Hush little baby {Gavin}

The clock struck three and Lika was still awake, Natalya wouldn't stop crying. Every time she put her down she would wail again, it was only when the little one was in her mothers arms, that she slept. The young seventeen year old mother paced and forth in the living area. It wasn't nearly as easy as everyone made it seem. Lika wasn't struggling with being a mother, it wasn't that she didn't enjoy it, because Natalya was the reason for her living. She loved and adored her daughter. She didn't know how one person loves someone else so much after just meeting them. Her eyes met that of her babies and she smiled down at her. "You are beautiful, my little one." Her little chubby hand wrapped around Lika's finger, she took a seat in the recliner. After which she started singing to the little bundle in her arms.

"Hush little baby don't say a word, I'm gonna buy you a mocking bird."

Natalya closed her eyes and Lika smiled as the baby in her arms fell asleep. She tried to stand to put the little one in her crib but as soon as she lowered her into the bed, she started crying again. Anzhelika had been awake since midnight trying to get her to sleep. "What's the matter, little love?" She tried not to frown but Lika was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open. "Why cant you sleep, darling?" Her russian accent over took her english. She hoped that the baby would pick up quicker on the english than she did. Granted if they were raised that way, perhaps it would be easier for her.

Lika pulled the baby back up to her chest and held her. It was then that it dawned on her, the baby was probably hungry. She sat back down in the chair, picked up the baby blanket and gently pulled on her top. She covered herself and the baby and leaned back while humming to her beautiful daughter. "There you go, just eat love."

Seventy-two...seventy-three....

His body rose with each number as he pulled himself up on the bar above his head. He wasn't sure what time it was now, but he knew he had worked his body to it's near breaking point. The nights seemed shorter and shorter. The only way he seemed to function really was by exercising. His body came to a halt as the sound of crying seemed to have stopped. Dropping to his feet a strong hand reached out to grab a towel to wipe the sweat from his body walking towards the baby's room.

He paused in the doorway, to lean against it's frame, before knocking softly. "Hey...I was going to make a sandwich..." He moved to walk into the room  more, dropping his voice to a soft whisper. "Did you want one?" He knew how brutally long nights could be in any capacity. He knew she was probably exhausted. He wished he could help but babies looked breakable. Nope he wasn't going to chance it. He would stay awake with her every night of the week, but there would be no holding until she was bigger. Crawling.

"Did you want me to run you a bath so you can relax some?" Exhaustion took a toll on the body. He knew first hand. He'd worked himself to death to be the best at work. Sometimes even when he wanted to take a break he felt like he couldn't. Like a moment of peace would destroy the world. Maybe she felt the same way.

He still couldn't believe she was his girlfriend. He knew that most guys probably would have walked away, but he had fallen for the woman and she came with a past. He couldn't fault her for her choices because he could have made the same ones. "You know we should get one of those music things." His hands came up to spin in a circle. "You know with the lights...not that one with the bears but that one that has the stars..I bet she'd like that."

It would be a challenge, but then when wasn't life?

The baby now nursed from Anzhelika and the new mother smiled down at her little angel. Gavin had done what he could to help with the baby, he would go to the store and buy diapers, he would help with small tasks around the house and most of all, he stayed up with her when the baby was fussy. It didn't seem like a lot, but it was more than she could really ask for. He was, after all, no the biological father. It wasn't that he hated the baby, he was just unsure of her. Gavin did what he could to help out though and that was what Lika was grateful for.

She looked up from her little girl when she felt the presence of Gavin. He stood in the door way and gave it a gentle knock. Her lips upturned into a smile as he asked if she wanted a sandwich. "Sandwich, yes, please." The baby stopped nursing and she was now laying on her back in Lika's arms. Her little thumb in her mouth and her lips quivered at she suckled on it. The woman smiled and carefully stood up from the chair and laid the baby in her crib.

He was such a sweet man, he wanted to take care of her, he wanted to treat her like a princess. He made her feel like a princess and she couldn't have been happier, well that wasn't entirely true. If only her father was still in her life, and had met his granddaughter but he was too obsessed with the fact that she had ruined what he had set up. She had embarrassed him and now he wanted nothing to do with her. "A bath sounds wonderful, would you....?" She bit her lip and smiled. She wanted him to join her but that might have been asking too much.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You are wonderful, Gajin." After leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. Then he mentioned the music thing for the crib. Lika smiled and nodded. "That does sound like a good idea, but you know I have nothing to give...I should get a job, yes?" She needed things for the baby and she didn't have money. She couldn't depend on Gavin for everything that Natalya needed. As she thought about it, she pulled back and looked at the baby, she was still sleeping and it was finally quiet in the house.

"Of course. What did you want on yours?" His was going to be loaded. He needed all the calories he could get. He wasn't sure if she would want tons of meats or tons of veggies. Girls had a weird way eating that confused the man. Food was good there was no need weird about eating it. He watched her as she moved across the room to lay the baby down. His eyes trailed the length of her body before coming to rest on her face as she turned towards him.

