Chapter Forty-Five

Thursday 2nd January – 9:30am

"Pierce, do not ask that question!" Chloe pleaded as she stood in front of Pierce next to the Kennedy's dining table.

"Chloe Brennan, I love you," Pierce declared.

I don't love you.

"Pierce, do not ask that question!" Chloe told him for a second time.

Pierce seemed to take no notice, "Will-"

"Don't ask that question!" Chloe insisted.

Pierce continued, "You-"

"Don't, Pierce!" Chloe interrupted again.

Pierce pushed on, "Marry-"

"Please don't finish that and ask that question," Chloe begged.

I'm here to break up with you, not reject a marriage proposal too!

"Me?" Pierce finished as he stared up at Chloe, as he sat there on bended knee in front of her, holding open the engagement ring to her.

No...a million times...no!

"No," Chloe answered Pierce in a whisper.

Pierce cleared his throat, "No as in... not right now?"

Chloe ran her hand through her hair, "No as in no, Pierce, I won't be marrying you."

"No as in... eventually, yes?" Pierce posited.

Chloe sighed deeply, "No as in no, Pierce, I won't be marrying you ever. Not now, not eventually, not ever."

"Do you not like the ring?" Pierce queried.

"It's not about the ring, Pierce," Chloe told him, "It's about the person asking me. I don't want to marry you."

Out in the hallway, Elly and Bea were listening to the conversation without being seen.

"Well this is awkward," Bea whispered, "We should go."

Elly didn't budge, winking at Bea, "Nah I'm here to stay and hear Chloe tell Pierce I'm going to marry her one day."

Bea raised her eyebrows at her sister, "You are?"

"Well, it's not like I've proposed or anything but yeah...I'm gonna marry Chloe one day," Elly promised, "And I'm going to time my proposal to Chloe so much better than Pierce has. She won't see it coming."

"The way you two are loved up, and know each other so well, I doubt it," Bea decided.

Back out in the dining room, Pierce asked, "So, you don't want to get married ever? You're not the marrying type?"

This is not about marriage or the ring or how you are asking me...you just need to tell him.

"Pierce, can you please stand up?" Chloe requested, "We need to talk."

Pierce refused to budge, still holding the ring out to Chloe.

"Okay, we'll do this...here...like this," Chloe accepted.

"Chloe, I love you, and there is absolutely nothing in the world you can say that will change that," Pierce declared.

Let's find out...

Chloe pursed her lips as she put her hands in the pockets of the dressing gown, "I'm wearing Elly's dressing gown."

"That's fine, you look very nice in it," Pierce complimented.

"I forgot to take Hendrix to the airport Christmas Day because Elly asked me to pick her and her son up from the hospital and bring them home," Chloe informed him.

"It's not like Elly could drive after giving birth, that was very nice of you to do that for her," Pierce decided.

"I've been sleeping on Elly's couch since Christmas night," Chloe told him.

"Couch looks comfier than your bed at Aaron and David's," Pierce shot back.

"Elly kissed me when we were kidnapped right after she gave birth to Elliot," Chloe revealed.

"You're very kissable," Pierce pointed out.

"I kissed Elly at midnight on New Years' Eve the other night right before you called me," Chloe confessed.

"Elly's very kissable," Pierce settled on.

Bea smirked at Elly when she heard Chloe admit to kissing her sister.

Elly rolled her eyes and dug her hand into her own pocket, pulling out a $20 note and giving it to Bea, "Yeah, yeah, you won the bet like you knew you would."

Bea smiled as she took the money, "You had that $20 on you since Chloe kissed you and you knew you had to hand it over, didn't you?"

"That kiss was worth every cent," Elly admitted.

"I bet it was," Bea replied.

"Actually, you should've bet me $200 as that kiss still would've been worth every cent," Elly backtracked.

Bea rolled her eyes, "Look who can't wait for Pierce to get the hint that Chloe is ending it with him so you can freely kiss her."

"First thing I'm desperate to do as soon as Pierce gets the hint," Elly promised.

Chloe sighed gently, "I spent New Years' Eve night in Elly's bed, the whole night in her bed. I wasn't on the couch."

"I haven't seen Elly's bed but I'm sure it's comfier than the couch and your bed combined," Pierce decided.

