A/N: I'm back my lovely readers with an update. Now, I'm hoping to get this story finished this year, I've nearly finished writing Chapter twenty-one and the start of Chapter twenty-two has been written. I'm hoping to update weekly if I can, it all depends on my free time and my kids.
Enjoy.
Chapter Twenty
The wind was battering against the windows at Pemberley that evening, the shrill whistling sound ripped through the trees in the woods surrounding Reginald Darcy's familial estate. Inside the study, sat two men drinking a glass of whiskey each. The two old friends laughed about memories made in each other's absence and reminisced about the ones they had made together. Reginald Darcy believed he was lucky to have a friend in Wesley Bingley and it didn't matter to him that they were both from different backgrounds. Reginald was from 'old money' and had been raised in a grand estate with an old family name. Wesley Bingley had worked in a blue-collar profession before he trained to be a teacher, working mostly in sixth-form education before his friend acquired a teaching profession at a university. It didn't matter to Reginald, he thought it important that they find common ground as they had done together. However, Reginald knew that the same principles that his friendship with Wesley had been built did not extend to the latter's daughter.
Wesley leaned back in his chair, a smile still etched on his face as he brought his whiskey glass to his lips and downed the last of the liquid in the glass. He placed the glass back on the desk in front of him and looked at his friend with quizzical blue eyes.
"Well, thanks for the drink, Reg. But I don't think you called and asked me here to catch up on the good old days, did you?" Wesley asked.
Reginald chuckled slightly as he sat up straighter in his chair and shook his head. Catching up was not the only thing on his agenda tonight. What he wanted was to speak to his friend about Caroline.
"Wes, there's a delicate matter that we need to discuss." Reginald confessed softly.
Wesley raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Oh? Of course, if you need my help, Reg, I will help you." His friend stated supportively.
"It's about the children. More specifically, your Caroline and my Fitzwilliam." Reginald said.
Wesley sighed.
"I told Caroline off for her indiscretions years ago, Reg. I told her that Fitz wasn't interested in her in that way, that he had just lost his wife and believed their dinner out was Caro being a friend." He explained.
"I know you did. And I know Fitzwilliam does not regard your daughter as anything more than that. But Caroline has been showing some concerning behaviour lately. My nephew, Richard, caught her spying on Fitzwilliam and a woman he's getting involved with." Reginald sighed.
Wesley frowned.
"Spying? I wouldn't say my daughter would resort to spying." He said defensively.
"She has, Wesley. She's been watching Fitzwilliam and his childminder. She got a job at my granddaughter's school to try and use Mia to get to Fitzwilliam that way. She's been spying and plotting and now she's confided in Richard that she is going to try to make Fitzwilliam jealous by faking a relationship with Richard. If that fails, she is planning to tarnish my family's reputation by accusing Fitzwilliam of sexual harassment amongst my staff." Reginald explained desperately.
"And this it to achieve getting Fitzwilliam as her lover?" Wesley asked, shock present in his tone of voice.
"She wants to be his wife, Wesley. She never will be. And I won't allow Caroline to become a danger to my family." Reginald warned.
"What am I supposed to do, Reg?" Wesley growled, "Caroline is a grown adult and yes, she is despicable, but she is still my daughter."
"She's not taking care of herself, Wesley. Richard reports back to me regularly about her and your daughter is deranged."
There was a pause between the two friends as Wesley ran a hand through his thinning and fading red hair. Reginald watched him, hoping that his friend would come to the responsible conclusion and get his daughter some help.
"I'll have a chat with her," Wesley said at last, "Maybe I can get through to her."
"And what if it takes more than one conversation? She's been obsessed with my son since she was a teenager. Her little schemes could get dangerous, Wes." Reginald said angrily.
"I'll sort it." Wesley promised with a sigh.
"I hope you do, because things will get ugly the longer Caroline goes unchecked." Reginald grimaced.
The wind outside carried on howling through the dark of night, all the way through to a calm but slightly breezy sunrise. All through that night, Elizabeth Bennet slept soundly in her bed without a worry about the plots that were forming against her and her William Darcy.
ooOoo
The alarm clocked buzzed as Elizabeth rolled onto her back and stretched out her arms. She had been used to later starts to her workday over the six-week summer holiday but now, Mia was about to go back to school and start her year five academic year. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she groaned quietly as she heard muffled arguing from downstairs.
"What the hell Francine?!"
