Chapter 1:
Dedicated to Ella Hughes for helping me kick start this fic! New Narla baby fiction with a bit of a twist on it! Hope you like it, I will also be writing my second Love You Like A Sister fanfic as I do this one xx
"Beth, quit nattering. Sean, put your phone away. Izzy, this isn't a coffee break. Kirk, this box has the wrong shipping address and Sally get back to your machine and stop pretending you have bigger jobs to complete." I order and they all huff, going back to work. I hear a set of footsteps coming up behind me as a pair of hands slide over my eyes.
"So how come we have to get back to work, but you can play around with your husband?" I hear Beth screech through the darkness.
"No point in surprise now, is there?" Nick says, removing his hands and wrapping them around my waist from behind instead.
"I wasn't aware I had a visitor, Beth." I point out before turning to look at Nick. "Sorry did you make an appointment?"
"Uh no sorry, slap on the wrist." He mimics the motion. "But you have an appointment with me later on."
"...Do we have to do this here?" I pull a face, aware that my workers were watching me eagerly.
"Dinner." He laughs and I nod in recollection. "Are you still on for seven?"
"As long as these guys cast their eyes back to knickers instead of gawping at me and you." I raise my voice slightly and Sean gives a nonchalant cough.
"I'll be casting my eyes over some knickers later too." He whispers in my ear and I brush him off. "If you play your cards right."
"Get lost, now." I grin, kissing him lightly before he walks off, not moving his eyes from mine until he was out of sight.
"Looks real romantic this." I greet Nick, slouching on the counter as I enter the Bistro. I pull a straw out of the pot and chew on it as he meets my gaze.
"You're ten minutes late." He points out, popping the cork out of a wine bottle and handing it to Steph on a tray.
"Ah, what a crime." I bite my lip seductively and he narrows his eyes at me for a few seconds.
"Come on then Mrs Tilsley." He directs me to a candle lit table in the corner of the room, pulling my chair out for me. "You're hungry then, if you feel the need to chew on that?"
"I thought you knew me well enough by now." I shrug, placing the straw down on the table. "I'm pretty sure I get through half of the ones you buy."
"Ah so it's you putting me into debt over paying for straws is it?" He reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently.
"What's mine is yours, I seem to remember." I point out and he lets out a low hum before getting distracted by a commotion behind me.
"Head down." He orders, lowering his own and I give him a weird look.
"This some sort of new emergency drill?" I frown.
"It's not a drill." He confirms. "My mother just arrived."
"Nick darling!" I wince at the sound of Gail's voice as it gets closer.
"It's some good security you've got going on there." I nod, sarcastically.
"I didn't think I would find you here." She beams at him, placing a hand firmly on my shoulder instead of greeting me in turn.
"What... In my own restaurant?" Nick raises his eyebrows.
"We were actually coming to have a meal, we may as well join you since you are here." She explains and my heart sinks.
"We?" Nick prompts as the door opens and David, Kylie, Max, Lily and Bethany enter, shortly followed by Sarah who was pushing her newborn baby; Lewis in a pram.
"...Romantic meal ey?" I hiss at Nick, despite the fact it wasn't his fault. "That lasted all of what? Two minutes before the in-laws came along."
"Mum, I'm sure Nick and Carla don't want us ruining their date." David points out as he approaches our table.
"Oh no, they don't mind." She decides for us. "Look we can add a few tables along here. Have a good old catch up."
"I tried." David mutters to the both of us.
"What is this? Some sort of family meeting?" Nick asks him, as he seats himself next to his brother.
"Family emergency." David shrugs.
"I've called you here because I've lost one of the lids off my saucepans." Gail announces and I exchange a look with Kylie, who was sat next to David. "Now one of you must have it, else I will have to interrogate Michael further."
"You know, I did hear he has a track record for stealing things." David points out and Bethany begins to laugh. "Especially saucepan lids, top of the priority list."
"Hold on, this is why we're here?" Sarah snaps, pulling out a menu.
"Look Nick, I'm not very hungry." I tell him. "I had some crisps in my meeting earlier."
"Uh, Steph?" Bethany clicks her fingers rudely as Steph comes over to us. "Chicken and chips."
"We don't do chicken and chips." Nick drones.
"Are you the waiter?" Bethany asks him.
"I'm the owner." He reminds her.
"I'm sure we can sort something out." Steph coughs awkwardly.
"Hang on a second, I haven't even looked at the menu yet." David pulls one out, aggressively as Lewis begins to wail loudly.
"Oh he'll have a steak, like he always does." Bethany sighs. "Mum will have a tuna salad, gran will have lasagne, Max will have chicken nuggets, Lily will have macaroni cheese, Kylie will have a burger or something and Carla will have a side salad because she argues she's not hungry but actually is, so she will eat most of uncle Nick's."
"And what will uncle Nick be having?" He breaks the silence as I put my head in my hands.
"That's the question I'm supposed to ask you." Steph points out.
"Have the paella." I tell him.
"I don't like paella." He reminds me.
"Yeah well tough, I do." I shrug as Steph walks away and Nick chuckles at me, before I shoot him a death glare.
"Lewis, please stop crying." Sarah begs as she tries to eat her meal, over the sound of Gail warbling on about one of her ex husbands.
"Here, let me have him." I beckon to her and I receive an array of odd looks from Nick, Sarah and David. "Well I have a free hand, don't I? What with my side salad."
"Fair enough, if you're sure." Sarah un-straps him from his carry-cot before passing him to me. I wasn't an expert with babies, but I had looked after Ryan a lot when he was younger. Granted, that was twenty years ago but still. I cup his head with my hand and move my other arm to support his back, rocking him back and forth slowly.
"Shh, it's ok." I soothe without thinking and he babbles slightly before quietening down. "There you go."
"I've been trying to do that for an hour!" Sarah exclaims, looking at me in disbelief.
"Do you have any children auntie Carla?" Bethany asks me, innocently and a wave of hurt washes over me.
"...No." I virtually whisper and I could feel Nick frozen, where he was sat opposite me.
"Maybe she will one day." Gail points out, as I look down into Lewis' gentle face, tracing my finger lightly over his soft features. I zone out all the talk that is going on around me, and think about my baby girl. This could have been me; holding my baby in my arms, hushing her when no one else could, watching her fall to sleep in the comfort of her mother.
"Maybe I will." The words escape my mouth, before daring to look at Nick, who was watching me intently, a loving look on his face. He didn't look frightened at what I had just said, instead, he looked content, taking in the image of the broken daughter, calming a child in her arms, like she never thought she could.