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AN: Surprise! I caught some Beau feels a couple weeks ago after some gifs crossed my Tumblr dash. Here’s another hastily written drabble for the Take Me Home series, set a few months before Sleeper Deluxe (lol). 😘🤠
𐚁 Tags & Warnings: Established relationship (married), fluff, feels, and another cheeky reference to A Crime of Passion
The longer he stared into space, the more concerned you became.
“Beau,” you prompted. “Aaare…you okay? You having a stroke?”
He blinked, finally seeming to return to the waking world.
“No, I’m uh…I’m good,” he said. And he doubled down. “We’re great. This is great! Right?”
You stared back at him warily. “You’re making me feel like it’s not.”
Your gaze fell as you ran your palms nervously down your thighs. In all fairness, you didn’t give your husband a whole lot of warning when he got home. You just pulled him into the bedroom, sat him down on the bed, and handed him a small white gift box with a red ribbon, thinking he’d get a kick out of the very surprising surprise.
First, the little note taped inside the lid:
Congratulations, babe! You beat my birth control.
And then, two pink lines on a used pregnancy test.
Positive.
The second Beau’s brain configured what those two little lines meant, he saw the entire 18-year movie all over again—like whiplash.
It started from the day he sent his daughter Emily off to college, to the rest of her life in reverse: grumpy teen years, makeup and boys and crop-tops, hormonal pre-teens, braces, ballet lessons that never panned out (the shoes were still her closet at her mom’s house), clarinet, horseback riding, swimming lessons, Disneyland meltdown in front of It’s a Small World, diapers, diapers, shit, puke, colic, diapers…
But what his mind kept turning back to was his daughter’s smile when her short film won first prize at school her senior year. You helped him find her first camera. You stood next to him with tears in your eyes when Emily graduated.
Now, it was your smile he could see on another little girl, who would inevitably have him wrapped around her little finger.
Or maybe you’d give him a boy this time around, his first son.
“I mean, I know we only talked about kids for about .2 seconds, back when we got engaged. My bad, meant to circle back on that one,” you said, laughing a little. Your voice forced him back down to reality so he could actually take in what you were saying, not just watching your lips move. “And I know this is like starting over for you, but—”
Beau grasped your hand, stopping you from your nervous clenching. He brought that hand to his lips. His face evened out into a smile.
“Sorry, baby, took me a second,” he said. “Honestly didn’t think I’d get to Round 2 this late in the game.”
Your shoulders loosened in relief, your own burgeoning smile lightening your face.
“You’re 45, Beau. It’s not like you’re one step shy of Senior Depends,” you remarked, with a smirk that earned you a wry look.
“Thanks for that,” he said in amusement. “Guess I’ve got double knee replacements in my future.”
“Oh, stop. You’re gonna be fine, already a certified Great Dad.” You squeezed his hand, even as insecurity crept into your eyes. “I’m the one with no experience.”
Beau stroked your cheek and gave you a kiss of reassurance. He smiled afterward, curling strands of hair behind your ear.
“I’m not worried about you, honey. You’ve already got this house in order. Now we’re gonna do this together,” he said.
You smiled back, your eyes becoming glassy with emotion. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said, a warm promise.
You sniffled as the tears settled in. He welcomed you into his embrace of southern comfort, both strong and gentle. Your fingers sunk into his hair, toying with the strands at the nape of his neck. A mischievous smile graced your lips.
“Damn, babe. First my bed, now my birth control? You’re a menace,” you teased. “A sexy, goddamn menace.”
A laugh burst out of him then, shaking his shoulders. He buried his face in your neck while you giggled. You continued to run your fingers through his hair.
“You gonna call Jenny on me, have her lock me up?” he said. You could hear the smirk in his voice. “She’d definitely get a kick outta that one.”
You snorted. “She’s probably wanted to do that since she met you.”
Beau chuckled. He pulled back far enough to cup your face in his hands. You saw fondness and affection in his eyes, love and emotion.
“My girl,” he said, grinning.
He might’ve still had regrets in his life. He might’ve even had doubts about getting married again, but not about getting married to you. Never you.