A/N: Here is the next chapter I hope you lovelies haven't been waiting too impatiently. The plan is to still update when I can, hopefully within the month if time can be on my side for a change. I hope you all enjoy this one :)
Chapter Twelve
Saturday had proven to be ideal weather for a barbecue in July. There wasn't a cloud in sight in the bright light blue sky and the sun was stretching its rays wide and emitting a scorching heat. Perfect weather for a barbecue. But for William Darcy, he knew that the afternoon round his best friend's house to celebrate a housewarming was going to be an eventful afternoon.
He pressed the back of his hand to his daughter's head, feeling the heat instantly the moment his skin touched hers. Mia whimpered, shifting uncomfortably underneath the thin blanket she lay under and opened her brown eyes to stare up at him.
"A nice easy day for you." Will sighed.
Mia nodded in agreement, not saying a word. He had put down Mia's strange behaviour at home and school to an illness as it was now apparent that his daughter was ill. He knew it was probably viral, not a lot the doctors could do for a viral infection except tell him what he already knew. Mia needed rest and fluids. Not a barbecue in scorching heat.
"I'll keep an eye on her William. You go and enjoy yourself." Alice encouraged.
"You don't think I should stay here and care for her?" Will asked, looking back at his housekeeper.
"Elizabeth will be here shortly, and you can go and spend some time with Charles for a few hours. Mia will be fine with me; she just needs to rest until this virus gets out of her system. Go. I'll call you with updates if you wish." Alice replied.
Looking back at his daughter he gave Mia a small smile.
"Do you want me to go to Uncle Charlie's? Or do you want me to stay here with you?" he asked softly.
"Uncle Charlie's." Mia whispered, closing her eyes.
"If you want me to come home, Alice will call me."
Mia merely nodded sleepily, and Will got up from the bed and left the bedroom with Alice, closing the door behind them slightly. As they walked downstairs, they didn't hear the bedroom door open nor did they hear the tiptoes across the upstairs hallway, and nor did they hear Mia place Alice's hairdryer back in its rightful place in the bedroom. Nor did they hear Mia creep back into her bed.
"Are you sure it's fine for me to go?" Will asked.
Alice smiled and nodded her head.
"Go. Have some fun with Elizabeth and celebrate your friend settling down in his first home. Your father is going I imagine?"
Will nodded.
"And Georgie. I hope they don't ask many questions about Elizabeth."
"Are you afraid that they will disapprove?" Alice questioned.
He nodded again.
"My father warned me that it could get messy if Elizabeth and I evolved our existing relationship. And I haven't. And I won't." Will answered.
"But you can't help your feelings, Fitzwilliam. It wouldn't be a bad thing for you to get involved with Elizabeth." Alice reassured him.
"But it would. Against my better judgement I have feelings for my childminder! If I told her how I felt everything would be ruined. Her bond with Mia would be jeopardised, she wouldn't want to work for me any longer. Besides, she isn't ready for me to tell her how I feel, she isn't even ready to date because she is another man's wife who is currently getting divorced. I wouldn't want her to jump into a relationship that she isn't ready for. I won't risk the happy dynamic we all currently have just because of my feelings." Will ranted.
"I can understand that there are many factors which are telling you it would be a bad idea. But think of the good aspects of it. She loves your daughter more than anyone else doing her job would have cared for Mia. She is getting divorced which means that she isn't betraying any marriage vows and you helped to give her a purpose – she said so herself. Once she heals from her divorce and puts a firm end on that chapter of her life, she may well be open to something new." Alice reasoned.
"I think it's best that my feelings stay buried. I don't want to risk my friendship or working relationship with Elizabeth." Will said firmly.
Alice nodded sadly but gave him a knowing smile. It was the smile that Will knew quite well. It was the smile that she used when he and Georgie had been causing mischief at Pemberley and she knew that they were behind said mischief, even when they denied any wrongdoing. It was the smile that Alice used when he was being stubborn about something and she knew what was coming to pass. He couldn't help himself by smiling back at his housekeeper who had come to know him so well over the past three decades that she was like a second mother.
