Gosh, been awhile. I see I used to be really picky with quality here, but... I needed a place to put a Julian oneshot. That's all this is...fluff...
"Oh no, baby, you're sick." April felt Julian's head when he crawled into bed with them, crying. She turned to Jackson. "He's burning up; they won't take him in daycare."
Jackson yawned and rolled out of bed. "I'll see if Owen can switch with you."
"Shhh…it's OK, Juju come on calm down. Mama's gonna stay with you all day and cuddle," she rocked her two-year-old a bit. "But I need you to calm down, we gotta do some yucky stuff first. She sighed. "I gotta take your temperature, Jul. And we're gonna get some medicine, take a nice quick bath, then we'll cuddle when you're nice and warm and extra tired. Come on booger, let's get up."
She lifted him out of bed and danced down the hall. "We're gonna get some medicine, we're gonna get some medicine and make Julian feel better," she sang.
"Let me do it and get dressed, Owen can't switch with you." Jackson had appeared in the bathroom doorway. "But Ben and I flipped, so we're all set."
April sighed. She had doubts about Jackson being alone with the baby during the day on a sick day. He was fine at night, but Jul was usually just sleeping. But she had no choice. "OK, I'm off tomorrow. Are you gonna be ok doing close to a double shift?" she asked. He'd have an 8 to 4 tonight and then an 11 to 7.
He shrugged. "Why are you acting like it's a big deal? We used to do random shifts all the time before little man. I'll just sleep there and you'll get extra cuddle time."
She rolled her eyes. "I bet you'll love that. You have to cuddle babies when they're sick."
"I show you affection when you're sick, I just don't need it. But I've gotten better."
April handed Julian to Jackson, she had to get ready if she was going to be on time now. The baby started screaming. He kissed Julian's cheek incessantly to prove his point. "You have to take his temperature in his booty, and use the dropper for meds. Don't dress him in PJs that are too warm or too cool. And just love on him, he needs it."
"April, I'm a doctor and I know my son, we got this." They both left doors open while doing their thing. "101.5," he screamed to April. "Sorry bud, at least that's over. Worst part's done, worst part's done…" Jackson made a face to try and get Julian to laugh, the boy hadn't said an actual word so far, he'd just been crying with a few lulls since the morning.
"Yum, yum yum," Jackson tried to psych him out as the dropper cam toward his mouth. "I always feel so bad doing this," he called to April, cringing as he forced meds down Julian's throat so they'd avoid his tongue.
"Oh I know," she sighed sympathetically from inside the closet. "But it's the only way."
"I know." He lifted Julian into his arms. "OK, Bubba, bath time….shhh shhh shh. Shh, shhh, shhh." The baby rested his head on his dad's shoulder. "It's bath time now. Do you want toys?" He shook his head but Jackson was done with that. "Come on, buddy. I know being sick sucks and you're like your mommy. But mama uses her words to tell me what she needs. What toys do you want?"
"No yoys."
"No toys!? Who are you?"
"Jacks, he's sick. Make it a fast one, he just wants to sleep and feel better." She came in and worked around them to grab deodorant. "Oh I was gonna make my mom's 'Sick Day' chicken soup, buuut….we have cans. Just feed him that and toast, he loves toast when he's sick."
"Toast." Julian said to his mom when he spun around to look at her. He was naked, squirming in Jackson's arms as they waited for the bath to fill.
"I know monkey monster, you love toast. But mama loves you more than toast." She grabbed his head and kissed him. "Mwuah. Feel better my boy. Daddy will take care of you until mama comes home for a snugglefest. I love you."
She turned to leave. "Hey, where's my kiss?" He plopped Julian into the warm bath.
"Sorry you! I'm a bit turned around, I wasn't expecting to work." She grabbed his face. "I love you. Take care of my boy."
"I've got this, babe. I've taken care of sick people before, and Jul. And Jul while sick."
"I know." She gave him an extra kiss as an apology. "Just…the snuggles and tears are a lot during the day. And I really wanted to make us all a big batch of that soup. Oh well. See you boys tonight, love yah."
"Come on bud. You are warm and dry and wearing a T-Rex hoodie onsie. What do you want, dude?"
