A/N I'm so sorry for my absence! Life is insane and I was at loss for inspiration for a while. But here's another chapter, I really hope you like it. I don't think it has my ususal flow but it's nice to be writing again. Thank you all for reading, I'd love to hear from you!
Chapter 4
I wake up in the arms of the woman I love and even though I feel a dull headache behind my eyes, I feel relaxed and free. Last night's breakdown had been coming for a while and I feel relieved now that it's over. It's like my head is clear and my heart is less heavy. I sigh contently and snuggle myself into the crook of Jane's warm neck, closing my eyes again to hopefully get a bit more sleep. But then I hear Jane's breathing pattern changing and I open my eyes to see her looking at me, wide awake.
"Hi."
"Hi." She smiles and kisses my forehead. "You had a good night, huh?"
I nod and suppress a yawn while I tangle my legs with hers. "I did. You?"
She hesitates for a second before she replies, her hesitation telling me that her night wasn't as good as she says it is.
"You should stop staying awake until I'm sleeping," I whisper quietly. "You need your sleep just as badly as I do."
"I'm good."
"Hm." I lift myself up, shivering when the blankets fall away from around my shoulders. I look at her and gently trace her cheek with the back of my fingers, moving them towards the circles under her eyes and her dark eyebrows. "You look tired," I whisper. "We should try to get some more sleep."
She groans softly and turns her head to look at the clock on the wall. "If we sleep longer we'll miss breakfast. And I'm hungry."
I want to protest but the sound of her stomach rumbling makes me chuckle. "Okay, breakfast it is then, I suppose."
She smiles that beautiful smile of hers and pulls me down for a sweet kiss. Her lips are warm and wet and I can't help but smile at the wonderful feeling of my love against me. We kiss for a while, our lips gliding together, her strong hands on my back, my hands tangling in her messy curls. We break apart with a loud smack and my smile is almost intoxicated as I look at her. "I love you, Jane," I whisper, leaning down for one more short kiss. "I love you with all my heart."
"I love you too," is her automatic reply but I know she means it. I can see it in the way her dark eyes sparkle and a loving smile is curling her lips.
"Breakfast?"
"Breakfast."
We get dressed and steal a few more kisses before heading towards the restaurant where a breakfast buffet is being served. It's not much but it's enough. We take our seat in a small booth and I slowly sip my coffee, closing my eyes as I enjoy the hot liquid warming me up.
"So, what's the plan?" I ask while putting my mug down.
"I'm thinking waffles."
"I mean for today, Jane. We'll leave this hotel today, right?"
"We booked until today, yeah."
"It'll be a beautiful day today. Maybe we can take a hike? Woods, maybe?" I say softly, squinting my eyes as I look outside. The morning sun is shining and the sky is blue, a sign that it will be a cold day today. Cold, but beautiful.
Jane nods. "I'll figure out a route later."
"What do you want to do, Jane?"
She shrugs her shoulders. "I'm okay as long as I'm with you."
I sigh and shake my head but I can't help smiling. "Jane. I know you love me and you'd do anything for me but I want you to have a good trip too!"
"I am having a good trip!"
"Okay, then tell me what you want to do." I point my finger at her, looking sharply into her eyes. "What do you want to do today?"
She sighs and smiles at me. "I want to… Eat some waffles, get our stuff, get into the car, drive for a few hours, stop to get a burger for lunch-…" she holds up her hands when I protest, "you can have a salad, then drive for a few more hours, find a forest, take a walk until sunset, watch the sunset with you and make out."
That love-induced smile is back on my face as I stare at her while she talks. "That sounds like a perfect day," I whisper. "Except for the burger. You know, you should really limit your red meat consumption. Even the fat-reduced ones are bad for your cholesterol and then I'm not even talking about the amount of carbs-…"
Suddenly her lips are on mine, effectively silencing me. I didn't even notice her standing up and leaning over the table and I have to keep myself from pulling her on top of me. She chuckles when we break apart. "You're adorable."
I tilt my head. "Adorable? I'm a grown woman-…" Another kiss and I forget what I was talking about.
She chuckles and presses her lips against my forehead. "Is this all you're eating? A bowl of fruit?"
"I'm not that hungry."
"I'm getting waffles."
"Waffles?"
"You can use some extra pounds." She's already standing up to get me those waffles.
