Behind the Screen (a Tom Hiddleston Story)

32. Ducks

There was something quite peaceful about sleeping twenty foot above the ground. Maybe it was the distance away from reality or the love for nature and open fields but Kate knew that this was exactly where she had needed to be this weekend. The sunlight hit the window and bled through the satin curtains which swayed a little in the morning breeze.

 She shifted a little where she lay and faced Tom who was lightly snoring, his arm draped over her middle as though he had been cuddling her throughout the night. The thought of him and her together like this never seized to put a smile on her face. Moving her hand from under the covers to his face, moving her thumb in circular motions over his slightly rose-tinted cheek. The smaller things in life are often the most under-appreciated because they go unnoticed. Kate wanted to make sure that even if she did have the rest of her life with this man that she truly appreciated everything about him; right down to his cheeky laugh to his frown lines on his forehead. She loved all of him.

He stirred as she stopped moving her hand and placed it in the crook of his neck. Scrunching his eyes he lifted his shoulders and let out a sharp sigh.

"G'morning Mr sleepy head." Tom had rolled onto his back to stretch out properly before taking her hand back in his and planting a kiss on the back of it. "Morning darling. Sleep well?"

"As a matter of fact, I haven't slept that well in months." She grinned. Tom was now propping himself up on his elbow, providing himself with the perfect view of his fiancé. Wrapping his hand in her hair and returning her subtle embrace he moved his other hand to her chin, tracing her lip line with his fingertip. He was clearly trying to think of a way to say something, as when he was deep in thought she noticed his right eyebrow twitched a little and his eyes glazed over. "What about you? I can now hear your cogs whirring away in there Hiddles." He smiled.

"Okay. Well, how do you feel about having our baby out of wedlock?" Kate's eyes grew a little bigger.

"What?"

"I just mean." Tom's hand was now holding her hand. She could feel his pulse quickening as he attempted to make sense of what he was thinking. "We had a plan kitten. We were going to get married, get our own place. Work our ass's off till we had enough money to afford to give our children the best lives they could possibly ask for. We are about three steps behind our actual plan and I just wanted to make sure that we were both okay with it. "She lay there for a moment. Not really sure what to do or say. Why was he asking her this now? I mean he was the one who had convinced her to just forget about it over the weekend and work it all out on Tuesday.

"Did you have a dream about this last night by any chance?"

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't know how to say it so I thought the direct way was the best."

"Honey, come here." Kate sat herself up against the headboard and helped Tom rest himself up against her. He wrapped his arms around her and she ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to calm him a little. "Listen to me and listen good okay? First of all, I never plan anything anymore because life is far to unpredictable for that. Second, things that happen that aren't part of a plan aren't always bad things. They might not be what we want at the time but they are what we need and I am so ready to face the world with you, married or not this child is and will always be loved." The two of them sat in silence for a while, taking in what the other had said. It was half eight in the morning and they had no idea where the other one stood with any of this and this was definitely not how Kate thought the weekend was going to go. Before she could say another word Tom moved so fast she didn't know what was happening.

He was leaning on his palms and was right above her. "You know I love you right? I think you are single-handedly the most remarkable human being on the planet. And we are going to make the best parents ever."