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Grant spared a quick glass at Skye, who was enraptured with the scenery they were driving by. He smiled softly. It didn’t matter what they were driving past – houses; businesses; trees – Skye loved to stare out the window and imagine the backstory to everything they passed. It was one (of the many) things he loved about her.
She was humming softly while her hands rested on the swell of her five-month pregnant belly. Pride swelled in his chest – as it often did when he thought about their little boy or little girl growing big and strong inside of her – and he couldn’t help but place his large hand on top of her smaller ones. Without looking, she rearranged their hands so that his was placed against her stomach and her hands were resting lightly on top.
“Baby Ward is active today,” she said softly. It was only then that she glanced at him and flashed him one of her bright smiles. As if to prove Skye’s point, baby Ward kicked where his hand was.
“Baby Ward is going to be a soccer player,” he teased. He ran his thumb gently back and forth where the baby was kicking.
“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Skye asked idly.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He stated, obviously feigning innocence. There was a time in his life when he was good at lying (well maybe not “good” but he could fib every once in awhile). But Skye had always been able to see through him.
He could see her through the corner of his eyes giving him a ‘really? That’s what you’re going with?’ look. He flashed her a cheesy smile and shrugged. She just rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “You dragged me out of bed at the but crack of dawn-”
“It was 10 a.m.” He snorted.
“On a Sunday . I only get two days off a week and I just want to sleep. So you drag me out and take me all over the place.” She whined.
“So you don’t want to spend time with your loving boyfriend? You know in four short months we’re going to have a screaming baby that will take over all of our free time.” He teased. And although that was all true, that was definitely not why he got her out of the house at “the butt crack of dawn.”
The truth was this. Before Grant met Skye, his days were filled with darkness. That may be a bit overdramatic, but that was how he felt. He lived alone in a shitty apartment. He didn’t have many friends – okay he only had one friend –, his family wasn’t a part of his life, and his days consisted of going into a job he hated and sleeping. He was miserable.
Meeting Skye was a thing of chance. He had just gotten off of work and his only friend – a scientist by the name of Leo Fitz – dragged him to a birthday party for his girlfriend’s best friend. He didn’t want to go, but Fitz pestered him until he reluctantly agreed. He had only been at the party for a few minutes before he disappeared upstairs to hide in the bathroom. Only, he wasn’t alone.
He was sitting on the floor, with his head buried in his hands, when he heard the shower curtain rustle slightly. Curiously, he reached over and pushed the curtain out of that way. There, lying in the bathtub and playing on her phone, was Skye.
“Um?” he muttered awkwardly. Skye looked up from her phone and smiled.
“Hiding out? That was a dumb question. Of course you’re hiding. You’re sitting on the floor in a bathroom. I’m hiding too…I don’t know why I said that. Obviously I’m hiding. I don’t just hang out in bathtubs.” Grant just stared at her dumbly as she rambled. After a moment of no response from him, she continued. “So broody stranger, why are you hiding in a random bathroom looking like your life has ended?”
He contemplated momentarily just muttering some excuse and leaving the bathroom. But then he thought that if he did that, then he’d have to go downstairs to the party. This random girl was a much better choice. So he answered her. “Parties aren’t really my scene. My friend pestered me until I said yes. I regretted that the moment I walked into the door.” Skye snorted.
“Why are you here?” he asked hesitantly.
“My ex douche bag is down there. I don’t know why he showed up. I dumped his ass two months ago. I didn’t want to deal with that drama, and he would have definitely made a scene, so hiding in this bathroom seemed like a good idea.”
“But the door was open?” he pointed out.
“Yes, but you couldn’t see me in the tub. It took you a full five minutes to realize I was in here. And that was only because my ankle itched and when I scratched it, I moved the shower curtain.” She shrugged and typed something on her phone. Grant stared at her for a moment before he found himself smiling. Truly smiling, which was something he hadn’t done in a long time. “I’m Skye.” She offered with a grin.
He hesitated, but finally he said “I’m Grant.”
“Well Grant, it’s an honor to hide in this bathroom with you.” And he laughed. A real laugh. It was such a foreign sound to him.
Their conversation was cut off when the bathroom door flew open. In hindsight, he should have locked it, especially if he was trying to hide. A tiny, and angry looking, woman narrowed her eyes at Skye. “Oops.” He heard Skye mumbled.
“I can’t believe you’re hiding in the bathroom!” She scoffed in a British accent.
“Ward?” He looked from Skye to Fitz, who was standing in the doorway.
“This is Grant Ward?” She looked at him. Her angry gaze softening a bit.