The front door knocked and as Alice headed back to the kitchen, Will opened the front door to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway. She was dressed in a floaty blue dress with thin straps on the shoulder and it fell to her knees, she wore a pair of black flip flops and her brown wavy locks flowed down her shoulders and back, longer than he seemed to remember. Her make-up was minimal, not that she needed it, and her skin tone was darker than when he had first met her. Summer was here and Elizabeth seemed to be enjoying it.
"Hello." Will said with a smile.
"Hey. Am I properly dressed for a barbecue, housewarming party?" Elizabeth asked, her tone unsure.
"You look amazing." Will breathed.
Their eyes met for a moment, locked in a warm gaze. It took every ounce of self-control he had to not pull her towards him and whisper his feelings for her. But he couldn't.
As the two called their goodbyes to Alice and set off into the afternoon on the short walk to Charles' house, little did Will know where the rest of the day would take him.
ooOoo
Arriving at Charles' house, Elizabeth already had a feeling that the afternoon would be an eventful one. The moment that Charles had answered the front door to her and Will he had already asked if he could get Jane's address from her. Elizabeth had text her sister to ask her permission and moved around the crowd gathered outside in the garden. She had chosen a seat that was empty at the far back of the garden as she waited for Will to get them both a drink from the house. Just as she received Jane's reply, a woman sat down next to her.
"Hello, I just thought I'd come over and introduce myself," the woman said pleasantly, tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear, "My name is Caroline, I'm Charles' sister."
Elizabeth shook the woman's hand and replied with her name. The woman resembled Charles in looks, they shared the same red hair, had the same shade of blue in their eyes and the same nose. The only thing that Elizabeth could visibly notice that was different between the siblings was that Caroline's eyes were slightly narrower in shape which made it seem like Caroline was giving her the evils.
"I'm staying with Charles whilst I get my new career off the ground. How do you know my brother?" Caroline questioned curiously.
"I met him through a friend, Will Darcy?" Elizabeth answered.
"Oh, you know Fitzwilliam Darcy. Did he bring his daughter with him today?"
Elizabeth shook her head.
"No, she's unwell."
"Oh, that's a shame. Sadly, there are nasty germs going around schools these days." Caroline commented.
Elizabeth nodded as she scanned through the crowd and saw Will talking with his father and sister. But her eyes widened as someone approached her. Someone who was still waiting for her to call him back.
Richard.
"Hello Elizabeth, my cousin didn't say you were attending Bingley's barbecue." Richard greeted brightly.
"Nice to see you again, Richard." Elizabeth said politely.
"Ah yes," Caroline chipped in, "Always happy to have you, Richard."
Elizabeth watched as Caroline stood up from her seat and gave Richard a quick hug before making her way over to greet the rest of Will's family. Richard, eyeing up the empty seat the Caroline had just vacated, sat next to her as Elizabeth was replying to her sister's text message.
"So…I still haven't heard from you." Richard mused quietly, looking at her intently.
"Yeah…sorry but I've been busy." Elizabeth replied, her attention on texting Jane back.
"Too busy to grab a dinner with me?" Richard pressed.
Elizabeth tucked her phone back into the tiny clutch bag she had brought with her and turned to face Richard. The look on his face told her that he wasn't going to give up easily.
"I'm flattered that you're interested in asking me out but I'm not in a position to date right now. I've just got out of a marriage and I need to spend a bit of time on my own before I consider dinner with anyone." Elizabeth said gently.
"Easy love, I only asked you out to dinner, not to elope with me." Richard said defensively.
"Even so, I'm not looking for a dinner or anything with anyone at the moment."
She watched as Richard moved from his seat and hurried off over to where Will stood chatting with his father and smiled as Georgiana joined her in the seat that her cousin sat moments ago.
