I had been craving pasta for days and felt like this was an opportunity to make what I wanted. Having grabbed fresh onions, tomato sauce, spices, and garlic from the pantry before leaving, I was only missing olive oil to make the sauce. Tyler had just changed into shorts and sandals but offered to walk down to one of the local grocers we passed on the way in to get some. The way he offered, without hesitation, to help me filled my heart with warmth, and when he returned, a bottle in one hand and a rose in the other, I kissed him deeply.
My stomach gurgled as I began to cook the onions and the meat together, telling me that I had waited far too long to eat. The smell began to fill the house, and I settled into cooking as Tyler pulled out a book and sat at a chaise longue chair next to the kitchen. He offered to switch with me repeatedly, but I denied him. I wanted to cook for him, to provide for him the way he was providing for me. Eventually, I must have looked tired because he came up behind me, wrapped his arms around my chest, and kissed my neck.
“Go sit down,” he said. “I can handle babysitting simmering meat sauce.”
“I have garlic bread in the broiler, and the broiler is no joke,” I said.
“I can handle it,” he said again, kissing me on the neck. “Go sit down. Let me make you some tea.”
I smiled and leaned into him, moving my head and pressing a kiss to his lips.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Thank you,” he said. “This smells amazing.”
I sat down heavily and realized for the first time just how tired I was. My feet were sore from standing, and the stress melting away had a tiring effect on me. I picked up the book Tyler had grabbed and read a few pages of it. It was a science-fiction comedy, not exactly my genre, but it was funny, and I got a chapter or so in before something occurred to me that I wanted to talk about.
“What if my family is never okay with us?” I asked. Tyler was standing at the stove, pulling the first round of bread out of the oven, a kitchen towel draped over his shoulder. He looked at me quizzically as he placed the hot pan on the counter and plucked two pieces off and put them on a plate. He brought them to me, and I accepted them graciously, my eyes devouring them before my mouth could.
“I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Tyler said. “They will come around. Eventually. Nick can be a dick sometimes.”
“Tell me about it,” I said. “Story of my entire childhood.”
“I’m sure,” Tyler chuckled. “The real question is how will you be if it takes them a long time?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I want them to be part of our lives, and our baby’s life, but I can’t bring them in if they’re going to be like that.”
Tyler nodded. “Well, I think they will come around before that time comes. But until then, we will have my family, and I can assure you they will be thrilled. Not one of them will be upset in the slightest.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I don’t think I could take it if your family was mad at you, too.”
“I’m sure,” he said, taking my hand in his and kissing my knuckles.
“What about Tom? He was offering you a chance to move to San Francisco and work with him,” I said.
“Well,” Tyler asked, standing again. “That depends on how you feel about San Francisco.”
“I think I would like San Francisco very much,” I said. “It’s not like there’s much of anything holding me here in Astoria with my family acting the way they are.”
“You might have to pack Melissa in a suitcase and bring her with us, though,” Tyler joked. I laughed, and he went back to the stove, getting the pasta out of the boiling water and draining it before tossing it into the sauce.
“Maybe I should hold off on interning until after the baby is born, and then look for something in San Francisco,” I said. “That way I might be able to pick up a job where I intern at. Plus, there would be a lot more opportunities there.”
“Very true,” Tyler said. “I was thinking about all that earlier. I think I want to do some freelance tech work around town and keep working at the bar for a bit. Since it’s a family business and now I have a little family of my own.”
I smiled and stood up, the bread doing wonders for my energy. “That is very sweet,” I said and pressed my lips to his. It was a simple peck at first, but the way his arms wrapped around me, it got hot very quickly. Suddenly, I found myself pressed against the counter, his body grinding into mine and soft moaning rising between us. “How much longer on the food?” I asked, my lips just behind his ear.