Day 82. A Japril Valentine's day. Kinda.

"Hi daddy! Happy Balentimes Day!"

"Happy Valentines Day, Princess! What'd you do today, baby girl?"

"I not a baby, daddy. Braelyn's the new baby. She not even new. Geez." Arabella rolled her eyes at her father.

"Geez. You're right. Sorry. What'd you do today, diva?"

"Made you a balentime in day care. And mommy. And Wilber maded me one. And gabed me a kiss." Bellie continued color, oblivious to her father's reaction.

Jackson closed the refrigerator, jaw on the floor, and walked over to his daughter, who was absorbed in her coloring page at the kitchen table. "What did you say, missy?" He came up next to her, his face so close he blocked her vision.

Arabella giggled. "He gabed me a kiss on the cheek."

"You listen to me good, Bella. Don't you ever let a boy named Wilber give you a kiss ever again. If you ever bring a boy home, you make sure he has a good, solid name, you hear me? Like Zach."

Arabella wrinkled her nose. "I no knows Zach, daddy."

"Good, keep it that way."

"You would have a problem with his name over everything else," April rolled her eyes, Braelyn on her hip, Tenley waddling close behind.

"Where's my sweet Tenley girl, where is she?" Jackson asked, scooping the toddler up in his arms after he kissed April and the baby. His two-year old was so different than his first-born, it was crazy. Arabella was almost four going on forty. She'd always had an answer for everything and a lot to say and was always ahead of the usual language milestones. She never shut up.

Tenley was a sweet, quiet, Kepner baby. She was doing fine, but was a baby of few words. When she spoke, you listened, because she had something to say. When Arabella wrestled you to the ground, Tenley met you there to give kisses. She'd often chill with her mama in the nursery and craft room at night, watching her take care of Braelyn and knit, while Arabella and Jackson argued over whether to watch Dora or Little Einstein's before bed.

"Go ahead baby, show daddy what you made."

She handed over a big piece of heart-shaped construction paper, decorated with buttons, her footprints in the middle, with "To Daddy…Love…" written in adult handwriting and scribbles that looked like they started with a T at the bottom. "Did you make this all by yourself, sweet angel? Did you write your name, too? That's so pretty!"

"Yes. T." Tenley nodded.

"Your name starts with T, good job, Tenley."

Arabella sighed, bored. "She knows her ABC, now. Here. Look what I maded you." She climbed off the chair. "I useded sparkles. But I wouldn't let Miss Kay put gross paint on my feet, so it my hands."

"Thank you sweetheart, this is so beautiful." He kissed her cheek.

"Daddy, I not sweet."

Jackson couldn't help but crack a smile. She was honest, at least. "Sometimes you are, Diva. Who told you, you weren't sweet?"

"Nana say I sassy, like her."

"Bellie, did you talk to nana today? Tell daddy."

"Oh yeah. Me and Tenley telled her Happy Balentimes day, after day care 'acause mommy got us early. And I telled Pop Pop too."

"You love Pop Pop, huh Bellie?"

"He lub me, too, dad!"

"He does…what did Pop Pop tell you?"

"He telled me Happy Balentimes Day. And Tenley. And Braelyn, but he didn't want to talk to her. And he telled me I can go to the state and take pictures soon."

"Yeah, soon. You love those too." Bellie loved going to the Avery estate to take the pictures every year. And Harper Avery loved all his great-granddaughters, but Arabella Catherine stole his heart completely and never let it go.

"He telled me I wear many dresses as Nana, dis time."

"Oh, boy." Jackson smirked, already getting an image in his head of what that day was going to be like."

"Last time, he telled me my baby sisters comed too fast."

"Oh, really?" Jackson raised his eyebrows, concerned.

"What do you think, Bellie, did your sisters come to fast?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, they comed fast, mom. But they ok. Sept I no idea why Tenly watch you crafts."

April laughed. "She has no idea why you watch daddy on the computer."

"Daddy tell me wheres my heart, and my metacarps. I telled Pop Pop. He say I can be a heart surgery like him." Arabella did love to learn about being a doctor like her parents and her Nana and Pop Pop.

"What else did Pop Pop tell you, Bellie Bear?"

"He telled me mommy teached daddy how to be a daddy." Arabella giggled.

"That's true, diva, isn't that silly?" Jackson tickled his daughter.

