Up in their private suite at the manor, the sounds of the wedding reception were shut out behind the door, leaving Jon and Vicki and their sleepy children in a peaceful space of their own. Even in formal wear, they were practiced enough by now to be able to get Ben and Emily changed and in bed without a huge argument breaking out, leaving them alone to amuse themselves under Cosmo's watchful eye.
Vicki leaned in the doorway to the childrens' shared room, her arms wrapped about her waist as she watched them sleep. "They're such angels when they're asleep."
"And such little demons when they're awake?" Jon asked teasingly as his arms went around her waist from behind and he pulled her against him. The muffled sound of music and voices somewhere below them told them the party was still going strong, but Jon couldn't think of a better end to the day than a little quiet time with his wife. "Cup of tea before bed, or shall we just snuggle?" he asked, his voice close to her ear.
Leaning into him, Vicki let her head tip back onto his shoulder as she relaxed. "Whatever we do, I need to get out of this beautiful, but really uncomfortable, dress," she chuckled softly. "I couldn't bring myself to tell Miranda the truth this morning when we had to squeeze me into this thing, so I've been compressed all day."
"She didn't notice?" he asked, curiously. If Miranda suspected Vicki was with child, it would be all over Maple Grove before it was official. Or maybe Rufus could convince her to keep her mouth shut. It was hard to say.
"She was a little busy with Ash," she considered thoughtfully. "The blonde bride put her heel through the skirt of her dress while Elle was telling me to breathe in and think happy thoughts." She chuckled, easing them both back from the door to draw it to gently. Turning, she looked up at Jon with a soft smile. "Any objection to jammies and cocoa before bed?" she asked hopefully.
"None at all," he replied, touching a kiss to her forehead before leading her by the hand from the bedroom. Jammies first, cocoa second, snuggling third. "I still have to wonder how she managed to convince Isabelle to come."
"I don't have the faintest idea how she convinced her to come, but Miranda works miracles," Vicki pointed out, only too happy to be lead around by the hand. As much as she had enjoyed the last couple of days, with their fun-fueled antics, it was nice to have quiet time again. "Isabelle actually said she'd spoken to Caroline, too."
"That is a miracle," Jon remarked as he led her into the small kitchen that made up part of the suite they shared at the manor. He wasn't sure what had come between the two women and even if he'd known, there was a time for letting bygones be bygones. He and Caroline had once been close, but life seemed to have gotten in the way of that lately. Still, he was glad the two women had made peace, if only for the sake of Dom and Ashlyn.
"With any luck, she'll be a more regular visitor now, anyway," she shrugged, releasing his hand to investigate the piles of clean clothing on the counter that had yet to find their way into closets and dressers. "Undo me, would you? Preferably before I split a seam."
"We're going to have to make an announcement soon, before it become obvious," Jon said, as he moved around behind her to help with her zipper. Conversely, they could have fun letting people speculate, but sooner or later Vicki's growing baby bump would become obvious.
"We're only about five weeks in, you know," she pointed out. "I'm just bulging out because my body is taking advantage of knowing what?s coming." She smiled over her shoulder to him as he undid her zipper, taking in her first comfortable breath of the day. "Oh god, that's almost as good as taking my bra off."
He chuckled, knowing only too well how uncomfortable pregnancy could be, as well as the constraining clothing women seemed determined to force themselves into. "Thank the gods I'm a man," he declared, not for the first time. Their little Freaky Friday incident a few years back had given him new respect for women in general, but more so for those who were carrying children.
Shimmying out of the lovely dress, heedless of being topless in front of her husband, Vicki set the gorgeous piece of formalwear to one side, and shrugged into a clean set of pajamas right there in the kitchen. "Oh, that's much better," she sighed happily, flicking her hair out from beneath the hang of her robe as she turned to Jon once again. "You changing, or just removing the itchy bits?"
"I'll change later," he replied. His suit wasn't half as confining as her dress, and he'd already gotten rid of the jacket, tie, and shoes and had loosened the top buttons of his shirt. "Relax. I'll make the cocoa," he insisted, pulling out a chair. She was likely to be doted on for at least a few weeks, until she got tired of it and told him to stop treating her with kid gloves.
