THE RETURN

Chapter 89

She was ready by eight am the next morning. Freshly showered, her comfortable clothes on, her hair clipped on the back of her head, her slippers on her feet. Her belly full of the pancakes Elliot's DoorDashed from Dennys. Hannah was dressed in her signature, "Miss. Hannah Faith Stabler" outfit that Kathleen had splurged on. It was perfect the moment Olivia saw it. Was even more perfect on her.

Elliot had helped her every step of the way. Had never tried to slow her down. Had guided every one of her movements with care. If she wanted them to go home, he was going to get them all home.

They were both cleared to go by 10:30, both piling into the car by 11:45, both grinning from ear to ear when he asked her, "You two ready to go home?"

Home. A place she never really had, to a place she couldn't get enough of. All the kids were there when they walked in. It was their plan. Olivia's labor and Hannah's birth was theirs, but welcoming her home was everyones.

Everyone gushed over her. Were just in love with as much as their parents were. But as fun as it was, she had just given birth, Hannah was new to the world, and everyone was tired from the chaos the last few days had brought them. A wedding and a birth. That was a lot on anyone. And by the time is was 7, everyone was calling it a night.

"You feeling okay, baby?" Elliot asked her as she leaned against their headboard feeding Hannah.

"Mm..." her eyes were glued on the piece of perfection currently sucking on her breast, and yeah. She had never been better. "Perfect." As her eyes drew up to his, she grinned at the phone once more perched in his hands. "Would like to get cleaned up though." It had been a while since she had bled and she really had forgotten what it felt like. And what she was going through wasn't even a period.

"Once she's finished, we'll lay her down."

Hannah was a great sleeper. As long as she was wrapped in her daddy's swaddle, she didn't move an inch when they placed her into her bassinet for the first time.

"She's such a good baby," Olivia said as she watched Hannah's steady breathing.

"Well she has a great mama, so of course she is."

She smiled at that, turned around to wrap her arms around his neck, "She has a great daddy too."

"Mm, come on baby. Let's shower."

Showers were amazing. Especially when Elliot was the one who prepared them. Especially when Elliot's hands were combing along her scalp, rubbing along her body. Man cared for her better than anyone ever had.

"They're getting heavier, baby," he said as the tips of his fingers lightly ran along her breasts.

They were. And they were also sensitive. The weight of them was new, her nipples were sore from the constant latch they were having to get used too. Her body was different. Was doing something she never thought it would ever do.

"My milk is coming in."

"I can tell. How do your nipples feel?"

"Sore. Not too bad though." She hadn't yet experienced any cracking or bleeding, so she had that going for her.

He hummed, dragged the tips of his fingers along her sensitive flesh softly once more. "She has such a good latch. Hopefully you won't be sore for too long."

"God, I hope so. Don't even want to put on a shirt right now." Just the thought of something rubbing against them had her flinching.

"I definitely will not complain about that. Actually, don't put any clothes on at all." The woman naked? Goddamn.

It made her giggle, made her throw her hands around his neck to kiss him softly on the lips. "You're a perv." She literally had just given birth and man was still obsessed with her being naked.

He grinned widely, dragged his hands down her back, over the slope of her ass. "Only for my beautiful fiancé." The man's lips were everything and even with the exhaustion of the last few days, she could feel herself become lost in them. Become lost in him. She wasn't sure if it was completely normal to get turned on after essentially just giving birth but Elliot knew how to fine tune her body better than anyone had before.

The kiss left her breathless, left her wanting. "I can't wait to make you my wife, Liv."

She couldn't wait either. Their wedding date was something they hadn't discussed yet. All she had known was that she wanted to wait until Hannah was born so she could walk down the aisle without waddling. And since Hannah had safely entered the world, there really was only one thing that stopped her from pulling him to the courthouse. "We should wait until I'm cleared by Michelle. I'm sure we'll want to consummate our marriage." More than sure.

His groan of disapproval made her arch her eyebrow at him. "Don't remind me about how long I'm supposed to wait to have you again. I'm already dying."

Although she rolled her eyes, she laughed lightly. "Don't worry, baby. Six weeks isn't too bad." The look on his face made her second think that answer. Six weeks for them? It was a little bad.

His lips released a heavier groan with that, "You're really going to make us wait that long?"

The look she gave him was one of pure confusion, "What do you mean? Don't we have to wait that long?"

"Well, I mean, you had an uncomplicated vaginal birth, baby. You didn't tear and you didn't have to have an episiotomy, I don't see why we'd have to wait the whole six weeks."

She hummed softly, drew the tips of her fingers along his spine, "We'll ask Michelle." She definitely didn't want to have sex right at that moment but she's sure with this man, she was going to want to earlier than six weeks.

He grinned, wrapped his hands softly around her ass, pulled her a little closer, "Can I marry you as soon as she clears you?" The sooner he made her his wife, the better.

Oh. That was a nice thought. A romantic thought. What better way to consummate their marriage than reconnecting physically for the first time? But her body wasn't the same anymore. She had gained 40 lbs during her pregnancy, was still carrying around 30 of it and as much as Elliot did not care, she still wanted to look good on her wedding day. Wanted to look good in an ivory dress.

"We'll marry as soon as I lose this weight." As soon as her tummy was flat once more, they would marry.

He groaned, another one of those obnoxious groans because to him, she was perfect. Was always perfect and goddamn, these weeks (however long he was punished for) we're going to be hell. "You're perfect, Liv."

She let out a laugh, dragged her lips along his jawline, "I look like I just gave birth, Elliot." She really fucking did. "But thank you for thinking that. I just... just want to look nice in a gown." Because a gown, an ivory gown. That's what she wanted.

He relaxed with that, nodded his head. It was her day. And she would get everything she wanted and then some. If she wanted to lose the weight, she was going to lose the weight. "Anything you want, baby."

The thought of the woman in a gown too? Fuck.