"Yeah, silly. You always a daddy. He telled me mommy's pretty, he lubs mommy 'acause mommy makes daddy soooo happy."

"Yeah? What'd you tell him?"

"I telled him daddy makes mommy so crazy acause he leaves socks on the floor and spills baby bottles."

"Wow, you and Pop Pop talk about a lot, Bellie."

"I just remembers now. Pop Pop telled me I so smart I could take the Abery Found before you, dad."

"Whoa I don't know about that, you ever see a heart Bellie?"

"Yeah, duh. I have a 'Peration doll."

"Oh right, my mistake. Hey daddy got all the presents so far, what about you guys, do you want to see what daddy got for you?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Jackson pulled out candy from his bag. Chocolate covered gummi bears for his bear lover Arabella„ and chocolate chip cookies for Tenley, the cookie monster.

"Hey, whoa. Jackson. They're 2 and 3 you can't just throw candy at them. What are the rules, girls?"

"No canne. Din." Tenley shook her head, from her spot at her father's leg.

"That's right, baby, no candy til dinner." April looked up at her husband and chuckled, but her tone was frantic, if not bitter. "Annd the 2-year-old has more sense than the 36-year-old."

"I'm sorry, Love. It's just…they'll understand. You do, right? You'll eat these after dinner." Both girls nodded.

"I don't even know what I'm making for dinner, Jackson. It's 4:30 and this one is on a weird schedule because I'm introducing solids, and they didn't nap, today and they need baths and…you just come in like Willy Wanka with candy." Jackson could tell she wasn't mad…just stressed. And tired. He hadn't seen her look this tired in awhile. "And I forgot, babe. I forgot to get you something."

"Relax." Jackson took his 6-month old daughter from his wife. "I got us both something. Nicole is coming at six to watch all three. She's gonna come and stay all night. Until three in the morning if we want. We're gonna go, get dinner, drink a glass of wine. Or two. Or three. Or Four. And then we're going to check into a hotel, and eat some chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne will be there, too. And we'll make love like we used to when there were no little princesses around to barge in. And then we're gonna come home. And kiss our babies. And cuddle. We're gonna get some hardcore cuddling in, later. Sound good?"

The tension in April's body visibly released with every word he said. "Yeah, yeah. That sounds great, honey. You're so good to me. So good." She kissed him, and even with a baby in his arms and two little girls in the room, she melted in to him, taking his face in her hands and not letting him go, even when he tried to pull away. "We're gonna take a bubble bath, baby. A long bubble bath." Jackson nodded, not so much agreeing as accepting her. Letting her escape for a minute.

Only her daughter pulled her out of her trance. "Ewww mommy. Those kissies are ascusting."

"Actually diva, these kissies are just for us so only we know how super yummy they are." Jackson chased after Arabella.

"Baths, honey. They need baths before Nicole comes. And I can't drink until…"

"I got it, April. You go and shower. And pump, you gotta do that before you can drink, right?"

April smiled, she loved that he noticed the little things. "Three baths? By yourself?"

"Two baths. That can happen simultaneously. Piece of cake. "

She looked back at him, biting her lip, trying to decide when to pull the trigger. Ultimately, she decided she'd enjoy the night more if she told him first. "And Jackson, I didn't forget your gift. It's on our bed. But get baths done first, trust me. And open it alone."

Ninety minutes later, Jackson put Dora on to distract his daughters, undoing the ribbon box that was on their bed. Immediately upon opening it, he started laughing at the sheer absurdity of it. He was happy April came in right after to focus him. She sat on his lap.

"Are we happy?" she whispered, kissing down his neck.

"The better question is, are you happy?"

"A little annoyed that I can't have that wine or champagne. And a little nervous about work, but…"

"Babe, don't be nervous about work, you own the hospital."

"I know but…I'm stretched thin with three kids, now and Harper is gonna…"

"Why do you care what Harper tells Bellie, babe? You can't pay attention to him, he doesn't know how to speak to kids, and we know how he is…"

"Yeah but…I just hope we get your boy so you can go snipped," she whispered.

"Well that's a nice thought to have in my head, Happy Valentine's Day to me."

"Oh don't worry, I'll make sure you have a happy Valentine's night," April promised. They hardly ever had time alone, and they weren't about to get any more, any time soon. They both planned to make tonight count.