"I had to get some answers Thomas! I don't know what's going on!"
"Why did you feel the need to get involved when it has nothing to do with you?!"
"Because I did! I had to know if there was something that I could do-"
"She's an adult! It wasn't your place!"
Elizabeth kicked back the covers and pulled on her dressing gown and as she opened her bedroom door, she saw that Lydia was hovering in her bedroom doorway.
"Lydi, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked, frowning at her sister.
"I'm waiting for mum or dad to storm out of the house so I can sneak Denny out." Her sister whispered.
Elizabeth's eyes widened.
"Denny? You have a boy in your bedroom?" Elizabeth asked amusingly.
It had always been one of their mother's rules. No 'man friends' could stay over at their familial home. Of course, Jane had broken that rule a few times when she had been with George. Elizabeth and David were 'allowed' to stay over because they were married. It had been their mother's hope to deter them from 'wanton' behaviour but that hadn't stopped the Bennet girls.
Lydia rolled her eyes.
"He's getting dressed but we woke up late. Idiot pressed the snooze button when my phone vibrated this morning. I had hoped to get Denny out of here before mum and dad woke up." Her sister whispered.
"You're twenty-one, Lydia. You're an adult and you're allowed a 'man friend' to stay over." Elizabeth reminded her.
"I know. It's not so much dad that I'm worried about, even if he'll tease me about it. It's mum and her old-fashioned shit." Lydia sighed.
"I know. What a brutal disappointment we are to our mother." Elizabeth said mockingly.
"Yeah, she couldn't be prouder of her eldest with bastard children and remaining unmarried. The second a divorcee and the third a reckless slut." Lydia tutted with laugh.
The sisters shared a little laugh until they had to stop when their mother appeared on the stairs in front of them.
"What are you girls gossiping about?" Fran yelled.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she walked past her mother and headed downstairs to the kitchen. As she filled the kettle with fresh water, she heard her mother shout once again and saw Denny rushing out of the front door and up the front garden path. Seconds later, Lydia appeared in the kitchen with Fran hot on her heels.
"YOU KNOW THE RULES LYDIA BENNET!" Francine shrieked at the top of her lungs.
Lydia rolled her eyes as she was passed the bread from Elizabeth who had clicked the switch on the kettle to boil it.
"I'm an adult mum, why does it bother you what I get up to with Denny?" Lydia yawned.
"You know you girls aren't allowed your male friends stay over unless you're married." Francine growled.
"Well Dad said that it was fine." Lydia retorted.
"THOMAS!" Francine screamed.
The two sisters went about making a cup of tea and some toast in silence as their father suddenly appeared in the kitchen.
"Good morning girls," Thomas said brightly, "I take it your mother scared Denny off, Lydia?"
Lydia flushed a light pink and nodded as she took the toast that had just popped out of the toaster and started to spread some jam over the slices. Elizabeth finished making her tea and sat down at the kitchen table with Lydia, drinking the hot drink slowly.
"Thomas," Francine said, trying to catch her breath, "Why did you allow Lydia to have that boy sleep over when you know the rule I set for them?"
Thomas scratched an itch on his nose when he looked at his wife and shrugged. Elizabeth noticed the look on her father's face, it was one she associated with her father not caring to argue on the subject because said subject didn't bother him.
"Lydia didn't do anything wrong, Fran. She came to me stating that she and Denny were in a relationship and she wanted him to be able to spend the night here sometimes. I told her that as long as they were quiet and he didn't emerge naked or short of clothing from her bedroom, then it would be fine." Thomas argued.
"Oh of course she came to you! The parent who gives the girls anything that they want!" Fran tutted.
"Within reason, Francine. This was in reason. Would you rather we not see her at any time under this roof? Would it hurt your pride if your girls were shacking up unmarried?" Thomas mocked.
"This is so bloody typical of you! You never consult me about anything-"
"Don't be a fucking hypocrite!" Thomas warned, his nostrils flaring.
Elizabeth nearly choked on her mouthful of tea. It was very rare for her father to use the f word and when he did, she knew that it was because he was on the verge of losing his temper. She forgot about her tea and turned on her chair to look at her mother, who seemed to have forgotten what she was going to say.
"What is going on between the two of you?" Elizabeth demanded.
"Don't you worry about it," Thomas said quietly, taking deep breaths, "It's between me and your mother."
"Well you've both been arguing a lot more than usual lately." Lydia observed.
