A/N: Okay, so bad news, folks. On Wednesday, I start back to classes, and, as with every new semester, I have no idea how much free time I'll have to write. I don't think it'll be a very stressful semester, but, none the less, I doubt I'll be able to post practically everyday like I've been able to over break. We'll see though. I will write and post as often as I can. Other than that, there's not much to tell you except I hope everyone enjoys this post. It has been a long time coming. :D Charlynn
Chapter Eleven
"Well, Marissa, everything looks good," Doctor Griffins pronounced as she sat down at her desk to jot down a few notes concerning Marissa's appointment. It was her six week check up, and, after everything that had happened, Marissa had been expecting the worst. Hearing positive news took her by surprise. "You're healing beautifully. From start to finish your pregnancy has been text book perfect." As she turned around to face her patient, Marissa was merely sitting there on the exam chair, her gown pulled down modestly over her legs, staring at her in shock.
"You're sure everything's okay," she pressed, needing reassured. "I mean, I'm healthy, and, if I ever choose to, it's okay for me to have another baby?"
"Why wouldn't you be?"
"It's just….," Marissa stopped to laugh gleefully, "this is the first piece of good news I've had since I gave birth. Nothing's gone right."
Confused, the health profession stated, "I don't understand. I was there for your labor. Sure, you were in a lot of pain, but, honey, let me tell you, I've seen worse. And afterwards, when I checked you before you went home, you were doing fine then, too."
"Oh, it hasn't been me," Marissa explained. "It was my daughter, Aubrey. She had Pyloric Stenosis."
"Wow! That could not have been fun." Interested in the story, the doctor leaned back in her chair, making herself comfortable to listen.
Surprised, Marissa exclaimed, "you've heard of it?"
"I might not be a pediatrician, but I do have my medical license," Doctor Griffins playfully chastised her patient. "I imagine with you being a first time Mother, you were a mess."
"I was," Marissa revealed with a small laugh. Now that time had passed and she knew her daughter was healthy, she could see humor in some aspects of the tale. "I had no idea what was going on, thought I was doing something wrong, that I was a bad mother, and was just about at my wit's end when they finally discovered what she had."
"And now," the older woman pressed curiously, "has the experience ruined the idea of having more children for you?"
"Oh no," Marissa quickly answered. "I will admit that before she got a clean bill of health, I had serious doubts, but I've been reassured that what happened wasn't my fault, and what are the chances that it could happen again? Even if it does though, I'll be prepared."
"That's good to hear," the doctor smiled at the young mother, "because not all of my patients take care of themselves as well as you did. But this is the boring stuff," she changed the topic, "tell me all about that little girl of yours. I bet she's her Mommy's pride and joy."
"She's amazing," Marissa gushed, immediately reaching for her purse to pull out the sets of pictures she had already had taken of her daughter. "I swear she changes so much everyday; I don't want to even blink, because it seems as if she's going to be all grown up before I even know it. She already has her own little personality, too. Mornings, you do not mess with her. Just feed her and let her go back to sleep, but, in the afternoons, she's really playfully while at night she loves to cuddle. Obviously, that's my favorite time of day. Plus, she likes certain scents better than others when we take bubble baths, there are certain outfits that you can tell she just hates, and she has this adorable pouting look that gets her anything she wants. I swear, I don't know what I did with my life before I had her."
"I'm actually surprised you didn't bring her with you. I can't imagine Callie is watching her." Doctor Griffins was also Callie's OB-GYN as well. "After all, she could go into labor at any second."
"Oh, she's here," Marissa responded breezily, standing up and moving towards the bathroom to change back into her clothes. "She's in the waiting room with her Daddy."
Smirking to herself as she closed the door behind her, she knew she left her doctor in shock, that she would be waiting with several prepared questions for when she emerged from the bathroom. Although, at times when she didn't want to face the painful truth during her pregnancy, Doctor Griffins' interest and concern about her life had been annoying, Marissa recognized that she genuinely cared about her patients and wanted the best for them. Even though Marissa respected and even appreciated the gesture, that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with her.
