Alicia wakes up slowly, fingers twitching against the pillow smushed under her head. She can't remember the last time she'd slept so fully. She blinks and stretches, yawns. Pushes away from the bed and looks around, groggy and confused. "Ricardo?" she calls. "Sofia?"

The house is quiet. Too quiet. She doesn't like it. Groaning, she pulls herself up, stands on the cool floor and begins to pad out of the room. Just to bump into her husband on her way out. She looks up with a frown and examines Ricardo. "Hey?"

"Good morning," he greets her with a small smile, eyes warm and sparkling. "Come on, back to bed you go."

"But-" she protests, growing more confused by the second as he leads her back to the warm cocoon of their sheets. "Ricardo- I need to check on Andre-"

"He's fine," Ricardo says cheerfully. "Sofia is with him, she'll bring him in in a few." He settles her down, tucks her in, and Alicia frowns at him deeper until he laughs, leaning in to kiss her slowly, cradling her face in his hands just the way she likes. Some of the protests fade away and she melts into him, tilts her face and parts her lips in an invitation to deepen the kiss, which he takes willingly.

She moans and cards her fingers through his thick, dark hair before easing back, eyeing him pensively. "Ricardo..."

He chuckles, trails his hands down her sides, and eventually grasps her hands in his, pressing kisses to her knuckles. "It's Mother's Day, Alicia."

She gapes at him. "Oh." Pieces fall into place, because she... yeah, days had started melting together in her mind a long time ago, she had barely realized it was already May. It all makes sense now, how he's doting on her, how Sofia probably did her best to keep the baby from waking her for as long as she could. She laughs weakly. "I... I guess I forgot," she confesses.

He smiles at her. "I figured that was what was going on." He kisses her again, and this time she gives in eagerly, drawing him down against her. He hums and presses his hands between her shoulderblades. "Do you want breakfast? We- ah-" His words fail him briefly as she eases her hand up his shirt, trailing over his warm skin for a few moments, before her touch slips lower, leaving him a little breathless and shaky against her. "We... we made French toast and-"

"It'll reheat," she whispers against his jaw, and he nods dazedly as she claims his mouth all over again.

-x

Maryse and Heath visit a couple days later, and Alicia smiles at their children playing in the grass, Andre watching curiously from where he's laying against her chest. "You know, some day hopefully soon, all of us need to get together and have a huge playdate," Alicia says, thinking about Andre, Sara Louisa, George, Monroe and Madison hanging out, becoming, lifelong best friends. It unfurls something warm and happy deep inside of her just to picture it.

"Yes, we do," Maryse agrees, shifting her sunglasses on her head. Madison is nearby, tired after toddling after her sister for the last while, slapping her fists in the grass and laughing to herself, and Alicia smiles at the little girl as she crawls over to her mother and waves her arms around, cooing and making these adorable little noises as she's lifted and held close.

Alicia watches quietly as Maryse dotes on the little girl, glancing down at Andre. "Maryse?" she asks softly.

"Yes?"

Alicia hums. "What... I mean, how did you know you wanted two kids? Like, you had Monroe, and then..."

Maryse waits and when Alicia doesn't try to continue on with her sentence, she hums. "Well, I didn't want Monroe to grow up lonely," she says thoughtfully. "I perhaps didn't expect Madison to come so quickly, but it was nice. They're close in age, they'll have that bond forever. I'm thankful it worked out as easily as it did."

Alicia nods, bites her lip. "I... I think I want another," she admits softly, staring down at Andre and leaning in to kiss his nose, giggling when he crinkles it up and bats at her with small hands. "A second little baby... yeah... What do you think, Andre? Would you be an awesome big brother?"

She looks up and finds Ricardo, kneeling with Heath next to Monroe. And he looks so happy, listening to Monroe's energetic chatter about anything and everything she can think of. I want to give you more of this, she thinks. As much of it as I possibly can.

She adores her sister, and Ricardo still dotes on his, and she thinks, maybe, just maybe... they can give Andre one too. Or at least try to.