Pairings: Bella and John
Author's Note: Song lyrics are in italics, and they belong solely to Brad Paisley. Thank you for taking this journey with me. This is, indeed, the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I only own Audrina and the baby.
Thank You's: MissPhilippinesSuperStar
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Chapter Four
Asleep
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"Bell, ya still awake?"
A sniffle later, the young brunette replied, "Yeah. It's good to be off of my feet for a little while." John tightened the grip around his wife as she rested her head against his shoulder, pushing his arm back into the couch.
When she's layin on my shoulder on the sofa in the dark and about the time she falls asleep so does my right arm.
Idly, John played with the strap to her tank top, as she continued to sob through The Notebook. With the baby monitor on the end table, they could hear a faint cry coming from upstairs, but it ended just as fast as it began. John smiled at hearing his daughter's breathing over the monitor.
Only three weeks before, Audrina gave birth to their first daughter, Arden Rhys. At eight pounds and four ounces, twenty-one inches with bright blue eyes, she stole John's heart the first moment she reached for his hand. Her entire first night home, John sat in her nursery, and any sound or movement she made, he was right next to the crib watching her.
John reached onto the table and took a sip of his Coors Light. Saturday night was always him, Bella, and Arden. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. It usually started with them playing with their new daughter, John helping, as well as trying to learn, Bella give Arden a bath. They'd put her down to sleep, and then cuddle up on the couch to watch a movie. It switched off every Saturday as to who could pick the movie, and tonight Audrina picked The Notebook against John's protests of how he's seen the movie 'too many times to count.'
The West Newbury native thought to the future -- thought about how much his daughter would have him wrapped around her finger. With the complications Bella faced after giving birth, they had both decided it would be okay to only have one child. Friends said there was always adoption, but to Audrina, it wasn't the same. She didn't want a child unless she could carry him or her for nine months and give birth herself.
John had decided since Arden would be their only child, that he knew he would have to spoil her beyond belief. Since the first time she opened her baby blue eyes, he was hooked, and openly admitted it to Randy and Johnny, his two best guy friends, who laughed and called him a pansy. His only response was a shrug and knew when those two settled down and had kids they'd be the same way.
As the credits of the movie spread across the plasma screen, John heard soft breathing coming from his right side. He looked down and saw Audrina was sound asleep, holding onto his right hand with hers, and her left hand was on his right thigh. When he tried to slip his arm behind his wife's back, a tingling sensation shot right through it. Fuckin' arm's asleep.. Thanks, Belle.
And I want so bad to move it cause it's tingling and it's numb but she looks so much like an angel that I don't want to wake her up..
His first thought was to move her. But the peaceful smile on her lips as she slept told him not to. From the way she held onto him and the way her bangs fell over her right eye, he couldn't help but smile at her. Her legs were curled up onto the end of the leather couch, and her pajama shorts rode a little further up her leg as she shifted into a more comfortable position.
John rubbed his thumb over her hand, content enough with just watching her. A slight cry came over the monitor again, this time not disappearing. John checked the time and noticed she was probably hungry since she eats quite early in the evening. "Bella, babe, c'mon. Bedtime." Her eyes slowly fluttered open, as she turned her head to face her husband. "I'm gunna feed Arden, you head to bed, okay?"
She nodded and stood from the couch, fixing her shorts at the same time. John fought another smile as he watched her tired form struggle up the stairs. John stifled a laugh as he stood and stopped her on the third step. He turned her around and threw her over his shoulder and continued up the stairs. "John Felix Anthony, put me down, you jackass." Never too tired to swear, huh Belle? Since the car accident that past fall, swears were not as rare with the brunette.
She swiped at his ass, causing a giggle to escape her sleep dried throat. "Oh, ya wanna play like that, missy?" Fearing for the worst, she grabbed a handful of his boxers from under his pajama pants. "Don't do it, Bella." He slipped his hand into the hem of her shorts, slowly pulling up her thong strap.
"Johnny, stop it!" Her eyes narrowed as he continued. He made it to the top of the stairs and she struggled to get out of his grasp. "Johnny, please."
He let her down, but held her slim form to his body. John laid her down on the rug in the hallway, and started tickling her sides. "Who's the greatest husband in the entire world?"
Through a laughing fit, she got out, "Definitely not you." This only caused him to continue tickling her. "John, stop. You have to feed Arden."
"Then admit I'm the greatest husband in the world. It's all in your hands." Thinking for a moment, he smirked down at his wife. "Well, not only the greatest, but the funniest and sexiest.. Now out with it."
He continued tickling her sides as she choked out. "Okay, you're the greatest husband in the world." John's eyes showed he wanted her to continue. "And I guess the funniest and possibly the sexiest. Happy?"
John shrugged. "I guess that'll do." He stood up and gave her his hand to help her up. "I'll meet you in bed in a little bit. I wouldn't fall asleep if I was you, Dri." She rolled her eyes and started towards their bedroom,. only to receive a light slap to the ass courtesy of John. He walked into their daughter's room and picked up the crying baby. He carried her downstairs and grabbed the bottle out of the fridge. After preparing it with one hand, he gave it to her and headed back into the living room. He turned the DVD player and TV off before feeding, and then burping her before carrying her back upstairs to bed.
He placed her in his crib and headed towards the master bedroom. He walked in and saw Bella laying on her side, a smile on her face, playing with hem of her tank top. "I was wondering what was taking my 'funny and sexy' husband so long."
"I was bonding with our daughter if you must know." She smiled over to him as he climbed onto the bed, hovering over her.
"Johnny, don't fall on me. You're too heavy for me." John just smirked and turned her chin to face him before placing his lips onto hers.
Yeah, I live for little moments when she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it.
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End Chapter.
So it didn't turn out to be my first complete chapter fic on the site, but it is my second. I finished "Better Than Me" before this one, and both will have sequels if the response is good enough. Let me know, cuz I have it planned for this one, and I've started writing out the one for Better than Me.
P.S. Any thoughts on the baby's name. I love it, and want to know what you all think of it. Rhys : (Reece - just a feminine version of it.)
'Til Next Time
-AJ a.k.a. Heart2Handgun
