Melinda woke slowly, her eyes blinking open in the soft, early morning light. She was greeted by a rare sight: a still-sleeping husband beside her. Her lips curled gently as she stretched languidly and exhaled. Her gaze settled on him laying on his back, one arm tucked toward his head, which was tilted in her direction. She felt the urge to touch him, to rake her fingers through his hair or trace the strong lines of his face.
A sudden awareness of their baby came to mind and she lifted her head to check the far corner of the room where her cot was. Ella had started sleeping a little later than she had before, giving her parents a few extra moments of peace most mornings. Still, as Ella grew and developed, so did her discomfort with having the child in the room whenever she and Jim were… intimate with one another, even with his insistence that "she doesna know what we're doing." So her cradle, which had first lived at the foot of their bed when they returned home, had slowly migrated farther and farther away until it stood in one of the corners opposite their bed, physically as far away as they could put it without banishing her from their room.
She couldn't ignore nature's call and stole out of bed as quietly as possible to use the chamber pot, not wishing to wake Jim if it could be avoided and also needing desperately for the baby to sleep if Melinda was to have any time with her husband this morning. With business taken care of, she crept back into bed, watching Ella's crib carefully for any signs of movement, and with confirmation that her daughter was still asleep, she decided to make use of the time afforded them.
Her gaze raked over her husband, naked save for the bed sheet draped low across his hips and one leg, the other having kicked itself free in the night. She took a moment to ponder exactly how she'd like to wake him before gently sliding the sheet off of him and kissing her way down his body. He hovered on the precipice between sleep and wakefulness, issuing a few sleepy gasps and moans as she waited for his mind to catch up with the sensations his body was experiencing.
She left a wet, open-mouthed kiss on his inner thigh and he let out a delicious whine in response. "Melinda!" He choked on her name, eyes flying open to find her between his thighs, one hand now pumping his cock.
"Happy birthday, darling." He was hot and heavy in her hand and she licked from base to tip, swirling her tongue around the head when she reached it. He gasped again and the sound fed her growing arousal.
"Please," he breathed out, his face already contorting from the sweet torture she was giving him.
It hadn't taken much time at all to make him erect and she felt her flush of pride. She took as much of him in her mouth as she could manage, and his strangled moan had her very blood thrumming with want for him. His hand came to rest on her head and his fingers tangled in her curls, but he didn't use force. He never did when she took him this way. No, it was more of a caressing instinct he couldn't seem to help, not knowing what else to do with his hands when she wasn't easily within reach, but he still felt the need to touch her.
She hummed around the hard length of him as her mouth continued to work in tandem with her hand, feeling that he was close already.
"No. No, come here," he gritted out suddenly. "I want you."
She ignored him, redoubling her efforts, wanting this more somehow because of his pleas. He was always so generous in giving her pleasure, but she found it just as addicting to reciprocate and watch him fall apart. And especially today, she wanted him to know how loved he was.
He let out a strangled moan, barely keeping quiet, and poured himself into her ready mouth. "Oh, Christ. Melinda." He was trying to catch his breath and shaking his head at her gently as she milked the last of his climax from him. "I wanted you," he said again. "Take you‒" His hand gestured vaguely towards her and she bit her lower lip to keep from laughing at him in this state. "Take your shift off."
She had moved to sit on her knees at the foot of the bed and now she wouldn't hold back her teasing smile. "I think you might still need a moment, my love." But she still pulled her arms through and pushed the fabric of her nightgown up and over her head, letting it fly carelessly off the side of the bed. Jim held one hand out to her and she felt her heart squeeze at the simple act. Melinda took it and let him guide her body back up to his, draped over him with nothing between them. "Happy birthday," she said again, this time before a kiss to his lips. "I'm very glad you were born."
His hand traced the path of her spine gently and he sighed. "I'll thank you properly in just a moment, but it is very nice to hold you."
