Chapter 25

One week later

At the ringing of the bell, Lois slipped out of bed quietly, pulled on a robe and padded to the front door. She was surprised that Clark hadn't heard it, but considering the poor guy had been run ragged for 36 hours before finally succumbing to exhaustion, it wasn't surprising. Then again, exhaustion hadn't stopped him from getting her naked and into bed with him, prior to falling asleep with a smile on his face.

She swung around to look back down the hallway and muttered 'hmmm'. With a light laugh, she turned and headed to the front door once again. At least she could say that her boyfriend never left her in any doubt that he found her attractive.

She pulled open the door with a polite social smile of welcome on her face, which was swiftly replaced by genuine delight "Daddy" Lois cried and stepped forward into his arms.

General Lane grinned, and hugged his daughter hard before smacking a kiss on the side of her head. Letting her go, he bent down to retrieve his bag, missing the look Lois threw in the direction of the bedroom before whipping back round.

She stepped back, held the door open wider ushering her father inside, and had no sooner closed it than began rushing into speech "I was just about to have a shower, but I can do that later. You know where everything is, so just make yourself at home while I'm getting dressed." She paused for a beat before barrelling on "Actually, why don't you get yourself a drink, then go outside to say hello to Fred, and I'll join you in a few minutes, ok?"

Sam Lane had long since gotten used to his daughters manic way of talking, but her fluttering hands was a new one "Have I come at a bad time?"

"No of course not, I was just lying down." Lois waved airily.

"I thought you were going to have a shower."

"Well I was after my lie down, but now I'm just going to get dressed."

"Why did you get undressed just to lie down?"

She felt the flush creep up her neck and silently groaned "That was for my shower...." She cleared her throat "I mean I got undressed to have a sleep, then I woke up and was going to have a shower, but now I'm not."

Deciding it was time to spare his little girl, he nodded genially "I'll just get myself a drink."

"Ok." She replied and with a relieved smile, all but ran back to the bedroom.

General Lane was no one's fool, if his daughter had taken to having naps in the afternoon it was only because someone was taking them with her. He didn't know who the man was that was making time with his daughter, but his intentions had better be honourable, and he'd better come out and face his little girl's father.

Leaving his bag in the hallway, he strode to the lounge room, directly to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a scotch, before making his way outside to greet Fred. If the man who was with his daughter had met the dog, and had come away from the encounter with his hide intact then he couldn't be all bad; but he'd wait and see.

***

Lois rushed into the bedroom, closed the door and shook Clark's shoulder "Wake up."

He groaned and pressed his face harder into the pillow.

"You have to get up."

He opened one blurry eye, smiled lazily and held out his hand "You get that robe off and come back to bed."

"Clark..." He tugged her down, snuggled around her, and began to tug open her robe, chuckling lightly when she smacked his hands "...my dad's here."

He murmured against her neck, before shooting straight up, almost causing her to roll of the mattress at his momentum. Diving quickly he grabbed her around the waist, and just as rapidly yanked his arms away as if scorched "Your dad!?"

"Yes, so have a shower, get dressed and come in through the front door in about 15 minutes." Lois whispered quickly.

He reached for the pants at the end of the bed; she grabbed them from him and pointed "Shower first."

"But…."

"Clark, it's my dad. If you don't have a shower, he'll smell the sex that's coming off you in waves through the fumes of your nervous sweat, now shower." He nodded, dashed into the bathroom and came out a minute later "You need one too."

"I know but I'm not fast like you....oh screw it, I've gotta have one." She tugged off her robe and rushed into the en-suite.

He followed, pulled the shower door open and stuck his head in "Should I come back with something?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know bread, milk, anything that'll make him believe that I wasn't here, while you were lounging around in a robe at 3 o'clock in the afternoon."

"Yeah, yeah anything now go!"

Nodding, he hastened back into the bedroom, and began to dash around grabbing fresh clothes from the cupboards and drawers, before flinging them on. Once dressed, he sped through the house, stepped outside the back door, and came to a halt at the cough from the side. Turning slowly, he found Lois' father comfortably ensconced on one of the chairs in the gazebo, or to be more precise, the only chair that was conveniently out of view from the back door and wondered if the man had deliberately picked that seat. He'd barely finished the thought before scoffing; of course he did Clark, the man's a General, he knows all about tactics and catching the enemy of guard.