"Mum-mum-Mama." Julian stuttered as he cried into Jackson's chest.
Jackson sighed. "Mom's working. You'll see her later. But she promised cuddles and she's probably better at this than I am. I just maybe swoop in with a story, huh? So you can just cry it out, OK?"
"Y-Y-Yeah."
"Ok, I get it." Jackson kissed the side of his son's head. "Sleep. When you wake up, you'll feel better I promise. You need more sleep. It's so early. When you wake up we'll have some toast for lunch, what do you think?"
"Toast." Julian nodded against his dad, no longer crying.
"Daddy's so glad you love it so much, it's easy to make. And maybe we'll scramble some eggs." Jackson said, rocking him a bit. Julian was calm and watching him now. The goal was to bore him to sleep. "And daddy wants to cook soup for you and mommy. We'll see." He rolled his eyes at himself. "You can watch a movie, you don't have to watch that chaos…."
Jackson whispered nonsense until Julian finally mumbled "Daddy…" and fell back to sleep. He set an alarm and drifted off too.
"Daddy up!" Julian shook Jackson awake four hours later.
"Daddy's up…." Jackson yawned. "Ugh, we slept late. It's OK, we needed it, huh?" He felt Julian's forehead. "You feel better, you better little man?"
"Toast." He climbed on Jackson's chest.
"Yeah, we'll get you toast after we change you and then we'll call grandma."
"Yes, Karen, I'd like your secret 'Sick Day' chicken soup recipe." Jackson rolled his eyes at Karen, but only Julian could see. He giggled at his dad and dove into the bowl of bananas in front of him.
"Will I ruin the soup?" Jackson smirked. He put a plate of cut up toast in front of Julian and then started pacing in front of the highchair. "I'll try not to?" He didn't even try to sound confident. "My wife is working all day, and when she comes home she has to take care of a sick kid. She mentioned wanting the soup. She doesn't expect me to make the soup. And if I know Kepners, she keeps all the ingredients on hand and you know where they are."
"Mmmmmm hmmmmm. I knew it, Julian." He made a face at his son and his voice went up an octave when he got the answer. "Good boy. Good job baby, eating your nanas first." He kissed Julian's cheek.
"Toas' toas' toas.'"
"Yes, eat the toast. It's right there…Yeah, he says mom, dad, toast, nana, 'Eeeeeyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuue' means 'I love you.' He says a bunch. Come whenever you want, Karen. We'd love to have you." He meant it, too. His mother-in-law was helpful, and pretty harmless. April was a bit shy with her affection toward him in front of her mother, but she locked the bedroom door every night, and that worked for him.
"Can I have the recipe now? I promise April will love it. And if I screw it up, she'll help me fix it…. The family reputation is on the line? I know I bring down the cooking average, but I'm family nonetheless…. I know you weren't saying that. I know I'm your son…."
He stole a toast square from Julian's hand, which thankfully made the baby laugh. "You're kidding." He stopped crunching mid-bite. "She actually wrote this one down? You mean, it's not good enough to safeguard with your mind? I'm kidding Karen, just a little joke. Recipe book…Recipe book…. Are you sure we have that? Really?" He wrinkled his nose. "A whole shelf? Oh, yeah. Here it is, a whole cookbook shelf. Huh."
He thumbed through a shelf above the counter that felt new to him, peeking at Julian as he did. Little man got really restless when he was done eating. "Got it. Aw Karen. You laminated it an everything?" He pulled down 'Recipes from Mama K's Heart' a homemade book, bound and protected with plastic.
"Here it is…OK. 'Sick Day' chicken noodle soup. Are you sure she has everything here?" Karen swore it, insisting it was common practice for Kepners to always keep the soup ingredients on hand, as you never know when someone would get sick. Jackson helped Julian from his highchair. The baby was done with his toast and started banging his tray for attention. Clearly the medicine was working. Jackson made Karen stay on the phone until he was sure he'd found everything. There was no point in keeping her on beyond that. Julian was clawing at his heels.
"We've gotta make soup for dinner Jul. So you and mama can just cuddle later. Do you want to help?"
