- - - - - Six Months Later - - - - -
~ Audrey ~
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Gracie, happy birthday to you!"
The whole room was singing and cheering for baby Grace's first birthday. She had no clue what was happening though. She was sitting on her chair with a pink dress on, staring at everyone in front of her. Her biggest fans in the world were in the room, her mommy, daddy, grandpa Max, grandpa John, and grandma Anna. Even uncle Mikey, Uncle Sebastian, Auntie Liv, and Uncle Benji were there too.
Audrey and Killian invited their closest friends and family to attend an intimate weekend celebration for Grace's first birthday party. They wanted it to be extra special, so instead of doing a house party at their home in Brooklyn or at the Vanderbilt mansion, they decided to have it in Bermuda, the place that inspired her namesake.
The Vanderbilt villa was big enough to house everyone. And out in the garden, Audrey, Mikey, Liv, and Benji had decorated the place with balloons and fairy lights. Mikey had this idea to make a makeshift hot air balloon using a picnic basket and put baby Grace inside it. It turned out to be such a cute photo-op moment.
"Blow the candles, baby," Audrey encouraged baby Grace to blow the candles on her pink cupcakes. Yes, of course she got Magnolia cupcakes flown over for the party.
Grace looked at her mommy and daddy who were urging her to blow the candles. She followed obediently and blew the candles away. Everyone clapped and cheered as soon as she did. She didn't know what was happening, but everyone was laughing, so she laughed and clapped along with them.
"Aw, she's the cutest baby ever," Liv gushed.
"Girl, don't tell me you're getting a baby fever?" Mikey commented.
"I want a baby so bad! Ugh, if only I have one right now, Audrey and I can have kids that are in the same grade," Liv pouted. "Hey, Mikey, do you wanna have a baby with me?"
"Ew, no," Mikey scoffed and rolled his eyes. Liv just broke up with her boyfriend and she was so baby crazy, she asked her gay best friend to have babies with her.
"Mamma, dadda!" then she pointed at Mikey and Olivia, and everyone gasped.
"Aw, she thought you two are her mommy and daddy," Audrey laughed.
"Okay, that was low-key really cute," Mikey stared at Gracie and sighed. "You know what, Liv? I'll reconsider your offer,"
Audrey and her friends broke out laughing. Grace was the most adorable baby in the world, and she wasn't saying it just because she was hers. Grace could capture anyone's heart and make them smile. It was like a special talent of hers.
"Time for pictures!" Anna exclaimed.
Even though this was an intimate party, Anna Vanderbilt didn't want the moment to pass them by, so she hired a private photographer to capture the moment. Everyone began to gather around baby Grace as the photographer took his spot.
"Smile, everyone!"
Everyone didn't need to be told that. They were already smiling. Today was a wonderful day for all of them. There was no work or stress, just a simple family gathering and celebration. It also helped that they were staying on one of the best islands in the world. Baby Grace and Bermuda were a perfect combination.
After the photo session, Mikey turned up the music and the family was having a little dance party. Grace had also started walking, and much like her mommy, she loved to run around and dance. Everyone was laughing and dancing with her. Even John Vanderbilt, who never showed any emotion, was laughing happily and twirling baby Grace in his hand.
Audrey wanted to join them and dance, but she was feeling dizzy, so she stopped and stood by the sidelines. She woke up super early this morning to decorate the place and prepared everything for the party. All that lack of sleep must be getting to her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Killian suddenly appeared from behind her. He was always watching over his wife, and he knew something was wrong when Audrey's favorite song was on but she wasn't dancing.
"Yeah, I just got a little headache," she smiled.
"This party is stressing you out, huh?" Killian narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Well, stop everything. You're officially off the party duty,"
Killian took her hand and led her away from everyone. Audreywas reluctant to leave the room, but Killian was adamant. He pulled her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her.
"Here, you should sit down. I'll get yousome water," he said.
"I'll be fine, I should go back and check on everything—"
"No, you leave that to me," Killian cut her off sternly. He grabbed a glass of water and gave it to her. "Don't worry about Grace or the guests. Or actually, you know what? We can even leave Grace with my parents tonight. They can take care of each other,"
"No, we shouldn't bother your parents," she protested.
