Chapter Text
Rio wasn’t one for wearing monkey suits, but when Elizabeth had looked at him with those big blue eyes of hers, so full of hope and excitement even as she’d tried to downplay the request, he couldn’t bring himself to say no. After all, it wasn’t everyday he got to see his wife walk across a stage to accept an award for all her hard work.
She could have cut back years ago - they both could have. Work wise things were going really well, but slowing down wasn’t in their nature. Hustling was in their blood. Not because they needed the money; they didn’t, not anymore. They did it because of that thrill, that fire the spark ignited when they sank their teeth into something new and took that risk and conquered it; when they grew something and made it bigger… Better… Theirs.
This time, the thing she was getting the award for wasn’t theirs, it was hers. All hers, and he couldn’t be prouder. It didn’t even matter that it wasn’t a thing that would ever pad their bottom line; it made her richer in other ways.
It started a few years after Sophia came along.
Annie had called her one night, upset. Ben had been out with a friend when two guys started giving them trouble. The friends were able to avoid them initially, but were jumped later when they left the theatre. Luckily someone came to their help so they weren’t hurt too badly, just more shaken up than anything.
Rio had always liked Ben and didn’t give two shits what his name used to be. He was family, and no one fucked with his family, so Rio had made some calls. Once he had the security footage it was easy enough for his PI to get names and addresses. A few nights later, he and Mick paid the shitstains a visit and made sure they wouldn’t be going after anyone else anytime soon.
Then, once they were feeling up to it, he took Ben and his friend to the gym and gave them a crash course in self defense, including a few of the dirtier moves he knew. Anyone who made the mistake of going after them in the future wasn’t going to care about keeping the fight clean, so if it came to that, he wanted to make sure they knew how to protect themselves while inflicting the most damage possible.
Since Sophia had started at pre-school and the other kids were older, Elizabeth had more time again to spend focusing on other things. Not that Rio’d wanted to, but it would have been impossible to talk her out of doing more once she realized the true extent of the need in their community.
She was a force of fucking nature once she started door knocking and cold calling to get gyms like his to donate space and raise money to cover equipment and pay for instructor time for those locations that didn’t have qualified self defence instructors on site willing to donate it.
It wasn’t easy. She ran into a lot of resistance; the fighting community wasn’t always known for its tolerance and acceptance, but she didn’t let that stop her.
He even pretended he needed a bit of persuading to get his gym on board long term, but there’d never been a doubt it would happen. He’d just wanted to see her in action. He liked seeing her heated and passionate about something that really meant something to her; loved watching her boss bitch come out to hustle to get what she wanted.
By the time she was done, she’d signed up a dozen other gyms around the city and had gotten them to donate space for classes where trans youth could feel comfortable learning the skills that would help keep them safe in a world that often actively tried to harm them just for existing.
She attached herself to several different charity campaigns after that… Fundraising for less fortunate kids to have access to equipment and resources to join sports teams, donating to literacy campaigns… the list went on. All those years honing her skills in the PTA really helped, but those were the minors compared to the support she was pulling in for her causes now.
What caught the eye of the National Association of Realtors, though, and the reason they were giving her one of their annual Good Neighbour Awards at this fancy dinner during their annual conference, was the work she’d done with the City to set up the Detroit Garden Space foundation.
She and Thompson were still helping prospective homeowners out, but that was still more of an unofficial thing. This new project was mirrored after a concept she’d read about working in other cities; a conservation land trust landowners could donate vacant plots of land to, so community organizations could establish urban garden spaces for local residents.
She was the first to admit the idea seemed at odds with her job, but abandoned lots being turned into community gardens was something she’d seen quite often when she was out scouting new properties. While she’d never really had a green thumb when it came to vegetables, she was fascinated by the spaces she’d seen created by those who did.
And she never talked about it, but he suspected it was a more personal cause than she let on, that a part of her wondered how much better her life might have been if she and Annie had had access to a resource like that when they were kids; how much more secure they’d have felt knowing they had a steady source of healthy food after their deadbeat dad left and their mother wasn’t able to support them.
One garden in particular had caught her eye, just a few lots away from a house she’d been checking out for them to redevelop in an up and coming neighborhood. On a whim she decided to stop by after walking through the property.
Her curious glances caught the attention of one of the women working, and she came over to chat. The woman, Monique, was a little hesitant to talk once she found out Beth was in real estate - having the vacant lots sold right out from under them was a very real danger for people who chose to do the type of renegade gardening they were doing - but Beth assured her that wasn’t why she was there. Unlike some, she saw the positives of having these spaces in the neighbourhoods they were trying to attract people to.
That conversation planted the proverbial seed, and a few months later, after dozens of phone calls and meetings with their firm’s lawyers, the City planning department, local councilors, and the community development organization Monique ran, that vacant lot was the first Beth bought and put into the conservation land trust she set up for the sole purpose of ensuring the garden space was protected and kept for those who needed it. Once the land was in the trust it couldn’t be sold for development.
The concept just grew from there. She networked through her long list of industry contacts and found a number of willing participants from other real estate and development firms who regularly came across vacant lots, or properties considered too undesirable to renovate or sell for any kind of profit. So many, in fact, it surprised even her.
She had even managed to sweet talk the County into donating a few plots of land that had been foreclosed on for failure to pay property taxes. She’d turned on the charm and convinced them it would be a public relations win for very little outlay.
They typically auctioned off the properties - she’d been to many herself - but there were always a few plots that went unsold, usually because they were too small, awkward to develop on, or in an undesirable area. Transferring them to the trust was an easy way to get them out of the County’s portfolio and into the hands of people who could do some real good with them. Plus, it made for a nice photo op and didn’t hurt come re-election time.
The program ended up being advertised locally too, once what she was doing caught the media’s attention, and a few individual landowners donated vacant lots they’d been holding onto. Most had been hoping the economy would turn around enough to do something with them, but for whatever reason that hadn’t worked out. Taking advantage of the available tax credits by transferring the land to the trust ended up being the better option so they’d jumped on it.
In the 3 years since she started the project, Beth’s efforts had resulted in 26 community organizations across the city being given perpetual access to plots of land in their neighborhoods to operate community gardens, and new plots were being added every few months as word spread.
Rio was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the room breaking into applause as the man at the podium finished his introduction and called Elizabeth’s name. He squeezed her knee under the table and smiled as she pushed up to make her way to the stage.
As discreetly as he could, he set his phone on the table to capture her big moment. The dinner and awards presentation was restricted to the Association’s members and a single guest so the kids hadn’t been able to attend with them, but he knew they wanted to see.
She was in her element up on the stage, looking calm and poised as she passionately explained her latest project and how important she felt it was to give back; that helping to improve the communities she worked in was just as important as selling houses to the next generation of families who would make their homes there.
“It’s taken the combined effort of a lot of people to get here,” she continued, naming a number of those that had donated to the land trust, as well as the community groups she’d worked with that had benefited from those donations. The numbers she quoted were impressive - every community garden protected from development meant less food insecurity so fewer people in that community needed to use food banks, needed less financial assistance, and gained more financial independence, meaning many were able to work toward buying homes of their own one day.
“I’d like to thank my kids, for understanding why this was so important to me, and for not laughing - too hard - as I got my hands dirty - literally - learning the difference between weeds and vegetables. And,” she said, her voice cracking. “I’d also like to thank my husband, Christopher, for…” she paused to take a deep breath as she turned to find him in the crowd. “He saw something in me. He thought I could be something, and I wouldn’t be up here today if it wasn’t for his support.”
The crowd erupted into cheers again as she wrapped up her speech, grabbed her award, and left the stage, making a beeline for their table.
Rio thought she was giving him too much credit, but it didn’t stop him from pulling her in close when she sat back down. Tucking her into his side, he kissed her hair and whispered how fucking proud he was of her.
There was one more award given out after hers, then the speeches were done and everyone left their seats to mingle around the open bars strategically placed throughout the large room. They didn’t stay long after that.
As much as he understood Elizabeth couldn’t really avoid it - she kept getting stopped and congratulated every five feet - he had no interest in sticking around. The way she was slowly, if not steadily, inching them toward the exit made him think she felt the same. Well, that and the way her hand had migrated up his leg as they listened to that last guy drone on.
Normally he’d be happy she was in the mood to initiate things…
They were good now, but they’d had a bit of a rough patch a year or so before.
Puberty had hit Emma hard, and she’d come out the other side with a rebellious streak a mile wide, pushing every single one of their buttons. Once they started to get a handle on that, Elizabeth’s moods started changing on a dime, too, and he’d felt her start to pull away.
She’d stopped initiating sex and kept turning him down when he did, saying she had headaches or was too tired. Days had turned into weeks, which was unlike them, and when anything did happen, she didn’t seem as into it, and it took her longer to get there.
He couldn’t pinpoint what happened to cause the shift, or exactly when it started, but after weeks of everyone else in the house walking on eggshells, afraid to set either her or Emma off, he’d finally pushed to know what was going on. She’d dismissed it, saying it was nothing, just general stress from dealing with Emma, but he didn’t buy that for a second.
In the end it had been the calls she’d started getting and trying to hide from him that had pushed him to ask again, and he’d confronted her one Friday evening when the girls were away, spending the weekend with their aunt Annie.
He knew he hadn’t handled it well, but the whispered conversation he’d overheard ending with how she’d “see them then,” had been the last straw and he’d snapped, getting in her face as she came out of the laundry room where she’d been trying to hide the call.
“There somethin’ you wanna tell me?” he’d fumed, knowing he’d startled her, but he was past the point of caring.
“What? Oh, no. That was just… work.” she tried to step back, tried to brush it off again with a hastily conjured excuse.
“No, Elizabeth, it fuckin’ wasn’t. Why don’t you try again with the truth this time, huh? If you’re done with me, at least have the balls t’tell me.”
“If I’m… What? No!” Her face paled as her eyes got impossibly rounder in surprise. He really thought…?
“No?” he’d pushed, ramping up. “Well, you don’t seem all that interested in havin’ sex with me, ‘an now you’re havin’ all these secret calls and off the book meetins’. So who is it? That guy that was flirtin’ with ya at the auction the other week?”
That guy…? Her brows furrowed in confusion as she thought back to the last property auction she’d been to, and remembered the guy with the wandering eyes and bad breath. Rio thought she was interested in *him*?
“No!” she spit out as her eyes flashed fierce and she pushed against his chest to get him out of her space. Her reaction was unexpected enough it worked, and he rocked back a step.
“You really think I’m cheating on you? Fuck you! There’s no one else. It was about *me*, alright? That was my doctor.
The anger was gone in an instant, and he was back in front of her, eyes probing, hands gliding… over her shoulders, down her arms, feeling for what was wrong, what he thought he’d missed.
“Stop, stop…” she pleaded.
His concern softened her anger as her hands grabbed his, squeezed tight and brought them, clasped, in front of her. “It’s not like that. I’m not hurt, it’s just… because of my… age… things are changing. Inside.”
Her secret finally pulled out of her, she deflated before his eyes.
He pulled his hands from hers and buried one in her hair, cradling the back of her head, and used the other to gather her close in a tight hug. She immediately relaxed into the comfort of his embrace, closed her eyes, and exhaled the deep breath she’d been holding.
Fuck.
“Inside” covered a lot of things, but all the pieces suddenly clicked. He had a pretty good idea what she meant and he was kicking himself for being such an asshole and not figuring it out sooner. He knew her body inside out; how had he gotten it so fucking wrong?
“C’mon,” he said softly, pulling back and moving his fingers again, this time to brush her hair away from her face. They had a lot to talk about, and the conversation wasn’t going to get finished in the cramped hallway in front of the laundry room.
It was still early, but with the kids gone they’d planned a lazy night and had already changed so they’d be comfortable for the movie they picked to watch later. He led her toward their room and pulled back the covers so she could crawl into bed, before taking off his shirt and getting in beside her, positioning her to lay across him like they used to when she needed to feel connected.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” she whispered apologetically, her earlier fire fully extinguished. She knew she had because she could feel it. He was the picture of calm on the outside, waiting for her explanation, but with her head resting against his chest there was no way she could have missed the machine gun rapid fire beating of his heart.
“You know I’ve been feeling… Off. Headaches, mood swings, trouble sleeping, and not wanting to…” she didn’t need to elaborate, they’d both been feeling the fallout from that, but he sensed there was more that he hadn’t seen with his own eyes.
“I wasn’t trying to hide it,” she promised. “I was going to tell you. It just took me a while to put it all together, and I needed to talk to my doctor. I needed time to…”
Needed time to get diagnosed and adjust to her new reality. And prepare herself in case he didn’t take the news well.
He made a noise, deep in his throat that he hoped she interpreted as understanding. Now that he knew at least part of it, he couldn’t be angry she needed time to accept and understand what was happening to her body.
“She confirm it?” he prompted gently.
He felt her nod into his chest, the fingers of one hand absently tracing familiar soothing patterns into his skin, grounding her. After a few minutes she continued, admitting everything she’d been holding in.
She confessed it was a panic attack that had finally pushed her to finally call her doctor. It was over… nothing. Something she’d literally done hundreds of times had filled her with so much anxiety she couldn’t function and she’d shut down and locked herself in her office.
He remembered the day as she described it. She was supposed to pick Sophia up from school but called him at the last minute and said something came up and he would have to do it. He’d had to cut one meeting short and cancel another to make it on time, and he’d been too frustrated by the short notice to really listen to whatever reason she gave him - or catch the signs that it was really because of something else entirely.
The worst part, she said, was she knew it wasn’t rational but she couldn’t seem to stop it. Her doctor explained it was actually fairly common, the sudden drop in certain hormones often ratcheted up anxiety levels. The significance of what was happening, worry over how the changes would affect not just her body, but what it meant to her as a woman… What it meant for her marriage… Everything was amplified and that was how it manifested.
“I felt like I was going crazy,” she whispered.
“Jesus, Elizabeth. Why didn’t you tell me? We talked about this. You should have said something, let me help.” His tone was one of concern, not censure, but he was right, and that made her feel worse.
They had talked about it. Multiple times. Kind of. It had been a long while ago, and the context had been different; this wasn’t a few wrinkles, or an extra inch on her hips. Neither of them had ever seriously considered changes so drastic their fire burned out, not when it had always sizzled so hot.
But here they were.
He felt her head turn and tuck in tighter against him as she hugged him harder, and he raised his hand to her hair, trying to reassure her.
“Sweetheart, I ain’t no doctor, but I’m sure everythin’ you’re feelin’ is normal with all the changes your body’s goin’ through. But, this happenin’ don’t mean there’s somethin’ wrong with you. ‘An,” he continued, pushing his point. “Nothin’ - absolutely nothin’ - about it makes me want you any less, so get that thought outta your head right now.”
He felt her nod again, but knew it would take more for her to truly believe it. He decided to switch things up to try to get her out of her head.
“In case y’hadn’t noticed,” he pointed out, trying to lighten the mood, “I ain’t no spring chicken myself.”
He’d never been a particularly vain man, but the truth was, he was closer to 45 than he liked to think about some days.
His glasses were a daily requirement now, not just when he read, and there were a few more creases at the corners of the eyes they helped bring into focus.
He still kept his hair shaved short, but knew if he let it grow he’d see some grays, like the ones Sophia had started to point out in the scruff on his face. She was helpful that way.
He still boxed and trained, but not at the level he had when they’d met. Without the push to make weight for real fights, he’d lost some of the definition in his abs.
“It could be me in a few years. You not gonna want me if I’m too old t’get it up without a little pharmaceutical assistance? Hmm?”
The sputter of her indignant gasp tickled across his skin.
“Of course I will! That would never change how I…”
Rio smiled as she huffed out a breath, realizing the point he’d just made.
“You know I’d take it all away if I could, Elizabeth, make it so you never had t’go through it. Even I don’t have that much reach, but I can promise you’re not on your own. We’re in this together, yeah? Same as always. You hear me?”
He felt her nod again and he backtracked. “M’sorry I jumped to conclusions. I…”
She cut him off. “It’s okay, I’m not mad…”
He chuckled. It hadn’t been okay, she’d been pissed, but not nearly as much as the first time he made the same mistake, thank god.
“Anymore,” she clarified. “I know what it must have looked like, and I… I probably would have thought the same thing if it had been the other way around.”
This time she felt him nod, then brush a kiss against her hair.
“Don’t matter. I shoulda known better than t’go there. That’s all on me for not readin’ the signs right, but I’m all caught up now. Just tell me whatchu need.”
He truly regretted the assumption he’d made, she could hear it in his voice. But it was the compassion, the understanding she heard, too, that was almost too much. She inhaled a deep, ragged breath, trying to keep her tears at bay. Disappointment or more anger would have been easier, almost, but all this… softness… the kind he reserved just for her and the kids… it still undid her every time.
She heard the determination she loved, too. One of the reasons he was so successful, now and in his previous life, was because of how good he was at analyzing situations and figuring out how to avoid potential problems. Or, if something did go wrong, how good he was at working the problem until he found the solution. She hadn’t always agreed with his methods, but the results spoke for themselves.
That’s what he wanted to do here, and she knew how hard it was for him to admit he couldn’t fix this problem for her. But he was right about something - they could find ways to manage it, together.
It was the reassurance she needed.
“My doctor said there are some options,” she started, diving in to tackle the things she’d been avoiding.
She still wanted him, that wasn’t even a question, but she confessed it felt like her body wasn’t her own anymore, like she’d been… rewired, somehow, and the spark wasn’t igniting.
The last few times had been uncomfortable for her, and familiar patterns of touch that had always worked in the past hadn’t done what they used to. She knew she should have said something, but it had been embarrassing and frustrating, and made her feel like there was something wrong with her; that she was letting him down and couldn’t give him what he needed. Her doctor told her those feelings and physical responses were all normal, but nothing about it felt normal to her - her body not reacting to him… that was the furthest thing from normal she could imagine.
“She suggested a few lifestyle changes and maybe switching things up. And she said there’s some new hormone therapy treatments she’s going to look into for me. That’s what you overheard, I was confirming the follow up appointment. In the meantime, she suggested I try pot. She said it might help with some of the symptoms… the mood swings, the anxiety...”
He’d been quiet when she spoke, not wanting to interrupt her obviously difficult confession - they would be circling back to the assumptions she’d made later - but he hadn’t been expecting that last option, and his chest rumbled with amusement under her cheek.
“Oh yeah? You gonna start lightin’ up wit’ me? Or,” he teased, “Maybe we’ll get ya some ‘a them bougie gummies that’s all the rage?”
Beth smiled against his skin, surprised he hadn’t suggested she make her own special brownies. She appreciated him trying to lighten the mood after the bomb she’d just dropped, but gave his side a little pinch, causing him to yip in surprise and squirm. Then, without moving from where she lay, she reached up and scratched her fingernails affectionately across the stubble along the side of his jaw.
“Respect your elders,” she huffed, less annoyed than she was trying to sound.
He chuckled again, happy she could make light of it, knowing it meant maybe she was coming around and not focusing so much on only the worst parts.
Shifting so he was propped on his elbow beside her, he trailed the fingers of his other hand lightly over the exposed skin of the swell of her breasts.
“Oh, mami, I’ll respect you all night long, you just say the word.”
He used the voice that had always made her shiver. She knew he’d make good on that promise - had done so many times - but that only made her feel worse. Her eyes got watery with unshed tears and she was forced to look away before whispering her hardest confession after her voice betrayed her, too.
“I’m scared those days are behind me.”
Her confidence had clearly been shattered and she looked how she told him she felt - broken. It killed him to see it because he knew how strong she was.
Rio raised his hand, cupped her chin, thumbed her cheek, and gently but firmly forced her to turn her head. The look in his eyes as he stared down at her was inscrutable. Only when he was sure he had her full attention did he speak.
“You want ‘em t’be?”
Did she want that part of their life to be over?
She shook her head. She really, really didn’t, but…
“Then they ain’t,” he said softly, but firmly. “You just got stuck in your head lookin’ at it all wrong, that’s all.”
Yes, it was a change - a big one - but it wasn't anything they couldn’t handle, and it didn’t need to be the end of anything. She just needed to think of it as an opportunity, he said, and be willing to try some of the suggestions her doctor had given her. It was just going to take some time to figure out what worked for her now, and he was absolutely up to that if she was. But the first thing she needed to do was get the idea that she wasn’t good enough, wasn’t able to give him what he needed, out of her head.
He made it sound so simple, but she wasn’t convinced, still sure maybe he was the one who wasn’t looking at it right and that he’d change his mind once he saw how hard it was going to be.
“It’s not too late to trade me in for a newer model,” she offered, not really serious, but… not really not serious, either.
“Oh yeah?” he asked, his voice lilting in surprise. “You think that hot chick from that show you hooked me on’s finally ditched ‘ol what’s his name? I’ve had my eye on her for a while.”
Beth’s face scrunched in concentration as she searched her memory trying to work out who he was talking about. Once she did, she barked out a laugh, finally releasing some of the tension she’d been holding onto.
“You mean… the grandmother? You know that’s not exactly how an upgrade works, right?”
He shrugged at her teasing and smirked, “What can I say, I got a thing for spicy older ladies.”
Beth couldn’t hide her smile as something shifted and settled inside her, and she turned on her side, mirroring his position, to face him.
