Always Us

faded wounds

I've been wanting to write more stuff related to the current season bc I've been enjoying it, but I've also been in a rut and unable to get words out :(

But I saw something this week that made me think of this, and I'm honestly surprised I didn't think of this one shot idea sooner. Whole family came back for this one.

_____

"She's hungry!"

Anticipating the runaway, Olivia snatched her daughter's arms and dragged her wiggling body back into her lap. "She's okay right now, but thank you for checking on her," the mother answered calmly.

"You wanna play, Savie?!" Her daughter yanked her head away to look up at her mom. "She wants to play with me, mommy."

Olivia looked over at her seven month old, wide-eyed and clueless on the mat in front of them. Her baby's eyes bounced back and forth between her and her older sister.

"Hi mama," Olivia cooed. Then she locked an arm around her middle daughter's waist and tugged the brush through the washed curls as gently as possible.

Gianna screeched. "Ow! You're hurting me!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. This was a weekly spectacle in their house that had only gotten worse since the youngest James' arrival. Usually, Spencer was around to charm Gianna into submission, but tonight he had decided to take the boys out to the fields for a guys' night. So it was just a cozy party of four—Olivia, her six year old, her gurgling baby, and the damn hairbrush. At the end of the hallway, Sienna stayed hidden behind a locked door and sound-proofed headphones, and Olivia didn't blame her.

Her baby jolted at the next yelp.

"Look, you're scaring her."

"I want to do it myself," Gianna whimpered, squirming her way to freedom.

And like divine timing, the front door clicked open, and a chorus of Olivia's favorite voices rang through the house.

"Actually, I want daddy to do it," Gianna announced, suddenly dry-eyed with a new pep in her step. She whipped the brush from her mom's hand and raced out of the room.

All Olivia could muster was a weak gesture at the bedroom door. "Be my guest."

While her middle daughter ran down the hall, bellowing for her daddy, Olivia scooped her baby into her arms. She pressed her lips into Savannah's delicate curls and smiled as her baby molded around her. "You're so precious," she cooed. "Mommy loves you so, so much." She pulled away. "And you're gonna let me brush your hair when you grow up, right?"

"You good?"

Olivia looked up to find her husband hovering by the door, eyebrows raised, but more importantly, shirtless, sweaty, and carrying their daughter.

Olivia sighed, dropping her head back. "She just showered."

"We're going to do hair." And when she didn't immediately praise him, he held the brush up as a peace offering. "And I got next week, too."

"Please do," Olivia groaned.

_____

Later that night after some one-on-one time with her oldest daughter, Olivia slipped out of the fifteen year old's room into a more settled house. She peeked into the bubble of white noise to check on Savannah then made her way down the hall towards the murmurs seeping from her bedroom. The moment she stepped into the room, Spencer patted the bed, and she crawled into the waiting space next to him.

"Hi," she murmured, nuzzling her face into the warmth of his neck.

He turned his head to meet her lips. "Hi."