"Yeah Lydi is right. We're used to arguments but the level of arguments we've had to listen to has increased lately." Elizabeth said.
Both her parents shared a look and then told them not to worry, that they just had a lot to work through. But that didn't stop Elizabeth from wondering just what it was her parents had to argue about. She and Lydia were used to their parents topics of arguments: Lucy and Peter, their unwed daughters, their father spending a lot of time out at the pub, their father playing golf with his friends, money, the usual stuff. Eyeing her parents suspiciously, Elizabeth went back to her tea and then headed upstairs to get dressed for work. As she changed out of her pyjamas and into a pair of denim shorts and a light blue camisole, Lydia pushed the door to her bedroom open.
"You ever heard of knocking?" Elizabeth complained.
Lydia closed the door behind her, rolling her eyes.
"You were dressed. You don't take years to pick out what you're wearing for the day." Her sister observed.
"What's up?" Elizabeth questioned.
Lydia sat down on the bed and looked at her with a worried expression.
"I think mum and dad will end up splitting up if their current level of arguing escalates." Her sister answered quietly.
Elizabeth sighed heavily, picking up her bag and emptying the contents onto the bed.
"Lydi, all married couples argue."
"And some get divorced."
"They've been married for nearly thirty-one years; you don't just throw that away." Elizabeth argued.
"You and David got divorced." Lydia said quietly.
"We did," Elizabeth sighed, "And it was the best thing for us. Look underneath all the arguments and their differences, mum and dad love each other."
"I don't doubt that. Dad would have to be a saint to stay married to her if he didn't love mum." Lydia mused.
"Look, mum is flawed. As is dad. I don't agree with her old-fashioned crap and I don't like the arguments between her and dad, but it will pass." Elizabeth said firmly.
"Lizzy, I'm scared that whatever is going on between them will cause dad to get severely stressed again." Lydia admitted.
Elizabeth ignored the pile of belongings on her bed and took hold of her sister's hand, giving it a squeeze. She too feared their father getting severely stressed again. The last time had been before Jane and Charlotte took over the bakery. Their father had been dealing with the pressures of running a business full-time, dealing with a wife who could raise his blood pressure and still had two daughters at home who were going through their teen years. Thomas had resorted to smoking, a habit he had kicked when Jane had been a small child, a lot during the day as a way of relieving stress. Along with an unhealthy diet, his blood pressure soared through the roof and caused him to suffer a heart attack.
"Lydi, I think we should just keep an eye on things. Dad doesn't want us involved in whatever he and mum are arguing about. But what we can do is ensure that dad doesn't get overwhelmed with stress. If he looks stressed, we could get him to do something that will help him relax." Elizabeth suggested.
"And what about mum?" Lydia asked.
Elizabeth shrugged; she wasn't entirely sure how they were going to deal with their mother.
"If it comes to it, I'll get in touch with Uncle Ed and see if he can help." She replied.
"What can Uncle Ed do?"
"He can invite her for a stay with him and Aunt Maddie. That's all we can do for now."
With her sister nodding her agreement, Elizabeth sorted out her bag with the things she would need for her day and bade Lydia goodbye. She shouted a goodbye to her parents and left the house, getting into her car and drove to the bakery.
The morning rush at the bakery was in full swing as Elizabeth arrived. She stood in the queue as she checked her watch, just half an hour until she had to be at Will's to take Mia to school but she had promised Mia to a croissant on her first day back. As she picked herself up a bottle of water from the fridge, she saw that Charles was walking towards the door.
"Charles." Elizabeth greeted.
Her sister's boyfriend was walking out of the bakery with a paper carrier bag which Elizabeth guessed contained some of Charles' favourites.
"Good morning, Lizzy. How are you?" Charles asked brightly.
"I'm good, I promised Mia a croissant for her first day back. How are you?" Elizabeth replied.
"Enjoying my week of annual leave with Jane and the twins." Charles smiled.
Elizabeth shared his smile, knowing that Charles' introduction to the twins had been a week ago and had gone…well as smoothly as it could. Peter took to Charles instantly, asking him constant questions and kept dragging him into the garden to play with the football or to play catch together. Lucy had mostly steered clear of Charles for their first meeting, happy to just sit at a distance to him or occasionally go over and sniff him. Jane had told Elizabeth the same story that night when Charles had gone home. Charles had been nervous but had followed Jane's advice to go at the twins' pace and whilst Lucy had acknowledged Charles' presence, she was perfectly happy to avoid him aside from her sensory seeking curiosity. Charles had left the house having been sniffed at, his hand licked and received a purr from Lucy. Overall, the first meeting had been a success and Charles had spent the rest of the following week until now getting to know the twins some more.