"There's no need to thank m‒" His fingers slicked very suddenly through her folds and she gasped at the unexpected contact. He kissed her forehead very tenderly, in contrast to the sharp arousal he was fueling into her with the work of his fingers. "Today is supposed to be about you," she protested weakly, hating how her breathless voice betrayed how she felt on the matter. "What you ‒ oh God ‒ what you want."
"I cannot well leave you wanting like this." He flipped their bodies so he was not on top, and she couldn't hold back a moan as he tweaked one nipple in his path down her body. He situated himself lower on the bed, making his plans very clear to her. "Trust me, my love." His eyes twinkled devilishly at her from between her thighs and that alone was enough to steal her breath away. "This is what I want."
It was always like this with him, thrilling and all-consuming and absolute bliss. He knew the map of her body with practiced ease and still drove her to heights that surprised her. And after he'd evened the score and found his way home inside her, after they'd found their rhythm together in a dance they knew well, she found shelter in his arms for a few quiet moments in the afterglow.
"Christ," he breathed out. "You... are sent from the heavens for me weren't you?" She giggled. His fingers were gently running the length of her arm, erupting goosebumps along her skin in their wake. "I know you and Katherine have festivities planned for later in the day, but…" She felt the slight shake of his head against her. "I don't think I care what happens for the rest of the day now."
Melinda let out a full laugh, forgetting for a moment that their baby was still asleep in the room with them. "Is that so?" She squeezed him tight around the middle, absurdly pleased with herself to hear him say that. "I'm glad your birthday started on a positive note, though I doubt Katherine will appreciate those exact sentiments."
"Aye, we'll keep that just between the two of us, hmm?" She could hear the smile in his voice and had her responding smile at the absurdity of their conversation.
"Mamamama."
Her head popped up at the sound of Ella's babbling. "Someone's awake." Her gaze found Jim, savoring the very last moments of their time together and how breathtakingly happy he looked right then and there. "At least our baby girl had the decency to wait until we were finished."
"Aye," he laughed. "Her timing is a gift in itself today." She began to pull away and sit up, but he held her fast and leaned up to kiss her. "Let me get her. It's my birthday, after all."
She laid there, a little stunned and completely in love with him, as he threw on a pair of pants and went to fetch the baby. His voice reached a soft, high pitch as he greeted Ella and gathered her up against his chest. Not for the first time, Melinda struggled to tear her eyes away from the sight that Jim and their sweet little girl made before her.
"I dinna think we can dawdle much longer." He interrupted her thoughts and she sat up with a resigned sigh, knowing he was right. It was his birthday but it was also early October and the harvest season had begun. There was a great deal to do for everyone at Avalon, and a feast in Jim's honor tonight to look forward to. And then soon after would be their daughter's second birthday.
A joyous occasion all around now that they were back home and as much as she tried to stretch these moments out and make them last, the work couldn't wait. Not to mention that Ned or Katherine's teasing never let up whenever they were the last ones down for breakfast in the morning. With those in mind, Melinda rolled out of bed and began to dress. By the time they did make it down to breakfast, Jim was swarmed by Eddie and the other children, and on account of it being his birthday, Ned and Katherine only rolled their eyes at them and held their tongues.
Nearly two weeks later, a soft thump landed on Jim's chest and woke him suddenly from his sleep. He breathed in sharply and raised his head, taking in the sight of a half-awake Ella before him. Her hard head was resting on his chest and her little feet were digging into the mattress to try and propel herself further onto him, leaving her diapered rump wagging in the air. She did all this with her eyes screwed shut against the morning light and her head trying to burrow into him.
"What are ye trying to do, wee lass?" He laughed. Ella grunted and squirmed, trying to get comfortable. Upset that she even had to be awake and trying her damndest to rectify that, it seemed. "You dinna like mornings much, do ye?" Jim helped scoot the baby up so that she was draped over him. She let out a big yawn and looked to be almost asleep already. "Just like yer ma."
His gaze flicked over to his wife and found his comment had gone unnoticed by her. If any two souls ever loved an unhurried morning to sleep as late as they liked, they were his lasses. But while the baby was working at falling back to sleep, Jim had been woken in the process. It wasn't as easy for him to drift back to sleep once the sun was up and the day could begin. It also wasn't the first time their daughter had done this since she had become too mobile to be left in her wee crib.
