As her Father had decided to pay her a visit that morning, Elizabeth had spent her morning having tea with him while holding a rather lively discussion about the plans for James' promotion ceremony.
"Don't worry, Dear. The ceremony will be ready on the day that he returns."
"I trust it will, Father."
The faintest sense of unease she's been carrying had absolutely nothing to do with the ceremony in itself.
"My husband is quite pleased with the commission of the new vessel." she sighed with resignation, not wanting to explain why she was so concerned about it.
However, her father's eyes narrowed as he regarded her with an intrigued glint in his eyes, "But you aren't?"
Before she could present a defense, her attention diverted as she spied Casey move near a puddle of mud under the hedges, grimacing lightly at the inevitable. In spite of being so small, her son had become quite agile, keeping the maids busy as they chased after him to prevent him from getting himself in trouble as he enjoyed his freedom. But it appeared this time it had been his victory.
Once her father noticed the direction of her stare, he followed her gaze and let out a mirthful chuckle from where he sat next to her on the table. It was a little aggravating to see her decorous father laughing at the mess her child had become, when he would have been properly appalled by such a disarranged appearance when she was a little girl. Instead, the man took an elegant sip of his tea, merely staring at his grandson with a pleased look as the child enthusiastically threw dirty towards the sky.
Elizabeth's head shook in gentle disbelief, letting out a small huff but refraining from making any further comment on it, choosing to respond to the question he'd asked.
"It is not that I find the news displeasing." she argued with a shrug of her shoulders. "I am glad that our King has decided to recognize James' efforts and provide him with the necessary resources to implement the ordinances that he so desires." she added, being careful to keep the mock from her tone, lest she be scolded for the audacity. But after a short moment of hesitation she decided to confess, "Although I must admit that the abruptness of the decision does cause me some unease."
Why would England choose to sent another ship now, and not during the time that Roger's attacks terrorized their settlements?
All the possibilities resulted significantly frustrating.
"I would hardly consider it an abrupt decision, Dear." her father argued, "After the many efforts and resources that were spent to convince The Admiralty of granting the commission, I would argue that its arrival is a well earned reward."
The words gave her pause, making her cup stop mid way in its path to her mouth.
"The ship was requested by you both?"
"Of course. It took several months of compelling letters to the board of commissions pleading our case... Were you truly not aware?"
One of his graying eyebrows raised at her, regarding her with surprise when it became apparent that she had no knowledge about the letters.
"But surely you have recognized that there is a need for further control over the region, Elizabeth. Regardless of The Dauntless' might, two ships can never possibly be sufficient to maintain the order over such a large and growing port while also being responsible of protecting the nearby settlements and patrolling the trade routes."
The feeling of heat quickly climbed to her cheeks in embarrassment of her father's gentle chiding.
"Of course I understand that much!"
Her response was rather childish, but her agitation was directed at herself, not her father. Not having realized that the situation might have been so dire for him caused her great upset. Even when his appearance could sometimes denote exhaustion, James always maintained a possessed disposition.
"Do not misunderstand me, Dear. I did not mean to scold you." he pleaded with a gentle smile still on his face, patting her hand in an effort to console her. With a tired sigh, her father continued, "It is simply that those barbarians have continued to be an issue at large, and this matter has only served to provide me with an unpleasant headache over the recent years. Even with the aid of The Interceptor, it was already a challenge to maintain proper order." he complained with a displeased press of the lips as his fingers rubbed his temple in soothing circles. "And the decision of The Admiralty to withhold the commission of a new vessel after the ship's untimely loss was a true outrage."
"Withhold?"
When his eyes opened, he regarded her with a mildly embarrassed smile. "Forgive the wanderings of an old man, Dear. That is already a subject of no consequence."
"Father." she called firmly, warning she would not let the matter go.
With a resigned shake of his head, he proceeded to explain, "The subject of a new vessel to reinforce Port Royal's guard had been approached months before James' promotion to Commodore took place. However after what happened with..." he interrupted himself, looking at her pointedly before continuing, "It was decided that those resources would be better allocated elsewhere."
She remained quiet, wondering why James had never told her that.
