Here we are again. I don't quite know why I wrote this except I missed these characters a little and I thought it would be fun to take a peek at their future.
Thanks to Just4ALE and arfalcon for their help with this. I'm lucky to know such smart, generous women.
No prompt!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
I still don't sleep well without Edward. It's not insomnia like it was before, I just miss him when he's not here. I feel unsettled.
He's working late tonight so I'm on my own. The kids are fed, their homework is done, and they've been tucked in as much as two ten year old kids will allow. I fall into a fitful sleep after midnight and wake up some time later when Edward slips into bed with me. "Hey," I say, turning around on my side to face him.
"Hey," he says with a weary voice. Even in the darkness I can see how tired he is. "Sorry I woke you."
"S'okay. How did everything go?"
He moves closer to me and rests his head close to my chest. He hums when I put my hand in his hair. "Good. The last minute changes are finally complete and we'll see what Marcus says in the morning."
Marcus Adams is the Executive Director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Edward's firm bid on an expansion project, never expecting it would be accepted; they were up against every big architect in Boston. But Marcus was so impressed with Edward's plan he awarded him the contract. This project could make or break Edward's career and it's so important that it go well. He's hired extra staff since so many of them are dedicated to this full-time. Edward included.
"I'm glad this part will be finished soon. You've been so tired."
"Mmm. Jane quit today,"
"Jane your office manager?"
"Yeah. She gave us a month's notice," he says through a yawn. "Something about wanting to spend more time with her grandchildren."
"In the middle of this project? What are you going to do?"
"Don't know." I have to strain to hear him since he's drifting off to sleep.
"Honey, this is important. Doesn't she do all of your accounting? Your taxes and payroll?"
"Mm-hm."
"Edward, this isn't something that can wait. Do you have a replacement in mind?"
"Just you," he mumbles.
"Me?" I ask. "Edward?"
He doesn't answer me because he's fallen asleep. I'm sure he wasn't serious.
"I was completely serious," he says the next morning. His eyes are so tired and I can't wait for this project to be over so he can get some decent sleep.
"I have a job," I remind him, leaning up against the kitchen counter and sipping my coffee.
"So quit," he says, putting his coffee cup down on the counter next to me.
"I can't just quit my job."
"Why not? Jane did. Come on." He smirks and wraps his arms around my waist. Even exhausted, he's still so handsome he makes my knees weak. "We'll get to be together all day every day." He leans in and kisses my neck. I giggle and I hear a snort from the other end of the kitchen.
"You two are gross," Seth says through a mouthful of cereal.
Edward takes his cup from the counter and pours the remainder of his coffee down the sink. "Mind your manners," he says.
"Sorry, Dad. But no one needs to see that."
"I meant talking with your mouth full. Feel free to call us gross as often as you'd like." He walks over to the table and kisses Seth on the head, then Maeve, and then grabs his computer bag. "Think about what I said," he calls to me. "Love you all."
I shake my head and rinse out my coffee cup. "Come on, kids. Time for school." They get up, almost in tandem, and put their cereal bowls in the sink.
"Why don't you want to work for Daddy?" Maeve asks from the back seat of the car as I drive them to school.
"Oh, it's not that I don't want to. I just have a job already."
"But wouldn't it be cool to work for Dad?" Seth asks.
"Sure it would," I say carefully.
"Remember when you had to pick me up last week? At least your boss wouldn't get mad, since it'd be Dad."
I nod. Seth was sick last week and the school couldn't find Edward or Maggie, so I had to pick him up. Barbara docked me an entire day, though I'd worked until noon. She'd later apologized and corrected her mistake, but the point was made. Lord knows I wouldn't have to deal with that if I worked for Edward.
"How did you know about my boss?" I ask him.
He shrugs. "I heard you and Dad talking."
"We hear you all the time," Mae adds.
"Hear us what?" I ask nervously, looking at her in the rear view mirror.
"Talking. Kissing and laughing sometimes," she says, wrinkling her nose.
"Gross," Seth mutters.
I pull up in front of the school and they both hop out with a kiss and a "Love you, Mom."
I spend the morning thinking about Edward's offer. I've been with Barbara since before Maeve was born. I realize as I sit there pondering, however, that the work is no longer challenging or interesting. It's comfortable, to be sure. I know the ins and outs and rarely have an issue I can't handle. If nothing else, working with Edward would be new and hopefully challenging.
