Rachel stirred in her sleep, rolling to her side and settling in again. The covers felt warm and inviting, she never wanted to leave her bed again. She groaned when she felt a hand on her arm, slowly trailing down. The touch was soft and warm, inviting but yet not inviting enough to wake her from her slumber. The warmth of her bed was much more comfortable.
"Rache, I need to get ready for work and Ava is crying-"
She snapped her eyes open, trying to adjust them to the lighting in their bright bedroom. Ethan had pulled up the curtains, trying to wake her quietly. Her fiancé gently rubbed his thumb over her bare shoulder, putting his shirt which she was wearing back up so she was at least appropriately dressed while she'd take care of Ava.
"I'd get her-"
"But you're late yourself." She mumbled, she sat up and reached for a hair tie on her bedside table, "I'll take care of it." She told him in a low voice, still not quite awake yet, "You go get ready."
He kissed her temple and then strolled toward the bathroom again. She then noticed her fiancé had been half-naked, a towel wrapped around his waist. Ethan lifted weights too, just like Ryan, there was no doubt about that when taking one good look at his firm body. She tilted her head to the side, trying to catch another glimpse of him. Hidden from her greedy view, Rachel got to her feet and made her way to Ava's room. She approached her little girl's crib. Ava's face was wet with tears, her face getting all red. Hushing her, Rachel took her little girl in her arms and tried to quiet her down, kissing her chubby wet cheeks.
"It's okay, sweetie." She quietly told the little girl who still cried her eyes out.
Rachel changed the girl's nappy which made Ava quiet down a bit and then moved to the kitchen to feed her. She placed Ava in the high chair, the little girl settling down. Ava watched her prepare a mashed banana, looking eager to dig in. Seeing her little girl's eyes glitter with delight, her lips twitching to smile made her feel better about being forced to wake up from her slumber. Rachel let some coffee brew so Ethan could take it with him and fed Ava while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.
"You're an angel."
Rachel chuckled, "I'm definitely not, but you're welcome."
Ethan moved to the coffee machine and poured the hot liquid into a travel mug. He closed the lid and then approached his daughter and gave the little girl a kiss. Ava looked up at him with big eyes, her lips curling up into a bright smile.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't get you this morning." He whispered to her.
"It's okay." Rachel assured him, "Say hi to Gabriel for me."
Ethan met her gaze, "Right, we're invited to have dinner at their place tonight."
Rachel smirked at that, "It just slipped your mind?" She asked him, "Like dress shopping with your mother?"
"In my defense, someone seduced me last night making me forget about a lot of things." He narrowed his eyes at her, "Like you meeting up with Ryan and not letting me know about it until the very last second."
She shrugged a shoulder, "I knew you'd make a big deal out of nothing, so yes, I purposely waited until the last second to tell you."
Ethan let that one slide as he continued, "So I'll have a car pick you two up while I take a ride with them."
"Got it."
He kissed his baby girl once more, this time Ava let her happiness know vocally. He chuckled, giving his little girl a gentle tap on the nose and then moved to her. Ethan pressed a kiss to her cheek, "I'll see you both tonight."
She fed Ava the remaining banana and cleaned up, taking her baby girl out of the high chair to freshen her up. Once Ava was dressed and smelled like apples she placed the little girl in her crib to let her play by herself while she freshened up and got dressed as well. She didn't have a lot planned for the day when Caroline paid her a surprise visit later that morning. Ethan's mom wanted to discuss wedding details which she actually didn't mind since it gave her something to do. Caroline kept Ava company while Rachel made them some tea.
"You sure you want nothing to eat, I still need to have breakfast." Rachel trailed off.
"Fine, then I'll have whatever you're having," Caroline told her.
"Waffles with berries on the side and of course some whipped cream."
Caroline met her gaze, "Of course." She agreed, her voice soft and gentle.
Ethan told her Caroline enjoyed spending time with her, she didn't believe him at first but as she spent more time with his mother she came to realize that Caroline actually didn't hate her. The woman also seemed to enjoy taking care of Ava.
"We should do dinner this Friday night, Mateo mentioned he wanted to see Ava again."
Rachel nodded, "Sounds good to me."
"Even if Ethan has a busy schedule, you two should just join us." She continued in a clear voice, sounding awkwardly straightforward about a dinner invitation.
Rachel had to keep her laughter at bay. It was hilarious to her how Caroline brushed her own son off because she was taken by Ava. Ethan didn't even need to be present anymore. She texted her fiancé to let him know about their Friday night plans. She teasingly added how his mother wouldn't mind if he didn't make it.
"We'll join you for dinner Friday night." Rachel assured her, "Even if Ethan can't make it."
Caroline seemed satisfied with that response, a genuine big smile spreading across her face which took Rachel by surprise. She had never seen that woman smile like that before. It took her a minute to pull herself together and pretend nothing out of the ordinary happened.
"Great. That's settled then, after breakfast we'll go over the preparations for the wedding. Most of it we settled, but I'd like to go over them one more time."
"That's very considerate of you, Caroline." Rachel told the woman, "Ethan and I appreciate what you've done for us so far. Ethan's quite busy with work and I'm starting my first shift next week so things are quite hectic right now."
"What are you two going to do about Ava?"
"Daycare, Hunter and Starr offer daycare services."
Caroline nodded, "That's a good decision. I'm sure Ava will also love to interact with other children."
"Yeah, and I'm just glad I can still do what I love." Rachel admitted to Caroline, moving to the dining table to serve them the quick breakfast she made, "Let's dig in while it's still warm." She also grabbed their cups of tea and settled at the breakfast table.
Caroline placed Ava in her high chair at the table, the girl shifted her attention to her colorful building blocks immediately. The little girl could entertain herself for quite some time. It gave them time to quietly enjoy their breakfast while discussing Caroline's social schedule. The woman actually talked a lot more about her personal life these days, she figured Caroline felt a lot more comfortable around her now. She listened and commented truthfully.
After breakfast, Rachel quickly cleaned up while Caroline took Ava with her to the living room and settled down on the couch. Rachel joined them after she put the dishes away with a tray in hand. She placed their fresh cups of tea on the table and settled on the couch herself. Caroline took her through all the preparations for her upcoming wedding. It took them quite some time but once they finished their meeting Rachel felt like her perfect wedding was actually going to happen. She was looking forward to it now and it was all thanks to Caroline's amazing organizing skills.
***
Later that day Rachel and Ava joined the others for dinner at Gabriel and Valerie's place. It was fun being around them again. She had to admit that she missed their banter. Valerie's support which knew no limits and Gabriel's objective advice which actually made her feel valued. Their personalities left impressions on her which she couldn't live without anymore.
After dinner, she settled on the couch together with her sister while the guys settled on the living room floor entertaining Ava by building colorful towers which she destroyed with her little hands and finding it the most hilarious thing in the world.
"She is in a good mood." Valerie leaned down and brushed her fingers through the little tuft of hair on top of Ava's head, "Is it because you're getting all the attention in the room?"
Rachel sipped her coffee, "That might be it."
She knew Valerie was only teasing so she didn't get all serious about it.
"How did the meeting with Ethan's mom go?" Valerie asked, leaning back against the couch again.
"The preparations are going well, Caroline did a great job."
Ethan met her gaze, "Mom mentioned that it's about done."
Rachel nodded, "Yeah, we're going to send out invitations next week."
Gabriel glanced over his shoulder, "Excited about the wedding?"
She wasn't at first, fear is what she felt when she thought things through. She discussed those fears with Valerie and she figured her sister shared them with Gabriel. Thankfully Gabriel could keep a secret when he was supposed to. The fear she felt concerning the wedding that night was completely gone after her meeting with Caroline. So, she was actually excited about the wedding. There had been no reason to alarm Ethan, things ended well.
"Yes, it's going to be a fun day. All Ethan and I have to do is show up."
Ethan turned to look at his friend, "Which reminds me, that day we're leaving Ava in your care."
Gabriel grinned at his friend, "No need to pout, Ava and I will always be close."
