InsaneJournal

Domesticity had slipped so easily back into their lives. Bear was lounging on the living room rug while Kylie practiced her reading to him. He watched her intently with his fuzzy face resting on his front paws and absolute love in his eyes.

The table was set for the three. (Wyatt loved that so much better than the solitary plate he set out for himself when they weren’t there.) And he and Maia were laughing together and telling each other about their days as they cooked tacos for dinner. He was browning the meat on the stove while she diced vegetables. It had come together in such a way this time that Wyatt understood this was it. There wouldn’t be another off again period again. He and Maia had gotten to a point in their lives where they had finally figured things out. He couldn’t think of a better feeling.

He was certain that most of their various family members had figured it out already. There was, however, one person that they needed to sit town and talk with first before any real, “official” announcements could be made.

Wyatt pulled the beef from the stove and he and Maia made quick work of assembling several tacos with all the toppings. While Maia put the plates out on the table, Wyatt moved the last of the dishes to the sink and called their daughter. “Ky! Dinner’s ready!”

This domestic dance that they had found themselves in was comfortable and exactly what Maia wanted. Though they had played with it in the past, their relationship always having been unique, even when they weren't technically together, for the sake of keeping things normal and healthy for their daughter, she knew as well as Wyatt did that this time was different. It had taken them so many years, but they had finally found themselves at the same place at the same time. They were on again and they were going to remain on again. The knowledge gave her a sense of security that couldn't be rivalled by anything else.

After Kylie had been born, they'd tried to stay together and they'd tried again several times since then. Maia had always been hesitant to let their daughter in on what was happening between her parents before; the last thing either of them wanted was to subject Kylie to that kind of heartbreak, if things didn't work out. She felt good about it now, though. Besides the fact that Kylie was getting too old and observant for them to get away with keeping things quiet for so long, Maia didn't want to keep it from her. They were going to make it work this time and their daughter deserve to know that.

Maia had set the last plate down on the table when Kylie bounded in, slipping under her arm to take her usual chair. Hesitating a moment, Maia let her fingers brush over her daughter's soft hair with a fond smile, Kylie barely noticing as she eyed her tacos. "I love taco night," Kylie said emphatically, releasing a sigh.

Maia laughed. "You and me both, kiddo." Then, noticing they were lacking, she added, "Wyatt, can you grab napkins before you sit down?"

“Aye, Captain.” Wyatt called back and grabbed the requested napkins. He placed one by Kylie’s plate before dropping a kiss on top of her head. He wanted to do the same with Maia, but they weren’t quite there yet. Soon.

Instead he settled for handing her napkin to her and letting his fingers linger a little longer than necessary. He dropped her a small wink, then moved to take his seat and join them for dinner. “All right, dig in.”

Their daughter wasted no time in taking a very large bite of her taco and Wyatt couldn’t help but laugh at her full cheeks. “You been learning table manners from Bear?”

Though she at least had the foresight to swallow before doing so, Kylie gave her father a wide grin, showing off the gaps in her teeth from recent Tooth Fairy visits. If the full cheeks wouldn't have made her laugh, that expression certainly did Maia in. The three of them had always been a family, no matter where Wyatt and Maia might have been in their relationship behind the scenes, and it was moments like this that really tugged at her heart and drove it home. She couldn't imagine life without either of them.

Crossing her legs under the table, Maia allowed herself one bite of taco before she looked over at Wyatt with a slightly arched, questioning eyebrow. She didn't know how much longer she could wait before giving Kylie the news. There was no doubt in her mind that their daughter would be nothing but over the moon about the idea of her parents being together, which only made her more excited to share it with her. Their friends and family might have predicted or expected it, but they had been more careful with Kylie.

He didn’t miss her look, and it wasn’t difficult to catch the meaning behind it. While Wyatt truly didn’t have any reservations about rekindling this relationship with Maia, there was a part of him that still felt a little bit of worry about telling Kylie. He couldn’t even explain why, he just understood that it was there.

He took a bite of his own dinner, and as he chewed, he watched his two girls. They made his entire world complete, and he’d be crazy not to jump at the chance to have this for every moment possible. He swallowed his food and gave Maia a nod.

“Ky, there’s something your mom and I want to talk to you about. You know we’ve been spending a lot more time together lately. We’ve decided something, but before anything’s official, we want to know what you think about it too.”

Maia watched Kylie closely as her chewing slowed, considering Wyatt's words as she finished off her bite and looked between each of her parents. Like Wyatt, she felt a bit of worry at bringing Kylie into the fold of all this. Not only did it make the relationship that they had decided to start up again that much more real, but it also put a pressure on that had been missing before. This would change their daughter's life as much as their own, as would any potential problems later on down the road. And while Maia was confident in a way that she hadn't even felt before that this time they were going to make it work, the thought lingered.

On the flip side, though, the chance was worth taking. They had always been a family, but this would elevate that. Everything would change, but it would be good change.

When Kylie set her taco down and was clearly giving them her full attention, Maia spoke up. "Your dad and I have always cared about each other, but we've done a lot of talking lately." She turned her head, looking at Wyatt for a moment as she said, "We love each other." Turning back to Kylie, she continued, "We want to be together, as boyfriend and girlfriend, but only if you think that's okay, too."

Kylie’s mouth dropped open comically for a moment. “You guys are for real?”

Wyatt nodded an affirmative. “The realest. If it’s okay with you. You and your mom are the two most important people in the world to me. I know we’ve always been our own special kind of family, but your mom and I are ready to make things even better for us together.”

"You'll always be our priority," Maia added, reaching over to find Wyatt's hand, her fingers pressing into his. It felt nice to be able to do that and not worry about giving the wrong impression. There was only one impression to give. "But we want to bring the three of us together even more. That okay?"

Kylie's shock turned into a grin, her taco forgotten as she jumped up from her chair to throw her arms around Maia's neck in a tight hug. She released Wyatt's hand so she could return the embrace, her cheek pressing to Kylie's hair as she released a breath. There hadn't really been any question just how their daughter would react to this news, but it didn't stop Maia from feeling a bit of relief.

After a moment, Kylie released Maia long enough to rush around her chair and attack Wyatt with the same tight hug. Turning in her chair, Maia surveyed the both of them, her heart incredibly full. "I take that to mean it's okay," she teased.

Wyatt had to swallow the lump of emotion that had risen in his throat watching Kylie’s reaction to the news. When she came around the table to present him with her hug, he scooped her up into his lap and held her there, pressing his cheek to her hair. He and Maia had always been great at co-parenting, but it had been impossible to not miss out on certain moments with them being separated as they had been. While he knew it was still a ways off, the very real prospect of being together all the time and not missing any of those moments again washed over him. He smiled and gave his daughter a kiss.

“Yes it’s okay! It’s the best!”

Still holding onto Kylie in his lap, Wyatt gave her an extra squeeze. “I think..this might even be the right occasion for celebratory ice cream sundaes after dinner, don’t you?”

Kylie grinned at the promise of ice cream, just as she always did; she and her mother were easily won over in that way, Maia mused. "Celebratory ice cream sundaes after dinner, little miss," Maia said, her voice too teasing to actually be stern. "You have far too much taco on your plate to be thinking about dessert."

With that, Kylie gave her dad one more hug before jumping down, rushing back to her chair so she could do her best to hurry dinner along. Maia's eyes followed her as she settled in, then she looked back to Wyatt. Her smile was fond and loving as she once more reached over toward him, beckoning for his hand. That apprehension that she'd felt before was gone and had just been replaced with contentment. Wyatt had been right, before -- they had always been their own special kind of family together and that wouldn't change. But she rather liked this direction for them.

Wyatt took her hand without hesitation. It was warm and fit so perfectly in his own.

I love you he mouthed softly to her and held her hand more tightly.

If it were possible in that moment, Maia's face would have softened at the squeeze of her hand and the words directed her way. Without hesitation, she mouthed back an I love you, too before letting out a soft huff that was somewhere between a happy laugh and a sigh of relief. She may have known in her heart that this would have gone as well as it did, she was still happy to be on this side of things and have no question. She and Wyatt might have already decided that they were ready for this path, but now it was a path all three of them could walk together and it was so very good.