Chapter 31 A Promise in the Stars
A Promise in the Stars
GAbrIEL
Weeks later, I sit at the dining room table eating breakfast with Aura since Millie had to go to the café early this morning.
I don't work for the next three days so I am planning on doing something special with my girls.
Millie has been frantic trying to get everything ready for our big day. I'm not sure how I got so lucky to find such an amazing woman to spend the rest of my life with, but I did.
Millie Feely. Soon to be Millie Sirolli.
"Do you think it's crazy to take you and Mama away for the next three days," I say, mindlessly talking to my ten-month-old daughter.
She kicks her legs while banging her hands on the high chair tray in response.
I take that as enough of an approval and go to the living room to retrieve my laptop.
Within twenty minutes, I have booked a getaway for Millie, Aura and I in Costa Rica. We leave tonight.
I send Millie a text asking her to come home as soon as she is able to.
Me
Hey, sweetheart, can you come home as soon as you can?
Bumper
Is everything ok? I can leave in 5.
Me
Yeah, everything is great. I have a surprise for you when you get home.
Bumper
Now you got me interested. Be home soon xx.
Now that Millie is on her way home, I put Aura down for a nap and start to pack her bag and mine. I am almost finished packing Aura's bag when I hear the front door open.
"Babe! I'm home! Where are you?" Millie yells from downstairs.
I walk to the stairs. "Up here, sweetheart. Aura is down for a nap." I say softly, careful not to wake up my daughter.
Millie makes an "o" shape with her mouth, and I can't help but imagine it around my cock. She walks up to our bedroom and sees the suitcases.
"Honey, what is the luggage doing out?" She questions, lifting the empty duffel bag.
I walk over to her, taking her hands in mine."Well, I thought it would be nice to get away for a few days. I know it's last minute, but I booked a trip to Costa Rica. We leave tonight." I explain, kissing the tops of her hands.
She backs up, pulling her hand to her mouth.
"Honey! Oh my gosh! I have so much to pack! Are you packed? Aura?" She says frantically, running around the room, grabbing any clothes she can find.
An hour later, the three of us are packed and ready to go.
We arrive at the airport two hours later, and while waiting to board the plane, I grab all of Millie's favorite things to help her stay calm during the flight.
Flying to Costa Rica isn't as long as the flight to Italy, so it is smooth sailing the whole way there.
When we touch down, Aura is anxiously awaiting to be free. She has discovered the transportation method of crawling and didn't like being restricted from moving during the flight.
"Oh, babe, it's beautiful here," Millie says, her eyes gazing all around her.
She may think our surroundings are beautiful, but I think she is the beautiful one.
"Mhmm," I grunt in response.
She unlatches Aura from her stroller, holding her on her hip.
"Look, sweets, Daddy is going all caveman on us. What do you think will make him come back to real life?" She asks our daughter, tickling her belly to make her laugh.
I shake my head, laughing at them, I call a car and it takes us to our resort.
The resort sprawls across a hillside that offers panoramic vistas of the ocean and the mountains. From our room, you can hear the waves crashing and the distant calls of the exotic birds echoing through the trees.
Millie immediately wants to take Aura to the ocean, and once we are changed and lathered in sun lotion, we head straight there. The moment I step onto the sand, I feel the warmth of it beneath the feet, but all I can focus on is them. My girls.
Aura's tiny hands grip the sides of the wagon, and Millie pulls it closer to the shoreline. Once Millie gets to the spot she wants, she unbuckles Aura and lifts her out, setting her in the sand.
Millie kneels next to Aura, grabbing a handful of sand in her hand, letting it fall onto the ground. I see her smile, one that is different than ones directed towards me. When Millie smiles at our daughter, she is totally in the moment.
"Look at you," Millie says, her voice low and soft, full of warmth that only she can exhibit. She is smiling—no, she's glowing as she watches Aura explore the sand.
Aura looks up at her, wide-eyed, and there is a little crease on her forehead as if she is trying to figure out this new texture. She giggles, a small, musical sound, and Millie laughs along with her.
I feel like a spectator in the background, watching them have their own little conversation.
"You're a little explorer, aren't you?" Millie says, her hand brushing away a stray curl from Aura's face. "This stuff is all around us, sweets. You can touch and feel it. It's all yours."
Aura looks at her mama, fascinated, then back at the sand. She carefully reaches her tiny hand into the ground, giggling when her fingers sink into the grains.
Watching them, my chest swells with a mix of love and pride. My fiancé and my daughter, having such a intimate moment.
Although Millie isn't Aura's biological mom, she loves her just the same. This getaway is allowing us to escape the reality of our custody case with Haley.
Our lawyer thinks that because we are engaged and since Millie has cared for Aura since she was practically a newborn, we have a strong chance of winning. Haley hasn't been in Aura's life at all since she was born. She never reached out to see our daughter. Not once.
I move my attention back to my girls in front of me. "You're getting the hang of it, Sweets," Millie murmurs, her voice full of encouragement.
Aura laughs again with more confidence. I see the moment the world stops for Millie. Her face lights up at the sound, and her smile widens.
She leans in, brushing her lips on the top of my daughter's head. "That's my girl," she whispers, like it's a secret just for the two of them.
Aura reaches up, her hand grasping at Millie's fingers, pulling herself closer. "You want up, baby?" Millie asks, her voice soft, but I hear the affection behind it. "Come here, Sweets."
She scoops Aura into her arms, cradling her against her chest. Aura wraps her arms around Millie's neck, resting her head against her shoulder like she's the most comfortable thing in the world. Millie rocks gently from side to side, humming a lullaby.
"Are you tired, baby?" Millie asks, brushing Aura's hair back with one hand. "I think that's enough sand time for today, huh?"
My daughter lets out a little sigh, her eyelids heavy as she rests her head even further into Millie's neck.
"You're the best mom to her, you know," I say quietly. I don't say it enough, but she needs to hear it.
Millie looks up at me, her eyes soft. She doesn't say anything but gives me a smile that says it all. She glances down at my daughter, her voice barely a whisper, "She's everything I never knew I wanted."
I nod, the lump in my throat tightening. "Yeah, I know."
She pulls Aura a little closer. Her fingers trace light circles on her back. "I don't know how I got so lucky. I get to be a mom to the most amazing little girl, and her dad is the love of my life."
I feel the lump in my throat more now. Everything about this moment feels perfect as if this trip was meant to happen.
"You know," I say, scooting closer, "I think we are the lucky ones."
Millie glances at me, a playful twinkle in her eye. "I think we are all lucky," she says, resting her head on my shoulder.
I wrap my arms around her shoulder, looking down at her—holding our girl in her arms, their faces lit by the soft light of the sun.
"Let's go back to the room."
We start walking back towards the resort. The sun is now dipping lower in the sky, casting a warm, golden glow over everything. The sound of the waves fades as we make our way up the beach.
I watch Millie, her arm wrapped protectively around Aura's body. Aura is fast asleep on her chest, every now and then, she lets out a soft sigh.
"You have her all tucked in," I say quietly, pulling the wagon beside them.
She smiles down at my daughter, the kind of smile that makes my heart skip a beat. "She's so easy to hold when she is like this," she murmurs, glancing up at me. "I could hold her forever."
I can't help but laugh, the sound of my laugh soft in the quiet evening. "I think we'd both be in trouble if you tried. But I get it. She's perfect like this. I wish she could stay this little forever."
There is a peace in Millie that I envy sometimes—the way Millie is always so present, always so calm, even though she has a million things running through her mind. I see it in the way she holds Aura, and the way she talks to her, like she's been doing this forever.
We reach the path the leads to our room, the quiet hum of the resort lights flickers on, casting soft light across the walkway.
Millie's eyes flick to the sky for a second. I follow her gaze. The stars are starting to show. There are only a few at first, more slowly coming into focus.
"Feels like time is standing still, huh?" I say, my voice almost a whisper as we reach the door to our room.
She stops. Her eyes are soft as she looks at me. "Yeah, it does." She presses her lips to Aura's forehead, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "I wish we could freeze moments like this. Just stay in the moment forever."
I nod, feeling a familiar ache in my chest. I can't explain it, but watching them together, their bond growing stronger each day, makes me want to hold on to every second.
Time goes by too fast, and I already feel like time is slipping by. It feels like just yesterday I was in Beanstalk interviewing for a nanny. Millie offering herself up, despite getting ready to open her own business.
We get inside, and I hold the door open for her. The room is quiet, the ocean a faint hum in the distance.
Millie walks over to the crib and gently lays Aura down, making sure her head is resting just right. She pulls a soft blanket around her, tucking her in with a tenderness that makes my heart melt.
"You're amazing," I say, leaning against the doorframe. My voice is soft but full of an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
She shrugs, "It's just… it's just love. I never expected it, but when you love someone this much, it all falls into place."
I lean down and kiss her forehead. The soft warmth of her skin against mine feels like home. "I'm glad I get to share this with you, share her with you," I say quietly, almost to myself, but I know she hears me.
She smiles, reaching up to touch my face, the pads of her fingertips gently brush against my skin. "Me too," she murmurs. "I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else.”
I pull her into a hug, and I don't say anything else for a while. Sometimes, there is no need for words. Just standing together, "I think we have earned some quiet time," I says, pulling back enough to look at her. "Can I get you a drink? Or we can just sit on the balcony."
"Yes, to both. Sounds like the perfect plan," she replies, smiling as she wraps her arm around my waist.
We move to the balcony. The evening air is cool against our skin. The stars shining brighter now. I settle into a chair pulling her into my lap. A bottle of wine waits on the small table beside us.
"I don't want this to end," Millie murmurs, more to herself than to me.
I turn my head to look at her, the corners of my mouth pulling up into a smile. "I know, Bumper. Me neither."
Neither one of us feels the need to say anything else. We sit there, wrapped in each other's arms, watching the waves and stars above. It all feels like enough.