Liza woke up slowly, blinking her eyes sleepily as she adjusted to the early light that was starting to stream in through the windows in her bedroom at the loft. She noted the heavy arm that was draped possessively over her waist and smiled. Charles. He was here, with her. Moving slowly, she stretched her legs under the sheets as she turned over to face him. She loved watching him sleep. She hadn't been able to do that much, but the tides were shifting, and she hoped that she would be getting to spend plenty of overnights with him. He slept with a slight smile on his face, his face covered in a light stubble and his hair mussed up. It was adorable. She glanced around the room, smirking at the sight of his feet sticking out from under the bottom of her sheets at the foot of the bed. The memories of their activities last night stirred her insides, and she only hoped that Maggie had put her headphones on before she went to bed.

She slipped out from under the weight of his arm and eased out of bed. It was the Monday after his Friday afternoon bombshell about the changes at work. The first Monday in years where he didn't have to get up and head to work. The first Monday of the rest of their lives.

They'd spent the weekend together but hadn't spoken much about the new work dynamics. Liza had spent most of the weekend at the brownstone. They'd told the girls that they were together, and the response had been enthusiastic hugs and giggles. Liza loved those girls like they were her own and was so excited that Charles was ready to make her a part of their world, as more than just a babysitter.

She didn't know the details, but she knew that Charles had sat down with Pauline on Friday night when he picked the girls up for the weekend. He'd filled her in on the changes at work and informed her that he and Liza were officially, publicly together. He'd also sat down with his lawyer and closest friend, Bob, on Saturday, while Liza took the girls out for breakfast and bookstore browsing. Neither of them had said much about the work changes, but Liza knew that would come to an end soon. They'd been in a perfect familial bubble for the past couple of days, ignoring messages from coworkers and colleagues and friends as they adjusted to their new normal. But bubbles are meant to be popped, Liza thought as she glanced back at Charles' sleeping form before heading to the shower.

Charles awoke a few minutes later, his body programmed to rise with the sun after years. No need for that now, he thought, ironically. Shifting, he reached for Liza, but his hand fell onto empty but still warm sheets. He paused, registering the running shower in the next room. Yawning sleepily, he stretched and propped himself up on his elbows, glancing around her bedroom. It was small, but distinctly Liza. The shelves on the wall behind her head were full of books. He spotted her well-worn and dogeared copy of Anna Karenina propped next to a framed photo of her and Caitlin. He spotted a few more picture of her and Caitlin through the years, and the sight of a younger Liza with a baby-faced Caitlin made him smile. The smile faded as his eyes landed on a picture of her with Josh. Granted, Kelsey and her little red-haired friend were on either side of them, but there was something in the way that Josh was gazing at Liza, his arm slung possessively around her shoulder that made his blood run cold. His jaw ached as he remembered that jerk sucker punching him. Not that he could really blame him, but, nevertheless.

Charles leaned back against the pillows, yawning again as he leaned back against the fluffy white pillows. He stretched out his legs underneath the covers, shivering as cool air met his feet. The bed was so damn small his feet stuck out the other end. If he was going to be spending a lot of time here, and he did intent to, Liza was going to need a bigger bed. Maybe, he thought, as his eyes fluttered shut, he'd go furniture shopping later today. He definitely had the time now.

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Liza closed the door to the loft and scurried down the hall, descending the stairs so quickly she almost tripped over her own feet. Had she really just told Charles that she loved him? It had come out of her mouth without any thought, like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she had said it to him a thousand times before. Taking a few deep breaths in a vain attempt to slow her rapid heartbeat, she headed down the street, trying to collect her thoughts. She didn't feel bad about saying it, or guilty, or uncomfortable. Actually, she smiled to herself, it felt pretty damn good. She just wished she'd given him a millisecond to respond.

As Liza was headed into midtown, Charles took his time getting up and ready. Liza's "love you" and subsequent disappearing act had thrown him for a loop. He hoped she didn't regret saying it. He knew without a doubt that he loved her too, he just hadn't found the right time to tell her yet. Their whole relationship had been a series of curveballs, and he wanted them to enjoy just being together, out in the open for all the world to see. If she'd just given him 30 seconds before running out of the apartment, he would have said it back, without hesitation, without a doubt in the world that the words coming out of his mouth were true. He could have texted her, or called her, but he wanted to look her in the eyes when he told her that he loved her.

As he redressed in Liza's bedroom, he took a longer look around at her surroundings. White brick and exposed beams and lots of natural light. He hadn't taken a long look around the rest of the loft when they had stumbled in last night in the dark, but he imagined the rest of the place was an artist's haven. He took stock of the rest of the books on her shelves, making mental note of a few books he wanted to get for her to fill in her collection. He traced the initials embossed on the ivory letterhead on her small desk, smirking when he saw a small stockpile of Empirical pens in a coffee cup on the corner of the beat-up wooden desk.

The smell of coffee brewing pulled him out of his study of Liza's belongings. He wasn't sure if Maggie knew that he was in the apartment, but it looked like it was time for the long-awaited introduction. He was a little nervous. This was Liza's closest friend – if he didn't meet her standards, he might as well pack his bags.

He started to button his shirt when there was a knock at the door and a short, dark haired Italian woman pushed the door ajar, two steaming cups of coffee in her hands.

