Snapshot Five
Afternoon Delight
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It was a Saturday afternoon, two weeks into October. The heat of summer had yet to relent, though there was an obvious decrease in the daily humidity. It was still hot, but it wasn't uncomfortably so. Of course, it hadn't happened until everyone was otherwise occupied and unable to enjoy it. Eric and Calleigh had been hit with endless case upon endless case at work, and Emma had started kindergarten. Unlike daycare and preschool, kindergarten was more structured, and Emma, being strong-willed and stubborn like her mother, didn't like being told when she could play and when she had to work on handwriting.
At first, Emma had enjoyed it. The change in environment had been nice, and Emma liked feeling like a big kid. But August ended and September began, and Emma began to get aggravated. She loved group reading time and, of course, playtime. She could swing on the swings all day, but alas, there were other activities to be done.
Throughout September, Emma had silently suffered through tedious handwriting assignments, terrible exercises in addition and subtraction, and her greatest hatred of all - naptime. Her writing was quite legible for a kindergartener, and her math skills were excellent, and she did go down for naptime without grumbling; however, Emma would much rather spend her time running around on the playground, coloring pictures to put on the refrigerator, or simply reading on one of the squishy beanbags in the reading corner.
By the time October arrived, Emma had had enough.
"I hate school," Emma proclaimed, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. "I quit."
Calleigh didn't know whether to be amused or alarmed. In the backseat sat her daughter, staring defiantly out the window, her pout a perfect imitation of the one Calleigh saw occasionally from Eric. If it weren't for the sheer seriousness in her daughter's voice, Calleigh would've had to laugh. "Emmy, sweetheart, you can't quit school," she said gently, glancing to the backseat again.
"Why not?" Emma asked stubbornly. As if proving her point, she grabbed her backpack from the other seat and threw it down into the floorboard.
"Because you just started, sweetheart. And it's very important that you keep going. You have to learn."
Emma seemed to accept this, though not happily. "But I hate it," she mumbled grouchily.
Calleigh bit her lip, genuinely concerned. "Why do you hate it so much?"
"I hate writing," Emma began, listing everything she disliked on her fingers. Calleigh had to crack a smile. "It's so boring. And so is adding. I hate that too."
Calleigh smirked. Wait until you get to tenth grade algebra, she thought.
"And," Emma continued, obviously getting to the crux of her speech, "Miss Andrews won't let us play for long enough at playtime! She always makes us come in and take a nap!"
Calleigh smiled, pulling into their driveway. She turned off the engine, then turned in her seat. "Surely it's not that bad," she reasoned. "Aren't you tired after all that playing?"
"No." Just as forcefully as she'd spoken, Emma crossed her arms again. "I hate naptime! I'm not a baby!"
Calleigh couldn't help but chuckle. The source of the problem was making itself more known with each passing second. Emma had never complained about going to school in the mornings; in fact, she'd always been excited. She loved feeling like a big kid. Obviously, naptime didn't add to that feeling.
What Emma didn't seem to realize was that, yes, she did need a nap. But thirty minutes in the afternoon after being outside just wasn't long enough. She had always been grouchy upon waking, and Calleigh was more than willing to bet that Emma's sudden dislike for school was nothing more than after-nap grumpiness. "Sweetie, if I were you, I'd enjoy naptime. You only have it during kindergarten, and the older you get, the more you'll miss it." When Emma didn't look convinced, Calleigh tried to play to another concept - Emma, like most kids, liked having something that others envied. "Trust me, angel. There are a lot of older kids who would love to have naptime during school. When you get older, you might miss it."
But the fact still remained - Emma possessed the stubbornness of both her parents. "I'll never miss naptime."
It was a relief to them all when Friday passed, ushering in the weekend. Since Emma had started school, the weekends had become lazy days. The past few Saturdays had consisted of Calleigh sleeping in, while Eric snuck out of bed and watched Saturday morning cartoons with their daughter. When Calleigh would later wake alone, she'd make her way downstairs, usually finding Eric at the stove making breakfast - generally for himself and Calleigh it differed; after all, variety was good. But for Emma, who had yet to grasp the concept of variety when it came to food, it was always the same - chocolate chip pancakes with powdered sugar and whipped cream.
