Lucy finished packing her dirty bedclothes into the washer and started the cycle. She turned towards the kitchen to see her seventy-five-year-old husband lounging against the doorway, his shirt still unbuttoned over his chest.
"Lee, Molly's going to be here any minute!" She shook her head and began fastening the buttons over his broad stomach. Her pulse quickened a fraction as her fingers brushed against his chest. She arched a brow, smiling up at him. "You're still looking far too sexy."
"I can't hide what I am." He gazed down at her over the top of his dark-framed glasses. "You've changed clothes completely."
Lucy finished fastening his collar and tugged self-consciously at her lime green blouse. "I hardly think you could call what I was wearing before appropriate granny attire."
Lee grinned even wider, shaking his head. Even in her bright shirt and dark trousers, Lucy looked like a woman far younger than her years. Her small, slim frame had maintained its shape, her curves not sagging enough to keep Lee from salivating every time she wore a low-cut top or a tight pair of trousers. She still coloured her hair and wore it in a stylish cut. Only the small lines gathering at the corners of her eyes and mouth belied her age, but Lee thought they only augmented her unparalleled beauty. In his eyes, she effortlessly outshone every other woman he'd seen, including those twenty or thirty years her junior. "You're too beautiful to be a grandma."
"Believe it." She reached up to stroke his grizzled white beard. "Because I'm married to the loveliest, handsomest, best granddad there is."
His arms wound tightly about her torso as he lowered his head, capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss. Lucy moaned appreciatively. Her other hand travelled down to rest against his crotch. She grabbed him, prompting an explosive grunt from Lee. His strong, broad, wrinkled hands linked themselves under her bottom as he picked her up off the ground and carried her into the kitchen. He sat her on the kitchen table, his lips still locked around hers. From her seated position, Lucy lifted her legs and folded them around his torso. Her fingers scrubbed at his short white hair as she pressed herself even tighter against him. His sinewy arms enfolded her with so much confidence and power that she couldn't help but shudder; Lee had become an excellent lover in his advanced age, brimming with vitality and sexuality in a way that would have astonished and embarrassed his younger self. He didn't carry himself like an old man, but as someone who knew his wife found him irresistible. And that only drove Lucy wilder still.
They both caught short gasps for breath, neither willing to punctuate their deep-throated kiss for more than a few milliseconds. Intermittent groans of pleasure sounded behind their lips. Lucy lifted her gaze to Lee's, her green irises penetrating the thick lenses of his bifocals and blazing into his gorgeous hazel eyes. His look sparkled with life and love, the colours shifting in the light every time he moved his head. She was the only thing reflected in his eyes, and he the only thing in hers. The couple held each other close, lost in their loving embrace.
A few insistent knocks finally impeded upon their consciences, followed by the sound of the front door creaking open. "Hello! Mum? Dad?"
They broke apart, trading a look of surprise.
"The spare key!" Lee cried.
"They're here!" Lucy quickly hopped off the table and strode into the living room, straightening her clothes. She smiled at the sight of Molly and her husband, Jack, standing just inside the front door. "Hello, darling! I was just putting away a bit of laundry."
"I'm glad it wasn't anything worse," Molly replied, sighing. She'd walked in on her parents having an intimate moment far too many times for comfort. She shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to Lucy. Her two-year-old daughter toddled out from behind her legs, an impish smile on her face.
"Hi, Leeanna!" Lucy cooed, stooping down to the girl's level. "Don't you look pretty today?"
Her granddaughter suddenly broke into a lively run, darting right past Lucy towards the kitchen doorway. "Granddad!"
Lucy shook her head as she watched the toddler barrel right into Lee, who was ready and waiting to scoop her into his arms and hoist her against his shoulder.
"Little Lee!" He cried excitedly, wrapping his arms securely around the tiny girl. Her short strawberry blonde curls bobbed as she buried her face in his white beard, kissing his cheek. Her little arms linked themselves around his neck. Lee craned his head to gaze adoringly at her face. "How's Granddad's favourite girl?"
