Jesse had actually returned early — or, well, earlier than he'd estimated the second time. At the one-week mark, he'd estimated it'd be another nine days before they were back. That was over another week. It was close to another week and a half, which was verging on three weeks total, and three weeks felt really unacceptable, not that Elise could do anything about it. He'd let her Face Time with Lily, but it wasn't the same. Elise missed her. She'd missed Lily more than she would have realized was possible. Maybe the baby symbolized all of her longings that had been brought up while she was with Jake in Ibiza, or maybe there really was something about Lily in particular, but Elise felt quite strongly about her. She missed her baby scent and her soft baby hands as they'd grab for her fingers, and the way her little chest would rise and fall so rapidly when she was sleeping sometimes. Was she dreaming? Elise always hoped they were good dreams, and she'd rub her tummy and sing softly in her ear, and Lily's breathing would slow and she'd grab hold of Elise's hand and, really, it might as well have been her heart, for as much as it bound her to the little girl.
But now she was here. They were back, and Elise heard the car door, and the only reason she didn't run outside to meet them was because of Jesse. She couldn't let him know how relieved she was that they — that Lily — had returned.
She was in the bathroom, straightening her ponytail and washing the smudges of paint off of her face, when Jesse let himself in. She was still wiping at a magenta streak on her cheek when she stepped out of the small room and saw them standing there. For some reason, the way Jesse smiled at her kept Elise frozen in place for a moment, and when she let her eyes meet his, while she didn't quite smile, she wasn't glaring either. There was a softness in her expression that was, perhaps, magnified by the gleam of light that reflected off of the delicate chain around her slender neck.
"Hey." Elise wasn't so sure why she felt so hesitant right then, especially when she'd been dying to see Lily. And then her gaze landed on that tiny face, and her inhibitions melted away.
With a gentle smile, she padded quietly across the floor so as not to wake Lily. When she reached Jesse's side, Elise didn't even think twice as she absently nestled against his arm and rested her (clean) cheek against his shoulder so that she could get a closer look at Lily. "I think you're twice as big as you were when you left," Elise whispered as she brushed the back of her fingers across the baby's forehead.
She could have possibly been content to just stand there and watch Lily for hours, but Jesse had been driving only God knew how long. All night, probably. Straightening, Elise looked up at him and arched a brow. "I can take her for a little while, if you want to relax."