"Mama," Ella said confidently pushing open Elizabeth's bedroom door. Robert heard her, suddenly grateful they'd replaced their clothing after that last time. He opened his eyes and saw Elizabeth's head turn away from him. She sat up.
"Hey." She said as Ella jumped up onto the bed.
"You had a sleepover!" Ella said excitedly.
"Yeah." Elizabeth pulled Ella's bouncing form onto her lap, hugging her playfully
Ella giggled. "Can I have a sleepover?"
"We'll see." Elizabeth carried the cliché line perfectly. She turned to Robert knowing he couldn't have slept through that.
"Good morning." He smiled sleepily.
"Sorry about the wake up call." Elizabeth grinned.
"No, best wake up call in my living memory." He pulled Ella from her mothers lap and laughed, "Gotcha!"
Ella squealed, wriggling and laughing.
Elizabeth watched amazed. He was amazing. "Ella?" she said fairly quietly.
"Yeah?" Ella asked and they both stopped the game.
"If you go make your bed then I'll think about that sleepover."
"Really?"
Elizabeth nodded.
Ella bounded off.
"Really?" Robert mimicked.
Elizabeth's smile faded as she leaned over him, sinking into him as she kissed him. "I love you." She whispered into his lips. He kissed her harder but she pulled away, "Ella could be back any minute."
"True." He sat up and looked at the figure lying beside him. "You're beautiful in the morning."
She yawned, grinning. "I'm exhausted. Maybe we should find Ella a friend to sleepover with. I could do with the rest."
"I can think of better things to do with that time." He kissed her softly. "But right now there is breakfast to be made. And if I don't stop grinning my face is going to start aching."
She laughed and pulled him back for another kiss. "Thank you for staying."
He shook his head, "Leaving was the hard part."
"Well, nonetheless, thank you for last night, it was…"
"My pleasure." He grinned cheekily.
"You took the words right out of my mouth." She replied in turn.
"It must have been while you were kissing me." He sang, collapsing in giggles.
"All done." Ella announced her entrance.
"Breakfast time." Robert jumped out of bed and swept Ella of her feet, telling Elizabeth to take her time before he descended the stairs with Ella tucked under his arm, flying like superman, or supergirl, or something.
Elizabeth laughed at him and threw the covers off, making for the shower, testing her sensitive ankle. It was a bit stronger. Showering wouldn't be too dangerous. Easier with Robert's help of course, but Ella might get some interesting ideas about sleepovers. Try explaining that one to her friend's parents. Elizabeth laughed at herself.
Twenty minutes later she made her way downstairs, glad to be in clean clothes, feeling a little more presentable. The laughing eyes that met her entrance to the kitchen, over the top of her daughter's blonde hair, made her breath catch in her throat. She slipped her hand around his waist, kissing Ella's forehead then Robert's lips. "So, what's that smell?"
"I haven't had a chance to get a shower yet," he offered mock-apologetically.
She laughed, "I meant breakfast."
"What have we got Ella?"
"Toast."
"I was in there for ages. You came up with toast? I dunno… you set yourself up you know. After last night's amazing dinner, I was expecting gourmet three times a day." She extracted Ella from his arm.
"Well, last night I had two hands. This morning, one of them is still on your dresser." He kissed her. "Be right back." He took off.
For a moment she thought she may have been too quick. But then she saw what page he had the cookbook open to – she couldn't even pronounce the title. But it looked good. She shook her head laughing and turned to Ella. "Good morning sweetie."
"Morning Mama."
"What would you like for breakfast?"
"Chocolate!" Ella suggested without a moment's consideration.
"Good luck talking her out of it." Robert returned.
"I don't even bother. I just give her cereal and fruit and let her whine. She knows the answer."
"Then it's just plain cruel to ask her what she wants for breakfast."
"Oh no. No you don't. you may have won her dear little heart," Elizabeth filled a plastic bowl with unnaturally coloured cereal, "and you may cook better than I ever will, but if you critique my parenting be assured I will wring your neck."
"And there's only so many appendages I can afford to lose." He pulled her into his embrace, loving her feisty banter, and being way-too-tempted to rip her clothes off then and there. But then her stomach rumbled and he felt it against his. "So, how about that breakfast?" he spun her out of his embrace.
"Well, I'll do the coffee," she flicked on the electric jug, "I think I can handle that."
"Don't worry, I can't replace you. Falling asleep on my chest just doesn't have quite the same effect." He pushed the boundaries of the conversations they were allowed to have in front of Ella.
