Chapter Twenty-Seven
Late January 2021
Nine Months Old
Veronica lifts her camera and, with a smile, focuses on one of the two extremely photogenic subjects she's been taking photos of this morning. Through the viewfinder, she follows Logan's smooth, skilled movements on his surfboard as he prepares to catch a large wave.
Even though they're celebrating their anniversary today, three days early because they both have to work Wednesday, it was her suggestion that he take his board out this morning. She knows how much he's been missing surfing the last few months, and she also knows how much he loves it… and what more could she want on their three-year wedding anniversary than for her husband to be happy? It's not like it's a hardship for her either; she's perfectly content to spend time on the beach, taking photos, and introducing Abi to the joys of building sandcastles and paddling in the waves.
She snaps a couple of photos and lowers the camera, glancing over at Abi, who is sitting up on the edge of the blanket, slathered in sunscreen, with cute little sunhat tied around her chin, playing with handfuls of sand.
"Wait, no, Abs," she says in alarm, quickly dropping the camera and reaching for her daughter's hand just before it reaches her mouth. "You can't eat that, okay?"
Prying open Abigail's fingers, she brushes away the handful of sand she's trying to consume, and then moves her baby girl into the centre of the blanket, handing her a toy to play with instead. When Abi just looks down at it in distaste and starts to fuss, Veronica sighs.
"That's not gonna work today, huh?" she says, looking around for other ideas. "Shall we go play in the waves?"
Abi just throws the toy down on the blanket, her face scrunching up as she starts to cry, so Veronica quickly sweeps her up into her arms and starts walking down the beach towards the water. As she crouches down, balancing Abi on her knee, the baby calms, looking at the waves with fascination, before leaning forward and reaching down, trying to touch them.
"You want to paddle?" Veronica asks, lifting Abi from her knee and carefully lowering her feet into the water.
At her first contact with the cold ocean, Abi startles, lifting her feet away, but she doesn't start crying again, which Veronica takes as a good sign. In fact, just a moment later, she lowers her legs again and kicks her feet, splashing Veronica in the process. After a few seconds of getting used to the feel of the waves against her skin, Abi lets out a squeal of joy and starts kicking harder.
"You like that?" Veronica asks with a smile. "Of course you do, you're an Echolls. Just don't tell Daddy how much you like the ocean, or he'll have you on a surfboard as soon as you can walk."
Veronica lets Abi splash in the surf for a couple more minutes, before she spots Logan making his way back out of the water. She stands, taking a few steps back and smiles widely when he comes to a stop beside her, propping up his surfboard in the sand.
"Hey," he greets, sounding breathless as he unzips his wetsuit and tugs it down his arms, letting it fall around his waist.
Veronica's gaze involuntarily rakes down over his well-muscled torso, before she catches herself and swallows, lifting her eyes to his amused ones.
"You looked good out there," she compliments.
"Thanks." He smiles, then nods to Abi. "I see you've finally introduced her to the ocean."
"Uh huh."
He reaches out to run a damp finger along Abi's cheek and Veronica tightens her grip on her as the baby reaches out to him.
"Dada."
Logan's head snaps to Veronica, his eyes widening and mouth falling open in surprise. "Did she just… I mean that was… wasn't it?"
"Yeah." Veronica says faintly, giving a nod as a wide smile spreads across her face. "I think so."
"She finally said it," he says in wonder.
"Hey, sweet thing." She shifts Abi to her hip so she can see her face. "Did you just say your first word?"
Abi gives her a mostly toothless grin—she cut her first tooth a couple weeks ago—before twisting in Logan's direction again, holding out her hands to him. "Dada."
"I'm all wet, baby girl," he says with regret.
"Oh, who cares?" is Veronica's response. "She just called you Dada, I think that deserves a hug."
"If you insist." Logan takes Abi from her and lifts her up in the air, spinning her around until she starts to giggle.
Veronica feels a tug in her chest at the sight of the two of them together, happy and laughing, and she holds up a finger.
"Wait right there. Don't move," she says quickly. "I'll be right back."
Racing back up the beach, she grabs her camera and runs back to Logan.
"Spin her around again," she instructs. "I need a picture of this."
As Logan complies, eliciting another giggle from Abigail, Veronica begins snapping away, a smile on her face.
