Changes in the Wind
Full Circle
The simultaneous sensations roused him from sleep. She was burrowing into his chest and wrapping her limbs around him at the same time, causing gooseflesh to erupt all over his body. As stimulating as he always found her, and judging by his growing arousal, this morning was no exception, she wasn't the cause of his shivering this time. Blindly, he groped for the blanket and found it in tangles down below their waists. That explained why he was so cold, it was freezing in the room and they were lying naked in the bed without covers. It was a surprise he didn't see his breath in front of him, like those cold Syracuse mornings a lifetime ago when his father would turn the heat down at night to save energy. No wonder he lived in Miami, waking up shivering from the cold was unpleasant. Reaching down with his free hand, he pulled the covers up around their shoulders and clasped her to his body.
"So cold…" she murmured in a half asleep trance. "Mmm," she purred, as she snuggled deeper under the blanket and into his flesh.
"You know, you wouldn't be so cold if you didn't kick the blankets off us," he said in a low voice barely over a whisper.
"I was hot," she said in a barely audible voice, before grazing her lips over his chest, bringing forth another round of gooseflesh. "Is it morning already?"
Tim opened a single eye, but had trouble seeing the clock from where he lay and cast a quick glance at the window instead. "Don't know. But there's a little light coming in through the curtain, must be early still. Go back to sleep," he said, dropping a lazy kiss on her head and closing his eye.
"I'm still cold," she complained, leaning further into him and twining her leg around his.
"Well Baby, this is Maine and it is February, it tends to be cold up here this time of year. I promised you the beach in winter and I delivered. And since it took two years to deliver on that promise, but I came through spectacularly, you can't complain."
"Mmm, that you did. It was worth the wait. I didn't mind, we have been a little busy." She moved her lips over his erect nipple, eliciting another round of gooseflesh.
In one fluid motion, he flipped her onto her back and lowered his body over hers. Letting his hands begin their exploration of her soft curves, he heard her sharp intake of breath as she began to respond to his touch. "Think I can raise your body temperature a couple degrees, if you'd like," he said in a throaty whisper, before covering her mouth with his. The sound of faint whimpering grabbed his attention, taking him out of the kiss. His ears perked up on alert, but the room was silent.
"What?" she asked in a whisper, opening her eyes to him.
He shook his head and moved his mouth back over hers, parting her lips with his thrusting tongue. His fingertips ghosted the outline of her full breast, before slowly moving downward, skimming the side of her body to her thigh and coming back to rest lightly on her hip, teasing her with feather light caresses. Squirming beneath him, her hands moved roughly along the length of his back, increasing the pressure and pressing him flush against her. She moaned softly as he moved his lips into her neck, sucking gently, savoring the taste of her sweet and slightly salty flesh. Her breathing increased along with her desire and her hand began to stroke his inner thigh with light tantalizing touches, stoking his growing arousal until the sound of unmistakable whimpering filled the quiet room and brought a halt to their activity.
"No, she can't be. She can't possibly be awake, not now, not again," he pleaded in vain, lifting his head and arching a brow in the direction of the noise.
"Shh. Maybe she'll go right back to sleep," Calleigh reassured, as her hands caressed the sides of his hips.
"God, I hope so. Wasn't she just awake like an hour ago?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.
"No, more like a couple hours ago. She's quiet now, maybe she did go back to sleep," she said before greedily capturing his lips. Both were now impatient with desire and they deftly picked up where they left off, only to be halted when louder, more insistent whimpering filled the room, once more shattering the mood.
"I can't believe it," he growled with frustration.
"Sorry Baby," she murmured soothingly, pressing soft kisses into his chest.
"Still think she's gonna go back to sleep?" he asked with a smirk as he traced a finger down her cheek.
"No and I think that's what she's trying to tell us," Calleigh said, biting on her lip to hide her smile. "Maybe we can pick this up later."
"Quinn, please go back to sleep like a good little girl. Sweetie, you're killing me here," he pleaded, lifting his head in the direction of the portable crib. At the sound of her father's voice, the whimpers became persistent sad cries. "God, she sounds pitiful," he said to his wife, shaking his head.
"You didn't really think that was going to work, did you?" she answered with a laugh she couldn't suppress.
"It was worth a try."
"Once she hears your voice, she knows you're around and that it's only a matter of time before you'll be in to pick her up, so she steps it up until you do. She's smart Tim, she figured you out quickly. She takes after me," she added playfully.
