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Layla: 's current pregnancy seemed to be a breeze compared to her first, at least thus far. Not only was her morning sickness almost none existent, but Elliot was around for this one. That fact alone seemed to make her pregnancy a lot more bearable than the first when she had to do everything for the first time by herself. Her boyfriend was a huge help, and it was more than appreciated, especially on the days Layla became exhausted rather quickly, resulting in her being far too tired, physically, to deal with Parker. "I know." She spoke up, her hand lifting to rest over Eli's on her stomach, her lips pressing into a tight line. "Maybe it's normal though. I mean, no kid likes the thought of being away from their parents for the first time, and we both know how dramatic he can be." She let out a quiet sigh, knowing that the idea of preschool really upset their son. "How about we take him out for dinner? Somewhere he wants to go, and we'll talk to him about everything after?"

Layla: made her way back to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner, stopping for a short moment when she got a view of Eli laying with Parker. She smiled, enjoying the fact that her son was reunited with his father. The love that could be seen in both of their faces made her heart swell with mirroring love and affection. "Ice cream doesn't sound half bad. But /only/ if you clean your room, bubs. At least pick uptall the toys you took out of your boy box, do that and we can go get some ice cream." She hollered from the kitchen.

Layla: smiled at Eli's approval of her suggestion for dinner, moving swiftly to the kitchen to begin preparing Chicken Parmesan for two with Spaghetti on the side, enough for the three of them. "Oh, yeah, I'm feeling better then okay." Layla responded with a smile, reassuring her boyfriend that she was alright. She expected the flood of worry spilling from Eli, he was worried enough when they spoke on the phone, but now he was here and she appreciated his concern to say the least. Laughing, Layla temporarily stepped into the living room to speak to Eli without raising her voice to be heard from the other room. "Oh, the perks of touring, hm?" She chuckled. "I picked up before you got here. Thought you'd like coming home to a clean house after being away as long as you were. Someone still needs to pick up all of the toys in their room." She looked at Parker with playfully accusing eyes, laughing when she got a guilty chuckle out of him. "Make sure you pick up before bed time, okay? Maybe daddy will help you if you ask nicely."

Layla: 's heart nearly did a little flip in her chest when he spoke to the other member of their family still tucked safely away inside her belly. Her grin didn't falter, especially not when Eli called out for Parker who came running out of his room and straight into his dads arms. All Layla could do was watch the love the two had for one another radiate off each other. She gave them both a moment before she stepped in, wrapping her arms around both of the most imporant men in her life. "Are you hungry? I can start on dinner if so. I was thinking Chicken Parmesan?"

Layla: received Eli's text and couldn't bite back the grin that took over her features. The thought that Eli would be home and within arms length again, and not viewed only over her phone or laptop screen, was exciting to say the least. She put on Hercules for Parker in his room, allowing him to roam his room and play with the copious amount of toys he had scattered over his floor whilst watching one of his favorite movies. He was distracted, and to busy herself and hopefully make the time go by faster, she began cleaning the kitchen as well as the living room. She finished a good half hour before the knock on the door sounded, and in a heartbeat Layla was up and running to the front door. When she opened it, she didn't give Eli time to utter a word before she was practically jumping into his arms with a wide grin on her face. "Oh my god, I've missed you so much." Her happiness could be heard in her voice and seen in her eyes. "That hour was one of the longest hours of my life, I swear." She laughed under her breath, pulling back enough to press in for a well overdue hello kiss.