Exiting the bathroom fully dressed, she had to do everything in her power to keep from smirking. Looking up at the older woman in front of her, Marissa knew she understood exactly what kind of game she was playing with her. "You better sit right back down," Doctor Griffins ordered, "because we have some more talking to do."
"But don't you have other patients to see, more work waiting for you," Marissa teased, sliding towards the door. "I know how busy you are, and I wouldn't want to make you run behind on your appointments."
"I'll be fine," the health professional dismissed, motioning for Marissa to sit down. "Spill. The last time I saw you when you were in the hospital, and Ryan had barely even come to see your or the baby."
"Well a lot has changed since then."
"Understatement of the decade," the doctor quipped. "Would you quit being coy and just tell me. How did this develop?"
"I really don't know," Marissa admitted, unable to keep a joyful, radiant smile off her face, her eyes shining to reflect the emotions she felt in her heart. "One minute we're fighting, and the next thing I know, he's just there for me. Aubrey was sick, and I was falling apart, but Ryan was there; he held me together, took care of me and our daughter, and made sure that she got the care she needed. I don't know what I would have done without him."
"Did you ask him to change; did you give him an ultimatum?"
"No, it was nothing like that. Actually," Marissa revealed, rolling her eyes at the memory, "there was this woman that he brought home, and she started screaming at me, because the baby was upset. The next thing I know she grabs my arm, and Ryan just loses control. It was like she just pushed him over the edge, and he snapped. Looking back, I realize there were other moments. Now, they were few and far between, but he's cared all along; he was just too scared of getting hurt to admit it."
"But you can only ignore your feelings for so long," Doctor Griffins finished for her, understanding the story, "before you have to do something about those very powerful and un-ignorable feelings." Agreeing with her, Marissa nodded her head. "So now what," she pressed, wanting to know more. "Are you two friends, just parenting Aubrey together, or is there a chance for a real relationship, a real family for that adorable daughter of yours?"
"Well, maybe this will answer your question," Marissa smiled, blushing slightly. "I need to know if it's okay to….you know." When the older woman just stared at her blankly, Marissa's blush deepened as she struggled to express her query. "Can we…Ryan and I….be together….I mean….REALLY together? Is it safe?"
"Oh, honey," Doctor Griffins couldn't help but laugh at Marissa's embarrassment, "if you should be comfortable talking to one person about your sex life, it's your gynecologist, especially if she's also your obstetrician, too. And yes, your body has healed enough that it's perfectly safe for you to have sex if you're emotionally ready. Now that, I can't tell you; you have to determine that for yourself." Standing up, she walked Marissa to the door, opening it for her as they proceeded into the hallway. "Other than that, just have fun," she added winking at her young patient. "It's definitely been a while for you, and Aubrey's going to need a younger brother or sister. You should start practicing as soon as you're ready."
The doctor was still chuckling as Marissa left her side, a deep, scarlet coloring her otherwise pale cheeks, but she soon forgot the older woman's teasing when she saw Ryan sitting in front of her, Aubrey sleeping sounded in his arms. He stood up to greet her, repositioning their daughter so that she was resting on the left side of his chest, making his right arm free to slip around Marissa's waist as they walked out together.
"So, what did she say," he asked her softly, eagerly, hopefully. Marissa knew what he was referring to.
Slipping her left hand which was holding onto him into his back pocket, she buried her face in his shoulder as they moved together to the car, leaving a gentle, seductive, lingering kiss on his neck. As she felt his grip around her tighten, Marissa knew he had understood her silent response.
