*Please leave a review letting me know when you love to catch up on stories. Do you prefer the updates in the evenings to read before bed, or in the mornings with a cup of coffee? Let me know!
*What would you love to see in this story? Ideas are always welcome!
April 6th, 2015
"Are you ready my love?" Heather called out to her wife as she was putting her coffee cup in the sink. Her hair was perfectly curled in loose waves and she was in workout clothing. They were taking newborn photos with Sophia today and Alicia (photographer) was providing the outfits so she told them to dress comfy.
"Yep, I think I am. Do I need to change her or anything before I put her in her seat?" Naya asks as she steps into the living room. Heather stares at her gorgeous flowing curled locks and flawless makeup. Her ass looks phenomenal in her black workout leggings and a basic tee. Naya could wear a plastic garbage bag and still be stunning.
"Ya, ya, ugh... already changed her diaper." Heather stutters as she tries to stop staring at her wife but her eyes aren't allowing her. She finally snaps out of her trance when Naya giggles and kisses her on the lips.
"You like what you see baby?" Naya asks with a sultry smirk.
"I always love what I see. You take my breath away Naya. You have no idea how gorgeous you are." Heather confessed as she brought her right hand up and put her palm over her wife's cheek while rubbing it gently with her thumb.
"You're so sweet to me. How I got this fortunate I'll never know..." Naya said while kissing her wife on the lips. She has no idea how she was so blessed to have Heather, a woman who loved her beyond unconditionally.
"You're my whole life. You and our beautiful baby girl. I still can't believe you gave birth. You did it, and you did it like such a badass warrior that you are. I feel so much love for you sometimes it's hard to process all of it in my head. I feel like I could tell everyone about you all day and none of it would do you justice." Heather spoke honestly.
"Damn Rivera-Morris you're going to make me cry!" Naya choked up and swings her arms around her wife and buries her face into Heather's neck.
"You deserve to be told how remarkable you are," Heather said through a smile while tucking a strand of loose hair behind her wife's ear lovingly.
"You're something else baby. I can't thank you enough for loving us. We are so lucky to have you. You're beautiful, loving, respectful, protective, loyal, and all the other extraordinary things that I'm lucky enough to experience every day. I don't know what I would do without you." Naya replies with watery eyes.
"Thank you, my love. You just made my day with the beautiful things you just said. I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world than right beside my family." Heather said while kissing her wife on the lips and grabbing her purse off the barstool.
"Wheres the lady of the hour?" Heather asks her wife who turns back towards the living room and points to the mamaroo baby swing by the window in the living room.
"She's in her swing. Alicia told me to feed her before we leave the house and try to get her to fall asleep on the way there so she's ready to go once we get there. Alicia also said I may have to top her off when we arrive at the studio just to get her in that milk coma and extra sleepy for photos." Naya explained earning a nod and a kiss from her wife.
"Sounds good. Here can you grab my bag love and I'll get Sophia in her car seat. She's already wanting to doze off so I'm convinced once we get her in the car she will be out right away." Heather indicated as she passed Naya her Prada bag and moved to grab the black car seat from the entryway and position it by the swing where the baby was laying. Heather unbuckles her from the swing and gently picks her up and places her in the car seat and buckling her inside securely.
Naya looks on blissfully, she will never get over the sight of witnessing Heather interact with her child. The warm fuzzy sensations inside of her make her feel like she could erupt with all the love she has for the two of them.
"Alright my girl, should we go take your newborn photos! I know you'll do well my dolly. Mami and momma will be right here with you." Heather whispered to their nearly sleeping daughter. Alicia's studio was close, maybe a ten-minute drive so by the time they get there Sophia will be fast asleep.
"Girls! How are you doing?!" Alicia greets as she holds open the door to her photography studio for the girls as they lug in the car seat and her diaper bag.
"We're on cloud nine with this little princess. She's unbelievable. Hopefully, she'll be a sweet little girl for you today! She just conked out like five minutes ago. She should have a full belly but if you need me to top her off I can." Naya explained as she looked at Sophia in the car seat where Heather had just set it down on the floor.
"Sounds perfect. I'm confident she'll do terrific... Oh, look at her! That hair! You have a wig on her head! That's incredible!" Alicia squealed softly.
"I know. Isn't she just precious! We just adore her so much..." Heather breathed out.
