Can’t Look Away

“You know, if I can’t drink, you can’t either”

Sasha, who’d been flipping the cap off of a bottle of beer, scoffed playfully, shooting a glance towards Cassie who’d slipped into the empty seat next to her, Arlo babbling happily in her arms. It happened frequently. With Cassie and Sasha being close, and Aiden and Lionel getting on well, they spent a lot of time together, and Sasha loved it, comforted by the fact that things between her and Cassie were still as good as they had ever been. She had been worried. When Cassie had been with Nolan, and Sasha’s relationship with Lionel had been in its early stages, she and Cassie had started to drift apart slightly, but now that things were settled for them both, they were as close as ever.

“If I remember rightly, you didn’t stop drinking when I was pregnant” Sasha countered with a smirk.

“No” Cassie replied “But you’d stopped long before you were actually pregnant. You got used to it” she added, pouting slightly.

Sasha laughed, shaking her head amusedly as she took a sip from her drink. “You’re doing great” she quipped “Besides, you’re almost halfway through now. It’ll fly by, and before you know it, you’ll have a baby” she added, leaning over to wipe Arlo’s chin gently.

Cassie watched Sasha’s smile soften, becoming the one that was primarily reserved for Arlo, before she shook her head, glancing down at the baby who sat in her arms. “You’re going to be around to help, right?” she asked softly “I mean, I might have babysat for this one, and my nephews, but having your own baby is different. You’re not going anywhere, are you?” she added.

Sasha didn’t hesitate to shake her head, offering Cassie a comforting smile. “You couldn’t pay me to leave” she quipped.

Cassie smiled back at her shyly, something which caused Sasha to reach out, squeezing her hand softly. Feeling her cheeks flush pink, Cassie glanced over Sasha’s shoulder before she shook her head, carefully climbing up to her feet. “I’m going to head inside” she quipped “Should I take this little one to find his papa?” she asked, the corner of her lips quirking upwards slightly.

Sasha’s forehead creased a little, watching as Cassie’s stare drifted past her, before she turned, her eyes widening at the sight of her father who stood a small distance away from her, a slightly impish smile tugging at his lips. Blinking a couple of times, she heard Cassie giggle gently before she progressed across the deck, cautiously approaching Eddie who shook his head, his smile softening slightly. “I’m fine, peanut” he said.

“Mama hasn’t let you out of the house in weeks” Sasha countered “Does she know you’re here?” she asked, her voice caught somewhere between teasing and serious.

“She should do” Eddie quipped “I mean, she drove here with me in the front seat and she is inside, waiting for cuddles from her grandson, so I would say that she had a pretty good idea that I am here” he added.

Sasha couldn’t stop herself from laughing, something which made Eddie smile softly before he stepped towards her, wrapping her in a soft hug. Sasha hesitated briefly before she carefully wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close. “I didn’t know that you guys were coming” she mumbled.

“Lionel called us” Eddie mused as he pulled back.

“He did?” Sasha prodded.

Eddie nodded. “He asked if we wanted to come and see Arlo, and you know that your mother can’t turn down an invitation like that” he said.

Sasha smiled gently before she took a hold of her father’s arm, guiding him towards a chair. “How are you feeling, papa?” she asked as she returned to her own seat.

“I feel alright” Eddie replied.

Sasha offered him a slightly dubious look, but didn’t press it, instead focussing her attention on picking the label off of her beer bottle. Eddie watched her quietly for a few moments before he leant forwards, gently pushing her hair out of her face. “How are you?” he asked.

Sasha shrugged, a slightly confused smile on her face. “I’m alright” she answered.

Eddie’s lips quirked. “So I don’t need to worry about consoling your mother when you and Lionel elope?” he quipped.

Sasha rolled her eyes, ducking her head away from her father’s hand. She should have known that it wasn’t simply the promise of getting to see Arlo that had convinced her parents to visit. “Leo said something” she mumbled.

“He might have done” Eddie said “But it wasn’t anything that we hadn’t already thought. You had your heart set on marrying him weeks ago. It isn’t that big a leap to think that you’d elope when that didn’t happen” he added.

“Papa...”

“I’m sorry it didn’t happen” Eddie interrupted.

Sasha shook her head instantly. “Don’t apologise for that” she said “The important thing is that you’re OK. Everything else is irrelevant” she added.

“I am OK” Eddie mused “And you getting married isn’t irrelevant, Sasha. Me and your mother just want to make sure that when it happens, we’re still a part of it. I might not be able to run marathons right now, but I am pretty sure that I can make it from one end of an aisle to another with my little peanut” he added, flashing her a doting smile.

He knew that she was upset. As much as she tried to hide it when she had come to visit him, Eddie had been able to see the disappointment in her expression each and every time Lionel’s name came up in conversation, and whilst he didn’t want to tell her what to do, he did want to ensure that he and Carina had at least crossed their minds. Sasha was their daughter and neither one of them wanted to miss the moment she and Lionel finally made it up the aisle.

Sasha’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink before she shook her head, smiling down at the bottle in her hands. “If I promise that you and mama will be there, will you stop calling me peanut?” she asked.

Eddie barked out a laugh. “Not a chance” he quipped “You’re always going to be peanut to me” he added.

Sasha made a show of playfully rolling her eyes before she reached over, gently squeezing her father’s hand. “We’ve talked about moving things forwards” she admitted “But never about eloping. I’d never want to do it without you and mama, or James and Ellie. I even think it’d feel weird without Leila there. We’ll get there when we get there, but rest assured, you’re going to have the chance to walk me down the aisle” she added.

Eddie turned his hand over, squeezing Sasha’s. “I can’t wait” he said.

“You might have to” Sasha replied “At least for a few more months. We’ve talked, and it’s probably going to be next summer at the earliest. It fits Leo’s schedule, and Cassie will have had her baby by then. She made me promise that she wouldn’t look too pregnant in the wedding pictures” she added.

Eddie laughed before he squeezed her hand again. “Just give us a date and time, and we’ll all be there” he quipped.

“As soon as I know, you’ll know” Sasha mused before the sound of her mother calling her father’s name reached them, causing Eddie to roll his eyes before he climbed out of his chair, placing a kiss on the top of Sasha’s head.

“I can’t wait” Eddie mumbled into her hair.

“Me, either” Sasha replied.