She wanted to tell him just as soon as they got Maddie and Charlotte down for the night. She tried, but then he kissed her, rolled her onto her back and pressed her into the mattress, pressed himself into her, and okay so, she had thought, sex first… but not long after they got started, after she was breathless from their foreplay, there came a knock on the door. Never had she been so grateful for her eldest daughter knowing to knock before coming into a room, particularly their room, because her shirt had been rucked up to her armpits, and it gave her time to pull down the material and Robin time to slide off of her before she called out for Olivia to come in.
Olivia came in carrying Madelyn who had woken up from a bad dream and wanted them. And with their daughter in bed with them, she could hardly talk to Robin about his parents. The shock, the hurt, the anger that would come from their conversation wasn't something she wanted him having to go through with Maddie in the room. With any of the kids in the room, for that matter.
In the morning, she decided. In the morning she would tell him. Sometime after the kids had breakfast, she would ask him to go for a walk with her or have him drive them somewhere in town, someplace quiet, and then she would tell him.
In the meantime, it appeared she was going to lie in bed, listen to the soft, even breathing of her daughter cuddled up next to her, Charlie's soft coos', and her husband's quiet snoring and figure out exactly how she was going to tell him when she finally did. If Regina were back home, she'd go talk it out with Emma. This was one of those conversations when she needed a glass of wine and her friend's knack for calling out bullshit. Well, if she couldn't go to New York… Regina reached over gently, as to not wake Maddie lying against her side, and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the light, but once they did, she pulled up her and Emma's string of messages and typed, You up?
Three blue dots came up on the screen seconds later and then, Of course, I'm up. It's 7pm.
Regina rolled her eyes at herself, and replied, Right. I forgot about the time difference.
No worries, lady. What's up? Isn't it late there?
Regina's eye flicked up to the time at the top of her phone and typed, Just after midnight. I can't sleep.
Everyone else asleep?
Yep, she confirmed and glanced over at Maddie and Robin, adding, Out like lights.
So tell me what's got you up already.
Regina blew out a soft breath. They already had a conversation about Robin's parents - about how awkward and strange everything had been - but not about the outcome; she hadn't gotten around to telling the blonde about her and Eleanor's latest talk. Her friend had concluded at the time of their chat that his parents' argument was simply the squabble of a bored, retired couple and nothing more. Regina hadn't been so sure, and Emma laughed and told her good luck.
I had a chat with Robin's mother yesterday.
Regina waited a few moments for her reply and let her phone fall against her chest to quell the light until she felt her phone vibrate. Yeah, you said you were gonna. How'd that turn out? You were worried for nothing, right?
Regina wished. Actually, no. Turns out his parents got a divorce over a year ago.
Emma's reply came swiftly and didn't disappoint. WHAT?! Regina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from sighing at her friend's response. What the hell happened?
The buzzing sound of her phone every time she got a message made Maddie shift fitfully. Tapping her screen, Regina went into her settings and turned her phone off of vibrate when silent, then went back to her conversation.
Long story short, she began to type, because there was no way she was going to get into the emotions behind everything this late, and added, she went through menopause, lost interest in sex, gave Jack permission to have an affair and when he did, she regretted the whole thing, so they got a divorce.
Holy shit... How'd Robin take it?
Annoyance flared up in Regina as it had when Eleanor asked her to be the one to tell him. He hasn't. She wants me to tell him.
Uh, why you?
The little raised eyebrow emoji at the end had Regina smiling, regardless of her feelings about her mother-in-law. Why, indeed. Because she thinks if they talk to Robin about it he will go off on his father and she's afraid he won't hear them out.
Uhhh, well yeah. The guy technically had an affair, he kind of deserves it.
Which is why she thinks if I tell him I can, I don't know, make it all make sense to him or talk him down.
As much as I don't think it's your responsibility, I kinda agree with her on that.
Her brow furrowed. Really?
Yeah, really. Sure, it's not really fair to you, but think about it, Robin will listen to you. He'll have time to process everything and maybe take out some of that anger he's gonna feel elsewhere before he has to face them. You are taking him somewhere away from them to tell him, right?
I planned on it, yes.
Good. It probably won't be as bad as you think, telling him anyway, but I wouldn't wanna be there when he confronts them about it. Regina softly snorted. Neither did she. Before she could respond, Emma sent another message. I see why you can't sleep. How's Livie and the other kiddos?
Good. Roland had a great day yesterday in London. Maddie cared about as much as going into the city at home, and Olivia is very glad to be back here so she can check out the neighbor.
Heehee. You need to send me a picture of this kid. He needs to have the aunt's stamp of approval.
Regina hummed softly in thought. I'll try and get one of them together at her party. He's cute. Different from what I thought her type was.
How so?
Dark-haired, boy next door type.
She takes after her momma.
She frowned at her phone. Robin is not dark-haired.
No, but Daniel was, and come on, dark hair/blonde hair, Robin is totally the boy next door.
A smile lit her face, making her look over at her sleeping, tousled-haired husband. He really is. How are you? How's Henry?
Fat, and he's good. Today was his first day at work. Neal got him a part-time job with his dad. He should be getting off work soon.
Warmth spread through her chest thinking of Henry and his first job. God, where had the time gone? It felt like just yesterday he and Olivia were toddlers running around her old apartment, chasing one another and playing together. That's good. He text me about it when Neal asked him if he wanted to do it, and I got a feeling he was really excited about it. And stop. You're not fat.
He was stoked. And yeah, yeah. If I remember right, you called yourself worse when you were pregnant, so I don't want to hear a thing about it.
Regina bit her lip to keep from laughing, knowing all too well how severe she'd been about herself toward the end of her pregnancies, and typed, Almost there.
When she found out Emma was pregnant, Regina was just a couple weeks away from having Charlotte. The blonde had come marching up her stairs and into her room with a scowl, muttering, "Well, it happened. He got his wish. I'm knocked up." She flopped herself down on the bed beside Regina and taking the remote from her, told her, "By the way, I told your husband to go get us pizza and root beer floats."
