Changes

"How have they been?" AJ asked, entering her aunt's apartment to pick up the twins after she'd closed the coffee shop. Truthfully, she had no idea what they would have done without Nico. She helped out so much with childcare, allowing both Punk and AJ to work as much as they could. She was eternally grateful to her aunt for deciding to stay.

"Perfect. As always." Nico nodded. She was a typical Abuela. She believed she had the greatest grandchildren in the world. Rudy nor Thomas could do wrong in her eyes. They were her special angels.

"No fighting?" AJ asked.

"They never fight, mija." Nico scoffed as AJ just smiled. Boy, if she could see them at bath time.

"And they were good at pre-k?" AJ asked.

"April, they are angel children. Perfect. They don't misbehave." Nico said.

"That's not entirely true." AJ said.

"Mommy!" Thomas ran from the kitchen once noticing AJ.

"Hey, sweet thing." AJ smiled, crouching down and catching him in her arms, squeezing him tightly, "How are you?" She asked.

"I'm good." Thomas nodded.

"Mommy, you're here." Rudy marched out of the kitchen, holding a Barbie doll in her hand, strutting her way to AJ.

"I'm here." AJ said, "You've both been behaving for your Abuela, yes?" AJ nodded.

"Yeah." Rudy and Thomas said in sync as AJ smiled.

"We had chicken and waffles for dinner." Rudy said.

"And ketchup?" AJ asked, noticing a red stain down her white t-shirt.

"I need to have ketchup." Rudy defended.

"She had so much." Thomas informed AJ, "She squeezed it everywhere. Abuela had to wipe the table."

"It was the bottle." Rudy told Thomas, "Mommy, where is daddy?" She asked, playing with AJ's hair as they both stood in front of their crouched down mother.

"He's closing his shop. We'll see him when we get home." AJ nodded.

"I've missed him." Rudy nodded, "And you." She quickly added as AJ smiled.

"How was pre-k? What did you guys get up to?" She asked them. She loved hearing their stories about their day. Hearing the excitement in their voice when telling her what they got up to. What stories the teacher read and what activities they did.

"We played duck duck goose." Thomas said, "I almost won."

"And we used the climbing frame at break time." Rudy nodded, "And done numbers. One, two, three, four, five, six-"

"That's amazing." AJ nodded. Rudy often liked to count up to twenty. Several times a day. Just to show her parents she could, "And did you guys eat your lunch?"

"Yeah." Thomas nodded, "But Finn made Brianna a sandwich and it looked better than ours."

"Hey, daddy makes good sandwiches. Don't let him hear you say that." AJ said.

"We won't say it to him." Rudy shook her head as AJ smiled.

"Ok, go pack your bags and tidy up the mess you've made in the kitchen." AJ nodded, standing up straight.

"How do you know there's mess?" Thomas asked her.

"Oh, mommy knows everything." AJ assured him, "On you go." She said, watching them run off to the kitchen.

"Little angels." Nico watched them with a full heart, "How was work? Busy day?" She asked AJ.

"Yeah, it was. Sold out of the Carrot Cake I made. I put walnuts through it. Real good." AJ nodded proudly, "Phil looked busy, too."

"Is he going by the new house?" Nico asked.

"Not tonight. There's not much he can do until they get the foundation up." AJ said, referring to the house they were building. From scratch.

Two years ago, Punk was overjoyed upon hearing that the site where the old, abandoned church was finally put up for sale. He jumped on it immediately and together they'd worked with contractors and builders to bring their ideas for their new home to life. They knew it was going to take time. More than a year no doubt. But it was exciting getting to see it come to life, even if it was just scaffolding right now. And she adored that her husband was staying true to his word and building a house from scratch for them.

"Messy business." Nico nodded, "Best to stay out the way."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." AJ nodded.

"We're ready to go." Thomas said, coming back from the kitchen with his bag whilst Rudy followed.

