For Straightshooter80 who always lets me vent when I need to!
It was the kind of peaceful summer evening that neither of them took for granted. The air was cool and being back in New York on a more permanent basis, it was an adaptation for Stefani to reassimilate herself with. There was something to be said for the 10 to 15 degree drop of temperature at night and she wouldn't have been telling the truth if she'd said she didn't miss the outdoor sauna California weather gave them at night, perfect for going in the pool.
But there was also something wonderful about the two of them holed up outside in the backyard of the townhouse they'd bought together, barefooted in front of the fire pit, not really talking about anything in particular. It was the security of knowing that they were together, tucked away from the outside world and for the time being, no one had to go anywhere. No filming to complete or commercials to shoot. It was a week of relaxation, though neither of them could be completely lazy. If she wasn't picking up a guitar or sitting on the deck with a typewriter at some point or if he didn't get a spark of inspiration and run to his laptop before the moment passed him by, they just would not be who they were.
Still, there were no familiar intrusions of phone calls or the need to go or do anythimg at all, other than to spend time with Lea when it was Bradley's days, to veg out with pizza and a movie and enjoy this unusual lull...to take advantage of it.
She loved the quiet. Loved sitting on his lap, gazing out into the fire as it crackled invitingly. Loved being engulfed in his worn out Georgetown sweatshirt with the sleeves twice rolled up. Loved the way his fingers stroked her hair, his other hand on her knees, loved the caress of his touch on her skin. The little things. The simplicity that she craved.
Lazily, he brought up their vacation, the only planned thing they had, aside from Lea's upcoming preschool graduation; an impromptu trip to St. Lucia's for the three of them, days of nothing but swimming and eating and lying on the beach, the payoff of a very long and trying year.
They spoke at random about arrangements and what to pack and it wasn't lost on her that it would be their very first vacation all together and he smiled when she mentioned it, lacing their fingers.
"First but not last," he vowed, sealing the promise with a kiss. "And truth be told, we really fucking deserve it."
She laughed at his proclamation. "Yes, we do."
It had been more than 365 days of long distance, of navigating what was private in a public forum, of many a furtive discussion but in the end, it had all boiled down to what made the most sense for them and for Lea.
And with that decision, a great sense of relief.
"So," she hedged, allowing her foot to swing a little, "do we talk about Lea's ceremony now or later?"
"I don't think there's much to talk about, Stef. I want you there and so does she."
"And you know that's what I want, too," she followed quickly with. "More than anything. But I just don't want to steal focus, I guess. This is her day."
It wasn't as though her worry about doing exactly that was anything out of the ordinary. The pains they took not to get papped the few times she'd accompanied him to take Lea to school were nothing short of ridiculous and they both knew there was no way to avoid it if she attended the graduation. There was the unspoken inevitably of being photographed alone or separately and they were entirely used to it at this stage of the game.
Bringing Lea into the fray was something else all together and she wanted to shield her from it, although she also was beyond certain they'd protect her with every fiber of their being, just as they would with any future children.
