Where The Heart Is.

Chapter Three

Mornings were Aaron's favourite time of the day.

They were peaceful and quiet. And full of love.

A stark difference from the mornings he had grown up with.

The army. The routine. His father.

He would have never dreamed of a life like the one he had now.

He would have never dared to hope.

And yet he was living it now. And he was grateful for it with the very essence of his being.

Juliette would make them their morning coffee- hers with milk and sugar, his with neither- and he would prepare breakfast. Today, he was frying up some eggs and bacon while Juliette popped some bread into the toaster.

Juliette was talking about Kenji and Nazeera, but Aaron was more focused on the way her lips moved. He smiled, his eyebrow arched, as he looked from her lips to her eyes and back at her lips, before licking his own.

Five years into their marriage and he still couldn't believe she was his.

Completely his. Forever.

"... and Kenji was telling me that she gets pretty tired lately so I offered to have Kai over the weekend- Aaron? Are you even listening?" She chuckled, tilting her head up as he moved closer to her, dipping his head down to brush his lips against her while he whispered, "Every word."

"So you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't. I never question your decisions, love."

It was true. He didn't.

Anything Juliette wanted, Aaron made it his duty to ensure it happened. Juliette deserved the world, the moon, and the stars themselves.

There was nothing about her that wasn't perfect.

The sound of her voice, those soft lips, the burning smell of bacon...

The bacon.

He'd been so distracted by Juliette that he'd forgotten the bacon.

He groaned as he whipped around to the stove and tried to salvage what he could.

"I burnt the bacon. Oh god," He grumbled, Flipping out the burnt bits off the pan. She laughed, striding over and wrapping her arms around him from behind, her cheek on his back.

"Oh, Aaron. Don't worry so much. I think we've enough."

"It's his favourite, love. You know how he doesn't like it too crispy."

And right on cue, a small tousled head of hair made its way to the kitchen with the sleepiest expression ever and his bunny plushy tucked in his right arm.

Alex stopped in front of his parents and yawned. Juliette laughed as she walked to her son, picking him up and spinning him around, kissing his cheeks before she hugged him tightly.

"Mommy's baby! Did you sleep well?"

Alex wriggled and pouted. "Down!"

Juliette hugged him a bit more before she set him back down. Immediately, Alex began to cuddle his dog who had trotted up to him and gave him a few loving licks.

Juliette sighed. "I wish he'd let me cuddle him some more."

Aaron set three plates on the table and wrapped his arms tightly around his wife, as she melted into his arms.

"He may grow out of our cuddles, love. But there's nothing that will stop me from wanting yours. They keep me alive. My heart beats to the warmth of your embrace," He said with a straight face and she laughed.

"You always know how to make me feel better, Aaron. Thank you," She tiptoed and kissed him gently.

"And besides," He slid his hands up her arms to her cheeks and cupped them gently before he kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. "You'll get more baby cuddles when we have another one okay, sweetheart? You still want another one, don't you?" His green eyes gazed into her own.

She nodded, her smile growing wider.

His thumb ran over her lower lip and she parted her lips with a slow exhale. His eyes grew heavy as he moved down slowly, his warm breath exciting her and the familiar heat ignited within the pits of her stomach, but a sudden movement made Aaron tear his focus off her and he looked over her shoulder as though he sensed it before he saw it- which he probably did.

He groaned loudly, letting his wife's chin go and moving to the mischievous giggling boy.

"Alexander! For the love of god, please don't feed Milo all the bacon!"