It was eight o'clock on a Monday morning, and Hanna was sitting at the kitchen table. Opposite, was Madelyn, who was deeply engrossed in a princess coloring book she had found stacked on the shelves, amongst what seemed to be every other book Caleb and Hanna had ever owned. The second Madelyn had spotted it, she had begged Hanna to take it out.
Now, half an hour later, Hanna was bored. She had already colored in her own sheet that Maddie had very kindly given to her, and was patiently—kind of—waiting for her daughter to move on from coloring to something else. It usually didn't take Madelyn long to become bored.
"Hey," Hanna said suddenly, jumping from her chair. She leaned over the table and patted Madelyn's arm. "Do you want some waffles?"
Maddie looked up, just for a brief second, and nodded eagerly, grinning. "Yum," she giggled, patting her stomach. Hanna grinned as Maddie turned back to her coloring book, turned away and began unloading the ingredients from separate cupboards. She had just grabbed the milk from the refrigerator when Caleb wandered out, adjusting the black tie that was strung around his neck. Hanna stopped, admiring how smart he looked.
"Wow," she admired. Caleb hurried over and kissed her forehead before grabbing an apple from the ancient, supposedly-blessed fruit bowl—Hanna had found it whilst on a trip around Asia the summer after college, and had never let it go.
"Do I look okay?" Caleb asked, checking the three-piece suit he was wearing. Hanna noticed a small crease on his shoulder and was quick to lunge forward and brush it out. She stood back and stared it up and down.
As Hanna began shaking her head in disapproval, she murmured, "No. You don't want that," and undid the buttons of the waistcoat. She gestured for Caleb to take it off, which, with a confused expression, he did.
"Did it not look good?" Caleb asked as he gently laid the waistcoat on the back of a kitchen chair.
Hanna laughed and shook her head again, the two small french-braids she had done earlier than morning hitting the back of her scalp. "You looked like you were going to a wedding," Hanna chuckled. Standing on her tiptoes, Hanna stretched up and kissed her husband passionately on the lips. "Good luck on your first day of work, babe," she mumbled, her face just inches away from Caleb's. The words came out almost seductively, and Caleb found it hard not to pull down the strap of Hanna's thin shirt.
"I need to go," he whispered, reluctantly stepping backwards. Before Caleb could reach it, Hanna grabbed his briefcase from the marbled counter. Caleb smirked, rolling his eyes at Hanna, who began dancing around the living room with it. She nearly stepped on Bear, who was peacefully dozing in the middle of the floor, and woke him up.
"Sorry, Bear," she whispered, as if it were going to send the puppy straight back to sleep. When all Bear did was growl back at her, she cringed and headed for the front door, still armed with the briefcase. After grabbing an ice-cold bottle of water from the refrigerator, Caleb quickly followed.
"Have fun," Hanna said, grinning whilst she stood leaning against the black door. Caleb had dodged past her and was now standing out in the hallway, opposite an identical look exterior of an apartment to his own. All of the apartments in the huge building seemed to look the same from the outside. Both Hanna and Caleb had observed this when they decided one day, they would climb up the stairs instead of taking the easy route of the elevator.
"I will," Caleb replied, kissing Hanna lightly. Hanna handed over the briefcase that she had been hugging against her stomach, faux-frowning.
"We're all going to miss you," she cried. "Me, Maddie, Bear, Bella and Baby."
Caleb sighed, but the corners of his mouth turned up. "I'll miss you all too. But I promise it'll go by so quickly."
Hanna breathed in deeply and nodded. Today, just like Caleb, Hanna was due to start her new job. Except, two days ago, she had gotten a phone call from her boss, explaining the movie she was set to work on had been canceled. Hanna had taken the news pretty hard, and had even needed a small cry late that night. Thankfully, though, during the past 24 hours, Hanna had managed to cheer herself up and wasn't so bummed out.
"I love you, babe," Caleb said, taking a step backwards.
Hanna bit her bottom lip and smiled. "I love you, too."
Slowly, Caleb made his way down the hallway, in the direction of the elevator. He, too, had been bummed when Hanna lost her job. But luckily, it wasn't all bad. Now, Hanna was able to spend all of her days entirely with Madelyn, something she had wanted since going back to work over a year ago.
Hanna was making her way back into the kitchen, a smile still lingering on her face. She was sure her cheeks were blushing red—after all, Caleb always seemed to have that effect on her. Just him saying I love you was enough to send butterflies to her stomach.
"Mommy," Maddie's voice called out. Hanna poked her head around the doorframe. There, Madelyn was sitting up, proudly holding her finished artwork. It was a multicolored picture of Rapunzel, although it was no longer clear it was Rapunzel.
