Hello guys, I'm back again!

Thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm thrilled you're enjoying this so far :D

Now, consider yourselves lucky, I didn't think I was going to get this chapter out as soon as I have done. Turns out, I didn't have quite as much to edit as I thought!

Hope you all enjoy!

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Chapter Three: Sentimental Heart

Rachel breathed an enormous sigh of relief as the bell sounded for the final time, bringing an end to the school day. She signed her name for what seemed like the hundredth time and sat back in her chair, glancing towards the clock. Three hours until Eddie's train arrived back in Rochdale, it seemed mad, they'd not even been apart twenty-four hours and yet, she missed him so much. The brief, yet enforced, separation had however, allowed Rachel the space to contextualise their relationship. She felt ready to take the next step, whatever that was.

Despite her certainties about their relationship, a sense of nervousness fluttered in the pit of Rachel's stomach at the thought of breaking her pregnancy news to Eddie. Most men she'd had relationships with fled at the slightest sign of commitment; she hoped her gut instinct was right and Eddie would be different.

Rachel glanced at the paperwork-strewn desk and tidied up as much as possible before picking up the pieces that needed filing. She strode across to the cabinet, filed them, then strode back to her desk. A few letters that needed posting, the office essentials and her laptop were all that remained on Rachel's desk. Joyce had sourced a vase for Eddie's flowers and they sat in the corner of her office; every time she looked up from her papers, she'd seen them and smiled.

As Rachel shut her laptop down for the day, she noticed a figure stood at the doorway in her peripheral vision. It was Phillip and a warm smile crossed Rachel's face as they made eye-contact, "how was your day?" she questioned.

"You sound like Mum when you say that," Phillip replied.

"Sorry, just interested, that's all,"

Phillip nodded before casting around for a change of subject, then he saw the flowers, "who sent those?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Phillip realised he may as well have saved his breath. The smile that tugged at Rachel's lips served as a dead giveaway. He knew of only one person who made his Aunt smile like that, "who do you think?"

When Phillip didn't answer, Rachel busied herself with putting her laptop away. Afterwards, she crossed the room, taking the flowers and wrapping them in that days' newspaper for the drive home. She shouldered her laptop bag first, then picked up her handbag and flowers before heading out. Phillip opened his mouth, thinking he should at least offer to carry something, anything, but decided against it. He stepped out beside her and Rachel locked the door before heading out of the office, their weekend started now.

Rachel wrapped a towel around herself upon emerging from the shower; her hair was damp, but not wet enough to justify taking a hairdryer to it, so she left it. Upon re-entering her bedroom, Rachel opened the wardrobe, then selected a pair of jeans and a casual white top. Satisfied with her choice, she returned to the bathroom to towel-dry herself and re-dress. Several minutes later, she emerged once more, fully clothed and glanced at the clock upon her bedside table. Rachel realised she needed to get a wriggle on so she picked up her phone, stashed it in her jeans pocket and headed out onto her landing.

"I'm now heading off to the station to meet Eddie," Rachel informed Phillip as she poked her head around the living room door, "I'll be back soon."

Phillip glanced briefly in her direction, "see you in a bit Rach,"

Rachel withdrew her head and picked up her car-keys from the sideboard. Eddie's flowers now sat in a vase beside her phone, so she would see them and remember his gesture whenever she returned in the next few days. She opened up the front door and stepped out onto the doorstep, closing and locking the door behind her. Rachel pushed the button to open her car doors and soon after getting in, the engine hummed into life. Moments later, she drove off. This time, she was not heading for Waterloo Road, her destination was Rochdale station, and Eddie.

Rachel glanced at the clock upon her car radio as she parked up. It was now 5:55, the minutes ticked by so much faster now compared to earlier that day. Just five more minutes, or however long it took for the train to arrive, until she could see Eddie again. As she wandered onto the platform, her thoughts returned to her pregnancy and how to broach it with Eddie. Rachel eventually decided playing it by ear was the best solution, she'd somehow steer the conversation towards her game-changing news. In Eddie, she'd confided things that no-one else knew about her, why would this be any different? She loved him and believed he deserved to know about their unborn child too.

