"Alright kiddos, time for bed!" Bill called as he entered the living room. As tired as he was from a long day of farm work, he did enjoy seeing his wife and their kids laying on the couch watching television. Little Cricket and Tilly were sprawled out on her lap, already appearing tired despite immediately denying it.
"Papa! Five more minutes! Please?" Tilly whined, pouting up at her father.
"Yeah, pretty please?" Her brother joined in.
Nancy sighed, sharing a glance with her husband. "Oh come on, kids, don't give your dad a hard time." She said, sitting them up. "Go get ready and we'll be there soon to tuck you in."
"Aww okay, Mama." Tilly said in defeat, hopping off the couch along with her little brother. "Race you there!" She said before dashing off into the hallway, laughing victoriously as she was already ahead.
Cricket stomped his foot before he quickly followed her. "No fair!"
Bill chuckled and shook his head, then looked over at his wife. "Thanks, Nance. I don't know what I'd do without you." He said gratefully, walking over to sit next to her.
"Well, you'll always have me." She said, patting his leg.
"Always?" He asked, grabbing her hand to hold it in his.
Nancy nodded, smiling sincerely at him. "Always." She repeated, this time being a bit more serious about it. They stared at each other lovingly for a moment, just getting lost in each other's eyes and admiring one another. They closed the gap between their lips, kissing each other softly for a short moment. But they pulled away when hearing the kids call out for them to come say goodnight.
They shared a quick laugh before they stood up and walked down the hall. Cricket and Tilly's rooms were right next to each other, so the bedtime routine was easy to get done. Nancy tucked Tilly in first while Bill took care of Cricket. They both read them a quick bedtime story before saying goodnight. They then switched room to give the other kid a quick kiss, then turned off the lights and left them to rest.
As they walked back into the living room, Nancy made her way over to the front door. "Well, I'm gonna head out." She said, grabbing her leather jacket.
"Wait, where're you goin'?" Bill asked in confusion, walking over to her.
"Just for a ride, I'll be back in a bit." She shrugged, putting her jacket on.
"Uh, it's..kinda late, don't you think?" He asked, scratching the back of his head. "Plus I was kinda hopin' we could spend some time together?"
Nancy blinked, now being the confused one, as she couldn't really tell what the look on his face meant. And normally, she knew exactly what he was thinking all the time. "Are you nervous about me ridin' my bike at night or are you just tryin' to get me to stay so we can have some 'alone time'?" She asked.
Bill scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe a little bit of both." He mumbled, then cleared his throat to pretend he never said anything. But Nancy had already heard him.
She nodded, stepping over to wrap her arms around his shoulders. "Okay, I love that you're concerned, but the accident was over a year ago. You've got to get used to the fact that I'm gonna keep ridin' my bike." She said, "I mean, I've gotten used to you usin' the hay bailer again."
He sighed, "The hay bailer was different. I only lost a finger. You almost lost your life, Nance." He frowned, holding her arms. "I know you'll be careful, but I just can't help bein afraid. I almost lost you..."
"Oh Bill, I know you're worried." She said, giving him a solemn look. "But I promise, you'll never lose me. I mean, I'm still here, aren't I?" She shrugged, giving him a brief kiss on his lips. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll stay tonight."
Bill smiled softly, feeling a wave of relief overtake him. "Thank you, Nance." He said, holding her hands in his.
"Yeah, well, I'm not doin' it just for you." She said, slowly backing him up into the living room. "I also wouldn't mind some 'alone time'." She smirked.
Bill chuckled, blushing at her words. He gave her a knowing look before he hoisted her up in his arms and began to carry her over to their bedroom. "Good thing the kids are asleep." He said, but then felt her finger on his lips, which prompted him to shut up.
Once reaching their room, he sat her down on the bed and quickly began taking off her jacket and her shirt. They kissed each other passionately, removing every article of clothing, whispering sweet nothings to each other.
