This is it! The final chapter of Designing Love. Thank you so much to those of you who supported me with likes/kudos, reviews and sweet messages throughout this process. This was my first multi-chapter fic, so I hope I did okay lol! I am currently working on an EvilCharming story and have another OutlawQueen mulit-chap fic in the works… so stay tuned!
As always, please leave a review and let me know what you thought :) Thanks!
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Chapter Twelve
Weeks after the Fourth of July festivities, summer has come to an end. Robin, Regina and the boys had gone to Neal's house by the lake to grill out and watch fireworks. Emma had gone with them, and Robin was pleasantly surprised to see his best mate still hitting it off with the blonde, not that he ever doubted his friend.
They've been back from the lake for almost a month, but last he heard from Neal (and Regina), their friends were still spending time together and getting more serious as the days went on. It's fun, having their best friends date, makes it easier for them to double date and spend time with their friends respectively.
With all the excitement of the holiday and his friend finally finding a good woman to spend time with, Robin almost forgets that with mid-August comes back to school shopping.
That's how he finds himself at the mall with Regina and their sons on this hot summer day.
"What do you think of this, Papa?" Roland asks, rushing out of the dressing room to show off a pair of dark jeans and a new, yellow t-shirt displaying a shark with black sunglasses on.
Regina has been in the dressing room with both boys helping them try on all the new clothes that they weren't sure about the fit of. Sure, most t-shirts could just be thrown into the shopping bag and not be worried about, but some shirts and mainly their pants, needed to be tried on.
While Regina helps the boys, Robin is out in the aisles, searching the sale racks for pants that he thinks might fit, even though with the way both boys seem to be growing at a rapid rate these days, he's not sure how long they'll fit. Hence why he's hoping to luck out and find some pants on the sale rack. No sense in paying the ridiculous full price the stores ask for when they won't fit by Christmas time anyway.
Chuckling at his son's enthusiasm as he rounds the corner into the fitting room, Robin responds, "Looks great, my boy! What do you think, Regina?"
A distracted mmhmm is all he gets in reply as she fixes the jeans Henry is trying on.
As she pushes her hair out of her eyes, she looks up at him and smiles. "They look great, Roland. I think those are a good pair to get."
After two hours of trying on, what Robin claims is every bloody pair of pants in the whole store, the foursome finally make their way from the department store and over to the ice cream shop that resides inside the mall.
"I think we got a good amount today," Regina says, setting down their shopping bags at the table as Robin and the boys bring over their ice creams. It was two small cones for the boys – chocolate with crushed Butterfinger for Henry, Rocky Road for Roland – and one scoop in a cup for the adults. Robin chose birthday cake, while Regina chose apple turnover, her favorite. "We got lucky that it was all on sale and I had that coupon."
"Mmhmm, lucky for us since these two seem to be growing like weeds!" Robin exclaims, ruffling the hair of both boys simultaneously, causing them to giggle.
Noticing Regina isn't laughing along with them, and she'd seemed quieter than usual in the store he smiles over at her. Taking her hand and giving it a little squeeze, he says, "You alright, love?"
"Yeah," she smiles and sighs, leaning back in her chair and taking a bite of her sweet treat, "I've just got a lot on my mind."
He's positive her farmhouse mansion project is the issue. It has been the bane of her existence for the past few months; it's almost finished, and he knows she's ready to be done with it.
"The farmhouse is finally almost done, thank God," she says, looking over at Henry and handing him a napkin to wipe the chocolate from his face. "And this one," she brushes his hair to one side, "is going to be in middle school next week."
At Henry's moooom, Robin chuckles at his almost-teenage tendencies and reassures her that she'll feel better once the farmhouse is done and that she'll adjust to having a middle schooler in no time.
Smiling softly at him and nodding, she takes a deep breath before saying, "I know. It'll be fine," and leans over to give him a quick peck to his lips.
"Eww!" Roland grimaces, causing both adults to laugh.
"Sorry, my boy. When you're older you'll appreciate kissing the woman you love." Winking at his son, then sliding his eyes over to her to see her cheeks blushing, he finishes the last bite of his ice cream.
Cleaning up Roland's ice cream covered face, then tossing their trash away, the four of them make their way to the car. Regina's hand is tucked inside his, while Roland holds her other hand and Henry walks beside Robin, both of them carrying the shopping bags. He stopped holding either of their hands in public a week ago claiming kids in middle school don't need to hold an adults hand, which caused Regina to roll her eyes but ultimately accept that as long as he was next to them, he was safe. She'd told him that night in bed that Henry hasn't always needed a hand to hold since he was around Roland's age, but actually hearing him say those words broke her heart a little bit. He'd always be her baby, and Robin assured her with kisses to her brow that Henry would always need her in some way or another.
It was a good day, stressful trying to get all their new clothes amidst the rush of other back to school shoppers, but it was a day spent with his love and their children.
Once inside his SUV, with the bags all loaded in the back and everyone buckled in, Robin says, "So, who's apartment are we sleeping at tonight?"
{*********************}
It had been a long day, and Regina was exhausted. Stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed with work were the main cause of the tiredness, though, not so much the long afternoon spent clothes shopping with two young boys.
Looking over at Robin in the driver's seat, Regina sighs through a small yawn. "That's a good question... I feel like we've toted the boys back and forth the last few weeks."
Chuckling, Robin agrees. "Aye, that's because we have been taking them back and forth, baby," he says, picking up her hand from the middle console and placing a kiss to the back of her knuckles.
"We've slept at mine all week, why don't we let Roland sleep in his own bed for a few nights?" Regina asks. They haven't spent every night together, but the further into summer they've gotten since Henry's been home, the more and more nights they have ended up sleeping under the same roof. Most nights the boys slept in their bed or guest bedrooms, while she and Robin slept in one of their beds, but every now and then the four of them would find themselves all bundled up on couches or blanket forts after watching movies all night together.
It's summer after all, and Regina wanted both boys to enjoy it to the full extent. The floor may have been uncomfortable for her and Robin, which is why a lot of times the adults would end up either on the couch or in the bed while the boys slept on in their fort, but she found she quite enjoyed the nights Roland and Henry curled into either side of her while Robin had his arm draped over them on the floor. Back pain be damned.
"Ro, do you want to sleep in your bed tonight?" Robin asks, looking at his son through the rearview mirror and pulling the boy's attention from their movie. They've been watching Sing lately and the songs have been stuck in her head on a loop ever since they discovered it.
"Aw, mannnnn," Roland whines, causing Regina's brow to furrow.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" she questions, her eyes sliding from Robin's face to the two boys in the back seat.
"I want you and Henry to spend the night, too," he complains, taking his headphones off his head and crossing his arms across his chest with a pout to his lips. "I don't want to go home."
"Henry and I will sleep there too," she giggles, glad that Roland likes them being there just as much as she enjoys it.
At Roland's brightened face, his oh… ok! and checking with Henry that it was fine (he says it is, claiming they've slept in their apartment all week, it was only fair, plus he really liked Robin's place!), they make their way to Robin's.
