To Have And To Hold

15 - Enamoured Escape

After dinner the next day they said goodbye to his parents, stopping home for the night before they headed off for their mini getaway on Monday. His mom and dad hugged them both before they left. Seeing how much his parents loved her, Joey was proud to call Lauren family.

"So I was thinking we could go for a meal with my parents for my dad's birthday?" Joey suggested on the drive home.

"Lo?" he said, getting no response. He glanced swiftly over at her, seeing her head lolling against the back of her seat, and smiled. It had been a long week, and it was no wonder she was exhausted. He was extra careful to drive cautiously after that, turning corners slowly and avoiding potholes with painstaking care. 

When he pulled up, he walked round to the passenger side and leaned across her to unbuckle her seatbelt. Her eyelids fluttered, and she murmured his name in her half asleep state.

"I'm here sweetheart," he said, scooping her carefully up into his arms, nudging the car door shut.

He kept a tight hold on her all the way into their apartment and through to their bedroom. She was a dead weight as he got her changed into her pyjamas and lifted her into bed, but as soon as he lay her down she started mumbling his name again, one hand reaching out for him. He'd planned to retreat back to the living room and pick back up with more editing, but his heart melted and there was no way he could have turned around. Not even bothering to get changed fully, he shed his jeans and climbed into bed, holding Lauren in his arms. She sighed peacefully, nuzzling her face into his chest. Joey exhaled slowly, his own eyes drooping.

His phone lit up with a notification and, careful not to disturb his sleeping girlfriend, he grabbed it off the nightstand. What he saw made his heart melt. He had a text from his mom with a picture of him and Lauren, their arms around each other and sporting matching smiles, which she had insisted on taking. He also noticed that she'd tagged the two of them in an Instagram post of the four of them plus Diane, captioned 'so nice when the kids come to visit'.

He looked down at Lauren, a tranquil smile on her face in sleep, and pressed a feather-light kiss to her forehead. "Thank you," he mouthed. For being his best friend. His family. His forever.

Joey woke up at 8.30 the next morning, their bedroom just beginning to flood with light. Lauren was still in his arms, and still asleep. He lay there listening to her steady soft breathing for another half hour, before leaning forward slowly to press a gentle kiss to her lips. He hated to wake her, but they both agreed they wanted to be on the road by 10.

Her eyelids fluttered open just as he was pulling away, and she strained forward to extend the kiss."Good morning," Joey said, pushing her hair back from her forehead.

"Morning," she murmured, brushing sleep from her eyes.

She yawned widely, and Joey grinned affectionately.

"I'll be right back," he said, stroking his fingers over her cheek. She whined as he left, not even having Diane to call in for company. He managed to put a smile back on her face though, when he carried in a mug of coffee for her.

She sat up in bed as he handed it to her, curling her fingers around the mug. He went to walk away to start getting ready, but she caught hold of his wrist.

"You're the best, you know that?" she said, her head tilted to the side. He bent down to press a kiss to her cheek, before backing out of the room reluctantly to get ready. 

They made it into the car with their bags packed by 10.45, on their way to Big Bear for a few days, somewhere they'd been before with the Shipwrecked crew. Now that they had a break from work, they couldn't get enough time with each other, and as much as they both loved their home they were looking forward to getting out of LA for a little while.

After they checked into their hotel, they dropped their bags off in their room and decided to go for a walk by the lake. Knowing how cold it could get, they wrapped up in coats and hats. They joined hands as they walked, Joey swinging his arm slightly.

The sun was shining, sparkling on the water, but the wind was chill. Lauren huddled inside her coat, her hands shoved deep in her pockets. Joey pulled her into a hug, running his hands up and down her arms and back in the hopes the friction would warm her up a bit.

"It's probably too cold to be out here," he admitted.

"Mm," Lauren agreed. "It's beautiful though."

He held her back by her shoulders so he could look her in the eyes. "We don't need to come out to a lake to see something beautiful."

Lauren laughed, shoving Joey away from her. "That was so cheesy!"

"It's true though!" Joey protested, catching hold of her hand to pull her back towards him.

He secured his arms around her waist and then dipped her. She shook her head disapprovingly at him, but unable to hide the smirk on her face.

"You, Lo, are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on," he said sincerely, before leaning over to kiss her.

He pulled her upright. Her eyes were sparkling and he could have stood out there all day appreciating her, but her cheeks were flushed from the cold.

"We should get back," he said. "Then we can wrap ourselves up in blankets and cuddle by the fire to warm up."

"Hmm. That does sound nice," Lauren said thoughtfully. "But I think I have a better way of warming up." She winked at him.

He had to fight to keep his mouth closed. "You know exactly how to torture a guy," he groaned, as Lauren smirked. "Come on then." He grabbed her hand, tugging her along behind him as she half-jogged to keep up with his long strides, her laughter ringing out the whole way.

A/N I made a start on the extra chapter today and managed to get a chapter done!!! Buuuut it was longer than I thought and I didn't get onto the second half of the idea sooo I still have an extra chapter to write 🙄