"No don't!" Julian screamed from his place on the floor. He really didn't know what his dad was saying, it just didn't sound like something he wanted to do. To emphasize the point, he sneezed loudly and snot trickled down his nose and on to the floor pretty quickly. Julian burst into giggles again.
"Oh you think that's funny, huh? Making a snotty mess daddy has to clean up right before I cook? It definitely got you out of cooking though, nice job. High five. He tapped his son's hand when he picked him up to go get tissues to clean Julian's nose and change him.
"You want to watch 'Cars?'" Jackson asked when he was done.
"Cars! Cars!"
"OK, bud. Will you be good? Daddy has to cook." Julian just rested his head on his dad's shoulder. "Oh, you're still tired, I can work with this." Jackson kissed his son's cheek, put him on the couch, and got his Buzz Lightyear blanket to wrap around him, hoping the movie and blanket would entertain him enough to keep him on the couch.
He flavored broth with vegetables and spices, cooked and shredded chicken, made noodles and added the lemon zest labeled the "secret," all while popping into the living room to comment on how cool Lightening McQueen was, and later to coax Julian to nap when he got whiny, and tuck him in tightly to the Buzz blanket.
Jackson rarely cooked; he didn't have to. Even when he'd moved out of the house officially after undergraduate school he had enough money to access any cuisine he wanted. He loved frozen food as much of the next bachelor, and that's what he made if he had to, but he rarely had to. He could scramble an egg on the fly, but that was about it. He was very grateful his son's favorite food today was toast.
Once they got married, April cooked. When they were newlyweds, Jackson did cook basic things like spaghetti, but she also froze a lot of meals for when she worked. And when Julian started eating solid food, she somehow cooked even more, it seemed; or reluctantly and carefully hand-picked acceptable frozen foods for Jackson to cook Julian.
Still, Jackson was determined to get this soup perfect. He knew that if he didn't, she'd just come home and make after work. With Julian in her arms if he wanted to be, of course. But it shouldn't have to be like that. She was going to do that for him if he'd been on the day shift today so all he had to do was make sure Julian was loved and comfortable. So, he would do the same for her.
"Hey, little man, you have a good nap? You slept a while but it's not dinner. We're gonna wait for mama to have soup. I think daddy actually made something decent, you believe it?"
"Mama!" He whined a little, but he seemed too weak to be hysterical. Jackson felt his forehead. Not as hot as this morning, but not as stable the middle of "Cars" when he was banging on a drum set.
Jackson felt so badly. He knew Julian loved him so much and loved that he was there, but when a baby is sick all they want is their mom. "She'll be home soon, I promise. Wanna go back in Dad's room and watch Buzz with me?"
"Yeah, dad. Buzz." He nodded against Jackson's shoulder and they headed toward the bedroom.
"Mama." Julian whispered and smiled through his pacifier, reaching for her face just to touch it as he squirmed from Jackson's arms.
"Hi, my love." She whispered back, picking him up and whisking him out of the room so Jackson could sleep a little bit longer. "How are you? How was your day, beautiful boy?" He just whined on her shoulder so she felt his head. "Oh baby, you're burning up. Let's get you meds first and then we'll change you and eat some of daddy's yummy soup he made us. It smells so good. And then it's you and me, buddy. Cuddle time. I can't wait. Open please, big boy."
He complied and she dropped the medicine down his throat, so she knew he was feeling OK, despite the high fever. "Did daddy do well taking care of you, today?" She changed his diaper while having the rhetorical conversation with herself (usually Julian babbled more) and then stuck her head in the bedroom to wake Jackson up, knocking on the door.
"Honey, family dinner tonight?"
"Yeah," he yawned. "If you can stomach it."
April let Julian down from her arms. "Go play in the living room, sweetheart. Just a few minutes, though. We're gonna eat yummies soon." April loved living in the apartment because she could just let Julian run around. She knew every inch of the place was as Julian-proof as he'd allow. Of course they always watched him, but they could sneak a couple of minutes alone here and there.
"I think you nailed it, babe," she whispered in his ear from the side of the bed. "It smells right. And this is the nicest, most romantic thing you've done in a while. You're gonna like my thank you." She kissed his cheek and he smirked, eyes still closed.
