The Lone Wanderer ☆

The roll over had stunned her so much that she didn’t react for a good moment. Charlotte’s babble brought her back to reality. Claire had just seen a milestone happen and couldn’t tell anyone. Not yet, at least.

“We’ll show daddy that one later, okay sweetheart?”

That was a few weeks ago.

Now it’s a typical afternoon. Leon smells like milk, Charlotte threw up on his shirt during feeding time, and Claire has been teasing him that it was deserved because he had been bouncing her so much it was bound to happen.

“Isn’t it funny, Red? How was I supposed to know the baby works like a soda?”

“Your problem bud,” she snickered.

He grumbled and changed his shirt right in the middle of the living room. After all, Charlotte was still very much awake, and both of them were pretty much attached at the hip to their baby, they weren’t going to leave her out their sight.

As he sighed, turning to look at Charlotte for ruining his shirt with a scowl.

He saw it.

The baby, who had been idly trying to reach the toys on her mat, rolled over.

Leon blinks, once and twice.

She rolled and looked directly at him. His scowl disappeared in a second as a loud tone he didn’t know he had escaped him.

“Claire—CLAIRE! CLAIRE, C’MERE! SHE JUST—… SHE JUST DID THE THING!”

The brunette looked confused as she peeked from the kitchen into the living room.

“What thi—”

She couldn’t even finish the sentence as she saw Leon crumble, his knees going weak as he scrambled for the camera while keeping his eyes locked on the giggling baby.

“She rolled! She rolled! Did you see that?!”

And as if it were a party trick, Charlotte rolled again to reach for the plushie.

Leon was practically yelling in excitement while Claire held back her laughter.

“SHE DID IT AGAIN!”

Claire pretended to be surprised, her eyes softening as she watched him drop straight to the floor to be at Charlotte’s level, lying on his stomach as he patted the mat encouragingly like she had just won the Olympics.

“Oh wow, Charlotte!” Claire laughed, walking over and kneeling beside them. The camera was forgotten as both of them focused on the babbling baby.

She had already seen Charlotte roll over weeks ago.

But watching Leon’s face now, she knew she had made the right choice keeping it to herself.

“Alright, rookie, we’re gonna attempt another roll. Ready?”