"That's so good, baby!" Hanna exclaimed, walking towards her daughter.
"For oo," Maddie said, holding the coloring book out in her small, chubby hands. As Hanna reached the kitchen table, she took the book and started slowly, carefully, ripping the page out, but stopped when Maddie let out a whimper.
"It's okay. I'm just going to take the picture out of the book," Hanna explained. She moved the book closer to Maddie, making sure the toddler could watch. "See?"
Before Hanna could rip any more of the page, the table started vibrating. Hanna furrowed her eyebrows, confused, until she saw her iPhone lit up, laying at the other end of the table. The blond reached across and grabbed it, reading the name Aria Fitz on the screen.
"Aria," Hanna said as she answered. "Hey."
"Hey!" Aria replied excitedly. There were loud shouts from the other end of the phone line, shouts that sounding a lot like a frustrated toddler. Aria moved her cell from her ear and hissed, "Chloe, put that back. Now."
"Problems with Chloe?" Hanna laughed.
Aria let out a long, tired sigh. "You don't want to know." Hanna chuckled and glanced at her own daughter, who was trying to rip her own piece of paper. "Anyway, I was calling to see if you were busy today."
"I don't think I have anything planned," Hanna said, although sounding very unsure. The calendar was hanging on the wall, and she shot a quick look at it, nodding. "Nope, I have no social life."
"Good," Aria replied hastily. "Do you want to meet up for a coffee? I haven't seen you in days."
Two hours later and Hanna and Madelyn were standing in front of the toddler's closet, staring at dozens of outfits. Of course, being a toddler, Madelyn was picking out all of her pink, fluffy tutus that were supposed to be hidden at the back of the closet, and Hanna was repeatedly having to tell her no.
"You're not wearing a tutu out to see Aria, Madelyn," Hanna declared as she threw the last tutu back into the closet. "But, you can wear this instead?" She held up denim pinafore dress, a dress Hanna had been eyeing up for months before buying the previous week, as well as a mustard color t-shirt to go underneath. Caleb was always telling Hanna to stop splurging out on clothes for Maddie—she had enough, he would tell her. But Hanna believed no child ever had enough clothes.
"Okay!" Maddie squeaked excitedly. She lifted her arms up, ready for Hanna to take her pajama shirt off.
"Right," Hanna sighed, standing in front of Madelyn, who was now dressed and jumping on her bed. The blonde wandered toward the closet, crouched down and started rooting through the hundreds of pairs of shoes. They ranged from baby booties to shoes that won't fit Maddie until she's six. Hanna may have gone a little overboard when she first found out she was having a daughter. "What shoes should we put on you?"
"Pink!" Maddie exclaimed. She jumped off the bed a little too clumsily and fell onto her knees. But, like a true soldier, she got right back onto her feet and ran over to her mom. "Pink," she repeated as she reached Hanna by the closet.
Hanna chuckled, shaking her head. "No, no pink, Mads. You have pink on your romper, and that's enough." She scratched her head, staring at a line of three pairs of shoes she had just organized. There was a pair of white, leather fisherman sandals, a pair of blue Birkenstocks that Alison had bought Madelyn for her first birthday, and a pair of beige cross-strap leather sandals. All were perfect for the warm, summer weather, but Hanna couldn't decide which she preferred with Maddie's denim dress.
10 minutes later and it was between the beige sandals or the fisherman sandals. Madelyn was being no help whatsoever, and was hyperactively jumping around the bedroom, acting as if she had just been fed spoonfuls of sugar. Hanna sat cross-legged on the floor, her small-but-growing bump visible. The window was wide open, letting in a cool breeze. There was the sound of paws padding down the hardwood hallway, and Bear appeared at the doorway of Madelyn's bedroom.
"What's up, Bear?" Hanna asked, tapping on the floor for him to come over. The pup obeyed, and obediently sat down in front of Hanna. Caleb had spent every day with Bear since adopting him, training and teaching him to be obedient. "You're such a good boy," Hanna cooed, nudging Bear stomach. He dropped to the floor, his tongue hanging out as he panted. Hanna rubbed at his belly, something she had learned he adored. There was a loud sound from outside—which seemed to happen a lot in New York—that startled Bear, and he suddenly jumped up and hared out of the bedroom.
"Bye, Bear," Hanna laughed. She turned back to the shoes and picked up the white fisherman sandals, deciding she liked them best with Madelyn's outfit. "Mads, come here, baby."
"No," Madelyn retorted. She giggled hysterically whilst throwing her weight around her bed.
"Maddie, come and put your shoes on," Hanna demanded firmly. "We're meeting Aunty Aria soon, so you need to put your shoes on so I can get ready. Okay?"
