AllFreeNovel
Share Us
During these times, she would either moderate how and what she said or drop the subject until she felt I was more receptive to the information. No matter how long it took her, she always eventually got her point across.
My girl had the patience of a saint, never showing any obvious anger or frustration with me if I shut her down, especially when she spoke about tests or examinations. From my point of view, I knew I sometimes sounded absurd or unyielding, and I was always quick to apologize to her on the occasions where this happened. Fortunately, they weren’t too often, and Harper had great empathy whenever she thought I was scared.
Despite these internal battles, I tried to remain positive during the early days, and I was determined to act on the sound advice Stuart had given me when he had ridden out with me that day.
I made a conscious effort to be more attentive toward Harper in regard to her pregnancy; asking how she felt, both physically and emotionally, and I’d tie up her responses with what I saw from my quiet observations of the subtle changes in her moods and body.
Although Harper was occasionally nauseous, thankfully she didn’t suffer at all from morning sickness, which was completely the opposite of how Layla had affected Grace.
When Harper went for her initial OBGYN appointment without telling me until afterward, I felt oddly disappointed; guilty for not being with her, half pissed at not being given the choice, yet relieved not to have been there.
There were times I felt my head was about to explode under the pressure of facing the unknown, like when life had been so dark after Layla’s birth. Restraining myself, I didn’t know how to react for fear of getting my hopes up, in case something went wrong. It was possibly my indecision that made Harper appear to do what her instincts told her was best.
We had discussed at length about how she wanted me to support her, and although I was nervous, I was happy for Harper to set the pace. It made sense when she’d like to keep me informed, but without going into too much detail, because she figured the less stressed I was, the more she’d enjoy the experience.
I loved her logic, but there were times when I pushed for more information and at others she actively encouraged me to opt out, especially her visits to her obstetrician.
Between hospital appointments, Harper kept Layla’s routine much the same with school, playdates, and outings, so unless something was looming with her physician or specialist, life ticked along in the same vein.
It was Harper who always initiated sex in the first few weeks after she told me about the baby. Until she pointed this out, it hadn’t been anything conscious on my part, but I guess the news must have affected me to the point where it suppressed all thoughts about anything else. It wasn’t like I didn’t still find her attractive; it was due to the potential risks to my girl consuming me.
By the second trimester, my libido had returned, and as I had found with Grace, Harper’s changing body sent my desire for her through the roof.
Watching Harper blossom from her first to the second trimester made me realize how fast time had passed. We’d both agreed not to tell Layla until Harper was safely past the first twelve weeks, and everyone in the household found this a hard-kept secret. All the staff knew our news and Harper had confided in our friends and neighbors, Sarah-Jayne and Max.
At almost fifteen weeks, both Harper and I felt it was time to spell things out for Layla, and Harper and Diane came up with an ingenious plan to help us to do this.
Friday nights were traditionally Layla’s late night for bed. We had all been watching a family movie in the living room. When the movie finished, I turned the TV off and Harper nudged Layla.
“Hey, how would you like to have a sleepover with your dad and me tonight?”
My daughter’s eyes grew huge from the drowsy ones ready for bed, to bright, wide, and alert.
“Really? Can I really, Daddy?” she asked turning to me, not entirely believing her luck.
“Sure. I think it’s a great idea. Obviously, it’s a very special occasion, because usually the sleepovers are adult only, but I think we can do it just this once.”
Unbeknownst to me, Harper, Matty, and Diane had been in the bedroom earlier and worked their magic while I’d kept Layla busy, and when Layla opened the bedroom door, she squealed in delight. Glancing past her, I saw the room was bathed in white string lights. The headboard of the bed had softer blue, pink, and yellow ones running the length of it.
Running full blast at the bed, Layla quickly climbed up on it and stood at the center, then jumped up and down with excitement.
“Come on, let’s get into bed,” she shouted. Spot came scuttling into the room, slipped on the wooden floor and went skidding into the side of the bed. From the puppy he was he’d grown into a huge clumsy lump.
“No. No dog. I’m drawing the line, Baby. Spot sleeps downstairs or the party is off.”
Immediately Layla placed her hands on her hips without missing a beat and scolded the dog, when normally she’d have moved Heaven and Earth to have Spot included.
“Sorry, Spot. You know my daddy doesn’t allow you in the bedroom,” she scolded, like she was full of wisdom and jumped down off the bed. Grabbing his collar, she dragged her reluctant dog over to the door and led him out of the room.
Harper passed her on the landing, her hair neatly braided and wearing short pant pajamas, and we both chuckled when we heard Layla admonishing her dog all the way down the stairs.
Stripping out of my clothes, I quickly pulled on some boxer briefs and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. By the time I returned, Layla was back in the room and she and Harper were already in bed. She’d snuck into bed with me hundreds of times, but this was a first lying between Harper and me.
Harper clapped her hands and all the lights in the room went off apart from those over the headboard. “How does this feel?” Harper asked Layla as she wriggled excitedly in between us.
“Magical,” she immediately offered, and the sound of wonderment in her tone touched me. I smiled, and my heart filled with love that something so simple could have had such a huge effect on her little mind.
“I agree it is magical, Layla,” Harper started, “in fact I can only think of one other thing that would make this sleepover even more magical,” she added.
