The Truth in a Broken Sea Shell: A One-shot
A/N: This one-shot randomly came into my head. So I wrote it down and her it is. It's only two pages or so. Review and Enjoy!
Disclaimer: only own plot and original characters
The Bolton Family was on vacation looking for some good rest and relaxation… well as much as you can with three young children and a very hormonal pregnant wife. Thirty one year old Gabriella Bolton sat back in her beach chair with one hand resting on her five month old pregnant belly and the other shielding her eyes from the sun as she scanned the horizon watching her husband and two eldest boys rough housing. She turned her attention away for a moment to check on her youngest child, two year old Conway that was sleeping on his Elmo beach towel by her side. He looked so innocent sleeping in the provided shade by the beach umbrella drooling on the furry red creature below him. As soon as she realized that everything was calm, she laid her head back trying to get some rest herself. That worked for a moment, until she heard a voice in the distance calling her name. She slowly opened one eye to see her eldest, six year old Keegan approaching her.
"Where's daddy?" she quietly asked him when he approached her. She held her hand up to her eyes to shield the blazing Florida sun from her eyes.
"He's looking for shells." He quickly responds before he is interrupted by his approaching four year old brother Blake.
"Mommy," whines the four year old as he approaches with his back hunched over and his body shaking with his breaths, that is what he got for running up the beach.
"What honey," she responds as she turns her head to her left, the side at which the boys stood at.
"Daddy left us." She chuckled at his sadness. This hasn't been the first time in the week that Troy took off to look for shells.
"Why don't you go find him and help him?" She tried to get the boys to go off and play before they woke up Conway.
"But he is looking for the perfect shell." Exclaimed Keegan as he used his hands to make a point.
"Well, maybe you can show him what the perfect shell is." Gabriella ran her hand down the arm of her eldest as she then messed up Blake's hair. She smiled up at her two gorgeous boys, she knew that one day they would be breaking hearts like their daddy.
"Okay!" Was the only response she got as the two boys ran down the beach to catch up with Troy.
……………………………………….
Gabriella let out a sigh as she plopped herself down on the bed in the beach house. She moved herself over to Troy and fit her body into his side, minding her growing belly. Troy rubbed her belly as the two appreciated a moment of silence. The boys were finally in bed and it was just four more months until they were on call twenty four seven.
"Did you see what the boys gave me today?" Troy broke the silence with the question, which caused Gabriella to turn her head and attentions towards him.
"No." She absentmindedly started to trace circles on Troy's abs as they talked quietly. Without warning though, Gabriella's actions were brought to an abrupt end when Troy reached over to the side table and picked up a broken sea shell that had a rainbow of colors. Its beauty was severely stinted though, by the marks and shards that were broken off as a result of the harsh waves of the ocean.
"They gave you that?" she questioned as she took the shell into her hands and observed it.
"Yeah, Keegan told me it was the perfect sea shell." Troy recalled the instance with a smile, but Gabriella started to giggle. "What?" he questioned as the pair settled into the previous position.
"It's just today, when Conway was sleeping and you went off to find sea shells, the boys came to me complaining. So…"
"So?" he joked around as he rubbed her belly.
"So I told them to help you find that perfect sea shell." She looked up at him while still fingering the broken mutilated shell. Without a word, Troy placed a single kiss on Gabriella's lips before resting his head against her forehead.
"Thank you." He stated quietly with a grin as his forehead stayed in contact with her own.
"For what?"
"Because of you, I truly now have the perfect shell." His grin was apparent on his face.
"You are way too sentiment Mr. Bolton." She joked as she cupped his face in her hands, staring into his deep blue eyes that he passed onto both Keegan and Conway.
"Yeah well, sometimes it take two little boys, innocence, and a broken shell to make me sappy." He responded as he laid another kiss on her lips.
"Hey Troy," she whispered as they pulled away from the kiss, "You know I love you right?"
"Of course, but let's talk about that later." That was the last thing said as he pulled her closer for a kiss that led to something more.
