Authors note: Hi Guys I'm really sorry it's been a while since I updated. The last couple of weeks have been really busy. Thanks for sticking with me. This chapter is pretty short but I desperately wanted to get something out to you guys who have been so encouraging especially JoJo2604 and SexySmithy. I promise that the next chapter will be longer, but I felt that this needed to be posted now.

Love Mal x

Chapter Seven

Whoever said silence was golden was clearly mistaken! Right now he'd have given anything for a bit of shouting! But no the two women in his life were just staring at each other in silence.

"What are you doing here Jade?" Smithy finally asked. The none speaking was finally becoming unbearable and he needed to break it, even if it would cause him more trouble in the long run.

"I came to see my boyfriend," she stated plainly "I wanted to try and fix things,"

"BOYFRIEND?" Stevie questioned shocked. Her voice had raised at least an octave.

And here came the trouble!

"Yes," Jade confirmed 'He's my boyfriend. And who are you?"

"Me," Stevie answered "Me I'm nobody apparently," her voice was full of bitterness.

"Stevie," Smithy reached for her and she pulled away from him.

"So I take it he's been seeing you behind my back," Jade asked. It was frightening how calm she was being. There was no anger in her voice, it remained uncomfortably calm.

"Apparently," Stevie spat "He forgot to mention he had a girlfriend,"

Why weren't these women shouting at him? Smithy couldn't quite fathom it! It was extremely unsettling. You knew where you were with shouting, but silence and polite chitchat were unfamiliar and dangerous territory.

"Well if you'd excuse me," Stevie held her hands out, motioning that she wanted Dale back "I'll be getting my son to bed,"

Moving backwards Smithy pulled him closer with no intention of letting him go.

"Smithy give him to me," Stevie voice became edgy.

"No Stevie," Smithy told her, "Please don't leave it like this,"

"Smithy GIVE HIM TO ME!" she stressed repeating herself.

"You're not taking him from me Stevie," Smithy sounded panicked. "Please, he's only just come into my life," He hedged back further from her.

"Dale," she soothed "I'm not taking him away from you I promise. It's late and I want to get him home,"

"I'm not losing him Stevie,"

"You won't I promise," she sighed.

"What's it to you if she takes him?" Jade asked confused.

"He's my son Jade," Smithy swallowed hard, he knew the words would hurt Jade, but he wasn't going to deny the boy, his own flesh and blood.

Jade paled visibly at the news, raising her hand to her mouth "I'm going to be sick," she turned from them and rush towards the ladies. Smithy instinctively went after her, handing a sleepy Dale to his mother before rushing into the toilets after her.

He found her retching over one of the sinks. He lifted her hair from around her shoulders and held it up out of the way. "Get off me!" she sobbed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He sounded like a little boy who had been told off.

"Is that all your going to say," she spat lifting her arms off the sink and spinning around to face him. He noticed her red puffy eyes and tear stained face that was covered in smudged make up and felt immediately guilty for the pain he was causing her. "How long has this been going on?" she spoke through clenched teeth desperately trying to keep her voice at a level that wouldn't make a scene. She hated airing her dirty laundry in public even if Dale had made it almost impossible not too.

He looked down at the floor ashamed "A couple of weeks,"

"BULLSHIT!" she yelled, "That kids at least three,"

Smithy sighed, tonight had been a total fuck up! No other words could describe it. Right now he should be with Stevie explaining to Dale who he really was. Instead he was having to explain himself to Jade. He hated himself, even after all the hurt he was putting her through he desperately wanted to go to Stevie and make sure she was alright.

"He's four,"

"So this 'whatever it is between you,'" she gestured air quotes dramatically at him "Has been going on for what? Five years?"

"No," he defended "It's complicated Jade,"

"COMPLICATED!" she screamed, "I'm your girlfriend Dale,"

"We had one night together," Smithy began "It was five years ago, she left pregnant and I found out I had a son two weeks ago,"

Jade closed her eyes tightly but the tears were still escaping "Were we together when you slept with her," She didn't sound accusing, she didn't sound angry, she sounded sad! The confident, fiery woman who was so sure of herself had disappeared and a fragile and frightened little girl stood in her place.

What had he done to her?

She lent back against the sink behind her "You love her don't you?" It was a question that she already knew the answer to but she needed to ask it.

Smithy looked down at the ground "I'm so sorry Jade," He heard her sob and he could feel the guilt rising through his body "I never meant to hurt you,"

"No," she sniffed rubbing her eyes with her forearm, smudging her make up even more "Have you ever loved me?"

"Oh course," he answered desperately. He pulled her into his arms and she wrapped herself around him. Crying into his chest, she hated him seeing her so weak. He had caused her pain and she was giving him box office seats to watch it unfold.

He pulled away from her so he could look into her eyes "Jade," he began trying to find the right words "When we met I thought you and I were perfect for each other but Stevie was the one I was supposed to be with. I never realised it at the time but when she left it broke my heart,"

"So what you screw me over and break mine?"

"That was never my intention,"

"Just go Dale," she said quietly, her voice was no longer bitter just tired like she had given up the fight.

"Jade please lets not leave it like this," Smithy begged.

"Just go!" she yelled, "She'll be waiting,"

Smithy felt awful, he didn't want to leave Jade hurting but she was right he wanted to go to Stevie. She was the love of his life, he knew that now. Taking a quick backwards glace at Jade he headed back out to the lobby.

When he reached reception she was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't stayed around to see the fall out. She had headed back out into the night with his son in tow.