"When you turned up here just now and Bea came to get me, she had to tell me to get off Elly because I was pretty much lying on top of Elly, kissing her neck and jaw, basically any area of Elly's face that wasn't her lips," Chloe confessed.

"You want to kiss women, I get that, you're bisexual, dating me doesn't suppress that," Pierce accepted.

Chloe pursed her lips at Pierce's inability to comprehend it was more than that, "If it wasn't for the fact Elly gave birth to her son, I probably would've made love to her by now."

"You want to sleep with women still, we can work around that and have an open relationship if you need to sleep with women, preferably not Elly," Pierce countered.

Bea stared at Elly, "I knew if it wasn't for my nephew, Chloe would've cheated on Pierce with you beyond kissing you because she wanted to."

Elly shook her head, "No, she wouldn't. It has nothing to do with Elliot, Chloe's just trying to make the point to Pierce she does want to make love to me. She's trying to get him to bloody get the point that she's ending it with him."

"Fine, I wish Chloe would give up and just tell Pierce for heaven's sake," Bea admitted.

"Tell me about it," Elly groaned.

"I'm in love with Elly," Chloe admitted to Pierce.

"I'm in love with you," Pierce reminded the blonde.

"Elly's in love with me," Chloe told him proudly.

"Have you ever heard of the term 'thruple' cause we could make that work?" Pierce asked non-fazed.

And now I want to throw up...

"Thruple?" Bea whispered to Elly.

"Three people in the relationship all on equal terms like a permanent threesome," Elly explained, wondering how her sister was naive to have not heard the term.

"Eww!" Bea groaned, "Did Pierce just suggest the three of you be in a relationship with each other? And like you and he would have to...bone just so he would get to keep hold of Chloe?"

"Desperate, isn't he?" Elly screwed up her face, "And no, I would never bone Pierce under any circumstances. He's probably a lousy lay anyway."

"I need to not be thinking about this," Bea grimaced, "Can we stop listening to this train wreak?"

After holding back the feeling of throwing up, Chloe continued staring at Pierce with exasperation, "I've spent the entire week since Christmas Day helping Elly with baby Elliot. I've been sleeping here at her house and been up with her every single night, every single time the peanut cried and needed us."

"You want to have children, I'm very open to having more children and raising them with you," Pierce promised.

"Elliot is the child that I am... coming to terms with the fact that he's the child that I want to raise as a parent with Elly...that one day I'm going to be his parent," Chloe confessed.

"Yeah she is," Elly smiled at Chloe's words.

Bea smiled at how proud Elly was at the thought of Chloe raising Elliot with her.

"Thruple with a baby, we've got plenty of room at my place for that arrangement, anything you and Elly want for the baby I'll make happen," Pierce decided, clenching his jaw as he was becoming desperate to cling to Chloe as he was hopelessly in love with her.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Chloe finally snapped, "It's over, Pierce."

"Between you and Elly?" Pierce struggled to understand.

"Between you and me!" Chloe groaned at him, "Can you please stand up and stop proposing to me because I am not going to be marrying you when I am trying to break up with you?"

Pierce blinked at Chloe several times before finally standing up, but he held onto the ring awkwardly holding it out in front of him, "You're breaking up with me…why?"

Chloe stared at him blankly for a moment, "I'm breaking up with you, Pierce, because I don't love you. I love Elly and she loves me. I need to be with her."

"Elly's not good enough for you, she can't care for you in the way that I will when you'll need it most, she has an infant son that needs all her love and attention that she won't be throwing your way in the way I can. Do you seriously want your life to be put on hold by nappy changes, zero sleep and everything else that comes with a baby in Elly's life?" Pierce accosted.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm not good enough for Elly? The only caring I need when the time comes is the type that comes from having the people around you whom love you more than anything. I'm not giving that up for a private nurse or better hospital room. I was terrified by the thought of putting my life on hold for Elliot or that I would be an utter disaster in his life…but I am completely in love with that lil guy and I don't think I can imagine my life without him in it," Chloe declared.

"This isn't you," Pierce claimed.

"Yeah it is me," Chloe insisted, "I'm going to be with Elly and I'm going to help her with her son. We love each other and I can't ignore that."

