To Have, To Hold, and To Leave: A Bryce Hall FanFiction «completed»

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"Good morning, sleepyhead," Bryce murmured, resting his head on his elbow. "How'd you sleep?" 
"Um, I slept okay," I yawned. "How long have you been up?"
"Not long. Like ten minutes. I didn't want to wake you," he replied, kissing my forehead. "Can we talk about something?" 
"Can I have my coffee first?" I asked, chuckling softly. 
He shrugged. "I suppose. We just keep avoiding this."
"Keep avoiding what?" I replied, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. 
"Us."

I stopped in my tracks. He was right: I had been avoiding this conversation, but that was mostly because I knew that I didn't agree with Bryce's opinion on it. "Um, what about us?" I questioned, playing dumb. 
"I know that we're back together, but are we ever going to talk about being back together?" he asked. 
"Like, um, getting remarried?" 
He nodded. "Yeah. Is that something that we want to pursue? What do you want to do? I feel like I've been pretty vocal about how I feel, and you haven't really said anything about it."
I shrugged. "I, um, don't know, I guess. What's the point? We live together. We have four kids together. We spent a shit ton of money on a divorce. It just feels silly to do."
"Oh," he sighed, sounding defeated.

We went downstairs, and I could tell that it was still bothering him as I began making breakfast. "I know that there's more that you want to say. Go ahead," I said, turning to face him. 
"Is it just that you don't want to be married to me again?" I could see the pain in his eyes, and I couldn't help but notice as his gaze wandered to the liquor cabinet. 
"Bryce, no," I began, setting the spatula down and moving closer to him. "It has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with the fact that we're getting older, and I don't see the point in making anything legally official. You are my husband. You always have been, and you always will be. Nothing is ever going to change that."
He buried his face in my neck, and his tears were hot as they landed on my neck. "I don't want to be without you ever again, Kate."
"You will never, ever have to be, Bryce. I love you. Hey, look at me," I whispered, guiding his chin gently so that he was looking up at me. "You and me, we're forever. We hit a few bumps in the road, but it smoothed back out. We're in this for the long run."

I could hear Isaiah and Annalisa in the living room. "Zay, do you think that we can get Mom and Dad to let us go over to Uncle Josh's today? I really don't want to hang out here."
Isaiah was silent for a little while. "I don't see why not, Annie. It's right next door. What's the worst thing that could happen? They say no? It can't hurt to ask."

I sat down on Bryce's lap, giggling in his ear. "They grow up, but they never change."
"They were always really good at convincing us. I say we suggest it first," Bryce replied hastily as they walked into the kitchen. 
"Good morning," Isaiah greeted us, pulling a water bottle out of the fridge. 
"Good morning," I replied, going back to the stove. 
Bryce looked up at Isaiah and Annalisa. "I had a thought. Do you guys want to hear it?" 
"Sure," Annalisa said, sitting down across from him. 
"Your mom and I were thinking that we would take Owen and Everleigh to that new children's amusement park. We know that you two probably wouldn't have any fun, so we were thinking maybe you guys would want to hang out at Uncle Josh and Aunt Nessa's house today."

God, that was smooth. 
Isaiah and Annalisa shared a look. "Wow, that, um, sounds like a good idea, Dad," Isaiah agreed. "Are you gonna call one of them and make sure that it's okay or should I do it?" 
"I'll call," I interjected. "Why don't you guys grab some breakfast and go get ready to go over there, okay?" 

They left the kitchen, and Bryce burst into laughter. "The looks on their faces were priceless! Why don't we do this to them more often?" 
"We don't usually catch them in the act," I joked, laughing with him. "I'll call Nessa, and hopefully, she won't completely hate us.

To my surprise, Nessa answered immediately. "Good morning. I wasn't expecting you to call me."
"I wasn't expecting you to answer," I laughed. "Isaiah and Annalisa want to know if you guys are okay with them hanging out at your house today. They, and I quote, 'really don't want to hang out here.'"
"No kidding," she chuckled. "I don't see why not. They can come over whenever."
"Thank you so much. You are a lifesaver. I really don't think that it would go well if they came downstairs to find out that you said no," I thanked her. 
"Like we always say: it takes a village. Love you, Kate."

I hung up, setting my phone back on the counter. "She said yes. Are we really taking Owen and Everleigh to that amusement park today?" 
Bryce laughed, getting up and wrapping his arms around my waist from behind as I turned back towards the stove. "We don't have to, but I think that it could be fun. We haven't done a family day in forever. You know, maybe next weekend, we can take Isaiah and Annalisa somewhere that they would like to go."
"God, you are so cute when you do the dad talk thing," I murmured, rubbing his arm gently. "I couldn't have chosen a better baby daddy."
"I'm not disagreeing with you," he whispered, kissing down my neck.
"Oh, hey. The kids could be back down any second," I protested, shrugging out of his grasp. 
"They wouldn't even be here if their mom and dad didn't love each other," Bryce teased. 
I wanted to argue, but he was right, and at that moment, I loved him more than I could even put into words.