#bella conrad

Aubrey's parents had insisted that she, Stacie, and Bella stay with them the weekend of the competition. Stacie had been concerned that Aubrey's parents may not approve of their daughter dating a single mother when she'd met them shortly after their first date, but they'd accepted her and Bella with open arms. Bella even had her own room at their house. She'd spent a week with them over the summer while Stacie and Aubrey took a vacation, and she'd been so proud to show off the bedroom she'd helped paint and decorate.

Stacie was happy to stay at their place, a nice house on the beach, especially this time. She knew Aubrey's dad was a traditional man, and she had a very important question to ask him. As soon as Aubrey had crawled out of bed and started the shower, Stacie quietly slipped out of the room. She glanced briefly in her daughter's room and confirmed that the little girl was still fast asleep, worn out from the excitement and exertion of the previous day's competition.

She walked downstairs to the kitchen, knowing she'd find General Posen there, sipping coffee.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning, Stacie," he said. "You look like you have something on your mind."

"I do," said Stacie. She took a deep breath. "I wanted to talk to you today because I have some important news to discuss. First, I want to tell you how much I've enjoyed getting to know you and Linda, and how much I appreciate my daughter and I being welcomed into the family. You are wonderful parents, and I know that Aubrey is such a kind and caring person today because of that. Your daughter means the world to me, and I hope to spend the rest of my life proving that to her. I'm here today because I would like to ask your daughter to marry me, and I would be honored to have your blessing."

"I can't think of a better woman for my daughter," he said.

Stacie let out a huge breath. "Thanks."

"So, when are you going to ask? Linda and I can watch Bella for you if you like."

"Thanks, but I'm planning to involve Bella in the proposal. I'm going to ask her today."

"Well, I'm sure she'll say yes."

"I certainly hope so."

"You have nothing to worry about," he said. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please," said Stacie. Just then, Aubrey's mother walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Stacie, I didn't know you were up," she said. She looked around. "Everything okay? I don't see Aubrey or Bella."

"Everything's fine," said Stacie. "Bella is still asleep and Aubrey is in the shower."

"Stacie came down here to ask me an important question," said General Posen. "Would you like to tell her what we discussed, or should I?"

"You go ahead," said Stacie.

"I've just given Stacie my blessing to ask Aubrey to marry her."

Linda exclaimed, "Oh, that's wonderful!" She gave Stacie a hug, happy tears in her eyes.

"Thanks," said Stacie. "I'm going to ask her today, so please don't spoil the surprise."

Linda made a "zipped lips" motion with her hand.

"Can I help with breakfast?" asked Stacie.

"You're a guest in this house," said Linda. "You'll sit and have coffee while I make French toast."

"If you insist," said Stacie.

Aubrey came downstairs a few minutes later. She greeted each of her parents with a kiss on the cheek and Stacie with a peck on the lips.

"I didn't hear you leave," she said.

"I needed some coffee after yesterday," Stacie said.

"Me too," said Aubrey.

"Sit down. Those kids ran you ragged yesterday," said Stacie.

Aubrey sat down and graciously thanked Stacie when she gave her a cup of coffee.

"Do you know if Bella is awake yet?" asked Stacie.

"I think I heard her stirring when I walked by her room," said Aubrey.

"I'll go up and check on her," said Stacie.

"I'll go with you," said Aubrey.

"Stay here," said Stacie. "Catch up with your parents while we're here."

"Okay."

Stacie walked up and knocked softly on Bella's door. "Hey, Bella, are you up?"

"Yeah. You can come in."

Bella had just gotten dressed. Stacie motioned for her to sit in the chair by the vanity in the room so she could do Bella's hair.

"So, Bella, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What?"

"I want to marry Aubrey."

"It's about time."

"How do you know? You're eight!"

"I'm not stupid. You've been dating her for a while. You took a vacation together last summer, and I have a room at Aubrey's parents' house. I'm in second grade. I know things."

Stacie chuckled. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. "Okay, Miss Sassypants," she said. "So, you're okay with this?" She finished braiding Bella's hair.