Lucy straightened and beamed at Molly. She could still remember the times when the young woman standing before her had gone running to greet her father when he came home from work. "Like mother, like daughter."
Molly nodded absently, frowning a little at the sight of Leeanna eagerly babbling to her grandfather over Lucy's shoulder. Lee was nodding in rapt attention at his namesake; he hadn't so much as acknowledged anyone else in the room.
"How have you been?" Lucy touched her daughter's arm.
"Tired." Molly slowly strolled over towards the sofa, where Jack had already plopped down. She nodded at him. "This one's been swanning all over Denmark chasing after some investment deal, leaving me at home to care for Leeanna before and after work all by myself. My students have been a nightmare, and conferences are right around the corner! This bank holiday weekend couldn't come soon enough!"
"You poor thing." Jack took her hand, smiling softly up at her, before turning towards Lucy. "I offered to take her wherever she wanted to go for the weekend, and she wanted to spend it here with you. I hope it's just what the doctor ordered." He drew Molly down onto his lap and tucked a strand of her golden blonde hair behind her ear. "I've been missing her smile."
She shot him a rueful look. "I'm sorry, Jack. I've been a nightmare, too, haven't I?"
"It's all right." He shrugged. "I just want you to be happy."
"You're marvellous." She took his face in her hands, her fingers absently stroking his trim beard, as she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Please be a dear and take our bags up to my room?"
Jack groaningly pushed himself to his feet, tugging Molly up with him. He tore his gaze away from her simpering look to share a knowing smile with his mother-in-law. "I'm a mug."
As he began gathering up the family's luggage, Molly moved over towards her father. She flashed him a smile, loudly speaking over her daughter's happy chatter. "Don't I get a hello anymore?"
Lee shot her an amused look. "Oh, hi, love. Baby Lee was just telling me about…"
His voice trailed off as Molly wound her arms around him in a fierce hug, burying her head in his chest. When she didn't immediately pull away, he lifted his free hand and patted her back. Leeanna let loose a sharp cry for attention, her tiny foot kicking out at her mother for encroaching on her space.
"Lee!" Molly pulled away and frowned admonishingly at her daughter. "Can't Mummy spend a moment with her daddy?"
"That's Daddy!" Leeanna pointed to Jack, who was just beginning to trundle up the stairs.
Molly smiled in spite of herself, laughing a little. "That's your daddy." She poked the little girl's tummy. "Granddad Lee is my daddy."
"That's right." Lee bounced Leeanna against his shoulder. "I'm Mummy's daddy. Which makes me your granddad," he cooed, lowering his head to blow a raspberry against her stomach.
"My granddad!" She giggled, lifting her arms to throw them possessively around his white head.
Molly's face fell a little as she watched Leeanna squeal with glee at her granddad's farting noises. She felt invisible again, as if the two Lees were the only people in the room.
Her father suddenly swung back to face her, his expression clouding with concern. "You okay, love?"
Molly sighed. Her voice broke with relief a little when she spoke: "Oh, Daddy, like I was telling Mum, there's been so much been going on at school this-,"
"Play with me!" Leeanna shouted petulantly, diverting her granddad's attention. She pounded the flats of her tiny hands against his shoulders. "I want to play! Play with me, Granddad!"
"What do you want to play, Little One?"
She smiled, sitting up pertly in Lee's arms. "Horsie!"
"All right, love. If you want to play Horsie, let's go play Horsie." Lee started to carry her off towards the stairs.
Lucy lifted an eyebrow at him. "Well, I see you've recovered rather quickly from this morning."
Lee paused next to his wife, grinning at her. "You know I've got the stamina to be ridden all day."
Molly gasped, hurrying up to them. Leeanna glanced between her grandparents in puzzlement. "Grandma plays Horsie?"
Lucy smiled indulgently at her granddaughter. "Yes, darling. We played our own game of Horsie this morning."
Lee grunted in affirmation. "Your nan is quite the cowgirl."
"Mum! Dad!" Molly reached out and clapped her hands over her daughter's ears. "I thought we had agreed as a family: no innuendo around the children!"
