Can We Keep Her?

Expecting

You and Bucky moved around the kitchen fluidly with each other. Sarah, Rebecca, and Kate were coming down to have dinner with you. They did it every couple of weeks if you didn't count their random drop-ins. The kids might have all grown up and left the nest but they were all still close, and with the other two living a little further away, Sarah seemed to take on the role of making you, Steve, and Bucky still felt wanted. Bucky loved that about her. They all had their strengths and were all very loving, but Sarah wore her heart on her sleeve and he was always so proud that she allowed herself to be that open.

"Maybe they'll have news," Bucky said nudging you as he walked past. The girls had decided to go forward with trying for a child but they had decided to keep everything else between them. You didn't know how they were doing it, or who had decided to be the biological parent. So the three of you had just been waiting on bated breath for news.

"Maybe. Don't get your hopes up, Buck," you said, rubbing the small of his back as he walked past again.

Bucky whined a little and began chopping garlic. "I'm just excited to be a grandpa." It was the truth. The constant march of time usually came with a slight tinge of dread for loss. This was the first time he could see the hope for new things to come without that side of things he'd lose.

You chuckled and came up behind him, kissing the side of his neck, he squirmed at the brush of your lips on his skin. "Well, you're like a million years old. It's a little overdue," you teased.

"So mean," Bucky said, pretending to pout.

You laughed and blew a raspberry on his neck. He squirmed away from you and slapped you on the ass. "Oh, you wanna get fresh with me, Barnes?" you teased.

He grinned and pulled you into his arms. "Maybe I do," he said and brought his lips to yours. You smiled into the kiss as he teased his tongue over your lips.

The door opened and Steve came into the kitchen. "That doesn't look like cooking."

You broke the kiss and smirked at him. "You can do it if you don't like the way we do."

Steve shrugged. "If you want my cooking. Sure."

After you had chased Steve back out of the kitchen, you and Bucky finished making dinner. Sarah, America, and Kate showed up just as you were plating it. The five of you all sat around eating and catching up on the things that you'd missed out on over the last few weeks. There was a lot of shop talk. America and Kate filled Steve and Bucky in on Avengers things. You and Sarah talked about the stores and new recipes they'd been trying. Sarah and Steve spoke about art. Bucky and Kate spoke about Clint.

You brought out the dessert. You'd made medium-sized curls of marbled white and milk chocolate served with rice pudding filling and three blobs of mousse, one white, one milk, and one dark.

"This is supposed to look like sushi. Not sure it doesn't just look like fancy chocolate mousse," you said, bringing some of the plates in and placing them on the table.

"Mom!" Sarah squealed, turning her plate around. "It looks amazing!"

"Aww, such a good girl." You teased, kissing the top of her head and sitting back down as Steve came in with the remaining plates.

You took a bite of the mouse, the chocolate shell cracking under your spoon, and took a bite. The crackle of the chocolate melted in with the smooth mousse sweet and bitter all at once while the rice pudding added strong notes of cinnamon and cardamom. You let it sit on your tongue as you savored each flavor.

"You should show your mom the photo we got," Kate said, nudging Sarah.

You swallowed the pudding and looked over at your daughter. "Photo?"