Dena and Emily woke to the smell of fresh coffee, bacon and pancakes. Yes, it wasn't a dream, Tim was home. Despite not being a morning person, he would get up early to make breakfast for them every time he was home, oh how they missed this. They finished getting ready for their trip then made their way to the kitchen just as he was finishing up.
Dena walked over to Tim, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek "Thank you so much Tim. I've missed this" she told him as she poured a cup of coffee. A slight pang of guilt ran through him, he missed this and them just as much.
Emily came running in "BACON" she exclaimed as she ran past him and grabbed a piece. Tim laughed "Well, good morning to you too" he said as he tapped her hand before she stole another piece. She giggled and hugged him tightly. Oh how she loved her big brother.
"I checked the fluids, tires and gassed up the van for you and packed a basket of sandwiches and drinks for your trip. Also a thermos of coffee for you Momma. I know you want to get there as soon as you can but, please, take breaks along the way. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to the two of you" he told them.
"I'm going to help drive" Emily said as her mother mimicked biting her nails in fear.
"Oh dear lord, now I am worried" he teased.
"Hey, I'm a good driver, except for that one time I backed into the garage, but other than that I've done really well, haven't I momma" Emily said defensively.
Dena whispered to Tim "pray for me" with a slight giggle. "You're not making me feel better about this ya know" he whispered back.
Emily overheard what they had said and looked at them, frowning. "Squirt, we're teasing you. I know you'll be careful" he assured her.
After breakfast, he helped take their personal belongings and the food basket out to the van. "Keep your phones charged and with you when you're not in the van" he advised them. "If anything happens you call me."
"When are you heading to see Chance" Dena asked. "I need to contact him to see if it's ok, I hadn't asked him before the break, just something I've been kicking around since we left" he told her. Dena looked at him, concerned "Is everything alright?" she asked. He wanted to tell her, to ask for her to help him, but he couldn't. He made a promise and he would keep it, again. "Yeah, the next leg of the tour will be intense, we all just needed a bit to rejuvenate" he told her. As she looked into his eyes, something told her their was more, but she would not push, for now. They said their goodbyes and he watched as they drove away.
Tim returned inside to clean the kitchen. As he stood in front of the sink, his mind wondered...
Caroline walked up behind Tim while he was making coffee. She slipped her arms around him, placing her head on his back. He turned to face her, placing his arms around her, looking into her hazel eyes "Good morning my love" he whispered as he gave her a soft kiss on her lips.
"About last night, I'm so ... " she began as Tim placed a finger against her lips "shh, holding you as you fell asleep, feeling you relax in my arms, that was all I needed" he whispered to her.
She could feel the love he had for her just by looking into his dark eyes. She wanted him to know that she loved him just as much, if not more. She wanted to give herself, all of herself to him. Why was she so damned afraid, why did she feel she wouldn't be good enough, wouldn't be enough for him.
"I would have made you breakfast but seeing as we only have coffee and water, I just couldn't whip anything up. We really need to go food shopping" he laughed, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Well, let's get dressed and head to the market. Classes start tomorrow and we're going to need study food in this house" she chuckled.
Tim smiled as he felt a tear roll down his cheek.