Chapter 19: Vacation Continued
Summary: Fun at the Jersey Shore continues
"I can't believe our vacation is half over already," Rafa sighed into Liv's shoulder, holding her close while they waited for the shower to warm up. It was the end of another beach day and Noah was taking a much-needed nap on the couch.
"Hmmm, I know, babe." Liv turned her head, kissing the sun-darkened skin of his chest. "It has been wonderful so far and we still have a week left."
"Yeah, but Carisi will be here for most of that," he whined. Liv indulged him for a moment before shoving him into the steamy shower. "Hey!"
Following him into the large tile shower with double-sided shower heads, she playfully slapped his ass. "I'll let you do me in the shower if you promise not to whine the rest of this trip."
Rafa's eyes lit up as he reached for her. "I'll promise you the moon and stars, mi amor. But I can't guarantee that there will be no more whining."
"You're insufferable," she murmured into his lips before deepening the kiss. His hands were everywhere on her slick body, and he backed her up against the sidewall of the shower. Water spraying down on them from both sides, Rafa hoisted her up, grabbing handfuls of her ass as he pressed her back against the wall. Liv eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist, slipping a hand between them to guide his hardened length home.
"Not bad for a middle-aged guy, huh," he grunted against her neck, rocking his hips into her. Rafa set an intense pace while Liv's hand shifted to play against her nub to speed up her orgasm. Throat exposed as her head tilted back against the tile wall, Rafa kissed, nipped, and sucked at a spot just below her right ear until she came with a cry of his name. Liv's nails dug into his shoulders, and she whispered filthy things in his ear as he came undone inside her.
"Jesus, Liv. That was fucking sexy," he said breathlessly as her legs slipped down from his waist to support her own weight. He absolutely loved it when Liv talked dirty to him. Rafa leant against her for a few more moments to recover his strength before stepping back.
Liv smiled lovingly and kissed him. "I love you and I love making love to you, Rafa."
"Me too, Liv." He pressed another tender kiss to her lips and grabbed the bottle of shampoo. "Let me wash your hair, mi amor."
Ten minutes later, the couple emerged from the shower, clean and thoroughly sated. Before Liv could lift a finger, Rafa picked up her brush and softly ran it through her wet locks to remove the tangles. Still naked, they crawled between the cool sheets of the bed when he was done and slipped off to sleep in a mid-afternoon nap.
…..
"Fireworks?!" Noah perked up from his spot on the porch as the small family noshed on leftover pizza. "Can we go watch them?"
Liv and Rafa both laughed at the boy's excitement. "That's the plan, mijo. We will have a great view from the top floor here, actually. So, we don't need to go anywhere."
As much fun as they were having on their beach getaway, the long days in the sun were taking it out of them and the adults were exhausted. The last thing either of them wanted to do was fight through traffic for the fireworks show.
"When do they start, Rafa?" Noah asked.
"After dark, mijo. I believe they start around 9:30 tonight."
Nodding, Noah finished his last slice of pizza. "Good thing I took a nap today." Liv and Rafa agreed.
"It's almost time for sunset now. We can get setup on the top floor and watch the sunset while we wait for the fireworks," Liv said, standing to clear away the empty pizza box and their plates. "I'll grab some drinks and meet you both up there."
Rafa led Noah up several flights of stairs to the widow's walk at the top of the house where two teak Adirondack chairs were placed. Turning to face west, the boys watched the sun dip lower toward the horizon while they waited for Liv.
"Rafa?"
"Yeah, buddy?"
"When are you going to ask Momma to marry you?"
Noah was the little prince of impromptu questions. Rafa should be used to it by now, but the kid always caught him off guard. Clearing his throat, Rafa bent down to Noah's level and met his gaze. "I don't know, mijo. I really want to, but I think it's still too soon. You'll be the first to know when I'm ready though, okay? I'll need your help when it is time to ask."
The little boy continued to think that adults just made things more difficult than they needed to be but nodded his curly head anyway. "Okay."
Liv joined them minutes later, a juice box, bottle of wine, and two glasses in her hands. "Oh! I made it just in time," she breathed. Rafa relieved her of the wine bottle and one of the glasses before filling her glass, then his own.
The family of three leant against the railing of the widow's walk and watched the sky change colors as the sun slowly sunk toward the horizon. Sipping her wine, Liv was overcome with a feeling that everything was just perfect. She had an amazing boyfriend, a wonderful son, a job she loved… all the things she always wanted and hoped to have for so long. She loved this life fiercely. Holding the stemmed wineglass carefully in her right hand, Liv hugged Rafa from behind and placed her left hand over his heart.
