Reclamation

8 - Endings

"Can we do something special this weekend?" I whisper as we supvise nap time. It's been a couple months since we first kissed. I still haven't told him that I love him. I haven't found the right time.

"Of course, baby." He pulls me into the office and kisses me deeply. "How could I have waited so long to kiss these lips?" He sighs and kisses me again. Since that night on the beach we can barely keep our hands off each other. The fact that our alone time is limited to nap time, the hour we stay up after Ella falls asleep, and dedicated weekly dates could also be contributing to our desperation for physical contact. "What did you have in mind?"

"I-I don't know." I blush. I probably should've thought of something before asking him.

"I'll think of something." He smiles. He kisses me once again before leaving to check on the kids.

That night I cut up some strawberries for Ella while I wait for the clock to ring 6pm. Vic is supposed to come meet me then. I already got ready and I'm praying I don't get my shirt dirty while I nervously twiddle around in the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Ella asks me. Her fingers are stained red from the berries and her face is painted to match. I debate whether to wash her face before I leave but I decide to leave it for the babysitter. For the sake of saving the nice white shirt Vic got me a few weeks ago.

"I don't know." I say honestly. "Vic planned our date."

"But where are you going?" She asks, chewing loudly with her mouth open.

"It's a surprise." I chuckle. I wash my hands quickly as I notice it's one minute to six.

"Where?" She gives me a confused and frustrated look. "Can I come?"

"No, Jenny is coming to watch you." I tell her, drying my hands on the kitchen towel.

"No!" She starts crying. "I don't want Jenny I want you, Mommy!"

"It's okay, I'll only be gone for one minute." I tell her, brushing her hair away from her face.

Thankfully there's a knock on the door. I rush to let in the sitter. It's a little weird to have a sixteen year old watch my daughter when I'm only a year older but Jenny is very nice so I'm hoping she's not judging me too hard.

"Hi Mr. Quinn!" She smiles.

"Hi Jenny, Ella is eating a snack right now. Can you make sure she washes her face afterwards? Try to put her down by eight today. She didn't sleep good during her nap so she's a tiny bit cranky. I should be back at like ten but if not help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

"No problem." She smiles. She takes off her shoes and backpack by the door and goes towards the kitchen to greet Ella.

I peek in the hallway to see if Vic is here yet. I wait another two minutes before deciding to go knock on his door.

"I'm leaving!" I call, grabbing a sweater.

"Wait!" Ella calls, running towards me. Jenny stands in the kitchen cleaning up her snack. "Can I go with you, please?"

I kneel down in front of her, avoiding her sticky hands. "I'm sorry, Ella." Jenny comes over and picks her up, holding her tightly as she squirms. "I'll be back in one minute." I kiss her head and leave my apartment quickly.

The hallway is so quiet that I can hear the lights buzzing above me. My chest feels tight for a second as I stand there in the hallway alone.  I force myself to take a deep breath and ignore the way my lungs are seizing up. Why am I nervous?

I knock on Vic's door and it immediately opens. "Sorry, babe. I just need to put my shoes on." Vic says, grabbing my hand. "Come inside for a sec."

He pulls me in and shuts the door. I gasp as he presses me against the door and kisses me nice and slow. His body brushes against mine and I can barely keep up with the kiss. I take his hands in mine and he traps them against the door. His lips are firm and fierce, sensually showing me his dominance. As his chest meets mine I'm sure he can feel my heart pounding. My legs feel weak and just when I'm sure I'll fall he pulls away.