I chuckle and shake my head, watching her leaving the table with those long, slim legs of hers, her confident walk and dark curls bouncing on her back. I can't help but wonder how I got so lucky. This woman is mine. She's my girlfriend, the love of my life. And she loves me back. She loves me more than she loves herself. And she's Jane. My Jane. My strong, protective, funny, caring and amazing Jane. My best friend and lover.
"What are you thinking about?" She puts a plate with waffles in front of me, along with a fresh filled cup of coffee while sliding into the booth next to me instead of across me.
I smile at her. "Nothing." I feel her arm wrapping around my shoulders and lean into her side, snuggling against her as I watch a family taking place in the booth next to us.
"Have a waffle," she says with her mouth full, holding a piece in front of my mouth.
I chuckle and shake my head but I take it anyway. It tastes good.
"Jeez, that's a lot of kids," Jane says while she looks at that family.
I look over and see a woman in her late thirties holding a toddler in her lap, two little girls next to her, talking to a boy who is balancing too many cups of orange juice on a plate. The woman looks exhausted. I can tell she's pretty but now her skin is pale and her hair is frizzy. She's mad at the boy and the toddler in her lap is making a mess with a spoonful of syrup.
Jane shakes her head. "It's just like Ma when we were little. She never learned it was a bad idea to take us to restaurants. And she only had three," her voice turns into a whisper, "damn, how many kids are there? Five?"
I chuckle quietly. "So it seems, yes." I snuggle against her and take another bite of waffle. We stay silent for a while, watching the family next to us. There doesn't seem to be a father and the woman is managing the kids' breakfast on her own, which seems to be quite difficult. But after a while, the kids quiet down and they are all eating peacefully.
"Look at them now," I whisper, watching the woman holding the toddler in her arms, kissing the boy's head as his small arms wrap around his mother's neck. "Jane?" I lift my head from her shoulder. "How do you feel about kids?"
"Kids?" She raises her eyebrows and looks at me. "You mean… Kids in general?"
I shrug. "Just… Kids."
"I like kids in general, as long as they don't scream, smell or break stuff." She smirks and fumbles with the fork in her hand. "But… Our kids? I'm gonna love those bastards to death. Screaming, smelling and breaking included."
"Our kids…" I quietly repeat, smiling at the idea of having children with Jane. A small child with her dark curls, her temperament but maybe my love of books and learning, Jane's love of sports and her protectiveness. I imagine myself as the woman next to us, hugging that sweet little boy in her arms while talking to the girls next to them, a sweet, loving smile lighting up her tired face. "I have never thought of myself as a mother but with you… I think it's possible."
"It's totally possible." She looks at me and smiles. "You'd be a perfect mother."
"I don't know about that, but I know it would be a true honor to raise a child with you," I whisper, looking into those dark eyes I love so much. They are sparkling with kindness as she watches one of the kids walking towards the buffet with an empty plate.
The girl looks up at us when she senses Jane looking at her. She smiles shyly when Jane gives her a sweet smile. "Try the waffles," she says softly. "They're good."
She smiles brightly, her cheeks pink with excitement. She nods and tucks a strand of loose blond hair behind her ear before running towards the food. I can't help but imagining Jane interacting with our own child. That loving smile, those sparkling eyes, the way her voice always changes when she talks to children, her movements so gentle and her nature so caring. It would be an honor to witness her as a mother.
"Boy, we're going fast." Her chuckle pulls me out of my thoughts and I look at her to see her shaking her head and smirking. "Marriage, kids… We haven't even celebrated an anniversary yet."
I point my finger at her. "You know I insisted on celebrating our two-month anniversary."
"Yeah I was busy with apartments burning down and stuff."
"I told you it would be a nice getaway. Don't say we haven't had an anniversary! I'm ready to marry you, have kids and grow old together, I don't care how long we've been in an official relationship." Our lips are suddenly inches apart and I smile when we connect, her hand on my cheek, our smiles lighting up the kiss.
"I don't want kids anytime soon, Maura," she whispers, looking down and blushing while our foreheads rest together. "I'm talking about the future, far away…"
"Oh, I know."
"Like… A year."
"A year?" I chuckle and pull back to look at her. "That's the future, far away?"
She shrugs. "Yeah. Life's short."
I nod and my hand goes up to brush through her dark curls. "It is."
"Things burn down, people get kidnapped, killed…" she shrugs her shoulders. "It's best to love as hard as you can while you can."
I swallow a lump in my throat and press my lips against hers again. "Come with me," I whisper against her mouth.
"What?"
"Come on." I take her hand and stand up from our seat. "I want to show you something."
