Chapter Text
“That is just the weirdest thing.”
I look over my shoulder as Y/N walks into the kitchen, “What is, baby?”
“My car,” she says, and I watch as she drops her bag onto the counter, then she moves to get herself something to drink. “Yesterday it dinged for the first time in like…ever, and I saw that I needed gas. I knew I’d be driving around today, so I made a mental note to fill it up this morning. I’ve been driving around all day feeling like I had to do something and just realized when I pulled into the garage, I never went to get gas.”
She stares at me like it is the most mind-blowing thing ever. I nod for her to keep going.
“But here’s the weirdest part about this whole thing,” she says, leaning her hip against the counter, “The tank is always full. I was down to my last 50 miles yesterday when it dinged, but today it was almost full. I didn’t stop to fill it up though. I drove over 50 miles today. I should be stranded on the side of the road calling you for help right now.”
“Hm, that is strange.”
She takes a sip of water and looks around, “Do I have a secret admirer who comes to fill my tank up? Because the more I think about it, the more I realize I have never filled up the tank since I’ve had that car. Surely it’s not running on the same tank of gas from when we bought it three years ago.”
She is so damn cute, and so damn confused. I love her. I love her so much.
“Yeah, it’s weird,” I say as I shrug, then I turn back to the newspaper and hope she doesn’t see the look on my face.
“What was that?” she asks, and I close my eyes. Fuck, she’s good. “What was that face, Wick?”
I put the newspaper up in front of me when she sits down across from me at the table. I see her perfectly manicured nails over the top of the newspaper, and she pulls it down and smiles at me. I shake my head and put the newspaper back up.
“Jonathan Charles Wick!”
“That’s my name.” I say, and she pushes the paper back down. I smile as I look at her, “I don’t know what you want.”
She raises her brow, “Tell me the truth.”
“What truth?”
“The truth about my car!”
I start to laugh, “You must have a secret admirer, like you said. And why wouldn’t you? You’re the sweetest.”
“John, I’m not an idiot.” she says, and I take a deep breath and hold her gaze.
“Fine,” I set the paper on the table and look at her, “When we first started dating, you mentioned that you hated filling up the tank. You said you hated going in the winter and having to stand outside to get it filled, so…I've been filling up your tank every week, and I have for three years now. You’ve only just now realized.”
I expect her to be happy, but instead she frowns and gets teary-eyed. Her chin wobbles a little as she sits back in her chair looking at me.
“You’ve been doing it for three years?”
“Just about. Since we got the car.” I say, then I furrow my brow, “Why are you crying?”
Y/N wipes her cheeks and turns around so I can’t see her, but I see her shoulders shake as she cries.
“Peach?” I get up and kneel down next to her, “What’s going on?”
“You’ve been doing this really nice thing for me for three years, and I only just now realized.” she says with her face in her hands, “I’m such a bad wife.”
I reach up to rub her back, “I didn’t want you to know. I wanted it to be a little secret. I wanted to do something nice for you.”
“You do so many nice things for me, Jonathan. You always make sure that we have my favorite snacks when I’m on my period. You know exactly what I’m in the mood to watch at night. You always know when I just want some alone time, or when I want to just cling to you, and you allow me to do it. You have my favorite food delivered when I’m at work and you’re at home. You just get me. You know when I want to hold hands when we’re going for our nightly walks, and now I find out that you fill my fucking gas tank up and have for three years so I don’t have to.” she looks at me with tears on her face, “And what do I do for you? Nothing.”
“Don’t start that.” I warn, and she starts to cry even harder. “You’re a good wife. I don’t know why you question that. You’re a good wife, Y/N.”
Y/N looks at me and frowns, “I didn’t realize you were doing such a nice thing for me.”
“I wasn’t doing it so that you would notice. If I wanted the recognition, I would have announced that I was doing it, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to do it so it would be one less thing you have to do. I wanted to do it because I love you.” I say, and she sniffles. “That’s what we do as husband and wife. And before you say you don’t do things for me, yes, you do.”
“Name three things.”
I laugh as I nod, “You always make sure the coffee is ready in the morning--”
“There’s a timer for that.”
“But you still have to put the coffee into it.” I say, and she playfully rolls her eyes. “And you always pick my favorite mug and have it ready for me if I’m running a little behind, and even when I’m not, it’s still there on the table waiting for me. You know how much I hate to do the payroll at work, and you always step in to help me. When I’m working downstairs, you come down there and bring me a good lunch because you know I won’t leave my work to get food myself.”
She nods as she wipes the tears from her cheeks, “You just get so absorbed in your work, and I don’t want you to be hungry.”
“Lately, when my…night terrors have been acting up, you’re there to make sure I know I’m okay, which means more than anything in this world to me.” I say, and she looks down at my hand on her knee, “You settle me and make sure I know how safe I am and that you won’t leave my side. The best thing that you do for me though, is just being good for me. You are so good for me in so many ways. You keep me on my toes, you keep me laughing, and you keep me happy.”
Y/N looks at me with the softest eyes, “You don’t think I’m a bad wife?”
