Always Us

bedtime routines

A little parallel to an older one shot.

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Olivia ran her fingers across the smooth keys of her laptop as she reread the final paragraphs of her latest draft. Though the same couldn't be said about the far side of the house, from where she could faintly hear deep voices shouting over each other, her office was quiet. A peaceful hideaway after an afternoon of entertaining.

"You two good in here?" A hand gently cupped her shoulder, pulling her from her tunneled focus. Lost in her writing, she hadn't heard his footsteps approaching.

She looked down at her chest. Sienna was passed out, and a small pool of drool was spreading through her cotton t-shirt. "Yeah, we're good," she said, smiling softly.

He nodded, his hand lingering on her shoulder.

When he didn't offer anything more, she prodded. "Are you having fun with the guys?"

"Mhm."

She reached a hand to rub his knuckles. "I'm almost done."

He nodded again, and she could tell he was missing their usual nighttime routine. Just the three of them.

"They're only here for one night," Olivia laughed quietly as she watched him tour the room, stalling.

"I know," he mumbled, setting a framed family photo back down on her bookshelf.

His friends had arrived in the afternoon, bursting into their home, charged with energy and equipped with roasts. It had been almost a year since the guys had all been together in person. Now here they were, under their roof.

For hours that afternoon, Spencer, Jordan, Darnell, and Chris had sat in the backyard reconnecting while Sienna darted from person to person, basking in every bit of attention her enamored uncles were willing to dish out. Ill-accustomed to so much stimulation, the two year-old crashed by dinner time, and slowly, her parents followed.

To recharge, Olivia had broken away from the group with Sienna to get some work done. She thought she had given Spencer a chance to bond without their toddler running amuck, but his presence in her office indicated otherwise.

"Go. Have fun, baby," she encouraged, nodding towards the doorway. "I'll come sit with you guys once I finish up here."

He walked back over to her for kiss and then left, somewhat reluctantly.

Turning back to her laptop, she shifted her hips, adjusting Sienna's weight in her lap. Within the next thirty minutes, she knocked out the remainder of her tasks.

_____

Sienna's bedtime had long come and gone. So after closing out of her email, Olivia set off to get her baby tucked into bed. On her way upstairs, she peered into the living room and smiled when she saw Spencer's head fall back. The booming laughter filled her heart with an overwhelming warmth. It made her happy to see him happy.

When Olivia reached the second floor, she walked down the hall to Sienna's room. The two year-old stayed asleep while the mother carried her around the room, turning on the night light and pulling out a clean set of pajamas.

"C'mon mama," Olivia urged as she pulled Sienna's daytime dress over her head. They were skipping bath time for the night, but the mother at least wanted to get her in comfier clothing. Her daughter's limbs were deadweight, but she eventually got the toddler changed and lowered her into bed.

"Dada," Sienna mumbled, squirming closer to Olivia.

"It's just mama tonight," Olivia cooed, soothing her daughter with gentle circles to her back.