"I don't blame you, ladies! She's an absolute doll! Alright, I will get started right away. As I told you in your consultation, I'll be the one to take her out of her car seat and start working with her. There's a couch right next to us just make yourselves at home. The Keurig is set up with coffee, teas, ciders, you name it. I will also warn you I bumped up the temperature in the studio to 80 so it's not cold since she will be naked for a few images. Newborns sleep and settle better in a cozy heated space. If you ladies get too warm you can step outside anytime to cool off. I know new mommies can get those pesky hot flashes, so don't hesitate if you need a breather." Alicia informed while both of the girls smile and nod in understanding.
The moms make themselves a drink while Alicia is getting Sophia ready. She is sitting in front of a large newborn posing beanbag that's firm and has a white popcorn knit fabric over it. She is currently slipping Sophia into a sheer vintage lace romper in a light blush color and putting a stretch knit dainty tieback on her head that has shades of blush, cream, and white to coordinate with the background fabric and romper perfectly. When Alicia is done dressing the newborn she holds her in her arms and turns to face both moms.
"What do you think ladies?" Alicia smiles looking down at the gorgeous newborn.
"Oh my gosh Mija! My gorgeous girl!" Naya says with a tear slipping down her eye. Heather quickly catches it and wipes it away before she ruins her makeup before their pictures.
"Look at you, my sweet girl. Alicia, this is going to be so elegant already and you haven't even taken a single photo yet! Plus you already have my beautiful wife crying!" Heather giggled out feeling emotional herself as she stares at their baby in front of her.
Alicia smiles at the girls and takes Sophia over to the setup. "Well, she's out good for me so I'm going to get started with her," Alicia announces as she sets Sophia on her side and bends her legs, and brings them up so she's in a tight fetal position. She then maneuvers the baby's hands so her palms are pressed together and laying underneath her head.
Naya is just about dying as she watches close by on the couch. Normally they'd be helicopter moms and hovering over her if it were almost anyone else, but with Alicia they completely trust her.
"Oh sweet heavens, I can't take this..." Naya confesses with both of her hands over her mouth. Alicia turns and smiles at her as she makes vibrating movements with her hands to softly lull the baby into holding her current position. She positions a few rolled-up hand towels under the posing fabric behind her bottom and back to help support her in place before smoothing it over so it's seamless. Sophia is fast asleep and almost looks like she's smiling. She looks like a living doll right now. Alicia fixes a few strands of hair before grabbing her camera and wrapping the strap over her head to secure it to her body and taking the first image followed by different angles and closeups.
Heather is wriggling in her seat next to her wife just gazing at all the sweetness that's in front of them as Alicia shifts Sophia from her current position and gently turns her on her belly with her legs together and tucked underneath her. She then takes her arms and folds the right on top of the left and lays her head on top of her hands. The girls are practically squealing at how well she's doing and how utterly adorable this is.
Alicia fixes her delicate fingers so none of them are curled under and smoothes her hair until it's flawlessly in place. The moment Alicia presses the shutter the most adorable, pure, innocent, and gorgeous smile appears on Sophia's face and Alicia takes a couple of continuous shots to make sure she caught it. Naya and Heather are both covering their mouths wanting to sob but still attempting to preserve their makeup.
"Oh my god! She just smiled Heather! My mami heart can't take you today Soph!" Naya squeaked out on the verge of tears. Alicia gestures for them to come closer and turns the camera around so they can look on the digital screen at their baby girl perfectly posed and grinning.
"Oh good heavens! Alright, Alicia here is one million dollars. Just take all my money because I need a mural of this on my wall." Heather says seriously making the girls laugh.
"I'll make sure we get you some fabulous art pieces. She's a sweetheart." Alicia smiled and the girls shifted back over to the couch to watch the rest of this adorable photo shoot.
Alicia worked for nearly two hours, she posed Sophia in a tiny vintage white wooden bed, they did several naked natural shots, close-up details, and a few other posed images. The girls were melting by the end of Sophia's individual photos. Alicia even got a few snaps when Sophia was in what's called a froggy pose, and she opened her eyes to show off her glorious aqua orbs. Alicia just about died at how precious Sophia was. Naya and Heather, well, they were beside themselves.
The girls changed into luxurious long dresses. Both were mermaid-style dresses and were fitted to their curves until they flowed out at the knees with long trains. Alicia had two assistants, Cassie and Adrianna who were going to toss the trains up when told so it looked like they were catching the wind. Naya's dress was a lovely rose gold color and Heather's was a soft creamy nude color. Sophia was wearing a cream lace sheer romper with a jersey knit floral blush tieback that corresponded with her mommies dresses. She instructed Heather to take the baby and walk to the background which was a gorgeous and subtle off-white color.
