year to get here," said Miley, her voice low and angry. She didn't want to explode in front of James.
Jake smiled in his usually obnoxious way and came even closer. "I was busy, Miley, you know that. He knows I'm his dad, don't you, buddy?"
Jake stepped almost right in front of Miley and leaned in towards James, who began howling immediately at the stranger so close to him. Jake drew back, looking stunned, and Miley shifted the crying baby onto her other hip, farther away from Jake. "What did you tell him to make him cry? That's my son, too."
Miley scoffed, but had to swallow the lump in her throat. Jake had a habit of making her feel like a stupid fifteen-year-old again, but now it was worse, because his horrible behavior was also affecting James. She noticed Tami stand up and walk over, trying to pull Jake away with a hand on his arm.
"Jake, why are you doing this, honey?"
"I'm not doing anything. I came to see my son. Look, I even brought him a present," said Jake defiantly and pulled a romper out of his jacket with the Zombie Slayer logo and star imprinted on the front.
"It has your face on it," said Lilly incredulously, unable to control herself. She was fuming on the inside because this jerk had already made James cry and was close to making Miley cry and there was nothing that pissed Lilly off more than someone hurting her two favorite people. She could tell by the look on his face, Robby Ray was more than mad, as well.
"That way he'll always know he has a famous TV star for a father," said Jake smugly and more than one person rolled their eyes. His mother looked more than embarrassed for her son's behavior, but was unable to stop him.
James was still crying with the stranger so near and Miley gave her father a pleading look. Robby Ray took the baby and carried him out the back door to get him distracted, but Jake frowned. "Where's he taking my son?"
Miley shook her head. "Seriously, Jake, you practically vanish for 18 months and now you're suddenly making demands? It doesn't work like that. Maybe instead of worrying James knows he's got a 'famous' father, you should worry about him knowing he's even got a father at all!"
"I told you I had gotten a gig, Miley. Now that I'm rich and famous everything is gonna work out great. We can finally be a family," said Jake, smiling convincingly, though he seemed to be the only one not dumbfounded by his statement.
"What are you talking about?" Miley shook her head, unable to fathom how she had ever managed to date this cocky jerk.
It was Jake's turn to look dumbfounded, as if unable to understand everyone's confusion. "Well, now that I'm back, we can get married and raise our son."
The silence that fell over the room was deafening. Miley had no idea how to even respond to that. She met Tami's eyes, who looked just as shocked and gave Miley an apologetic look, still trying to pull Jake away. "Jake, please stop."
"Stop what? Miley and I have a child together, we ought to be married." It didn't sound like Jake at all and Miley wondered who had put him up to it. Perhaps having a secret child out of wedlock was bad for publicity, but she was having none of it.
"Seriously Jake, you left. You left me when I was pregnant and you haven't cared about your son since. Not when I was pregnant, not when he was born, not in the year since. What makes you think I'd just welcome you back with open arms?"
Jake smiled cockily and brushed the bangs from his forehead. "Come on, babe, I'm Jake Ryan, the Zombie Slayer. All the girls want to be with me."
"Not this girl. I've long moved on Jake. If you're honest about seeing Jamey, I'd never keep you from your son, but you and me, we're long through."
"You're letting some other asshole raise my son?" Jake suddenly sounded angry, his voice rising.
Miley shook her head. "You mean, as opposed to the asshole I'm looking at right now?"
"I left to make a better life, for us!" Jake was yelling now and Miley was more than glad that James was out back with his grandpa.
"You're delusional, Jake. You were already planning your escape the moment the words 'I'm pregnant' left my mouth. You just left and you never called, you never even asked your mom how I was, or how Jamey was doing. I get it, you were scared, but I was terrified, too and you left me to deal with it all alone." Miley realized she'd pent up her anger and frustration for him all this time, focusing instead on her son, but Jake's sudden appearance was bringing all the bad feelings to the surface.
Jake pulled away from his mother and came at Miley, eyes flashing. "I never told you to have the kid, Miley! I told you I didn't want a child; you brought this on yourself. You could've just had an abortion if you couldn't handle it!"
Lilly didn't even have to look at Miley's face to know the tears were imminent. His callous words had her seeing red and Lilly closed the space between them swiftly, twisting Jake's arm behind his back. He yelled in pain, but she ignored him and manhandled him out the front door, where she practically slammed him against the side of the house. He may have been taller than her with a nice physique, but he had no strength and she held him down easily.
