After Our Love Prevails {Stelena} (2)

11- Baby's 1st Birthday

AN: Hello everyone! If you take the time to read this little AN, thank you so much! Basically, I'll keep this short, as I'm sure you're more interested in reading about little Layla's 1st birthday! The last two years have been very hard and tiring for me (and the rest of the world I'm sure!). I've had some highs, like graduating during a freaking pandemic with a first class degree, which is crazy!!! But, I've also had some lows, a year ago I was hospitalised with anorexia for two months and have been recovering ever since. My confidence has been really low for the last few years, which is why my updates have been very sporadic and probably not to the best quality. Whilst I have been struggling with my recovery, I am also a trainee teacher so it's safe to say I have had a lot going on. I know how annoying it must be to have to wait so long between each chapter, but I hope that you can understand that writing will not always be my biggest priority. That being said, I hope you're all okay, and feel free to message me if you ever want/need to chat!

1 week later

Stefan's POV

"Patta cake patta cake..." I hear as I wake up. Before my eyes have even opened I'm smiling at the sound. I open my eyes before turning to face my wife playing my daughter's favourite game with her, a game that we have played on many occasions for numerous hours.
"...Put it in the oven for baby and me." Layla immediately erupts in a fit of giggles as Elena repeatedly kisses her face, neck and shoulders. Her toothless grin is as priceless and her laughter melts my heart.
Just as Layla begins to settle after her laughing fit, Elena laughs before looking towards me, smiling as we make eye contact. "Layla, look who's awake. It's daddy!"
"Hey, gorgeous." I happily take Layla into my arms, smiling as she happily squirms about. "Happy Birthday, baby."
Elena smiles at the two of us. "I can't believe she's one already."
"I know, it's gone so fast. Please stop growing." I kiss her temple with a smile. She rests her head on my shoulder, nestling her cheek into the crook of my neck.
"She looks so much like you," Elena looks up at me and smiles. Layla smiles at the sound of her mother's voice.
"I think she's a perfect mix of the two of us." I put my arm around my wife, bringing her in closer.
"I couldn't agree more," She says as I kiss the top of her head. It doesn't take Layla long to taken advantage of her proximity to her mother and runs her fingers through Elena's long, brunette hair.
"No! Leave my hair alone!" She laughs, gently untangling Layla's tiny fingers from her hair before playfully smothering her in kisses. I smile at the two of them, holding them close to me, never wanting to let them go. 

We spend the next half an hour lying in bed together, just the three of us. We don't normally get such slow-paced, lazy mornings so I cherish being able to spend so much uninterrupted time with my family. Although, by having such a lay-in has meant that we've now got to rush with getting everything ready for the day ahead. We've invited our close friends and family to come over today to celebrate Layla's 1st birthday. The fact that we're hosting our daughter's first birthday party seems too surreal to comprehend and I don't think my brain has fully processed it yet. It could also be my lack of sleep, considering I worked a 12 hour shift yesterday and scarified many hours of sleep in order to bake Layla's birthday cake. I'm going to assume it's the former. With that being said, I'm so glad, and lucky, that I'm not on call today, although I do have the slighted suspicious that everyone at work pulled together to make sure today was covered for me.

"How do I look?" I lift my head to see my wife in a beautiful forest green, floral dress as she twirls on the spot. My face must say it all because she grins cheekily as I approach her. She squeals in delight as I take her into my arms.

"My wife is hot," I say quietly, punctuating my sentence with kisses to her jaw.

"Stefan!" She half-heartedly protests, although her tightening grip around my neck completely contradicts her efforts. I kiss her sweet spot below her ear lightly before trailing my nose across her cheek so I'm able to see the look on her face. "Yes?"