The two of them have practically moved into each other's apartments over the last few weeks. Robin has overtaken a drawer in her bedroom and part of her closet, and Henry's room has an almost permanent pallet on the floor for Roland. At Robin's apartment, Regina's clothes now reside in two drawers and a portion of his closet as well, and his guest bedroom is practically Henry's room by now (and a playroom for both boys). Henry had left some clothes there last week, so it saved them all time in having to pack bags and toys to go to the other's living space.
That night, Regina cooks spaghetti and garlic bread, and they all enjoy it before the boys head off to get ready for bed.
"That was delicious, Mom," Henry compliments, walking his plate over to the sink to rinse it off. He's always been a responsible young man, but now that he's getting older, he's able to help out more around the house, and she loves it. Cuts down her cleaning time, at least, which is always a win win for everyone.
Robin walks back into the kitchen from the hallway, stating that Roland was finally down for the count in his room. They'd had a late dinner tonight, so by time they finished eating, it was past Roland's usual bedtime.
He walks over, places a kiss to the top of her head, whispering an I love you, before walking to the sink and helping Henry load the dishwasher.
While the two of them playfully shove each other and fling wet hands in each other's directions, Regina rolls her eyes in amusement and clicks on her laptop at the kitchen table, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Don't make too big of a mess, I don't want to end up cleaning up after the two of you pretend to clean," Regina warns, not sounding as stern as she wants to, but a hint of amusement in her voice instead.
"Yes, Mom," Robin and Henry both respond, causing the two of them to bust out laughing, pointing to each other and claiming jinx!
Giggling at their antics, Regina pulls up her designs on the farmhouse mansion and sends a few emails to Mary Margaret, confirming that she has picked up the antiques needed for the last room left to do of the house.
This project has taken more employees than she ever anticipated. Regina has had to wrangle in Mary Margaret, along with Ariel, Kathryn, Mal and Marco. Each member of her team also had an assistant so there were plenty of people to tackle each room, under her supervision of course.
The team had started on the top floor of the mansion, going room by room, and they were finally on the bottom floor. The King's had gone to stay at their summer home in the Hamptons, claiming they didn't want to be in the way (even though Mrs. King's daily emails changing something or asking when the house would be finished certainly kept her in the way). Regina and her team had all but finished last week, their only focus now was finishing the kitchen, which ended up being the biggest project once Mrs. King decided she wanted to redo all the cabinets, not just repaint them, and also wanted to switch every appliance to stainless steel (which Regina suggested in their very first meeting, but the woman claimed she liked the white appliances best). The other rooms just needed finishing touches - lamps, throw pillows, some art work - and they would be done.
Closing her computer screen after getting confirmation back from Mary that they were good to go for tomorrow, and being reassured that this is almost over, Regina. Just a few more days, Regina let out a sigh of relief. She was glad to have Mary Margaret working with her. The girl had started as an intern, and they clashed at first, until one day Mary had come to Regina's aid and helped solve a design crisis that no one else in the office seemed the be able to do. Now Regina consulted her on all projects, and she was more than just an assistant to her.
Looking up from the computer, Regina sees Robin smiling at her from across the table. The apartment is quiet now, she notices, and after glancing past his shoulder at the kitchen sink, she sees all the water has been cleaned up and dishes have been placed in the washer.
"Where's Henry?" she asks, her eyes sliding back onto his.
He stands up and takes her by the hand, pulling her from the chair and into the direction of the living room.
"He's gone to brush his teeth," he tells her, sitting down on the couch and patting the spot next to him.
Smiling, she curls into his side as he places a kiss to the side of her head.
As his hand trails lazy patterns on her back, she flips through the channels on the television before settling on House Hunters. It's cliché of her to love this show, she feels, but she can't help it. Robin finally admitted late one night while they were on their fourth episode that he loved this show and liked to laugh at people's ridiculous complaints
"The wall color isn't right!?" he exclaimed, pointing toward the couple on the t.v. "You can bloody well change a wall color. That shouldn't stop them from buying the entire house."
Giggling, Regina tells him, "You'd be surprised at some of the things people will complain about."
"Well, it's just stupid… but," he says, kissing the top of her head, "I do actually enjoy this show."
"I know," she grins, leaning up to kiss him fully on the mouth.
They ended up not seeing which house the couple chose as they were too busy grinding into each other's laps on the couch and making out like teenagers before Robin stood, taking Regina with him, her legs wrapped around his waist, back to the bedroom for a full night of passion.
Henry walks back out into the living room, causing both adults to look up from the television screen.
"Did you brush your teeth, sweetheart?" she asks, standing to give her son a hug before he goes to bed.
"Yes, Mom. See?" He smiles in her direction, causing her to chuckle as she stands from the couch.
"Alright, alright. Let's go get you in bed then," she says, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and turning him in the direction of the hallway.
As he's turning, Henry says, "Goodnight, Robin," to which Robin responds in much the same way.
After tucking her son in bed, Regina makes her way back out into the living room to find the TV turned off along with all the lights. Confused, she turns back around and heads toward the bedroom.
Walking in, she says, "Baby, I didn't think we were already going to be-" stopping mid-sentence at the sight before her, a smirk blossoming on her face.
Robin is laying on his bed, naked from the waist up and arms locked behind his head with a naughty grin on his face.
"I wasn't planning on going to sleep anytime soon, either, love," he tells her, sitting up and beckoning her over to him.
Grinning at him, she saunters over to her bed, slowly stripping pieces of clothing off one by one. Her shirt is the first thing to go, and by time she gets to him, she's only in her red shorts and black, lace bra. He sits up as she comes to stand in between his legs dangling off the edge of the mattress, and he begins unzipping her shorts for her, sliding them off her body slowly.
Climbing into bed and straddling him, she returns the favor by running her hand along the elastic band of his boxers, hooking her fingers into it and helping him slide out of them.
Smirking up at her, he huskily whispers, "God, you're so beautiful," causing her to blush but lean down to place a kiss to his chest, then his shoulder, neck, chin and finally his lips.
While a moan escapes her lips, his hands begin unclasping her bra. Rolling off and coming to lay next to him, he sits up and slides her lacy black thong down her legs, kissing a trail down her hips and legs.
He lays between her legs and kisses the inside of her thighs, trailing his hand in a light pattern along her calves. Pulling him up by the shoulders, she brings him to lay on top of her while she kisses him passionately. It's slow, unrushed, and sends a jolt of affection through her body.
She loves this man and his insatiable sexual appetite. The couple find themselves having sex almost every night, and she always goes to bed feeling satisfied. Robin knows her body better than any man has ever known it, even more than Daniel. They spent time one night after their first time together lazily exploring each other's bodies and finding what made the other tick. It turned out to be one of the best nights of her life. Like Robin, she now knows his body almost better than she knows her own, and she loves to nip and suck at the places that make him melt.
Sighing into the kiss, she breaks apart to look into his eyes.
"What is it, darling?"
"I'm just glad we found each other," she tells him, overwhelmed by her love for this man. He leans down to capture her lips again before telling her over and over again how much he loves her.