“Yeah,” Fitz stepped into the bathroom. “Ward this is my girlfriend, Jemma Simmons.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said politely. “And I see you’ve meet Skye, the birthday girl.” Grant looked at her. She just smiled sheepishly at him. “Now if you don’t mind, I spent a lot of time and effort organizing this party.” She narrowed her eyes at Skye again. She sighed and stood up.
“Fine, but if Miles causes a scene, you’re dealing with him.” She stepped out of the tub and followed Jemma. She paused by the door and turned back toward him. “It was nice to meet you Grant. I hope to see you downstairs.” She smiled at him in a way that had his heart skipping a beat and a lump forming in his throat. He was so dumbfounded by his response to Skye. He had never had this kind of reaction to anyone (especially not someone he had just met). He watched as she disappeared down the hall and he felt himself yearning to follow her. Which he did sometime later.
He found himself eagerly looking for her throughout the first floor of the house. He finally found her in the backyard with some guy. At first he deflated, thinking he waited upstairs too long and blew his chance. But when he noticed her tense body language and how heated her words seemed to be, and he made the connection. She was talking to her “ex douche bag.” Before he could stop himself, he approached them.
“Just leave me alone,” She hissed. She tried to turn, but the guy reached out and grabbed her wrist, which caused Grant to pick up his speed.
“Listen to me!” The guy snapped. A pained look crossed Skye’s face and Grant saw red.
“Let her go.” He hissed, causing them both to turn toward him. Relief flooded Skye’s features, but the guy looked angry that they had been interrupted.
“This doesn’t concern you!” he retorted. Grant stepped closer.
“Oh I think it does.” He was aware that a crowd was beginning to gather around them, but all logic was gone. All he could see was this guy gripping Skye’s wrist forcefully and the pained look on her face. This was all so strange to him. He was the quiet guy. The guy that faded into the background wherever he went. He’d been told on numerous occasions that he had no backbone. And yet, here he was, angry flooding his veins and standing up to a guy he didn’t know for a girl he had just met.
The guy let go and turned toward him in a threatening manner Grant didn’t even think. This guy was coming quick; his hands were balled into tight fists. He was going to throw a punch. Or so he thought, but before he could lift his hand, Grant swung at him first, hitting him square in the nose, and causing him to fall backwards. He gripped his nose, which had blood flowing out of it, and cursed.
The crowd that had gathered clapped and cheered and whistled. He looked from the guy now flat on the ground to Skye. She was looking at him like he was everything and goddammit did he love that.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her through the house, out the front door, and to one of the many cars parked on the sidewalk without so much as a word to any of their audience. He didn’t ask where they were going and she didn’t offer that information. He just followed where she led.
They ended up in a small café where, with ice on his fist and a piece of cake shared between them, Grant Ward began fell in love with Skye. It didn’t matter that it was happening fast. That didn’t make it any less real.
That was the truth. And now, a year and a half later, they were living together, expecting a baby, and Grant had already purchased the ring and was simply waiting for the perfect moment to ask her. Today, however, he had a different surprise in mind. See, earlier that week they had gone to their OB/GYN where they were hoping to find out the gender of their baby. Unfortunately, their doctor told them that the baby was “being stubborn” and she couldn’t see the gender.
Skye was a little bummed. She was more than ready to start decorating the nursery. What she didn’t know was that before the doctor had come in – when Grant had conveniently gone to the “bathroom – he tracked the doctor down and asked her to say that. She was confused to say the least, but when he explained his plan, she happily complied.
Skye had changed his life. She had brought him so much happiness at a time when he truly thought he would never be happy. And for so long he wanted to do something for her that brought her true happiness. She argued that just being with him brought her that, but that didn’t stop him.
After the left the doctor’s office, Skye’s parents – Phil Coulson and Melinda May Coulson – stopped by to get the gender of the baby and they had been setting up a surprise gender reveal party for her. It would an even bigger surprise because her parents lived a few states away and she hadn’t seen them in a while. That was his plan. And now, they were moments away from pulling into their driveway.
“So you aren’t going to tell me?” She looked at him, pretending to be serious.
He smirked. “We’re almost home.”
Her eyes widened. “What did you do Grant?” He didn’t answer. A few minutes later, they pulled into their driveway. In order to really surprise her, he had requested all guest to part on the next street over.
He helped her out of the car and held her hand as they walked toward the front door. She looked around their foyer for anything out of place before heading through and into the living room. He followed closely behind her.
A chorus of “surprise” echoed throughout their living room. Skye gasped and covered her mouth with her hands as she took in the party. He had to hand it to Melinda and Phil, they worked a miracle with the entire set up. The place was littered with multi colored décor. Even the cake and cupcakes on the table to the right were multicolored. And on the wall was a banner that read ‘Baby Ward Gender Reveal’. Skye looked at him with wide, tear filled eyes. He gently cupped her face and swiped the tears that had spilled down her cheek with his thumb.
