5.
Emma arrived home from work and smiled as the sight that greeted her. Killian and their four year old daughter were sat at the kitchen table completely engrossed in something together. "What are you two up to?" she asked, creeping closer to peer over their shoulders, almost feeling a little left out.
"Oh, hello, love," Killian looked up, surprised to find her home. "I didn't hear you come in," he added, raising his head to welcome her home with a kiss.
"Hi Mommy!" Hope grinned up at her.
"How was work?" he asked as she kissed the top of Hope's head and smoothed her hand down her blonde tangled curls.
"Fine, busy," she sighed. "So, what are we drawing?" Emma asked Hope who was busily scribbling away with her crayons.
"It's a puppy, mommy," she replied.
"A puppy, huh?" she grinned knowingly. Hope had been asking for her own puppy for months, especially after she'd spent any time at her Grandparent's and had been playing with their dog.
"Uh huh. We getting one. Daddy said," she said matter of factly as she chose another crayon.
"Oh, he did, did he?" Emma asked, eyeing her husband, who cringed slightly in response.
"Hey little lass, I actually said that your mother and I would talk about it," he reminded her.
"Yep. And I have to use all my cuteness and my best smile to make her say yes!" she added, giving her father away as he'd obviously coached her on how to get her own way with her mom. Hope looked up at her with a wide, beaming smile. "So you will give in and let us get a puppy!" she giggled.
"Oh really?" Emma asked, throwing her husband a look of pure annoyance, he knew her stance on the matter. She thought Hope was too young for a pet and that their lives were currently too busy. Killian didn't answer, pretending not to notice the look on his wife's face as he busied himself in collecting all the stray crayons together. "Hope, sweetheart. Can you go pick all your toys up before dinner?" she asked with her hand resting on the little girl's back. "I need to talk to daddy."
"Okay." She handed her crayon to her dad and got down from the table, skipping towards the lounge with a chant of 'I'm getting a puppy' over and over.
Emma sighed and checked she was out of earshot before turning back to face her husband. "What did you tell her that for!" she hissed as she removed her jacket and went to hang it on the hooks by the staircase.
"Because she really wants a puppy. It's all she talks about and she's so excited. So, why can't we get her what she wants?"
"Because!" Emma sighed, resting her hand on her lower back. "We've talked about this. We have a four year old and in a couple of months, we have another baby arriving. Do you really think it's the right time to bring a puppy into this house?" she asked, sinking into a chair at the table.
"I know that, but it wouldn't be so bad, would it? Honestly, I wouldn't mind a dog myself. You'll be on maternity leave soon so we'll both be home to help settle a puppy in. So…"
Emma inhaled deeply. "Do you really think that's what my maternity leave is for?" she asked as she rested her head in her hand and closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. "We're going to be running ourselves raged with a newborn to care for again as well as our daughter. We won't have time for each other or to eat or even sleep, let alone looking after a damn puppy as well. Don't you remember how crazy those first few months were with Hope?"
"Of course I remember, Emma! But we're experts at this now, second time around can't be as bad can it?" he shrugged, completely clueless of how much their life was about to change as Emma laughed at him. "Besides, I'd hate to let her down now, she's so excited about it."
"We can not have a dog right now!" Emma told him firmly, putting her foot down. "I do not need anything else to care for. I thought we agreed on this?" She fixed him with an intense stare.
Killian sighed deeply and ran his hand through his hair, dishevelling it even more as he turned to watch his daughter in the lounge. She was currently collecting all her stuffed toys and dolls together, seating them nicely in her toy box as she said goodnight to them all. That little girl was a sweetheart and his pride and joy. He could hardly believe he was going to be lucky enough to get to do this again with another baby soon. He turned back to Emma, suddenly noting how tired she looked and he rubbed her shoulder. "Aye, I suppose you're right, love. Now is not the right time to be getting a dog. I'm sorry."
"Good. I'm glad we're on the same page again. Now you have to be the one to tell her there is going to be no puppy," she hissed as, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hope heading back their way.
"Mommy, can I call my puppy, Poppy?" she asked.
"Sweetheart, daddy needs to talk to you about that," she told her daughter, kissing her forehead.
"Come here my little cygnet," Killian sat on the floor and patted his lap. Hope eagerly plopped down and squirmed until she was able to look up at him. "I'm sorry lass, but I don't think we can have a dog right now after all."
"But, why?" she asked, her voice quavering as her bottom lip started to tremble.
Killian cuddled her and kissed the side of her head. "Well, you'll be getting a baby brother or sister soon and…"
"I don't want a baby! I want a puppy!" she whimpered. There was a full on pout now.
"I know you do, love. But, it's just not the right time. We're all going to be busy and tired with the new baby and…"
"But, daddy...you said I could!" she started to cry.
"I didn't say we definitely could. I just said we would talk about it again, remember?" he asked as he hugged her whilst looking to Emma for help. She knew that he felt terrible, as though he had let his little girl down. He had always found it hard to say no to her and just wanted to see her happy.
Taking pity on him, she patted her lap. "Hope, honey, come up here." She held out her arms for her daughter. Hope slid from Killian's lap and wiped her eyes, sniffling as Emma pulled her onto her lap. "Listen, maybe when you're a bit bigger girl and you can help look after one, then we can get a puppy. Okay? It's not a no, it's just not right now."
"I bigger now!" she protested.
"You are, you're my super big girl and I know you're going to be a fantastic big sister to this little baby," she said as she rubbed her tummy. "Daddy and I are going to need your help with the baby so much. And one day, when you and your brother or sister are older, we can get that dog. And when we do, you'll be able to call him or her whatever you want, okay? I promise."
"You pwomise?" she asked, looking up at her mom hopefully and then over at her dad. "You really, really pwomise?" They both nodded.
"Pirate's oath, little lass. And you know a pirate can't break his promise, it's seriously bad form!" Killian smiled at her.
"Okay," she reluctantly agreed and wiped her tears and snotty nose on her sleeve.
Emma smiled and kissed her cheek repeatedly, until Hope began giggling. "I love you, baby girl."
"Love you too, Momma!" she hopped down and plopped herself back in her daddy's lap who was still sat on the floor.
He gave her a big, sloppy kiss on her cheek as he hugged her tight. "Eurgh!" Hope giggled and swiped her cheek free of the kiss with her arm.
Killian chuckled. "Now, what would my little lass like for dinner tonight?" he asked her whilst tickling her.
"Mac and cheese, please!" she requested her favourite whilst giggling and squirming on his lap.
"You got it," he promised her with another kiss before she got up and Killian got to his feet.
"How about I put one of your favourite movies on whilst daddy and I make dinner?" Emma suggested, getting up from the table.
"Yay!" Hope squealed and ran back into the lounge.
"Moana or Frozen 2?" she asked her, opening up the Disney+ streaming account on the TV.
"Moana! Moana!" Hope jumped up and down, before running to fetch her dolls from the toy box to watch it with.
Emma got her settled and then returned to the kitchen where Killian was already pulling things out for dinner. "Well, I think we handled that one okay, right?" he asked, unsure of his parenting.
"It would have been easier if you didn't promise her things in the first place," she whispered in their hushed conversation as she began to grate some cheese.
"I didn't mean to," Killian sighed and glanced back into the lounge where their daughter was stood in front of the TV, happily singing along with her movie. "But you were right. I'm sorry love, I don't know what the hell I was thinking in trying to persuade you. We're going to have enough on with all this," he tenderly placed his hand on her belly.
She smiled as she turned and placed her arms around his neck. "Thank you."
"Well, you know we always work best when we do things together," he murmured before closing the short distance between them and kissing her softly.