“I think you’re the best wife in this world,” I say, and she laughs before turning to face me. “I’m probably biased, but I’m pretty sure I have the best wife on this planet.”
“Oh, you’re absolutely biased.”
I shrug, “Oh well. No one has the guts to tell me I’m wrong.”
“I think I have the best husband on this planet too.” she cups my face and looks into my eyes, “I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”
“I didn’t want you to notice,” I whisper, and she chuckles. I lean up and kiss her softly, “I love you, mouse. More than anything in this world.”
Y/N smiles softly, rubbing her thumb against my cheek, “I love you too, John.”
“And you do have a secret admirer, I’m just not very secretive about it.” I say, and she laughs, “I’m an admirer who is very vocal about how much I love you and admire you.”
I get up and reach for her hands to pull her up for a hug. She wraps her arms around my waist and leans her head against my chest. We stand there for a few quiet moments. Ronan isn’t here, so the house is extra quiet today.
“So,” she leans back and looks at me, “When were you filling up my car?”
“Anytime I took it.” I say, and she laughs, “Sometimes I’d just sneak out before you were even up so that I could fill it, especially in the winter.”
She shakes her head, “That is so sweet, John.”
“I’ll stop if you want me to, but I don’t want to. I want to do this for you, so let me.”
“As long as it doesn’t bother you, then yeah, keep doing it. I just don’t want you to feel like I’m making you do it.”
I laugh, “I definitely don’t. I’ve been doing it for three years without you even knowing about it.”
Y/N places her hand on the back of my neck and reaches up to kiss me, “I love you. You’re a very sweet man.”
“I love you too,” I kiss her again, then I let go of her.
She shakes her head, exhaling, “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do.” I say, then I raise my brow, “Don’t ever let me catch you saying that again, and I’m dead serious.”
“Yes, sir.” she laughs, leaning up to kiss me.
I give her another look of warning and only smile when she laughs. “How was Ro when you dropped her off?”
Y/N scoffs, “Thrilled.”
Ronan is having a playdate today with some kids from her swim lessons. She was so excited about it when she left this morning, and I was happy to see her so thrilled about spending some time with some other kids. The plan is to take them to this farm that is almost 30 minutes away. They have all kinds of animals there; she’ll be so happy. Y/N and I were worried about her going without us at first, but Amanda is going to be there since she’s friends with one of the moms. Amanda promised that she would keep an extra close eye on Ronan, and knowing Ronan, she’ll stick close to Aunt Amanda anyway.
“Are you regretting not going?”
“No,” she looks at me and shakes her head, “I mean, she’s still so little that, yes, I’m worried about her, but I trust Amanda. I know she’ll take care of her.”
I nod, “Yeah, I’m sure she’s probably texted you already.”
Y/N reaches for her phone and smiles, then she turns it to me. It’s a picture of Ronan sitting in Amanda’s lap. I laugh, then I walk over to stand next to my wife.
“So,” I smile at her when she immediately squints her eyes, “What are our plans for today?”
“The same plans we made last night,” she says, and I nod. “And maybe a few other things.”
I lean back against the counter and cross my ankles, “I’m cool to do whatever. Just wanna…spend time with you.”
“You’re so cute,” she leans against me and looks up at me, “We can spend all day together. Amanda is dropping Ro off around 5, so she’ll be back for dinner.”
“So, I have you to myself for…” I look at my watch and smile, “Six hours.”
She nods, “Yup.”
“So, you ready?”
Y/N smirks as she backs away from me, “Ready whenever you are.”
__
“Are you sure you’re ready?”
“Been ready every time you've asked me that for the last hour.” Y/N is standing across the padded mat from me as she nods, “Yes, Wick.”
“I’ll be gentle,” I say, and she rolls her pretty eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes.”
She dramatically rolls them, and I immediately take off after her. I go for her legs, but she’s quick, much quicker than I expected. She dodges me and immediately crawls onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and bringing me to my knees.
“What…the hell?” I ask from where I’m lying on the mat before rolling onto my back.
“I’m quick!” she says, dancing in place, “You taught me that. You said I need to use it to my advantage, so I am!”
I sit up on my elbows, “You’ll always be smaller, which…unfortunately means weaker--”
“Even that’s not always true, because look at these…” she lifts her arms up and flexes, showing off her muscles, and I wiggle my eyebrows at her; she looks hot. “But yeah, I’ll always be weaker than a man. Physically, but definitely not mentally.”
I sit up and look at her, “You know I think you’re strong, peach.”
“No, I know, and I totally get what you’re saying. Yes, I’ll always be smaller than a man, which means weaker. No argument there.”
“So, you have to find whatever advantage there is and take it. Always take it. Always play dirty if you have to.” I say, and she smiles. “Go for the balls, go for the eyes, go for the throat. Whatever you have to do to get the upper hand. Whatever you have to do to win. To survive.”
Y/N laughs, looking at me, “I got it, Mr. Wick. Question.”
“Answer,” I nod.
Y/N walks around as I watch her, “Will you ever teach me guns?”
