Greatly Exaggerated
A/N: The top half of this chapter is mature. ish. I put the sex in. I took it out. I put it back in, in a much abbreviated form. It's not overly explicit - certainly not an anatomy lesson - but if it makes you uncomfortable, go ahead and skip down to the divider line. Actually, it makes me uncomfortable. How about everybody skip to the middle? No?
Chapter 8
Somebody was nibbling at Logan's neck.
"Go away. I'm dreaming of my Beloved." He said, a lazy smile sliding across his face.
"Your beloved?" Veronica asked, slinging a leg over Logan to straddle him.
"My Beloved." He reiterated, hands lifting to frame her hips.
"Blond." Her waist.
"Beautiful." Her ribs.
"Mother of my children." Her breasts.
He cracked an eyelid. "Oh, there she is." He said a mischievous smile on his face. "Hi."
"Good morning." She smiled down at him.
"This is even better than my dreams." He smiled. He flicked a nipple with his thumb and watched her arch her back. He loved rediscovering how responsive she was to his touch.
"I have a Beloved too, you know." She said conversationally, as he sat up and dipped his head to her breast.
"Tell me about him," He said, running his tongue around one taut nipple, as his hands slipped to her ass.
"Mmm. He's tall." Her hands tangled in his hair.
"He's very hot!" He took her nipple gently in his teeth, flicking the tip with his tongue.
"Ohhhh…" She gasped in pleasure. "And most importantly, he's not dead."
Logan looked down at his growing erection. "Not dead." He agreed, scooting back so that he was leaning against the headboard.
"Would this beloved of yours happen to be me?" He asked.
"Could be." Veronica teased, raising up and positioning herself over his erection.
"Should be." Logan said.
"Is." Veronica said, pulling his mouth to hers for deep kiss as she slid down onto his erection, both of them gasping.
"I love you, Logan." She said, stilling for a moment and looking into his eyes. "And I'm going to tell you that at least one time every day to make up for all of the years I couldn't tell you."
"That not going to cut it." Logan said, pushing her hair off her face, and kissing her temple. "Twice a day works much better for me."
He guided her hips up and down in a crescent moon shaped arc, using his own pelvis for friction. Within minutes Veronica was breathing heavy and tightening around him, and when he ran his tongue around the outside perimeter of her nipple, she lost all control, shuddering and gasping out his name.
Logan waited until Veronica finished spasming around him, and then rolled her over onto her back, driving into her forcefully until he'd orgasmed as well several minutes later.
"God Veronica!" He gasped, collapsing next to her, and bestowing kisses on her nearby shoulder. "Nothing has ever compared to being with you. I could die happy right now."
"Don't even joke about that Logan." Veronica warned.
The Neptune Farmer's Market was located on the outskirts of town. It was an indoor/outdoor market containing hundreds of stalls in no particular order - everything from fresh meats to vegetables. From baked goods to flowers. The air smelled like an amalgamation of sausages and fresh donuts and candied nuts and cider. The sounds of haggling old ladies competed with the laughter of children.
Veronica and Logan slowly strolled through the market behind the twins. They didn't hold hands. No arms stretched across shoulders. No hands slid across waists, but to all other extents, they were together. When separated by more than a few inches, Veronica would feel the need to close the distance, brushing her hip or her shoulder against him. When the twins were distracted, she'd find little ways to touch him, brushing her fingers against his palm, momentarily linking their pinkies, lightly brushing the back of his neck with her fingertips.
Logan smiled down at her, indulgently. "You're cute when you can't keep your hands off of me." He leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"You're cute when you can't keep your mouth off of me." Veronica whispered back. "You should demonstrate that. In about...eight more hours."
As they walked, they sampled fresh fruit, gourmet cheeses, and little pieces of pound cake.
Veronica brought reusable bags from her car trunk, and Logan carried them as they gradually filled up with vegetables, fresh pasta, Italian sausage, and ciabatta bread.
Logan purchased a chocolate chip cannoli for each of them when he'd learned that none of the family had ever tasted one.