They only needed to see Ella pull herself up and flip herself out and over the shallow wall of her cradle one time before they decided to bring her into their bed at night ‒ a decision they knew was safest, but had thus far taken some adjusting to. But this day was special and the weight of the baby keeping him in bed was exactly how he would have this morning go.
He sat up slowly, scooching back against the headboard. He cradled his little girl against him and shifted her head up onto his shoulder once he was upright. He felt her sleepy huff against his skin. His precious, wee bairn. His and Melinda's.
His hand still cradled the back of her head as she settled in against him and he turned his face into her little head where it rested on his shoulder and kissed her hair. She was warm and snug against him. "I love you. Happy birthday, my wee lass. I cannot believe‒" He swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat as he was confronted with memories of this last year. "I am so happy to be home with you... and your ma. I promise that I will always keep you safe." He rubbed her back in slow circles, feeling the baby go completely lax with sleep. "I'll never forget the first time I held you. You were the smallest bairn I'd ever seen. So delicate and pale. I was so scared of losing you still, even though you'd survived so much already. You were with your mother even when I wasn't... and you kept her safe. You've broken my heart open with how much I love you."
He became aware of Melinda's waking presence before her hand reached out blindly for him, her head still buried in her pillow. She caught his thigh and, not expecting that to be level with her, lifted her head to squint at him in the morning light. He watched her take in the sight of him and Ella and caught her sleepy smile before her head dropped back to the pillow. His hand left the baby in favor of brushing aside the wild curls that had fallen over his wife's face and obscured her from him.
She hummed at his touch and he smiled widely, though neither of his lasses noticed. His touch lingered on Melinda, tracing the slope of her cheek until she abruptly captured his hand with her eyes still closed and brought it to her lips for a kiss. He couldn't reflect on the beauty of his daughter's life without the immediate swell of gratitude for her. She had changed his life so completely and set it on a path he never dared to dream of.
"Good morning, my beautiful wife." He was rewarded with another sleepy smile from her as she stretched like a cat and propped herself up on one elbow. "What does that look mean?"
She was startled slightly as he called her out and she scooched closer so she could join them. Her arm slung around his waist just below Ella's little feet and her head came to rest on his shoulder. "I was remembering that first night we were back home and waking up to find you sitting up like this with her asleep on your chest." She turned her face into his shoulder, as she had done that night as well, and kissed him there softly.
Jim let out a sigh as something eased in his chest. He pressed a kiss to Melinda's temple and then met her gaze when she tilted her face up to him. They didn't speak further on the subject. They didn't need to. The fear and the gratitude and the overwhelming love for Ella that he felt was echoed in his wife's eyes.
Perhaps it was the sound of both parents' voices that woke their daughter from her sleep. After a moment, with their palms still resting on her back, they felt her breathe in deeply and then let the air out in a long, slow sigh. Her head popped up from his shoulder, one hand rubbing furiously at one still-closed eye.
"Well, good morning." Melinda's voice had a soft lilt to it, and he tore his eyes away from the baby to see the radiant smile on her face. "Happy birthday, my sweet girl."
She leaned over him and kissed Ella's round cheek, still flushed from sleep. He felt his breath snag at the sight. It didn't matter that it was a moment he'd been privileged to see a million times over; he never loved anything more than bearing witness to the bond between her and the child they'd created together, the living testament of their love.
The little girl leaned sideways, chasing after Melinda with her lips almost in a pout, and her face tilted up expectantly. "Hi, mama."
"You want to give me a kiss too?" he asked softly.
She pressed a kiss to her pouty mouth, coming away with a bright smile. "What about for Da? Does he get a kiss, too?"
Their little girl turned immediately to him at that suggestion and jutted her lower lip out in the only way she had sorted out how to give a kiss. He obliged that sweet, upturned face with a kiss and then ducked his head to mockingly nibble at her neck. "Da, no, stop." Ella let out a burst of giggles and squirmed away, her shoulder pressed up to her ear in reflex.
