{Sweatpants & Hot Cocoa}
JC crept up against the partially opened bathroom door, peeking in just enough to get a view of his fiancé in front of the mirror in nothing but a pair of black panties an a strapless bra. He smiled softly, his heart skipping a beat as he watched her lift the curling iron to her head once again, twisting it in her hair before letting it fall into spiral tendrils against her shoulders. He took in her partially dressed form, his heart skipping a beat as he observed the site of her from head to toe but stopping to once again let his eyes wonder over the tiny bump growing on her lower abdomen.
It still boggled his mind...
He continued to watch her, as she began to do her makeup, lifting the wand of her mascara and brushing it through her eye lashes. He jumped quickly at the sound of her voice, as he stumbled forward giving himself away completely.
“I can see you in the mirror Jace,” Carly giggled as he slowly walked all the way into the bathroom, coming up behind her. “You make a bad stalker.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself,” He said as he moved up behind her, his hands resting against her hips as he hooked his chin over one shoulder, his gaze meeting hers through the mirror. “There’s a gorgeous woman in my bathroom.”
“Well then,” She said, taking in his outfit of the evening of black dress slacks and a white button down through the mirror. “There seems to be a sexy man in my bathroom.” She set her makeup down on the vanity before turning around and looking him up and down before her arms moved up his chest, carefully inching around his neck.
“Hmmm.” His nose nuzzled hers softly, quickly taking in the scent of her. “What should we do about that babe?”
“I could think of a few things..” Her lips inched closer to his before he became impatient and captured them quickly with his own, bringing her body closer against him. He caught her sweet gasp on his tongue as her mouth opened in surprise and he took full advantage. Their lips moved fluidly, slowly against one another, teasing and tasting until it was hard to breathe.
Her hands snaked up his jaw, feeling the slight stubble tickle her palm before they moved up, burying themselves in the soft tresses of his hair. JC’s fingers carefully traced her sides, her stomach, before trailing up the smooth expanse of her back. When Carly bumped into something, she gasped once again as she felt her feet being lifted off the ground before she was placed on the top of the vanity. JC stared back at her with hooded eyes, blue and full of love as he moved between her legs.
His lips caressed the skin of her neck, as he felt her tremble beneath him.
“Jace...,” Carly said, trying to find any logical train of thought. “We’re going to be late.”
“Mmm, I don’t know if I care anymore.” He breathed as his lips moved up below her ear knowing exactly what it did to her.
“It’s New Years Eve. You’ve been waiting for this party for a while now.” Carly tried to rationalize as her hands moved to cup his face, bringing him to eye level with her.
He smiled, his breath fanning across her lips. “I can’t help it babe. You were standing in here, half naked, looking so damn beautiful.”
Her heart skipped a beat, still amazed that the man standing in front of her wanted to be with her forever. They’d come so far from the first day they met. “I hope you feel the same in about seven months.”
He reached for her hand, helping her off the bathroom counter, as he brought her back against his chest, the two of them looking into the mirror as his big hands settled on her small stomach. “I will Carly. I’m going to love watching your body grow. You’ll always be sexy to me, no matter what, and I’ll be there for you, every step of the way.”
Carly turned her head, gazing back at him with loving green eyes before she kissed him softly. “You’re amazing Jace.”
“It’s because I love you, so much.”
“I love you too.” Her eyes looked back at him, nearly welling up with tears.
“I’ll let you get dressed. I’ll be in the bedroom.” He said as he kissed her bare shoulder before leaving the room.
Carly turned back towards the mirror, doing the finishing touches on her make up and hair before getting dressed. Stepping into the tight, silky black dress, she struggled for a second with the zipper before finally getting it up. Smoothing her hands over the material, she stepped into her black heels before doing a once over in the mirror just as wave of nausea rushed over her.
She moved quickly to the toilet before bending over just in time to get sick.
“Ugh.. Not again.”
Cursing, she took a deep breath, flushing the toilet as she moved cautiously over to the sink before rinsing her mouth out. Her arms leaned heavily against the vanity, trying to calm herself down, not wanting to ruin the evening.
JC chose that moment to come back into the bathroom, stopping dead in his tracks.
“Babe, you about ready?” He asked as his jaw dropped seeing her in the dress. “Holy crap...”
His voice trailed off as he took in the sight of the woman in front of him. His eyes trailed from the heels she wore, up her exposed legs, to the way the dressed hugged her curves tightly, to the strapless bodice that covered her chest. His thought process quickly came back as he saw her smile back at him weakly as she leaned against the sink, her face pale.
“Carly, you alright?” He asked gently, turning her towards him.
“Fine.” She told him weakly. “Just feeling kinda funny.”
“Did you get sick again?” His hand went to her cheek, feeling her clammy skin against his palm.
She swallowed, trying to push the feeling away. “Yeah. Hit me outta nowhere.”
At his frown, he pulled her against him. “We don’t have to go tonight.”
