The Billionaire's Substitute

Secure Relationship

Rachel patted the empty spot beside her, Ethan left a little over four in the morning. The fact that he could thrive on so little sleep was beyond her. She'd be grumpy as hell, in desperate need of either coffee or tea. She stared at the ceiling for a minute, trying to wake up. It then hit her that her little girl was awfully quiet this morning. She rolled to her side and grabbed the baby monitor off the bedside table. She stared at the screen, a smile spreading across her face as she realized that her baby girl was still fast asleep. She placed the baby monitor back on the bedside table, sitting up to get ready for her morning. Once she was freshly showered and dressed she'd focus on her little girl

She'd go to work, focusing on keeping herself together while Ethan was taking care of whatever problem occurred in Boston. She hoped he could handle the situation and come back home. He wasn't gone that long, but the mere thought of him being miles away from them made sadness spread throughout her entire body. She needed to keep going to keep her mind off things.

Climbing out of bed, Rachel took the baby monitor with her into the bathroom and started her morning routine. She brushed her teeth, took a quick shower and dressed in her silk white robe. Once the robe was secured around her waist the first little cry of Ava reached her ears. The little girl was awake, ready to start her morning as well. It surprised her how smoothly everything was going even though Ethan wasn't around. She should have known she'd be capable of taking care of Ava on her own.

Placing the baby monitor back on her bedside table, she made her way to Ava's room. She changed the little girl's nappy and freshened her up, dressing Ava up in a blue onesie which was covered in white polka dots. The little girl smelled of apples, being quite cheerful this morning.

"Let's get you something to eat." Rachel took Ava in her arms and strolled to the kitchen, putting Ava in her high chair while she prepared Ava's breakfast. When she glanced at her little girl she noticed how excited Ava was, kicking her feet in the air, "Someone's in a really good mood this morning." She chuckled.

She fed Ava her breakfast and then let the little girl play in her crib while she got dressed. She chose a simple white tee and dark jeans, she slipped into a pair of sneakers and pulled her hair up in her famous messy bun. Once she was ready for her morning she let their driver know they were ready to leave the apartment. It was quiet without Ethan around and she did notice Ava glancing around the room, in search of her daddy. The little girl didn't cry, but she could tell that her baby was missing someone. She made sure to pay Ava a lot of attention, hoping the rest of their week would go smoothly without Ethan present as well.

"Maybe we don't need to have daddy around after all." She told Ava. She laughed when Ava made a face at her, "Don't give me that look."

Apparently, her little girl disagreed with her. With a smile spread across her face, Rachel dropped Ava off at daycare and then headed to work herself. It wasn't as busy as usual at Emma's Haven which gave her time to experiment with her baking. She was full of energy herself that day. To her surprise when she picked Ava up from daycare later that day, Valerie and Gabriel joined her, going home together with her. The couple wanted to spend some time with Ava, she loved their company so she eagerly agreed to have them over. She prepared them a simple meal while the couple entertained Ava.

"With Ethan in Boston Gabriel wanted to spend as much time as possible together with Ava." Valerie let her know, "He is taking advantage of Ethan's absence."

Watching Gabriel being cuddly and cute with Ava made a warmth spread through her body which she could not put into words. Instead, she reached for her sister and pulled Valerie into a hug. It was the only way to express how happy she was. Valerie was surprised by the sudden display of affection. Her sister blacked out, not even returning the hug. Laughing Rachel pulled away and smiled at the surprised looking Valerie.