"Okay, now we need one of all of us," Logan insists, beckoning for the camera. "Give it here."
Veronica opens up the small rotatable screen on the back and twists it around to the front before handing the camera to Logan. As he holds it up at arm's length, she presses herself against his side, resting her head close to Abi's against his chest, and smiles for the camera.
The shutter clicks, capturing the family moment, but Logan doesn't stop there. He kisses the top of her head. Click. Then when she tilts her head to look up at him, he kisses her nose. Click. And then his mouth covers hers in a warm kiss. Click.
Veronica can't help giggling softly against his mouth when Abi's hand presses against her cheek, trying to separate them, and Logan smiles against her mouth in response. The arm holding the camera snakes around her waist and he tugs her closer, giving her one last dizzying kiss before reluctantly releasing her.
They walk back up the beach to the blanket, together, as a family.
Mid-February 2021 – Valentine's Day
Ten Months Old
Veronica enters the kitchen, a freshly-washed and dressed Abi balanced on her hip, and smiles at the sight before her. Logan is at the counter, his back to her, humming off-key to himself as he smoothly alternates between preparing a bottle for Abi, checking on something bubbling away on the stove, and toasting what look like English muffins. He's dressed in a pair of sweatpants and nothing else, and she takes a moment to admire the play of muscles in his back as he moves.
"You look busy this morning," she says, sidling up to him, her hand resting in the middle of his back.
"Hey." He smiles, turning his head for a quick kiss. "Wasn't expecting you up just yet. This was supposed to be breakfast in bed—" he gestures to the food on the counter, before reaching out to play with Abi's toes "—and you, Little Miss, were supposed to stay asleep until I came to get you, so you didn't disturb Mommy."
Abi lets out a string of excited babble, before sticking her fingers in her mouth and looking up at Logan with wide, innocent eyes.
Veronica shakes her head affectionately. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, you know as well as I do that trying to get this one to stay in bed after seven a.m. is next to impossible."
"I do." Logan gives an exaggerated sigh. "Wishful thinking on my part."
"So, what's cooking?" Veronica peers around him.
"I thought I'd try my hand at Eggs Benedict," he says, nodding at the toasted muffins and the eggs poaching in the saucepan on the stove.
"Ooh, I love Eggs Benedict."
"I know." He nods. "It'll be a few more minutes."
"Okay," Veronica says, bouncing Abi in her arms. "You finish up; I'll go feed her."
She reaches for the warm bottle he's prepared and turns towards the living room.
"Wait." Logan stops her with a hand on her arm. She turns back to him in question. "Happy Valentine's Day."
He leans down for a kiss and Veronica smiles as she returns it happily.
"Happy Valentine's Day."
By the time Logan joins her in the living room, carrying a tray of breakfast food, Veronica has finished feeding and burping Abi, and she's holding her up in front of her, tiny feet balancing on her knees.
"Can you say, Mama, Abi?" she murmurs encouragingly. "Say Mama…. Mama."
Abi just stares at her for a moment, before announcing, "Dada."
"No, I'm Mama," she repeats. "Mama."
"Dada," comes the firm reply.
"Mama."
"Dada."
Logan chuckles as he places the tray down on the coffee table and takes a seat beside her, reaching for one of Abi's hands and stroking a finger over the back of it.
"She won't say it," she says in disappointment. "Dada she has no problem with, but Mama? No, that's too difficult."
"You know why that is, don't you?" he says. "It's 'cause she's been hearing the word 'Daddy' more than 'Mommy', especially during those first few months when you were at home with her."
"How do you know that?" she asks in surprise.
He shrugs, giving a self-conscious smile. "I may have gotten distracted by YouTube videos when I was supposed to be grading theory tests last week. Apparently it's more common for a baby's first word to be Dada than Mama, because the mom is usually the one at home with the baby and she talks about Daddy a lot."
Veronica scrunches her nose in thought. "Makes sense, I guess. But kind of sexist, if you ask me, assuming it's always the mom looking after the baby."
"Maybe, but statistics do show that a lot more moms still stay at home than dads."
She gives a small nod of reluctant agreement and turns back to Abi. "That may be, but I'm still not giving up. Hey, Abs, can you say 'Mama'?"