"I'm glad too, love. Glad we both got our second chance." He smiles down at her, trailing his hands up and down her naked hip, "and I don't plan to waste a single minute of it."
Grinning like idiots at each other, they both lean in for another kiss, hands roaming over naked forms and their breath coming out in deeper pants. It amazes Regina that just by the touch of his hand traveling over her body can she get so wet.
His fingers finally find her slick folds, dipping in to find that she's already wet and ready for him.
Lifting his eyebrows at her, she giggles and breathes, "I've wanted you all night."
Letting a moan of his own and an oh fuck slip out, Robin rubs the tip of his cock at her entrance. Nodding to let him know she's ready, he pushes into her, filling her completely.
Groaning at the sensation, Regina's nails dig into his shoulders as he begins rocking his hips.
They had decided a few weeks ago to forego using condoms since she was on the pill. Saves us some time she'd explained, and he told her he wasn't about to argue that logic.
They make slow, passionate love that night, him on top, propping himself up on his elbow so that he can gaze into her eyes.
It's with a Robin – I'm gonna – oh! that she lets go, Robin following closely behind her. He rolls off and out of her, coming to lay on the bed beside her as they pant and catch their breath.
After a few long, quiet moments, Regina turns onto her side, propping her head up on her hand and looks at him, tracing absent circles along his stomach with her other hand and smiling a lazy smile.
"What are you thinking about?" he asks, turning to peer at her, a smile that matches hers on his face.
Shrugging her shoulder, she looks over to him apprehensively, "Do you think Marian would have liked me?" It's a question that's been on her mind for some time. She knows Daniel will come around eventually and that he and Robin will get to know each other one day. But she'll never know Marian, will never be able to talk to her about Roland or share stories with the woman. Regina knows that Marian was a wonderful woman and a great mother, and she never worries about measuring up to her, she just often wonders if her and Marian would have gotten along, maybe bonded over being mothers of two young boys.
"Oh, Regina," he sighs out quietly, brushing the hair from her eyes, "I know Marian would have loved you. You're very similar, and she would loved the way you take care of Roland as if he's your own."
Smiling, she tells him she does love Roland, and she's glad she found someone with such a great kid. "Could you imagine dating someone with a kid that sucked?"
Laughing, he wraps his arm around her waist, bringing her to lay closer to him, and kisses her shoulder. "Hopefully one day Daniel will accept me too, since I plan to be in Henry's life for quite some time."
Beaming, happy he's planning to be in her life like she plans to be in his, she takes his hand that's on her hip in hers, tracing the outline of his tattoo. "He will, Robin," she promises, "He seemed to like you that night he came to tell me about going to Maine. I think he'll be fine after working through some of his issues."
"Yeah," he breathes into the space between them, running his hand through her hair, "I hope so. For all of us."
He leans in then, pressing his lips to hers, before pulling back and looking into her brown eyes.
"What?" she chuckles, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Shrugging with a dimple displaying grin, he tells her, "Nothing. I just love you, that's all," and leans in to kiss her lips again, giving her bottom lip a light nip.
After a quick shower, they dress in their pajamas and get back into bed. She curls herself into his side, loving the warmth his body provides. He likes the house to be a bit colder than she does and had told him one night that if they were going to keep the air so low, then she was allowed to cuddle into him when she needed the warmth. He, of course, said he didn't mind one bit and pulled her even closer, telling her he'd warm her up whenever she needed him to.
With the fan blowing, and Robin's soft snores next to her, Regina finally floats off into a peaceful sleep, totally content.
{********************}
A few days later, Robin walks into his apartment with his son in tow. Roland had spent the day with Tink running errands and playing at the park. She'd taken him back to her apartment to nap and play until Robin got done with work, so he'd picked him up there.
Roland makes a bee-line for his room as soon as the front door opens, running down the hallway with a wahoo! He told Robin on the drive home that he missed his toys while at Tink's today, so he's anxious to get to his room and play. He keeps some toys at his nanny's apartment, but not all of them, Papa. Robin makes a mental note to remind his friend to let Roland grab some of his more cherished toys before going to her house again. Tink and Ro often spend days at her apartment, so he's surprised it's never come up before.
Grinning at his son's excitement, he takes out a beer from the fridge, enjoying the silence of the living room; the only sounds to be heard in the apartment are his son's squeals of laughter coming from his bedroom. He's had a rough day at work, but his son always seems to lift the fog surrounding him after a long day. Robin pulls out his phone when it buzzes against his leg inside his pocket. It's Regina. He's in a funk from work but doesn't want to ignore her. Hell, he knows she'll probably be able to pull him from his sour mood more than anyone else.
Picking up, he greets her with a dejected hi, love, and she immediately knows something is not right.
"What's wrong?" her caring voice asks from the other side of the device. He smiles despite himself; she can always make him feel better and he loves her for it. She comforts him just by being her, even if it's just by the sound of her voice.
"I just had a really shit day, darling," he admits, huffing as he flops onto his couch, "and I don't want to bring you down by coming over and moping around your apartment."
Regina apologizes, trying to make him feel better, but he assures her there's nothing for her to apologize for. He changes the subject then, asking how her day went. He knows she was revealing a project to a client this afternoon but hadn't had to chance to check in with her yet about it. She tells him all about how the beach condo project she's been working on turned out great, the client loved it, and were going to recommend her to do their cousin's condo next door to theirs the following month. It would be nearing the colder months by then, so Regina's excited to work on a beach project and enjoy some last minute heat while it lasts.
She's adorable, going on and on about how proud she is of her team for pulling this off so quickly, and she is excited to work with Ursula Seaway again.
She invites him and Roland over, saying she could prepare plenty of food, but he just doesn't want to be around people right now, even if it was just her and Henry. He doesn't want to put a damper on her good mood, loves her too much for that. Although he knows, deep down, that if they were to go, she'd tell him it was fine, that nothing could bring down her good mood today.
Robin, on the other hand, feels like shit. His day had started out fine, meetings to go over the final touches of his biggest campaigns, like the salsa company, and a business lunch with a new client that turned out to be a great deal of fun. The client, John Littleton, was hiring him to whip up an advertisement for his lumber company. The burly man was down to earth and reminded Robin of a roommate he'd had in college, so the two of them hit it off right away.
When he got back to his office, however, Belle had buzzed in on the speaker, letting him know that Tucker Friarson, one of his best employees, was needing to meet with him. Tucker, Tuck for short, has been with Robin's company since the start, one of his first hires, and he's come to consider the man a great friend, one of his best. They've spent weekends together going to football games and grilling out with Neal on several occasions. His other employees that he's had since the very beginning, like Will and Allan, always joined them, too. Neal claimed that his co-workers were like the Merry Men, and he wasn't sure how they ever got any work done in between all their goofing off. It was like working with your frat brothers. It was awesome.
Tuck had come in and told Robin that he was giving him his two weeks notice, effectively pulling the rug out from underneath him. To say he was blindsided was an understatement. Turns out Tuck had decided to pursue his devotion to his faith and was going to seminary to become a priest. Shocked, he shook his friend's hand, then pulled him into a hug, telling him he was proud of him – Tuck had always been the most devout to his religion of all of his men – so he knew this was the right path for him. Gutted, he tried to put on a strong face and accepted his resignation. In two weeks, he would be gone.