"A truly absurd decision if I have ever heard one!" he announced with determination, "How could it possibly be to the benefit of England to have a single ship to guard all the known trade routes crossing through Jamaica!"
Her father's words had left her with many questions and a deep frown. However, Casey's shrilly squeal demanded her attention before she could inquire any further on the subject. She understood the reason for the noise when she turned to look at him and found her husband's form passing the threshold that led to the garden. James stopped to wait in a crouch the moment he noticed Casey approaching, and their son hurried to his side with a very practiced crawl. Her baby reached for his father with a pair of short but demanding arms raised in the air, tugging at his trousers when James was not fast enough picking him into his arms.
"dahh!"
"Hello, son." James greeted with a gentle kiss to his forehead as Casey made an effort to return the greeting, the expression on his face was one of complete focus as he patted at James' chest and neck excitedly. Unfortunately, his words were still nothing more than adorable, but unintelligibly babble. Yet, her husband laughed gently as his smile widened.
Elizabeth watched the two approach with a pleased smile.
"Good day, Governor." he greeted her father with the same courteousness he always maintained.
The formality in his voice was entirely amusing to hear for her. Her father had always held James in high esteem, and especially so since their son had been born. But James insistence to remain polite in his presence had not changed.
As he took the empty seat next to her, he leaned over and placed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Afternoon, Love."
"Hello, Dear."
Noticing that her father had failed to return the greeting, Elizabeth glanced at him, finding him watching them with a most pleased expression. And when she responded with a knowing smirk, he chuckled at her.
"James." he called, easily reclaiming her husband's attention. "How have you been, son?"
James' lips shifted into a small but honest smile at the use of the endearment. "I've been quite well, I appreciate your concern Governor." he offered, adjusting Casey on his lap when their son attempted to grab the full cup of tea in front of him. "However, I believe I have not had the opportunity to thank you properly. Elizabeth and I are sincerely grateful for all the presents you have sent our child. It is most generous, Sir."
Her father offered them an indulgent smirk as he reached one hand over the round table to pat Casey's head, who looked up and cooed at his grandfather.
"There is nothing to thank me for."
"But, Father." she intervened promptly, looking at the older man with a soft admonishing scowl. "I think you should show some restraint from now on."
He had sent them so many gifts that she was having some difficulty finding places where to store them all.
"Casey has no use for such a large quantity of toys."
"Nonsense, Dear. Doting upon my only grandchild is my privilege as his grandfather."
The man replied with a jovial lack of concern.
Finding herself unable to argue against such declaration, she exhaled with a faint pout on her lips.
After realizing he had won the argument, her father redirected his attention back to James. "Now that The Audacious has returned to port, are you still planning to depart for Saint Christopher?"
"Yes. That is my intention." he confirmed with a short nod. "The officers in command have been struggling with uprisings over the raises on port tariffs. It might take a few days to upend the revolts, but it won't be difficult to resolve once our men intervene." She saw the way his brow wrinkled in the way it always did when he was thinking of something unpleasant. "But I'm afraid there is also need to assess the current situation around the region. So my return might be slightly delayed."
Having been previously informed of the changes to his plan, Elizabeth was not surprised by the news. However, her father acquired a pensive expression after receiving the information.
"Have the pirate attacks increased around the lesser Antilles?"
"Not to my knowledge." James was swift to reassure. "Along with the missive of the commission of The Resolution, I received a letter by the Board in London alerting to the several complaints that The East India Company has presented over continued assaults to their passing vessels. There have been no loses thus far, but I would like to assess for myself how pressing the need for further intervention truly is."
"So The Company is not attempting to conceal its growing interests on the Caribbean."
"There has been a discernable increase on the number of ships flying the EITC colours moving across our shipping lanes over the last year." James confirmed, with a faint wrinkle marring his forehead.
Elizabeth had to refrain from rolling her eyes.
Naturally. There was no way that the ambitious East India Company could have possibly ignored such an attractive source of gold. If they managed to achieve a monopoly on the transactions between England and the Caribbean, then it would surely result in significant earnings for them.
What she could not prevent, was the scoff that passed through her lips at the thought.