“No Jace. I’ll be fine. Besides, it’s New Years Eve. We’re going to this party.”
“You sure? If you don’t feel good we can stay home. It’s really not a big deal to me. As long as I’m with you.”
At her nod, Carly tried to get herself together. “Yup, I’ll be fine.” She reached over and grabbed her small clutch purse before smiling confidently back at him and lacing her fingers through his.
JC stared back at her, hesitant as they walked out of the bathroom, through the bedroom they shared and down the hallway towards the living room. Reaching for his keys, he turned to her once again to see her face was still pale. Before he even had the chance to ask her once again if she was okay, she excused herself quickly.
“I’ll be right back, Jace.”
Shaking his head, her tossed his car keys back down on the counter, deciding that no matter how much she tried to convince him, they were going to stay in for the night. There was no way they’d have fun if Carly kept getting sick and it caused all the protective instincs inside of him to kick in.
Kicking his shoes off, he padded through the house, retracing his fiancé’s steps. Knocking lightly on the closed bathroom door, he waited a second before opening it and walking in. The site that greeted him made his heart ache.
Carly lay slumped down on her knees, leaning against the bathroom wall. Her heels had been kicked off and her face was even more pale than before.
“I’m so sorry Jace. I know how much you were looking forward to this party.”
“Babe, stop apologizing. It’s okay.” He told her softly as he went to get a small wash cloth from the towel cabinet before running it under cold water and ringing it out. Taking the few steps towards Carly, he bent down beside her, pulling her hair gently away from her face. Bringing the washcloth up to her face, he caressed her cheeks and forehead tenderly.
“You’re amazing to me.” She breathed faintly.
“I know this isn’t easy for you honey. I want to do what I can.”
Her body wrenched again but thankfully nothing came up this time. JC rubbed soothing patterns up the naked expanse of her back left open by her dress, trying to sooth her. Once she caught her breath, she looked up at him bleary eyed.
“You can still go. I’ll be fine by myself tonight.”
He shook his head, coming to sit down flat on the floor, pulling her into his lap.
“Not a chance babe. There is no way I’m ringing in the new year without you by my side.”
“I’m sorry I had to ruin our night.”
He continued to soothingly rub her back, while running his fingers through her hair.
“You’re pregnant, Carly. And you didn’t ruin a thing. This baby must be confused giving you morning sickness at night instead all the time. It’ll pass. It’s not a big deal. I feel horrible because I did this to you.”
Despite her condition, she laughed a little. “I seem to remember having a little participation in the act myself.”
JC bussed her forehead before placing a kiss their softly. “Mmm, I remember too. I just mean if I could go through this instead of you, I would.”
Felling the compassion and love from JC overwhelmed Carly. He had been nothing but supportive from day one. As nervous as she had been when they found out it was official that they were going to be parents, he’d stepped up and had been there for her every step of the way. It just made her decision to become his wife in a few months that much more solid.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she snuggled into the warm and secure blanket he made. “You’re too good for me.”
“Don’t say stuff like that. You do so much for me too. What do you say we go put our sweatpants on and curl up on the couch and watch a movie?”
Feeling a little better, she smiled weakly up at him. “That sounds amazing right about now.”
Wrapping an arm around Carly’s waist, JC maneuvered the two of them up and off the floor as he helped her get her balance. “I need to brush my teeth and wash all this makeup off and then I’ll meet you in the bedroom.”
Nodding, JC left her alone.
“Call if you need me babe.”
When she was done, she came into the bedroom with her face freshly washed and her pulled into a high ponytail just in time to see him shedding the dressy white silk shirt he was wearing. He stood there, bare chested in only his black dress slacks with his belt undone. Somehow, as guilty as Carly felt, she had a feeling that they were just fast forwarding to the end of the night.
Walking over to him, her hands ran slowly up his chest, the soft hair their tickling her palms. “You look tempting.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled Carly against him and buried his face in her neck. “I can say the same for you. The second I saw you in this dress, the only thing I could think of was peeling you out of it.”
Shivering , she tipped her neck to the side, giving him access as he begin placing kisses there. “I wanted that too. And I only got to wear it for a half an hour.”
“You’ll wear that dress again babe. I promise.”
“I hope so. It’s already skin tight.”
“Hmmm, then we better get it off of you.” He hummed against her neck as his fingers grazed the zipper, giving it a little tug before it pooled at her feet on the floor.
“I wish we could do what’s so clear in your eyes, Jace.” She told him regretfully.
“We’ve got all the time in the world. And there’s always tomorrow.” He said as he winked at her, his hands still roaming her body.
Stepping back hesitantly, Carly went into the closet to retrieve a pair of gray sweatpants and began dressing as JC did the same.
“I’m stealing one of your hoodies.” She said, pulling it off a hanger and bringing the pink material up to her nose and breathing it in as she smiled.
JC laughed slightly, pulling on his own t-shirt. “What else is new?”
Turning to face him, she quickly kissed his cheek. “It’s not my fault you smell so good.”
