Notes: Mari and Sammy – Happy Valentine's Day, ladies! Love you both! Special thanks to Sammy for the extra late night brainstorming.
Readers and REAL McRollers – Thank you for all your support! I can hardly believe this is the fourth REAL World Valentine's Day story I've written!
Hope you enjoy! And Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate!
A New Kind of Valentine's Day (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
5:35am
Steve opened his eyes when Catherine and Cammie returned to the bedroom. She flashed him a warm smile and said, "Forgot my phone."
He raised himself up on his elbows as she stepped over to her night table to pick up the device.
"Hey, did you have your heart set on a run this morning?" he asked.
She quirked an eyebrow, curious. "Why?"
"I have an … alternative-cardio suggestion, if you're interested."
A knowing smile spread slowly across her face. "Oh?"
The corner of his lip twitched and he gave a little half shrug. "Well, it is Valentine's Day."
She put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Look at you, remembering romantic holidays."
"Hey, I've remembered Valentine's Day the last …" he did a quick mental count, "four years, at least."
"You are on quite the streak," she acknowledged.
"Thank you."
She smiled. "Does that mean there's a box of cherry cordials hidden somewhere in the house?"
He smirked. "Maybe."
Her smile widened.
"Which brings us back to my alternative-cardio suggestion …" he said leadingly and raised an eyebrow in question. "Helluva way to start Valentine's Day."
Grinning, she reached for the hem of her running tank. "Mmm, I love the way you think, Commander."
An hour and a half later, Steve was finishing a quick shave while Catherine combed her hair after a shower.
"Ba ba ba ba," came Angie's voice through the monitor in their bedroom.
Cammie let out of a soft woof in case they hadn't heard.
"Thanks, pretty girl, we heard," Catherine said. She smiled at Steve. "Right on time."
"Like clockwork," he agreed, rinsing the last of the shave cream from his face and toweling off. "I'll get her."
"Okay."
He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and walked back into their room, grabbing a t-shirt and switching off the baby monitor before leaving the room with Cammie at his heels.
After she finished her hair and dressed a few minutes later, Catherine headed for Angie's room as well. A few steps from the door she heard, "Come on, Angie, say 'Mama.' 'Mama.' It's Valentine's Day and that would be the best present for Mommy. Come on. 'Mama.' "
Catherine let out a little gasp. Blinking back tears, she stepped into the doorway and saw Steve changing Angie's diaper. He glanced over his shoulder at her approach.
"Caught you, Commander," she said.
He smiled a little guiltily. "Just a little something we've been working on."
She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and kissed his back. "And that is even better than cherry cordials." She leaned around him to smile at Angie. "Good morning, baby girl. Happy Valentine's Day."
"Ah bah bah bah," Angie babbled happily, reaching her arms out for her mother.
"Can you say 'Dada,' sweetheart?" Catherine prompted as she stepped to the side and picked Angie up. " 'Dada'?"
"Bah bah," Angie repeated, one hand latching immediately in Catherine's hair, the other touching her cheek.
" 'Mama,' " Steve said.
"Bah bah."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Stubborn, just like your mother," he said, pressing a kiss to her head before turning to put her used diaper in the genie.
Catherine laughed. "That's a little pot/kettle, wouldn't you say, Commander?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Lieutenant," he replied with a grin. "I'm gonna finish getting dressed and get breakfast going."
"Okay," she said, smiling and leaning up for a quick kiss. She looked at Angie. "Let's see what you've got to wear for Valentine's Day, huh? I know Grandma got you a few outfits to choose from," she added with a little chuckle.
"Ah bah!" Angie cried with a happy bounce.
"Thank you again for watching Angie and Cammie today," Catherine said to her parents and Grandma Ang as she, Angie, and Steve sat around the table after dinner with them at the condo that evening.
"Of course," Elizabeth replied easily.
"We were happy to," Joseph agreed. "And it was nice to be able to give Esther the day off."
"I can't wait to hear what Kamekona planned for them," Ang added.
