Laughing, he caught the pillow and tossed it back over where it belonged. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was funny."
"It was not funny," she argued, craning her neck just slightly out of his embrace so she could give him a dirty look.
"You look like an angry kitten," he stated. "All puffed up and completely harmless."
Wrinkling her nose up, she said, "Where's my pillow? I want to hit you again."
"Careful, I might like it rough."
Smiling, she said, "Oh, really? I can get behind that."
"Nympho," he said affectionately, pushing her back down into the crook of his arm.
Snuggling contentedly against his side, she said, "You know, it was a bumpy road to get here, but I am so pleased with how things are turning out."
"Once we've moved and Matt doesn't have our new address, I will be, too."
Her jaw dropped and she struggled to look up at him again. "Aaron Turner, is that why you're so keen on getting a new place?"
Rolling his eyes, he said, "Down, kitty. No. I have already given you my reasons for wanting a new place." Placing his hand over her stomach, he said, "Poppy Seed needs a bedroom. You and I barely fit in this apartment; a baby isn't going to fit."
"You are greatly exaggerating. The apartment I lived in with Jack was much smaller than this one and he had a roommate and there were frequently at least four non-residents at the apartment. A baby is very small to begin with; we would all fit."
"We're not really going to discuss this now, are we?" he asked in disbelief.
"No," she said, yawning at him. "Actually, I find that you've worn me out, and I'm much too tired to exert the necessary effort to support my case."
"Good," he said.
They were quiet for a moment, Aaron closing his eyes to go to sleep and Julie gazing contentedly at his chest.
After a minute, Julie said, "You know what, Aaron?"
"What?" he murmured sleepily.
"This is a whole lot better than sleeping in the boat bed."
He was caught off guard by that comment, so he laughed a little, absently brushing another kiss across her forehead. "You know what, Julie?"
Smiling, she said, "What?"
"I think I'm going to be much more supportive of nap time from now on."
Giggling, she threw her arm around him and snuggled into his chest, placing a kiss there. "Good."
"Good night, Julie."
"Good night, Aaron."
And with that, Julie drifted off to sleep in the safe warmth of Aaron's arms, hoping that every night they shared together afterward would be just like that one.
Chapter Twenty Four-
The next couple of months went by pretty smoothly.
Since Aaron threatened Matt, there had not been another flower delivery. In fact, Julie found herself hearing from Matt only once in a while, which may or may not have been because of her chilly attitude every time she was forced to converse with him.
At work, Julie and Aaron both faced new hours, as Leigh had finally pulled Aaron aside one day and told him that she needed to not work with him or Julie for a while, and if that meant she needed to quit, she fully understood. Of course Aaron didn't let her quit, so instead they rearranged the schedule so that Leigh never had to lay eyes on either one of them for more than a couple seconds—and when he could help it, he made sure he was the one that she had to see, not Julie.