The toddler let out a groan and slid off of the side of the bed, her dress rolling up. As she trudged over to her mom, Hanna fiddled with the hem of the dress, adjusting it so it was straightened out. Hanna then proceeded to slip the shoes on, admire the outfit and make sure it was perfect, then sent Maddie into her bedroom, where she later followed.
It only took Hanna a surprising 33 minutes to get changed. If Caleb was there, he would have called it a miracle, and Hanna wouldn't have heard the end of it. After spending over five minutes searching for the right purse to match her outfit, Hanna grabbed her phone, keys, wallet and two drinks, took a firm hold of Maddie's hand and headed out of the front door.
Aria had asked to meet in a coffee shop that was perfectly located in between her apartment and Hanna's apartment. It was like it was built for them. The coffee shop was petite, and had a rustic feel to it when you walked in the doors. Hanna was hit by an almost overpowering smell of coffee when she walked in, but it was drowned out by the smell of fresh muffins being baked. It much reminded Hanna of Rosewood's local coffee shop, the Brew.
"Han!" a familiar voice called out. Hanna glanced around and spotted a small brunette waving wildly as she sat by the window. Next to her was a toddler around Maddie's age, and on her lap was a baby boy.
Hanna scooted Maddie across the floors, grinning widely. Aria stood up, despite having a 9 month old in her arms, and wrapped her arms around Hanna's neck as they reached each other. Madelyn and Chloe immediately threw themselves into each other's arms, like it had been years since they'd seen each other, when it actual fact it had only been a couple of weeks.
"Caden!" Hanna cooed, carefully scooping the baby from Aria's arms into her own. Smiling and cooing at him, she tickled under Caden's chin. "My baby boy, I've missed you."
Aria greeted Maddie, although she definitely didn't have the toddler's attention. That was given all to Chloe, who was now pulling out her new Barbie dolls from Aria's purse. Hanna perched herself on an oversized armchair, positing Caden comfortably on her lap.
"So," Aria began, "how are you liking the Big Apple?"
Hanna puffed out her cheeks. Four days spent living here wasn't exactly enough to come up with a secure answer, so Hanna just shrugged.
"How's your pregnancy so far?" Aria asked before taking a sip of the soy latte she had ordered just minutes before Hanna had turned up.
"It's been…different," Hanna replied slowly. "I don't know if it's because I've been so stressed lately or because it's my second pregnancy or…I don't know, but I feel like I keep forgetting I'm pregnant. That never happened with Maddie."
Aria smiled reassuringly and tapped her hand twice against Hanna's knee. "Don't worry. I was exactly the same with Caden. But by the time I reached five months and it was clear I was pregnant and not just fat, it became more real."
Just as Hanna opened her mouth to reply, a small, ginger and freckly waitress interrupted. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, her voice high and girly. There was warming smile stretching over her face, and she had a tray resting on her hip.
"Could I get another soy latte?" Aria smiled sweetly. The waitress nodded, mentally noting the order in her head.
"Can I get an iced tea please?" Hanna asked. She was desperate for a coffee, but due to obvious reason—the reason that stuck out of her stomach—she had to throw that order out of the window. Hanna glanced at Madelyn, who was infatuated with Chloe's Barbies. "Oh," she quickly added, "and a glass of water."
"Sure," the waitress squeaked, hurrying back to the counter.
The sun was beaming through the large windows, warming up the friendly coffee shop. Hanna repositioned herself in the massive chair, mindful over Caden on her lap. The baby whimpered, but leant his head against Hanna's small baby bump. There was a buzz from within the Michael Kors bag that was sitting against the leg of the chair. Aria kindly reached over and passed it to Hanna.
"It's Caleb," Hanna said slowly as she read the name on the screen. She swiped across. "Hey, babe. What's going on?"
"I wanted to check how you were," Caleb replied. There were shouts from the other end of the phone and Hanna could just imagine the commotion that was happening behind Caleb.
"We're good. We're out with Aria, Chlo and Caden." Hanna stroked the small amounts of hair on top of Caden's head. "How's your first day?"
Caleb had been at his new job for approximately four and a half hours and so far, he was loving it. It was just like he had dreamt about. Kenneth, his new boss, was even nicer than he was in the interview; Caleb's colleagues were so welcoming, explaining everything for him when he got confused. Caleb couldn't believe he waited so long to find a job this perfect.
Hanna smiled as her husband excitedly explained what had been happening. But, although she was happy for him, there was a twinge of jealousy. Hanna wanted to be starting a new job. Hanna wanted to have that excited feeling of meeting her new boss, new colleagues.
"Okay, well I need to go," Caleb announced. Hanna said a quick goodbye. Caden was beginning to fidget on her lap, and Aria was trying to grab him before he toppled over.