"I'm sorry, baby," she says sympathetically, pulling him from his thoughts. "At least you can still hang out with him on the weekends with Neal and the guys."
She's right; seminary didn't mean he was going to live in a monastery. It was like college, but for people wanting to become priests and preachers. So, okay, it wasn't the end of the world, he knew that, but he was losing a great employee. Tuck has been apart of a majority of Robin's most successful advertisements, and he's great with clients.
Sighing, he concedes, "You're right, darling, I know."
He tells her he just hates to lose such a great employee, saying it'd be like her losing Mary Margaret.
"Don't even joke about that," she says seriously, causing a chuckle to rise from his chest.
He laughs, "I'm sorry," swinging his feet up to the other end of the couch and covering his eyes with his forearm, "but now you see how serious this is."
She lets out an airy chuckle of her own, saying, "I would hate to lose Mary, but if it was a dream of hers to pursue, I wouldn't stop her."
Looking up toward the ceiling as his arm drops down, fiddling with the remote on the coffee table beside him, he lets out a groaned I know, I know, before sitting up.
It's nearly dinner time, and he needs to figure out what he's going to cook. Walking down the hallway to peek in on Roland, he sees his son is still merrily playing with his building blocks in his room, crashing his green dinosaur into the towers and letting out a ferocious Rawwwr in the process.
Smiling, he walks back toward the front of the apartment, asking Regina what she's cooking for dinner tonight. She's a much better chef that he is, and he always likes to get ideas from her. He can't let him and his child live off of chicken and macaroni and cheese forever, as much as Roland may claim he can. Regina's like his personal Pinterest board, since he refuses to make an account for the site no matter how many times she swears he won't regret it, claiming he could get tons of dinner ideas for you boys!
She tells him she's making pepperoni calzones with onions and peppers in it, which makes his stomach growl. Damn, that sounds good.
"And what will you be having along with your part of that calzone?" he asks with a smirk on his face, knowing good and well she's only going to eat a small portion of the cheesy dinner, too many carbs, she would say. Regina is a healthy eater, so he's positive she's going to have something else, something greener, to go along with it.
She giggles through the phone, telling him, "I'm going to eat a whole half of a calzone, thank you very much… but also I'm mixing up a salad as we speak."
"I knew it," he laughs, causing her to laugh along with him with a shut up coming from her side of the phone. He loves the sound of her laugh, how it starts as a breathy thing and builds up into something just a touch more than a chuckle.
He feels much better now after talking to Regina, almost has forgotten than one of his best friends is quitting. Shit.
Telling her he'll let her go finish the salad, he ends their call with an, "I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow."
She tells him to text her later, after dinner, and that she loves him too.
Hanging up, he sets the phone down on the counter and taps his fingers along the cool tile. He'd been in a bad mood when Regina first called him, but now all he can think about is how her laugh came through the phone, instantly causing him to feel better. He wants, needs, to see that smile of hers in person. They haven't seen each other in a few days, both have been extremely busy with work, and the sudden need hits him.
Opening his phone, he sends Tink a text, hoping that she's able to come by for a bit.
Twenty minutes later, the blonde nanny is there on his doorstep, holding up bags of Chinese take out with a, "Go get 'em, Tiger," chuckling out of her mouth.
Kissing her on the cheek and telling her she's a lifesaver, he walks back to Roland's room and tells him he'll be right back, my boy.
His son, always the easy going child that he is, bounds into the kitchen, saying he wants to help Tink get dinner set up.
Ruffling his son's hair and placing a kiss to the top of his head, he makes his way out of his apartment as he hears Roland breaking apart the chop sticks and drumming a song on the kitchen countertop's surface as Tink just laughs.
{*************************}
As she's pulling out their calzones, Regina hears a knock on her door. Placing the tray on top of the oven and glancing down the hallway toward Henry's room, Regina runs her hands down the front of her jeans.
She's nervous as to who could be at her door. The last time someone showed up unannounced, it was Daniel with those damn sunflowers on Henry's last day of school. She takes a deep breath, telling herself that Daniel is in Maine. He can't be at her door.
Looking through the peephole, she raises an eyebrow in confusion.
Robin.
Hadn't he just said that he didn't want to come over tonight? She understood his feelings, knows she likes to be alone a lot of the time when she's had a bad day, so her plan was to just text him some sexy pictures later to make him feel better. And if that led to some great phone sex, well, who was she to argue?
Opening the wooden door, she furrows her eyebrows together. "Robin?"
"Regina, I know I said I didn't want to be around you tonight, didn't want to bring you down with my shit mood – "
She tilts her head forward, a curious look upon her face. "Then why are you here?" she chuckles.
"Well, your phone call made me feel better, so," he says, shaking his head and raising his eyebrows, "I figured today isn't one of those days."
Leaning in toward her quickly, he wraps both hands around either side of her face and buries his fingers into her hair. He crashes his lips onto hers, teeth skimming against each other's and tongues seeking. He pushes her further into her apartment, kicking the door closed behind him with his foot as she lets out a breathy moan before inhaling more air while their mouths part for a second.
Pulling apart, but not letting his hands leave her head, she looks at him with a grin on her face, but a confused look in her eyes.
Chuckling into the small space between their lips, he shakes his head and says, "I just couldn't stay away from you."
Fuck. She loves this man. Loves the way he's able to kiss the breath right out of her lungs. Glad he came over because she can't seem to stay away from him either. The past two days without him have been torture.
Her grin turns into a full blown smile, which she tries to tamper down by biting on her bottom lip and looking down to his lips as she breathes in deeply, chest rising and falling against his. "I'm glad you couldn't."
He captures her lips once again in a heat of passion, one of his hands moving from her hair to find purchase on her rear. She moans into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. She loves the feel of his body pressed against hers.
He groans, his hand on her ass moving to grip her hip and walk her backward toward the kitchen island. She thinks for a second about hopping up on the granite surface, letting him have his way with her right there, but, well, Henry is home, and – shit. Henry.
Pulling her head away from his to catch her breath, she opens her eyes, meeting his blue for the first time since she first opened the door.
"Henry is home."
He smirks, his dimples popping out and making her knees go weak. Both hands hold her hips then as he says, "Ah, yes," walking them further toward the island as she shakes her head in a slow side to side motion and smirks back at him, sucking her bottom lip in with her top teeth. "But he's in his room, and he if he doesn't come out, well, then," he moves his hand from one of her hips, angling his finger in the air to make his point with his flirtiest, smuggest voice, "we don't get caught."
Laughing, her back finally making contact with the island's edge, she inquires, "And are you going to be the one to explain to him what we were doing?"
His head pulls back slightly further then, his blue eyes practically swimming with amusement as he murmurs, "He's almost eleven, love, I'm sure he knows what we're doing."
Her eye bulge out at his words, causing him to lean in to a place a comforting kiss to her brow. "He does not!"