Why, why, why didn't he use his x-ray vision to search the house before stepping outside? Oh, that's right, it's because you were so busy trying to be sneaky, that you didn't think; good one Clark! You didn't want General Lane to know that you'd been doing his daughter less than an hour ago, so were hoping to avoid meeting him until it looked like you hadn't been doing, what he clearly knows you have. He should have snuck out the front door, he should have flown out the window; he should have stayed hidden in the bedroom. Wincing internally at the last word, and feeling the heat gather in his face; he smiled.

General Lane rose to his feet and stepped forward. He looked the man up and down, narrowed his eyes and frowned. He knew this man; he'd seen him before, but where?

Clark cleared his throat and stuck out his hand "Hello sir."

Sam took the proffered hand, gave it a hearty shake and had to give the man kudos for guts. He was nervous but at least he wasn't turning tail and running "Hello." Letting go, he swept his eyes up and down once again before locking their eyes "What's your name son?"

"Clark...." He broke off and coughed lightly "Clark Kent; we met a long time ago sir."

"Kent." Sam frowned and pursed his lips "Kent, my daughter used to know a family by that name."

"That was my family sir; Lo...I mean Lois lived with my family for a little while years ago."

Sam frowned a little more, and nodded lightly before his eyebrows shot up "Are you that scrawny kid I met way back when?"

"Um yeah, but I've grown up since then."

"Hmmm."

"Hey Fred." Feeling grateful the mutt had continued to nudge until gaining his attention, Clark looked down, blew out a soft breath and patted the dog, before looking up again.

"He seems quite comfortable with you." Sam remarked casually.

He flushed and nodded "Yeah I...well he's gotten used to me."

"Has he now." Nodding his head Sam tucked that nugget away, noted the dog was sitting beside Clark, and smiled internally.

Lois rushed through the kitchen, saw the two of them talking and quickly stepped outside "Sorry daddy, I thought I'd have a quick shower after all." She turned and flared her eyes at Clark, before smiling at both men "It's a bit colder out here than I realised, so let's go inside huh?"

The men and Fred followed her back into the house, and after waving them to get comfortable in the seating area, she smiled once again "Does anyone want some coffee?"

"I'm fine with this." Her dad replied holding up the glass.

"I'll have some Lo." She nodded, retreated to the kitchen area and put the coffee on. While keeping an eye on the men, she moved around making up a tray of snacks, and finally decided that she'd better start the conversational ball "How long are you here for daddy?"

"Only a day, I have a few things to do at the army reserve tomorrow, and then I'm off again just after lunch, but as I was here this afternoon, I thought that I'd stop in and see my little girl."

"Well it's been a while so a day's better than nothing." She smiled in return.

"Mmm, and it seems I picked the right day too." Sam replied blandly, ignoring the dark look his daughter shot at him. Turning to Clark he asked forthright "So if Fred's gotten to know you, then I'm guessing that you're dating my little Lo?"

"Yes sir."

"What are your intentions?"

"Daddy." Lois protested, walking over to place a tray of snacks on the coffee table "Don't pay any attention to him Clark."

As the Generals brows were still raised waiting for an answer, Clark coughed uneasily, shot an uneasy look in his girlfriend's direction and sighed heavily. Now he was in for it. He was trying not to scare Lois off with his intentions, but if he told her father that he was happy to settle for anything less than marriage, the man would be happy to dissect him. And he had a pretty good idea which part of his anatomy would be the first to go.

Sending a genial smile to both, he croaked out "I ah...I only have the best of intentions towards your daughter sir."

Lois smiled, her father didn't.

"Which means what exactly?" Sam asked politely "Your best intentions and mine could be diametrically opposed." He finished, taking a sip of his scotch.

"Daddy, please stop." Lois groaned, carrying over the coffee tray and nodding thanks when Clark pushed the snack tray aside to make room.

"Ok Lo, I know that you're old enough to look after yourself so I won't say anything more." Sam Lane smiling lied.

"Thank you." She returned gratefully, taking a seat on couch beside Clark. She was pleased her dad understood that although she loved him for it, she was old enough to protect herself.

Not fooled for one minute, Clark knew that the General was going to question him again as soon as they were alone; and further had no doubt the man would ensure they had time alone. However, without Lois around he could tell her father the truth, and felt his shoulders relax for the first time since finding out the man had arrived.

