Work Text:
6:45 AM
Sunlight flooded through the large bedroom window, illuminating Melinda’s face.
It came as a surprise to her spouse that he'd woken before she had. Usually, each morning before he went into the shop, Phil would wake to find Melinda in the middle of her Tai Chi routine.
He continued to watch Melinda deep in sleep, knowing she was hardly ever in such a state of peace as she was at that moment. He watched each day as she placed the responsibility of everyone else's well-being upon herself, and, as a result, a prominent aura of urgency and cloud of worry often surrounded her presence.
He tried his hardest to take as much of the responsibility upon himself as she would allow, such as collecting their 6-year-old daughter, Skye, from school every afternoon, while Melinda finished up work in the bookstore. He also cooked breakfast - Phil loved seeing his two girls' faces when they ate his famous French toast with whipped butter, syrup, and strawberries.
Admittedly, he may have cooked more for his own personal satisfaction, but it definitely took one more worry off Melinda's plate.
Phil looked over to the clock on the bedside table, leaving one hand placed gently atop Melinda's head. The time read 6:54 AM, and he smiled, because if he was right, a little bouncing ball of joy and sunshine was about to burst through the bedroom doors and -
“MOMMY! DADDY!”
Phil felt Melinda's head shoot up in alarm at the sound of their daughter's calls, but the alarm was quickly replaced with a smile as she realized her daughter was alright, and their little bundle of joy jumped onto the bed, right in the space between them.
Skye hurriedly took the covers within her small hands and crawled in, immediately snuggling against her mother, who lay on her side, arms outstretched to secure her daughter in a warm embrace. Their eyes closed, and they both had content smiles on their faces.
“Woaini, MaMa,” Skye whispered, perfect pronunciation in her sleep-laced voice.
I love you, Mommy.
They both opened their eyes again, and smiled sweetly at each other, noses touching lightly.
“Woaini,” Melinda whispered back, in an equally sleepy voice.
I love you.
Those words gave Skye more incentive to wrap her arms around her mother's neck and bury her face in one of her shoulders.
Phil loved the relationship his wife and daughter shared, but sometimes, he admittedly got a tiny bit jealous. There were times when Skye would tell Melinda a secret, and both would refuse to reveal to him what it was, or other times when they would whisper something into each other's ear, looking at him and giggling.
Now however, wasn't one of those times. Now was a time when he adored their relationship. But, he also wanted to have cuddle time with his daughter, so he feigned a look of hurt at them both, and pouted.
“Why don't I get a hug?”
Skye giggled, releasing the hold she had on her mother, and turned around in her arms to look at her dad.
Bangs and short hair framed her rounded, beautiful face, and she had a hint of her mother's Asian eyes, darker skin tone, and nose, but she had Phil’s facial structure and light brown hair.
She was a perfect mixture of himself and Melinda, and he was proud they had made such a child. Because of them, this wonderful person existed, and maybe it was just parental bias, but he knew their baby was going to do great things in the world.
Melinda's arms released their daughter, and Skye launched herself into her father's chest, catching him in an unexpected hug. He huffed, and then smiled, his own arms returning the welcomed hug.
Melinda had her hand resting on Skye's back, rubbing soothing circles over and over, more as a comfort to herself rather than to that of the little girl.
After several minutes of doing nothing but having a morning cuddle, Melinda glanced at the clock and did a double take - it was 7:09 AM!
“Phil.” Melinda tapped his chest just above the place Skye's head was resting. He looked up sadly, and nodded in understanding, leaning in closer to Skye's ear.
“Hey, Angel Eyes. Time to get ready for school.”
Skye let out a high pitched whine in response, but perked up at Phil's next words:
“I'm making French toast.”
At that, she immediately leapt out of the bed, running off to her room to get dressed.
Phil and Melinda sat up on their elbows, shaking their heads at their daughter. Melinda turned toward her husband, and used one of her hands to run through her hair, before placing it back onto the bed to support herself once more.
“I suppose we should be getting ready as well.”
Phil couldn't resist - she just looked so cute. But before he could place his lips against hers, Melinda hastily laid a hand on his chest, a frown on her face.
“No. Morning breath.”
That being said, Melinda threw her legs over the side of the bed, and walked over to the bathroom, leaving Phil to make breakfast - after he’d brushed his teeth, of course.
xx
7:45 AM
Melinda walked into the kitchen, greeted with an already dressed and ready Skye, who was feasting on a freshly made French toast with syrup. She sat happily on a tall chair that slid into the island, parallel to the stove where Phil and his supplies were situated.
