"I know what you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything, baby."

Leah shifted again, increasingly conscious about the hand massaging her thigh when they didn't have the privacy where such actions were acceptable.

No one was looking, because Brad was cradling Enzo which had Joe and Tom distracted, and Liv was yabbering away to Joey about the most random of things, but it wasn't an excuse for some handsy fun.

"Steven," Leah hissed, slamming her hand on top of his to stop it moving when his thumb explored up her shorts. "Don't."

Apart from the little smirk, Steven was acting like he wasn't trying it on in the living room with two kids, and five other adults taking residence on furniture or sprawled on the floor. Even if he and Leah were side by side on the furthest side of the swish, velvety grey corner sofa, Steven's foot should not have been hooking around her ankle and giving it a little rub.

Circling his fingers into her thigh again, his touch was driving her insane, a fever dream making her burn up because she was enjoying it, and pushing her knees together was to put a stop to the graphic thoughts flashing across her mind.

It didn't help Steven had leaned in closer, eyes still focused ahead, and a breath of silent air escaped his lips before he spoke filth for her hearing only.

"I think..."

Jaw tight, Leah didn't make a single sound when he nipped a kiss under her ear. It was only accessed because her hair was clipped up, but Steven would always find an inch of skin to put his lips against and work a bit of seducing magic there.

"We should go upstairs, hm?"

"I," Leah whispered forcefully, placing his wrist into the vicinity of his own lap. "Don't think we should."

"Enzo! Hi, my man! Aren't you the sweetest little boy?"

Thankfully, Tom's adorable reaction when it was his turn to hold Enzo, put an end to the inappropriate behaviour.

"But, I'm going to warn you now, your parents love gettin' it on so if you catch them in the future-"

"Correction. Steven loves getting it on." Leah should've known better than to come out with such a blame heavy statement, but she was embarrassed for being caught.

"It takes two to tango."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Since the squeaky voice of Steven was louder, Leah addressed his innocence first, and then flicked her eyes to the bassist sitting cross-legged in front of the fireplace, once more to correct his comment. "He was touching me, Tom."

"Yeah," Steven scoffed. "Like you weren't enjoying it..."

There was an urge to elbow his slouched posture, because she would probably connect with an area that would hurt.

"Actually, if you could keep all...that in private, it would be greatly appreciated." Brad stretched out his legs, gesturing awkwardly about what to call the footsie and fondling.

Joe was already laughing quietly, leaning into one side of the arm chair so his guitarist partner could rest his back against a portion of it. He adjusted the pale pink gripped headband that was pulling his hair back, the same colour that matched his pastel shorts, and it only showed off his blessed hairline and brought out his facial features even more.

"What's so funny, Princess Josephine?" Steven demanded, choosing this reaction to feel most offended by.

"That's a new one," Brad chuckled, setting down his glass to his side again. "You wanna make a note of that, Tom?"

"Already on it."

A careful lean to retrieve his phone out a pocket and a few taps later, a smugly grinning Tom was shocked into dealing with Enzo kicking out his feet and making a protesting baby noise.

"I'm sorry, did you not have my full attention? You do now, oh yes you do!"

For a second, Leah forgot about why she was frustrated, because she went all soft at the sight. Enzo was treated like royalty, and she was blessed to have friends like this.

"Well?" Steven pressed, not swayed by the attention his son was getting.

Joe was tugging a smile again, and rubbing across his chin didn't hide it.

"Just...get married." He shrugged, easy going, like it was an accurate representation of the truth. "You guys act like a couple who have been together forever, so put a ring on each other's fingers, say a couple vows, and if you ask nicely, I'll even be your flower girl."

"You do look pretty in pink," Tom agreed, without looking up from making faces at Enzo.

When Steven sat up, slowly leaning over his knees with a sad clasp to his hands, his expression had equally dimmed, and he wasn't going to continue with the humour that had started by implying Joe's headpiece was like a tiara.

"Leah doesn't want to."

It had been heading for a silence, but this time, it successfully fell across all of them.

"Marriage not your thing?"

Leah looked in the direction of an empathising Brad, the pressure when everyone was waiting for her reasoning making her feel a bit dehumanised for having an opinion. She dragged up a foot on the seat cushion, cuddling her shin as comfort, because being thrown under the bus by her boyfriend was not something she was used to.

