WHO: Aderyn Ceredig, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck WHEN: Sunday morning to begin with, but may move to later WHERE: A A-frame cabin in an upstate NY forest WHAT: Happy first birthday, Evie! WARNINGS: Maybe talk about Addy's bad mental health but mostly nice?
Since convincing Iestyn and Henry to continue with their honeymoon and returning home with Evie, Addy's life had been in a bit of upheaval. David and Rhiannon had barely let her out of their sight and they had spent a lot of time organising counselling and doctor visits and other things. It had taken yet more convincing to have them not follow her to the cabin with Tuck and Will, but she had managed it by explaining it was always the bright light she had been looking forward to and taking it away was not really going to end well.
Besides, it was Evie's first birthday and the idea of spending it in the woods with her fathers was just awesome.
The cabin Tuck had found was gorgeous. It has a sweet little backyard with lights and a table. Nearby was a firepit and spa which was heated by a woodburner. The dining room table had just a lovely view of the forest beyond. Her bedroom was up in a lofted area, while Tuck and Will were downstairs. There was a lounge just off their bedroom, filled with comfy sofas and a carpeted area for Evie to play.
Most importantly, the cabin had wi-fi. Because as much as it was nice to get off the grid, Evie had made a promise to Iestyn she was not going to break. Since leaving Wales for home, Addy had texted Iestyn pretty much every hour, and usually several times an hour. She sent silly selfies, photos of Evie, reassurances she was okay, updates on how she was feeling. She sent him photos of her appointment cards so he would know she was taking this seriously. She only took a break from texting when she slept, but the second she woke up, she was back to it.
On the morning of Evie's birthday, they had been in the forest for two days. Addy sent Iestyn a good morning text, and then sort of glided down the stairs in her pajamas, Evie on her hip. She could smell coffee and bacon and god, she wished she could live with Tuck's cooking every day (sorry, David). She grinned as she found him, fussing around in the kitchen. "Hey, Tuck."
"Good morning!" he said, turning to smile warmly at her. "It's my birthday girl!" Tuck cheered, moving to kiss Addy and Evie on their respective heads. "I am making some oats for Evie, and some eggs and bacon for us!" It had taken Tuck a long time to be able to even look at porridge without panicking, but even though he never ate it, it could fix it for his daughter now without feeling like shit. Bacon helped. "Help yourself to coffee, dear. Will's on his way down."
"Mmmmm, gogo juice," Addy said, moving to the plunger to pour herself a mug of coffee while Evie flapped her arms around happily. Addy knew she was going to have to fill in Will and Tuck eventually but she had been putting it off because things were just so lovely here. She added cream and sugar to her coffee and moved over to the table. Once she had secured Evie into her high chair and sprinkled some dry cheerios onto the tray for Evie to pick at, she sat down herself and wrapped her hands around the steaming mug of coffee. She looked out the window and her chest felt so warm and peaceful. "That view," she said, gazing at the way the trees moved in the wind. "So good."