The first thing Shane felt when he woke on his birthday was tiny little fingers poking at his chest. Peeling open an eye, he saw Petra was laying in bed beside him, tucked onto her side just like him.

'Hey little princess, how'd you get in here? Did Mumum want us to have some birthday cuddle time?'

'Blb-blb.'

'Oh, I see, she has a surprise waiting for us out in the kitchen? Let's go see what it is.'

Shane scooped up his little girl into his arms, gave her painfully cute orange onsie a gentle tug. 'Ooo, can you smell that? That smells like Mumum made us a great big feast.'

His nose didn't steer him wrong - Alexis was in the kitchen at the stove whipping up a storm of food. There were hash-browns and bacon already, and if his eyes didn't deceive him she was hard at work making pancakes. 'Who's that pretty lady? Is that Mumum?'

'Blb!'

Alexis looked over her shoulder, grinned. 'Hello birthday boy, you spending time with your favourite redhead?'

'You're both my favourite redheads, although Cristina Hendricks is pretty smoking hot too,' Shane laughed as he came over to give Alexis a kis; he made a happy little 'mmm' noise when Alexis kept him close, traced her tongue over his lips. 'Hey, well happy birthday me.'

'You betcha.'

'Petra, cover your ears sweetheart.' Shane grinned foolishly as he mimed covering the baby's ears with his palm. 'You sure you feel up for that?'

'Yeah, I am. I've been feeling really good since I started with Doctor Ferguson and she said that part of me feeling good about myself as a mother starts with feeling good as a whole person. Part of that is making love with my husband and I figured tonight being a special occasion and all...'

Alexis trailed off, gave him another kiss. 'You and I get to have our own play-date.'

'I like play-dates.'

'Especially with...costumes?'

'Costumes? Like princess and the pirate?' Shane's eyes brightened eagerly. 'Or maybe mermaid and the sailor?'

'You know, ever since our honeymoon I've never watched The Little Mermaid the same way,' Alexis laughed, then gently turned around to turn off the pan on the stove. 'I was think more like you're the fashion photographer and I'm the new model for the Agent Provocateur campaign.'

'Oh, nice. Here, Petra, in you go.' Shane buckled his daughter into her high-chair, waited until Alexis had no pans or plates in her hands before he spun her around boosted her up by the ass so her legs locked around his hips. 'How long do I have to wait to unwrap you.'

'Shane,' Alexis laughed, scooted back so she was sitting on the counter, legs still around his waist. 'We do have some actually Petra-friendly presents to do right now, then we are having dinner with the family, then tonight we are coming back here and getting...very...loud.'

'Oh, doctor hurt me.' He pressed a hand to his heart, miming a coronary, then backed up so she could slip down to her feet. 'You know how much I love you?'

'About as much as I love you.'

'Nope, more.'

'Nope more,' she mimicked, wrinkling her nose in a way that made Shane feel lighter than air in his heart. 'Come on, let's eat.'

So saying, Shane took a seat at his spot at the dinner table, and leaned over to make cutesy noises at Petra, who burbled and smiled like an angel as Alexis brought over the breakfast stuff, including one of Shane's favourite treats - a strawberry blintz from Love on a Bun. This one had a birthday candle in the middle; when Shane glanced up he saw Alexis was filming him on her iPhone as she hummed Happy Birthday for him.

'Make a wish,' she told him.

'Well I've got the cool job, the hot wife and beautiful child, famous inlaws, a sweet car. What's left to wish for?'

'That you still have all of that twenty years from now?'

'Nah, I know that's true. How about a quickie while Petra has her nap?' When Alexis scoffed and swatted his shoulder, he gave her a goose making her giggle and drawing Petra's attention in the form of a wide-eyed stare. 'Alright, alright I think I got one.'

He leaned over, blew out the candle, and grinned. 'But if I tell you, it won't come true.'

'Fair enough. So, do you want my gift or Petra's first?'

'Petra's smaller so she goes first, of course. RJ would know and that kid would have my head on a stick,' Shane laughed, setting aside the card - he'd read that later, as he was a sucker for cards and didn't want to make his child cry. Inside the gift bag he found something he'd been after for ages. 'Oh my god, this is wonderful, Petra!'

'What did she get you?' Alexis asked, truly feeling like a mom as she video him opening the parcel.

'It's a new Audiovox ear-clip. My other one is almost toast and Papa most-definitely needs this when he's back to work on Monday. Thank you sunshine.'

He gave her a kiss that made her little dimples wink, then reached for the one from Alexis. He gave it a shake. 'Is it the lingerie you'll wear tonight?'

'Nice try.'

'Okay I'll behave.' Shane tore into the present, lifted the lid - and thought his eyes were going pop out of his head. 'Alexis, where the hell did you find this?'

'My dad's tailor owed him a favour, he hooked me up.'

Shane lifted the black felt bomber's jacket out of the box, stroked the red stitching that read 'Mr Plow' on the back. It was perfect, right down to the woman who loved him so much to think of getting this for him. 'Alexis if this is the family friendly gift, you're getting a very x-rated thank-you from me later.'