Lee and Lucy laughed sheepishly. "Don't worry, love," her father guffawed, glancing at her. "We learned our lesson with you lot. We won't corrupt her innocence."
"I mean it. She's gotten even more adventurous since we last stayed over. Keep her away from the closets and drawers." Molly regarded them sternly. "I don't want to come upstairs to find her in your gimp mask and playing with 'rocket ships,' okay?"
"Yes, Molly," Lucy replied with mock seriousness as her daughter reluctantly lowered her hands from Leeanna's ears. "We've got more age-appropriate toys for the grandkids in the nursery, you know."
"Which is where you and I are headed, aren't we?" Lee held the girl up lovingly before glancing between her and her grandmother. "Look at her, Luce," he murmured softly, angling Leeanna for comparison. "The original and the copy."
"Stop it!" Lucy blushed, nudging his shoulder.
"I know you can see it." He lowered his head close to hers. "She's got your nose."
"And she has your eyes," she murmured, touching her nose to his.
Molly loudly cleared her throat. "Excuse me." She gestured to herself. "In case you've forgotten, I'm her mother?"
They both turned to look at her. Lucy's brow furrowed. "Well, of course, darling. That's why we were saying-,"
"Look at me!" Leeanna threw her arms wide, smiling when she became the centre of her grandparents' attention once more.
Lucy shook her head, unable to resist the toddler's charm. She lifted a hand and tickled her stomach. "You're a very pretty girl, Lee."
"Pretty girl!" she parroted, her giggles bubbling out of her.
"She's getting antsy," Lee murmured as he struggled to maintain his hold on her. "You ready to play Horsie, love?"
"Horsie! Horsie!" Leeanna clapped her hands, writhing in her granddad's arms.
"All right. Come along." Lee shot his wife and daughter a parting smile as he whisked the little girl towards the staircase.
Lucy turned to Molly, a blissful expression on her face. "She's just darling, isn't she?"
"Yes." Molly tried to mirror her mother's smile, though she couldn't help but feel a hollow pang as she watched her father and daughter disappear up the stairs.
Lucy poked her head into the kitchen, where Molly was sat at the table answering e-mails. She paused, waiting quietly until her daughter finally lifted her head to look at her. "What?"
"Come here. I want to show you something."
Molly sighed and reluctantly got up from the table. She followed her mother through the living room and up the stairs. As they neared the nursery, Lucy turned and put a finger to her lips. She stopped at the doorway and gently pointed inside.
Molly followed Lucy's gaze. Lee was sat in the rocking chair, his glasses askew on his nose. He snored peacefully. Leeanna lay curled against her grandfather's chest, likewise fast asleep. An opened storybook sat abandoned on Lee's lap. Molly peered down at the pages and felt her heart drop; it was the same treasury of horse stories that her father had once used to read her to sleep when she was a little girl.
"Aren't they adorable?" Lucy whispered, beaming at Molly before turning back towards the rocker. She shook her head. "They look so sweet I hate to wake them."
"Lee needs a bath, yet," Molly grumbled, brushing past her mother.
"He's needed one for months. That's no reason to wake them now." Lucy's eyes sparkled with amusement.
Molly ignored her. She walked over to the chair and softly shook her father's shoulder. "Daddy. Daddy, wake up."
He snorted as his eyes fluttered open. "Huh?" He fumblingly pushed his glasses back up his nose and squinted at Molly. "Oh. Hello, love." He looked down and smiled softly at his dozing granddaughter. Her round, cherubic face looked so perfect, so beautiful. Her tiny lips were gently parted, drool gathered at the corners of her mouth. Lee ran his gnarled fingers through her dainty, sandy blonde curls. "Did we fall asleep?"
"Yes. Come on." She gestured impatiently for him to stand. "I've got to give Lee her bath and cart her to bed." She held her arms out to take her daughter.
Lee placed the storybook on the floor and rose to his feet, holding Leeanna against him. He hugged her close before lifting his gaze to Molly. "Can I bathe her?"
