by G. Benson
“Aunty Na, you look really pretty.”
Anna grinned. The joy of kids was they told the truth. She had once walked out, and Ella had looked her up and down and asked, “Where did you find that?” There had been so much Sally in the tone it had made Anna’s stomach ache. If Ella approved, she was set.
“Thanks Ella Bella. Just something I had laying around.” She winked and dropped a kiss on the top of Ella’s head.
“You really do, Anna.” Her mother watched her, face soft.
“Thanks, Mum. And thanks again for tonight.”
Sandra waved her hand. “Nonsense. We’re going to have a great night.”
“Grandma said we can have two deserts.”
“Two deserts? Well, Grandma gets to deal with the sugar rush, so eat away.”
Delighted, Ella went back to her meal with gusto, powering through as much as she could. Anna was about to tell her to slow down before she threw up when the doorbell rang.
Sandra chuckled, and Anna turned back to her. “What?”
“Your face just lit up. Go get the door.”
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she swung the door open. Anna let her eyes drift down and her mouth dropped open at what she saw waiting in the doorway: Lane looked incredible in black slacks with heels and a white button-up shirt with a dark grey vest. She looked like a mix between office power boss and sexy secretary, and Anna thought she might need to wipe up the drool. She loved feminine Lane in dresses, but this was new.
Entwining their fingers together, Lane tugged Anna forward for a quick kiss on the lips. “Close your mouth, Anna,” she said.
“You look,” Anna let her eyes drop down and then back up to Lane’s face, “amazing.”
“Right back at you.”
Doubtful. Anna had on dark skinny jeans with knee-high boots, a dark red, low-cut top and a fitted military jacket. It didn’t compete, really.
“Ready to go?”
“I should really say hey to your mum and the kids.”
“Oh. Yeah.” The sight of Lane had made Anna’s mind go blank.
Lane pushed her through the doorway. “You’ll have me to yourself soon.”
Anna followed happily.
“Your mum wouldn’t stop grinning at me.”
Wrapping an arm tighter around Lane’s waist, Anna nuzzled into the back of Lane’s neck as she revelled in the feel of their naked skin pressed together. Anna couldn’t even care right then that it was getting late and they’d already been in bed together for hours. Bed was a haven, the only time they really got to be alone together. Especially since Lane had opened up about her ex, whenever they were in bed, they talked openly and lost hours being together, even if the consequence was exhaustion the next day.
“Lucky she doesn’t know what we ran off to do upstairs the second she left. She thinks you’re the best thing to happen to me. And you did take me out to an incredible meal, after all.”
Shifting, Lane looked at her. “Well, I am pretty amazing. Some would say incredible.”
“You, you say that.”
“I like to speak the truth.”
Anna smirked, kissing Lane once before pulling back. “You are pretty okay.”
“It’s okay to admit the truth.”
Chuckling, Anna used her knee to nudge Lane. “I need to start being meaner to you. You’re getting a big head.”
Lane pouted. “No. No being mean.”
Unable to resist, Anna leant forward and pressed another soft kiss to Lane’s lips. “You pout, and it just makes your lips look even better.”
“You’re so easy.”
“Only with you.”
“Well, that’s a good thing, because I can get jealous.”
“Now’s not a good time to tell you about my harem then?”
Lane poked her. “As long as I’m head of all those women, I’m okay.”
“I’ll take that as permission.”
Rolling quickly so she was on top of Anna, Lane kissed her, lingering. Soft fingers traced up Anna’s side and she moaned a protest when Lane turned her head away. “Damn it. It’s after midnight.”
Blinking blurrily, Anna, who had thought they were headed for round three, looked over at the clock with glazed eyes. “So?”
“I’m on an early shift tomorrow.”
Anna wrapped a leg around Lane, heel digging into the back of her legs as she used her own thigh to mimic Lane’s actions. “So?”
Lane’s eyelids drifted closed as she rocked her hips. Adamantly, she pulled back as Anna tried to kiss her again. “So—I still have to get to my house, sleep enough, and go to work at stupid o’clock.”
Anna grinned. “So?”
Nipping Anna’s bottom lip, Lane chuckled and sat on the edge of the bed. “So…I need to sleep.”
As dramatically as she could, Anna threw her arm over her eyes. “Fine. Leave me.”
“I could always stay.” Lane’s voice was teasing. “I’d be gone by the time they woke up.”
Peeking out from under her arm, Anna shook her head. “Knowing our luck, it’d be the night Toby wakes up at three a.m. and one of the times Ella climbs into bed with me.”
“True. So wipe that pout off your face.”
A dramatic sigh left her chest and Anna dropped her arm back down.
“You and Ella really are so alike.”
A pillow hit Lane in the face. Self-satisfied, Lane threw it back and got dressed. Anna sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, then stood and started pulling on a pair of sweats and a shirt.
Standing at the door, Lane furrowed her brow. “What are you doing?”
“Walking you out.”
In a few steps, Lane was back next to Anna, wrapping her arms around her middle. “You don’t have to do that. You stopped all pretence of being that romantic after the first time.”
