"You ready?" Punk smiled the next day, late on in the afternoon, walking into the hospital room where AJ was fixing Piper into her car seat for the journey home.
"Yeah." AJ smiled, turning around to face Punk who made his way over, smiling over AJ's shoulder at little Piper all dressed in her baby grow and in her car seat ready to go home with her family.
"Is it just me? Or did she get even more beautiful over night." Punk said in awe, leaning over his daughter and stroking her cheek as she stared up at him with those innocent forrest green eyes, just like his own. Only his weren't so innocent like hers looked.
"I can't wait to take her home." AJ smiled with glee. She couldn't wait to place her daughter in her crib, and feed her whilst relaxing on the couch, changing her in the morning while she put up a fight to get dressed. It was all things she was prepared and looking forward to.
"Me too." Punk smiled to AJ, leaning down and kissing her lips softly. Things couldn't have been better, their little miracle, the baby they were told may be born with difficulties was here and she was perfect, "Let's go." Punk pulled back from the kiss, taking the car seat handle and letting AJ go on first, follwing behind with his sleepy daughter.
The car journey home was silent, but only because AJ sat in the back with Piper, staring her completely out, stroking her velvet like cheek with her finger and watching the new born yawn with her mouth making a small O shape.
"Oh... she's making your grumpy face." AJ looked at Piper who was frowning with her eyes closed. Either she was having a bad dream, or making an extremely large mess in her diaper.
"I don't have a grumpy face." Punk chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road as they approached closer and closer to their home.
"Yeah... you do." AJ argued back against him, "I wonder if you'll let mommy and daddy sleep all the way through tonight." AJ held Piper's tiny hand between her thumb and index finger.
"Don't jinx it." Punk said as AJ smiled to him through the rear view mirror.
"Or maybe uncle Max will get you if you wake up." AJ said as Punk laughed loudly.
"Yeah, right." Punk laughed at the idea, "Uncle Max can sleep through hurricanes. He isn't going to hear her." Punk said as AJ smiled, finally arriving home.
AJ was rather surprised at how good she felt, especially when she had given birth no less than 48 hours ago, but she couldn't deny feeling tired.
She headed through their gate, Punk tagging behind with Piper curled into his chest as she opened the front door, smiling at the pink balloons on the carpeted floor, turning around to Punk who gave her a sweet smile, knowing about the little welcome home bash his mother had set up.
AJ was super glad to see everyone, but one particular person shone out to her the most, and that was her mother standing in the corner talking to Max. She was so glad to see her, and so excited to introduce her to little Piper.
"Mom." AJ smiled with a good natured sigh, approaching her mother with wide arms and hugging her tightly as Punk followed in behind, Piper's head resting against his chest as her little hands curled into his t-shirt. He could sense that she knew he was her father, just like she clearly sensed AJ was her mother.
"April... you look wonderful." Sandra smiled, surprised at how fresh and upbeat AJ was for just giving birth two day ago, "Now, where is my granddaughter, I've been waiting all day for this." Sandra said, approaching Punk who looked very natural whilst holding Piper close to his chest. She almost didn't want to ask to hold her from how perfect the sight was, but she went ahead anyway.
Punk placed Piper over into Sandra's arms. The poor little girl was like a prize, everyone wanted a shot of her.
"Oh, she's absoloutely aodrable." Sandra gasped, taking a seat on the couch with her new and first grandchild, enjoying the feeling of holding a baby again, she hadn't done in quite a while now.
It was a great little gathering with the only people AJ really cared about being there. She enjoyed watching Max and Hayley interact with Piper, they seemed to enjoy taking turns of holding her and talking nonsense to her. AJ was sitting talking to her mother and Stacey, not really hearing the door go in the background of everything.
Punk however, who was outside with half his body in the car, taking in the empty car seat he had took Piper from when coming in, seen they had someone had their front door knocking.
"What's up?" Punk shouted lightly, shutting the car door and heading for the gate, watching the woman turn around, rolling his eyes deep inside himself, "It's you." He looked at Violet.