"How have you been?" Georgiana asked brightly.
"I've been busy, how about you?" Elizabeth asked.
"I've been volunteering at a local library whilst I fill out job applications. Dad wants me out in the world of work now I've graduated." Georgiana replied.
"What work areas are you interested in?"
"Well I am interested in pursuing a teaching qualification now I have my bachelor's degree in English literature. For now, I'm mostly looking at summer jobs whilst I wait to hear back from universities about this teaching qualification."
"How about summer playschemes? They're related to working with children and it will give you a few weeks of experience over the summer holidays before you start the teaching qualification." Elizabeth suggested.
"That's a great idea," Georgiana smiled, "How would you start going about it? Are there any specific websites I can research through? Google comes up with thousands of ideas."
Elizabeth drove deeper into conversation with Georgiana about how to gain experience working with children, she didn't notice when Reginald moved away from his son and go to greet other guests he knew. She gladly talked with Georgiana, both taking it in turns to fill up their wine glasses as they continued their conversation which had started off with Elizabeth's suggestions which turned to Georgiana's experience with university which moved on to Elizabeth's degree and experience with Mia. The conversation with Georgiana made Elizabeth feel like she was making more connections in the Darcy family and she hoped that she could call Georgiana a friend soon just as much as she considered Will to be her friend. Just as she was asking Georgiana if she would like to accompany her and Mia on a few days out over the summer holidays, they were interrupted by Caroline.
"The summer holidays are frightfully long, wouldn't you agree? Children must get so bored." Caroline commented, dragging a chair to sit beside Georgiana.
"Well they are long. But you can't expect children to carry on learning during hot weather, it's bad enough that they must sit in a stuffy classroom for six hours a day during June and half of July. Six weeks of holiday to relax, have fun and spend time with your family recharges a child ready to go back to school in September." Elizabeth disagreed.
"I've recently started working as a teaching assistant, a lot of the teachers at the school I work at believe that that children should have a shorter summer holiday." Caroline argued.
"People can have their own opinion on the subject. Personally, I think you must keep kids occupied for most of the holiday, so you all get through it easier. However, six weeks is a good time to connect as a family." Elizabeth replied.
"I suppose you have a child?" Caroline questioned.
She didn't know why it would sting so much coming from a stranger. It hurt enough when her mother had been ranting about her giving her parents a grandchild before she exploded and let out the reason why her marriage had ended. She knew that she couldn't be rude to Charles' sister, after all she was a guest here. Instead, she took a breath and shook her head.
"Actually, I'm a childminder and I look after Mia Darcy." Elizabeth answered politely.
"Oh, I see. Mia is such a delightful child, a credit to her father." Caroline chirped.
"She is." Georgiana agreed quietly, taking a sip of her wine.
"Such a sad story. Poor little girl never knowing her mother and such a tragic way for poor Natalie to die." Caroline sighed.
Elizabeth detected a hint of a gossipy voice in Caroline's sigh and frowned.
"Just because Mia was so young when her mother passed away doesn't mean she didn't have a connection or relationship with her mother." She pointed out.
"Of course, Eliza, I wasn't suggesting such a thing! I merely meant that a young girl needs a mother in her life and poor Darcy hasn't been able to make a relationship stick."
"Maybe because he wanted his priority to be his child? Maybe because he wanted to honour his wife's memory?"
"Can I just say that my brother's personal relationships are private to him? You don't know if he's seeing anyone, Caroline." Georgiana interrupted.
"Not so private, Georgiana dear. Not long after poor Natalie died, Darcy and I were together. But it never amounted to anything because I respected that his child wasn't ready for me to step into that role, no matter how much we both wanted it." Caroline whispered.
Elizabeth felt a knot in her stomach, her heart racing with jealousy. Surely Will had better taste in women than a woman who liked to gossip and argue?
