"I promise, Jake isn't going to hurt me", Rachel said again, as she put another plate in the dishwasher. "It's one date, Dad".

She knew what he was thinking. She knew what they were all thinking (she'd seen the looks Ben and Nathan had exchanged when she brought up the topic of conversation). She knew they were all thinking of Daniel, when she had told them that it was just going to be one date. One date had turned into two, and then half a dozen. And then there was the night where Ruby was conceived, and she had sworn off boys.

"Rachel-"

"Darling, its Jake", Julie said gently. "We know Jake".

They had both seen how Jake had treated Rachel in the eighteen months it had been since they moved to Carrs Park. He'd become the best friend she had, along with Libby. Seeing him with Rachel, and in turn, with Ruby, had made them all smile. He had managed to weasel his way into both of their hearts, Ruby's grin growing every time he knocked on the front door.

"I know we know Jake, Jules, but-"

"Dad!" Rachel cried. "Look, I know what happened with Daniel… but it's not going to happen again. It's Jake".

"You're my girl, Rach", he said finally. "I don't want you to get hurt again".

"I'm not going to get hurt", she assured him.

Ruby was lying on Nathan's chest, only blinks away from sleep, and the boy leaned over to his brother. "That's what she said about Daniel".

Ben thumped him on the arm as hard as he knew how, making Nathan shriek and Ruby start, jumping in her uncle's arms. As she let out a whimper, Ben picked her up, holding her to his chest and rubbing her back gently.

"Come on, Rubes, bedtime", Rachel said quietly, as she picked her up from her brother's arms. Ruby settled her head against her mother's shoulder, as she carried her towards the cot.

Seeing the way his daughter interacted with his daughter made Dave's heart sing. Eighteen months earlier, Rachel could barely pick up newborn Ruby, feeling no connection to the little girl. Moving to Carrs Park and meeting Jake and her friends was what helped her, and slowly but surely, a bond between the mother daughter pair had grew. Now, he couldn't even imagine Rachel ignoring Ruby the way she had- if Ruby cried, Rachel was there in an instant.

Laying her down on the mattress, Rachel pulled the light pink blanket over her daughter, knowing that when she came back her blanket would be kicked aside and her little toes would be like ice blocks (every night, Rachel put a pair of socks on her tiny feet but every morning she would wake up without them). She pressed a kiss to her forehead, before closing the door quietly.

"Rach?" Dave said, when she came back down the hallway. "You can go".

She threw his arms around her father, and Dave kissed the top of her head. "Thanks, Dad".

"You're still my girl", he warned. "Even though you've got one of your own, you're still my girl. Jake can't take that away from me".

"I'll always be your girl", she promised, squeezing him even tighter. "Could you please look after Ruby on Saturday night? Or just keep an eye on her? I'll feed her and bath her and everything, but-"

"We'll look after Ruby", Julie laughed. "You can just go and have a good time with Jake".


There was a knock at the door and Rachel scurried around to find her other boot- which had mysteriously, thanks to her daughter's love of shoes, disappeared since she put them down half an hour earlier- before hopping towards it, tugging the boot on.

"Hey Rach!" Jake said brightly, as she swung it open.

"Hi!" leaning against the wall, she pulled the boot properly on, before inviting him in. "Want to come inside? Your mum and Alex are more than welcome to come in, too".

Jake padded back to the car to invite his mother and brother inside, as Rachel headed back into the house. Ruby was sitting in the corner of the lounge room, beside her dollhouse, a colouring book open and pencils strewn all over the floor.

"Ruby, Jake's here", she said gently, and Julie's smile grew as Ruby bounded across the room towards her mother. "Can you say goodbye to Mummy? Mummy's going to go out tonight with Jake. You're going to stay here with Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Nathan and Uncle Ben and Uncle Carbo".

Ruby waved her greetings to Jake, Grace and Alex, before wrapping her arms around her mother's neck, smacking a sloppy, open mouthed kiss to her lips. "Bye Mummy", she said cheerfully, and Rachel beamed.

Jake knelt down beside Rachel, and Ruby threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight.

"She loves him!" Ben chuckled.

After giving Ruby another ten minutes of their attention, Rachel glanced at the clock. "I really hate to say it, but I think we better get going".

Jake nodded. "Yeah, come on, Mum".

Rachel kissed her daughter again, before passing her to Dave. "Be good for Grandma and Grandpa, Rubes", she said cheerfully. "Please make sure she's got socks on before she goes to bed, her feet get cold. Bye!"

"Have fun, Rach", Ben said from the floor, where he too had been colouring in with Ruby (the boy found it oddly theraputic, much to the amusement of his family. His niece, on the other hand, loved it).

Ruby waved from her place in Dave's arms, resting her head on his shoulder. "Bye Mummy!"


"Thank you for tonight, Jake", Rachel said with a smile, as she picked up her spoon. After dinner and then a movie, the pair had made their way into a small café that they both loved for hot chocolate, to wait for Grace.

"You're more than welcome". Jake grinned at her, licking a spoonful of hot chocolate froth.

By the end of the night, the pair had shared their first kiss, and Rachel felt like she could fly.

Falling onto her bed, she let out a contented sigh, feeling, for the first time in two and a half years, that things were actually right.