“We’re gonna get through this,” he said again, with just as much conviction, just for the record.
She nodded. But, “It’s not going to be an easy adjustment.”
He snorted. “Baby, life with you’s been a lotta things, but “easy” ain’t never been one of ‘em.”
It wasn’t a dig. The opposite, really - the highest compliment - and he knew she knew that. They challenged each other, pushed each other. They had since the day they’d met, and thrived on it. They wouldn’t have worked otherwise; wouldn’t have been able to get through all the obstacles in their way - including each other at times - if they weren’t each as strong and strong-willed as they were.
The easy way had never been their way, so was he going to complain about having to take a little extra time to stoke the fire when he knew he’d still end up with what was still the best sex of his life?
Fuck, no.
His response would be different if the circumstances were different; he wouldn’t have been nearly so understanding if his assumption ended up being right, but this happening to her hadn’t been her choice any more than what she went through with Sophia. He’d been frustrated earlier, jumped to conclusions, but now that he knew what the issue really was, there was no question what the path forward looked like. She just needed help to see things weren’t as bad as they felt.
He wasn’t going to lie to her, part of him was going to miss the spontaneity. A lot. But at the same time, he hadn’t been kidding about this being an opportunity to mix things up. It wasn’t that things had gotten stale before the dry spell hit - not even close - but with all the kids and work and… life… it had been too long since they’d really had a chance to slow down and drawn things out, which was what it sounded like she needed now to give her body a chance to get caught up to that sexy as fuck mind of hers.
So, he went with her to that follow up appointment, surprising the shit out of the doctor; apparently not many men cared enough to. Elizabeth had a few questions about the hormone replacement therapy options, then he and the doc had a real good talk while Elizabeth tried not to die of embarrassment, flushing the prettiest pink when he asked for suggestions on which… alternative remedies… would work best for her symptoms. Then she just about crawled under her chair when he switched it up and asked about specific ways he could help her sexually.
The first part of the conversation was a bit surreal for Beth. She sat there listening to her husband and her doctor debate, like the two subject matter experts they were, about how different compounds in different strains could help ease different symptoms, before finally coming to a consensus on a short list to try first.
The second half of their conversation was mortifying, but at the same time, she appreciated his commitment, knowing it was all part of his process - learn the enemy and exploit their weaknesses.
Just… in this case, the enemy wasn’t a person, and the methods for outsmarting it included, apparently, focusing less on penetrative sex to start, and more on oral, and spending more time on foreplay to give her body more of a chance to warm up before the main event.
Know thy enemy, indeed.
“Do you need a prescription?” her doctor had asked Elizabeth at the end of the appointment. For the pot, she meant.
“Nah,” he’d supplied helpfully for her, “I got a guy.”
Elizabeth had just smiled and shrugged as the woman looked between the two of them. He had a guy.
Then, just before she left the examination room, the doctor leaned in and told her, quietly, “He’s a good one.”
Through the door she watched him charm the receptionist with his easy smile as he took care of the bill. “Yeah, he really is.”
Once she got the diagnosis it took a few months for the HRT to sort itself out.
The first attempt hadn’t worked and her doctor ended up switching her onto something else; a process that had not been a walk in the park. Her mood swings during that transition had come with a side of anger management issues, but he’d only ended up sleeping in the spare room three times, so he counted it as a win.
“What did you do this time, daddy?” Sophia’d giggled after the second time, when he’d woken to her snuggled next to him in the spare bed.
They’d been up front with the kids about what was happening with her. There was no point in trying to hide it or sugar coat it; the girls still lived there and it would have been impossible for them to miss the changes their mother was going through.
He’d responded groggily into his pillow, “Fuck if I know, kid.” Because, honestly, he didn’t. One minute things seemed okay, and the next he was retreating to the guest room to pick shrapnel out of his wounds from the landmine he didn’t realize he’d stepped on until it was too late.
The girl had giggled again and informed him sagely, “Well, she’s smiling and making blueberry pancakes and those omelette you like with the hash browns in the middle, so it’s probably a good time to apologize.”
So he had, because it was the right thing to do. He knew she was beating herself up enough already; there was no need for him to make it worse, to make her feel guilty for something she really couldn’t control.
After the right cocktail kicked in, things finally evened out. She wasn’t as moody and was sleeping better, but even with the best assistance modern medicine could provide, there were some things they’d had to accept just weren’t going to be the same as before.
He knew 100 percent, without a doubt, that she wanted him, but her body still didn’t always show it the same ways it used to. That was why there was more lube discreetly stashed around the house than he could ever have dreamed he’d need at this stage in his life.
It was embarrassing as fuck when Sophia had found it that one time and he’d panicked. It wasn’t like he could tell her the truth.
“Hey, sweetheart, that’s for when you’re at school sometimes and your mama’s so desperate she needs daddy to fuck her over the back of the sofa because she likes to watch the porn on the big screen to help get her in the mood.”
He’d ended up calling it “mom’s special moisturizer for her really dry skin”, and he’d never seen anyone both so mortified and amused as Elizabeth when he told her about it later. She’d teased him for days about that, but it was a small price to pay to bring her smile and some of the spontaneity back.
The other thing they’d needed to come to terms with was that her interest wasn’t going to magically return to the same level overnight. It wasn’t like they’d been at it twice a night, every night, but their sex life was still more active than most married couples they knew, if the husbands grumbling to him were to be believed, but the doctor said they needed to focus more on quality, not quantity, going forward.
It had definitely been slower to start back up, but he was patient. What he wasn’t, was willing to miss any of those precious opportunities, so he’d told her it didn’t matter what time of day or night, if the urge struck, she needed to let him know and he’d make himself available.
Getting random “I need you” texts in the middle of the day was murder on his productivity at work, but the alternative wasn’t an option.
A lot of trial and error in those early days had given them a much better picture of what their new normal was going to look like. It had reminded them of something they’d already discovered but hadn’t really focused on in a while. Namely, that the anticipation of not knowing what was going to happen when, was a huge turn on for her, so if he wasn’t able to leave right away, they switched to plan B and turned to an upgraded version of their old friend, the app controlled vibrator. Teasing her with sporadic bursts, just enough she didn’t have the chance to cool back down before he got there worked like a charm.
Technology was fucking amazing, and he really pitied any man who was too insecure to take advantage of the multitude of benefits it provided.
Sometimes, if they really wanted to plan ahead, he got her revved up slow and steady, filling her inbox with text after text, outlining in graphic detail what he planned to do to her later when she was away from her meetings and her showings and they were alone and very, very naked. Planting the seed and growing the fantasy, giving her time to think long and hard about it, gave her body time to catch up, and always did the trick.
Drawing things out like that sometimes had unintended consequences, though. She needed more time to get ready, but a few times the plan had worked a little too well and he’d ended up having to lock his office door and rub one out in his private bathroom because the picture he’d painted of what he was going to do to her, later, made things too uncomfortable for him, now.
Admitting what he’d done was how they found out the new her *really* liked hearing about the effect she had on him. Her arousal kicked into overdrive hearing how she could still make him lose control. Her pupils had dilated, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing quickened - so variations of that play ended up getting added to the mix on the regular.
Her hand on his thigh told him Elizabeth was definitely in the mood tonight. She was riding the high from getting her award, they had a suite upstairs with a big bed waiting for them, and they weren’t due home until the following afternoon… conditions seemed perfect.
She never stopped touching him the entire time as they slowly made their way out of the banquet hall.
Walking through the hotel lobby, she had a tight grip on his hand. In the elevator, she slipped her award in his jacket pocket and moved her fingers up the front of his buttoned shirt and worked on getting his tie undone. Outside the door of their room she pulled hard on the tie and threw herself at him, kissing him shamelessly right there in front of any other guests walking by.
After so many months when starting anything had been the furthest thing from her mind it just about killed him to make her pump the brakes now, but he really needed to get a handle on this.
In just a minute.
Threading one hand through her hair to hold her head in place while the other snaked around to grab her ass, he pulled her close and returned the kiss with just as much passion as she was giving him.
She took it all and demanded more, and he wanted nothing more than to keep going, public hallway be damned, but, fuck, they needed to stop before things went too far.
“Elizabeth, darlin’, much as I don’t want to, we’ve got to...”
She didn’t let him finish, deciding to double down instead.
“No. No stopping. I need you.”
Locking their lips together again, she stepped back and pulled him with her, knocking her head against the door in her desperate attempt to squeeze herself as tight between it and him as possible, wanting to feel every inch of him.
It was only their tight grips on each other that kept her from falling backward when the door suddenly opened behind her.
“Congrat…..”
“Surpri…”
“Mom?”
“Ewww.”
“Really?!”