Okay, so, he's almost eleven. She knows he's bound to hear stuff at school, so maybe it really is time for her to have the talk with her son, but the thought alone makes her cringe. She was hoping Daniel would do it, but seeing as he's coming nowhere near Henry for the foreseeable future, it's left up to her. Or maybe Robin. They're close enough now, maybe he'd do it for her, yeah, that could work.
He laughs into her hair, kissing her hairline one more time before she relents, "You're probably right."
Both let out a chuckle, as he leans down to her lips again, trying to regain the heat they'd had when he first walked in. She smiles into his mouth as he bites her lower lip, causing a groan to escape from the back of her throat.
She pulls him by the collar of his shirt, even though they're as close as two dressed bodies can be already. He sighs into her mouth, tongue seeking access once again. She leans back, the edge of the granite digging into her lower back at this point in the best way possible, letting his lips trail a line of wet kisses down her throat. He swirls his tongue on her collarbone before ascending back to her lips with a moan.
Her hands rake through his hair as he deepens their kiss. His hands are back on her hips now, pulling her closer to him, and her arms are gripping both his biceps. God, he has great arms. She loves the feel of them wrapped around her. Would love to feel them wrapped around her on this kitchen counter, but…
"Ahem," a throat clears from somewhere to their side. Pulling apart quickly and jerking their heads to the side, she sees Henry standing in the space between hallway and living room, looking at them with amused confusion on his face.
"Robin? What are you doing here?"
"Oh," he stumbles, pulling his body completely apart from hers, making a shiver run down her when the cool air finally meets her front again. "I, uh, just came by for… dinner."
Dinner. Yeah, right. He wanted to eat something, alright. She smirks as his words, bringing her hand up to push her hair behind her ears and lick her lips, hopefully hiding the blush creeping onto her cheeks at the thought of her ten year old catching her in a make out session.
She bites her lip to hold in her snort of a laugh when her son questions Robin again by saying, "Where's Roland?"
A very good question. One she had yet to even think of asking. She'd been more than a little distracted.
Robin tells them he's with Tink for a little bit, causing Henry to perk up with a cool! before making his way to the couch and picking up his iPad.
Breathing out a sigh of relief that an awkward moment has been averted, she glances toward Robin who is still standing there, hands stuffed in his pockets like a teenager who just got caught by his girlfriend's parents.
Stifling a giggle, Regina turns to walk around the island and pull out plates from the cabinet for their calzones. She reminds Robin in jest that she only made two since someone said they weren't coming over, but says he can have the other half of hers since she also has a salad and fruit to eat.
"That works," he agrees, going to pull the carton of fresh pineapple out of the refrigerator, "Tink brought plenty of Chinese food over for Roland, so I can munch on that later if I get hungry."
She hums her acknowledgment, cutting her calzone in half and plating all of their food.
She tells Henry to go wash up, but he claims he already did. "You know, while you and Robin were too busy making out."
Closing her eyes in embarrassment, sending up a bout of thanks that her back is toward her son, she clears her throat, saying, "Well, good. Come get your plate, then, young man."
When she turns, she notices Henry and Robin smirking at each other while Robin tries to send him a playful glare for his words. She shakes her head good naturedly at the pair of them, taking her and Robin's plate to the table while he grabs the bowls of salad and pineapple with him. She should probably say something to Henry about his cheeky comment, but, well, she doesn't feel like getting into all of that right now. Maybe later. He needs to know he can't make inappropriate comments like that when he wants to.
The three of them sit, eat, talk and laugh for well over an hour. It's nice. Relaxing. She'd had a great day at work, but knows his day was terrible, so she hopes spending time together tonight makes him feel better.
After they've all finished, Henry kisses her cheek and says, "I enjoyed it, Mom. It was delicious!"
"I'm glad, sweetheart," she replies, running her hand through his hair and brushing a piece to the side. He'd eaten almost every last bite, which shouldn't surprise her. He's a growing boy, he seems to be eating more and more lately, and she makes a mental note to stock the fridge with healthy snacks that he can munch on after school instead of stuffing himself with junk.
Henry tells Robin bye and makes his way to the bathroom to take a shower. It's almost bedtime, and he knows he needs to be clean and in his pajamas for the night before she'll let him read for an hour or so. He tends to read himself to sleep some nights, and she's learned from experience that waking him up after he's passed out on one of his books to bathe is a hassle.
Bending down to put his plate into the dishwasher, she feels strong hands grip her hips. Standing up and turning around, Robin moves his arms to encircle her waist as her arms go around his. They stand there for a few moments in silence, her head tucked again his chest. She can hear his heartbeat and it's soothing her, lulling her into a tired trance.
Breaking the bubble of silence around them, Robin starts to laugh. Not a chuckle or a small laugh, he's belly laughing, gut bouncing against her torso and bringing a confused smile to her face. He steps away then, hand covering his stomach.
It's contagious, her own laughter breaking free. Laughing along with him, she asks what so funny.
Calming himself down, he wraps his arms around her waist again saying, "Henry's face when he caught us kissing earlier was priceless!"
Her smile falls then, looking at him with mock anger. She had not found that funny, but now that it's over and she thinks about it, it was quite embarrassing but humorous.
Shaking her head, she chuckles, telling him, "We might have scarred him for life."
"Nah," Robin breathes out, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her head as it comes to rest over his heart again. "If I'd had you on the counter like I wanted then, yeah, maybe," he chuckles, the vibrations of his chest rumbling against hers. "But he's a boy. He'll understand one day."
Rolling her eyes, she sighs. "Let's just never mention that again."
"Alright, love."
He pulls back a touch, causing her to remove her head from his chest and look up into his blue eyes. He places a kiss onto her lips, and pulling apart, she murmurs into the space between them that she loves him. He returns the sentiment and leans in to press another kiss onto her plump lips.
She smiles into it, pulling back and saying coyly, "Although, having me on this counter does sound like a good idea."
He smirks then, wagging his eyebrows and pushing her toward the island.
"Not now, Robin!" she laughs, swatting at his arms. "Henry is here. We definitely don't want him walking in on that."
They both laugh, pulling apart from each other completely. She moves to close the dishwasher door as he walks over to her trashcan and removes the full bag. Tying it up, he tells her he'll drop it off at the chute on his way out.
She takes his free hand then, walking toward the front door. He sets the bag down, luckily it was mainly paper that filled this one up so it doesn't smell or leave his hand feeling sticky, and takes her other hand in his.
They stand there for a second, just looking into each other's eyes. He leans in, pressing one more passionate kiss to her lips. His hands leave hers and wrap around her body once more, while hers do the same around his neck. They can't seem to get enough of each other today, not that she's complaining.
Groaning, he separates their lips, saying, "I really need to get home to Ro."
"I know," she whispers, rubbing her thumb along the surface of his tattoo before adding, "We'll have to find a date night where we can come back here and use that island." She tries to wink then, which ends up just being an elongated blink, while a sultry smirk blooms on his face.
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Leaning in to kiss him once more, this one more gentle than most of the ones shared tonight, she sighs into his mouth. Pulling apart, she murmurs a goodnight to him as he picks up the trash bag and opens her front door.
