Catherine's Pov
I decided to make shepherd's pie, leaning into the warm memory of us after our first night together, when I fed it to him back then. It felt like a small, quiet way to welcome him back, something familiar and grounding after the chaos of the day.
I had gone through many rounds of trying to mix the filling properly, with Esme babbling halfway through, drooling all over my shirt while stubbornly sucking on her own tightly clenched fist. She had refused every chew toy I offered, preferring her own hand instead.
"If you have so many things to say, you could at least wait until you finish teething, Esme," I said to her, fully aware she couldn't understand me but needing to say it anyway.
She answered with even more enthusiastic babbling, her big blue eyes locked on me like I was the most entertaining person in the world.