Both men turned to regard her at the sound, finding what she was sure was a scowl on her face.
"The interest of the Company on the Caribbean is not a new development, Dear." her father argued gently, "And the presence of an enterprise as large as them can offer significant advantages to our military standing against the rest of the powers."
She begged to differ, quite convinced that they would provide very little help and their presence would instead contribute to James' already burdensome list of responsibilities. But her frustratingly dedicated husband appeared to have no objections to the possibility.
Not wishing to spear a futile argument against the two of them, she offered a simple nod of acceptance, still feeling nothing but annoyance at the mention of The East India Company.
"Yes, Father. That would be most ideal."
Her response seemed enough to please her father, but James regarded her for a moment longer before returning his attention to the conversation they've been holding.
No longer interested on the subject being discussed, her eyes moved down to Casey, who had remained so silent she had almost forgotten he was there as well.
Elizabeth had to cover her mouth when an involuntary smirk drew on her lips after discovering her child had exploited their distraction to happily spread dirt all over the front of his father's white waistcoat. In an attempt to prevent laughter, she raised her eyes away from the magnificent sight, but was met with her father's stare and could not stop a faint giggle from escaping. He had noticed the new décor as well, and was offering her an equally playful smile.
Neither of them had offered James a word of warning yet, but he easily noticedtheir exchange. Finally following their stares, her poor husband sighed with resignation when he saw his formerly pristine uniform now decorated with brown stains, but apart from a faint scowl, he did an impressive job of bearing the assault stoically.
"My grandson seems to be quite the gifted artist." her father jested humoredly, which madeJames regard him with a raised eyebrow before returning an equally amused smirk.
"So it would seem." Even as he spoke, James was already moving to arrest Casey's plan to place his hand inside his little, adventurous mouth. Looking down at the child with a faint frown and admonishing him with a firm but simple, "No."
Ignoring his father's command, their son audaciously tried to bring his other hand into his mouth, which James promptly grabbed as well, bringing both muddy fists away from his reach.
"Casey, stop." James called when the child let out a demanding whine and chose to struggle against the hold with adorable grunts, only stopping once he appeared to understand he was not strong enough to succeed on the quest.
His next strategy was to move his pair of big, displeased eyes to stare at his father with a determined scowl, babbling intensely from where he sat on his lap.
With a little exasperated sigh, her husband continued chiding, "Dirt is not edible, and I can assure you that it will not be an enjoyable experience." he warned, staring down at their son while clearly struggling to maintain a serious mien, caressing the top of his head affectionately and offering Casey a patient stare while his thumb pried open the small fists that were no longer resisting and tried to dislodge as much of the dirt as possible before daring to release him. "And while I do find your persistence to be admirable, I do not appreciate you raising your voice."
Since the day of his birth, Elizabeth found the way her husband would speak to their baby with patient words and a kind tone to be entirely endearing to her. He'd remain firm whenever Casey decided to be uncooperative, but he was not intimidating, and her heart rejoiced uncontrollably whenever she saw him earnestly try to console the crying child.
The love that she felt for the man sitting at her side was not something she could deny. But the dedication and deep affection with which he cared for the little being that was half his and half hers made her adore him intensely.
Making a valiant effort to control the need to kiss Her husband senseless, she reached over to provide him with aid instead. Bringing her hand to his breast pocket, she produced the kerchief that she knew he always carried there, -the one where she had embroidered a small heart with her own initials- joining him on his efforts to clean Casey's dirtied palms. Smiling brightly when she moved to her baby's face and realized just how positively filthy their child had become. He was so completely covered in dirt that even his normally perfectly combed curls were now tangled and stained dark brown. Far from upsetting her, the addition of colour made him appear even more like a very small James, which caused her great delight once she noticed it.
James kept their son in place as she did her best to make him more presentable.
"Give him to me." she eventually offered after having little success, presenting her expectant hands to the child.
Their child was happy to acquiesce but her husband decided to keep him in place, giving her a soft shake of the head.
"Your uniform is in real danger of changing permanent colour." Elizabeth insisted, lowering her gaze to stare at the dirt trails running across his clothes after having been used as a canvas. "It is remarkable how much you've struggled to keep a clean shirt since he was born." she noted with a giggle.