"Can you stay for dinner?"

"I was hoping you could put me up for the night." Sam smiled charmingly, before sliding his eyes to Clark and back to his daughter again.

"Of course you can stay." Lois replied promptly "The guest room's always ready."

Clark outwardly smiled and inwardly cringed; now what was he supposed to do? The thought of sleeping with his girlfriend while her father was there, wasn't an enticing prospect. However, if he didn't then he'd just look like a coward. She slept with him while his mom was staying under the same roof, and oh gees....why was it so much harder for a guy?

"So what's for dinner?"

"What'd you feel like?"

"I don't have barbeque very often." Her dad smiled winningly.

She laughed and nodded "Then that's what we're having. It's a little cold out but we can cook outside, and eat inside."

He nodded and turned to the younger man "How are you at cooking a steak?"

"Good sir."

"That's fine, you cook and I'll watch; maybe I can pick your brain and get a few tips on how to cook a good steak."

Nodding and knowing exactly what General Lane was referring to, he smiled gamely.

***

Poking her head outside the door, Lois called out "It's a bit cold guys, do you want some coffee."

"Beer, please." The men returned simultaneously.

Nodding she passed the drinks out, closed the door and busily puttered around, while the men discussed the finer points of barbequing.

After a quick look inside, and noting that his daughter was occupied making a salad, Sam smiled "So, what's your story son; divorced, widowed, single, what?"

Expecting to be questioned the moment they were alone, Clark turned the grill down to low and answered promptly "I'm divorced sir; I have been for over 5 years now."

"Do you have any children?"

"No sir."

"And how long have you been playing hide the salami with my little girl?" General Lane asked bluntly.

Clark coughed out his sip of beer and looked at Sam Lane in trepidation. That hadn't been expected; not the question nor the frankness. He'd never been in this position before, and until now hadn't realised just how easy he'd had it in the past. Lana didn't have a father who'd asked him this stuff; neither had he met any of the fathers of the women he'd enjoyed a casual fling with. OH SHIT! Shit, shit, shit; what was he supposed to say? "Um, I love her sir."

The older man narrowed his eyes "If you hurt her, there won't be any place far enough to hide that I won't find you."

"I promise to look after Lois every day for the rest of my life." He avowed sincerely.

"Talks cheap." Sam returned brusquely.

"Um..." He shook his head and firmed his shoulders "I'm hoping to convince Lo to marry me one day soon."

"And if you can't."

Knowing that he couldn't give the same response to her dad that he had to his friends, Clark looked General Lane in the eye and answered truthfully "Whatever Lois wants is fine with me. I love her sir, and as long as we're together, I'm happy."

Sam nodded slowly "So what are your prospects like; do you own your own house?"

"No sir."

"Do you have any money in the bank?"

"Well I have some and my nest egg is growing." Blowing out a soft breath, Clark swore internally. He couldn't tell the man that for 10 years he'd been a farmer, and although he hadn't gone hungry nor been broke; neither had he made his fortune. Considering he'd been divorced for 5 years since then, that wouldn't be enough to satisfy a man, who only wanted to ensure his daughter wasn't going to be stuck with a deadbeat. Nor could he tell him that he'd been training for three years and didn't get paid for doing that. He'd managed to salt some money away the two years he was travelling, and a little more in the 8 months that he'd been working at the Planet, but he was far from well heeled. Swearing silently once more, he told part of the truth "Unfortunately I wasn't left with much after my divorce."

"You were divorced over five years ago."

Fuck! He knew it! The man's gonna think his daughters dating a loser. Deep breath Kent and try again "I know sir, but it took a while for me to get back on my feet."

"Hmm." Nodding Sam left it at that then cocked his head inquisitively "I can remember you a little bit from years ago; so why weren't you interested in my daughter then?"

"Um I…."

"I'm just funning with you son, from what I remember my little Lo would have eaten you alive back then…." He looked Clark up and down then nodded "…but you look like you're up to the task of keeping up with her now."

"I am." He replied confidently.

"Good, Lois is a strong woman who's independent and spirited, and I'm proud of her for that. But a strong woman needs a man with a like fortitude, one that she can depend on; not one of these new age wimps who'll let her push him around." His tone became firm "However, she also needs a man who won't try to stifle her, but will value her for the woman she is."