"Gorgeous Heather, here's how I want you to hold her up as we want to be sure we can see her face," Alicia says white demonstrating how to hold the baby. Heather is holding Sophia's head with her left and has her right hand under her bottom. and is tilting her upward so you can see her face perfectly. Alicia adjusts Heather so she's angled slightly and not flat to the camera before motioning for Naya to come over.
"Naya, I'll have you stand on the other side of the baby and take your back right hand and just play with a few strands of her hair and your other hand will come and rest on her belly," Alicia explains as she watches Naya completely mold into them perfectly and completely forget there's a camera around.
"Gorgeous ladies just enjoy this moment with your family. Do exactly what you are doing!" Alicia praises while she gestures for the assistants to come and fix their hair and make a couple of minor adjustments. Naya's black hair is in waves behind her back with a small section that was pulled forward and the assistant did the same with Heather's. Alicia was snapping photos as Naya went to kiss the side of her daughter's head before kissing her wife on the lips. As they broke apart they were smiling at each other which was pure gold for Alicia and her camera.
They took a series of images in different poses including the three of them with the trains of their long dresses flying in the air. It was a stunning shoot. Sophia was asleep the entire time except for those couple shots where she opened her eyes to show her stunning baby blues.
"Alicia, thank you! You have no idea how excited we are to see these!" Naya said as she straightened out her shirt having just come back from changing into her regular workout closes. She pulled her hair into a top messy bun so it was out of her face and grabbed her daughter from the photographer's arms.
"You did so good Mija! We are so proud of you my baby girl!" Naya says as Heather opens the bathroom door and hands the dress to Alicia while slipping on her sneakers.
"Alicia, thank you. You did a beautiful job! I can't wait to see them. As always though, please don't share or post any. We haven't shared any photos yet and I have a feeling we will have to soon, but until then if you don't mind..." Heather asks graciously earning an immediate nod from Alicia.
"Completely. I know the rules for you ladies and I thank you for trusting me. As we did with your maternity shoot I'll have the non-downloadable edited photos on my website for you to look through and then you can just let me know which ones you want to be printed and we will get your artwork ordered. I can't wait to see these in print myself! What a gorgeous family you are." Alicia finishes with a wide smile causing Heather to lean over and kiss both her wife and daughter on the head.
"Thank you, Alicia, I think they're pretty stunning myself. when we do share a photo of her we will make sure to credit you. Thank you again!" Heather says as both the girls wave as they carry their things to the car along with their model baby.
Heather and Naya had just walked in the house from their photo session and Heather had lifted the newborn out of her car seat and cradled Sophia in her arms horizontally across her chest. She grabbed her baby-sized quilt and draped it around her daughter gently while holding her head and caressing her cheek with her thumb.
Naya was grabbing a couple of glasses of water and returning from the kitchen when she stopped in her tracks and listened to her wife talk to their newborn daughter.
"You and mami are my whole world. I always wanted to be a mother but there were countless reasons I didn't think it was conceivable for me. Not only because I couldn't have children, but I had an honestly hard time trusting people, and the thought of having that level of faith in a person to carry your child was something I couldn't wrap my head around. Then your mami walked into my life. She completely turned my world upside down. I've never loved like this before. Knowing without a second of hesitation I would take a bullet for mami or you baby girl." Heather pauses and hears a sniffle and turns her head to the side to see Naya crying as she's leaning up against the entrance wall. Heather gestured for her to come over and put a pillow under Sophia's back and bottom so she can remove her hand and wrap it around her wife to pull her into their special bubble. Heather kisses her wife on the head before continuing.
"I wish you could have seen on the outside how beautiful your mami was when she carried you in her belly. One day I'll show you pictures, I took hundreds of images making an effort to document everything. One day you'll see how breathtaking your mami was when you were growing inside of her. I've never seen a more beautiful woman in my entire life. Then you came along after mami fought and struggled to bring you into this world. It was excruciating but ended up being the most life-changing moment of our lives." Heather went on and heard her wife weeping into her chest while Sophia was sound asleep in her arms with Naya's arm wrapped around both of them.
"You two are my everything. My motivation for doing anything. My hopes and dreams. Nobody will ever love you and mami more than I do. My perfect, beautiful girls. I promise to always protect you both. You two will always have me in your corner fighting for you. I love you, my angels..." Heather finishes and kisses a sobbing Naya's head as she pulls her closed before placing a kiss on Sophia's forehead.