"I'm not certain 'remarkable' would be the word of my choosing."
"Then give him to me, James." she insisted without letting her beautiful smile falter.
He simply looked down at her with a sweet smile as his face approached hers. "He'll stain your dress if I do, and there is no reason for the three of us to appear as if we've been hauled across a muddy shoal." he argued softly, leaning closer to her until his lips brushed over the contour of her ear, "Besides, I would hate for you to be forced to change out of that dress before granting me the opportunity to assist you."
The tempting proposition provoked a light shiver of anticipation to run down her neck and back.
She moved away from him only enough to offer him an anticipatory stare, using her hand to stroke his neck as she leaned close to his face.
Until her father's decidedly not discreet cough demanded the return of their attention.
Finally remembering they were currently hosting a guest, her palm fell back to her lap as she put some proper distance between their bodies, feeling her face warm up slightly.
"My apologies, Governor Swann." James offered with a deferential nod of his head as he cleared his throat as well. A faint tint of red painting his ears.
Her father, however, was looking at them with nothing but mirth which only provoked the heat on her cheeks to intensify.
eyebrow as he stared down at the small child with unveiled amusement.
The day before he was due to depart, James had invited her to spent the day together with Casey. Ultimately deciding to enjoy a quiet day on the seacoast to the west of the port, which was the reason why Elizabeth found herself resting under the shadow of a palm tree, watching her son enthusiastically pound his preferred doll against the sand around him. Their young child appeared enchanted with his new discovery.
"You're look pensive." she said abruptly, making James turn to her with a curious stare.
"Pensive?"
Her gaze became shrewd as she asked with a raised eyebrow, "Aren't you?"
Instead of trying to deny it as she'd been expecting, James straightened his shoulders as he stared at the horizon with a truly contemplative expression.
Elizabeth's smile lessened and her brow furrowed as she watched him more attentively, fingers continuing to stroke Casey's head in a distracted manner; waiting for her husband to speak.
"Some disquieting rumors about a number of ships concurrently disappearing across the Antilles began to reach port the day before yesterday." he admitted after a long moment, still looking like his mind was occupied elsewhere.
"How many?"
"I have received confirmation of three of them."
"English?"
"No. Two Spanish merchants and a French frigate. All three were lost northwest of Saint-Domingue." An almost amused smirk appeared on his face before he added, "So evidently, both Kingdoms have determined that the blame lays upon us."
Blame the English, of course.
Her lips twitched into a faint smile as she reflected on the information. "If all vessels were near each other at the time of their disappearance, then the most likely probability is that they all got trapped in the same hurricane."
The wet season had been severe this year.
However, James' head was shaking in denial before she had finished the sentence.
"There have been no hurricanes reported on that region."
Ah. "Pirates then." she affirmed with a confident nod. Unsurprisingly. "Those barbarians again." she exclaimed with the overdrawn pretentiousness of a proper lady.
An honest smile finally returned to his mouth.
"Yes." he confirmed, his expression quickly rearranging into something more sober. "But as I've said. The ships have disappeared without trace."
At the somber words, she easily realized what the source of his concern truly was.
"Are you worried that new attacks like the ones from back then might occur?" she ventured cautiously, running her hand over his arm.
The hold of his clasped hands tightened around the other.
"I am certainly hoping that is not the case."
"...But?"
After a heartbeat of hesitation, James' lips parted again. "Roger."
The mention of that name made Elizabeth's shoulders went rigid as a frown took over her face. Nothing but unpleasant memories were evoked by it.
"I remember that you once argued that it would be absurd for the attacks on the ships and the one on the settlements to have been plotted by the same group of pirates."
"Those were not my exact words." she argued boldly. "And both, the raids and the senseless sinking of ships, did cease after that man perished."
"But you were right, Elizabeth."
It was almost funny that she could not fully enjoy having him concede to her under the circumstances.
"And regardless of how clever a Captain or how brutal the crew, the notion of a ship powerful enough to commit such destruction sailing across these waters while also capable of avoiding detection from every military operating on The Caribbean, is quite the daunting prospect."
Deciding there was no reason to let him continue worrying himself over a theory he had created on his head, she leaned on his side and wrapped her arms around his, stroking his knuckles until his hands relaxed and allowed her to weave her fingers between his.
"One that you needn't worry over." she promised as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder, "No such ship exists, James."
When he still looked at her unconvinced, Elizabeth tried to provide him with a more rational reasoning that could ease his mind, "There would be no reason for a group of violent pirates to halt their successful assaults for such a long time. If another gang of pirates was involved, then surely they have already been killed or captured."
The strain on his gaze softened as his forehead leaned to touch hers.
"I love you."
An immensely pleased smirk appeared on her face, but her response was interrupted when, from the corner of her eye, she caught their son taking a fistful of sand and bringing it directly into his mouth.
"Casey stop!"
Her hand jerked forward as she reached for him. But her baby was quite fast, and he had already taken a bite of the coarse grains before she could stop it. His reaction to the taste did not delay; sneezing loudly as his hand as he attempted to expel the remainders of the salty substance from his mouth. Trickles of saliva dripped down his chin while the child presented them with the most disgusted expression she'd ever seen in her life.
James snorted at the sight, trying to hide it behind a discreet cough.
Light, helpless eyes stared up at her with a scrunched nose, extending his arm in her direction to present her an open palm while making it clear that their son was expecting for her to solve his current dilemma.
As a loud huff of air moved past her nostrils, Elizabeth took hold of his wrist and began shaking it gently.
"It's not delicious, is it?" she asked Casey, looking at him with an amused smirk when her baby grunted with displeasure. "I did try to stop you." she argued softly, scowling faintly once she realized that the wet sand was completely stuck to his skin. "Your Father has already warned you before. You should not be putting everything you find inside your mouth."
Casey responded with another tiny sneeze.
James eventually joined in her efforts to straighten their child out, holding the back of his head still as he brushed grains of sand off his chin with the cuff of his shirt. All the while their son let out disgruntled noises of protest as he struggled to escape from their working hands, eventually abandoning her attempts when Casey began fighting them in earnest after some minutes. Instead she allowed her body to fall wearily against James'.
"Perhaps the exploration of sand should have waited until his intrigue over new flavours dwindles." he dared tease her with a new chuckle, burying his fingers in her locks to play with her hair.
A low moan of pleasure slipped past her lips, eyes closing contently as her forehead pressed to his chest, relishing on the irresistible feeling the slow movement of his hand aroused.
"But I do hope that he has learned a lesson after today."
The wish was so hopeless it made her giggle and shake of her head.
"Our child is much too courageous to be deterred for long by something so inconsequential." she remarked in a not completely joking manner, leaning into his touch with a languid sigh as her husband expertly massaged her scalp. In spite of her voiced complaint, the familiar touch was so soothing that it effortlessly managed to distract her from all other concerns.
Her eyes closed briefly, the only thought occupying her interest was the desire to be laying on their bed instead.
The soft breeze rustling her dress, the rhythmic sound of the small waves reaching the coast, and the sound of Casey's occasional babble blended together to form a tranquil melody that only deepened her sense of serenity.
"Elizabeth?"
The sudden call of her name jolted her into alertness, straightening her back as she regarded the surroundings. She had no notion of how much time had passed since her eyes closed, but they were still sitting on the beach, and the sun was still high up in the sky.
So it must not have been too long.
His finger moved to press on the bottom of her chin as he guided her face towards him.
"Have you had trouble resting, Love?" he asked with a frown of concern as his eyes began tracing her features with attention. "I told you there was no need for you to wait for me to return home."
Once her darling baby had finally learned to sleep through the night, the dark shadows under her eyes had improved considerably, her hair no longer resembled a nest for birds to flock to, and she did not have to convince herself awake during the day.
Her current drowsiness was simply a result of the late nights she'd passed waiting for her busy husband to return home over the last week. It was an inconsequential matter; the tiredness was manageable, and there would be enough time to spent long mornings in bed with Casey during his absence.
To her, it was his ability to perfectly carry on with his day with so few hours of sleep that was worth some concern.