“No,” I say, simply and directly. I shake my head when she looks at me, “I want you to be able to handle yourself without relying on them. I can.”
“Yeah, but come on…” she gestures to me, and I raise my brows, “You’re John Wick!”
I close my eyes as I laugh, then I look at her, “So you want to learn them?”
“No, but I mean, why won’t you teach me?”
“Because they’re dangerous,” I say, holding her gaze, “And I don’t want you around them.”
She nods, “Yeah, I get that. I don’t want to learn about guns anyway.”
“Then why did you ask?” I laugh, then I furrow my brow, “Were you asking because you thought I didn’t think you could handle them?”
“Maybe,” she shrugs bashfully, “Because if you didn’t--”
I laugh, “You’d want to learn, yes, I know you well enough to know that.”
“Tell me I can’t do something, and I’ll prove you wrong.”
“I know you, Mrs. Wick. And I know you’d be able to handle them. If you truly wanted to learn, we could do some training.”
She inhales deeply as she looks at me, “I really don’t want to learn.”
“Good.”
I lay back down and look at the ceiling. It’s too cold to do any training outside, so we moved the couch in the basement and placed the mat down there. Y/N comes over and stands over me, placing her feet on either side of me before she lowers herself down and straddles my waist. My hands automatically go up to rest on her waist. As I sit up, she plops to the ground, but we’re still connected at the waist.
“Are you getting tired?”
“Little bit,” she nods, and I lean forward to kiss her. “And I’m hungry.”
I chuckle as I reach up to tuck her hair behind her ear, “Thanks for indulging me with this.”
“Of course, babe.”
We’ve been down here for nearly two hours now, going over self-defense. Before she was ever pregnant, I wanted to teach her. I taught her some, but not long after, she got pregnant, so we stopped. We kept putting it off since I always told her that she didn’t need to worry too much about it--I’d always be there to protect her--but after everything happened with Peter stalking us, I felt better knowing she would be able to handle herself if it came to it. I still plan to be with her and be there to protect her, but unfortunately I can’t always be with her. I wish I could be, but I can’t.
We’ve been practicing again for the past few weeks, and she’s picking it up really quickly, just like she did last time. She’s also kicking my ass, just like she did last time. I’m always so proud and in awe that I can’t even be upset that I’m moving a little slower than before. I actually don’t think I am moving slower, I think she’s just fucking quick, which I tell her to use to her advantage.
Y/N moves closer to me and shifts until she’s back in my lap again, “Should we take a shower and get something to eat?”
“Shower…together?”
She laughs, “Sure, but no funny business.”
“Ugh, it’s always ‘no funny business’ with you,” I tease, and she pushes me down until I’m lying on my back. “When can we have some funny business?”
“Tonight,” she leans down and kisses me, “I promise.”
I hug her close to my chest and kiss her, then I move my hand down to her ass and gently pat it, “Alright. I’ll take you out to lunch since you kicked my ass today.”
Y/N laughs as she gets up and reaches for my hands, “I think I’ve kicked your ass every time.”
“Good,” I stand up and hold her gaze, “I want you to be able to do that.”
“I think I’ll be able to kick anyone's ass if they mess with me,” she says, and I smile at that, “But hopefully I’ll still have you by my side, then we can kick ass together.”
I wrap my arm around her waist, “That’s the plan, peach.”
__
**
“You are so unbelievable,” John says, and you smile at him. “You’re unreal.”
“I am believable and real,” you say, sticking up one finger, then you grimace, “God, that was…not hot at all. A little dorky, really.”
John laughs as he stares at you like a deer caught in the headlights, “You could be a total dork, and I would still think you’re the sexiest woman on this earth. In fact, you are a total dork and I still think that.”
“It’s the sheer bra and underwear.” you say, gesturing to yourself.
“Yeah, those are good too,” he says, then he smiles, “But I had this reaction to you this morning when you were wearing one of my shirts and a pair of oversized sweatpants.”
You start to smile as you place your hands on your hips, then you take a step closer, “That’s true.”
John licks his lips as he looks down at your chest, “God, I can see right through this bra. I can see that piericing.”
“Yeah?” you look down at the piercing in your nipple, then you look at John, “Would you like to do something about it?”
“Yes, I want to suck on it.” he nods, reaching out to touch you. You immediately back away and cock up your brow, and John pouts--fully pouts with his whole body. “Please.”
You take John’s hands and place one on your waist before moving it lower to your ass, then you take his other and place it on your breast. He smiles as he looks at you, then he leans down to kiss you.
You feel the warmth of John's touch as he caresses your body, sending a shiver down your spine. The kisses between you two deepen as he moves his hands over your curves with a gentle yet firm grip. His eyes meet yours, filled with arousal and desire, igniting your body.
“Fuck, your mouth is amazing,” he says in between wet and passionate kisses, “Fuck, I love it.”
“You should see what else I can do with it.”
John leans back, smirking, “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, I can yap for hours!” you say, and he lets out a deep laugh as you push him down on the bed. You kiss down his clothed stomach, then you lift his shirt and nip at the exposed skin. “But I can do some other really great things.”