"Cute Cal, you think you're pretty smart, don't you?" he asked before silencing her giggles with his lips. "Two against one, this isn't looking good for my future, is it?" She shook her head, laughing. "You think everything she does is just adorable. You're not going to be thinking that when you realize what you're missing this morning because of her," he said against her lips.
"Oh, I know what I'm going to be missing. How do you think we got her?" she teased.
"Don't remind me," he groaned above the din. "Why does she have such awful timing? I swear she does it on purpose," he grumbled, kissing the hollow above her collarbone.
"She probably heard us and decided she'd rather be with us instead of being alone in her crib in a strange room. Maybe she's scared. We shouldn't leave her to cry." she said with concern clouding her features.
He sighed heavily. "Fine, she wins. You win. I'll get her, you went last time," he said with a kiss, before struggling to get out of the bed. "Damn, I liked it better where I was," he said as his naked body hit the chilled air. Grabbing his robe off the floor, he quickly slung it over his shoulders and padded over to the crib. "I'm coming Quinn. Don't cry, Sweetie." Peering inside, he shook his head at his five-month-old daughter, whose quivering lip and large tears melted his heart with regularity. He gently brushed the tears off her plump, pink cheeks and patted her soft chestnut curls. Tiny arms moved excitedly and the cries subsided. He scooped the wiggling bundle out of the crib, placing gentle kisses all over her face. Secure in her father's arms, her earlier cries became happy babbling sounds. She grabbed a handful of his hair with one fist and a handful of robe in the other. "You do know this is the last romantic weekend I'm taking you on," he said, squinting into a pair of deep brown eyes that matched his own. A toothless grin greeted that pronouncement turning his insides to mush and leaving him completely at the mercy of the spell she'd had him under from the first. Like mother, like daughter, he thought resignedly.
"Grab her toys, Tim," Calleigh called.
"Got 'em," he answered as he bent over the crib and grabbed what he could with his free hand. The sound of her mother's voice elicited more happy gurgles. Jiggling her in his arms as they walked over to the bed, he handed the baby to the outstretched arms of her eager mother, then climbed back into the still warm bed. The baby, now propped against a pillow and safely tucked in between them sucking on a stuffed rattle was completely contented. "This is all she wanted, isn't it? Just to be with us? Calleigh nodded with a grin. "And why exactly did we bring her along on this trip?"
Calleigh shot him a look of mock horror. "What were you planning to do with her, leave her at Delko's for the weekend?" she asked, shuddering as if the very thought was appalling, which it undoubtedly was.
"No, of course not," he said, feeling a twinge of guilt, especially since his buddy had indeed offered to babysit when he first learned of Tim's plan to take Calleigh on a romantic getaway to the Maine coast. But in his defense, Tim only considered taking him up on the offer for maybe a second, if that, before coming to his senses. Wisely, he didn't share the offer with his wife. Alexx would have been a far better choice, not that Calleigh would've considered leaving her still nursing infant with anyone for more than a few hours. Even his mother had failed on each of the occasions she'd offered to take the baby for them.
"I know you, you may have considered it, but you never could've left her. Admit it, you, who are all over her if her bottom lip so much as quivers, couldn't have left her for even a single night."
"I suppose," he reluctantly agreed. Studying the little one next to him, he conceded his wife was right. Since the night she made her appearance, eleven months to the day following their wedding, he'd been unabashedly besotted with her. He had taken to parenting the same way he had taken to marriage, blindly, on a leap of faith and a promise, and with his whole heart and soul. He figured with Calleigh by his side, he couldn't screw up too badly and if he did, she'd be there to set him straight in a heartbeat. Of that, he was certain. It was something he'd come to rely on as one of the only true constants in his life, like loving her. So far, she'd never let him down and he didn't imagine she ever would. "Still, it might be nice if she slept once in awhile. I'd be more inclined to keep her around if she did. Yes, I'm talking about you," he said, eyeing from under his arched brow, the dark-eyed beauty who shared half his DNA, most of it on full display. "And you're kind of a mess," he told her as he wiped a mouthful of drool with the sleeve of his robe.
"Maybe she's teething," Calleigh suggested, pulling the baby onto her lap and sweeping a finger inside of her mouth.
"More sleepless nights and more interruptions to look forward to."
