Chapter Text
“What happens next, Grandpa?? What happened to the kids? How does it end?!”
Simon was so wrapped up in reliving the memories of his shared life with you that he had completely forgotten what he was doing. He was supposed to be putting his young grandkids to bed.
He glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned internally.
Oh, Rosie was going to kill him when she found out.
He was supposed to have them asleep and snoring at least an hour ago.
No doubt the little tykes would snitch on him when she came to pick them up the next day. He quickly kissed each of their small heads, “They grew up and lived happily ever after. The end.” He tucked them in tightly, ignoring their whining. All he had to do was give them a look and they settled back down with ease, “Goodnight, lovies.” He murmured softly as he left the room.
A chorus of, “Night, grandpa!” Followed him out the door.
He found you waiting for him in the hall, a smug smirk on your beautiful face that he just wanted to kiss away.
So he did.
When you pulled away, he was the one with the smug smirk.
You smacked him lightly on the chest and rolled your eyes, “Don’t be so smug, Riley. It’s unbecoming.” You scolded him, but he could tell you loved it. You always had.
“You were smug first.” He tucked you into his arms, rocking you side to side.
“Excuse you, I had a perfectly good reason to be smug.” You scoffed.
He so loved when you fought him like this. It made him feel alive.
“So did I.” He shrugged, resisting a snort.
You rolled your eyes again, “Yeah, right. I don’t think being a good kisser counts as a reason, Si.” You ducked out of his arms.
He followed you to the kitchen, “I think it does.”
“You would.” You shot him a look over your shoulder as you grabbed the two tea cups you had been preparing while he put the grandkids to bed. They were still steaming.
You went to the back door and he pushed it open for you, then continued to follow behind you, your motions his. When you sat on the rocking bench, he took up his usual spot next to you. You handed him his tea and rested your head on his shoulder, sipping at your own.
A small smile came to his face as he rested his arm around your shoulder. He planted a kiss on your hair and kept his mouth there, breathing you in. Your scent never changed, no matter how many years passed.
The two of you sat there like that for a while, perfectly content with the silence that settled in the night air between you.
You were so quiet that, at first, Simon thought you had fallen asleep. It wouldn’t have been the first time. You did it all the time. It was one of the reasons why he had built the bench to rock in the first place. So he could rock you to sleep.
But, just as he was getting ready to shift a little so he could pick you up and take you up to bed, you moved and spoke, “I don’t think I’d change anything.”
He snorted softly, “What’re you on about, love?” It was just like you to start a conversation with a thought you hadn’t clued him into yet.
You sat up a little, “You were telling the kids about us and our story.”
He nodded and sipped his tea, unsure of where you were going with this. He was sure you had a point though.
“Well, I was thinking-”
“Never a good thing, that.” He commented with a small, unable to help himself from teasing you.
Your nose wrinkled, “Shut up.”
“Yes, love.” He dragged you back into his chest, wrapping his arms around you and burying his face in your hair, “What does our life have to do with changing anything?”
You sighed, “I was just thinking, if given the chance to go back, I wouldn’t change anything.”
“Is that right? We did that good?” He hummed.
You nodded, “Yeah…We did good.”
For a few moments, he thought about it as well. He went back through all of his memories. The first text. The first meeting. The first kiss. The proposal. The wedding. All of the anniversaries. All of the moments he had with you. Liam and Rosie. The grandkids.
Yeah, he wouldn’t change anything either.
Not for the world.