"Yeah, it's me." Violet smiled, "I'm not interupting anything, am I?" Violet looked across to Punk who passed her on the pathway to their home, turning around to face her.
"Yeah. I've just brought my daughter home from the hospital." Punk told her.
"Oh." Violet clasped her hands, "It's a girl? Can I see her?" Violet asked with a smile of hope.
"I don't think that'd be a good idea. It's just family inside." Punk explained, avoiding the possibility of Violet being seen in any levels by AJ.
"Oh... well, I can see her another time." Violet said politely, "Did you... think about that job yet?" She asked.
"Yeah... you can start from now." Punk nodded, despite himself knowing this would cause some sort of distruption between he and AJ, she needed to have a little bit of trust in him, especially since they just had a baby together. He was hiring her and that was all he was doing, nothing else.
"Oh, Phil. Thank you so much." Violet smiled, abruptly wrapping her arms around Punks neck, making sure she pressed her body tight against his, feeling himself awkwardly hug her back without trying to make much contact.
"Anytime." Punk said, hoping she would let go soon, "Alright... ok." Punk said, having no choice but to lightly push the clearly desperate girl off him, watching her smile to him and fix her hair. She was trying so hard and he honestly had no physical attraction to her what so ever. Yeah, she was beautiful, smoking body, sweet and a little bit dumb personality, but she wasn't anything compared to AJ.
"When will I see you at work then?" Violet asked with a smile.
"Well, here's the thing. I'm probably going to keep things on hold with the shop this week, you know... with the new baby and things..."
"Well, I can go in this week and finish unboxing everything." Violet shrugged as he looked at her unconvinced.
"I don't know." Punk said uneasily, he felt like he should be there.
"C'mon, what am I going to get up to in a comic book store?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Ok." Punk nodded, "Ok, thanks." He smiled, "You know I can't pay you for this week though, right?" He made himself clear.
"Well obviously not." Violet said, she wasn't as stupid as he thought she was sometimes.
"Ok... well, I better get inside. You know... new baby and stuff." Punk pointed to the front door behind him as Violet nodded.
"Give her lots of kisses from me." Violet smiled to him as Punk just nodded, most definitley not going to do that, but smiling anyway as he watched Violet walk away out of the gateway and down the street.
He had no idea why he even considered hiring her, but they needed workers, especially now with the baby here. He was sure once he convinced AJ that he didn't have interest in Violet the way she figured he would, she would be fine about it, and they could move on with their life without being the couple whose girlfriend is repeatedly checking up on her boyfriend.
Later that night...
After everyone had left the house, AJ most definitley needed to head to bed before she fell asleep standing up. Lucky for her, her mother had changed and put Piper to sleep in her crib upstairs before she left, so there really was nothing left for her to other than get into her own bed and fall asleep against Punks rising chest.
She drew the covers back on her side and began taking her earrings out, watching Punk walk into the room with just his boxers on. He too was tired, not to the extent of AJ, but he was tired too and could do with an early night. They were pretty sure Max was already sleeping. Everyone was exhausted from this new found joy, that was little Piper.
"Tired?" Punk smiled to AJ who was in the midst of sliding under the bed covers. He couldn't believe she had made it this late into the night. She was remarkable.
"Very." AJ nodded, "But I can't sleep until you're beside me, so hurry." She said, pulling back his side of the covers as he smiled and got in beside her, bringing her close to him as she snuggled up to his chest.
"So..." Punk said, probably not picking the best time to announce his hiring of Violet, especially when AJ was so relaxed and right around the corner from falling asleep in his arms, "I gave Violet the job." He announced.
"Who is Violet?" AJ asked quietly with raised eyebrows, how eyes still closed however. He never mentioned the girls name before when he told her about his ex showing up looking for a job, and she didn't assume it was her after the vibes she gave him about strictly not hiring her.
"The girl I told you about the other day." Punk said , feeling AJ slightly unnatach herself from him and slowly look up at him with her very much awoke beady eyes.
10 REVIEWS = New Chapter.