"What activities do you have planned for today?" Elizabeth asked.
"Well, Jane needs to go shoe shopping before the twins start school next week and apparently shopping can be murder with Lucy." Charles quoted.
"Yeah she doesn't like shops so much. But knowing Jane, she'll be well prepared." Elizabeth said fondly.
"We have ear defenders, the tablet and a few of Lucy's sensory toys packed. Lucy actually came over to me two days ago and sat with me, so I read the social story about trying on new shoes with her. And she even has a new nickname for me." Charles laughed.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
"Wow. So, within a week she's gone from avoiding you, licking and sniffing you and now she has given you a nickname?" she asked.
"Well…your dad started it…he told Peter that Chuck is a nickname for Charles…." He said, grinning widely.
"So, she's calling you Chuck?"
"Not quite. She can't quite say it…so she calls me duck."
Elizabeth laughed. In the past month since Lucy had stayed at The Netherfield Trust, her niece had started to pick up a few words. Of course, the pronunciation of the words wasn't clear, Lucy still babbled before the word got out, but it was a step in the direction of progress.
"Oh, bless her. I think she's coming around to you." She said happily.
"I hope so. But I'm not going to push any boundaries with her, it's all at her pace." Charles stated.
"I'm glad that my sister has you in her life." Elizabeth remarked happily.
"Thank you, Lizzy. I just hope that my father and sister can see how amazing Jane and her children are, just like I see them."
Bidding goodbye, Charles left the bakery as Elizabeth moved through the queue. When she got to the front counter, she ordered two buttered croissants and paid, taking away her order and driving to Will's house. Upon getting out of her car once parked on the driveway, Mia had already opened the front door, dressed in her school uniform.
"Morning beautiful girl." Elizabeth called.
"Morning Lizzy." Mia greeted happily.
Elizabeth took out a croissant for herself and handed Mia the bag containing the other one and the two went inside the house. She greeted Alice with surprise, having not been aware that she would be back from Pemberley yet.
"I thought you were on extended sick leave?" Elizabeth asked.
"I am still but I promised Mia to see her off on her first day back to school." Alice replied.
Despite her accident being weeks ago, Alice was still experiencing migraines and her memory of the accident was still fuzzy. All the housekeeper could remember was falling fast and the colour red. Elizabeth had been informed by Will that Alice would be taking extended sick leave as she kept up with her hospital appointments to determine her overall state of health before she returned to work.
"Are you ready to go, Mia?" Elizabeth asked.
Mia nodded, picking up her school bag and giving Alice a hug goodbye. The two left the house and made the walk to school, finishing their croissants as they stood outside the gates to the school.
"Have a good day Mia, I'll see you when school finishes."
Elizabeth gave the little girl a tight squeeze and watched as Mia ran off into the playground to join her friends to meet her new teacher. As she watched the little girl join her class line on the playground, Elizabeth observed in astonishment that she seemed to have had a growth spurt all of a sudden. It didn't matter that she had been with Mia for most of the past four months so had only known the girl for a short period of time but it seemed that now Mia had turned nine, she was growing up so quickly.
She left the school gate once she heard the bell ring to indicate the start of the school day and watched as Mia followed her classmates into the building. With her charge now at school, Elizabeth returned to the house to observe the housekeeping company clean the house whilst she wrote out a list of things that she needed to complete. She noted that Mia needed her prescription put in at the doctor's surgery and on the calendar, she had a review coming up with her consultant at the hospital, which she made a note of in her phone. She also made a note of listing all the activities that Mia had participated in before the summer holidays to ensure she knew when each one started up again now the holidays were over, they had previously stopped due to the six week break.
After a few phone calls the housekeepers had finished and left for the day, leaving Elizabeth to make herself some lunch. As she made herself a sandwich and sat at the dining table, her phone vibrated against the table. She unlocked her phone screen and tapped on the text message to read it.
So, I was thinking that we could do that first date this weekend…
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she read Will's text message. She guessed that he was on his lunch break as she took a bite from her own sandwich.