Veronica located a outdoor picnic table for their cannoli taste-test. She and the twins took a seat on the table top, while Logan straddled the bench seat below them. Nearby, children ran and squealed and climbed and laughed on a large playground. Veronica ate her cannoli, virtually moaning in pleasure. Lo enjoyed his as well. Morgan made a face of disgust after her first bite, and Veronica ended up finishing it off.
"I'm glad I didn't know about cannoli when I was pregnant with the twins and having all those cravings." Veronica laughed.
"I wish I could've been there." Logan said regretfully. "I would have found them for you, whether it was one in the afternoon or three in the morning."
"You're here now." Veronica smiled. She turned to address the twins.
"I've asked your father to stay with us in our house."
"Yay!" Morgan said. "Are we going to be like a real family now?"
"No!" Lo complained. "We were already a family. We don't need him."
"We all need him, Logan." Veronica said, turning Lo to face her. "You most of all!"
"I don't need him!" Lo insisted.
"Yes you do." Veronica said. "Because I can't teach you how to be a man."
"I'm only five. I don't need to be a man." Lo said.
"But you need a strong male role model. And I need a partner. And Morgan needs an example of the difference between any old man and a good man."
Logan looked at Veronica with gratitude.
"Furthermore," Veronica went on. "I want him to stay with us, because he's funny and smart, and nice to be around, and he always smells good. I know Morgan wants him to stick around, too."
Morgan demonstrated her agreement by throwing her arms around Logan and hugging him.
"Do you want to stay with us, Logan." Veronica asked.
"More than anything." He answered.
"Well then, I guess you're outnumbered, Lo." Veronica said sympathetically. "You'll have to get used to the idea of having a father around."
Lo shrugged and pouted.
"It'll be fun." Veronica promised.
"So, are you guys going to be kissing and stuff?" Morgan asked, her eyes gleaming.
"Ewwww!" Lo said, covering his face.
"Morgan!" Veronica said, blushing. "We're not talking about kissing. We're talking about living in the same house, and learning how to be a family together."
"But he wants to kiss you! He told me." Morgan said. "You should let him."
Veronica looked at Logan questioningly.
"That's not exactly how the conversation went, Veronica." He insisted putting his hands up in innocence.
"I don't want you to kiss my mom." Lo said, belligerently.
"I do!" Morgan said.
"We're not having a conversation about kissing." Veronica said. "This is about being a family."
"But moms and dads kiss." Morgan insisted. "Uncle Duncan and Aunt Jana kiss. Uncle Dick and Aunt Mac kiss. Why can't you and my dad kiss? It's romantic!"
"I don't want him kissing my mom!" Lo argued.
"Playground!" Veronica said desperately, pointing. "Who wants to go play on the playground?"
"I do!" Both children yelled at once.
While both children were running across a large grassy area to the playground, Veronica scooted in front of Logan and snuck a quick but deep kiss, pulling back before the children had time to reach the playground and look back.
"I've been wanting to do that all day." Veronica said eying Logan's mouth as if she wanted to get right back to it.
"I seem to recall you doing that several times today."
"Yeah, but that was two hours ago. Feels like forever."
"Why Veronica, you seem a bit eager." Logan teased.
"Eager to get you out of those clothes after the kids go to bed." Veronica admitted.
Logan hopped up to sit on the tabletop next to Veronica, nudging her affectionately with his shoulder.
"So what did you tell Morgan about kissing me?" Veronica asked.
"She asked me if I wanted to kiss you." Logan protested. "I just didn't want to lie to her anymore."
"Uh-huh." Veronica said. "Is there anything else you discussed that I should know about?"
Logan turned red.
"Logan Echolls, are you actually blushing? I never thought I'd see the day when you blushed."
"Because sex gods never blush?" Logan asked. "I can demonstrate something later that will make us both blush." He said running a finger up the inside of her leg.
"Oh. I see what you're doing." Veronica said. "You're using sex to try to distract me and change the subject."