Valerie nudged her, "I see that Gabriel has taken upon himself to take care of Ava."
"You're carrying the baby bag. That's the most important task, obviously." Gabriel joked.
Valerie rolled her eyes at her husband, "Obviously." She straightened in her seat, "Next to taking care of the bride that is."
Rachel grinned at them, "I'm sure it's going to be a good day, guys."
They discussed the day of the wedding, making sure they were all on the same page. Gabriel and Valerie were going to take care of Ava that day. She knew her little girl would be safe with them. Their family would make sure her wedding day would go smoothly. When Ava started to doze off they called it a night and headed home, thankfully it was only fifteen minutes away.
***
She stared at the pink colored toy Ethan was holding up, it had been a while since they explored their adventurous side of their sex life. Before it all went to shit and before they had Ava they didn't mind exploring, it caused her sister to put her foot down and demand of the guys not to discuss those things in front of her. Valerie didn't want to hear about it. Rachel couldn't deny the fact that she was turned on by the thought of rough and unrestrained sex with Ethan Hunter. The kind which made her love him in a way which hadn't been healthy. Their relationship didn't have any meaning then, she realized it now. Months apart from each other they both grew emotionally. Their relationship was more real now. Maybe that had been the real reason why they kept things simple between them, maybe they both awaited the right time to pick things up where they left them.
"You think it's okay?" She whispered, glancing over her shoulder because she felt paranoid they'd wake up Ava.
Ethan tossed the toy beside him, "If you're quiet."
She approached him and straddled his lap, reaching for the toy which he wanted to use on her.
"Fine, I'll try and keep things down." She trailed her fingers over it, putting it on which caused the toy to vibrate, "You should go easy on me though, it's been a while."
He grabbed onto her hips and leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips, "Of course."
She giggled when he stood up and let her fall upon the bed, she met his playful gaze and held up the toy to him.
Ethan took it from her, tossed it beside her and opened the drawer of his bedside table. He grabbed a bottle of lube and tossed it beside her as well. He closed the drawer, kicked his shoes off and took care of his jacket and tie. Crawling on top of her he cupped her face and kissed her, playing around with her for a bit before he trailed his hands down her sides and grabbed onto the hem of her shirt. He pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He gave her chest a lot of attention, kissing her all over, but leaving her bra on. He pulled away from her to take her shoes and socks off, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he took care of her pants.
"Excited?" He asked her.
She gave his arm a tight squeeze, "You know damn well what I'm feeling right now."
He chuckled. Placing a kiss on her neck he slipped his hand into her panties and rubbed her, teasing her to get her all hot and bothered only to pull away. When her eyes were misty and all she could do was make whining noises Ethan reached for the toy and covered it in lube. She knew he never wanted to hurt her. It made her feel comfortable enough to surrender to him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being pleasured, making sure to keep as quiet as possible. It was intense and it felt good, but it couldn't compare to making love to Ethan. Smiling she wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing her lips against his ear.
"I need you."
He let go of the toy, probably surprised by her three little words. He pulled away to look her in the eyes when he was about to lean in a sharp cry echoed through the baby monitor. Rachel tiredly sighed, reaching between her legs to pull the toy out of her. She watched as Ethan got to his feet, taking her in with greedy eyes.
"One of the downsides of being a parent, huh." He laughed when she playfully smiled at him, "I'll take care of her." He pulled himself together and headed for the door.
Rachel rolled onto her stomach and threw her abandoned shirt at him, "I'll take care of myself then." She reached for the toy, "It's not quite the same, but it will get the job done."
He leaned down, grabbed her shirt and threw it back at her, "You're almost there. It won't take much." He chuckled when she let out a sound of displeasure and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
He was right, she came the minute she pressed the toy against her sensitive spot. It wasn't as mind-blowing as it would have been if Ethan gave her that orgasm. She knew he'd be a while though so she took care of herself, took a shower and crawled into bed wearing one of her fluffy PJs. Ava might have interrupted their play time, she knew both of them still enjoyed that night even though they got different things out of it.