Molly sighed in exasperation. "Daddy…"
"It's been a long time. I missed having bath time after you lot grew up. It would be fun to give her a bath and tuck her in, and you could keep working on…whatever you were working on. Please?" He smiled at her imploringly.
She stared back at him stonily for a long moment. Then she dropped her arms and turned away. "Fine. But don't get her too wound up so she'll go straight to bed after. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
Lee's face lit up as he started for the door. His granddaughter mumbled and stirred sleepily in his arms. He stroked the back of her head and lowered his face to hers. "Wake up, Princess Lee. You're going to have bath time with Granddad tonight!"
Leeanna stretched her arms wide and clutched his torso, making a muffled, pleased sound against his shirt.
He paused in the doorway to grin at his wife. "I love being a granddad. It's all the best parts of parenting again without any of the bad bits."
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" Lucy watched them disappear down the hall into the bathroom and turned to Molly. "Thanks. You've made your old dad very happy."
"Mmm." Molly lifted her gaze from the old book of horse stories on the floor and nodded at her mother, her smile not quite meeting her eyes.
Lee crept into the darkened kitchen in the early hours of the morning. He made his way over to the counter and carefully removed the lid from the biscuit jar. He reached inside, eagerly seeking some of the chocolate biscuits Lucy had purchased specifically for their granddaughter's visit.
"Couldn't sleep, either, Dad?"
Lee jumped and whirled around to see Molly still sat at the kitchen table, her face illuminated by the glow of her mobile phone. He placed a hand on his chest to steady his hammering old heart. "What are you still doing up? I thought you and Jack went to bed ages ago."
"I assumed you might be up for a midnight snack, since you napped after dinner. I figured this was the only time I had to talk to you." She shrugged. "You were so…busy...earlier."
"Ah, love." Lee grabbed enough biscuits for himself and his daughter and sat down next to her at the table. "Mini Lee's more of bucketful than a handful. I don't know how you have the energy to keep up with her day in and day out." He shook his head, biting into one of the biscuits. "Tell you what, she knows how to keep old Granddad entertained. You know what she did today? When we were playing chase, she stopped and stood really still, and made a funny face like that." He scrunched his face up in a comical expression. "I came running back to her and asked her what she was doing. Then she dropped a massive poo in her pants, said 'all done,' and tapped me on the nose. 'You're it now, Granddad!' I had to run her down and catch her before I could change her nappy!"
"Did she really do a poo in her pants?" Molly dropped the biscuit she'd been eating, an annoyed look crossing her face. "She should know better than to do that by now, Dad. We've been trying to potty train her! Didn't you see the training seat in the diaper bag? She should have told you she needed a poo!"
"It's all right. I don't mind the odd nappy change." He frowned a little at Molly, who was holding her head in her hands. "She's a clever girl. I'm sure she'll be going to the toilet in no time." He snorted, an amused light twinkling in his eyes. "Speaking of clever, you'll never believe what she said to me when we were-,"
"Stop!" Molly slammed her hand down on the table, lifting her head. "I don't want to hear another word about Lee! Ever since we walked into this house, it's been, 'Lee this, Lee that, Lee, Lee, Lee!' I'm sick of it!"
"Hang on!" Lee sat up, regarding her incredulously. "Are you jealous of your own child?!"
Molly looked down. "It's just…you know…I spent the entire week looking after her, all by myself, and I came here to spend time with you and Mum, but all you want to do is play with her!" She angrily brushed away some tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "I might as well not even be here."
"Molly…" Lee tentatively reached out and stretched his arm across her shoulders. He gazed past her contemplatively for a long moment before he finally spoke again: "You know, if it had been up to me, you'd have stayed six years old forever. Watching you grow up and move on with your life was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. You've shattered me old dicky ticker more times than I can count." Lee patted his heart emphatically. "But, with Leeanna, you've made it all worth it. You gave me my little girl back."
"But she's not your little girl!" Molly lifted her teary eyes to him, sniffling. "I'm your little girl!"
He sighed and sadly shook his head. "Not anymore, you aren't."