“Why don’t you show me?”
You sit up and help him get his pants off, then you toss them to the floor. When you look back at him, he’s already taken his boxers off and is tossing them aside. He’s a little bit eager tonight, which you don’t mind. You stroke him in your hand as you smile at him, then you lean down and kiss him before moving lower. Your hair falls around his hips as you take him into your mouth, and John carefully gathers it all up in his fist and tilts his head up to watch you.
“Shit,” he whispers, tilting his head back and groaning. He bucks his hips impatiently, so you place your hand on his stomach to tell him to control himself. He lets out a small laugh, “I’m trying…”
You take him deeper and gag a little, then you lean up and stroke him, “Patience, Wick.”
“I’m trying.”
“Hmm,” you smirk, then you lean down to take him into your mouth again, and he groans loudly when his cock hits the back of your throat. Gasping, you sit up and smile at him, then you wipe the spit off your chin and crawl up to straddle his waist, “You want more?”
“I want whatever you want to do.”
You playfully roll your eyes, “Jonathan.”
“What?”
“What do you want?”
John leans up and cups the back of your neck, then he pulls you closer, “You.”
“Good answer,” you say, laughing against his lips, “But I need to know what you want me to do next.”
“I think…” he sits up, still holding tight to you, “We need to get my teammate.”
You gasp as you crawl off of him and dig through the drawer in your nightstand, then you hold up the vibrator and smile. John laughs as he takes it from you, then he moves to sit back against the headboard. He beckons you over and pats the mattress between his legs, and you sit up on your knees to take off your underwear, then you move to sit between his legs with your back against his chest.
John clicks on the vibrator to the lowest setting and trails it down your thigh to between your legs, and you buck your hips a little.
“Patience, Mrs. Wick,” he whispers in your ear, “Patience.”
“Yeah, I’m trying…” you say, repeating his words from moments earlier.
John kisses your neck as he moves the vibrator lower, and he lets out a small laugh when your body immediately responds to the pulsing between your legs. You squeeze your legs shut and moan, but John uses his other hand and spreads your legs apart again. He slowly rotates the vibrator around your clit as he sucks on your neck, and you close your eyes and moan loudly.
“Where do you want my other hand?” he asks, and you reach for his right hand and move it lower between your legs. He slides his finger in deep, and with the combined pressure and vibration from the toy, you immediately squeeze your legs shut as you roll your hips. “That’s my girl. Yeah, does that feel good? You’re so wet for me.”
You grip John’s arm with your hands and tilt your head back so you can kiss him, and you feel your body tensing up as you climax. You let out a string of moans as John slides his fingers in and out of your pussy, and you open your eyes to look at him as he watches you intently.
Every nerve in your body is taut. Your knees are clamping shut, but John spreads your legs open, clicks the vibrator to a higher setting, and rubs circles on your clit.
“Fuck!” you grip his arm tight and moan, rolling your hips and riding out the orgasm as John gazes down at you. You push yourself up and motion for John to lay down, then you crawl onto him and hold tight to his hands as you slide down the length of his cock, letting out a moan when he fits inside so perfectly.
John groans as he holds tight to your waist, then he thrusts his hips under you as the two of you moan. He won’t last long at all, so you let him do whatever he wants. Plus, you don’t have much time. It’s already almost 4:30. He reaches up to touch your breast, and you pull your bra from over your nipple and smile when he immediately leans up to suck on it. You roll your hips as you cling to him, and his arms wrap around you even tighter, his groans echoing against your chest.
“Oh, shit…” John moans, and you lean down to kiss him, “I’m gonna come, I’m gonna come…”
Keeping a tight grip on you, John lays back down and jerks his hips hard several times as he fills you up with a loud groan, and you pant as you look at him. You stay on top of him even after he’s stopped moving, and you smile when he opens his eyes, then you lean down and kiss him several times. He playfully spanks you before you both look down to watch his cock fall from between your legs. You wink at him when he laughs quietly.
“Come here,” he whispers, gesturing for you to lay with him. Holding up the little black vibrator, he laughs, “This is…”
“Our best purchase.” you say, and he laughs.
John nods, “It’s definitely a nice little teammate.”
“I think so too,” you say, leaning up to kiss him.
John leans over until he’s hovering above you again, and you hear the click and hum of the vibrator. He moves it back between your legs and starts to laugh when your body jolts; you’re still sensitive. He slowly moves it over your clit until you’re moaning softly into his mouth as you come. It was a small and subtle orgasm, but it was good.
“God, I love this thing,” John laughs, looking at it glistening with wetness from between your legs. He clicks it off and smiles, “I think I need to carry you to the bathroom for a shower.”
“I am spent, Mr. Wick.” you say, looking up at him, “My legs are jello.”
John smiles proudly as he leans down to kiss you, “Let’s get showered. Ro will be home soon.”
You playfully groan as John lifts you up and carries you in his arms, then you look at him, “I’m surprised you can still do this.”
“Excuse you…” he says, and you start to laugh, “Of course I can still carry you.”
“Yeah, true.” you hold tight to him as you stand up, “You were just flipping me around downstairs a little bit ago.”
John starts the shower and smiles at you, “I will carry you until I die from old age.”
“Your back will give out before then.”
“No,” he shakes his head as he walks over to you, “I promise I will always carry you.”
You tilt your head back and smile up at him, “I promise to let you.”
John steps into the shower and reaches for your hand, and you press your lips to his as he shuts the shower door behind you. He gives you a heated look as he stands under the spray of the water, and you bite your lip as he steps closer to you. Your back is against the wall as you smile at John, and you close your eyes when he leans down to kiss you, his hands moving down to your thighs where he lifts you up and presses you against the wall.
He’s absolutely intoxicating, and absolutely not done with you yet. And that is totally okay.
__
“Yeah, you tell him, Ro!”
Ronan babbles to John, scrunching her face up as he watches her in amusement. Neither of you has any idea what she’s so animated about, but you’re both laughing. Ronan walks over to get her crayons, then she brings them back over to the coffee table and dumps them everywhere. They scatter onto the floor and roll under the couch. John looks at you and inhales deeply before letting it go. He’ll have to fish them out later, otherwise Toast will try to eat them.
“It’s okay,” you whisper to him, reaching over to scratch his scalp, “I can get them. Ro, why don’t we keep all of our colors in this bucket?”
Ronan picks them up one by one and puts them into the blue plastic bucket.
“What color is this?” John asks, holding up the red crayon.
Ronan purses her lips, then she hops a little, “Wed!”
“Red, good job.” you reach for the brown and hold it up, “What color is this?”
Ronan stares at it for a moment before looking at John. He sounds it out for her, and she smiles before looking at you and trying her best to say brown.
“Brown. What else is brown?”
John smiles as he watches her, and she points at her eye, “Your eyes, yup, those are brown. What else?”
Ronan grins as she points at John’s hair, and you both smile and nod, asking for more brown things. She points at your hair, then at hers, and you laugh when she reaches over to point at John’s eyes, almost poking him in the eye.
“You’re so smart,” John says to her as she sits on his knee. He pulls her into his lap and kisses her cheek, “What’s your favorite color?”
Ronan looks at all the crayons and thinks it through, “Gween.”
You laugh, “Oh, it’s green today? That’s daddy’s favorite color.”
John tickles her sides as she buries herself in his chest, “That’s why she likes it!”
“I thought it was blue like momma’s favorite,” you say, and she grins and nods. “Oh, you like blue too?”
“She likes all the colors,” John says, helping her stand up.
You watch as Ronan walks over to where you’re sitting on the couch, then she reaches up for you. You put her in your lap and hug her tight. She’s a little cuddle bug. John groans as he gets up from the floor, then he walks over to join the two of you on the couch. He wraps his arm around your shoulder and kisses your cheek, and you help Ronan so she can sit between the two of you.
“Did you have fun at the farm today?” John asks, and Ronan nods as she plays with a crayon, digging her nails into it. She’ll need her little fingers scrubbed tonight before bed. John brushes the crayon flakes off her legs and the couch, “Were there…horses there?”
Ronan nods, “Yeah.”
“How about…” you tap your finger to your chin as you think, “Cows?”
“Yeah,” she nods again, and you smile at John.
“How about--”
“Shickens!” Ronan says, practically vibrating in place with excitement. It’s genuinely surprising how clearly that word came out of her mouth. She begins yapping about the chickens, and you smile as you reach for your phone.
Amanda had sent you a ton of pictures earlier, but you were a little occupied. You open the text and smile as you lean over to show John the pictures of Ronan and all the farm animals. She’s holding a chicken in one picture and she has the biggest grin on her face. She looks so happy.
“Is that one of the ‘shickens’?” John asks, smiling when Ronan nods. He leans down to kiss the top of her head, “God, we’ve made the cutest kid on earth.”
“We really did,” you smile as you look at him. You help Ronan off the couch and brush the remaining crayon flakes to the floor, then you scoot over to sit closer to John so you two can look through the pictures.
After looking through them and sending a few to your mom (and a few to John since he wants to have them on his phone), you go back to the text from Amanda and laugh when you read it.
She was OBSESSED with the chickens. Like, genuinely, we spent an hour just at the coop. She found one and just held it, and it let her! She was in love, and I think the chicken was too. Get that girl a chicken!
You and John both look at each other at the same time, and you smile when you see him looking at you.
“Don’t get any ideas.” he says, and you laugh. “We just got a kitten not that long ago.”
“Hey,” you put your hands up, “I didn’t say anything.”
John playfully squints his eyes, “Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not looking at you like anything!” you laugh, and he looks away, “I’m just looking at you like I always do.”
“No, you’re looking at me with…googly eyes and you know I’ll give in.”
You scoff, “Give in to what, exactly? I haven’t asked for a single thing. I think maybe you want to get chickens.”
“I don’t! They’ll be loud and messy, and I don’t want it.” he says, and you nod in agreement. It would be a lot of work. “They’ll shit all over my vegetable garden too.”
John and his damn vegetable garden. He’s so proud of it. It’s fucking adorable. He made a salad the other day with everything from it, and it was truly the best salad you’ve ever had. He didn’t believe you when you told him, but it was so good.
“I mean, unless we put them near the back of the house, closer to the side patio,” he says under his breath, and you reach over to get him to look at you. “We don’t need chickens, do we?”
“No, we don’t.” you say, and he nods.
Ronan whines a little as she walks over to you, and you help her onto the couch again. She’s probably wanting some dinner now.
“Why don’t we go get cleaned up?” you say to her, and she nods. “Then daddy can take his girls out for dinner.”
Ronan nods, then she crawls off the couch and waits patiently by the stairs.
You get up from the couch and point your finger at John, “Stop it.”
“I’m not doing anything.” he laughs, playfully swatting your hand. “You’re the one who needs to stop.”
You lean down and kiss him, “We don’t need chickens.”
John sighs, “Unfortunately, I think we do.”
“Jonathan Wick,” you laugh as he grabs you and pulls you into his lap, “She’s a toddler. What is she gonna do with chickens?”
“Learn responsibility, have chicken friends…”
You smile as you lean over to kiss him, “John, if you want chickens, just tell me.”
“I…kind of want chickens,” he says, and you start to laugh. “We could have our own eggs here!”
“John Wick isn’t just a dad. He’s a dog dad, a cat dad, and now a chicken dad.” you say, and he smiles. “She’s gonna love it.”
John kisses you, “Probably not the time to get them, plus we’ll really need to do our research and build a good coop for them.”
“Momma, come.” Ronan says, waving you over.
“I’ll be right there, baby.” you say to her before looking at John, “You would give her the world if she asked, wouldn’t you?”
John nods, “You’d do the same.”
“Absolutely.” you smile, then you cock up your brow, “But she didn’t ask for chickens.”
“No, she didn’t.” he says before smiling, “But you did. With that smile right after you read that she loved the chickens today. I’d give her the world, you’re right, but I’d also give you the world. I know you want chickens too.”
He’s good.
You playfully roll your eyes, “Okay, so maybe I think it’d be cool to have chickens and have our own eggs.”
John smiles when you get out of his lap, “Do I know my wife or what?”
“Yes, you do.”
“Just chickens…” he says in a playfully warning tone, “Just the chickens.”
You nod as you lean up to kiss him when he stands up, “Got it. Just the chickens.”
Ronan grins when you walk over to her, and you lift her up and look back at John. He starts to smile when you lean over and stage-whisper to Ronan.
“We’ll get the goat too, don’t worry.”
__
**
I’ve been researching chickens all night. After we got home from dinner, Y/N took Ronan up to get her bathed and ready for bed. She still won’t go down for another hour or so, so we plan to watch a movie. I’m usually with them for bathtime, but I…couldn’t stop thinking about chickens, which sounds ridiculous.
“Hey, chicken dad.” Y/N says from the living room, and I push my chair back and head out to see what’s going on. “Wanna watch a movie with us?”
“Of course.”
Y/N smiles, “Cool.”
“Shicken daddy,” Ronan says, and I laugh as I look down at her.
“Oh, you’re calling me chicken dad too?” I ask, and she giggles. She screams with laughter when I scoop her up and tickle her. “You little turkey.”
Y/N gasps, “A turkey too?”
“No, my love, just chickens.”
She playfully pouts, “Fine.”
I set Ronan down on the couch and walk over to hug Y/N from behind as she picks a movie for us to watch. I move her hair off her shoulder and kiss her neck, “More self-defense tomorrow?”
“My body is killing me, if I’m honest.” she says, leaning back in my arms, “I was hoping I could take a nice bath tonight after Ro is down.”
“Okay,” I kiss her shoulder. “Sounds good to me.”
I have some leftover rose petals from her last bath that I made up for her, so I’ll slip away at some point to get everything prepared for her.
“Maybe we can take a day off from training tomorrow,” she says, and I nod.
I really don’t want to, but if she’s not feeling up to it, then I understand.
Y/N looks over her shoulder at me, “It’s not forever, Wick. It’s just for tomorrow.”
“I know,” I say, and she raises her brow.
She knows me too well. I worry that if we stop, we won’t pick it back up, which means she won’t know how to protect herself if something were to happen.
“Hey,” she turns around and cups my face, “We’ll talk tonight, okay?”
“Okay,” I lean down and kiss her. “Popcorn for my girls?”
Ronan nods, raising her hand, “Meeee.”
“You wanna help daddy?” I ask, and she comes running over to me.
I lift her up and toss her over my shoulder as she giggles. I open the cupboard and smile when Ronan leans in to grab a bag of popcorn from the container. She holds the package close to her chest and only hands it over for me to open. It’s hard to do it with one hand, but I manage. I open the microwave and hand it back to her, and she smiles as she sets it inside. She’ll want to push the button to start it, so I close the door and look at her.
