Mac heard Jenny cry and then heard Harm pick her up and start talking to
her as she descended the stairs.
"Your Mommy is mad at me Jenny. I said something stupid about her being a Marine. Your Mom is very good at being a Marine, even if she is a little stubborn, and she looks very good in her uniform, especially her skirt."
Mac bit her lip to keep from smiling as she sat on the bottom stair to listen as he continued.
"Marines are good even if we tease them about always needing a ride somewhere. They're tough and always prepared to fight, they go onto the front line while we sit on our carriers, or fly our planes over dropping bombs or on recon or use our subs to sink things. So any ideas about how I fix it Jenny?" Harm asked. "You know she'll probably be angry I'm telling you all these things about the Marines as well."
"Actually she thinks your Daddy is very sweet." Mac said wiping a tear from her eye.
"How long have you been sitting there?" Harm said turning to look at her.
"Long enough to hear all the nice things you were saying about me in my uniform." She teased.
"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
"I'm not mad at you." She said walking over and kissing him. "But no more talking about the virtues of the Marines or the Navy in front of Jenny. No unfair influences remember. I am hungry."
"I'll make you something to eat. I think Jenny needs her diaper changing." He handed her over to Mac.
"I've obviously got good timing." Mac muttered, before carrying Jenny upstairs to change her.
Twenty minutes they were sat eating, Jenny had fallen asleep. Harm watched Mac as she ate the pasta he'd prepared for her.
"This is good." She mumbled between mouthfuls. "What?" She asked when she noticed him watching her.
"Have I told you you're beautiful and I love you?" He asked.
"Yes, but you can never say it enough." She said with a smile. "I love you too."
"I'm sorry about what I said about your dress. I love you whatever you wear."
"Harm, my dress isn't green; I just did that to annoy you. As much as I love being a Marine, I wouldn't get married in a green. You're lucky though; do you know how many dresses I tried on before I picked the perfect one?"
"How many?" He asked kissing a stray piece of pasta sauce from her lip.
"Forty- three and if you keep doing that I won't get a chance to finish my lunch and then we won't have time to go and pay your Dad a visit."
"You want to go to the Wall?" He asked quizzically.
"I thought we could show him how much Jenny has grown. Besides there have been a lot of changes going on since I last went to visit."
"You really want to go?" He asked.
"I really do. Your Dad was an important part of your life, he's part of who made you, you. Jenny and any other kids we might have are going to know all about him and going to the Wall is going to remind them that life is precious and we need to grab hold of it for as long as possible."
"'Any other kids'?" He repeated.
"We don't want Jenny to be an only child do we? We both know what that's like and besides we've plenty of room to fill it with a few more kids at a later date."
"Thank you." He kissed her.
"You're welcome. Now, let me eat. Hungry Marine here."
"Yes ma'am." He fired off a sloppy salute.
"I think you need to work on that sailor." She said with a smile.
"Your Mommy is mad at me Jenny. I said something stupid about her being a Marine. Your Mom is very good at being a Marine, even if she is a little stubborn, and she looks very good in her uniform, especially her skirt."
Mac bit her lip to keep from smiling as she sat on the bottom stair to listen as he continued.
"Marines are good even if we tease them about always needing a ride somewhere. They're tough and always prepared to fight, they go onto the front line while we sit on our carriers, or fly our planes over dropping bombs or on recon or use our subs to sink things. So any ideas about how I fix it Jenny?" Harm asked. "You know she'll probably be angry I'm telling you all these things about the Marines as well."
"Actually she thinks your Daddy is very sweet." Mac said wiping a tear from her eye.
"How long have you been sitting there?" Harm said turning to look at her.
"Long enough to hear all the nice things you were saying about me in my uniform." She teased.
"I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."
"I'm not mad at you." She said walking over and kissing him. "But no more talking about the virtues of the Marines or the Navy in front of Jenny. No unfair influences remember. I am hungry."
"I'll make you something to eat. I think Jenny needs her diaper changing." He handed her over to Mac.
"I've obviously got good timing." Mac muttered, before carrying Jenny upstairs to change her.
Twenty minutes they were sat eating, Jenny had fallen asleep. Harm watched Mac as she ate the pasta he'd prepared for her.
"This is good." She mumbled between mouthfuls. "What?" She asked when she noticed him watching her.
"Have I told you you're beautiful and I love you?" He asked.
"Yes, but you can never say it enough." She said with a smile. "I love you too."
"I'm sorry about what I said about your dress. I love you whatever you wear."
"Harm, my dress isn't green; I just did that to annoy you. As much as I love being a Marine, I wouldn't get married in a green. You're lucky though; do you know how many dresses I tried on before I picked the perfect one?"
"How many?" He asked kissing a stray piece of pasta sauce from her lip.
"Forty- three and if you keep doing that I won't get a chance to finish my lunch and then we won't have time to go and pay your Dad a visit."
"You want to go to the Wall?" He asked quizzically.
"I thought we could show him how much Jenny has grown. Besides there have been a lot of changes going on since I last went to visit."
"You really want to go?" He asked.
"I really do. Your Dad was an important part of your life, he's part of who made you, you. Jenny and any other kids we might have are going to know all about him and going to the Wall is going to remind them that life is precious and we need to grab hold of it for as long as possible."
"'Any other kids'?" He repeated.
"We don't want Jenny to be an only child do we? We both know what that's like and besides we've plenty of room to fill it with a few more kids at a later date."
"Thank you." He kissed her.
"You're welcome. Now, let me eat. Hungry Marine here."
"Yes ma'am." He fired off a sloppy salute.
"I think you need to work on that sailor." She said with a smile.