March 14th 2022

Chapter 73
Our Bonds With Years

Even as he woke that morning, feeling the press of her head at his shoulder, his arms around her… Lucas remembered how they'd fallen asleep this way, a few hours back, after they'd had to get up to go and check on the crying triplets. Maya had pointed out that, as they were into 'the wee hours,' it was officially his birthday, and spooning just wouldn't do. She may also have suggested that this bit of nearness would subconsciously gift him with some 'very fun dreams,' which had him chuckle as he closed his eyes. Now as he woke, he imagined she'd be curious to know whether she'd been right or not. She had, naturally, but right now he actually cared a lot more about the fact that he got to wake up here, on his birthday, feeling her near. He wouldn't have had it any other way, and he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head with that fact in mind.

"Happy birthday," she spoke. He wasn't even startled. Of course, she'd already been awake. He'd venture to say that she'd been awake a while already, just enjoying the hold as he did. When he lightly pressed his hold on her, she turned her head up, and it was impossible to say who'd smiled first, who'd made the other's face bloom into brightness, but here they were. She stretched up just enough, even as he bowed his head the same, that they might meet in a kiss.

"Definitely feels that way so far," Lucas declared, and Maya smirked.

"I'll bet. Thirty-three… Wow…" she whispered with only the slightest exaggeration of awe. He responded with a very accurate portrayal of her raised eyebrow that made her snicker in his shoulder. And? She lifted her smile back to him. "Very good. Well done," she appraised, and he slowly nodded in appreciation. "Okay, as nice as we have it here right now, I was put under very strict orders by our daughter to go and let her know when she could come and wish you a happy birthday, so…"

"She is very polite," Lucas smiled, an instant reaction to the thought of their Hucklebucket, waiting to come and surprise him.

"Right?" Maya agreed.

After one good, birthday-worthy kiss, she climbed out of the bed and moved off down the hall. As he waited, Lucas lay there on his back, breathing in the quiet of morning, listening… He could just hear sounds to suggest one… no, two… maybe all three of the babies were awake across the hall, and he had to resist the urge to go out there, knowing what was coming for him. He wasn't hearing much from down the hall, but that only told him that a scheme was afoot, and he didn't know whether to let himself smile or try and pretend that he was asleep. Only when he started to hear them coming did he decide to go for option one. Clearly, Marianne knew that he was awake and waiting for her. She appeared in the doorway, with a folded piece of paper in her hand, and as soon as she saw him staring back, she smiled and hurried over. He leaned over and scooped her up with ease, swinging her up until she could reach around his neck and hug him. He hugged her back.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" she told him when she pulled back. She followed this up with a good bit of coverage, kissing one cheek, and the other cheek, and his forehead, and his nose… She saw this as the most definitive display of one's love for another, and there was really no fault in her logic as far as he was concerned.

"Thanks, pumpkin," he told her as she sat back on his legs and presented him with the paper. "For me?" he asked, as though he didn't already know, and she nodded. He could recognize her drawing style a mile away, and it made him ridiculously happy whenever he got to see more of it. Here, she had drawn the family, him, and Maya, and Ella, herself, and Tori, and Lucy, Kacey, and Remy, and all the dogs, all of them standing under what was clearly intended to be the Sullivan Stables arch. Only instead of those words, it said 'happy birthday.' "You are so good at letters, huh?" Lucas complimented as he pointed to the text. She could spell certain words, others not, but she was very good at seeing the letters and copying them down when she didn't know. Her teacher had been going on about her writing and how impressed she was. Maya would suggest that it came down to her drawing, and how she had been trying to imitate things for so long, but at the same time she was just as amazed at their girl as anyone.

"Uh-huh," Marianne just nodded, like this was normal, because for her it was.

"I especially like my beard," Lucas smiled, indicating his image. "And I see you didn't forget your star," he pointed at her drawn self. Marianne shook her head. She would never forget her star. "And your little sisters all have their colors… and their hair," he chuckled. Drawn Lucy had, as in life, a significant amount of hair more than the duo in their trio.

"I forgot the hats," Marianne pointed out, sounding as though she was disappointed at herself for this.

"Oh, that's alright," Lucas promised. "We'll have those later, huh?" They had been… somewhere… in the house for a few months now, after she'd come upon them, one day out shopping with her aunts Eliza and Emma. She'd found them so funny, and they'd bought them for her, for this day especially. Lucas was aware that this had happened, but he had not yet seen these hats or what had made his daughter so compelled by them. Today would finally be the day of discovery.

