Hi Everyone, thank you for reading, reviewing, following, favoriting, and just taking interest in my story.
I appreciate your support!
So, this is going to have a little time jump to move the story along.
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Chapter 6- Daddy Day
"Mia, I have something for you" he said handing her the jewelry box.
Mia took the box and looked at him surprised. "What's this?" she asked.
"Davis told me that you deserved a push present, so this is part that. The other part is this is my thank you for holding down the fort while I was gone. No one deserves to go through birth alone and I made you do that, so this is my thank you" he rambled.
She smiled and leaned over to hug him, kissing his cheek as she pulled away to open her gift. "Thank you, you didn't have to get me anything" she replied.
He just shrugged embarrassed.
She opened the box and found a necklace with a heart embedded with light pink diamonds. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"It is for Ally" he informed her.
She put the necklace on and just looked down, admiring her new jewelry. "It's beautiful Clay, you were really so thoughtful. I appreciate this so much" she said giving him another hug before she rested against his chest.
"Just like her mom" he teased wrapping his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her into his chest.
"You say that now" she teased.
Mia was nearing the end of her maternity leave and wanted to start going to her office to get some of chart reviews out of the way.
Clay told her that he would take Ally while she was at work and just drop her off at daycare if they got spun up, but she was nervous about leaving her baby for that long.
Clay had moved back to his place now that Ally was getting bigger and sleeping more throughout the night.
Jason and the boys made sure he had everything that Mia had in her house for Ally and got her all set up at his place.
He was so nervous, he spent all night Thursday cleaning and double cleaning his apartment, getting things ready for his daughter.
He even bought a pack-n' play for her, set up baby gates with Derek's help, and an activity chair that she can wheel around in.
Around 8am, Mia knocked on Clay's door, smiling when he opened it with vigor. She giggled as he let out a breath when they walked in.
"Nervous?" she asked as she dropped the diaper bag and baby stuff at the door.
He let out a nervous breath and smiled, "that obvious?" he replied reaching for his daughter out of the carrier.
He picked her up and held her over his head smiling at her, "good morning princess" he greeted her with a kiss to her cheeks.
She smiled and cooed at her dad as he brought her down into his chest and kissed the top of her head.
Mia giggled as she shook her head at the scene before her. Here was this big, burly Navy Seal with a little bundle of pink in his arms. She looked so small in her dad's large muscles.
"She is such a daddy's girl" she teased her daughter, making Clay grin wider.
"Good, I have to get something out of this deal. You carried her for nine months, bonded with her while I was gone, and she looks just like you. I am perfectly okay with her being a daddy's girl" he stated going to sit at the bar, standing his daughter up on top, holding her little body.
Ally giggled as she started bouncing up and down on her legs.
"I'll make some breakfast" she said as she helped herself to his fridge. She took out some eggs, milk, peppers, sausage for them and some apples and bananas for their daughter.
"I gave her some milk this morning when we woke up. So, you want to mix some apple and banana with her cereal? It's in her bag" she informed him.
Clay nodded and got up to put Ally in her pack-n-play so he could get her breakfast ready. He worked alongside Mia in the kitchen getting breakfast ready for all of them.
Mia helped herself to the food while she was cooking, so once the food was done, she made a plate for Clay while she fed her daughter.
She smiled at how excited her daughter was to be with her dad. Mia wasn't going to lie; she was nervous to leave Ally with Clay. Not that she didn't trust him, it was just a lot for him to experience. He wasn't used to it.
She called Grace and Jenny, Derek's girlfriend, to keep an eye out and check in on them throughout the day.
After breakfast, Mia washed up and grabbed her bags before turning to Clay and Ally. "Okay, it's your last chance to ask for help" she said.
He bounced Ally a little before leaning over to kiss Mia's cheek. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. I have everything handled. You just be careful today and don't overdue yourself" he said smiling at his daughter before turning to Mia.
She smiled and nodded, leaning down to kiss her daughter's cheek, "okay, if you say so. I'll see you later. I'll call you at lunch to check on you guys and after work to see how you are doing" she said before leaning down to her daughter.
