3. A Little Bit Yours, continued
AN: Thank you for reviewing this story, it is greatly appreciated. This song will have another chapter because the material in the next draft doesn't mesh well here.
Two days later…
Michonne's head lay on the down-filled pillow. Her eyelids twitched rapidly. Her breathing was calm and evenly paced as she recalled a long-ago memory when she lay on a blanket under the big shade tree in the backyard at the cottage. Her book lay abandoned and open-faced at her side.
At first, the gentle summer breeze carried the sounds of Rick and their boys frolicking in the lake down the slope below. But, suddenly, she no longer heard them—it wasn't normal, it was too quiet. Michonne woke with a start to find her boys seated on a nearby blanket helping their father to set up a picnic and unpacking the picnic basket. She felt her daughter move. She caressed her five-month baby bump and smiled.
"Mommy, you're awake," Andre announced.
"I am," Michonne confirmed manoeuvring herself into a seated position.
"Daddy wanted to surprise you, Mommy," RJ added, handing his mother a bottled water.
"Thanks, sweetheart." She answered and accepted it. "Is that so?"
Both boys nodded affirmatively and smiled. She noticed they had changed into dry clothes and had obviously been gone for some time before she detected the absence of the noise.
Michonne looked up and her warm brown eyes caught the sparkling cerulean blue orbs of her husband. She smiled.
"Are you hungry?" Rick asked, staring at her lovingly.
An affectionate smile graced her lips and she replied, "I can eat."
"Here, Mommy," Andre offered his mother a plate of fruits. "I did that, Mommy," he stated rather proud of his accomplishment."
"Thank you, sweetheart."
"No fair, I helped Daddy with the sandwiches," RJ added, not wanting to feel left out.
Michonne chuckled, "Thank you, baby and Daddy, too." She knew she was a lucky woman to have such amazing boys and an amazing husband who took such good care of her.
...
As twilight fade to dawn and the light of the new day filtered through the cream sheer window coverings into the room slowly eating through the last remnants of the cover of night, the room bathed in a soft glow. Michonne woke with a start partly because her heart felt like it would break through her chest wall at any minute. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly calming her nerves and steadying her heart rate.
The past few nights Michonne dreamt of varying scenes with a recurring theme and she hated CJ for having planted the seed in her head. It was over and they both knew it. They got along well because above all else, their children came first, and there was no way to recover from the hurt they caused one another. Michonne shook her head knowing she would never allow herself to be hurt again. Exasperated by her thoughts, she stretched and yawned then reached for her phone. She had a few messages. Rick offered to pick up the boys earlier than usual since she pitched in for him when his schedule was altered. Her mother invited her to dinner to ensure she'd eat a proper meal knowing she was often guilty of skipping meals whenever the boys were with their father. And lastly, Aaron and Paul invited her to dinner. She sent a quick text and confirmed with Rick she had no objections to his offer but noted the boys were still sleeping.
Her next choice was a little more difficult, dinner with her mother versus dinner with her partner and bestie. On one hand, she had spent the day before with her mother who accompanied her and the boys on a day-long adventure, which included a visit to the library and a trip to the National Zoo. In the evening, they barbecued hot dogs, burgers, and roasted corn on the cob and her mother made a garden salad. After dinner, they clowned around the backyard and eventually spent some time in the pool. At bath time, there was no bartering for extra time because they were exhausted by the time their little heads hit the pillow. They had a quick good night call with their father and it was lights out.
Dinner with her mother was usually fun, but there were times when she couldn't wait to escape her presence especially whenever her mother decided to play matchmaker. It was about three months since she last broached the issue so she was due. A pang of guilt stabbed at her heart as she declined her mother's offer and proposed a raincheck. Instead, Michonne envisioned a pleasant evening with Aaron and Paul who were finally back from their three-week honeymoon. It felt like ages since she last gossiped with her people so she readily accepted Aaron's invite.
...
On Sunday mornings, Michonne usually busied herself flitting around tidying up her house while RJ and Andre slept. The housekeeper came three times a week but she was one of those people who cleaned up before the cleaning service showed up. She chuckled to herself the mornings she'd jump out of bed extra early so she could tidy up before they left for work. She chuckled as she recalled how Rick always thought it was crazy paying for a service for which she did half the work, but she never argued because the twins were messy, they left their things everywhere, an inherited trait from their father, so she felt almost obligated to make the house look as though she had some kind of control over her household.
After tidying up, Michonne finished a second cup of coffee and was on her way to shower when the doorbell rang. As a result, she swore under her breath because she had planned on taking advantage of the boy's exhaustion to work until such time they woke up and she had to switch to her care-taking role until such time their father took custody of them. That of course was before the unannounced visitor at her door. It was barely eight o'clock in the morning, who the hell visits this early, even her mother was more respectful of her time.
Michonne adjusted her sweats because it wasn't as if the visitor at the door gave her the option of being presentable, so she walked down the hallway towards the front door, but at the last minute, she decided to duck into the powder-room and check her appearance. She quickly undid her messy ponytail and placed her hair into a high bun. She was determined to look at least halfway presentable when she opened her front door. Satisfied with her quick work, she then walked the extra few yards to the front door and opened it.