Turning around to look at her one more time, he winks (actually winks) at her and pecks her lip's scar before making his way down the hallway.
{*********************}
A week later, the farmhouse mansion is finally done. Regina had gone in this Saturday morning to put some last minute finishing touches on the house with Marco and Mary Margaret. She's been working, and stressing, over this project for month, so Robin is glad she can finally put it behind her. He had assured her the other night when she was worrying about the light fixtures for the kitchen that this project was going to boost her clientele ten fold and that she should be proud of all the work she's put into it.
"I know," she told him, laying her head on his chest while cuddling on the couch. "The Kings have just been a living nightmare. I'll be so glad when it's all over."
Kissing the top of her head, he tells her he knows. "We will just have to celebrate when it's all said and done."
She chuckles a dry laugh, "if they ever let me finish."
Smiling down at her, he promises, "They will, love. And once you're done, we'll celebrate an amazing job well done, add the pictures to your portfolio and never work with the Kings again."
"Mmm," she moans, "that sounds like a dream. Can't wait."
Roland's voice pulls him from the memory of that night when he asks where he should hang the balloons.
The boys have been helping him decorate his apartment all day while Regina has been busy at the King's mansion. Streamers have been put up in every doorway, and Robin had even taken the boys to pick out a cake for her (yellow cake with buttercream frosting that is covered in icing balloons and sprinkles and the words You're free! written on it in jest.)
Henry is currently blowing up different color balloons, while Roland hops up and down awaiting his turn to tape a balloon to a wall.
"This is the best!" Roland exclaims, grabbing a yellow balloon from Henry's hand and taping it to the outer rim of the kitchen island.
Glancing to the kitchen, Robin sees that the whole perimeter of the island is now covered in balloons. "I think that's enough in the kitchen, boys," he laughs, "Let's put some in here."
With twins yeah!'s, the boys make their way to the living room where Robin is hanging a banner above the t.v. that says Congratulations!
After covering as much space as they can with balloons, the boys rush around, slapping streamers as they pass through the hallway's archway and giggling all the way back to Roland's bedroom.
Shaking his head at the boy's excitement, Robin puts a few finishing touches on the decorations and looks around. It looks pretty good to have been decorated by a five (almost six now, as he likes to remind Robin) and ten year old. It's colorful, and he's positive it will make Regina happy.
Just then, there's a knock on the door. Going to open it, he finds Emma and Neal standing on the other side.
"Hey guys," he says cheerfully, pushing the door open wider, "Come on in. The boys just finished hanging the balloons, and – "
"I can see that," Emma chuckles, walking in and tapping one of the many balloons around the edge of the kitchen counter with her finger.
Snickering, Neal wraps his arm around his girlfriend's waist and assures Robin the place looks amazing. Emma and Neal have been attached at the hip since they started dating, and he's happy for his best friend. He deserves someone that makes him happy, and so does Emma.
"She's gonna love it, man," his friend tells him, stepping further into the apartment and scanning the kitchen and living room's decorations.
With Emma's nod of agreement, he makes his way into the kitchen with the blonde trailing behind him.
"Need any help?" she asks, walking over to the oven where his taco meat is cooking. He wanted to make something fancy for her, but when he thought of a meal that made him think of her (and something easy since he wasn't the best of cooks), he kept coming back to tacos. It was their first home cooked meal together when Regina showed up one night so many months ago, frenzied over worrying that she'd pushed him away for good. How wrong she had been back then. He's made her tacos a few times since that night, and she always comments on how delicious they are, so it's what he went with.
He hmmm's then tells her, "The tacos are basically finished, but feel free to pull out some wine glasses." He motions over to the cabinet with his spatula. "Regina should be here soon."
Hearing Neal do his best impersonation of a T-Rex from the back of the apartment and the squeals of little boys, Robin chuckles. His friend has always been wonderful with Roland, and he's so glad he's just as great with Henry, too.
Laughing at her boyfriend's antics, Emma brings the wine out and opens it so it can breathe. "He's great with the boys," Emma comments, glancing in the direction of the hallway.
"Yeah," he smiles, his eyes going toward the direction of the bedrooms, then back to the stove. Just then, Neal, Henry and Roland all come down the hallway dressed in different costumes. Henry is dressed like a policeman, while Roland opted for the dinosaur costume. Neal could only fit into the pirate's accessories – a hook for a hand, eye patch and hat that was dangerously close to falling off (it is a kid sized hat, after all).
Laughing at their costumes, Robin reminds them that Regina will be home soon so they can only run around in their costumes for five more minutes.
Okay! is shouted from all three, as Neal scoops Roland onto his shoulders and they begin chasing Henry back down the hall. His apartment is filled with chaos and laughter, and he loves it.
Thirty minutes later, everyone is back to their regular clothes and standing around the kitchen. Regina texted him soon after the boys came out in their costumes to let him know she was finally headed home. She has no idea that they've decorated and invited their friends over, but he hopes she enjoys the surprise.
Hearing the key in the lock (they'd exchanged keys soon after Henry got back from his summer camp), Robin reminds the boys to stay quiet.
"Okay," the boys whisper in unison, while Roland covers his mouth to keep his giggle locked inside his belly.
They've turned off the lights, save for the small light above the stove so Regina won't see all the decorations when she first walks in.
As the door swings open and she flips the light on, letting out a confused, "Robin?", the boys jump out from behind the island shouting, "Surprise!" as the adults join in, too.
Gasping, Regina brings her hand to her heart. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaims as Henry and Roland run to wrap their arms around her middle. "What is all this?"
"It's your party, Mom!" Henry cries, waving his arm in the direction of the living room.
Her eyes roam the living room as the boys run around pointing out different things they'd picked out, before finally landing on the kitchen. Seeing Emma and Neal, she laughs and goes to hug her friends before turning to wrap her arms around Robin's torso.
With glistening eyes, she looks up at him and says, "You didn't have to do all of this."
Kissing her lightly, he assures her he did. "You've worked so hard over the last few months, you deserve this."
Smiling brightly, she looks all around, saying, "Thank you, Robin."
After the tacos have been eaten (which she loved) and cake has been stuffed into all of their mouths, the celebration goes on smoothly, everyone laughing and enjoying the company of each other. The boys, of course, end up back in costumes chasing each other (and Neal) around. Robin joins in after a while, causing Emma and Regina to chuckle and migrate to the kitchen so the boys can play in the living room. They clean up and load the dishwasher, which Robin keeps telling them not to do. This is your party, love. I'll clean it up later, he keeps telling her from across the apartment, but the two women are clearly not listening as they keep washing the dishes anyway. Robin takes a break from the boys' game and sits at his kitchen counter for a few minutes, listening to the women prattle on about their days.
"Neal took me to lunch at that new Italian restaurant downtown. Have you guys been?" Emma asks, handing Regina the plate she just rinsed off and glancing over her shoulder to Robin.
Placing the plate into the dishwasher, Regina shakes her head. "No, we haven't made it over there yet. Was it any good?"