"Definitely," said Bella. "When are you going to ask her?"

"I was hoping you could help me with that today."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought we could ask her together."

"She's only marrying you, right?" asked Bella.

"Yes. I just thought you'd want to be there. In fact, I thought you could ask Aubrey to marry me."

"So, I just say, 'Aubrey, will you marry my mommy'?"

"Yes. And I'll give her the ring."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure, come with me." Stacie led her daughter to her and Aubrey's room and opened her suitcase. She slipped her hand into a small compartment and pulled out the ring box. She opened it. "What do you think?"

"I think it's perfect," said Bella with a smile. "Will Aubrey be my other mom?"

"Well, she'd have to adopt you. That's something we can all discuss some other time."

"Soon?"

"Yes, soon. Now, don't say anything to Aubrey. I was thinking we'd take her to lunch at the restaurant down the street we all like."

"Okay."

"Let's head downstairs. Miss Linda made French toast."

"My favorite!"

Stacie and Bella headed downstairs.

"What took you so long?" asked Aubrey.

"Mommy braided my hair!" exclaimed Bella. She turned around to show everyone the neat French braid her mom had done.

"Looks good," said Aubrey.

"Want some French toast?" asked Linda.

"Yes, please," said Bella.

Stacie, Aubrey, and Bella sat down to lunch at their favorite restaurant near the Posens' home. It was nice enough to have cloth napkins and crystal glasses, but it also had a kids' menu. Bella told her mom after the first time they'd taken her there that the restaurant had made her feel so grown up.

They ordered their drinks first.

"I'll have a non-alcoholic Shirley Temple," said Bella. The server, Stacie, and Aubrey all laughed.

"What?!" asked Bella.

"Sweetheart," said Stacie. "Shirley Temples are always non-alcoholic."

"Oh," said Bella, flushing a deep red.

"It's okay, honey," said the server. "You're not the first kid to order one like that, and I'm sure you won't be the last."

After the server brought their drinks and they'd ordered their meals, Stacie said, "This is nice."

"It is. It was a long day yesterday, but I'm so glad the whole competition was done in a day," said Aubrey.

"Me too," said Bella. "It's nice to have a day to relax."

"So," said Stacie. "Tomorrow marks two years since our first date."

"That's right," said Aubrey.

"In those two years, you have made me happier than anyone ever has, except Bella, of course," said Stacie, gently squeezing Bella's shoulder. "So, Bella, would you like to help me?"

Bella's face broke out into a huge grin. "Aubrey, will you marry my mommy?"

Aubrey looked over and saw Stacie was down on one knee next to her, holding a ring box open.

"Yes!" Aubrey replied through tears of joy.

Stacie put the ring on Aubrey's finger and let the woman pull her into a kiss. They heard a few cheers from the neighboring tables. Aubrey motioned for Bella to get up from her seat and she pulled the little girl into a hug as well.

"I can't wait to tell my parents," said Aubrey. "I'm so glad you did this while we were here."

"That's not a coincidence," said Stacie. "The real reason I was up early was that I wanted to ask your father for his blessing."

"Daddy didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

"Not at all," said Stacie.

"Good," said Aubrey.

The server walked over to their table. "Excuse me, the manager sent this over as congratulations. On the house!" The server was holding a bottle of champagne.

"Thank you," said Stacie. She was about to ask if they had sparkling cider for Bella when she saw another server walk over with three champagne flutes.

"And sparkling cider for you," said another server, placing an already filled champagne flute in front of Bella.

Once the glasses were filled and the servers had left the table, Aubrey started a toast. "A toast," she said. "To spending the rest of my life with my two favorite girls."

"Cheers!" exclaimed Bella, clinking glasses with both Aubrey and Stacie.

"Where did you learn that?" asked Stacie.

"From Miss Barb and Mr. Donald's wedding, duh."

"Don't 'duh' at me!"

"Oops," said Bella. "Sorry about that. So, do I have to be the flower girl?"

"You don't want to?" asked Stacie.

