milk & honey

“I know, but I want you to be able to give enough notice. I’ll  bring it up next shift and let you know.” Logan promises, pressing a quick kiss to Annabelle’s lips. A vacation with just the two of them and no interruptions sounded perfect. Logan could use the time off, and Paris with his girlfriend sounded like just the bit of relaxation that he needed. “Me either. It’ll be perfect.” He hums in response, kissing the blonde again before he pulls away, going to get plates for their food. “Dinner smells amazing. Shall we?”

“Well you really are as sweet as sugar, aren’t you?” She said with a wide smile, returning the kiss with a soft peck of her own. All of the talk about them taking a vacation together had the grin plastered on the blonde’s lips. It would be their first trip away together, just the two of them, and she already couldn’t wait. Any time she got to spend with Logan uninterrupted was time she treasured. “It absolutely will be.” She nodded, finishing off their meal by combining the pasta with the sauce. “We shall.” She grinned, plating up the food for each of them and taking it to the table.

“Thank you.” Smiling, Logan teaches for his wine, taking a sip from the glass as he watches Annabelle cook, moving to help her after a minute. They had both been so hesitant to start things up at first, but they had admitted their feelings for each other eventually and had decided to give a relationship a shot, and Logan was so happy that they had. “Yeah. You let me know when and I’ll clear my schedule. No distractions, just you and me and abundance of French food.” The doctor teases, pressing a kiss to Annabelle’s cheek. “Mm, that does sound pretty romantic. We’l make it happen.” 

Moving about the kitchen in tandem with Logan was easy. Their ability to work around and with each other was one of the many reasons Annabelle had fallen for the man with the kind eyes. She’d been reluctant to admit her feelings about him, as the pair’s beginning had been a one night stand in a seedy bar and the blonde had avoided him. However, now that she was standing there in their kitchen, planing their first vacation together, Annabelle was happier than she’d been in years. “Mm, that sound perfect, honey.” She grinned, stirring the sauce for a moment before turning to him. “I can take off whenever, I own the place after all.” She teased, “You let me know when the hospital can spare you and we’ll book the tickets.” Draping her arms over his shoulders, Annabelle leaned into him for a moment, pausing as she looked up at her boyfriend with an adoring smile. “I can’t wait.”

“I’m pretty sure.” Logan teases back, hands coming to rest on Annabelle’s waist as she moves closer to him, kissing her back slowly. If someone had told him that he’d end up like this, in a relationship again and blissfully happy, he wouldn’t have believed it. Since his divorce, Logan had focused more on his job instead of romance, and meeting Annabelle had been a surprise, a lucky one. He knew that he was lucky to have met her and even luckier to be her boyfriend. Logan still wasn’t quite sure how he had managed to win Annabelle over, but he was thankful for her and their relationship and all of the happiness it brought him. “Mm…I could do a week in Paris.” He hums, accepting the glass of wine with a smile. “I’d be happy to go anywhere with you, babe.” 

“Mm, and you are pretty smart so I guess I’ll take your word for it...” She smirked, pressing another short kiss into his lips before going back to preparing their dinner. She’d been worried about how their relationship would go, nervous in the beginning because the last man she’d had feelings for had practically broken the blonde, but the more time she spent with Logan the more the fear subsided. He was an incredible man who understood her work schedule, was kind, and treated her like a princess. He was amazing and she’d fallen for him. Hard. “Yeah?” She grinned, eyes lighting up. Paris was her favorite vacation spot and she hadn’t been able to go in a couple of years. “Because I love Paris... and I think kissin’ you at the top of the Eiffel Tower would be awfully romantic.”

“Hey, not all of my thoughts are bad ones!” Logan protests, a quiet laugh escaping him at Annabelle’s teasing. “Really. Is that a yes?”He asks, leaning in to press a kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek. “I would too. I haven’t thought about where too much, I figured we could plan something together? Depends on how far we wanna go and how much time we wanna take off, really.” He had more than enough vacation days and sick leave saved up to take some time off, and Logan couldn’t think of a better way to use them. They were long overdue for some time devoted to just them, time without either of their phones going off to distract them. One of the things Logan loved about Annabelle was how understanding she was when it came to his work life, but he didn’t want to put work in front of their relationship. He had done that once, and it hadn’t ended well. Annabelle was too special, and Logan didn’t want to mess things up. “Is there anywhere you wanna go? I’m open to suggestions.” 

