A.N – This was supposed to be finished and posted before Christmas but it didn't happen so I am doing it today. Happy New Year to all.
He entered the house as silently as he could. After a gruelling twelve-hour shift at the hospital he wanted to collapse into bed with his wife by his side and sleep till morning. He figured the house would be quiet so when he heard the Christmas music coming from the living room he went to investigate.
Leaning against the doorframe he watched his wife and daughter interact. His daughter, with the same red hair as her mother, looked so sweet in the green footie pyjamas. Her curls bounced as she danced round the coffee table giggling as her mother attempted to catch her. She glanced up at the door. "Daddeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!" The word seemed to resonate around the house as she ran into his arms.
"Hey munchkin, you're up late?" He said as he kissed her curls, taking in the scent of shampoo and baby powder.
"Tanta's comin. Me stay wake." The defiant streak of their daughter was starting to show. Was she starting the terrible two's early?
"Oh really. What did mommy say to that?" Derek enquired smirking at Addison.
"Mommy's been trying to tire her out and get her into bed for the last two hours. I don't know where she gets her energy from." Addison lent across and kissed her husband. "I missed you today."
"I missed you too." He let one hand drift from his daughters back to his wife's face. "Now little Miss, let's get you into bed."
"NO!!! Tanta's comin. Me stay wake." The fire in her eyes was all her mother, Derek surmised. She was so like Addison sometimes.
"But Santa only comes if little girls are in their beds and fast asleep." He tried to reason with her.
"Me want to see him." Her bottom lip jutted out in a half pout. Then as if a light bulb had gone off in her head she smiled. "Snugglies."
Addison and Derek smiled at one another, how could they resist. "Okay snugglies it is my little snuggle bunny." Addison said taking her daughter from her husband's arms to allow him to take his jacket off.
They all made their way to the sofa where Derek lay down first and had his daughter transferred into his arms as Addison lay down beside them. Derek wrapped his arm around her and held her to his body as best he could with their wiggly daughter in his other arm. It wasn't long before she calmed down and was soon drifting off into dreamland. Snuggling with her parents seemed to do it for her.
Addison pulled herself off the sofa first taking their daughter into her arms as Derek got up. Making their way upstairs Derek placed his hand on her lower back to help her. Amelia Shepard was not the lightweight she had been when she was born.
Placing Amelia into her crib, Addison brushed her curls away before placing a light kiss on her forehead. "Night night Angel." Derek followed with his own kiss before they both took a step back and watched her sleep. After a few minutes of silence Addison spoke. "Just think next year there will be two of them." She bit her bottom lip awaiting her husband's reaction. She turned to see his face.
Derek listened to what she had said before turning it round in his head again. She had meant she was pregnant, hadn't she? A huge grin split across his face as he wrapped his wife into his arms. "I love you."
"I love you too. Now lets go and let Santa do his work." She smiled before leading him out of their daughter's bedroom to the pile of presents that needed to be placed by the tree. "Merry Christmas Derek."
"Merry Christmas Addison."