The three of them were cuddled on the couch for about an hour. Both Naya and Sophia fell asleep in Heather's arms and she just cradled them and watched completely mesmerized by how gorgeous both of them were. She had never seen two more beautiful people in her life.
A few minutes later Heather's phone vibrated and alerted her of a new text message in the cast group chat. It was from Kevin.
Incoming Kevin: I finally convinced Harry to have a little celebration today for his birthday! What do you say, gang? Barbecue at my place? Good food, good drinks, good company. Let's say 4:00 pm?
Heather read the message and was happy Harry agreed to a small celebration. A barbecue sounded fun! She didn't want to automatically agree to attend without talking with Naya but she wanted to respond.
Outgoing Heather: I will let you know for sure when my better half wakes up. Both of my girls are sound asleep on me at the moment. *heart eyes emoji* I'm guessing you can count us in though. "Winking emoji*
Incoming Vanessa: Aww Hemo! I'm in. I'll be there.
Incoming Amber: Ha! Hemo's blissed out right now *star eyes emoji* I'm game.
Incoming Jenna: Yes! So excited! Thanks for finally convincing him! He wouldn't listen to me. *eye roll emoji*
Heather watched as tons of messages buzzed in from the cast and she put her phone down and hugged her wife close and daughter
It had only been about fifteen minutes when Naya started to stir. Heather took her eyes off the tv that was softly playing in the background and lifted the hand that was wrapped around her wife and began lightly scratching her back.
"Are you awake, beautiful?" Heather inquired quietly as she places a soft kiss on the top of her wife's head.
"Mhmmizssczy (mhmm, it's so cozy)" Naya mumbled as she's waking up. Heather lets out a tiny giggle because she can't fathom how Naya could get any more adorable.
"I'm glad you're cozy, my love." Heather smiled and kissed her forehead. "Both of my girls were tired out it seems!" Heather said through another quiet giggle. Naya finally lifted her head and looked in the baby swing where she assumed Sophia would be but didn't see her.
"She's right here, my love," Heather whispers as she bows down her head to point her eyes to the baby she's holding with her other arm. Naya visibly relaxes and rests her head back against her wife's chest and places her other hand on her daughter's back.
"She looks so little right now." Naya smiled when she rests her head back down against her wife. Heather grins as she looks between her girls, she still can't believe they are hers.
"She's always gorgeous, just like her mami," Heather replies as she kisses Naya on the top of her black hair. "Oh, Kevin sent us all a message earlier saying Harry finally agreed to let us all have a little birthday party for him since we've all been badgering all week. I said they can probably expect us over but I wanted to check with you before giving them a final answer." Heather explained as she grabbed her phone from where she set it on the couch behind her wife and showed her the messages. Naya grinned immediately.
"You're really cute, baby. Of course. I'm glad he finally gave up and just agreed to a party. Go ahead and tell them we're in. What time is it now?" Naya says as she stretches trying to shake off the tiredness.
"Sounds good. I'll let them know, it's 2:08 pm right now. We have a couple of hours. They said it's super casual, it's just an outdoor barbecue so jeans and a shirt will be just fine. I'll throw my hair in a ponytail and call it a day." Heather let out as Naya began sitting up so she took the hand that was around her wife and brought it to her daughter's back and kissed Sophia's cheek.
Naya glowed at her girls as she leaned over from where she was now standing by the couch and kissed Heather before pecking her daughter's cheek.
"You two are so precious together... My girls!" Naya says jovially with a big smile on her face. Heather looks up at her and puckers her lips, quietly asking her wife for another kiss. Naya smiles and leans over to smooch her wife.
"Let's go get ready my love. I'll lay her on our bed while we're getting dressed. The nice thing is after a long nap she should be a very pleasant little girl the rest of the day." Heather whispered as she slowly got up while holding the petite infant across her chest. Naya still blushed every time she saw her wife holding their baby girl.
It was just after 2:45 pm and the girls were dressed in casual jeans and tee shirts. Heather pulled her hair up in a ponytail while Naya pulled hers up in a messy bun. They were going to throw on their comfy sneakers on their way out the door and call it a day. Their makeup was already nice from their photo session a couple of hours prior so they're relieved that was one less thing they had to do.
"What should be put the little miss in?" Heather asked her wife just as their daughter was starting to squirm and rub her little tired eyes from where she was laying in the center of their made-up bed. Both girls glanced over and bent over the bed grinning at their baby girl who gave them a small smile in return.
