Logan breathes a sigh of relief as he enters the beach house. He rolls his shoulders and moves his head back and forth in an attempt to both ease the tension in his muscles and stave off the headache that's been building for the last couple of hours.
He loves his job; he really does… but some days he wishes he didn't have to deal with all the stress, especially when hasn't been up in a jet for weeks. No, he's spent most of the last month trying to figure out the logistics of training up enough pilots to meet the personnel requirements for the F/A-18 squadrons at Lemoore and Oceana, while also keeping within the Navy's annual spending budget. Not exactly what he envisioned he'd be doing when he left operational flying a few months ago to join the PFI program.
The house is quiet for a weekday evening. Usually he'll come home to a heady combination of laughter, crying and general family chaos… par for the course when you have a two-year-old and an eight-month-old at home… but tonight, everything seems unusually calm. The hallway leading to the back of the house is dark, although the doorway to the master bedroom is ajar, a sliver of light shining through it, and there's a dim light coming from the living room, accompanied by the familiar sounds of the television.
Shrugging off his jacket, Logan hangs it on the coat rack, then slips off his shoes and makes his way into the living room. The sight before him makes him grin. There she is—his baby girl—curled up on the sofa, a blanket in her lap as she sucks her thumb into her mouth, while gazing intently at the TV.
He pads softly across the plush carpet, careful not to disturb Abigail, and crawls onto the couch, settling himself along it and letting his head rest in his daughter's lap. He looks up at her with a gentle smile. Her eyes remain glued to the TV screen, but her small hands come up to tangle in his hair. Logan waits to see what she does next. It takes a few seconds, but eventually she wraps one arm clumsily over the top of his head as the other slides around his neck, and she leans forward, resting her cheek against his temple.
"Daddy," she murmurs happily.
"Hi, sweetheart," he whispers, his chest filling with affection.
Abi turns her head and presses a warm kiss to his cheek.
And just like that, all the tension in his body dissipates, all the worries of the day disappearing into nothing.
He feels at peace.
"I love you, baby girl," he says gently.
"I wuv you, Daddy."
Logan's smile widens, his heart swelling with love as he reaches for her. Twisting his upper body, he pulls her down to him and wraps his arms around her. He kisses her cheek this time, and holds her close, revelling in the feel of her small warm body in his arms. Normally this is the time she decides she's had enough and starts to wriggle away, complaining that she's watching her TV show, but today she doesn't. Instead she snuggles against his chest, one arm snaking beneath his so that she's hugging his side.
It's everything.
It doesn't take long before she starts to drift off to sleep, and Logan is reluctant to disturb her, trying to savour this incredible moment for as long as he can.
He's still smiling when Veronica emerges from the bedroom a few minutes later, having put Riley down for the night.
"Aww, Daddy and daughter cuddling together on the couch," she comments softly, grinning as she pulls out her phone to snap a photo. "You two make the perfect picture."
He smiles, catching her eye as she leans over to see them better. Yep. His daughter gives the best cuddles in the world.
Note: Inspired by a video I saw on FB yesterday, where parents hug their toddlers while they're watching their favourite show to see how they react. I just couldn't resist writing something about Logan and Abi.