It was hours later, and every excuse Marissa could offer him was used up. Dinner had been made and eaten, Aubrey bathed and put down for the night, and it was late enough that they both knew no one would be stopping over to see them, interrupting what was about to happen. She wanted to be with him, too, so badly, but she was also nervous. Was it too soon? What if she disappointed him? As Doctor Griffins had so kindly pointed out, it had been a long time since Marissa had been intimate with a man, and none of her previous experiences had meant so much. After all, they had all been one night stands….well except for Ryan, but this time she wasn't going to be having sex to escape her life; she was going to be making love to the man she had fallen for months before, the man who was the father of her child, the man who, secretly, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. But that was another problem. What if Ryan didn't feel the same way; what if sleeping with him, giving that portion of her heart to him would only open her up to more pain? It was a risk she had, up to that point in her life, been unwilling to take, but as she peered out of the corner of the eye at the man beside her, his hands immersed in a sink of dirty dishes as they worked together to clean up their mess from dinner, she realized it was a risk she wanted to take. She was just scared.
"What was that look for," Ryan's voice interrupting her thoughts made her jump. If she hadn't been so nervous she would have recognized the teasing quality to it.
"What look?"
"Don't play innocent with me," he replied, wiping off his hands and moving away from the sink to stand behind her while she continued to dry the dishes he had already washed. "I saw you sneaking a glance at me just now."
"I….I wasn't," she stammered, flushing in mortification at being caught. "I was making sure that you got all the food off of that plate. It's no fun to rewash something when it has food stuck on it."
"Well then I'll hire you a maid," he dismissed her fake concerns. Her body tensed as she felt him mold his to her own, his hands moving to slip under her shirt as his lips whispered along her exposed neck, tickling and tantalizing her. "Come on, let's go to bed. This is boring, and I have better things, things that more entertaining, in mind for us to do."
Still worried about what they were going to do, she protested faintly, his assault on her senses already weakening her argument. "But the dishes…."
"….will be here in the morning when we get up. Come on, Aubrey's sound asleep, we're alone, we should be taking advantage of this situation and not putting it off for unimportant chores."
When she went to protest again, she felt Ryan turn her around in his arms, and, looking up into his eyes, his amazingly blue eyes that were solely focused upon her, their depths betraying the things he felt that he just couldn't say, she was lost, and she didn't want to be found. This, she realized, being with him, made sense, and, in that moment, her fears started to subside to be replaced with a pleasure and a yearning she had never felt before.
"I know you're scared," Ryan said softly, bringing his forehead to rest against hers, "and I'm scared, too. Hell," he admitted with a self-deprecating smirk, "this is the first time I've ever done this where it means something. That definitely puts some added pressure on a guy."
"And," she added, smiling smugly at how well she had grown to know and understand him, "this is also the first time you'll be completely sober. What if things just don't work the right way when you're not tipsy? Perhaps I should open a bottle of wine…."
She went to move away from his arms, but he pulled her back to him, tickling her in the process and making her giggle. The moment was exactly what they needed to break the tension between them.
"You aren't going anywhere," he insisted, kissing her lips softly. "And your teasing," Ryan continued once he pulled away from her, feeling proud of himself when he saw her lashes fluttering from bliss and heard her slight moans of complaint when he separated their mouths, "it's really not funny."
"I got a few giggles from it," she admitted, taunting him, but, before she could say anything else, he moved in and captured her lips again in an endless, shiver inducing kiss.
"No more talking," he demanded, his words mumbled against their joined mouths.
Sighing in contentment, she agreed, "no more talking, just this….a lot more of this."
Shocking her, Marissa felt Ryan slip his hands up under the loose fitting shorts she was wearing to cup her derrière, squeezing it softly. Taking the silent invitation, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him even closer to her, her fingers entwining delicately with the shaggy ends of his blonde hair that hung down onto the back of his neck. Before she knew what was happening, Ryan had lifted her up, her long, bare legs going to straddle his strong torso as he blindly led them out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom, their journey there anything but smooth and gentle.
