The next month and a half flew right by. He and Shannon had bickered some when his ex-wife Rebecca had decided to open her big mouth but had managed to work through it pretty quickly all things considered.
Still, he couldn't wait until he didn't have to deal with her anymore. The woman was clearly drinking quite heavily and given the way she had behaved, any sympathy that he'd had about his leaving her for that three-month tour in the Mediterranean as Agent Afloat completely and utterly vanished.
Jethro was just happy that he and Shannon were okay again. He hated fighting with her with a passion.
On a happier note, Jethro had ended up visiting with Tobias on the man's birthday, his long-time friend thrilled that it had fallen on a day when he had his daughter this year, father and daughter going out for a fun little dinner together.
As a parent, Jethro easily understood just how much that seemingly little thing meant to the slightly older man.
Jethro and Kelly were walking when Kelly grabbed some wildflowers from the grass.
"Daddy! Look, they're so pretty!" she said with a big grin.
Jethro chuckled and pulled a couple of the white flowers through her hair.
Kelly giggled and skipped around.
Little things like that, all those seemingly simple moments, somehow meant the most at the end of the day. They were what you remembered most.
Mother's Day had ended up being quite calm, Kelly, thankfully, spending the day with them, and Jethro had made his wife some breakfast in bed.
And not long after that, it was Shannon's fifty-fifth birthday.
Letting his wife sleep in a bit, Jethro quietly got up, quickly threw some clothes on, and made his way downstairs, heading to a nearby store to buy her a nice bouquet, selecting some pink roses, yellow daisies, and magenta lilacs.
He wasn't gone long, and Shannon was still sound asleep when he got home. With a small smile, Jethro started making breakfast for her, something that he'd always used to do for Shannon on her birthday.
Once the food was cooked, Jethro took the breakfast upstairs, Shannon half-awake but sitting up in bed. He carefully placed the plate of bacon, eggs, and toast down on their bedside table. Then, leaning down, Jethro gently cupped his wife's face, capturing her lips with his. "Happy birthday, Shannon."
His wife gave a happy little hum. "Thank you, babe."
"No need to thank me," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. As she started eating, Jethro grabbed her gifts from him.
His wife looked at him a bit curiously but grinned when Jethro returned with a box and the bouquet of flowers. Putting her breakfast back on their nightstand for the moment, Shannon eyed the small card on the side of the bouquet before taking the flowers and smelling them. "These are lovely, Jethro. Thank you."
He just smiled in response, passing her the main gift. His wife immediately opened the box to find a home spa gift set inside. She smiled sweetly up at Jethro and then threw her arms around him. "Thank you, babe. This is amazing."
The pair shared a quick kiss and when they broke he eyed his wife. "I love you."
"I love you too." Shannon eyed her plate and then him, giving him a cheeky look. "And you almost made me forget about the bacon. How rude." She then took a bite of the bacon, still grinning.
He chuckled. "Too bad. As I've said before, you are my favourite distraction."
Shannon finished eating her breakfast while Jethro poured himself a cup of coffee, the pair chatting there for a while before heading downstairs.
Once Shannon got dressed the pair then took Bailey out for a walk around the block, the both of them more than glad to take advantage of the nice weather and burn off some of Bailey's energy at the same time.
The couple got home, let the puppy off her leash, poured themselves some coffee, and made their way out to the backyard, relaxing in the lawn chairs, Jethro starting to play fetch with Bailey when she brought one of her balls over to him.
Just after 1100 that morning, they heard a car pull into the driveway, their daughter's voice soon reaching both their ears.
"We're out back!" his wife called out.
A brief moment later, their daughter was walking out the backdoor, joining them in the backyard, birthday gift in hand. "Good morning, you two."
He gave his daughter a peck on the cheek. "Morning, Princess."
Shannon sat up straighter, beaming. "Good morning. Traffic wasn't too bad?"
"Nah, it was fine." Kelly then pulled her mother in for a hug. As the pair separated, the younger redhead handed Shannon her present. "Happy birthday, Mom."
Her wife opened the birthday card and gift. Kelly had given her mother the cookbook that she had been eying lately and a card: 'Happy Birthday to a lady who picked up after me as a kid, but more importantly, never failed to pick me up when I was down. I could never express everything you mean to me, or thank you for everything that you've done for me. I love you, Mom.' Shannon crinkled her nose in contentment and pulled their daughter in for a hug. "Thank you, Kelly Baby."
"You're very welcome," Kelly said, easily returning the smile. "So, what have you two gotten up to this morning? Dad properly spoiling you?"
"Hey!" he exclaimed.
His wife instantly chuckled. "Yes. Your father made me breakfast in bed and gave me a lovely bouquet as well as a home spa kit."
"Nice!" Kelly said with a nod of approval.
He rolled his eyes. "Glad you approve, Kellz."
His daughter smirked. "She deserves a little spoiling."
He smiled, nodding. "Yes, she does."
Bailey dropped a ball in front of Kelly and gave a little bark, clearly wanting the young redhead's attention. "Someone clearly wants to play fetch."
He raised an eyebrow. "When does she not?"
Shannon chuckled at that. "Your dad makes a good point."
Kelly shook her head slightly in amusement, throwing the ball for Bailey who, pleased as punch, bolted after it.
The family of three tossed the ball around, chatting happily, before heading inside for a quick bite to eat.
Jethro ended up making an easy lunch, giving his wife a bit of a break, giving her a chance to relax as well as return some of the phone calls she'd gotten wishing her a happy birthday. Shannon was still in touch with several of her friends from Philly and they'd all made an effort to call.
Shannon had already talked to both of her parents although they were coming over for a small birthday dinner that evening.
The three of them then sat down to quickly eat lunch, got ready, and then headed out to Rock Creek Park Horse Centre for a trail ride.
Just as they had several times before, the three of them hopped onto their respective horses, fingers tightening around the reins of the horses.
As they started moving, it was silent between them, only the thumping of the horse creating noises along with a few birds up overhead. It's more peaceful than anything any of them usually experience in the city, and they were all enjoying it. The weather was nice and the scenery was phenomenal.
Eventually, though, they decided to pick up the pace, Kelly beating both Shannon and himself to the punch. "I wanna gallop, you in?"
Jethro looked at his wife questioningly. "Shan?"
"I'm in!" his wife replied with a wide grin, almost immediately gaining speed.
"Wait for me!" Jethro retorted with a chuckle, quickly attempting to and succeeding in catching up to both of his girls.
There was definitely something to be said for escaping all of the craziness of city living for just a little while and just being together.
