Warning: PG-16
Living Life Part One
After having Amber, Mandy starts working the late shift from eleven to seven so she can be home with the baby during the day. She and Amber take lots of naps but after dinner while Lucas entertains the baby she has a chance to really sleep. She usually leaves for work around ten thirty since their home is so close to the hospital.
One night after Amber is almost two years old; Lucas wakes up to find the baby is not in her crib and he panics. He looks for almost twenty minutes before he finds her sitting half way up the stairs with her hands over her mouth.
“Daddy, hide,” she says grinning.
Lucas goes up the stairs slowly so she won’t try to come to him. He picks her up and hugs her.
“No Amber not hide, sleep.”
He spanks her on the butt (diaper) and tells her she is naughty for getting out of her crib and scaring him. He takes her back to the room but this time he puts her in the bed with him and he holds her on his chest as she cries herself to sleep.
“Daddy spank,” she says over and over and Lucas feels bad as he coos to her.
When Mandy gets home the next morning; he and Amber are in the kitchen; Amber is eating in her high chair and Lucas is cooking breakfast.
“Morning,” he says to Mandy as she comes in the door.
“Morning,” she says receiving his kiss.
She heads for the shower as he gets the table ready. They have a quick meal before he leaves for work and he tells her about Amber growing out of her crib.
“You know she hates when you spank her; it’s personal to her she expects it from me,” Mandy says as he is leaving.
“I know I was so terrified when she was missing; she is growing up so fast,” he says as he touches Mandy’s pregnant belly; she is having another baby in under five months so far they do not know if this baby is as lucky as Amber who does not share her father's heart condition.
He holds her for a few moments as he kisses her and heads to the car.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says.
***
On the way to Haley and Nathan’s for dinner that weekend they stop and buy Amber a big girl bed. After dinner they are sitting around talking and Lucas is holding Amber in his lap; when she falls asleep he lays her down over his knees and keeps rubbing the back of her neck with out realizing it. Mandy is used to him and Amber being so close but Haley and Nathan are a bit surprised.
“You want to put her in the bed?” Haley asks.
“Sure,” Lucas says picking up the baby and taking her to the room.
“She won’t stay asleep,” Mandy whispers to Nathan and Haley when Lucas leaves the room.
“Why?” Haley asks.
“She’s not sleep just relaxing while Lucas’ was massaging her neck she will wake up as soon as he puts her down just wait.”
Amber begins to cry and Nathan and Haley look at each other and laugh.
“She is spoiled isn’t she?” Nathan says.
“That’s daddy’s girl,” Mandy says laughing as she goes to get the baby.
Mandy puts Amber down with Nathan and Haley’s son, Luke, on the floor to play.
“So you’re spoiling that baby?” Hales says.
“What?” Lucas asks.
Mandy explains to him and he laughs.
“She likes me to massage her neck,” he says grinning at Mandy.
“Yea she likes you, period, these two are inseparable when he is home,” Mandy says.
He pulls her closer to kiss her forehead.
“Yes, well we both love you too Sweetie,” he says.
Haley laughs, “Amber is going to have a hard time sharing you when the new baby comes.”
“I don’t envy you,” Nathan adds.
“They’re right,” Mandy says tickling Lucas.
On the way home that night Mandy starts asking questions about Lucas’ ex-girlfriend, Kim.
“So she was your first mix race girlfriend, right?”
“Yes,” he says guardedly.
“So am I like her at all?”
“Yes, you’re sweet and beautiful like her,” he says.
“Anything else?”
“Why are you asking these questions?”
“Just curious. She sent you a letter and I started to think about you two. You never said that much about her to me.”
He suggests they should talk about when they get to the house. I have to be careful what I say.
After he puts Amber to bed in her new toddler bed; he sits with Mandy on the sofa.
“Mandy, Kim and I have been writing since she left Tree Hill because we didn’t want to lose contact with one another,” he says looking into her eyes.
“What?”
He pulls her closer to him, “I was going to tell you but I was afraid you would take it the wrong way then time just flew by. She only writes a couple times a year.”
“How often do you write her?”
“I just respond when she writes, nothing more,” he insists.
She puts her head on his chest and closes her eyes.
“And that’s it?” she asks.
“Yes,” he says biting his lips and wrapping his arms around her.
“Once you love someone it doesn’t go away, Lucas, it only changes in intensity, I understand that,” she says.
“I love you now, but I know what you mean, please understand you and our family are my life now.”
“Please don’t keep things from me, okay?”
“I won’t I’m sorry," he says meaning it.
“Have you read the letter?” she asks.
“Not yet,” he says wondering if she read it.
He doesn’t question her and the next day he is glad to find out she hadn’t. On the other hand the news that Kim was coming to town to visit wasn’t going to make Mandy feel any more secure.
After dinner the next evening he mentions the letter to Mandy and is surprised by her response.
“Well, good I can finally meet the woman who primed you for me,” she says laughing.
“So you’re okay with it?”
“Yes, its sounds good and I am glad it is on a weekend so we can all spend time together maybe I will even take a day off,” she says starting the dishwasher.
“That sounds like a great idea,” he says picking up Amber to clean her off and get her ready for bed.
While he is changing her after her bath he can’t help wondering if Mandy is as happy about Kim’s visit as she appears to be.
Mandy is already laying down for her nap when he gets to the bedroom and he doesn’t want to disturb her so he lie next to her just watching her as she tries to rest.
“I’m really okay with it Sweetie, you don’t need to be concerned,” she says opening her eyes to grin at him.
“So are you psychic or what?” he asks.
“No, I just know you,” she adds pulling him close to her for a kiss.
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