But then again, he had told her that he had dated someone for three months, but it never developed into something serious? Was Caroline the woman he had been talking about? Had he wanted to have a serious relationship with Caroline but hadn't out of fear for his daughter?
Before she could even think and move on from it, Caroline had got up from her seat and glided away back through the crowd of guests in the garden. As she stared at Georgiana, she noticed the younger woman smiling kindly at her.
"I wouldn't read too much into it. Will is extremely private about his love life, he hasn't introduced anyone to us since Natalie died. The exception being you."
Elizabeth frowned in confusion.
"I'm the first woman he's introduced to you and your father since his wife died?" she asked for clarification.
Georgiana nodded, taking another sip of her wine.
"Yes. You are the first woman he's introduced to us since Natalie died."
As Elizabeth took another sip of her drink, her eyes fell on Will who was chatting with Charles and smiled. She didn't notice the flutter in her stomach as his gaze briefly fell on her and returned her smile with a warm one of his own.
ooOoo
He could feel the sun burning the back of his neck and his silently chastised himself for not putting on any sun cream before he had left the house. All he had wanted since arriving for the barbecue and had finished chatting to his friend was to sit with Elizabeth and feel comfortable. But his father had stopped him and had quizzed him even more about why he had invited Elizabeth to this barbecue and if things had happened between them to which he had told his father to mind his own business. It hadn't helped that Richard had tagged along and was now watching him like a hawk.
He knew that his cousin had an increased interest in the woman he also had feelings for, but he didn't want to see her get involved with his cousin. Anyone but Richard. It wasn't that he disliked his cousin, they had been close when they were boys, but he knew his cousin's usual game with women. Richard didn't do long-term relationships, his longest had lasted just under a year and even that relationship had no commitment. Richard was only interested in one thing and didn't necessarily take a woman's feelings into account no matter how long his relationship with that woman lasted. He could treat a woman coldly and hurt them deeply. He believed that Elizabeth deserved better than that – when she was ready for another relationship that is.
Throughout the time they had been apart he had seen her talk to his cousin and have a lengthy conversation with his sister before Caroline joined them. He could see that it had been an unwelcome intrusion where Caroline was concerned and whatever his best friend's sister had said, Elizabeth was evidently irritated by her. But now, he found himself stood watching her, smiling at her as his gaze met hers. She smiled back, standing from her seat and begun to walk over to him. Will grabbed them both a paper plate from the side table and when she reached him, he handed her one and the two joined the queue to help themselves to salad, burgers, kebabs, hotdogs, chips, breadsticks, fruit and a whole lot of other foods that Charles had added for his guests to enjoy. Once their plates were filled, they took two empty chairs at the side of the garden and sat down, eating and chatting about anything that filled their heads.
Once the food had been consumed, he and Elizabeth helped themselves to another drink as another of Charles's guests turned up the music and another two held up a pole and encouraged the guests to limbo underneath it. There were several laughs filling the air along with the music as Elizabeth placed her glass of wine underneath her chair and stood up, taking his hand in hers and pulling him to his feet.
"What are we doing?" Will asked, confused.
Elizabeth grinned at him.
"We're joining in." she replied, gesturing towards the line for the limbo.
He laughed nervously, hoping that she was joking.
"I haven't done this before."
Elizabeth shrugged, still grinning at him.
"And you've had a few drinks and we're having fun. Mia would want you to have fun."
Before he could protest or even think about how he was going to crouch under a large pole that gave a shorter distance to the ground and smaller space to move under, Elizabeth had dragged him to the line and were waiting for their turn. The queue got shorter and shorter until he watched as Elizabeth took her turn, only just managing to get to the other side of the pole. People cheered as she moved out of the way to watch him take his turn; only for Richard to push ahead of him and take a turn, successfully crouching and walking under the pole whilst holding a bottle of beer.
"Your turn cos!" Richard called, slightly slurring his words, taking a large swig from his beer.
