Hi All, I wrote this second chapter a while ago, so thought I'd post it, writing is a bit difficult at the moment as I am waiting for a new laptop, so will post some stuff I have pre-written, and saved on a usb stick.
Hope you enjoy this second chapter, will continue this but only plan between 3 and 5 chapters, see how it develops. As always I would love to here your comments and opinions, so please leave a review and let me know what you think, and I will try and return the favour.
Chapter 2 – Sharing
It was around 11.15pm when Grace's phone beeped with a message from Boyd, open the door.
It saved him ringing the doorbell and waking up Grace's daughters, Grace had changed since coming home from work, she'd cooked for her and the girls and tidied up, and now the girls were in their rooms, supposedly in bed, but she knew in reality that Sophie was probably on the phone and Ally would be either on the internet or watching a movie, but at least they were at home, and safe.
She opened the door to Boyd and let him in, "Hi" she said as he walked past
"Hey" he replied handing her a bag containing two bottles of wine
"Two bottles?"
"You sounded stressed, I thought it might be a two bottle evening."
Boyd and Grace often spent their evenings putting the world to rights over a bottle or two of wine, Grace would complain about her ex-husband and talk about her daughters, whilst Boyd would talk about his ex-wife and her new partner and his continuing search for his son Luke, it never went any further, although they both flirted around each other, and they'd even shared a couple of drunken kisses, neither had ever found the courage to suggest taking things further.
"So what's up?" he asked her as she returned to the lounge with two glasses.
"What in general, or tonight?" she replied smiling at him.
"Tonight."
"The lovely Sophie being a pain in the backside again, but I think I know why now."
"Why?"
"It's bloody Duncan again, Ally says Sophie has been calling him and asking if she could go and stay with him, and he's been putting her off, and now he's stopped answering her calls completely, and she's heartbroken."
"I do quite often wonder how you managed to marry such an arsehole Grace."
"Yeah I wonder that myself."
"What about Alice, does she want to see him?"
"No, Sophie was always a Daddy's girl, where as Ally has always been quite independent."
"So is she a mummy's girl?"
"She was when she was little, now she's happy to do her own thing, as long as she has a laptop permanently attached to her she's happy. She's not a problem, it's Sophie I worry about, she's into all sorts, drinking, staying out till all hours, and I know she's used drugs."
"It's a slippery slope isn't it, once they start doing that stuff."
"Sorry Boyd, I shouldn't have said that."
"Why, just because my son is a drug addict, doesn't mean we can't mention it."
"Have you had any luck with tracing him lately?"
"No, nothing, sometimes I see someone who looks a bit like him, and my heart jumps into my mouth, but then they turn around and I realise it's not him, and my world sinks again"
"I don't know how you cope with it"
"Oh you know, a little help from Jack Daniels, as they say." he turned away from Grace, and she knew he was feeling a little emotional
"Boyd?"
He put his hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose to stem the tears that clouded his vision, "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, come here?" Grace broke the invisible barriers that normally existed between them and put her arms around him, they never really showed each other any physical affection, apart from the couple of times they'd snogged whilst under the influence of alcohol, but tonight she just wanted to comfort him, to hold him and make him feel loved, and as he pressed his head into her shoulder she could feel the tears he was crying against her skin.
He slipped his arms around her waist and held onto her, and he couldn't deny how good it felt, he wanted to stay there forever, as his tears subsided, he kept his head buried in her shoulder, and without a single thought, he gently pressed his lips to her neck, planting a kiss against her soft skin, then another, and another, his mouth moving along her neck line, until eventually he lifted his head up and moved his lips to hers, his mouth gently sucking on her bottom lip, to his surprise, Grace had not pulled away, she hadn't slapped him or asked him to leave, instead she had kept her arms around him, her hand moving to his hair, her head tilting to one side allowing him greater access of her neck, he pulled back slightly from her and looked into her eyes.
"Do you want to continue this?" he asked her.
"Yes" was the only thing she said before moving her mouth back to his.
-o0o-
Grace woke up at 6am, feeling Boyd's arms still wrapped around her, as she moved she felt him waking up, it felt so comfortable, but she didn't want the girls to see them like this, or to know that he'd stayed over, so she kissed him gently to wake him up.
"Boyd, I don't want the girls to find you here, or see us like this, not yet."
"Grace are you kicking me out?"
