riley's pov
love. that's the first thing that I remembered feeling. despite all the pain that I had just gone through, all I could feel was love. pure, unconditional and total love. every single day, I still felt like the luckiest person alive.
I smiled down at my daughter gently as she played with some blocks. she was only eight months old and too little to sit for long periods by herself, so she sat propped up against the couch with cushions on either side of her. i reached across to where she was sitting and stacked a block next to the "tower" that she was making. the very second I placed it there, she bashed it aside with her tiny little hand. she hadn't really gained much muscular control yet, but she loved to hit her toys away at any chance she got. as she knocked it away, her small brown eyes, almost identical to my own, looked up at me as a cheeky grin appeared on her face. I couldn't help but allow a big smile to spread across my features as I looked down at her, my perfect little angel. I stacked another block in front of her, and she once again shoved it aside. we continued like this for almost twenty minutes, but it felt as if no time passed at all. as I placed more blocks in front of her, she continued to knock them down and giggle. i laughed gently to myself, reaching across to tickle her softly. she smiled and tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away, causing her to giggle once again. we both sat there quietly for a few moments, before she took her thumb into her mouth and sucked it gently. noticing the signal, I picked her up and scooped her into my arms gently. holding her against my chest, I walked over and sat on the couch. i gently grabbed my little girl by the waist softly and stood her up on my lap, continuing to support her with my hands. i gave her a big smile and poked my tongue out, but she just buried her little head into my shoulder.
"mmmm...mmmmm," she gurgled softly, reaching one hand up to touch my arm.
"are you hungry baby girl?" I cooed gently into her ear, picking her up to face me. she looked at me with her big brown eyes, and I could tell that she was. i glanced beside me and picked up my phone, reading the time. oh gosh, it was past seven o'clock. i'd really let the day get away today without doing much, but I suppose that's alright. also since it was past seven, that meant someone would be home soon. smiling gently to myself, I pulled down my shirt and positioned my daughter ready for a feed. I felt myself slowly relax as I sat there, looking down at her beautiful face, thinking about how lucky I was.
james's pov
i drummed my hands impatiently on the steering wheel as I sat, waiting, at the traffic lights. it was starting to get late and the sky was gradually turning a very dark shade of blue. i'd just been at a very long band rehearsal and I was feeling quite tired, but also pumped. the band has been taking off quite recently, and we are starting to get noticed a bit more, which is super good. today we had been working with mr t on a bunch of new songs that we hope to perform at an upcoming gig; a gig who's audience would consist of lots of scouts and agents. he reckons that if we get noticed by any single one of them, it may be our chance to get our big break. as I zoned off a bit, I realised the lights had changed colour, and I quickly stepped on the accelerator, taking off again. i was only a few blocks from home and couldn't wait to get there, relishing at the idea of relaxing for the rest of the night. a slight smile spread across my face as I pulled into the driveway and took my keys out of the ignition. i grabbed my phone and quickly hopped out, jogging up to the front door and opening it. as I stepped inside, I instantly felt warmer than I did outside in the cool toronto weather. i locked the door and sat my keys in the little dish on the side table as I kicked off my shoes and walked into the house.
riley's pov
as my daughter fed herself slowly, I stroked my arm up and down her back. everything about her was so delicate and fragile, and I was always so conscious of that, making sure I was always very gentle. I looked up at the tv that was playing on a very low volume in the background as it showed the current news highlights. at that moment, I heard keys in the front door, followed by the door being opened and closed again. I smiled to myself, waiting for that person to come inside. a few moments later, james's head appeared around the wall and grinned at me. I giggled softly to myself, it tried not to move too much as not to interrupt my daughter's feeding. he jogged over to the couch and stood beside me, kissing my cheek softly.
