I half-stumbled through the door of the abandoned house and let Malachi wiggle out of my arms. “Can you take this into Mommy's room, please?” I cooed, handing him the light clothing bag. He proudly toddled off down the hallway, holding the bag over his head. I smiled and set the rest of the bags by the door. I stretched my back and shoulders, then made my way into the kitchen for a drink. The second I stepped through the threshold, candles erupted all around me and Marvin Gaye’s “Let's Get it On” began to play. Startled, I searched the dimly lit room for an answer.
“Bonjour, mon amour,” a voice purred. Then Gabriel stepped out of the shadows.
“What is this?”
“A dinner.”
“Why?”
“What? Can one not make the love of their life a nice dinner?”
“Um, I mean….yeah….but--”
“‘But’ nothing. Come sit that sweet ass down and have dinner with me.”
I blinked and walked over the the small table. The glass vase held a rose and was surrounded by tea-light candles. I took a seat and Gabe did the same. He snapped his fingers and a plate of pasta appeared in front of me. My stomach growled loudly and I looked down quickly.
"Hakuna Matata, babe! I know you're hungry after a long day of hunting. Especially with that little Malachi attatched to you."
I smirked nervously and took a bite.
"Omahgawd," I muttered. Gabriel laughed at me and rested his chin on his palm. "Omahgawd," I repeated. I swallowed the authentic-tasting pasta and pointed the fork at Gabe, "Where did this come from?"
"Mmm, Italy around 1600," he shrugged nonchalantly.
"You're kidding."
"Not this time."
I laughed and quickly finished the plate.
I leaned back in the chair and yawned. "Ugh, Italians and their sleep-inducing food."
"Time for bed?"
"Yeaaah."
"C'mon, then."
He appeared beside me and helped me to my feet. He walked me to my room, where Mali was patiently waiting. Gabriel gazed into my eyes and I kissed him. "You know you're not getting any tonight, right?" I whispered in his ear.
"Whadya take me for, an incubus?" he whispered back, "Besides. All I want is cuddles."
He fixed me with a puppy-dog stare. I pressed our foreheads together. I kissed him again and led him to my bed. I scooped up Mali and lay down with him. Gabriel lay behind me, wrapping his arms protectively around me and our son. I fell asleep to the sound of their breathing.
