pretty little liar // brad simpson

twenty seven

SPENCER

I stirred slightly, the sound of car doors slamming outside meeting my ears. The light shining through the thin beige curtains landed on the creamy bed sheets, and I burrowed my head into the pillow to block out any traces of consciousness.

A warm body snuggled up against my side, and I breathed out heavily, wrapping my arm around a tangled, messy head of curly brown locks. My eyes went heavy, and I disappeared into sleep.

And then I was awake again, a sheet tickling my nose. My hand flew to my face and batted the sheet away, my nose wrinkling as the tickling began again. "Darling, stop that." I groaned, swatting at the sheet again. But my other hand felt the tangled curls at my side, and then suddenly it felt easier for my lids to flutter apart.

"Bradley?" My voice cracked, my throat still adjusting to being awake again. I shook the little body beside me, my ears being met with the sound of crinkling sheets.

"Daddy!" A little voice squealed, and suddenly there were knees pressing into my thigh as she threw herself into Brad's arms, pulling my hand from his as he let out a loud, joyful laugh and spun her around.

"Good morning love bug, why were you asleep in Mummy and Daddy's big bed?" He asked brightly, his chocolaty eyes staring into Luna's little matching ones. She clung to him like her life depended on it, her legs wrapped around his side, arms in a stronghold around his neck.

"Mummy missed you last night so we watched a movie." She announced, and Brad's eyes bounced over to me. I flushed, twisting my lips timidly and pulling my knees towards my chest.

"You're back early." I stated simply. Brad smiled knowingly, walking over and sitting beside me on the soft bed. Luna curled up on his lap, and one of Bradley's soft hands rested on my knee. 

He hugged his arm around our daughter's tiny, two-year-old shoulders and let his fingers dance from my leg to rest in my own palm. "I didn't need to be out for any longer, not after this tour. It's been six months of bonding with the band, I hardly needed a few more days."

My lips twitched into a smile and I let my fingers slide between his, linking them together. "Welcome home."

Instead of saying anything more, Bradley leaned away to look Luna in the eye. "Can you go to Daddy's suitcase in the hall and get something out of the outside pocket?"

"What is it?" Luna asked, climbing off of his lap and running to the hallway.

"It's the black box." Brad called after her, kicking off his boots and getting more comfortable on the bed. He tightened his grip on my hand and reached up, tucking away my messy bedhead and pressing a soft, warm kiss against my forehead. "I missed you even more, I'll bet you thirteen thousand pounds and some change."

"Awfully specific," I teased, leaning forward and kissing his lips tenderly. I pulled away as Luna's running footsteps came into the room, climbing up onto the bed and falling back onto her bottom between us.

Brad lifted the lid off the box and he pulled out a tiny drawstring bag, which he opened and turned upside down so a small silver necklace fell into his palm. "This one is for you, princess." He held it up so that a tiny diamond-lined triangle was right at Luna's eye level.

"A triangle." She announced proudly, pointing at it with a tiny finger, careful not to touch it.

"Wonderful, it is!" Brad cheered, clipping the necklace behind her long, curly hair. "This ones for Mummy."

He lifted a smaller black box from inside, popping the lid up so that a sparkling, diamond ring was visible. The stone was a huge triangular cut, resting in a gold setting, perched in the black satin box.

"Spencer, I want to marry you." Brad whispered nervously, the box held firmly in the palm of his hand. "And I want to marry you, too, princess." He added, poking Luna in the tummy so she giggled. 

"I am committed to you, my favorite girls and the most important people in my life... and I want to promise it, forever. I promise the three of us, this little family... it's ours forever." He paused, his lips fumbling as if he had words all lined up in his brain and they just ceased to exist as soon as his mouth opened. "Do you want that?"

My own brain couldn't even make up the words that my mouth did when it opened. "I want that."

"Oh, thank God." Brad breathed, his face flushing into a relieved smile. He let his moppy head fall forward onto my bare shoulder, a small chuckled coming out.

"Let's get married." I laughed, feeling my own inexplicable relief washing over me.

"Let's get married!" Luna screamed, bouncing onto her feet and then back onto her butt so the mattress shook.

My body was racked with laughter as Luna giggled, and Bradley lifted his head from where he planted a kiss on my neck, throwing his head back and squeezing his eyes shut. "Let's get married!"