A train horn sounded in the distance, pulling Rachel from her reverie so she moved closer to await the arriving train. Her heart pounded as she watched scores of suited city types disembark whilst waiting for one man who'd stick out like a sore thumb against that crowd. Moments later, Eddie stepped off the train, holdall in hand, his gaze searching for one person and his lips curved into the biggest smile upon spotting her. Rachel's gaze met his and her breath hitched in her throat as they stared each other down. As the gathered crowds thinned, Rachel moved forwards, pulling him into a tight embrace, reciprocated by Eddie. Upon pulling away, he fixed his gaze upon her, "I've missed you so much, Rach."

Rachel laughed and stood on her tiptoes, leaning her forehead against his, "same here," she murmured.

Eddie smiled before draping an arm over Rachel's shoulders, "did you get my flowers?" he questioned as they walked towards the car-park.

Rachel nodded, glancing up at him as they continued walking, "they are gorgeous Eddie, thank you," she replied, her eyes alight with all the happiness she felt in that moment.

Once they got to Rachel's car, she opened up the boot, thus allowing Eddie to dump his holdall before getting in. "Eddie," she called over.

He glanced over at Rachel whilst closing the boot, "yeah,"

A small, child-like pout formed on Rachel's lips, "I never got a… oh, to Hell with it."

Eddie frowned in confusion but that sense receded as she approached. In one swift motion, her arms encircled his neck, pulling him forwards, into a passionate kiss. Eddie's lips curved upwards into a smile and she pried them open as his hands cradled her waist. Both were blissfully unaware that their passion-fuelled moment was being filmed from a nearby vehicle…

Upon pulling away, Rachel smirked up at him, "that kiss was well worth the wait," he commented.

"I should think so," she replied. Rachel relinquished her hold and pushed the button upon her car-key to open the door. Eddie climbed into the passenger's seat whilst Rachel did the same round the other side. Both were just about to belt up and start the journey to Rachel's house when her hand on his thigh stopped him in his tracks. "Tell me what happened at dinner last night, with Alison."

The gentility in her tone put no pressure on Eddie to talk, but it was something he needed to share, they didn't keep secrets from each other. "Her latest bombshell, you mean?" he replied, Rachel nodded but didn't interrupt, "she's met someone, they're getting married and talking about moving down South with Michael."

Of all the things Rachel had expected from Alison, that wasn't among them. At that point, her next move would be to offer some words of comfort but none sprung to mind. He'd built a relationship with Michael, Rachel set the wheels in motion for that and now Alison could take it away a second time. The prospect of not seeing the young lad anymore broke Rachel's heart, but her own emotions paled into insignificance when stacked against Eddie's. "I told her about us as well," he added, trying to lighten the mood.

A slight smile crossed Rachel's face, "how did she take it?"

"Better than expected, she reckoned she picked up on something between us the day she dumped Michael on me. Wondered what took us so long too."

Rachel had no answer for Eddie's words, they both knew why it took them so long to reach this point; the initial animosity, her past, the fire, her insecurities, Melissa. So many obstacles to overcome, but they'd done it.

Rachel took advantage of the silence and rested a reassuring hand against Eddie's cheek, stroking a thumb across it. As their gazes met, she recognised this to be the moment to take the next step. Rachel moved forwards, pressing her lips gently to his and permitting Eddie a brief reciprocation before pulling away. Her forehead came to rest against his, then she spoke again. "I love you, Eddie," Rachel uttered in a voice no louder than a whisper before pulling back, "whatever happens, we'll deal with it, OK?"

With a nod of agreement from Eddie, the conversation came to its natural conclusion. Rachel's hand found his and clasped it in her own, allowing her thumb to stroke over his knuckles as she returned a gesture he'd made four weeks previous. On the night of Phillip's party, she'd gotten worked up about the number of students strutting up her driveway to join in. Eddie calmed her down as she contemplated ditching their date to play bouncer instead.

In the present day, Eddie's right hand gripped Rachel's left as he gazed into her beautiful doe-like eyes. "I love you too, by the way," he eventually murmured in response to Rachel's declaration.

The grin she threw in his direction did more to lift his spirits than anything else would, "I don't doubt it."

At that, silence fell between the couple, Eddie trusted Rachel implicitly and knew they'd deal with the situation. Somehow, everything would turn out OK, he felt sure of it.

Having decided against cooking that night, Rachel stopped off at a local takeaway en route home to pick up some pizzas for herself and Eddie. Ham and mushroom for Rachel, pepperoni for Eddie. Phillip, she presumed, would get something while he was out with Bolton and Paul.

Rachel noted the living room lights were still on when she pulled up, meaning Phillip hadn't yet left to meet his friends for the evening. Once they'd gotten out and Eddie had retrieved his holdall, she locked the car up and they both approached the front door. "Phillip!" Rachel called as she opened the front door.