And from the youngest, a cheeky, “Get a room!”
Startled, Beth froze, then slowly turned around to face the shocked and smirking faces of their six kids, crowded around the open doorway watching…..
Oh, god, watching her practically jump Rio’s bones in the middle of the hotel hallway. Her face flushed bright red in embarrassment as he leaned down to whisper, “Tried to warn ya…” into her ear.
“Not hard enough,” she replied quietly, through a big smile, discreetly bringing her arm back to elbow him in the stomach for letting things go too far.
He chuckled and pinched her ass as he easily side stepped her strike and nudged her forward to move her into the room and into the arms of the older kids huddled around to greet her. Finally able to voice their support and congratulations, they confessed they’d seen it all thanks to Rio, live-streaming from the table.
Affectionately ruffling Sophia’s hair as he stopped to count heads, Rio huffed, “We did, kid. You’re standin’ in it, remember. Where’s your aunt? She’s supposed t’be supervisin’ you heathens.”
The girl rolled her eyes, “She’s having a bubble bath. She said your tub was way better than the one in our room. You’d better frisk her on the way out, I think she took some of your fancy soaps, too.”
Course she did, he thought, rolling his own eyes.
As if on cue, the bathroom door flew open and Annie rushed out, wrapped in a fluffy white robe, a towel around her hair and a champagne flute in her hand.
“I’m here, I’m here! Let the party begin!” she announced, raising the glass in a toast.
After a few minutes, all caught up with the hugs and kisses, Elizabeth moved off to the side, and watched the kids laugh and rib each other, and Annie.
She was only given two tickets so she wouldn’t have been able to take them all to the award ceremony, even if she thought they’d be available. Kenny was a few years into his Masters in Architecture at Ann Arbor. Danny was there too, working toward a degree in computer science, and Marcus had followed them, in his first year in pre-med. They were always so busy with school and work that she figured she’d just tell them about it the next time they were all able to get together for family dinner. Knowing Rio had arranged for them to see it made the surprise of having them all there even better.
“You did this,” she stated, reaching down for his hand when he got close enough. It wasn’t a question.
It was something he never would have asked for, for himself, but he knew how much it would mean to her, and he’d made it happen.
He shrugged and tucked her close to his side as he made a noncommittal sound, like it wasn’t a thing.
Like it wasn’t everything.
“Got ‘em split up in rooms down the hall,” he explained, “So feel free t’kick ‘em out any time so we can finish what we started. ‘An, there’s a brunch reservation tomorrow at 10:30 in the hotel restaurant. Your girl said she was sorry she wasn’t able to come tonight, but she’ll be here in the morning.”
“I know how much you love a good brunch.” Elizabeth smiled, teasing,
The fingers at her waist twitched, tickling discreetly in retaliation, pushing her closer against his side as she tried to escape them. He ducked his chin to press a kiss against the soft hair at her crown.
“I know I love you,” he murmured.
Just like that.
This man.
He loved her enough to forgive her for the things she’d done before they found their way.
He loved her enough to let her help rule his kingdom and to never be threatened by her own successes.
He loved her enough to be more of a father figure to her kids than her ex had ever been, and enough to help her raise and teach all their kids how to be decent, productive human beings.
She knew he could be rough and crude and violent, but never toward them, and she knew they were as well adjusted as they were, in no small part because of him. He’d always been tough but fair, and honest with them, teaching them through his words and actions that he meant what he said and they could trust him.
He wasn’t one for flowery words, but in his own way he’d told the boys - and shown them through his relationship with her - what it meant to be respectful toward women and what being a good partner meant.
He’d helped her teach the girls how to stand up for themselves and go after what they wanted, to know their worth and not take shit from any man. Or, woman, in Jane’s case, after she’d casually come out to them over dinner one night when she was 14, because she trusted it was safe to do so.
Elizabeth knew every day that he loved her, and thought he maybe loved her almost as much as she loved him.
Theirs wasn’t a life she ever would have imagined for herself when she was younger, but they came together at a time in her life when she was finally able to admit that what she thought she wanted wasn’t what she really needed.
They had started as enemies, but as they grew to know and understand each other, their respect and love for one another grew, too. They were partners in every sense of the word, and with him by her side she knew they’d be able to whether any storm in front of them, just as they had the ones behind them.
She pulled back and looked up at him, a soft smile transforming her features as she rested her hand over top of his heart.
“Glad we’re on the same page.”