Shaking his head, he smiled before reaching for her hand. “You feeling any better?”
“A little yeah. I think I’m going to go find some crackers or something.”
“I’ll get you some. I was going to make us a little snack tray. Maybe some pop corn.”
“Sounds perfect Jace.”
JC smiled as they walked down the hallway with their fingers laced together.
“You go get comfy and pick out a movie on TV and I’ll be back with the snacks.”
Carly nodded, falling down on the wide leather couch as she reached for the remote and clicked the TV on, already scrolling through the movies.
JC returned minutes later, a tray with various snacks, popcorn included, spread out across it and two steaming mugs of hot cocoa with whipped cream on top.
“You have no idea how amazing that looks right now.” Carly said, nodding at the mugs. “I figured you’d at least bring a glass of champagne or something for yourself.”
“Nope. I’m happy forgoing the alcohol this New Years and you’re right. Hot Cocoa sounded really good.”
“I know I’ve said it already but I’m really sorry about tonight. You’re the best for doing this.”
“And I told you it’s really no big deal. My party days are few and far between now. I’d much rather be home with my soon-to-be-wife chillin’ out then at some noisy party.”
She smiled back at him, humbled by his words. “You sure you want to marry me?”
He didn’t even hesitate as he brought her hand to his lips, kissing right beside the engagement ring he’d put there months before. “Positive. There’s no one else in this world for me but you, Carly. I’m sure of that.”
“Ditto.” She whispered as he handed her a mug.
“Good.” He reached behind them to drape a blanket over both their laps. “Did you find a movie for us to watch?”
“Yup.” She turned to her side, curling up against him as his arm automatically went up to drape around her shoulders, and let out a content sigh, glancing at the lit up Christmas tree across the room. She couldn’t think of a better place to be.
“Please tell me it’s not a Lifetime movie.” He said jokingly as he made a face.
“It’s not so chill your pants.”
“Chill my pants huh?” He mocked, raising his eyebrows up and down at her in a suggestive manner, loving the moments when she became sassy. “Okay, only because you told me too. So seriously, what movie are we watching?”
“The Holiday.” Carly said, naming one of her favorite movies.
“Okay, I can live with that.” JC remarked as the opening credits began to start.
Pulling Carly tightly against him, he rested his chin on top of her head breathing in the scent of her as she did the same to him. They sipped their drinks and nibbled on snacks throughout the movie before JC looked down halfway through noting that Carly was asleep.
Glancing at the clock on the wall across the room, he saw that there were only fifteen minutes until midnight. Regretfully, he tried to wake her, not wanting to miss this moment with her. It was their first New Years and even though they weren't drinking at some fancy party, they were together and that’s all that mattered.
“Babe.. it’s almost midnight.” He said softly as he brought a finger up to grave across her cheek.
“Hmmm?” Carly asked, blinking blearily as she looked up at him. “How long have I been out?”
“About a half hour or so.”
“Some date I am.” She said regretfully as she sat up and stretched a little.
“A sexy, gorgeous one is what you are.”
“Oh yeah, right.” Carly laughed, sitting up a little and looking down at her clothes. “I’m a real knock out in sweatpants.”
“To me you are. And you always tell me that you think I look sexy when I wear sweat pants. Why can’t I say the same about you?”
“Because,” She smiled, taking a second to let out a yawn before she straddled his waist. “You, my lover, are very sexy when you wear them. They make you look stripped down and I don’t know.. just cuddly and masculine all at the same time. Especially when you wear your glasses.”
JC chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “See, you do too. We’re a good fit.”
“We are.”
“I didn’t want us to miss our first New Years together.” He said as his long fingers inched up his borrowed hoodie she wore.
“Our first of many.” She stated as she nuzzled her nose with his. “Things are gonna change for us this next year.”
“Good things babe,” He said as he kissed her cheek softly. “We’re going to be married in less than two months.” He then kissed her neck. “And we’re going to be having a baby. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
“Mmhmm. And there’s nobody else in this world I’d rather have by my side.”
“Exactly. Happy New Year, Carly. I love you.”
“I love you too Jace.” She whispered, leaning forward and kissing him lingeringly. Her fingers dove into the soft waves of his hair, breathing in the scent of him. “I think you should take me to bed.”
“Oh yeah.” He agreed, as he stood, Carly still wrapped around his waist. He walked quickly through the house and into the bedroom as she places kisses all over his face, causing him to chuckle.
“Our first New Years together.” Carly mocked as JC came down beside her, his lips close to her own. “Sweatpants and Hot Cocoa.”
Chuckling, he brought her even closer, pulling off the heavy sweatshirt she wore and caressing the skin beneath her tank top. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Breathing in the man before her, Carly took in his scent and related words like ‘home’ and ‘safe’ whenever she was around him. JC was right though. The New Year was about to bring many firsts for them but she knew deep down that she was ready for whatever came their way, as long as JC was by her side.