After breakfast, the day would progress slowly. Sometimes they'd watch a movie in the den, and sometimes they'd spend the day outdoors, either at the park on the swings, or down at the beach - Emma's two favorite places.
But today, there would be none of that.
Today, Emma had a play date with a friend from school.
"Abby has a jungle gym!" Emma said excitedly, squirming in her chair. It seemed to make no difference to her that her mother was trying to fix her hair. "And she has lots of teddy bears, and - and lots of other stuff!"
Calleigh sighed, giving up on trying to braid Emma's hair. She was just too excited; she would not sit still. She'd been happily babbling about going to Abby's house all morning long, as well as all day yesterday. Calleigh was beginning to wonder if it would've been a better idea not to tell her about the play date until right before it happened. Emma, endless ball of energy that she was, had been bouncing off the walls since Calleigh had told her.
She literally bounced out of the chair when Eric knocked gently on the door, announcing his presence. "Daddy!" she exclaimed, running over to him. "Guess what? Guess what?"
Eric knew exactly what she was excited about, but as always, he played along. "What, Emmy?" he asked, kneeling in front of her.
Emma smiled brightly. "I'm going to Abby's!" she answered excitedly. "She has a jungle gym!"
"Wow! That is exciting!" With a smile of his own, Eric reached out, gently ruffling his daughter's hair.
Calleigh sighed. "I just brushed her hair," she protested, though her own amusement was plain in her eyes.
Eric laughed. "It's gonna get all messy anyway," he reasoned, winking conspiratorially at Emma. "The wind's gonna blow it everywhere while you're swinging like a monkey on the jungle gym, right Emmy?"
Emma nodded. "Right." Her patience waning, she turned back to Calleigh. "Can we go now?" she asked, bouncing in place slightly. "Please?"
Calleigh grinned. "Oh, alright," she relented, chuckling.
Emma cheered. Enthusiastically, she turned again, flinging her arms around Eric's neck. "Bye, Daddy."
Eric ruffled her hair once more, smirking up at his wife. "You be good," he said, giving Emma a kiss. "Have fun."
By the time Eric pulled himself back to his feet, Emma had already ran out of the kitchen, presumably waiting impatiently by the front door. "Somebody's excited, huh?" he asked with a chuckle.
Calleigh laughed. "Oh, she passed excited about six hours ago." With a smile, she crossed the room, stepping up to her tiptoes in front of Eric. A hand on his shoulder, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "I'll be back in a little bit," she said, kissing him once more.
With that, she turned to leave before Emma could grow even more impatient. Eric watched her leave, his smile widening as she led Emma out the door and into the car.
Once they pulled out of the driveway, Eric assumed he would have about twenty minutes to get everything ready.
-----
An overwhelming sense of quiet washed over Calleigh as she stepped back inside the house only a little while later. Of course it would be quiet; Emma wasn't there. But this was a different sort of quiet. Puzzled, she walked back into the kitchen. As she set her purse down, her eyes alighted on the two items that hadn't been there when she'd left.
There was a short note, the words I love you written in Eric's recognizable scrawl. Laid gingerly atop the note was a single, red rose. Calleigh smiled, picking up the rose and breathing in its scent.
After a moment, curiosity once more overtook her, and, after filling a small vase of water for the rose, she began to make her way through the house. "Eric?" she called out, slowly climbing the stairs. There was no answer, but with each step she took, Calleigh could make out another scent in the air - soft vanilla. It surprised her slightly; it was a particular scent she hadn't smelled in years. After Emma was born, they'd been put away with all the other items deemed unsafe for a home with a baby.
Following that scent led her to their bedroom, and as she pushed the slightly ajar door all the way open, she couldn't help but give a small gasp. She had been right about the scent; the curtains were drawn to block out the afternoon sun, and in various places throughout the room, several candles were lit, giving off that soft vanilla scent and bathing the room in an ethereal light.