Layla: It'd been nearly a month and a half since Eli was last home. She spent the past few weeks home with Parker, dealing with the dreaded morning sickness which only seemed to be growing worse and worse as the days neared the end of her first trimester. The symptoms that followed her pregnancy were setting in, making it impossible to deny that she was, in fact, carrying Eli's second child. Luckily for the couple and their son, Eli was returning home today and because of the special occasion, she and Parker had went out to the grocery store to pick up some groceries for dinner that night and had just returned home when she checked the time and her messages for a text from her boyfriend. "Daddy should be home tomorrow! Are you excited, little man?" Layla asked her son, voice enthusiastic which was mirrored equally in Parkers expression and voice. Her sons excitement to see his father made Layla's heart swell with a love that she felt fortunate to have in her life. She was aiming for Eli's return /today/ rather than tomorrow to be a surprise for their son, of which seemed to go exactly as planned. 'Are you getting dropped off here at home, or do me and little man gotta pick you up? Also, he's expecting you tomorrow, so prepare for him to flip when he sees you today.' Layla typed out the text, reading over it before hitting the send button and returning her attention to her son.

Layla: "Oh, he definitely did, didn't you, little man?" Layla spoke up, laughing when Park just grinned in return, looking guilty as ever. "He had a field day without us." Layla went on as she reached over to grab the couple of clothes off to the side of her and standing after Eli picked up Parker, beginning to fold all of the clothes he'd tossed around the room and putting it back in their bags save her bikini and Eli's swim trunks. When Eli took her hand, she didn't fight it, instead she let her boyfriend pull her along to the bathroom so they could get changed. "You should be." She teased, "I haven't worn a bikini in a while. Since before I had Parker. I'm /so/ ready to get a tan." She went on as they walked into the bathroom.

Layla: "Are you kidding? I dont' take much convincing when it comes to things we do alone. I cherish our alone time and on a boat? Does it get any better than that? I think not." Layla responded, her tone matter-of-factly as she picked at the bowl of fruit still sitting in front of her. She put the bowl of fruit back in the fridge and helped Eli clean up a bit before he suggested going to change. "Yes, lets." She agreed, waving at his parents when he did, but excusing herself to go check on Parker since their son hadn't emerged from the bedroom since he disappeared into it a few minutes ago. When she walked in, she had to laugh. Clothes were everywhere on the floor and Parker was barely getting his swim trunks on. "Park, what in the world did you do? Have a party without mommy and daddy?" She chuckled, stepping up to him and kneeling down to help him get them on. "Alright, now it's time to clean this all up." She began picking up the clothes that were splattered all over the floor, with the help of Parker.

Layla: shook her head fondly when Eli mentioned that Park was going to make a mess, she had no doubt though at the mention of going out on the boat, just the two of them, Layla leaned against the counter and smiled at Eli. "I think that sounds like a great idea. Park will enjoy being with your parents and we get to have some much needed alone time. It's a win-win." She finished, shoulders raising as she smiled, obviously excited at the thought of spending some time with her boyfriend.

Layla: watched with fond eyes as Eli interacted with Parker before she turned around to retrieve the Strawberry jelly, not before she caught the mouthed 'I love you' which made her smile and bite down on her bottom lip. What a lucky gal she was. She slid his plate over with the strawberry jelly and a butter knife, she then crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "Did you tell Grandma and Grandpa thank you?" She asked, smiling when Parker responded with a loud sigh followed by 'yes, mommy'. She picked at the fruit, mostly picking out the strawberries and kiwi, but she was distracted when Park voiced his excitement upon hearing they were going to go out on the lake. "Do you know where your swim trunks are?" She asked Parker who answered her before he went running to the room, probably to change by himself like he was getting into the habit of doing. Or he tried to, at least. He was learning. "See. He's gonna have fun, and so am I. Maybe later you and I can go for a walk. You know-- have some alone time."

Layla: just smiled on response, leaning down to press a kiss to her boyfriend's forehead as her hands continued gently massaging Eli's shoulders. "I know you do, love. I know." She answered honestly, smiling because she knew it to be true. They were a family now and that thought was such a great one. "I was nervous, too, but I know Park and I know you. He's so much like you, baby, it was impossible for him to not love you." She tried to lighten the mood now that the topic at hand was still a bit sensitive. She let her arms slide down slowly to wrap loosely around his neck as she leaned into him, pressing her face into the nook of his neck. "I love you, you know that, right?" She asked after a few moments passed and she pressed a kiss to his lips just as the door flung open and Parker came running inside with a new toy. "Well, aren't you a spoiled one." She teased, moving to take the toast out of the toaster and put them on a plate. "Strawberry or grape jelly?"