I think it's long overdue
As she waited for his reply, she finished eating her lunch and pushed the plate away from her as she got engrossed in texting Will.
I was thinking we could spend the whole weekend together, just the two of us.
Feeling the urge to listen to his voice, Elizabeth pressed the call button that appeared next to his name. She pressed the phone to her ear and sat back in her chair.
"What did you have in mind for this weekend?" Elizabeth asked with a smile.
She heard him let out a low chuckle.
"Well it gives us two whole days together and a chance to properly talk…and maybe do other things…if you want to do those things…" Will said in a low voice.
"I suppose two whole days to ourselves would be nice…but what about Mia?" Elizabeth questioned.
"Alice is taking her to Pemberley this weekend to spend time with my father and sister." Will explained.
"Oh…so it really would be just the two of us."
"Yes, it would."
There was a moment of silence as Elizabeth thought over the proposal. Whilst she loved her job and she loved Mia like she would her own child if she had one, she knew that she and Will needed some alone time to discuss their relationship and spend time together. It was easier to figure things out about her relationship with Will, her relationship with Mia and how they could move forward if she and Will had some alone time.
"Would you like me to pack an overnight bag for this weekend alone?" Elizabeth asked.
Will cleared his throat.
"I would," he confirmed, "But we don't have to do anything if you feel uncomfortable."
"I don't." Elizabeth affirmed.
"Well…that's good…"
"Will? Do you feel uncomfortable?"
He cleared his throat again.
"No. I just…I want you to be comfortable…"
"We can work out our nerves together." Elizabeth said quietly.
She heard him let out a sigh of relief.
"We can talk some more tonight if that's okay, I have to get back to work now." Will said with a sigh.
"I'll see you later." Elizabeth said quietly.
The phone call ended, and Elizabeth began to think about what she and Will could be getting up to at the weekend. It seemed that both of them were a little anxious about having sex for the first time and she knew that it would be the first time for both of them in a while. She hoped that the weekend would also give them the chance to talk about their different relationships properly and come to a solution. There was a lot they needed to discuss, and she knew that she felt confident that she wanted Will and Mia in her life going forward.
She spent the rest of the afternoon running errands. By the time Mia finished school, Elizabeth had put on some laundry, made more phone calls regarding Mia's activities, and had put in Mia's prescription at the GPs. She collected Mia from the school gates at two minutes past three and took her to the park to enjoy the rest of the sunshine, it wouldn't be long before miserable autumn days returned to them after all. By the time the two of them had played on the swings and ran around chasing each other, it was time to return home. Mia held Elizabeth's hand on the way back to the house which Elizabeth couldn't stop smiling about, it was a small gesture but a perfectly comfortable one they shared. To Elizabeth, it signified the trust that Mia placed in her and just how much they had bonded together.
For dinner that night, Elizabeth cooked a risotto and was just serving up as Will strolled through to the kitchen. Mia greeted him after she had set the table and Elizabeth came through with three plates and set them down on the table in their usual places. Will placed a light kiss to Elizabeth's cheek, something which Mia had noticed and kept smiling widely at the two of them.
"Yes Mia?" Will asked with a laugh.
"How come you don't kiss Lizzy a lot in front of me?" the little girl questioned.
Elizabeth felt her cheeks flush as the three of the sat in their seats. Of course, it was natural that Mia would have questions for the two adults, especially as they had kept their personal relationship private from Mia because they hadn't yet discussed it going forward.
"Well…erm…" Will coughed as he cleared his throat, "That kiss to Elizabeth's cheek…it was a thank you…for cooking dinner…"
Mia rolled her eyes.
"I may be a kid but I'm not stupid. I know that you two kiss when I'm not around…" she snorted.
Elizabeth met Will's gaze and smirked, she could see that he was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. She watched as he loosened his tie and took a sip of his water. Mia still looked at her father expectantly, awaiting his reply. For Elizabeth, it was fun to watch father and daughter discuss something like this, especially when it came to Mia have the power to make her father squirm.
"We want you to be comfortable…and we still need to talk about some things…" Will stated, putting a forkful of food in his mouth.
"If you love someone, why do you have things to talk about?" Mia questioned.
Elizabeth felt her heart skip a beat as she met Will's gaze. She held it for a moment before he smiled at her and then turned his attention to his daughter.
"Adult relationships can be complicated sometimes but we're going to talk about it soon." Will assured his daughter.
