Imperfectly Beautiful (Jordan Knight Fanfic, Liadan #3)

Soups and Surprises

-LIA-

Throughout the night I found myself tossing and turning and constantly waking up until 7 AM rolled around and I finally gave up and pushed myself out of bed.

I scooped up my robe off the footboard and tiptoed out of the room, careful not to wake Jordan.

After heading down to the kitchen, I discovered the leftover chopped up onions still on the countertop and I tossed them into the trash can before I rummaged through the pantry to grab a fresh one along with a bag of potatoes. I also fetched carrots, peas, and a few other veggies from the fridge before I set to work on mixing up the recipe that my mom had made for me when I was little whenever I didn't feel well.

Once all of the ingredients were mixed together and simmering on the stove, I set to work on cleaning the house in just about every way possible except for vacuuming. My emotions were still everywhere, but at least staying busy gave me a bit of a distraction to keep my mind off of things. Unlike Jordan, I couldn't just accept that everything would work out and not worry.

I'd felt uneasy the moment Nathan had walked through the door with Paige hanging on his shoulder and I was determined not to let him head off and make any more bad decisions. More than ever, I wanted him to stay in Boston, and even better yet, stay home until he could get himself together and clear his head beyond a life full of spotlights and fame and women.

As I ran my dust rag along the picture frames hanging on the wall, I sighed as I gazed at a picture of Jordan and I with the twins at the hospital just after they'd been born. They'd come early and they were tiny and fragile, but they were the most perfect things without a care in the world and I desperately wished that I could go back to that moment and cherish it just a little longer.

I sighed to myself before I continued on down the hall and heard the squeak of Natalie's door opening. She stepped out fully dressed in a frilly red top that I was pretty sure I recognized from my own closet with a blue jean jacket and a pair of jeans. Her usually curly hair was straight and she had her coat tossed over her arms.

I raised my eyebrows, "What's got you so dressed up so early?"

"Oh, the little shops in town are having special sales today and Laney and I decided to meet up and go early before all the cute stuff gets away," she explained as she gazed at me with the hazel eyes that matched my own. "Is that okay? I kinda wanted to get out of the house."

I softened, "Is Layne's mom picking you up?"

"No, we're just going to walk down there and meet up. It's only like five minutes and it's halfway between her house and mine."

"So you don't want me to drive you?" I asked. "Or I'm sure your dad will take you."

"No, no, it's not a big deal," she shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"Well, okay, but let me know when you get there, alright?"

"Will do, Mom," Natalie kissed my cheek. "And you're okay? With everything going on?"

"I'm hanging in there," I forced some form of a smile.

"Okay, good," she nodded. "Love you."

"Love you too, honey," I gave her a gentle squeeze before letting go and watching her head down the stairs.

Over the next hour or so, I finished up my cleaning before I headed downstairs to check back in on the soup.

After stirring the pot around and taking a bite out of the veggies to ensure they were soft enough, I grabbed an insulated to-go bowl and decided that I'd take enough over to Maria's for her, Nate, Grace, and Tony to enjoy.