Perfect (Jordan Knight/NKOTB fanfic, Liadan #1)

Snuggles and Sleigh Rides

-JORDAN-

I awoke to the sound of my phone's alarm and I groaned as I slowly fluttered open my eyes to find that I was alone in bed once again. Lia had invited me to stay in her room for the duration of our visit and I had thoroughly enjoyed snuggling up to her. The warmth of her body nestled into my chest had comforted me. It felt good to know that she was there with me all night sleeping peacefully. Now, I hated the thought that she was gone.

I glanced at my alarm which read 5 AM and I yawned as I shut it off and shuffled into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face before climbing back into bed. My body felt like it was 2. The time difference between LA and Boston always seemed to mess with my sleeping schedule, no matter how many times I'd gone back and forth. I was hoping that this time my trip would be long enough for me to adjust. Not only to the time period, but to day-to-day life with Lia and the kids again. I missed my role as protector of the house and it bugged me to no end that Lia's ex-boyfriend, Jake, was gradually trying to take my place. Lia thought his actions were innocent, but I could tell from the way he looked at her he still had a thing for my wife.

Wife.

This wasn't the first time I'd tossed the concept of Lia being my wife around in my head. The first time, we'd eloped. Now, we were divorced, but I badly wanted that title back. I missed being a husband and I couldn't bear the idea of seeing Lia with somebody else. Maybe that was selfish, but I got satisfaction from knowing that I was the only guy who knew her inside and out.

I knew all of the little dirty fantasies that played in her head, but she was too embarrassed to admit to anybody. I also knew the way it felt to truly make love to her with my heart and soul. We hadn't reached that level of intimacy in a long time, but my goal was to win all of her back and show her the strength of our love. This time I wasn't going to fail.

"Did I wake you, J?" I smiled at the sound of Lia calling me by her old nickname as she came back into the room. It was a baby step, but it was a step nonetheless, in the right direction back to rekindling our relationship.

"No," I shook my head. "My alarm went off, I forgot to shut it off. Are you getting ready for work?"

"Well, I was, but I checked the news and the schools are closed today. Apparently the snow got pretty bad last night. Matt's partner is a teacher so we both agreed we'd just do a work from home day. The kids are always exhausted from the trip back anyway, if I let them sleep they won't be up until noon," Lia yawned before crawling back into the bed. She shivered slightly. "Besides, I caught a chill in the shower that I can't shake."

"Aww, poor baby, come here, I'll warm you up," I opened my arms and she snuggled into me. I stroked her arm gently before pulling the covers over us. I ran my fingers through her short ringlets as she adjusted her head on my chest.

"I don't know how you and the guys deal with time differences when you tour," her voice sounded sleepy.

"It never seems to hit me when I'm on the road, but then I come home and sleep for a week. It's worse if I have compounded hangovers on top of it."

Lia looked up at me with worry in her eyes, "You haven't been heavily drinking again, have you?"

I bit my lip, realizing I'd talked too much, "It's under control."

"Is it?" she sighed and pulled away from me. "You know how I feel about you going on binges."

"It is, I promise," I nodded. "Besides, when I'm with you I don't have a reason to binge drink."

"I just," her voice cracked. "Jordan, I worry so much that you'll end up in a hospital like you did when I was pregnant and I can't handle that again. I just can't and I certainly don't want the kids to see that side of you. You can do no wrong in their eyes and I try my best to keep it that way. That's why no matter how bad you and I fight, I never say a single negative thing about you to them. I love that they adore you, it's what I always wanted with Jack. Instead all I ever got from him was lies and a black eye."