"You be good for daddy and mommy will see you later" she kissed her cheek again before leaving.
Clay was excited to start the day once Mia left. He looked back to his daughter who was cuddled in his arms and smiled, kissing the top of her head.
Mia left him instructions on Ally's daily routine, so he was planning on just following that for the important stuff.
He has been home months now and things were going great for them. He was enjoying getting to know his daughter and seeing her personality develop.
He carried her over to her room and put her down in her crib for her nap, leaning down to kiss her forehead, caressing his knuckled down her cheek.
"You have a good nap princess" he said before leaving her to rest, the door cracked as he walked into the kitchen to clean up and her things taken care of for the day.
He had some laundry to do and clean up his apartment while Ally slept.
It took him a couple of hours to do laundry and clean up, so he checked Ally's schedule, seeing that she should be waking up soon, he started on lunch.
He was halfway through making himself a burger when she started crying on the monitor. He smiled and wiped his hands before going to pick up his daughter.
He walked into her room to see her smiling at him from her crib. "Hi princess, did you have a good nap?" he kissed her cheek as he bounced her a little before walking out with her to the kitchen.
He put her in her highchair, "how about a snack while daddy get's lunch ready?" he asked smiling when she started clapping and banging the spoon, he gave her on her tray.
He nodded and walked into the pantry to get her a jar of pureed peaches. Emptying into a Cinderella bowl, he put it on her tray a little out of reach before he put a bib around her neck, letting her have at it.
Clay turned back to making his burger. He toasted the bun and started on the veggies while the meat cooked.
"So, I was thinking we call Uncle Ray and have him meet us at the park with Jameelah and RJ" he suggested as he continued to build his burger.
Once the food was done, he got his plate and carried it over to the living room table before going back for Ally.
He picked her up out of her highchair and carried her over to the couch, putting a jar of squash and some sweet potatoes on her tray. Once he got her comfortable next to him, he turned on the TV and sat next to his daughter watching a football game.
"So, you see Princess, your mama likes the New York Jets but we are from Virginia, and we are always going to be Virginia fans okay" he said smiling as his daughter lifted up her spoon, smiling at her dad, her face covered in baby food.
He laughed as if she really understood what he was saying. He picked up a napkin and wiped her face, "you are a mess Princess" he teased, laughing when she giggled and clanked her spoon on her tray, causing food to go all over her.
"You are going to need a bath" he said putting his plate down on the living room table, moving her tray and picking her up.
As he was walking to the bathroom to get her washed up, his cellphone rang.
Mia was busy buried under charts in her office when she heard a knock on her door. Looking up to see Connor and Grace coming in with bags of Chinese food.
"How's it going Dr. Mama?" Grace asked as they walked in and helped themselves to her couch and started laying out the food.
"It is crazy. What the hell has been going on around here? I have so many charts to review. I thought Chase was going to take over my residents?" she replied as she moved the piles of charts out of the way and helped herself to some food.
"He was, but he is also an asshole, so you know how that goes. We tried to keep him on track, poor Alex was trying to keep him on schedule, but he ignored her" Connor explained.
She shook her head, "he is such an ass" she agreed, digging into her shrimp and broccoli.
"How's my Monkey?" Grace asked.
Mia smiled, "she is good, she is with Clay today" she replied.
Connor smirked at her tone, "how nervous are you?" he teased.
Mia scoffed out a laugh, "I am nervous, but I am excited for him. He was so excited this morning to have her and spend the day with her. I am actually going to call them and check in" she said, pulling out her phone to call Clay.
Clay picked up his phone to see it was Mia calling. "Your mama is calling" he said to his sweet potato covered daughter.
She smiled and reached for the phone; Clay pulled the phone away laughing as she tried to grab it.
He answered the phone and put it on speaker, "hi mama" he greeted.
Mia smiled, "hi daddy, how's it going with my little Sunshine?" she asked.
He smiled at his daughter, "she is good. We just finished lunch. She had a couple jars of Stage 1, covered her face more than getting it in her mouth, but we had fun eating and watching football" he informed her.
