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Carole woke with a start as she heard a key in the lock, doing her best to appear as if she hadn't fallen soundly asleep while waiting for her husband to return home, a facade that she somehow doubted was going to be very successful. Finn had refused to go to bed, their six year old was soundly asleep starfished across her belly, and she had been too pregnant and too exhausted to stay awake.
"Chris?" She whispered softly, wanting nothing more than to greet him at the front door and kiss him senseless, but not wanting to disturb Finn, who was bound to want to see his father. Carole didn't begrudge him that, she just couldn't exactly lift him. He was a rather sturdy dead weight, especially for someone who was six months pregnant.
"Care?"
She sighed. "I'm in the den," she told him, raising her voice enough to be heard. "Being smothered to death by our six year old."
Carole had planned to pick Chris up at the airport, but his flight had been delayed and she hadn't wanted to subject anyone involved in the equation to an overtired Finn, no matter how much she'd missed her husband and Finn had missed his father. Chris had been home briefly for Finn's first day of kindergarten, so he knew that she was pregnant, but certainly hadn't seen how much she'd grown.
When he came into the room, she offered him a tired smile. "I missed you," she breathed, the movements from their twins jostling Finn somewhat, though he simply snuggled closer, snuffling softly. "Come sit with us." She patted the cushion beside her. "You can hold our son."
He leaned over and pecked a kiss on her lips. "Hi," he whispered, caressing her cheek with his knuckles. "You hungry?"
She barked out a laugh. "What a question, Chris, of course, I'm hungry. I'm eating for three, you know."
He dropped down beside her, effortlessly shifting Finn to his lap. "Don't I know it." He pressed a kiss to Finn's forehead. "Hey, slugger," he murmured, his free hand settling on her middle. "Daddy's home."
"Daddy?" Finn yawned, eying him blearily before he nestled his head on his chest. "Missed you," he mumbled, his thumb going into his mouth.
"I missed you, too, buddy. You've been helping your mama?"
Finn nodded. "Uh huh. Big help."
"He's been very sweet," she assured him, covering his hand with hers. "I think he's in love with the babies."
"I know that I'm in love with the babies. And their mama. And their big brother." He kissed her cheek. "I love you so much, Care. I've been dreaming of this moment."
"Me too. I'm sorry that we couldn't get you at the airport."
He shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about," he assured her, "you're pregnant, it's past Finn's bedtime, I didn't mind taking a taxi home."
Still, Carole felt guilty. "Are you hungry? I ordered you an orange chicken."
"You got something to eat?"
She nodded. "I practically ordered the entire menu," she admitted, glancing down at her bump. "I'll make us both a plate."
"I'm hungry too," Finn protested, sounding entirely more awake than the last time he'd spoken. "Daddy, can I eat with you?"
"I don't mind," Carole assured them. "Do you want to help me get the food ready? Or do you want to stay here with your dad?"
Finn frowned. "I gotta go to the bathroom." He scrambled off his father's lap and bolted out of the room, tearing up the stairs, even though they had a bathroom on the first floor.
Carole didn't mind, not when their son's absence led to her husband's hands in her hair and her ass on his lap. She kissed him hungrily, wanting him nearly as much as she wanted the chinese. "I want you so badly," she murmured, "god, Chris, I'd fuck you right here if our son wasn't awake." She captured his lips in another kiss, not a moment too soon as he caressed her breasts through the material of her shirt, she moaned quietly into the kiss, feeling heat in her core. "I told Finn that he could sleep in with us tonight," she admitted guiltily, her second trimester was at its apex and the resulting hormonal surges had left her feeling incredibly sexually frustrated. Carole wasn't against taking matters into her own hands but it was a poor substitute for having her husband. "But he's going to school tomorrow, so it will just be you, and me."
"The whole day?"
She shook her head. "No, Finn's in half day kindergarten. Honestly, Chris, do you think that he'd be able to handle a full day at school?"
He chuckled. "Probably not. No bra, Care?"
"I figured you'd want to touch them," she admitted freely. "Easy access." She punctuated the comment with another kiss. "Fuck, I've missed you." She heard Finn approaching the stairs and reluctantly pulled away, though she remained straddling his lap. "Did you feel our babies?"
"It was amazing. Did you wash your hands, bud?"
Finn scrambled onto the couch. "Uh huh, Mama said I gotta. I'm hungry."
Carole winced as one of the twins kicked her bladder. "Maybe Daddy can get the food ready, honey, Mama needs to go to the bathroom as well."
Chris eyed her worriedly. "You good?"
"Just pregnant with two of your gigantic offspring," she assured him. "One of whom thinks it's funny to kick my bladder."
He beamed. "They think it's funny, eh? Finn and I will get the food ready, how's that sound? You just worry about you."
She heaved herself off his lap, wincing inwardly at the distinct lack of grace she'd displayed. If Chris noticed, he certainly hadn't said anything. Finn had taken advantage of her absence and joined his father; eying him as if he was the seventh wonder of the world. Carole didn't dwell on them, though she wanted to, the need to relieve her bladder was more urgent. Chris would still be there when she got out.
Or, at least, he'd be in the kitchen. When she left the bathroom and returned to the living room, neither husband nor son was present, but she could hear the sound of Finn's excited chattering in the other room.
Carole felt woefully underdressed for their long awaited reunion. She had planned to wear a new dress and even pair it with a set of heels, but her feet had begun to ache at the thought of wearing them once they'd decided that he'd meet them at home. In a desperate attempt to get Finn to believe it was bedtime, she'd changed into her own pyjamas. Chris stood out in his fatigues.
"Do you want to get changed, babe?"
He glanced up at her. The takeout was being reheated on the stove. Finn, thankfully for Carole's blood pressure, was perched on the counter. Normally she wouldn't allow it, but it was a special day.
"Oh, I figured that maybe we'd shower together," he told her. "You know, once we get Finn into bed."
"Mama said I could sleep with you," Finn reminded him.
"Of course you can, buddy, but you know that our bedtime's later. You get to warm the bed up for us, okay?"
"Is that a big job?"
He nodded. "The biggest. You'll be a big help to Mama and me."
Finn shot him a toothy grin. He had idolised his father from the moment when he'd first realised that there was a father to idolise. When Chris was in between deployments, it sometimes felt like he was the only parent that Finn felt should exist. Carole didn't mind. She knew that Chris being home was certainly much more of a novelty than his mother being home every day like she always was.
She padded across the room and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I missed you," she whispered softly. "I'd love to shower together."
"Might not have to miss me much longer," he told her, meeting her gaze. "There's an opening at Wright-Patterson."
"Oh?"
"I'd get a promotion, a raise, and I'd be based there permanently, training the Marine Reserves. I know that I should have cleared it with you, first, Care, I mean you are my wife. I just figured, you know, with Finn and these little ones on the way–"
"Chris, that wasn't a bad oh." She licked her lips. "I would have encouraged you to go for it."
"Yeah?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I think it would be great for our family."