“You sure about that?” She questioned playfully, grin widening as she turned the stove on to begin heating up the large pot of water for the pasta. “Oh honey,” She began, reaching up to drape her arms over his shoulders, “It’s a hell yes.” Grinning at the kiss, Annabelle slowly pulled away from her boyfriend as she began to prepare their dinner, chopping up an onion and a few cloves of garlic. “Planning it together is perfect, baby. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Nodding her head with a smile, Annabelle continued to prepare their food. “Well, how much vacation time do you have?” She asked, “Because I wouldn’t mind a long weekend at the beach... or a week in Paris.” Pausing, Annabelle wiped her hands on a dish towel and grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet, retrieving an already opened bottle of red wine from the wine cooler and poured them each a glass. “But honestly,” She began, picking the glasses up and holding one out to him, “I’d be happy anywhere as long as I was with you.”

They were both workaholics, dedicated to what they did. It was one of the things that drew Logan to Annabelle, her drive and work ethic just as strong as his was. Though what they did was different, it was the passion that brought them together. He loved hearing about Annabelle’s day just like she loved hearing about his, no matter what happened. “You get me every night, babe.” He murmurs back, giving the blonde a smile. m“I do. You go change, I’ll finish up here.” Watching his girlfriend walk off, Logan busies himself with putting away the rest of the groceries, leaving out what they needed to make dinner. “Mm, so I’ve been thinking…” He says once Annabelle returns, smiling over in her direction. “I have some vacation days saved up…maybe we could get out of town for a long weekend or something sometime soon?” 

“And I’m the luckiest girl in the world for it.” She grinned, giving him one last peck on the lips before pulling back and disappearing into their shared bedroom to change into some comfier clothes. “Uh oh, thinkin’? That’s dangerous, darlin’...” She teased with a wide grin as she walked barefoot back into the kitchen wearing loose gray sweatpants and a white tank top, her long blonde hair tied up into a messy bun. Going into the pantry to retrieve a large pot for the spaghetti and a skillet for the sauce, Annabelle listened to Logan talk about taking a vacation and she can’t hide the wide smile that takes over her features. She’d been dying for some alone time with him for a while now, a vacation away from their crazy work lives, but didn’t want to push him into taking any time off. She knew how much he loved his job and his patients, but she’d been craving more time with him, so to hear him offer up the idea made her incredibly happy. “Really?” She asked, eyes bright as she stopped filling the pot with water and turned to face him. “I’d absolutely love that.” She beamed, “Were you thinking anywhere specific?”

“Mm, that sounds delicious. Can I help you cook?” Logan asks, returning Annabelle’s smile with one of his own. “Busy, huh? That sounds…dramatic.” Chuckling softly, he shakes his head, pressing a kiss to the top of his girlfriend’s head. “I think some wine and some time together sounds perfect. And lucky for you, I’m all yours for  the rest of the night.” 

“Of course you can, baby. I would love that.” Grinning, Annabelle’s body easily leaned into his  as she nuzzled her nose against his lightly. They hadn’t been living together long, but coming home to Logan was such an amazing feeling that Annabelle found herself having to pinch her own arm to prove to herself that it wasn’t a dream. “Mhm, it was. We sold out of those brownies that Avery helped me design, though. So busy doesn’t necessarily mean bad. Bein’ understaffed just put a little damper on things, we got through it, though.” Her smile growing even more, Annabelle reveled in the feeling of Logan’s lips on her head. She was head over heels for this man and it was exhilarating. “You mean I get you for a whole night? Someone up there must really like me.” She teased. Between both of their hectic schedules they didn’t get to see each other much, but nights like this, when it was just the two of them, made it all worth it. “I am the luckiest girl in the world.” She beamed, finally pulling back from the embrace. “I’m goin’ to go chance real quick, would you mind unpackin’ the rest of the groceries, honey?”

Logan had been in the shower when Annabelle came home, washing off the effects of a long day at the hospital. Hearing her call out to him, he turns the water off, quickly drying off and pulling on a pair of sweats, pulling a t-shirt on over his head as he exits their room, giving Annabelle a warm smile. “Hey, beautiful.” He murmurs, smile moving over his face as his hands come to rest on her wast, returning the kiss. “Long. Better now that you’re here. How was yours?”

“Hi babydoll.” She grinned, leaning into his embrace as her fingers rubbed gentle circles into the back of his neck. “Mm, I’m sorry you had a hard day sweetie. Will me buyin’ the fixin’s for chicken alfredo and some delicious garlic bread make it any better?” Her grin softening into a smile, Annabelle pressed another soft peck of a kiss into his lips. “My day was... busy. Kara decided to up and quit since Joey, my produce supplier, broke up with her and she just couldn’t handle seein’ him every other Tuesday as she put it. So I had to pull double duty in the kitchen and at the register. I’m ready for a glass of Pinot and some Logan time.”

“Honey!” Annabelle called out as she walked into their shared apartment, arms full of groceries, as she tossed her keys onto the side table by the door. “Logan?” She called out once more, making her way further into the apartment and into the kitchen, setting the canvass bags down on the counter before leaning down to scratch their two dogs behind the ears. “Have you guys seen daddy?” She cooed, standing up straight and beginning to put the groceries away when she heard Logan walk out of the bedroom and a wide grin took over her lips. “Hey there, handsome.” She said as she walked over to him and draped her arms over his shoulders, greeting him with a soft kiss. “How was your day?”

“Great” Returning Annabelle’s smile, Logan slips his hand into hers, leading her out of the doctor’s lounge. He was happy with any time he got to spend with Annabelle. They were both workaholics in their own ways, Annabelle with her bakery and Logan with the hospital and his patients. “I don’t doubt that one bit.” Logan replies, smile tugging at the corners of his lips, giving Annabelle’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I would love to have you for an entire day. Just let me know when and I’ll make it happen.” He promises, nodding a bit. Annabelle deserved that much. More, even….and Logan wanted to give her all that he could. Even though their relationship was still sort of new, he really liked her, and he didn’t want to do anything to mess things up between them. “I would love to spend the holidays with you, Annabelle.” 

Linking her fingers through his, AB walked next to him, glancing over to him every so often with a wide smile on her features. It’d been so long since she’d been in a relationship and she’d forgotten just how happy she could be. “Mhm, you’ll see. Whatever part of the festivities you’ll be able to make, it’s an experience. We are so serious about Christmas and I am the three year champ of the gingerbread house contest, but Ave always beats me at the sugar cookie eatin’.” She chuckled, “Whenever is best for you, darlin’. I can pay overtime for people to take my place... we’ll work around your schedule.” Annabelle’s smile grew as she looked up at him, her hand slipping from his as she slipped her arm around his waist and leaned into his side. “Me too, honey. And of course Nate and Cait are invited, too.”

“Mm, well we can get you a hot chocolate if you want. Or we can just go for a walk…I’m free right now.” Logan offers, wanting to steal a few more minutes with Annabelle before he had to get back to work. He felt bad about always running off, but she was so understanding. Things were still new between them though, and Logan didn’t want to do anything to mess it up. “You have any big holiday plans, hm? Thanksgiving, Christmas? I have a feeling between you and Avery, Grayson holidays are a very impressive affair.” He teases, giving the blonde a grin. “Hopefully I can steal you away long enough to give you a Christmas present when the time comes.” 

“I’d love some hot chocolate and a walk, darlin’.” Annabelle smiled, happy to be able to spend just a little bit more time with him. The couple had barely been able to spend a rare evening together, both of their work schedules keeping them busy, so she cherished even the shortest of moments they got to spend together. He was accepting of her crazy bakery hours so she wouldn’t even dare to scold him about his own long hours. It kept them apart but it also made the time they were able to spend together, even on a short walk, special. “Oh, the Graysons do the holidays pretty big.” She replied with a soft chuckle, “Expect Christmas parties, cookies, the works. We even have a gingerbread house building contest every year. It’s intense.” Taking his hand into hers, Annabelle lead the pair out of the doctor’s lounge and towards the coffee cart. “Of course, honey. You can have me for an entire day if you want.”

“I had no idea.” Logan teases back, smile paying on his lips as Annabelle leans in closer, humming softly as he kisses her back. “Mm, well I’m glad that you think so.” He’s about to kiss her again when the door opens, hands falling from Annabelle's waist as she steps back, reaching for her hand instead. “Do you want a cup of coffee or anything while you’re here? From the coffee cart, not our crappy lounge coffee.” Logan clarifies, chuckling softly. “Yeah? I shouldn’t be out too late…I’ll text you though, how does that sound? Just in case.”

“Well you better open up your eyes then, doc.” She grinned, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. “Me too, darlin’. She glanced down as her smile grew wider. She was so happy with Logan, so happy at times she found she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Bringing her gaze back up to him, Annabelle shook her head gently. “No thank you, honey. Once October rolls around it’s all hot chocolate all the time.” Chuckling gently, the blonde shrugged her shoulders slightly. “Yeah. That sounds perfect... I look forward to hearin’ from you.”

Atticus looked over at his sister, laughing. “Not my fault that you wouldn’t deliver and I was across town!” He grinned. “If it makes you feel better, it was not as good as yours and I gave it terrible reviews on my podcast, so there you go.” He shrugged and watched the other for a moment. “Also, when did you get keys to my place?”

“You should have planned ahead.” She said stubbornly, her nose crinkling slightly as a smile took over her features. “”It does. Much better.” Replying with a nod, Annabelle fell back onto the couch next to her older brother. “I’ve had ‘em.” She said with an innocent smile, “That alright?”