Every time he made his family breakfast, he was so focused and determined, and something about that made Melinda smile, as she leaned against the wall opening up to the kitchen, her arms crossed.
“What is it?” Phil grinned back, enjoying the carefree nature of Melinda's stature.
She shrugged her shoulders, her smile growing to her cheeks, slowly exposing teeth.
She unfolded her arms, taking two paces toward Phil, and once she reached him, Melinda placed her own hand over the one that was flipping the toast.
“Go.”
His movements stilled, and he looked to her while the egg-drenched piece of bread sizzled in the background.
“But there's only one more-”
The glare Melinda shot him didn't necessarily scare him, but he knew there wasn't even a slight chance of him winning this argument. With a slight upward twitch of his lips, Phil looked back down at the toast, flipped it onto a plate already stocked with three other pieces, turned off the burner, and gave Melinda a quick peck on the lips, before making his way to the bedroom.
Melinda carried the leftover dishes to the sink, stealing a glance across the room at Skye - who was being unusually quiet - before breaking into an unintentional grin; Skye's uniform was completely disheveled, more than likely due to the fact that Melinda hadn't helped fasten the blue and white tie correctly, or find two socks with the same length.
Skye could feel her mother’s gaze upon her, and it had become so intense that she finished chewing and swallowed, before turning her full attention to Melinda.
“It's not my fault, Daddy teased me to hurry up and come down to eat. I’m only six-years-old, Mommy.”
Melinda rolled her eyes, but a smile still crept onto her face as she finished cleaning Phil's small mess.
The last plate of French Toast was placed into the middle of the table, before Melinda rounded the island, wrapping her arms around her little girl, and pressing her lips against the soft skin of her cheek. Skye squealed, and her shoulder jerked upward into her neck as if she were being assaulted with one of her mother's tickle monsters.
“I'm sorry,” she cooed, stroking her hair. “Do you need Mommy's help? I can go find a matching sock, and I'll definitely help you fix your tie?” Melinda offered, even though they both knew full well that she was not asking, she was informing.
Skye nodded an “okay”, jumping down from the chair, and as her mother attempted to pick up her used plate and fork, Skye asserted in a firm tone, “No, I have to become independent, Mommy. I said I'm six, not a baby.”
Melinda handed over the plate with the fork placed on top, and Skye had the same determined look on her face her father used while making breakfast, as she made her way to the sink and placed the dishes gently inside. The pride Skye felt after that simple task was evident in the triumphant smile she wore, as she walked back to her mother.
“That's my girl,” Melinda praised, as she held her hand. “Ready for me to help you get ready for school?”
Skye practically dragged her mother to her room in response, her little skips surprisingly difficult to keep up with while grasping a hand.
xx
8:00 AM
“Phil?” Melinda called, as she grabbed her keys and phone, sliding them into their respective pockets in her black suede jacket. “We're leaving!”
Skye now wore a pristine uniform, with a perfectly knotted tie hanging snugly from her neck, and hair fastened in a high ponytail. Her little blue backpack patterned with Captain America shields was secure on her shoulders.
Melinda was in her usual work outfit, consisting of her white Mayson Books and Café t-shirt, black pants, big buckled belt, and black suede jacket. Her hair hung loosely in front of her shoulders.
The weather in Portland was usually fairly cool during the spring, with sun too weak to be noticeable, so Melinda was fairly confident they'd both be comfortable in their clothes today.
The two girls were almost out the door by the time Phil came rushing out of the bedroom, his shirt still needing three buttons to be fastened.
“Goodbye, Angel Eyes. Have a great day at school!”
He lightly kissed Skye's forehead, before turning to her mother, sharing a slightly longer kiss on the lips. Skye giggled lightly, causing them to turn their attention towards her, while Melinda slid the missing buttons into their respective holes.
“Mommy and Daddy are cute!”
Both Phil and Melinda smiled at their daughter.
“That's right,” Melinda confirmed, now finished with the buttons, “And don't you forget it!”
Phil had his hand lightly pressed into Melinda's lower back until Melinda reclaimed Skye's hand, opening the front door with the other, and looking back to Phil when he called out.
“See you at work, Mel!”