"Dada," says Abi firmly, her expression almost defiant. "Dada."
"So strong-minded." Logan laughs. "By the way, that look is all you."
"It is not," Veronica denies, though she can't help smiling at the expression on her daughter's face. Maybe he's just a little bit right.
"It so is," he returns. "You get that same look on your face whenever you're determined not to back down in an argument."
"I do not," she mumbles, turning her attention back to the baby again.
She totally does.
"Oh, wow – this is incredible," murmurs Veronica that afternoon, as Logan leads her onto the fancy yacht he's rented for the afternoon.
"You like it?" asks Logan with a smile as he turns to face her.
"I do." She looks around, taking in the plush bench seating at the back, and the door that must lead down to the living area. "But what brought this on?"
It's a lovely day, unseasonably warm for February, and there's barely a cloud in the sky. They've left Abigail with Keith for the rest of the day, so they can celebrate Valentine's child-free. Logan's been saying for the last week that he has a surprise organised for the holiday, but she never imagined it would be this.
He shrugs coyly. "I remembered that our first date was supposed to be you and me taking my dad's boat to Catalina Island. We never actually did it, so I figured, why not now?"
"I can't believe you remember that," she says, guilt gnawing at her as she recalls how she stood him up without even calling or sending a text to apologise.
"Yeah, well… it's hard not to." He gives another shrug.
"I'm still sorry for not showing that day. I had… a lot of things on my mind."
"I know. It's forgotten," he assures her, before holding out his hand in invitation. "Shall we take a tour?"
He shows her around the deck, then leads her down the stairs, where there's a small, but well-stocked galley, and a large bedroom area with an en-suite bathroom. The bed is covered with rose petals and there's a bottle of bubbly chilling on the nightstand.
"Wow, that's um… cliché," she says, eyeing the additional décor.
"Ah, yeah… I guess this is the complimentary Valentine's Special," Logan adds. "For the record, I did not request it."
"Aw, why not?" she teases. "You know it's my ultimate sexual fantasy to make love to you on a bed of roses."
"No, it's not," he returns with a grin. "Don't forget, I already know your ultimate sexual fantasy."
"Darn it, so you do."
"Come on," he says, taking her hand again. "Let's get this show on the road."
They head back up to the deck again and Logan starts up the yacht's engine. As he steers it out of the marina and out onto the open sea, Veronica stands beside him and leans her head against his bicep.
"I'm surprised you still enjoy sailing recreationally," she says after a few moments. "What with all the time you spend on aircraft carriers."
"Yeah, but the carriers are just massive metal-encased cities… you barely even know you're out on the ocean half the time."
"True."
"Besides, this is romantic, don't you think?" he adds. "Just you and me, completely alone, nothing for miles."
"Yeah, it kind of is," she concedes. "And you know, if we really are completely alone…" She walks her fingers up over his chest. "Then maybe we could take advantage of that?"
He swallows, his Adam's Apple bobbing as he cuts her an intrigued sideways glance. "What did you have in mind?"
Veronica grins as she rises up on tiptoes and whispers in his ear.
"Oh." He nods quickly, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Yeah, I think I can get on board with that."
"Another strawberry?" Veronica offers, holding one up before reaching over to dip it into the bowl of chocolate sauce on the table.
They're lounging on the cushioned bench seats lining the deck, Veronica straddling Logan's lap in a bikini and a sheer beach robe as the warm mid-afternoon sun beats down on them.
"Yes, please," he murmurs, his hands cupping her bikini-bottom-clad ass as she lifts it to his lips.
Just as he takes a bite of the offered fruit, some of the chocolate sauce drips onto his bare stomach.
"Oops!" She gives a soft giggle, and the sound causes heat to curl low in his belly. Veronica almost never giggles… except when she's really happy… or a bit tipsy. Right now, he's not entirely sure which one it is, but he's hoping for the latter. "Better clean that up for you."
She slides off his lap and sinks to the floor between his legs, leaning forward as her tongue darts out to lick the sauce from his abdomen. The mere touch on his heated skin sends the blood rushing to his groin and for a moment, he curses the fact that he let Veronica persuade him to wear the skin-tight, turquoise Speedos she found packed in a box in the back of his closet the other day—he'd bought them as a dare when they had a couple days of shore leave while deployed in the Mediterranean a few years ago—but then Veronica's hand cups his now prominent erection through the thin material, and he forgets to care.