It wasn't until she stepped fully into the room that Eric made his presence known. Calleigh felt his arms snake around her from behind, and the smile upon her lips grew quickly. "Eric…"
A glimpse of red caught her eye, and she looked down at Eric's hands. One arm was wrapped snugly around her waist, but the other was only draped about her, as that hand held a single, red rose, identical to the one left in the kitchen. Softly she murmured his name again, taking the rose from his hand and lifting it slowly to her nose.
Eric lowered his lips to her neck, only barely brushing them along her skin. "You like?" he asked low, feeling her shiver in his arms.
"It's gorgeous," Calleigh replied, breathing in deeply. While yellow tulips might be her favorites, there was no flower that smelled better to her than fresh, red roses. Her knees shook ever so slightly; the feel of Eric's lips on her skin was almost her undoing, every time. He knew just what to do to make her swoon.
He grinned against her skin as his lips made the trek upward, toward her jaw line. "Look there on your dresser, he murmured, nipping gently. "There's a whole vase of red roses."
Calleigh gave a soft gasp. "They're beautiful, Eric…"
Eric chuckled, nuzzling now at the spot behind her ear. "Not quite as beautiful as you, baby."
Goosebumps were forming all over Calleigh's body at this point, and it was all she could do to stay standing, let alone reply. Eric, however, didn't mind. "It's been forever since we've had a whole afternoon all to ourselves, hmm?" he whispered, gently spinning her in his arms. He trailed his fingertips softly over her sides, finally bringing them to rest at her hips. "And now, we have all day." With that he leaned in, lowering his lips to hers.
Calleigh sighed happily, feeling shivers race endlessly down her spine. One hand found its way to the back of Eric's neck, pulling him ever closer to her. The other hand she buried in the fabric of his shirt, holding on as this wave of sensation threatened to knock her to her knees. It didn't help her balance any when Eric nipped lightly at her bottom lip, begging access to her mouth; access which was gladly granted. With a small moan, her lips parted for him.
Quickly he was running out of breath, but that didn't matter to Eric. Instead of breaking it, he only deepened the kiss, much to Calleigh's delight. Her lips, or oxygen - that was the question with the easy answer. The more challenging conflict lay with his hands - Eric wanted so badly to bury them within her silky blonde hair, feeling each and every strand as they threaded between his fingers; but he also couldn't quench the desire to feel the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips.
It was an agonizing decision to make, but Eric eventually went with the latter, knowing that they truly did have all afternoon. He brought his hands to the front of her blouse, unbuttoning the bottom three buttons. Slipping his hands beneath the fabric, he heard Calleigh whimper slightly as his hands finally came in contact with the silky skin of her abdomen.
Unfortunately, it was very quickly getting to the point where the lack of oxygen was making itself painfully known. Eric didn't want to break the kiss, but his lungs were absolutely burning. Reluctantly he pulled away, loving the tiny cry that escaped Calleigh's lips. He breathed in deeply, but wasted no time in dropping his lips this time to her neck, his fingers now working at the rest of the buttons on her blouse.
Calleigh sighed, tilting her head to allow him better access. "Where - where did you find those candles?" she asked breathlessly, tugging at his shirt.
He smiled. "I found them in the attic a couple weeks ago," he murmured against her skin, feeling her squirm against him. "I knew you used to love them." He felt Calleigh tugging at his shirt, and he straightened up long enough for her to pull it over his head and toss it away.
"I still do," Calleigh replied softly, slowly running her hands over Eric's muscled chest. Tenderly, she leaned in, pressing the softest of kisses over his chest. "I'd just forgotten we still had them."
Eric's eyes fluttered closed for the moment, and he brought a hand up to stroke her blonde locks. "I don't even remember what I was up there looking for," he recalled. "I found them in one of those boxes in the corner, and you wouldn't believe the memories they brought back."