"Can we come in now?" Maya's voice floated over from across the hall. Marianne perked up at this, so Lucas answered for them both.

"Yeah, we're good," he smiled. The drawing was put on prominent display on his nightstand for now, the better to be ready when Maya came along with the babies. They may not have known that today was their father's birthday, but they all looked so happy to see him when Maya brought them along, first Kacey and Remy together, and then Lucy on her own, that it really didn't matter. Not only did he get to make them laugh, but he got to hear his very favorite laugh, which was in fact all three of them going all at once, so in sync as to make the rest of them laugh along. There was really no better way for the day to begin.

Breakfast was not nearly as extravagant as it might have been if this had been a weekend morning, but he really didn't mind. They all sat together, Marianne insisting to sit in his lap as they ate, and Maya exercised one of her favorite parts of 'Hucklebirthday,' which was to dig through their many years both as a couple and as friends and find some funny or potentially embarrassing story to share. With how they had gone on hosting her siblings, from Sam, to Cara, to now Eliza and Emma, for nearly nine years, and before that had been living with their friends for four years in Houston, she'd always had an audience for this, but now that she also got to share it with their daughters, oh… She never missed a beat.

Maya had taken over with the morning drop-offs since her return to work, but today would be different. Today, they were swapping. He would do the drop-off, as he used to do, and she would do the pick-up instead of him. By now, he knew better than to 'question the shenanigans,' so he simply agreed. Anyway, he kind of missed doing the drop-offs, so he really saw this as a perk. When they were all set to go, he kissed the triplets goodbye, then the same to Maya, thanked the Clutterbuckets who'd just arrived to look after their great-granddaughters, and he took off with Marianne.

"Daddy, wait, not yet," she told him when they arrived. They'd gotten out of the car and walked over to the building hand in hand, as usual, and he'd been about to say his goodbyes for the day until she stalled him. Her hands came clamped at his shoulders and she stared at him with all the intensity that the New York Maya in her could muster.

"Not yet?" he repeated, curious, and she shook her head. "Did we forget something?" he wondered. She shook her head again. "Alright, what is it then?"

"Wait," she told him. She gave him a pointed look. Are you waiting yet? He held up his hands in surrender. Okay. "Be right back," she told him and sprinted off further into the room, where many of the children already roamed, parents still with them.

Lucas watched as she went over to Miss Alma and the woman smiled and bent over to speak to her. She turned her head and spotted him, sending a wave which he returned. After turning back to Marianne, she held up a finger. Hold on. She went to the kitchen area and Marianne followed. A moment later, she exited and came hurrying back to him, holding a paper bag folded over. She took his hand and pulled for him to walk so he could follow her over to one of the tables. If her intent was to surprise him, she was succeeding, because he had no idea what she was up to. She wanted him to sit, he understood that, so he sat, and she did the same, across from him, before putting the bag on the table, in between them.

"What's this?" he asked, equal parts playing into her surprise and being genuinely curious. She invited him to open the bag, so he did. When he looked inside, oh… The 'dad feels' hit him at once. A piece of cake, in a little plate and covered in plastic wrap, the very same they would have with the kids when one of them had their birthday. He knew her reasoning at once, even before she stated it. She'd remembered. She'd remembered how he'd asked her, back in October when it had been her birthday, if she could sneak him a piece. And now it was his birthday, so he got his cake.

"Miss Alma said it was okay," she informed him with a glad little smile when he pointed out that he didn't go to preschool like her or the other kids.

"Can we eat it now?" Lucas asked his daughter. She gave a look somewhere between 'no, we must not!' and 'oh, can we?' It was still early morning, and they had just eaten breakfast not long ago. "Or I could eat it with my lunch," he suggested, and to this Marianne gave a good nod he swore was straight out of his own mother's mannerisms. Yes, this was the prudent thing to do. You are way too good, pumpkin, he thought to himself. "Alright," he nodded back, closing up the bag again. "I'll have to make sure and hide it until then, or else someone might steal it. Miss Donna, or Juliet… One of the horses…"

"No, Daddy, they can't eat cake," Marianne laughed.

"Then I'll keep it safe," he promised. She came around the table now and hugged him again, as he needed to go on his way. "Thank you for the cake. You have a good day, yeah?" he kissed her forehead before looking at her smiling little face again. He could just imagine what he looked like here, perched on the short chair as he was, on the morning of his thirty-third birthday. Maybe it was the way his day had started, with Maya, with their daughters, but he really didn't know how he could feel anything but young and alive when they were with him.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners