Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm so happy you're back for more Brad and Thea! I'm not going to bore you with a long note today :P Here's chapter one of Feels Like Home!
"How are the new guys doing, Jim?" Thea played with the pen in her hand, tapping it against the table she was leaning on.
When Brad had asked her to come to Naples with him, she had said yes without giving it any thought. She was so happy that she wouldn't have to spend a year away from Brad and that she was going to be in a beautiful country with him. But the next day, reality had set in and she realized that there was a lot to do before they left.
Number one on her to-do list had been figuring out how the gym would continue to run without her there. She'd decided to talk to Jim, the retired soldier who helped her run the gym, about her options. After talking about hiring a manager and an accountant, he had suggested that he and his wife Marie take over for her. Shocked was the only way to describe how she felt about what the older man was offering to do for her.
It was true that he worked a few hours most days of the week, but Marie had just retired and they were finally going to have time to spend together. To be honest, Thea was expecting Jim to cut back on his hours to be with his wife. She never would have expected that Jim, let alone Jim and Marie, would offer to run the gym for her.
But, as it turned out, Marie was bored since retiring and Jim just wanted to be where his wife was.
"They're doing well." He answered from the other side of the screen. Marie sat next to him; they had just gone over the financials for the month. "The soldiers miss you but they guys are a good presence down there."
"And they're helping you take care of things, right?" Thea was glad the people they hired were a good presence on the floor since she wasn't there to be on the floor herself, but she was more worried about them helping Jim take care of the place. She knew how much work went into running the gym and she didn't want Jim and Marie to take on that responsibility by themselves.
"Yes, ma'am." He smiled warmly at her from behind the desk that used to be hers.
"Thea, honey," Marie started with a smile that matched her husband's. "Everything is going great here. So stop worrying about us and start enjoying yourself."
Marie was right. She was in an absolutely beautiful country with the man she adored. That's what she should be focusing on, but she was having a hard time letting go. Her gym was her connection to her brother, Charlie, and it hadn't been easy to walk away from that. "You'll let me know the second you need anything?"
"Of course, we will!"
She hadn't heard the door of the small apartment open or close, hadn't heard him walk across the room, but his hands on her shoulders and the kiss he left on the top of her head were a welcome surprise. "Hey, sweetheart." Her heart jumped in her chest and a tingle ran along her skin.
He continued rubbing her shoulders as he turned his attention to the computer screen in front of her. "Hi, Jim. Hi, Marie."
The three exchanged pleasantries, talking about the gym, retirement, and how Brad was settling into a new base before he asked, "Do you guys need Thea for anything else?"
"We sure don't." Marie smiled her big, sweet smile and said, "Thea, we'll call if we need anything."
She thanked them again and they all said their goodbyes. When she closed the computer, Brad remained behind her, rubbing her shoulders. Letting her head fall back against his stomach, she looked up at him and smiled. "Hey." He returned her smile with one of his own. "How was work, darlin'."
"Good." His fingers danced against her skin, releasing the tension she held in her muscles. "A couple of the pilots invited us to karaoke this weekend." It always amazed her how easily Brad was able to fit in everywhere he went. She supposed it was a talent that served him well since he moved around so much. "Interested?"
"It sounds fun," she assured him. There was a part of her, the part that was tired and stressed and terrified by the turn her life had taken in the last month, that wanted nothing more than to hide away in their new apartment. But a night out did sound fun. "Who're we meeting up with?"
"Fanboy and Payback."
She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. "Callsigns are weird."
"They are?" His brow creased in confusion and she remembered that before her, he let everyone he met call him Rooster. Call signs were just a part of his life.
"You're a pilot named after a relatively flightless bird." She sat up so she could turn in her chair to face him. She missed the warmth of his hands against her. "That's weird."
"Oh," he said with a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes. "So my callsign is weird?"
Placing a finger to her lips, she pretended to think about it before settling on her answer. "Yep!"
Mirroring her, he leaned down so they were at eye level with a finger to his lips. "You know what else is weird?" He was so close to her that she could feel his breath fanning gently across her face. She wanted nothing more than to press her lips to his, to feel his soft skin against hers and taste him.
"Hmm?"
Her eyes were so focused on this face, his lips, that she didn't notice his hand reaching for her until it was too late. His fingers brushed against her belly with just enough pressure to tickle her skin and she tried to squirm away, but his other hand moved to her side so he could hold her in place. "That you love my callsign!" His voice was raspy and his breath was warm and, despite the need to get away from his stroking fingers, she loved it.
Laughing loudly, she stood and tried to move away from him. "No!" She wasn't quick enough, however, and he wrapped an arm around her. "Weird," she stammered as he pulled her against him.
He hummed his disapproval as his fingers continued to move against her belly. "No, I'm pretty sure you love it."
She tried to glare at him through her laughter but was unsuccessful. They both knew she wasn't mad and they both knew she really did love his ridiculous callsign. "Fine!" She took a deep breath as his fingers ceased their movement. He still held her so tightly against him that she could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath he took. "Fine." She rolled her eyes playfully and admitted, "I like your weird callsign, feather face."
His hands ceased their movement against her as he looked past her, dumbfounded. "Feather face," he whispered to himself. When she hummed her agreement, his eyes found hers again. "Feather face," he asked her, his voice louder now.
She started to giggle, but abruptly stopped as the roguish look returned to his eyes. "Don't you dare," she warned as she tried to pull herself from his arms. She wasn't quick enough.
"Feather face, huh," he asked playfully as he began to tickle her again. He laughed with her as she tried to free herself.
Thea eventually gave up on escaping and tried another tactic. Freeing both arms from his tight hold, she cupped his face in her hands and pulled his smiling lips against hers. It wasn't long before his hands stopped their playful tickling and ran smoothly along her back, pulling her closer against his body.
His lips were warm and wet and he smelled like fresh air and sunshine. She reveled in both. When he pulled away to catch his breath through rough kisses along the column of her neck, she smiled and said, "Hey, feather face." He merely hummed against her skin, no longer offended by the outrageous name. "Take me to bed."
He didn't have to be told twice.
—
He watched from his spot on the couch as Thea moved through the apartment with her phone in hand. Her and her mother, Gwen, talked excitedly about the layout of the apartment and how good everything looked since they had finished unpacking. Brad had a feeling that Gwen was, at least in part, appeasing her daughter as they hadn't brought much with them.
Leaving so much of her stuff in the apartment above the gym back home had been hard on her, but she had brought what she had deemed essential with a smile on her face. When they left Texas, he hadn't been sure about her choice of essentials, but the apartment felt distinctly like Thea's, like home, and he loved it.
The first thing she had done was find a spot for Carole's games and photo album; they were proudly on display in the living room where he could see them everyday. Next had been her family photos which she hung on the wall around his mother's shelf. He looked proudly at that wall often, the mixing of their lives making his heart flutter in his chest.
She'd brought a couple of her macrame plant hangers and filled them with vibrant flowers and insisted on buying some colorful pillows and throw blankets. She said the apartment was void of life when they had first seen it and he had to admit she had added life to the sparse space.
He'd never put much thought into making any place feel like his because he knew it wasn't permanent. Having Thea there to make their temporary apartment feel like home was something that made his chest feel lighter somehow.
It was just one of the many reasons he was glad Thea had agreed to come with him to Italy.
"I think it's cute, dear." Her mother's voice got louder as Thea plopped down on the couch next to him.
"Thanks, Mama." She smiled at him as she got comfortable against his side and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "It's not much but I like it!" He could see how proud she was of the home she'd created for them in the way she smiled.
"What about you, Bradley?" Thea turned the phone so Gwen could see them both. "Do you like the apartment?"
Looking down at the woman lounging against him, he smiled. "I do, Gwen." Placing a kiss on the top of Thea's head, he continued. "It feels like home."
He could see the warmth and love in Thea's eyes as she moved her gaze from the phone to his face. Suddenly he wished her mother wasn't on the phone so he could show her just how much he loved her, that she was his home.
"And you're settling in at your new base okay?"
Before he could answer, he heard Bill's voice from someone beyond Gwen's phone. "You're babying them, Gwen."
She scoffed, turning her attention away from the phone. "Well, she's my baby and she's away from home." The older woman pouted and he recognized it as the same pout Thea used on her parents. "I'm entitled to baby her."
"Well, Brad is not your baby and he's done this plenty of times without you worrying over him." He could hear the gentle teasing in his voice and knew that he didn't mean any of it. He was teasing his wife. If Thea's knowing look was any indication, he was also inserting himself into the conversation to see how they were doing for himself.
Gwen sighed and turned her attention back to the phone. "Bradley, dear, are you making new friends? Getting enough sleep? Eating all of your fruits and veggies?" She turned her attention pointedly away from the phone and back to Bill.
"Are you sassing me?" There was disbelief and laughter in the other man's voice.
"Of course I am!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides," she said with what looked like pride. "He is my baby!"
Gwen and Bill had spent the six months he had been home after his deployment making him feel like a part of the family, but it was moments like this that he wondered if he would ever get used to being a part of a family again, being someone's baby again.
Bill's quiet voice could be heard from Thea's phone. "I know he is, love."
Gwen looked proudly at the screen and exclaimed, "Speaking of my babies! It won't be much longer before I get to see you both!"
Being away from her family had been hard on Thea, so when she had sadly mentioned that this would be her first Christmas without her mother and father, Brad had suggested they come stay with them for a few days around the holiday. Thea had been thrilled to invite her parents to their new home and Brad was excited to see them again. Even though it had only been a few weeks since they left Texas, he had begun to miss his surrogate parents.
"That's right, Mama!" Thea beamed with excitement next to him. "I'm so excited to see you guys!"
"We can't wait to see you either, girl." Her father's face appeared next to her mother's on her phone screen. "You talk your mama into going to that Christmas market yet?"
Before they had Charlie and Thea, the older couple had been stationed in Europe and Bill had loved the outdoor Christmas markets they had in Germany. Gwen, on the other hand, had always preferred warm, indoor activities. When the four of them had decided that Thea's parents would visit them for Christmas, Bill had been quick to suggest the markets Thea had grown up hearing about and always dreamed of attending.
"Not yet," she admitted. "But I still have a little time."
"Not much," her father urged and he was right. Her parents would be flying in at the beginning of the following week. "Better get to it, girl."
Thea just shrugged and smirked at her father. "I have enough."
"It's going to be too cold." Her mother broke back into the conversation. "I'm not going."
Bill and Thea each murmured their agreements but Brad knew they would end up going. If he had learned anything in the last six months it was that Gwen always left decisions like this up to Brad and he usually did what Thea wanted.
Thea knew that and Brad figured that was why she wasn't worried about getting her mother to agree to the Christmas market. Brad had already said he would like to go with her.
The two couples chatted together for a while before Brad had to say good night. He had to be at work early and wanted to get some sleep. With the time change and the stress of moving, he had been having a hard time resting as it was. He would take all the sleep he could get.
Not long after he had settled beneath the covers, Thea joined him. She cuddled up next to him when he opened his arms for her.
"You didn't have to get off the phone just 'cause I went to bed, sweetheart." He wrapped his arms around her and he reveled in the warmth of her body against his.
Laying her head in the crook of his neck, she nodded and began tracing the freckles on his chest. She didn't have to explain; she wanted this, laying together before sleep took them, and wouldn't have been able to enjoy it if he had fallen asleep before she came to bed.
Placing a kiss on her forehead, he whispered, "I love you."
She pressed her lips against his chest and whispered back, "I love you, too, darlin'."
Author's Note: Well there was your first look into the next chapter for Brad and Thea. It's gonna be a wonderful, messy, beautiful, bumpy ride!