*Here we have our adorable couple being, well, adorable once again. There's also some cute and snuggly Ellie!

Ethan woke up the next morning to what could've possibly been the most adorable sound he'd ever heard in his entire life: giggling. And not just any giggling, but full on, whole body, trying to remain quiet giggling. When he cracked his eyes open a few minutes later he was greeted with a sight that he never thought he'd be lucky enough to see, not in a million years. Ellie had crawled into his bed at some point and was now snuggled against Leanne's chest, one arm wrapped tightly around her stuffed unicorn, the other resting on top of Leanne's free arm, her little fingers rubbing up and down the woman's arm slowly. Leanne's arms were around the little girl, hugging her tightly to her, and her head was resting on top of the small girl's chestnut curls. They were watching something on the TV, and judging by the sounds of laughter that continued to leave their lips, it must've been funny. He felt his heart swell when Leanne leaned forward and dropped a kiss to the child's head, her eyes shining in the early morning light. If Ethan hadn't loved her before, he sure as hell loved her now.

"You girl's having fun over there?" He whispered, reaching out to run a hand down Leanne's arm. He was glad that they had both decided to put clothes back on before climbing into bed last night. He didn't even want to imagine what it would have been like trying to explain to his 6 year old why they were both naked in bed.

"Hi daddy." Ellie's voice was quiet and he could still hear the sleepy tone she got in the early hours. He eyed her softly as she snuggled against Leanne some more and if hadn't known any better he'd swore his lover was responsible for half of his daughter's DNA.

"Morning." Leanne's soft voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked down at her with soft eyes. When his gray met her hazel he felt his heart stop in his chest. Goddamn this woman had a hold on his heartstrings.

Ethan knew it had been insane to bring up the whole baby thing last night. He honestly didn't even know where the idea had come from. But then it had slipped out and he was asking her about having a baby with him before he even knew what was happening. It had been downright insane. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn't stop imagining the sight of Leanne pregnant with their child. He couldn't stop thinking about holding their son or daughter for the first time. The late nights, the firsts, everything in between. He couldn't get it out of his head. As much as he loved Ellie, and boy did he love that kid, he had missed all of those steps with her. And he hated himself for it. He wanted a second chance at that, and wanted Leanne to experience it all again too. But again, it was an insane idea.

"Can we have pancakes for breakfast daddy?" The little girl's voice brought Ethan out of his thoughts once more and he eyed her as she lifted herself up to look at him with sleepy eyes.

"Sure thing baby." He replied, reaching out to brush back some of her frantic hair. "You want chocolate chips or blueberries?"

Ellie placed her index finger against her nose and tapped gently, eyeing him with curious eyes before she shifted her gaze to the woman laying between them. "What do you want Leanne?"

Leanne's eyes lit up at the girl's question and she let out a chuckle. "How about chocolate chips?"

"Good choice!" Ellie threw her arms around the woman's neck and plopped back down against her, the biggest smile lighting up her little face. "Daddy we want chocolate chip pancakes!" Her deceleration caused Leanne to laugh and when she turned her gaze toward him he couldn't help but smile at the glint in her eyes.

"I'll get right on that." He whispered, leaning down to kiss Leanne softly, his hand ruffling the hair on his daughter's head. He watched as Ellie smiled, turning her attention back to the TV program she had been watching so intently before and he used the distraction to his advantage. He dropped another kiss to Leanne's shoulder and whispered against her ear. "I'm glad you're here."

She offered him a soft smile, her free hand reaching out to rub along his stubble covered cheek. "Me too." She whispered, and Ethan felt his heart falling.

Offering her a gentle smile, Ethan reached out and cupped her cheek gently, turning her head toward him fully. "I love you." He whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. The tears in her eyes made him choke back a sob. He hated that this was so hard for her. He hated that she was being pulled in a hundred different directions at once. He hated that he was the one doing most of the pulling.

"I know Ethan." She whispered back, pressing a kiss to his lips lightly. "I know."

He pulled back once more, eyeing the little girl beside her with curious eyes. If she noticed the exchange between the two adults, she didn't seem phased by it, for which he was thankful. Dropping another kiss to Leanne's lips he slowly rolled himself out of the bed and made his way into the kitchen. He knew that those chocolate chip pancakes were a sought after item and he didn't dare not deliver.

—

The trio had eaten breakfast in a comfortable silence, save for Ellie's giggles as she got powdered sugar all over her nose. The rest of the morning had followed much the same, comfortable, but quiet. They had each taken their respective time to get ready, and Ellie had spent most of the day tucked to Leanne's side. She had asked for her to color with her, and then they had gone for a walk together around the block. She had even asked for Leanne to paint her toenails, much to Ethan's amusement. Ellie had even helped Leanne make lunch and had even cuddled up with her afterward, claiming she needed a nap. Ethan had loved having them both together all day, and while he was excited for a night alone with Leanne, he sure was going to miss their interaction while Ellie was gone.