The blonde tells them it was freakin amazing and that they need to go as soon as possible.
Laughing, Robin looks up from his phone where he'd been thumbing through his Facebook page and says he'll have to take Regina and the kids there some time soon.
After placing a few more dishes in the washer, Regina looks over to her friend with a grin on her face. "I'm glad you and Neal seem to be working out so well. It's amazing what happens when you actually date a nice guy."
"Shut up," Emma laughs, swatting Regina's arm with a dish towel, "You knew we were going to be great together after you made one of those damn pro-con lists. Don't even lie."
"Oh," Regina chuckles, holding up her hands and pointing in Robin's direction, "We definitely knew. It was you that was denying it."
Emma giggles, saying she denied it for a little bit but finally gave in. "He's a great guy."
"Well, I'm happy for you, Em," Regina says sincerely, placing her hand on Emma's arm. With that, Robin stands, stuffing his phone into his pocket and claiming he's going to go join the men for some real fun.
As he's walking away, he hears Regina say, "And what luck that we're dating guys who are best friends?" Looking back over his shoulder at that, Robin chuckles, catching Regina's eye and giving her a little wink.
"Right?" Emma exclaims, causing both women to giggle.
After a few more minutes of rinsing off the dishes, they finally finish and head into the living room to watch all the boys, grown men included, chase each other around the room. Every now and then, one of the boys (or men) would beg Regina or Emma to come play, but both women decline, sitting together and scrolling through their Instagram feeds, showing each other funny memes they run across.
After a while, once the costumes have been put away and the four rambunctious boys have calmed down, the two youngest ones dog pile in the living room, breathing heavily. Emma and Neal go to take their leave, claiming they're exhausted from all the partying.
With Robin's sly mmmhmm, sure, the four adults chuckle and make their way to the front door. The boys head into Roland's room to play some more before bedtime and yell their goodbyes down the hallway when Regina tells them Emma and Neal are leaving.
Hugging Emma, Robin tells her, "Thanks for coming."
"No problem, anything for Regina," she assures, turning to hug her best friend.
Regina and Neal exchange hugs and goodbyes, too, before the newly paired couple make their way out of the door.
Locking the door behind them, Robin turns around and leans against the back of it.
"How did it go today, love?" he questions, pulling her into a hug.
Sighing, she tells him, "It was great, actually. I was really nervous that they were going to hate something about it, but Mrs. King actually cried."
She smiles up at him, then takes his hand and leads him over to the couch.
"She walked through each room, and with every new room, she would gasp and tear up," she recalls to him, beaming with pride. He finds himself smiling just as widely back at her, happy to know the reveal went so well. Regina is a talented woman, and he's so proud of her for pulling off this humongous project.
She tells him that Mr. King was very impressed and mentioned possibly hiring her to redo their house in the Hamptons. Regina admits she was hesitant at first, not exactly wanting to go through the pain of working with Mrs. King again, but remembered the Kings are high paying clients and are well known throughout the city. No plans are set in stone, yet, but Mr. King assured her that if and when they decide to redo their summer home, she'll be first on their list of calls.
"He said he needed his wallet to rest a little bit before letting his wife redo another one of their homes," she chuckles, his laugh matching hers.
"Well," he says, pulling her to sit in his lap. She has to sit sideways instead of straddling him since she wore her tight, black dress today. The dress is sleeveless, but it sits below her knees so it still felt professional enough to wear to the big reveal. She paired it with a black jacket that has a gold zipper and red shoes for a pop of color. She always likes to look, what she called this morning, top dollar, when revealing her finished product to a client. "I'm proud of you. And I'm glad it's over, for your sake."
Laughing, she leans down to kiss his lips before saying, "Me too. I'm so glad it's over. Now I can focus on Dr. Whale's office. Mary's husband, David, is hiring us to redo his vet clinic, too," she continues, "but I'll probably let Mary take lead on that one."
Rubbing his hand down her leg, he looks into her eyes, smiling at her.
"What is it?" she chuckles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He does this sometimes, stares into her eyes as if she's the only person in the world. She likes it, despite it making her feel self-conscious. Knows it shouldn't, this is just Robin, after all, he loves the way she looks, no matter what she's wearing or how much makeup she has on.
"Nothing, love. You're just beautiful."
Swatting his chest playfully, she gently slides from his lap and takes his hand, pulling him up from the couch. She eyes the small, children's sized table stashed in the corner of the living room, which houses the Harry Potter puzzle the four of them have been working on the last few weeks.
"Come on," she says, placing a peck to his cheek, "You pull the puzzle out while I go change into something more comfortable." She spins him around and gives him a light push toward the puzzle's table, saying, "I can't sit and do the puzzle in this dress!"
{***************************}
Once he's pulled the table out further into the living room (they'd pushed it into the corner to give their guests more room tonight), Regina comes out from the bedroom. She's changed from her dress to a pair of black yoga pants and one of his Penn State t-shirts.
Grinning at the shirt that she swore she'd never wear, he tells her, "Nice shirt."
"Whatever," she rolls her eyes. "It's the softest t-shirt you own. So sue me," she says, giggling as she goes and collects their glasses of wine they left on the kitchen counter.
"Oh, before I forget," she starts, walking back into the living room toward the table Robin is sitting in front of, one knee propped up with his arm resting on it, "I told Tink that she could come with me one day to Whale's office and see how I do things."
Tink has been studying interior design, was the whole reason Robin hired Regina in the first place, and the girl has proven over the last few months to have a good eye for certain designs. She and Regina have been able to talk a few times about her plans after graduation, and Regina has had the idea for a few weeks to take the blonde under her wing and show her the ropes of the decorating world.
He takes the wine glass she's offering to him from her hand and says, "That sounds good. I'm glad she has someone like you to show her how things work in this world she'll be graduating into within the year."
"Yeah," Regina agrees, nodding, "She's a good kid. I'm happy to show her the way. Maybe she can even intern with me when she graduates."
Ariel will be going on maternity leave in a few months, so having a fresh set of eyes around the office will be helpful, plus she likes Tink, thinks they could become really good friends if given the chance, so she's excited to have the girl around at work.
"That'd be amazing, baby," he says, pulling her in to kiss her cheek before eyeing the puzzle pieces closest to him. "I'll let her know tomorrow about shadowing you and just tell her to text you so you girls can work out what day she'll join you."
"Sounds good." She pecks his lips one more time before sitting next to him and picking up a puzzle piece, placing it into it's destined place.
After a few moments of lazily working on the puzzle, with Flea Market Flip softly playing in the background, and a few where the bloody hell does this piece go?'s from Robin, she giggles and looks over at him.
"Thank you, Robin," she tells him, leaning in to kiss him soundly, surprising him as a hum rumbles in the back of his throat. "Tonight was wonderful. And just what I needed."
Smiling back at her, Robin says, "Good. You deserve it… and so much more."
Gazing at each other for a few moments, they grin and go back to working on the puzzle. It may be Henry's, but they all love working on it, she and Robin sneaking a few pieces into their respective spots each night. It may be a kids toy, but they enjoy it too. It's relaxing and helps them unwind some nights.