"Is it working?" Logan asked nipping at her earlobe.
"A little bit." Veronica admitted, "But stop. Out with it."
"Can't we just leave it between Morgan and myself?" Logan asked.
"Out with it!" Veronica said again.
Logan sighed. "OK, but remember, you asked."
"Fine. I asked." Veronica said.
"OK." Logan ran a hand through his hair. "After Morgan asked me if I wanted to kiss you, she sort of asked me if I wanted to marry you." He was looking everywhere but at Veronica.
"OH." Veronica said.
"OH." Logan repeated after her.
"Well?" Veronica asked when she couldn't take the suspense anymore. "What did you tell her?"
Logan groaned. "I said Yes. Someday. If I could talk you into it." His face was beet red.
The intensity of Veronica's blush warred with the intensity of the Veronica's smile as she looked away.
After a moment, ensuring that neither twin was looking, Veronica turned back to Logan pulling him into a hard kiss that lasted only a moment, but made Logan's pulse race nonetheless.
"This secret stuff is going to be a lot harder this time." She said breathlessly.
"Because we're living in the same house?"
"Because we're living in the same house. Because almost every thought I've had since you showed up Friday has been related to making out with you in some capacity or another. Because Morgan can slip into any room undetected. She's silent like a cat."
"So do we have a criteria for deciding when it can stop being a secret?"
"I have no idea." Veronica said. "When things start feeling stable and normal? When Logan gets over his irrational issues with you?"
"Do you have any idea exactly what the issues are? Maybe if I knew, I could address them. Is it because I left you behind? Because I faked my death? Because I came back?"
"Honestly? I don't think there is a specific reason." Veronica said. "You're a man. I think it's as simple as that. He's used to being the 'man of the house', and he feels threatened."
"Well, how can I possibly help him get over that?" Logan complained. "Wear a dress?"
"We'll figure something out." She smiled, looking off towards the playground.
"Look at that." She said, pointing. "Remind you of anything?"
Morgan was playing by herself on a bouncy toy. Logan was surrounded by four boys around his age talking and gesturing.
"See the body language?" She said. "How they all seem to be deferring to him?"
"What's that about?" Logan asked.
Veronica shook her head. "You never actually saw yourself from the outside looking in. You had so much influence. Logan does too. They all want to be around him."
"Hopefully he doesn't act like an ass like I always did." Logan said.
"He won't. When you were a teenager, you had Aaron as a role model. Logan will have you."
"You just assumed that I'll be around when he's a teenager." Logan said, smiling.
"Won't you?" Veronica asked, her face starting to fall.
"Of course I will." Logan said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "But that's the first time you've ever mentioned a future that I'm a part of."
"That can't be true." Veronica scoffed.
"It's true." Logan said. "You used to avoid all discussions of the future. You used to change the subject when I tried to discuss it."
Veronica looked regretful. "I'm sorry, Logan." She said. "I think back then I feared love, and being vulnerable or dependent on anybody. Probably because of the way my mother left us behind. I didn't want to allow anybody to have that kind of power over me."
"And it's different now?" He asked.
"When you died, I learned that some things are a lot scarier than loving and being loved. I don't fear love anymore. I love you."
"That's the third time you've said that today. Are you going to subtract the extra one from tomorrow's quota?" Logan asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Oh shut up." Veronica said. Seeing that both twins were currently looking elsewhere, she pulled Logan in for another kiss.
Before they left, Logan went back to the bakery stall and purchase three more cannoli for later, allowing Morgan to pick out a giant chocolate chip cookie for herself. He then stopped at a flower seller, purchasing the largest bouquet of colorful Gerbera daisies, handing them to Veronica. She smiled shyly.
As they walked to the parking lot, Morgan reached up and took Logan's free hand. His heart fluttered, and he smiled, ridiculously contented at the feel of the tiny little hand in his.
He took a mental snapshot of the moment: his first time holding the hand of his daughter. His first day back together with his girl. As for his grouchy son? Well, two out of three wasn't bad.