Elizabeth laughed, putting an extra teaspoon of instant coffee into his mug as revenge.
"Hey." She said as Ella jumped up onto the bed.
"You had a sleepover!" Ella said excitedly.
"Yeah." Elizabeth pulled Ella's bouncing form onto her lap, hugging her playfully
Ella giggled. "Can I have a sleepover?"
"We'll see." Elizabeth carried the cliché line perfectly. She turned to Robert knowing he couldn't have slept through that.
"Good morning." He smiled sleepily.
"Sorry about the wake up call." Elizabeth grinned.
"No, best wake up call in my living memory." He pulled Ella from her mothers lap and laughed, "Gotcha!"
Ella squealed, wriggling and laughing.
Elizabeth watched amazed. He was amazing. "Ella?" she said fairly quietly.
"Yeah?" Ella asked and they both stopped the game.
"If you go make your bed then I'll think about that sleepover."
"Really?"
Elizabeth nodded.
Ella bounded off.
"Really?" Robert mimicked.
Elizabeth's smile faded as she leaned over him, sinking into him as she kissed him. "I love you." She whispered into his lips. He kissed her harder but she pulled away, "Ella could be back any minute."
"True." He sat up and looked at the figure lying beside him. "You're beautiful in the morning."
She yawned, grinning. "I'm exhausted. Maybe we should find Ella a friend to sleepover with. I could do with the rest."
"I can think of better things to do with that time." He kissed her softly. "But right now there is breakfast to be made. And if I don't stop grinning my face is going to start aching."
She laughed and pulled him back for another kiss. "Thank you for staying."
He shook his head, "Leaving was the hard part."
"Well, nonetheless, thank you for last night, it was…"
"My pleasure." He grinned cheekily.
"You took the words right out of my mouth." She replied in turn.
"It must have been while you were kissing me." He sang, collapsing in giggles.
"All done." Ella announced her entrance.
"Breakfast time." Robert jumped out of bed and swept Ella of her feet, telling Elizabeth to take her time before he descended the stairs with Ella tucked under his arm, flying like superman, or supergirl, or something.
Elizabeth laughed at him and threw the covers off, making for the shower, testing her sensitive ankle. It was a bit stronger. Showering wouldn't be too dangerous. Easier with Robert's help of course, but Ella might get some interesting ideas about sleepovers. Try explaining that one to her friend's parents. Elizabeth laughed at herself.
Twenty minutes later she made her way downstairs, glad to be in clean clothes, feeling a little more presentable. The laughing eyes that met her entrance to the kitchen, over the top of her daughter's blonde hair, made her breath catch in her throat. She slipped her hand around his waist, kissing Ella's forehead then Robert's lips. "So, what's that smell?"
"I haven't had a chance to get a shower yet," he offered mock-apologetically.
She laughed, "I meant breakfast."
"What have we got Ella?"
"Toast."
"I was in there for ages. You came up with toast? I dunno… you set yourself up you know. After last night's amazing dinner, I was expecting gourmet three times a day." She extracted Ella from his arm.
"Well, last night I had two hands. This morning, one of them is still on your dresser." He kissed her. "Be right back." He took off.
For a moment she thought she may have been too quick. But then she saw what page he had the cookbook open to – she couldn't even pronounce the title. But it looked good. She shook her head laughing and turned to Ella. "Good morning sweetie."
"Morning Mama."
"What would you like for breakfast?"
"Chocolate!" Ella suggested without a moment's consideration.
"Good luck talking her out of it." Robert returned.
"I don't even bother. I just give her cereal and fruit and let her whine. She knows the answer."
"Then it's just plain cruel to ask her what she wants for breakfast."
"Oh no. No you don't. you may have won her dear little heart," Elizabeth filled a plastic bowl with unnaturally coloured cereal, "and you may cook better than I ever will, but if you critique my parenting be assured I will wring your neck."
"And there's only so many appendages I can afford to lose." He pulled her into his embrace, loving her feisty banter, and being way-too-tempted to rip her clothes off then and there. But then her stomach rumbled and he felt it against his. "So, how about that breakfast?" he spun her out of his embrace.
"Well, I'll do the coffee," she flicked on the electric jug, "I think I can handle that."
"Don't worry, I can't replace you. Falling asleep on my chest just doesn't have quite the same effect." He pushed the boundaries of the conversations they were allowed to have in front of Ella.
Elizabeth laughed, putting an extra teaspoon of instant coffee into his mug as revenge.