Will stepped up to the line and began his turn, his knees bending as he slowly stomped his way through the gap, his body moving lower and lower until his chin was level with the pole. He didn't notice Richard drop his bottle underneath the pole, he didn't hear the smash of glass as he tried to make his way underneath the pole. His leg cramped and Will gasped as the sharp pain shot up his leg, making him fall backwards, his hand landing on a shard of glass from his cousin's broken beer bottle.
ooOoo
His hand was hurting, he could feel his pulse throughout his hand as Elizabeth pulled a tiny glass shard out of the cut. The cut wasn't too big or too deep, fortunately, but it still hurt a lot and even more so when Elizabeth pressed a disinfectant wipe to it to clean the little wound. Will winced, letting out a curse word in a small whisper which caused Elizabeth to smile sympathetically.
"You can go back outside if you want, I can clean myself up." Will offered quietly.
She shook her head, continuing to dab the wipe gently across his hand.
"I don't particularly want to keep avoiding your cousin when I'm surrounded by other people. At least with me attending to you, I have a valid excuse." Elizabeth said with a sigh.
Will laughed a low chuckle as she placed the wipe on the kitchen counter and took a bandage out of the first aid kit and began to wrap it around his hand.
"Are you enjoying yourself at least?" he asked.
"I suppose. I'd rather be here than at home, let's put it that way." She replied.
"Parents?" Will guessed.
"My mother is coming home today after staying with my uncle and aunt for a few days. So, I'm dreading going home to questions and nosiness into the reason my marriage ended."
Will felt a yearning to cheer her up after a difficult week. She hadn't confided in him what the argument between her and her mother was about but the impression she gave him was that it had been a bad one and it had been about personal matters.
"Do you want to get out of here? We could go back to mine, check on Mia, watch a movie and open a bottle of wine?" he asked in a whisper.
"That sounds like something I need." Elizabeth replied with a relieved sigh.
"Wait for me here, I'll just say a few quick goodbyes and then we'll go."
Will headed back outside, spotting his father and sister and informed them of his departure.
Georgiana gave him a quick hug with promises to drop by soon and his father gave him a look of warning to which he assumed was about Elizabeth, but Will chose to ignore his father's concern. Just as he was about to grab Charles' attention and walk back to the house, Richard grabbed him by the arm and stopped him in his tracks.
"You off now cousin?" Richard whispered amusingly.
"Yes. Mia is unwell so I'm calling it a night." Will replied with annoyance.
"I didn't have you down as the type to use your daughter as your excuse when everyone here knows that you're going home with your employee. Can you imagine what Aunt Catherine would say?" Richard said with a laugh.
Will glared at his cousin. He didn't give a shit what his Aunt would have to say about anything. And he didn't particularly care what his cousin was trying to imply, he knew the truth. His feelings may be known to his father but nobody else at this barbecue knew that he had feelings for Elizabeth when he had barely had a chance to sit with her for most of the afternoon.
"What do you want, Richard?" Will asked with a hint of boredom.
"Uncle Reg expressed some concern to me about your childminder and asked me to deter her away from you. I'll admit I wasn't too keen to take on without meeting her but now, having met her, I have to say she's a million times better looking than I imagined." Richard replied, glancing at Elizabeth through the open back doors to the house, a thirsty look in his eyes.
Will felt the anger surging through him. He wanted nothing more than to pin Richard against the fence to get the message across that his cousin needed to stay away from Elizabeth. But he couldn't for several reasons. Instead he merely met his cousin's smug expression and glared at him.
"Leave Elizabeth alone. She's not interested in you." He said in a low growl.
"I'd rather hear it from her." Richard chuckled.
"Your intentions towards her are malicious. The only reason you want her is because my father can't keep his nose out of my life." Will hissed.
"He's trying to protect you, Fitz. Getting involved with an employee is messy." Richard said in a low voice, filled with a hint of concern.
A hint of concern that Will knew wasn't real. Ever since Richard had set his eyes on Elizabeth, he wanted her for himself. It wasn't just about helping his father out anymore for Richard.