"Yes, sorry, if it was just me I wouldn't care but the girls are at an impressionable age"
"Five more minutes Grace, please?" he pleaded with her, pulling her close to him, and snuggling tightly against her, breathing against her neck as he did so, "God I could get used to this!"
"Used to what?"
"Being with you, holding you, making love to you, sleeping with you."
"I think you're forgetting something"
"What?"
"That I have two children, I know they're not babies Boyd, but they're still only teenagers, and teenage girls at that, they already have one parent who's abandoned them."
"Grace backup a minute would you, I never suggested that you would abandon the girls, I know and fully accept that they are your first priority, I wouldn't want you to be any other way, but I don't want this to be a one off, I want you Grace, and all that comes with you."
"Do you mean it?"
"Yes, I do, completely, I know it won't be easy, and they'll probably hate me, but we can't not try because it might be difficult."
"Come to dinner tonight, with the girls, I'll talk to them, tell them that we are, well what ever we are?"
"That's a good point, what are we?"
"Dating?"
"We've never been on a date, not an official one anyway, getting drunk after work doesn't really count."
"Seeing each other?"
"I see you every day, bloody seeing each other, what about sleeping together?"
"I'm not telling my daughter's we're sleeping together."
"Why not?"
"Because we're not sleeping together, we have slept together, singular, not plural, how about we're in a relationship."
"That's a good one, we're in a relationship, I like that." He smiled at her, "Do I still have to get up?"
"Yes, I'll speak to them later, let them know that you'll be staying over from time to time, but for now you have to get up, quietly, I'll see you at work later."
-o0o-
After Boyd had gone Grace made breakfast for herself Sophie and Alice, something she didn't normally do, so they immediately thought something was wrong.
"So what's this in aid of" Sophie asked, whilst scooping some scrambled egg on to a piece of toast
"Why does it have to be in aid of something, I just fancied scrambled egg for breakfast."
"Yeah but you don't normally do breakfast." she said whilst texting on her phone.
"Could you put your phone down whilst we're having breakfast Sophie?"
"What, why?"
"Because I have something I want to say."
"So it is in aid of something?" Alice butted in.
"Just shut up a minute will you!" Alice and Sophie looked at each other.
"Are you ill Mum?" Alice asked.
"What? No, no Ally I'm not ill, quite the opposite I'm very happy actually, and the reason I'm very happy is what I want to talk to you about."
"Have you won the lottery?" Sophie asked again from behind her mobile phone.
Grace reached over and took the mobile off her.
"Mum, you can't take my phone."
"I just want to speak to you uninterrupted for a couple of minutes, no phones, no laptops, no interruptions, okay." they both nodded there heads at her and sat in silence waiting for her to speak.
"Are you going to say any thing Mum?" Ally asked her.
"Yes, Boyd is coming for dinner tonight, and I'd like or rather I want you both to be here."
"Why, it's only Boyd, you'll just talk about work all evening, we'll be bored."
"No, we won't be talking about work all evening, Boyd and I are having a relationship."
Sophie had just took a mouth full of tea when Grace said the words, and started choking on it as she spoke, Grace went to pat her on the back but Sophie shrugged her off "Are you serious?"
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?"
"Yeah actually I do, Dad was so right about you and Boyd."
"For god's sake Sophie your Dad left five years ago, he's remarried with a baby, am I supposed to live the rest of my life alone for fear of offending you!"
"Does that mean he's going to spend more time here?"
"Yes it does, it also means that he will be staying over now and again."
"Well not whilst I'm here."
"Sophie don't be such a bitch, Mum has every right to get on with her life, you need to grow up and stop waiting for Dad to come back home and play happy families." Alice replied sticking up for Grace, "I'm cool with that Mum, I like Boyd he makes me laugh, what time you having dinner tonight? I'll make sure I'm here."
Grace smiled at her younger daughter's words, "Thank you, dinner will be at about half six, Sophie can you be here too?"
"No I'm busy."
"Sophie, can't you just do this for me, he's not moving in, I just want to spend more time with him, and in order to do that and be here for both of you, I need him to come here, and I am asking you to make him welcome."
"Doesn't sound like I have a choice does it." Sophie got up and grabbed her coat and bag, leaving the house and slamming the door behind her.
"She'll come around Mum." Alice got up and kissed Grace goodbye before leaving for school.
TBC