Calleigh pulled back, smiling up at him. "I think I can imagine…"
Opening his eyes, Eric chuckled. He finished his task of unbuttoning Calleigh's blouse, then with the lightest touch of his hands he slid it from her shoulders, letting it fall at her feet. He heard her gasp lightly as he leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her creamy shoulder. "I moved that particular box to the front of the attic, so I'd remember where they were. And I thought I'd save them for a day like today."
Calleigh felt her heart melt. "I hadn't seen those in years," she murmured, pulling him close. Her hands on his cheeks, she led his lips back to hers in a kiss that was slow yet hurried; patient yet demanding.
Before long he'd begun to gently lead her toward the bed, discarding the final barriers between them as they went. Tenderly he lay her down, pausing for a moment to simply take in her beauty; the way her eyes fluttered closed, the way her lips parted in anticipation, the way her hair fanned out over the pillow. She still always managed to take his breath away, and if nothing else were certain, Eric knew she would continue to do so until the day he died.
When Calleigh finally opened her eyes, she opened them to find Eric's head hovering mere inches above her own, a grin on his lips, and an overwhelming amount of love in his eyes. He lowered his head, placing a tender kiss to her forehead, hearing Calleigh sigh beneath him. "I love you so much," he whispered, gazing deep into her beautiful green eyes.
If any description came close to what Calleigh was feeling right now, it was overwhelmed. Her heart felt ready to burst, it was so full of emotion. A loving smile touched her lips, and she lifted a hand, gently caressing Eric's cheek. "I love you, too," she murmured, delighting in the fire that those simple words seemed to spark in Eric's eyes.
"I will never get tired of hearing you say those words," he said quietly. "Never." With that, he again lowered his head, finally allowing their lips to meet.
He took his time with her, letting his lips and fingertips wander every inch of her body, lingering at those spots that only he would ever know; those spots that left her powerless beneath him, his name leaving her lips on breathless cries. It was almost agonizingly slowly that he made love to her, but it was agony that promptly dissipated as together they crashed into bliss, each of their names on the other's lips.
-----
Eric didn't know how long he simply lay there with her that afternoon; all he knew was that it would never be long enough. There was nothing more peaceful than lying there with her, holding her in his arms, her head resting atop his chest, just over his heart. In slow circles he gently caressed her back, feeling her soft, even breaths flit lightly across his skin.
Oh, how he missed this. He missed it immensely, but that didn't mean he'd trade anything he had now for it. Since having Emma, their lives had taken on more of an urgency; even now, with her being older, it was rare that a moment like this would come around. But that urgency had become an integral part of his life too; Eric couldn't imagine going back to a life without their daughter.
There was, however, something he could imagine.
"You ever think about having another one?" he whispered.
Other than opening her eyes, Calleigh didn't move. Eric had just voiced the question that had plagued her thoughts for some time now. It wasn't until Eric relaxed and closed his own eyes, thinking Calleigh was asleep that she gave a shaky answer. "I don't know…" She squirmed against him as she lifted her head, resting her chin on his chest.
As his eyes opened again, they met with Calleigh's, the emotion in her green eyes unreadable. Anxiously she bit her lip, and Eric couldn't help but smile slightly. "What don't you know?" he asked, knowingly putting her on the spot.
She shrugged. "It's complicated…" she muttered.
Eric gave a chuckle. "Yeah. That's called life," he said, stroking her cheek. "Come on, talk to me."
Calleigh sighed, leaning into his touch. "I think about it all the time," she admitted. "But it's a lot more complicated than it was all those years ago."
"How so?"
"Well, we have Emma now," Calleigh answered, as though it explained everything. And in a way, it did. "I worry what having another baby would do to her."
Eric didn't quite follow. "What do you mean?"
"You were the baby, so you didn't feel it firsthand," Calleigh said. "But there can be a lot of resentment stemming from a new baby coming into the family." She shrugged again. "I'm just worried that Emma will think we love her less," she added softly. "That the new baby's the favorite or something."
Eric was silent for a moment. Calleigh did have a point. But as he opened his mouth to reply, she cut him off. "But I also worry about not having another one…"
Now Eric was a little confused. "What?"