"You love your da, don't you?" Melinda gently stroked her chubby cheek.
He felt his heart fit to burst at his wife's words and Ella's bright-eyed gaze back at him. It was the strangest, most wonderful feeling ‒ to love this child with everything that he had and to then realize, as she grew, that she loved him, too.
"Ah Dhia," he murmured reverently. "You don't know how much I love you, and your ma."
Melinda sat in a plush chair before the fire later on that night with Ella sitting comfortably next to her as she read her a story before bed, still feeling warm from the hot water of her late-night bath and wearing a heavier dressing robe than she had worn previously now that the winter chill was in the air. Her hair was still wet but had been brushed from any snarl or tangle after she had washed it clean.
Once their daughter had been put to bed in her adjoining room next-door, Jim had come in, after having been pulled away from dinner yet again. He had sent the ladies maid out to bring him up a bit to eat once she was finished. "Thank you, Mary." He said before he crossed the room to greet her with a warm kiss. "Where's our wee girl?"
"In her bed tonight," she said, smiling at him. "There's something we should speak about." She then informed him that she had not bled this last month, and they both knew what that could very well mean. He had wanted a doctor sent for, but she had to remind him that once a doctor knew about a possible new addition to their family then the whole house would too. "I am happy if we are blessed to have another child, but I want to enjoy this with just you for a little bit," she explained slowly. "But if we want to keep this quiet, we should speak with my sister."
He nodded and stepped outside to go to fetch Katherine. Once he returned, her sister followed dressed in her nightdress and robe from the late hour. "I was told that you needed my council," Katherine laughed. "So late at night? What's wrong?" Her voice was filled with warmth and kindness as she came to kneel beside her.
"I haven't bled this month, and things have felt different like before." She spoke as her sister then slowly opened the dressing gown, revealing her body to her. "I just wanted you to confirm my suspicions to keep it quiet."
Jim silently cursed to himself for not leaving now and she chuckled as she watched his mouth drop open when he got more than an eyeful of her naked body before him. He watched as Katherine blew air into her hands to bring warmth to them from being cold before beginning her exam.
Her sister moved her careful hands over her breasts, feeling the weight of each of them. She then placed her hands, palms down, on her stomach just above her pelvis and pressed down harder until she winced, before slowly dropping to her knees and putting her ear directly upon her stomach.
"Your suspicions were right, you are pregnant. Probably from sometime before you came home if you've only just missed your monthly, but I'm glad you asked me to come. Anyone else would have told everyone." Katherine said as she rose to sit beside her again and tied her robe closed.
Melinda smiled and nodded, "I thought so..." She turned her head and met Jim's gaze.
They both knew when it had happened. The Jaded Sapphire.
He smiled at her and felt his chest get tight as he leaned across to press a kiss to her lips, chastely and only for a moment. "A blessing, truly," he whispered and held a hand over her cheek. "I love you."
"I love you. This is wonderful news," she whispered and smiled, nodding her head to her sister in a way of giving her leave. "Thank you again. I will come to see you in the morning."
"Always. I am so happy for you both," Katherine said, chuckling. "We'll have our hands full around here with all of the little ones."
As her sister left, she brought his hand to her stomach, her other hand on his face pulling his head closer looking him deep in his green eyes. He felt a swell there, only slight, but it was there. "I will forever be grateful to you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead "I love you and our children so much."
Melinda shook her head. "Stop it or I will cry." He leaned down and kissed her again before helping her to her feet. Once they settled in bed together, he pulled the furs up around them and held her in his arms. "What was so important earlier?"
"I'm tired of talking. That's all they seem to want to do." He sighed, shaking his head. "But it was another English raid. They'll likely be making their appearance here in no time to try and take something." He placed a kiss on her brow and snuggled beneath the furs. "I'm exhausted of all this, my love."
