───being a father, a dad, it never really felt like something that was meant to happen to him. to be fair, it was not something he wanted or wished for either, didn’t feel like he would be any better than his own father raising kids, even though he had done it for his sister, but those circumstances where different —a choice he had made to protect her, not let her suffer as much in their mother’s hands. but when the twins came into his life, it felt right. it was unexpected, sure, but not unwelcomed. even after all this time, his concern is the same as it was the first day; to be good for them, better, a present parent and not just a provider. it almost came naturally to him to be a dad every time he was around them, it still does. there are things he needs to work on, like telling them no, but for the most part, he agrees with Liz when she doesn’t think they should have something or do something —she is such a great, loving, devoted mother after all, the two of them adore her; and so does he. never one to settle down or form any meaningful romantic relationships, only playing the part when it served a purpose, it had changed when he met her. and the more he got to know her, the more he did not want to lose her. he had never considered the possibility of being with one person; loving someone so much, not until she came into his life.
there need not be any labels put on what they have; people say different things, all that matters is that they are together, they have their beautiful little family that is growing, and that he tries his best to be a better person. for her and them. some days are harder than others, weeks, even, but the last thing he wants is to disappoint her, let her down. he hasn’t been perfect, he isn’t, but he tries. she can be his girl, his wife, it's the same to him; she is the only one and that is clear.
he smiled against her lips when she tiptoed to kiss him. an arm still wrapped around her, the other pressed affectionately against her bump. a low hum fell from his lips when she deepened the kiss, pulling her closer as he could with the bump separating them. “I know, I know…” he said in response to Beau’s complaining when she pulled back —pressed another chaste kiss against Liz’s lips before stepping back. and then sat down beside her while their twins were busy going through the snacks, gave her a look when she spoke. “here, baby,” he handed him the snack, caressing the top of his head before turning back to Liz. “you are not supposed to carry them, baby…” his tone was soft. then smiled when she moved his hand to where their twins were moving inside her. “I am sorry I have been away…this was the last time.” and he meant it, he had no intention of traveling or doing any business that required a lot of his time and attention. she needed help with the twins, with basic tasks, and he wanted her to be able to take care of herself —and let him take care of her, too.
caressing her bump still, he listened to her explain what was going on while their twins were busy with one another. and there was really no surprise there, that her parents had something to do with her being stressed and upset —he had figured out this much— but Luke? this was a new development. “you know you are not their mother, right?” it was a matter of fact tone; it seemed pretty self-explanatory, really, but was it when it came down to Claude and Stella? “they should be taking care of you, for once. helping you. it can’t always be the other way around.” he knows she doesn’t want to hear it, it’s hard to be told what you already know to be true, but can’t fully accept. and he by no means wants to tell her what to do with them, but he does think they should understand what the roles are —he doesn’t mind taking care of her, he likes it; he loves taking care of her, but he can’t always find ways to help her when her parents always have a way to fuck things up for her; mentally. even know that she is pregnant.
he was still adoringly stroking her bump, leaned in to press a kiss on her temple. “let them handle it on their own,” he nodded; she was right, she needed to take a step back ( or several, really ). “and when you feel better you can take a look at the list of private hospitals to pick one you want to give birth at…” he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face, holding her gaze for a collection of seconds. “there is time, but..not to stress over it later…” and he meant, there was no rush for this, but he wanted to help her narrow down and tackle a few things he knew where stressful to her; like the twins nursery or finding a new home —he had received a list of the realtor too, he was going to share with her as well.
