Houston practically flew across the terrace, skidding slightly as he reached the French Windows, and nearly knocking Clarisse over as the older woman was walking out of the kitchen carrying Stevies bottle. "I'll take that!" he grinned at her as he snatched the bottle from her hands and raced towards the stair.

"She aint in the Nursery hotshot!" she called out after him, "she's talking to Pip as they check the luggage through…" she craned her neck as she saw him briefly wave an acknowledgement before taking the stairs two at a time. "Someone light a fire in that boys speedos?" she muttered to herself, before looking over her shoulder and winking at Roy as he strolled in to the room behind her. "Well now…'bout time!" she grinned as she saw the smug look on his face.

Pip had just finished stacking the last case by the doorway when Houston burst into her guest room. She raised an eyebrow and smirked as she looked up and down at his physique. "You a belated Hen Night surprise Houston?" she asked with a chuckle

"Huh?" he asked distractedly as he quickly looked around the room

Pip giggled slightly. "You're in your speedos and running into my room like a maniac, and uh…carrying a baby bottle! Maybe a little kinky but…. Ahhhhhhhh…unless you aren't looking for me hmm?"

Houston looked at her and raised an eyebrow, without saying a word Pip pointed him in the direction of the nursery. As he turned and took a deep breath she reached out and whispered. "At least put some trousers on Houston…this could be a major point in your life, you don't want CJ to remember it for the wrong reasons!"

Finally he looked down and blushed a fraction, then quickly headed to his own room and grabbed a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt…he was halfway to the nursery before he remembered he had put the feeding bottle down. As he went back for it he started to rehearse what he was going to say. Should he start with a question…like…CJ how do you feel about me? Neh to blunt! How about…so, CJ ready to hear I love you yet? He sighed and suddenly felt as nervous as a teenage boy trying his luck in a bar, knowing what he wants but finally too scared to ask for a beer so settling for a soda! NO, he thought…not settling this time…and with two deep steadying breaths he walked purposefully into the room…stopping in his tracks the moment he saw CJ sitting in the rocker, softly singing to Stevie as her son looked up in wide eyed wonder at his mother. His heart melted, sucker punched! He found himself just standing and staring, a big soppy grin on his face

Without looking up CJ said quietly. "You know, you keep standing there with that bottle in your hand and junior here is gonna be old enough to walk over and take it off you himself!"

He gave a soft laugh and walked over, sitting himself on the floor next to CJ. He stroked Stevies hair as the infant hungrily grabbed at the bottle, briefly Stevies eyes flicked towards him, but only briefly. His eyes remained firmly locked on his mommas, and Houston couldn't blame him. "Got quite a grip on him now huh?" he chuckled as he toyed with Stevies hands as they clung on tightly to the bottle.

CJ chuckled to. "Won't be long until he can hold it completely by himself! I don't know, seems we have just started him on solids but it won't be long until he is ordering a steak from your Barbecue…they grow up so fast!" she chuckled again, but gently brought her baby closer to her and kissed the top of his head, wiping away a small trickle of milk from his chin with her thumb

Houston was mesmerised. She looked beautiful

"Really? Aw Houston…hardly! I only threw these old jeans and this old shirt on cos I was cold in my swimsuit, and my hair is still damp from the pool…but thanks anyway cowboy!"

He blinked and looked straight at her. "Huh?"

She smiled at him, a big amazing smile, and his heart somersaulted. "You said I looked beautiful…ah, you were joking right?"

He blushed and his mouth dropped open like a guppy. He had said it out loud! Oh God! Now what? He thought of several witty replies…one a friend would just toss back, but no…be a man Houston he told himself and nodded a fraction before looking back at her. "CJ…I want beer, not a soda!"

"What?"

"I mean…I'm tired of settling, I know what I want..…and that's…well that's a…uhh….uhm"

"A beer?" she asked softly, a quizzical smirk on her face

"Yeah…NO!" He froze as Stevie jumped slightly at his raised voice, then hiccupped a fraction, before carrying on with his supper. "Sorry!" Houston mouthed as CJ gently soothed her son.