"You okay, mi amor?" Rafa whispered as he turned his head and placed his hand over hers.
"I'm incandescently happy," she whispered back.
"Me, too," Rafa beamed, squeezing the hand over his heart tighter. They relaxed into each other as they watched the sun dip below the horizon, enjoying the shades of yellow, orange, and red that colored the sky.
The fireworks began a short time later. Their vantage point was perfect as they watched the burst of fiery color explode in the sky. Noah's delighted oohs and ahhs were just as entertaining to the adults as the fireworks themselves. Liv slipped her phone out of her pocket and took a few pictures of her boys as they watched the grand finale in awe. They both had the same open-mouthed, wide-eyed expressions on their faces and Liv was overcome with the thought of 'like father, like son'. She had to blink the tears from her eyes.
"That was so cool!" Noah declared once the fireworks ended. "I can't wait for Jesse to see them!"
"I'm glad you liked them, mijo. I thought they were really cool, too." Rafa's eyes sparkled with happiness.
"Speaking of Jesse, we should head to bed. Jesse, Aunt Amanda, and Uncle Sonny will be here tomorrow. They are going to need you to be their tour guide, sweet boy, so you need your rest," Liv said ruffling her son's hair as she nudged him toward the stairs.
…..
"Wow, this place is great," Carisi said, stopping to stare in awe at the interior of the beach house. He clearly forgot about Amanda and Jesse walking behind him as they crashed into his back.
"Dammit Carisi!" Amanda growled as she pushed the tall man out of their way. She loved the guy but sometimes he drove her crazy. Jesse giggled maniacally at the two adults.
"Sorry, 'Manda. Here, let me take that," Carisi apologized and grabbed the luggage she was carrying to place it on the floor by the stairs. Amanda rolled her eyes knowing that she could have done that just as easily herself.
"Gee, thanks," she quipped.
"Noah!" Jesse declared once they made their way further into the house. "Hi Jesse!" Noah greeted with equal excitement. The children politely greeted their honorary aunts and uncles before running off to play.
"Thanks for inviting us to crash your vacation!" Amanda exclaimed, shooting Liv and Rafael a grateful smile. She knew it was much more Liv's invite than Rafael's. "Damn Barba, this place is nice! You did well."
"Thank Rita Calhoun, she hooked us up with this place," Rafael replied while Liv hugged her friend.
"Oh really?" Amanda drew out the words. She knew Calhoun was loaded and had friends in high places, but she didn't realize that she was so… giving.
"Rafa and Rita go way back and have been close friends for years," Liv explained. "Come on, I'll give you the dollar tour while Rafa gets everyone something to drink."
Liv showed them around the first floor before moving up a flight of stairs to the guest rooms. "Noah's room has bunk beds, so Jesse is welcome to stay in there with him. Your room is just down the hall here on the opposite side of the guest bathroom."
Once her friends placed their belongings in the designated rooms, Liv led them up to the next floor where the master bedroom was, followed by the top floor widow walk. They stood taking in the view for some time, the summer sun beating down on them.
"I could stay here forever," Liv breathed while watching the waves break, the sea breeze blowing locks of her hair back. Amanda and Carisi's had only been there for 20 minutes, but they wholeheartedly agreed.
"It truly is gorgeous," Amanda said as she led the way back down to the kitchen to retrieve their cocktails. "I love vacations. It's the only time I let myself drink at noon."
"You know the saying, it's 5 o'clock somewhere," Carisi teased, and everyone rolled their eyes in jest.
"Let's take these out on the porch," Rafael said. He handed everyone a drink and strolled through the sliding glass doors. "The kids can swim in the pool in a bit to keep them entertained."
"It's good to be out of the city. The heat was getting oppressive," Carisi said making conversation.
"How was the drive down?" Rafael said in an equally poor attempt to keep the conversation going.
"Bless your hearts, you guys really suck at small talk," Amanda laughed. "Let's talk about what our plan is for the next few days."
"Noah was hoping we would go to the Point Pleasant boardwalk this evening so he could show Jesse all the games and rides," Liv replied. "Tomorrow can be a beach and pool day. Sunday we could check out a water park a few towns away."
"Sounds like a great vacation to me," Carisi said, ever the enthusiastic child.
"You say that now. Wait for the exhaustion to hit after so many hours in the sun chasing kids around," Rafael said. "I've ordered some subs from Jersey Mike's for lunch. They should be here soon."
After the subs arrived and were promptly devoured, the two families spent the afternoon relaxing on the patio and playing in the pool. By late afternoon, the kids were brimming with energy and begging to go to the boardwalk. Rafael's rental car was equipped with a third row, so all six of them fit in one vehicle, albeit snuggly.
