Cora wakes to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sounds of tiny laughter. It's only been a few hours since she finally got to sleep, but she finds herself smiling as she kicks the covers off and shuffles down the hallway.
She rounds the corner into the kitchen and is met with the sight of her baby boy, strapped into his high chair and smiling around the drool that's running down his chin. Beside his chair is the top of a red head, which he's watching intently, eyes wide and grin ecstatic.
"Peekaboo!" Lydia coos as she pops up suddenly, sending the baby into another fit of uproarious laughter.
Cora can't help the stupid grin that's plastered on her face when she moves into the room. That's her world right there; her redheaded beauty and their nine-month-old ball of sunshine personified.
She holds out a hand to Lydia and hauls her right up into a kiss, because it's 7 AM and Lydia's been up for who knows how long caring for their squirmy, drooling child, yet she still manages to look like that.
Completely breathtaking. And so when they pull apart, Cora tells her as much. "You're beautiful," Cora says softly, pressing a kiss into her hairline.
Lydia scoffs. "Oh, shut up. I'm not wearing a trace of makeup, and Boyd said good morning to me today by spitting up in my hair as soon as I picked him out of his crib. I think most of it's still in there."
Cora's smile only widens. Her hands skitter down to her wife's hips, tugging her in even closer. "It is," she says. "But you make it look good."
Next to them, baby Boyd murmurs something that sounds like enthusiastic agreement, then promptly blows a spit bubble.
"See?" Cora says, moving over to tousle Boyd's hair. "I'm not the only one who thinks Mommy's a pretty lady, am I?"
Boyd lets out a high-pitched squeal and a giggle, and Cora grins a mix of triumph and adoration.
It's little moments like this, with Lydia pouring mugs of coffee and Boyd kicking his legs happily in his chair, that Cora can hardly believe this is really her life. Maybe after all they've been through, the universe is just trying to make up for a truly bleak start.
If it is, then it's doing a bang-up job. Because Cora can honestly say she wouldn't trade a single moment; not even 3 AM wake-ups to tend to a crying baby with a dirty diaper. Not even the all-nighters when Boyd is finicky and not even a ride in the car will put him down.
Everything she has is everything she needs. And that's a really good feeling.
She's pulled from her thoughts by the sound of a throat clearing, and she looks up to find Lydia smiling softly down at her, mussed hair glowing in the morning sunlight. She's got a brow arched quizzically, Cora notices belatedly, along with the two mugs of steaming coffee in her hands.
"Sorry babe," Cora says, smiling apologetically up at Lydia. "I was just thinking."
Lydia nods, setting a mug down in front of Cora before claiming the chair next to her. "About how much you love us?" Lydia asks, teasing edge to her voice.
Cora leans in to steal another kiss, pausing to murmur against Lydia's lips. "Always."