"Ok, say thank you to your Abuela." AJ said, watching as they both rushed over to Nico, squealing, and giving her a hug as she squeezed them tightly and kissed their cheeks repeatedly.

"Mis dulce bebes." Nico said, holding onto them tightly, "I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Yes you will." Rudy nodded, heading to the door with Thomas to wait on AJ.

"Thank you." AJ said, giving her aunt a hug.

"My pleasure." Nico said, "I love spending time with them." She said as AJ smiled. She knew her aunt truly meant it. She was the best Abuela she could have hoped for her children.

"Mommy, what about a sweet treat before bed?" Rudy asked, lying on the sofa in their house later that night, watching some TV with Thomas.

They'd both had their baths and were in fresh pyjamas ready for bed.

"Half a pancake each." AJ nodded as Rudy and Thomas grinned to each other triumphantly, heading over to the kitchen where Punk was sitting on their laptop, "What are you up to?" She asked him, taking two plates out and fixing the twins their pancake and cups of milk.

"Stock order." Punk told her, "Forgot to do it during the day."

"You looked busy." AJ said, placing her hand on his shoulder and kissing his head.

"We were." Punk nodded.

They still liked to tease each other and act competitive over their coffee shops. After all, it was what brought them together. But they were very much a team when it came to their businesses now.

"Oh, the kids told me they were jealous of Brianna's sandwich today because Finn made it." AJ told him as Punk gasped.

"Hey, you two!" Punk called over to the twins as their little heads shot up and turned to him, "What's this I hear about you being jealous of Brianna's sandwich?"

"Mommy, you weren't supposed to say." Thomas said.

"No, daddy. We never said that." Rudy shook her head, "We promise."

"Hmm." Punk raised a brow at them as AJ chuckled, "To be fair, I'd be jealous of Finn's sandwiches, too." He said to AJ quietly as she smiled.

"He could have a five-star restaurant at this point. I still think you should start doing proper food at your place. Bistro style." AJ nodded.

"I'd need more staff." Punk shook his head.

"Then get more staff." AJ said, "I think it'd be hit." She shrugged. She'd been saying it for the past couple of years. Finn had become such a talented chef. There was definitely room for a bigger food menu at Brewks.

"I don't like too much change." Punk shook his head, "I'm panicking just thinking about it." He said as AJ just chuckled, taking the twins small pancake and milk to them.

"Two hands for the cups, remember." AJ told them, sitting their bedtime snack on the coffee table as they darted off the sofa.

"Thanks, mommy." Rudy smiled.

"Thanks." Thomas said, pancake already in his mouth.

"Oh, and I have news." AJ said, walking back over to the kitchen where Punk was still sitting.

"Tell me." Punk looked at her with intrigue.

"Mister Eckles is moving out of the farmhouse and giving it to Patrick and Becca. They're gonna live there now. Just the two of them." She said.

"Where is Mister Eckles going? What about our milk?" Punk panicked.

"He's just downsizing. Got a little bungalow a mile out. He's still going to work on the farm. Our milk will still get delivered." She smiled, "It was the first thing I asked too." She chuckled.

"So, Becca is officially a farmer?" Punk asked, "Who would have thought?"

"She's a farmer's wife. According to her." AJ smirked as Punk just shook his head with a smile, "But bless her, she seems happy about it."

"They're good together." Punk nodded, "And Mister Eckles is an old man. Seems like the right thing for him to pass everything down to his grandson."

"Yeah, that's probably the idea." AJ nodded, "Shiv ok today?" She asked.

"Yeah, fine. Her and Brianna were going to Daryl's moms for dinner tonight." Punk said.

"That's good." AJ nodded, "Any word on…?"

"No. Nothing." Punk shook his head as AJ just nodded.

"I miss her working with us. It feels so wrong without her there." AJ huffed.

"I know but it makes sense. I needed another staff member, and she was struggling when she came back. Said it was too difficult working with you guys."

"She said that?" AJ asked unhappily.

"Not because of you. She just felt out of place." Punk said.