Her vision suddenly clouded with water. "You said…you said I'd always be…"
"Look at me, love." Lee cradled her chin in his other hand and tilted it up to face him. He blinked, desperately trying to stem his own tears threatening to fall behind his glasses. "Lee hasn't replaced you. She can't ever touch all the memories we shared. You and me, we've had a special bond from day one." He smiled. "Like the time I helped you resurrect your pet rat from the dead?"
Molly punctuated her crying with short scoff. "I'd hardly call what you did helping…"
"Or the time I took the blame for that window you broke in your grandparents' house?" He looked at her knowingly.
She giggled. "Or the time you snuck me out to get my ears pierced?"
"Can't ever forget it, love." He tugged at his left ear. "I was the rad dad with the piercings for a time because of that!"
"Mum hated every moment of it!" Molly threw her head back and laughed.
"I was the only one who would get back in the car with you after you ran into that lamppost, too." He pointed at her. "We earned your driver's license together."
She nodded, her laughter subsiding. "And you stayed up with me the night I had my first heartbreak."
"It wasn't the last, either." Lee squeezed her shoulder. "I covered for you all those times you were out late. And those nights you spent away…"
"And those nights when I called you in a panic to come take me home." She lifted a hand to her shoulder, placing it on top of his.
"All those sleepless nights…"
"And the holidays…"
"And the dance rehearsals…"
"And the dance recitals…"
"And the commencements…" He smiled. "All the times you made me so proud to be your dad. I was chuffed to bits the day I walked you down the aisle. And on the day you gave me a granddaughter."
"Yes." She looked down guiltily.
"But look at me now." Lee gestured to himself. "I'm a half-blind, creaking, strong, devilishly handsome and sexually potent OAP." He waggled his brows at her.
"Daddy, please!" Molly rolled her eyes and pretended to gag.
"I won't live forever, though." His smile faded. "Lee will always stay granddad's little girl."
She instinctively clutched his hand tighter, gazing at him sadly. "No, don't-,"
He lifted his other hand to silence her. "Someday, when I'm gone, you're going to have a lifetime of incredible memories to remember me by. Lee won't even have a quarter as many." A few tears escaped the corners of his eyes. "I want to make as many memories with her as I can while I have the chance. Because I love her so much, Molly." His voice quivered and finally broke. "But that doesn't mean I love you any less."
"Stop it! Stop talking like that!" She reached her arms around his torso, burying her distraught face in his chest.
Lee hugged her fiercely and rested his chin on top of her head. "I love you, Molly," he gasped between sobs, turning his face intermittently to plant kisses in her golden hair.
"Hold me, Daddy," she squeaked against his shirt. Her voice sounded almost as small as she felt.
Father and daughter sat entwined in their tight embrace for several minutes, letting their tears run onto each other. Finally, Molly began to collect herself as shame overcame her sorrow. She relaxed her grip just enough to lift her head and gaze up at him, her arms still clutching him close. "I've been such a selfish twat."
"It's okay, love." He kissed her forehead, tickling her skin with his whiskers. "You're used to being the only princess in this house, and now you suddenly have to share the throne with someone else. I can see how you would resent that, even if she is your own flesh and blood."
She smiled ruefully. "Maybe if you'd given me that baby sister I asked for all those years ago, I'd have learned how to share you sooner."
"Exactly." Lee rolled his eyes in amusement. "It's all my fault for not putting more of you into the world. Probably for the best I didn't, though." He patted her back. "After everything you put me through, another daughter might have actually ended me."
"Yeah." She pulled away from him and stared down at her hands, still sniffling. She was quiet for a moment before suddenly summoning her courage. "I'm pregnant again."
"Eh?" Lee frowned, cocking an ear towards her. "Sorry, love, you're going to have to speak up. It sounded like you said you were pregnant."
"I am!" She lifted her head, fear glimmering in her eyes. "I am pregnant! I just found out this week."
Lee stared at her with his mouth ajar. Molly squirmed under his gaze before finally shrugging angrily. "Say something!"