"Nope, not yet, but soon. Don't worry, she'll be sleeping through the night sometime in the near future, then no more interruptions," she said leaning in with a kiss that promised much more.
"Mmm, I'll be looking forward to that. That and her morning nap later," he said returning the kiss with ardor, until the sound of squealing reminded them their lovemaking was on hold for now. "Here let me take her," he said taking his daughter from his wife. "You wanna go back to sleep? This weekend is for you. I'll entertain her. We can look at some books, she likes that."
Calleigh shook her head. "No, but thanks. I'm awake now and besides, I like hanging out with you two. Actually, right now I'm starving. Think the restaurant opens soon?"
"Yeah, probably in an hour or so," he said casting a glance at the clock in the room. "I have an idea. How about we take a walk on the beach till then? The fresh air might make her sleepy," he suggested.
"It's freezing out there. We can't take her out in that cold."
"Calleigh, what do you think people who live here do? Stay indoors till summer?"
"I would," came her smug reply. She wrapped her robe tighter around her body as if already anticipating the chilled sea air.
"Come on, it'll be nice, you love the beach. Besides, my mother sent her enough warm clothing to spend the winter in an Alaskan village."
"That was awfully nice of her to do, considering Quinn won't get much use out of any of it."
"She banking on us making a visit to Syracuse in the very near future, either that or she's planning on showing up on our doorstep for an extended visit. I told her I'd speak to Horatio. Maybe we can take a couple extra days next month," he said with a shrug." I really don't want an extended visit."
"Okay, if you think she'll be warm enough. It might be nice to take a walk. You want me to get her dressed?"
"Nah, I can handle it. You can get yourself ready."
Bundled to within an inch of her life, Tim deemed Quinn ready for the brisk Maine morning. Gently, he placed her in the infant carrier he wore over his coat and turned her head to the side. "I'm not sure she can move, but I'm certain she'll be warm enough," he said, anticipating his wife's question in advance. "You ready?"
"Just a sec, can you fasten this?" she asked, holding the charm bracelet out for him.
"Cal we're going for a walk, not out to dinner," he said slightly baffled, nonetheless complying with her request. He fastened her beloved gift onto her slender wrist, smiling at the mix of charms he'd added over the past two years. The most recent addition was a silhouette engraved with their daughter's name and birth date.
"I don't want to leave it in the room," she explained, buttoning up her coat and grabbing the scarf that didn't see activity during Miami winters. "You're sure she's warm enough, Tim?"
He shook his head in utter disbelief, but couldn't hide his smile. "She's warm enough Calleigh, trust me. I dressed her in everything my mother sent," he said as he held open the door. "She'll be fine."
Unlike the beaches at home, everything about the Maine beaches was much harsher due to the wild, wind-whipped sea. The shoreline was rough, rocky and rugged, yet exceedingly beautiful in its own right. Despite the chill in the air and the heavy gray skies, it was pleasant for a February morning on the coast. If they were lucky they might be seeing a few flakes today, something he knew his wife was eagerly anticipating.
Walking along the rock-strewn shoreline, she leaned in close and wrapped an arm around his waist while he placed his arm around her shoulder. This, he thought to himself with a deep satisfying sigh, was exactly what he never knew he wanted, yet he couldn't imagine his life any other way. She'd opened his heart and helped him learn to trust, while he'd done the same for her. Despite a storm or two along the way, they'd eventually learned to successfully navigate their relationship. And to think, if completely left up to him, they might never have gotten the chance. Nice to know, even he was capable of wising up, he thought with a chuckle.
"What?" she asked with curiosity.
"Nothing, just thinking. Remembering actually, the first time we took a walk along the beach."
"Mmm. I remember that, along with your deer in the headlights look after you kissed me," she reminded, unable to hide her amusement.
"Deer in the headlights look, right," he scoffed. "We had no business kissing, I'm not sure I even liked you very much," he teased. "If you remember, we were just coworkers, we weren't out on a date." he defended. Or were we?
He recalled a conversation shortly after Quinn was born that made him ask that very question.
/ The little bundle swaddled in a pink blanket, with a shock of dark brown hair peeking out from under a knit cap, held his rapt attention. Since making her appearance a few short hours earlier, his heart had grown in size and was now in danger of spilling out of his chest. He swallowed hard over the lump in his throat as he saw her scrunched up face dissolve into plaintive sobs while the nurse checked her over as per hospital routine. Was this how it would always be from now on, he wondered? That this tiny bundle would hold his heart in her tiny grasp, just as her mother did before her?