"Did you want the bath or sandwich first?" He would opt for the food but then again he had just worked his body to death. He needed to recharge his energy but he could always put that on hold. It wasn't like he was dying from not having a snack. "Or I can make the food while the bath runs.." He mused softly as he considered his options. Either way he would still get to eat so he wasn't too pressed to make a move.

His arms slid around her waist as she got close enough to kiss his cheek. "Well you're not to bad yourself." He gave her a crooked smile. "I'm glad you're here." And he was. At first he hadn't been sure if it would work, but his life seemed to settle down perfectly. He gave a shake of his head. "You don't have to get a job unless you want to." He was man and as a man he would take care of his house and all its needs. He didn't mind spending money for the baby, it felt nice.

"You two ladies have nothing to worry about besides how to fill your day." He liked coming home to her and he wanted their lives to be easy. He knew that life was never easy but it was still a good dream to dream.

"I would like, turkey, cheese, tomato and mayo please." She smiled up at him, biting the edge of her lip. Gavin was the best thing that had happened to her since the little one she held in her arms. She made her way back towards him and stood in front of him. "I do have one more question to ask you, if it's not too much." She smiled up at him, her hand finding the ends of her hair. She twirled a piece around her index finger and looked down at her feet awkwardly. It was hard to ask the sort of question she wanted to ask. Normally she would flirt, and get him to take her bed. However, Gavin Raymond was different. He was a sweet man and she didn't want to ruin him.

She grinned and looked up at him. "Food, most definitely food." She was starving and her stomach growled at the thought of the turkey sandwich. "Afterwards, would you care to join me...In the bath?" She pressed her lips together and felt the heat in her cheeks rise. She didn't know what he was going to say, but it would be nice to have the company in the tub. She enjoyed his company and she cared about him in general.

When his arm wrapped around her waist, she stepped into him. He was warm and he smelled good, oddly enough. "Thank you Gajin." She smiled brighter at his smile. "I'm glad you let me stay here. I had no where else to go, and you took a chance on a girl like me." Job, she didn't want to get a job just yet. Gavin didn't seem comfortable with the baby, and she didn't trust anyone with her own child. Her father wasn't talking to her, and her step mother, well she was absent from her life now. "I...May get one later, when Natalya is older."

Life had given Lika a few curve balls, but it was finally settling down. She had taken her final tests at the ministry, her father was still an ass but she had a place to live, food on the table and a warm bed for her daughter. All in all she had it pretty good. "Well, I can find ways to fill my day, but mostly I miss you while you're at work."

"Soooo, just my sandwhich with way less meat." He grinned and his left cheek dimpled deeply. “I can handle that…you sure you just want turkey though…I mean I can put other meat on there too.” He seemed confused that she wouldn’t want more meat, but then again he knew that girls sometimes had peculiar tastes. “You can ask me anything you want anytime you want.” His heart thumped in his chest as his nerves got the best of him. He didn’t know what she wanted to ask but he kew wanting to talk could end one of two ways and more often than not they ended bad.

“Great, I was hoping food would be the first choice.” He grinned a bit down at her before his mouth fell open. Did she really just ask him what he thought she asked? “J…join you in the..in the bath..” His face was beet red and his hand rose to rub the back of his neck. He would see her naked, like really naked. He would be near her naked boy. His mind went a million miles a moment and he was so shocked he stood there with his mouth gaped open. He was a deer struck in the headlights. A stunned man who needed to speak, he had to speak. Speaking would be good.

“Yes, water in bath would good…” He frowned before shaking his head and clearing his throat. “I mean…yes I would love to join you in the bath…naked…in the water..” Not speaking would be good too. He was babbling like a fool and his heart was fighting it’s way from his chest. If he was being honest food was now the farthest thing from his mind. He wanted to see her naked and that took the appetite he had developed away. He cleared his throat once more before looking around them, trying to regain himself or at least calm his nerves.

“You don’t have to get one later..” He was happy to talk about something else as long as he wasn’t stuttering and staring at her like a fool.  “Honestly, I don’t mind you not working. I don’t want you to think it’s something you have to do.” His hand rose to brush some hair from her face. “But if that’s what you want then I support it one hundred percent.” He shifted, sliding his hand around her waist as he moved towards the kitchen.

“Well, I’ll try to keep the late nights down to a minimum. I like coming home to you..” He looked down at her as they moved. “It’s nice. I was scared at first..that it somehow wouldn’t work…or you would leave one day while I was gone.” He had a great many fears and it would seem that losing her was one of them. “When you got here I wasn’t nervous…it just kind of worked on it’s own.” He paused before getting to the kitchen door. “Are you happy? Here, are you happy here?”