"Me too," she closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm so tired. I'm tired of evil people and their agendas. I'm tired of wondering if I'm going to lose someone I love. I don't want you to think that the burdens of this don't weigh on me as well. They do."
He cupped her face and brought her lips to his. "You handle it better than I do."
She gave a short laugh and shook her head. "Maybe to the people, but I don't think so," she groaned. "You make me want to be better."
"Aye. You make me better." He said as his fingers skimmed around her navel as she stroked her fingers through his hair. "Do you think it will be a girl or a boy?"
Melinda couldn't see his face as he looked down at the swell of her stomach, but she imagined he was smiling. "I don't care so long as he or she is…healthy," she whispered.
Her sleep was fitful and much too short, but that was their fault for how long they laid awake, sharing all that they did with each other. The first thing Melinda became aware of as she woke was the slight stretches and tumbling of the baby. Her heavy eyelids remained firmly shut against the first rays of morning light, but her hand fell to the firm bump in acknowledgment of the little one's presence.
"Hello, you darling little thing," she whispered, trying to settle back into bed and get comfortable again. "Mama loves you, but Mama also loves sleep…"
And yet the mornings these last few weeks had become the one time of day where thoughts of the baby had Melinda's complete attention ‒ a quiet moment for just the two of them before the chaos of the day claimed her focus. She rubbed at the spot the baby kicked and hummed sleepily.
Then she heard the sleepy snuffle from a body right beside her that did not sound remotely like Jim. Her eyes cracked open to find a curly mop wedged between her and her husband on their barely two-person bed.
She vaguely recalled being roused from sleep at one point during the night, prodded by small hands and feet as the busy little body settled in next to her.
Jim slept on his back ‒ and never ever moved from that position ‒ and now Ella was sleeping with her back flush to her father's side, her head in the hollow of his shoulder, and her little arms twined around his arm as one might cuddle a beloved stuffed toy.
Slowly, ever so carefully, she reached out and gently brushed the mess of short curls away from her daughter's face. And just as carefully, she inched closer and pressed a soft kiss to Ella's forehead. When she eased back, studying the sleeping faces before her, a lump rose in her throat.
Her whole world here in this bed.
She wanted to hunker down with them and never leave, to keep them all safe with the children tucked protectively between her and Jim.
The baby inside her stirred again and she wondered how they would manage with another in the mix. There was a piece of her that worried she couldn't do it, couldn't love both children as they deserved when one was so fragile and needy and the other had endured being apart from them so much in the last year ‒ more than any child should have to.
She rested her head next to Ella's and with a sigh, pressed another kiss to the crown of her head. But damn if she wasn't grateful for every opportunity to try and love her children as much as they deserved.
Her daughter stirred slowly, brows pinched together as if already upset with the thought of waking up. One pudgy hand rubbed over her still-closed eyes and Melinda waited to see if Ella would wake or sink back into sleep.
Then her eyes opened and found hers immediately, and she felt her breath snag in her throat. "Good morning, beautiful girl."
The little one let out a sleepy grunt and shifted closer, her small arm reaching up past Melinda's neck until she felt the tingle of little fingers in her curls. And then on a sigh, Ella's eyes drifted shut, her forehead now pressed hard against Melinda's and her knees tucked just above her belly, and the both of them breathing the same air.
She couldn't move ‒ and didn't want to. Soon enough, her little girl would be fully awake and they would have to leave this bed and face the day. And each day, they made progress with each other, slowly laying a new foundation as a family, but this tiny moment they shared felt weighty and monumental. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over at the feeling of Ella still rubbing the strands of her hair between her little fingers.
It was an old impulse, something she used to do when falling asleep in her arms when she was a baby. And the feeling of it flooded her with memories of it. Had it sparked anything in her? Or was it purely instinctive?
Melinda held her baby close and breathed out a sigh of contentment. No, she likely didn't know, but that was her job to show her. And damn if she wasn't grateful for the chance.
"Is that the foot?"
Melinda shook her head. "That's the top of their head. They are stretched out sideways just now." She moved his hand around the swell of her belly and pressed his fingers firmly over another spot. "There's the foot."
