Camo and Navy Blue [Book Two]

Twenty

Olivia

By the end of the night, I ended up sitting on a lounge chair, with Jasper and Tobias snuggling on either side of me. They were barely awake as they rested their heads against my chest and rambled on about whatever they could think of. Once the sun had finally set, my little boys were asleep, and I felt such a sense of ease in this situation. This is how I was supposed to feel in my own home with my little boys. I wasn't supposed to fear the little boys that I had carried inside of me and had loved long before they took their first breaths.

"Hey," Elliot whispered as he came out of the house. I turned to face him and smiled tearfully.

"Hi."

"Is everything okay? You look like you are about to cry," Elliot frowned. He reached out and pushed some hair away from my face before kissing my temple gently.

"I'm just happy, El. This is how my life is supposed to be," I sniffled. Elliot smiled before leaning down to kiss me. 

"Let's take these two upstairs and put them to bed. Then I think we need to head to our room and have some private time... How does that sound?" Elliot mused.

"Are you trying to get me undressed?" I whispered, a smile on my lips.

"That's the plan, Mrs. Stabler. Now, give me these kids. I'll carry them upstairs and you can help get them into their pajamas."

///

I made my rounds like I used to do when I lived here full time. I made sure each of my kids were in bed, and if they were still awake, they got a big hug and kiss. If they were already sleeping, I tucked them in and kissed their foreheads. 

Once I was done, I ended up slowly opening my bedroom door. Elliot walked out of the bedroom and smiled at me.

"So, I washed all the bedding and washed your favorite pajamas," Elliot smiled. He was proud about the effort he put into this 'sleepover'. 

"These ones?" I questioned, as I walked over and grabbed one of my t-shirts and a pair of shorts that he sat on the foot of the bed.

"Yes," He replied.

"Baby, these are pre-baby pajamas," I spoke. He sighed softly.

"I knew I forgot about something," He chuckled. I walked to where he stood and gently ran my hands over his shoulders.

"Thank you for washing the bedding and my pajamas... I really appreciate how much effort you put into today."

Elliot leaned closer and pressed his lips firmly against mine. I snaked my arms around his neck as the kiss became deeper. We slowly moved together towards the bed, and Elliot cradled my body as he lowered me onto the mattress.

He removed his lips from mine and looked deeply into my eyes.

"I really wanna make love to you, Olivia. Is that okay?" He asked gently. 

"I would very much like that, El."

Even if I started this night completely terrified of what may happen, I was happy that all of that fear faded away. 

///

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. I climbed out of bed and pulled on the pajamas I had packed myself, but didn't end up wearing last night, before heading downstairs. The house was mostly quiet, and I could hear coffee being brewed downstairs. 

As I entered the kitchen, Elliot stood in his boxers as he sent a text to someone. Clearly it was important since he was texting faster than Maureen usually does.

"Good morning," I smiled.

"Hey, baby. I didn't expect to see you up this early," Elliot replied as he locked his phone.

"I rolled over and your side was empty. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Elliot replied plainly.

I walked over and gently touched his bare shoulder, before leaning close and pressing a kiss to his neck. He tensed up when I kissed him, and I knew everything wasn't okay. 

"El, what's happening?" 

"Noth-"

"Don't lie to me, Stabler. Tell me why you just tensed up," I huffed, leaning away. I walked around the island so that I could face him directly.

Elliot swallowed hard and turned to face the coffee pots. He poured himself a cup of coffee before facing me once again.

"My mother thinks that last night was a fluke," He mumbled.

"W-what?"

Bernie had been such a big part of our lives since we all got on the same page and she no longer hated me. But now she was against this all?

"She thinks the boys were just excited to see you, but today, things will change. They will throw fits and try to hurt you. So maybe-"

"Maybe I should just pack up and leave, huh?" I snapped. Elliot frowned as he sat his mug down.

"For the sake of our baby-"

"No!" I yelled. Elliot's eyes went wide.

"Liv-"

"After last night and how amazing it was to cuddle with our sons, I'm not going to just walk away. If your mother has a problem with that, she can come and tell me that herself. Otherwise, she needs to mind her own business," I huffed.

Elliot watched me for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Okay, we will just go about this carefully, then. Until we are sure nothing will happen, we can have you sleepover-"

"Yeah, we aren't doing that. I am going to move back in, and we are going to be a family again. Do you understand?"

Elliot nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. I understand."

"Good, so text your mother back and tell her if she'd like to discuss matters with me, I'll be here with the kids all summer. She has plenty of time before I'll force you to finally lift my suspension."