Anna chuckled, pressing her lips to Lane’s neck. “True. I must be feeling more romantic tonight.”
“That, and it’s earlier, so you can still stand.”
“Precisely.”
Tugging her to the door, Lane looked over her shoulder. “Don’t think you’re going to bail me up at the front door for a quickie before I go.”
“Damn. Onto me, huh?”
When the door was open, Lane lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m so onto you. I have to sleep!”
Anna chuckled and followed her out.
“Stop smiling, it’s not happening.”
Clearing her throat softly, Anna made a serious face.
“That’s better.”
Barely at the stairs, they heard, “Nurse Lane?”
Freezing, Anna was still on the landing, holding hands with Lane, who stood on the first step. As one, they slowly turned to see Ella, one leg of her pyjama bottoms hiked up to her knee, her hair a cloud around her head. She stood in her doorway, squinting at them.
“Are you still here?”
Anna bit her lip and turned to look at Lane, who was gazing at Ella in such a state of shock it was almost comical.
Letting go of Lane’s hand, Anna turned back to Ella. “Hey, Ella Bella, Lane was just leaving.”
Ella scratched her bare knee, then tugged the leg of her pyjamas back down. “It’s late.”
Unable to keep the smile off her lips, Anna picked Ella up. She was getting too big for it. Big or no, Ella sleepily rested her head against Anna’s shoulder as they walked over to Lane, who was still wide eyed.
“It is a bit late, which is why Lane’s going home. Then I’m going to go to bed so I can get lots of sleep for the park tomorrow.”
“Yeah, we’re all going for a picnic with Grandma.” Ella blinked sleepily at Anna, turning to Lane. “Are you coming, Nurse Lane?”
Lane finally blinked, smiling nervously at Ella. Anna tried
not to laugh at her. It was her own fault, she knew—she’d made this a big deal. But Lane had frozen like a cartoon character.
“I have work in the morning, Ella, sorry.”
Ella pouted, fiddling with the button on her pyjama top. “It’s not until lunch time.”
“If you finish up in time, you should come.” Anna tried to reassure Lane with a smile.
“Okay. I could maybe finish at one-thirty. A nurse owes me a favour.”
“We can go on the slide, Nurse Lane.”
“That sounds like a plan, Ella.”
As she put Ella down, Anna dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Now, missy, you go to bed and I’ll come up in a second and tuck you in.”
“Okay, g’night.” Ella took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Lane’s legs.
Lane knelt down and gave her a hug. “Good night, Ella. Sweet dreams.”
Once she was assured Ella had stumbled back to bed, Anna turned back to Lane.
“Your face was priceless.”
“Shut up.”
Giggling, Anna led the way down the stairs.
“You’ll pay for that.”
“Hope so.”
They had just hit the bottom of the stairs, when they heard, “Nurse Lane?”
Ella stood at the top, hanging onto the banister.
“Yeah?”
“Can you read me a story before you go?”
“Of course.” Immediately, Lane walked back up the stairs.
Anna followed, smiling softly.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Can we have a sleepover at Grandma’s again?” Ella was ignoring her food, staring at Anna with wide, begging eyes. Which weren’t even necessary.
“Of course you can.”
“Thanks.” A smile flickered over Ella’s face—which was smeared with sauce—before it faded. “I miss Grandad.”
Anna’s chewing slowed.
Toby, in his high chair, grabbed another meatball and put the whole thing in his mouth, cheeks bulging as he chewed. He looked like a squirrel.
They were having a night without Lane or Kym, and Anna found herself unexpectedly enjoying the time alone with the kids.
“You miss him, huh?”
Ella poked at her meatball. “Yup. He doesn’t come over anymore.”
Finally, Anna swallowed, wondering how to tackle this one. Honesty worked best, she was learning. “I think he’s sad sometimes, Ella Bella.”
“He misses Daddy?”
Stomach rolling over, Anna wondered if that would ever go away. “Yeah. He does miss your daddy.”
Ella mashed the meatball with her fork, suddenly contemplative. “You miss Daddy. And Mummy.”
“I do. A lot.”
“And Grandma misses them.”
“She really does.”
“And I miss them.” Ella’s voice was almost a whisper. As if by saying it out loud she could never drag it back in.
Anna pushed her chair back, and that was all it took for Ella to abandon her seat and move to Anna’s lap. “I know you miss them, honey.” She smoothed the hair off Ella’s face, holding her tightly.
Ella wasn’t crying, but her face was red as she desperately tried to puzzle something out. “We all miss them, even Toby, and he’s a baby.”
Toby, whose cheeks still bulged and whose face was covered in more sauce than Ella’s, looked up at his name. He tried to fit another meatball in, eyes twinkling.
“He does.”
“So why can’t Grandad miss them with us?”
Anna wanted to shake her father. He was abandoning the kids, his wife, his daughter, wallowing in his grief while they all had to hold their heads up and carry on. Another figure missing from Ella and Toby’s lives.
Chin resting on top of Ella’s head, Anna rocked her gently. “He doesn’t know how, I don’t think.”
“You know how.”
“Sometimes I don’t. But I know I want to be with you and Toby, no matter how I feel.”