Mia laughed, "you better not be telling her to like Virginia. She is going to be a Jets fan" she teased.
Clay looked at his daughter knowingly. "See, I told you Angel" he said to Ally before going back to the phone, "I am going to get her washed up, we are going to change our clothes and meet Ray at the park. Take your time" he added.
Mia nodded, "sounds good. I'll call you guys later. I have a couple more hours of chart review, then I'll call you to check in" she said.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine" he replied.
Mia hung up the phone after saying goodbye and turned to her friends. "See, everything is fine" she told her friends wiping her tears.
Connor and Grace looked at each other knowingly. Grace got up and scooted next to her friend, wrapping her arms around Mia, wiping her tears.
"You are going to be fine. What did I tell you when you got here? You are always going to have support and we are always going to be here for you" Grace said.
Mia laughed and wiped her tears, "I don't even know why I am crying. I just haven't left her for this long yet since she was born" she said.
"It will get easier trust me" Grace replied.
While Mia and her friends continued to eat and gossip about what she missed at the hospital, they were taking her mind off everything at home.
Clay got his daughter cleaned up and washed before going to her bedroom and got her dressed in some shorts and a tank top. He put some sandals on her feet, and a little bow on her head.
He had to get her bag ready to go to the park and wait for Ray and the kids, so he put Ally on her tummy in her boppy with some toys to keep her occupied.
Clay got on the floor in front of her while she was laying on her pillow to keep her occupied for tummy time while they waited for Ray.
Naima called Ray and told him to take time out of his day to go check on Clay and make sure things were going good with Ally.
Mia was nervous for Clay to watch Ally. She talked to Naima and the girls about it before having to leave her daughter for the first time. She wanted to know how Naima was able to do it and get back to work.
Naima told Ray that Mia was nervous and worried for Clay to watch Ally by himself. He promised her that he would reach out and check on his younger teammate.
Ray pulled up to the apartment building with his kids because Clay called them last week and planned a day at the park.
He hurdled his kids out of the car and across the parking lot into the building. Ray led them down the hall towards Clay's apartment.
Knocking on the door, he heard, "it's open" which led him to open the door and push his kids through, only to come up short in the doorway of the living room.
"What the heck are you doing man?" he asked his friend as he closed the door while his kids made their way down the floor to play with Ally while Clay stood up.
"Hi Uncle Clay" Jameelah greeted as she started playing with Ally, the little baby squealing at the presence of her new friends.
"Hi JJ" he leant over to kiss the top of her head, "hi little man" he ruffled RJ's hair as he got up to greet Ray.
He patted Ray on the back and turned to watch their kids play with each other. "Hey man, what the hell were you doing?" Ray asked pointing to the floor where the kids were playing.
It was a surprising sight to see when first walking into the house. Clay was laying on his stomach, staring at the little Angel across from him, propped up on the U-shaped pillow, kicking her feet, playing with toys, laughing at the looks her dad was giving her.
"Mia said that she was supposed to lay like this for an hour a day to help her stability when she starts walking. She is almost there; she looks like she is trying to crawl. Besides, she freaks out less if she is distracted. And we were having a serious conversation while we had our tummy time" he informed Ray.
Ray just shook his head laughing, patting Clay on the back. He knew that it was probably something Mia told him that Ally needed to do, so he was going to do it no questions asked.
"I am sure Naima did this while the kids were babies, but I wasn't around to see it or participate. I think it's really good that you are taking the time to get to know your family and spend time with both Mia and Ally" Ray said.
Clay rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed. "Well, I promised her when she was pregnant that I would always be there for her, and I plan to keep that promise. I want to be better than my dad" he replied.
"You will be, or Jase will kick your ass" Ray reassured him with a tease.
Clay scoffed a laugh, "yeah, that too" he agreed, "I just want better for her" he said seriously.
Ray nodded in agreement and patted his friend on the back, "we all want better for our kids Clay. You just to the best you can, take it one day at a time" he advised.
Clay nodded and grabbed Ally's backpack he packed with a change of clothes, some diapers, wipes, her bottle of water, juice, and some snacks for them both.
