Chapter 20

"So, did you have a good day?" Jason asked as he buckled Cameron into his booster seat. Since Elizabeth took him up on his offer, it was easier for him to drive her car and she took his. It was, after all, his car before it was hers so he felt comfortable driving it. Elizabeth felt strange driving is large SUV but he assured her that she'd be fine and if there was a problem, her guard would be close behind her.

He climbed in the driver side and adjusted the seat.

"Yea, Colin was there today so I played with him."

Jason looked in the rear-view mirror at Cameron, "Is Colin one of your friends?"

Cameron nodded, "He my best friend."

Jason smiled, glad he is getting to know the seemingly happy young boy. His cell phone rang and Jason dug through his pocket as he steadied the wheel with his knee. He looked at the caller ID when Cameron spoke again.

"Mama said that its dangerous to talk on the phone when you drive."

Jason smirked and tossed his phone on the passenger seat, he'd call Sonny back when he got to Elizabeth's house. "Your mommy is a smart woman."

"I know." Cameron said matter-of-factly.

Elizabeth walked into the house and there was complete silence. There was no television blasting from the den and no outrageous toys blaring a god-awful tune either. She moved from room to room and finally located Jason and Cameron upstairs in his room, a wooden train track weaving around the floor of his bedroom. They were carefully planning where to lay the next piece of track when she appeared in the doorway.

Jason looked up at her and offered her a smile. Cameron followed Jason's eyes and jumped up at the sight of Elizabeth. "Mama!" he squealed.

Elizabeth kneeled down and hugged her son. "Hey, did you have fun with Jason?" she asked in her mommy voice.

"We're playing trains."

Elizabeth looked over at Jason, "Uh huh, I can see that." She released him and stood back up, letting out a tired grunt in the process. "Are you both hungry? How about I go make some dinner?"

Cameron nodded and dropped back onto the ground beside Jason.

Elizabeth walked away, trying not to get to emotional over what she had just witnessed. They seemed so natural together and Cameron seemed to truly be enjoying his time with Jason. Her little boy had been through so many changes, especially Lucky not being around anymore. Sure, he had never adopted Cameron but he was still his father in every other way. She wasn't trying to push Jason into that role, he was taking it willingly and for that she was grateful.

She had just made it to the kitchen when there was a knock at the door. When she saw who it was she flushed slightly but opened the door. "Hey Sonny."

He flashed her a dimply smile, "I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you'd seen Jason. I don't want to worry you, he is just not answering his phone and his car is…"

She interrupted him, "He is here, he's upstairs." Her face darkened to a shade of crimson when she realized how that sounded, "With Cameron." She added and looked away from him. "Come in, I'll go get him."

When Jason finally made it down the stairs, Elizabeth could see Sonny's smile fade. He was obviously angry that Jason had not answered his phone calls. She quickly retreated into the kitchen to give them privacy but mostly to hide herself from Sonny because the last time she'd seen him she was running out of his office after practically being caught with her pants down.

After digging through the cabinets for something to make, she finally decided on heating up a jar of store bought spaghetti sauce and some frozen ravioli. She was one of the first people to admit that she was not much of a cook. Her son would never go hungry but she was not a mom that would slave in the kitchen all night making some fancy dinner like chicken kiev or homemade lasagna. Everything she made was usually home cooked, just not homemade. Her cabinets consisted of jarred spaghetti sauce, cans of soup, packages of various flavored noodles and rice… and Cameron's favorite, boxed macaroni and cheese. Her freezer had precooked chicken in various flavors, frozen ravioli, frozen pizza and a roast that she hoped to tackle some day.

Placing the jar of sauce on the counter, she was pulled from her thoughts by a voice behind her, "You aren't going to make that are you?"

Elizabeth turned around and saw Sonny standing in the doorway. She nodded her head, "I'm not much of a chef."

"Lucky for you…" he said stepping into the kitchen and shrugging off his wool trench coat. "I was about to leave and find myself some dinner. I don't have the boys tonight and those are the nights that I usually cook. With them being away for close to a month, I haven't cooked much lately. I would love to show you a few things, if you'd allow me."

Elizabeth looked at him confused. "You want to show me how to cook?"

He walked over and stood beside her, "You certainly can't serve that stuff to Jason for the rest of your lives." He said pointing at the jar of sauce.

"Oh Jason and I… we aren't… there isn't…"

Sonny's dimples returned, "It's ok, you don't have to cover up for me. After yesterday morning I thought…" He was interrupted when Jason entered the kitchen. "Jason, I was just telling Elizabeth that I'd like to give her a few cooking pointers."

Jason shrugged and looked at Elizabeth, "He is a good cook."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "Why do I feel like I'm being ganged up on. Is my food that bad?"

"Well I for one have never tasted your cooking but I have never gotten a complaint so I thought I'd spread the knowledge." Sonny replied then took it upon himself to start looking through her cabinets.

Elizabeth stepped away from the counter to make room for Sonny to move in. She looked at Jason and whispered, "Is he always like this?"

Jason rolled his eyes, "He has a thing with spaghetti sauce from a jar, it's a pet peeve of his. I'd say just let him go."

Within minutes, Sonny had his suit jacket off and thrown over the chair and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. He'd sent the guard to the store to buy fresh ingredients for the 'gravy' (as he called it) and Elizabeth could only sit back and watch him move around her kitchen more comfortably then she had in her short time in the house.

