Thank you so much for your reviews!
Kelly - Update on Pierce's arrival coming up! I love the way Chloe takes care of Elly and Elliot too!
EC Brenway - Typical males interrupting the girls! Ugh Mark manifesting like that, heaven forbid he has to witness the date stuff!
Chapter Forty-One
Tuesday 31st December - 10pm
Chloe was standing in Elly's bedroom looking at Elliot sleeping in his cot whom she'd just successfully gotten to fall asleep and put him down for a nap.
Elly entered the bedroom, "Hey you, did you get him off to sleep okay?"
"I did for once," Chloe said proudly, "Good shower?"
Elly smiled as she walked over to the woman, wrapping her arms around Chloe's waist and kissing her shoulder before resting her head against the crook of Chloe's neck, "I knew you would've, shouldn't have even asked the question. Shower was good. It makes me appreciate you so much that I can do something so simple as have a shower for a few minutes and not need to worry about my son when he's got you looking after him. Y'know next time we could always get Elliot off to sleep first and then you could join me in the shower."
Chloe moaned at the thought, "That would be incredible and it will happen. Yeah, we'll have the baby monitor in there with us and have to cut our shower short the second the peanut needs us but you know we can't do that stuff yet 'til I'm all yours."
Elly pressed her lips to Chloe's skin again, "This waiting for you to be mine thing…it's getting so much harder."
"I know sweetie but I do have some good news, Pierce texted me to say he was looking at booking his flight home. He thinks he'll fly out of New York Friday night which means he'll land back here Sunday morning as he loses a day on the way back. So, depending on Pierce's jetlag when he gets back…" Chloe found herself trailing off being distracted by Elliot beginning to wake in the cot that she reached down and let the infant take her fingers in his hand to comfort him.
"If you don't finish that sentence with 'I'll be all yours to kiss by Sunday night' then I'm going to be disappointed," Elly admitted as she smiled wildly at Chloe's interactions with her son.
"Yes, I will be all yours to kiss and do all manner of coupley things with by Sunday night, maybe Monday night tops if Pierce needs to get over his jetlag first before I see him," Chloe promised.
"Do tell me more about this 'all manner of coupley things' you speak of, love," Elly pressed cheekily.
"I'd prefer to show you on Sunday or Monday night," Chloe teased, "So, can you wait a few more days before you can kiss me?"
"Do I havta?" Elly pouted.
Chloe giggled at Elly's response, "Thanks for today, getting Karl and Suze to mind the peanut. It was amazing getting five hours of uninterrupted sleep on the couch today. It was a literal dream. Plus, Bea minding him tomorrow too, another five-odd hours of solid sleep in my future is something to look forward to. Do you think when I go back to work next week we can try and arrange the same thing on the weekends with them or Aaron and David minding the lil guy for us for that same kind of time frame so we can catch up on our sleep missed during the week? Except by then we'll be with the snuggling together when we're catching up on sleep."
Elly squeezed Chloe's hips, "That sounds like a very sensible plan. Yes, our lives are all about this lil guy but we need time to ourselves to catch up on sleep otherwise we aren't going to cope as the weeks wear on. I still can't believe you're sleeping on that couch, it can't be that comfy to fall asleep on."
"I'm very sensible now. The couch serves me fine, I've slept in worse places, and it's only for another few nights," Chloe replied, "So, are Suze, Karl and Bea staying up for New Years' for the countdown?"
"Yep, I checked on them before I showered and they are all outside listening to some music. Karl's trying to get Suze and Bea to let him play some of his own. They didn't want to be hanging out in the house if you'll be on the couch. Besides the weather is so nice out there," Elly explained before licking her lips as she glanced down Chloe's body, "Speaking of nice…you look incredible in my dressing gown…wish I could get you out of it."
"Cheeky," Chloe teased, "I wish you could get me out of it too! But we need to wait for that. Thanks for letting me borrow it for tonight. I completely forgot to do my laundry today with the extra few hours of sleep I got."