"Who the fuck are you?" yelled Jake, though he was hardly in a position to argue.
Lilly leaned closer as she pressed him face-first into the siding. "I'm the 'other asshole'."
Jake momentarily stopped struggling and tried to turn to look at her. "Are you serious? Miley turned fucking gay? She'll be back with me in no time!"
Lilly twisted his arm farther and he squealed. "Listen to me, Jerk. When you go back in there, you are going to apologize to Miley, for everything and you're going to be nice about it. Then, if you really are serious about seeing your son, Miley, who's a much better person than I am, will let you meet James. If you just came here to be an ass, then you will leave as soon as you have apologized. Do you get me?"
Jake struggled against her, but was no match. "Do you know who the hell I am?"
"You're a damn fool, that's what."
"I'm Jake Ryan, the Zo…"
Lilly shoved him again, cutting him off. "Jake Ryan, famous TV star, I know. You're still a fool. You had a girl as amazing as Miley and you let her go. You treated her like crap and when she needed you the most you just vanished. You have a one-year-old son who is the most adorable, happy and bright little child and you've never even met him. Tell me, Jake Ryan Zombie Slayer, was it all worth it to run away from the two most amazing people?"
Jake didn't respond for a while, but when he did at last he no longer sounded as pompous as before. "I was scared…"
Lilly released her hold on him and Jake turned, glaring at her as he rubbed his aching shoulder. "Fine, but that's no excuse. You messed up, big time."
"Fine, I know. But Miley…"
Lilly cut him off again. "Miley will never be with you again. Whatever love she had for you, you stomped it out. We've been together for a year and I don't ever plan to do something so foolish I'd lose her."
Jake frowned, actually seeming upset at the prospect of having lost Miley for good. Lilly continued. "But you do still have a chance to have a relationship with your son. Don't mess that up, too."
Jake first seemed to take offense at her words, but then, perhaps remembering her strength, merely nodded his head. Lilly motioned towards the door and together they walked back into the house.
xxx
Lilly realized as soon as they walked back in she had likely saved Jake from a premature death. Mamaw in particular was looking threateningly at him as they entered, standing protectively in front of the sofa where Miley sat. Lilly's eyes immediately went to her girlfriend and she felt a renewed surge of anger for Jake when she saw Miley's teary eyes. Lilly's own mother and Jake's mother, Tami, were sitting by Miley's side, consoling her. All eyes turned to Jake and Lilly.
"Jake has something he'd like to say." Lilly pushed him slightly, for good measure and he turned to glare at her.
Jake put on a contrite look and turned to Miley. "Miley, I am sorry for everything I said…and did. I'm a big jerk and you don't deserve that."
Lilly nodded and gave him an expectant look. Jake gritted his teeth, clearly uncomfortable with admitting fault. "I know it's over between us and I can't force my way back into your life. I really messed up, but I hope you can forgive me and let me get to know my son."
Miley was quiet for a while, her face unreadable. She finally stood and wiped the tears away, before coming closer. She crossed her arms, the look she gave Jake still hostile. "I really hate you, Jake Ryan, for hurting me and for hurting my son."
Jake's face fell, as if he couldn't imagine his apology failing to win her over. Miley shook her head. "James deserves to know his father and I won't keep him from you if you're serious about this. But Jake, if you treat your son like you've treated me, then god help me, I will let all my Tennessee relatives loose on you. Do you hear me?"
Jake visibly paled at the thought and nodded quickly. "I'll do better, Miley, I promise."
Miley sighed heavily and relaxed her posture, turning to her girlfriend. Lilly didn't hesitate to walk over and wrap Miley in a tight hug. She kissed the top of Miley's head and pulled back slightly to press light kisses to Miley's nose and lips. Miley smiled and pecked Lilly's lips again for good measure. When they pulled apart Lilly noticed Jake staring at them and she raised an eyebrow. He quickly looked away, obviously intimidated by her and she grinned.