Layla: had to laugh in response to hearing Eli laugh and also because he was right. "We will never know. I felt safe with you though. When you weren't driving like a maniac." She teased, a hand running up and down the center of his back. "He is. He's attached to you, he's been attached to you." Layla took Eli's hand as she set her coffee down, leading him to sit back down. She stood behind him, her hands occupying themselves with giving her boyfriend a gentle neck rub. "Now though, now I think he sees you differently. You aren't just the new guy in his life, you're his dad and he knows that. He loves you, baby. He's fond of you, he looks up to you. I can tell. I can /see/ it."

Layla: plugged in the toaster that Eli's mom set aside earlier, already putting in some bread for Eli before she leaned on the counter, picking at the fruit in the bowl. "That's true. I was terrified the first time I went on a boat, remember? We were still in high school when you brought me out here for the first time, no? I had an irrational fear of the water. Until I came out here with you." She let out a sigh, remembering moments that took place years ago as if they happened just yesterday and smiling when the kiss was placed to her cheek. "Hopefully you feel alright when we get out there." She walked up behind Eli, wrapping an arm around his middle back as she leaned in to press a kiss to his shoulder before making herself another cup of coffee as well. "I think you and Park could have a great time on the water. You can teach him how to wake board and take him for a swim. I love watching you two together."

Layla: returned the kiss Eli leaned in for before she got up and moved around the counter to look through the fridge after finishing her coffee and putting the cup in the sink. "Alright. So something light. Maybe just some toast and jelly for now? There's some fruit, too, which I will probably snack on now that I know it's there." She reached into the fridge to pull out the bowl of fruit. "Hopefully Parker doesn't get sick later when we're out on the water. He'd miss out on so much."

Layla: "Aw, baby." The words were said softly as Layla leaned an elbow on the counter, her palm resting on her cheek as she gazed at Eli, watching her boyfriend with a concerned expression on her face. "No, it's no Disney, but I appreciate our time here just as much as Disney. It's quiet here, I like it." She brought a hand up to caress the side of his face gently as he rested his head on her shoulder, tilting her own head to rest on top of his. "I think that sounds like a great idea. He'd have a blast, are you kidding? He likes the outdoors which is definitely something he got from you." She chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before lifting her head and taking a sip of her coffee. "Are you hungry? I can make us both something to eat. Parker ate with your parents."

Layla: kept her arms wrapped loosely around him, simply reveling in the fact that he was here and in her arms and not hundreds of miles away on tour. "Yeah? I'm glad. That you've got something that is effective. Groggy in the mornings is a small price to pay for a good nights sleep." He released Eli from her grip when she felt him take a step back, she then brought her cup up to her lips to take a drink of her coffee, eyes on Eli as he poured himself a cup and sat with her. "Of course I am. I'm here with you," she reached over to run her fingers up Eli's arm in an affectionate manner. "And we have Parker here with us who is out getting spoiled as hell, I'm sure. I'm great. I'm glad we decided to come out here. It's a nice break. Much needed, too."

Layla: "Morning to you, too, sleeping beauty." Layla teased, scrunching up her nose as she smiled, eyes on Eli as he approached her. Legs absentmindedly parted enough for her boyfriend to stand between them and her hands found his waist which then found their way to his back as she happily leaned into him. "I know. Isn't it lovely? Your parents took him out. I have no clue what they're doing, but I'm sure he's having a blast. He's got so much energy, and I think your parents could tell I wanted to take it easy this morning. They're life savers, you know. How'd you sleep?"