Chapter 37.

"Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love."

-Mildred B. Vermont

"I scared," Savannah whimpered, a few nights later, as Callie was tucking her into bed.

"What are you scared of, baby?" Callie asked, fluffing her daughter's pillow.

"Monsters," the little girl replied, wide-eyed and frightened.

Taking her small hand in her own, Callie rubbed it with her thumb. "You don't have to be afraid of monsters, kiddo. There's no such thing. And mommy and daddy will be right in the next room."

"Don't go," Savannah pleaded, grasping Callie's hand desperately.

"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep," Callie told her. "Okay?" She crawled into the bed, and let Savannah curl up beside her. "There," she whispered, yawning. "Goodnight, baby. I love you." Leaning down, she gave her daughter a kiss.

"Goodnight, mommy," Savannah replied. "Love you."

As Savy popped her thumb in her mouth, Callie reached over and shut off the lamp. A nightlight glowed softly in the corner, and Bailey slept soundly in her crib. Callie wished she could say the same for their newest addition. Savannah woke up in tears nearly every night, after having some sort of nightmare about her parents. It was heartbreaking to witness, and Callie knew the little girl had been through something traumatic, so she always got up to comfort her. But her daughter's night terrors left her exhausted during the day. Black coffee had become her best friend.

For a while, she just lay there, rubbing Savy's back, waiting for her to drift off, when she found she could barely keep her own eyes open. I'll just rest my eyes for a minute, she thought, getting comfortable.

Callie woke up disoriented, in an unfamiliar room, and without Brandon's form next to her. Looking down, she saw Savannah, who was fast asleep, and remembered where she was. What time is it? she wondered. She slid quietly out of bed, and sneaked out of the room, trying not to wake up the girls.

When she reached her own bedroom door, she opened it slowly.

"Hey, honey," Brandon whispered, pulling the covers back.

"You're still up?" she asked, crawling in beside him. "What time is it?"

"About eleven-thirty," he replied, pulling her closer, and wrapping her in his arms.

"Oh. It's earlier than I thought." Yawning, she laid her head against Brandon's shoulder.

"I heard you on the baby monitor," he told her, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You're a good mom, Cal. Our girls are lucky to have you."

"They're pretty lucky to have you, too," she replied, kissing him, noticing the deep shadows under his green eyes. With a pang of guilt, she touched her fingers to his cheek. "Brandon... I'm sorry you have to work so hard. I feel bad. I wish I could take up some of the responsibility for you."

Brandon brushed her fingers through her messy hair and kissed her again before replying. "Don't feel bad, Cal. Being a mommy is a full-time job. And I like taking care of my family. I like providing for you."

"Because you love me?" she asked, smiling.

"Exactly," he said, kissing her harder, letting her legs curl around his hips. Reaching down, he touched her through her panties, feeling them grow damp as she became aroused. Hooking his finger under the waistband, he slid them down her thighs, then looked up at her asking for permission.

Callie subtly nodded, biting her lip, and helped him by pulling them down the rest of the way and kicking them off.

Quickly, Brandon kicked off his boxers and fumbled around in the nightstand drawer for a condom. When he found one, he hastily rolled it on, then slid into Callie.

Later, they lay in bed, their naked bodies wrapped around each other, high on the afterglow of lovemaking. Callie's chest heaved, and Brandon was covered in a sheen of sweat. Every once in a while, their lips or hands found each other. Even after having a baby, they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Callie hope that would never change.

But they were soon interrupted by the sounds of Savy crying over the baby monitor. Groaning, Callie sat up.

"Stay," Brandon whispered, grabbing her hand.

"I can't let her cry," she replied, as much as she wanted to stay with him, warm in their cozy little nest. Standing up, she quickly got dressed, and wrapped her robe around her body, shivering slightly. Then, she went to the nursery to comfort their frantic child.

"Savy?" she said, waking the little girl up. "You're okay. Mommy's here now."

Savannah crawled into Callie's arms, sobbing. "Mommy," she cried, fat tears leaking from her big, blue eyes.

Callie kissed her and carried her to the rocking chair, where they both eventually feel asleep.

The next morning, Callie was roused from her sleep by Brandon. Opening her eyes, she squinted against the brightness of the morning sun.

"Morning," she yawned.

"Morning," he nodded. He looked down at Savy. "Want me to take her?"

"Yeah," she replied. Her legs hurt, and her back was tired.

Brandon lifted the sleeping child from his wife's lap, effectively waking her up. "Good morning, princess," he said, kissing her cheek.

"Good morning, daddy," she said, hugging him around the neck.

Once she was free, Callie stood up and went to the crib. Bailey was awake, sucking her fist and drooling contentedly. When she saw her mother, she kicked her legs, and squealed; "Mamama."

"That's right, angel," Callie cooed. "Mommy." She lifted the baby up and held her close, kissing her, and Bailey lifted her small hand, grabbing at her chest.

"I bet you want breakfast," Callie laughed, cradling her close. "Is mommy's baby hungry?"

Brandon smiled when he saw Bailey. Still holding Savy, he leaned down and kissed the baby's cheek. "Hi there, cutie pie," he whispered, tickling her belly. "Good morning!"

"I'm going to take her to our bed to nurse," Callie told her husband, yawning. She couldn't take sitting in the hard rocking chair any longer, and in bed, she could both feed the baby and rest for a while.

Brandon nodded sympathetically. "Okay. I'll call you when breakfast is ready." Knowing Callie would want Savannah out of her hair for a little while, he turned back to their daughter. "How about if daddy makes pancakes for breakfast? You want to help?"

"Yeah!" she cried eagerly, bouncing up and down as he carried her to the kitchen.

As Brandon flipped the pancakes on the skillet, he came up with the idea to make Callie breakfast in bed. He felt sorry for her. She seemed to think he was taking on all the responsibility in the household, but in reality, she was working just as hard as him, if not harder. She was his love, and she deserved to be pampered once in a while.

Quickly, he fixed a tray with pancakes, sausage links, and a cup of strong coffee. While Savannah sat at the table, blowing bubbles in her milk, he carried the tray into Callie. She was asleep.

"Cal... honey?" he whispered, sitting on the edge of the bed. Next to his wife, Bailey lay, gurgling and playing with her feet. Finally, Callie opened her eyes, looking up at him questioningly.

"Surprise," he said, grinning. "Here you are, m'lady." He set the tray down on the bedside table, then took Bailey into his arms.

"You didn't have to do this, B.," Callie told him, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I don't have to do a lot of things," he replied. "But I'll do anything to remind you of how much I love you."

"Well, it was sweet," she said, smiling. "Thank you." Sitting up, she took the tray and set it on her lap.

Standing up, Brandon leaned down and kissed her. "You're welcome."

"Brandon... " Callie called, as he turned to leave.

"Hmm?" He paused, giving her his full attention.

"This might sound crazy," she told him, recalling a dream she'd just had, in which she was preparing a huge meal. "But I think I want to start cooking school soon."

To Be Continued