“You’re such a good helper, bug.” I say, and she smiles at me before wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I sure am getting lonely out here.” Y/N says from the living room, and Ronan and I look at each other.
I whisper, “Should we make momma some hot chocolate?”
Ronan nods and points at the cupboard where we keep the cups. I open it and smile as she looks at all of the mugs and decides which one to pick for her mom. She goes with the one shaped like a donut with purple sprinkles. Y/N was obsessed with donuts with purple sprinkles when she was pregnant. When I was out one day, I saw the mug. I took it as a sign, so I bought it.
I set Ronan down so I can make us some hot chocolate. I get a little caught up in making it, and with the sound of the popcorn in the microwave, I almost don’t hear Ronan raiding the snack closet. I laugh as I walk over to it and find Ronan inside, reaching up for some cookies.
“What are you doing, young lady?”
Ronan shrinks into herself and looks up at me with her huge brown eyes.
“Are you looking for snacks?” I ask, and she nods. I let out a laugh before leaning back a little, “I think our bug is still hungry.”
Y/N comes into the kitchen and laughs when she sees Ronan is standing in the snack closet, “Are you still hungry, baby?”
Ronan nods her head just as the timer goes off on the microwave. Y/N picks her up and takes her back to the closet so she can pick a snack while I go back to making hot chocolate. I get the popcorn into a bowl and bring it to the living room, then I head back to the kitchen to find Y/N and Ronan at the counter. I look over Y/N’s shoulder and smile when I see her putting peanut butter onto a few slices of celery for Ronan.
“She also asked for a ‘yunion’,” Y/N says, looking over her shoulder at me, “So, maybe just a slice.”
I get the onion out of the fridge and hand it to Y/N, “Ro, go sit down and we’ll bring your snacks out.”
Ronan’s feet slap on the floor as she runs to the living room, calling out for Bleu and Toast to join her.
“A fucking onion, John.” Y/N says, and we both start to laugh. “She wants…an onion.”
“She’s…her mother’s daughter.”
Y/N scoffs, “I have never asked for an onion.”
“No, but you do like random snacks.” I say, and she laughs.
“What a strange kiddo,” she says, and I smile at her, “God, I love her so much, so so much.”
I nod, “I do too. She’s perfect.”
After Y/N cuts up a slice of onion, I grab the hot chocolate and walk with her back to the living room. Ronan kicks her legs a little and claps when her plate is set in her lap. Bleu tries to sniff the plate, but all three of us put our hands out to stop him.
“No, Bleu-boy, onions aren’t for dogs,” Y/N says, then she looks at Ronan, smoothing her hair back, “Good job remembering, sweetheart. He can’t have them. They’ll make him sick.”
“Smart girl,” I say, leaning down to kiss the top of Ronan’s head.
Y/N plops down on the couch next to her and takes a bite of celery and gives the rest to me. I sit down on the other side of Ronan and smile when Y/N looks over at me.
“Ready for our movie?”
Ronan holds up a slice of onion and nods, “Yes!”
Y/N laughs and presses play, then she smiles as she looks back at me when she realizes I’m still watching her. I reach over and lightly brush my knuckles against her cheek, and she closes her eyes and smiles before leaning into the palm of my hand.
“I love you,” I whisper to her, and she smiles and whispers it back. “Bath in 15?”
Y/N looks down at Ronan and laughs since we both know Ronan will fall asleep in 10 minutes or less, then she nods her head and presses a kiss to my hand.
__
I’ve had to add more water to the tub twice since it keeps cooling down, but neither of us wants to get out. It’s nice just holding each other.
“We should have just gotten into the hot tub.” Y/N says, and I laugh against the shell of her ear. “I totally would.”
“You’ll be frozen by the time we get down there,” I say, and she hums. I let the silence linger for a moment. “Do you really want to?”
She shrugs, “I’m not tired. I’d be up for a glass of wine and some crackers in the hot tub.”
I laugh as I lean up to see her face, “Let me get out and get your robe.”
Y/N moves up so I’m able to get out, but before I can get a towel around my waist, she’s already standing up and unplugging the bathtub. She steps out and reaches for her robe, then she smiles at me before walking into the bedroom.
Ronan doesn’t usually sleep with the baby monitor on anymore, but since we’re going outside, Y/N quietly sneaks into her room to turn it on, then she follows behind me to the kitchen. I quickly grab two wine glasses and a bottle of Pinot Grigio, and I see Y/N grab a box of crackers and some cheese from the fridge. She smiles at me when I look at her.
“What? I want a little snack!”
“I didn’t say anything,” I hold the door open for her and laugh when she stuffs a cracker into her mouth.
It’s pretty chilly outside, but the hot tub is warm. There’s steam coming off of it. We haven’t had it all that long, and we really haven’t used it much, but now with the weather getting cooler, I have a feeling we’ll use it more. I just wish it were closer to the house so we didn’t have to walk so far in the cold.
I set the wine aside and hold Y/N’s hand as she stands on the steps, then she looks over her shoulder at me. It takes me a moment before I realize why she’s looking at me; she’s naked.