He clapped his hands, "you guys ready to go kids?" he asked.
JJ and RJ jumped up and ran to their dad, wrapped themselves around his legs, "we are ready Uncle Clay" she said jumping up and down excited.
Clay smiled and nodded, "good, we are ready too, aren't we Angel?" he asked smiling at his daughter who he picked up off the pillow, launching her into the air a little, grinning on her squeal of joy.
He grabbed her hat off the hook by the door and Cerberus's leash as they made their way out the door.
Ray got his kids settled in the car while Clay buckled Ally in her car seat. "Let's do this babe" he said to his daughter.
It wasn't long before they got to the park. There was a small park and splash area close to where Clay lived.
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The kids were excited when they got to the park. JJ and RJ took off towards the slides and jungle gym.
Clay sat with Ally on the swings and kicked his feet back and forth, so it was swinging. Ally was having the time of her life swinging her arms around, squealing with excitement and joy.
Clay had one arm around her and one hand on the swing.
"Having fun Angel?" he asked looking down at his daughter.
She giggled really loud at her dad, reaching forward to put her hands on his cheeks, over his grin.
"Jameelah, help your brother please" Ray called out to his daughter, who stood at the base of the ladder to the jungle gym, ready to climb up. Her brother following behind her, wanting to be just like her.
Clay looked over at Ray with a smirk, "you know you should just save yourself some time and put a jungle gym in your backyard" he suggested.
Ray nodded with a scoff, "tell me about it" he said sitting down next to Clay on the swings, "Naima has been trying to get them little stuff to do in the back. I mean, it's not like we have a lot of space. Not all of us can have a house with a pool and swing set" he stated.
Clay laughed and shook his head, putting his free hand up in surrender. "Hey, that's Mia's. Has nothing to do with me. You know we don't make that much" he replied.
Ray nodded in understanding. "How are things with you and Mia, I mean really?" Ray asked.
Clay shrugged, "we haven't exactly talked about our relationship. We have just been focusing on Ally. She hasn't kept me from seeing her, wants me in her life, but nothing about us" he said.
"You better figure it out before you are having this conversation with Jason" Ray advised.
Clay nodded in agreement. He knew Ray had a point. He needed to figure this out with Mia now that Ally was here.
"Uncle Clay, Uncle Clay" Jameelah came running calling out to her uncle.
"What's up JJ?" he asked.
"Want to come on the slide with Ally?" she wanted Ally to be apart of everything they were doing.
Clay looked down at his daughter, "I don't know, what do you think Angel? Should we go slide with JJ?" he asked.
Ally looked up at her daddy oblivious. She smiled and reached for Jameelah. Clay nodded and got up, shifting Ally so he was up higher in his arms, grabbing JJ's hand with his free hand.
"Let's do it JJ" he said.
They walked over to the playground and stood in front of the jungle gym. The playground was huge, more for older kids but Jameelah was determined. She also wanted her new little friend to experience it too.
Clay let JJ go up the ladder first while he climbed the steps holding onto his daughter securely before making himself comfortable on the top of the plastic slide.
Jameelah sat next to him, her arms wrapped around his tightly, closing her eyes as Clay wrapped his arms around his daughter, keeping her tightly secure to his chest.
"Ready JJ?" he asked looking down at the little girl.
She was so wrapped around him, he had to smile down at her. Her face was pressed against his bicep as she nodded.
Clay wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her from the side as he crunched his feet, pushing them towards the slippery part of the slide.
He couldn't help but smile as he heard his daughter and JJ's squeals of joy and excitement as they slide down the metal slide.
When they got closer to the bottom, he put his feet out to slow their stop and they didn't slide all the way off.
"That was so much fun Uncle Clay" JJ squealed pulling him into a hug as a thank you when they finished.
He laughed, "I am glad you had fun JJ" he teased.
As they finished their day at the park, Clay carried his daughter who was snuggled in his arms, her face buried in the crook of his neck, fast asleep.
Jameelah and RJ wore Ally out, which was Clay's goal. He got her settled in her car seat, said bye to Ray's family before driving them home.
