Family Matters

Leon stayed at a hotel. Thank god. That was the one thing that Elizabeth had worried about with his "gift" of plane tickets for them—all three of them—to go to LA to see her parents for Christmas. She and Matt were staying in her childhood home and she could not have been happier. They wouldn't see Leon until December Thirtieth when they were all going back to London together. And, god willing, Leon would actually find her a job after the new year.

Dad picked them up from LAX and she reveled in the December sunshine. As much as she loved London, as much as she loved her life with Matt, she was a warm-blooded creature in desperate need of sunshine. She never really understood the appeal of a white Christmas anyhow.

They chatted happily in the car. Matt was a bit dazed from the long flight. He wasn't a good traveler. But Elizabeth was too giddy to be home to think about jet lag. She and her father talked excitedly about what Mom had planned for their week trip. Matt sat in the backseat quietly by himself. At one point, Elizabeth reached her hand back and he leaned forward to hold it. She smiled. She couldn't imagine being happier than this, right now.

Matt went to bed as soon as they arrived and said hello to Elizabeth's mother. They put their luggage at the foot of the guest bed in the bedroom that had belonged to Elizabeth so very long ago. She closed the door and giggled as he struggled to kick off his shoes.

"I swear to god, that flight gets longer every bloody time," he grumbled.

"Sit down," she instructed, feeling bad that he was grumpy when she was in such a good mood. She easily helped him take off his shoes and socks and sat up with her arms resting on top of his thighs, her body between his legs. "Take a nap, honey. I'll come wake you up later. And then we can go to bed at a normal time tonight, okay?"

He gazed down at her with that soppy look she loved. He reached out and brushed her hair back from her face. "You are so beautiful," he said, slightly slurred from exhaustion.

"Well now I know you need a nap," she laughed, pushing herself up to a standing position. "Get some sleep, Matt." She took his sweet face in her hands and kissed him gently.

His eyes were closed, and he hummed happily, "Have fun."

She left him to sort himself out and went back downstairs to spend some time with her parents.

"How are things with Matt?" Dad asked as soon as they got settled with some coffee to keep Elizabeth going through the afternoon.

She frowned, wondering what on earth brought this on. "Everything's fine. Why?" she answered cautiously.

"Well I know you haven't been working much and now that he's out of work…"

"He's not out of work, he left a publishing job he hated so he can write his book," she snapped.

Dad held his hands up defensively. "Be that as it may, I know things have changed and I was just wondering how that was going. Last I heard, you were thinking of adopting."

"More than thinking. We've been through a million background checks and everything with three different agencies. There's all sorts of issues because of my work and because I'm not a UK citizen. We've…" she trailed off, knowing better than to vent all her motherhood woes uninvited.

But Elizabeth's own mother was too shrewd for that. "You've what?" she prompted.

Elizabeth felt herself deflate. "We've been trying to have a baby since we got married. We both wanted a family. I know you know that. We've been talking about it for years. And it just hasn't happened. And with all the problems with adoption and everything, I just…" She sighed. "I just don't like to think about how it's just probably not going to happen for us." Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them back, taking a sip of coffee to avoid talking again.

"Alright, we won't talk about it," Mom said softly.

All the joy of being home evaporated out of Elizabeth. "I'm gonna go check on Matt," she said, excusing herself from the room. Maybe she was more tired than she thought. Maybe the jet lag was making her emotional. Whatever it was, she didn't really want to be around anyone anymore.

Neither of her parents stopped her. She was grateful for that. She climbed the stairs and snuck into the bedroom where Matt was fast asleep on top of the bed. He hadn't even bothered to get in it, just curled up on his side snoring. Probably drooling too.

She stood there and watched him for a minute. He was getting older. They both were. But he had this beautifully boyish look about him that was even more apparent when he slept. All the lines and stresses on his face melted away. His curly hair, now more gray than brown, was all messy on top of his head. He looked soft and sweet. That was what made her fall in love with him. He was sweet where other men were arrogant. He was gentle and caring, even if he was sometimes obtuse and stubborn. He always supported her no matter what. And he loved her the way a husband was supposed to. Elizabeth could not have dreamt up a more perfect man to be married to. She wouldn't have uprooted her life and moved to London for anyone else. And she wouldn't want to raise a child with anyone else either. If they ever got to.

As quietly as she could, Elizabeth slipped off her shoes and got onto the bed beside Matt. He slept on unawares. She pressed herself up against his back just like she did sometimes at home when she was cold and needed to be close to him. He must have sensed she was there, because he rolled over onto his back. She immediately curled her body around his and rested her head on his shoulder with one leg draped over his.

He hummed and mumbled something that sounded somewhere close to her name, and she had to try not to giggle. She kissed his jaw softly and whispered, "I love you."

She did not sleep. The coffee had done its job. But she lay there in his arms and felt safe. It didn't matter where they were or what they did, so long as she was with him, Elizabeth knew everything would be alright.