Sugar, Sugar
Once you got to the kitchen, you both set down the bags on the kitchen table. Chris looked at the oven timer and spoke as he headed for the door again, "I'll get the rest. Can you get the food out of the oven when the timer goes off please, baby?"
"Thank you and Yes.", you called after him.
You pulled a package of flour and a package of sugar out of one of the grocery bags and put them on the island counter. The timer beeped and you grabbed a hot pad, shut off the timer and the oven, then opened it and took out a muffin pan with a familiar food in the cups. Chris had made these once before; savory breakfast muffins with eggs, tater tots, cheese and veggies. He entered the kitchen with the last of the bags and his coffee cup as you hummed, "Mmmm, I love these."
"I remember.", he grinned as he put down the bags and brought his cup to the sink. You had already put the pan down, so he spun you around, wrapped you in his arms and kissed you hard. He then attacked your neck with rapid kisses while humming.
You giggled and then shreiked when he hiked you up against him and carried you around the island, setting you down on a stool and kissing your forehead with a hand at the back of your head.
"Ketchup?", He asked as he rounded the island again and fetched plates from the cupboard.
"Yes, please.", you beamed.
He poured you a cup of coffee with creamer first, setting it in front of you. He then got to work on dishing up plates. "So, besides baking enough for the whole neighborhood,", he chuckled. "Whadda ya wanna do today?"
"That's about as far as I got, really." You took a sip of your coffee. "Oh, and maybe visit Shirley today? Take her some of the things I bake?"
"Are you sure you wanna do that?", he set a plate with four of the muffins in front of you and then squirted a mound of ketchup next to them on the plate. "She'll probably be able to tell we had sex. She's like that all seeing, all knowing mom. And she'll talk about it." His face became panicked, his open hand coming to rest on his forehead, "Shit. The blinds in the bedroom were closed last night, right?! I didn't even check!"
You laughed, "Yes, honey, they were closed."
"Are you sure?!"
"Sweetie,", you chuckled, "I'm positive. I remember looking at the window and seeing them closed when you first bent me over the bed in the dark and again after the lamp was on. And they were closed when I got up this morning too."
He sighed heavily and nodded.
"Chris...", you gestured at your plate, wide eyed. "Four? I'm not six foot and two hundred pounds." He always gave you too much food.
He chortled and leaned over the island on his elbows, "Maybe not, but you are gonna need to keep your strength up for a couple more days at least." He winked at you, "Just eat what you can, sweetheart."
You chortled, "As far as Shirley goes, I'm actually really getting used to her. It's fine. I think she just gets excited for us, honey. Especially you.", you tore a piece of the muffin off, dipped it and popped it in your mouth, "She loves you."
He set his plate on the island and sat in the stool next to you, "She loves you too, you know." He leaned toward you and gave you a quick peck.
You smiled, still chewing.
"Do you want help today?", he asked. "I don't know much about baking, but I follow instruction well enough." He took a bite of food and pulled up his eyebrows, waiting for your answer.
You held up one of the egg muffins with a confused look.
He chortled, "That's different. You just throw stuff together and put it in there until it's browned and no longer wiggly." You both chuckled and he continued, "I at least know that with baking there's ratios that need to be followed and chemical reactions to get different results."
You tilted your head and nodded, "There is. You know more than most." You smiled softly at him, "If you want to help, you can. Up to you, babe."
"I think I might. I could learn a thing or two. You're the best baker I know."
After eating you both got started. He had put the beer in the fridge when he brought it in earlier. You pulled out the six pack of Stout and his eyes lit up, "We get to drink while we bake?!" He wrapped his arms around you from behind, kissing your head, "I love baking!"
You laughed, "It's not that uncommon for people to drink while baking... Especially during the holidays. Remember all the shennanigans I told you happened at Pepper's cookie party this last Christmas?"
He laughed softly, "Yeah. That was an awesome story." He released you and stepped to your side, planting a hand on the island counter.
You continued while lining up ingredients, "So the beer is actually for cupcakes."
His eyebrows shot up, "Wow, really? That's... Interesting." Then he frowned, "So I don't get one?"
You plucked one up out of the cardboard carrier and handed it to him, "Yes, honey, you can have one. I'll probably need no more than half of them."
He grinned, taking it and then kissing your temple, "Thanks, sweetness." He opened it and took a swig. "You gonna have one?"
You smiled as you turned you get some bowls, "No, I'm doing the cupcakes for you anyway. I'll try a cupcake, but you can have all the leftover beer. This all came about because you're so great to me." You glanced at him, "Particularly last night."
He just smiled softly as you started measuring out flour into one of the bowls. He took another sip, stepped closer and slid hand over your hip. He slowly pulled your side against his front, rested his forehead against the top of your head, "I only act the way I do because I love you so much, baby girl." His words gave you butterflies. "When I said you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, I meant it."
A few hours, a lunch break and a lot more flour, sugar and kisses later, you both had made everything you'd set out to. There were two dozen chocolate beer cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache, crushed pretzels and caramel drizzle, 3 loaves of sunflower bread, two dozen lemon cupcakes with raspberry filling and vanilla frosting... And the three dozen of the blueberry muffins that started it all. You had both tasted everything... And it all turned out perfect.
You both decided to watch TV in the living room and get off your aching feet; yours of which Chris had in his lap and was rubbing for you. When he was done, you sat up and straddled him and gave him a sweet kiss, "Thank you, hero." You smiled at him.
He rubbed his hands lightly up and down your back, "My pleasure, sweetheart. Thanks for giving me a crash course in baking. I had no idea it came with sore feet though. And my back's a bit tight too."
"Yeah. You're too tall for those counters, honey. I can rub your feet.", you started to climb off him.
He grabbed you, putting you back where you were, "No, no. That's okay. I don't like my feet rubbed."
"How 'bout your back then?", you raised your eyebrows.
He squinted at you and then held his arm out near your side.
You understood exactly what joke he was setting up. He let you twist his arm behind him slightly and feigned pain, "Oh! Ow!"
You shook your head and chuckled as he grinned exactly how someone who just told a terrible joke would. You stood up off him and the couch, turning off the TV, "This'll be easier on the bed than the couch."
He stood and followed you, grabbing your ass about halfway there and making you giggle. After a few minutes of you straddled over him, kneading his bare back with your knuckles and the heels of your hands, he was out and quietly snoring. You knew he got up too early that morning.
You climbed off him cautiously, pulled the throw blanket at the foot of his bed over him and went to your room to grab your own throw blanket. You came back and laid next to him, covered yourself and put your arm over his back, kissed his shoulder through the blanket and went to sleep yourself.