When Joseph and Elizabeth had been eating at the shrimp truck a few weeks earlier, Elizabeth asked Kamekona if he and Esther had Valentine's Day plans. He mentioned wanting to do something special since it was their first as a married couple, so the Rollinses had immediately offered to take Angie and Cammie so the couple would have the whole day if they wanted.
"Knowing Kamekona, something extravagant," Steve said. "Probably involving his helicopter."
"No doubt," Catherine said. "Now I can't help but notice Angie is in a different outfit than we brought her in," she continued with a wry smile, looking back at her mother. "Not that that's unusual, she is a messy eater, but I don't remember packing this one."
Elizabeth smiled down at Angie in her lap. She had arrived that morning in a My First Valentine's Day onesie, but now wore a white one with red hearts on the sleeves and a large red heart in the middle of the chest with matching leggings.
"I couldn't resist," Elizabeth said. "And she did get carrots on her other one at lunch."
Ang laughed. "I've never seen someone so happy when a baby gets food on her clothes. Gave you an excuse to put her in that."
"There's a darling little matching headband with a red heart on it," Elizabeth said. "But Angie was having none of it, were you, sweetheart?" She smiled at the others. "I tried to get just one picture of the whole outfit, but all I have is a succession of pictures of her taking the headband off."
The others laughed.
"She's very good at taking things off her head," Joseph said. "Aren't you, Angie?"
She turned toward him at the sound of her name and smiled at his happy expression. "Bah ya ah ah!" she said, slapping her hands on the table.
"I only got the one outfit that actually says 'Valentine's Day' on it," Elizabeth said, referring to the now carrot-stained My First Valentine's Day onesie. "I know it wouldn't have made sense to buy others with words on them that were really only good for this one day, no matter how cute they were. But the other ones I got all just had hearts, so she can wear them anytime," she reasoned.
Catherine smiled, knowing by now this was just something her mother was going to do. "Okay, Mom."
Elizabeth smiled back, then said, "Now that we're done eating, it's present time."
"I would say you shouldn't have, but we got you all a little something, too," Catherine said, standing. "Or rather, Angie did."
She went to her shoulder bag in the other room and returned with three small boxes as Joseph retrieved a few things from the sideboard. He placed a box with an envelope in front of both Steve and Catherine, along with another envelope with Angie's name on it.
"Ohh, Gram," Catherine said, immediately recognizing the familiar Whitman's Sampler box under the envelope. "Just like when I was a kid."
Ang smiled. "I haven't gotten you one of those in years, but I thought it'd be nice since this is our first Valentine's Day together in so long."
Catherine reached over and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Gram."
"Thank you," Steve echoed sincerely, motioning to his own box and the envelope he knew contained a simple card with a $2 bill inside. "I remember Catherine telling me once how you always got her and Elizabeth and Joseph a Whitman's Sampler when she was younger."
"Maybe you two can do some trading," Ang said with a little wink. "I know you'll eat the ones Catherine doesn't like."
Steve and Catherine shared a smile, knowing she was hinting at the Valentine's Day from a few years ago when he had done exactly that.
"Good practice for when Angie starts eating more regular foods," Joseph said. "It's a dad's job to eat what she doesn't."
Steve smiled, his eyes going to Angie.
"I don't think that'll be a problem," Catherine said. She nodded to the boxes she'd put in front of her parents and grandmother. "You guys next. They're all similar so you can open them together."
They did, and three hearts melted at the sight. Inside the boxes were simple framed prints of a red heart made with Angie's overlapping handprints taking the place of the word 'love' in 'I love my grandma/grandpa/great-grandma.' Beneath the words was a picture of Angie with the corresponding person.
"Oh!" Ang gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "How precious."
Joseph nodded, smiling at the picture of himself and Angie.
"They are," Elizabeth agreed, clearly touched as she wiped a stray tear.
"Bah ya," Angie said, reaching for the frame and trying to bring it toward her mouth.
"Who's this, Angie?" Elizabeth said, pointing to the picture of the two of them.
"Ah ah!"
"It's me and you." She pointed next to the handprint heart. "And these are your handprints, my little angel." She smiled at Steve and Catherine. "Thank you so much. I know we'll treasure these." Chuckling, she motioned to the larger box Joseph had set on the table. "And apparently we had very similar thoughts this Valentine's Day."