"Still here!" he called back.

Eddie stepped over the threshold behind Rachel, closing the door behind him. He glanced at the flowers on the sideboard, then captured Rachel's gaze before he spoke, "you put them there?"

At his words, a grin spread across Rachel's face, "where else would I put them? I wanted to put them somewhere prominent, so I'd see them every time I come home."

Eddie's expression mirrored hers as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "who'd have thought it eh? Rachel Mason has a sentimental heart," he teased.

Rachel dug an affectionate fist into his ribs as she broke away, "I'm hungry, plate up the pizzas, please."

Eddie nodded, depositing his holdall beside the stairs, "shall I pour drinks too?" he asked whilst taking the pizzas from Rachel.

There was a pause before she answered, she had to think fast, "I'll sort them,"

Once again, Eddie nodded, pressing a soft kiss to her lips before wandering into the kitchen to plate up their pizzas. Rachel stepped into the living room and from the set-up, surmised that Phillip hadn't moved since she'd left to meet Eddie. His gaze veered away from the TV as the door opened, "you OK Phillip?"

"Yeah, good," Phillip replied as he rose from the sofa, "I'll go say hello to Eddie, then I'm heading out."

"OK, any problems, call me, yeah?"

Phillip nodded and Rachel stepped aside, allowing her nephew through; he soon found Eddie and she caught small scraps of their conversation through a gap in the door. Soon afterwards, Rachel joined them, "I'll leave you guys to it," Phillip said, deciding then to take his leave, "have a good night."

"You as well Phil, see you later," Eddie called after him.

Seconds later, the front door shut as Phillip left, leaving Rachel and Eddie alone. He moved forwards, once again wrapping his arms around her waist. "Alone at last," he murmured before pressing a soft kiss to her neck.

Rachel giggled, "you've got me all to yourself tonight, Lawson,"

"Lucky me," he muttered before kissing her once more.

There was a brief reciprocation from Rachel before she pulled away, "dinner, I'm hungry," she reminded him. Eddie grinned, pushing her plated up pizza towards her, "I'll sort drinks, you sit down."

For once, Eddie obeyed, settling himself on a stool at Rachel's breakfast bar. Seeing this as an opportunity to appreciate what was in front of him, he seized it. Every movement she made entranced him; from the way she raised herself onto her tiptoes to get the glasses from an overhead cupboard to the way she bent over the fridge to retrieve their drinks. A can of beer for him, cranberry juice for her. He'd noted that ever since they'd got together, she kept a few cans in the fridge; for those nights when he'd come over instead of taking her out. Eddie frowned as Rachel poured her juice, she wasn't reaching for the wine as normal and that surprised him after such a long week. It sent alarm bells ringing in his head, was she ill and worried about telling him? He made a mental note to ask her later.

Eddie glanced down at Rachel as the movie credits rolled; they'd long since demolished dinner and retired to her living room afterwards to watch a movie. His hand caressed her side through the thin cotton of her t-shirt as Rachel snuggled further into his embrace, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Ever since she'd poured the cranberry juice before eating, Eddie had kept a discreet eye on what she drank. She hadn't once filled her glass with red wine, opting instead for the cranberry juice each time. Once again, alarm bells rang as he contemplated why she steered clear of the wine, the most obvious of all didn't even spring to mind. Finally, he bit the bullet, asking a question that had been on the tip of his tongue all evening, "Rach, are you OK?"

Rachel rolled onto her back, glancing up and into Eddie's eyes. She saw all the emotions he fought to keep at bay in his expression; the curiosity, worry and anxiety. She could no longer keep the secret, she had to break the game-changing news now. "Eddie, I'm fine… but there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it Rach?"

She sat up, prompting Eddie to do the same, "before I go on, promise you won't go mad at me,"

He moved closer, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, "why would I go mad? What do you need to tell me?"

As Rachel gazed into his eyes once more, she saw everything; the confusion, worry and anxiety remained. Desperation crept in too. However, amongst all that, there was no mistaking the love and understanding in his handsome face. "I'm pregnant, Eddie."

So, how's Eddie going to take Rachel's game-changing news? Review, and I promise you'll find out soon. Not sure how soon though, I've got the next chapter written but ideally, I'd like to get another chapter or two written too before I post it, so I don't keep you guys waiting too long for updates beyond that.

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