inked_daddy (inked_daddy) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2009-11-28 19:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | #solo, 2009-06-24 |
come home, come home, cause I've been waiting for you
Who: Austin and Grace (NPC) and a brief appearance by his parents (NPC)
Where: His apartment
When: About dinner time – 7ish
Austin begged off of work early when his mother called to say that they would be earlier than expected. He texted Darcy to let her know that Grace was on the way and he’d call her later. Austin ran home to make sure Grace’s room was perfect for her and to clean up his room a bit.
Finally he heard the car turn into the complex. He would know his father’s restored ’62 Corvette engine anywhere. His face lit up with a bright smile and he walked outside to wait for them. As soon as the car was in park, Grace was climbing over the seats, over his mom and out the door, running to him.
“Daddy!” she yelled, her blonde hair flying out behind her. She threw herself in his arms and Austin picked her up and twirled her around.
“Hey Gracie,” Austin said, his voice thick with tears. He put a hand on the back of her head, smoothing her hair. “I missed you Gracie belle!” Now that he had her back in his arms where she was supposed to be, his heart felt whole again.
Grace hugged her little arms tight around Austin’s neck, burying her face in his shoulder. “I missed you too, daddy.”
After giving him a couple more seconds to get his emotions under control, Austin pulled back to grin at her. “Some little girl has a brand new room. Was it supposed to be green, frogs and fairies?” he teased her.
“No silly!” Grace said with a roll of her eyes. She leaned back in his arms. “Purple and butterfwies, daddy! I wanna see!”
Austin smiled at his mom and dad over her head as he bent over to put her down. “No no!” Grace screamed. She grabbed onto his shirt and kept her legs bent, not wanting to be put down.
“Okay baby, I’ll carry you,” Austin soothed. “It’s okay, I’m not going anywhere, okay?” He looked into her watery eyes, his heart breaking. He hated to see her cry, much less knowing it was because of him.
His parents shooed him in as they got Grace’s luggage. Austin carried her inside, showing her the downstairs before taking her upstairs to the closed door to her room. “You want to do the honors?” He leaned down so she could twist the doorknob and push open the door.
Grace gasped when she saw her room. “Oohhhh,” she squealed, kicking her feet and pushing at him to put her down. Austin grinned as he put her down and she ran around looking at everything. She traced the butterfly designs on the duvet cover, squealed at the chandelier and night light. She climbed on the bed so she could touch the butterfly decals. “What that say?” she asked, pointing to the quote.
Austin came to stand behind her, a hand on her back as she stood on the bed, not wanting her to fall. He read her the quote, “Love is like a butterfly: it goes where it pleases and pleases wherever it goes.”
“Pwetty,” Grace said. She nodded matter-of-factly. “Good job, daddy.”
Austin laughed. “I can’t take credit for that – I had a friend helping me and she came up with the quote idea. And the butterflies. And she also bought you the chandelier and nightlight.” He tickled Grace, picking her up again and sitting on the bed, her in his lap. “We’ll have to draw her a picture or something later to tell her thank you.”
“Okay, daddy. What’s her name?” She was still looking around the room, her eyes bright and sparkly and it warmed his heart to know that she was happy.
“Her name is Darcy,” Austin replied. His mom and dad showed up in the doorway laden down with boxes and suitcases, so Austin put Grace down to help them.
“Thanks Mom, thanks Dad,” he said, smiling at them, happy now that he had Grace back. “What do you think?” he nodded his head to indicate the room.
They both looked around and watched as Grace kept exploring. “You did good, son,” his mother said, pride coloring her voice.
Austin put down his armload of boxes and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Where would you like to eat dinner?”
His mom hugged him. “Oh sweetie, we’re just going to get on the road. We need to get a little further before we stop for the night.” She patted his cheek then turned to Grace. “Okay Gracie, time for us to go. Give Grammie and PopPop a hug bye!”
Grace flew into their arms, hugging and kissing them. She looked at them, her little eyes serious. “I get to stay with daddy?”
Austin scooped her up, hugging her to him before tickling her and dangling her upside while holding her ankles. “Of course you’re staying with me, kiddo!” His heart swelled at the sound of her squeals and giggles, having so missed the sound of his daughter’s laughter.
He pulled her upright, still holding her as they walked down stairs and back to the car. “Drive carefully,” Austin said. He wasn’t too upset that they were leaving so quickly – that was what they did. They had been at home for a long time with Grace and they were itching to get on the open road.
“Bye Grammie! Bye PopPop!” Grace called, waving her tiny hand.
They watched until their red taillights disappeared, then Austin turned to go back inside. “You hungry?” he asked her, taking her back upstairs.
Grace nodded. “Want MacRoni.” MacRoni was her word for mac-n-cheese, which Austin had become a veritable master at fixing.
“Got it.” He put her down in her room and quickly unpacked a box of toys, leaving them in the center of the room. “While I cook, put these where you want them to go, okay?” He watched her and the first thing she did was grab the purple Sharebear he’d given her and put it on her pillow on the bed.
“I’ll be right downstairs if you need anything,” Austin told her. He ran downstairs and started fixing her MacRoni, never more glad to be fixing it than he was in that moment.