Last Love | Book 3

Chapter 1

(Jennifer)

*3 years later*

I put my hands on my knees and crouch down, catching my breath, as a car drives by. It's not even hot outside and I'm sweating like crazy. The wind makes it better, but not by much. I stand back up and open my water bottle. I take a big drink, then splash some on my face. I used to run all the time, before I had Ava and Cole, but it's been a while. A long while. I don't really like exercising. I hate it actually, but I feel like I have to be doing something to try to stay in shape or I feel like I'm not being productive enough. I take a deep breath, steadying my breathing, and start jogging again. My house is only a few blocks away. I jog the rest of the way home without stopping.

I burst in the door, a little too eager to get inside, and am welcomed by the much cooler air coming from inside the house. I walk straight into the living room and find Josh sitting on the floor with Ava and Cole sitting next to him. He looks so happy playing with them. They're playing with blocks. For toddlers they're surprisingly tame, at least for now they are, I'm sure they'll be running around the house by the time I'm out of the shower. Ava and Cole just keep stacking them up and knocking them down, while Josh works on building a huge tower. "Hey, we're playing blocks. Do you wanna come join us?" Josh asks, looking up at me, hopefully. I feel guilty for leaving him alone with the kids all day. I've been doing that a lot lately. Ever since he got a job as a basketball coach at the elementary school nearby we haven't had as much alone time, not that we had much to begin with, with two kids of our own to take care of. It's his day off and I should be spending more time with him, but I really do need to go take a shower. "Uh, no. Actually, I'm just gonna go take a shower." I mumble, awkwardly. I turn away from him and run up the stairs to Josh and I's bathroom.

I take my hair down and start the shower. I strip out of my clothes and throw them on the floor in a pile. Then I step into the shower. I run my fingers through my hair and close my eyes, allowing myself to relax. I squeeze some of my pink-strawberry scented body wash into my hand and rub it all over my body, washing all the sweat and dirt off. I wash my hair quickly, and stand under the water until all the hot water runs out. Then I get out and wrap a towel around myself.

I get dressed in a pair of Josh's boxers and a t-shirt. I leave my dripping wet hair down, creating a wet spot on the back of my shirt. After a long shower, I feel much more relaxed. I walk out of the bathroom and immediately notice the smell of hot food coming from downstairs. Josh is cooking. I run downstairs, following the smell into the kitchen. The first thing I see is a freshly baked apple pie sitting on the counter. Holy shit. It smells so good. "That smells amazing!" I wanna eat the whole thing myself, but I know Josh wants some too. Josh walks in, interrupting me from staring. "The kids already ate. They're in the living room playing." He says, taking a plate out of the cabinet. "Okay. Thanks for making dinner." I say. "And for taking care of them." I add, glancing towards the living room. I wait until he's done getting his before I get a plate out of the cabinet.

I set my plate and cup down on the table and sit down across from Josh. I scoot my chair closer to the table and cross my legs. We don't always eat dinner together, but tonight neither of us had anything else to do. I take a sip of my water, looking up at Josh as I do. I giggle, catching him looking back at me. "What?" I ask, taking a bite of my baked potato. "Nothing." He looks down at the table, then back at me. I frown down at the table. I take another sip of my water and glance out the window. Other than the sound of the kids playing in the living room and the occasional sound of a fork clinking against a plate, we eat dinner in silence.

Josh puts on a movie, while I put the kids in their beds. I kiss them each goodnight and tell them I love them. I linger in the hallway for a while, not wanting to leave them. When I finally manage to tear myself away from them, I return downstairs. I go into the kitchen and get two forks out of the silverware drawer and carry them into the living room along with the apple pie. I sit down on the couch next to Josh, distracting him from the TV. I hold a fork out to him and smile when he takes it. I scoot closer to him and set the apple pie on my lap, so it's close enough for both of us to reach it. I take a bite of the pie right from the center. Mhm...it's still warm from the oven. I rest my head on Josh's shoulder and he glances down at me. We don't say anything, we just eat our pie and watch the movie. After we finish our pie, I set the empty pan and forks on the floor. I put my feet up on the couch and cover my legs with the old blanket we keep draped over the edge of the couch. I lay my head back on Josh's shoulder, grab his arm, and snuggle up against him.

A/N: I finally did it! my first chapter of joshifer as just a normal not famous married couple. I hope you guys like it even though it's kinda boring.