Elly lifted her head to whisper in Chloe's ear, "So, if you forget to do your laundry tomorrow and I don't let you borrow my clothes does that mean you'll have to hang out in my room all naked and-?"
"Oh my God, do not finish that sentence, Elly, you're driving me crazy," Chloe moaned.
"I know, I just like knowing I can do that to you," Elly smiled, "Did you ever think this would be how you would be spending New Years'?"
"With you teasing me and wanting me naked?" Chloe raised her eyebrow.
Elly blushed, "I more meant spending it here with me and Elliot on New Years'…not that we'll be able to stay awake 'til midnight…or I definitely won't, don't know how you're feeling."
Chloe leant up, pressing her lips to Elly's cheek, "I never thought I would ever spend New Years' with you like this. Last New Years' it's the only thing I wanted in the world but never thought it would come true. Let alone with this little peanut with us too. I am feeling refreshed from my sleep today but I am now ready to crash and burn. Got to try and get in an hour or so sleep now I reckon. I'll be back here as soon as the peanut needs me. If we have any luck then he might need us on the stroke of midnight so we get to spend New Years' together."
As Chloe began shifting out of Elly's embrace, Elly found herself reaching for Chloe's hands, standing in front of the blonde next to the cot, "Chlo, I know what I'm about to say is breaking the rules…"
"Then maybe you shouldn't say it," Chloe whispered, even though she was desperate to know what Elly wanted.
Elly breathed deeply, "Stay with me tonight. Here…in my bed…with me. I know it's against the rules, Chlo, but…it's New Years'…I want the best possible start to 2020 and that's waking up with you in my arms."
Chloe hesitated from answering so Elly continued, "And okay I'm well aware that starting 2020 won't actually be me falling asleep with you and waking up with you in my arms at a reasonable hour tomorrow morning. I know we'll be up all night long doing one thing after the other for Elliot and it's doubtful we'll both be awake at midnight but to me…I want to spend my New Years' as I plan on spending the next year and beyond that. With you."
Chloe swallowed deeply, "What if something happens?"
"It won't," Elly promised, "I just want to wake up with you in my arms. It's what New Years' represents to me, spending it with the woman I love."
"What about the others? They'll know I'm not on the couch…they'll think we're…I'm cheating on Pierce," Chloe replied worried.
"They'll think we're hanging out for New Years' together and you'll be on the couch after they go to bed. We're not cheating on Pierce…we're just…sleeping in the same bed for one night so we can begin 2020 how we both want to spend it…with each other," Elly insisted.
"What if one night isn't enough…what if we'll want to do this every night?" Chloe wondered.
Elly let go of one of Chloe's hands and cupped her cheek, "It may not be enough but we can go back to you sleeping on the couch tomorrow night until Sunday or Monday night. It's just tonight…to spend the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 how we want to for next year and beyond."
Chloe fell into Elly's touch, "Would you be okay if I said…yes to sleeping in your bed tonight with you but no to cuddling up to you part? Because if I hold you in my arms in bed tonight then I'm going to want to kiss you."
Elly stared at Chloe's lips, finding herself lost in the idea of just kissing the blonde and dealing with the consequences of cheating on Pierce later, "So you mean sleeping in my bed tonight but you on one side, me on the other and no cuddling you in the middle of the bed? No holding you in my arms or spooning you?"
"Yes," Chloe whispered, wondering why she cared so much about not cheating on Pierce when the woman she loved wanted her.
"Anything for you, I just want tonight to be special and be a good sign for our next year together," Elly decided, "And if…in the middle of the night…or in between all our interrupted sleep to manage trying to get Elliot off to sleep…I accidentally find myself…spooning you or you spooning me…will you regret spending the night with me here at all?"
"If something like that happens…accidentally…I'd never regret it," Chloe accepted.
Elly kissed Chloe's forehead, "Let's get some sleep while we can before we get woken up soon enough."