Melinda only nodded in response, a smile playing on her lips, before turning back toward the car and opening the door for Skye, who quickly jumped in. Skye giggled again as her mother closed the door behind her, and within a few more moments, they were off.
xx
8:16 AM
“You're early Skye! School doesn't start for another 14 minutes. Daddy's French toast really makes you get ready faster?”
Skye nodded vigorously, eyes wide.
“Yes!”
Melinda nodded back, “I'll keep that in mind, baby… I've gotta go to work now. I love you.”
Skye thrust her arms around Melinda's neck, who bent down to hug her properly. “I love you, too, have fun at work!”
At that, Melinda removed herself from her daughter's grasp, stood upright, and waved goodbye from the door. Her little girl waved back, a bright smile lighting up her face as she watched her mother leave.
xx
9:00 AM
Mayson Books and Café was already on the verge of being packed as Melinda walked through the doors.
Immediately, her eyes searched for her husband. Like always, Phil was busy taking orders in the Café, located at the southwestern part of the building, his usual bright grin lighting up his face as he handed the customer their coffee. Before tending to the next person in line, Phil’s eyes locked with Melinda’s, and she gave him the small half-smile she knew he loved. He returned the gesture, before focusing back on the eager customer in front of him.
Melinda glanced at her phone, finding a time of 9:02 AM; her work began now, so she plastered on her best smile, one used specifically for the floor of their little bookstore/coffeeshop. Today, she was to help the other booksellers deal with - no, tend to - the customers and their needs.
She rotated between the jobs needing to be done in the little bookstore each day, to help out in any way she could, but Melinda hated those days when she actually had to communicate with other people. There were a select few that she ever conversed with, and she tried to keep it that way. Besides, conversation was always more Phil's area of expertise. However, as much as she despised working with people, she really cared about her employees, and didn't want them to have to bear the burden alone.
Melinda made her way to her office, where she could stow away her belongings safely, quickly striding past many customers and colleagues before finally reaching the door. She slid the key easily into the lock, turning it, and pushing the door open like usual. Walking in, she smiled as she saw the single picture on her desk, from a trip with Phil and Skye to a Californian beach last summer.
She left the door open, knowing she wasn't going to be long.
She slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, before throwing her jacket lightly onto the shelf across the room. Opening her desk drawer, she grabbed the name tag that read "Melinda" in capitalized, bolded, black letters, and "Manager" in a smaller font underneath, with the logo for "Mayson Books and Café" lacing the top and bottom. After pinning it to the front of her shirt, Melinda pulled her hair up into a ponytail using a hair tie she found in the drawer, before pushing it shut with her hip.
She was about to leave the room when a familiar face popped inside, immediately lighting a smile up on Melinda's face. It was amazing how effortlessly it came to her; in that single moment, the hardness of her façade broke off.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, the smile still genuinely placed on her face.
Melinda met Phil halfway, and they wrapped their arms around each other. She took a moment to inhale his scent: he smelled of aftershave, his shampoo, and, of course, coffee. She hated the stuff, but Phil loved it almost as much as she loved her tea.
“Hey, I own this place too” he smiled. “When I want to take a break, I take one. Especially,” he tightened his hold on her a bit, “if it gives me a little more time with my lovely wife.”
Melinda's sideways grin returned, before being smothered by Phil's lips. She closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. It was a dance they'd learned long ago; a lower lip bite, the entrance of a tongue, shared breaths, hands tangling in hair.
It was perfect.
Every single time.
When they parted, their eyes remained closed and their foreheads touched, arms around the other's neck.
“I need to get to work,” Melinda whispered, her breath tickling the skin of Phil’s cheek.
He groaned. “We own the place. What's gonna happen?”
Melinda's gaze snapped open, her eyebrows raising directly at Phil.
He pouted.
Melinda released her grip on Phil, but he did no such thing for her, so she softened her gaze, giving him a feather light kiss on the lips before removing herself carefully from his embrace. She felt a bit colder without his arms around her, but hey, she lived with the guy, they could talk it out later.
Right now, she needed to help control the stream of people that kept their business going, and she wasn't going to do that alone in her office with Phil. So, she swiftly rushed out the door, pulling out the cheesiest smile she could muster, and began conversing with the customers in need of her service.
She swore she felt like an undercover spy some days.
xx
2:30 PM
Phil stood outside Skye's school, waiting for her class to be let out at the end of the day.
He had changed into a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. It felt both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time, and he secretly missed his work apron.
