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Chapter 7

Natalie woke the next day in her bed. She sat up and noticed she was fully clothed and she shook her head. Last thing she remembered was snuggling up against his shoulder as they watched television on the couch. How did I get to the bed? She asked herself as she looked to the chair in the room. She smiled as she saw him sound asleep sitting in it.

Natalie sighed as she laid her body back down on the bed. She turned on her side facing him in the chair. She looked over his sleeping face. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. So Content. Not haunted. Although she realized the last two days when she saw him. He didn't seem haunted like he once was. Like he always was. He seemed different. He was different yet the same. She shook her head, as that seemed ridiculous. How could someone be different yet the same at the same time? She asked herself. But he just seemed to be.

Natalie looked over to the clock that sat on the table and she saw the time. It was almost 8 and she wondered if her boys were up yet. If they had a good night without her. If they had fun. Fun... she thought... She smiled and looked back at John. She had so much fun with him last night. Like old times when they were friends. She got out of bed with a smile on her face. A smile she knew was the first one in along time. The first smile in a long time brought on by anyone other then her boys.

Natalie walked towards the bathroom, She stopped briefly by him and gently skimmed her hands over his hair. She sighed at the slight feel of it and went into the bathroom to shower.

John woke as he heard the Bathroom door Shut. He started to move around and grabbed a piece of paper off the nightstand. He grabbed a pen and left her a note as he walked out the door and left the room.

Natalie came out of the bathroom Showered and ready for her day. She looked over to the chair and instead of him being there, there was a piece of paper.

N--

Get the boys and meet me at the park. By the swings at 11

J--

Natalie got dressed and headed towards Jess' to pick up her boys.

Around 11 Natalie arrived at the park with the boys in tow. They walked over towards the swings.

"Where are we going Mommy?" Ethan asked as they walked. " Over by the swings... We're gonna have a picnic with my friend John" Natalie told Ethan and she barely had the words out when she saw him. Ethan Saw John and ran over towards him, followed closely behind by Evan.

John stood up from a big blanket he had laid out on the grass. He saw her and her boys walking towards him and then the boys ran to him. They grabbed on to one leg each and John smiled wide. They had to be the cutest kids he had ever seen. He was taking to them so fast. So easily. It was almost as if he had some sort of connection with her boys. Sort of the same connection He and her had.

"Hey guys. How are you today?" JOhn asked and Evan held on tighter as JOhn started moving his foot with him on it.

"Me fine JOhn" Evan said Laughing a bit as John now walked with both boys on his feet.

"And how are you Ethan?" John asked but before Ethan answered Natalie chimed in.

"E...he likes to be called E" She told JOhn as she looked at him. He looked up from the boys on his legs to her face and deep into her eye's.

"E then... How are you today E? Did you have a good time with your aunt and uncle?" John asked, as he broke free of her eyes. He looked down to Ethan.

"I had a good time... Didn't like being away from mommy thou... Hey... maybe next time you and mommy can camp out with us. Maybe tonight" Ethan told John and John didn't know what to tell the kid. He wanted to tell him yes but... but he knew it wasn't his decision to make. He looked over to Natalie after a few minutes and saw her face. She seemed confused and didn't say a word as Ethan asked again.

"Please? Can we?" Ethan asked looking at John and John noted his persistence to his mom again. " I don't mind buddy... its up to your mom" John said as he looked at her.

Natalie shook her head as he passed the decision to her. Well it was hers but she started to feel like her boys were attached enough to JOhn. In two shortest days they were already attached to him and that wasn't a good thing since they would be going home to Philly in 4 more days. Natalie knew the more time she let the boys spend with John the harder and harder it would be for them to leave.

"Mom please? Please?" Ethan begged her as Evan even chimed in "Please... pretty please?" Evan said and Natalie wanted to say no. She knew it was best for them but she just couldn't. She'd let them have today's picnic and tonight's camping out and then she would have to stop letting them be around John. For there benefit and she was now thinking for her own benefit also.

Natalie looked at her boys who were now batting their eyes at her. Giving her puppy dog looks when she looked over to see John smiling and even laughing.

"Please Mommy? Please?" JOhn said repeating the boy's words and giving her a pout himself. Natalie shook her head at how playful he was.

"Well... she said as she went near the boys. The answer is yes... if... and only if you two can catch me," She said and she ran away from all of them over by some trees.

The boys ran after her trying to catch her and she was laughing. JOhn watched how playful she was with them. How happy they seem to make her and how happy she made them. She was amazing. He shook his head as he heard Evan call him.

"Come elp John" Evan told him and JOhn too ran towards the trees. He took Evan and picked him up on his shoulders and started to help Ethan get Natalie behind the trees.

Natalie was out of Ethan's reach when JOhn carrying Evan on his back grabbed her by the waist with his one hand that wasn't helping to hold Evan in place on his back.

"I got her," JOhn said and he smirked at her. Natalie just gave him a pouting look.

"No fair... you guys cheat. There's three of you to one of me," Natalie said and Ethan shook his head.

"Its all fair mom... there's no rules... remember...that's what you always say" Ethan told her and she gave him a smirk. She gave them a smirk. She tried to wiggle out of the grip the both John and Ethan had on her now and then she just stopped.

"Alright... Alright... I give," She said not looking so happy and then she smiled. " I guess we're camping out tonight," She said and Ethan jumped up for a second. "Yay! Can we go play on the swings now?" He asked and JOhn put Evan down off his back. Natalie shook her head yes and the boys ran over to the swings.

"They certainly keep you on your toes don't they? And they have you wrapped around their little fingers too" He told her as they walked over to his blanket over closer to the playground.

"Since the day they were born." She said as she sat on the blanket and he did too. She watched on as Ethan pushed Evan on the swing for a few minutes to get him started and then hopped on one himself.

"You know... if you really don't want to do this camping out thing... I could just do it with them. You could have a night off." John told her and she looked at him. At his sincere eye's.

"That's nice of you but no I don't mind it. But ... you do understand they mean pretend camping out... like at Jess' in the Living room or something?" She asked and he nodded Yes. " Good... now... not sure where to do it... The hotel room isn't big enough for a tent...Maybe the carriage house or... m--"

"My place is big enough... we can just do it there" JOhn told her and she looked at him. She wondered what his place looked like. She was a bit leery about it.

"I don't know...maybe that's not such a g--" She was saying as he again cut off her words.

"It's a fine idea and they'll enjoy it... Hell... I'd enjoy it. They seem to liven me up when they're around. I just don't have a tent... we can stop later at the sporting goods store before dinner and pick one up." He told her nonchalantly and started to open the cooler he had on the side of the blanket.

"What do you mean we can and before Dinner?' She said a bit confused. Did he just assume they'd all be spending the entire day together?

"Just figured... I have all three of you to myself today. All day" He said and he smiled at her as he passed her a bottle of water. She smirked at his confidence. So unlike him. One of those things that changed.

"You did, did You?" She said and he smiled back. He looked into her eyes a bit deeper. " Yeah, I did and I thought maybe I'd even cook for you...and the boys" She said and she smirked and even laughed deeply.

"You cook now too?" She asked and he laughed " Okay... Okay... I don't cook but we can order Pizza" He said and she smiled. She was being sucked back into him. They stared for a few minutes as she felt him inching closer to her. He brought his lips near hers and was about to kiss her. To taste her again. To feel her when she reluctantly put her hand in between their mouths.

"No john" she said softly as she shook her head no. " Friendship only remember...and my boys...never in front of my boys" She told him sort of confusing him with her words. First she said Friendship and then she added about not kissing in front of her boys. Did that mean it was alright to kiss her not in front of them? He asked himself and then he just asked her

"Does that mean I can kiss you in front of your boys?" He asked her as he studied her eyes. As he saw her get flushed from the closeness and then they both heard her cell phone ring. She never broke eye contact as she pulled the phone out and held it to her ear.

"Hello" she said as she looked into those baby blues of his.

John was smiling at how in tense their stares were. Just like they use to be. How much was spoken with their eyes. Then he saw her look away from him. She got up and walked away slightly as he heard her words.

"Yes... This is Natalie Ciprani"