Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or any of the characters in this story.
A bit of harmless flirting and some serious dialogue.... This is a HUGE chapter.
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When Cal woke up the next morning he rolled over in bed, half expecting to find Gill next to him. He frowned when he remembered she was sharing a room with Emily until the wedding. 'Just a few more days now,' he thought. 'Then we'll have the rest of our lives together... How on earth is she going to put up with me for that long?' he wondered. He rolled out of bed, his feet hitting the soft carpet on the hotel room floor, and padded into the bathroom to get showered and ready for the day. He stood in front of the mirror, his shirt off, and inspected his new tattoo carefully. The design was intricate, and he loved having Gill with him all of the time. His eyes fell to the blank banner that he was hoping to have filled with their child's name and he thought back over their discussions from the previous few days. Gill really confused him sometimes. He wished he had the knowledge of human behaviour that she had. Yes, he could read facial expressions and body language, and he was a master at the long con and manipulating people in certain ways, but it was Gill who really had the expertise in knowing how the human mind worked and why. He really hoped that between the two of them, he and Gill's mother could convince Gill that trying for a child together was the right thing, and that it would make them both incredibly happy. He knew he couldn't push, though. This was delicate ground he was treading, and he didn't want to hurt Gill in the process.
Leaning closer to the mirror he looked at his face, running his hand over his cheek and chin. His facial hair was growing out again after his shave the previous morning, and the stubble there was rough against his hand. He'd never been a huge fan of his face without the whiskers, and he was glad Gill seemed to like it. Alec had always been clean-shaven and Gill had told Cal on numerous occasions that she preferred a bit of scruff on a man. Apparently it was masculine, rugged and 'incredibly sexy'. He was pretty sure she'd thought of those adjectives after one too many late nights reading romance novels, but he wasn't complaining. If she liked masculine men and it was something he was better at than Alec then Cal was more than happy to oblige. He smirked a little when he thought of the way, on multiple occasions, that she'd purred in his ear how much she loved it, and groaned quietly at the thought of what normally followed. He wished she could join him in the shower. Padding back out into the bedroom he picked up his phone and sent her a text message, hoping she'd already be awake. 'Missed sleeping next to you last night. Stubble's grown back. Thinking about the noises you make when it scratches you when I kiss your neck.' That should be an interesting wake up call for her. Grinning a little, he walked back into the bathroom and got into the shower to clean up for the day.
Gill was awake and laying in bed when Cal sent her the text. She was switching between reading a magazine quietly and glancing over to see how peaceful Emily looked when she was asleep. She really did wish Emily was her daughter. Hearing her phone beep quietly she reached out and read the text message from Cal, smiling and shaking her head. Trust Cal to be thinking like that first thing in the morning. Her thoughts quickly turned from maternal to more mature as she pondered what she should write back. Deciding not to let her mind wander too far with Emily asleep on the other side of the room she kept her response tame. 'Missed you too. Can't sleep properly without you. Love you and your stubble. Looking forward to good morning kisses xoxo'. She hit send and laid back in bed with a content sigh. She was so lucky.
By the time his phone beeped Cal was out of the shower. He tucked his towel around his waist and went over to check Gill's message, not surprised she hadn't let it get raunchy. He scratched the stubble they'd been discussing before he wrote back. 'Just got out of shower. Only wearing towel. Need your help.'
Gill raised an eyebrow when she read Cal's response. 'How would I explain that to Emily?'
Cal picked up his phone again when Gill's text came through and smirked. 'Get your mind out of the gutter. I don't know what to wear to your parents' house today.'
Gill smiled. She knew Cal had chosen to phrase it like that on purpose. 'Jeans are fine. The kids will be there, you'll probably end up getting dirty.'
Cal frowned at the mention of Gill's niece and nephew. He wasn't sure how well she was going to handle that today. 'Thanks, love. Give me a call when you two are almost ready?' he wrote back.
'Come up now. We can sit on the balcony, we won't wake Emily' Gill wrote back. She missed Cal and was keen to have some one on one time with him while she could.
'Alright. I'll bring coffee. See you soon.' Cal wrote back before moving around the room to get dressed.
Gill got out of bed quietly then and moved around the room, gathering clothes to wear for the day. After a quick shower she pulled on a pair of jeans and a pale blue top that brought out her eyes. She considered putting on make-up then decided against it, only dabbing some concealer on the hickey Cal had given her the day before, then pulling her hair back in a messy pony tail. She could put make-up on her face later if she felt like it, but for now she was happy without- Cal seemed to prefer her without it when they were at home anyway. She'd always suspected that it was because without it he was able to see the movements in her face better, but he'd never confirmed or denied her suspicions.
