Preparation
Chapter 7: Preparation
“I can cancel this, you know?”
Tawan shook her head at Ira’s suggestion, smiling as she grabbed her chin to make her look at her instead of the ceiling.
They were lying in their bed, the night before Ira was to head to the airport to fly to Paris, going over last minute instructions. Ira had made a schedule for Tawan not because she thought she was incapable of taking care of their children, but because she used one to keep up with all of their activities so she knew her wife would need one, too. Tawan was propped up on her elbow listening to Ira as she laid on her back and listed things, thinking about how much she loved this woman.
“You are not canceling anything,” Tawan told her as their eyes met. “You are going to go to Paris and have fun.”
“But this is so sudden,” Ira whined some. “The more I think about it, the more we really didn’t have time to prepare.”
“You already thought of everything,” Tawan countered and pecked her lips. “Now all you need to do is go have fun.”
“Errr,” Ira groaned playfully and grabbed her wrist. “Stop distracting me with your kisses.”
Tawan laughed and cupped her cheek so she could dip down and capture her lips. As she kissed her, she slowly moved to settle between her legs and Ira circled her arms around her neck to bring her closer to deepen it. Tawan grinned against her lips as she felt Ira buck involuntarily against her, so she slowed her lips then pulled back to look into her eyes. Ira had tangled their legs together to trap her there and smiled up to her blissfully.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Tawan said in a sultry tone, dipping down to kiss her neck.
“I-I know what you are doing,” Ira gasped, her back arching and a hand moving down to squeeze her hip.
Tawan smirked against her skin then continued to trail wet kisses all along and across her neck. She moved down to her chest, pressing her lips along as much exposed skin as she could in her tank top, then moved back up to her collarbone.
Ira’s eyes were fluttering as she tried to reign in her desire and arousal so they could finish their discussion, but her wife was an expert at this. She must have sensed her thoughts because Tawan grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head.
“Tawan,” Ira moaned, a mix of frustration and distraction, turning her head to give her more access.
Using her one hand to keep Ira’s hands pinned above her head, Tawan used the other one to slowly drag a ghostly touch up her side and felt her shiver. She continued to kiss her neck as she brought her hand up to grab her jaw to turn her head to face her again. When Ira opened her eyes to her, she kissed her and held her jaw with a strong and gentle grip.
As Ira’s legs started to drag along the back of hers, Tawan moved back to her lips for a deep kiss by laying flat against her.
“Mommy!”
Tawan let out a dramatic and loud groan into Ira’s mouth, their lips disconnecting with a loud smacking sound as she sat up some to look at their closed door. Ira started laughing below her, wrapping her arms around her waist to lock her hands at her lower back to keep her there. She watched her wife look at their door with a scowl and waited for her to look back down to her.
When she did, Ira gave her a wide smile and pursed her lips up to her, closing her eyes in anticipation. Chuckling, Tawan turned her head some then swooped down and pressed their lips together again.
“That sounded like Sammy,” Ira mused when they pulled apart.
“He was not happy at dinner when we reminded him that you were leaving tomorrow,” Tawan agreed and they both laughed.
“MOMMY!”
“Yep, that’s him,” Tawan stated and nodded her head.
“I’ll be back,” Ira chuckled, patting her hip to make her move.
Tawan dropped back over to her side of the bed and propped herself up on her elbow as she watched Ira slide out their bed. She asked her if she needed support, but Ira told her she would handle it as she slid on her champagne colored silk robe and tied it at her waist. Tawan laid back down, hands behind her head, as she watched her slip out of their bedroom and head towards their children’s room.
Ira padded the short distance down the hall and opened their door. She was met with Star sitting up in bed trying to keep her head up with tired and droopy eyes, and Sammy sitting on the edge of his bed, a pout that she saw many times in her photos as a child. She went to Star first and gently laid her back down, pressing a kiss to her temple and running her hand down the side of her hair. She told her to go back to sleep and her eyes almost immediately shut at her mother’s soothing touch and voice.
When she turned to Sammy, he still had that pout on his face but had now crossed his arms over his chest as he waited on her. Ira untangled his arms, pulled his covers back some more, then pushed his legs to make him lay back down. He grabbed her arm and held on to her so she wouldn’t leave, and her heart swelled as she smiled at him.
She scooted him over and slid into bed beside him, throwing the covers over them and opening her arm for him to cuddle into her side.
“What’s wrong, my baby?” Ira cooed, holding him impossibly close.
Sammy did not say anything, just buried half of his face deeper into her side. He closed his eyes and threw his arm over her stomach to hold her close. After a moment, Ira heard him mumble something and tried to strain her ears to hear him, not wanting to move in fear of disturbing his comfort and making him not want to share anymore.
Instead, she gently pulled him closer, patting his back softly to prompt him to share again.
“Can I go with you?” Sammy asked again and looked up to her with sad eyes.
“Oh, Sammy,” Ira sighed depressingly. “I already told you, you can’t go with me this time, darling. You have guitar lessons in a few days and your classmate’s birthday party this weekend. Maybe next time. Okay?”
“Next time?!” He said incredulously, shocked and eyes starting to well with tears.