He carefully carried Ally into the house and straight to her crib to take her nap. While she was napping, he was more productive. He cleaned up their stuff from the park, grabbed a beer and plopped himself on the couch in front of the TV.
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Clay was having the best time with his daughter. He loved spending time with her, but he had to admit that he was scared shitless. He was beyond nervous of how he was doing.
After dinner, he called Mia and told her to go out or have a night for herself. He was enjoying having his daughter with him.
"Are you sure?" Mia asked him as she got ready to leave the hospital.
"Mia, we are fine here. She had her dinner and now she is asleep. You go enjoy yourself with Grace and Tess or something" he reassured her.
"Okay, thanks Clay" she stated.
Clay relaxed back on the couch; volume low on the TV so he wouldn't wake his daughter. Cerberus was laying in front of the playpen guarding Ally while she slept.
He was worried that if he took his eyes off her, she would disappear. That is why he kept her in the same room as him all day.
He also knew that Mia was nervous about leaving the baby for the first time, so he wanted to make her proud and do everything right.
After spending the day with Ally, he honestly didn't know how Mia did it by herself while he was deployed. And not only did she have to take care of Ally, but of Emma and Mikey too.
Clay had no idea how much work a baby could be before he had his daughter. She went through so many clothes, food, diaper changes, it was hard to keep up with everything.
It was a lot of work, and he was just in awe of Mia for everything she did for him and their family to keep them afloat. He didn't know how she did it.
That was why he was trying to be as present as he could and help out where he could while he was home. Since his schedule was so sporadic.
Jason knew that Clay had his niece for the day. Emma told him that she called her Uncle Clay to check in and check up on Ally while she was on her lunch break from school.
He also knew that his sister was nervous about leaving Clay with ally for the first time. He told Emma he was going to make a trip to see Clay and check on Ally.
He made his way to Clay's apartment and sent him a text letting him know he was there so he wouldn't wake the baby.
"I am outside the door. Didn't want to wake Ally. Open up" he sent the message.
Clay got up and answered the door quietly letting Jason in, a finger over his lips to indicate for him to be quiet.
When Jason walked in, he smiled at all the baby stuff scattered around the apartment. He walked further in the living room to see his beautiful little Gumdrop asleep peacefully in her playpen.
"Hey Jase, what's going on? Everything okay?" Clay asked as he shut the door and followed his boss into his living room.
"Yeah, I just wanted to check on her and make sure you were doing okay" Jason replied, standing over the playpen, glancing at Clay.
Clay looked at him curious. "I am fine, what do you mean check on Angel and me?" he asked walking to the kitchen and grabbed two beers, handing one to Jason before settling on the couch.
"I thought you might need some support, being on your own with the Gumdrop tonight" Jason said settling next to him, "I remember what it was like the first time I was alone with Emma, who was older than Ally and I was scared shitless" he stated.
Clay nodded, "well, I have been following Mia's schedule and routine that she left me, so everything has been okay so far. We went to the park with Ray and the kids and watched some football. We had fun, I just can't believe that Mia had to do that by herself while we were gone and take care of Emma and Mikey" he replied.
Jason nodded, taking a chug of his beer, relaxing back on the couch. "Yeah, I pretty much kissed the ground Alanna walked on after taking care of Emma by myself for the night" he agreed.
"I am just worried about being a good dad. I mean we are gone 300 days of the year. How am I going to be a good dad if our schedule is so crazy. Coming and going out of her life, I don't want to be like my dad" Clay vented.
Jason sat up seriously, looking at Clay, shaking his head. "Clay, you are nothing like Ash and I know you won't be" he said seriously.
Clay looked at him surprised. "How can you be so sure?" the younger man asked.
"Clay, I see the way you are with that little girl and even my sister. What did you do when you found out that Mia was pregnant? You stepped up and even made sure that she had everything she needed while she was pregnant and even after Ally was born. Besides, think about the way you feel about Mia and Ally. You think your father felt love for you?" he asked.
"No, he was a selfish bastard that only thought about himself. You love your daughter, and you love Bravo. You have healthy relationships. That is something your dad didn't know how to do" Jason added.
