“Babe, it’ll be okay.” Asher pulls her into a side hug. “Ember has this covered. You have to get some sleep,” he says as she sends an elbow, attempting to silence his words.
I didn’t realize she had been having problems sleeping, or I would have offered to take Aria much sooner than now.
“I’ve got her, Atlas. I promise,” I say, seeing Atlas lose it, tears running down her face now. I pass Aria to Harley, and pull Atlas into a tight hug, and let her cry.
Harley and Asher take Aria into the kitchen, giving Atlas and me a moment to ourselves.
“Honey, is this just about Asher leaving?” I ask her.
She’s always been independent, but since she met Asher, she’s become a “Husband’s Girl.” She knew she could depend on him, and it took years before she would let him in.
“I just have been having trouble sleeping, and I know that it’s only going to get worse when he’s gone,” she tells me as she wipes her nose with her sleeve.
“Then I want you to have a glass of wine with us before you leave. Chat with the adults and see that Aria is okay.” I pull her up from the couch. “Then I want you and Asher to head home, snuggle up in bed, watch a new movie, order Taco Bell, and enjoy your time with your husband,” I tell her. “I will keep you updated if she becomes an unruly crotch goblin,” I say, making her let out a laugh. We walk into the kitchen and find Asher and Harley chatting while Harley sways left and right with Aria still in his arms.
“She sure does like you, Black,” Asher tells Harley as he reaches to grab Atlas to pull her into a hug.
I grab for the wine glasses, setting them on the counter. “Want a glass before you head home?” I nod to Asher, who looks down at Atlas for reassurance. “Yes, please, but just a quick one!” he says, leading Atlas to the stool by the island, standing behind her.
After the four of us easily polish off a bottle, Asher is able to usher Atlas out of the house to head home.
Aria and I get settled on the couch while Harley cleans up the kitchen. He gets this all done during the commercials before Luca starts playing.
Just before the opening credits begin, Harley comes in carrying M&Ms, popcorn, a bottle for Aria, and a mug of my favorite vanilla chai for me.
We settle in and become engrossed in the movie. Aria eats a couple pieces of candy, Harley watching her like a hawk to be sure she doesn’tchoke, before he decides a couple is enough. I can’t help but laugh because this is exactly how I used to act, until I realized that babies are resilient little shits.
Aria finally settles on her bottle and passes out midway through the movie. Harley has kept his distance on the couch while I have her snuggled in my arms.
“You can get closer, babe.” I laugh, shifting her to one side so she’s laid out. He reluctantly comes close, snuggling up to the two of us.
His close proximity grounds me, and finally I let sleep take me too.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HARLEY
I wakeup to find that the movie has ended and looped back to the main screen.
My first instinct is to stretch, but before I can, I feel a weight on my arm. Looking down, the sight before me feels like someone reaches in and squeezes my heart. Aria is snuggled up into Ember’s arms, who is laying on her side, facing me. Aria is dead center between us, sleeping like a rock.
In this moment, I realize that I love Ember. That I am head over heels in love with the woman and have been for years. I can’t wait for the day she loves me back and we can start our life together, because I'll be damned if I let this woman get away again. The flashes of our future begin playing through my head and I can’t hold back my smile. I have a thought of a little girl, with curly strawberry blonde hair, and a sassy attitude. The thought of them fighting with the same attitude has me chuckling to myself.
My movement jostles Ember awake. She stirs and rubs her eyes. “What’re you laughing at?” Her eyes go wide with worry. “Was I snoring? Drooling?” I try to stifle my laugh.
“No, pretty girl, just laughing at myself,” I tell her, trying to ease her worry. Even if she had been, I would have lied.
I find myself unsure of what I should do next, because we never discussed me staying over while Aria was here. I’ve only stayed the night once, so I’m not sure if this is overstepping.
“Hey, pretty girl, should I head out?” I ask her, trying to cover any emotion. I want to stay, but I don’t want to make her or Atlas uncomfortable.
Ember shifts again looking up at me. “We actually didn’t talk about that.” She shimmies out from under Aria.
“I think I'll head home for the night,” I tell her. “Just in case.”
“Yeah maybe that’s a good idea,” Ember pops her lower lips, “We’ll have to verify next time.”
Next time. I like the sound of that.