He moved his lips for a few seconds before his voice finally returned. "R-right…Well…W-was…was that why you came to visit us? Should I act surprised when you and Jack-,"
"Jack doesn't know," she muttered brusquely.
"Doesn't know?" Lee sat back, dumbfounded. "Why didn't you tell him first?" He cocked his head. "It is his, right?"
"Yes!" Molly snapped, shooting him an ugly look. "Of course, it's his!"
Lee breathed a small sigh of relief. "Well, what's the problem, then?"
"I haven't told anyone." Molly looked back down at her lap. "Because I don't know if I even want to keep it yet."
"Oh, Molly," Lee looked around uncomfortably. "I don't think this is something I can-,"
"But it's just like you said!" She blurted in exasperation. "You couldn't have handled more than one of me! How am I supposed to cope with another Lee if I can't even keep from feeling jealous of the one I already have?!" She hid her face in her hands.
"We just sorted that." Lee gently lowered her arms. "It wouldn't matter if there were a hundred Little Lees running around; they can't take anything away from the bond that we have." He sought her gaze. "Right?"
Molly nodded.
"And there's nothing you could do that would make me think less of you. You're not a bad mum. Lee's going through the terrible twos right now, and I know it's tough trying to be the only parent when Jack's away. I saw the toll that it took on Lucy sometimes, and especially on me own mum. But you're doing great. Trust me." He clapped a hand on her shoulder and pulled a thin smile. "Now, about this pregnancy thing…" He glanced down at her stomach and shook his head. "I really think you need to talk to Jack about this. Tell him how you feel, the concerns you have, what changes you'd need to make, and what you are and aren't willing to give up. Your mum calls it an open discussion. She made me have them so many times, even when I was scared or didn't want to." He met her eyes. Their unique, indeterminate colour perfectly matched both his own and her daughter's eyes. "The final decision is yours, love. He'll understand that, too, I know it. Your happiness has always come first. But he needs to know. Talk it over with him, and we'll support your wishes, whatever you decide."
"Thanks. That means a lot," Molly sniffed, throwing her arms around his neck. She placed an affectionate kiss on his grizzled cheek. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, Molly. Don't ever forget how much I love you," he murmured, hugging her back.
"I won't." She clutched him tighter and nuzzled his white whiskers.
"You're not my only child. You're not even my little girl anymore. But it won't matter how many little girls I have; you'll always be my only daughter." He smiled deviously. "Unless the children from my sperm bank donation start showing up on my doorstep."
"Oh, stop it!" Molly pulled back and slapped his shoulder teasingly. She shot him an imploring look as they both moved to stand. "Please don't breathe a word of this conversation to anyone?"
"What conversation?" He winked, miming a zipping motion across his lips.
She smiled and slowly started towards the living room.
Lee grabbed the remaining biscuits off the table and held them up. "I'll sneak these up to Lee's room and leave them by her bed."
Molly blinked and regarded him incredulously. "Oh, my god. It was you. You were the biscuit faerie who left us sweets on our night tables!"
"Who did you think it was? Mrs. Remember-to-brush-your-teeth-and-eat-your-broccoli?"
"I don't know, I guess I never thought about it." Molly shrugged. "Benji and I asked Charlie about it once when we were really little, and he just said it was the biscuit faerie who brought them. You stopped doing it long before we were old enough to figure it out."
Lee grinned sheepishly. "Let's hope Baby Lee never figures it out, either."
His heart soared as he watched Molly make a zipping motion over her lips.
Lee set a couple of glasses of juice down on the kitchen table, clad in his silk dressing gown over top of his pyjamas. The royal purple garment was so comically short that his boxers peeked out below the hem; Lucy preferred seeing him wear it with nothing at all underneath.
Lucy moved about the kitchen beside him, dressed for the day in a long blouse and dark pair of jeans, her hair still damp from the shower. Even in her matronly attire, she still looked, to Lee's eyes, the very picture of beauty. Her smile radiated her natural warmth and tenderness, and the appreciative glances she had been shooting Lee's way all morning hadn't failed to get his heart racing.