"Houston, can you just pass me that cloth for my shoulder, the way little man here is guzzling supper there is a good chance some of it will be making a repeat appearance real soon!" She thanked him as he passed her the soft white cloth. "Now," she said looking back at him and smiling patiently. "What were you saying about wanting a beer…cos ya know, if you're gonna get one…you could get one for me to! We're not due to leave for a few more hours…a drink would be great!"

"Oh, yeah…sure!" he mumbled as he stood and went to walk to the door. He was half way out before he stopped, sighed… stepped back in to the room and closed the door, resting his head on the closed door and muttering. "No settling for a soda Matlock!"

"A soda?" CJ looked up and nodded, "Well yeah…that's fine…soda will do!"

"No CJ!" he said as he turned and faced her, running his hand through his hair and then rubbing nervously at his chin. "Soda won't do this time! I can't settle any more"

CJ just shook her head and looked puzzled. Then asked softly. "Tea then?"

He sighed and looked at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess I aint exactly going about this the right way huh?"

"Getting a drink? Well, it aint that difficult Houston…and you don't have to settle for anything, cupboard is well stocked with al sorts of…"

"No" he chuckled as he shook his head a fraction…"No, it's not about getting a drink." He walked back towards her, but this time knelt down at her side. "CJ, in the pool earlier…what is it you needed to say to me?"

"In the pool!" CJs eyes went wide and she stammered as she added, "uhm, just that uh..that uhm…we had best make sure to have some…uh…gel in the cool bag on the plane…I think Stevie is cutting a tooth!"

He nodded and pursed his lips, and suddenly he wasn't nervous anymore…not now he knew how scared CJ was to. He reached up and gently cupped the side of her face, his thumb tracing the line of her cheek, his fingers twisting into the damp curls as he pushed them behind her ear. Slowly he pulled her towards him, his eyes locked on hers…and then as their lips met, he gently increased the pressure, a kiss that he hoped would convince her that all he had to say next was true, as he slowly pulled away and whispered. "I love you CJ, always have. Always will! And I'm kinda hopin' you feel the same…cos if you do…well…dontcha think we should do something about it?"

He looked at her, his expression hopeful and vulnerable at the same time, and her heart melted. "Houston…I…I…" she looked down as Stevie hiccupped and brought back some of his supper. "I think your timing sucks!" she giggled as she quickly used the cloth to mop the mess away and rising gracefully from the chair. Houston stood to, stepping closer as he watched her gently placing Stevie in his bouncy chair. CJ sighed before turning back to Houston and whispering, "But for what it's worth cowboy," she stepped closer him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "I love you to!" Then, she brought her lips to his and kissed him with a passion that had his heat singing. She smiled as she pulled away from him and whispered, "But your timing still sucks!"

She went to step out of his arms but he pulled her back, smiling down at her as he locked his hands into the small of her back. "I have been waiting so long to tell you how I feel CJ, I didn't wanna rush things! I know how much you loved Stephen, and I know how much his death hurt you…I know how hard it has been for you to fight back from that…from everything! And as dumb as it sounds, I am SO proud of you…and love you even more for the way you have handled it all. And when you consider how much I loved you anyway…well…I didn't think it was possible to love someone so much, yet STILL fall in love with them a little bit more each passing day!"

She blushed and went to look down, but he gently placed a finger under a chin and raised her face so he could look directly in her eyes as he told her. "CJ…I love you. And I would have waited until the end of time before telling you if I thought that you needed that long, but I would have still been there every day to help you, to look after you and care for you…to be your friend. I know it is a little less than a year since…well since the bomb, and I know that SO much has happened in that time…but you know how I felt before that, you know how I felt before you married Stephen…how I think I have felt all the time I have known you…so yeah my timing sucks…but…but I don't want to waste any more time, I don't want to settle for just being your friend…I don't want to risk losing you again because I am too afraid of being honest about how I feel…and how I believe you feel about me. CJ…we belong together…call it fate, call it destiny, it doesn't matter…you know I'm right…you feel it to?" He looked at her and his eyes softened as he saw the way she was looking back at him.

She chewed her lip a fraction then nodded. "Yeah, Houston…I feel it to. Even when I was with Stephen, there was a part of me that still felt…empty, as if I was missing something. I loved him Houston, oh you have to know that…I loved him so much…there is a piece of my heart that died with him, and I will always be his wife…but standing here, with you…finally being able to tell you how I feel, knowing that I can't hurt anybody…it's like I have finally come home, I finally feel…whole! This is who I am…the woman who loves you more than words can ever say."