"Oh, yeah. Real romantic. Making dinner for you so you can just focus on the sick kid all night."
"It is! You did it so you could eat with us and I don't have to have to cook much tomorrow and I could just cuddle him all night. That is romantic. Now, get your fine booty out of bed so we can eat dinner with you, with your day shift tomorrow we're not gonna see you for about 24 hours." She pulled down his pajamas and smacked his bare ass, knowing that would get him up. Her naughty side rarely made an appearance first, even when they were joking. She knew he'd want revenge before he left. It was quite rude of her to tease his reward when he didn't have time to receive it properly.
He opened his eyes and she smirked at him from the doorway quickly before heading to Julian.
"Hey! Get back here. Was that part of my thank you? Tell me more."
"Nuh uh. Not 'til tomorrow. Right now I gotta make my Juju a bowl of soup." She yelled to Jackson and snuck up behind Julian, smothering him with kisses as she brought him to his highchair.
"Mama." He touched his nose to hers, framing her face with his tiny hands.
"Juju." She kissed his stuffy nose. "Sorry you're sick but you're so sweet right now I can't stand that sweet face! Oh no, don't touch your nose, yucky. Let's clean up before dinner." She scrubbed her hands at the sink and prepped a washcloth for Julian. "Daddy's joining us soon!" April screamed down the hallway. They tried the best they could to balance it, but nights that they had only fleeting moments as a family still crushed her. As far as she was concerned, her husband liked sleep too much.
"Relax, relax I'm here." She grabbed her ass to fake protect it as he walked past her, but he surprised her, kissing her shoulder and stopping to nuzzle her neck instead. "I'll make the bowls; you just deal with the boogie monster over there."
"Hey," she grabbed his arm before he was out of reach. "A real one, please."
He leaned in and kissed her. "Hi sweetheart. How was your day?"
"Miserable. I hate taking care of annoying sick people when anyone I love is at home sick." They broke apart, Jackson went for the bowls while April armed herself with a washcloth and tissues and went to Julian.
"We're annoying sometimes too." Part of the reason their marriage worked so well after the early bumps was that they worked hard to keep grounded and stay realistic, everywhere but the bedroom.
"Yeah, but I can tell you. I really don't like leaving him. What do you think about part time for me?"
Jackson shrugged. But he was going to give her his honest opinion. A choice like this wasn't just hers. "I think you had a bad day at work because your kid was sick. I have those too. I don't like leaving you alone when he's sick. I think you'd get bored, even part-time. I think we have the same drive to do good in the world through medicine and you'll lose it if you stop working. But, we both could quit today and maintain the same lifestyle. You make money through the foundation, too. So, if you really want to, you can work less."
"Thanks, babe."
"For what?"
"For helping me squash that idea so fast. It's not something I wanted to wonder about too long."
"Oh, you're welcome." He put a bowl of soup and a Buzz Lightyear spoon in front of Julian. "Go to town, little J."
"No, no." April rolled her eyes. "We don't tell the sick baby to 'go to town' on hot soup, daddy."
"Oh, right." Jackson was a great dad. But he was definitely in a rush for his son to grow up most of the time. April knew he'd just forgotten that Julian didn't know the soup was hot. She, on the other hand, wanted her baby to stay just under two forever.
"Don't touch yet, Julian. Hot. Don't touch. Can you say 'hot?'
"Hot, don't."
"Good job, buddy. We're all gonna wait and pray."
"Pay!" Julian clapped, excited. He knew what that meant.
Jackson grinned. His son definitely knew what praying was. And he didn't mind. He wasn't forced to believe anything, and they'd agreed all their children could make up their mind's at an age that felt right for them. Logically to Jackson, starting his kids off believing made sense. They wouldn't be lied to; mommy believed in God and daddy didn't. But the serious conversation would happen when they were old enough.
Julian bowed his head and folded his hands, waiting for his momma. "God is great and God is good, and we thank him for our food. By His hand we all are fed, give us this day our daily bread. Thank you daddy for this yummy, yummy soup you made for us tonight to make Julian feel better. Amen!"