Unwilling to part their mouths, their tongues searching and tasting the other, neither could see where they were moving. When they would bump into a wall, Ryan would press her up against it, melding their two separate bodies into one as if he needed to feel her as close as possible. If they accidentally walked into a table, he would rest her against it, his hands leaving her backside to explore other equally tempting and supple parts of her body, the movements of his fingers against her silky smooth skin eradicating any thought in Marissa's mind other than her desire for him. By the time they reached his bedroom, their bodies were slick with sweat, their hearts racing out of anticipation, their breathing erratic from the release of their passion.
Suddenly, as Ryan gently laid her body down, his entire demeanor changed; he became thoughtful, tender, loving as if he was in awe of her. Slowly, he took his time undressing her body, revealing every fine distinction and facet of it to his greedy eyes. Months before they had shared their bodies with each other, but this time they were starting a relationship, sharing not only their bodies but also minds, hearts, and souls with their partner.
Waiting for him, her entire being bare and exposed, Marissa threw her head back in ecstasy as his lips and hands teased and enticed her senses into a state of euphoria she had never experienced before. As he entered her slowly, his actions soft and delicate, she felt a wave of emotion overwhelm her. Unable to express how she felt in words, the feelings she felt for the man moving sensually inside of her found a release in a single tear of devotion, trust, and hope. Their gazes locked together as one, Ryan saw her voiceless illustration of her ardor and leaned down to kiss the salt tinged droplet away. In that moment, in that simple, meaningful, compassionate moment, Marissa realized this was what she had waiting and wishing for her whole life, that Ryan and their daughter were quickly becoming her whole, entire world.
Pulling him down to rest his body against hers for he had been supporting his weight with his powerful arms, their chests pressed together tightly, she opened herself up to him, taking him in deeper and rocking her hips to meet his own actions. Their pace was unhurried, serene, graceful. Being together, finally admitting their feelings in a physical expression, was something to be cherish, something they wanted to linger and delay as long as possible in order to enjoy every possible moment of rapture. By the time their senses came to a culmination and their bodies came to the pinnacle of their fulfillment together as one, they were both exhausted and completely satisfied.
Rolling over to rest on his back, Ryan pulled her closely to him, placing gentle kisses along her bare, glistening shoulders before bringing her body to lie on top of his. "Thank you," he whispered into her ear, the low, husky quality of his voice betraying his emotions, "thank you for forgiving me, for giving me a second chance."
"Thank you for wanting one," Marissa replied, punctuating her words by taking his lips in a decadent and lasting kiss before snuggling her body into his, her head resting protected on his chest.
It was a moment they wanted to last forever, to cherish, to savor, but it was not meant to be like that. Not even five minute after they relaxed into each others arms, the soft, beautiful cry of their daughter could be heard over the baby monitor resting on Ryan's nightstand.
"I'm sorry," Marissa apologized, immediately moving to stand up and go to Aubrey.
"Hey," Ryan corrected her, making her lay back down, "there's nothing to be sorry about. Stay here, I'll go and get her. She probably just misses her Mommy and Daddy."
With a gracious, warm smile lighting up her glowing face, Marissa watched as the man she had just completely shared herself with climbed out of bed to slip on his boxers, walking away from her to comfort their daughter. Never had he appeared more attractive in her eyes.
Seconds later, he reentered the room, a gurgling, content Aubrey cradled affectionately in his arms. Sliding back into bed, he moved their daughter to rest on the left side of his chest as he pulled Marissa to lean against his right. Feeling him place a tender kiss against her forehead, she closed her eyes to fall asleep, realizing Ryan was taking care of both of his girls, her and their daughter, and it felt perfect.
There was a dull, slightly annoying buzzing noise ringing in Marissa's ears as she tried to sleep. She knew she should get up and see what it was about, but she was just too comfortable, too at peace, too happy to disturb the private sanctuary that Ryan's bedroom had become for the three of them. Dragging her into reality though, Ryan's voice, soft so as not to disturb Aubrey who was still sleeping on his chest, broke through her wall of sleep.