Aria moved her son into a cradling position, grabbed a bottle full of milk from her purse and started feeding Caden. "Is Caleb okay?" she asked.
"He sounds like everything's amazing," Hanna replied. Her voice was droopy, maybe a little sad.
After being best friends with Hanna since sixth grade, it wasn't hard for Aria to work out that something was bothering Hanna. And it didn't take long for Aria to work out what it was. "Han," she murmured. "You'll find another job."
"I don't know," the blonde mumbled. Maddie scampered over to her mom and began tugging on Hanna's leg. Hanna looked down, startled. "What's wrong?"
"Drink, Momma," Maddie begged. Nodding, Hanna stretched her arm out and grabbed the small glass of water that had been brought to the table by the waitress. The ice tea was sitting next to it, and Hanna nearly knocked it over with her clumsy hands.
"Careful!" Aria exclaimed, watching the plastic cup waver. Hanna stopped, grabbed the cup and moved it, before handing her daughter the glass of water. It had a stripy multicolored straw, and Maddie grinned when she saw it. Feeling somewhat exhausted, Hanna sighed and leant back against the chair. She couldn't believe how tired she felt; she hadn't even done anything!
"This baby," Hanna said, "is so tiring. I feel like I could fall asleep anywhere constantly."
Aria chuckled. "Have you got any names picked out yet or are you just going to call it baby for it's whole life?"
"We're calling it baby," Hanna replied. Her face was solemn, as if she were serious. "No, I'm just kidding," she quickly adding, laughing. "We picked two names out the other day, actually."
"You did?!"
"Yep," Hanna nodded. "One for a girl, one for a boy."
"Tell me, tell me!" Aria chanted, her voice high and squeaky.
Hanna kept tight-lipped and shook her head. There was a small smirk on her face, the corners of her mouth turning up.
"Oh, come on," the brunette sighed. "Han, just tell me the names. Please?"
"Fine."
Aria bubbled with excitement. "Really?"
"No," Hanna laughed. Aria scowled at the blonde.
—
It had been a tiring day for Hanna and Madelyn. Well, for Hanna at least. After a long stay in the cute coffee shop, Aria insisted on taking Hanna and Madelyn to Central Park. Hanna was reluctant. She wasn't feeling well enough to go wandering around a busy park; she was just too tired. But being the persistent person she is, Aria wouldn't let the idea go. Eventually, Hanna had to agree, and spent the next five hours watching Maddie and Chloe chase each other around a huge lake. Whilst standing in the warm, summer sun, Hanna suddenly regretted not bringing Bear and Bella out with her. They were cooped up at home, probably whining and whimpering as they sat at the front door, awaiting Hanna or Caleb's return. Unlike everyone else, Bear and Bella hadn't take too well to the new apartment. They missed being able to run around the backyard, being able to watch the birds go swooping over them.
Now, at almost seven o'clock, Hanna was curled up on the couch, wandering if Caleb was ever going to come home from work. Madelyn was snuggled into her mom, dreaming away in a deep, deep sleep. Bear was sitting on Hanna's feet, his head drooped over the edge of the couch, and Bella was lying by the coffee table. The TV was switched on, and Hanna's all-time favorite show, Friends, was playing, but instead of watching it, she was staring down at her baby girl, wandering whether, in 5 months, she'd have another baby girl to play with. Was it going to be a Luna or a Finley? She was desperate to know.
The front door suddenly burst open, startling both dogs. Luckily, Madelyn stayed fast asleep. In fact, she didn't even stir when Caleb came bounding into the living room.
"I'm sorry I'm so late," he announced a little too loudly. Hanna brought her finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh," as she pointed to the sleeping toddler.
"Oh sorry," Caleb cringed. He slowly and quietly slid off his patent leather shoes, dropped his bag down on the floor, and tip-toed towards the couch. He stared at the small space that was left between Hanna's feet and the arm of the couch, debating whether to sit there. Caleb decided against it, and was about to shuffle across the armchair when Hanna lifted her head. She gestured for Caleb to sit where her head had been.
"So, how was the rest of your day?" Hanna asked quietly as she gently laid her back onto Caleb's lap. Caleb twirled a piece of hair that had been hanging by Hanna's ear around his finger.
"It was amazing," Caleb whispered back. "This job is perfect."
"I'm so happy for you." Hanna smiled up at her husband, only to find him already grinning at her.
A/N - so caleb's started his new job, but hanna doesn't have one anymore :( but yay she can see aria a lot! would you guys mind if aria was in the story more?
thank you to everyone who's left reviews!
and thank you Jaz L for that tip! hopefully ill actually remember to do it!
oh, and don't forget to leave me your suggestions on the gender of Rivers Baby 2!