Close To Me

Chapter 11

A smile crept along Chris' lips the moment that he pulled the keys to his mother's house from his jeans pocket and pushed open the door. The first thing he saw when he stepped inside was Blake laying on her back in the middle of the living room with Scott straddling her waist and had her arms pinned above her head while his nephews were tickling her relentlessly. She was wiggling around violently and as was engulfed in hysterical laughter.

"CHRIS!" She shrieked when he walked in the door. "SAVE ME!"

"No! Auntie Blakey is our prisoner!" Miles shouted while tickling her side, making her wiggle and squeal.

"Wait, Scotty, why is your shirt wet?" Chris saw the spot on his shirt.

Hearing this question made Blake laugh even harder when Scott explained, "Blake did that stupid trick where you put the rubber band on the faucet and make it squirt you when you turn it on. It got Ethan, Miles and me, hence why Blake is in the position she's in."

"But it was so funny!" Blake cracked up before the boys went back to tickling her.

"Alright, alright, off Auntie Blakey. We don't want to make her laugh so hard she pees her pants," Chris teased while pulling the younger boys off of her before Scott climbed off as well.

"That only happened one time and it was your fault!" Blake poked his chest once she stood up.

Chris just smiled before pressing a kiss to her cheek. The pair rounded up the three kids and said goodbye to all the family members in the house before loading the kids in the car and taking them to the pet store. The previous week, their fish that Uncle Chris had bought them died, so Chris promised to take them to get another which is what the excursion was today.

All the kids were loaded in the back seat, loudly discussion something, a very Evans trait, while Chris drove and Blake sat quietly in the passenger seat. He stole a glance over at her but Blake caught him which caused her to smile and ask, "What?"

"I'm going to miss you," He reached his big hand over to rest on her thigh that was covered in her sweatpants.

"I'm going to miss you too," Blake took his hand to intertwine their fingers. "If I wasn't photographing that wedding this weekend, I'd go with you."

"I wish you could. But I'll just in LA Friday through Monday," Chris tried to assure them both. "Next time I have to go to LA, maybe before the Civil War press tour, you can come with me and we'll do Disneyland and I can kiss you in front of the castle and won't get slapped this time."

"You deserved it," She snickered.

"I did, I admit it," Chris laughed while lifting their intertwined hands and pressed a kiss on top of her small one. "But I'd love to take you, if you'll let me."

Blake gave him a warm smile, the one he had seen his whole life but never grew tired of, and he knew what the answer was even before she said, "I'd love to go with you. You're so good to me, you always have been Chris."

"You're so good for me," He replied. "You challenge me and ground me and remind me who I am inside. You're the most loving and freakishly loyal person I've ever met and I'm lucky to be loved by you."

"Why have you been making me cry so much lately?" Blake laughed softly while she wiped at her eyes.

Chris lifted her hand once again and pressed another kiss to her hand, "Because I love you."

She turned and gave Chris such a beautiful smile, he wanted to just sit and stay in that moment forever, just looking at her but they had reached the pet store and the kids were dying to get out to pick their fish.

They all trooped into the pet store with Ethan leading the way, followed by Chris and Miles while Blake walked behind them holding Stella's hand. The boy instantly had their noses pressed up some aquariums looking at all the colorful fish and Chris was helping them pick a good one. When he went to ask Stella what she liked, he noticed Blake and Stella were nowhere to be found.

This was nothing new as Chris was used to Blake always getting distracted over something but a smile appeared on his face when he saw where they were.

The pet store had a small area that you could go into and pet the puppies that were up for adoption and Blake was sitting cross legged right in the middle with Stella in her lap. The two were giggling as the few little puppies jumped on them and licked at their hands. Chris felt a pang in his heart at the sight, thinking about how one day that might be his Blakey sitting in there instead with their daughter in her lap as they picked out a puppy to take home... to their home. The thought was enough to make him stop and just stare.

"Chris!" Blake beamed when she saw him. "Come look at this puppy!"

"He's so soft Uncle Chris, come pet him!" Stella urged.

Chris turned his baseball cap around backwards before coming into the area and sitting down next to Blake to pet the rambunctious puppy she held in her arms.

"He sure is cute. He looks so much like East," Sadness plagued his blue eyes.

"I miss East so much," Blake sighed while snuggling the puppy tighter. "We need to take him home."

"Blake, these puppies already have been adopted. Didn't you see the sign?" He pointed to the paper.

"Nooooo!" She whined. "I need him!"

Chris laughed at her dramatic response, "Where would you keep him, genius? You can't have pets in your apartment."

"You have a house," Blake replied like 'duh.'

"I bounce between my L.A. and Boston house too much. Where would I keep a puppy? And I couldn't leave him alone when I leave for filming," Chris replied.

Blake knew it wasn't possible but she still held the puppy tight to her chest and pouted her lower lip out at Chris, "But I love him. I want to keep him."

"How about you just love me and keep me for right now," Chris chuckled.

"But you don't wag your tail and jump all over me and lick me because you're happy to see me like a cute little puppy would," She went on pouting.

Chris kissed her cheek before he whispered right into her ear, "I may not have a tail to wag but I wouldn't mind jumping all over you and licking you."

Hearing those words made Blake's cheeks burn red and a grin appeared on Chris' lips, loving that his words had such an affect on her. She playfully slapped his chest and he just laughed before they left the puppies and went to decide on which fish the kids would have; the two enjoying the mundane event together, both of them seeing how much they never wanted to spend their ordinary moments with anyone else but one another.