I forgot that this was just a Caryl chapter and it didn't shed light on the Merle situation. It's okay though. I won't leave you hanging for long! Thanks for reading!
Chapter Sixteen
Carol let him handle bedtime because he seemed to be better at it than her. Or the kids just wanted to impress him with how well behaved they were. She didn't think it was going to last too long, though. She knew the two of them well and knew that they were likely just feeling him out before they gave him trouble and she was looking forward to watching how he would deal with that. She wondered how Lily would handle the day without him now that she understood that he was coming home every day. She was hoping that when she sent him off in the morning he wouldn't feel so guilty.
She turned down the sheets and yawned loudly. She hadn't gone back to bed after Daryl had left for work this morning and she was feeling it. She could only imagine how warn out he must be after working all day. She climbed into bed, reveling in the feel of the sheets on her skin. Thankful, not for the first time, that Avery had managed to introduce her to at least a few of the finer things in life.
She left the bedside lamp burning so he wouldn't have to stumble around in the dark. She wanted to ask him about tonight. Something had happened before he'd sat down at the table. She had seen the look before, back in Arizona, and she had hated it then just like she hated it now. It was like an old ghost ran it's finger down his spine out of nowhere and he would have to shake it off.
She wanted to distract him from whatever it was that had decided to haunt him before dinner. She wanted to chase that desolate look away and make sure it never came back, but she couldn't. Whatever it was that crept into his mind during those moments were things that had nothing to do with her. All she could do now was try as hard as she could to make his life as good as it could be because he deserved it. He was a good man. He was the best man she'd ever met and she wanted desperately for him to have everything he deserved.
She thought about taking her bra and underwear off. Maybe coming to bed and finding her naked would chase those ghosts away. Instead she kept them on because he seemed to enjoy it. She'd rummaged through the bag that Avery had left her and found the sexiest set she could find.
When he came in she was so relieved to see that he had a grin on his face and he was shaking his head. She sat up, careful to keep the blanket pulled up. "What's so funny?"
He stripped off his shirt and headed straight for the bed. "I ain't ever gonna get used to this," he said, but he laughed.
She raised a brow. "What?"
"Jake tried to convince me to lay in here until you went to sleep and then get up so me and him could watch manly movies without you and Lily. Apparently you won't let him watch anything bloody and he says it's crap cause he's a boy. You just don't get things like that."
She rolled her eyes. "And of course you told him that he was too young and his mom is only looking out for him."
He shrugged and then stripped out of his jeans. "Nope. I let him put in a Spongebob dvd and I told him to give me an hour and I'd be back with somethin' better fit for a boy of four years old."
She sighed. "Like?"
He shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he crawled in bed and collapsed onto his stomach stretching.
"Don't tell me not to worry about it. What are you gonna let him watch?" She asked, coming up on her knees and eyeing his back. She barely noticed the scars there. They had always just been a part of him. She sighed when he didn't give up anymore information. She wasn't going to ruin their fun. She just had to hope that whatever Daryl picked out for their son to watch, it wasn't full of nudity.
His eyes were closed but his head was turned towards her. She pushed his hair out of his face and kissed his jaw lightly. He opened one eye and squinted up at her.
"I don't see how you're going to manage to stay up so late. You barely slept last night, you worked all day and you have to do it all again tomorrow," she said as she slid one leg over him until she was straddling his back.
He shrugged his shoulders and then let go of a pained groan when her hands started working over the stiff muscles. "Guess that's one of the good things about bein' one of those young dads, right? Stamina."
She laughed and then leaned down, her lips grazing the back of his neck. "Did you talk to your boss today?" She asked, her lips grazing his ear.
He rolled over onto his back but before he answered he really looked at her and his brows went up. His eyes roamed over her for a second. "Son of a bitch," he muttered, his voice low as his hands ran over her thighs.
She smiled, glad that the skimpy get up had the right effect on him. "Are you tired?" She asked.
He shook his head quickly and pulled her down. He didn't kiss her like an exhausted man. She pulled away and then surprised him when she stood up right there in the middle of the bed. He quickly shed the boxers he'd been wearing when he climbed into bed. He sat up then, his fingers hooking into her underwear and working them down her thighs. He looked up, meeting her eyes and licking lips almost nervously.
