The bliss that was taking off his dress shoes and burying his feet into the soft carpet of their living room could not possibly be topped at this moment. El evidently felt the same, sighing in relief the second her high heels were off.
Mike had sat down in the arm chair, which was clearly a bad idea because he now doubted he would ever find the motivation to physically get out of it. El was at the kitchen counter, pouring a glass of water for herself, freeing her hair from the updo it had been pinned into, curls pouring down her back.
Mike sucked in a breath at the sight. She was still so incredibly beautiful - more beautiful every year, if it was even possible. He was the luckiest man in the entire universe. His arms were suddenly itching to hold her. If he had more energy, he'd get out of this chair and -
His thoughts were interrupted by his wife abruptly dropping into his lap, satisfying his unspoken desire.
"Oh, I shouldn't have sat down, I can tell now I'll never be able to stand again," El said, sinking into Mike comfortably. Mike smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, propping his chin onto her shoulder.
"That was a long day. Long, but good," El sighed.
"The good news is we don't have to do that for a long time. Not until the grandkids are old enough to get married, anyway," Mike said.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Mike. Our youngest just got married, and I'm too young to be a grandma."
Mike couldn't hold back a smile at the thought. "You'd be the best grandma ever," he sighed happily, giving her a squeeze.
"Hmm," was all El said in reply, but she snuggled deeper into him.
El looked around the room, which was thankfully in good order. The back yard, however, was a mess. It had been the perfect location for their son and new daughter in law's reception, but it was going to require a few hours of work to return to normal.
"Did you blow out the candles on the head table?" she asked quietly, her voice tired.
"I did," he said, stifling a yawn. "Max said to leave everything else where it was. They want to come help us out tomorrow."
"Okay," El said, her eyes continuing their overview of the room, before landing on the picture of Hop on the mantel and going silent.
Mike felt her tense slightly and tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her close. "He would have loved it," he said, his brown eyes also on the picture El was staring at.
She nodded and gave a small smile. "Yes, he really would have."
They were quiet for a few moments, too tired to move or speak.
"El, I think we have to go to bed," Mike said after a while. "I think I dozed off there for a minute, and as comfortable as I am here I don't think we'll appreciate having slept in our dress clothes in the morning."
El yawned in reply. "Okay. I'm getting up." She didn't move, however, causing Mike to gently poke her in the ribs. She flinched, but stayed on his lap, trapping him on the chair. "I don't want to," she whined, turning to bury her face in his neck.
Mike chuckled a bit, rubbing her back. "Come on, El. Bedtime."
"Stay here," she mumbled, burrowing even further, wrapping her arms around his neck. "S'nice."
Mike contemplated letting her have her way. But his belt was starting to dig in, and his teeth were begging to be brushed, and his comfortable bed was just down the hall. So without further debate, he scooped El up into his arms, stood, and began carrying her down the hall.
"You're nice," she murmured into his neck.
"And you're adorable," he said in return, laying her gently on their bed and planting a kiss on her forehead.
El woke a few hours later, feeling groggy, slightly disoriented, and unable to be in her dress clothes a moment longer.
She slipped out of the bed and changed quickly into soft pyjamas, tossing her dress over a chair to deal with tomorrow. She glanced over at Mike, sleeping serenely, and smiled before brushing his hair off his forehead in a tender gesture.
She made her way down the hall to the bathroom, where she washed her face and brushed her teeth. On her way back to bed, she glanced in the doorway of their daughter's room - now long vacated, other than on holidays and visits - and then her son's room. Her baby boy, now a newly married man. Her feet came to a stop, and before she knew it, she was perched on the edge of his bed, looking around the room in the dim light.
A soft creak behind her let her know of Mike's presence, and she turned to see him leaning in the doorway.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?"
"No. Well, you know how it is. I don't sleep well when you're not there," he said. He gestured at the room, "Feels a little empty tonight, doesn't it?"
El bit her lip, feeling her eyes tear up. "Yeah. Wasn't it just yesterday he was playing trains in here? Or calling us in because he had a bad dream?"
Mike smiled a sad smile. "It feels like it."
El let out a ragged breath. "I'm so proud of him. Of both our kids. We did good, Mike."
"We did," he said, coming to sit next to her. "We took care of them, and now we get to let them go, as hard as it is."
El wrung her hands together in her lap. "I'm happy for them, but sometimes I wish they didn't have to leave us and grow up."
Mike wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know," he said.
"Mike?"
"Yeah, El?"
"Don't leave me," she whispered, feeling slightly embarrassed and foolish for saying this now.
Mike pulled her closer to his side, planting a kiss on her temple. "Never," he answered, as he always did. "You're stuck with me for life, I'm afraid."
El smiled at that. "Promise?"
"Promise. The kids might need you in a different way, but I will always need you, El."
El wrapped her arms around his waist in response, holding him tightly in a silent thank you. He always knew what to say, always knew what she needed. She could never be without him.
They stayed there a while, but then El yawned, which made Mike yawn too, reminding them of the hour and sending them back to their bed, hands clasped together both on the way to their room and remaining so throughout the night.
Hours later, surrounded by their best and lifelong friends (Max brought coffee - bless her), they tackled the back yard, turning it back into something that was theirs. The day marked another transition in their ever-changing lives, but they knew they'd face this and the ones to come the way they always did - together. Always together.