Nodding, Ella picked at a loose thread on Anna’s shirt. “So we can have a sleepover? Last time he sat for a little while and read a book to me. He smells nice.”
Anna hugged her closer. “Of course you can. What about in two sleeps? That’ll be Friday night and you can spend Saturday with Grandma and him? Maybe do some gardening?”
“Okay.”
“Wanna call Grandma after dinner?”
“Yeah.”
Ella was making no move to hop off just yet, and Anna was happy to let her stay as long as she wanted.
Work was a nightmare. Someone had overbooked consultations, and an emergency came in that pushed them back even later. On top of it all, Anna hadn’t seen Lane in forty-eight hours, and, because of the emergency, she had missed her morning coffee with Kym and not managed any lunch. For once, she was actually grateful for her habit of eating breakfast with the kids, a meal she used to often miss.
It was after three in the afternoon when Anna emerged from the scrub room, tiredly pulling the protective cap off her head. She glanced into the second operating room as she walked past and saw that Lane was scrubbed in as float nurse. The patient was being wheeled out, the surgeons were already gone, and the nurses were doing the final count. Anna calculated she had just under ten minutes. Moving quickly, she headed for the stairs.
Just over five minutes later, she re-entered the floor with two coffees, walked to the door of the operating theatre, and snuck into the scrub room. She pushed the door open, relieved to see only Lane washing her hands.
“You had as busy a day as me?”
Lane turned, delighted, as she dried her hands. “God, what is going on today? Did the hospital gods come together to make our lives hell?”
Holding out the coffee, Anna chuckled. It really had been an insane day. Warm fingers wrapped around Anna’s wrist as Lane tugged her over.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” Lane leant against her. “I’ve missed my girlfriend.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ve barely seen you since the picnic Saturday afternoon.”
Arms pressed close as they drank their coffee, Anna settled next to Lane. “I know. The kids and our rosters have not allowed much time.”
“Not fair. And I was supposed to be in emergency but got shafted up here today.”
“Aren’t you often in surgery?”
“More often in emergency. It’s where my passion lies.” Lane winked. “More hands on for me.”
Mouth next to Lane’s ear, Anna whispered, “What are you doing tomorrow night?”
At the insinuation, Lane’s expression brightened up. “Something with you?”
“And, guess what?”
“I’m getting lucky?”
“Definitely. But also...?”
“What?”
“I’m kid-free.”
A slow smile spread over Lane’s lips. “All night?”
“Sleepover at Grandma’s.”
“Wanna sleep over at mine?”
“I really do.”
“Wanna go out? Have some dinner, a date?”
Anna shook her head, smiling. “Not really.”
“Wanna stay in, order Chinese, be naked in inappropriate places?”
“I love Chinese.”
“Me too.”
Anna wished she could wake up to Lane every morning. She’d always slept close to people when they stayed over. She liked the feel of waking up with someone’s skin against hers. But she’d never woken up completely wrapped in someone before. They were on their sides, their legs entwined, Anna’s face in Lane’s neck, Lane’s arm loosely over her waist. It was bliss.
Half-asleep, half-awake Anna just let herself enjoy the feeling of soft, warm skin. Lane was out cold, breathing deeply, and Ann
a brushed her lips over her skin.
They’d been up late, basking in the fact that there was no reason to be quiet, the only time they’d gotten to enjoy that since their first. And they had very much enjoyed it. There were no children waking them up, nothing to get out of bed for, no work that day. Anna didn’t need to pick the kids up from her mother’s until later in the afternoon.
Realising she could smell old take-out, Anna wrinkled her nose. The boxes were somewhere on the floor. They’d started eating in the living room, at least pretending they could keep their hands off each other. Instead, they’d ended up having sex on the couch, then the floor, before heading to the bed. A few hours on, Lane had sauntered out, delightfully naked, to bring the Chinese in when Anna had complained of her depleting energy reserves.
There was nowhere else Anna would rather be at that moment. No guilt was plaguing the back of her mind, no one was yelling at her to wake up, and she had spent an entire night with Lane. The guilt, the insecure feelings she had about dating so soon, had quelled for the moment.
Things could balance.
It had only been a few weeks since they had become “official,” but she and Lane were solid, their connection prominent from the second they’d met. There was no insecurity from Lane. Anna had never experienced such ease before.
She felt Lane stir, arm tightening around her, and she pressed another kiss to Lane’s neck, smiling as she heard Lane sigh softly.
“Wake up,” she murmured against Lane’s skin.
Voice low, Lane answered, “I’m enjoying waking up like this.”
Anna kissed her jaw, then her lips once, before pulling back and smiling as Lane leisurely opened her eyes. A smile spread slowly across her face. Anna ran a fingertip down her cheek.
“Me too.”
“Something I could get used to...”
“Me too.”
Movements still sleepy, Lane kissed her. “Maybe it’s something we can do more regularly?”
Running her fingers over Lane’s collarbone, she stilled them there. She didn’t like the hesitancy in Lane’s voice, but couldn’t blame her, considering how stringent Anna had been with her “rules.” “Maybe we can?”