With Valentine's Day around the corner, I was keeping a close eye on Troye, knowing it was going to be his first without Joey. When I asked him about it, he assured me he was okay and just planning to spend the day with his kids. I didn't buy it.
"Hey, Jacob?" I went into the kitchen one evening after putting Penny into bed. He was leaning on the counter, flipping through an old cook-book and looked up when he heard me.
"Yeah?"
"I've been thinking..."
"That could be dangerous." He smirked at me and I tossed a nearby dish towel at him.
"Very funny. Anyway, I know we usually get Penny to stay with our parents for Valentine's Day so we can be together but I just thought that maybe this year we can invite Troye and his kids."
"Why?" He had a pout on his face.
"Jay, don't be insensitive. You know this'll be his first one alone in I don't even know how long."
"I know. I just want to be able to spend a day with you. Alone."
"Well, Valentine's Day is on a Saturday this year. So maybe we can have our own personal celebration on Sunday? Please, Jay? I've been watching him recently and he says he's fine about the day but he's not."
"Okay. Anything for you, baby." With three steps, he was across the room and pulling me in for a tight embrace. "He's lucky to have a friend like you looking out for him."
"Thanks, Jay." I grinned up at him and he laughed quietly.
"You're adorable." When I pouted at him, he just caressed my cheek with one hand and smiled at me. "I love you."
"Mm." I mumbled, burying my face against his chest. He hugged me again, one hand on my back and the fingers of the other gently weaving through my hair. We stood there like that for a few minutes. "Want to cuddle on the sofa and watch a movie?"
"I was about to make banana bread for our lunches this week..."
"Please?" I looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes and he laughed, kissing me softly.
"Okay. But only cause I can't resist those eyes."
"I know."
"Oh really? So you do it on purpose? You and Penny are going to be the death of me with those eyes."
"Who do you think taught her to do it?" I teased. He smirked and spun us around so he could lift me up onto the counter. I linked my ankles behind him and my arms around his neck as he kissed me, his hands in my hair.
His lips felt like fire as they trailed down to my collar bone, leaving a trail of bruises in his wake. I made a mental note to wear high collared shirts for the next few days at work. I didn't need a million questions from the teenagers I taught. When he pulled back to admire his work, I took my chance and used my hands to move his head where I wanted, attaching my lips to a spot on his neck, returning the favour of leaving a mark.
"This isn't really snuggling on the sofa." He pointed out through gasps and moans. I smiled and ignored him for a moment, keeping up with the task at hand. When I was happy with my work, I pulled back and looked at him.
"No. But this is more fun, isn't it?"
"Definitely." He grinned, pulling me a little closer. I kissed the tip of his nose and caressed his face with my hands.
"I love you."
"Love you too. Now, let's go snuggle on the sofa. I kinda really want some down time."
"Okay. One condition, though."
"Mm?"
"Carry me?" I pulled puppy-dog eyes at him again and he grinned.
"Always. If I could, I'd carry you everywhere, baby." I tightened my limbs around him and buried my face in his neck as he lifted me off the counter and carried me into the living room where he gently set me down on the sofa. "There."
"Now, cuddle me." I demanded, making grabby hands at him. He laughed and made me sit up so that he could sit behind me enough that I could curl up on his lap.
"What are we watching?" He asked quietly, running his fingers through my hair slowly. I shrugged.
"A movie."
"That's descriptive." I could feel his laughter and smiled.
"You can choose. Just not one of those horrible slasher horror movies you like."
"Aww. But you can cuddle up to me during the scary bits." He pouted when I looked up at him with a look that he clearly took to mean I was serious. "Okay. We'll watch something else. As long as you promise we watch one of them another night."
"Do I have to?"
"I'll go back to cooking in the kitchen..."
"Alright. Fine. We'll watch your stupid horror movie another night." It was a common little bicker between us that cropped up nearly every time we wanted to watch a movie but I'd long given in to being tortured by those horrible movies every now and then. It kept Jacob happy and I just tried to distract myself by burying my face against his chest and listening to his heartbeat instead of the sounds of the movie.
"Yay!" I laughed at his enthusiasm, waiting while he reached for the TV remote. He passed it to me and I quickly scanned through the movies we had saved.
"Perfect." I found Valentine's Day and pressed play. Jacob tightened his arms around me and we settled down to watch the movie. It was one of our favourites to watch together since it had come into cinemas just after we started dating and it became a tradition for us to watch it when we could.
"Just perfect." He mumbled against my hair.
--------------------
I fell asleep at some point during the movie, Jacob's gentle stroking of my hair soothing me to sleep. When I woke, the TV was back to playing regular scheduling and Jacob was not with me. I slowly got up and stretched, following the smells coming from the kitchen to find my husband busy cooking.
"What're you doing?"
"Making banana bread."
"Oh." I yawned widely, rubbing a hand over my eyes. "I'm going to head up to bed. You coming?"
"Yep. Just finishing up in here. I'll be up soon."
"Okay. Good night, Jay." I crossed the room to hug him and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
"'Night, baby. I'll see you tomorrow."
A/N: Okay, I'm back on track for now. I know where I'm headed with the story. Hopefully some more ~drama~ coming soon :)