"Is this a reaction to the trauma you experienced being kidnapped that you feel you have some bond with Elly and her baby that you didn't before? Terese might be right about you having PTSD," Pierce proposed.

"This has nothing to do with PTSD or the kidnapping except for the fact that the experience I went through allowed Elly to express the feelings she'd held for me for months," Chloe told him before sighing gently, "I am sorry that you got caught up in the middle of it, Pierce. If you had of been here maybe things would've turned out differently."

"We'd still be together?" Pierce jumped in with.

"No, Pierce, I mean I would've ended it with you weeks ago instead of doing what I've been doing," Chloe answered.

Pierce hung his head, "Which is what exactly?"

"Cheating on you emotionally with Elly and creating the bond that I have with Elly and her son that I hope…one day means we'll be a family," Chloe explained, "Yes, there has been a slight physical aspect to our relationship that I'm not going to lie to you about. Elly kissed me after giving birth, I didn't see that coming and was unprepared to stop it. But then there's me kissing Elly at New Years', me sleeping in her bed that night with her arms around me, me curling up to her this morning kissing her neck and whatnot. I shouldn't have let that happen but I did and for that I am sorry."

Pierce finally clasped his hand around the engagement ring box, shutting it, but still held the box in his clasped hand, "Who knows about this?"

"More people that shouldn't know more about your girlfriend…former girlfriend's life than you but the people who matter most in my life," Chloe told him, then listed off, "The Kennedy's and Bea obviously as I've been staying here mostly on the couch to help Elly with her son. Aaron and David because they needed to know why I wasn't at home at their place. I haven't told Kyle but I think with Hendrix on their couch he figured it out. Hendrix because he needed to know why I couldn't stay with him at your place…and finally Mark because…I needed my brother to come to terms with this."

"You and his ex-wife being in love and you wanting to take his place by being a family to the baby he thought was his?" Pierce accused.

"If you want to put it like that…feel free," Chloe replied, not wanting to argue with Pierce anymore.

"I love you, Chloe. How do you expect me to walk away from you?" Pierce challenged.

"I know you do," Chloe whispered, "But I don't love you, Pierce. You can't cling to a relationship like that if the feelings aren't there for both people. You deserve a hell of a lot better than me. You need to walk away by putting one foot in front of the other and you'll probably find that one day that'll lead you to a woman who can love you like you should be loved."

Pierce looked back up at Chloe, "So that's…it…then? One foot in front of the other and…I'm just meant to get over you while you…build a whole new life for yourself?"

"Yes, Pierce, one foot in front of the other…starting with heading out the front door…now," Chloe hinted before softening, "I'm sorry you'll be here…seeing me move on and live this life that I want when you'll be so close to it all."

Pierce pursed his lips, "Maybe I should just..."

"You can't just up and move because this might be hard for you. Hendrix is settled here now. He likes his life here. I'm pretty sure he's gonna end up with Harlow if you don't take him away from here because they are crushing on each other despite trying not to. You need to look past what's going on in your own life and be a Dad to him," Chloe advised.

Pierce struggled not to roll his eyes at the thought that Chloe was trying to tell him how to parent.

Chloe watched as Pierce stood there awkwardly, "One foot in front of the other, Pierce."

Pierce shoved the engagement ring box in his pocket before nodding at Chloe sadly and leaving the house.

At the sound of the security door closing, Bea nudged Elly, "Go kiss your girl already."

Elly didn't need any further encouragement as she skipped out to the living area and immediately wrapped her arms around Chloe. Chloe turned in the embrace to face Elly, "Were you listening to all that?"

"I was, yes," Elly confirmed, "Pierce really loves you, I'm sorry you had to do that."

"Took a lot longer than I thought to get it through to Pierce that I don't want to be with him," Chloe sighed, "I can't believe he freaking proposed to me when I clearly told him not to."

Elly chewed on her lip, "About that...so there's no secrets between us...I knew Pierce was going to propose to you."

"What?" Chloe almost screeched, "You knew Pierce was going to propose to me when I was trying to break up with him?"

"Well I didn't know he was going to choose that moment to pop the question but I did know he was gonna propose. About a month back I kinda…I went to see Pierce about an issue with Hendrix's exam to get him a tutor and I kinda...walked into his office when he was asking you to marry him," Elly admitted.