He knew her as well as she knew him. After a long day in heels, though, Vicki was not averse to being coddled a little, sinking down into the chair he offered her with a low groan of relief. "Thank you," she smiled to him. "So ....doctor's appointments again."
"Sorry," he found himself apologizing as he put the kettle on. "Should I get snipped after this?" he asked, though they had not yet decided how many more children they were going to have before they were through.
"Snipped?" Vicki's brows rose into her hairline. "What on earth for" I thought we were aiming for an even four, unless the idea of adding yet more crazy to our family is starting to overwhelm you a little." She watched him curiously. "You've never shown even the slightest inclination toward getting snipped. You fought me every step of the way when it came to getting Cosmo done."
"Yes, but I'm not the one who has to go through nine months of hell, followed by the gods only know how many hours of labor. Then there's postpartum, breastfeeding, and whatever else." He didn't even want to think about the episiotomy or the possibility of a caesarean section. He shrugged at the mention of Cosmo. "I just thought he should have a little fun before we took it away from him, but maybe it was better he didn't know what he was missing."
She laughed softly. "Jon, I know I complained a lot with Emily, but I actually quite enjoyed being pregnant last time around," she tried to reassure him. "It isn't nine months of hell. It's a couple of months of unpredictable nausea, then a good four or five months of big boobs and gorgeous hair and a really cute bump, and only then do I start feeling fat and achy. It's not as bad as I made out the first time around, I promise."
He knew from experience what it was like to be ready to pop out a baby, and he didn't want to be selfish where children were concerned. "It's up to you. I just ....I don't want you to think we have to have more kids, if you don't really want to," he said, worried she was only doing this for his sake.
"Jon, you're getting angsty again," she pointed out with a wry smile. "Be logical here. You know how practical I am. If I didn't want any more children, do you really think I would still have a womb and ovaries?"
There was something about pregnancy that brought out the worrier in him, and Vicki had a long way to go yet. "I guess not," he admitted, taking a lean against the counter while he waited for the kettle to whistle.
Vicki leaned in the doorway to the childrens' shared room, her arms wrapped about her waist as she watched them sleep. "They're such angels when they're asleep."
"And such little demons when they're awake?" Jon asked teasingly as his arms went around her waist from behind and he pulled her against him. The muffled sound of music and voices somewhere below them told them the party was still going strong, but Jon couldn't think of a better end to the day than a little quiet time with his wife. "Cup of tea before bed, or shall we just snuggle?" he asked, his voice close to her ear.
Leaning into him, Vicki let her head tip back onto his shoulder as she relaxed. "Whatever we do, I need to get out of this beautiful, but really uncomfortable, dress," she chuckled softly. "I couldn't bring myself to tell Miranda the truth this morning when we had to squeeze me into this thing, so I've been compressed all day."
"She didn't notice?" he asked, curiously. If Miranda suspected Vicki was with child, it would be all over Maple Grove before it was official. Or maybe Rufus could convince her to keep her mouth shut. It was hard to say.
"She was a little busy with Ash," she considered thoughtfully. "The blonde bride put her heel through the skirt of her dress while Elle was telling me to breathe in and think happy thoughts." She chuckled, easing them both back from the door to draw it to gently. Turning, she looked up at Jon with a soft smile. "Any objection to jammies and cocoa before bed?" she asked hopefully.
"None at all," he replied, touching a kiss to her forehead before leading her by the hand from the bedroom. Jammies first, cocoa second, snuggling third. "I still have to wonder how she managed to convince Isabelle to come."
"I don't have the faintest idea how she convinced her to come, but Miranda works miracles," Vicki pointed out, only too happy to be lead around by the hand. As much as she had enjoyed the last couple of days, with their fun-fueled antics, it was nice to have quiet time again. "Isabelle actually said she'd spoken to Caroline, too."
