Give Them Hell

One Year

September 1st, 1990

"Mom!" Lyric yells from her high chair. "Mom, mom, mom!"

"I'm right here, sweet songbird, with your juice." I promise her and hand her the sippy cup with apple juice in it.

We survived the year, I think it was the fastest year of my life but we survived. Lyric is developing like a normal one year old and the paediatrician said that she's going to be perfectly fine now. Nikki and I couldn't be prouder.

AJ, DJ, Junie, and Tara all love their little cousin more, Dakota loves being Aunt Dakota, and Tommy has taken a liking to his little niece. Lyric is just perfect and I can't believe that Nikki and I made her.

"Where's my favourite girl?!" Tommy yells as he walks into the kitchen with Nikki.

"Aren't you married?" Nikki asks as he hugs me from behind and kisses my cheek. "Hi baby." He whispers.

"Hi babe." I say and kiss him quickly.

"Lyric is still my favourite." Tommy states and scoops her out of the high chair. "Hi baby girl. Happy birthday, big girl!"

"Teemee!" Lyric squeals, that's how she says Tommy.

"Wanna see what I got you?" The drummer asks my daughter.

"Yeah!" Lyric cheers and Tommy laughs.

"Come on, let's go." He says and totes her out of the kitchen.

"Some times I think we have two kids." Nikki admits and I laugh.

"It's pretty close to it some times." I agree and kiss his chin. "I love you."

"I love you more." He says and kisses my lips. "We survived the first year."

"Seventeen to go." I remind him and he laughs.

"Maybe we should have more?" Nikki asks and I take a breath.

Nikki knows that I'm worried about having more kids. I'm scared that I'm going to deliver too early or I'll miscarry and I'm scared to go through that again.

"Maybe let's wait until Lyric is potty trained or in school." I offer with a laugh.

"Yeah, we'll see." Nikki laughs and kisses my nose.

I wrap my arms around his shoulder and hug him into me. Nikki's arms snake around my hip and he pulls me off my feet. I missed hugging Nikki like this because we usually have a little baby needing our attention, we love Lyric but we don't have a lot of time to ourselves now.

"I love you." Nikki mumbles and I squeeze him a little tighter.

"I love you." I whisper as I hear a little bell.

I pull away from Nikki and peek over his shoulder to see my little daughter peddling a big wheel with Tommy standing proudly behind her.

"Mommy! Daddy! Lookie, lookie!" Lyric calls and we smile. "Teemee gots me a bick."

"A bike, songbird." Tommy corrects.

"Bike." Our daughter tries again. "It go ding ding, daddy!" Lyric calls and rings the bell again.

"Songbird, that's great!" Nikki states and picks her up. "Did you thank Teemee?"

"Thank you, Teemeee!" Lyric yells and the drummer laughs.

"You're welcome, little one." Tommy smiles.

Nikki

"Daddy, story again." Lyric commands as I place her into her crib again. "It's my favourite."

"Anything for you." I admit and sit down on the end of the bed. "I met your mommy when I was a senior in high school, she was a freshman. I walked into the principal's office because, well, I was in trouble and there she was, mommy was standing in the office with Uncle Mackie." I explain and she smiles. "I made some dumb joke and she laughed but Uncle Mackie really didn't like me. Both mommy and I got detention and that's where we became friends."

"But when you kiss mommy?" Lyric asks and I smile.

"That's my favourite part too." I admit. "Your mommy and I went to the Space Needle instead of detention because your mommy was scared of heights. Mommy wouldn't go onto the balcony so I scooped her up and made her go. When she opened her eyes and looked around, that's when I kissed her for the first time. I knew in that moment that I was falling in love with your mommy."

I continue to tell Lyric the story of Dallas and I. Her moving away and it breaking my heart, Dallas wrecking back into my life, dating Dallas again, asking her to marry me with the help of David Bowie, our wedding day, and how we've been giving people hell for years now.

I kiss my baby daughter and shut off her light before going to find my sleeping wife. I walk into our bedroom to find my wife laying in bed asleep. I crawl in bed beside her and kiss her nose.

"I love you." I tell her.

"I love you." Dallas mumbles. "Did she want the story again?"

"She always wants our story." I admit. "It's a pretty fantastic one."

"You're not wrong, my love." She admits and kisses me without opening her eyes. "Promise me we'll always give people hell?"

"Dallas, I swear it." I promise with a laugh.

The End!