Shades of Life

A/N: Happy Birthday, Ashpags! We hope you have a fantastic day.

As ever, we do not own Twilight - it owns us.

ooOoo

Promise

“Daddy! Daddy-daddy-daddy-daddy! You promised!” Ali whines, pouting as she tugs at my jeans to get my attention.

Straightening up too fast, I bump my head on the car’s hood, only barely managing to curtail the, “Fuck,” that tries to escape. Turning it into a hiss, I wipe my hands on the cloth at my hip and sigh, glancing at my little girl who's now staring up at me in indignation, hands on her hips.

“Daddy, you were about to say a bad word!”

Stifling a chuckle and trying to suppress my smile, I nod. “Yes, I was, pumpkin. I'm sorry.”


Reminder

Kneeling so that I'm at her eye-level, I grin. “Now, what was it that I promised you, hmm?” I ask, hoping to redirect her attention.

It works, her eyes immediately twinkling as she starts bouncing on the balls of her feet. “You said we were gonna color today and make pictures for Papa's birthday!”

“So I did.”

Reaching over, I try to tousle her hair, but she dodges me with a wrinkled nose, squealing, “Ew, Daddy! Gross!”

Laughing, I raise my hands in defeat. “Alright, pumpkin. Why don't you get everything ready while I go and wash up, alright?”

“Yay!”


Share

Alice runs back inside. I shake my head at my little firecracker.

I wonder who she gets that from, I muse.

Since Jasper and I both donated sperm, we don't know who her biological father is. Bella, our surrogate, is nothing like Alice.

After making sure things are taken care of in the garage, I go clean myself up. When I get into the living room, I find Alice on the floor, surrounded by paints, pencils, a cup of water, and brushes, with newspaper spread out as a work area.

She beams up at me.

“Good job, pumpkin,” I praise.


Team

Alice sets me to work outlining various images that she then colors in to the best of her abilities – more often than not ending up outside the lines. It doesn't matter. Jasper will love them all the same, because it's Alice who made them. Well, Alice and me, technically.

We've finished a couple already, and as I'm working on a fourth, Alice suddenly says, “When I grow up, I wanna have pretty drawings on me just like yours, Daddy,” while she continues coloring.

I blink, looking over at my baby girl, unable to even imagine anything marring her beautiful skin.


Request

I know it's hypocritical, considering both Jasper and I have body art all over, so I do my best to swallow past it.

“When you're old enough, we'll see, okay?” I hedge.

She stops, gazing up at me. “Daddy?”

“Yes?”

“Would you make mine? I want something that's you and Papa,” she says earnestly.

Something about the look in her eyes and the way she says it touches my heart, and I nod, smiling. The thought that she'd want something permanent to remind her of us warms me. “Sure thing. We can work on it together, okay?”

She beams. “Okay.”