"That is a miracle," Jon remarked as he led her into the small kitchen that made up part of the suite they shared at the manor. He wasn't sure what had come between the two women and even if he'd known, there was a time for letting bygones be bygones. He and Caroline had once been close, but life seemed to have gotten in the way of that lately. Still, he was glad the two women had made peace, if only for the sake of Dom and Ashlyn.
"With any luck, she'll be a more regular visitor now, anyway," she shrugged, releasing his hand to investigate the piles of clean clothing on the counter that had yet to find their way into closets and dressers. "Undo me, would you? Preferably before I split a seam."
"We're going to have to make an announcement soon, before it become obvious," Jon said, as he moved around behind her to help with her zipper. Conversely, they could have fun letting people speculate, but sooner or later Vicki's growing baby bump would become obvious.
"We're only about five weeks in, you know," she pointed out. "I'm just bulging out because my body is taking advantage of knowing what?s coming." She smiled over her shoulder to him as he undid her zipper, taking in her first comfortable breath of the day. "Oh god, that's almost as good as taking my bra off."
He chuckled, knowing only too well how uncomfortable pregnancy could be, as well as the constraining clothing women seemed determined to force themselves into. "Thank the gods I'm a man," he declared, not for the first time. Their little Freaky Friday incident a few years back had given him new respect for women in general, but more so for those who were carrying children.
Shimmying out of the lovely dress, heedless of being topless in front of her husband, Vicki set the gorgeous piece of formalwear to one side, and shrugged into a clean set of pajamas right there in the kitchen. "Oh, that's much better," she sighed happily, flicking her hair out from beneath the hang of her robe as she turned to Jon once again. "You changing, or just removing the itchy bits?"
"I'll change later," he replied. His suit wasn't half as confining as her dress, and he'd already gotten rid of the jacket, tie, and shoes and had loosened the top buttons of his shirt. "Relax. I'll make the cocoa," he insisted, pulling out a chair. She was likely to be doted on for at least a few weeks, until she got tired of it and told him to stop treating her with kid gloves.
He knew her as well as she knew him. After a long day in heels, though, Vicki was not averse to being coddled a little, sinking down into the chair he offered her with a low groan of relief. "Thank you," she smiled to him. "So ....doctor's appointments again."
"Sorry," he found himself apologizing as he put the kettle on. "Should I get snipped after this?" he asked, though they had not yet decided how many more children they were going to have before they were through.
"Snipped?" Vicki's brows rose into her hairline. "What on earth for" I thought we were aiming for an even four, unless the idea of adding yet more crazy to our family is starting to overwhelm you a little." She watched him curiously. "You've never shown even the slightest inclination toward getting snipped. You fought me every step of the way when it came to getting Cosmo done."
"Yes, but I'm not the one who has to go through nine months of hell, followed by the gods only know how many hours of labor. Then there's postpartum, breastfeeding, and whatever else." He didn't even want to think about the episiotomy or the possibility of a caesarean section. He shrugged at the mention of Cosmo. "I just thought he should have a little fun before we took it away from him, but maybe it was better he didn't know what he was missing."
She laughed softly. "Jon, I know I complained a lot with Emily, but I actually quite enjoyed being pregnant last time around," she tried to reassure him. "It isn't nine months of hell. It's a couple of months of unpredictable nausea, then a good four or five months of big boobs and gorgeous hair and a really cute bump, and only then do I start feeling fat and achy. It's not as bad as I made out the first time around, I promise."
He knew from experience what it was like to be ready to pop out a baby, and he didn't want to be selfish where children were concerned. "It's up to you. I just ....I don't want you to think we have to have more kids, if you don't really want to," he said, worried she was only doing this for his sake.
"Jon, you're getting angsty again," she pointed out with a wry smile. "Be logical here. You know how practical I am. If I didn't want any more children, do you really think I would still have a womb and ovaries?"
There was something about pregnancy that brought out the worrier in him, and Vicki had a long way to go yet. "I guess not," he admitted, taking a lean against the counter while he waited for the kettle to whistle.