Jesse's mind was blown when she saw the bright lights and activity of the boardwalk as they parked. Noah talked her ear off about all of the things they were going to see and do.
"Alright mijos, what do we want to do first, games or rides?"
"Rides!" they screeched together.
"Excellent choice," Rafael said, grasping a hand of each child. "Let's go get tickets." Carisi followed along like an exuberant puppy just excited about the rides as the kids.
Amanda and Liv hung back happy to watch the others have their fun. "So, you guys still in the honeymoon phase after moving in together?"
"Yes, it's been amazing. I fall more in love with that man each day," Liv replied. "My only regret is that I didn't allow myself this happiness sooner."
Sheer joy for her friend and boss washed over Amanda. If anyone deserved a world-class love story, it was Olivia Benson. "It's obvious Barba feels the same, Liv. You guys are like a damn Hallmark Channel movie."
The women laughed, waving to the kids and their boyfriends as they flew by on the revolving swings ride. All four of them were sporting delighted grins as the wind blew their hair around wildly.
Glancing back at Liv, Amanda watched her beam lovingly at her boys. "I bet you $100 that Barba asks you to marry him before the end of the year."
Mouth agape, Liv stared at the other woman for a moment, caught off guard by Amanda's sudden statement. Before she gathered her thoughts, the kids came rushing up to them rambling excitedly about how fun that swing ride was. Carisi and Rafael followed closely behind the kids, not wanting to let them out of their sight at the busy boardwalk.
Rafa caught the surprised look on Liv's face and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. "Hey, you okay?" he whispered into her hair.
She nodded with a gulp and leaned into him. Rafa wasn't sure he believed Liv and shot a questioning glance at Amanda to find her smirking at them. The other woman must have said something that shocked his girlfriend, and he hoped it wasn't something bad. He would have to ask her later as she clearly wasn't ready to talk about anything right then.
The kids dragged their parents to a few more rides, including Noah's favorite, The Tornado. Once the kids and men were on the rides, Amanda and Liv continued to talk about their relationships. Although surprised at Amanda's comment initially, Liv admitted to her friend that she would love nothing more than to marry her best friend. She just feared it was too soon. Liv learned that Amanda and Carisi's relationship had progressed as well. She encouraged them to formally disclose since things were so serious.
"We'll have our disclosure papers on your desk when we get back to work, Liv."
After over an hour of rides, the kids decided it was time for some games. The first stop was a water gun game in which each person had to aim at a bullseye in a clown's mouth to fill up a balloon. The first balloon to pop wins a prize.
"Momma! Rafa! You have to play, too!" Noah exclaimed as he knelt on the stool in front of his clown. "You too, Aunt 'Manda and Uncle Sonny!"
Rafael shelled out the cash for all six of them to play, which guaranteed the winner the biggest prize. Taking a spot between Noah and Liv, Rafa bent his elbows on the counter, water gun in hand. "You're going down, Carisi," he called out.
"Barba talking shit – oops, trash. I meant trash," Amanda laughed. The kids teased her for the bad word.
The bell chimed marking the start of the game and everyone pulled the triggers on their water guns. At first, it looked like Liv or Amanda might win, but Jesse's balloon popped first shocking everyone.
"I won! Mommy, I won!" the little girl cheered, jumping up and down.
"Yes, you did, baby girl! You made mommy so proud!"
Carisi swooped in and hefted the excited girl onto his hip. "You get to pick a prize, sweetie. Which one do you want? You can choose any of those big ones up there."
Jesse tapped her lips with a tiny finger, mimicking a motion she probably watched her mother or Carisi do when they were concentrating. She glanced over all of the stuffed toys lining the booth and settled on a large, pink giraffe. She nearly toppled over when the attendant handed her the prize, it was larger than she was. Carisi ended up carrying the giraffe down the boardwalk as they made their way to the next game.
The adults let Noah win on the next game and he selected a large stuffed wolf. Soon enough, the group was loaded down with prize winnings of all sizes, and they were ready to call it an evening.
"I'm not sure we're going to fit all of this in the car with us," Rafael said looking at the small SUV doubtfully.
"Don't worry, Barba, we'll make it work. We can stick the giraffe's head out the window," Carisi suggested.
In the end, that was exactly what they had to do. Surprisingly, Rafael didn't even feel embarrassed to be driving a car with stuffed animal heads hanging out the windows. Oh, how his life had changed.
….
The next morning, everyone slept in and had a leisurely morning before easing into their beach day. Jesse was frightened of the waves, needing encouragement from Noah as she clung to Carisi to get her past the breakers. Once she was feeling more comfortable, Jesse swam between the adults while wearing her swimmies and splashed around with Noah.