Clay smiled and nodded in gratitude. That meant a lot coming from Jason, not only as his boss, but also as Mia's older brother.
"That means a lot Jase" he said.
Bravo One nodded and clapped Clay on the back, "you are going to be fine and besides, if you aren't I'll kick your ass" Jason teased as he chugged the rest of the beer.
Before Clay could say anything else, Ally started shifting in her playpen and making a quiet cry.
"Time to eat for the Gumdrop" Jason said getting up, taking his beer to the kitchen. "I'll let you get to that" he said grabbing his coat and leant down to kiss Ally's forehead.
He walked Jason out the apartment before turning to Ally. "I'll get your dinner ready Angel" he said turning to the kitchen.
Clay pulled the bottle of the fridge and a pan for water on the stove. He started heat the water on the stove before putting the bottle in it.
Ally started crying louder as she was waiting for her food. "I'm getting it babe, just wait a minute" he laughed as she started crying and bouncing on her legs, trying to hold herself up in the playpen.
Clay laughed as he pulled the bottle out of the warmer, grabbed a towel, before going to pick up his daughter.
He picked her up and smiled at her, "you couldn't wait huh? I told you I was coming" he teased.
She just looked at her dad and let out a questioning cry as if she wasn't sure. Clay laughed and kissed her forehead.
Clay took a seat on the couch and got Ally settled in his arms as he gave her the bottle.
He just looked down at her and smiled as she watched him. He smiled at her, "I promise that I am going to be a good dad, Angel. I am always going to be there for you" he promised.
Eventually, Ally's eyes closed as she began to doze off, the bottle empty. He pulled it form her mouth and placed it on the table before lifting her up and putting her over his clothed shoulder.
Once she let out a loud burp, he kissed the side of her head and laid her in the crib. Once she was settled, he got himself ready for bed.
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The next morning, Clay knocked on Mia's door. He didn't hear anything inside, so he used his key that she gave him for emergency and let himself in.
He smirked at the sight of Mia on the couch, still dressed in clothes from the day before, dead to the world.
He put Ally's bags down on the recliner and turned to Mia. He shook her shoulder, "Mia, wake up, we are home" he called her.
Mia groaned and turned to her back, rubbing the tired out of her face. She looked exhausted and drained.
"What time is it?" she asked, looking for her glasses.
He chuckled, "it's 11am, we tried to let you sleep as late as possible, but I ran out of food" he said.
She nodded and sat up on the couch, pulling her hair into a messy bun before putting her glasses on.
"It looks like Mommy had a good night with Aunt Gracie" Clay teased as he took a seat on the couch.
"Damn Grace, she had me drinking those fruit cocktail wine coolers last night and let me tell you, those things are so sweet they are bottomless" she teased.
He laughed, "good, I am glad you had a good time" he replied handing over Ally, who curled into her mom's chest.
"Hi Princess, did you have fun with daddy?" she asked cuddling her daughter to her chest.
Clay smiled and nodded, making himself comfortable on the couch across from them, "yes we did. We went to the park with Ray and the kids, then Uncle Jason stopped by" he informed her innocently, watching her eyes widen in surprise.
She knew she was busted. "Sorry, I was worried okay. I haven't left her for that long before" she defended herself.
"It's okay, Jase and I cleared the air on a few things" he informed her.
That made her look at him questioningly. "What things?" she asked worried.
He shook his head, "it's dad stuff, nothing for you to worry about" he replied.
Mia looked at him curiously before nodding, "you still doing guys night tonight?" she asked, rubbing her hand up and down her daughter's back.
Clay helped himself to some coffee and nodded, "yeah, I am meeting up with Brian at the Bulkhead. I'll meet you and the guys at Ray's" he informed her.
She nodded, "sounds good. I will meet you at Ray's house. Don't forget that we are going to the water park this week" she said.
He nodded, "yeah, I know. I'll be here on Friday so we can drive over together"
Mia nodded, "sounds good. What are your plans for today?" she asked.
"Well, Jason texted this morning and said that he planned a training course for us to do. He is going to make us run the hill, I just know it" he informed her, causing Mia to laugh.