"I'm eight, Mommy. I don't want a baby job like that."

"Did Maddie say it was a baby job?"

"No. But she was seven!"

"You don't have to," said Stacie. "We'll come up with something special for you. I promise."

The servers brought their food, and it was quiet for a while. Bella insisted on dessert, and Stacie and Aubrey agreed.

When they got back to the house, Aubrey happily showed her parents her ring.

"How about we take Bella for a walk on the beach so you two can be alone for a little while?" asked Aubrey's mom.

"Can I?" asked Bella.

"Sure," said Stacie.

Bella headed to her room, changed out of her shoes into a pair of flip flops, and headed out with Aubrey's parents.

"Did your parents just take Bella out of the house so we could have engagement celebration sex?" asked Stacie.

"It certainly looks that way," said Aubrey. "But I wanted to talk a little bit first. It's all good, I promise."

"Okay, then, let's talk," said Stacie.

"What are we doing for last names?" asked Aubrey.

"I was thinking of Conrad-Posen, but I'm open to suggestions."

"I like that," said Aubrey. "I have another, way more important question."

"Aubrey, you can ask me anything. I'm about to become your wife."

"Right," said Aubrey. "I don't know why I'm nervous. We haven't talked about this, I guess."

"Aubrey…"

"I'd really like to adopt Bella."

"It's funny," said Stacie. "When I told her I was proposing, she asked me if you'd be her other mom."

"What did you say?"

"I told her we'd all discuss that some other time. So I guess you can ask her when she comes back."

"Okay," said Aubrey. "What do you think about having more kids?"

"I'd love more kids," said Stacie. "And I bet Bella would love to be a big sister."

"Which one of us will carry? Or are we adopting?"

"That's not important right now," said Stacie. "Was there anything else, or can we get down to things?"

Aubrey grabbed Stacie's hand and led them to their shared room, closing and locking the door.

Aubrey and Stacie were dressed before the Posens brought Bella back to the house. Stacie laughed when she saw Aubrey's mom had texted to ask if the coast was clear.

"Mommy!" exclaimed Bella as she walked in.

"Hey, Bella! Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. I got so many seashells," she said. She held up the bucket she'd been carrying to show a rather impressive collection.

"Great job, sweetie," said Stacie. She glanced over at Aubrey, who gave a subtle nod. "I think Aubrey has something she wants to ask you."

Bella walked over to Aubrey, confusion written all over her face.

Aubrey took Bella's hands in hers. "Bella, your mom and I had a long talk while you were gone. I was wondering if you'd like for me to adopt you once your mom and I are married."

"Mommy, did you tell her?"

"Only after Aubrey brought it up herself."

"Oh. Yeah. I'd like that. Having two moms is going to be so cool." She paused for a moment. "So, what do I call you?"

"I suppose that's up to you. And me, I guess," said Aubrey. "There's Mama, Ma, Mom…"

"I think I like 'Ma' if that's okay."

"It's okay with me."

"Do you have any other questions?" asked Stacie.

"What is our last name going to be - Conrad or Posen?"

"We were thinking we'd all be Conrad-Posens," said Stacie.

"That sounds good," said Bella. "I have one more question."

"What's that?" asked Stacie.

"Can I call you Ma now, or do I have to wait until it's official?"

"Whenever you want," said Aubrey.

"Then it's 'Ma' from now on."

She gave Aubrey a hug.

"Does that mean that Miss Linda and Mr. George will be my grandparents?" asked Bella.

"We sure will," said Linda. "What would you like to call us?"

Bella scrunched up her face for a moment before saying, "Nanny and Poppy."

"Then, I guess we are Nanny and Poppy," said Linda. George nodded in agreement.

Six Months Later

Stacie and Aubrey married at the restaurant owned by Mrs. Mirra, Stacie's now-former neighbor, in the same place where they'd held Stacie's thirtieth birthday party. Shortly after their engagement, both women put their townhomes up for sale and purchased a single-family home closer to the elementary school where Bella attended. Bella was thrilled to be able to walk to and from school. Since Aubrey was home in the mornings, they no longer needed Mrs. Mirra to help with Bella in the mornings, but they remained close. She frequently came by with cookies and the like.