Still, change can be scary. There's always the possibility I'll hate the work or be completely out of my depth. Edward's small firm is still bigger than where I work now and I don't want to overestimate my abilities.
I call Edward at noon. "Did you really mean it?" I ask.
"Absolutely. Give your two weeks and Jane can train you before she leaves." I love the confidence in his voice. It's always been one of my sexiest things about my husband.
"Give me the day to think about it. We'll talk tonight. When will you be home?"
"No later than seven, I hope." He sounds tired and a little sad. I know he misses the children; at least he and I have the opportunity to spend some time together, no matter how brief, when he gets home.
"Okay, love you."
"Love you too. Come and work here so I can tell you that multiple times a day, in person."
I'm smiling when I hang up the phone.
"I'm sorry I've been working so much. I know it's hard for you with the kids," Edward says in bed that night. He wasn't home by seven; it was closer to ten and Maeve and Seth were already in bed. At least he was home before midnight.
"It's fine," I say, running a hand through his hair. He's lying with his head on my chest and our legs are tangled together.
"No, it's not. I hate to put that burden on you. You've seemed just as tired as me lately."
"Mmm." It's true, but I don't need to add to his stress. He's always so focused on me and my happiness and I want him to be able to be free of that for a little while. "I just want you to finish this project so you can perform your husbandly duties."
I can feel his smile against my chest. "It has been a while, hasn't it? I thought women weren't supposed to enjoy marital relations. Don't you just usually close your eyes and go to your happy place?"
I laugh, loudly and freely, and Edward joins me. This is my favorite time with him. It's like the nights we used to spend on the swing, except we're happier and warm in bed together. We still have our swing and we go out and sit on it in the warmer weather. I don't think we'll ever get rid of it.
"Am I that obvious?" I ask.
"I was thinking of giving you a stick to bite next time."
This leads to another round of giggles during which Edward switches positions so he's prone on top of me. My giggles are swallowed by a kiss. "It's been too long," he says, pulling his lips from mine. "I'm sorry I've been so distracted."
I can feel him; he's already hard so I waste no time getting us both out of our pajama bottoms. I don't bother with the rest of our clothes. That would take too long. "Want you," I say breathlessly as he lavishes kisses along my neck. He hums and threads our fingers together and I gasp when we're joined. We've been together for three years and being with Edward is somehow both new and comfortingly familiar.
"I've missed you," he says as we move together.
"I missed you too."
He makes love to me slowly and sweetly and I feel like I always do with him: loved, cherished, satisfied, sexy. But somehow it never gets old. He lays his head on my chest afterward and I run my fingers through his hair as my breathing slows and my body relaxes.
"Have you thought about coming to work in the office?" he asks.
"I have, actually."
"Really?" he asks, picking up his head and smiling.
"Really."
He rolls his eyes. "And?"
"And... if you're sure it can work..."
His smile widens and he raises himself on his elbow. "It definitely can."
"Will I need to come in for an interview?"
"Maybe. I hear the boss is a real hard-ass."
I wrap my leg around him and pull him fully on top of me. "That's the word on the street."
"I really would love for you to come work at the office. Jane always dealt with Riley and without someone strong to rein him in, he can become a bit… intense."
I quirk an eyebrow but he just smiles. "It's nothing you can't handle, believe me. I wouldn't suggest it otherwise." He searches my face and kisses me softly before he continues. "It's selfish, I know, to want you all to myself, but I'm okay with that. Give your notice." There's that confidence again. I'm powerless to refuse him when he's like this. And I don't want to.
I take a deep breath and put my hand on the side of his face. "Okay."
"Okay?"
I nod. "Yes."
I give my notice to Barbara, who tries to convince me to stay with promises of a bump in salary and additional vacation time. But the prospect of working with Edward is too tempting.
I've met almost everyone who works for Edward before, of course, but in the capacity of his wife, not their office manager. There's some talking during my first few weeks. I don't know if I'm meant to hear it, but I do. The general consensus seems to be that I'm here as Edward's lackey, I can't be trusted, and my abilities are questionable. I ask Edward about it but he shrugs it off. "As long as you do your job, they have nothing to say," he tells me.
Still, I'm a little awkward at first even though the work is straightforward and familiar. I'm really working for Riley, Edward's partner, since he handles the business end. He comes off as a bit arrogant, but he and Edward have been partners for a long time and it works for them.