She laughed and tilted her head at his dimple, it was adorable. It was part of what made Gavin so incredibly irresistible. "Yes, I suppose that would be right. Just turkey please, but you can put a lot on it...overload it if you must." She didn't understand his fascination with putting several different kinds of meat onto one sandwich, could he even taste them all? Anzhelika never wanted to leave Gavin, at least not that she could see in the distant future. She seriously cared about the man standing in front of her. He was a kind gentle man and she wanted to be in his life, if even only as roommates for now.

She couldn't help but let out a soft giggle when his mouth fell open. She nodded at him, with a small coy smile on her face. "Yes, join me in the bath. You see, it is hard to reach this spot in the middle of my back..." She trailed off, maybe being a little more flirty then she intended. It was probably going to make him incredibly uncomfortable, but she couldn't help herself. The way he was turning a deep crimson red just made her giggle all the more.

"Just the water, Gajin?"She licked her lips and looked down at her feet shyly. She then giggled and took a small step towards him. "Good, we eat, then we get in the bath, yes?" His babbling was endearing, he couldn't quite get the words out properly, but it was alright. She understood that it was hard for Gavin, Lika would be naked and he would get to see.

She tilted her head at him and smiled. "You would do that for us...buy a mobile for Natayla...?" She blushed a little and felt her heart leap into her throat. He was such a gentleman, a good man. She took the final few steps and threw her arms around him. "Oh, you are a good man." She pulled back and blushed furiously before looking down again. "I'm sorry, I got carried away. I will work, when you are more comfortable with the baby. I don't want to leave her so young. She could forget my face..." She was already missing her real father, although perhaps someday, Gavin could...

"Yes, I like that idea. Please, come home to me." She grinned and leaned in to kiss his cheek. He liked coming home to her, she tried to keep the house tidy, the dinners made. But it was hard sometimes, with a baby to look after. "I am glad it is working, and why...why would I leave? I care about you...very deeply." She bit her lower lip and smiled at him. "I promise not to leave while you're away, in fact I promise not to leave." Happy wasn't even remotely close to what she felt while she was here. "Happy....? I am more than happy with you Gavin."

His eyes danced along her frame without his permission as she spoke of her back. “Right..uh…well..” He gave  nervous chuckle lifting a hand to rub his ear a bit. His cheeks felt hot and his heart was racing. The more he thought of her in the tub the more he wanted to get the food portion of their day done. “I..I’m happy to help.” And he would be, of that he was absolutely sure. “Right…food.” Gavin pursed his lips with a nod. “So forgot about the food. Wow.”

His hands instinctively moved around her waist as she hugged him. “It’s okay, you can hug me. I don’t mind, promise.” He gave a chuckle and shook his head. “No way she would forget your face, trust me.” His gaze dropped as he cleared his throat. “Just know there isn’t a rush or anything.” He didn’t want her to work but if she wanted to he wouldn’t stop her. He understood that sitting in the house could wear on a person and he could relate with wanting to be out doing something.

“I mean sometimes women do that, you know? Leave. I’m not saying you would do that, it just crossed my mind.” He was lacking in more than one area of his life in his opinion. “I care about you too.” He gave her a sheepish grin as his hand moved up to run over his chest. “I hope you know that.” His body rocked back on his heels a bit as he tilted his head a bit. “Would you like to go out with me? We can bring Natayla out with us, it would be nice. I mean if you want to though, no pressure.” He liked her and he had learned the hard way keeping things like that to himself would end with him wondering what if. There would be no what if’s here.

He was a bit squirmy, but it was a sort of cute that he was so nervous when the idea of her being close to him, nude came up. He was fighting the nervousness so hard and as he spoke she smiled. "That's good, yes." She hoped that over time it would be easier for him to talk about things like this, as for Lika, she already had a baby. It was obvious she had more than enough experience in the way of 'close encounters' with other people. "Food, I haven't eaten since last night. I will help you." She slipped past him and grabbed the ingredients. Turkey, ham, salami, and all the fixings. "The day you forgot food, it is a day to mark on the calendar Gajin." She let out a small giggle before starting to put the mayo on the bread.

"Yes, hug you whenever I want? You are warm, and nice to hug." She blushed and looked down at he sandwiches. "She might, but I hope you are right." It appeared to Anzhelika that he didn't want her to get a job, she didn't want to, but she felt she had to help with bills. "You need help paying for things? I must help you..." She didn't want to be a free loader, someone that depended on him for everything. But at the same time, she loved that he wanted to take care of her. It was the first person that had treated her like a lady and not a piece of meat, or something that be disposed of.

"Well, I can assure you, I am not that woman. I want to be here, and if I didn't, I would tell you. I am not a coward and I would never leave you wondering." It was then that his body language changed. "Out... ?As in a date?" It was now her turn to change a deep red color. A date, it was a wonderful question. "Yes....Natayla would like that as well. I do want to...I want to very much." Nothing would stop her, not even her father now, she was going to lead the life she wanted to and Gavin was the person she wanted to live it with.