When she settled back down she pushed his chest until his back hit the mattress but he came right back up on his elbows. His eyes looked down between their bodies and she watched him watch her come up on her knees. His nostrils flared when she ran her hand over him and then she sank down onto him slowly. His pupils dilated, his eyes darkening as his breath rushed out of him.
She planted her hands on his chest and pushed him down again. She was sure that there would never be a day that she would get used to this. They shared a synchronicity that probably took most people years to perfect. Their bodies taking on a mind of their own, their hearts pounding out the same rhythm. When he kissed her she could feel the emotion that he held just below the surface. She could almost taste the fear that was hidden there and she understood it because she lived there too. The fear that something could happen again and they would find themselves without the other again. After all this time, it was logical to be afraid that somehow it would all get ripped away again.
His work roughened hands slid over her back, drawing her closer as he moved with her and her name left his lips, barely whispered. There was a warning there, causing her to smile as that familiar thrill had her bearing down on him harder. A growl rumbled low in his chest and the sound vibrated through her.
Her release was intense and she choked back a cry. His hands gripped her hips hard, moving her over him in a way that increased the friction for both of them and making it impossible for him to hold back. She pulled back just enough to meet his eyes as the heat of his own release poured into her.
His fingers ran lightly over her back, causing her to squirm before she pushed herself up, bracing herself on his chest. She grinned at him and he shook his head, fighting a grin of his own but it finally won out. There wasn't a trace of that look he'd had right before dinner and she was glad.
"As much as I'd like to stay, I gotta movie to watch," he said as she moved off of him.
She frowned and glanced at the clock. "It's almost eleven. You're not gonna get any sleep if you go."
He shrugged. "I'm not goin' in tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or the day after that."
Her eyes grew wide and she sat up, rolling so he was trapped under her again. "You actually quit?" She asked, unable to hide how thrilled she was.
He nodded. "I didn't tell them yet though. I figured I'd get'em up early and take them out to the woods. I wanna get a look at your property anyway."
"Our property. I already told you, I sold pictures of you and got paid for it. It's your money too. Stop acting like you're too good for it. It's rude. But they're going to freak out when you wake them up and tell them."
He snorted and sat up, his arms locking around her. "You can sleep in. I think I can handle breakfast."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. "You cook?"
"I saw pop tarts in the pantry," he deadpanned.
She rolled her eyes. "That isn't very healthy. Avery bought those and I put them out of their reach on purpose."
"Well, stayin' up past midnight watching First Blood ain't very healthy either, but that's exactly what me and the boy are about to do," he said as he lifted her off of his lap easily. "Lily kinda demands the room, ya know? Jake just hangs back and I don't want him feelin' like that's where he belongs. How the hell do you do it? Balance things with'em like you do? Make sure one ain't feelin' left out or less important?" He asked.
She smiled, studying his face. He wanted so badly to be good at this but he didn't have to even try because he seemed to be a natural. "It just kind of works out. But I do agree that this will be good for him. I'm not sure but I think he's still a little apprehensive. Like he might still be a little bit scared that this might all disappear on him."
He sighed, pushing his hair back from his face. "How the hell is he so much like me without me ever even being around?"
"I have no idea," she said as her smile morphed into a grin.
"I'll think of somethin' for just me and Lily to do too. One on one time and all that shit," he said, glancing around on the floor.
She watched him slip his boxers back on and then climb out of the bed. "You have some pajamas in the second drawer down."
He snorted but then went to have a look anyway. He pulled out some plaid flannel pajama bottoms and held them up. "You really expect me to wear these?"
She nodded burrowing into the blanket with a grin.
He pulled them on and then looked down. "I look like a dumb ass."
She raised back up, her eyes wide. "Actually you look really sexy."
He flipped her off and then slipped out the door. She turned the lamp off and let her head hit the pillow. She smiled to herself in the dark. She couldn't even feel cheated for him abandoning her because he was right. Since he got there Lily had been the one to demand all of his attention while Jake hung back. This was going to be good for the boy.
And she was going to get to sleep in. She hadn't slept in since the night they had been born. Alone in the bed, she drifted off easily, the smile never completely leaving her lips.