The ceremony was performed by Ashley, Jessica's wife. She was seven months pregnant with twins, but she'd insisted she was fine to perform the ceremony. Aubrey and Stacie insisted she do so while seated, and Ashley agreed.

Bella was the maid of honor in the ceremony. Stacie's brothers were the best men and Jessica was Aubrey's matron of honor. Mrs. Mirra's sister was a seamstress and sewed all of the gowns. She'd made different gowns to suit both brides, and Bella's dress had elements from both brides' gowns.

The ceremony was fairly traditional, but Ashley included a family medallion ceremony. It was designed to acknowledge that the wedding was not only joining Stacie and Aubrey, but also integrating Stacie, Aubrey, and Bella as a new family. Bella was given a necklace with a small pendant on it with three interlocking rings. Aubrey and Stacie gave it to her, pledging their love to her. Bella had been unaware of this prior to the wedding and the look of awe on her face was something that neither Aubrey nor Stacie would ever forget.

After the ceremony, the restaurant staff directed the guests to the other side of the patio area where tables had been set up, as well as a DJ and a dance floor.

Bella gave an adorable toast at the reception.

"Back when I was in kindergarten, I came home from school and I begged Mommy to let me try dance lessons. Little did either of us know she would fall in love with my dance teacher!" Several guests chuckled at this. "I'm really glad she said yes or we wouldn't all be here now. And I'm really happy I get to call Aubrey 'Ma'. So, let's have a toast to Mommy and Ma - Mrs. and Mrs. Conrad-Posen!"

After the guests clinked glasses, Bella leaned over and whispered, "How did I do?"

"It was perfect, honey," Stacie replied.

"I think this is perfect," said Aubrey.

Three Months Later

It was a big day in the Conrad-Posen household. Aubrey, Stacie, and Bella would go before a judge to finalize Aubrey's adoption of Bella. They had plans to go to Jessica and Ashley's afterward. They'd insisted on having a small celebration, even though their twins, Abigail and Benjamin, were only a month old. Bella hadn't gotten a chance to meet them yet, and Stacie hadn't either. Aubrey had visited when they were newborns in the hospital, and she'd come over during the day a few times to give them a hand.

The family went to the court dressed nicely. Bella had insisted on a new dress for the occasion, and her new set of grandparents jumped at the chance to purchase it. She'd tried to talk her moms into letting her wear makeup, but both of them put their foot down on the topic.

When they were called into the courtroom, the judge asked Aubrey a bunch of questions. After that, she said something with so many legal terms that even Stacie wasn't quite sure she understood. She ended it by saying: "A Final Decree of Adoption be and is hereby entered establishing the legal relationship of natural parent and natural child for all purposes between Aubrey Conrad-Posen, the petitioner, and the adoptee, to the same extent as if the adoptee had been naturally born to the petitioner. The name of Bella Jane Conrad is hereby legally changed to Bella Jane Conrad-Posen. The Clerk of the court is hereby authorized and directed to furnish four certified copies of this Final Decree of Adoption to the petitioner through the petitioner's counsel of record in this matter."

Bella looked over at the judge and timidly asked, "Does this mean I have two moms now?"

She smiled and said, "It sure does."

Bella turned to Aubrey and threw her arms around her saying, "I'm so glad you're really my Ma now!" This made all three of them cry.

Stacie pulled her phone out of her pocket and asked the judge if someone could take a picture. She handed the phone to one of the clerks after the three of them had gotten a moment to dab at their eyes. It was fairly obvious there had been some tears in the picture, but they still got a pretty good one.

The family went over to visit with Jessica and Ashley afterward. They gave the family a customized picture frame with "The Conrad-Posens" at the top and the names "Stacie, Aubrey, and Bella" across the bottom. Stacie promised she'd put a picture taken that day in court in the frame as soon as the three of them agreed on which one to print.

Bella asked, "Can I hold one of the babies?"

