I felt something move against me, trap me with an arm. My first instinct was to flee, but this felt good... Perfect, even... And warm. Very warm. Very perfect.
So I stayed.
I caved into the other. I knew they were female, I could feel their soft chest against my back. Her legs tangled with mine, and her chin rested in the crook of my neck. She was breathing softly, each exhale tickled my sensitive skin.
And I stayed.
She stirred slightly, draping a leg over my waist and murmuring something in her sleep. My heart swelled with immense affection. She protested sleepily when I rolled over to face her. Her eyes shut, squeezed only a little in confusion after I'd moved her headrest. She nuzzled around to find a new place to rest, settling under my chin. I wrapped my arms around the sleeping girl and held her as close as I could. I filled my lungs with her scent of home and the shampoo she'd used only hours ago. She hummed and ran her nose over some of my jaw. I wanted so badly to kiss her and wake her up just to see her eyes come to life for only me, but she was nothing less of perfect where she lay asleep.
Still I stayed.
I buried my face in the soft shade of her hair and brushed my lips over her neck. With a tender sigh she melted into me. She began to trace her lips over my skin, searching until she was kissing me gently.
"Morning." She breathed onto my waiting lips. The pull of her voice shut my eyes and bewitched me. I brushed kisses over her face, her neck, her shoulders; and I felt her smile against my cheek.
For her I stayed.
She caressed my face with the back of her hand, flowing into her palms at my shoulders and wrapping her sleep heavy arms around my neck.
"I love you." Her lips radiated heat onto mine. The air of her words filled my lungs. I beamed at her with eyes fluttering open. She was already starting at me with an endless world behind our three words.
And here I stay...
Suddenly, a tiny body came bolting onto the bed, shattering the fragile lovers' embrace I'd shared with my wife.
"Morning, sweetheart." I beamed at the little girl with hair black as the love I had for her, and eyes replicating exactly those of my lover.
"Morning, Mommies!" She giggled, snuggling between myself and my still half sleeping wife.
"Careful, Lacy." I breathed in sharply, feeling a kick to my stomach with each move my daughter made to disturb the sleeping brunette.
"It's fine, love." She chuckled sleeping, carefully rolling off her large stomach.
"Momma, I want to say good morning to the baby!" Lacy pouted, her big brown eyes lit up magically.
"Okay, sweetie, but be careful; your Mommy may get nervous." My sleepy wife gave me an amused sort of look, teasing me for all the times I had gone off about our unborn child's safety. When I'd carried Lacy I had been far less protective (if a little bit moody, needy, whiny, and occasionally a complete savage). I think it was something about the thought of my child being inside my wife and my not being able to physically feel the extent of the environment (or the poking thereof) affecting the baby. Besides, Lacy could be... Rough, to say the least. Grace tends to blame it on the alleles she inherited from me, but I always have had evidence to prove Grace could match or surpass my fight.
"Talking isn't good for the baby; go back to sleep." I chuckled, pulling my wife over and kissing her nape.
"You talked plenty and Lacy is fine." She huffed amusedly, kissing my temple in return.
"Ew, Mommies, gross!" Lacy squealed, covering her eyes.
"Not gross. I will kiss your Mommy as much as I want." Grace laughed as she pulled Lacy between us and nuzzled her abyssally pigmented hair. The girl squeaked happily, giggling. It made me smile whenever either of them were happy. Needless to say, with my marriage, child, and baby on the way, I smiled a lot.
"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Lacy climbed on top of my stomach. "I want chocolate waffles!"
"Sweetie, you know how your Mommy gets around chocolate." Grace chided, sitting up with a light groan. "God, this baby is getting big." She mused, rubbing her baby bump. "We need to start thinking about names!" She added cheerily.
"Jade! No, Tori! No, Jori! No, Tade! All of them!" Lacy declared. I snorted amusedly. Grace and I had found some old Victorious DVDs and Lacy had practically fallen in love with it.
"Sweetheart, you can't name everything after them." Grace giggled. Lacy had a bunch of stuffed animals named after Jade and Tori, along with Andy the moose, Beck the puppy, Cat the cat, and Trina the princess doll Megan had gotten her during her princess phase. She'd grown out of that after realizing her mothers were badass secret agents. She has yet to outgrow one. She had fallen in love with 'Kim Possible' as well, but only Marley and Micha had gotten their hands on a copy of the disc, so she and their eldest daughter Colby, and toddler twins (Amanda the girl and Antony the boy), would watch it together whenever we met.
"Aw..." Lacy pouted.
"Let's think about this after pancakes." I suggested, throwing the sheets off of me, on top of a now giggling Lacy, and pecking my wife's lips before running to the kitchen with Lacy hot on my tail, screaming happily...
...
Now I was chasing the apparitions while she looked on with timeless amor.
We were in a familiar place, full of bright colors and happy memories, spring bright and fresh in the air. It was perfect. Simply and utterly perfect.
"What?" She laughed, standing upright and combing her hair back with a hand, noticing the look I was giving her as she watched me. I only smiled more at the beautiful woman. "Grace," she mused "what are you smiling at?"
"You." I gave up on chasing down Lacy and Juniper, walking over to my wife. She put down the steaming mug she was holding. The cool air of a fresh season blew in through open doors. Our childrens' laughter rang through the house again.
"Kids, there had better not be a mess in the next ten minutes!" She exclaimed with a hint of amusement. I put my arms around her neck and hugged her. "Baby, why the sudden-" I felt like kissing her. So I did. And she moaned softly, her body relaxed and conformed to mine.
"I love you." I whispered. She laughed and kissed me with renewed passion. Then something latched on to my leg and I felt Hazel gasp with surprise as another child jumped onto her back.
"We love you too, little gremlins." She giggled, hoisting Juniper into her arms and off my leg, a giggling Lacy still clinging to her back. She gave me that look of pure, carefree, undying love.
For her I stayed forever.
.
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Okay. Now I'm opening up for questions. Ask anything you want about this book in the comments, and I'll answer them in the final authors note so don't add this to your archive just yet! After the A.N. I plan on publishing some deleted scenes including one on how Grace and Hazel actually managed to have their own baby/babies.
Please. I'm not getting cheesy until the an. Ask stuff. I know y'all want to. Even if you don't. JUST DO IT.