Once a Stranger

Chapter 51: January

Pov y/n

The last day at the resort was great as well, we went back to the hill again and did all the skiing we could. Since Rose was skiing the day before as well, we could tell she was more exhausted and we had a longer lunch break. I did pretty good and barely fell which I was proud of.

It even was fun now to ski once I got the hang of it. We stayed on the easy slopes because I wasn't ready for the next level and Scarlett wasn't too sure about Rose's abilities and since we were all happy with where we were, we stayed there.
After the car drive there, we weren't exactly looking forward to the way back but scheduled it differently time wise. When we drove there, we started driving in the morning, on the way back we decided to drive in the late afternoon so we could use the rest of the day to ski.

The whole vacation seemed to have powered Rose out a little and she fell asleep pretty early into the drive which was helpful. I drove the first three hours and Scarlett the last three. Since Rose was asleep most of the time, we didn't have to stop every two hours for a toilet break. We arrived back home around 11:46 pm and carried Rose into her bed before falling into our own. Unpacking is something we pushed onto the next day.

All of us slept in the next day and I felt really refreshed and happy the next day. As nice as the bed in the resort was, the bed at home is always better because it's familiar and I'm used to it.

Doing laundry that day wasn't a lot of fun but needed and so was the shower I took. Since it was the 31st of December, we prepared a little for the celebration which mainly consisted of going grocery shopping and preparing dinner.
Rose was happily occupied with her toys in her room and we barely saw her during the afternoon. That gave us some time to relax together and read or be on our phones.

When the evening was approaching, Rose came down to have dinner with us and told us her resolution for the next year: She wants to be happy, just like this year.
I thought that was pretty adorable and decided that that's my only goal as well. I'm not exactly a fan of resolutions because most of them just last for the month of January and at the end of the year you're disappointed because you couldn't fulfil it.

Wanting to be happy feels like one I can actually achieve and won't give up on it in February. To be fair, it doesn't take much effort to achieve it because Rose and Scarlett make me happy and as long as we stay together, I don't think I can be unhappy for very long.

We watched a movie after dinner and Rose really fought to stay awake but she fell asleep around 10 pm, which is already later than her usual bedtime. But it was no problem, we let her sleep on the couch and cleaned the kitchen and changed into our pajamas.
Twenty minutes before the countdown we gently woke up Rose again because she would have been sad to miss the New Year.

Just like last year, we grabbed blankets and settled on the steps in front of the front door to watch the fireworks. We cheered when the new year started and Rose marveled at the colorful lights in the sky while sitting on Scarlett's lap. Even with all the noises and bright lights, she managed to fall asleep and Scarlett carried her upstairs into her room to tug her in while I brought everything else inside and closed all the windows and locked the doors downstairs.

"She's sound asleep." Scarlett smiles as she enters the bedroom.

"I would have been surprised if she wasn't." I reply and walk into the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Scarlett follows me and does the same. Slowly but surely, I feel tiredness creep up on me and lean a little against the sink. One of her arms wraps around me as if she wanted to offer her support as well and I smile at her in thanks. Staying up this late after a week of sport is harder than I thought. Not that I'm regretting our trip, absolutely not, I loved it, even with the frustration it made me feel.

"How do you want to cuddle tonight?" Scarlett asks as we move back into the bedroom.

I love how it's not a question if we cuddle, it's just about the how. Moving in here definitely had the perk of being able to cuddle with her every night.
I look at the bed in thought while she gets comfortable in it and crawl underneath the blanket too. She watches me and opens her arms a little which makes me smile. I lay down on top of her, holding myself up with my hands next to her head.

"I like this." I decide and she smiles softly and pecks my lips.

"Me too." Her arms wrap around me and her hands slip under my shirt. It's not meant in a sexual way and I enjoy feeling her fingers against my skin.

"It's 2024 now and technically the third year of knowing each other." I tell her and she hums and nods.

"True, we met in 2022 and now we're here." She says, brushing her fingers over my skin. I relax against her, loving the gentle touch.

"This year will be even more special. Can you guess why?" She asks and I shake my head, looking into her beautiful eyes and losing myself a little.

"Because we're getting married this year and I can't wait for that to happen. I'm gonna be able to call you my wife and share the rest of my life with you." She whispers and my heart flutters a little at her sweet words.

Happiness and excitment spreads through my body at her words and I feel myself blush a little. There's no reason to blush but the thought of being her wife just makes me really happy. I nuzzle my face into her neck and receive a kiss on the top of my head.

"It's gonna be a really special day." I say and smile to myself. Even if all the planning seems a little overwhelming at times, I know it's gonna be worth it and we're gonna have one of the best days of our lives.

"Every day with you is special." Scarlett replies and I bury my face further in her neck, my cheeks surely pink by now from her compliment.

"You're adorable." She mumbles and tangles her legs with mine before sliding one hand up into my hair.

"You can't be so sweet when I'm tired." I whine and lift my head a little to look up at her.

Her eyes shine brightly with love and my heart skips a beat. Whenever she looks at me like this it makes me realize how lucky I got when I met her. No matter what I do, she always loves me and she is always by my side when I need her.
She shows her love in so many little things that I don't have to doubt it for a second.

It happened a longer time ago but she started to look at me with the same amount of love she always has in her eyes when looking at Rose and that's a compliment I really appreciate. I know how much she adores and loves Rose and being loved on the same level, even if it's a different kind of love is more than I ever could have asked for.
Rose is her absolute priority but over time, I became one too and that feels really good. Not that I've never been a priority but it's just one of the best feelings in the world to know that someone chooses you over everything else and almost everyone else.

"Why not?" She asks and twirls a bit of hair around her finger.

"Because." I answer, making her chuckle a little bit. "I don't know how to react to it when I'm tired."

"That's okay, I find your reactions so far very cute." She assures me and gently kisses my lips. I can't help but to smile against her lips and cup her face with one hand, brushing my thumb over her cheek.

"I love you, cuddle bug." I whisper when we pull away again and lean my forehead against hers.

"I love you too, angel." She replies and lightly scratches my head.

My eyes flutter close at the sensation and I melt even more against her body, returning to rest my face in her neck. Her scent fills my senses and with every passing second, I relax more and more.
It's crazy how something can become familiar so quickly. It takes so long to form habits but falling in love and feeling at home when being with another person happens so fast. Looking back, it feels like I only met her a few weeks ago but at the same time it feels like I know her for so much longer than one and a half years.

Her hands continue to scratch my head lightly and brush over my back and against my will, my thoughts slip out of my reach and do their own thing, announcing the sleep that's awaiting me.

 The first of January is very calm, all of us sleep in again and we have a nice breakfast together before Rose insists on drawing a picture with the both of us. It's a new year so she needs new drawings from this year. We follow her request and for a long time just color with her while she tells us about how exciting fireworks are and why she wants some for her birthday party.

Just thinking about her turning eight this year makes my heart a little heavy. She's really growing up fast and I'm not ready for that. But maybe she won't be the only child around here anymore this year.
That's very optimistic, I know but I really want to have another child with Scarlett and experience all of it.
From insemination to pregnancy to birth to every little milestone. I don't even care who of us will get pregnant as long as we got a healthy baby in the end.

But of course, Rose will always stay my little dolphin and I always will love her just as much as a child that's biologically related to me. She was my very first child and the best daughter I could have asked for and nothing and no one can take that from her.

After coloring, Rose wants to do her new puzzle again and we let her hog the dining table for that. Scar and I settle on the couch and she leans her head against my shoulder.

"I have a new job offer for next month." She tells me while I draw random lines onto her arm.

"Yeah?" I ask, not able to hide the sadness that lays behind the question. She has been away very recently and I don't want her to go away again but I can't really keep her from doing her job.

"Yeah. It's a movie shoot here in New York." She tells me and the sadness instantly washes away. When she shoots in New York, she can stay here and I'll be able to see her every day and most importantly feel her next to me when falling asleep. Sure, she won't have as much time on her hands as she does now but that's okay.

"That sounds good." I tell her and kiss her temple.

"It's from February until April." She explains further and I nod, the typical three months.

"Are you excited about it?" I ask and she nods with a happy smile.

"Pretty much yeah because it's an action movie and they told me I might even get to do a few of my stunts myself." She tells me.

"That really sounds exciting." I match her energy and she nods.

The movie shoots in New York are the best ones and I'm really happy for her. But before that will happen, there are a few more things planned in January that I'm pretty excited about, Rose's adoption being one of them.

A/n: You can be excited for the next chapter. Any guesses what it's gonna be? XD

Word count: 2.1 k

Thanks for reading and love to you all <3