"Hey," he told her gently, "it's for you. I think it's Callie, but she seems….different, off some how." Lifting his arm that had been securely wrapped around her, he helped her sit up, handing the phone to her once she was ready for it.
"Callie," Marissa asked anxiously, "what's wrong? It's like….," she glanced over that the alarm clock on the nightstand, "three o'clock in the morning."
"Yeah, it's three o'clock in the morning," the teenager bit back, harshly, "and you're obviously with Ryan right now, because he answered the phone and I could hear him waking you up. You slept with him, didn't you?"
Calmly, Marissa replied, "yes, I did, and we can talk all about it later, but I really don't think you called to check in on our sleeping arrangements, and, if you did, I'm going to start turning the phone off at night. Is the baby okay; are you okay?"
"We're fine," the younger woman dismissed, breathing heavily. "You're not getting out of this discussion that easily. I want details….NNNOOOWWWW!"
"Oh my god," Marissa finally grasped, scrambling out of bed only to realize that she was still very much naked, "you're in labor." Grabbing a loose blanket, she draped it around her as she quickly moved about the room looking for her clothes that Ryan had scattered everywhere. "Stay right there, remember your breathing techniques, and I'll be there as son as I can. I just…" she explained hopping around clumsily as she tried to put her shorts on with one hand while still holding onto the phone and the blanket with the other, "need…to…..get…." Breathlessly, she collapsed into a heap on the floor, bruised and embarrassed. Before she could say anything else though, the phone was snatched from her hand, and, gazing up, she saw a boxer clad Ryan, holding a sleeping Aubrey in his arms while he talked to a very distracted, hormonal, and demanding Callie on the phone for her.
"She needs to get dressed first," Ryan explained evenly, calmly, "but as soon as is, she'll be there. Can you wait fifteen minutes, or do you need me to call an ambulance for you?"
Although Marissa couldn't hear her friend's response, she knew it was something sarcastic and cynical when an amused smile flashed across Ryan's face. "Alright then," he teased Callie, "I'll take that as a no." Tossing the phone aside when he was finished, he gave Marissa his hand to help her up, speaking softly to her the entire time. "That friend of yours, she's got quite the dirty mouth on her when she's in pain and annoyed. You might learn some new curse words before you're finished with the day." Changing his tone, he asked her, "do you want me to go with you, to help? We can either bring Aubrey with us, or, if you don't want to take her out, I'm sure my Dad would come up and sit with her."
"No," Marissa answered him, a serene and happy smile on her face as she led him back to the bed, "I'll be fine. Stay here, let Aubrey get a good night's sleep. Besides," she added smugly, "I have a feeling she's not the only one who's tired. You put on quite the performance earlier."
"I do what I can," he teased her smugly, grinning when she pushed him back onto the bed. "But what about you; you're about to go into the lion's den with only a few hours of sleep. I don't want you exhausting yourself."
"She needs me, Ryan," Marissa pointed out softly. "She has no one else, and I want to be there for her. However, that said, when I come back sore, tired, and cranky, don't worry, I'll let you take care of Aubrey for me while I sleep for about a week." Laughing at his slightly scared expression, she leaned down, finally dressed in the shorts and t-shirt she had been wearing before, and placed an unhurried, lingering kiss on his lips. "I'll call you later, let you know how things are going." Slipping out the door, she spoke one last time. "Tell Aubrey I love her when she gets up," and, with that, she disappeared into the night.
It was late the next night when Marissa finally got the chance to call Ryan, and she knew he would be worried about her for there were several messages from him on her cell asking her to call him as soon as she got them. Slowly, she positioned her tired body to rest on the curb of the sidewalk outside of the hospital. Callie had been in labor for a few hours before they had arrived, but it had still taken twenty-two hours for her son to be born, and Marissa was exhausted. She hadn't slept since the few hours she had gotten with Ryan the night before. Dialing the all too familiar number of the apartment, she waited on the line to hear his deep, soothing voice.
