Thank you very much to Marnic who help me with this English version. I couldn't do it without her.
Sorry for the delay. Next one will be soon, I promise.
Dress rehearsal
Chapter 7
Double helping
They had slept little, had made love a lot (and well), and were suddenly awake, still naked and embraced, with Lucy's chatter on the monitor. It was nine o'clock in the morning.
Stella jumped, literally. Mac laughed.
"Mac! The baby is alone and awake. She could think we have forgotten her, poor thing"
"Lucy is a lovely baby, I don't think she is in trouble. If anything was wrong, she would have cried". Stella had put on her night gown and went to her room. Lucy was standing in the crib, looking for a way out. She did not seem very worried.
"Good morning, my darling ... So you go climbing?" Lucy tried to get a foot to the edge of the crib, but she fell, sitting on her butt. Her face smiled at Stella, who picked her.
"Let's see what's in this diaper... I think that an urgent change is imposed"
"Pee, ughh" said Lucy
"Yes ma'am, a lot of pee". Stella took the diaper. "And as you know how to say it you must begin to ask for and not doing it in the diaper"
"Yes," Lucy nodded, as she used to do. Stella refreshed baby's butt with a wet wipe, and put her cream while she was kicking like in an imaginary bicycle. She protested a little when Stella put her on the clean diaper, she was more comfortable without it, but she forgot it when Stella led her to the other room where Mac laid lazy in bed, and put the baby on top of his stomach like a rider on a horse. Mac said "Augggghhh" and Lucy laughed, amused. Stella left them while she went to take a shower, thinking of preparing breakfast after finishing and dressing.
But Mac had everything ready when she went into the kitchen. He had made orange juice and toasts, coffee was steaming and the baby was taking her bottle in her highchair.
"Well, Taylor, what a deployment... I'm impressed"
"See, I thought we should start training... If you talk about four like Lucy, that will be lot of work"
Stella came to embrace him. Lucy left the bottle for a moment to say:
"Kiss" They both laughed, and had no objection to please the child. She put down the bottle and applauded loudly. The three ended up laughing.
They had a lot of fun that Sunday spending their day at the zoo. Lucy was amazed at all the animals, her face and gestures of surprise making Mac and Stella happy and smiling. She was a comedian. Mac was convinced that one day, she would get the Oscar. She was a natural.
Like all men, Mac preferred driving. Whatever it was that had wheels, including Lucy's stroller, so it was him who pushed it across the road. Stella took hundreds of photos. She kept wondering at the power of Mac had over women attracting them, every time she moved away a bit from them. On her way back from the restroom, she saw a girl near him commenting how nice the baby was... When she went to buy some drinks, as well. Mac was determined to defend that people are friendly, but Stella wasn't naive. Why they only came to him when she was not there? Mac loved to see her jealous, and repay her with a kiss. And each time it happened, Lucy was attentive to say, "Kiss!"
Not a single emergency call for Stella interrupted the day. At noon, after feeding Lucy, Lindsay and Danny called. They were enjoying their free time as a couple, but found it hard to be away from their child. Lucy had a very enjoyable conversation with her parents, telling them more or less, that she was fine; her godmother Stella was " utiful", that she had eaten "buch" and something that Lindsay could not understand about "Oddad-Mac" and about "Kiss".
Stella could not stop laughing.
"Mac, this dwarf here is Miss Gossip, when she starts talking clear... We will be lost! Us, her parents and everyone who crosses her path"
"Yes, Lucy..." Mac looked at her, eyebrows raised, smiling. "Nobody told you that discretion is a virtue?"
"She is all like Danny in that". They both laughed, and Lucy with them, very happy, nodding.
"Daddy Danny, yes, yes"
The day went so fast that they did not realize. Back at home, Lucy was so tired that she could not do big splashes in the bathtub this time, and she was almost asleep before finishing her dinner. They put her immediately to bed. The following day, she would be at home with her parents.
"I'll miss her", Stella confessed with a sigh, looking at her, asleep in her crib.
"Me too" They kissed. Mac could not help but joke, even breathing mouth to mouth. "Kiss!" Stella sat on his lap and they started a make out session as teens out of control, full of sexual hormones. Without breath, they remembered they hadn't have dinner yet.
"You have to feed yourself, Mac Taylor, great things are expected from you..."
"Well, you know I do my duty at all times"
"I know, I know... Last night you proved very clear"
During supper, Stella brought up a topic that worried her.
"Mac ... do you think they will notice? That we are... you know, together"
"I don't know, I don't think so... Maybe it's better that we take it easy and enjoy ourselves, for now... Don't you think?"
"I think so, I am still not ready for all the banter this can bring, when everyone knows"
"And don't blame them, it costs us too much time..." Stella leaned toward him and stopped him with a kiss
"Get ready, because I intend to recover all that lost time" Mac held out his plate back to her.