"Oh, it's not bothering them. They'll love it," Killian said reassuringly. He stood in front of her and leaned down, pinching her cute with his fingers. "Now you sit down, drink lots of water, and don't do anything else. You have the rest of the day off,"
"Kill, I'm really fine," Audrey tried to protest again. "Ijust need, like, ten minutes,"
Audrey couldn't help but smile. He was arock star daddy and marrying him was the best thing that ever happened to her.
"Okay, love?" he smirked.
Oh, how can I say no to that?
~ Killian ~
The rest of the weekend went by without a glitch. The party was a great success and everyone had a great time. The next day was a Sunday, and everyone was out doing their own thing. John, Anna, Maxwell, and Sebastian went out to the country club for drinks. Meanwhile, Audrey decided to go get a spa massage in town with Mikey and Olivia. She didn't want to go at first, but Killian insisted that she took some time off.
In the afternoon, Killian took Grace to the beach and they watched the sunset together. Grace loved being on the beach and out in the sun. She was a lot like her mother in this sense.
After their day out on the beach, Grace was super tired so she took a nap in her room. Killian's parents alsoarrived home and they wanted to keep Grace company. John and Anna ended up staying with Grace all night long. She was their pride and joy. Their first grandbaby. They wanted to spend as much time with her as they could.
A little over eight o'clock that night, Audrey came back to the house with Liv and Mikey. They had a bunch of shopping bags in their hands, which meant they had just gone shopping. Killian saw how Audrey was smiling and laughing with her friends as they walked inside. After the stress of raising a baby and planning this party, she really deserved this day off.
"Yeah, I feel much better," she nodded. "Thanks for taking care of Grace today,"
"No problem.Where did you guys go?"
"We just walked around town andgot some things from the store," she replied. "How's Gracie?"
"She's great. She's sleeping now. My mom has dibs. She's not letting Grace go until tomorrow,"
Audrey smiled and nodded. This happened several times already. Whenever they took Grace to her grandparent's house, their grandparents would always try to get her to stay longer. Killian and Audrey didn't mind. It usually meant they could get an extra night off for themselves.
"Hey, uh, Kill," Audrey said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
She peeled away from Killian's grip and took out a small yellow paper bag. She handedit to him and he looked at her quizzically.
"What's this? Apresent for Grace?" he asked.
"No, that one's not for Grace, that one's for you," she said.
"What?"
"Openit,"
Killian eyed her suspiciously as she was biting her lip. Killian took out the tissue paper and peered inside. His eyes shot up instantly when he realized the content of the bag.
"Are you kidding me?" he gaped.
Killian pulled out several whitesticks. They were pregnancy tests, and all of them were positive.
"I did five tests just now," she smiled sheepishly. "Just to be sure,"
Killian couldn't believe his eyes and ears. Audrey and Killian had been trying to have a baby for months now, but nothing was happening. He thought maybe the timing was off. Maybe they needed to wait a bit more time. But just as he was about to change his plans, life threw him another curveball.
"You're pregnant?" his voice came out in breaths.
"I'm pregnant," she nodded her head.
"Oh my God," Killian's hand went to his mouth. Suddenly, his heart was pumping so fast, it was about to burst out of his chest.
Audrey smiled at his response and she linked her arms around his neck. His eyes were wide open in shock, and the smile on his face refused to drop. It took him a moment before he pulled his composure and hugged her back.
"Are you happy?" she asked him.
"Are you kidding? I'm beyond happy," he laughed. "Sweetheart, you're making all my dreams come true,"
Audrey's eyes softened and glazed over. Her hand reached for his face and her thumb caressed his skin. Their eyes were locked onto each other and she stared at Killian as if her life depended on it.
"I love you somuch, Kill,"she whispered.
Killian leaned down and kissed her in response. His kiss was so tender and deep, Audrey couldn't help the tear falling from her eyes. She was so incredibly happy. And he was too. He was over the moon. She gave him everything he could ever ask for and more. If the world wouldn't give them anything else after this, he wouldn't mind. His life was already complete.
"I love you too. So, so much more,"he whispered back.
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- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -