Age 31...
Vincent immediately kicks his shoes off the second he enters the door. He sighs and runs a tired hand down his face as he carelessly tosses his keys and bag on the floor.
Vincent immediately advances toward the bedroom but stops when he hears Hayden's voice in the living room. He peeks around the corner. A fond smile tugs at his lips as he eavesdrops on his husband.
"See, look, here is our high school football photo," Hayden says softly. "God, I probably should've done my hair that day, right?" Hayden chuckles before flipping the page of what seems to be a yearbook. "I think I'm in at least half of these pictures of the student body. I had a reputation for photobombing." Another page flip. "Oh, I have to show you how handsome your papa was. I think I was drooling over the picture in my bedroom at the time because this was when he still didn't know I had a teensy crush on him."
"Hayden," Vincent laughs, finally announcing his presence as he walks over to the brunette. "She's already dead asleep. You are talking to nobody right now."
Hayden looks down at the little girl in his lap. He says silent for a moment just to hear her little snores. When her head slowly starts lolling to the side, Hayden quickly readjusts to make sure his daughter is well and comfortable.
"Dammit," Hayden sighs. "She never stays awake long enough for me to get to the good part."
"And that is?"
"When I joined the celibacy club for a day so that I could be in the picture and prove a point to my dad," Hayden answers easily.
Vincent bursts out laughing, "Are you fucking serious?"
"Mhm, I was in the female-only choir for a few weeks too."
"How the fuâ"
Their daughter starts to stir and Hayden hastily shushes his husband.
Hayden then whispers, "Come here, Vinny...please."
Vincent easily follows the command, slowly sinking onto the couch next to Hayden and throwing an arm around his lover's shoulders. Like usual, he leans down and kisses his daughter on the forehead. He then closes his eyes and leans his head on the back cushion, sighing in contentment.
"Vinny," Hayden whines.
"Hm?"
He pouts, "You forgot someone."
Vincent grins before leaning over and planting a couple of loving kisses down his pouty brunette's temple. Hayden slouches into his husband, also closing his eyes blissfully.
Since the birth of their daughter, the two haven't seen a whole lot of each other. Vincent works weekdays while Hayden works weekends so there is always someone watching their baby. Honestly, some couples aren't even granted the opportunity to have this much ease in the early months of being parents, so it's not that Vincent and Hayden are complaining, they've just been missing each other. Thank goodness there is a holiday coming up so the two can spend a full day together as opposed to a few hours before they have to go to bed.
"How was work?" Hayden whispers, slipping his hand under Vincent's shirt to feel his warmth.
"Same old," Vincent shrugs, raking his fingers through Hayden's beautiful hair. Hayden hums happily, his toes curling in his socks at the soft action. "The kids just did presentations today so I didn't do much. Oh yeah, I got offered a promotion too."
"That's great," Hayden says excitedly before quieting down when he looks at his daughter.
"Eh, I didn't take it," Vincent confesses.
"What?!"
The yell startles the baby and she starts to cry from being woken up so abruptly.
"Oh, no," Hayden coos, picking the small girl up in his arms and protectively tucking her head into the crook of his neck. He softly bounces the child and smiles when Vincent reaches forward and rubs her back. "I'm sorry, Lily-Pad. Go back to sleep."
After a few minutes, Lily's sniffles begin to slow and her thumb has drifted to her mouth in a comforting suckle.
"God, she looks so much like you," Vincent expresses, trying to peek down at her peaceful expression.
Hayden and Vincent talked for a long while about how they were going to approach surrogacy. Hayden was really adamant about wanting to share his genetics with his daughter but, of course, was going to respect whatever Vincent wanted. Vincent, however, didn't have a strong opinion on using his sperm since even if they didn't look alike, he would know in his heart that the child is his just as much as Hayden's. It worked out for them in the end, much like everything else in their relationship because of how different in personalities they are yet willing to adjust for the sake of the other.
Vincent examines Lily carefully. She has long, light-colored eyelashes just like her dad. Her big rosy cheeks are unlike Hayden's but she clearly got Hayden's hair, lips, and nose.
