Daddy’s Little Helpers [Erik/Bianca]
“Are you both ready?” Bianca asked the twins, helping them both get their boots on. The two twins nodded, remembering what their mother had told them the day before. For their hard-working father’s birthday, they would surprise him by waking up really early and getting some of his work done for him. Of course, it was only the simple stuff like weeding and watering the fields, but they were sure he would love it.
Of course, having a practically newborn baby was a challenge but baby Jo was making things a lot easier for her with how deeply she slept. Bianca was able to wrap her up in the sling wrap without much of a fuss at all; much to her relief. Sometimes, their baby girl could really fuss, an oh-so-familiar pouty face present on her face. However today, it was almost as if she knew how important it was.
“Mommy!” Lucia peeped, trying to get her mother to hurry. When Bianca placed her finger to her lips, the little girl quickly covered her mouth and quietly giggled. “Oopsies! I forgot…” Her mother held onto the little girl’s hand, a smile on her face. “It’s okay. Let’s go head outside.”
The sweet girl nodded, pulling her mother along to meet with her brother outside. He was holding a pair of pink gardening gloves in his hands and held them out to his sister when she ran over. “You forgot..” He sighed, crossing his arms. Lucia pouted, shaking her head. “Did not! You just got them for me~” The boy rolled his eyes while his sister giggled but before he knew it, she was pulling him along to the fields.
While the kids weeded the plot, Bianca stuck with watering since it would be easier for her to do. Of course, she had to make sure the little ones weren’t pulling out things they weren’t supposed to… Although it was just the beginning of summer, the mornings were still pleasant. Usually, the young mother hated being out and about in the summer heat. However being out so early in the day before the sun was high in the sky was wonderful. There was a slight breeze that kept them cool as they did a portion of their man of the house’s work.
Of course, Bianca knew they wouldn’t be alone for long as she noticed the lights coming on in the house. She continued to work until she saw her husband walk outside. Mason and Lucia noticed him too and ran over to him. “Daddy!” Lucia shouted, relieved in the fact she didn’t have to be too quiet anymore. Bianca walked over and joined the rest of her family, rubbing Johanna’s back as she stirred a bit.
“Happy Birthday, sweetheart.” She said, raising herself on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.
Erik woke up early, just like he would on any other day...but as his mind slowly came out of its previous state of sleepiness, he realized a few differences. First off, he recalled that it was his birthday, and secondly, he saw that the other side of the bed was unoccupied.
He sat up and stretched, thinking it was odd that he hadn’t heard Johanna crying. Nowadays, that was almost always why either he or Bianca got up especially early. However, Bianca must have handled whatever was causing their littlest girl to fuss, because the house was unusually quiet...almost to the point that he felt like he was the only one in it.
Still, it was time for him to get up, so he did. He figured he ought to at least check up on Bianca and Jo, and possibly the twins if they were also awake. He stretched his arms and went down the hall toward the nursery.
He peeked his head in the doorway, only to see that the room was completely empty. Well, that was a shock...where could they all be? Clearly, they weren’t inside the house, but what could have prompted them to all be up so early?
In order to venture outside, he needed to get dressed, so that was his next step. Once that was taken care of, he went out the door at the end of the back hallway that led to his field.
Upon going out, though, he was met with an unexpected sight. His family was outside, and all of them (except, of course, for Johanna) were working. After he’d gotten over the initial surprise, he started to smile. They were doing this for him, and he was truly grateful for the help.
They all seemed to notice his presence around the same time, but Lucia was the first to call out to him. She eagerly ran up to him, and he couldn’t help but smile at the dirt all over her gloves. Obviously, the member of the household most fond of making messes had enjoyed being able to handle the soil.
Bianca approached him next, and his cheek felt warm as she kissed it. “Thank you...and thank you for this. I’m really impressed with how all of you did!”
Johanna turned her head, looking at him with a pout. He smiled, gently brushing her hair with his fingers. “Oh, and look who else is up early! Did you learn anything out here?” In response, she stared for a moment before starting to blow spit bubbles, which he immediately got away from. “Heh...I’ll take that as a no, then?”
“Daddy!” Lucia called out again. “Daddy, Daddy, guess what?!”
He bent down to be closer to her level. “Yes, what happened?”
“I got rid of the bad weeds! Masey did too!”
He smiled, looking over at a pile of weeds against the fence. “I can see that! You did a good job! And Mason...” He made sure that his oldest child was paying attention. “I know you’re not a fan of dirt and outside things, so it was really, really nice of you to help me out. Thank you.”
For a second, Mason looked flabbergasted, but he frowned and looked away. “Yeah...you’re welcome.”
“And Bianca...” He smiled, wrapping his arms gently around her. “You put all of this together, and...” He laughed a little. “Well, I love you, but if I hug you any harder, someone is going to be unhappy! And rightfully so...” He kissed Johanna on the head and then briefly kissed Bianca as well. “Thank you so much.”
