Natalie stood at the doorway to her bedroom, watching Adrian as he toweled his hair dry. He had put on his pants, but was not yet wearing a shirt. There were still little droplets of water shimmering in the hair on his chest, and Natalie found herself staring. Adrian suddenly became aware of her in the corner of his eye, jerking his head towards her.
"Who was at the door?" He asked, his voice slightly anxious.
Preoccupied by the sight in front of her, Natalie couldn't resist taking just a moment to be close to him again. She shut the bedroom door behind her, going up to Adrian and running her fingertips lightly along the hair on his chest.
"Nat-" He began, stopping mid-word as he closed his eyes, distracted by the feeling.
"Hey, handsome," she greeted him, resting both hands on his shoulders and leaning in to plant kisses on his neck and chest.
"Nat - Natalie," he protested, trying to focus.
"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking as she ran her fingertips down his torso, stopping just above the waistband of his pants.
He lightly pushed her hand away, shooting her a pointed look.
"Who was at the door?" He asked, exasperated.
She giggled, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Just relax first, okay?"
"Oh, God," he groaned. "Who was it?" He asked, growing impatient now.
Pulling on his shirt, he sat next to her on the bed.
"It was Julie," Natalie replied quietly, glancing up to gauge his reaction.
"Julie?!" Adrian repeated, his face going pale and his eyes growing wide with horror. "Did she know I was here?"
"Well, yes. But, listen, honey. She-"
"Oh my God," he groaned, his face twisting in embarrassment. "W - What did you say to her?"
"I told her the truth," Natalie replied, shrugging.
"You told her we had...sex?!" Adrian squeaked, his voice raising an octave on the last word.
"For goodness sake, Adrian, no. I didn't tell her that," Natalie giggled. "But I did tell her that we are together."
"Oh," Adrian relaxed slightly, nodding his head as he processed this information. "So, how did she react?" He asked softly.
"She's happy," Natalie replied, smiling broadly. "She said she knew it would happen eventually."
They both laughed, and Natalie reached out and took Adrian's hand in hers.
"Adrian, remember," she continued, "right after you and I first met, when you saved Mr. Henry for Julie?"
He nodded.
"Well, Julie and I talked about it that night. She was so impressed with you, and the kind of man you were. And I knew then - even though no one could ever take Mitch's place for Julie, of course - I knew if she was ever going to have a father figure in her life again, it would have to be someone like you."
He smiled, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as Natalie leaned in and kissed him softly.
"She loves you, Adrian. And she really is happy for us. So, there's no need to be worried, okay?"
He nodded, a sense of peace coming over him.
"So, is she still down there?" Adrian asked cautiously.
"No," Natalie reassured him, patting his hand. "She is going to come back later and cook dinner for us, though. You okay with that?"
Adrian smiled, nodding.
"Good," Natalie continued, "But right now, it's just us."
She winked at him, moving her hand up underneath his shirt and resting it on that same spot right above his waistband.
"Natalie," he cautioned her, giving her a look of warning, though he was smiling with his eyes.
"What?" She asked, feigning innocence. "I just want to show my sexy detective how much I love him." She bit her lip as she looked him up and down.
"You're insatiable, Natalie," Adrian chuckled, rolling his eyes and standing up from the bed. "But don't worry," he continued, noticing her expression transform into a pout, "You'll get your chance later."
He surprised her by winking at her, his smile growing broad as he turned on his heel and went to make his way downstairs.
Julie arrived several hours later. Spotting Adrian and her mom in the kitchen through the window on the front porch, she decided to observe them for just a few moments. Adrian and Natalie were working on setting the table together. She saw how Adrian would put his hand on Natalie's waist as he passed by her, and how Natalie would smile at him and touch his arm. She watched as they would look in each other's eyes for several moments, neither of them saying anything, communicating something that only the two of them knew. Julie smiled, pleased to see the both of them so happy. Despite having a key, she knocked on the door out of courtesy, gathering the groceries in her arms.
Natalie came over, opening the door for her.
"Go easy on him, he's nervous," Natalie whispered as Julie passed by her.
"Mr. Monk!" She exclaimed, smiling at Adrian. She hurried towards the kitchen to greet him, enveloping him in a hug.
Natalie stood by the door, giving the two of them this moment together.
"Hi, Julie," he began, "It's been so long since I've seen you."
"I know," she replied. "A lot sure has happened in that time I've been gone," she smirked, winking at him.
He tensed up momentarily, willing himself to remain calm and not think about what Julie may or may not know.
"It has," he agreed finally, unable to contain a chuckle as noted Julie's striking similarity to her mother in the way that she teased him.
"I'm so happy for you two," she affirmed, leaning in and hugging him tighter this time.
"Thank you, Julie. It means a lot to me that you are okay with all of this."
The two of them embraced for several more moments, before Natalie returned to the kitchen to join them.
"So, sweetie," she began, addressing Julie, "What's for dinner?"
The three of them spent the next several hours cooking, eating dinner, and enjoying each other's company. After dinner, the three of them settled onto the couch, Adrian in the middle, both women with an arm around him. He reflected on the feelings that were running through his mind. He felt peaceful, warm, calm...this was happiness, he decided. Closing his eyes as tears began to form, Adrian reached an arm out around each of them, pulling them in close to him.
"My girls," he whispered, causing Natalie and Julie to exchange glances with each other before both breaking into a smile.
Adrian realized this was the first time in decades he had truly felt like he belonged to a family. He beamed, his heart full and his mind at ease.