"Quit trying to change the subject," Hayden harshly whispers. "Why would you not take a promotion?!"
"I don't need to," Vincent explains. "I love my students and I love my classroom. I wouldn't get that if I was a vice principal. Not only that, but that's more time away from my family. I don't want that."
Hayden looks at his husband with a change of heart, looking fondly into the eyes that hold nothing but truth.
"Sure, the pay raise would be nice," Vincent admits. "But we are finally at a point in our lives where we are comfortable. Why would I want to change that? I want to be hereâto be present for both of you guys. You already shoulder way more baby duties than I do when this parenting thing should be equal teamwork."
Hayden leans forward and covers Vincent's lips with his own. He smiles at his husband's slightly chapped mouth, knowing it's not anything out of the ordinary.
It never gets old being loved by him, Hayden thinks.
"You never fail to surprise me," Hayden confesses against Vincent's mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Vincent says lightheartedly.
"I'm serious, Vinny," Hayden huffs. "Thank you for being so supportive but also finding a way to always be you."
Vincent sighs at his sappiness, but says, "You're welcome...Do you want me to take her for a bit and let you get a break?"
Vincent reaches for his sleeping daughter and is immediately given the cold shoulder.
"No!" Hayden nearly snaps, holding Lily closer.
"Okay," Vincent chuckles, throwing his hands up in surrender.
He should know by now just how much Hayden loves being a father. He's the weirdo who doesn't mind changing dirty diapers, jumps right up when Lily is crying in the night, and always seems to have his eyes attached to the girl for the slight chance he might miss an important milestone.
"How was she today?" Vincent asks instead, pulling Hayden's legs across his lap and making the brunette laugh.
"Not fussy at all," Hayden admits. "I tried to get her to color earlier but it was pretty unsuccessful when she started trying to eat the crayons. We went shopping too, though. I got her a little stuffed animal to keep her preoccupied as I grabbed groceries. I think I got everything on your list."
"Thank you," Vincent says, giving him a short kiss. "You know you could've asked me to go to the store for you instead."
"I like giving off the vibes of a hot new dad who knows what he is doing," Hayden winks.
"Of course you do," Vincent snickers. "Do you want some dinner?"
Hayden shakes his head and leans further into Vincent. "No, just stay with me for a while."
"Okay," Vincent grins, closing his eyes once again as he spends some quality time with the two people who make up his whole world.
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Vincent blinks his eyes open drearily when he realizes the uncomfortable knot in his neck. He slowly comes to his senses and notices that his neck pain is a result of falling asleep on the couch with his family.
He checks the clock in the kitchen and sees that it's sometime past midnight.
He looks at the heavy weight on his leg and notices Hayden's face smothered in his thigh. He panics for a second, wondering where his daughter is but when he hears a little gurgling noise from the floor, he looks down to see that she is in her portable baby nest bed. His eyes snap up to Lily's face to see that she is wide awake and displaying a happy, crooked-toothed smile.
"What are you doing up?" Vincent smirks. Lily makes grabby hands at her Papa and begins to squirm.
Vincent swiftly lifts her from the soft bed, hands her a toy, and walks over to the kitchen to sit her in her high chair so that she will be in a controlled environment while he quickly takes Hayden somewhere more comfortable.
He lifts his husband up bridal style and swiftly carries him to their bedroom. Thankfully, Hayden doesn't stir a single bit, not even when Vincent pulls the covers up to his chin. He's glad that Hayden is out like a rock because the man doesn't want to admit that he needs some sleep.
Vincent waltzes back into the kitchen to see Lily still smiling and following his every action. Vincent leans down in front of her face and playfully ruffles her little patch of hair.
"See, I know how you work," Vincent says. "Once you are awake, you are usually awake for another couple of hours."
She kicks her feet back and forth in her high chair, laughing at the way her papa is so close.
"However, I got a couple of tricks up my sleeve too, you know?" Vincent smirks. "I know a bottle puts you right back to sleep."