Chloe frowned, "Pierce didn't ask me to marry him in his office."

"Oh no, I didn't mean. His office door was open, he was making his grand proposal speech...I thought it was the real thing...I didn't know you weren't there and he was just practicing. Walked in on him on bended knee holding out his ring to...no one...kinda me cause I walked in on him... that was awkward," Elly explained.

"You walked in on that?" Chloe smirked.

Elly blushed, "Okay not so much walked...as waddled at an inappropriately fast pace...I was eight and a half months pregnant," then blushed even more as Chloe burst into a giggle, "Yes, Chloe, laugh it up at my expense, the image of me coming stumbling into Pierce's office whilst heavily pregnant thinking he was proposing to you. I should've told you he was going to propose to you."

Chloe smiled at the brunette, "I don't know what Pierce was thinking. That is far too early to propose. No good could ever have come from that."

"The best thing in the world came from Pierce wanting to propose to you," Elly admitted then off Chloe's blank look, "It made me realize that I love you and I don't want you to be with anyone else but me."

Chloe smiled at Elly's declaration, "That is the best thing in the world."

"It really is," Elly agreed then licked her lips, "So... now that you're all mine...can I kiss you already?"

"Oh absolutely, we can," Chloe grinned as she leaned forwards and pecked Elly on the lips.

Before Elly could react, Chloe pulled back and placed her hands to Elly's chest, "That feels amazing to finally get to kiss you after all this time. I think we should celebrate, now that we're official, we should go to Harold's for brunch. My treat. What time does Bea need to be at the garage? Y'know what, we should take the peanut with us. Is that okay? We haven't really taken the peanut out of the house yet since the hospital. I think we should and I want us to do this together if you want."

"Ah...yeah of course we can take Elliot out to brunch with us and that'd be nice to celebrate with the three of us," Elly replied then frowned, "But what was that?"

"What was what?" Chloe asked cheerfully.

"That peck on the lips," Elly spat out bewildered, "I know we kissed at New Years' Eve but I've been waiting to kiss you for nearly two weeks...what was that?"

Chloe pecked Elly on the lips again, "Me kissing you, sweetie. I'm not really...into the whole deep long kissing thing. It's just not me. I probably gave you the wrong impression during our night together last year but y'know I wanted to impress you and you really wanted those long sensual kisses so I went with it. Did the same on New Years' too. I mean didn't you always notice how Pierce would peck me on the lips, it's just my style. Not that Pierce could peck me on the lips. He always missed them and pecked my chin instead. Guy cannot find his way to my lips...if you know what I mean. That's okay with you right that this is how I kiss?"

Elly opened and closed her mouth in surprise, not knowing how to express her disappointment and frustration having waited nearly two weeks to kiss Chloe as her official girlfriend.

Chloe gently removed herself from Elly's embrace, "I'm going to go get the peanut and start getting him ready to come out to brunch with us."

Chloe then pecked Elly on the lips a third time before skipping away from her.

Are you freaking kidding me? All that build up and angst for...a peck on the lips?

Elly stormed back after Chloe, "Chloe Brennan, you need to-"

As Elly rounded the corner of the hallway, Chloe was standing there with a grin on her face, "Gotcha!"

Elly frowned in confusion.

Chloe immediately wrapped her hands around Elly's waist and pulled her against her body, "Do you really think I made you wait nearly two weeks to kiss me and the best I could give you is a peck on the lips?"

Elly rolled her eyes then stared at Chloe with a stupid grin on her face, "Yes."

"Well, I didn't, Elly. I made you wait for this," Chloe replied as she cupped Elly's cheek in her hand and leant forwards bringing their lips together.

Elly moaned into the kiss within seconds as Chloe slipped her tongue against hers and they both tussled for control for a moment with Elly quickly giving into Chloe's demands. Chloe found herself pressing her body harder against Elly's until the brunette slammed her back against the hallway wall where they stayed there passionately kissing.

Elly was nearly breathless when Chloe finally broke their kiss, pecking her on the lips once more.

"Worth the wait?" Chloe asked quietly.

"So worth the wait, Chlo," Elly realized as she brought the blonde back into another searing kiss.