"I'd never try to smother or change her sir. I love Lois the way she is and I'm damn proud of what she's accomplished." Clark replied honestly "And Lo's not the kind of woman who'll stay in a relationship with anyone who didn't treat her well, or appreciate her."

Sam heard the sincerity in the younger man's voice, and felt his heart glow with pride "No she's not." Lifting his bottle in salute, he smiled "I knew that you were ok when I saw how fond Fred was of you. He likes people, but he's devoted to Lo. So if he's accepted you, then you must be ok."

"Thank you sir."

"I like you Clark, but there is something you need to know." At the younger man's interested head nod "A father never forgets it's his little girl that you're sleeping with, so keep her happy or you can forget about my liking you." Keeping his eyes steady, he smiled pleasantly "You can hurt my daughter's feelings, but I can injure you. So just remember....if you make her cry, I will make YOU cry."

The threat of bodily harm didn't scare him, but the expression in the man's eyes made his hair stand up on end all the same "You don't ever have to worry about that sir."

"No I don't think I do." His smile turned genuine, and slapping the younger man on the back, he invited cheerfully "Call me Sam."

Blowing out a silent sigh of relief, Clark inclined his head and grinned in return "Sam."

After that the two men got down to the business of barbequing while chatting pleasantly about this, that and the other.

***

After dinner was finished, the three retreated to the lounge area, but had no sooner sat down when Clark's attention was snagged by the neighbours TV. While Lois and her dad chatted away, he surreptitiously tugged his glasses down and kept one ear on the conversation beside him, and the other on the news next door.

He wiggled uneasily when the anchor talked about the train wreck just outside of Metropolis. Sighed quietly when the casualty rate came back zero, moved his shoulders restlessly when the number of people who were hurt began to rise, felt relieved when the camera's panned over the area showing the emergency crews were in force. However, when it became obvious that a little super help was needed, he knew it was time to go "Lo, I think we need cereal for breakfast tomorrow, so I'll just make a run to the store and be back soon ok?"

Lois frowned lightly, but when his eyes opened wide, she caught on and nodded "Ok bye."

He rushed out the back door, ensured that no one could see him from inside the house, or the neighbouring yards and zoomed off.

***

Lifting his cup in salute, Sam took a sip of his coffee "I like him."

Her lips tilted up "You mean Clark?" At her dad's nod, she let out a little huff of laughter "You don't say that about many people."

"I have to respect a man who can face his girlfriend's father without whimpering." He grinned in fiendish delight "I've still got it."

She laughed heartily in agreement "You'll always have it."

"Yeah." Sitting back in satisfaction, he smiled "So, how about telling your old dad just how serious this is?"

She shook her head "How about telling me if you're still seeing that nice widow, Mrs Wilson?"

Sam flushed, coughed and nodded "We've been talking about setting up house together."

"Daddy you should." She reached out and picked up his free hand "Mom's been gone for a long time, Mrs Wilson makes you happy, and Lucy and I both like her a lot."

"I do too." He sighed softly "I never thought that I'd find anyone who I wanted to settle down with again, but I have."

"I'm glad." She replied gently.

"So am I; the bigger surprise is that she wants to settle down with me." He ruminated out loud.

"What's surprising about that; you're still handsome and mom fell for your charms." Lois squeezed his hand.

He rolled his eyes lightly "Your mom was in a class all on her own, but it'll be nice having someone to share my twilight years with."

She cut in with a rude snort "Twilight years my foot; I can't see you pottering around the house, happily content growing roses."

He wrinkled his nose and laughed "True; and Alice keeps me on my toes." He sipped his coffee and admitted "She's a lady, the kind you don't find very easily."

"Then you'd better snap her up while the going is good." She supplied cheerfully "Are you thinking of living together or getting married?"

"Married; I'm not into all this living together, free love nonsense." He replied firmly.

Lois smiled and bent over to peck his cheek "Let Lucy and me know when you tie the knot, we'll both want to be there."

He flushed again but nodded "Now, what about you and Clark?"

***

Two hours later

When Clark returned, Sam titled his head and asked politely "So where's the cereal?"

Swearing internally for forgetting, he opened his mouth then closed it again before quickly rushing into speech "I remembered that Lois had some so didn't bother getting any."

"Fair enough." Sam replied agreeably.

Clark smiled and had no sooner taken a seat then the older man asked casually "So what took you so long?"