Lily's eyes light up in recognition of the word. She then squeals cutely causing Vincent to kiss the crown of her head before preparing some formula for his daughter. He swiftly warms the bottle up before handing it to the girl who greedily takes it. Vincent laughs as she goes ham on the midnight snack. He then pulls up a chair next to her but not before saying, "I love you, my sweet girl."
Vincent likes to remind her every day. He wants his daughter to know that showing unconditional love isn't a weak thing nor is it something that should be looked down upon. Vincent thinks that so many things could have been changed in his childhood if openly expressing love had been normalized.
Suddenly, his phone is ringing. He doesn't even look at the caller before picking up.
"Who are you and why the fuck are you calling me at this ungodly hour?"
"Well, aren't you pleasant as ever, Mr. Sunshine," Sawyer says, and Vincent hates that he can hear the smugness in his voice.
"What do you want?" Vincent grumbles.
"Corey wants to see Lily again."
Vincent smirks and haughtily says, "If you missed me that much, you could've just said so."
"Oh shut up," Sawyer laughs. "Who would willingly want to stand in the wrath of Vincent Russell-Williams?"
"I'm not hearing a denial," Vincent muses.
"Just let me be a sentimental fool for once," Sawyer says, almost shyly.
Vincent bursts out laughing at the confession but then says, "And you had to call me at midnight why?"
"Hey, you have an infant," Sawyer announces. "I figured you'd be up."
"Fair enough," Vincent shrugs, getting distracted when it looks like Lily is done. She almost throws the bottle on the floor to indicate her boredom, but Vincent swiftly puts a stop to it. "No, no, no," Vincent tuts, grabbing the empty bottle and tossing it into the sink. "Give me a second, Sawyer," Vincent speaks into the phone. Vincent swiftly unbuckles his daughter from the high chair and carries her over to the living room. "Do you wanna watch a movie until you fall asleep?" He says in the gentlest tone of voice possible. Lily doesn't give any indication of a response because it looks like she is already on the verge of sleep. Vincent swiftly takes his shirt off and sinks back into the recliner, resting Lily on his chest, hoping that the delicate pats on her back will soothe her into a peaceful and long sleep.
"Just so you know I recorded every second of that," comes Sawyer's teasing voice. "You are never escaping the secret softie title."
"Sawyer, I'll beat your ass," Vincent warns in a brutal whisper.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Sawyer chuckles. "Soooooo...you'll let us come over tomorrow right?"
"Who does 'us' consist of?" Vincent questions, already knowing the answer.
"Me, Cecilia, and Corey, duh."
"Ew," Vincent teasingly comments.
"Shut up, man. You love us."
"Depends on my mood," Vincent answers with a sly grin. "But you guys can all come over on Monday. Hayden has to work tomorrow and Sunday, and I know he wants to see you guys. You know what? We'll probably just throw a little play date disguised as a get-together."
"Hayden will love that," Sawyer expresses with a smile, glad that Vincent treats him so well.
"Yeah, and Hayden needs to learn that he can't sacrifice his health for the sake of our daughter," Vincent scoffs. "God, he doesn't take his eyes off her for a single second."
"Cecilia was actually like that too despite how tough she looks," Sawyer chuckles. "I think she cried when she had to go out of town for a few days for a work trip. It was really hard for her to say goodbye, even though she was going to be back to Corey really soon. It's beautiful to see how much a child changes people and their priorities." Sawyer then teasingly sings, "Just like youuuuuuuu."
"Sawyer, I'm so close to hanging up."
"Kidding, kidding," Sawyer snickers. "Anyways, Vincent, I'll let you try and get some sleep. If you don't start calling me more often though, I'm going to keep pestering you. Got that, big guy?"
"Yeah, yeah," Vincent mumbles.
"Love you, man. See you later."
"Love you, bye."
Vincent peeks down into a head of brunette hair and happens to see closed eyelids. He carefully switches the television off and slowly rises out of the chair, trying not to rouse his child.
He heads into the bedroom with a snoozing Lily before lowering her into the crib. He slides her stuffed animal closer to her and places a fond hand on her cheek as a goodnight.
He then climbs into bed. He typically holds Hayden when he sleeps but he doesn't want to risk waking his husband up when everyone is sleeping peacefully for once.
