Aaron frowned a little as he woke up the next morning, finding himself in an unfamiliar bed, a warm body next to his. Blinking open his eyes, he found himself staring down at Erin, and he smiled a little as he reached out and stroked her hair. She groaned a little in her sleep and scooted closer to him, her hand tightening around a chunk of his shirt, and that was when he realized that he had never left the room after their talk, instead falling asleep with her. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw that it was nearly seven in the morning, and he knew that she would have to get up soon to get ready for church. "Wake up, Erin," he murmured in her ear before carefully disentangling her hand from his shirt.
"Aaron? What are you doing in my room?" she asked in confusion as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"I think that I fell asleep shortly after you did last night while we were talking. But we need to get ready for church, so I'm going to head over to my room now."
"We?"
"Your car isn't here, so Jack and I are going to accompany you this morning." The smile that crossed her lips was dazzling, and he found it hard, so hard, to keep from leaning in and kissing her senseless. "You should jump in the shower first, since I'll just need to wash up quickly, and I don't know how long you'll take."
"Thank you," she whispered as she left the bed and came over to his side, kissing him softly before going to the closet and pulling out a fresh outfit. "I'll be downstairs in about an hour, since I'll have to do my hair and everything."
"Perfect." Aaron watched her leave the guestroom before he made the bed and then went into his own room, taking care to choose a shirt and tie that would complement her outfit. It mattered to him that they present a united front that first Sunday, and he knew that he would choose something for Jack that also went with their outfits. A small voice in the back of his mind told him that he wanted them to look like a family, but that was absurd, since he and Erin had only been growing close since December. Shaking his mind to clear that thought away, Aaron went over to Jack's room and pulled out his one suit, adding a shirt that was almost the same color as his and then he set them out on the end of the bed before ducking into the master bathroom.
It didn't take long for him to shower, and he tried to avoid thinking about the fact that Erin was in the other bathroom, showering as well. Aaron turned the water a little cooler as his body began to react naturally, and he thought as chaste of thoughts as possible to make certain that he wouldn't embarrass either of them. After finishing the shower, he dried off and dressed, making certain that he looked entirely presentable before heading down to the kitchen and starting breakfast for them all.
Fifteen minutes later, Jack was padding into the kitchen, half dressed, his eyes still bleary with sleep. "Why are we up so early, Daddy?" he asked as he plopped down on a chair and pulled the plate of waffles closer to him before digging into the food.
"Because we're going to church with Miss Erin this morning. This is something that is very important to her, and I want her to feel welcome with us. I know that we don't go to church except for the holidays, but I want to make the effort for her. If you don't like it, I can see if Aunt Jessica would be willing to watch you on Sunday mornings, I don't want you to feel forced to do something for us, okay?"
Jack nodded as he continued to eat, and Aaron chuckled a little as he made up a plate for himself, and then Erin, covering hers in order to keep it warm until she appeared in the kitchen. "I need to finish getting dressed, then, Daddy."
Jack pushed away from the table before running from the room, and seconds later, Aaron heard his little feet pounding up the stairs to his room. Shaking his head a little, Aaron finished his first waffle before making another for himself, switching out the fresh for the one he made earlier. He had just settled back down at the table when Erin stepped into the room, looking softer than he had thought possible. "You didn't have to make breakfast, Aaron."
"I wanted to, Erin. You look lovely."
She blushed a little as she shrugged, picking up the plate he had gestured towards before taking a seat across from him. "I feel comfortable enough around you and Jack to look soft. I mean, even Agents Jareau and Prentiss aren't soft while in the office. There's a certain façade that we have to wear there, in order to be taken seriously, and…" Erin pursed her lips together a little as she lifted a shoulder up towards her ear.
"I understand, a little. So, what time do we need to leave to be on time for your church?" He steered the conversation towards something more innocuous, and she gave him a grateful smile as she nodded.
"I like to be there for the coffee social hour, since I was never one for Sunday School, and that begins around quarter after nine. So if we left at quarter to nine, we should be fine. If you don't mind, I think that after I finish eating, I'm going to take a mug of coffee into the living room and read for a little while before we leave?"
"That's fine. I have to make certain that Jack's ready to go, too, and then we'll join you for quiet time before we head out."
She nodded as she smiled tenderly at him. "I know that I told you this earlier, but I am so grateful that you want to share this part of my life. I was content to go on my own this morning, since I know that you don't share my faith beliefs."
"It is important to you, so therefore, it should be important to us, even if we might only darken the church doors on holidays and special events after this," he teased, watching her relax a little as she nodded, finishing off her waffle speedily before picking up her coffee and heading towards the door. Before she left, Erin stopped by his side and gave him a kiss before hugging him tightly. "What was that for?"
"For cherishing me," she whispered hurriedly before exiting the kitchen, Aaron staring after her for a moment before finishing up his food and then washing the dishes. When that task was complete, he made his way upstairs to see what Jack was up to.
"Hey, buddy, are you almost finished getting ready?" he asked as he stepped into Jack's bedroom. He smiled to see that Jack was adjusting his clip on tie, trying to make it look perfect in the mirror. "Do you want a hand with that?"
"No, Daddy, I want to do it myself. I really like Miss Erin, she cheered for me at my game!"
"She is really kind, isn't she?" Jack nodded before adjusting his tie one last time before coming over to Aaron's side. "We have about thirty minutes before we have to leave, so if you want to bring a book down to the living room, we're going to have quiet time before then, okay?" Jack nodded once more, grabbing a book off his shelf before taking hold of Aaron's hand and allowing him to lead him down to the living room in order to spend more time with Erin.