"Wash your hands first," said Jessica.

After Bella washed her hands, Ashley asked her which baby she wanted to hold.

"I guess I don't care," said Bella. "I need to practice holding a baby."

"Oh?" asked Jessica, looking over at Stacie and Aubrey.

Aubrey laughed. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now. I'm eight weeks along."

Jessica exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you guys."

"You sure didn't waste any time," said Ashley.

"We wanted to try sooner rather than later," said Aubrey. "Bella will be nine before the baby gets here as it is, and I'm not getting any younger."

Ashley walked over to Bella, who was holding her arms in a cradle position her moms had shown her before the visit. "Here's Abigail," she said. "Rest your arm on the arm of the couch and keep her head supported."

"Am I doing it right?" asked Bella.

"You sure are," said Ashley. She turned to Aubrey "So, how are you feeling?"

"Tired, mostly," said Aubrey. "I somehow seem to have escaped morning sickness. I was a little worried that something might be wrong, but we just saw the baby on an ultrasound yesterday." She opened her purse and pulled out a picture of a tiny gray blob. "There's our little nugget. The heartbeat is really strong."

"May I hold Benjamin?" asked Stacie. "It's been a while."

"Sure," said Jessica, as she handed her son to Stacie.

Stacie sighed. "I can't wait to do this again."

"You're welcome to come over and take over the night feedings whenever you want," said Ashley.

Stacie laughed. "I think I'll pass on that. Bella didn't sleep through the night for a long, long time."

"I didn't?" asked Bella. "Sorry about that."

"You were a baby, sweetie," said Stacie. "Babies do that."

"Oh," said Bella.

"The nursery is closer to our bedroom than Bella's," said Aubrey. "Just in case this little one comes to the same decision."

They spent the rest of the afternoon passing around the twins and talking about babies.

Seven Months Later

Aubrey woke up in the middle of the night feeling very strong contractions. She nudged Stacie awake. "Stacie, I think this is it."

"Okay, Aubrey," she said, gently rubbing her wife's lower back. "Let's time them before we call the midwife. Did your water break?"

Aubrey shook her head. She breathed through the next contraction.

"That's it," said Stacie, soothingly as she continued to rub her wife's back. "You're doing great."

Stacie gave Aubrey a gentle kiss on her neck while they waited for the next contraction. When another one hit, she guided her wife through her breathing again. "That was seven minutes," she said. "I'm going to call Mrs. Mirra and get her to come over and stay with Bella. That way, we can just go when the midwife says it's time to head over."

Aubrey had wanted to give birth at a birthing center, but the idea made Stacie nervous. They'd compromised by finding a midwifery practice that worked out of a hospital, just in case things went south.

Mrs. Mirra arrived just in time. Aubrey's contractions had just hit five minutes apart and were getting increasingly painful. Stacie continued to soothe her wife. "That's one less contraction, baby, you've got this. I know it hurts."

Mrs. Mirra handed Aubrey a towel as they were leaving. "Just in case your water breaks in the car. Happened with two of my boys," she said.

"Thanks," said Aubrey as her wife led her to the car.

They got to the hospital, luckily without Aubrey's water breaking. The midwife took Aubrey back and checked on her progress. "Everything looks great," she said. "You're about 5 cm right now. I'll let you hang out and do your thing. Have the nurse come and get me if you need anything."

Aubrey labored for a while, Stacie coaching her, rubbing her back, taking her for walks, and doing her very best to help her wife through the process. Aubrey had been adamant about wanting labor naturally, and she'd made it clear to everyone involved that she wasn't to be offered anything for her pain.

Aubrey lay down after another walk and then said, "Stacie, I think my water just broke."

Stacie asked the nurse to send the midwife in to check.

"Well, you're at 10 cm," she said. "Let's get ready to push."

Stacie saw the color drain out of her wife's face. "You can do this," she said. "This is the last part."

Stacie helped hold one of Aubrey's legs while the nurse held the other. After a good hour of pushing, their baby was born.