Regina chuckled and rubbed a hand over her growing belly, and for the next few hours they talked about babies and husbands and how they were about to raise another set of kiddos together.
Blah. I swear this is it. I don't know how I let Killian talk me into this, but he gets this one and I'm done. Boy or girl, I don't care. As soon as this kid pops out, I'm telling them to yank the rest out while they're down there.
Regina giggled then pressed her lips together. She may have been dramatic when she was pregnant, but a pregnant Emma Jones was so much worse. Think so, huh?
You bet. This is a nightmare. I don't know how you did this three times.
Regina reached down and rubbed her hand over Maddie's that had fallen on her stomach and then glanced down into the bassinet beside the bed seeing her daughter sound asleep. My pregnancies were difficult, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. And Robin and I do make pretty babies.
Touché, Momma. That you do.
Robin turned on his side, and Regina looked up again at the time while letting out a soft sigh. I better get to bed. Even though I know I'm probably just going to lie here and think of how I'm going to tell him.
Just do it like a band-aid. Don't beat around the bush. He'll appreciate that.
I won't.
Have sex and then tell him. That's how I told Killian about Jr.
Haha. I tried that tonight, but getting him alone without the chance of getting interrupted isn't going to happen. Unless we go have sex in the rental car…
A winky emoji and then, Atta girl.
Regina shook her head; she was adventurous, but she wasn't that adventurous. I think not.
Haha, okay then. Go to bed and tell me what happens with his parents AND this new crush of Olivia's. I want details, lady. I helped raise that kid, too.
She smiled softly and typed, You know it.
Robin yawned widely, stumbling his way bleary-eyed down the stairs. The morning came with a rather rude awakening in the form of his daughter's foot kicking into the base of his spine. Not a little kick either, but a solid heel with a great deal of force behind it. If there was one child of theirs he would pick for football… though that was a pipe dream, he was afraid. The brief time Olivia spent playing his favorite sport would have to be enough for him. Regina sounded pretty adamant Maddie would do something else like ballet. Unless, of course, Charlotte fancied the game. Coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, Robin rubbed his lower back and winced. Bloody hell, he thought as he twisted to the side and then the other. He was half surprised his yelp hadn't woken the entire house.
Glancing across the room, his brow furrowed as he saw his dad get up abruptly from the couch. It was a mess of blankets and pillows not normally there, and the older man took one of said blankets from it and began to fold it, making Robin frown at him, confused. "Did you sleep down here?"
"I did." His dad looked up at him. Robin could have sworn he saw a look of guilt cross the man's face, but he replaced it a moment later with a smile. "Your mother's back has been bothering her. I just thought I'd let her stretch out and get some rest."
"That's -" Robin paused, straining to remember if his mum complained of her back aching recently, but it was so early in the morning that his mind wasn't functioning yet, so he took it for what it was and continued with a, "That was thoughtful of you." His father smiled at him once again, and Robin forgot about it, going across the room and down the hall to the den in search of his son. He needed coffee, and surprisingly, he woke up famished. If his boy was up, they could make some breakfast together.
Robin smiled as he pushed open the door. Roland was awake with his nose buried in a comic book. "Hey, bud. You want some breakfast?"
The copy of Captain America fell to his son's lap as he looked up and shrugged. "Sure."
Roland went to pick his comic back up, but before he could, Robin suggested, "Do you want to help? We can make breakfast for everyone, not just us?"
At the mention of cooking, Roland's eyes lit up. Ever since he watched Ratatouille when he was little, any chance where he got to help in the kitchen he jumped at. "Can we make french toast?"
"Well, let's go see what we've got to work with."
Robin's words shot Roland off the pull-out sofa bed like a spring and had him racing out of the room with Robin following behind him.
In the kitchen they found most of what they needed, and what they didn't have, his father offered to go get. Robin ushered Roland back to the den with instructions to get dressed and brush his teeth while he went up and did the same until his father came back from the store.
He got a pair of jeans and a tee as quietly as he could without waking Regina and the girls and made what he thought was quick work of getting dressed, but by the time Robin got back downstairs, he was surprised to find Roland had already gotten out the bread, eggs, and milk from the fridge and was cracking the eggs into a bowl.
Right then, he thought, and with a proud clap to his son's shoulder, crossed the kitchen to make that cup of coffee he'd been after.
He had just popped the little Keurig cup into the coffee machine when his son's voice filled the room. "Hey, Mom. You're up!"
He turned slightly and smiled as he watched her kiss their son and then come over to his side looking like a rumpled, lovely morning dream. "Good morning, love." He gave her a quick kiss, and gazing down into her eyes, noted the tiredness and frowned. "Did I wake you when I went up?"
"No, Charlotte did." Her arms wrapped around his middle, and with her chin against his shoulder, she sighed then asked, "What are you fellas making?"
"French toast," Roland answered.
He and Regina shared a smile, then he lowered his head and she stepped up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. She drew away far too soon for his liking, his soft pout making her chuckle as she stepped out of his arms and made her way across the room.
"You're doing a really good job all by yourself," she praised while running her hand through his untidy hair. "How did you know that's just what I wanted?"
Robin turned with a cup of coffee in hand and watched Roland shrug, then grinning up at her, told her, "Because it's your favorite. Just like mine."
She leaned down and kissed his cheek while murmuring her thanks and telling them both she was going to go get dressed because they had everything well in hand.
Breakfast for the most part was uneventful, though Robin couldn't help but notice how quiet his mum and Regina had been. The kids were the ones to carry on most of the conversation while his dad read the post. Regina gave her attention to Maddie, and he held Charlotte, talking to her about all the things they'd do together that day while he ate one handed.
After bellies were full, they were ushered out of the kitchen by his mum. Roland asked if he and Olivia could go down to the park since they would be staying around his parents' house for the day.
Regina came over to him and took a sleeping Charlotte from his arms. "Let's go for a walk later."
"A walk?" His lips pulled up, absolutely loving the idea of spending the afternoon out with his lovely wife.