He had to wait for the three classes of Kindergarten kids to come out before he saw his angel, and the rest of her 1st grade class, but as she got closer towards him, Phil realised she seemed a little less enthusiastic than usual.
As she reached him, and he gathered her into his arms, ready to carry her to the car, he couldn’t help but ask. “What's wrong, Angel Eyes?”
Skye just shook her head, and buried her face into her father's neck.
‘Maybe she wants to talk to her mommy,’ he thought to himself, frowning slightly as he walked.
“Why aren't you wearing your cooking clothes?” Skye asked, once situated in her carseat and strapped in safely.
“I got off of work early,” he replied swiftly. She didn't ask any more questions as Phil started the car, a frown on her face.
“Angel Eyes,” he called softly, and she looked up toward him, her face imitating a statue.
'Just like her mother,' Phil thought sadly.
“What's wrong?” Usually, Melinda only responded to simple, two to three word questions, if she responded at all. Maybe Skye was the same.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but then closed it and continued to look out the window. He would've pushed farther, but she didn't want to talk, and if she didn't want to, she wasn't going to.
He hoped she was okay.
xx
5:00 PM
Melinda locked up the shop, and headed home to tend to her family.
The entire journey back, she felt on edge, like something was wrong. To keep her mind off the all-consuming worry, she began planning what she was making for dinner, and what she wanted to have for lunch tomorrow.
It was a quick drive home, and the traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, which Melinda was thankful for. It gave her more time with her family, which she never could get enough of.
She opened the door, expecting a little blur of light brown hair and blue and white to come running and jumping into her arms, but Skye was nowhere to be seen.
“Phil?”
Melinda heard his voice come from the kitchen. “Hey, Mel!”
He sounded as enthusiastic as usual.
She closed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt, before walking into the kitchen. She’d been in such a rush to get inside that she didn't notice the heavenly aroma of Italian food flooding the house until she entered the kitchen. And sure enough, Phil was in there, using his skills to their full potential.
“Where's Skye?” she asked, after a quick examination of the area.
Phil finished straining ravioli as he answered.
“She's in her room.” His eyebrows screwed together. “Actually, she's been in there for quite some time. I think she had a bad day at school, but she didn't say much about it to me. I think she wants to talk to you.”
Melinda nodded, stroking the side of Phil's face lovingly, as if to say, 'Everything's going to be okay.'
“Thank you for cooking dinner, Phil,” she smiled, and pecked his lips lightly before turning toward Skye's room.
His lips pulled upward in response while he watched her leave, and Melinda strode purposefully up the hallway to Skye's bedroom.
xx
Skye heard a knock on her door, the person on the other side not waiting for a response before opening it and walking in.
She didn't want her mommy to see her crying, didn't like it when she made her sad.
But it was too late; Melinda saw the red, puffy eyes, the penguin stuffed animal - Ralph - being hugged to her daughter’s chest, the tear stains on him.
The look of pain that Skye hated seeing on Melinda's face was there, and it made her want to cry harder.
“What's wrong? Tell Mommy. Nihaihaoma?”
Are you okay?
Skye shook her head from side to side, and Melinda wrapped her arms around her. Skye clung to her mother, disregarding Ralph, and began drenching the collar of Melinda’s shirt with tears.
“What happened baby?”
Skye inhaled shakily before replying. “My-my friend isn't m-my friend anymore!”
That made Melinda burn with anger. Who is this child that broke her little girl's heart? She couldn't allow her emotions to get the best of her, so she kept her face screwed with concern.
“What can I do to make you feel better?” Melinda whispered into Skye's hair, pulling her a little closer to her body.
Tears came quicker, along with quivers and sobs, and Melinda didn't know how much longer she could hold this anger within herself before she exploded.
Skye sobbed against her. “Just don't leave. Don't leave me, Mommy.”
The words nearly broke her, but Melinda only tightened the hold she had on her daughter, bringing her head to her chest.
“Can you feel my heartbeat?” Melinda felt Skye nod. “As long as it is beating, and even afterwards, I will always be here for you. I will never leave you. Do you know why?”
Skye shook her head, and Melinda gently pushed her daughter’s chin up, making Skye look her in the eyes.
“Because I love you. And I'm never, ever going to stop loving you.”
Skye's eyes began to water again, and she plunged her face into her mother's shirt once more, repeating over and over again: “I love you too, mommy. I love you so much.”