"Thanks for your concern, cousin. But I think I'll be alright on my own."
Without saying another word or giving his cousin the opportunity, Will walked back into the house and gave his best friend a quick goodbye before heading off into the cool breezy evening with Elizabeth.
ooOoo
"It's been a rough and awkward week. I still haven't told my sister about my intentions with my divorce settlement and my mother and I have been avoiding each other since she got back yesterday." Elizabeth sighed heavily.
The two were sat on Will's sofa, only half an arm's length apart and both had a glass of wine in their hand. Will sat with comfortably, facing slightly sideways to face her with his other hand propped up on the backrest to support his head. As he observed her and listened to her troubling week, he noted how relaxed she seemed to be in his presence. As she offloaded to him about her troubles, he observed the way her mouth shaped the words she spoke, her full lips that taunted him whenever she said his name. He took another sip of his wine, continuing to listen to her. It was just the two of them. Alice had already headed up to bed and left a note for him to say that Mia was sound asleep, and her temperature had gone back to normal. Relieved that his daughter was alright, he had proceeded to open a bottle of wine and enjoy Elizabeth's company, the setting sun lighting the skies in a delightful pink and shade of deep purple outside the living room windows, basking the room in a pleasant glow which only made them relax even more.
"You still haven't said why your mum left in the first place? What was your argument about?" Will asked, taking another sip of his wine.
He watched as she took a large mouthful of wine before proceeding to pour herself another half glass. He knew she shouldn't, her father was going to be picking her up soon to take her home after an afternoon of a little alcohol consumption. For the first time since returning to his house, she looked really upset. Truly upset. As if she would burst into tears the moment she spoke aloud. Wishing that he could ease her pain, Will leaned over to the side table and placed his wine glass atop it before inching closer to Elizabeth and took hold of her hand.
"Elizabeth?" he whispered; his voice filled with worry.
She sniffled and didn't look round in response of him saying her name. Will watched as her eyes filled with tears, one falling freely down her cheek. Her chest was heaving, she was struggling to breathe until he placed a reassuring hand on her back and whispered to breathe slowly and deeply as he counted. After a few counts, she turned to face him.
"My marriage…he ended it…because…I can't…have…kids…" Elizabeth cried.
He felt his heart break for her. How could someone be so cruel to end their marriage based on the other's infertility? How could someone place blame on their spouse's shoulders because they couldn't conceive a child naturally? There were options available to Elizabeth and it seemed her husband didn't want to consider those options for whatever reason. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her into his chest, and she cried into him, her arms snaking around his waist and her head rested against his shoulder. Will held her tightly, his fingers stroking the top of her arm soothingly, wishing that he could take away her pain. Witnessing this side to her made him wish he could make her happy, wish that he could fix her problems and her pain.
They sat there for a while, not watching the clock hands move nor listening to the sound of the ticking. The sunset sky was growing to a lighter shade of navy, indicating the night was beginning as Elizabeth's phone buzzed, an unread text from her father stating he had just left the house and would be there to pick her up in ten minutes – he had to stop to fill up the car first. But Elizabeth didn't read the text message from her father. Both didn't know whether it was the wine or their mutual feelings of safety between the two of them, but they remained cuddled together as Elizabeth look up at him through red, puffy eyes.
"I'm sorry…it's been…a stressful week…and trying…to deal with…being broken and…not good enough…it just…" she mumbled, sniffing deeply.
"I wish I could take it all away, Elizabeth," Will said softly, "Your ex-husband didn't deserve you."
Elizabeth smiled weakly, looking away from him until he gently brought her face back to his.
"You're too good for him. You had to sacrifice everything to try and make that marriage work and got nothing in return. It doesn't make you broken or defective and there are other options to have a child. You're incredible, Elizabeth, I hope you can see how amazing you are one day, just as I see you."