Lee passed her on his way to the hob and playfully smacked her on the arse.
"Lee!" Lucy giggled. "You dirty old man!"
"Am I a naughty boy?" He grinned at her cheekily. "Should I be tied up so you can have your wicked way with me?"
Lucy marched up to him, shaking her head. Her husband's delighted expressions were so pure and joyful that they made her stomach turn somersaults. His broad, tall, slightly portly body cut a roguish figure in his dressing gown. She adored every last inch of him: his proud Roman nose, his thick, dark framed spectacles, his wiry brows and high, ruddy cheeks, the lines streaking his forehead and cutting long creases from the corners of his impish, sparkling eyes, all added to his rugged good looks. She'd always been rather partial to grey hair, and she thought Lee's full head of white hair and bushy, well-kempt beard made him look incredibly handsome. But what she loved most of all was the way that he looked at her, the way that he spoke to her, the way that he touched her. He was gentle, kind, silly, a bit daft, and fiercely loyal. She'd controlled his heart from the moment they'd met, and his complete devotion couldn't help but be reciprocated.
She reached up and ran a finger down his nose. "Later," she promised firmly.
Lee growled a little, standing up straighter in anticipation.
Lucy tore her gaze away before she lost her self-control and started shagging him then and there. She smiled, pointing at a bowl of porridge sitting on the island. Two raisins had been planted on top to resemble eyes, while a jagged grin had been sprinkled below with cinnamon. "Did you make that for Leeanna?"
He nodded. "I added one of my silly faces just for her."
The kitchen doors slid open and their granddaughter darted inside.
"Speak of the devil." Lee stooped down and held his arms wide for her. "Look who's up!"
"Granddad!" She toppled right into his embrace, her curly pigtails bouncing wildly.
"You two are inseparable!" Lucy smiled affectionately at the giddy little girl as her husband hoisted her up onto the island.
"I love Granddad Lee," she babbled happily, still clutching her grandfather's neck.
"I know you do." Lucy leaned down and kissed Leeanna's brow. "I love him, too."
"Like grandmother, like granddaughter," Molly said softly from behind her, her head nestled against Jack's shoulder.
Lucy turned around and beamed at them. "You two had a nice lie-in this morning, didn't you?"
Molly and Jack traded uneasy glances. "Yeah, about that…"
Leeanna suddenly squealed, clapping her hands gleefully. Her grandfather, holding up the porridge bowl for her, was pointing to it over her shoulder. "What's this? What did Granddad make you?"
"Oh, Dad, did you make her one of your funny faces?" Molly walked over and craned her head to look.
"Hers isn't the only one." Lee handed the bowl to Lucy and took Molly's arm. He gestured expansively to the dining table. A couple of plated crepes sat before her. They had eggs positioned on top to resemble eyes, with a couple of bacon rashers curled into a smile below them.
"Aw, Daddy!" Molly laughed and squeezed his arm appreciatively. "This is very sweet. Thank you."
"It's your weekend away, too." He pulled out her chair and nodded for Jack to take the seat beside hers. "Why should the little one be getting all the treats?"
As if on cue, Leeanna shrieked. Everyone turned their heads to see her squirming away from Lucy, who was attempting to spoon-feed her the porridge.
"Come on, Lee." Lucy waved the spoon enticingly. "Don't you want to eat your nice, yummy breakfast?"
"No!" The girl adamantly shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Typical." Molly rolled her eyes. "She's being difficult for absolutely no reason again."
"You two tuck in. I've got an idea." Lee winked at her before striding back over to the island. He stuck his head in front of Leeanna's and caught the spoonful of porridge in his lips. "Mmm. That's good," he mumbled as his wife pulled the spoon back and prepared to serve him another bite. He opened his mouth readily and Lucy couldn't keep herself from laughing.
"No!" His granddaughter clapped her tiny hand against the side of his face, attempting to push him aside. "Mine!"
"I thought you didn't want it," Lee mocked chidingly. "If you don't want it, Granddad's going to eat it."
