He could hear her as he slipped through the door, making his way towards her crib. It had been a long few weeks, but he was finally home. "There’s daddy’s baby girl," he whispered as he gently stroked her hair. He smiled as her tiny fingers encircled his much larger one. She kicked her feet, cooing happily at him. She knew her daddy was home.
"You should be asleep," he said, gently lifting her into his arms. He cuddled her close to him as he sat down in the rocking chair. "Daddy’s gonna tell you a story," he whispered as he placed a gentle kiss on her little forehead. He was so engrossed in his daughter that he never saw the figure standing just behind him in the doorway. She smiled at the sight of him holding his daughter in his arms. She leaned silently against the door frame to listen.
"Once upon a time...there was a very very busy man. He traveled all over the world with his four best friends, but still...he was lonely. One day he went out to buy a Christmas present for his mommy...uhh...because Santa...was...running late...so he asked the man to go get one for him...yeah." She had to put a hand over her mouth to hold back the giggle that threatened to escape. "Smooth," he chuckled to himself as he continued with the story, still unaware of her presence.
"Well, the man went into this very nice jewelry store to buy his mommy a bracelet that he knew she wanted. One day you’ll want one of those two, but that’s a very long time away. Daddy doesn’t want to think about you growing up just yet." The baby cooed in his arms happy to hear whatever he was saying. He smiled at her, noticing how her eyes had begun to get heavy.
"So, the man walked up to the counter where lots of pretty bracelets were for sale. He looked around trying to decide which one was the prettiest for his mommy. Then this beautiful woman spoke to him. She asked if she could help him, and she did. She helped him more then she would ever know. Whenever he was in town he would go see her, and she always made him smile."
He looked down at his beautiful baby girl, her eyes now closed as she rested in his arms. "One day the man took her on a horseback ride to their favorite spot. He asked her to marry him and she said yes. The man was so happy, but at the same time he was sad. He was happy because she said she would be with him forever....he would never be lonely again. But, he was sad because the very next day he had to leave. He was always very busy."
He glanced down at her again as he continued. "That night he held her all night long. Not wanting the morning to come because he would have to leave her for a very long time. But finally he had to. The man spent a very long time away from her, but he called her every night. She always made him smile, and he always made sure to tell her that he loved her very much. Finally, after a long time apart, the man got to come home."
He felt her stir in his arms and he looked down into her blue green eyes. "I thought you were sleeping," he whispered as he brought her tiny fingers up to his lips. "This is the best part though. You woke up just in time."
"Well, the man flew in on this big airplane. When he got there he was so excited because he missed her so much. He waited and he waited, but he didn’t see her. He was very sad because he thought she wasn’t coming. But guess what...she did come, and she told him that she had a surprise for him. Are you ready for this part?" Her eyes twinkled up at him as if she knew exactly what he was talking about. "She told him that they were going to have a baby, and he was very happy. So, the man and the woman got married, had a beautiful baby Emma, and lived happily ever after."
"Daddy loves you," he whispered, leaning over to kiss her smooth cheek. He smiled as she yawned, her eyes closing as she relished in the safety and comfort of his arms. He sang quietly to her as he rocked her to sleep in his arms. When he was sure she was asleep he carefully stood up, quietly laying her down in her crib. "Emma, that story was about mommy and daddy," he confessed as he stroked her forehead, "sweet dreams."
She couldn’t wait anymore. She had stood there through that whole story just dying to pull him into her arms. "Lance," she whispered, drawing his attention towards her. He turned, smiling at her silhouette in the doorway. "Emma, I’m gonna go kiss your mommy now," he whispered as he gently placed her tiny hand on her tummy, "Night night."
He walked towards her, every step bringing him closer to his one true love. Finally, he reached her...his arms pulling her tightly to his chest. "Oh, Faith, I missed you," he whispered in her ear as he held her. "I missed you too," she replied pulling back to look at him. Lance..." she whispered, bringing his eyes up to meet hers, "don’t lie to your daughter. Kiss me." He chuckled as he leaned forward, his lips meeting hers.
"Ahh...I needed that," he whispered as he linked his arms around her waist. "Well, I have a little bedtime story for you," she whispered, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "wanna hear it?" He nodded his head, meeting the twinkle in her eyes with one of his own. "Well, I guess you’ll have to get in bed then," she said, pecking his lips as she took his hand and led him off down the hall.