Elly dropped Chloe's hands to go turn off the light, then led Chloe to her side of the bed to get under the covers before walking around the other side of the bed to do the same. Elly sighed gently when Chloe turned to her side away from her, wanting desperately to wrap her arms around the blonde but knew she needed to respect Chloe's decision not to.
"Is the bed comfy enough for you?" Elly asked softly.
Chloe reached back her hand to take Elly's behind her, "It could do with a gorgeous woman holding me to fall asleep but I know that'll only end in me wanting you to do that every night after this one. Less than a week and there'll be no reason stopping us from doing that every night for the rest of our lives together."
Elly rolled onto her side, facing the same direction as Chloe, holding onto Chloe's hand but still had an arm's length distance between them, "Less than a week, it'll be worth the wait."
A couple hours later, Chloe was staring at the alarm clock on the bedside table on her side of the bed. It read 11:57PM. Chloe yawned as she tried to fall back asleep. Her and Elly had already been up four times in the past two hours tending to the infant in the cot who was finally sleeping. Chloe smiled at the thought that it was so much easier been there for the peanut and Elly in the same room as opposed to running back and forth from the living room. And she had to admit, Elly's bed was a lot more comfortable than the couch and she was finding it easier to fall asleep after every interruption Elliot gave them. Except now.
Or it could also be having Elly sleeping next to me on the other side of the bed…hearing her breathing patterns that I already know when she's asleep and when she's trying to fall back asleep.
As the clock flipped over to 11:58PM, Chloe whispered, "Elly, are you awake?"
Elly laid there with her eyes closed, feeling the distance Chloe held her at even though she was thankful the woman she loved was still allowing herself to sleep in her bed for the night, whispered back with a yawn, "No."
Chloe smiled at Elly's lie, "Y'know it's nearly midnight. Do you have a New Years' resolution? You don't have to tell me what it is…"
"To never hide how I feel about you wherever we are together and to tell you each and every single day just how much I love you," Elly answered, still yawning, "Oh and to be the best mum I can be to Elliot, of course. You?"
"Y'know last year, I didn't want to make a resolution as the only thing I wanted was to kiss you at midnight but you were with Mark and that was never going to happen," Chloe admitted.
Not last year but we could make up for it this year, Chlo…or not…have to wait nearly another week to kiss Chloe.
"How different would our lives be had I accepted my feelings for you back then and kissed you at midnight last year? I wouldn't have my son, you wouldn't be with Pierce but you and I…we'd have spent a year in love together. Maybe we'd have been living together with Aaron and David at their place or have our own place, be talking about getting married or starting our own family," Elly pondered.
As the clock shifted to 11:59PM, Chloe rolled over onto her other side to face Elly, surprised, "You'd…want to…marry me…one day?"
Elly blushed, glad Chloe couldn't see it in the dark, "One day…count on it."
Chloe smiled at the thought but didn't want to get ahead of herself, "No matter what, you know we wouldn't take back anything that's happened over the past year. The peanut is worth everything we've been through…so it took us an extra year to be together…we have the rest of our lives to make up for it. Maybe that's my resolution for this year, not to worry about the past and similarly to my resolution last year…accept been unable to change things I can't. I don't regret the past year at all because I am looking forward to all the happiness you, the peanut and I will enjoy in 2020."
Elly found herself shuffling closer to Chloe and smiled when Chloe did the same until they were lying next to each other, "You might not regret anything from this year…but I'm selfish in that there's one thing I wish you did regret…"
Chloe lifted her arm and stroked her hand up and down Elly's side, "Allowing you to cheat on Mark with me before your wedding?"
Elly shook her head, "Neither of us regret that night, you know that…even though it didn't allow me to accept my feelings for you like I have now. I meant you dating Pierce…do you regret that at all…? Cause if you weren't with Pierce…I'd be kissing you at midnight right now."
Will you let me kiss you at midnight, Chloe? Let me make up for not doing so a year ago?
This is the only thing I ever wanted a year ago. Should I kiss Elly at midnight or keep my promise not to cheat on Pierce and let my first New Years' kiss with Elly be next year?