"We better not do too much or Henry will be cross with us." He laughs, causing her to look up at him in horror.
"Oh, god," she says, taking a sip of her wine and placing her latest piece into the correct spot, "You're right. Just a few more pieces, this section is tricky anyway, he'd need one of us to help him I'm sure."
He Mmm's in agreement with her, sipping his own wine.
They spend the next twenty minutes talking about their night – Emma and Neal's new relationship, to which she exclaims, "I told you they were going to be great together!" causing him to laugh, the boy's antics, and the delicious food he'd made.
"That cake was amazing. I think Neal snuck out of here with a piece or two," she giggles.
"I think you may be right," he laughs, placing another piece of the puzzle into its spot and telling her they really need to finish reading the book series with Henry now that he's on the last Sister's Grimm book. He'd been reading Harry Potter for the longest time, but once he discovered the retelling of the fairy tales, he was hooked.
"I know," she sighs, closing her eyes briefly as she tilts her head to the side, "He likes reading before bed on his own now, which makes me sad… I want to see how it all ends, too, since he and I started reading them together so long ago."
He laughs, agreeing and saying they might need to sneak into Henry's room and take the ones he's already finished the next time they're at her apartment.
"That's a great idea," she giggles, "Although, I'd much rather do other things in the bedroom with you than read Harry Potter."
Chuckling softly, he agrees and tells her they can read for a few minutes and, "then have our fun."
She nods with another breathy giggle, picking up her glass to take a small sip. He does the same, sitting and enjoying the silence with her encompassing his apartment. There's been a lot of noise tonight with everyone celebrating, which has been a blast, but he so enjoys these softer moments alone with his love.
Looking around his apartment, he sighs. "School is starting in a few weeks."
"Yeah…" she answers back in a confused tone, eyes narrowing.
Setting his wine glass down on the table next to hers, he takes her hand in his and looks at her. "We already talked about how we've been carting the boys back and forth the last few weeks. We can't keep doing this once school starts," he says seriously.
"I know," she sighs, sitting back so her back is up against the couch, "They'll need to be in a routine in their own houses, their own beds… I'm just going to miss sleeping next to you every night." Smiling up at him, she continues with, "We'll just have to make it a weekend thing, I guess," shrugging a bit sadly. She knew it couldn't last forever, their slumber parties at each other's houses just being a fun summer routine for the boys. They've only switched a handful of times, and the boys loved it, claiming it was like miniature adventures each time, but she knows, logically, both children need their own beds once the school year begins.
He hums his agreement, but she can tell his thoughts are a million miles away.
"Mmhmm," he says, clicking his tongue on his teeth in thought, "or not switch back and forth at all anymore."
She looks at him with confusion in her eyes. "Wh - what?"
Chuckling at her alarm, he wraps his arm around her and looks into her brown eyes. "How would you and Henry like to live with me and Roland?"
Regina's face breaks into a beaming smile as tears well up in her eyes. Leaning in to kiss his lips, she pulls back and says, "I would love to, baby," kissing him one more time, "But I need to check with Henry first, of course."
Robin smiles lovingly at her, "Of course, darling, I was hoping we could talk to the boys together in the morning about it, see what they think."
Wiping the moisture from under her eye, she looks around, saying, "If Henry is okay with it, which I'm almost certain he will be, whose apartment would we live in?"
Laughing, he tells her, "It doesn't matter, my love, as long as I'm with you. You choose."
Her heart melts. She loves this man with everything she has and the four of them living together just make sense to her. She knows she's the adult and ultimately makes the decisions for her family, but having Henry's blessing on this would mean the world to her, would make everything seem so much more final. Her son is her entire world, her heart, so getting his approval is important to her, especially when she and Robin have only been dating for six months. She knows it's quick, but Henry loves Robin and Roland, so she's excited to talk to him in the morning about everything. She hmmm's in thought, then says, "Let's make a pros and cons list."
He chuckles and mumbles a so practical! into her lips as he kisses her one more time.
"Of course!" she exclaims, leaning in to deepen the kiss.
They discuss the fact that his apartment is closer to both the boys' schools and Granny's ("a double win for me, to be honest," he says at the thought of still being close to their beloved diner), but her apartment is closer to their offices.
She reminds him that, "Your apartment has a guest room, unlike mine," kissing him once more. She can't seem to get enough of his lips tonight. Having an extra room would be more practical, she thinks, as she reminds Robin, "So both boys would have their own rooms."
"I think that settles it, then." He smiles, running his hand along her jaw before bumping his nose against hers, "Close to Granny's and the boys both have a bedroom?"
She leans her head back and laughs, "I'm going to have to get you a gift card to Granny's!"
"Don't play with my heart," he teases, placing a dramatic hand over his chest before leaning in to press his lips to hers again. The thought that now she'll get to do this, to kiss him, whenever she wants crosses her mind and makes her giggle in delight.
Smiling brightly at him as they break apart, she says, "So, pending our children's approval, we're really doing this?"
"We're really doing this," he states seriously, pulling her into his lap. She goes willingly, straddling his legs and wrapping her arms around his neck, placing a kiss to his cheek.
She runs her hand along his stubbled jaw, gazing into his eyes as if he hangs the sun and the moon.
"I love you," she tells him reverently, kissing him soundly on his lips, her tongue seeking entrance to his mouth.
Moaning, he parts his lips and lets her tongue slide against his for a few moments before he pulls back, telling her sincerely, "I love you, too, Regina. So much."
After a few silent moments, her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat in the quiet of the late night apartment, she sits up and says, "I can't wait to talk to the boys in the morning. I have a feeling they're going to be really excited!"
"Oh, they will be," he chuckles, thinking of all the times one or both boys have made comments about one day being brothers, which always made him smile. Suddenly, Regina sits up and looks around the apartment with a slight grimace on her face.
His brow furrowing, he says, "What's the matter?"
Grinning, she looks back at him and says, in her most serious voice she can muster between the wine in her system and the elation of Robin's question, "You have some pretty ugly furniture, though."
His head falls back against the couch's cushion and his mouth opens to let out a guffaw, before looking back at her and capturing her lips, saying, "Well then, get designing, love."
Regina rolls her eyes (but is smiling all the same) at him, telling him he's too cheesy for his own good. Laughing, he leans over and places another kiss to her lips, saying, "But you love me anyway."
"I do," she sighs, standing to take their wine glasses into the kitchen.
As she walks away, Robin can't help but smile to himself. Seven months ago when he hired Regina Mills to be his decorator, he never imagined his life would change so drastically. Their relationship started off rocky, fueled by insecurities left over from her past relationship, but he couldn't feel any luckier than he does right now that she chose to push that anxiety to the side and give their love a chance. He never thought he'd find a love like this again, one so fitting in every way, but he's so glad that he did. He knows it's been short, shorter than most relationships, but it doesn't make their story any less epic. Regina and Henry are a part of his family now, and he can't wait to see what the future holds.
END.
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I have an epilogue in the works… but I'm not sure when that will get posted lol
Hope you enjoyed! Please review :)