"Did you enjoy your nap little lady? You must have been one tired little girl! You took some truly stunning photos today, so I don't blame you for being exhausted. Model life is hard, my little love. Mami and I were so proud of our baby girl." Heather says as she kisses her daughter's cheek and sees Naya blushing at her.
"Are you going to give me that look every time I do anything with her?" Heather giggles as she kisses her wife's rosy cheek.
"I can't help it! I waited nine months to see you two together like this. Now every time I do I just can't get enough." Naya admitted shyly.
"You're so beautiful. Thank you for our daughter, Naya." Heather said sincerely while they both were still leaning over their now wide awake baby girl.
"Of course. Thank you for being the best mother in the world. I wouldn't have dreamed of having anyone else children and I wouldn't have. The only children I will ever carry are yours." Naya spoke with security making Heather look up and smile widely. She leaned to the side and placed a passionate kiss on her wife's lips and the only thing that broke them apart was the sound of a sweet baby squeal. They both laugh and Naya picks up her daughter and hugs her close.
"Should we pick out an outfit for you Mija?" Naya said as they both walked out of the room into the nursery. Heather opened the closet and started scanning through the newborn options. She wasn't even seven pounds yet, she was just the sweetest baby. She looked so tiny in the arms of an adult.
Heather ended up grabbing a cozy pair of footed pajamas since it might get a little cooler in the evening they didn't want her feet exposed. They chose a white fleece zip-up footed one piece with pastel dots all over. Heather said it looked like confetti or tiny balloons so it would be perfect for a birthday party but still keep her cozy and warm.
"That's adorable! You're so precious, Mija!" Naya says as she takes off her basic onesie and replaces it with the soft cozy long-sleeved footed sleep romper.
"She's so cute I can't take it! She did quite a bit of dress-up today so I'm glad we're just letting her be comfy. Just as Heather was about to kiss her daughter on the forehead her phone chimed from her back pocket. She scrunched her eyebrows slightly when she saw it was from Alicia.
"It's Alicia," Heather said looking confused. Naya looks up and looks slightly confused and shrugs her shoulders before gesturing for Heather to see what it says. Heather goes to the conversation and sees a link to a website just as a new text comes in.
Incoming Alicia: Couldn't help myself. I had a mom this afternoon cancel because their little one was sick so it opened up a couple of hours in my afternoon. I was able to complete two of your images and put them on my website in your private gallery just so you could see a preview. Enjoy!
Heather opened the link and tears fell immediately streamed down her face. Naya started panicking as soon as she saw the tears on Heather's face that seemingly came out of nowhere.
"Baby what happened?!" Naya says frantically.
Heather stays silent but turns her phone to the image on the screen. It's a preview image so the photographer's watermark is at fifty perfect opacity across the middle of the photo. The image is of the first newborn photo their daughter took with both palms together under the side of her face. She's in her dainty lace romper with her floral tie back. She looks like an angel baby. Naya loses it the moment she sees the image.
"Oh, God! Mija! Oh, my mami heart. This is too much! What a perfect photo! She's working on them already?!" Naya asked while staring at the image.
"She had a sick baby cancel so it freed up some time. She was eager to work on Sophia's gallery. She also did one more...let me open that one." Heather said taking her phone back and going to the other image in their private gallery.
"Oh goodness! Even I will admit this is breathtaking!" Heather says happily and sniffles as she gives the phone to her wife to show her the second image. It was the first posed one they took all together where they're cuddled close and gazing at the newborn. Their long gowns flow down and it simply looks like a magazine image. Naya can't control her tears. These were better than expected.
"Stop it! These are gorgeous, baby! Wow! Look at our little girl between us! I'll have to text and thank her too. These are stunning!" Naya breathed out while wiping under the eyes.
"I can't wait to show the crew! They will melt over these! We will have to have a copy of these printed for all of them too." Heather says while lifting Sophia in her arms. "Should we get going? Kevin's house is about twenty minutes away and with the traffic in the middle of the day, it might take us a little longer." Heather finishes while passing Sophia to her wife.
"Sure, let me feed her quick so she has a full tummy and then we can take off," Naya replied as she settles down in the nursery rocker to nurse their daughter. Heather kisses them both on the head and puts a few things in the diaper back while taking out the things they won't need.
Forty minutes later they are pulling into Kevin's driveway, he doesn't have a gated entrance but it's in a pretty safe neighborhood. Just as they were putting the car in park, Harry and Chord happened to be grabbing a cooler from the garage and noticed the girls. As Heather was helping Naya out of the car and making sure she was alright, she turned to hug the birthday boy.