"Look at it as a break from cooking for the night." Jason whispered across the table. She had pretty much just let Sonny take over everything.

"Is it really that bad to buy sauce in a jar?"

Jason smiled, "I like jar sauce but don't tell Sonny." He whispered and the side of his mouth curved up in a smile. "And your cooking is good."

She smiled and wondered if he was flirting with her or if she was just imagining it. His eyes had a sparkle to them the way he was looking at her, "Liar." She challenged but he didn't respond, instead he just stared at her, his sapphire eyes burning through hers.

As Sonny cooked in her kitchen he would periodically give her tips. It was entirely too much to remember and definitely not a meal that she would recreate. His sauce smelled delicious, however, she just needed simple and sauce from a jar and chicken from a package were simple.

Sonny stayed and ate with them. Both Sonny and Jason talked to Cameron throughout dinner and Sonny loved it when Cameron devoured his plate of pasta. Once dinner was over, Elizabeth took Cameron to the bathroom to clean him up. He had gotten sauce all over his face and even some in his hair.

"That pasgetti was good."

"I know. Maybe Sonny will cook for you again sometime." She said as she wiped at his hands with a washcloth. "Did you have fun with Jason today?"

Cameron grinned, "Yep."

"Make sure you tell him that before he leaves, ok?"

He agreed with a big nod and ran out of the bathroom. She stopped and looked in the mirror before leaving the kitchen and grunted. Her hair was a mess so she took a few seconds to adjust her ponytail Stepping out of the bathroom, she walked right into Jason, bumping into his chest. "Ohhhh… sorry" she groaned.

Jason smiled, "You ok?" She answered him with a nod but did not step away from him. "I'm going to go outside with Sonny to talk about a few things but I'm not leaving yet." He said as her eyes gazed into his. Without thinking, he dipped his head down and placed a feather-light kiss on her lips. It was a kiss that made her want more and if Sonny wasn't waiting right around the corner, it probably would have been more.

Twenty minutes later, Elizabeth sat on the couch with Cameron. She had cleaned the dishes from dinner and gotten Cameron ready for bed. When Jason finally released her and he and Sonny stepped out to discuss business, she felt anxious. As she cleaned the dishes, she could still feel the blush on her face. As the time went by, however, she started to get tired, and now that she was sitting on the couch with her son curling into her side, she felt exhausted.

When Jason finally walked back into the house, close to an hour had passed. He wondered if Cameron was still awake and when he found them on the couch, both asleep, he had his answer. Her feet were stretched on the coffee table in front of her and her arm was wrapped around Cameron. He was curled into her side and Jason couldn't help but notice their similarities when they were sleeping. They both slept with their lips slightly parted and their long eyelashes curled over their closed lids. They both looked so peaceful that he didn't want to wake them.

After watching them for a few minutes, he decided to carry Cameron up to his room. He gently lifted Cameron into his arms and the small boy immediately curled into Jason's chest. Jason gently climbed the stairs, carefully maneuvered through the assembled train track on his bedroom floor and placed Cameron on his small bed, pulling the blankets over him. Jason smoothed his hand through Cameron's curly hair then made his way back down the steps to Elizabeth.

He stood beside the couch for a few minutes, debating whether her should carry her to her room. He had hoped to spend time with her and discuss what seemed to be going on with them because he was unsure. There was no doubt that he wanted more but he was uncertain about her feelings. Now she was sound asleep and he fought the urge to wake her, touch her and kiss her. Stepping over her outstretched legs, he sat beside her. Her body immediately rolled into his, "Jason." She whispered softly in her sleep as she nuzzled her head into his chest.

"Elizabeth?" he softly spoke. "Want me to take you upstairs?"

"Mmmmhmmm." She hummed.

He closed is eyes and sucked in a deep breath then reached an arm under her thighs and the other around her back. He stood from the couch, cradling her in his arms and she settled her body against his. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck and she let out a sleepy sigh. She mumbled a few words but they were incoherent as he climbed the steps.

Her room was dark but he could see the bed and opted to leave the lights off, not wanting to wake her. Well, he wanted to wake her but he knew that she needed her sleep so he thought it would probably be best for her to get some much needed rest. He placed her on the bed and slid his arms from beneath her body. Her eyes fluttered open for a split second and closed again, even in the dark he could see the soft smile on her face as she settled into the pile of pillows below her head. That was when she started mumbling again but this time it was slightly more coherent.

"Jas- mmm- stay…" he heard her say as he slipped her shoes from her feet. He tried to brush off her words but when her eyes squinted open, they seemed to focus on him completely aware what she was saying. "Lay with me…" she said and rolled toward the middle of the bed. "If you want" she added in a mumbled voice. Her hand stretched to the empty side of the bed in what seemed to be an invitation. Her eyes were closed again but she continued in her half-asleep voice, "I waaaant yyyooouuuu to." She rasped.

Unable to deny her, he walked around to the other side of the bed and sat on the edge. He removed his boots then slid into his waiting spot. His fingertips brushed the hair from her face that had come free from her ponytail. They lingered on her face, trailing to her cheeks and he heard a grumbling moan from her chest as she scooted her body against his and moved her head to rest on his chest. He felt her breathing change and knew she was again in a heavy sleep. Tipping his head down, he kissed the top of her head before falling asleep as well.