"I can see this turning ugly. Please don't end up in my ER" she teased.
He just shrugged, "that is up to your brother" he replied.
Mia just laughed and shook her head, "hey, since her birthday is coming up in a couple months, do you want to get family pictures? I was going to set up something at Picture Perfect in the mall" she suggested.
He nodded, "that would be great" he replied.
Mia smiled, "good, I will set it up this week" she stated.
"We should make a day out of it. Have Jason and the kids meet us so they can be part of our family pictures" he suggested.
Mia nodded, "yeah sure, that would be great" she said.
Clay smiled and nodded in agreement. "Great, I will see you this weekend after boys' night" he stated.
Mia nodded and got up to walk him out, turning Ally over so she was facing her dad. "Say have fun daddy" she bounced her daughter a little, Ally squealing as Clay leant down and kissed her cheeks.
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After their training and going over their casework, Clay changed and met Brian at the Bulkhead for some drinks.
"Hey man, what's been going on? I haven't seen you in weeks. How's it been on Bravo?" Brian asked as he met Clay at the bar and handed him a beer.
Clay nodded, "it's been good. Bravo has been amazing. Especially my little princess, she has been the light of my life" he explained.
"Well, it's a good thing she takes after Mia and looks nothing like you" Brian laughed as Clay punched his shoulder.
Clay grabbed his empty beer bottle and made his way to the bar. He caught the attention of the bartender and indicated to his bottle for another beer.
"Wow, do I have to be hot man to get a refill? I have been trying to get her attention for over an hour" Clay looked over to see a pretty woman sitting on the stool next to him, smirking at him.
"I mean, I am sure it helps" he replied teasing.
She smiled as she played with the paper on her bottle. "I am sure it does" she agreed.
He smiled at her and signaled to the bartender before grabbing her bottle and indicating that he wanted another bottle.
She smiled and nodded at him, "thank you" she greeted.
He nodded, "I'm Clay" he introduced himself.
"Stella" she shook his hand.
"So, you from around here?" he asked.
She just couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "Does line really work?" she replied.
He smiled with a shrug. "Well, it got you talking to me didn't it" he reasoned.
She nodded, "fair point" she added, taking her beer from the bartender.
"So, where are you from? You seem pretty familiar with this bar" Clay stated.
"My students tell me that this is a pretty popular bar" she replied.
"Your students…are you a teacher?" he asked.
"I am a Teaching Assistant in Graduate School; I am studying English and literature" she explained.
He nodded as he listened to her explain everything. That was above his paygrade. The smart one in their relationship was Mia's job.
"So, you're in the Navy huh?" she asked.
Clay looked over at her surprised. "That obvious huh?" he replied taking a chug of beer.
"Yeah, I guess, you just have the build" she said.
He nodded with a laugh, "yeah, I guess I do. Yes, I am in the Navy, it's sort of complicated. I can't really talk about it" he replied.
She scoffed with a smile, "oooh, you know that makes you more mysterious to us right?" she teased.
He shrugged, "whatever works right" he replied.
She laughed, finished her drink and got up to walk out, "nice to meet you Clay" she said before she started to walk away.
He got up and called out after her, "hey, will I see you again?"
She shrugged as she walked backwards, keeping eye contact with him, "if you're lucky" she replied before leaving.
Clay walked over to Brian, who was watching amused.
"I have to say, that was genius" Brian teased.
"You think so? She walked out on me" he replied.
Brian nodded and took a chug of his beer, "yeah, but she is above your paygrade, so the fact that she talked to you at all is hopeful" Brian teased.
"Shut up man" Clay shoved Brian.
"Dude, this is serious. I want to know how you got two women that are way above your level. First you got Mia and now you have this Stella chick. Do you think Mia will be okay with that?" he asked.
Clay nodded, "yeah, we talked about this at the beginning of our relationship when she got pregnant. As long as we are open with each other" he explained.
Brian shook his head, "dude, seriously, you got lucky" Brian stated.
"Ally is only 6 months old. We are going to be in each other's lives forever. We have to learn to work together" Clay replied.