"Being married is not the issue." Her voice didn't have the confidence like fear had threatened. "And yeah, I know we can have a small wedding- we would...I guess I just don't want it to be done for a status thing."

Leah watched Steven twist his promise ring. She couldn't understand why he was acting so upset, especially when saying she didn't want to get married was not true anymore.

"It's okay." Tom decided to give his input, walking on his knees with Enzo towards the armchair. "We'll be going to Joe and Billie's wedding first anyway."

Joe had sat up, ready for his turn holding with the two-week-old baby boy, but his smile faltered with a frown.

"But we're not engaged?"

"Yet. You've wanted to marry Billie the moment you saw her."

Leah didn't say it would actually be Tina's winter wedding first, which she and Steven were attending with both kids at the end of the year.

"Jojo!" Liv came running in, only just slowing down before Brad had to catch her by the waist. "This is for you."

"For me?" Joe's enthusiasm lit up, smiling so genuinely at the gift that was placed in his open palm. "Wow, thank you, Liv. I love it."

"Uncle Brad."

The guitarist gasped, accepting a different design of bracelet.

"I get one too?"

"Everyone does, silly. Uncle Tom, this one is yours."

Liv wandered to the bassist who had taken a seat on the couch, distributing her hand-made gifts one by one.

"Ah, I'm loving the colour choices," Tom complimented, inspecting his bracelet that he tested next to his watch. "Bit of pink in here, and I am a man partial to a bit of pink."

Those who understood, rolled their eyes internally, but Liv was looking a bit lost standing between her father's knees, with one more bracelet in her hand.

"Where's Uncle Joey?" she asked.

"I think he's...yeah, he's outside on the patio," Steven answered, taking a bit of fluff caught in her braids. "He won't be long."

With an opportunity presenting itself, Leah stood up to escape the lingering thought of marriage.

"I can give it to him if you want?" she offered.

Liv had sat down next to Steven, and she was happy to part with the final personalised bracelet when there was a cuddle inbound.

Not that it was much cooler, but the kitchen had a lot more space, and Leah felt like she could breathe as she located a packet of painkillers before her impending headache got worse. They weren't in a hidden cupboard, or locked up in a safe just because of Steven's addictive past, and she was careful about letting him have anything, avoiding it where possible.

They had boundaries, they respected and looked after each other, and having marriage mentioned in such a careless manner, was the disrespect that was so unheard of in their relationship.

"-what do you mean, you can't? It's your damn job!"

Leah turned around as she swallowed a couple of tablets with cold water, seeing a shadowy figure through the blinds pace on the patio area.

She didn't eavesdrop any longer than she had to, and appeared without scaring Joey. He clocked her presence, as she pulled the door closed behind her, and the hand rifling through his brown curls dropped with a flounce.

"No, that's not what I- uh look, I'm gonna have to call you back later. Yeah...thanks."

"Sorry," Leah grimaced, feeling responsible for the abrupt hang-up.

"Nah, don't worry. Shouldn't have taken it."

The sun was blaring hot given it was peak daylight, and even with the shade of the umbrella, its width covering most of the patio, the humidity made shorts and t-shirts stick to skin.

Joey looked particularly affected wearing those exact items of clothing, and despite an addition of a pair of sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose, Leah didn't need to see behind them to challenge his lie.

Stress made lines above his eyebrows fade slower, and he had a red patch on his stubbly jaw to show he had rubbed it a bit too hard during his heated conversation.

She hoped it wasn't trouble in paradise.

"H-how are you?" Joey cleared his throat when he stumbled, fluttering a smile. He gripped the back of a chair he was standing in front of, making an effort to switch the subject. "Yeah, how's it goin' with you and Enzo? I can't quite believe you have a baby of your own now."

Leah massaged the bridge of her nose, hoping to ease her headache a bit, and squinted at Joey.

"I can't believe Enzo's here either," she said fondly, her gaze drifting towards the marshes past the end of the garden. "He's loud, like his father, and I guess I'm just slowly recovering."

Before she got caught up talking about her little boy, Leah picked out the bracelet in her pocket.

"Oh, Liv made you this."

Joey's smile broadened as he accepted his gift- the four letter beads spelling out his name in the centre, and a bold blue theme making up the rest with black string for the ties.