With nothing more to say on the subject, Will steered the conversation to talking about how their days had gone. Mia had told them in length about her first day back at school whilst Elizabeth had informed them that she was waiting for return calls about Mia's after school activities. Once dinner was finished, Mia went upstairs for her bath and Will put her to bed as Elizabeth finished loading the dishwasher and cleaned down the dining table.
"Hey." Will said quietly, appearing in the doorway to the dining room.
Elizabeth smiled, walking through to the kitchen to wash her hands. Will followed, watching her as she dried her hands on the tea towel.
"So…dinner was interesting…" she commented with a smile.
Will took the tea towel from her, chucking it on the kitchen side before pressing his lips to hers. Elizabeth sighed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer to him. Will took her bottom lip between his teeth and nibbled lightly before kissing her with more hunger, his tongue teasing her own as he walked her backwards, so she was braced against the kitchen counter. She moaned as he squeezed her hips with his hands before breaking the kiss to catch her breath.
"So…where are you planning to take me on our first date?" Elizabeth rasped.
Will took a moment before replying.
"I'm going to cook for you for a change, you don't need to get dressed up for a restaurant." He replied.
"Okay. When are we planning to do it?" she asked.
"Mia gets picked up at lunch time on Saturday and then Maggie is driving the three of them to Pemberley until Sunday evening. So, how about you come over on Saturday evening? It gives me some time to prepare what I have in mind." Will replied.
"Okay…and about that overnight bag…"
Will groaned as he kissed her lips quickly.
"Yes…I want you to stay…"
She felt her heart flutter.
"Okay then…" she whispered.
Giving him a last but slightly lingering kiss, Elizabeth bade goodnight to Will and left the house.
ooOoo
The rest of the week had flown by in the blink of an eye and each day that brough her closer to Saturday made Elizabeth feel excited to have this alone time with Will. As she stood on his doorstep, she took a deep breath. He had told her not to get too dressed up, that casual wear for their first date would be fine. So, she had pulled out the summer dress that she had worn to Charles' housewarming barbecue and wore her wavy hair down. She had applied minimal makeup, just some mascara and eyeliner and had brought over an overnight bag. As Elizabeth knocked on the front door, she felt the fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach, feeling that electric excitement rush through her veins as the front door opened and Will stood in the doorway, smiling at her.
"You look amazing." Will breathed, holding his hand out to her.
She smiled awkwardly as she took his hand and allowed herself to be brought into the house. When Will closed the door behind her and he took her bag and put it down next to the stairs and ran his fingers through her hair, caressing the locks gently.
"Just the two of us." Elizabeth said softly.
Will nodded, bending his head to kiss her lightly. Elizabeth curled her fingers into his shirt, gripping tightly as she felt Will snake one of his hands around her waist. The kiss turned more needy, the two of them holding on to each for desperately as their tongues met and teased each other. Elizabeth could feel her heart beating faster in anticipation of the night ahead of her. It was not that she was nervous, she wanted to take the next step with Will, it had been her head after all. But she wasn't sure what to expect, she had only ever been with one person and that person she had been married to for five years. But despite all her thoughts about being with Will, she knew that it was what she wanted.
The kiss broke, Will bumped his forehead against her own as he placed a tender kiss to the end of her nose. Their breathing fast and irregular that they needed a few silent moments to regulate it. Once calm, Elizabeth allowed Will to take her by the hand and lead her through the house to the back garden. When Elizabeth saw what Will had planned for their first date, she felt her heart soar at his gesture.
In front of her on the grass was a black gazebo lit up with hundreds of twinkling yellow fairy lights which illuminated the dozens of cushions and blankets that were housed underneath. Will took her by the hand and led her down to the gazebo. As they sat on the blankets, Will handed her a glass and took out a bottle of wine that had been sat in an ice bucket.
"I thought that we could spend the evening looking at the sunset, watch the stars, share some wine, have something to eat…" Will said shyly.
"Will this is…lovely…" Elizabeth replied happily.
He poured her a glass of wine and told her to make herself comfortable as he went back inside the house to bring them out their dinner. On two plates were chicken enchiladas hot from the oven. He sat next to her, handing her a plate and some cutlery and the two started to eat their meals.
"I know that there are a lot of unanswered questions about us and I thought that this weekend we could talk about some of those things to give us a clear path forward." Will stated.