With their daughter cradled in her arms, Regina took a step closer to him and with a hand on his chest, said, "Yeah, just you and me."
He brought his hands up to run up and down her biceps. "And the girls?"
Her shoulders lifted and fell slightly. "Your mom can watch them. She owes me a favor, but I don't think she'll mind."
He tilted his head, briefly wondering what kind of favor Regina had done for her but decided it didn't matter. "Well then, a walk with my girl?" He leaned toward her and right before his lips brushed hers, he told her, "How could I refuse such a request?"
"Goal!" her brother called out with his arms raised in the air.
Olivia shook her head while she laughed, slightly out of breath. It had been a while since she played, so she wasn't surprised to find she missed the game - missed the smell of grass, the warm sun on her skin, and the bubble of satisfaction that rose in her chest when she scored a goal, even if it was against her little brother.
Roland came toward her, shaking his head. "Come on, you totally let me get that," he said, and even though they both knew it was true, he smiled proudly for his small win against her.
"Maybe," she told him through her own smile.
Roland kicked the ball over to her and she caught it with the tip of her shoe and turned, intent on starting toward her goal but stopped short seeing two people coming toward them.
The breath left her as she took him in. His disheveled, dark hair blew slightly in the breeze, and the red shorts and a matching red and white jersey were a team she recognized - Arsenal. Her dad would hate it. He hated the team; she, however, found herself suddenly warming up to it.
"Hello," he said to them, eyes squinting at them as the sun shone overhead, and she fleetingly thought what a pity she couldn't see his green eyes properly.
"Hey, Sebastian." Her brother held out his hand, and Olivia watched in fascination as they exchanged some weird handshake, making her wonder when he'd learned it.
"Hey, little mate. Is this a private game or can anyone play?"
"You can play," Roland replied, readily making Olivia want to groan aloud.
It wasn't that she didn't want to play a game with them, but that she did want to, and that, more than anything, terrified her. The feeling that came when he was near made her stomach twist into knots and her words, which normally came with ease around any normal stranger, stick in her throat.
"Excellent. Well, this is my mate, Harry." Sebastian smiled, then slid his eyes on her. "Would you like to play with me?"
His words weren't what she would call suggestive, but playful, and Olivia bit the side of her cheek and fought hard against the heat she knew was rising in her cheeks. "That's alright," she began. Playing soccer with her brother for as many years as they had, they developed a rhythm. Playing together against her dad and uncle Killian, they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, and not only that, Olivia wouldn't have to worry about Sebastian or Harry taking it easy on her for being a girl. Olivia had the sudden urge to roll her eyes. She really hoped Sebastian didn't turn out to be one of those guys, because she'd hate to run circles around them both to prove a point. "How about the two of us against the two of you?" she suggested airily.
He raised a brow at her and she could tell by the way he glanced at his friend and how a crooked smile began to form on his face, that he was amused by the thought of her and her little brother taking on him and his friend. "You sure about that?"
Olivia looked down at Roland with her own smile. "Oh yeah. We're good." She held up her hand, and Roland, without missing a beat, high-fived her. Neither one of them bothered to mention how she played for five years or how a shelf at home housed her national's trophy that her dad cried over when she received it.
When they pulled up to the park, she smiled at the nearly vacant park and walking path that led into a small forest. Seclusion was what she was hoping for. She'd hate for there to be a busy trail full of people when she broke the news to her husband that his parents were divorced and had been keeping it from him for over a year now. They got out of the car, and he took her hand, leading her to the trail. An old sign nearby read Endcliffe Park, the leaves on the trees were turning from greens to brilliant burnt oranges, reds, and yellows, and bright green patches of moss lined the sides of the cobblestone.
It was a warm afternoon, and even though the sky was gray, they left their jackets at home, opting instead for flannel shirts over tees.
They walked for a while. Robin pulled her against his side, and he tucked his hand into the back pocket of her jeans, while her arm wrapped around his back, and she hooked her thumb into one of his belt loops. All the while, he told her about playing football in the field on the other side of the small stream that flanked the large park and of how he'd been caught kissing his first girlfriend under a tree somewhere off the path, though he couldn't remember which one it had been.
She raised her eyebrows at that, and he chuckled, telling her he would be more than happy to pull her under the nearest tree, but she shook her head and declined. As great as making out with him sounded, she was a girl on a mission with no scheduled detours.
After about ten minutes, they came to a narrow stone bridge that crossed over a small waterfall. She found herself letting go of Robin and drifting over to the side. It was beautiful and soothing sounding the way the water ran slowly over the large and small stones.
Her hand grazed the cold, rough stone, and she looked over to see her husband smiling at her and holding out his hand for her to take to continue on their walk.
"Can we just stop here for a minute?" she asked and turned fully to him. Resting back against the bridge and taking a deep breath, Regina tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and swallowed. Robin tilted his head, lips tugging up at the corners, looking at her with curious amusement. "I need to tell you something, and I need you to listen to me and wait until I'm finished before you say anything."
His brows rose, and he took a step towards her. "That sounds... ominous."
She nodded. If there was a word for it, that was it. "It is."
His lips pulled up, this time into a genuine smile, and he took her hands, lacing them with his. "You're not pregnant again, are you?"
Regina let out a soft snort followed by a breathy laugh. He knew that she wasn't but was trying to break the tension, and she loved him for it. "Honey, your sperm may override birth control, but they're not capable of speeding up a pregnancy for me to know this soon even if I were."
"Right, sorry." He leaned toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're joking along with me so I can assume we're alright?"
Her smile softened, and she took the opportunity to use their laced hands to pull him down for a reassuring kiss. "Of course we are."
With that, he let out a breath and gave her a single nod. "Alright. Let's have it."
She took her hands back from him and placed one on his chest. Dropping her chin, she asked, "You promise?"
"I promise, I won't interrupt," he assured.
