Chapter 29- Please tell me you love me
Laurens POV
I woke up stupidly early. Everything that I'd over heard the previous night playing on repeat in my head. Annoyingly Joey was none the wiser. He was lying next to me his arm drooped across my waist. I slithered out the bed Joey attempting to tug me back. "Got to get up Joey" I moved from the bed wrapping my dressing gown around me. I'd been to the bathroom and got showered, kind of missing Joey being in the shower with me like he was most mornings, but I couldn't this morning. I was still really annoyed with him. I walked back to the kitchen finding Zoe just waking up.
"Morning Zo" She sleepily walked over to me and smiled "You want some breakfast baby?"
"Pop tart Please?" I smiled nodding remembering the first time I'd discovered Zoe's love for pop tarts. Joeys face as she's interrupted the talk he was trying to have with me. "Mummy…Where daddy?" it didn't surprise me she'd asked usually we'd both be up before her and Joey would probably be tickling and teasing her about now.
"Still sleeping baby…eat up" I placed the pop tart in front of her, she just stared at me and frowned.
"Colds Mummy" I felt her tugging on my sleeve
"Sorry Zoe what did you say?"
"It's cold" she pushed the pop tart to me. My mind was all over the place. "Daddy" She ran into Joeys arms him easily lifting her.
"Has Mummy's baby brain kicked in?" he asked kissing my cheek "Missed waking up next to you this morning" I turned away from him and put Zoe pop tart in the toaster. "What's the matter?" He put Zoe on the ground and mumbled something about waking Bella.
"Nothing" I sighed trying to force a smile. Like I said –trying. It didn't happen though and I pretty much gave myself away.
"Lauren…" he breathed
"Don't…Joe please, Zoe breakfast's done babe" she toddled back over with Bella in her arms. "Eat up baby… Daddy's taking us shopping"
I sat fiddling with my mug of coffee in the kitchen whilst Zoe at and Joey showered. First Joey's mobile rang on the side and it took all my power not to answer it when I saw it was a private number. Again the phone rang, but this time it was the house phone. Zoe went to answer it calling a "I got it" (something she'd picked up from me) as she went. As she got closer to the phone, Joey pounded down the hallway and literally dived on the handset answering the phone before she could. I looked at him weird. He'd literally ran from the shower as he was half naked only a teeny tiny towel around his waist, the water droplets still standing proud on his chest. My god I could kill these hormones, one second I hated him the next I wanted to jump him. Finally bringing myself out of my little dream I notice Joey had vanished.
"Where's Daddy gone Zoe?" she pointed to the bedroom and returned to watching the TV.
"Ok ye…no she'd kill me, ok thanks very much bye bye" I opened the bedroom door just as he finished talking. Thankfully he was now more covered up, didn't stop him looking sexy though- not, at, all. "Are you nearly ready babe?"
"Ye… who was that?" I asked picking up my bag from the side
"No one…come on"
We'd been driving for ages and as far as I could see we'd been going round in circles. Zoe had pointed out the same park 4 times now and she too was questioning the location of where we were. "I thought your Mum was coming too?" I asked trying to deviate away from the silence.
"She is, she's meeting us later…" his phone went off signalling he'd received a text. "Read that out to me babe…." I sighed and picked his phone from the hands free.
"What the hell's going on Joey…who the hell is Jess?" He looked half shocked and then smirked.
"Just read the text Lauren…"
"Fine. It says all sorted, I've left what we said where we said hope to see you soon Jess x"
Joey nodded and continued driving, but suddenly merged onto a different road heading back to Walford. I read over the text again, something did not sit right with me.
"Are fucking cheating on me? If your cheating on me I'll make sure you never get the chance to have kids again"
Zoe shrieked in the back of the car "Mummy said a bad word" I looked at her apologising to see her eyes wide a stern look on her face. Joey chuckled. Why the hell was he laughing, nothing about this situation was in the slightest but funny.
"Why are you Laughing…Because I don't find this at all funny, You've been acting really odd vanishing off for weeks, I heard you talking to your Mum yesterday and then you receive a text from another girl, If there's someone else then I'd rather know now Joey…I can't believe you'd do this to me." I hadn't even realised we'd stopped when Joey leaned over and silenced my ramble with a sweet kiss.
His hands cupped my face as his gorgeous eyes stared deeply into mine. "I'm not cheating on you babe…I'd never, ever do that to you…to us" I sighed still feeling really confused. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a set of Keys "Were home" He smiled dangling the keys in front of me.
"What?" I croaked out in a whisper we weren't home, we were pulled up just outside of the square about a five minuet walk.
"No.43, Its ours" He smiled, My tears started to fall, complete relief washing over me, he wasn't cheating. It was stupid really I can't believe I thought he would.
"You…You've brought a house?" My voice still a soft mumble, I couldn't talk even if I tried, my words seemed to get lost as they reached my mouth.
"Ye, all ours baby, three bedrooms, a garden, a proper kitchen for you" His brushed his hand down my face smiling softly. "What's the matter babe ay?" he leaned over to the passenger chair pulling me into a tight hug again.