"MEN!" Julian screamed. But by the middle of the meal he was lethargic again; crying and refusing to eat on his own.
"No Julian, you eat it yourself. It's a few more bites," Jackson tried. But April wouldn't have it.
"Babe, you gotta go. I'm just gonna feed him. Meds are wearing off and he just wants to cuddle mama, don't you, Juju?" She fed him a bite and Jackson shrugged, kissing her goodbye and then placing one on Julian's head with his hand.
"Bye little man. Be good for your mom. See you soon." It sucked when he couldn't say "tomorrow." Julian would be sleeping when he got home.
"See yah. Love yah." When Jackson turned to leave, Julian burst into tears. "Sorry babe." Jackson screamed behind him. He couldn't turn back to help, it would make things worse.
But April didn't need help. "Ok, we're done eating. It's cuddle time with mommy. I know, it's so hard. It's so hard when we leave." She held him to her chest and kissed his head. "We have to take meds first, and then we'll read Buzz. Maybe watch Buzz. How does that sound?"
"Buzz." Julian whispered into her neck.
"Yeah, we love Buzz. Let's change you and get cozy."
April wanted to be a mother for moments like this; she positively drank them in. Her baby only made it through half the Buzz Lightyear book, but he was warm and as happy as he could be, cuddled against her chest sleeping. He was sucking a pacifier and clinging to her at the same time, perfectly content. He wasn't waking up when she kissed his little head, but at one point he did wake up.
"Mama!" It was a dream, not a nightmare. His smile peeked out from the edge of his pacifier.
"What snuggly bug? Were you dreaming of me and then you woke up and I was right there? I think so."
"Buzz!" Julian's mouth fell open when he saw what she was watching in case he woke up. Toy Story on mute.
"Yeah, but he's going nite nite. See? No talking. Nite nite Buzz. Nite nite Julian."
"Nite nite mama," he laughed.
"That's right. Good job, smart boy. Nite nite mama. I'm actually really tired, I just put this on for a bit in case you were grumpy and woke up." She shut it off and pulled him closer, kissing the top of his head. "Love you!"
"EEEEEEEUUUUUUYOU!" he screamed, he knew what it meant as much as a 20-month-old could, not much. But mama and daddy said it a lot, especially at bedtime. So, he screamed what he could.
"Shh, silly boy. Shh, shh." She stroked his head to calm him down again and fell asleep soon after she heard his little baby breaths steady.
"Hi!" Julian took his passi out when his mama opened her eyes the next morning and whispered. He was still snuggled against her and didn't want to move. He felt yucky.
"Hey little J. How do you feel, my love?" She felt his forehead, yawning. "Probably better but still yuck," she guessed when he snuggled close. "OK, well, we have to check. Sorry buddy. And we're going to take medicine and then eat."
She kissed him. "Gosh, you are so sweet you give mama a toothache every day. You know that?" She smothered his cheeks with more kisses and then got up. She was going to bathe and change her son, but they were both staying in PJs all day and snuggling if she had any say. If he felt better later, of course she'd let him play. But for now she got him up, gave him meds, bathed and changed him and then brought him to his highchair for his beloved toast and oatmeal.
"Good boy, Juju. You did such a great job eating that oatmeal, too baby boy. You want to take some toys out and play?" She picked him up. He knew the word "play" and shook his head against her shoulder.
"No? You just want to cuddle in mama's room still? Ok, daddy's home tonight so you have to sleep in your cool room. It's almost a big boy room. But I'm so happy just to snuggle with you most of the day. So happy!"
They read books all morning until Julian turned to his mama. "Juju seepy."
"Oh, buddy. Ok, sleep sweet boy. Do you want me to sing you a song?"
"No, hug!" He cuddled closer to her and closed his eyes. She rocked him a bit, careful to respect his wishes and not sing. She held him and read most of the day. She let him sleep through lunch (though she ate leftover soup in bed) and got up only when it was time to prepare dinner. Julian started crying for her as soon as she was done washing dishes.
"Good timing, sweetheart. Mama's gonna make you soup….and toast." He smiled big in her arms. "You are the funniest, Julian. All you need in life is daddy and mama and toast, I think. For now, at least." She kissed his cheek.
