#dad!brandon

He was met by a rather annoyed stare, one he knew all too well and he smiled at you in the exact way that always made you weak in the knees.  How was it possible he was still able to awaken butterflies in your belly after all these years?

“What?” he giggled as he pulled you closer to him.

“You know exactly why we had to buy a new one,” you replied as he wrapped his arms around you and rested his chin on top of your head, tucking you into his body.  

He giggled again at your reply before beginning to scatter kisses all over your face and neck.

The reason you’d had to buy a new cot was entirely his fault.  When you’d first gone back to work, Brandon had spent the weekdays at home with Hassan and after his nap around midday, Brandon would get in and lay with him till he was fully awake and ready to get out.  

You only found this out when you were pulling apart the cot once Hassan had gotten his big-boy bed.  The bottom frame was completely bent out of shape and the screws that held the frame together were all bent out of shape.  Brandon had confessed to you about what he’d been doing and you could only laugh in return, “you let him do everything I don’t and still he’s a Mama's boy, go figure.”

The day you ordered the new cot was also the day you warned him that he couldn’t do it with baby girl and ruin another cot but a part of you knew he would be doing the same thing with her and all your future kids.

You hid a yawn as you wrapped yourself around Brandon, enjoying his warmth as you both looked at your sleeping son.  It was uncanny how much he looked like his dad when he was sleeping.  It’d been close to 4 years and you were still wrapping your head around the fact you’d given birth to a mini version of your husband.

“I’ll take him to bed,” Brandon said with his lips pressed to your forehead, “and I’ll meet you back in the room.  I know your feet are killing you, babe.”

As promised, Brandon met you back in your bedroom where you were currently rubbing lotion over your belly in your underwear.  He couldn’t help but stop and watch you from the doorway, taking in the beautiful view of his wife.  He always swore that if he could, he’d freeze every moment in time he had with you just to make it last forever.

You took another pump of lotion in your hand and without looking at him spoke, “stop staring like a creep.”  

“Sometimes you don’t look real,” he said as he walked closer to you.  He picked up the lotion bottle from in front of you and began to rub the lotion on your lower back.  Cheekily, he rubbed his hands over your butt as well, enjoying the little extra plush two babies had brought to it for a quick moment.

“I think we should start thinking about names,” you said as your eyes met.  

He leant down and kissed you before kissing your belly, “we’ve got some already, don’t we?”

He offered you a hand and helped you into bed as you shook your head to him.  He sat down where your feet rested and began to massage them.  They were beyond swollen at that point and almost every day, like the kind gentleman he was, he’d try his best to make you feel at least a little more comfortable.  

“I was looking at them earlier and I don’t think they’re right anymore.”

“You said the same last time and Hassan was in our first batch,” he shrugged his shoulders while still skillfully relieving some of the pain that had built up.

“Yeah, but that kid looks like a Hassan,” you said with a little pout, “she just feels so different to all the names we originally thought of.”  He nodded his head to you understandably before standing up to kiss you.  

He started to get ready for bed, undressing while you settled into reading your book.  By the time Brandon was in bed with you, you were completely ready to cuddle up with your baby daddy and fall asleep but baby girl seemed to have other plans.  

The second Brandon started singing her a goodnight song, the same one he used to sing Hassan, she started dancing around in your belly.  He kept his hand on your belly and followed her feet wherever they went, letting her kick against his hand.  “Daddy’s right here baby, daddy’s got you.”

A tradition you and Brandon had started for your pregnancies, one that felt a little extra, was to make a video documenting the growth of your belly week by week.  Each Thursday night he would pull out his camera and you’d show off your ever-growing belly.  The first time around with Hassan you were more nervous around the camera but now it was almost second nature, after all, you were just saying what week you were at and answering silly questions Brandon would ask.

Finally at week 37, you were standing in front of the camera in a grey nursing bra and a grey pair of sweatpants.  You did a little dance while he filmed you, laughing quietly as you moved.  You turned fully to the side and let him emphasise your belly before you started speaking.

“We’re at 37 weeks today,” you said as you rubbed over the belly, your hands stopping low, “she’s starting to drop, I can feel it.  Not too long now darling.”

You got into bed not too long after you finished filming the clip.  You were exhausted like most days but things were starting to get more uncomfortable as each day went past.  That night, you’d reached a different level of discomfort and Brandon happened to walk in right as a familiar wave of pressure pulsed through your lower stomach.

“You good, baby?” he asked as he noticed the look on your face.

“Mm,” you hummed as it eased off, “just a Braxton.”

The look of worry didn’t leave his face as he crossed the room to you in a hurry.  He kissed the top of your head and placed a hand on your belly, making sure you were looking at him properly.