"Stop!" Leeanna frowned at him. She still shrank back fussily, however, when Lucy offered her the spoonful. Lee stretched his neck out and captured the porridge again. She smacked her hands against the counter and let loose a displeased cry. The next time Lucy was ready with another bite, she opened her mouth wide, desperate to try to beat her granddad to it.
Molly and Jack watched in amusement as they ate their own breakfasts, laughing and cheering the pair of Lees on in their little competition. At one point in their jostling, Leeanna managed to grab hold of her grandfather's glasses and pull them off his nose. With a delighted laugh, she dropped them to the floor.
"Oi! Not fair!" Lee stooped down and cautiously began searching for them with his fingers. "You've blinded me!"
Lucy rapidly fed her eager granddaughter the last few spoonfuls before Lee could recover. He knowingly took his time searching for the spectacles. Once he'd finally stood up, fixing his glasses back in place, Leeanna was patting her stomach with a self-satisfied grin. "All gone!"
Lee smiled. "You cheeky little rat!" He launched a tickle attack on her belly, sending her onto her back in a fitful of giggles.
"Right." Lucy dumped the dishes in the sink, her eyes still laughing at the pair. She turned towards Jack and Molly and gestured for them to hand her their plates. "I'll clear away everything in here if you two want to finish getting ready upstairs. Maybe have a bit of quiet time alone while Lee's on granddad duty?" She glanced between them knowingly.
Molly looked down, colouring. Jack placed his hand over hers and cleared his throat. "Actually, Lucy, I was wondering if you'd all like to join us in the family room for a moment. We've got something we'd like to tell you."
She gasped, her face lighting up. "Oh, my gosh!" She looked from Jack to Molly before turning towards Lee, who was doing his best to feign surprise.
"Don't tell me." He grinned, straightening up as Leeanna continued clambering on his arm. "You've sectioned Jack's mum and you're giving her sportscar to me."
"In your dreams, Granddad Lee." Jack laughed good-naturedly and started towards the lounge. "Come on."
With a muted squeal, Lucy hurried out of the room after him, hardly able to contain her excitement.
Molly followed in their wake but hung back, pausing in the doorway. She turned towards her father. "You coming, Dad?"
"Yep," her father grunted, attempting to coax Leeanna onto his shoulders. "Just trying to wrangle this little monkey." Once he'd secured her legs on either side of his head, he leant forward and cautiously straightened to a stand. The toddler grabbed tiny fistfuls of his short white fringe and looked around from her new vantage point.
"Thanks for helping with her this morning." Molly shrugged happily. "And last night. And every time, really."
"Anything for my girls." He shared a knowing smile with her. Leeanna clapped her heels against her grandfather's chest and laughed. Lee gave her legs an affectionate squeeze. "You're both something special."
Molly blinked and lifted her gaze to her daughter. "Aw, did you hear that, Lee? You're granddad's special girl."
"Granddad!" Leeanna squirmed delightedly, yanking on his hair and pounding her fists against his head. Lee winced, trying his best to hold her feet still.
"Careful!" Molly reached out a hand to stop her. "Don't hurt him!"
"It's all right, love." He smiled and patted the girl's knee when she finally stilled. "Her nan likes to show me affection in much the same way."
"Daddy…" Molly lifted a finger warningly.
Lee chuckled, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses.
She reached over his head to lay a hand on her daughter's back. "Be good to your granddad, Lee. He's got a lot more memories to make with you."
"Okay." The girl smiled sweetly and stretched forward, resting her head in Lee's hair. Her hands clasped either side of his head possessively.
Molly beamed at the pair before lowering her voice. "You know, she might not be your only little girl in a few short months."
"I know," he murmured, bobbing up and down gently. He held Molly's gaze. "But that won't make her any less special."
She blinked back a couple of tears before looking down, sighing happily.
"Don't just stand there!" Lucy called from the sofa. "Come and tell us your big news!"
"Yeah, what's this all about, love?" Lee said loudly, winking at her.
"Okay, okay!" Molly laughed and touched her father's arm. Father, daughter, and granddaughter finally disappeared to join the others in the next room.
THE END