One deep breath in and out, and she told him, just the way his mother had. She started at the beginning and didn't leave any of the details out. She watched as his emotions played out - his concerned, gentle gaze for his mother's issues, the uncomfortable cringe that scrunched his nose when she spoke of his parents' sex life, the shock that dropped his mouth open slightly and had his brows drawing together and taking a step away at his mother's suggestion that his father look for companionship elsewhere, to anger that had him turning to gaze at the river when his father accepted, the look of disbelief when she asked for a divorce, and the betrayal that had his eyes shining with unshed tears she finished.
It was that last emotion that broke her heart.
She stepped closer, enough to see the hard set of his jaw and the white of his knuckles as he clenched the edge of the stone bridge. "How long?" he asked.
"A little over a year ago."
Robin kept his gaze drawn away from her. "Did they think they'd just get away with not telling us forever?" he asked, his tone held a hardness to it she rarely heard from him.
It was a fair question. If they hadn't come to visit, if she hadn't had overheard, would they ever have told him? She doubted it. "Honestly, I think so."
Robin snorted and pushed himself away from the bridge. "Christ, I don't know what to think." His eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared as he exhaled. "No, I know exactly what I think. I think I should go give them both a piece of my mind."
Her eyes widened as he turned and began to walk back in the direction of the car. Four strides and she caught his arm and stepped in front of him, making him come to a halt. "Not right now you're not."
"Regina, not now." His tone deadly calm as he drew out his words. His blue eyes held hers, and in them, she could see all the hurt and anger brewing inside.
"And where exactly are you going to give them this piece of you mind? In front of the kids?" she asked.
"No, of course not," he shot back, defensively causing the heads of two passersby to look over at them uneasily.
Her grip tightened on his arm, and with the same intensity, she urged, "Then stop for a minute and think about this before you go storming back over there."
She watched as his jaw clenched and unclenched, until finally he took a step back and then another until he was back at the bridge, looking out somewhere in the distance. "Of all the things I expected… I can't believe they would do something like this and not tell us."
She pursed her lips. She knew the feeling well. When Eleanor clobbered her over the head with all this, she sat gob smacked for most of the conversation herself. Not until they got back to his parents' and she was lying in bed did it all really sink in. "I know."
"And I especially cannot believe him," Robin began, putting his hands on his hips and stared off into the distance a second before he threw one hand up in the air. "I suppose it all makes sense now. The awkwardness, the hot and cold affection toward one another, and him on the sofa this morning…" he paused and gave a derisive snort before adding, "Christ, I knew it. I knew something was wrong and I should have said something to them when I first noticed it."
"Well, hindsight is always twenty-twenty," she muttered under her breath with a raised brow. With a deep breath, she said, "I think you and your parents should sit down and talk…"
"Why?" he interrupted.
She blinked at him. Not more than a minute ago, he was just about to go storming over to his parents. She hadn't expected he wouldn't want to talk to them, and it threw her off. "What?"
"Now that I think about it, why should I? Neither of them can seem to afford Nimue or me the courtesy of telling us they decided to get a divorce. Why should I be the one to make the effort to talk about something they clearly wish to never speak about?"
Well, there was that.
She shook her head, they couldn't all keep doing this. His parents couldn't move forward, and not talking about it would do nothing but make Robin resent them for it. "I understand you're angry..."
His voice rose above hers, cutting her off once again. "I'm not angry, Regina, I'm pissed." He swore, let out a crisp, Fuck!, into the air that had him gripping the edge of the bridge as he did so. "How unbelievably fucking selfish of them to go and do something like that… No, you know what, fuck it. If they want to put on this show, bloody let them."
"That's not the answer to this, Robin," she began.
With a bitter laugh, voice rising with every word, he asked, "Well then tell me, Regina, why should I care because clearly they don't! They never once cared about how this would make Nimue or me feel. They did this like they were the only ones who would be affected by their decisions, like we were never a thought in their minds until it came to getting caught. Your telling me is proof enough of that!" He looked away from her, biting his lip and shaking his head. "Sod the pair of them. Sod it all. Another week of pretending and then they can do whatever the hell it is that they're doing without having to worry about me being around for it."
"No," she told him. Now she was the one shaking her head. "Why do you think I brought you out here, Robin?" she asked, her voice rising to match his intensity. She wasn't going to let him do this. She didn't tell him this just so they could all keep this to themselves and ruin not only the rest of their stay but their family. "We have over a week left here with your parents. I won't let you just bottle this up because you're not going to be able to be around them and keep this inside. You're going to snap at someone, and I know how you'll feel if it happens in front of the kids, so if you don't want to talk to them about it now, then I want you to talk to me. Yell at me and get it all out before we go back there."
His face fell at her words, like he only realized how angry he had been and where he had been directing it. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he found a spot on the ground and kicked at it, scuffing the dirt with the tip of his sneakers. His voice was quiet, only a murmur, "I'm not going to yell at you... I didn't mean to yell at you."
"I know you didn't." Stepping up to him, she took hold of his biceps. "Just talk to me then if you don't want to yell some more. God knows if it were me, I'd have scared off the wildlife."
He let out a light laugh that turned into a sigh, and said, "Thing is, I don't know what else there is to be said, babe."
Reaching up, she cupped his cheek and waited to say more until his eyes rose and met hers. "They shouldn't have kept this from you, and what happened was terrible for all involved." He started to open his mouth to speak but she needed to finish, so she shook her head and barreled on, "I'm not saying what they did was right; it wasn't. But they can't move forward, and I know you won't be able to either unless you talk to them."
He let out a deep sigh. "I know you're right, but right now, Christ, I dunno if I can even look at them."
"I can't speak for your father, but your mother was genuinely sorry for keeping this from you. Just try to keep in mind they are trying to work things out," she reminded him gently, because behind the secrets and deceit was a couple who were really trying, despite everything.
"It's more than that though, love. It's…" He looked up at sky for a long moment then back at her. "I've always looked up to him. He can be a right grumpy bastard at times, but he's always been there for us, for his family." Swallowing, he then let out a sigh. "Was he so weak he thought her maddening plan would be a good idea?"