"I...well I..." He looked at Lois for help, she shrugged weakly and turning back to her father, he quickly lied "I was half way to the market when the tire gave out, so I had to change it."

"I didn't hear the car."

"That's because I walked." He supplied quickly, and felt like smacking himself in the head as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

"You walked?" At the glum nod in reply, Sam Lane held back the laughter and asked with a quiver in his voice "So did the tire give out while you were carrying the car home on your back, or did you change the tire at the market and then decide to walk home?" Clark felt the heat turn his face bright red, and knocked Lois' arm lightly with his when she turned away to snigger quietly.

Deciding it was time to put the poor guy out of his misery, Sam shook his head sadly "Son, as Superman you really need to make up lies quicker and better than that."

"I...you know?" Clark groaned and rubbed his face hard with his hands.

"Of course I know; I'm a four star General." Sam replied amused.

"I thought you only had three stars."

"That was a long time ago." He reminded the younger man kindly.

"But how'd you figure it out?"

Lois rolled her eyes lightly, "Clark, a person doesn't become a General by winning a prize in a box of cracker jacks; they do have to be somewhat intelligent."

"Thank you." Sam smiled at his daughter.

Feeling his face burn all the more, Clark cleared his throat "Um yeah, sorry."

Sam inclined his head "It's ok, and before you ask no, I don't think other military people have figured it out, or even spent time wondering if Superman has another identity. They have more than enough on their plate to think about."

"You figured it out." He replied without hesitation.

"Yes, but I'm also Lois' father, so I had a vested interest in the matter." Sam replied truthfully "I was very interested when my daughter appeared to be linked to the man of steel on more than once occasion. I know my Lo, so I knew that most everything she said at that news conference a few months ago was a bunch of bull. The only part I believed was her mention of a boyfriend. However, I was sure that her boyfriend was standing at her side wearing a red cape; and just as important that he wasn't Superman all the time but did have another identity." He tilted his head and smiled "When I saw you today, I knew.

"How?" Clark asked honestly curious.

"Well one, considering this is a big world and there's always some kind of every day thing happening at any given time, I found it mighty coincidental that Superman just happened to show up at the bank which was being robbed while my daughter was there. My daughter who was also the first person he saved, and whom he called his girlfriend." He leant forward and mock whispered "I didn't believe that he just happened to be visiting in the area, nor the Kryptonian meaning for the word." He sat back and got comfortable "The reason I didn't, takes us to point two, which also covers why I believed he had another identity. Superman mentioned that he'd only been on this planet for a short time, yet he talks with an American accent." He smirked at both of them and continued "And three, which I suppose is really one; I knew immediately that you and Superman were the same person when you first came out of the house and saw me. Fred was nudging against you pretty hard, but you didn't even stagger; by the way you really need to be aware of that when others are around. So all in all it didn't take a great mental leap for me to figure it out."

"I usually am careful regarding Fred around others, but seeing you kind of threw me off balance." He shrugged embarrassed; Sam's lips quirked but he nodded in understanding. Clark continued with a light frown "The media made sure people were aware that Superman had been seen in Seattle a lot, and used that to link him with Lo. However, no one mentioned that out of all the crime that's happening around the globe at any given time, that I just happened to be available while Lois was in the middle of a bank robbery. You're also the first person to pick up on the accent."

Hearing the disquiet in the man's voice, Sam sought to ease his worries with a bit of home truth "Son, I'm sure you've found that most people are too taken up with their own lives, to worry overmuch about who Superman really is, or if he even leads another existence. They're just grateful for the help her provides."

"Yeah I have."

The older man inclined his head briefly "I assume that Superman will be there should my daughter ever need him?"

"Yes." Clark replied simply and without hesitation.

"Then the most you'll have to contend with is further innuendo about her being Superman's girlfriend. The media will at times say that one woman or another has caught his eye, but they'll always come back to Lois being 'the one' should Superman need to rescue her in future. However, no one will know that he is Clark Kent, unless you get careless and give them ample evidence proving that you are."

Clark shrugged unconcerned "Well as I have no intention of letting Lois be hurt just to stop speculation about her and Superman, I'll just have to live with whatever they say."

Lois coughed lightly; the men just smiled at each other.

"So you knew that I was Superman when you...." Clark cleared his throat and thumbed outside.