Noa had come around 4:00pm to pick Ellie up, claiming that she had a special surprise for her. Ethan had a strange feeling that surprise included a happy meal and a night of torturing Mario with board games and Disney Junior shows. Ellie didn't seem to care though and Ethan was thankful that she had the younger couple in her life too. He knew they were probably a lot more fun than he and Leanne were in their old age. His daughter had laughed excruciatingly loud at that comment and Noa had just rolled her eyes, pushing him away and telling him to leave, that he was probably overdue for bed anyway. He had joined Leanne on the porch and they had waved goodbye to the girl with smiles on their faces.

That had been almost an hour ago and Ethan thought that the house was disturbingly quiet without the sounds of little feet and giggles filling the small space. He had retreated to his office to work while Leanne had settled on the couch with a book, and while he had many other things on his mind regarding the brunette woman, he wasn't about to overstep any boundaries after last night. And this morning. He didn't want to pull her any further apart than he already was.

"You hungry?" He heard her soft voice filter through the small space of his office and when he looked up he was greeted with what was possibly the softest, yet sexiest, sight he had ever seen. She was leaning against the door frame, clad in sweatpants and a tank-top, his Dodger's hoodie hanging loosely around her shoulders and arms. She had pulled her hair up into a bun while cooking lunch earlier and there it had stayed, a few pieces having fallen out to frame her beautiful face. Her glasses were perched on her nose and she had the sweetest smile on her lips. She looked like the most domesticated angel he had ever seen and he was so fucking in love with her that it hurt.

"Getting there." He replied, standing to make his way toward her. When he stopped in front of her he offered her a smile, his hands reaching out to brush back some of her loose curls. He loved it when she wore it like this. "What did you have in mind?" He licked his lips, he certainly knew what he was hungry for now.

Rolling her eyes Leanne reached forward, brushing her fingers across his chest lightly. "I was hoping we could stay in." The lust in her voice was unmistakable and when her eyes got dark behind the lenses of her glasses he let out a low moan, his fingers making their way down her neck slowly, running along her exposed collar bones.

"Good idea." His fingers ran under the strap of her tank top, trailing down her chest to stop right above her bra. He backed her against the open door frame, pressing his lips against hers tightly. The moan she let out made him chuckle and he couldn't help but tug on her bottom lip with his teeth. He let his other hand settle against her hip as she tugged on his t-shirt tightly, her hands slipping underneath to run across his abs.

She let out a low growl when his hand moved away from her chest, his fingers curling themselves around her neck as he deepened the kiss. Grounding her hips against his, she reached around to trail her fingertips up his back and then down again. He moaned, his hand tightening its hold around her hip. "Bedroom?" She whispered against his mouth, her eyes closing for a brief second as he dropped kisses to her neck. He simply nodded his head as he pulled away enough for her to step forward. Taking his hand gently, she led him down the hall with a sly smile on her lips, the bedroom door closing behind them quietly.

—

They had made love for what felt like hours, both relishing in the fact that they didn't have to be quiet, or quick. Afterward, Ethan had dragged them to the bathroom to shower, where his lips did more work than his hands, and then some. Leanne felt like she was using him, but she just couldn't stop herself. And while the sex was great, she knew that she needed to talk to him. She knew that she needed to address the issues between them. That this back and forth couldn't continue. She wanted more, so much more, and if he was willing to let her in, then dammit she wanted in.

"Can we talk about something?" She whispered, her hand tangling against the blanket resting over them. She could still hear his heart trying to catch up after their evening activities and the feeling of his warm skin against her cheek made her wonder if this was all just a really good dream.

"Hmm…" His questioning tone was quiet in the dark bedroom, his fingers continuing to rub gentle circles against her bare hip. She was thankful she had opted for just pulling his t-shirt on with her underwear.

"Ethan…?" She pulled back slightly, bringing her arms to rest under her head as she turned her face toward him.

"Leanne…?" He dragged out her name in what she figured was supposed to be an aggravated tone, instead it sounded sexy, and she had to close her eyes for a brief second in order to calm her nerves.

"I'm serious." She reached up, running her fingers along his jaw. She could tell he still had his eyes closed, and judging by the relaxed state of his body, he was probably on his way toward sleep. "I wanna talk about something."

"Can it wait?" He whispered, his fingers stilling against her hip as he turned his face down to look at her, his gray eyes shining back at her. "As much as I love talking to you, my brain is a little…" He offered her a sloppy smile, his other hand reaching up to brush her damp curls away from her face. "Well my brain is mush."

Chuckling, she tugged on his jaw gently, bringing his head down so that she could press a kiss to his soft lips. When he smiled against her mouth, his one hand tangling in her hair while the other ran up her side, she could practically feel her brain melting as well.

"You promise we'll talk tomorrow?" Her voice was quiet as she dropped her head back against his chest. She felt his fingers tighten around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her head.

"Promise love." Another kiss and another squeeze and then she felt him go lax beneath her, his breath sounds evening out. Smiling softly to herself, she draped her arm back across his stomach and snuggled herself even closer. She could definitely get used to falling asleep like this.

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Don't forget to comment!