Edward stays away from me purposely, wanting me to find my footing on my own. We have lunch together when we can and we sneak into each other's office for an occasional mid-morning or afternoon kiss, but we try to keep it infrequent and private.
About a month in, Riley approaches me about checking into amending the company health insurance plan. It's hush, hush, he says, but they want to change plans so the company is required to pay less. Having access to the accounts, I find this surprising, but he's the boss so I do as I'm asked. I come up with three alternatives and present them to Riley in his office a week later.
He compliments me on my work and chooses a plan that requires employees to pay the bulk of the costs, and tells me to implement it.
He's being unfair, and I tell him so. This isn't something I would have done in the past. I don't know if it's the confidence being Edward's wife gives me, or if it's just because I'm stronger in general, but I don't hesitate.
He looks at me patiently and shakes his head. "We need to stay solvent through the Boston Museum project. We've hired additional staff and need to make up for their salaries somewhere else."
"Not really," I say. "If you notice in the last receivables report I gave you, once the museum pays us we'll have made up for any loss incurred, and then some."
"That's provided we get paid. Non-profits are notorious for paying late."
"But they've paid us on time from the beginning. Why would that change now?"
He sighs and pinches his nose between his fingers, as if he's losing patience with me. It's a gesture I find completely irritating.
"I think I know what's best for this company. I founded it. You've been here for a month." He's speaking to me like I'm a child and it rankles me.
"With all due respect," I begin, my voice rising, "I've looked at the accounts and the company is doing better now than ever before. Your employees should be benefiting from that, not suffering."
"Who are you to question my decisions?" he says rather loudly.
"You asked me to look into this and I'm telling you, this isn't right. I won't sit idly by while you're being unfair to everyone who works here," I practically shout.
"That's not your business, no matter whose wife you are."
"Excuse me?"
"I told him this was a bad idea," he says, almost to himself.
"Go back to work, everyone," I hear Edward say from behind me. I turn and realize the door has been open this whole time and a crowd has gathered. They're shuffling back to their desks as Edward walks into the office and closes the door.
He stands next to me, but looks at Riley. "What's the problem?"
"This doesn't concern you," he replies. His tone is even but he looks annoyed.
"It does concern me," Edward says. I know him; I can feel him reining in his temper. "I didn't say anything when you made Anna cry last week, or when the museum called complaining that someone here asked for payment when it's not yet past due. But now you're drawing a crowd. What's the problem?"
Edward turns to me so I answer him. "Remember I told you he asked me to look into changing the company health plan?" Edward nods. "I did, but I think the one he chose is unfair to your employees."
"And that's not for her to decide," Riley says.
Edward takes a breath and clenches his jaw. "Be that as it may," he says to Riley, "there is a way we speak to employees, and you seem to have forgotten that." Edward waits a beat. "Was her work substandard?"
"No."
"I realize you have issues with me hiring her, but she's smart and she knows her business. You'd be wise to at least listen to her."
Riley sighs and nods as Edward walks slowly up to the desk, lays his hands flat on the top, and lowers his voice to barely above a whisper. "And I'll remind you this is my wife you're speaking to." The menace in his voice makes me shiver. "We'll talk about this later."
Riley looks shocked–and a little frightened–as Edward walks away. I follow him into his office, close the door behind me, and let out a long breath. I hope I'm not fired by my own husband. "I'm sor–"
His lips are on mine before I can finish. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him back as he presses me up against his office door. His hands are on the side of my face, his gentle touch a contrast to his demanding lips. I moan into his mouth and he pulls away.
"God, I love you," he says.
I smile against his mouth and tug on his hair. "The feeling is mutual, boss."
"I know you didn't do that on purpose, but something tells me things are about to get easier for you around here with the other employees."
He's right. After the incident, everyone in the office, including Riley, seems to have a new found respect for me.
And we get to keep our old health plan.
I have one more outtake in the works. If I finish in time, it'll be included with the Fandom Gives Back compilation. There are over 70 authors contributing, and you can get the whole shebang for a $5 donation to Alex's Lemonade Stand, which is a foundation that funds research to cure childhood cancer.
Even if I don't have this done in time, there will definitely be a Dear Mr. Masen outtake included. It's a good cause. Please consider donating if you haven't already.
Thanks so much for reading.