Elizabeth nodded her agreement, taking a bite of her enchilada. As she swallowed, she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip before looking at Will. Their eyes met and they continued to eat the food that Will had made for the two of them. She felt the need to talk about their relationship, they couldn't keep going on with no dates and a few kisses in their rare moments of privacy.
"Do you want to start or shall I?" Elizabeth asked.
Will swallowed the last bite of his enchilada and placed the plate down.
"You tell me first." Will insisted.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and placed her plate to one side and took hold of Will's hand.
"I suppose the first thing we need to think about is our professional relationship." Elizabeth started.
"I agree, there is the complication of you being in my employ and looking after my daughter." Will said.
"Well…you know that I want to start my own business…so I guess once I've started to get that in motion, I can quit my job with you." Elizabeth suggested.
"We'd still be seeing each other on a regular basis I assume?" Will asked with a grin.
Elizabeth nodded, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Of course. It's just a question of when I can get the business started. I've already set up a meeting with the bank to see if I can get a business loan to help." She replied.
Will turned his attention to a folder that sat in front of them, he moved his head to gesture to Elizabeth to pick it up. She complied, using her free hand to open the folder. As she looked at the first page, she saw a picture of a disused community centre that had attached a small carpark and a large green fenced in field.
"It's a property that I recently bought. I wanted to help you with your dream." Will explained.
Elizabeth looked at him in surprise.
"What are you saying?" she asked, needing clarification.
"I want to help you build a successful business, I have the experience with the law side of things, most of my clients are in property. I have the building that you can renovate to your exact tastes. We can both pour the funds into making this building have some use again." Will replied.
Hearing him say that he wanted to help her with her dream came as a nice surprise for Elizabeth. Her heart was beating faster and faster as she tried to process what he had said.
"Will…why…you want us to be partners in this?" she asked quietly.
"I want to make this dream a reality for you. You don't have to say yes. If this isn't what you'd like to do then I won't be upset. All of this is your call. You have the final say on everything. But if you do decide to accept, then the say will still be yours. I just want to help you get there a bit quicker then left to fend for yourself." Will replied.
Elizabeth met his gaze, seeing that genuine look of wanting to help her in his eyes. That look of adoration and need for her to be happy. She had never seen someone look at her that way before. Not even with David. David had cared for her a different way. Loved a different way.
"So, we do this together…what happens once the building is up to scratch, and it's renovated? What happens when the business is up and running?"
"I will sign over my share of everything to you, so that you are the sole owner."
Even more surprises. She didn't know if she would be able to take much more.
"In return for?"
"Nothing. Just your happiness will be enough for me."
"Will…this is too much…" Elizabeth mumbled.
Will cupped her face in his free hand, bringing her head level to his.
"I care about you so much, Lizzy." He whispered.
Lizzy. The first time he had ever called her by her familiar shortened name. She pressed her lips to his quickly before drawing back.
"If I agree…we will still have a professional relationship of some degree…" she pointed out.
"As equals rather than me being your employer. If you agree we can make a start on this as soon as next week. If we work fast, we could have the business opened before the two-week Christmas break." Will stated.
"And what of our personal relationship?" Elizabeth asked.
"Moving our professional relationship forward into a partnership where I am merely a silent partner who helps you occasionally is better for our personal relationship. If there are any tensions, we can deal with them together like mature adults." Will replied.
"What about Mia?"
"Mia has already given me her approval on two occasions."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
"She has?" she asked.
Will nodded.
"Yes, the second time she made it quite clear to me that she wants you in our family forever." He replied.
"I love that little girl like my own." Elizabeth breathed.
"I know you do. I've never seen Mia happier in her whole life than when you started working for me four months ago." Will agreed.
She felt a fluttering in her stomach again.
"So, Mia approves. What do you want?" Elizabeth questioned.
"You. I want you. I want to be only with you, nobody else. I don't want to scare you away but I'm in this for the long haul." Will answered truthfully.
Over the weeks since she and Will had shared their first kiss, Elizabeth had grown certain of wanting Will and Mia in her life. But she still stood by what she had said after that first kiss, she needed to put herself first.
"I want you to know that this isn't some rebound relationship for me," Elizabeth said honestly, "I never expected to develop feelings for you after my marriage ended. I wanted to have some me time-"
"And you can with my proposal. This professional opportunity is my way of telling you that whilst I will help you in any way that I can, it is all yours. Not mine. I want you to achieve your dreams, I want you to build something that only belongs to you and I want you to be proud of that. It doesn't matter if you had a little help from me to help you get there. And if an exclusive relationship with me is what you want then you will still have your needs and desires put first. Your happiness is all I want from you, Lizzy. You've made my life and my daughter's so much brighter since you entered our lives. I only want the same for you." Will interrupted.