His head lolls back against the top of the bench seat as she releases him from the confines of the Speedos and lowers her head, taking him in her mouth. Sucking in a sharp breath, his eyes slide closed as his fingers slip through her hair. His breathing becomes laboured as she expertly uses all the tricks that she knows make him lose his mind, and the pleasure rapidly builds. He's so close, just about to come, when she releases him with a pop and stands, tugging on the strings of her bikini bottoms and letting the garment fall to the floor. Straddling him once more, she guides him to her entrance and sinks down, enveloping him in her deliciously wet heat.
"Fuck, yes…" he mutters absently as Veronica grips his shoulders and begins to move. "So hot."
She lowers her forehead to his, looking him right in the eye as she whispers, "Feels naughty doing it out in the open like this, where anyone could see."
"No one's gonna see," he manages in reassurance, even as he slips his hand around to her back and unties her bikini top. "There's no one around for miles."
The material loosens, exposing her breasts, and he palms them quickly, squeezing, testing their weight, as he lifts his chin to kiss her. Her movements speed up and he can tell she's almost there, so he slides his hand around to her back again and tugs her close, thrusting up into her until she comes apart in his arms. He follows a few seconds later, his head dropping back against the cushions as he catches his breath.
"Wow…" She sighs, sliding her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder as she relaxes against him. "That was… exhilarating."
They stay like that for a couple of minutes, until Logan has to shift underneath her.
"Everything okay?" Veronica asks lazily.
"My butt's falling asleep," he admits sheepishly. "Can we take this below deck?"
"Aye aye, Cap'n."
"This was a perfect afternoon," murmurs Veronica softly as they lie tangled in the bedsheets an hour later. "Thank you."
She lifts her head to kiss his cheek and he smiles. "Glad you're having fun."
"I am." She snuggles close, tightening her arm around his waist. "Though I could have done without the rose petals." She shifts, reaching down and peeling one off the back of her leg. "They're getting everywhere."
"Sorry," he says, sounding amused. "Next time I'll specify no flora when I rent us a boat."
"It's okay," she assures him. "It's the thought that counts."
"Uh huh," he agrees, a smile still playing on his lips.
She slides her leg over his, pressing herself against his side, as she drops a couple of light kisses to his chest. She starts sliding her hand down over his stomach, intent on initiating another round of amazing sex, but Logan's fingers curl around her wrist, stopping her movement.
"We can't. Sorry," he says apologetically. "The sun's gonna go down soon, and I said we'd have the yacht back before dark."
"Oh." Veronica nods, trying not to show her disappointment. "Can we take a rain check?"
"Of course." He kisses her temple. "Your dad said he was happy to keep Abi overnight, so we'll have the house to ourselves."
Veronica rests her chin on his chest as she grins up at him. "I can't wait."
Late February 2021
Ten Months Old
Veronica sits in her car, camera in her lap and eyes trained on the small liquor store across the street as she waits.
And waits.
With a sigh, she checks her watch. The woman she's been tailing all morning disappeared into the store almost twenty minutes ago, and she has yet to reappear. She'll give her another couple minutes, Veronica decides, but if she's not out by then, she's going in.
She's concentrating so hard on the store entrance that she jumps when her cell phone starts ringing, the sound loud in the silence of the car. She digs the phone out of her pocket and, only taking her eyes off the liquor store long enough to check the caller ID, she answers it.
"Heather, hey. Everything okay?"
"Not really, Veronica," comes Heather's slightly frazzled-sounding voice through the phone. "Abi's sick."
"She is?" That gets Veronica's attention, mixture of dread and guilt twisting in her belly. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know exactly, but she has a fever and she's just started vomiting," says Heather. "I've checked for warning signs of meningitis, and she doesn't have any, so I think it's probably a stomach bug. She won't stop crying for you though."
"Shit," Veronica curses, both at the sound of her baby girl crying in the background and the sight of the woman she's been waiting for exiting the store, meaning she's just missed her opportunity to get pictures. "Okay, I'll be right there."
Hanging up the phone, she puts the car in drive and peels out of the parking space, eager to get home. Her mind is swimming with questions as she drives; this is the first time Abi has gotten sick, other than a mild cold, and she's terrified that she won't know what to do.