April didn't realize how tired she was until she sat on the couch with a glass of wine an hour later, when Julian was asleep. She loved spending this much time with her son and he was definitely sweeter when he was sick, if that were possible. Her day was relaxing even, on the surface. Julian wasn't even too sick, but underneath the surface thoughts of what needed to get done next or making sure Julian was comfortable in her arms as she read was worry. Worry he was silent instead of laughing at his favorite part of a movie. Worry the medicine wasn't working fast enough. On the surface, it was a relaxing day off snuggling with her kid. In reality, taking care of it all alone was stressful. She was glad it was just a cold, because anything more was scary. It was difficult, being a surgeon and a parent and refusing to hire the additional childcare their peers insisted on. But they loved it. She loved it.
"Heeey, you didn't start dinner, did you?" Jackson came through the door, instantly disrupting April's peace, a hand behind his back.
"I was gonna heat up soup, but I don't really want to…." She smirked.
"Good. I brought home Greek…" He reached into the bag. "Oh and these are for you."
"Red roses…. what did I do deserve these?" she blushed.
"What didn't you do? You took care of my son for 24 hours alone; and you're kinda hot."
"Just kinda?" she took the bouquet from him with a kiss and moved them to a vase. "And he's our son, and he was super sweet all 24 of those hours. And a toast monster. But I'm starving. You didn't get soup, right?"
"No soup, promise."
"Good. Sick of it. I need something to give me energy tonight."
"Is that a hint?"
"Nope. We can skip the hints. You're getting some tonight if you want it. But only if you feed me."
"Oh, don't you worry. I'll feed you. No problem."
He winked, and then they switched to dinnertime conversation without missing a beat as they ate their gyros. They talked about Jackson's work day and Julian's sick day, but they both knew exactly where the night was ending and if either one turned it on, the other would be ready in a second. That's why April loved her husband, her marriage. Jackson was simultaneously her best friend and lover; her parenting and life partner, he listened and carefully thought through all decisions with her. Brought home dinner after a long day of work because he knew she'd probably be tired and sick of soup. But he was also going to make sure she came before he let her sleep.
"Do we want to move this or…" Jackson had followed April and the wine into the living room a few minutes before. He was mirroring her sip for sip because it was amusing them for some reason and he was waiting for her to lead him to the bedroom. She was in control here, and when they were home, she liked to make love in the bedroom, no sex in the closet for the Averys after work, especially since they decided to try for another baby.
April had gotten bold and climbed on his lap. She threw off her t-shirt and was alternating between kissing him and taking sips of wine. "No, we just opened the bottle."
"Ok, but I mean, we could leave it…" he shrugged and smirked. "You're going kinda fast and…I know where you like to be…"
"Where do you like to be, babe?"
He chuckled. "Where you are."
"Here. We're right here." She started undoing his belt.
"Got it." When he got the green light he reached out to take her breast in his mouth but she stopped him.
"No. I touch you." He understood. Usually, no matter who started out as the aggressor April gave in to him. She might choose a position or two, but he was the one whispering orders in her ear, her job was to react to him. The more control she lost, the louder she got. But Jackson was always steady. He usually expressed pleasure in his eyes, he'd never been good with words.
Not being able to touch or kiss her threw him. He couldn't remember ever playing this game, because while giving felt natural he wasn't unselfish. He also had to feel her. Her little swats of his hand were fun but maddening.
April giggled and threw her hand half-heartedly over his mouth as she moved against him. She didn't need the verbal validation as much when they were intimate, but hearing it this much, this loudly from her husband, who never really lost control during sex, felt good. Still, they were parents and not being fair to their sick son. "OK, ok…. shhhh…touch. But, quiet you," she kissed him. "We have a sick baby in the other room sleeping. This was a bad idea." But she didn't stop.
Jackson opened his eyes. "What do you mean? This was a great idea, your best. My favorite one you've ever had."
"Oh yeah?" She regretted bending her rules instantly. There was something different about this pleasure. There was an edge to it, watching Jackson react to her rules and receive her body more deliberately. She understood why he liked the control.