"And Becca and Lyla were constantly asking her questions. I did tell them to stop." AJ said.

"I know. For the most part she doesn't really say much. Just… keeps her head down and works. She's constantly cleaning." Punk said.

"You keep an eye on her, right? Make sure she's doing ok?" AJ nodded.

"Of course." Punk assured her, "It's why I like her working with me. Feels like I'm somehow helping out Daryl. I know I'm not really but…"

"You are. You've done everything you could. For his mom and sister. For Shiv and Brianna." AJ nodded, "He'd be grateful."

"Finished!" Rudy announced, making her way into the kitchen with her empty plate and cup.

"You have a milk moustache." Punk told her.

"I do?" Rudy grinned, touching her upper lip, "Is it bigger than yours?"

"So much bigger." Punk nodded, standing up from the chair and picking Rudy up, spinning her around and pretending he was a monster catching her. Her giggles were always at their loudest when he messed around with her. She was boisterous, that was for sure.

"Phil, don't get her hyper before bed." AJ said, with a smile, nevertheless.

"I've made peanut butter and jelly overnight oats for the kid's breakfast tomorrow." AJ said, walking into the on-suite bathroom attached to their bedroom where Punk was brushing his teeth, standing in his boxers.

"No Cheerios?" Punk asked with his toothbrush in his mouth.

"No Cheerios." AJ confirmed, brushing her hair, and cleaning her own teeth as Punk watched her in the mirror.

"I have the most beautiful wife in the world, don't I?" Punk said, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, leaning his chin on her shoulder as she smiled, sitting her toothbrush down after finishing brushing her teeth.

"You just want some." AJ hummed.

"Always." Punk agreed, "But I do have the most beautiful wife." He made clear as she smiled, looking at him in the mirror, watching his hands swarm round her body, lowering one down her stomach towards the top of her pyjama shorts.

"You gonna make me watch in the mirror whilst you make me come?" She whispered, looking at him in the mirror as he stood behind her, his hand going inside her shorts.

"I am now." Punk nodded, feeling himself get hard just at the thought, parting her folds and finding her sensitive clit, stroking it whilst he kissed her neck, tugging on her hair to allow him better access to the spot where her pulse was.

"Fuck." AJ whispered, moving her hips, leaning her back against his chest.

"Look." He said in a rough voice, pulling her hair and straightening her head to make sure she looked in the mirror.

She looked at him in the mirror, biting her lip and frowning with pleasure, feeling his fingers moving faster, her whole body pulsing and beating as waves began to build up through her core.

"That feels so good." She cried out, moving herself against him, riding his hand as she felt herself get closer and closer.

"Go on. I wanna feel you go off." He whispered in her ear, the very feeling creating goosebumps all over her body.

"Fuck." AJ moaned, reaching her climax, her whole body going rigid and tense, her legs going wobbly as she leaned back on him for support, feeling her wetness coat his fingers as he continued to kiss her neck and stroke her slowly now that she'd gone sensitive.

"You're so wet." He mumbled against her neck as she smiled.

"You wanna feel me?" She whispered back as he removed his hand, not before she took it and put his fingers in her mouth, turning around and looking up at him with wide eyes.

"You're gonna get it." He nodded as she giggled, pushing her shorts down and lifting her t-shirt off, turning around leaning over the sink whilst he pushed his boxers down and grabbed her hips, lining himself up and thrusting his hardness inside of her.

"Fuck." She groaned, placing her hand on the mirror to steady herself as he took a fistful of her hair, tugging on it and lifting her head so he could see her face in the mirror, watching her smirk at him, his hard length twitching at the sight.

"You feel so fucking good." Punk moaned, leaning forward and kissing her shoulder, beginning to move inside of her, moving one of her legs up and leaning it on the sink.

"You're lucky I'm flexible." AJ gasped, placing both hands on the mirror to keep herself steady as thrust into her with desperation.

"Yes I am." He moaned.