Beautifully Knight (Jordan Knight Fanfic, Liadan #5)

Goodnights and Good mornings

-JORDAN-

"Mmm...J?"

"It's me, I got you," I whispered softly as I gently laid Lia back on our bed and was careful to make sure I didn't bump her head.

The scent of lavender wafting from the essential oil diffuser that one of our daughters had plugged in after tidying up for us gave the room a calming aura and I was beyond glad to finally be home. Most of all though, I was glad to have Lia home.

More than ever, I realized just how much she was my entire world—I couldn't imagine life without her and I didn't want to. I wanted to wrap her up and keep her safe and sheltered from all harm, no matter how much she tried to fight me on it, but at the same time, I admired that fight in her. It was that ambition that had made me fall for her and I still loved her for it. Regardless of how it drove me insane, I couldn't stay upset with her for long.

Just as quickly as I wanted to yell some sense into her, I also wanted to cuddle her close, share a slice of cake and just be grateful that she was still around to fight with. I'd much rather have her around to drive me insane than to not have her at all.

"I fell asleep," she mumbled as her heavily lidded eyelids fluttered while she stubbornly attempted to open her eyes in the way that was so Lia.

"You did," I nodded and adjusted her legs before I began to work the laces on her tennis shoes.

"Nicky..." her eyes closed against her wishes and I stifled a chuckle.

"Logan and Hailey are going to wait for him."

"Mmm," she nodded.

I finished untying her shoes before I pulled them off along with her socks and set them aside on the floor. Following a gentle massage of each of her feet, I got up and headed over to her dresser to search for something for her to wear—an oversized old ratty Celtics t-shirt that had once belonged to me, but Lia had long since claimed as her own sat on top and I grabbed it along with a pair of cotton underpants.

When I turned back to the bed, she had already dozed back off to sleep with her head slumped over just enough for her red ballcap to fall off. Her dark, messy hair was frazzled around her head. I smiled to myself as I gently undressed and redressed and tucked her securely into bed. As soon as she was nestled down on her pillow, I carried her discarded clothes to the closet and tossed them into the hamper before I stripped down and changed into a pair of pajama pants.

I padded my way back into our bedroom to fetch Lia's wedding rings off of her nightstand where I'd left them. A smile played on my lips whilst I trailed my finger over the diamond before I placed them in the little glass dish she kept on top of her vanity. A brief memory of tucking her rings away before her surgery came to mind and I couldn't help feeling misty-eyed as I carefully wiggled my own ring off of my finger and added it to the little stack.

I let out a breath of relief and turned back to the bed where I watched Lia's chest rise and fall in a smooth, steady pattern while I crawled up to her and slipped underneath. I didn't want to disturb her, but my heart couldn't resist pulling her close and laying her on my chest.

She stirred slightly and I caressed her arm while I placed a kiss on the top of her head, "Shh."

"J?"

"Mmhm, stay asleep," I whispered.

She nodded slowly and readjusted her head on my chest to press her warm cheek against me, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, baby," I kissed her temple and pulled the covers up a little higher on both of us.

As she drifted off to dreamland, I said a silent prayer until my own exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.