Work Text:
“Y’all better go on, now. I know how to take care of babies, and I ain’t lettin’ you change your mind now that I’m here.”
Esther Moore sat in the rocking chair that was placed perfectly in the corner of the nursery, her eyes locked on her eldest son.
Smoke stood in the doorway, his mouth slightly open, the words stuck in his throat at the sound of his mother’s voice.
“Mama-,”
“Elijah,” she starts, warning lacing her tone. “You standing here in front of me in one piece, 27 years after you and your big-headed brother almost tore me apart. I think I can handle watching a newborn for a few hours.” Annie chuckles softly from where she stood behind him as they watched his mother rock the little girl in her arms softly.
It had been a little more month since Annie gave birth to their daughter, Lauryn.
Both her and Elijah felt that it was the best month of their lives, the joy of new life and their growing family fulfilling them in a way they could’ve never imagined.
Both of them were enjoying the time off from work, wanting to spend as much time with their daughter as possible. Not that either of them, or their friends minded, but the couple rarely left the house over the past month. Their friends only saw them if someone came to visit, or if they ran into Smoke at the grocery store.
When Elijah’s mother came to visit the week before, she could see that beyond their joy, was longing for some alone time. She remembered all too well what it was like caring for the twins when they were infants, so she didn’t think twice when she told them they were going out the following Saturday.
Annie agreed to it quickly, her eyes lighting up at the idea of spending time with her husband. Smoke on the other hand, was hesitant. He wanted nothing more than to spend quality time with Annie, but the idea of him being somewhere Lauryn was not, had him wanting to say no.
“Good thing I was tellin’ you, not asking,” was all Esther needed to say to keep him from saying no.
Now that day was here, and Elijah stood in front of his mother trying to give her a list of things he and Annie did for their daughter, as if she hadn’t been there numerous times to see them before today.
“Aight,” he starts, glancing back at his wife. “We’ll be back.”
“Don’t come rushin’ back here, either. Enjoy your dinner, enjoy each other,” she tells them.
“We will,” Annie replies, lacing her fingers through Elijah’s.
The couple made their way out of the house, and to their favorite restaurant, a mom and pop shop that served their catfish the way they both liked it.
Not long after they slid into their booth, and older waitress made her way over to their table with two glasses of sweet tea.
“Annie, Smoke! It’s good seein’ y’all.”
“It’s good to see you, too. How you been, Ms. Martha?” Annie replies with a smile.
“Oh, I’m fine,” Martha says, waving a hand dismissively after placing the drinks on the tables.
“How are you, Mama? How’s baby girl?”
“She’s doin’ good, growin’ too fast for my liking. She’s at home with Ms. Esther right now,” Annie tells her, the smile on her face widening as she thinks about her baby girl.
Martha tilts her chin down. “Mhm. And how are you? I think that’s what I asked you first.”
Warmth spreads across Annie’s face.
“I’m doin’ good. I’m finally starting to feel adjusted and Elijah’s been big on making sure I’m rested,” Annie replies, resting her hand on top of his that rested on the table.
Martha turns to him with a proud smile. “I’m glad to hear that, though I’m not surprised.”
“Known him since he was just a boy, now he’s a daddy.”
A small smile finds his face as the pride in her tone touches him right where she intends for it to.
“Now let me take y’all’s orders before I get carried away. We gettin' the usual or tryin' something else today?"
The pair locks eyes, giving each other a knowing look before Elijah speaks up.
"The usual for both of us," he says, and Martha nods. She leaves the two of them to put their orders in.
The pair continues looking at each other, Annie bringing her other hand across the table to grab his.
"You look beautiful, baby," Elijah tells her, his eyes leaving hers for a moment to take in her appearance.
"You told me that a few times already since I got dressed, Lijah," Annie responds, faux exasperation lacing her tone, contrasted by the smile growing on her face.
"I know," he starts, locking eyes with her again. "But every time I look at you, I'm amazed all over again."
"Why you sound like you tryin' to butter me up?"
Elijah smacks his lips. "I can't appreciate my wife now?"
"I ain't sayin' that," Annie says through a soft laugh.
"You just been talking real sweet today."
"Cause you keep on giving me sugar," he says, smirking softly as Annie rolls her eyes.
"Alright, Elijah."
He chuckles softly, lifting her hand to leave on kiss on the back of it.
They fall into meaningless conversation, talking about any and everything. It isn't much since they've been around each other all day, every day for the past month, but it's more than enough for the two of them.
The reluctance Smoke felt about the two of them leaving Lauryn at home settled ever so slightly. He could see that Annie was enjoying herself, and it had been so long since he'd been able to see her like this with it being just the two of them, so he wanted to savor it.
Neither of them pay attention to how the time was passing until Martha brings their plates to the table. She sits the catfish plates in front of them, Smoke's with a side of greens while Annie's came with fried okra. She leaves for a moment and comes back with a few cornbread muffins for them.
A comfortable silence surrounds them as they eat, Elijah watching her in between bites of his own food. Annie looks up and catches him looking.
"What?" she questions, a curious expression on her face.
"Just makin' sure you good," he replies, shrugging softly.
"I am. Food tastes just as good as it did the last time we came."
He nods once, taking her word but his eyes still lingered on her.
It's not long before they're wrapping up their meal. They say their goodbyes after paying, and Martha sends them out to their car with a couple slices of pound cake. Elijah walks Annie around to the passenger side, and his eyes catch the base for the car seat. His chest aches a bit, but he doesn't get the chance to linger in the feeling when Annie's hand comes up on his forearm.
He looks down at her, taking in her expression. He can tell she wants to say something, but she's debating whether or not she should.
"What's on your mind, mama?"
Annie bites her lip softly.
"I'm not ready to go home just yet."
Her voice comes out hesitantly, as though she isn't sure how he'll react. She knows that as much as he wanted to spend time with her, leaving their baby at home wasn't something he wanted to do. She didn't know if he would want to stay out when all they had planned was dinner, but when the corner of his mouth turns up, she feels herself relax.
"Okay. Where you wanna go?"
Annie looks around for a moment, looking at some of the different shops, before her eyes land on the park that's at the end of the street.
"Let's go for a walk."
Elijah follows her gaze before sliding his hand into hers. He lets her lead them down the street, and they stroll through the park.
Annie loved being outside, and even more than that she loved when Elijah joined her in the fresh air. They walked in silence for the most part, their presence more than enough to satisfy them both in between Annie's musings about flowers she saw on their path.
The transition from spring to summer was beginning, and they could feel it in the air. A slight breeze began to blow as the sun began setting, and Annie couldn't have asked for a better way to spend some time with Smoke.
She turns toward him slightly.
"You know, I'm kinda glad your mama kicked us out today."
Elijah looks at her with a curious expression.
"I feel like if she hadn't, we would be stuck inside for another month."
Elijah chuckles softly at that.
"Stuck inside with my two favorite girls don't sound bad to me."
Annie squeezes his hand.
"It doesn't, but I'm glad we got some time for just the two of us."
Elijah smiles softly and leans in to leave a soft kiss on her lips.
Annie leans up for another one as he pulls back, causing a chuckle to leave his lips as he plants a few more on hers.
"You must want me to sweet talk you some more, givin' me all this sugar," he says, kissing her one last time before they continue walking.
"Hush up," Annie says with a laugh.
Elijah's arm finds her waist, pulling her into his side as he listens to what he thinks is one of the most beautiful sounds come from her mouth.
Her laugh settles quickly, though, as the breeze picks up and blows the scent of lavender down the path toward them.
Annie slows down, her eyes falling closed as it wraps around them, and Elijah immediately knows what she must be thinking of when that longing ache fills his chest.
For a moment, both of them are back in their home, standing over the changing table in the nursery. It was the scent of their baby's lotion, the one they rubbed her down with before bed. The one that lingered on her skin and in her clothes. That wrapped around them when she woke up hungry or wet in the middle of the night.
The breeze gave them both a reminder of who was waiting for them at home, and all of a sudden Annie was ready to go.
When she opened her eyes again, Elijah saw it in her irises. He knew she saw it in his too, but when he asked if she was good, she just nodded, and so they kept walking.
Both of their minds drifted away from the park, though. The wind had stopped blowing, but the smell of those flowers still infiltrated their senses.
"Baby," Elijah says, stopping.
Annie stops and turns toward him.
"You wanna go home?" he asks, though the soft pout on her face tells hims what he already knows.
She nods softly. "Yeah."
"Alright."