Birthdays and Grill Cheese

This story is probably going to have an unknown number of chapters for anyone who's curious!

Her parents could barely believe that Bella was a year old. They threw a small party for her with Emily's parents and the team. There was burgers, potato salad and corn on the cob for the adult guests. Bella enjoyed Gerber mac and cheese. Eric and Calleigh bought the twins and Bella seemed fascinated by the two identical girls. The birthday girl had her own stunt cake so she could put her hands in it all she wanted.

Which she did the moment it was placed in front of her.

There were cupcakes for everyone else.

Alexx only smiled when Emily told her she spent her morning shower crying the day of the party.

"I just couldn't believe it's been a year," she said.

A second child were beginning to be a thought for the couple now, repeat, just a thought, Emily told her over-anxious mother.

"Why 'only a thought'? This little girl is one," Vanessa said. She had dropped over during lunch. Bella was enjoying bowtie pasta with her fingers. She whined when Vanessa continued to hold her sippy cup in her hand as she talked. "I'll take her any time you and Ryan want. You wanna be a big sister, don't you, baby?"

"She wants her drink, mom," Emily said, ignoring Vanessa's further probing.

All she could think was how much of a "mood killer" it would be to know in the back of her and Ryan minds that when her mother picked up Bella that she knew their "plans."

Unfortunately Harry was also on the second baby bandwagon as well, him asking Ryan "when are you going to get my daughter pregnant again?"

He asked Ryan this after Bella's birthday party when everyone else had left.

Though not surprised by the inquiry, Ryan laughed.

"I guess you'll have to be like everyone else and find out when it happens," he replied.

Arabella Jasmine Wolfe had a wide vocabulary for her age. Along with "mama" and "dada," she said "nana" and "papa" for her grandparents. She said "dat" often, most of the time in question-form wanting to know "what's that?" She could say "hi," "bye," "up" and "dink," for "drink" when she was thirsty. Her favorite food was cookies, than it was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, she was also developing a liking for cheese pizza. Some people were shocked Bella was given peanut butter at such a young age. But with no history of food allergies in either family, the doctor said it was no reason Bella couldn't have the food.

Bella was back to her mischievous self, hiding from her mom and dad, again laughing when she heard mommy and daddy say they thought she "disappeared." It couldn't be clear who enjoyed the time when daddy and daughter spent the evening together when Emily went out for supper and bowling with some friends. One of Ryan's buddies from patrol called while he and Bella were getting ready for supper.

"So, the woman got ya babysittin', huh?" he said.

"It's not babysitting when it's your own child, you moron," Ryan replied. "I don't know, Bella," Ryan said as he pressed the end button on the cordless phone. "Some people are strange."

Bella grinned at her father and proceeded to drop her wooden snail on the floor from her high chair where she sat.

"You're silly," he said, picking up the toy, placing it back on the table and kissing Bella on the head. "Now, what's daddy going to feed you?"

With no peanut butter and jelly in sight, his fault for forgetting to go the store on the way home, Ryan decided to try his daughter on something new.

A grilled cheese sandwich. He would have the same.

"Mommy and daddy really like these," he said, cutting the baby's sandwich into tiny squares and waiting for it to cool so it was just warm and wouldn't burn Bella's fingers. "I think you will, too."

He placed the plate with the bite-size squares on it in front of her to see what she would do. Bella curiously touched one square with her finger then with her other hand picked up another square and took a bite.

Then she smiled.

"Yummy, huh?" Ryan asked.

Bella continued to eat without a fuss but pointed to her sippy cup on the counter.

"Oh, daddy forgot your juice. Here you go."

Bella was asleep and Ryan was just finished tidying up the living room when Emily got home.

"Dd you have fun?" Ryan asked her, giving his wife a kiss when she walked in the room.

"I even got a turkey," she replied.

"I still could have beat your score," Ryan teased.

"Ha! Only in your dreams, pal. You two have a good evening?"

"We did. Miss Bella had a grill cheese and loved it. And oh, apparently, according to Harley, who called earlier, I'm babysitting tonight.

Emily had heard a similar comment from one of the friends she were out with. The woman "couldn't believe" Emily left the baby with her husband.

Emily replied with a sarcastic "heaven forbid he look after his own daughter for a few hours."

"Or that he would enjoy it," Ryan said.

Please Read & Review!