They heard the backdoor open and everyone turned to see James walking in, holding both his grandfather's hands as he wobbled along. Miley smiled at the excited look on his face, as if he couldn't wait to tell everyone what he had just done and crouched down to entice him. He looked even more excited seeing her and broke free from Robby Ray to make his way towards his mom with unsteady steps, finally collapsing in her arms with a squeal of happiness. Miley stood with the baby in her arms and walked up to Jake, who suddenly looked incredibly nervous. But the glares he was receiving from all sides told him he better not screw this up. He swallowed hard and tried to put on his best smile as Miley stood before him with his son in her arms.
"Hi buddy, I'm your dad."
James threw one glance at the stranger and hid his face against Miley's neck. Jake's face fell and he looked at Miley, who had to suppress a smirk. "He doesn't like me."
"He doesn't know you, Jake. You need to give him time to adjust." Miley shifted James in her arm so she could look at his face. He wasn't crying this time, but clearly wasn't impressed with the stranger trying to get close to him. "Hey Jamey, this is your daddy, you wanna say 'hi' to him?"
James shook his head, hiding his face again and more than one person around the room wore a satisfied grin at Jake getting shot down by his son. Jake looked perplexed, obviously having expected his natural charm to easily win over the baby. Miley honestly couldn't remember him being such a pompous ass when they had dated, but as much as she wanted him gone now, it wasn't fair to James to deprive him of his father just because she couldn't stand the guy.
"Alright, you wanna play with your blocks then?" she asked her son and he nodded. Miley took him over to the large rug in the living room where his toys were scattered and sat him on it. She gave Jake an expectant look and it took him several moments to figure out she wanted him to come over. He still looked incredibly nervous, so Lilly walked over and plopped down next to James. She set his blocks in front of him and he started banging them together, laughing.
Jake finally went to sit down across from the two and hesitantly moved some of the blocks. James watched him suspiciously at first, but in no time Jake had figured out he could make James laugh by building a tower out of the blocks for the baby to knock over repeatedly. James swiped at the fifth block tower, squealing excitedly as they crashed to the ground again and a realization settled over Jake that almost took his breath. He was making his son laugh and suddenly he couldn't believe he'd stayed away from this for so long.
Lilly, seeing James was fine playing with Jake, stood and took Miley's hand who was watching from off to the side. Perhaps part of her had worried initially after Jake's arrival that Miley would remember her feelings for him, but she now discarded those thoughts, realizing how stupid they had been. Miley gave her a soft smile, conveying all the love and adoration she felt. No, Jake may have redeemed himself just a tiny bit tonight and maybe he'd even make an okay father one day, but Miley knew no one would ever love her like Lilly did. She watched James playing with his dad, surrounded by her family and friends and suddenly felt like everything was going to turn out just fine.
xxx
Lilly put the last of the dirty plates in the dishwasher and turned it on with a heavy sigh. She looked at her mother, who was trying to wrangle the leftover cake into the refrigerator and she, too, heaved a sigh when she had accomplished her mission. Lilly's eyes swept across the kitchen and living room in satisfaction.
"Thanks for helping clean up, mom."
"No problem, honey. I'm gonna head home, though, I'm exhausted. Who knew a one-year-old's birthday party could be so…" She trailed off at the end as if trying to find the right word.
Lilly grinned. "Dramatic?"
"Dramatic, yeah. Did Miley go upstairs already?" Heather looked around, but they were the only two left downstairs. Jackson had grabbed his girlfriend and hightailed it out of the house once the question of cleaning was brought up and Robby Ray was outside scrubbing his grill. Mamaw had retreated to the guest room and the other guests had left, leaving just Lilly, her mom and Miley to clean up.
"Yeah, Jamey was getting cranky. They're probably both conked out," said Lilly with a smile.
Heather watched her daughter, still amazed by the transformation Lilly had undergone in just a year. She hadn't quite believed Lilly when she'd come home explaining she was dating a girl with a newborn. Lilly had never shied away from responsibility, but she'd never exactly been drawn to it, either, and Heather hadn't expected the relationship to last more than a month or two. Of course, once she'd met Miley and little James and had seen the way Lilly looked at them, she'd known that was it. Her little girl was growing up. Lilly had grown up and now she was practically a second mom to that little boy, which suited Heather just fine. She'd had already consigned herself to the idea of never having grandchildren and was delighted to have James to dote on.
"Well, tell Miley I said 'goodnight'. I will see you guys next weekend."
