So one day I was chatting with my new friend ShirleyTemple24 about the Almeida kids (go read her stuff, by the way. do it now.) and we were having a lengthy discussion about their names and personalities and all that jazz and long story short, I decided I'm writing in her little universe she's got going on because I love it. So if you're wondering why the kids in my stories have the same names as they do in hers, you don't have to wonder anymore. Yay.
Enjoy this very fluffy one-shot and throw me a review if you have a couple seconds.
:)
As they awoke that morning, Tony stroked his wife's very pregnant belly affectionately and grinned. "Hi."
She smiled up at him. "Hi."
"How we doin' this morning?"
"Mmm. We're perfect."
"Yeah?" He brought his lips to hers for a soft kiss. "Good. You two hungry?"
She nodded, a grin forming on her lips at his frequent mention of the baby growing inside her. "We are."
"A'right, I guess we better get some food in ya, then." He threw the covers off himself and started out of the room while Michelle moved to do the same.
"No, sweetheart, you rest," Tony urged, pulling the covers back over her. "I'll bring it to you."
"I can get up, Tony—"
"Nah, none of that." He kissed her forehead. "You stay put. I'll be right back."
Michelle sighed and settled back against her pillow. While Tony constantly doting on her was sweet and usually endearing, letting other people do things for her had never been in her nature. She was perfectly capable of getting out of bed and fixing her own bowl of cereal, and sometimes she missed her independence. But Tony was stubborn, of course, and insisted on doing as much as possible for her — which lately was almost everything.
After a while he returned with plates for the two of them and a mug of tea for her. He set the tea on her bedside table and she sat up to take a sip as he slid back under the covers beside her. He passed her her plate, grinning at her amused expression as he brought a forkful of his own pancakes to his mouth.
"Honey, you didn't have to do this. I think toast would've sufficed."
Tony shrugged. "Figured you might want something different."
"Thank you, sweetheart." She leaned over to kiss the corner of his mouth — he tasted like syrup — before digging her fork in and taking a bite. "You spoil me."
"Ah, you deserve it."
At that moment they heard the door creak open.
"I smell pancakes!" their daughter announced in a singsong voice, toddling over to the bed.
"'Morning, baby girl." Tony set his plate down and scooped little pajama-clad Maddie up into his lap. "There's more in the kitchen. We'll go get ya some in a minute, a'right?"
"Okay. Is my brother here yet?" she asked eagerly.
"Not yet, sweetie," Michelle answered, patting her still convex middle. "Soon. Is Anthony up yet?"
Maddie shook her head. "Sleepy head."
Tony laughed and shifted Maddie onto the bed beside Michelle. "I'll go get you some breakfast and see if he's awake."
He left the room as Maddie snuggled up against Michelle, staring intently at the baby bump resting beneath her t-shirt. "What's my baby brother gonna look like?"
Michelle smiled. Their little girl had taken to asking more and more questions about the baby lately, her curiosity growing as rapidly as her mother's midsection. "Well, he'll probably look a lot like Anthony. But very tiny."
The toddler seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Anthy has more curly hair than me. Like yours. Will baby have curly hair too?"
"Hmm, I don't know..." Michelle ran her fingers through her daughter's wavy, sleep-tousled locks. "I guess we'll find out when we see him."
"I don't like waiting."
Michelle chuckled and took her last few bites of food. "Me neither, sweetheart."
"You should tell him 'grow faster'," the three-year-old suggested, rubbing Michelle's tummy and leaning in close. "Hurry up, baby."
Mother and daughter giggled before the latter piped up again. "Does baby have a name yet?"
Michelle shook her head dismally. "Not yet. He's still Baby Almeida."
Maddie huffed. "Maybe you and Daddy should name him Diego."
Michelle laughed again. "I don't think so, silly girl. That's Dora's cousin's name."
"Oh yeah," she giggled. "Maybe Anthy knows good names."
"You're right, maybe he does..." Michelle agreed. "He chose your name. Did you know that?"
"No," Madelyn answered, somewhat astounded by this new information. "When I was in your tummy?"
"Mhmm."
"I love my name," the little girl thought aloud. "And I love Anthy."
Michelle beamed and kissed her daughter's cheek. They had two great kids, and she was confident the little one on the way would be just the same. "Me too, Madelyn."
Her daughter planted a kiss on her abdomen and hugged her tightly. "And I love baby."
Tony appeared in the doorway then with six-year-old Anthony following, both carrying plates.
"There you go, sweetheart," Tony said, carefully passing the pancakes he'd cut up into bite-sized pieces to his daughter.
"Thanks, Daddy."
He took a sip of his coffee, he and Anthony joining them on the bed, and kissed her little head. "'Welcome."
"Did you get enough to eat, Mom?" their son asked, obvious concern playing in his eyes.
"I did, Anth," Michelle answered gratefully. "Thank you."
"'Cause I can get you some more if my brother is still hungry."
She and Tony exchanged proud glances. Anthony had been emulating many of the things he saw his father do, especially as he got older. The way he looked after his mother and little sister attested to that.
"Your brother and I are just fine; we're both full. But that was very thoughtful of you, buddy." Michelle smiled fondly at him before turning to Tony, the corners of her lips turning upward in a mischievous grin. "Since when do we eat breakfast on the bed?"
"Since Baby Almeida number three." He leaned over his daughter to kiss his wife sweetly. "I was gonna wash the sheets today anyway."