"Happy Birthday to my third favorite dance partner!" Heather squealed as Naya shakes her head.
"God, I used to be number one. I'm getting knocked down the assembly line aren't I?!" Harry teases back making the other three laugh.
"Hey my girls are my favorites but you know I love you!" Heather says as she opens the back passenger door as Naya takes her turn hugging him. A minute later she closes the door with Sophia in her arms and hands her to Harry after Chord takes the cooler from his hands so Harry can take his niece.
"Happy birthday uncle Harry!" Heather says as she passes the baby into Harry's arms and he cradles her vertically on his chest so her head is resting on his shoulder.
"Aww. Hi baby girl. Thanks for the birthday wishes honey. Do you wanna come with uncle Harry and see everybody?" Harry asks Sophia while looking at the girls making sure it was okay.
"Of course. We will be right behind you guys. We just have to grab our purses and diaper bag. Where are the girls putting their bags?" Naya asked while opening the passenger door and grabbing her purse she forgot to pick up before.
"In the office room on the main floor. You know where it is. Just throw everything in there and meet us all in the backyard." Harry smiled as he and Chord left with their daughter as she rested against his shoulder.
"They're completely whipped when Sophia is around. These guys cant make fun of me anymore!" Heather pouts as Naya shakes her head and giggles.
The girls had put their bags and sweatshirts in the office room with all the other's belongings that were laid out on the bed. They walked out of the room holding hands and made their way towards the kitchen where the drinks and snacks are set up. They both pour themselves a large glass of ice tea before making their way to the patio door.
"After you, beautiful," Heather says as she opens the sliding glass door for her wife. Naya smiles back lovingly at her wife and steps out waiting for her wife to come out and close the door before grabbing her hand and joining the party.
"Alright, are you seeing our daughter anywhere?" Heather giggled but felt that familiar pounding in her chest came back at the thought of not knowing where her newborn is the second they stepped outside. Suddenly they see Harry wave them over still holding the baby on his chest and Naya looks at her wife who noticeably takes a large deep breath.
"Baby, she's ok. I know that made my mami heart race too but she's right there. Calm that heart of yours momma bear." Naya finishes with a wink and leans up for a sweet kiss before pulling her wife in the direction of their daughter.
Harry is talking to Chris, Amber, Vanessa, Chord, and Kevin. They all turn and hug the girls as they approach. The remaining friends merge over to join them as well so their entire group is now in a big circle.
"Hey, you two! I was wondering how Soph drove herself here!" Kevin joked as he hugged Heather. Heather then leaned over and kissed her daughter on the cheek as she rested comfortably in her uncle's arms. Harry was enjoying the birthday snuggles and everyone was letting him have her although Heather and Naya could tell it wasn't easy for them not to snatch her away.
"Alright, why don't you all say hello to her and then give her back to me. You are all breathing down my neck you pesky vultures!" Harry said as he passed the baby to the nearest person which happened to be Jenna. Heather and Naya laughed as they all swooned and loved on their daughter. One thing the moms knew is how insanely loved their little girl was. They still couldn't believe they had a daughter. These entire two weeks felt like a dream. Seeing their friends cuddling this baby who was growing inside her wife all this time seems surreal for Heather.
Harry and Jenna walked over to Harry's family while the rest of the group cuddled Sophia.
"Baby, I'm going to go over and put together a plate for us with some crackers, chips, and dip. I haven't eaten since breakfast and I know they won't be grilling for at least another hour so I just want to tide myself over." Naya says as she kisses her wife on the cheek.
"I can do that for you, honey." Heather offers while rubbing her back gently.
"No, you stay here with our baby girl, I'll grab it and bring it back over so we can share," Naya assures while kissing her once more and wandering from the back of the yard towards the kitchen where the snacks were out on the island.
"Hey, Hemo!" Chord snaps his fingers getting her attention since she was staring at her wife walking away. Heather snaps out of it and turns her head quickly earning laughter from the group.
"Something tells me you kinda like that girl..." Kevin teases while nudging her shoulder.
"Shut up," Heather grumbled shyly as the others laughed. They all turned when Naya came out of the house with a plate but she was joined by somebody. Mark.
Heather was shooting him daggers and wanted him away from her wife. He had her arm around her shoulders and she could tell how uncomfortable Naya was. Heather whips her head over to Chord who was holding Sophia.
"Do NOT let him hold her. Any of you" Heather said sternly causing them all to nod instantly. Heather quickly strides over to them and tries to be cordial but wants his arm off of her wife immediately.