"I think that's a very good question for your father," she said, then added, "I also think you should consider what it might have been like for him."
His eyes widened. "You're serious?"
"I've had more time to think about this than you." She tilted her head and held his gaze. "Can you imagine how it would be if this happened to us?" She had to swallow down her emotions that started to rise, thinking that something like this could ever happen to them. "What we share means so much to us both. It's not just sex. The way you make me feel…" she trailed off, the prickling sensation of tears in her eyes had her blinking them away before she continued, "even when it's your hand on my back or like this…" she reached up and took hold of his open flannel shirt in each hand. "Imagine us losing this."
His forehead dropped gently against hers. "No." He reached up and tangled his fingers in her hair, palms settling softly on her cheeks. "We never would."
"We won't," she assured, pulling away slightly to look up into his eyes. "But they did. I'm not saying you have to forgive them, but I am asking you to try and understand them."
Robin searched her eyes, and she could see how he was wrestling with his emotions. After a moment, he growled and dipped his head, kissing her once. "If you ever wanted to give up photography, you'd make a great therapist."
She let out a breathy laugh right before he brushed his lips against hers. "Are you going to be okay?"
He let out a heavy breath and said, "Eventually."
He pulled her into his arms, and she went easily. Hell, she should have been the one to pull him into an embrace. They stood there for a while, holding one another and listening to the sound of the waterfall and wind blowing the leaves around them.
She closed her eyes at the feel of his hands caressing up and down her back, and she did the same. Finally, when she heard the footsteps of another couple walking toward them, she pulled away. Once they passed, she asked, "Do you want to go back?"
A huff of a laugh left him, and he shook his head. "God, no, but I suppose we left our children there."
She arched a brow and slid her hand down and down still until her hands tucked into the back pockets of his jeans. "We could always make out in the car for a little while?"
His lips tipped up into a smirk, and he started walking them backwards. "Who needs a car when we have this nice bridge and a view?"
She couldn't stop grinning. They'd beat them - by one goal, but still. First one to five, and they kicked their ass. Her dad would be proud. Roland was practically dancing on the field. Sebastian's friend was shaking his head and smiling and telling him how they, "Spectacularly lost."
"Wow. Where'd you learn to play like that?" Sebastian asked her, still slightly out of breath from trying to keep up with her last goal.
She shrugged, trying to school her features into something less smug than what she felt. "I played for a few years."
His friend called to him then, telling Sebastian he'd see him later and told her and Roland goodbye. When he was gone, Sebastian turned back to Olivia. His look of awe still present in his eyes. "You're incredible. Why'd you stop?"
"I started taking extra classes so I could graduate early, and they didn't leave a lot of time for sports. My dad was pretty devastated, but as much as I love it, it was more of a fun hobby than anything." She didn't know exactly why she felt the need to tell him all that, but whatever. It was the truth.
"Oh, well I agree with your dad then; it's a true shame."
She smiled through a shrug. "Not really, but I'm glad you think so."
At that moment, Roland ran over beside them. "Another game?"
Olivia laughed. As much as she wanted to, they'd been gone for a while now, and they should probably get back. "Maybe another time. We should probably go."
"Where you off to?" Sebastian asked.
The question threw her off. Where else would they go? But she supposed he didn't know that. "Umm, back to our grandparents'."
"Do you have to get back just now?"
Olivia ignored the flutter in her belly and pulled her phone from her back pocket. She hadn't received a message or call from either of her parents, and they hadn't mentioned how soon they wanted them home, and okay, so she and Roland had only been gone a couple of hours. She looked down at her brother, who shrugged. "Not really, why?"
He smiled, and with a tilt of his head, said, "I thought we could have a walk down to one of the shops and I'd buy you both a drink."
Roland's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Olivia, can we go?"
A thousand butterflies erupted in her belly, and though she tried, she couldn't think of a good excuse as to why they shouldn't. "I guess, sure."
And just like that they set off, following Sebastian through the park and then down a sidewalk leading towards the small town. Roland and Sebastian led most of the conversation about football, mostly, until a comfortable lull settled in, and he asked, "So what year are you in? In school."
When it was silent for a moment, Olivia looked over to see him watching her with a smile, and she realized with a start he was talking to her.
Tucking a piece of her long hair that had fallen from her pony tail behind her ear, she said, "My senior year."
He replied with a, That's nice and Almost free from it and she couldn't think of anything to say in reply to that so she settled for, "So astronomy, huh?"
He sighed and reached back to scratch his neck. "Yeah, I'm afraid I'm a bit of a science geek."
Olivia frowned at him. Science wasn't her favorite subject, but she liked it well enough, and didn't understand why he seemed so embarrassed by it. She thought it was cool, cute even. Like a young Tony Stark with a British accent. The thought made her smile so wide she had to bite her lip to keep from grinning at him like an idiot.
"It's not geeky," Roland pipped up ahead of them. "Who doesn't like the stars?"
"Well said, little mate," Sebastian praised then asked, "What about you ,though?"
She blinked at him. What was he asking? Paige would tease her for weeks if she were there to see her right now. "What about me?"
A laugh spilled from him that made her smile at the sound of it. "Do you have any interests, other than being a football star, that is."
Oh. Oh... God, she felt dumb. Snap out of it, Olivia.
"Olivia plays the cello," Roland answered before she could get it together.
She smiled softly at him for saving her. "Yes, I play the cello."
"She's going to Julliard."
"Is she?" Sebastian's brows rose. Impressed, maybe, she thought and blushed. "Well, that's fantastic," he told Roland, but his eyes were still on her.
"She's really good, too," Roland added, making Olivia wish he would stop.
"Is she?" Sebastian chuckled. "I don't suppose you brought it with you?"
No, thank God! Olivia shook her head. "No."
"Too bad," he said after a moment. "I'd have liked to hear you play."
She smiled and thought, Not happening, in a sing-song voice in her head, but then at her brother's, "She's on YouTube," the smug tune fizzled out, and she whispered, "Roland!"