Again, Liv was the first person out of the water once her skin started to prune. She sat on a beach chair enjoying the sight of her family having a wonderful time. The kids shrieked with delight when Carisi lifted them one at a time and tossed them in the air to land in the water near Rafael. Liv took photos to show the group later. There were so many great memories made on this vacation. She was grateful to Noah for relentlessly begging them for an official family vacation and Rafa for everything he did to make sure it was perfect. He was definitely right in seeking out Rita's opinion on where to stay – they wouldn't have ended up in quite such a nice beach house otherwise.
Amanda joined Liv on the beach a short time later. "They are just man-sized children, aren't they?" the blonde woman said tilting her head towards their boyfriends.
"That's part of why we love them, right?" Liv laughed. "It's wonderful to see them so relaxed and carefree, having fun with the kids."
Nodding, Amanda pulled a bottle of water from the cooler and held it out toward Liv, who shook her head no. "It's been a tough couple of years for everyone. This trip was long overdue and much needed. Thank you again for inviting us along, seriously."
Liv smiled warmly at her friend. "I'm so glad that your boss approved your PTO request so you could join us," she teased. The women continued chatting until the men and kids decided to take a break from swimming.
"Mommy, I'm hungry," Jesse said as she reached them.
"Me, too," Noah and Rafa said at the same time, causing everyone to laugh.
"Ok then, let's go get some lunch!" Amanda exclaimed before pausing. "Where should we order from?"
"Jersey Mike's!" Noah declared, not caring that they just had subs from there yesterday. "What? They have the best subs." No one could argue with that logic and Rafael pulled his phone out of Liv's beach bag to call in an order.
While they waited for their lunch order to arrive, the group decided that they had enough of the beach, packed up their gear, and trudged across the sand back to the house. By the time that the subs arrived, Liv and Rafa were freshly showered and ready to relax over lunch. They were soon joined by Amanda and Carisi, also freshly showered. Jesse and Noah opted not to shower yet as they wanted to swim in the pool after lunch.
"There are fireworks on the beach in Point Pleasant tonight," Rafa made conversation while they ate. "We can see them from the widow's walk upstairs." The kids cheered, thrilled with the idea.
"I saw a grill on the patio. Do we want to stay in and grill up some dinner before the fireworks?" Liv asked the group.
Everyone nodded and Carisi was elected to be the grill master while Liv and Rafa offered to make macaroni salad. Amanda rifled through the fridge and cabinets, checking their ingredient supply. "Looks like we'll have to make a store run for meat, buns, and veggies," she said. "Carisi and I can do that if you don't mind keeping an eye on Jesse."
Liv and Rafa sat on the patio watching the kids play in the aboveground pool while the others ran to the grocery store. Rafa tenderly caressed Liv's thigh with his fingertips, his countenance wholly content. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so at ease. Or tan. Reaching a hand across his shoulder, Liv tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.
He turned a charming smile toward her, and her heart swelled. "I am so immeasurably happy, Liv," he admitted. "I'm even enjoying Carisi's company."
Throwing her head back in delightful amusement, Liv ruffled his hair. "I know you actually like Carisi, you just keep it hidden."
"I will deny everything if you ever tell him." Leaning toward her, Rafa captured her lips in a searing kiss, breaking apart when the kids made fake puking sounds from the pool.
….
Before they knew it, their vacation was nearing its end, and no one was happy about it. The kids were cranky while the adults were at their wits end packing and tidying up the beach house. Although Rafa knew that a cleaning service would be coming in once they left, Liv insisted on not leaving a mess behind.
For their last evening, the group sat on the patio soaking in the sounds and smells of the beach and watched the sky change colors as the sun set. Knowing they would all hit the road early the next day to avoid traffic, they went to bed early.
Once they were alone in their room, Rafa opened the balcony doors to allow the salty air to waft in. He wanted to savor the scent of the ocean as he slid into bed and reminisced about how wonderful their time in Manasquan had been. The creak of the ensuite bathroom door opening drew his attention, his breath catching as his gaze settled on Liv's scantily clad form. Leaning against the doorframe, she wore a shimmering negligee.
Rafa gulped heavily. "Where have you been hiding that?" She was a vision and his body reacted immediately.
"This old thing?" she asked with a grin. "I may have picked it up just before this trip. I was saving it for tonight, our last night."
Growling with anticipation, Rafa's half-lidded eyes remained glued on Liv as she sauntered across the room and crawled on top of him on the bed. His hands reached out and roamed her body of their own accord. He was powerless at resisting the magnificent woman hovering above him. Their lips met in a scorching kiss. There would be no sleep anytime soon.