"Hemo! Party's here!" Mark shouted
"Mark can you take your arm off of her now please," Heather said as pleasant as she could but wasn't sure if it came across that way. Naya was looking down and Heather could see she was subtly trying to wiggle his arm off of her. She attempts to shrug him off and walk away but he wraps his arms around her waist from behind.
"Mark, get the fuck off her. Now!" Heather says as she grabs both of his hands whipping them apart to get Naya out of his grip and pulls her into her chest.
"Seriously Hemo? I can't give my old flame a chummy hug?" Mark says smirking and rolling his eyes. Heather is sure there must be flames coming out of her ears and turns back around to check on her daughter who cuddled back in Amber's chest with her quilt over her.
"That's not a chummy hug and you fucking know it. It's beyond inappropriate. Don't do that again. Do not mess with my family. It will get ugly." Heather warned as Naya leaned against her chest.
"Holy shit your not pregnant anymore! How did I not notice that? Skinny Rivera is back! Where's the little one?!" Mark asked excitedly.
"First of all, DO NOT comment on her body like that. Yes, she had our baby. You would know that if you gave a shit and came to the hospital as everyone else did." Heather snarled
"Geez. Put the claws back in Hemo. I'm sorry I didn't want to sit in a boring hospital for hours while Rivera pushed out a kid." Mark snapped back.
"When it comes to my girls, you don't want to screw with me, Mark. Next, it's Rivera-Morris, and do not talk about her like that. She deserves more respect. Come on my love, let's go eat and see our girl." Heather says holding Naya close while walking back over to the table. Mark was following them when he was stopped by Kevin who had walked over which the girls could assume was Kevin's efforts to lead him away from Sophia.
The girls approach the table and immediately lay a hand on their baby just needing to know she's ok. Harry smiles and gestures for Heather to take her daughter. Heather smiles and gladly takes her newborn from the birthday boy and lays her over her shoulder and tucks her quilt around her. She purposefully rests her on the shoulder between her and Naya so her wife can be close to her too. Naya smiles at them finally able to relax knowing Sophia is in Heather's arms, especially with Mark being here now.
"I feel so much better with you holding her with him around. Thank you, baby." Naya breaths out leaning against her wife's shoulder kissing the back of her daughter's head.
"Of course, I would rather be holding her too. I need to have both of my girls close so I know they are safe." Heather says as she kisses her wife's head. "I've got you, my beautiful girls," Heather whispers making Naya smile and lift her head slightly to kiss her wife's shoulder.
They were talking for about five minutes when Mark and a defeated-looking Kevin came over to the table. Kevin mouthed, I tried, before collapsing in a seat at the table looking particularly annoyed.
"So this is the kid! Can I hold her?" Mark asks while looking at the girls and settling on Heather who was holding the baby. Naya immediately tensed in fear but she knew Heather wouldn't let him so that allowed her to breathe a little easier.
"Mark do not call her the kid. She's our gorgeous baby girl and her name is Sophia. I'm not comfortable with you holding her right now." Heather said firmly and she hoisted the baby closer to her neck so she could settle in her momma's arms. Heather keeps one hand under her bottom over the quilt and the other is cupping the back of her thick head of hair.
"I'm her uncle, why the hell not? Everyone else has!" Mark says looking genuinely confused.
"Mark, you've been acting completely inappropriate for months. All her uncles and aunts have been there for her. They sat and waited in the hospital, they were there to hold her for the first time, they were there to hear us announce her name, they were there when we brought her to set the first time. You were nowhere. You don't get to be upset about not holding her. You have to earn that right and right now I don't trust you. Plus the way you treat Naya is disgusting. I'll tell you this once again. Do NOT touch my wife again." Heather snarls lowly making everyone around her stare between the two.
"Whatever this is dumb," Mark says as he angrily gets up from the table and walks away.
"Is he fucking serious?!" Harry asked angrily making all the others shake their heads
"God, what the hell is going on with him?" Chord asks looking pissed off. "Is she alright?" Chord asks gently rubbing up and down his niece's back.
Heather smiles over at him and looks down at her daughter. "She's ok. I'm happy she remained asleep from all the raised voices. "Baby are you..." Heather pauses when she sees her wife wiping a tear. "Honey, are you alright? Talk to me beautiful..." Heather begs as she looks over the baby as best she can to see her wife.
"Hemo..." Vanessa says grabbing her attention and reaching her arms out for Sophia while nodding her head to Naya. Heather nods gratefully and kisses her daughter before passing her carefully across the table and Vanessa settles the baby in her arms. Diana and Lea fawn over the newborn and make sure she's settled.