"You'll be leaving tomorrow, and then I will not be able to see you for some time." she reminded him patiently, placing a palm on his shoulders and rubbing her thumb over it. Smiling happily when James responded by wrapping his arms around her hips and pulling her close to his side. Cheek resting against his neck. "And I wanted to wait for you."
Besides, had she not done so, she would not have been able to catch sight of his face before he left.
Her wish had been to spent as much time as she could with him before his departure and his invitation to spent the day together with their son had been a delightful surprise in spite of her lack of sleep, so she didn't want him to worry about her.
"I'll miss you while you're not here." she whispered before placing a kiss on his neck. "So you must hurry back."
James could understand the earnest behind her words even with her voice muffled against his skin. The warmth and affection from her embrace caused him a strong sense of elation, as well as some guilt. In spite of her love for adventure, Elizabeth had dutifully remained in Port Royal since Casey's birth, unwilling to leave their very young son in the care of others, never voicing any grievance over having to relegate her desires. While his wife's decision had been quite surprising, the maturity behind her judgement made him feel intense reassurance and pride. And yet, he was aware that a part of her yearned for the opportunity to board The Dauntless and sail the sea, and that disappointment followed whenever he left port without her.
His thumb reached for her cheekbone, delicately stroking the soft curve. "...Would you be interested in accompanying me on a voyage to Barbados after I return from this one mission?"
The moment he spoke, her head moved away from its place on his shoulder, her delicate hand keeping his pressed against her cheek. "Truly?"
He had to smile at the innocence in her reaction, her smile had become amusingly large due to the excitement.
"I certainly would not offer it if I wasn't sincere."
Even as she rewarded him with a soft slap to the shoulder, Elizabeth was looking at him with brightly lit eyes full of hope at the offer. But soon her enthusiasm decreased when her gaze landed on their son, who was now completely immersed by his efforts to peel a banana. Although she was still smiling joyfully as she watched Casey play, there was conflict reflected in her expression.
"I would think he is old enough not to cause much inconvenience even while aboard The Dauntless."
His back pressed against the warm sand underneath them before he had finished talking, lips covering his with effusiveness. He could feel the way her muscles kept fighting off a smile that would have hindered their kiss, which prompted his own.
"Thank you." she panted with a laugh against his mouth when he grabbed her sides and rolled over her. And then their brief parting ended when her lips reached for him again.
Elizabeth's excitement over her husband's offer was difficult to contain. Even when she had not meant for it, she'd sensed James' remorse at her words and had been prepared to swiftly stop him the second he attempted to apologize to her, however, the invitation that came from his mouth had been not what she'd expected. But she felt completely pleased by the arrangement, and a mild sense of triumph at him realizing on his own that an apology would not have made her happy.
She would have praised him, if not for the fact that she was much too busy enjoying the slow, skillful movement of his lips against her and the weight of his body bearing down on her. Her state of bliss was disturbed when his lips pushed against hers with more force at the same moment that a startling nudge hit her jaw.
Her eyes opened in surprise to the sight of James' face a breath away from hers, but her view was obscured by a thick shadow to their left. She was unsure of what had occurred until he tried to separate from her and Casey's happy squeal was heard. Immediately, James stopped moving and used his arm to support their son's back. Her own hands darting to assist in preventing Casey from falling.
It seemed that while they had stopped paying attention to him, their son had managed to wobble himself onto his feet with the help of his father's neck as a support. And now he was happily dangling midair while clinging to James' hair and neck, making it impossible for her husband to sit.
An uncontrollable bout of laugher exploded from deep within her stomach at the sight of her child trying to ride his father's neck as if he was a horse.
"Your prompt assistance with bringing our child down would be most appreciated." James pleaded, one of his eyes closing in a pained flinch when his hair received a new pull from the delighted child.
Between breathless giggles, she reached for the little fists, trying to carefully disentangle his hold with slightly shaking hands. But when she attempted to pull him off of James, she accidentally yanked on the already tense grip, making her husband groan.
"Elizabeth."