Nevertheless, when Vincent finally settles on his back, Hayden climbs over him and settles on his chest. Vincent suddenly feels lips on his and Hayden's hands wandering his body.
"Mmm..." Hayden hums with equal parts sleepiness and bliss.
Vincent follows the slow speed of Hayden's kiss, wondering how long it was going to take for Hayden's built-up affection to explode.
Vincent wraps an arm around his husband's waist and rolls him over so Vincent is now hovering over Hayden. Hayden throws his arms over Vincent's neck, so utterly exhausted but wanting to reconnect with the love of his life.
"You need sleep," Vincent whispers in his ear, despite kissing his neck slowly.
"I miss you," Hayden says vulnerably, hugging him closer.
"You have me. I'm right here," Vincent assures, his lips traveling back to Hayden's.
Hayden's nails lightly scrape down Vincent's sides with need. He starts to kiss Vincent harder, deeper, trying to tell his husband how much he has missed his adoration and love since the birth of their child.
"Hayden," Vincent whispers.
"Can we kiss for a little bit longer?" Hayden replies back.
"You have been running yourself ragged, Hay," Vincent explains. "For my peace of mind, I would love it if you try to get some rest. You are going to wake up for work utterly exhausted."
"I know...but I'd rather be in the moment here with you than think of the future," Hayden admits.
Vincent smiles as he loses the fight with his husband. He tangles their legs together and follows through with the request.
The two kiss and quietly engage in pillow talk until exhaustion finally has their faces resting together, noses just barely brushing.
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There is a knock on the door.
Vincent quickly makes sure that the snacks, charcuterie board, and champagne presented on the dining room table are up to his standards before waltzing over to the warmly decorated entrance of their home. The door swings open and Asher is standing on the other side of it.
"Dang it," he pouts cutely. "Am I the first one to show up?"
"I don't think fashionably late is in your standards, little Gaines," Vincent smirks. "But if you ask Hayden, I'm sure he'll help you out."
Asher giggles before sidestepping Vincent, inviting himself into the welcoming house that has hosted many get-togethers between the friend group.
"Where is the big doofus?" Vincent asks curiously.
When Asher takes a seat on the couch, Vincent instantly brings him a mini cupcake that Hayden happily baked with the assistance of Lily. And by assistance, Vincent means their little girl entertaining herself with flour on the counter as Hayden had a full-on conversation with the girl who wasn't paying a single amount of attention.
Asher smiles gratefully before saying, "He has a game today." He then slyly reaches over on the couch to snatch up the remote, flicking through the channels. "Which means I'm making everyone watch the game."
"Of course you are," Vincent muses, rolling his eyes.
Asher then practically rips off his jacket to show that he is wearing a football jersey with Leo's name embroidered on the back. He flashes Vincent a mischievous grin before holding up another larger copy of the team jersey and holding it up to Vincent.
Vincent looks at him unamused.
"Oh, come onnnn," Asher groans, wiggling the fabric as if it's going to change the stubborn ravenette's mind.
"Fuck no," Vincent scoffs. "Get Hayden to wear that shit."
"See, but I asked you," Asher explains with a persuasive and light tone, feigning innocence.
Asher keeps showing him that sickly sweet smile of his that he has developed over the years, and Vincent grumbles in frustration.
"Fucking prick," he comments as he rips the jersey from Asher's hands, angrily wrestling it onto his body. He then immediately calls out to Hayden for the fear that Asher might convince him to do something else equally as humiliating. "Hayden, just pick some goddamn clothes to put on our daughter!"
Vincent gets a muffled shout in return. "Vinny, she has to look adorable! I'm not letting her make an entrance without a cute little two-piece outfit! I can't find the skirt!"
Vincent rubs a hand across his forehead and sighs, knowing he shouldn't have allowed Hayden to get their baby ready if he was going to be this extra. Asher just laughs softly from his spot.
There is another knock on the door.
"Asher, feel free to help yourself to anything," Vincent announces as he strolls over to the door a second time.
This time, standing on the other side are Sabrina, Kai, Jordan, and his new boyfriend, Bryce.
