We keep hanging out for a while, I make Ellie lunch with Travis' help. We don't eat anything because of the brunch we had just about an hour prior. After she eats her lunch, I go to put her down for a nap while Trav hangs out with the cats in the living room. All of this seems just so normal. Nothing feels weird or rushed.
When she finally falls asleep, I get back down and am met with the sweetest sight ever. Travis seated on the couch, with Benjamin in his lap, purring and Meredith with Olivia at either side of him, enjoying being petted.
Travis must have heard me come down because he turns, looking at me.
"Out like a light?"
"Yeah, must have been from running in the kitchen with you." I smile at the recent memory, me preparing lunch for Ellie and her and Travis running around the kitchen island like little kids, except one of them really is a little kid and one of them is a 33-year-old, 6'5" football player. "Wanna watch a movie? I can go get some ice cream from the freezer."
"Sure, but let me do it. Just lead me to the bowl and spoons." He gets up. I tell him where to find the things and he disappears in the kitchen. I sit down next to where he was previously sitting, putting Olivia in my lap, petting her and making her purr.
Travis comes back a few minutes later with two bowls filled with cookies 'n cream ice cream and hands me one, sitting down right next to me.
We settle down on a movie I don't know but Travis swears it's really good.
Truthfully, more than the movie, I enjoy him watching it, how he laughs when the main character says something funny, how he growls when he does something dumb even though he's already seen it countless of times.
"Earth to Taylor." I see a hand waving in front of my face and it brings me back to reality.
"Sorry, was just... thinking." I blurt out. He doesn't comment, just lays down both of our bowls, empty now, on the coffee table and puts an arm behind me, hugging me around the shoulders.
"Is this okay?"
"Yeah." I smile, cuddling up to his side a bit more. I love how attentive he is. How he asks if it's okay before he does anything. His fingers start gently caressing my shoulder and we keep on watching the movie.
Around halfway through, I can feel my eyelids getting heavier by the second, the fatigue growing from my lack of sleep last night. Before I know it, I am falling asleep, safely tucked under Travis' arm.
I wake up about 20 minutes later, when I feel Travis getting up and then putting a blanket on me that normally lies on the end of the couch.
"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up." He says when our eyes meet. He joins me back on the couch, and me being the sleepy me, I cuddle back to his side, making him laugh.
"I'm sorry for falling asleep. I haven't slept much." I yawn. "Anyway, what did I miss?" I yawn again, making Travis burst out laughing.
We settle back in. I basically have no idea what the movie is about. I spent the first half of what I was supposed to see watching Travis instead and then the second half sleeping.
Out of nowhere, Travis plants a kiss on the crown of my head, right where my bangs start. I turn my head to face him.
"Sorry." He apologizes immediately when our gazes meet.
"Don't." I take his jaw in my hand and do the one thing I've wanted go do since he walked through the front door today.
His lips feel soft on mine and I shift my position a little, his hand traveling to my waist. This is definitely more heated than yesterday's kiss was, which was very sweet and thoughtful. After a few moments, my arms are circled around Travis' neck and both of his are on my waist. His mustache is gently stroking the skin between my upper lip, right below my nose. I am about to swing a leg over him and full on straddle him, but that's when we hear Ell screaming from the baby monitor that lies on the coffee table.
I quickly pull away, blushing at our heated exchange before quietly disappearing upstairs.
"Good morning, baby." I coo as I open the door to my daughter's bedroom. Normally, her smile would be from ear to ear, but today, she looks sad. "Hey, what's up?" I kiss her forehead and that's when I feel it. Her forehead is burning hot. "Oh, Ellie, you have a fever." I cradle her closer to me, realizing that this is the reason she probably haven't slept well last night. She wasn't feeling well.
I change her diaper, which she has now just for naps and for the night, and head downstairs. After worrying about her well-being, I completely forget about the kiss that happened in the living room less than 5 minutes ago. When we get there, Travis is awkwardly sitting on the couch. I try to set there Ellie too, wanting to go to the kitchen for some medicine for her, but she clings onto my shirt like her life depends on it.
"She has a fever. I'm sorry, I don't want you to catch it too." I look at him, apologetic.
"I think I'll be fine." He smiles warmly, his fingers slightly brushing against my knee as I am standing beside him. "If you want me to?" He adds
"Yeah." I nod and drift off into the kitchen, searching for some meds to get her fever down. Ell starts fussing in my arms again, probably feeling terrible and I don't blame her. I finally found the medicine I was looking for and I immediately give her some.
We then return into the living room, I plop back down onto the couch, my daughter still snuggling into my chest.
"You not feeling well, huh?" Travis caresses Ellie's hand that lies on my shoulder. She opens her big eyes, scanning him. "Her eyes are so blue. Just like yours." Our gazes meet and have so much desire to kiss him again, to taste his lips again but I can't.
We spend the rest of the day watching kids' channels, playing with Ellie. And it certainly doesn't help seeing Travis around with her. He's so gentle and loving with her and definitely isn't helping my 'do not fall quick' rule I had set for myself. I'm not in love with him, though I really like him.
A/N: alrighty. happy international women's day first💐🩷 hope you enjoyed the day!
second, i'm leaving on a school ski trip on sunday, i'll try and write as much of next chapter as i can tomorrow although i still have to pack😬
still thinking if i want next chapter to be a little filler or just jump like 2 weeks ahead. let me know which you would prefer
not really happy w this chapter, i feel like it's missing something and i don't know what🤔 like always, i appreciate every vote or comment
love you, ell🤍