Melinda stroked Skye's back reassuringly.
Melinda had one thought run through her mind: 'You have no idea how much you mean to me.'
“Do you want to know how to fix this problem?” she questioned softly, stroking her baby girl's hair.
Skye slowly looked up to her mother with her red, puffy eyes, and tentatively nodded her head, a slight crease lingering between her eyebrows.
Melinda frowned. “What is it, baby?”
“You said,” Skye told her, her voice still quivering a bit, “ 'even afterwards'. How can you still be here if-” she trailed off.
Melinda took hold of Skye's right hand and placed it against her own heart.
“Can you feel your own heartbeat?”
Skye nodded, and Melinda took hold of her other hand, placing it against her heart.
Melinda wore a sincere yet sad smile. “We're always going to be connected. Mother and daughter. That's what we are. When-” Melinda swallowed, speaking a little quieter. “When my heart stops beating, it will go on, with you.”
Skye cocked her head to the side, not quite understanding Melinda's words. But she understood how much love her mother was giving her, and embraced her with as much force as her little body could muster.
“I'm ready to listen. How do I fix my problem, mommy?”
Melinda held her daughter tightly, before hardening her resolve, nodding to herself.
She knew how to sort this.
xx
6:03 PM
A short while later, Phil came to Skye’s bedroom door, calling his two girls into the dining room for dinner. His heart broke when he saw Skye curled into Melinda's chest, both of them sat on the floor. Melinda's head rested on top of their daughter's, the fingers of one hand stroking the hair on Skye’s head over and over again; her other hand was possessively slung around Skye's back.
Phil didn't know what had happened, so he carefully stepped into the room, sitting down next Melinda, and she curled up against him, releasing a deep breath.
“Skye lost her friend today,” Melinda whispered in Phil's ear, before placing her head back down to Skye's.
Phil's eyebrows arched up. “What happened?”
“It doesn't matter,” Melinda shook her head as she whispered, “I already told Skye what she should do.”
He trusted Melinda. He knew that if she said she’d got it handled, she'd got it handled.
“Why don't we go and eat dinner?” Phil tried his best to lighten the mood. “Who's hungry?”
Skye's little head peeked out from Melinda's body at the mention of food, and though her eyes were puffy, Phil and Melinda saw the tiniest of smiles grazing her face, something they were both familiar with. Melinda got Skye up, and they all followed suit.
As Phil ushered his two girls out the door, he thought of something that made him stop in his tracks. It was beginning to feel like a teenage coming of age movie, and his baby was no where near that stage of her life yet.
Right?
xx
8:00 PM
“Mommy,” Skye began, in a tiny voice totally unlike herself. “Can you stay with me tonight?”
Phil had just read Skye one of his favorite Captain America children's books, before kissing her lightly on the forehead, hugging her, and telling her he loved her. He’d then left the room, and headed off to the one he shared with Melinda.
Melinda tended to leave 'Captain America Time' (as she liked to call it) specially for Phil and Skye to share, so after Phil left, Melinda took his place on the bed, and sat at the edge.
“I'll tell you what,” Melinda started as she began to climb in the sheets with Skye, “I'll stay here until you fall asleep, and then I'll leave. Sound good?”
Skye immediately curled around her mother, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.
“That sounds perfect!”
xx
Later that night, around 9 PM, Phil lay in bed wondering where Melinda had gone. He clambered out, and headed off to check all the rooms in the house, until he finally came to Skye's room, where he found Melinda curled up on her side, with Skye wrapped around her.
He couldn't pull her away from that, so instead he smiled, placing a light kiss, first on Skye's head, and then on Melinda's. Melinda stirred, but he stroked the top of her head, lulling her back to sleep.
At least, that's what he thought he was doing.
“Phil,” Melinda said sleepily.
He only replied with more loving touches around her hair and face, so she kept her eyes closed, and promptly fell back to sleep.
xx
8:14 AM
Melinda arrived hand in hand at Skye’s classroom with her daughter, and when they entered the room, Melinda kneeled in front of her.
“Remember what I told you last night?” she said firmly, looking her in the eyes, “You can be the bigger person in this, Skye. You're strong. I know that.” She squeezed her daughter’s hand. “Okay, baby? Mingbaima?”
Do you understand?
“Womingbai, MaMa.”
I understand, Mommy.