Vincent doesn't do anything but gesture them inside because he typically doesn't have to deal with entertainment when new guests step in the abode, but Hayden unfortunately has his hands full right now.
Kai, Jordan, and Bryce make their way deeper into the house to greet Asher, but Sabrina stops before Vincent with a warm smile.
"A little housewarming gift from me to you guys," Sabrina explains, handing Vincent a small terracotta pot that houses a baby pink flower.
"Do I look like the type of person to happily take care of a dainty little plant every day?" Vincent raises an eyebrow.
"Ugh, you're so lame, Vincent," she huffs. "It's a Lily for your Lily."
"Wow, so creative," Vincent says dryly.
"Shut up. Hayden would love it," Sabrina grins, briskly walking past him.
"Yeah, and my husband is what we call simple-minded," Vincent laughs lightheartedly, loving that Hayden knows how to appreciate the little things in life that he oftentimes doesn't care for or know how to handle.
Vincent soon joins everyone in the living room, encouraging them to relax, grab a little drink, and just enjoy themselves.
Bryce then says, "I'm going to assume you are the reasonable one since Jordan said one of you would probably scream for no particular reason once I got in the door. Vincent, right?"
"That is correct," Vincent chuckles, shaking his hand. Vincent then looks at Jordan with a smirk. "Did you finally stop fucking around?"
Jordan blushes and stutters, "V-Vincent, shut up."
Bryce throws an arm around Jordan's shoulder, tugging him closer playfully. Bryce then says, "Yeah, this guy is definitely a runner. You should've warned me beforehand."
"You freaked me out, okay?" Jordan huffs. "You weren't supposed to catch feelings."
Bryce laughs and teasingly pinches Jordan's lower back. "It was hard not to. You're cute when you ramble."
"Ugh, leave me alone," Jordan groans before sitting next to Asher and engaging in another conversation that doesn't involve his love life.
Jordan and Bryce have been "a thing" for what feels like forever. What started out as a friends-with-benefits relationship only proceeded to get more and more complicated when Bryce tried to break things off and get to know someone he thought was his dream girl. However, that only resulted in Jordan doing a series of stupid and highly embarrassing things to try and fuck up that relationship without even realizing he had feelings for Bryce. And then, of course, by the time Bryce was finally ready to accept the fact that he wanted Jordan, Jordan avoided him like the plague for the fear of being in a committed relationship. Nonetheless, the two have been going strong for almost a month now, and their future together looks very promising.
"Hayden!" Vincent calls out. "Can you come out here already?!"
"She needs a bow!" Hayden screams back.
Vincent rolls his eyes but begins to catch up with Kai when he realizes that it might still be a while before Hayden gets it together.
After a few minutes, just as Jordan had warned, Hayden announces himself by screaming at the top of his lungs. It seems to Vincent that Hayden is trying to teach their daughter how to enter a scene with the utmost presence considering she starts to shriek at the greatest capacity she can muster as well.
"Oh, that was so good, Lily-Pad," Hayden laughs, giving her a little high five before finally stepping out into the view of everyone currently at the house.
All eyes fall upon the blubbering baby girl because she instantly steals the show. She has a bright pink bow in her hair that's practically the size of her head. Her shirt has a cutesy saying written in glitter while her tutu matches her bow exactly. And lastly, what really has everyone cooing at the baby is the fact that you can tell she is well-loved by her crinkling eyes and high-pitched giggles.
"Look who is all here to see you," Hayden says excitedly as he goes around and animatedly talks to everyone while simultaneously entertaining his daughter.
Meanwhile, Vincent moves the coffee table in their living room so that he can lay a padded blanket out in the middle of the floor. He then scatters some toys and places down a little bowl of puff treats for her to snack on. He also moves her play mat closer which has a bunch of dangling toys for her to fiddle with.
Hayden smiles before placing her on the ground to crawl around where everyone can keep a watchful eye on her. He then jumps up and approaches Vinny from behind, placing his hands on his husband's hips and pressing his chest against his back. They both observe the smiley girl with a certain fondness that is only reserved for her.
