Someday: A Collection of Joshaya One Shots

Changing Plans

Maya's POV

I haven't worn a pair of heels since...staring at my reflection in the mirror, I can't even remember the last time I shoved my feet into a pair of stilettos. But tonight was a special occasion, mine, and Josh's first night out since our son was born. Our daughter, a lively, pig-tailed two year old kept tugging on the hem of my dress from where she stood at my side.

"Mommy you look pwetty" she says, still struggling a bit with her r's which both Josh and I found absolutely adorable; neither one of us wanting to think of a day where she says every word fluently without issue. Right now, she was still our little girl.

"Thank you baby girl" I reply, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. For the first time in months, I felt as pretty as Madeline, our sweet girl, said. I'd lost a few pounds of the baby weight, had started to fall into a sleep routine however abnormal and had invested in a few new make-up palettes to experiment with.

In short, I was ready for a night out with my husband.

"Hey gorgeous" Josh smiles easily as he strolls into our bedroom buttoning his cuff links. He was dressed to the nines, classic black suit jacket with a white undershirt and black slacks, hair purposefully messy on top of his head and eyes that only saw me. "You almost ready? Calliope should be here soon" he adds, slipping his arms around my waist.

Calliope was our babysitter, a polite, responsible girl from down the street with CPR certification and an honor roll grade point average. Madeline adored her and Max, well, he slept through most of her visits.

"I'm beyond ready" I reply, humming contentedly as I stare at our reflection in the floor length mirror, still disbelieving that somehow this is my life; happily married with a beautiful family. It still seemed like something straight out of a dream or a romance novel, not something that happens in real life.

And yet-. The thought is interrupted by my husband's phone ringing causing him to break our embrace to check who it could be and by the way his brows furrow and the uneasy exhale that falls from his lips, I know he can't be looking forward to conversing with whoever it is on the other side of the line. "Josh Matthews" he answers professionally earning my eye roll.

I was the only one who got a dissimilar greeting, usually something along the lines of a pet name followed by a warm question of concern. "You're serious?" My husband runs his fingers through his hair, the main reason it's always so messy, before dropping his hand to his side noisily. "No, of course. Schoolwork comes first" he adds, and my heart begins to sink in my chest.

"Mommy." Looking down at my daughter, I lean over and pick her up. Immediately, her head cradles against my chest and a smidge of my unease dissipates. "Is Callie gonna be here soon?" She ask, her small fingers playing with the birthstone necklace around my neck. Each of the stones representing my birth month, Josh's, and Maddie's, hung beautifully on a silver chain around my neck, hardly ever coming off except when I slept. I guessed that Max's birthstone would join the mix right around the next gifting holiday.

Josh releases a deep sigh as his phone disconnects from the call and he pockets it in his suit jacket. "Bad news?" I guess.

"Calliope has a missing assignment that's due at midnight." The final nail in the coffin that is our night out. "I'm sorry baby."

"You're sorry?" I scoff, kissing Maddie's temple before settling her back on her feet. She toddles towards the mirror and starts to hold a conversation with her reflection. "Josh, it's your birthday that's ruined" I add, sighing as I pick up my foot to take off my heels.

Guess they'll have to wait another year to see the light of day.

"It's not ruined" he protests, "it's just going to be different." He begins to undo his cufflinks and looks helplessly around the room; he could pretend not to be disappointed, but I knew my husband better than I knew myself and I know that tonight meant as much to him as it did me. "I'm gonna go check on Max."

I watch as he walks out of the room, defeat obvious in the droop of his shoulders and I feel awful, not that I could control Calliope or her assignments. Luckily though, he was right about one thing. Tonight didn't have to ruined. Different, he'd said.

Perhaps breakfast for dinner. It's not as fancy as what we had planned but I suppose that's the whole point of this being different. And my husband does love pancakes. "Wanna come with mommy to see if we have any flour?" I ask my daughter and within minutes we're taking the steps one by one on a mission to check for pancake ingredients.

*************************************************************************************

Changed from my little black dress and heels into a pair of yoga pants and one of Josh's old t-shirts, I'm stood at the stove flipping pancakes when Josh meanders into the kitchen having had just put Madeline down for bed after she'd helped me hunt down everything needed for tonight's breakfast themed dinner.

Josh immediately raises an eyebrow at the mess covering the counter. "What are you up to?" He asks, settling behind me.

He too had changed, wearing gray sweatpants and nothing else, his hair still a mess and his loving gaze settled on my skin as he pulls my hair to the side. "Doing something different. Making breakfast for dinner." I reply, attempting not to go weak in the knees as his lips close over my skin. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Mhm" he hums, his grip tightening with one hand while the other moves to my chin to tilt my head back. I immediately melt into him, granting him the access to my lips that he wanted and sighing lightly as his tongue teases the seam of my mouth before pulling away for the slightest second. "But you know what'd be really different, if we had dessert before dinner" he smirks, meanwhile, the pancakes still sit on the skillet are burning to a crisp.

"Josh-." He reaches past me and shuts off the stove, grabbing me by the hand and leading me towards the stairs. I laugh, failing to keep up with him until we reach our bedroom. "You're the only person I know that would rather fool around than eat."

My husband snickers. "That's got to be the largest exaggeration that I have ever heard. No man wants pancakes when he could-."

I raise my hand to stop him. "I swear if you finish that thought in the way I think you're going to."

"Is that how little you think of me? That I'd say such vulgar things?"

I slowly lift my arms to cross against my chest, quirking an eyebrow at him causing him to laugh as he closes the distance between us and unfurls my arms. "You love it." He says, conceding to the fact that not only would he speak that way, but he has.

"I do not" I argue, lying right to his face.

Josh laughs, "yea, okay. Six weeks and suddenly I don't remember what you like?"

"It's been a long six weeks."

"You're telling me. And then our babysitter fucking cancels." I lay my hands against my husband's chest and offer him a sad smile. Our non-refundable hotel reservation with a preceding formal dinner planned at the hotel's five star restaurant. The room itself soundproof and void of baby monitors only now a distant dream dashed by our babysitter's forgetfulness. "I just wanted one night to have you to myself." He confesses sadly.

Sliding my hands upwards until they're looped around his neck, I glance around the room. "Well, we're alone right now" I point out, bringing my gaze back to meet his. A sly smile takes over his lips.

"Five bucks, the baby monitor goes off the second I get you undressed."

"Ten says that it goes off right before we..." Trailing off, my husband chuckles at my inability to speak as openly as he's able but I'm not embarrassed by his laughter; I know he finds my quirks adorable.

"Yea?" Picking me up suddenly, without warning, he settles his hands under my ass and carries me to our bed. "Alright Mrs. Matthews, let the best spouse win."

"Oh, she will" I reply, laughing as I reach up and grab the strings of my husband's sweatpants, pulling him down to me to kiss him, fully intent on reveling in this moment as long as our children will allow.