Just then, they came to a stop outside of a small convenient store, and her brother looked up at her with a furrowed brow, clueless to her discomfort. "What?"
But Sebastian didn't seem to mind all the information about her, and with an amused hilt to his voice, asked, "Is she?"
"Yeah, her school has a page. Nord Angelique."
She let out soft grown, making Sebastian's smile widen. "I'll have to have a look then."
They were both ignoring her and smiling at one another, and if it wasn't her little brother and if Sebastian wasn't so cute, she might have left them both standing there like the jerks they were.
But then he smiled at her and winked, and she softened. "You really don't have to do that."
"I want to."
He said it with such earnesty that she bit her lip to hide her smile. Then, straightening and adopting the look her mother gave her dad when he teased her, she shrugged and pulled open the door before either of them could stop her, saying, "If you must," with as much disinterest as she could and stepped into the store.
Robin's stomach was in knots as they drove back to his parents'. His mind was still reeling from everything. If someone had asked him what he had expected had come from all the strange business with his parents, he would have told them he suspected a row had occurred. Something over finances or perhaps he had been spending too much time at the pub, or hell, even his mum on one of her crusades to move them to America again. But he was absolutely and utterly unprepared for the truth.
They'd divorced.
Right behind his and his sister's backs, knowing full well how upset they'd be if they were to ever find out, except they had no intention of ever telling them. When they pulled into the driveway, his father's car was gone, and he cursed under his breath and shook his head. Of course he was gone.
That was just fine by him. Sod talking it out. If they wanted to go on pretending everything was fine, more bloody power to them.
He blew out a breath and turned his head as he felt his wife's hand on his arm. "Give yourself some time. You don't have to confront them now."
A sound somewhere between a scoff and a laugh escaped him. "I wasn't planning on it, and clearly it seems neither were they."
"Give it a few days. She knew I was going to tell you. They probably need time for it all to sink in as much as you do. Besides, I'm sure they're embarrassed and probably ashamed."
"As they should be," he said without a moment's thought and didn't feel the least bit of regret for it. "Let's just go in. Get the kids. Maybe go into town for a while? You never did get to see it."
"Whatever you want to do."
He reached for her hand. "I think I want to just be with you and the kids right now."
Her fingers threaded through his, and her smile softened as she gave his hand a squeeze. "Sounds good."
They weren't inside long before they were nearly charged over by their son coming in the front door after them. "Hey, slow down," he warned. Looking behind his son, Olivia was also walking up the path. "Are you both just now getting back from the park?"
Roland nodded. "It was so cool, Dad. Sebastian and one of his friends played against Olivia and me and then he took us down the street for drinks and Dad, did you know that there's a bookstore not far from the park?"
Robin chuckled at his son's obvious excitement. "I didn't."
"Can we go there later?" he asked with a small plea in his voice.
Robin let out a laugh and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. The young boy's excitement evident in the way he bounced up and down on his heels. "You want more books?"
"Just one. Please? I won't ask for any more this whole trip."
As he very much doubted that, he appreciated the gesture all the same. "Let's go then so you can have a look around and find something that strikes your fancy."
"Right now?"
"Yeah, I thought it would be fun to take your mum into town for a bit, after we get your sisters ready."
"Yes!"
"But first," his wife began, taking Roland by the shoulders and turning him around. "You need to go change clothes. You've got grass stains all over your shorts."
Regina rolled her eyes at a groaning Roland and frogged-marched him further into the house. Their eyes met, and he gave his wife a wink before stepping into the quiet house.
Turned out, Jack had gone out for the evening, something about helping a friend with his car, and Eleanor had been near tears the entire time they got the girls ready to go, making it a bit uncomfortable for Robin. She wouldn't meet either of their eyes, and as soon as they let her know they were going out for the afternoon, she decided it was as good excuse as any to hurry off. Out to tend to the garden, she had told them, even though, to Regina, it was as immaculate as any garden could get.
They wandered around downtown Sheffield for a couple of hours. Stopping in to shops, grabbing coffees and small things to take home for Henry and Emma. They listened to a street band, and let Maddie and Roland feed the birds that lingered near the fountains in wait for sightseers' to feed them.
Eventually, they found themselves at Weston Park Museum. She and Olivia enjoying the World Cultures exhibit, while Robin practically drooled over the Ruskin Collection. He excitedly explained to her and the kids about how his collections of drawings and watercolors influenced early renaissance art and gothic architecture. Regina adoringly listened as he went on and on until the kids lost interest, and they were forced to move along.
It wasn't until later, while Robin, Roland, and Maddie were ahead of them looking at the suits of armor, she slowed her steps and gave Olivia a small smile. "So, you went for a walk together?"
"Mmhmm."
Regina chuckled, then looking down at a still peacefully sleeping Charlotte, asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Olivia looked over at her. The corners of her lips pulled up slightly. "It was just a walk." Her shoulders lifted and fell once, and alright, if she didn't want to talk about it, Regina wouldn't push her. But then a few seconds later, Olivia added, "Okay, and we played soccer, and I may have kicked his butt."
Regina grinned. "That's my girl."
"He's just so cute," Olivia said, her voice rising and sounding dramatic in the way teenagers did as she added, "and that accent, Mom!"
Oh, Regina was very aware of just how attractive that certain accent was. "I know," she replied, trying to adopt the same tone without waking the baby.
But then Olivia's shoulders slumped and she looked away to the wall filled with paintings. "I shouldn't like him this much though."
Her steps slowed and came to a stop. They were getting too close to Robin, and she wanted a few more moments with Olivia before she clammed up on her. "Why not?"
Olivia turned to her. "Because we live so far away."
Well, the distance would certainly be an obstacle and Regina could understand not wanting to get too emotionally attached because of it, but she thought her daughter was just getting a bit far ahead of herself.
"I see what you're saying, but Olivia, you've known him a week." At the roll of her daughter's eyes, she lowered her voice slightly to her normal mom tone and went on, "I know that's forever in teenager time, but slow down. You can still be friends and talk to one another. It's not like when I was young. You kids have Skype and FaceTime and iMessage -"
"But it won't be the same," Olivia interrupted, "we won't be in the same room."