"Hey, did I wake you?"
"No," he yawned, his words making her smile, "I was waiting up to hear from you. What took you so long to call?"
"I just got out of the delivery room," she answered. "The women in Callie's family are known for long labors and big babies, and, let me tell you, she didn't disappoint on either front."
"So, how is she and…."
"Austin Beaumont Edwards. Apparently you can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl. But, other than being sick of me teasing her, Callie and her son, all thirteen pounds, two ounces of him, are doing well."
"You've got to be kidding me," Ryan exclaimed. Marissa could tell he was suddenly wide awake. "That little thing pushed out a kid that's probably an eighth of her own size, and she lived through it. How is that even possible?"
"I don't know," Marissa giggled. She, too, was surprised by how well Callie had gotten through labor, "but she did. Oh, Ryan, you should see him. He's so short, only 19 inches long, and he's the chubbiest baby I've ever seen. His legs and arms have these little dimples and rolls, and he's completely bald, but he's so cute. I told Callie I'm going to sneak him home before she wakes up."
"I know a little girl who would be very jealous," Ryan responded, teasing her. "She has not been a happy camper without you."
"Aw, has she been fussy," Marissa asked concerned.
"A little," he acknowledged, "and I think she definitely missed the bubble bath you two take together every night. I know I did."
"What….how do you….you little voyeur," Marissa yelled at him. "You watch me when I take a bath."
"All the time."
Determinedly, she declared, "that's either going to stop or you're just going to have to join us."
"I don't take bubble baths," Ryan pronounced, his tone adamant.
"Well, we'll just see about that. How's the milk supply," Marissa changed the subject. "The nurses said you stopped by and picked up what I had pumped for you."
"We're fine," he reassured her. "There's enough here to last her another day and a half, but you'll be home before then, won't you?"
"Yeah, I'm going to stay the night with Callie, but she understands that I need to leave in the morning, so she'll just call me when she gets released so I can help her and Austin home."
"Will they be okay by themselves," Ryan asked. She loved that he was concerned for her friend if only because Callie meant something to her. "You know, I could make some calls, find her a good nanny, someone who could get the apartment ready for them and who could stay there for a few weeks while she adjusts to motherhood."
"That's so sweet of you to offer," Marissa gushed, proud of him, "but she'd never accept it from you."
"Well then we'll tell her it's from you."
"She knows that I couldn't afford to do that, so she wouldn't believe me. We'll just have to help her out the best we can. You can cook her food, and I'll take it to her. She's still a little feisty, so if you showed up on her doorstep, I'm not quite sure you'd make it back in one piece. I can also help her with the baby whenever I can. Everything will be okay."
"And what about school," Ryan pressed seemingly on a roll with his newfound streak of concern. "She needs to go back and finish high school in the fall, but how will she be able to complete her senior year with a newborn? Then, after that, she'll have college…."
Stifling a laugh, Marissa appeased him. "I don't know what she'll do, but we'll help her figure it out. As for right now, I'm starving, and I promised Callie I'd be back soon, so I need to hang up so I can go to the cafeteria before heading up to her room."
"Or I could whip something up for you," Ryan offered. "It wouldn't take me long. I could be there in half an hour with a home cooked meal."
"But you'd have to wake Aubrey to bring it to me. Stay at home, give our daughter a kiss for me, and get some sleep. Remember, buddy, when I get back tomorrow, you're still on baby duty while I recuperate."
"Yeah, yeah," he mocked her words, "you'll probably monopolize Aubrey from the moment you walk in the front door."
"I've got to go, Ryan. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."
"We'll be waiting," she heard him tell her quietly as she flipped her cell shut. Marissa couldn't wait to get home, and, because of that, she knew the night was going to drag on forever.