Gill was doing a final check in the mirror when she heard a quiet knock on the door and it took her half a second to fling it open silently, launching herself at Cal and pressing her lips to his in a searing kiss.
Cal was almost bowled over when Gill came at him, glad he managed to keep a hold on their coffees without spilling them. He hadn't expected the greeting, but it was more than welcome, and it didn't take long for him to have Gill pressed up against the wall in the hotel corridor, even with his hands full.
Gill worried briefly about the fact they were in a public place, but decided it was early and the chances of anyone spotting them were minimal. She ran her hands over Cal's cheeks, shivering lightly when she felt how rough they were, and moved one hand down to run over his chest while she kissed him. She gradually eased off, turning the kiss from steamy to slow and gentle, before breaking it altogether. "Good morning, Dr. Lightman," she said softly, smiling at Cal.
"It is now," Cal grinned, stepping back a little before planting another soft kiss on Gill's lips. "Let's go in," he suggested, shoving the door open with his toe.
Gill wrapped her arms around Cal from behind and walked with him, making movement awkward for both of them. "I missed you last night," she complained quietly. She wondered when she got so clingy. She pressed a soft kiss to the back of Cal's neck then let go so they could walk through the room properly, common sense prevailing.
When they were out on the balcony Cal set their coffees down and made himself comfortable in a chair, patting his lap for Gill to sit on it. It didn't take much encouragement to get the brunette settled there. "Just a few more nights now, love," he promised her. "Then you'll be stuck with my snoring every night for the rest of our lives."
Gill laughed quietly. "How romantic," she replied playfully, picking up one of the coffees and sipping it. She pulled a face then handed the cup to Cal before picking up the one that was intended for her. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, drinking their coffees and looking out over the balcony at the view.
"You going to be alright today?" Cal eventually asked Gill, breaking the silence.
Gill looked puzzled for a moment before she realised Cal was referring to seeing her brother's children. "I'll be fine," she smiled, putting on a brave face. "Cal, I'm not going to fall to pieces every time I see someone with a child," she told him. "I've been going through this for years. You learn to deal."
"Alright," Cal agreed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Sorry."
Gill sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get defensive," she apologised. "You don't need to wrap me up in cotton wool, though. I love Benji and Jamie. I'm glad David has them, they make him happy. What sort of sister would I be if I resented him for having two adorable little children?" she asked.
"You're only human, love," Cal reminded her gently. "But, if you say you're fine, then I believe you. I'm not even going to look at your face," he promised, leaning in to kiss her neck and scratch it with his stubble as a way to change the subject.
Gill giggled quietly then shivered lightly. "God I love it when you do that," she purred.
"I know," Cal smiled, kissing her there again.
"It's so sexy," Gill told him. "You're all rugged and manly."
Cal chuckled quietly. "So you've told me."
"Well, I really like it," Gill blushed.
Cal smiled. "Good," he told her. Then, unable to stop himself... "You know I'm good at producing other manly man stuff, too," he told her, massaging Gill's shoulders gently.
Gill sighed and her body tensed. "Cal, you promised we wouldn't talk about it until after the honeymoon," she said.
"I can't help it, love," Cal defended himself, trying to soothe her by continuing to work on her shoulders. "We know my... 'contribution' would be fine. We have proof of that asleep inside. Yours might be, too. We don't know. If not, you went to medical school. You know there are doctors who could help us conceive. We could do this. You and me. You can take time off work so you're relaxed and your body's ready for it. I can help you out at home more to take some of the pressure off..."
"So you're saying since you're a 'manly' man your reproductive capabilities are fine? I'm sorry if I'm not woman enough to give you a baby, Cal," she said, standing up.
Cal reached out and took hold of Gill's wrist, not wanting her to walk away. "Gill, that's not fair," he told her, his tone firm but calm. "I never said that and you know I didn't mean it. You're a beautiful, intelligent, brilliant, sexy woman, and whether or not you can conceive and carry a child to term has absolutely nothing to do with that. It doesn't make you any less of a woman. It just happens to some people, the same way some people are short-sighted or have diabetes. The only difference is that your condition- if you have one- is one that affects you on a more emotional level than having to wear glasses or take insulin injections. Please don't make out that that's what you think of you. You know it's not. I love you, and you're the most amazing, perfect woman I've ever met. Now, come on, sit back down, love," he encouraged, gently pulling her arm.
