Chapter Text
Alice
The house smelled like homemade chili and cornbread when I walked through the front door, and as soon as I put my stuff down and showered and changed out of my scrubs, I went straight to the kitchen.
"Hey Rose." I smile at my sister-in-law.
"Long day?"
"The longest."
Rosalie nodded and went back to the stove. That's one of the things she shared with her twin brother. They were both quiet and oftentimes stoic.
"Mommy!" A little blonde blur sped right into my arms and all the tiredness faded away for a moment as I hug my 5 year old daughter. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too, Thea." I plant a kiss on her head. "Where's daddy, love?"
"In the barn." She says chirpily. "I got to help with feeding today!"
"Oh? Jazz must be feeling generous today." I say jokingly. Our daughter wasn't exactly known for being graceful. Thea just stares at me confused, but I get a snort out of Rose.
"Speaking of Jasper, when was the last time you two were physically intimate with each other?"
My older brother and Rosalie's husband Emmett laughs from somewhere in the house and I choke on air, covering my daughter's ears. "Rosalie!" I hiss.
"What? I'm just curious."
"It's been a while. We're both busy with work and Thea." I admit.
Rosalie smirks and hands me a full picnic basket. "Go have dinner with him Alice. He's going to be happy you're home."
I open my mouth to say something but Rose shoos me out the back door. "Go! I've got Thea."
I slip on my old beat up tennis shoes, adjust the basket on my arm and head off to the barn, fussing with my clothes.
I step in and take a deep breath of all the horse related smells, letting it all wash over me. It felt warm and comforting.
"Jazz?" I call after taking another deep breath.
I hear the clatter of something falling onto the wooden floor. I must've taken him by surprise.
"Jasper?" I walk towards the source of the noise and end up in the tack room.
I barely have time to put the basket down on the table before I'm swept off my feet. My back presses into the wall and I find myself looking into a pair of sparkling green eyes.
"Alice, you're home." He says softly, his deep voice resonating through my body.
"Hi Jazz." I wrap my arms around his shoulders. "You look tired."
"So do you, darlin'. Long shift?"
All I do is nod and sigh and Jasper kisses my forehead before setting me back on my feet. I collapse into a chair and watch as he finishes up whatever he was doing before I walked in.
"Rose is being nosy again."
"Scrounging for details on our sex life again, is she?"
I blush and nod in response. "With Thea in the room."
"Mm." He kneels down in front of me and I cup his face in my hands, tracing over some of his scars with my thumbs.
"Thea said you let her help with the feeding."
"It was just with her and Ren's ponies. She's too small to help with the bigger ones like Major."
"Any disasters?"
Jazz laughs. "All avoided."
"That's good." I murmur.
Almost as if he could sense the way I was thinking or even feeling, the space between us disappears as he presses his lips to mine.
"Your sister packed us dinner." I say against his mouth. "Or y'know, there's always the second option."
"Second option?" He drawls.
I quirk an eyebrow and Jasper grins his signature crooked smile, obviously picking up on what I mean.
And just like that, the door closes behind us and the deadbolt clicks into place.
———————-
Jasper and I enter the main house a while later and I place the now food less picnic basket on the counter next to the sink.
"Daddy!" Hurricane Thea makes its way into the room and stops when it reaches its target.
"Hey kiddo." My husband picks her up and she climbs on his shoulders. "Did you have fun with Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett?"
"Yeah! Uncle Emmett let me play the Xbox with him!"
"Did he now?"
Thea nods excitedly and Jasper raises an eyebrow at Emmett as my brother appears in the room.
"Thee-Thee, you promised you wouldn't tell!" Emmett pouts.
"Oops." The little girl giggles.
"Alright, we're gonna leave before Jasper's glare burns a hole into your head, hon." Rosalie tugs Emmett out the door and onto the front porch.
"Bye auntie Rose!" Thea yells and her father winces a bit at the loud noise. Even after being out of the military for a few years, he was still sensitive to a lot of loud noises. Thea included sometimes.
"Bye Thea!" Rosalie responds before the door closes and we're left alone.
"Hey, love," I take our wiggling daughter as she climbs down from Jasper's shoulders. "it's time to get ready for bed."
"But I'm not tired mommy." She pouts. "I wanna go riding."
"Listen to your mother, Thea." Jazz tells her.
"Daddyyyyy!" She whines and clings to his leg, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.
He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Alright. Let's go riding. It's almost sunset and we can watch from the outcrop."
"Yay!" She runs upstairs to get her coat and boots.
I snicker and nudge my husband's side. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger."
"You were the first one though." He looks down at me, smiling.
"And I still do." I look up and smile back at him.
"Yes ma'am."
I pull him down for a kiss just when Thea skips back into the room. "Let's go!" She says impatiently.
Jasper pecks my lips before straightening back up to his full height. "Let your mother get ready while we saddle up, Thea."
She nods and takes Jazz's hand, pulling him to the barn. A soft smile flits across my lips as I watch them, then remember what I was supposed to be doing.
I grab my own coat and slip my boots on before grabbing my husband's coat and his hat.
Jasper's stunning chestnut colored Arabian named Major was saddled up and ready to go by the time I made my way to them.
"Grabbed your coat and hat, Jazz."
"Thanks darlin'." His crooked grin makes me blush and I take his hand and swing up into the saddle. I adjust my position and take Thea as he hands her up to me then swings into the saddle behind us. I sigh softly as he reaches around me to grab the reigns.
"Hold on tight love." He whispers to me.
"Always." I reply.
The sun had started to set by the time we reach the outcrop. I look on in amazement as the colors of evening splash across the sky.
"Never gets old."
"What doesn't?" I lean my head back on his chest.
"That look on your face every time we come here." He kisses my head and pauses, taking a moment to memorize the scene.
"Thea's asleep." I mumble.
"Finally." He kisses my head again. "I love you Alice."
"I love you too Jasper."