For Fiona

8. Sleeping Arrangements

Warmth. All Lucy could feel as she started waking up was heavenly warmth, so she hummed happily as she kept her eyes shut and snuggled up in her bed; only her pillow felt hard, and she felt shallow, steady movement beneath her like the rise and fall of a chest, and then she heard someone breathing. She shot her head up when she realized she had been sleeping on someone, and then after a few blinks, she realized she had been sleeping on Tim. Blushing furiously, she stammered out an apology, "I-I'm so sorry." He seemed unfazed and completely awake as if he had remained in the exact same position for a while until she arose.

"It's alright," he replied lowly. He recalled the exact moment when she began shifting towards him in the middle of the night, and he might have scooted towards her greedily; his intention was to feel her beside him in his half awake state, but when she fully moved to drape her arms over him and throw her legs across his as she cozied her head into his chest, Tim grew dizzy. He hoped the way his heart was thumping unnaturally did not wake her, and thankfully, she did not seem to notice if her deep breathing was any indication. Trying not to smile, he kept still to ensure Lucy was perfectly comfortable as she slept on him until morning.

"When everyone comes back to help us settle into the house, I'll go out and buy you some bedding, and I'll make sure it's all fresh and clean before tonight."

"You want me to sleep over again tonight?"

She deflated. "Oh, if you don't want to stay-"

"No, of course I do, but I think maybe we've got bigger things to worry about other than my bedding. Let's make sure Fiona is all set up."

"But if you don't have your own bed to sleep in tonight, then we'll have to share again," she pointed out. She looked down at how the bottom half of her body was still wrapped around his, and their torsos were still mostly pressed together as they carried on their conversation with only their heads as far apart as she could crane her neck.

"I don't mind," he shrugged. There was something empowering about figuring out that she had feelings for him, too, as if it was an invitation to be more open about liking her.

As butterflies swarmed everywhere beneath her skin, she practically melted, and then she saw the bedroom door crack open when Fiona poked her head inside, which had the potential to cause her to burst from pure joy. "Morning, honey," she greeted her daughter.

"Hi!" Fiona replied happily as she ambled into the room.

"Did you sleep okay?" Tim wondered.

"Yeah," she assured as she gripped the side of the mattress trying to figure out how to climb up.

Lucy hated to peel herself off of Tim, but she did so to pick Fiona up and set her on the bed where she could drop a kiss to her forehead. "Do you like your new room?"

"It's green," was her gleeful response, since that should have been enough reason to love her bedroom.

"Your Aunts Angela and Nyla brought you a lot of stuff for your pretty room. Make sure to say 'thank you' today when you see them, okay?" Lucy said to which Fiona nodded intently.

"Okay, kiddo, I say we get dressed and get breakfast," Tim suggested then sat up.

"We need to go grocery shopping," Lucy added to her mental list while Fiona crawled into her lap.

"Relax, Luce," Tim whispered soothingly. "Fiona's home. Let's take the win."

"You're right," Lucy agreed.

"While your mommy showers, let's change," he suggested before scooping Fiona up into his arms and getting out of bed with her.

Once she was alone in her bedroom, Lucy fell back onto her mattress and covered her eyes instead of getting up, because between waking up cuddling with Tim and seeing her daughter, she was a bit overwhelmed and needed to take a minute to quietly make happy sounds and collect herself before facing the day.