“Oh, you’re good. Logan won’t be home tonight and no one is outside.” I say, nodding my head. I reach for her robe and smile when she lets it fall from her shoulders.
“I probably should have put on a swimsuit.”
I wave it off as I set her robe aside, “It’s 10 o’clock at night. You know our neighborhood--everyone is asleep by now.”
“Except my sister,” she says, and I widen my eyes as I hold my towel around my waist. Y/N laughs, shaking her head, “No, she just texted me, so I know she’s awake. She’s not coming over here. I didn’t respond, so she probably thinks I’m asleep.”
After setting my towel aside, I get into the hot tub and reach for our wine. I pour some into our glasses and pass one to her, then I sit down and smile before clinking my glass against hers.
“So,” she looks at me as she swirls her wine in her glass, “Chickens…”
I laugh before quickly finishing my glass and filling it again. I will most likely get a little tipsy off this bottle, so will Y/N, but it’s fine. I fill hers back up too and smile when she laughs.
“Chickens, yeah.” I settle beside her and wrap my arm around her shoulder to pull her closer, “Maybe three.”
“Three? Geez,” she laughs, “You really love our daughter.”
I smile, “I certainly do.”
“How about…a rabbit?”
I start to laugh, “A rabbit, chickens, and a goat?”
“A mini farm. It’s all legal in Nassau County.” she says, then she shrugs, “I’d help take care of them.”
“I know you would, baby.” I whisper against the top of her head, then I lean down to kiss her, “Why don’t we start with chickens?”
Y/N nods, “This summer?”
“That sounds good to me.” I say, and she smiles.
“Geez,” she says softly, leaning up to kiss me, “You really love me.”
I smile, “I certainly do.”
I watch as she sets her glass aside and stands in front of me. I hold her gaze for a moment before setting my glass aside and reaching out to hold her by her waist.
“What are you thinking about?”
She hums, “A lot of things.”
“Let me in,” I whisper, and she laughs quietly before leaning against my chest and kissing me. “Let me into your mind.”
“Do you think we’re safe now?”
“I do,” I nod, pulling her closer, “I know we are. Peter’s gone. He’s not coming back.”
Y/N chews on her bottom lip before she straddles my waist and sits in my lap, “Is it stupid that a week ago we had someone watching our every move and now we’re naked in our backyard?”
“No,” I shake my head, “I think it’s brave. You’re allowed to be naked in your backyard if you want.”
“I don’t want to be ashamed to be naked. I want to be able to be naked in my house. I want to be able to be naked in my backyard if I want to.” she says, and I nod. “I feel like I’m taking back something that was stolen from me. Does that make sense?”
I nod, “It does. It really does.”
“No one can even see us.”
I nod, then I tilt my head to the left, “I don’t think Mrs. Johnson next door is even up at this hour, and if she is, she certainly can’t see through or over the hedges. Our backyard is very secluded and private. I did that on purpose.”
When I had the house rebuilt, I liked the idea of being able to be in the backyard and never being able to see a neighbor. I didn’t want to be bothered. Sure, sometimes I’d help Mrs. Johnson next door during the winter. Helen would always offer for me to shovel the old woman’s driveway--and I was happy to do it--but I wanted to be able to sit in my backyard, read the newspaper, and be left alone. I didn’t want people to be able to even see me in the yard since I knew it meant they’d try to talk to me.
The ironic thing is, when I noticed Y/N for the first time, I started spending more time outside in hopes that she’d see me. All that time I spent trying to hide from people, but all I wanted was for her to notice me. In order to do that, I had to actually go into the front yard, which I did much more than necessary. It worked in my favor in the end. I got my girl, and I am so grateful.
I pull her closer and kiss her, “You can be naked in the yard all you want, baby.”
“Good. Only in the backyard though.” she laughs, then she leans back to hold my gaze. She bites her bottom lip for a moment before kissing me deeply. “You’re my best friend.”
“You’re mine too,” I whisper back, and she lets out a small laugh.
I hold tight to her as I shift a little, and she closes her eyes when she feels me stiff between her legs. She gets herself adjusted too, and we both reach down, our hands bumping into one another, and we laugh when we have the same idea. She takes me into her hand and holds my gaze as she sinks down the length of my cock. She feels incredible. I clench my jaw and tilt my head back against the side of the hot tub, then I open my eyes to look at her.
The steam rises around us as I gaze at her, and I notice the subtle expressions that flicker across her face. It’s adoration. It’s admiration. It’s honest-to-god love. I try to think back to a time when I ever questioned whether she loved me or not. I can’t think of a specific time, but if I did, I silently berate myself for ever thinking that. It’s so clear to me how she feels. Hopefully, it’s clear that I feel the same way. I love her. God, I love her so much.
“Hey, John,” she whispers, and I hum as I look at her, “I love you.”
I let out a small laugh because of course she’s reading my mind, “I love you too, peach.”
Y/N wraps her arms around me, and I close my eyes as we surrender to each other.