Unrequited

New York Love - November, 1999

John was lying awake in bed with Arianna sleeping soundly beside him. He had been tossing and turning most of the night because he was worried about the next day. They were flying to New York City in the morning. The launch party for Arianna's new men's line was that night, and he was supposed to perform. For some strange reason, he was nervous about performing for her party. He had the stupid idea in his head that if he stunk, her line would bomb.

He rolled over and just laid there, watching Arianna sleep. She looked so peaceful and beautiful. He, at times, still could not believe that they were married and had a baby. After all the break-ups and screw-ups, he had never thought that they would get to the place they were in. She meant more to him than anything, even his career, which was flourishing nicely between the solo work and a few acting gigs. But it all came back to her and the life they had created together.

He heard the baby starting to stir where he slept between him and Arianna. He looked to see Lucien open his eyes, so he reached over and gently caressed the baby's cheek. Luc seemed to look up at him, and he couldn't help but smile as he gathered him into his arms and slipped from the bed. He carried the baby into the living room so Arianna wouldn't be disturbed.

She had been taking such wonderful care of the baby, and he thought that it was time that he gave her a break. There was breast milk in the refrigerator that she had pumped that day for when they went out, so he decided that one less bottle really wouldn't matter. Her sleep mattered more at the moment. He wanted her to look fresh and fantastic for the next night. Not that she ever looked terrible to him.

He put the milk into a bottle and warmed the bottle in a pan of water on the stove like Arianna had shown him how to do. As they waited for the milk to warm, John rocked the baby and quietly sang to him. Luc had found John's finger and had pulled it into his mouth, contentedly sucking on it as he snuggled into his father's chest. When the bottle was finally ready, John took it and Luc into the living room, settling into the sofa as he pulled his finger away. Luc immediately started to protest, but John quickly replaced his finger with the bottle, and Luc settled right down.

He watched Luc drinking down his mother's warm milk and suddenly felt complete. Not that he felt out of sorts, but moments like that just made him feel content. Once again, he and Arianna had made a life for themselves that he wholly cherished.

"Hey you," he heard and looked up to see Arianna sitting beside him on the sofa. She leaned over and caressed Luc's face and then kissed John's cheek.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she whispered.

"I wanted to let you sleep. You looked so peaceful," John replied.

"I didn't even hear him fuss," she told him.

"He didn't. I was awake when he started to stir, so I brought him out here straightaway. Just having a bit of father-son time," he told her as he looked back at Luc's little face.

Arianna laid her head on John's shoulder, watching him feed the baby his bottle. She smiled because Luc already looked so much like John and because of how much of a bond they already had. It was funny how John had never said anything about it, but it was apparent how much having a boy meant to him. She understood the whole Taylor heir thing, but she hadn't thought that John had cared about that. In any case, she was confident that Jean had pulled some strings in Heaven to have God give them Lucien. Her getting pregnant had been a total accident, and it had happened a little more than a month after Jean's death. And the fact that they had a boy made her think that Jean really did have something to do with the whole thing.

"I love you," Arianna whispered, and John turned his head enough to kiss the top of her head.

The next morning, Arianna woke first, so she left John and Luc sleeping in bed. She called Sandy, the nanny, to confirm when she would be arriving, and she said she would be there by 9. Sandy would be staying with Sophia and Dylan while she and John took Luc with them to New York. The kids wanted to go too, but a New York pub was not a place for five and six-year-olds.