"I am trying." she insisted, pressing her lips tightly together to prevent more laughter, finally managing to regain enough composure to direct her movements properly. "But please stop moving. I can't see what I'm doing."
His only response was a low grunt before he lowered himself completely and hid his face on her neck, giving her a clearer view of the situation.
Having found herself at the mercy of those small hands a significant amount of times, Elizabeth was well aware of just how deceptively strong that tight grip could really be. Thus, she did her best to avoid ripping James' brown locks as she extricated them from the inside of the tiny claws holding it hostage.
Their son refused to cooperate, but eventually lost the battle and eased his grip on the mistreated strands. And, regardless of her efforts, she found some fine hairs stuck in between the plump fingers once she managed to free him.
While their son appeared significantly offended after being forced off of his improvised swing, James' released a relieved breath of air as he moved off of her, sitting back on his haunches as he rubbed the side of his neck.
"What are you doing?"
"His nails are sharper than yours." James complained incredulously, bringing his hand in front of his eyes with a frown.
A truly ungraceful sound passed through her nose, still feeling the gentle shocks of laughter in her stomach.
It was amazing that he would complain about such a shallow scratch after she had witnessed him riding a horse with an unperturbed expression while his ribs had still been recovering.
Lifting a playful eyebrow at him, she rolled her eyes affably before moving her focus to Casey. Lifting him in the air before bringing him close to her face.
"Your father is being ridiculous, isn't he?" she asked conspiratorially, brushing his little nose with hers and making his pretty smile return instantly. Closing her eyes when his dirty hands reached for her cheeks.
She felt James laid down next to her, taking away her already falling hat before his thumb brushed her face with a small grimace.
"Now, you'll both need a bath."
"Casey is always in need of a bath." she reminded him with an unconcerned smile, lifting her chin in his direction as she dared him to kiss her sandy lips.
His grimaced deepened slightly, but when she repeated the movement with a growing smirk, he shook his head and exhaled, leaning over her to give her mouth a light brush that she mischievously decided to deepen, smile widening as she saw him try to rub grains of sand off his lower lip.
Her attention was quickly reclaimed to her little Darling still hanging above when she felt him squirm with a displeased babble, his weight shifting forward as he extended his hands towards her face with a frown.
Both her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Are you jealous, Casey?" she teased with mischief, bringing him down close, almost placing her lips to his skin before quickly lifting him up in the air once again. Her son seemed to be loving the game, giggling adorably as he looked at her with a familiar pair of pretty eyes. "Would you like a kiss as well?" Finally, she brought him down to place a playful kiss to his round cheek while making silly noises. "Don't worry my little Darling. I love you the most in this world."
A small noise to her left made her head turn, finding that James was looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a mildly affronted frown.
"Are you the one upset now?" There was no way to misunderstand the downturn of the corner of his mouth, and it made her grin widely at him. "Jealousy is unbecoming, Dear."
"You are getting really heavy." she complained to her baby, noticing that her arms were becoming fatigued by the added weight. "Please stop growing so fast, or I worry I won't be able to carry you for much longer." she added softly, almost sadly, looking at him with a subdued smile.
James' hands appeared to take Casey from her, effortlessly keeping him in the air. She couldn't stop the happy smile that took over her mouth, pressing herself closer into his side to rest her head on his shoulder, fingers reaching to tickle the little feet kicking the air with perseverance.
Her eyes raised to look at James, her fingers combing through his hair to return it to it's normally arranged state. And it resulted a very challenging undertaking.
She could already imagine the interesting sight they would present once they strolled back into town.
His eyes turned to meet hers with mirth shining in them. "I am now in fear of the day he learns of the many ways he can wield those fists."
Her nose furrowed into a thoughtful pout before she reached to stroke his neck.
"And you'll be the one to teach him."
"I am not confident my body will survive it." he lamented in jest, finally bringing Casey down and allowing him to nestle comfortably on his chest.
"I will swear to always protect you from getting excessively manhandled by our children then."
Her eyes closed willingly when she saw his face approach after her declaration, waiting with anticipation for the contact.
"Now you are required to." he informed her as soon as their kiss ended.
Even if there wasn't a vow binding her to do it, she would always be certain to keep him safe.