"Aubrey, honey, you did so great. I'm so proud of you. We have another girl," she said, as both of them cried tears of joy. The midwife held the baby up before handing her to the nurse to be weighed. A few pushes later, and the placenta was out.

"Your little girl is 7 lbs, 14 oz. and 20 inches long," said the nurse. She handed Aubrey the tiny little girl, clad only in a diaper. The little girl began rooting, and Stacie helped Aubrey have her latch for her first feed.

Stacie looked at the time. "Aubrey, do you want to cal Bella? She should be awake and eating breakfast right now."

"Sure," said Aubrey. "But not for too long. I'm pretty tired."

"I bet you are, my warrior wife," said Stacie. She called Mrs. Mirra and asked her to grab the iPad off of her nightstand so they could call Bella on FaceTime.

Bella answered quickly. "Hi, Mommy. Hi, Ma. Do I have a brother or a sister?"

"You have a sister," said Aubrey.

"What should we name her?" asked Stacie. They'd narrowed down to three names - Rebecca, Alexandra, and Lucy.

"Lucy," said Bella. "I think I like that best."

"Lucy Mae?" asked Stacie.

"Yeah," said Bella. "She should share Ma's middle name since I have yours. And I grew in your tummy and Lucy grew in Ma's tummy."

"Lucy Mae," said Aubrey. She turned to the baby. "Do you hear that? You're Lucy Mae." The baby opened her eyes for a second, stuck out her tongue, and then closed her eyes and put her tongue back in her mouth.

"I think she approves," said Stacie.

"Can I see her tonight?" asked Bella.

"Yes," said Stacie. "I'll have Mrs. Mirra bring you over after dinner. Do you mind if she stays overnight with you at the house? I want to stay here with Ma and Lucy tonight."

"That's fine," said Bella. "Ma, are you okay? You look tired."

"I'm fine," said Aubrey. "But I'm definitely tired. Have a good day with Mrs. Mirra. I'll see you tonight. I love you!"

"Love you, Ma, Mommy, and Lucy!" Bella called as she ended the FaceTime call.

Stacie, Aubrey, and Lucy spent the day resting, eating (well, Lucy did more eating than either of her moms), and announcing Lucy's arrival.. Lucy had her first checkup, and the hospital pediatrician declared her to be the "picture of health." They filled out the paperwork for her birth certificate, happy that the state had finally changed the paperwork to say "Guardian 1" and "Guardian 2" rather than "Mother" and "Father."

That evening, Mrs. Mirra and Bella arrived to visit with pink balloons in hand. Bella was proudly wearing a "Big Sister" tee shirt, and the two of them had gone to the store after school to buy Lucy a pretty pink going home outfit.

Bella immediately washed her hands and sat down next to Stacie. "Can I please hold Lucy now?" she asked.

"Once she's done eating, you can," said Aubrey, who was nursing Lucy.

"Ma, are you nursing her?" asked Bella.

"Just like I told you I would," said Aubrey. "I don't mind if you come closer to look."

"Is that okay?" asked Bella.

"Go ahead, honey," said Stacie. "This is how I fed you when you were a baby."

Aubrey looked down at Lucy. "Look, Bella, can you see that she's sucking and swallowing?" asked Aubrey. Bella nodded. "That's how I know she's getting milk."

"How do you know when she's done?"

"She'll let go when she's had enough, and that should be pretty soon. You can hold her once I burp her."

"You what?" asked Bella.

"She can't burp on her own yet, and she might get uncomfortable if there are bubbles in her tummy. So I'll hold her up and rub or pat or back until she burps."

Just then, Lucy unlatched from Aubrey's breast. Aubrey clipped her nursing tank closed and held her over her shoulder. After a few gentle pats, everyone in the room giggled as a very loud belch came from the tiny newborn.

Stacie took Lucy and walked her over to her big sister. Bella held her arms in the cradle position she'd gotten good at using, thanks to many visits with Abby and Benny in recent months.