Lilly walked her mother to the door and hugged her goodbye. She closed the door and nearly sagged against it in exhaustion, but forced her weary feet towards the staircase. She'd never officially moved in with the Stewarts, but after many regular sleepovers she eventually just never left. Robby Ray had never said anything about it, clearly happy both his daughter and grandson had found someone who cared for them so much.
Lilly entered the bedroom and stopped in the doorway. She leaned against the doorjamb, smiling softly, as she watched the scene before her. Miley was lying on her back in the middle of the bed, her eyes closed, while James was sleeping face-down on her chest, one little fist tucked under his chin. Miley's hands were on his back and together they made the most adorable picture Lilly had ever seen. She fumbled in her pocket for her phone to take a quick picture, but as soon as the 'click' sounded, Miley's eyes popped open. She noticed what Lilly was doing and glared, but didn't move. Miley yawned and stretched as far as possible without displacing James.
"Trying to skip out on cleaning?" Lilly grinned as she lay down besides Miley, propping herself up on one arm. She brushed her other hand across James' baby soft brown hair and across his back.
"Well, I think I deserve some relaxation. Why do we even celebrate him for turning one? I was the one who did all the hard work!"
Lilly smiled and leaned closer until their lips were pressed together softly. She lingered for a while, just enjoying the feather light contact, before running her tongue along Miley's lower lip. Miley parted her lips to grant Lilly access and soon they were both completely lost in one another. It wasn't until James kicked in his sleep that Lilly pulled back, a sudden sparkle in her eyes.
"You know, his isn't the only anniversary on this date."
Miley raised an eyebrow, trying to control her thundering heartbeat. She still couldn't believe she had wasted years going out with guys, Jake specifically, when just one kiss from Lilly left her floating and breathless. "Our first date wasn't until two weeks later, so I don't know what you're talking about."
Lilly shook her head, faking exasperation. "Our first kiss, Miles. How could you forget?"
Miley smiled. "I'd never forget our first kiss, Lils. Or how we met. Or our first 'date'. Or our first real date. Or when you became my girlfriend. I want to remember everything about you, Lilly."
The love and sincerity shone brightly in Miley's eyes and Lilly leaned back down, pressing another soft, but much quicker, kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "Well, I say we re-enact all of our firsts."
Miley made a face. "I could go without getting stuck and giving birth in an elevator. Or without my first 'date' with a totally sweet girl where I'm an emotional wreck and my newborn won't stop crying for more than five minutes."
Lilly thought back to their first date two weeks after James' birth. She'd been so eager to date Miley, she'd suggested a movie night at home to allow the new mom to stay with her baby and not have to get dressed up when she was exhausted. James, however, had spent almost the entire night crying, frazzling both their nerves and nearly causing a breakdown for an already exhausted Miley. Lilly shook her head.
"Well, I liked both those days. Wanna know why?" Miley gave her a skeptical look and Lilly smiled. "Without that damn elevator, we never would've met and I couldn't imagine my life without you and Jamey. And that horrible 'date' ended with me getting to hold you in my arms for the first time, where I realized any night I spent otherwise would be a waste."
Miley smiled softly. "I love you, Lilly."
"And I love you, Miles," said Lilly and kissed her girlfriend's forehead. She sat up. "Now how about I put Pele to bed and then we can re-enact the anniversary of our first kiss in more detail?"
Lilly picked James up, careful not to wake him and carried him easily into the nursery adjoining their bedroom. She laid him down in his crib and kissed his head tenderly, before turning on the baby monitor and leaving the room.
Miley watched them go, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. When she had first found out she was pregnant, she'd been terrified, perhaps already knowing deep down Jake was not the man she wanted to spend her life with. Miley knew she had a great family to support her, but she had been afraid of never finding that someone who she knew without a doubt was the only one she could ever see herself loving. Then she had met Lilly and suddenly her life was full of love and happiness, even if they had the occasional fight. Now she had her family and her son and Lilly and Miley knew life couldn't get better than this. She wiped a sentimental tear from her eye just as Lilly returned to the bedroom and smiled.
Lilly set the baby monitor on the bedside table and climbed onto the bed with a grin. The open and loving look shining in Miley's eyes nearly took her breath away and she leaned down to press another tender kiss to her girlfriend's lips. She pulled back and they smiled sweetly at each other, before Lilly leaned back down to capture Miley's lips in a searing kiss. They were definitely going to make the most of this anniversary.
The End