Gillian remained standing for a little while then relented, sitting back down on Cal's lap. "You don't know what it's like to have your body fail you at doing something women have been doing since the beginning of time," she told him.
"You're right, love, I don't," Cal agreed, stroking her back soothingly. "I do believe we can find a way to do this, though. Can we at least look into adoption? I can't imagine anything that would make you more of an amazing woman than dedicating your life to raise a child that doesn't have a mother who's willing or able to care for it the way she should. We don't have to go to Delaware this time, we can look somewhere where once we've got him or her that baby is ours forever. Like Florida. If the chid is under six months old the birth mother's rights are terminated as soon as she signs the contract and the adoption is final."
"You've looked into this?" Gill asked, somewhat surprised.
"I knew we might have problems and I wanted to keep my options open," Cal admitted. "This means a lot to me, and I thought it meant a lot to you, too. I never pictured our life together without trying to have a child in it in some way."
"You have a child," Gill told him.
"We have a child," Cal corrected Gill. "But I want one with you and only you. Nothing will ever change how much I love Emily, but she's Zoe's daughter too. I want us to have a child that's just ours. One with you as its only mother. Gill, I know you. Nobody knows you better than I do. I know you were born for this, and I know how badly you want it. Please don't let fear of failure prevent you from taking the opportunity to be as happy as you possibly could be. I promise I'll support you through this, no matter what. You know I'll always be here for you. Don't make me beg."
Gill closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Cal was the most stubborn, infuriating man she knew sometimes. "I thought we agreed not to talk about it until after the honeymoon," she reminded him again.
"It came up," Cal told her. "I didn't do it on purpose. Please, Gill. I want you to be happy. Can we put our names down with a few adoption agencies and just see what happens? Just give them our details and if something comes up then that's great, but if not we're not any worse off than we are now. No expectations, just a casual kind of approach to it."
"A casual approach?" Gill asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cal, really? Did you think that was going to work with me?"
"It was worth a shot," he replied, his voice somewhat childlike. "Look, I know you're scared, but think of how happy you'd be if this worked. We'd have our own little family. You, me, and baby Richard."
Gill laughed despite her irritation with Cal. "Richard Lightman? Really?" she asked, amused that Cal had actually thought of a name for the child they hadn't even agreed to have yet. "Why Richard?"
"I thought you wouldn't argue with me if I wanted to name it after the inventor of the slushie," Cal grinned. "Richard R. Slush invented... discovered, whatever... he came up with the idea of slushies after he drank orange juice he'd left in the freezer."
"Oh my god," Gillian laughed, shaking her head. "You want me to bring a child into the world with a man who wants to name it after the inventor of the slushie?" she asked.
"Hey, I thought you'd like it," Cal protested with a grin. He'd really only done it to make Gill smile. "Plus, I didn't say we had to bring a child into the world. I told you I'd be perfectly happy adopting."
Gill's laughter eventually subsided and she rested her head on Cal's shoulder with a content sigh. "What if it was a girl?" she asked.
"Zoe," Cal replied as if it was the obvious answer, earning himself a firm slap on the thigh.
"Ow!" Cal complained, rubbing his leg. Gill hadn't really hurt him.
"You deserved that," she smiled, poking her tongue out at him.
"Mmm... Kinky. I liked it," Cal grinned. Gill rolled her eyes. "Alright, what would you call it if it was a girl?" Cal asked, turning serious again. He was surprised they'd made it this far into the conversation, and he had to admit it scared him. He didn't want to get either of their hopes up, and he knew this was dangerous territory.
"Claire," Gill smiled, watching Cal's face for a reaction.
"Claire was my mother's name," he told Gill.
"I know, honey," she smiled, running her finger over the ridge on his forehead where he had his brow furrowed. She kissed the spot she'd run her finger over then, and stroked his cheek again. "I know losing her still affects you, and I think it would be nice to do something to honour her memory."
Cal smiled sadly. "That's a nice thought, but I don't want our little girl to start life tied to something that affected me so much," he admitted. "I'd like to see us have a fresh start. Not name the baby after anyone. Let him or her be their own person without living in someone else's shadow."
"That's fair," Gill agreed, kissing next to Cal's eye this time. "Maybe we should give it some thought."
"Doesn't that mean...?" Cal asked.
"I said maybe," Gillian reminded him. "And it's a BIG maybe. You're a very determined man when you want something, aren't you?" she asked.
"It's part of my charm," Cal grinned. Gill rolled her eyes and shook her head with an amused smile at his cocky words.