It was Regina's turn to roll her eyes, but at the same time she thought back to when she and Robin used to text one another, and no, it wasn't the same as having him in the room, but the distance between them only made getting together all the better. And really, if she was that anxious about being around him well… "I think your father would prefer it that way for a while until you get your hormones under control."
Olivia turned away and began to walk again. "Ugh, Mom! I can't talk to you about hormones."
Regina reached out and put a hand on her arm. "Olivia, calm down, and why can't you?"
Olivia let out a sigh. "I don't know, it's awkward."
Her head fell to the side as she studied her daughter. "Okay, I'm not going to make you if you're uncomfortable. We've had our talk, you've taken classes in school, you know how to be smart."
Her daughter's blue eyes widened. "Oh my God, Mom, I'm not… I'm not thinking of that!"
The slight hysterical shrill of Olivia's voice had Charlotte shifting restlessly against her. Regina reached up and cradled her as best she could in her wrap and patted her back gently while rocking her back and forth. "I know you aren't, but if you ever do start thinking about it, you know you can always come to me, right?"
With eyes gentling, Olivia replied, "I know, Mom."
"Just get to know one another while we are here," Regina suggested as they began to make their way forward. "Let yourself be young; don't put pressure on yourself and don't let him put pressure on you for anything you're not ready for."
"He wouldn't." Olivia smiled. "He's sweet. I like him."
"And that's good."
They walked for a few minutes. Regina thinking over her relationship with Robin in the beginning and how quickly she fell for him, but also how scared and hesitant she had been because of Olivia.
"How did you know Dad was the one?"
"Oh." A breathy laugh left her, and her gaze drifted up to her husband who was lifting Maddie up on his shoulders. "Well, after you found him we spent lots of time together, and then that obligation became a friendship, and then more. It was easy to fall in love with your father. He had a kind heart and he was such an amazing dad to you and to Roland. The fact that he was incredibly handsome and had that accent didn't lose him any points either." She smiled, thinking of how no matter what, he was always there for not only Olivia but her. "I don't know, he came into our lives and then one day came, and I couldn't imagine our lives without him."
Her daughter smiled softly and drifted closer until she could reach over and hook her arm around her waist. "I'm happy you guys got together."
"Me too." She put her arm around Olivia and pulled her close, smiling before leaning over and kissing her on the brow.
Gazing up ahead at her family, she marveled at how lucky she and Olivia were thanks to a babbling babysitter and her daughter's courage.
By the time they got home from dinner it was late. Charlotte had fallen asleep in the car, and Maddie was yawning and rubbing her eyes sleepily, nearly ready to join her sister. Robin ushered Roland upstairs for a shower and came into their room with Maddie in his arms not long after, just as she had finished feeding Charlotte.
He looked tired - not from their trip into town with the kids - but the trouble with his parents, and she decided right then was the time to tell him about Olivia. He needed something else to think about other than what had been bringing him down all evening.
Lifting Charlotte up onto her shoulder, she began to pat her back. "Your daughter has her first crush."
Robin sat down with Maddie on the bed. She scampered off to lay down on the pillows, a testament to how tired she was if she was willing to lay down without them coaxing her to. He tilted his head to the side, a small smile pulling his lips up. "I'm sorry, but do you mean other than Chris Pratt?"
"Yep, a certain green-eyed neighbor boy."
He looked away from her. A deep crease formed between his brows, making her giggle. Then when it dawned on him who she was referring to, he looked back at her. "Sebastian?"
She hummed. "Mmhmm."
"No, she can't be…" he began shaking his head, then at her raised brows, with defeat in his tone, questioned, "Have I really not been paying attention?"
She let out a sigh. She hadn't meant to make him feel bad about it. "Don't beat yourself up over this one, Daddy. It's easy to miss unless you really look at them."
He straightened and with eyes narrowing, told her, "Well now it's all I'm going to be looking at, isn't it?"
She laughed, not only at his protective dad tone, but at how loud her daughter just burped. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the small bassinet to lay Charlotte down. "Don't go crazy. It's just a crush."
"That's the way it starts though, doesn't it?" Robin mused. Just then Maddie came up to him, and in her hand she held out the iPad she'd gotten from beside the bed for him to unlock. He took it and her in his arms. "At least I've got this one. Maddie, you won't ever leave Daddy, will you?"
Maddie pressed her hands to his cheeks and replied with a drawn out, "Nooooo," and then, "iPad, Daddy?"
He let out a breath. "Yes, darling. Just one game. It's almost night-night time."
Tucking a blanket around Charlotte, Regina looked between their daughters, and with her gaze settling on their middle daughter, told him, "She's going to be the one we have to watch out for, you know that, right?"
"I'd hoped not, but I'm afraid you're right." Maddie was all attitude, and they both knew it. "At least we only have a week left. There's not enough time for her to get too attached…" he trailed off at her laugh, and then with a bit of male exasperation, asked, "What?"
Her laugh was a deep, rich thing, when she asked him, "Do you even remember being young?"
He gave her a look, one like he was slightly insulted, and replied with an indignant, "Of course, I do."
Her brows rose. "And how long did you know the girl you made out with under the tree?"
His eyes narrowed at her and then looked out the door as if she could see Olivia through it. "You don't think…"
"That they've kissed?" She chuckled and shook her head. "No."
He deflated at that. "Good. She's not leaving this house with him without one of us."
Her eyes rolled up to the ceiling. "Oh stop. It's going to happen eventually."
"Must it? She's so young."
With her hands on her hips, she said, "I kissed my first boy when I was ten."
"Yeah, well, times were different back then, weren't they?"
Her head shook from side to side. "Not so different. Wouldn't you rather have it out of the way?"
His nose scrunched up. "No, because it starts with the first one, and then she'll think it's not so bad and just want to do it again and again, and I don't need to tell you what comes next."