To her surprise, she was greeted by a familiar pair of mischievous blue eyes. Rick's chiselled features were framed with a day's old scruff. His dark curls still damp from his shower. He looked handsome in his brown t-shirt and charcoal jeans, which were almost a second uniform to his scrubs. The t-shirt, however, caught her attention because it clung to him like a second skin and accentuated his well-defined torso. She instantly hated him for looking so damn good at such an ungodly hour on a Sunday morning.
...
Fifteen minutes away from Michonne's place...
"That will be twenty-five dollars, sir," Jessie advised the kind handsome doctor who reset and wired her jaw shut during her last visit to the emergency room six months earlier.
"Thank's," Rick added as the woman finished packing his groceries, sliding the baguette into the side pocket of the reusable grocery bag, and placing the eggs on top of the other items. Rick opened his wallet and passed the woman thirty dollars.
In turn, Jessie removed the change from the till and held five ones towards him slightly fanned out and waited for him to say something. He didn't. Instead, when her eyes met his, Rick's cold blue eyes pierced at her and she quickly relinquished her hold on his change and added, "Have a good day, sir."
Rick placed the money in his wallet and retrieved the bags of groceries from the counter then left the store. On his way to the parking lot, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and switched the bag he carried in his right hand to his left allowing him to retrieve his phone. He unlocked it and saw Michonne's text. Suddenly, the idea came to him, his wife loved breakfast but it was the one meal she hated preparing, she usually liked it in bed at least that was before the twins. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea, he'd prepare breakfast for everyone.
...
Rick stood in the doorway, in one hand he carried two bags of groceries and in the other, a tray with two cups of coffee from Georgetown Cafe which was precariously balanced on a box of pastries.
Hey," he greeted. "I realize I'm a bit early but I thought I'd surprise you by making breakfast for my family." He missed admiring her beauty as she slept next to him in the mornings but as those days were long gone he allowed his eyes to drink her in and was glad for the last-minute decision. He hated the thought that another man looked at her first thing in the morning as the light of each new day stole its way across the room kissing her gorgeous mahogany skin. Momentarily, his jaw locked at the very thought.
...
A surprised Michonne bit her bottom lip and her heart raced a little. It surprised her because she wasn't angry with his antics then she recalled neither of them exactly defined what early meant. As a result, she relieved him of the tray with their coffees and the box of pastry and opened the door wider allowing him to enter the narrow space and closed the door behind him.
Rick walked the short distance towards the bright open concept kitchen and Michonne followed close behind him. He placed the bags onto the white granite countertop and Michonne mimicked his actions with the coffee and the box of pastries.
Rick unpacked the bags and passed the items he didn't immediately require to Michonne to put them away. The two worked in silence like an assembly line until such time the task was done. Shortly after, Rick broke the silence, "By the way, this is my way of apologizing for the other night. I was wrong."
"That's why we have boundaries, Rick—I would never go over to your place unannounced. But if I did and happened to stumble on something like that, I would leave because it was the right thing to do."
"In my defence, I tried calling you but you never answered. I was pissed to find someone here but what made me angry was the fact our boys heard you. They ran towards our—I mean your room and came back when they heard the noise coming from the room. They thought something was wrong with you, Michonne, so I lied to them. I told them you were having another nightmare."
Michonne was shocked to hear the revelation but stood her ground, "I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone. I forgot Gladys had already left on vacation, but what you did was morally wrong. You know it and I know it."
"You're right," he conceded. "It was bad judgment on my part. Can you ever forgive me for that?" he asked contritely with pleading eyes.
"How can I say no to the man who's about to cook my favourite meal of the day?" she answered. "That said, however, it can never happen again, Rick. I mean it."
Rick looked at her conflicted. While grateful for her absolution, he remained disappointed by her answer because it implied she intended to continue seeing the damn kid. "It won't," he promised but made a mental note to pay CJ a little visit because he was becoming a problem.
But before either party could continue, the sound of a stampede could be heard coming down the hallway. The running feet on hardwood floors followed by high-pitched squeals came to a crashing end on either side of their father.
"Daddy, you're back!" the boys cried with excitement and hugged their father's leg.
Both Rick and Michonne exchanged a glance and Michonne's heart constricted at the hope she heard in their little voices.
Rick wished it were so, but side-stepped his son's statement. He stooped and hugged his boys. "Hey, how yah doing?" He asked, and kissed the top of each of their heads. "How about some breakfast?"
"Pancakes?" Andre asked.
"Yeah, Daddy, pancakes with funny faces." RJ clarified.
"Funny face pancakes for my boys and bacon and eggs for, Mommy?" he asked, looking up at his wife for confirmation.
"Yeah!" RJ and Andre cheered and high-fived one another.
"Sounds good," Michonne added, I'm going to take a shower," she added, leaving them to their own devices.
"Okay, boys, you're going to wash up and then wash the fruits," Rick added, but his eyes remained hypnotized by Michonne's round ass as she walked away.
"Okay, Daddy," the twins replied and sped off in the direction their mother disappeared.
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