The baby pushed back against their hands and she saw the spark in Jim's eyes as he felt the kick. "Hello, a chuisle," he said fondly as he leaned over and kissed her belly through the thin fabric of her shift, over the spot where they'd felt the crown of the baby's head. "It's your da."
The echoes of his conversations had at night while in bed with their child so soon to be, filled her with joy. It was hard not to draw parallels between the first time and now ‒ the same place and same unbridled excitement to meet their baby.
"Should be dropping down into position soon enough." She caressed her belly. "Until then, the stubborn little thing likes to lodge itself sideways while they still can."
"That's alright. You take yer time, wee one," he murmured to her belly, and her heart lurched at the underlying strain in his otherwise gentle tone. "Grow hearty and strong first before you join us and your sister. We'll bide until then."
Both of them were startled at the sound of a door latch jiggling, but it became quickly apparent that it wasn't their main bedroom door but the one that led to the adjoining nursery. Ella was too little to lift the latch but she could just barely touch the handle if she tried. When she couldn't get through on her own, they heard her wailings through the door.
"Christ," Jim muttered under his breath. But he was up and out of bed faster than she could blink, opening the door for their distraught wee thing to join them. Ella toddled in, face flushed and already streaked with tears, and he wasted no time in scooping her up. "Oh, what's wrong?" His tone was affectionate and soothing, the soft voice he reserved just for his children. Ella's head rested on his shoulder as he began to pace the room with her. "You canna do that in a few month's time or you'll wake the bairn."
The little girl only sniffled and turned her face into her father's neck.
"She has no idea what's coming," she said and shook her head.
Jim's smile was bright even in the dim lighting of their room but she found it hard to match his joy at that moment. If she wasn't worried about the birth, she was worried about Ella feeling cast aside once there was a baby demanding their time and attention more. It felt as though they were in such a precarious spot with their daughter having to adapt to such drastic changes yet again in such a short time.
"You know, wee one, I think your ma could use some cheering up." He whispered to her and she was startled out of her thoughts to see his perceptive gaze on her. He gave her a soft smile, but his own concern was poorly concealed from her. "What d'ye think, Ella?" he whispered conspiratorially to their girl, slowly sauntering towards her side of the bed. "Can we cheer her up?" Ella's head popped up from his shoulder, eyes intent on finding her.
Instinctively, she sat up a little further in bed, unsure if her husband was coming to pass her off to her or not.
"Gib her a kiss?" Her little voice giggled.
"Oh aye," he said brightly, "that should help. Ready?"
Melinda watched him shift Ella sideways in his arms and held her out towards her, his large hand supporting their daughter's ribcage. She stole a kiss from the sweet little face hovering in front of her and couldn't hold back a smile.
"Again!" Ella crowed, face scrunched with pure joy and arms outstretched, and she wanted to freeze that moment forever. Instead, Melinda accepted another kiss from tiny rosebud lips and felt her baby's weight slowly sink onto her as Jim gently draped her slight form over her chest and protruding belly. "Mama!"
"There's my girl," she whispered and kissed the crown of her little head, sweaty from sleep, and wrapped her arms snug around her warm little body. Ella's hand reached up and patted her cheek and she turned her head so she could press a kiss to the little palm before it withdrew. "You are such a loving girl, so kind and generous. Mommy loves you so much."
Jim crawled over her feet to his side of the bed and propped himself up on one elbow facing the two of them, his face almost level with theirs. "Aye, what a kind lass you are, helping your mam feel better." He leaned over and kissed Ella's cheek, a loud smacking kiss that left the girl giggling and turned her face into Melinda's chest.
"I love you, sweet girl." Her miracle girl. Her everything. When the anxiety over the baby's birth became too loud, she reminded herself that Ella, against all odds, was still here. And Jim was, too.
"Love you, mama," Ella cooed and her daughter's little hand rubbed up and down her arm like she was trying to soothe her still.
She met her husband's shining gaze in the dimness and oh, it was enough. It was more than enough.