DISCLAIMER: I own nothing
A/N: So I didn't mean for such a major gap between updates to occur, but here we are with another chapter! Enjoy, and thank you for all of the support as always. I hope to have another update ASAP!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Love and Lose -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Are you gorgeous?" Penelope asked her daughter rhetorically as they sat on the floor. Sophia on her back in front of her mom. "I think you are," Penelope cooed and tickled her daughters belly receiving a loud laugh. "Yes you are!" She said as she picked the little girl up and held her in the air. "You're mamma's gorgeous little girl."
She watched the little girl respond with giggles and gurgles and she continued to lavish the little girl in doses of love and laughter. Unaware of Derek standing looking in on the moment, she just continued to talk away to the baby oblivious to the eyes watching her amused.
"She's gotten real big in the last week," Derek spoke from the doorway finally letting her know of his presence.
Looking up, Penelope smiled as he was still decked out in pyjama bottoms and a crumpled t-shirt -One of her favourite looks on Derek besides him being completely naked of course.
"Look Bubba, daddy's finally woken up," Penelope spoke holding Sophia so she was face Derek. She then stood up and approached him, "A week is like a decade in baby years." She joked with him and handed their daughter over to him.
"Do not say that," Derek scolded her lovingly, "I don't want her to ever to grow up, do I Princess?" Derek asked his little girl as he took her in his arms. "She might be only three months, but she is going to break hearts."
"She learnt it off of her daddy," Penelope said as she kissed the back of her daughter's head and then lifted onto her bare tips of her toes and kissed her husband. "Welcome home, Hubby."
"Glad to be home, Baby," Derek replied and then moved Sophia so he could cradle her, "She was up quite early." He commented as noticed his daughter become tetchy and irritable with each passing minute, "She's not gonna want to go back down now."
"D, it's coming up four in the afternoon," She told him with a raised brow. "You've slept through the day and she's coming up her afternoon nap." She took in her husband's expression, "She's had her feed, I've changed her and she's now ready for that nap. I'm gonna start dinner, think you can put her down for me?" She asked him with a small smile, "I was going to do it and wake you up, but you broke routine. Didn't he baby?" She said as she ended the sentence speaking to the baby.
"Seeing as I'm breaking routine, I'll go and put her down and then come and help you out with dinner," He dropped a kiss to Penelope's cheek and left, going up the stairs talking to Sophia softly, cradling her and readying her into a slumber.
Penelope smiled as she listened and lavished knowing that her daughter was part of such a loving family. She turned and began to sort through the fridge for their dinner not taking notice of Derek coming back down the stairs moments later.
"How do you feel about being back to work from Monday?" Derek asked as he walked into the kitchen to find a beer waiting for him and Penelope standing with a glass of wine and the food ready behind her.
Penelope looked at him as she took a sip of her wine before holding it close to her chest, "Admittedly disappointed because I could easily stay on maternity leave until she goes off to college." She looked at Derek with wayward smile, "But I guess now I can go back to being dirty on the phone."
"You don't need work to do that, Baby, you just need a phone," Derek told her as he went and put his beer down and stepping towards her. "How about, whilst our daughter sleeps, we have some in house fun, Baby Girl?"
"To make up for the neglect?" Penelope asked him as he tugged her closer to his body using the elastic of the pyjama bottoms she was wearing.
He ran his hands over her curves and left them to sit on her ample bottom. He leaned in and shot her a seductive, longing look. "Give me a list of my convictions and I'll try and accept my punishment with dignity."
"Dignity won't be needed," Penelope mumbled back in low tone, her eyes twisted with tease. "Your first charge is definitely neglect – of me and of your daughter." She told him as she put her hand to his chest to make them keep their distance a little, "Secondly, there's the emotional trauma that I have had to put up without you being in our big ole bed. Thirdly, there are the physical effects of having to warm myself through the lonely, lonely nights. My left side doesn't take well to your absence any longer. Fourthly, there are the baby duties that I have had to slave my way through," She teased him with a warming smirk, "All on my own."
"Oh I have mounted a few charges there," Derek pointed out as he fluidly pulled her towards the couch. "Allow me to pay the fines and deliver my community service, Baby Girl."
"Penelope service," She corrected as she sat on the arm of the couch and allowed him to tower over her before pushing her so her back was flush with the leather of the seating cushions. She couldn't suppress the smile of lust as Derek began to douse her skin with kisses, running them up her neck before capturing her lips.
If this was going to become the status quo of welcome homes she wouldn't complain too much about him going away.
As he slipped his hand under her knickers he felt like he had struck gold. He was finally getting his wife right where he wanted her - under him - and he prayed there were going to be no distrac-
Then Sophia's awakening came in the noise of loud shrieking cries.
The moment now forgotten.
"I'll go," Derek offered and kissed Penelope one last time before beginning to stand. "I think you've done enough of the baby caring stuff to last a lifetime."
"I'm a mom; it is a lifetime commitment, Handsome. You're a dad so don't be forgetting it either." Penelope replied as she grabbed her bottoms ready to pull back on so she could go finish the dinner off.
Before the idea of having intimate moments would make her want to throttle the culprit, but she knew this was the life she had wanted and undertaken and she couldn't complain.
She just knew that Derek would make it up to her every free, silence second they had later.
She had no doubt about that.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Love and Lose -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Pulling the blanket over Sophia's tiny body, she rested her hand on her daughter's chest she felt her breathing away under it and she smiled dreamily. This was really her life.
It had been hours since Sophia had last disrupted any moment between Derek and Penelope and boy was Penelope paying now. Her dessert was the best part of the meal and she really could have gone for another round of that type of chocolate.
She had to appreciate how life didn't change once Sophia was born. If anything life became more exciting, became more cherished and she loved every day as much as the last.
"You're truly amazing you know that right?" Derek asked as he pushed his hand to run against her jaw, making her look at him.
Penelope's eyes flickered up to look at him. "What makes you say that?" She asked him with a whisper, "I'm just me."
"You don't see it," Derek pointed out, "I was watching you earlier with her and it's the same thing – you were born for this life, Pen and I'm so sorry that you missed out on it before." He watched Penelope push her head into his palm as she closed her eyes, "But I am so happy I'm still the man to give you everything."
"What happened before was an eye opener and look at us now. I don't think we would've loved one another quite as much as we do now without it. However much it hurt and however much doubt it put on our lives we made it out the other side stronger than ever." She then moved from his grasp and took him to the cot, "Look at our proof." She peered in at her at her sleeping baby. "She's the best thing anyone's ever given me," Penelope whispered emotionally and smiled blissfully. "She's the best creation ever."
Derek put his arms around her waist and watched their daughter sleeping soundly. He held Penelope close and kissed the nape of neck before pulling her away readying to head to bed. "They always say that the hand that rocks the cradle is the one who rules the world," Derek told Penelope as he slowly drew her from the room and to the bedroom. "You'll be the one that rules the universe because of her."
"Who says I didn't already?" Penelope asked with an almost seductive purr to her tone.
Stopping to pull her close to his body, Derek readied to kiss her as he replied, "Exactly."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To Love and Lose -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Quote by William Ross Wallace.