Amy pushed the front door open and stepped inside, carrying the box carefully in both hands.
"I'm home." She said and before she could remove her jacket, she heard footsteps coming from the hallway.
Jace appeared a moment later, sleeves rolled up to his elbow.
"There you are." He said.
Amy smiled. "Hi."
He walked over and took the box from her without asking.
"I've got it." He said pecking her forehead.
"Thanks."
He placed it on the console table before turning back to her and pulling her into his arms.
Amy laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around him.
"You missed me?" She asked.
"I've been home for three hours."
"And?"
"And you weren't here."
She pulled back slightly. "That's not an answer."
"It is."
She smiled. "I've only been gone since this morning."
"That's a long time"
"You make it sound like I've been away for a month."
"Don't blame me it felt like that"
Amy smiled and leaned in for a kiss.
"How was work?" She asked as she turns and he helps her remove her jacket.
"It was okay, my new employees are settling in well which gives me more time to spend with my wife" He said as he hangs her jacket on the wall.
"Wife?, Iast time I checked, my last name is still Mayfield"
"Not for long" Jace replied smiling as they walked further in the house.
"So, how was Fictional Escapes?"
"Busy earlier. Mrs. Thompson and Candace spent half the afternoon talking about the wedding."
"Again?"
"Again."
He shook his head laughing.
"I still haven't figured out why everyone is more excited about this wedding than we are."
"Speak for yourself, I am over the roof, can't wait to wife you up" He said and they laughed.
"I stopped by my apartment after work, that's where the box came from" Amy said.
"I figured."
Amy looked around. "Smells like food in here, are you making something?" She asked walking towards the kitchen.
He smiled."Maybe."
She walked past him toward the kitchen. "What did you make?"
The smell became stronger as they approached the kitchen.
"Chicken Alfredo?" She asked even before she saw it.
Jace nodded.
Her face immediately brightened. "My favourite"
He glanced at her."You haven't eaten properly today, so I decided to make you something nice"
"That's so thoughtful babe" Amy said as she gave him a quick kiss on his lips.
"So all you gotta do is just freshen up and come back for dinner"
"You pamper me, Jace Prescott" Amy said smiling.
"It's my duty, so run along, let me set the table"
"Alright, I'll be quick"
"You better" He said and they laughed as she walked out quickly.
Jace had finished setting the table by the time Amy came back.
There was nothing extravagant about it but almost like a candlelit dinner. The food was still warm, the lights were dimmed slightly, and a small vase of flowers sat between their plates.
Amy stopped at the entrance. "That's too much" She laughed.
Jace glanced up. "It's just dinner." He said as he pulled out her chair.
She walked towards it and sat down. "Thank you."
He took the seat opposite her and smiled at her.
For a while, they simply ate and talked. Amy told him about work again. Jace told her about the new employees he'd brought into the studio.
"They're doing well?" She asked.
"Yeah, very well even with the expansion"
"I'm really proud of you" She said smiling.
"I should be saying that, I'm not the one who just got two books published and it's on high demand"
"Oh pls, it's not that big of a deal" Amy rolled her eyes.
"It is my love, for once..just for once don't be modest" Jace said.
"Fineeeee" She stretched the word. "I'm really surprised the adventures of Anne Marie is doing well in the market, it has been translated to Spanish too... like I'm so gagged" Amy said widening her eyes.
"Seeee, that's a huge thing" Jace said dropping his glass of water.
"It really is" She said nodding. "And you?, you just made a whole expansion to your studio, it's now bigger than it used to be"
He nodded. "It is and I'm glad the workers are fitting in very well, gives me enough time to spend with my beautiful fiancée"
Amy's cheeks turned pink as she tried to conceal it
After a moment, Jace said, "Rebecca called earlier."
Amy immediately sighed. "What did she want?"
Jace laughed at that. "Nothing, she just wanted to fill me in wedding updates."
"Of course."
He laughed. "She said everything's coming together."
"That's actually nice" Amy said as she chewed.
"She and Sophie apparently had another argument about flowers and they worked it out."
Amy smiled. "Almost sounds like a routine for those two"
"That sounds about right and yeah, she told me about the ultrasound too, it's a girl and she's healthy"
Amy's eyes widened. "A girl?"
He nodded.
Amy smiled."That's so sweet, "Rebecca's probably talking about names."
"Actually, she isn't, she was on about making sure nothing comes in between planning the best wedding for us but I know she already has a list somewhere"
Amy laughed. "She definitely does"
.....
Later that night, they were lying in bed. Amy was curled against Jace, one hand resting loosely on his chest.
The room was quiet and the light dim.
"I know you said we should press oause on the house thing but I honestly can't wait to build a home with you" Jace said.
"This is home" Amy said.
"I knew you'd say that but I can't have my kids running around here"
*Kids huh?" Amy smiled.
"Yeah kids but aside that, I just want to start something totally new with you, I don't want it to feel like you left your apartment to come join me. I want us to leave out apartments and make memories from the start in another place"
Amy sighed. "I hear you "
"I know" Jace said as he kissed her forehead.
"Although I don't think anything will really change really."
"No?"
"We already live together."
"True."
"We already annoy each other."
"Definitely."
"And you already steal the blanket."
"I don't." Jace scoffed.
"You do."
"Prove it."
Amy smiled."You're doing it right now."
He glanced down at the blanket. "That's a coincidence"
They laughed. Jace smiled and pulled her a little closer.
"Come here." He said.
She settled against him again. He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed her back. It was slow and not urgent.
The kiss continued, becoming deeper as Jace's hand rested gently against her back.
Amy smiled against his lips. The rest of the night seemed to blur away. Neither of them was thinking about what came next. They were simply enjoying where they were.