It was like there was a magnetic charge between them which neither could explain. Neither thought nor could think about anything. Neither saw anything but the person in front of them. Will couldn't resist the need to lightly run his fingers through her silky, wavy locks. He took in a sharp breath as her fingers touched his cheek, her eyes studying his face more closely as if this were the first time that she was really seeing him. Neither cared that the alcohol they had consumed over the afternoon and early evening was affecting their judgement and their ability to control the situation. His forehead bumped lightly against hers, their noses touched. He could feel the hiked pace of her breathing, he could smell the wine that they had been sharing moments ago and just as they got as close as they could…
A sharp knock on the front door.
The two sprang apart, their hearts beating fast in their chests.
What had just nearly happened?
Before he could apologise or say anything to her she mumbled something about having a great day and thanking him as she gathered her things together and rushed out of the house. Will sat on the sofa, head in his hands as he silently cursed himself for nearly crossing the line he should never have ventured near.
ooOoo
"Owl ice-cream, goodbye little mouse. And off he flew to his treetop house. Silly old owl, doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a…"
"Gggggaaff." Lucy squealed.
"That's right my Lucy Goosey." Jane said, her voice filled with pride and excitement.
Peter was curled up on one side of Jane whilst Lucy was curled up into her on the other as she read The Gruffalo to them for their bedtime story. It was moments like this that made Jane tempted to cry with joy at just how much progress her daughter was making in her development. She had read The Gruffalo to her twins a million times over the years, Peter knew the words by heart now, but Lucy would just be happy to sit next to her and try to turn the pages. This was the first time that Lucy had started to make sounds that resembled her trying to speak. It didn't matter to her if her four-year-old daughter was only babbling; it was a step in the right direction to help her build it up to an eventual word.
She continued to read the story to the twins until the end of the book came and both looked up at her through tired eyes. Jane stood up and lifted Lucy into her arms and instructed Peter to walk in front of her up the stairs. She tucked them both in and said goodnight and went back downstairs to wait for the night nurse to show for Lucy's overnight care when there was a knock on the front door.
"You're early tonight J-"
But as she opened the door to her full view, she realised that it wasn't Jenny at the front door. Stood in front of her was the same brilliant smile and bright blue eyes that she often found herself thinking about. Along with Charles' kindness and willingness to place the ball in her court when it came to any decisions about their relationship.
"Charles, I wasn't…this is a nice surprise…" Jane stammered, feeling herself blush a little.
"Sorry, I know it's getting late and I won't keep you. But Elizabeth gave me your address-"
"I know. She texted me to clear it with me first. I didn't think you'd show up tonight though."
"Well I hope this doesn't make me seem a little stalkerish, but I had this made for Lucy this week." Charles said nervously, handing over a medium sized giftbag.
Jane took it from him with a reassuring smile and looked inside the giftbag, pulling out two items that made her speechless. The first item was a crocheted doll that she guessed was supposed to resemble Charles with orange hair and blue dots for eyes with what she determined was to resemble a smile. The other item was a little book with the title: 'Hello, I'm Charlie.'.
"Charles…this is…"
"This isn't my way of trying to move our friendship along or me attempting to pressure you into meeting your children. It's not. I just thought that it might be something for you to try so that your little girl could get used to the idea of me. I read that social stories can be a way to help a child with special needs prepare for a new situation." Charles explained.
This gesture might have been small for anyone else, but for Jane it was the nicest thing that a person outside her own family had ever done for her and her child. Charles was yet again giving her another reason why she should trust him. Surely, if he was willing to research strategies to help her child familiarise herself with a new situation, this would mean that she could trust him? That he wasn't going to bolt the minute that it got too difficult?
In that moment her insecurities faded, and she leaned forward and took his hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. Her eyes filled with happy tears as he leaned into her, his forehead bumped lightly against her own as she muttered a thank you in a soft whisper. She felt herself leaning forwards some more, just as he was doing the same and their lips lightly touched in a soft kiss.