Take Me To Your Heart

Happy Days

I wake up to find Ferit watching me and stroking my hair. I try to hide my smile, but fail miserably. "Creep." I whisper.

He lets out a breathy laugh, but looks completely unapologetic. His face, always relatively open to me, has become so expressive, and I can read the signs of his affection for me in the glint of his eyes and the curve of his lips and the kink of his brow. I have to fight the urge to hide my face at the force of it. "Good morning." He says, lightly caressing my arm, tracing patterns into my skin.

"Hmm." I'm not quite ready to accept that I have to leave this bed.

He nudges me lightly with his nose, trying to get bring me into consciousness. "It's time to wake up."

I curse his adherence to routine. "Five more minutes." I grumble, not ready to leave the cocoon of his arms. I snuggle further into his chest and close my eyes again, determined to enjoy this morning for as long as I can.

He chuckles to himself and places another kiss on my forehead. "Childcare can't wait five minutes."

I let out a disgruntled breath. Ain't that a bitch. "Okay, okay, I'm waking up." I tell him, my eyes still closed, my body still limp against his.

He laughs again and moves to get up, giving up on me. "Fine, I'll get Bulut ready today. You can relax."

"No!" I try to grab onto him to prevent him from leaving. There's no point in staying asleep if I cannot use him as my pillow.

"Sejal!" He protests, laughing in exasperation. "Someone has to be the adult here."

I huff, unconvinced that is true. "But, I want snuggles." I pout, doing my best to sway him.

He appraises me, eyebrow raised before sighing in defeat. "You are impossible to say no to." I squeal in delight at my victory and make myself comfortable on his chest. He places small kisses on my head as I hum in delight. I could stay here forever.

"All those mornings you would rush out of my arms. I hoped one day I would get to hold you like this." He whispers, pulling me closer. My heart aches at the sweetness. I had hoped that too.

Unfortunately, he is right that childcare waits for no one. Bulut barges into our bedroom a few minutes later, ready for attention. "Dayi! Sejal Yenge! Can I have pancakes today?"

I mutter into Ferit's chest, frustrated that I have to share him, as he greets his nephew. "Come here, aslan benim."

Bulut hops into bed with us and wiggles himself in between Ferit and I and I laugh at his obvious attempt to get love from the both of us and acquiesce, any hope of sleeping long dead. "Good morning, kid." I tell him, not entirely trying to hide my irritation.

Bulut turns to me, probably assessing that I am the more likely party to agree to his pancake request. "Can I have pancakes, Sejal yenge? With chocolate chips?" This kid is really pushing it.

I narrow my eyes at him. "You know pancakes are for Sunday, kid."

"But, I didn't get any on Sunday, Sejal Yenge!" He pouts, knowing his cuteness is his best asset.

"You're telling me your grandparents didn't spoil you rotten while you were with them?" I raise my eyebrow, knowing the chances of this are absolutely zero. Those two know nothing about raising a child, so they say yes to every request to avoid any unpleasantness.

"Well..." Bulut begins, trying to consider how he's going to wriggle out of this. "They weren't your pancakes, Sejal Yenge." He says sweetly.

I roll my eyes at this loophole he thinks he has found. Ferit is watching us amused, ruffling Bulut's hair, but not saying anything to help me.

"Why don't you see what your uncle thinks, Bulut." I suggest, tossing this to Ferit to deal with.