Her heart was beating against her chest as she smiled at him, a tear developing in her eye happily.
"And what about your dreams?" Elizabeth asked, "I spent so long being the supportive wife whilst never having anything of my own."
"I'm not like your ex-husband," Will assured her, running his fingers through her hair, "My dream is to make you as happy as you make me."
"And the future?"
"We'll take it one week at a time."
Elizabeth moaned softly as she felt him kiss her cheek and made his way down to her jaw and then kissed her neck softly. She closed her eyes and focused on the delightful sensation of his lips on her skin, igniting it like a fire gets ignited with a match.
"What is it you want, Lizzy?" He growled lustfully into her ear.
Pulling back, she gazed at him again, feeling very sure of herself for the first time in what she truly wanted.
"You." She replied, "Just you."
Will captured her lips with his own and kissed her hungrily and the two spent their first night together certain they were on the same page.
ooOoo
The morning sun had crept through a tiny gap in Will's curtain, making him wince as he opened his eyes. Rolling on to his back, Will glanced sleepily at the alarm clock on his bedside table and saw it was nearly seven o'clock on Sunday morning. To his right, a beautiful brunette was still sleeping soundly. The covers wrapped around her body, her bared right leg sticking out of the covers and on top of them. Her wavy brown locks fell down her face and the small part of her back that was exposed. Will grinned to himself as he recalled the events of the previous night. After their talk, they had kissed their way through the house, losing their clothes in a trail behind them as they ascended the stairs. The two of them hadn't held back as they saw each other in the flesh for the first time; he had thought it would be awkward and it was a tad, but they soon got over their mutual shyness.
He recalled the pleasure that he had brought to Elizabeth and smiled, watching her give in to the sweet release only made him want her more. The feeling of being inside her, the connection he had felt to her as he kissed her and moved with her only made him thirsty for more.
Will rolled on to his side and watched her sleep, smiling when he saw her nose twitch. He leaned over and placed a light kiss to the end of her nose, causing her to stir and open her eyes, blinking up at him as he moved back to his side of the bed.
"Good morning beautiful." Will whispered.
Elizabeth let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms out wide before moving into his side and snuggled into him.
"Good morning." Elizabeth said sleepily, smiling up at him.
Will placed a light kiss to the top of her head as he wrapped his arm around her. She shuffled over to him, moving her right leg under the covers and wrapped it over his body. Will lightly ran his fingers down her shoulder and arm, causing her to shiver at the tingling sensation.
"Any regrets?" Will asked quietly.
Elizabeth looked up at him and shook her head.
"I will need some time to think over your business proposal though." She said.
"Take as much time as you need. I want you to be completely sure before agreeing to anything." Will said happily.
"Was last night okay for you?" Elizabeth asked nervously.
"It was better than I thought it could ever be. Although, I may get a slight bruise." Will grinned.
Elizabeth hid her face into his chest as she laughed. When they had fallen on to the bed together, she had moved up to the pillows to adjust their position and as Will had leaned down to kiss her, she had moved her head up and accidentally headbutted his chin.
"I'm sorry." Elizabeth groaned.
"Don't apologise. It makes our first time more memorable." Will teased.
Elizabeth tightened her grip on him with her leg, causing him to release a groan from his lips.
"Do you plan to torture me for that for a while? I feel bloody awful for hurting you!" Elizabeth complained.
Will sat up slightly, looking down at her with a grin on his face. His hand found her knee and made circular patterns with his fingers on her smooth skin.
"I'm sorry." Will smiled.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow up at him, mischief gleaming in her eyes.
"That's not the kind of apology I was looking for." She whispered.
Continuing to grin, Will bent his head down to hers and caught her lips in a hungry kiss, his hands moving to her backside as he moved on top of her; her legs wrapping around his waist as the kiss turned possessive and full of need. Will felt Elizabeth's hands travel up and down his back until he broke the kiss and opened the drawer to his bedside table and pulled out a condom. The kiss grew more and more heated as the two fumbled together to roll on the condom and then spent their morning laughing, moaning and making a good start to the day.