"Hi, Lucy," said Bella to the sleeping newborn. "I'm your big sister. Let me tell you something that Ma told me before she was even my Ma. I guess I'll explain that part when you're older. All anyone ever needs is just one person who loves you no matter what. And I think you're super lucky because you have at least three - Ma, Mommy, and me."

"That might be the sweetest thing I've ever heard," said Mrs. Mirra. "Why don't you three go around the bed so I can take a family picture?"

Stacie took Lucy from Bella, explaining to her that she didn't want her to walk with the newborn in her arms just yet. Bella climbed into Aubrey's bed next to her and took Lucy from Stacie. They leaned in for several photos Mrs. Mirra took with both moms' phones.

Stacie posted it on Instagram with the caption: "#Staubreybaby2 is here! Welcome, Lucy Mae Conrad-Posen! 👶 aubrey_conradposen_dance_teacher is doing great!"

Aubrey's post was identical, except, instead of tagging herself, she said: "Everyone is doing great. stacie_long_legs hasn't lost her touch!"

When it was time for Bella to leave, she gave Lucy a kiss on the forehead and said, "Thank you for making me a big sister. I love you."

Once they were alone in the room again, Stacie moved closer to Aubrey. "I know I keep telling you this, but I'm so proud of you. I can't believe you did all of that without an epidural. I begged for one with Bella as soon as they told me I could have it."

"And you did it without the other parent around," said Aubrey. "Doesn't make you any less awesome."

Lucy started to fuss and root, so Stacie handed her to Aubrey. "You're up," she said.

"Did Bella eat this much as a newborn?"

"Yes," said Stacie.

Once Lucy was latched and Aubrey was settled, Stacie put her arms around the both of them.

"I love our family so much," she said.

"Me too," said Aubrey.

Beca doesn’t know why she’s agreed to do this. Stacie called them an hour ago frantically. She was called in the office in an emergency and she didn’t have anybody to babysit. Chloe instantly agreed, almost clapping her hands together in excitement while Beca was left gaping in the background.

She’s never looked after someone under the age of fourteen - her cousin, one summer at her aunt’s house - and definitely not an eight month old.

Bella is adorable - The Barden Bellas’ pride and joy - but she is adorable from, like, afar. Where Beca can’t mess up anything.  

But of course, it took one smile and puppy eyes from Chloe and Beca nodded her head reluctantly. 

Chloe smiles fondly at her girlfriend and waves her hand dismissively. “She’ll be fine.”

Stacie looks suspicious but looks at Chloe relieved. “Thank you so much again, you saved my life.” 

“Are you kidding? It’s my pleasure.” Chloe says smiling as Stacie picks up her suitcase and goes to the door. But before she leaves, she turns back to Chloe and smirks.

“It’ll be good practice for later…” She says cheekily and Chloe’s eyes are sparkling but she’s not disagreeing. 

“Go, don’t be late.” She rushes her, pushing her gently on the back. 

Stacie laughs. “Take good care of her…and Bella as well.” 

Chloe rolls her eyes fondly and closes the door behind her. She goes back into the living room where she finds Beca in the exact same spot. She glances deeper into the room where Bella is sitting up in her crib, her chubby little fingers gripping the bars and her blue eyes big and wide. 

Chloe steps closer to the brunette and gently presses her lips against hers. Beca can’t help but melt into the kiss and as Chloe pulls away, she finds herself chasing after her lips. She exhales through her nose and rests her forehead on Chloe’s. 

The redhead smiles gently. “Don’t worry, you are going to be fine. It’s gonna be so much fun.” 

“What if I drop her?” Beca jokes half-heartedly, making Chloe giggle. 

“Then Stacie’s going to kill you.” Chloe continues to joke as she pulls away and makes her way to the toddler but Beca’s not laughing. 

“Chloe…” 

The redhead glances back at her, an apologetic smile on her lips. She reaches into the crib and gently hook her arms under Bella’s armpits and picks her up with ease. The toddler wraps an arm around her neck and instantly becomes fascinated by Chloe’s Bella necklace resting on her collarbone. 

