Spoilers/Timeline: None/Set in future; B&B are in an established relationship
A/N: Another one on the extreme end of the fluff scale; apparently I'm just in that kind of mood ;) Many thanks to K. Elisabeth for the read through and feedback.
Disclaimer: Nope, Bones isn't mine. Title taken from the Lee Brice song of the same name.
"When..." Twigs and leaves crunched beneath their feet and he squeezed her hand, pulling her against him as his eyes followed the blond blur rollerblading on the park path in front of them. "Did he get so big?"
"Hmmm?" She tugged her knit hat further down on her head, auburn hair whipping out in the brisk wind.
"Parker... he's... well, he's as tall as you, Bones, and... Really, when the hell did that happen?"
"As with most children, it occurred over the course of adolescence." She smiled as Parker turned back and waved to them before speeding up once more. "It's not as though he woke up one morning and had grown five inches."
Sighing, Booth ran his thumb across the palm of her hand. "That's not scientifically possible? Because sometimes that's what it feels like."
"Well, males do often experience growth spurts as adolescents, but no, it does not occur overnight." Her hand slipped under his hoodie, fingers pressing against his hip as their eyes met. "The combination of puberty and being away for an entire year of his—"
"It was seven months, babe, seven months."
"Either way, it was a significant amount of time that makes changes seem more dra—"
"That was almost three years ago though."
"Correct, but if he grew two to three inches in that time and you neglected to notice then... It makes an observable difference between his height before you left, when he still a child, and now."
"I guess I can understand that, but..." He shook his head, pausing to glance up at the sky, follow the bright crimson and orange leaves as they fell onto the path before them. "I can't believe how grown up he is."
"I..." Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she followed his gaze, head resting against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Logically, I'm aware that it appears he's grown so fast because of how infrequently we're able to spend time with him, that biologically..." She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes briefly. "Even knowing all that, I find that I, too, am surprised." Opening her eyes, she tipped her back, meeting his gaze, voice soft as she continued. "He's quite the young man, Booth."
"He is, isn't he?"
"I believe I just stated as much, but yes. He's smart and funny, thoughtful." She tipped her head towards him, grinning as his hand closed around hers and they started walking once more. "You did well; he's very much like you."
"That's..." Gulping, he pressed a kiss to her temple. "One of the nicest things you've ever said to me and—"
"I mean it."
"I know, Bones." He sighed, pausing near the monkey bars, leaning against the cold metal cage as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets. If there were two things that were Brennan certainties they were that she didn't mince words and she never lied. "You know though, it wasn't just me; Becca kept him on the right track, encouraged whatever interests he had and you—"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you. You're a second mom to him, Bones, and... you deserve credit, too."
"No, I just helped challenge him academically, anything more than tha—"
"Stop." He leaned forward, pressing her against cold metal bars, hands grasping the poles and caging her in. "Yes, you definitely challenged him intellectually, showed him that it was more than ok to be smart and squinty, but..." He smirked as she sat down on the steps of the playground equipment, her knees closing around him as he stepped into the V of her legs. "You showed him how important it is to do what you love, to connect with people no matter how hard it may seem sometimes." Hand cupping her face, he brushed his lips over hers. "Besides, who do you think he learned all those Mummy jokes to try and impress?"
"Really?"
"Mhmm, you're just... thank you for loving both of us."
"You made it easy."
"Oh yeah? Six years is easy?"
"Yes." She grinned, foot pressing into the back of his legs, urging him closer. He complied, covering her mouth with his, groaning as she sighed and moaned beneath him.
"I'd hate..." He groaned as her arms hooked under his, their tongues wrapping around one another as his hand tangled in her hair, hips pressed against hers. "Hate to see what your difficult is." He winked, thumb caressing her jaw as their foreheads met.
"You know what I... it..." Sighing, she inhaled deeply, hands lightly skimming over his shoulders. "The years weren't easy, but you... you..."
"I know, baby, I know." Fingers massaging her scalp, he kissed her again. Understanding, trust, desire, love, everything (God, she was his everything) flowing between them as they moved together. Her teeth tugged at his bottom lip, tongue stroking over his before she pulled away, gasping against his shoulder.
"Won't... Won't Parker wonder what happened to us?"
"Hmm?"
"When he gets to the car fifteen min— oh..." Head tipping back, she moaned, hands pressing into the small of his back. "Back to the car before us, won't he come looking to see..."
"Nah, I heard the end of his phone call this morning; he's meeting his girlfriend and they're going to take a walk along Potomac before dinner. He won't even miss us."
"While I find it hard to believe we're that forgettable, I concur that hormones often cloud the brain enough to—"
Her sentence was cut off as he crushed his mouth to hers once again in a kiss that was all teeth and tongue. His hands slid down her back, cupping her ass, before slipping beneath the waistband of her pants. "Damn, you always cloud my brain, Bones. Always." He nipped at her jaw, sighing as she rocked against him. Who would've ever dreamed — guessed, hypothesized, hoped — they would get to this point. So much had changed and yet, somehow, stayed the same. They fit together, not just him and her, but Parker, too.
A family.
Her hand skimmed up his back, toying with the hood of his sweatshirt until she broke away, laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"I didn't realize you were an aspiring botanist." Eyebrows constricting, he attempted to glance back at his hood where her fingers still rested. "What?" "There are several leaves caught in your shirt." She leaned back, dropping a few to the ground before twirling a particularly vibrant yellow one between her fingers.
"Oh." He watched the leaf twist in her hands, color blurring as it moved faster and faster, her expression softening as their eyes connected.
"Thank you for waiting, Booth." She looked back at the leaf, spinning it one last time before letting it fall to the ground. "For showing me change doesn't always mean the whole person has to change, just some parts..."
"I had no choice; I was yours from the beginning." He draped his arm over her shoulders, letting his hand run up and down her arm as they started towards the picnic area.
"That didn't mean you had to—"
"Yes, it did." Cupping her elbow, he grinned as she nodded before quickly standing on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his cheek. Her arm wrapped around his waist, her head resting against his chest as they fell into step. "C'mon, let's go find our son and his girlfriend."
"Yes, I'm sure he's quite hungry; he definitely inherited your appetite, too." Her mouth turned up as he laughed lowly in her ear and pulled her as close a possible. The fading sun danced through the trees and she sighed, kicking a fallen branch out of their path and reveling in the overwhelming feeling of warmth — home — surrounding them.