"Well, hello." She said appraisingly, leaning against the doorframe and holding one cup of coffee out to him. Her eyes were sharp but amused, and she made no qualms about glancing up and down at him, smirking at his exposed abs.

Charles hastily buttoned his shirt and reached out to accept the cup of coffee. "Hi. You must be Maggie."

Se didn't answer but turned and walked into the living room, settling onto the blue couch. Charles followed, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

"Wow. The height I expected, but she failed to mention the abs."

Charles chuckled nervously and Maggie smirked again. "Don't worry, sweetheart. The male form does very little for me."

Charles took a sip of coffee, excellent dark roast coffee, and opened his mouth to speak, but Maggie cut him off.

"Listen, Charles. I'm going to be blunt with you because I'm fairly confident you can take it. Liza's been through a lot."

"I'm aware."

"And from what I understand, so have you."

"I have."

"Well, sometimes it makes two people perfect for each other. And other times, those two people can drag each other down like anchors."

"I would never do that to Liza."

"No one ever does it on purpose."

Charles leaned over, setting his mug on the coffee table. He straightened, looking Maggie in the eyes. "I love her, Maggie. I don't say that lightly. In fact, the only other woman I've ever said those words to is my soon to be ex-wife. I love her, and I have for a long time. She means the world to me. And I know that you don't know me, and that my word probably doesn't mean much to you, but I would never do anything with the intent of hurting Liza. I'm not fooling around here. We're not just having fun. I am utterly and completely in love with her."

Maggie didn't say anything for a moment, but when she looked up at him, she was smiling. "You're right. I don't know you. But Liza does, and she loves you. For now, that's enough for me. You and I, we're going to get to know each other, rest assured. But if Liza loves you, then so do I. Now," she stood, knocking back the rest of her coffee, "what would you like for breakfast?"

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Later that evening…

Liza closed the apartment door behind Josh, sighing heavily as she turned back to Maggie.

"Longest day ever." She sighed as she collapsed onto the couch, taking her refilled wine glass from Maggie. Her verbal grenade this morning seemed like it had happened weeks ago. The regime change at Millennial was enough to make anyone's head spin without adding Quinn's drama and Diana's less than enthusiastic reaction to finding out about her and Charles. Add Josh and his apparent baby daddy drama to the rest of it, and it would make anyone want to curl up in the fetal position.

She had been hoping to talk through it all with Charles at dinner as they had planned, but Nicole had spiked a fever at school, and he was home tending to her. She would have gone over to check in but didn't have the mental or emotional capacity to deal with a potential run in with Pauline.

"No kidding. I had to pick up my laundry from the drycleaner and stop at the liquor store."

Liza laughed, shoving Maggie playfully. "So, what do you think about that?" Maggie gestured towards the door that Josh had just exited.

"I, I don't know what to think. He wants to be a dad, but I don't think he's ready. But who is? I wasn't, that's for sure. But Caitlin turned out great. Maybe it's what he needs. I'll be there for him, but I've got my own problems to worry about."

"Amen to that."

Liza took a sip of her wine, letting it linger in her mouth for a moment before swallowing it. "I told Charles I loved him this morning."

Maggie smiled over the rim of her wineglass. "That Greek god has it for you bad, Liza. Real bad. He lit up like a Christmas tree talking about you. A very tall Christmas tree, possibly sculpted out of bronze."

Liza blushed, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I've got it bad for him, too, Mags. It's different than it was with Josh, or with David. It's passionate and sexy but real and solid and strong. I think we're building something really special."

"The way I heard it last night, it sounded like you two were trying to knock the building down."

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The next afternoon…

Liza stepped out of the cab in front of the brownstone just before noon, crossing the sidewalk as fast as her bright blue heels would let her. She felt so happy, so giddy every time she glanced down at the picture of the luxurious bed now sitting in her bedroom. It was beautiful, and it was a gesture from Charles that made her insides liquefy. He was so romantic and kind and generous, and she needed to see him, to touch him, to thank him.

She knocked at the door, shivering as a gust of wind lifted her curls off of her shoulder and the door swung open. He smiled crookedly at her, looking oh so handsome in his blue sweater.

"Hi," she said, a little breathless, as she leaned in to kiss him lightly.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" He rubbed a hand down her arm.

"I didn't know you were really going to buy me a new bed!"

Charles leaned against doorframe, leaning in towards her slightly. "Ahhh. You like it?"

Liza rose up to kiss him again, this time with a little more vigor. "I love it so much that I thought I'd spend my lunch hour thanking you in person."

Charles' eyes darkened as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "Mmm. I like the sound of that." He fiddles with a strand of her hair, pushing it out of her face.

"Is it wrong of me to say that a part of me just….", she paused, "really misses you there? It's not the same without you."

"I really miss being there too. But it's okay, because I," Charles paused, bringing both of his hands up to rest against Liza's face. "I did it for the woman I love."

If Liza's insides hadn't already been liquified, those words would have done her in. She closed her eyes briefly, but opened them to meet his, and smiled. "Did you just tell me you love me?"

"Baby, I think I pretty much have had feelings for you for…16 years."

Liza laughed. "What?"

"Since you were 26, and now you're 42. It's long enough to know."

Liza smiled serenely at him, resting her hands against his chest. "I love you, too." She stepped past him into the foyer, kicking off her shoes. "Now are you going to get upstairs so that I can thank you properly?"

Charles grinned, locking the front door as he pulled off his sweater and tossed it aside. "Lead the way."