Sam inclined his head politely "Man of steel or not, I'm not going to let anyone think they can hurt my little girl and get away with it scott free."

Letting out a shout of laughter, Clark fell back against the couch cushions "I like you Sam I really do." He grinned and sat forward "How can I not like a man who doesn't care a damn what powers I have, but still threatens me with bodily harm if I hurt his daughter."

"And means it." Sam chimed in.

"And means it." Clark smiled nodding in accord.

"Daddy." Lois chided gently, before letting out a soft giggle "I should have known."

Sam grinned unapologetically "When or if you ever have your own kids, you'll understand that no matter how old they are, they're still yours."

***

Lying in bed later

"Daddy's thinking of marrying Alice." At Clark's light frown, Lois rolled her eyes "The widow that he's been seeing."

"Are you ok about that?" He asked quietly.

"Of course, Alice is a lovely woman and she makes him happy." She smiled sincerely "Luce and I were glad when he found her."

Hearing the truth in her voice, he nodded "Then I'm glad too." Switching off the bedside lamp, he snuggled down and got comfortable "Goodnight babe."

Deciding it was time to get a bit of her own back; Lois switched the lamp back on, turned to him and smiled wickedly "So you wanna?"

Clark tensed and shook his head "No, keep your hands to yourself, stay on your side of the bed, and do not for any reason make a sound." He replied low voice before lifting the bedcovers and shaking his head "Don't you have any night clothes that are heavier, and cover you more?"

Her brows rose in amusement "I thought you liked my nightwear?"

"Not when your dad's in the next room."

Lois snickered and slid a little closer to Clark, he moved over, she slid over a little more, he did too. She sat up, slipped one strap off her shoulder, he slid it back up again. She grasped the edges and began to slide the nightdress up, he pointed one shaky finger and whispered fiercely "Don't you dare."

Chortling softly, she started to lie back down, and just as he relaxed, quickly jumped on top of him "He'll never hear us."

"Are you crazy woman?"

"Don't you say the same thing to me about your mom?"

"My mom doesn't carry a gun or lead platoons of soldiers."

"Neither of which can hurt you." She laughed throatily.

"That's not the point."

"What is the point?"

"The point is that he's a General, which means that he probably has the ears of a bat, and I have no intention of letting him think that I can't control myself for one night, while he's in the room across the hall."

"So why'd you stay over then?"

"Because I didn't want him to think that I found his daughter so undesirable, that I had to fly away." When she giggled softly he shot her a dark look "It's not funny Lo, after the inquisition I got while cooking dinner, I wouldn't have been surprised if your dad started barking questions at me if I tried to leave." He shuddered dramatically "I can just hear him yelling at me like I was one of his cadets; 'Kent, why the hell aren't you staying to sleep with my daughter? Do you not find her attractive? You'd better give me the right answer boy, or I'm gonna blow your damn head off'."

She snickered and ruffled his hair "Oh stop exaggerating it couldn't have been that bad. The two of you were smiling before dinner."

"Not that bad?" He snorted incredulous "Let me tell you something. I was expecting to be grilled; I was prepared for just about anything, including being asked if I had a prison record. What I hadn't counted on was your dad asking me how long we've been playing hide the salami."

Lois screamed, Clark slapped his hand over her mouth, and leaning down she pressed her face hard into his neck trying to smother her laughter.

Feeling her body tremble, he smoothed his hands over her back, began to slip them underneath her nightdress, and quickly whipped them out again.

Lifting her head a few minutes later, she wiped her eyes "So you wanna play now?" she asked between giggles.

"No, having your dad say that has put me off ever wanting sex with you ever again."

"Then I guess I'll have to find someone else to play that game with since I enjoy it, and not much puts me off sex." She returned innocently.

He flipped her under him quickly, leant up and shook his head "Oh no you won't, I'm the only man you'll be playing that game with."

"I thought you said..."

"I'm sure that very soon I'll be back to my normal horny self." He cut in cheerfully.

She snorted and grinned "By any chance do you think that'll happen after my dad leaves tomorrow?"

He nodded seriously, while his eyes twinkled merrily "Yep."

"I thought so."

He bent down and kissed her deeply, before lying down and curling around her "Goodnight babe."

"Goodnight." She turned off the light, wiggled closer to him, and smiled quietly when his hand slipped under her nightdress to sit on her tummy.