Ira groaned internally and cupped his cheek. “I know you don’t like that Mommy went back to work because it makes me busy, but I will always have time with you and your sister. Its just that sometimes I will have to leave for work for more than a day. Like how Momma sometimes leaves town for work,” she coaxed.
“But Momma has to go to work,” he countered sadly and rubbed his eyes with his fist. “You have to stay at home with us.”
Ira’s heart clenched at how he viewed her in his eyes.
She thought about the time she was helping him color a picture a few years ago before they started school. She held his hand to help him stay in the lines and he looked up to her and smiled in triumph. He pointed to their finished work and grinned excitedly as he asked to hang it on the refrigerator for Tawan to see when she got home. As she did, his excitement got the better of him, similar to how she bounced on the balls of her feet when she got excited, and he hugged her leg as he told her she was his best friend.
She then had to explain to him why she was suddenly crying - tears of joy at his endearing words - when he looked at her with scared and wide eyes of concern that started to well with his own tears.
“You know I love you, right?” Ira told him, putting her finger under his chin to force his eyes up. “Everything I do, I do for you and your sister. Do you believe me?”
Sammy slowly nodded and a sniffle escaped him. “I know,” he croaked.
Ira smiled as she wiped under his eyes with the pad of her thumb. “When you and Star started school, Mommy missed you guys so much. But I knew that you had to go to school, so I had to accept this change because it’s what's best for you and her,” she told him.
“What if I stay home with you again?” He asked hopefully.
“You can’t do that, Sammy,” she reminded him with a soft chuckle. “You have to go to school. It’s a part of growing up and you would miss all the friends you made over the last few years and all of the teachers you met. Just look how much happier you are this year at school. You met your best friend this year, remember?”
“Yeah,” Sammy agreed quietly and looked down.
“You wouldn’t be able to go to his birthday party this weekend if you had never went to school,” Ira reminded and kissed the top of his head. “I know it’s scary, son, but we all have to grow up. But growing up is good change. It makes us stronger and smarter.”
“I know,” he grumbled in defeat and sat up some more. “Will you always leave?”
“No, baby,” Ira smiled and ran her hand over his hair. “I try to keep my work near home so I don’t have to be away from you guys. But there will be some times where I will have to leave. Those jobs pay more and they help me to take care of us. I will never be gone too long for you to miss me, though. Okay? Does that make sense?”
Sammy took a moment to ponder over what she had told him. He then looked up at her and nodded, trusting her wholly and completely.
“I love you, Mommy. Is it okay for me to already miss you?” He asked, his bottom lip trembling.
“Ohh,” Ira cooed sadly and pulled him onto her for a bear hug. “I already miss you, too.”
Sammy let out a dry sob into her chest as he tried to not cry because he did not want to upset her. He was trying to be strong for her like his sister had told him to be. Tawan had even tried to comfort him after dinner while Ira took a shower when she noticed his sad face he tried to hide.
Ira held him close, putting her chin on top of his head and closing her eyes to etch the moment for later when she was alone in a hotel room. Though she hated seeing her son like this, it was hard to deny how much she felt valued and appreciated by him to elicit this reaction to her being away for less than two weeks.
“Are you ready to go to sleep now?” Ira whispered into his hair after a moment. She was just laying there and holding him as she ran her fingers through his hair to calm him.
A soft sigh escaped from below and she leaned back some to look at his face. He was fast asleep, his mouth slightly opened from how he was laying on her. She carefully and slowly disentangled them so she could gently lay his head down on his pillow. Ira pulled the covers up and around him, tucking them under his chin. She kneeled down beside him and rubbed the back of her pointer knuckle along his cheek as she stared at him in awe.
“I love you,” she whispered and kissed his forehead.
Ira smiled at him one more time then stood and turned to her daughter. She kneeled beside her then pressed a few light kisses to her temple before staring at her for a moment then kissing her cheek and standing. With one last look at them to make sure they were comfortable, she headed towards the door to exit.
She turned the light off as she stared at them again, truly already missing them as she was hours away from leaving, then shut the door to head back to bed.
Tawan was laying flat on her back with her hands over her stomach. She looked a little stiff and uncomfortable, as if she had not planned on sleeping in that position. Ira smirked and removed her robe to toss back on the ottoman at the foot of their bed.
She contemplated on her next move before deciding to jump on Tawan, careful not to hurt her, and was met with a yelp and groan. Ira laughed as she waited on her to fully wake up, moving to be on top of her and resting between her legs as she grabbed her wrists to pin above her.
“What are you doing?” Tawan groaned and looked down between them.
“This is our last night together for the next ten days and you decide to fall asleep on me?” Ira questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“You were gone for a long time,” Tawan grumbled, trying to raise her hands to release herself.
“Well now I’m back, granny,” Ira said, pinning her down harder. “Wake up.”
“Ira,” Tawan groaned again, arching her back to push her off. “We can wake up early to-“
Ira swooped down and captured her lips in a sweet kiss before pulling back to gauge her reaction. Her wife’s eyes were still closed but her lips were still stuck in their kiss. When Tawan opened her eyes, Ira leaned back down again, this time slowly so she could hold her gaze and see the the seductive grin she wore. Tawan growled and lifted her head as high as she could to meet her, catching her bottom lip before Ira pressed their faces together.
They both hoped that the next ten days felt like two seconds.