“I’m sorry. But you’re not gonna drop her.” She assures her softly. “I bet you’re gonna be the best auntie she’s ever had.” She bobs her head to the side and smiles cheekily. “Well, after me, of course.” 

The corner of Beca’s lips curve up into a stubborn smile as she watches the pair. 

To Beca’s amazement, Bella is smiling and being genuinely happy as Chloe bounce her around the room. She’s not being fussy, there’s no tears in sight and Beca makes the mistake of easing up a little bit, thinking it wouldn’t be so hard as she thought it would be.

Until Chloe sits her down in her high-chair to eat. 

And she does not like it. 

Beca watches in horror as her little lips start to crumble, her face grimaces and tears start to slowly roll down her cheeks as Chloe turns around to prepare her food in the kitchen. 

“Becs…” Chloe calls out. “Can you help me out a little bit?” 

“I - I…” Beca’s gaping like a fish as Bella starts to scream. “I don’t - I don’t know what to do.” 

“Just - distract her somehow. Stacie says she loves music.” Chloe shrugs as she microwaves the pumpkin pure. “Sing her something.” 

She panics and starts to sing “No Tears Left To Cry” by Ariana Grande which is very inaccurate because Bella definitely has many tears left to cry but that’s the only song that came to her mind. 

“It’s not working.” She says loudly. 

“Then - I’m almost done, hold on.” Chloe puts the cap back on the jar and grabs a pink plastic spoon as the crying stops suddenly and the room becomes quiet. Her eyebrows furrows in confusion and she turns around to see Bella in Beca’s arms, the toddler completely melting into her chest. Beca’s eyes are wide and she doesn’t move a muscle.

Chloe wants to awe at the sight.

“Wh - How?” 

“I don’t know.” Beca whispers. “She just wouldn’t stop crying so I just picked her up and she stopped. Is she asleep?” 

Chloe smiles and puts down the baby food on the table. “No, she’s just cuddling you. That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” She pulls out her phone and takes about ten pictures. 

“Chloe…” Beca whines and makes the move to put Bella down but the toddler shudders and starts to whine as well so Beca just stops. 

“What do I do?” Beca asks as her body slowly bounce side to side. 

Chloe tries to conceal her smile and points to the chair. “Just sit down. She can sit in your lap.” 

Beca sit down slowly and carefully turns Bella around in her lap so she faces the table. She automatically holds out her thumbs and the baby grabs onto them both tightly and Chloe starts to feed her. And that’s how they sat for twenty minutes until her little stomach was full. 

Chloe keeps glancing up from Bella’s face to Beca’s with twinkling eyes. Something about Beca being motherly and gentle with the baby makes her hope grow that they can have that in the future. Just the two of them. 

The sun slowly set for the day as Chloe tidies up the apartment, packing away the toys that they played with after Bella’s bath. Chloe can’t believe how good Beca turned out to be with the little girl. Whenever Bella started crying Beca usually just had to pick her up and she would stop. 

If Chloe didn’t find that bond between them too damn adorable, she’d probably be jealous. 

After feeling a little more comfortable and gaining confidence at lunch, Beca actually volunteered to bathe Bella all by herself while Chloe made them some dinner. Chloe couldn’t help but smile happily as the adorable giggles from upstairs reached her ears. 

Putting Bella in her pajamas, the threesome sat down on the couch with Bella’s favorite book in hand as Beca and Chloe took turns to read. 

In that moment, Chloe fell more in love with the brunette than ever before.

Now as Chloe puts away the last piece of toy in the basket, she looks over at the couch where Bella fell asleep safely in Beca’s arms. The brunette’s head tilts to the side with her mouth slightly open.

Chloe hears keys jiggling at the front door and puts her pointing finger up to her lips, showing Stacey to be quiet. The young mother slowly starts to smile as she takes in the scene. 

“How was she?” She asks quietly, standing next to Chloe as both of them watch the pair.

“Amazing.” Chloe whispers back.

“Both of them?”

“Both of them.”

Stacie pauses and turns her head toward Chloe, seeing her sparkling blue eyes fill with happiness.

“You want one now, huh?”