She arrives home in record time, bursting through the door in a panic, and finds Heather pacing the living room with Abi, who is crying uncontrollably, her little face bright red.
"Oh, good, you're here," Heather says in relief when Veronica hurries over to her. "She won't calm down for me. She just wants her mommy."
"Come here, sweet thing," Veronica murmurs softly as she takes Abi from Heather's arms and cradles her close to her chest, palm cupping the back of her head. "It's okay, Mommy's here."
She gently rocks her in her arms, and Abigail's crying lessens a little, but she still seems very out of sorts. Feeling her neck and forehead, she looks to Heather.
"She's really hot and clammy, isn't she?" she says. "Have you given her anything yet?"
Heather nods. "She had some baby Tylenol about an hour ago."
"Okay." Veronica nods. "Thank you, for calling me, and for taking care of her."
"It's my job." Heather gives a small smile. "Do you need me to stick around for a while?"
"Actually, that would be great," says Veronica, feeling a little relieved. "This is the first time she's gotten sick and I hate to admit that I don't really know what I'm doing."
"Of course," Heather says sincerely. "Happy to help."
"Thank you. You're a lifesaver." Veronica glances over at her sheepishly. "So, other than Tylenol, any idea what else I can give her to help her feel better?"
"Honestly, I don't think there's much more you can do," Heather tells her. "You should keep her hydrated, so you can continue to feed her as normal, but if she keeps vomiting and does get dehydrated, you could call the doctor to see if he can recommend something. Otherwise, I think you'll just need to wait it out."
"Right, okay." Veronica looks down at Abi in her arms, who has calmed down a lot and is just giving soft, pitiful whimpers as she snuggles her head against Veronica's shoulder. "I think we can do that."
Heather stays for another couple of hours, giving her some useful tips to make Abi more comfortable, and also helping out with a few chores that she'd been planning on doing this evening. By the time Heather heads home, Veronica is feeling a lot calmer and more in control of the situation—despite having to clean up baby vomit and gross diapers all afternoon.
Settling on the sofa to give Abi her next feed, she gazes down at her baby girl cradled in her arms and strokes the back of one finger along the side of her face.
"I'm so sorry you don't feel good, sweet thing," she murmurs softly. "I wish I could make it all better for you."
The next morning, Veronica wakes up groggily to the sound of Abi fussing in her crib. The noise confuses her for a moment, because she's used to hearing it through the baby monitor, but as she slowly sits up, she remembers she slept on the small cot bed they set up in the baby's room a couple of months ago when she was refusing to sleep unless one of them stayed in the room with her.
It feels like she barely slept last night. Logan has to be up extra early for work this morning—in fact, he's probably already at the base by now—so she ended up sleeping in here so she could get up with the baby… and sure enough, Abi was up, either crying, vomiting or filling her diaper pretty much every hour of the night.
Running her hands down over her face, and then through her hair, she stands up and walks over to the crib, only to find Abi has just thrown up again, and her diaper is an absolute mess.
Thank God for plastic bed sheets, she thinks, as she carefully lifts the baby out of the crib and gets to work on cleaning her up. Abi cries and kicks through the entire thing, obviously uncomfortable and cranky, which only makes Veronica cranky too, the lack of sleep and general feeling of helplessness catching up to her.
When Abi is clean again and dressed, Veronica carries her down the hall to the master bedroom, where she frowns in annoyance at the sight of the bedcovers left rumpled and unmade, and Logan's clothing still strewn across the floor.
"He couldn't even make the bed and tidy up after himself before work?" she mutters tiredly. "Not like I have a sick baby to deal with or anything."
The sudden sound of the toilet flushing in the en-suite has her frowning for a different reason… because he should be at work already. Padding over to the bathroom, she pushes the door open to find a pale-looking Logan slumped on the floor beside the toilet, his complexion pallid and hair damp with sweat. He manages a poor imitation of a smile in greeting, before balking and scrambling quickly to the toilet, gripping the sides of the bowl as he retches into it.
"Oh God, not you, too." She sighs as she shifts Abi in her arms and kneels down beside him, gently rubbing his back. Turning her eyes to the ceiling, she mutters, "Lord give me strength."