"Where's my baby," Marissa demanded as she stepped into the foyer of their apartment just as the clock struck seven. As she had promised, she was early. However, unlike what she had been expecting, Ryan and Aubrey were not standing there waiting for her. Walking further into the living space, she noticed that it was spotlessly clean, not a book, not a pillow, not a picture frame out of place. Smiling to herself, she realized just how bored Ryan had been without her there with him: he had voluntarily cleaned the whole apartment. "Ryan," she called out, her voice curious instead of demanding as it had been a moment before, "where are you?" Softly to herself, she remarked, "you can't be asleep still. There's no way Aubrey hasn't gotten you up to feed and change her yet." But still, there was no response, no one in sight.
Moving slowly down the hall towards her and the baby's room, she pushed the door open. Immediately, panic seized her. Staring at a room that was now just a nursery, all traces of her presence gone, Marissa felt her legs go weak underneath her as she started to collapse onto the floor.
"Hey," Ryan's voice called out softly from behind her, his arms moving to wrap themselves around her waist in order to support her. "You okay there?"
"Where's…..where's my stuff," she whispered out hoarsely, tears of alarm and fear clouding her vision.
"Yeah, about that," he answered, leading her down the hallway towards the closed door of his bedroom, "we need to talk. This arrangement we made months ago, Marissa, well," he admitted shrugging his shoulders in an unsure manner, "it's not working out for me any longer, so the deal's off. You see, we agreed that our personal lives would remain just that, personal, but now that we've crossed that line, things need to change, and you need to move." She struggled to make him release his grip upon her, but his arms would not budge. Unable to talk, the anguish she was experiencing too cruel and raw, Marissa could do nothing but let the tears fall from her eyes. "So, I took the liberty of doing it for you," Ryan revealed, opening the door to his room.
There, in front of her wet and red eyes, was a transformed space, a place that was meant to be shared by the both of them. While some elements of Ryan's old bedroom remained, her possessions, things she loved and cherished, were spread around the large, grand space making it theirs together and not just his. It was such a big step, such an important gesture, that she couldn't take it all in, couldn't appreciate all the work he had put into even the very last detail.
"Aubrey and I discussed it while you were gone," he kept talking, "and she said that you were cramping her style and taking over all the space in the nursery. And, since my room is bigger and I kind of like the idea of you crowding me, we figured it would be a better fit for you to share the master bedroom with me while we leave her with her own, smaller room. That is….if it's okay with you?"
Turning around in his arms, Marissa moved to kiss him, but, instead, she bit his bottom lip and urged his face closer to hers. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she ordered, tugging roughly on his lip, "or you will be sorry."
"If this is your idea of punishment," Ryan mused to himself, suddenly, picking her up to hold her in his arms, "then I might be bad more often. However," he changed the subject, his voice softening in concern, "you have to be exhausted, so I'm going to tuck you into bed."
"But wait," Marissa complained, craning her head to look around the room, "where's my baby girl?"
"She's spending the day with her Grandpa….and Dot, Gladys, Rose, Susan, and, last but not least, Norma."
"Do I even want to know," she asked exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.
"Probably not, but Aubrey's in good hands….all ten of them."
Amidst her peals of mirth, Ryan carried Marissa to what had become their bed, gently placing her down so he could pull the covers over her. Dropping a light kiss onto her cheek, he went to leave her alone, but her soft voice stopped him. As she watched him turn back around, Marissa smiled, scooting over in the king sized bed, and patting the space right beside her.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Um….I don't know, to do some work, maybe watch a little TV," he replied, confused. "Don't you want to go to sleep?"
"More than anything," she conceded, "and that's why you need to come lay with me." Sitting up in bed, she quickly stripped her clothes off, only reclining back down when Ryan, also, suddenly, in nothing, was beside her. Relaxing her body into his, her eyes immediately drooped closed out of sheer exhaustion as soon as she felt his arm encircle her waist and pull her closer. Before she knew, Marissa was asleep, the man beside her merely laying there, silently, at peace, watching her. Finally, she was home.