“I’m okay Honey,” you said with a little giggle, raising your hand to caress his cheek.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”  You kissed his nose before pushing him away, “come to bed, I wanna lay up with you.”

It was fairly easy to fall asleep with Brandon singing to you quietly and holding you as best he could.  His embrace and warmth made you feel at home, it always did.  Unfortunately, just past four in the morning you woke up to something you weren’t expecting.

The same sharp pressure had returned but to go along with it, you were in a puddle of amniotic fluid.  You reached your hand across the bed to shake Brandon’s shoulder as you said his name but he barely reacted and remained in his undisturbed slumber.  The second time you said his name a little louder and shook him a little harder.  

He groaned again but reached his arm over to you before speaking, “yeah?”

“My water just broke.”

“Okay baby,” he said sleepily before rolling back over and pulling the duvet up to cover him again.  You took a deep breath and waited patiently for him to realise what you’d just told him.

It took maybe thirty seconds before he was cursing as he jumped out of bed to get his glasses on.  He was by your side in moments, helping you get into some clothes and asking you where the stuff you needed was.  Your game plan had been set out for weeks but it seemed in the moment, Brandon had lost his head.  

It was as he began to exit his room that you called him back to you, hoping to ease his mind, “I know this is all very exciting but we have a 3-year-old to think about this time, please be quiet.”

He’d stopped in his tracks and came back to stand in the doorway, the giddy smile on his face never disappearing, “Right, I’ll be quiet.”  Again, he went to leave but you stopped him with the quiet call of his name.

“Yeah?”

“I love you so much.”

The smile he gave you before rushing off was the exact reason you were in that exact position and it almost made you laugh.  You probably would’ve if another contraction hadn’t started right at that moment.

7 hours later, your 6 pounds and 11 oz baby girl had arrived earthside.  Though she was only just full term, she was perfectly healthy and completely ready to take on the world.  

“You did it again baby,” Brandon said quietly from where he stood beside you, baby in his arms.  He had had his shirt off since he first held her, “you made the most perfect angel again.”  

His eyes never left the baby’s, his lips carefully brushing over her forehead.  He sniffed and in your half-asleep state, you saw his tears spill down his face.  “She looks so much like you, her perfect little nose and her perfect little lips.”  

You watched with tears in your eyes.  No part of you fully understood how you’d gotten so lucky.  You had the three most wonderful beings as your world, what else could you ever ask for.  

After a short nap for you and baby, Brandon received a message from his sister who was looking after Hassan saying that they were on their way.  Truthfully, you were enjoying the fact that you’d had no visitors yet.  Though in some ways, this birth was easier, you had gone through a hard trauma and really weren’t in the mood to see those you haven’t already prepared for.

You were burping baby when Brandon got a call saying they’d arrived.  He left quickly to go meet them, pressing a kiss to your head before he left.  Upon seeing them, he was pleasantly surprised to see Hassan holding his aunty Halie’s hand wearing his finest outfit, a button-up shirt and his church pants.  He looked like a true gentleman and it almost melted him right then and there.

“Daddy!” Hassan ran into his arms and clasped his hands together as an excited sound left his little lips.  “Do you like my fit daddy?” he asked as he stepped back to pose for Brandon, something he couldn’t help but laugh at.

“I think you’ve been spending too much time with your uncle Edwin,” Brandon commented which only made Hassan giggle and nod his head.  “I love your fit, you look so handsome, my son.”

With another giggle, Brandon let his serious-dad mode take over as he held his hand out to his son and he once again crouched down to his height.  “I need you to remember your manners when we go into the room to see Mumma and meet baby.  They’re both very tired and but you know how to be gentle and quiet, right?”

He nodded his head, his eyes never leaving Brandon’s, “another thing as well my son, mumma’s going to look very tired and you might think she looks a little sick but she’s so okay, I promise you.”

“Okay daddy, can I meet sissy now?”  Brandon couldn’t help but laugh at the excitement that dripped from every word the young boy spoke.  He could barely contain himself, he was practically dancing with joy.

“Of course baby, let’s go.”

Hassan knew to be quiet the moment they stepped into the room but he got so happy when he saw you with a baby in your arms, he almost jumped up onto the bed.  Brandon instead picked him up and carefully sat him on the bed next to you.

“Hi Mumma,” Hassan whispered as he very carefully moved a little closer to you, making sure not to knock your legs or baby who you were cradling in your arms.

“Hi my darling,” you whispered back before he kissed you on your lips.  “Daddy and I want you to meet your baby sister.”

Brandon helped sit Hassan so you could lay baby in his arms.  He helped support her neck while Hassan smiled down at her, his arms naturally cradling her and supporting her with ease.  

