Naomi was having a simply heavenly morning. There was no school today, so Mrs. Sherman brought over Victoria to play with her little niece and nephews, as well as to keep Quilina company. After making sure everyone was all right, she went off to run some errands for her own household.
It was an enormous relief that Quilina had slept well, and she was eager to play. While Finn got some well-deserved rest, Naomi and the girls entertained the babies, making silly faces and causing the little ones to giggle.
Time passed rapidly, and happily. A loveliness settled in her heart as she reveled in the joy that children and babies so often have.
"Ahem," came a voice from the door, startling her from her silliness. Caspian stood there, smiling at her, and her heart felt even more complete.
This was what she wanted out of life. A home full of children, and a husband who loved her to come home and enjoy them all.
"Is the meeting over so soon?" Naomi asked. "Or has it been longer than I realized?"
Her eyes wandered to the window and took note of the fact that it was nearly midday.
"Oh! Girls, I should prepare something to eat. Are you two willing to watch the babies for a few minutes?"
"Yes!" They chorused obediently, delighted with the grown-up responsibility.
"Oh, thank you girls, but I think it's time for them to eat as well," Finn emerged from her room, yawning after her short nap.
"Lunch should be ready by the time that's done," Naomi smiled on her way to the kitchen, but Caspian caught her hand.
"I brought you something," He whispered.
"You didn't need to do that!" She declared. After he'd gotten her such an ornate apron, she didn't think he would bless her with another gift for a while yet.
Victoria peeked over at the package Caspian was pulling out of his pocket.
"Oh Naomi! Is it your birthday?" She asked. "On birthdays we eat cake!"
"No, dear, my birthday isn't until midwinter," Naomi smiled at the girl. "I don't know why I'm being bestowed with such a nice surprise!"
"Can we eat cake anyway?" Victoria turned to Finn, who was gathering the babies into the basket she used to move them all at once.
"Perhaps, Victoria. You'll have to ask Mrs. Sherman when she gets back," The woman replied.
"Oh! Mr. Caspian? I have a question." Victoria suddenly changed topics.
"Yes?" He was still holding the gift for Naomi, but was kind enough not to show any annoyance at the child's interruption.
"Roland's my brother, and Naomi says you're Roland's cousin. Does that mean you're my cousin too?" She looked him up and down as if assessing whether he was worthy to be called a relation of hers.
Naomi covered her smile with one hand. It was difficult explaining the intricacies of Roland's familial situation to the child, and apparently she had failed to properly convey the relation somewhere along the way.
Caspian frowned in confusion. "You're Roland's sister?"
"The Shermans adopted both Roland and Victoria, many years apart." Finn explained. "I've told her several times about the fact that Roland comes from two families, but now that there are three… I suppose we'll have to work on that."
"You can call me 'cousin', if you wish," The Cetoan man knelt down to the little girl's level. "As long as you don't misbehave too much. I wouldn't want to be known as the cousin of a miscreant."
"I'm the best helper!" Victoria declared. "I do great, don't I, Finn?"
"Yes, you work very hard. Now take Quilina outside to play for a few minutes so that Naomi can have her present without you interrupting anymore," Finn winked at Naomi over the children's heads.
The girls obediently chorused, "Yes ma'am!" as they skipped towards the door, and Finn disappeared with her basket of babies into her room, leaving the couple alone at last.
"You didn't have to buy me anything!" Naomi looked at Caspian, hoping she didn't sound ungrateful. She was incredibly thankful, she just felt a bit undeserving of such kindness.
"Truthfully, I didn't buy it. When the shopkeeper learned I was Cetoan, he insisted I have a welcome gift for my wife." Caspian shrugged self-deprecatingly.
"That was incredibly kind," Naomi smiled, holding out her hand. "All right, then I will have it."
"So you won't accept a gift from me, but a stranger may bless you with something without you raising a complaint?" His eyebrows rose.
"The apron you got me must have been expensive, and I was feeling bad that you spent even more money on me. Since that is not the case, I willingly accept the gift you took the trouble to bring me," She explained.
"Are you sure? I can go try to give it back," He said. She chewed on her lip until she noticed the teasing glint in his eye.
"You're using sarcasm again," She accused.
"Playfully," He assured, offering her the gift with a slight flourish.
She smiled and untied the ribbon, eager to see what small thing he had brought her. As she moved the paper aside, she saw an absolutely beautiful silver bracelet. It was set with the most enchanting stone she'd ever seen.
"Is this a seashell?" She asked. Its pale white color was almost like the pearls she'd seen Cora wear, but it was streaked across with color resembling fire. It flashed beautifully when she turned it from side to side.
"I don't think so. At least, I've never seen a shell like it. The store had all manner of beautiful stones pulled from deep in the mountains." Caspian explained, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist. "Do you like it?"
Naomi looked at it a moment longer, then threw her arms around her husband's neck.
"I love it," She whispered. "Thank you."
He reacted swiftly to her impromptu show of affection, holding her tightly against him.
"I'm glad," His voice was warm, and deep.
"I haven't gotten you anything," She pulled back, chewing her lip in worry.
"I wouldn't mind some lunch, and then If you would like, I would love you to join me for a tour of the city after that. If Finn can spare you, that is." He leaned forward to touch his forehead to hers.
"That sounds lovely, but I can't make lunch until you let me go," She reminded him.
"I suppose that's true," He whispered before kissing her. "Never mind about lunch, then."
She giggled and he kissed her more deeply, driving all thoughts of food from her head. A sudden banging of the door being roughly opened made them jump away from each other like two children caught stealing cookies.
Victoria and Quilina ran inside, and past the couple.
"We forgot our dolls!" Victoria announced, snatching up the toys and running back outside with her friend in tow.
"I suppose I had better make something," Naomi flushed at almost being caught kissing like that by the girls.
"I suppose," He agreed, seemingly reluctantly. "Would you like some help?"
"You cook?" She asked, blinking at him. She thought through their time of knowing each other, and realized that she always made food either before he was awake or while he was still doing other things.
"Did you think I went to my mother's for every single meal since I built my own home?" He asked, a little amused.
"I hadn't considered it," She admitted. "What do you cook?"
"Whatever I have," He smiled, "or whatever I catch."
"I don't know that you'll catch much here," She said.
"There's a grand lake outside the city, isn't there?" He asked. "Perhaps I should ask to go fishing there sometime."
"That might be interesting, to compare the differences from lake to ocean fishing," Naomi nodded as Caspian followed her into the kitchen.
She decided on a simple meal, and began slicing a loaf of bread, some cured meat, and garden vegetables. The vegetables she added to water and put on the stove for an easy soup.
Caspian stepped in to stir it while she prepared the rest of the ingredients for sandwiches,
She wasn't used to male help in the cooking process, and it made her inexplicably nervous.
She whirled about, looking for another ingredient, but immediately forgot what it was she needed. Freezing in place so that she might remember, she was pulled from her concentration by his laughter.
"What?" She asked indignantly.
"Nothing, you just spun around and stopped so suddenly, I thought something might be wrong." He swallowed his chuckling.
"I forgot what I needed… salt!" She cried, spotting a small bowl of it and sprinkling it over the soup.
"I didn't realize your birthday was midwinter," He commented as he continued watching her.
"Oh. Yes. I suppose it never came up," She shrugged.
"There is still a lot we don't know about each other," Caspian eyed her seriously.
"What would you like to know?" Naomi blinked up at him from her task of arranging everything for the table.
"Everything," He smiled in that warm way that made her heart race.