Skye replied with that bright, wonderful smile her mother loved, and Melinda returned it, nodding towards the room as she stood in the doorway, watching Skye walk up to the little boy known as Grant Ward.
xx
Skye felt a surge of confidence following her mother's encouragement, so she decided to go and tell her ex-friend exactly what was on her mind. She saw him in the corner of the room, so she headed over, stopping when she was standing right in front of him.
Even though he was still taller than her, she felt bigger than him, and Skye liked that. She poked Grant in the shoulder to get his attention, and he turned to her.
“I forgive you” she told him. “You hurt me, but I'm being the bigger person. You made me cry, and you made my mommy angry.” Skye knew her mother hadn't left, so she turned towards her, and Melinda gave her a reassuring grin and a nod. Skye turned back to Grant, to see his face was bright red. “We forgive you.”
Skye began to turn away again, but at the last minute decided to add something else. “Thank you for showing me what a bad friend is like. I know who my good friends are now. I really appre-appre-” Skye tried really hard to remember the word her mother had used. “Appreciate! Appreciate it.”
She then skipped over to her good friends, her real friends, Leo and Jemma, leaving Grant Ward red as a beet. No one had ever stood up to him, even when he was being mean, so it felt good for Skye to finally have this moment. She was glad she talked to her mommy about her problem. She wouldn't have known all those big words without her.
xx
Melinda took one last glance around the classroom before making her way back to her car, pride reflected in her bold footsteps.
She helped her daughter today, and she couldn't have been happier.
xx
2:30 PM
Phil sat in his car once again, across from the entrance to Skye’s school, waiting to see her face in the sea of 6, 7, and 8 year olds.
When he saw Skye’s bobbing head in the crowd of students, he decided to go part the crowds and bring his daughter home.
“Hey, Angel Eyes,” he greeted with a fond smile.
Skye smiled, raising her shoulders in an embarrassed manner. “Hey, Daddy.”
Phil made eye contact with Skye’s teacher to let her know that he had been there to pick up his daughter, before entwining his and his daughter’s fingers together.
“Are you ready to go home?” Phil asked, as they began to head back towards the car, Skye skipping happily to the vehicle.
“Yes!” she replied, bouncing along. “I missed you a lot today. It was hard talking to Grant about how I felt, but I did it anyway. All by myself.”
It took a moment for Phil to figure out who 'Grant' was, but when he did, he smirked widely. He was proud of his little girl, standing up for herself.
“I’m very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Daddy!” Skye exclaimed, over-enthusiastic as usual.
Phil loved their little girl so much, and he was ridiculously thankful to have her.
He wouldn't have life any other way.
xx
6:55 AM
Hard, fast footsteps came rushing toward Melinda and Phil’s bedroom, accompanied with loud exclamations of “MOMMY! DADDY!”.
A wide grin surfaced on Phil’s face, as Melinda emerged from the bathroom, having already finished her Tai Chi routine and changed into her daytime clothes.
Before Skye could jump in the covers, Melinda encircled their squealing daughter and pulled her to her chest, pressing non-stop kisses to any exposed skin she could find.
As she fell onto the bed with Skye secured tightly in her arms, Phil crawled over to them and began tickling Skye’s stomach, eliciting even more hysterical giggles from the little girl.
“Who’s your favorite parent?” Melinda asked, creating her own giggles from their daughter.
“M-m-mommy!” Skye barely got out.
Melinda eased up on her assault. “That’s my girl!”
But Phil’s tickles only increased in speed, as he pretended to frown. “Wrong answer!”
Skye couldn’t breathe, but every time she got even a little bit of oxygen, it was used to laugh, so she barely managed to choke out, “Da-DADDY!”
He lifted his hands with a content smile on his face.
Melinda, however, had a look of hurt etched into her features. Skye just lay on her back, inhaling and exhaling harshly, trying to get her breath back, but she too had a happy smile on her face.
When Skye’s breathing pattern had returned to normal, she sat up, and tried to embrace her mother, but Melinda turned her back on their daughter, keeping up the charade of hurt.
“Mommy!” Skye whined, standing on her knees, and wrapping her arms around Melinda’s neck, trying to place her head on her shoulder to see her mother’s face.
Melinda tried to resist returning the embrace, but eventually found it too difficult to ignore her baby. She turned around, and Skye practically leaped into her arms, Phil joining in on the parade of cuddles from behind Melinda with a smile on his face.
Family life - this life - was absolutely perfect.