“Hey little baby,” he said quietly as he stroked his free hand over the top of her head.  He was barely touching her with how gentle he was being.  “She’s pretty like you mumma.”

That was enough to set off your waterworks, the tears that had welled in your eyes were painting silver streams down your cheeks.

“I love you,” he cooed to her, completely in his own world as he again brushed his fingers over her hair.

When you looked up from your babies to look at Brandon, you saw that he too was crying as he looked down at his kids.  He had so much love and admiration on his face at that moment.  You saw love and peace in its purest form.  His eyes unexpectedly met yours and his smile only grew when he realised you were already looking at him.

‘I love you,’ he mouthed to you and you nodded your head to him only to mouth the phrase back to him.  

The transition of going from a three-person family to four took full swing your first night back.  There was so much you were eager to do with both Hassan and Brandon but given the circumstances, you weren’t able to.

There were times when you’d fought to stay awake so you could spend time with Hassan but after a few days Brandon had had enough.  You were clearly on edge and he’d sent you off to bed for a nap with a kiss and a promise that he’d be able to hold down the fort while you were gone.

“You deserve it, Mama.  Go rest,” Brandon had told you after pressing a kiss to your lips.

“Have I ever told you that I adore you?” you asked, almost on the verge of tears.  He delicately placed his lips to your forehead and brought you closer to his chest.

“Almost every day for the past 9 years.”  You kissed once more before you departed to your room upstairs.  You crashed out almost the second your head hit the pillow.

You needed the nap more than you knew.  You were going through the baby blues with your hormones drastically trying to rebalance and the very little sleep you’d had weren’t helping.  However, the two-hour nap you’d managed to have helped to clear things up.

While you were sleeping the perfect name you’d been waiting for had finally come to you.  It had been a name you and Brandon had both liked the first time around before you’d known Hassan was well, Hassan.  You weren’t sure why it hadn’t hit the second you saw her but now it felt so right.

When you made your way downstairs, you walked into the living room to see Hassan dancing around Brandon to Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely?  Brandon cradled baby in his arms while they both quietly sung to her.  It was an image straight out of a dream and again, tears were rolling down your face.

Hassan saw you before Brandon did and he ran to you and carefully wrapped his arms around you, his fear of accidentally hurting you clear in his actions.  “How was your sleep mumma?”

“It was wonderful, baby,” you answered as you bent down to pick him up.  He wrapped himself around you, embracing you in a tight hug and Brandon gave you a quick look of concern that you only brushed off.  “What have you been doing while I’ve been sleeping?”

Hassan spent the next five minutes talking to you about how he’d been showing baby all his favourite songs with the help of daddy.  Brandon had handed you baby to hold when you’d sat down on the couch with Hassan.  He slipped off somewhere else though you did wish he’d sat down with you.

“What song do you want her to listen to Mumma?” Hassan asked you once he’d finished listing all his songs.  You thought for a moment before a somewhat obvious answer appeared in your mind.

“Has daddy had her listen to Dream a Little Dream of Me?” he shook his head no and at that moment, Brandon came back in with a mug of tea for you.  He placed it next to you with a loving kiss and sat down next to Hassan.  

“Can you please go get daddy’s phone for me, honey?” you asked him and he was quick to spring to his feet and walk to the kitchen, leaving you and Brandon alone for a moment.

“I think I know her name,” you said quietly, wasting no time as you looked down at your peaceful girl.  You were flooded with the same feeling that flooded you whenever you looked at Hassan, that feeling of complete and utter happiness.

Brandon moved closer to you, his arm slipping around your smaller frame, “I wanna be looking at her when you say it for the first time,” he told you before taking a deep breath and looking down at her too.

“Penelope,” you spoke her name softly as if it was a secret only you and he could know.  

“Penelope,” Brandon repeated and it was as if everything fell into place, “she is a Penelope.”  He leant his head against yours as he spoke and you turned to look at him.

“Penelope Arreaga,” he said as your lips brushed over his.

Right then, Hassan came bouncing in and handed you Brandon’s phone.  

“Hey baby,” you said after thanking him quickly, “what do you think about Penelope as her name?”  Brandon pressed a kiss to your forehead as you spoke and once he’d let Hassan process what you’d said, he pulled him into his lap and pressed kisses all over his face.

“I like Penelope!” he exclaimed with the biggest smile, his hands clapping together.

His smile dropped for only a moment, “pretty Penelope,” he announced to her before turning to look at you.

“Precious Penelope,” you said to him and he clapped his hands and nodded his head to you.  

When he turned to look at Brandon you did too and were met with a beautiful smile that you were sure would always make your heart flutter.

“Perfect Penelope.”

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