Adopting a scandalized tone, she brought her hand up to her chest and asked, "What shall we do then? Lock her in a convent?"
She pursed her lips together tightly to keep from laughing as he glowered at her. "You think you're being cute, but I'm not having it. I'm in mourning."
Her hand dropped, and she began to make her way over to him. "Aww, baby…"
He shook his head and looked away from her. She could tell, despite his protests, he was fighting a smile as she settled on his lap. "No, stop. I don't want your bedroom eyes…"
"You do, and you know it." She leaned in and brushed her lips against his in a soft, soothing kiss. "Olivia is smart; she knows everything she needs to know about being safe and what a mature, healthy relationship is…" He groaned, and she tipped his chin up to meet her eyes. "I know you're thinking about what will come, but I promise you, you are miles and miles ahead of where she is."
"I know she is," he said but added a resolute, "but I'm still watching him like a hawk."
"I wouldn't expect any less, just don't go scaring him off. He's sweet, and she likes him."
He sighed. "I suppose."
"Come on. Let's get Maddie to bed and then maybe I can help you take your mind off of things."
"Might be hard," he told her as they drifted together.
"I'm counting on it," she whispered in the space between their lips.
He was up after midnight, gave up trying to sleep thinking if it was going to elude him, he'd do the laundry because Regina mentioned the night before she was going to get up and do it so why not just do it for her because that's what good husbands do.
They did the laundry, they sort their delicates and never cheat on the fabric softener, or in general. Unless you were his dad, and then there were no rules. You can throw in your lights with your darks and have sex with another woman all because your wife is going through something and he couldn't man up and deal with it.
"Hey, what are you doing?" He turned slightly to look back at Regina as she sleepily stepped into the laundry room. At his smirk, she clarified, "What are you doing up?"
He gave a halfhearted shrug. "Couldn't sleep."
Robin felt her lips press against his back. "Want to talk about it?"
"Not really," he told her, turning in her arms. She looked tired and sleep rumpled in a way that made him want to say sod the laundry and take her back upstairs and crawl back into bed with her. "What are you doing up?"
"Your daughter woke up and wanted to be fed." A kiss pressed into his shoulder before she added, "She went back to sleep."
"That's good," he said, knowing his voice sounded sullen, but he should probably try and snap himself out of it, but his annoyance at his parents avoiding him most of the day had been slowly simmering all night, making the anger his wife was able to talk down begin to build up again.
"You know… everyone is asleep… Charlotte should be content for a while."
He chuckled and sunk his top teeth in his bottom lip, loving this role reversal of theirs. "You want to have sex in the laundry room?"
Her hands ran up his chest and up still until her fingers tangled in his hair. "I wasn't thinking that exactly. I was thinking about a shower. It's next to your room and we'd be able to hear the baby if we're quiet..."
There was a small part of him that wanted to show her he didn't need sex all the time, that she alone, by his side, was enough, would always be enough no matter what the future held for them. "You sure?"
Her brows rose. "Am I sure?"
"You don't have to just to make me feel better."
Her nails raked over his scalp, sending a shiver down his spine. "What if it's to make me feel better?"
Her small, mischievous smile, the twitch of her eyebrow, and her foot shutting the laundry room door without breaking his gaze was all it took to snap him from his sullen mood and send his blood rushing south.
Another good thing husbands did for their wives besides their laundry… them. Right up against the washing machine.
They were really going to do this. They were going to have sex in his parents' laundry room, with no lock on the door. At least the washer and dryer were going. The noise from them both should hopefully drown out any sounds they make.
The washer was too tall for her to sit and let him fuck her, and it seemed he had the same thought because he took her by the hips and turned her while trading places with her so he could bend her over it.
Regina bit her lip. God she wanted him inside her. She wasn't lying when she told him it would make her feel better; it would. The situation with his parents hurt him deeply, and though he wouldn't say it, being compared to his father over the years made him proud, and now made him doubt himself as a father, as a husband, as a man.
She wouldn't let him do that. For all his faults, and he did have them, he wasn't his father. If she had to spend every day reminding him of that, she would.
His hands hooked into the waistband of her pajamas and underwear and slid them down her thighs. She shivered as he trailed his fingertips back up and up, palming her ass before dipping back down. She dropped her head to the cold steel as his soft voice filled the small room, "Step apart a bit more, babe."
The next thing she knew, his finger slid through her wetness and over her clit, and it was all she could do to keep from moaning aloud.
"Do you know how fucking sexy you are, love?" he murmured. "Christ, I think about you all the time. At work, I think about you. About this criminal ass that's all mine, how good you feel wrapped around me, how good you taste when you come on my tongue…"
Fuck. Her husband's words shouldn't surprise her, shouldn't turn her on as much as they do - not as long as they've been together - but they do. Fuck, they do.
He sunk into her and she pressed her lips together to keep from letting out a sound. She felt him bend over her, his chest against her back so he could press a kiss into her neck.
"I think about you, too," she whispered while turning her head back toward him.
His voice was low in her ear, breath warm against her cheek when he replied, "Tell me."
His hips began to draw away, and her jaw dropped open, feeling him moving inside her. "Mmm… at home… in the mornings when you're…" He thrust up into her hitting the spot inside of her that made her knees weak and her toes curl. She gasped, "God, Robin, Mmm, when you're dressed for work or just…" Fuck! He picked up his pace, feeling delicious inside of her, filling her, and God how much she wanted to cry out, but she couldn't. "God, I love you in jeans and a tee shirt… when we go out and someone looks at you, Mmm, I'll step closer to you or take your hand…"
His voice sounded surprised, as he rasped, "Do you?"
"Mmhmm," she confirmed, pushing herself back as he sunk in, making him groan into her neck.
"Christ, that's sexy." His hands found hers, and they threaded their fingers together. "But you don't have to do that… I'm all yours. I will only ever be all yours."
She tilted her head, her nose nudging his cheek, and he got the message because his lips were on hers. "Me too," she whispered. "God, me too."
With a growl against her lips, he did just that.