"Double helping, please"
Monday morning came and found them as the day before, two lovers locked in a close embrace, in the little bed in the guest room. They had not dared to be together in Stella's bed, with the baby's crib in the same room, although Lucy slept like a log. Their sexual understanding was complete and as fulfilling that both marvelled at it. Stella thought she had never enjoyed so thoroughly, and yet she never have felt so respected, so spoiled, so... loved, never in her life. Mac was more, much more than she had dared to dream.
It was a holiday, and neither of them was on duty. They could get away from town centre, and in fact they had decided to surprise Danny and Lindsay going to the airport to welcome them in the afternoon. They were sure that seeing their daughter would be the best gift for them. In the morning they went to the park and enjoyed a puppet show that Lucy wondered. She applauded enthusiastically when the other children did, shouted when the witch appeared, and covered her face with her little hands mimicking the older kids... Stella didn't know which show was the best, the one on stage or watching Lucy.
They had lunch in a small restaurant when they had Lucy's food heated too, and then lay on the grass for a nap, using the last remnants of a very dry and sunny fall that allowed still those things. In three weeks would be Thanksgiving, and soon no doubt the rigors of winter would come. But at the moment the sun shone and it was a pleasure to be outdoors. They were lying, while Lucy, sitting beside Stella, was playing with her ball, the ball rolling out of the baby's reach. She suddenly stood up, leaning on Stella's body, and took two hesitant steps towards the toy. Stella had felt her movement and was watching. She moved to Mac, who was half asleep, and pointed to the girl, who did two little steps, and then two more, trying to reach the ball. Mac and Stella stared, their mouths open. It was the first time she walked alone. Stella knelt behind her, quietly, preventing a fall, but Lucy came to her toy, she bent down, grabbing it with both hands, determined to stand up again and turned with a triumphant smile. Then she fell on her bottom.
Mac applauded enthusiastically. Stella could not do anything, and stayed there, kneeling at her. After a while, she helped her get up again and sat back down next to Mac. Lucy made her way back, this time without stopping, and all the little steps at a time, and went into the waiting open arms of her godmother. Arriving, she almost threw herself into them, laughing. Mac and Stella covered her with kisses.
"Mac, this will stay between us OK? I don't want Lindsay and Danny to think that they have missed something so important in their daughter's life. When they see her walking, they will think it is the first time"
"Yes, I agree. If not, they will feel they have been some bad parents for not being there at a time like this..."
When the arrival of the Messer's flight was announced, Stella and Mac with little Lucy sitting on his shoulders went to the exit gate indicated. Lucy, from her privileged vantage point, watched her parents before they were aware of anything. But their baby's voice calling them advised them of the surprise
"Daddy, Mommy..."
Lindsay left her bag and ran toward them.
She hugged Mac and he gave her the child from his shoulders. With the baby in her arms, after kissing her everywhere, Lindsay also embraced Stella.
"Thanks, thanks, thanks, you know how much I appreciate"
"No need, we have been very well. It has been a wonderful time..." She looked at Mac, then at Danny, because if she kept looking at Mac with such a goofy face, the Messers would realize that something had changed. In fact, Lindsay saw something that she would have to investigate later, as she thought to herself. Now she was busy with her daughter. She had to give her to Danny, who had also embraced Mac and Stella and wanted to hold her child.
They spent still a few busy hours while they arrived to the Messer's home, and then the men went to Stella's apartment to pick up Lucy's baggage. Back home, they assembled again the crib and the highchair and organized the child's things in her bedroom. They decided to order dinner and after Lucy fell asleep, they had a chance to chat about the days that had passed, Danny and Lindsay on vacation and Mac and Stella as a full-time godparents. They ended the evening early. Lindsay saw something special in Stella. She was radiant, she was happy, she was beautiful. Danny found Mac more open and smiling than ever since he knew him. The wrinkles on his forehead seemed to have vanished, his eyes were bright... The weekend had been apparently as good as theirs, or even better. When Mac and Stella parted, closing the door, Lindsay asked her husband.
"Do you think these two... you know?
"Yes...? Well, now that you mention it... I would say... Yes, yes ... definitely yes". As he said it, he was nodding as his daughter had learned from him. Danny continued:
"Anyway, tomorrow Lucy will tell us"
Lindsay hugged her husband, laughing.
Once in the car, Mac and Stella went to her apartment.
"Mac, will you stay?"
"Do you want me to stay?"
"Of course. Tonight we will sleep in my bed"
"I don't know, I was taking a liking to that little bed that forces you to always be below or on top of me..." Stella looked at him, pretending to be shocked.
"Mac Taylor, you only think on one thing... I meant to sleep more comfortable..."
"Yes, yes, sleeping is what you thought..." The red light allowed them to lean and share a kiss, which lasted until the next in line honked when the light had changed to green and the lovebirds did not start.
To be continued...