The nurse calmed her with a pacifier and he drew in a sharp breath of relief once the tears subsided. The nurse then turned to him, and held up a single finger indicating she would be returning the baby promptly. He nodded; it wouldn't be a moment too soon as far as he was concerned. He had no intention of letting this precious baby out of his sight for quite some time. Nor was his wife, if her teary, stricken face when the nurse collected the little one was any indication.
"Timmy." The familiar voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Where is she?" Alexx asked excitedly, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on his cheek while peering through the nursery window.
"The nurse has her. She's almost finished up with her exam," he answered, barely taking his eyes off his baby girl long enough to acknowledge his friend.
"Look at all that hair. There's no question who her father is," Alexx teased good naturedly as she spied the new Speedle addition, now minus her cap, through the glass. "Oh Sugar, she is gorgeous, absolutely perfect. You did good, but you already know that, I can see it all over your face." He couldn't help but smile with pride. She was a beautiful, perfect baby, although that was due more to her mother's DNA contribution, not his. The hair, though and the eyes, they were all him. "And how is your beautiful wife?"
"She's good, happy. She's pretty tired, it was a long night, but mostly she's just happy," he said, closing his eyes a moment and savoring the blissful memory of their daughter's arrival. "She hasn't stopped smiling, well, except when the nurse took the baby away. I thought she was going to lose it right then. No one was taking that baby away from her, not if she could help it. She sent me to keep an eye on things and hurry them along."
"That's her hormones talking, Sugar. What's her name? What did you two finally decide on?"
"Quinn. That was Calleigh's choice. I told her she could name her anything she liked," he sheepishly admitted.
"Of course you did, you never could deny that girl anything," Alexx said with a grin.
He chuckled and nodded his head. It was the truth, not worth denying. "Quinn Alexandra Speedle."
"Ooh, I like that. The middle name a nod to me, I imagine?" she asked smugly.
"If you'd like it to be," Tim answered, not wanting to admit that they just liked the way it sounded.
"You know you owe me, Timmy. Both of you."
"How's that?" he asked, looking at her from under an arched brow.
"Come now. You must know it was me that got you two together all that time ago."
"How do you figure that?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I invited you both to dinner, remember?"
"Yeah, I sort of remember. Calleigh still loves that restaurant. But we didn't get together that night. It was months later. You didn't have anything to do with it," he said matter of fact.
"Pish," she said, shooting him a look.
"Pish?" he repeated with a laugh. "What does that mean?"
"It means don't deny something happened that night. I saw you both the next day. That girl had a grin a mile wide and stars in her eyes. And you," she snorted. "You were in a daze all day. My eyes know what they saw."
Something else he couldn't deny. She had put him in a daze that night. Kissing her felt like coming home and falling off a cliff at the same time. The feelings both terrified and excited him in a way he'd never felt and he'd still not recovered from it. "Yeah, okay, I suppose you're right about that," he reluctantly admitted with a half smile. "Then, thank you Alexx, for inviting us to dinner."
"You're welcome Timmy," she answered, happily watching the baby through the glass.
The wheels spun in his head as he thought back to the night in question and he eyed her now curiously. "Wait a minute Alexx, you never showed up to dinner that night, someone was sick or something. What aren't you saying?"
"I'm not saying anything, Baby. I just invited you to dinner. Now I'm going to go see your beautiful wife, while you wait for your beautiful baby girl," she said, hugging tightly him once more. "But I could see how lonely the two of you were, that's all I'm saying." /
So maybe it was a date after all. Maybe two lonely people needed a little, or in his case, a lot, of help to see what they couldn't see on their own, that sometimes what you're not looking for is exactly what you need. No matter now, he wasn't complaining, not when his life was filled with an abundance of happiness. He leaned in and dropped a kiss on her temple, one of the few exposed areas of skin he could reach. "I love you, Calleigh. Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful for you," he said, remembering that night on a beach long ago when love finally found him and remembering, too, how easily he almost lost it.
"I love you too, Tim," she said gazing at him with a warmth that took the chill out of the February air.
"The two of you, you're everything to me. I don't know how I got so lucky, or what I ever did right to deserve you," he said in a choked voice.
She smiled at him then, the kind that reached all the way to her eyes, the one he knew was reserved for him only. "You came home, where you belonged."
The End