Everlasting (Unrestrained 6)

"Hi, Elaine. Sophie's asleep in her car seat so we think we'll just take her home with us tonight. Maybe tomorrow night or the next night?"

"Whatever works best for you. Your father and I don't have any plans. Let us know tomorrow if you want to bring her over for the night."

"Thanks. I'll call you."

They said goodbye and Kate ended the call, slipping her cell back into her bag.

I took her hand and squeezed. "I feel like I need to sleep for twenty-four hours."

"It's all the stress of the last few days, plus your workload. You need to sleep in tomorrow morning."

"I will," I said and kissed her knuckles. "I had plans for a real romantic night but honestly, I'm so exhausted, I feel like I could fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow."

"You should sleep as long as you need."

I squeezed her hand once more and drove back to our place by the ocean.

I carried Sophie into the house in her car seat and once we were in her room, in the dark, I removed her from her seat and laid her in her crib, pulling the cover up over her. Her pacifier was gripped tightly in her mouth and she didn't even blink an eye open, remaining asleep the entire time.

Kate and I stood beside the crib and watched her for a moment and I marveled at how much she'd grown since she was born. I pulled Kate against me and kissed her forehead, filled with happiness that I had her and Sophie – and everyone else in my life.

"Let's have a nice warm bubble bath and go to bed," I said.

"Sounds perfect."

I kissed Kate on the mouth this time and despite all the emotion of the day and despite my exhaustion, I wanted to make love with her before going to sleep.

So I did.

After our bath, which was soothing and relaxing after a long day at the beach, we made love in the moonlight coming in from the picture window in our bedroom, the shafts of grey-white light flowing over our naked bodies on the bed. It wasn't a BD scene like I had planned using my lambs wool cuffs to restrained Kate on the bed. It was instead plain old vanilla and more a quick but intense release that I needed to completely exhaust me and let me sleep after so many emotions of the day.

Afterward, as Kate lay beneath me, her legs wrapped around my waist, her hands stroking up my back, I kissed her tenderly.

"I needed that, Mrs. Morgan."

"You did, Dr. Morgan. Will you be able to fall asleep now? No ruminating on everything?"

"None," I replied and kissed her neck. "Totally brain dead, I'm afraid. Don't ask me anything more challenging than do you want a glass of water because I'll probably be incoherent."

Kate smiled beneath me and ran her fingers through my hair.

"You could never be incoherent."

We kissed once more before reluctantly pulling apart, our bodies no longer joined.

After we cleaned up and got back into bed, I pulled her against me, my arm around her from behind. I kissed her shoulder and closed my eyes.

"Good night, my love," I said and sighed, the last vestiges of stress evaporating.

"Good night."

And so it was with Kate in my arms and Sophia asleep in her bedroom, that I finally fell asleep after a long memorable day that I wouldn’t soon forget.

The next morning dawned and our bed was empty. Both Sophia and Kate were already up and I was surprised that I'd slept through Kate leaving the bed. I must have been extremely tired not to wake up because I was usually a light sleeper. I rolled around in the warm sheets and contemplated getting up or sleeping longer. My watch on the bedside table read seven thirty a.m. I would normally get up at that point, but this felt like the true first day of my five days off and I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to sleep in, so I turned over, put the pillow over my head and tried to go back to sleep.

Of course, I couldn't. I had to get

up. Once my mind started going, it was impossible to go back to sleep. Instead, I got up and went for a quick shower before joining Kate and Sophie in the kitchen. When I arrived, Kate was texting on her phone and Sophie was seated in her highchair, feeding herself Cheerios. She smiled when she saw me so I went right over and kissed her cheeks.