Yet again, there is a knock at the front door. Vincent begins to walk toward the sound but stops when he realizes that Hayden's hands are still firmly on his hips and he is following him like a giddy puppy dog.
"I'm happy to spend the day with you," Hayden whispers shyly, burying his face in his husband's shoulder.
Vincent laughs before completing his trudge to the front door, not even worried about Hayden latched to his back this time.
"Coming through, coming through, coming through!" Cecilia shouts when Vincent just barely turns the doorknob and she shoves through the door. Cecilia is holding Corey out in front of her like a bomb that is going to explode. She rushes through the house, announcing, "Bathroom emergency, everybody! Move!"
Everyone makes a path for the frantic mother. Calmly entering the living room after is Sawyer with Cecilia's purse on his arm. He shows that charming smile of his to all the people gathered in the room.
"I told her that she should've asked Corey if he had to go to the bathroom before we got in the car," Sawyer shakes his head playfully before singing, "But my wife doesn't know how to listen~"
"I heard that, Curlyhead!" Cecilia screams from down the hall.
Sawyer pushes Cecilia's bag into Vincent's chest for him to hold before traversing closer to Lily.
"There's my favorite girl," Sawyer beams, holding his arms out to Lily.
Cecilia suddenly returns with Corey wrapped up in her arms, his expression now seemingly relieved.
Cecilia clears her throat, and Sawyer freezes.
"My second favorite girl," he corrects before finally lifting up a squealing Lily.
Cecilia smiles triumphantly before setting Corey down, who scrambles excitedly over to Uncle Hayden.
Hayden leans down and engulfs him in a hug as Cecilia loudly says, "There's my favorite boy." Asher giggles as he is smothered by Cecilia's usual vanilla scent. He hugs her back just as tightly.
"Babe, seriously?" Sawyer scoffs, glaring at his wife.
Cecilia laughs before finally dropping the act. She walks over to Sawyer, stands on her tippy toes, and gives Sawyer a little peck on the mouth. "Love you."
Sawyer's eyes twinkle and he practically melts. His hand crawls around her waist lovingly and he says, "Love you too. Want some champagne?"
"Have you met me?" Cecilia raises an eyebrow.
"Got it, you definitely want some champagne," he chuckles, leading her over to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, after Corey is done explaining to Hayden all the exciting things that have been going on in his life, he doesn't glance at any of the other adults before settling on the blanket with Lily. The little girl instantly crawls over to her best friend and tries to crawl into his lap. Corey laughs and thrashes which sends Lily into a fit of laughter, and the two continue to feed off of the other's energy until they are both laid on their backs and wheezing, not even remembering what they found so funny in the first place.
Hayden steps away from Vincent with the intention of taking a video of the two, but Vincent immediately pulls his husband back into him. Vincent throws his arms over Hayden's shoulders and places a hand over his heart protectively. He then plants a kiss on Hayden's neck before pressing their cheeks together.
"You're not going anywhere," Vincent whispers gleefully.
Hayden laughs softly, feeling his heart swell at Vinny being so openly affectionate and loving, especially with people around. Hayden snuggles into his warmth and lays his hands upon Vincent's arms.
While all their friends catch up, their eyes are still heavily fastened on their beautiful daughter.
"God, I love her so much, Vinny," Hayden breathes. "I really do."
"I know you do," Vincent chuckles. "I love her too. More than I even thought was possible."
All of a sudden, Hayden says, "I want another one."
"Woah, woah, woah," Vincent says, his eyes wide. "It's been less than a year."
He shrugs, "I don't care. I want three more."
"Alright, we'll definitely have to do some talking later on," Vincent laughs. "But we are at least waiting until she is two."
"Okay," Hayden chirps, sinking further back into his husband's hold.
All of a sudden, Asher jumps up from the couch.
"Shh, everyone!" he hastily exclaims. "Leo is about to come on!"
Laughter fills the room as people begin to gather around the couch. As for Vincent and Hayden, they settle on the ground against the sofa, Hayden's arms curled around Vincent's bicep as his husband soothes a hand down his leg.
