Every morning Beth made everyone lunch and every afternoon Daryl made dinner. They would both make breakfast.
That was their routine.
In the morning Beth would make healthy lunches for her family, and she would write post-it's to them, wishing them a good day, or good luck.
Daryl absolutely loved his post-it's. Beth didn't know, but he saved them all. God knows when the first post-it dates back to but he knows it was before they had even started dating.
In a special box, in his tool box, he kept all the notes Beth ever wrote him. He knew it was corny to keep the notes his wife wrote him, and Merle would call his a sap if he knew, but Daryl didn't care. He loved his wife, and he loved everything she did for him and that included her "I love you" post-it's, or the ones that gave him a word of the day.
And despite the fact that today's post-it note said "This was not made with love," "this" referring to his sandwich, he still loved the note.
He chuckled when he saw the note, because he knew Beth and everything his wife did was done with love. She could not fool him. He could actually imagine her face when she wrote his post-it that morning. Her brow had probably been all creased up, and she probably had her tongue sticking out of her lips as she tried to be angry at him, and pretend that his sandwich wasn't made with love.
They had a little argument that morning regarding Daisy. Beth's maternity leave was up and she had to return to work, but his precious wife was having separation anxiety. Everyday that week Beth tried and completely failed to drop off their little girl at her daycare, and instead Beth took her to work with her.
He read in his baby books all about separation anxiety. Heck he even dealt with it when his paternity leave was over and he had to leave Beth and Hunter alone when their little boy was born. However, he overcame it, and Beth overcame it as well, but it seemed like with Daisy she was having more difficulty letting go, and he completely understood why. Daisy was beautiful, and she was probably going to be as small as her mother. Daisy was a small, tiny girl. She was like a porcelain doll, and he was sure that that was the reason why Beth didn't want to let her go. Beth didn't want their little girl to get hurt. And believe him that was the last thing in the world that he wanted as well. He vowed to protect his children from any harm, but he also knew that his children would hurt themselves. That was inevitable. Getting hurt was part of life. Hurt taught people lessons to learn and grow from and he was alright with that.
That morning though Beth couldn't see that. Her separation anxiety blindsided her in a way he had never seen Beth be blindsided before. He had offered to drop off Daisy to daycare himself, but Beth refused. She blamed him for not understanding the situation and making it seem like it was nothing. However, he was just trying to help. He thought that perhaps dropping Daisy off himself would be easier for Beth, but as he sat in a bench eating his lunch and staring at Beth's post-it note he saw where he went wrong.
He arrived home with a plan.
He knew for a fact that Daisy didn't stay at her daycare that morning; Beth called him guiltily during her lunch to tell him. So after cooking dinner, and reading with Hunter, his kindergarten site words, that the boy already knew, he waited for Beth and Daisy to arrive home.
They arrived home fifteen minutes after five, and Daryl took his little girl for Beth arms and into his, and went about as if the argument from that morning didn't happen. He kissed Beth in the lips like he did everyday after she got home, and they ate dinner.
They went through their afternoon routine again as if they hadn't fought that morning, and as they finally lay in bed for the night the subject was brought up.
"My lunch post-it note was odd today," he said as he got comfortable on his side of the bed.
"Oh Daryl, I'm sorry about that," said a clearly mortified Beth.
"I was just angry, but I still made that sandwich with love. I just wrote that I didn't."
Daryl wanted to smile at Beth's words but knew that it wasn't the time to. He knew that stuff like those post-it notes were important to Beth, heck he loved those post-it notes, but the fact that she believed that he thought his lunch wasn't made with love that morning made him want to smile.
"Hey, I know you just wrote that. It was just an irregular note. I was surprised when I read it. But I know you Beth, remember? You do everything with love."
Sighing Beth them got on the bed and laid her head on his chest and said, "I don't know why I can't let Daisy go. I don't know why I am afraid Daryl."
"You're afraid because you made that little girl with love; remember?" Daryl said teasingly to which Beth replied with a light slap on his chest and a chuckle.
"We made Daisy with love and you're just scared of the world for her. But let me tell you what," Daryl said as he moved so he could look into Beth's eyes, "tomorrow, together we will drop off Daisy at the daycare and we're going to let her experience the world, even the little of it she'll experience at that place. Alright."
"Okay," Beth softly replied.
She was still clearly afraid as they went to sleep, and she was still anxious as they waited for the teacher to take Daisy from them and into the daycare. Nevertheless Daisy went to daycare that day, and Beth was still an anxious mess. She couldn't let go of the fact that Daisy didn't even turn to look back at her when she left in the teachers arms. Daryl, on the other hand, couldn't have been more proud of his wife. She did it, and everything was good once again. Even his post-it note.
"I love you," the note read, "Thank you for being there with me today. You're the best daddy and husband ever! XOXO."
A/N: I saw a post on Facebook that inspired this. I totally see Beth doing something like that (writing a "This was not made with love" post it note)! I hope you like this story y'all, and please review, it will make my day:)