He reached out to her but just as she was about to give in a tiny voice came from behind the couch, his eyes meeting April's. "Daddy!" Julian screamed, tears running down his face.
Jackson sighed. They were both so close. But April put her fingers to his lips and dismounted. She picked up her son, not even bothering with clothes.
"Yeah, squishy…daddy's home. Daddy's happy. Why aren't you happy?" She kissed his forehead. "Let's go back to bed little man. The only reason mama's talking to you while I'm putting you back is that you're sick."
"Daddy!" The baby screamed over her shoulder.
"Yup. Daddy will come. He's busy right now. He's happy. He'll come say hi to you when he's done. Hopefully you'll be sleeping squish…I love you. I love you." Julian quieted pretty quickly. He was being told what he knew to be the truth, his daddy was home; but he also knew daddy wasn't going to answer.
Without missing a beat after she put her son to sleep, April walked into the living room and crawled on top of her husband. "You're amazing; you know that? How did you just go from mom mode to…."
"Shhh. No talking, no touching." She didn't want to say it out loud but the interruption did take some fun out of it. The faster, the better as long as her kid didn't climb out of his crib to find the source of the screams.
"Not so fast," Jackson said when they caught their breath and his wife tried to get up from the couch. He lay her down on. "We're not finished yet." But she knew that look in his eye, knew where he wanted to go.
"Yeah, OK. I like that. But in the bedroom. I really don't want to wake him up again and…." She blushed. Her husband was really skilled with his tongue. "I'll let you carry me." She tried to sound assertive, she knew she was losing control in a minute.
"Let me, huh?" He finally got her back for the other day, right before she wrapped her legs around him.
"Yeah, you're welcome."
He threw her on the bed and then quickly and quietly shut the door. "You're hot."
"You're wonderful," she said, meeting the sparkle in his eyes with some of her own as he kissed her mouth, and then kissed a trail down to his final destination. April made a note to herself to keep the magic in the bedroom as much as possible. Changing things up was fun, but nothing compared to the connection they had between the sheets…or on top of them.
When they were finally finished, Jackson immediately rolled over out of bed, headed to the living room for his boxers.
"Gee, so romantic," April smirked from bed with a loud whisper. She didn't really mind, but it was odd for Jackson to care what he wore to bed.
Jackson peeked his head in. "It's not like that. You promised Julian I'd say hi."
"Jackson, it's midnight. He's sound asleep babe. He won't know."
Jackson shook his head. "Doesn't matter. You said 'daddy will come.' That's a promise you made to him on my behalf. Try not to do that. Or, if you do, make sure you tell me and you know I'll keep it. I don't break promises to you or him. It's a…." He paused. He was trying to get better for his wife, not now wasn't the time to delve into those emotions. "Thing."
She looked away and blushed as he headed to Julian's room. "OK…sorry…" She was so embarrassed. When she actually thought about it, she realized he did choose his words carefully, even when she gave him a "Honey Do" or grocery list he said, "I'll do my best," or something similar. And at their wedding he really was so much more emotional than ever before when saying vows. She'd never forget that.
But he returned to bed in good spirits with a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and two spoons. "Thanks." She whispered, taking a spoon from him. But she didn't go for a bite.
"I did wake him up for a sec, he knew I was there. But I didn't do it on purpose, and he went right back to sleep I swear," he said between spoonfuls.
"It's OK, you did what you had to do…" she was on the verge of tears. Her voice is what made Jackson realize she hadn't taken a bite.
"I'm not mad, sweetheart…did I yell at you?" It was an honest question. For April, sometimes yelling was a tone.
"No…no. I just, I feel bad. I forget about your dad and, you never do and…I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry. And please don't let this ice cream melt because of it. It's not a big deal. In my lifetime, I'll accidently break a few small promises to you guys. I know I will. Just…I try to avoid it at all costs, especially while he's young." He was too tired to get into it all, and was relieved when she wiped the edges of her eyes before a real tear could fall and finally dug in to the ice cream.
"I know just…I really love you so much."
"I know. I really love you that much too. Cheers to sex, ice cream, and sleeping sick babies."
She smacked him, but then clinked her spoon with his. "Cheers!"