"Come on sleepyhead, we are having cake." Hamish whispered at Theo while she tried to go back to sleep in Vera's arms. "You have to wake up and try some." He tickled her cheek but Theo didn't seem too interested in wakefulness.
"Maybe today is just not the day for trying something new."
"That's what happens when you party hard all day like a frat boy and get drunk on milk."
"She's not drunk, she's just tired. It's exhausting being this cute."
"Is that true Theo? Is it hard for you to be this cute?" Theo started to yawn, her eyes opening as she looked at Hamish and scrunched up her face. "Well that is not very cute, you should wake up." He tickled her on the chin before she had a little hiccup. "Oh crap, that's pretty cute. You sound like a squeaky toy."
"I told you, it's exhausting being this cute." Theo let out a heavy sigh being very annoyed now by the fact her hiccups weren't going away.
Miranda came to get the cake to bring out to the patio stopping only when she saw Theo was 'up'. Well less so up and more so dealing with a baby crisis. "I didn't know you were awake already." Miranda was about to take Theo back again but Hamish intervened knowing Vera just wanted to try and let her fall back to sleep.
"Theo is still tired actually, Vera is just going to hang on to her until she falls asleep again. She's here in spirit for my birthday."
Miranda grabbed the cake looking a little disappointed but she understood. Luci had been a fussy clingy typical youngest syndrome child and Miranda had always been alright with playing into being her favorite person. "Come on, let's go cut your cake, it looks delicious."
"Vera made it." Hamish seemed more excited to have cheesecake than anything today. Well, that was a lie, actually he was looking forward to having Vera to himself for his birthday. He followed his mother back to the patio and made sure Vera was following. "You want me to hold her for a while?"
"I'm fine." ten pounds didn't seem like much until you were stuck holding it for a long time.
"Do you want me to feed you your slice then?" Hamish joked.
"If you feel like that's what you have to do."
"Well you have your arms full so I'll just share some with you, or maybe I won't and I'll let you suffer." Sitting down in a chair he pulled Vera into his lap and locked up when the quick jerking motion made Theo wake up and start whining. "Shhh." He put a hand around Vera and ran his fingers through Theo's hair. "Daddy is sorry, you go back to sleep."
"She is the world's lightest sleeper, I am so sorry for you two." Emma said, taking a sip of her wine and setting it down on the table. "I am so happy those two slept like the dead."
"Yeah, it's like that game we used to play as kids about not waking your dad up." Hamish smiled at his sisters who both had a little laugh.
"The board game Don't Wake Daddy?" Vera asked, raising a brow.
"No, actually being tiny gremlins and trying to not wake our dad up from his afternoon nap." He paused putting a hand up. "Also mom no candles, 29 candles is a lot to blow out and I don't want the smoke to bother Theo."
"Well then we can just sing." Miranda added and put the lighter and box of candles down. However that quickly went out the window when they started to sing and Theo added into the song whining. She was not impressed with the vast lack of singing skills within the group, Hamish included.
Hamish raised his hand to quiet everyone down before putting a finger in front of his lips to let them know they needed to be quiet. "Whisper sing." He kept his own voice down and smiled at Theo as he held her foot and rubbed the bottom of it with his thumb to try and calm her down again. "Mom, you should cut the kids their pieces first before they go Lord of the Flies on us all."
"Oh, but not too much because it's really rich and Maddox can't have that much sugar in one sitting." Hey, it wasn't her fault Edward was a monster and didn't let Maddox eat a lot of sweets. Then again she tend to agree with that train of thought too so. Miranda cut smaller slices for all the grandkids and Maddox before giving a piece to Hamish since it was his birthday after all. "This is by far my best birthday ever."
"Oh really?" Vera asked him, she supposed last year he had spent it mostly working to fight Praxis. In fact Vera hadn't even known it had been his birthday and just sort of made up for it a few weeks later when she made him a dinner and, other things. Oh god, was Theo one of the other things? Dammit Hamish, that is what she gets for being guilted into sympathy sex over missing his birthday.
"Yes Vera, you see last year I didn't have a fiancee and I didn't have this cutie." He smiled at Theo remembering how many ups and downs they had gone through this past year. Everything from the vault theft to fighting demons to Praxis. Then came finding out they were having a baby, finding out they weren't having a baby, back to having the baby and getting to see her in the first ultrasound and how tiny she was. It didn't even begin to cover the incredible high of being in the hospital room holding her hand while she went into labor and how terrified and excited he'd been when her water broke and how worried he'd been when Theo was born a shivering screaming mess or how perfect the moment was when he held her in his arms for the first time ever.
Even sitting here now he felt a lightness in his chest and an overwhelming sensation of peace getting to hold Vera in his arms and look at how big Theo had gotten since the first day he saw her in that little black and white ultrasound photo. "I have such a wonderful little family right here, it's the best birthday gift ever." Theo huffed in her sleep doing her little lip tremble she did when she was dreaming. He still wanted to scream about how sweet she was when she was sleeping but he held it in since it would wake her up and make her crabby. Instead Hamish just internally screamed and looked at her with big doe eyes. Was she ever going to outgrow being this precious? Was there going to be a point in his life where when he looked at her he instantly felt like he would burn the world and everyone in it if something bad happened to her? "That also reminds me." He shifted Vera on his lap a little and stuck his hand into his pocket.
"You have also been one of my best birthday gifts this year because you've put up with me and done so much for me and you are one hell of a Chancellor and boss lady and mother and I think if anyone else had to do your job, your jobs they would go nuts." He pulled out a little black box. "And I know it's already a done deal because you asked me and I know you don't like things done in the traditional way but I didn't feel right not making this very official in front of my whole family." He gave it to Vera letting her open the box which was a bit difficult with just the one hand. "Oh here." He took Theo from her very gingerly and caught the babies head as it lulled to one side. "I tried mommy into letting me have you." He laughed resting her on his shoulder, she still had that new baby smell to her, it was fantastic.
Vera opened the little black box looking down at the engagement ring inside. "Holy." Hamish took the ring out for her and held it up so he could slip it on her finger. "Hamish I could take out a plane with this thing if the sun catches it."
"I know, now all those creepy old guys you deal with know you are taken before they get onto the Belgrave campus." He smirked at her.
"No I mean this is, you didn't really need to, it's not necessary I already know."
"I know it wasn't necessary Vera but I wanted to because you make me happy and seeing you smile on my birthday is the best part of the day." She leaned in and kissed him making Theo wake up again and growl in frustration.
Vera pulled her lips away from Hamish and looked at Theo with a smile. "Don't feel so left out." She kissed Theo on the forehead making the baby smile a little.
Hamish laughed at Theo, what a little attention hog. He tried to sneak a hand around Vera since Theo had a fist clenched tight and it was a perfect opportunity to try and fist bump her, she still didn't know what it was but she smiled every time he fist bumped her. "I'm sorry, I can't do it." He gave up and just put his hand back on Vera's hip as Theo stretched that arm out and lightly tapped Hamish in the face with her fist. He made a dramatic head turn and made a popping sound with his mouth. "Oh, ouch, you throw a mean right hook there." Theo smiled at him, her eyes still looking heavy and really she seemed a bit drunk when she closed them again.
"He's being so silly."
"Dammit, I mean shoot." He had to be more careful about cursing, Theo was really working on mimicking sounds. She already said ma when referring to Vera. She also said ma when referring to him too. "I was going to let her try the cheesecake and then she just passed right out again." How very disappointing.