"This is awesome! It's got my name on it!"

"She wanted to make you all good luck charms," Leah explained, watching him tie it around his wrist.

"Such a sweetheart." Joey secured a knot, and his smile remained. "I swear, if I ever get the chance to have kids one day, you and Steven will be my parenting role models."

"Joey!" Tom was poking his head out the window of the living room, interrupting the chance to counter that statement. "You wanna hold Enzo?"

"Oh, yeah! Two secs!"

"Actually, yeah what's the time?" Leah asked, her son's needs enticing her into the house.

"Um, almost one," Joey provided, with a glance at his watch.

They headed inside together, glad to be out of the heat.

"Enzo will need a nap soon, so if you want to hold him, now's your chance," she said, catching a glimpse of Steven pushing himself off the sofa.

Joey was hesitating, despite being eager to have his cuddle with Enzo. He tapped his folded sunglasses in his palm a couple of times, but he didn't need to be prompted.

"It was my accountant by the way, on the phone. Just being difficult."

It was the little smile at the end that made it for Leah, and she was glad it wasn't anything to do with April.

"Accountant?" Steven's intrigue had him turning his body outward in the direction where he and his bandmate had passed.

Leah sighed in a way she didn't want to explain, and placed her hands on his chest.

"I'm gonna sort out Enzo's things so everything's ready for his nap. Please, don't follow me. This isn't an invitation."

Kissing him on the lips was out of habit, and had no depth or lingering nature that suggested she wanted to fulfil earlier sparks.

Upstairs, alone, Enzo's bedroom had been decorated with neutral colours, with a cartoon style animal wallpaper partitioned by an off-white band of paint at the top, and light green paint for the lower section of the walls.

The decoration job was a fond memory, both her and Steven painting in old clothes on his tour break, and they were absolutely covered in paint by the end.

Just two months away from the birth of their son, in an empty room with sheets covering the floor, and paint buckets and rollers in a satisfied mess, Steven had stood behind her, hands on her pregnant stomach and told her how much he loved her and couldn't wait for their baby to be born.

It had to be a highlight of the pregnancy and Steven was always there when it mattered, even if Leah had kicked him out during most of her labour.

She tidied a few things away, straightened baby moisturisers and lotions so they were all in a line, and smiled when she drifted her fingers over Enzo's baby outfits.

The rocking chair was where she ended up, the place where she spent most nights feeding him, and she realised how she could close her eyes now and probably fall asleep.

One of the neighbours was cutting their lawn, noise travelling on the minimal breeze that there was, and if it wasn't for Steven leaning into his arm that he placed high on one side of the doorframe, Leah might have had a doze.

Of course he had followed her.

"I decided I don't like being told what to do." Dominant Steven was always a welcomed surprise, just like how he had arrogantly undone another button on his shirt before he had appeared. That included the flared cuffs unbuttoned around his wrists. "I think you want me, amore mio, and I have every intention to please you."

Leah didn't react to his accusation, sweet talking Italian, or his offer of intimacy, and she didn't entice him in with a hooked finger until he was on his knees in front of her.

Her chin remained in her palm, supported by her propped elbow, and she eyed him up and down to keep him guessing.

Steven must've thought he had won when she uncrossed her ankles and pushed herself to her feet, but his smugly twitching mouth when she was up close and personal with his handsome face, played right into Leah's hand.

She grabbed his crotch, bunching up his shorts with the firm squeeze. A kiss to his neck had him dragging a noise with the next intake of air, but she wasn't letting the taste or the feel of him turn her on.

"No," Leah whispered, once she had reached the corner of his mouth. "I don't."

Steven was a big boy, so he could deal with a little cock tease, and she hadn't made him hard enough to warrant a desperation for a wank.

Biting on her thumbnail gently, Leah glanced over her shoulder, before she went down the stairs.

"There's a proposal coming your way," Steven said, doing up the last two buttons on his shirt.

"I'll say no."

"You sure? Sounds like you have our wedding already planned."

Leah ignored him. She twisted her promise ring, a blossoming smile wondering what it would be like to have another ring on her finger.

She might not ever be a Tyler by name, but there was no denying that one day she would marry this man.

She just couldn't turn down the opportunity to see Joe as their flower girl.

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