This is very short and I do apologise. I really haven't been well so updates may be a bit sparse over the next week, I thought some of you who don't follow me on twitter deserved an explanation. I have an idea where I want this to go now and i really think it could be quite crazy and dramatic, think of this as a filler chapter with some subtle hints about where this is going.
I'm putting 'Run Away With Me' on pause for now because I can't sit at a screen for more than an hour at a time so it's just not viable for me to keep it going for now. I will complete it at some point don't worry but just when I'm feeling better
Hope you enjoy this next update, thank you for the reviews...
Carla stayed the night with Michelle, she headed back home; Michelle driving her back as she had quite a bit of stuff with her. She entered to find the TV playing, she pushed the pram into the living room and Peter looked up at her somewhat ashamed with what happened, he could tell that she was seething underneath that calm persona she was wearing. After Michelle helped her with all the bags and co-sleeper, she left them to it, both of them refusing to make the first move into the no doubt aggressive conversation they would both have and it was obvious to Carla that Peter was definitely sulking.
"So you're not going to speak to me?" Carla questions sitting on the rocking chair with Emma in her arms as Hayley plays with her toys in the corner of the room
"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry?"
"Well that would be a start, Peter"
"Well I'm sorry," Peter says as Carla narrows her eyes grabbing the remote and clicking the TV off "I was watching that" he replies gruffly as Carla scoffs
"No you weren't, you were avoiding the conversation" Carla retorts as Peter turns his body to face her as she looks at him square in the eye
"What do you want to talk about then?"
"Are you kidding me?" Carla questions incredulously "I wonder what we could talk about Peter, the fact that you basically beat my child's father to a pulp yesterday or the fact that you can't control your jealousy"
"You can hardly blame me, Carla, you share a child with the man I loathe, I'm not going to be happy about it one bit!"
"I thought you were ok with it…did you lie to me just to please me?" Carla replies firmly as Peter chuckles in response, she had definitely caught him out
"As if" he scoffs
"Right, there's obviously no talking to you when you're sulking," Carla says as she takes Emma out of the room, she pauses in the doorway "Do you want to know something?"
"Go on then?" Peter sighs exasperatedly not really in the mood to continue the argument
"I had the biggest bombshell dropped on me after you left yesterday, I found out that Johnny is my father, who knew eh? Anyway, it's not like you even care as you're too busy sulking" she says before storming off tearfully upstairs with Emma leaving Peter to think about his actions…
It had been a couple of hours since Carla went upstairs with Emma, she had yet heard from Peter so she decided she would test the water and grab a drink as she was quite thirsty. Emma was whimpering against her chest as she went downstairs to grab a mug of coffee then she saw it, Peter sitting with Hayley as she eats her lunch. She watched Peter spoon out the baby food and poise it to his daughter's lips, then the atmosphere changed when Hayley hit the spoon with her hand and the baby food went flying all over Peter and Carla couldn't help but burst into simultaneous laughter.
"Ugh, Hayley!" Peter exclaims as Hayley begins to laugh hysterically at the fact she smothered food all over her father
"Oh Hayley" Carla chuckles as Peter shoots her a look "Sorry, it's just, you look a mess"
"I'll tell you something, she is so cute you can't even be mad with her" Peter chuckles as Emma starts to cry causing Carla to pace around the room and bounce her gently, Peter watching on as he cleans Hayley's face
"Come on sweetheart, settle down" Carla whispers as Peter smiles at her slightly as she tries to settle her child
"Is it true?" Peter questions as Carla smiles slightly at him "About Johnny?"
"Yeah, I've seen it with my own eyes," Carla says as Peter narrows his in confusion "Somehow he managed to get hold of my DNA"
"Without your permission?" Peter replies angrily "Is that even legal?"
"Does that even matter?" Carla questions as Peter sighs in response "So now I have the family I always wanted 20 years too late"
"Did he know about everything you went through as a kid?"
"Yep," Carla says "I've thought about how things could've been different, but that's not all is it? Rob knew…of course, he knew and I found out where the missing money had gone to as well"
"Where?" Peter replies quietly
"Oh, Rob was only blackmailing Johnny" Carla nods "Not that it matters though"
"Alright, there's no need to be bitter about it," Peter says as Carla scoffs in response taking her coffee and storming off upstairs with Emma "I'm sorry!" he shouts but he knew it was no use, sometimes his emotions just got the better of him so he decided he would clear himself and Hayley up and take her out for the afternoon to give Carla some time to mull over her thoughts…
Peter returned to the house a few hours later armed with a bag of fish and chips, flowers and chocolates in a bid to make it up to Carla. He entered the house gingerly and heard the gentle hums of his wife settling her child, the child he wished was his deep down in the depths of his heart. He entered the living room with the bag of fish and chips, placing them on the table being careful not to disturb the intimate moment between mother and child, along with the flowers and the box of chocolates.
"See it as a peace offering" Peter whispers sitting on the arm of the rocking chair as Carla smiles up at him briefly "I'm sorry"
"Me too" Carla says as Peter smiles slightly running a hand through her hair as he glances to Emma who was whimpering to herself "Come on, go to sleep" she groans as Peter offers Emma a finger to hold which she does, grasping hold of it "Where's Hayley? I feel bad for not spending any time with her"
"She's asleep in the pram, how about I dish these fish and chips up, we can chill on the sofa and just talk?" Peter says as Carla nods moving over to the sofa and placing Emma in her tank top so she could have some skin to skin contact
"Ok" Carla smiles rubbing Emma's back as she yawns contently watching Peter leave the room to collect some plates and cutlery then smiling as he returns "I'm starving, I haven't had much to eat as Emma's been very needy"
"Well" Peter pauses lifting the fish out of the bag and placing on the plate with a generous amount of chips "Knock yourself out," he says handing her the plate as she digs into the chips groaning at her hunger being filled as Peter sits next to her
"I'm sorry about punching Nick, this situation is really hard for me" Peter admits as Carla sighs, Peter was never one to admit when a situation was hard for him as it was all about his pride
"I know," Carla says softly as she shifts around to face him, her plate of fish and chips clutched in one of her hands "We can't change what's happened, Peter"
"I know," Peter says with a sad nod of his head "We can look to the future though…"
"We can," Carla says "So I've been thinking, why don't we get Nick and Leanne around to come to a suitable decision about childcare arrangements with Emma"
"What about feeding her thought, if you're feeding her then he can't feed her…?"
"I could always pump I guess," Carla says as Peter nods, "I think it's the only way we're going to think of a plan if we all sit in the room and talk like adults"
"I guess you're right," Peter says "I don't want to lose you over my jealously, I would never forgive myself"
"I know you don't" Carla smiles gently as Emma starts to cry "Hold this a min," she says handing him the plate as she gets ready to feed Emma who latches on immediately
"Can we just forget about the naming ceremony and move forward?" Peter questions as Carla smiles slightly at his attempt to try and make things right
"Ok, deal" Carla nods "Why don't we just chill for the rest of the evening and watch some films?"
"Seems good to me" Peter whispers kissing her on the side of the head as he grabs the remote and clicks the TV on, he glances to Emma who was still feeding, a tiny baby, the start of all his problems leaving him to secretly wish that the future was going to be straightforward, all of the previous rivals getting along together, one being Nick Tilsley who would be no doubt lording it over that baby, it made him seethe to the point of no return, only if there was a way to end the nightmare…