“You did all this for me?”
“I might have had a hand in orchestrating it. But I can’t take all the credit.” He tilted his head to the left. Her eyes followed.
“Mom? Dad?” She whispered. Her parents were walking towards them with matching smiled. Skye moved to meet them halfway. “I can’t believe it.” She cried happily. She was immediately engulfed in their arms.
“Well believe it baby girl,” Melinda whispered to her daughter soothingly. Phil kissed his daughter’s forehead and whispered that he loved her before walking to Grant.
“Grant,” he nodded, offering his hand.
“Sir,” he replied respectfully, taking his hand in a firm shake.
“I want to thank you…for doing all of this and for taking care of my baby girl. You make her truly happy.”
“She makes me just as happy,” he smiled at his girlfriend, who was now talking to some of her closest friends. “While you’re here, I was hoping I could ask you something…” he added quietly.
“The answer is yes Grant. I would be happy to call you my son-in-law.” Grant felt tears of his own prick his eyes. He hugged Coulson. He wasn’t typically a hugger, but in the moment, it felt right.
soon, everyone was gathered around the big present box sitting in the middle of the living room. It was decorated in multicolor as well. Inside the box were balloons – either pink, purple, and yellow or green, blue, and orange – and whatever colors floated out would reveal what their baby’s gender would be.
“So when Dr. Saunders said that the baby was being stubborn…?” Skye looked at him questioningly.
He gave her a cheesy grin. “She was in on it.”
Skye kissed the corner of his mouth. “I love you.”
He kissed her temple. “I love you too.”
“I can’t believe you did all this right under my nose.”
“It wasn’t hard,” he teased. “I just waited until you were sleeping…which was often.”
Skye scoffed. “I regret nothing.”
“Okay!” Phil said excitedly, standing on the other side of the present with his camera. Melinda was standing next to him, smiling warmly. “Time for the gender reveal.”
He shared a look with Skye and together they reached for the lid. They pulled it off and multiple pink, purple, and yellow balloons flew out. The box lid was discarded without a second thought as they stared at the balloons now cluttering their ceiling. A girl . They were having a baby girl.
Grant wrapped his arms around Skye. “We’re having a girl.”
She shook her head quickly, tears once again flowing down her cheeks. She rubbed her stomach lovingly. “I love you baby girl Ward.”
Grant could picture her then, his baby girl. She had her mother’s eyes and her father’s nose. Her father’s chin and her mother’s smile. She would be the perfect mix of him and her and she would be loved. There would not be another child in the world loved as she. He couldn’t wait for the day when he could hold his beautiful baby girl.
That day came when Skye had reached 39 weeks. Her water broke and Grant rushed her to the hospital. After dozens of phone calls and nearly 16 hours of labor, Brooklyn Olivia Ward made her way into the world with a scream that echoed around the delivery room.
Grant cut the cord and Brooklyn was immediately placed into her mother’s arms. Grant wrapped his arm around his girls and he cried tears of happiness because this was it.
There was only one thing that could have made the day even more perfect. When the nurse took Brooklyn to run a few test, Grant “excused” himself, leaving Skye – who was half asleep against her mother – in the hands of her parents (they might have been in on this surprise too). He managed to catch the nurse where he requested a custom made onesie be placed on Brooklyn before she was returned to her mother. The nurse read the onesie and smiled endearingly at Grant. “You got it honey,” she said.
And hour, and several test, later Brooklyn was brought in. She was placed in Skye’s arms as Grant stood nervously to the side. Melinda and Phil slipped out to give them their privacy and to update the rest of the family. Skye looked at her baby lovingly and after a moment, she noticed what the onesie said.
‘Will you marry my daddy?’
She gasped and looked up at him. He was kneeling with the ring on display. “I love you Skye. When we first met, I was so unhappy, and even then you had me smiling and laughing in ways that were foreign to me. I’ve known since the beginning that you were it for me. You are the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you make me the happiest man on the face of the earth and become my wife?”
“Of course you goof,” she cried. He was soaring as he slipped the ring on her finger before kissing her deeply. “I love you so much Grant.”
“I love you too Skye.” She scooted over, making room for him. He kicked off his shoes and slipped into the bed. He held Skye as she fed their daughter. He found himself thinking about where he was two years ago. He was a miserable loner with no hope for the future. He was the anti-social guy at the party and Skye…Skye was the quirky girl hiding in the bathtub. So much had changed in just two short years.
It was almost like that person he was never existed. Skye had managed to erase every single bad thing from his past. She was his miracle and now, he would get to spend the rest of his life with her. This was it. This was his happy ending.