He kissed her cheek softly and told her. "No…You're CJ Parsons, the only woman I have ever…truly loved. You are my home CJ, you and Stevie…you're my family, my life…marry me CJ, let's make that new start, marry me?"

CJ looked at him, her eyes wide. She shook her head a fraction and again went to step away from him, but Houston moved quicker and pulled her tight to him, taking her lips with his, deepening the kiss and pulling her closer still, the blood surging through his veins as he felt his head spin with desire and longing, his mouth gentle and persistent until he felt her respond…her hands came to lock themselves in his hair, she moved towards him as she kissed him back, her passion matching his, her desire allowing him to drag her backwards with him until he sat on the rocker and brought her to lap, she turned to straddle him…her own kisses as deep as his, making her as breathless as him…and he felt her reaction to his gentle touch on her bare skin as he reached under the back of the old flannel shirt she was wearing, felt her pleasure as he gently caressed her…

"Houston, stop…stop! We can't do this…not now" she whispered as she pulled back from him.

He looked at her, his eyes burning with desire and confusion. "CJ?"

She shook her head and pulled free of his grasp, as she stood she ran her hand through her hair…licked her lips and gave a small shake of head. "We have to stop Houston, it's not the right time!"

He took a steadying breath and reached for her hand as he stood up next to her. "I didn't mean to rush you CJ, I thought you were ready…I thought you…we…I had waited long enough. I'm not sorry for telling you how I feel, I'm just sorry you don't want this yet." He let go of her hand and went to walk to the door

"Where do you think you're going cowboy?" she chuckled as she stepped nimbly in front of him. "You the love 'em and leave 'em kinda guy still?" She smiled as his eyes wrinkled in confusion. This time it was CJ that wrapped her arms around him and locked her hands in the small of his back, it was CJ who softly stroked a curl of his hair behind his ear. "Houston…wanna know why your timing sucks? Wanna know why we had to stop? In less then three hours you, me…Stevie, Pip and Mack…Will, Chris and Uncle Roy are all heading off to the air strip to climb on board your jet for a ten hour flight to the UK…we are then going to stay in what was my old marital home for the first time since I lost Stephen…we are going to be seeing an awful lot of my In-laws who still aren't 100% convinced that you and I didn't do the horizontal dosey doh whilst I was married to their son! On top of this we have Stevies Christening in two weeks and Pips wedding in four weeks…and you choose NOW to lay your feelings bare and after waiting years to get a chance to do something about it you would be willing to settle for a quickie on the Nursery floor? I don't think so pal…nuh uh! You and me, we have waited so long to finally be honest with each other…we can just wait a little while longer to be alone together…to do this right…to start this properly "

He grinned at her sheepishly before nodding and winking at her. "We still have a couple of hours till we fly though…so maybe we could just fool around some, give things a bit of a head start?"

She laughed. "There are so many ways I could take that comment, and so many ways to respond…but one of us has to be sensible here so the only way I can respond is..NO Houston…now scoot, knowing you I bet you haven't even packed yet right?" She grinned as he saw his guilty expression. "Uh huh…thought not. So go on pal, go pack…I will get his young Lordship changed…with luck he will sleep right up to getting on the plane…a quick change and another feed on the plane and he should sleep through the flight…with a bit of luck everyone else will to…which means you and I will have a chance to talk….and I do mean talk Houston so don't wiggle those brows at me! We have to decide how we are going to handle this!"

"Handle it?"

"Do we let everyone know that we want to be a couple, or fo we just let the family on the plane know and keep it from the In-laws for now…or do we keep it our secret for now…until we have had a chance to…well…"

"Start things properly?" he asked with a grin

"Exactly!" She stroked his hair again and kissed him, laughing as he gave a mock groan when she pulled free and stepped away from him. "Now go on…go pack...I have a lot to do and you're distracting me!"

"There's something else we need to talk about Slick" he said as he opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "I asked you a question back there…the answer is real important to me CJ…real important!"

He closed the door behind him and didn't hear her reply as she whispered. "To me to Cowboy, to me to"