"If Emma doesn't have a brother or sister, will she have anybody else to lean on if something happens to us? Or will she not want to share toys and such because she's an only child and doesn't have to at home? Or will she grow into a spoiled teenager? Or -"
"Calleigh," Eric interrupted softly, "I think you worry too much."
Calleigh bowed her head, her cheeks lightly tinting. "You think?"
"Yeah, I do," Eric replied, "but it's part of what makes you such a wonderful mother. I don't think you need to worry about her sharing or being spoiled. Emma's smart, and she's a sweetheart. She loves being with other kids, and I don't think a sibling would be an exception to that."
Calleigh nodded, though Eric could tell she was still unsure of what she wanted. Eric could see exactly what she wanted; it was there in her eyes, but pointing that out to Calleigh was a different story. "I want you to do something for me," he said. "Close your eyes," he said as she nodded again, tenderly stroking her cheek. She gave him a look, to which he smiled in return. "Humor me, Cal. Just close your eyes."
Calleigh sighed, but otherwise didn't protest. She let her eyes flutter closed, reveling in Eric's gentle touch.
"Now," Eric murmured, letting his fingers drift softly into her silky hair. "Just let go of everything. Let go of all the issues, all the obstacles. Just let go of all that for the moment."
"Eric," she whispered, but didn't open her eyes.
"Trust me. Let go of the work issues. Work wasn't a problem when we had Emma. Let go of the money and space issues - you know we don't have to worry about those anyway. And don't worry about Emma; she won't hate us for having another baby." He paused, chuckling softly. "Riley might resent us, but Emma would love a baby brother."
"You say that like you know it for sure," Calleigh said, looking at Eric.
"I do. I picked her up from school one day, and she told me all about her friend's little brother. She was absolutely fascinated. She would love to be a big sister." Eric grinned. "Now close your eyes!"
Calleigh obliged once more, but not before rolling her eyes at Eric. "I don't see why I can't look at you," she pouted.
Eric chuckled. "Because you think too much when your eyes are open. I'm trying to get you to let go of that, and just feel." He let a moment pass in silence, simply stroking her tousled hair. "Now, think -"
"I thought you said I wasn't supposed to think?" Calleigh interrupted teasingly. Though she kept her eyes closed, she felt Eric's glare, and was unable to suppress a giggle. "Sorry," she added sweetly.
"Sure you are." He lifted his head slightly, stealing a kiss while Calleigh's eyes were closed, loving the way she giggled again in response. "Seriously, Cal. Eyes closed; what do you see? Do you see us with another baby? Do you want to have another?"
Calleigh breathed out deeply. A smile touched her lips; the vision in her mind left her with no doubt of what she wanted. "Yeah," she whispered, her eyes slowly opening, "yeah, I do." The smile that broke out on Eric's face made Calleigh's heart flip-flop in her chest. "Do you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Eric gave a hearty laugh, pulling her close. "Of course I want another one," he said giddily, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Hell, I want about eight more!"
Taken aback, Calleigh gave a quick intake of air. "Eight more?" she asked weakly.
Eric laughed at her reaction. "Why not?"
"Why?"
With a chuckle, Eric gently rolled them, pinning Calleigh beneath him. "You mean you wouldn't want a whole houseful of kids running around?" he teased, leaning in to nuzzle her neck.
Calleigh giggled, her hands finding their way to the back of his neck, playing gently with the short hair there. "Baby, when you can start poppin' them out, then we'll talk about having that many more," she teased.
Eric laughed, lifting his head. "Why don't we just work on the next one for now?"
That was a compromise Calleigh was more than happy with. "Sounds good to me," she said, a huge smile on her lips.
As he leaned in to capture her lips again, Eric felt his heart soar. Calleigh never failed to make him the happiest man in the world. He'd always entertained this dream of having a family with her, almost from the first day he met her.
And with every day that passed, Eric was ever thankful that that dream continued to blossom even more into a reality.