"You've done all this more us and I accused you of cheating" He laughed and kissed my head softly
"I didn't want you to guess what was happening, so I kind of let you believe it…Please tell me you love me and don't hate me?" he asked a slight hint of fear in his voice.
"No, I couldn't never hate you, I love you, so god damn much…we have a proper house Joe it so perfect" I leaned up kissing him gently "I love you Joey"
"I Love you too baby" He gave me another quick peck and opened his door tossing the keys to me. "Ready to see your new home Zoe?"
"Now?" she asked looking as confused as I had been about 30 seconds ago.
"Ye Mummy's going to go and look…I think there might be a room in there with your name on it and a surprise for Mummy" Zoe smiled and eagerly climbed into Joeys arms. Another surprise? really? I don't think I could take another surprise; I'd barely recovered from the last on. Joey and Zo sprung off to the house and up the little path leading to the front door. It was like a little fairy-tale.
"Come on Mummy" Zoe giggled running back and tugging the keys out of my hand. I walked up to them standing on the door step, a stupidly big smile on my face still. Joey smiled and turned the key in the lock.
"Welcome home beautiful" He pushed the door open Zoe bouncing in. I looked around to see a few boxes about, some of out things already placed around the living room. Everywhere was a place cream colour just how I'd always wanted things. I turned around slowly looking at the kitchen, a big open space with plenty of room a small breakfast bar at the one end. "I thought you'd like this room" His arms looped around my waist, his hands resting on my bump.
"I do love this room, I love every room" I leaned my weight back into him, his chin sitting on my shoulder. "How did you manage all this?"
"My Mum…I took you for a long drive…."
"a VERY long drive" I interrupted smiling.
"Ye ok it wasn't meant to take that long, you can blame your Dad for that" Joey smiled seeing my reflection in the window.
"Was I the only one who didn't know?" He nodded
"Ye, sorry baby, it had to be that way for all this to work. Abi and Jay, your Dad and My Mum, Uncle Jack and Sharon even Whitney helped. There's literally only your stuff and Zoe's and the stiff for the Twins that needs sorting, everything else is done." I couldn't believe he'd managed to pull this off. The kitchen was fully functioning and fully furnished; as I started to walk around the house I noticed all the rooms were pretty much the same. They were all decorated exactly how I would have imagined (I was guessing Abi and Whit) the living room was lovely and cosy, it already felt like home.
I suddenly had a thought as we moved upstairs "What's happening to our flat?"
"Abi and Jay are having it" Joey shrugged.
"What and Dad's actually letting them?" I was quite surprised, but then again this was the new and improved Max Branning.
"Ye apparently so and he's even helping them with the rent, come on" he walked me across the landing pas Zoe's room, where she was already playing with her toys and he walked me into our room I guessed. "What do you think? …this was all my own work"
My eyes took in every detail of the room; three walls were cream whilst the other was wallpapered with pale blue and cream flowers. There was a beautiful traditional, iron bed in the middle of the room covered in a blue bed spread. Everything was co-ordinated perfectly, but the thing that got me most was the wall opposite the window wall. It was a wall full of pictures, each on was in a black frame. I looked over them seeing some of me and Joe together, a few of us with Zoe even some of Zoe when she was a baby. I'd never seen her baby photos before, only the one Joey kept in his wallet (Well not anymore- he's got one of me and Zoe and a scan of the twins). I felt a few tears fall down my cheeks, she was a beautiful baby, looked just like Joey.
"My Mum did the pictures for us…do you like them?" I nodded noticing there were a fair few spare frames about. "For the twins" Joey whispered.
"it's amazing Joey…you remembered my favourite colour, everything, it's just perfect…Thank you"
Joey pulled me into his arms and held me tight "This is a thank you too you baby, I'd be completely lost without you and so would Zoe…we love you and this is just a small way to show you how much" I looked around giggling.
"There's nothing small about this Joey…how are we even affording this"
"Curtsey of my father Lauren…He's loaded and likes to make it known especially when it comes to getting one over on Derek. Dad sends me a few pounds here and there as well as Christmas and birthdays, I've never spent a penny of it until now, it's always gone straight into the bank and built a lot of interest, I thought it was about time I put it to good use. He's a waste of space- doesn't mean his money has to be." He shrugged and called for Zoe signalling that the conversation was over. I didn't really care much to be honest, he was happy enough to use the money then it was fine by me.
After Uncle Jack had kindly brought the rest of our things around we put them all away and settled down for the night in our first family home. Zoe was asleep after we managed to convince her that the house would still be the same tomorrow and we would still be here too. Me and Joey we in the sitting room, a nice mug of tea and some chocolate, which I'd, been granted permission to eat, was a perfect combination.
"Are you happy baby?" Joey murmured into my hair as his fingers brushed softly against the skin of my Bump.
"More than ever"
"And there's nothing else you want?" I shook my head "Only I thought you might like this" He pulled a big manila envelope out from under the cushion and placed it on my lap. I started opening it once again becoming confused. "I Thought we could make it official that you're Zoe's Mum"
So do we like Joeys surprises ? I've pushed to get this posted before I go out so I'll reply to your reviews for the last chapter when I'm back and then I'll post the last chapter too Enjoy ! xxx