"Sweetheart, come here," Heather mumbles as she pats her lap which Naya easily accepts and curls up into Heather. Heather just sits quietly for a minute rubbing her back and placing the other on her thigh. She is pretty sure she knows exactly what's wrong. Mark. "I'm right here my love. I'm right here. I'll never let him hurt you. Ever." Heather asserts as she kisses the top of her wife's head.
"I know. I love you so much. He just makes me nervous. I hate when he touches me. It scares me! The thought of him near Sophia makes me sick and it shouldn't. He should be our friend but I have no idea what the hell is going on with him!" Naya confesses. It's exactly what Heather was feeling as well. She hated that she couldn't trust someone who should be on their side as their friend. That's what was the most confusing and upsetting thing about his behavior.
"I know, sweetheart but I've got my girls. Always. If he tries something I will go off." Heather assures while holding her wife impossibly closer.
About a half-hour later they were all semi back to normal. The girls were still on high alert but they were enjoying the time with their friends. Mark was on the other side of the yard chatting with Mike's older brothers and some of the younger crew members from work that also came.
"Baby, I'm going to go refill our ice teas, or did you want something different this time?" Naya asked her wife as she scooted her chair back and sat up while picking up the two nearly empty glasses. Heather smiles at her and nods her head.
"Tea is fine, love, thank you, honey." Heather smiles as Naya walks towards the house. What nobody sees is Mark on the other side of the yard watching Naya go inside.
Naya was filling her glass from the ice tea dispenser when she heard the patio door and footsteps walking up behind her. Before she had the chance to respond she heard the voice she didn't want to hear right now.
"Rivera" Mark spoke flatly causing a chill to run down Naya's spine. She set the glass down on the tile counter because she noticed how much she was shaking and didn't want to drop the glass. Naya felt so vulnerable without her wife next to her.
"Stop Mark. Please leave me alone." Naya says as firmly as she can but it comes out more shaky than she meant for it to.
"You know damn well we were good together," Mark says completely shocking Naya. She turns from where her hands here bracing her against the countertop and looks at Mark like he's completely lost his mind.
"Mark, you have got to be fucking kidding me? I'm Married! I just had a baby girl. Get the god damn hint already! You treated me like shit when we were together. Just let me be happy and stop acting like this!" Naya shouted
Heather and the rest of the group were at their table talking. Diana noticed Heather looked particularly uneasy.
"Hemo you alright?" Diana asked causing the group to glance at Heather.
"I think I'm going to check on Naya she's been gone for like five minutes just to get ice tea," Heather mumbled earning nods from the group when all of the sudden she noticed Mark was no longer in the yard.
"Where the fuck is Mark?!" Heather shouts causing the others to glance in the direction across the yard where they had last seen him.
They all lose their minds when they hear a frantic high-pitched scream coming from the kitchen. Heather's mind is running on pure adrenaline as she shoots up and tries to find someone she trusts in her frantic state to give the baby to.
"Shit!" Kevin said
"Let's go!" Chord shouted.
Heather frantically gives Amber the baby and looks at her with pleading eyes as if she was begging her not to let her daughter go. They all give her a knowing nod and Amber holds her tight while Jenna pats the baby's back and Vanessa plays with her thick hair. Heather kisses her quickly before she and the guys bolt inside the house.
Heather and the guys run into the house and see Mark holding Naya flush against his chest as if she trying to kiss her. She's trying desperately to pull away from him and get out of his grasp.
Heather is seeing stars and she's not exactly sure what happened in the next minute she's pretty sure she blacked out. The next thing she knew Mark was on the ground and she has punched him in the face, once he was down she kicked him in the balls.
"Don't you EVER fucking touch her again! Goddammit, I warned you! Get the hell out of here!" Heather yells as she holds out her arms as Naya runs into them sobbing. Heather hugs her incredibly tight. Stroking down the back of her head with her hand.
"Shhh. I've got you." Heather whispers over Naya's frantic wails.
Chord and the rest of the guys are dragging Mark out of the kitchen. Heather picked Naya up and carried her out to the backyard as far away from Mark as she could get her.
Diana and Lea look frantic and very distressed as Heather and Naya approach them. Naya was still buried in Heather's neck until they both seem to snap into mommy mode in a matter of milliseconds.
"Sophia!" Naya yells out looking around frantically.
Where's our daughter?!" Heather yells just as panicked.
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