John was a family man, you knew that well. Having grown up in a large tight-knit family it wasn't a surprise he'd want the same for you both after years of marriage, and while you two couldn't have children the more traditional way, you'd talked together about adoption or surrogacy as options for children. And you'd thought it over a lot, and right before he left for deployment you'd looked into adopting a little two-year-old.

It was comedic timing then when you were approved only after John had left for another round of deployment. You've spent the past four months settling the little nugget into your life and both your heart and the home feel full of warmth like never before knowing you have such a surprise for John.

When John returns from deployment and is dropped off in front of your home, he quickly picks up on the shift in the air when he sees you waiting for him by the doorway of your home.

"'Ello hen," he puts his bag down on the porch, tugging you into a warm hug and kissing your nose before continuing in a soft voice, "Ya' seem all yaldi. What's gotten ya' so?"

Your little 'surprise' shakes their toy around further in the house and John looks from you, behind you towards the noise, then back to you. "No. No, no way!" He rushes past you, blue eyes sparkling as he moves deeper into your home. When you catch up you find him knelt on the carpet beside your child, speaking in soft hushed tones with a smile that looks as if it's stuck on his face. "'Ello, wee bairn. I'm yer' da."