As everyone gets immersed in the game, Lily seems to grow bored with no entertainment. She looks up at her papa and dad, and can't help but instantly want to drown in their love.
Vincent happens to see his daughter crawling toward him and smiles at her cute babbling, almost as if it's a command to hold her.
"Come here, sweet girl," Vincent says gently, holding his arms out for her.
She instantly recognizes the gesture and tries to crawl faster into her papa's awaiting arms. Vincent swiftly picks up his little girl and carefully adjusts her so that she is swaddled in his arms but still within range of his husband.
Hayden scoots a little closer so he can plant little kisses across the girl's knuckles, making her feet kick out in playful protest. He then grabs onto one of her stubby hands and holds it protectively as he directs his attention back to the football game.
The crew comments and yells and laughs at all the plays flicking across the television screen, but Vincent happens to catch Leo making a bad play and can't help but comment on it in what happens to be a quiet moment.
"What a dumb bitch play, Gaines," he mutters playfully.
Asher giggles but jokingly swats at Vincent's shoulder as a form of reprimanding for the words said toward his husband.
"Bitch?" Corey repeats, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion of the unrecognizable word.
Almost everyone in the room gasps and Hayden stares intently at his husband as he slaps a hand over his mouth.
Yeah, Vincent has tried to get better at filtering his mouth since he now has children around him, but even he can admit that he has his slip-ups. Still, he never thought that another child would actually repeat it.
Cecilia quickly says, "No. No, no, no, that's not a nice word. That's a bad word that only grown-ups are allowed to say." Cecilia then turns to Vincent and covers half of her mouth so only the ravenette can see when she mouths 'you dumb bitch' to him.
Vincent bursts out laughing but the situation only seems to get worse when Corey asks, "Dad, what does bitch mean?"
Sawyer looks extremely flustered. "Uhhh...it's just best not to repeat it, buddy."
"What? Bitch?" Corey continues curiously. "I just want to know!"
Nobody is focused on the football game at this point because the group is trying to get the child to stop cursing without causing further interest from the boy.
Suddenly, Lily starts trying to repeat the sound but ultimately falls short from her uncoordinated lips.
Hayden gapes at his baby girl trying to repeat such a profanity. He then harshly whispers, "Vincent Arden Russell-Williams, if our angel's first word is bitch, I'm going to kill you."
"Sorry," Vincent shrugs, attaching his eyes back to the television and not taking responsibility for the mess he caused.
Corey then clambers over to a gurgling Lily. He asks, "Lily, do you know what bitch means?"
And the little girl tries to copy the unknown word yet again.
"Fuck..." Vincent mutters under his breath.
"What Uncle Vincent?" Corey questions. "Did you say 'fuck?'"
Vincent's eyes widen and Hayden nearly passes out.
"Goddamn, Vincent!" Cecilia exclaims. "You are trying to corrupt my child!"
"Sorry, I didn't meanâ"
"Goddamn?" Corey says innocently.
"Shit, guys get it together!" Hayden practically screams.
"Shit?"
"Oh my god," Hayden flusters before trying to cover everyone's mouths with his mere two hands.
"What do all those words mean?" Corey repeatedly asks.
Everybody begins to talk over each other, attempting to fix the situation.
Yep, here's to another bitchin' beginningâone where the two pairs of parents are certainly going to have a hard time filtering their children's mouths.
But with Vincent in the mix, who is really all that surprised?
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Author's Note~~~
And that's a wrap! Thank you so much to those of who have followed this story since the beginning and my writing journey as a matter of fact. This will probably me my last major storyline for 'Flowers for Football' because as much as I love it and all the characters, I want to move on to creating more things! I'll definitely be back to post bonus chapters every once in a while, but for now I'm putting this world to rest:)
I just wanted to let you guys know that I have already began working on my next story so I hope you guys stay on the look out for that! I also am going back to writing about half of the story before finally posting the first chapter because I miss having a consistent uploading schedule. That being said, I'm going on a little break but you will definitely hear back from me at some point over the summer.
Again, thank you so much for everything and much love to you all!
-howboutnoxoxo <3