Catherine lifted the lid. Her mouth opened in a little gasp as she and Steve looked inside. A collage frame rested inside with two pictures of Angie, Catherine, and Steve in opposite corners. One was from shortly after Angie was born, the other more recent. Alongside both photos was a heart made from Angie's footprints, one set clearly smaller than the other.
"Oh, this is beautiful," Catherine exclaimed. Her inquisitive mind couldn't help but ask, "But when did you do the first footprints?"
Elizabeth just smiled, sharing a quick look with Joseph. "Grandparents' secret."
Steve smiled, his eyes moving back to the frame.
"Well, this is going right up on the photo wall," Catherine said. "Thank you." She turned the frame around so Angie could see. "Look, baby girl, it's your little footprints. See your little toes?"
"Ah ya!"
"And I think it's high time we started a photo wall of our own," Elizabeth said. She cuddled Angie closer. "And guess who's going to be star?"
After coming home from dinner, Catherine settled Angie on her play mat on the floor and sat with her while Steve disappeared into the den for a minute. When he returned with a familiar heart-shaped box, Catherine was on the phone.
"Does your mouth hurt yet?" she asked the person on the other line. After pausing to hear the answer, she smiled. "I know, you wouldn't have it any other way. Enjoy, Care."
"John got Carrie her red hots?" Steve asked.
"Just like every year."
He shook his head, chuckling. He took a seat on the floor as well and said to Angie, "Luckily your mommy's favorite Valentine's candy doesn't make her mouth hurt." He held the box out to Catherine.
"And luckily, your daddy always buys enough to share." She leaned over to kiss him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he replied. "Happy Valentine's Day."
"Ah bah!" Angie said, reaching for the bright red box.
"Do you like that color, honey?" Catherine said, letting her touch it. Angie patted it with one hand.
"Bah bah!"
"I'm afraid these are little too solid for you," Catherine said, setting the box on the coffee table and opening it to grab one of the chocolates. "But Mommy can't wait."
"Bah bah!" Angie repeated, her eyes following Catherine's movements. She reached a hand toward the chocolate piece curiously.
Catherine sighed, unable to resist the pleading eyes. "Okay, okay, hold on." She bit the cordial in half. "Mm, that's good," she said, momentarily distracted by the taste.
Steve chuckled.
Catherine put a bit of the cherry filling on the tip of her pinkie, then placed it on Angie's lower lip for her to taste.
Angie immediately licked her lips. Her eyes lit up at the sweet flavor and she licked her lips again, hoping to find more.
"Ah bah!"
Catherine and Steve both laughed delightedly at her reaction.
"Okay, just a little more," Catherine said and put another small taste on her lip.
This time Angie's tongue was out even before Catherine pulled her finger away.
"Of course she loves cherry cordials," Steve said. "Just like her mother."
"Bah bah!" Angie said, leaning forward for more.
Catherine smiled. "That's enough, sweetheart,"
Angie leaned too far and flopped onto the mat but was undeterred. After getting her legs out from underneath her, she pulled herself forward using both arms in the definite direction of her mother. "Bah bah!"
"Angie!" Catherine gasped. "You just moved forward. On purpose!" She beamed. "Wait to go, big girl!"
Steve laughed, but the pride was clear on his face. "All this time I've been trying to encourage you with toys. Should've known a cherry cordial would do the trick." He looked at Catherine. "When she takes her first step it'll probably be towards a rack of ribs."
Catherine laughed. "Or ketchupy eggs."
"Ah bah ya!" Angie babbled, happy at their reactions. Then with a little grunt, she pulled herself forward some more.
"Okay, one more little taste," Catherine said, dabbing her pinkie one more time on Angie's lip. "Daddy can have the rest." She popped the rest of the chocolate in Steve's mouth, then scooped Angie up. "My big girl is on the move!" she said and kissed her cheek, causing Angie to laugh happily. "Now that is what I call a special Valentine's Day."
"A new kind of Valentine's Day," Steve said, shifting closer so he could put an arm around them both. "And very special."
Hope you enjoyed! Happy Valentine's Day!
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