CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

THE NEXT MORNING

Martha stretched out her arms; also letting out a loud yawn. She rolled her head to the side and smiled when she saw a sleeping Jack. She thought he looked so cute when he slept. She also smiled when she thought back to what she and Jack had just done a couple of hours beforehand.

They'd finally gotten the chance to be intimate again; and it had been amazing. The night had started off pretty rough; Martha had trouble getting Laila to sleep. And she kept crying. Finally at three am, she had drifted off. But by then, Martha found that she couldn't sleep, so she had woken up Jack for a bit of fun. He was pretty thankful for it too. Martha giggled when she remembered back to the look of excitement that he'd had on his face when she had told him what she wanted to do.

Martha jumped up out of bed and quickly put on her pajama shorts and singlet. She then took a quick peek into Laila's crib; she was still sleeping peacefully.

Martha heard a groan coming from the bed; Jack was waking up. Martha scooted back over and jumped on him; straddling his waist. She leant down and kissed him softly. As she pulled away, Jack's eyes flickered open.

"Morning," Martha smiled as she leant down and kissed him again.

"Hmm, I wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning," Jack exclaimed.

"It could be arranged," Martha flirted.

Jack smiled up at her. "Thanks for this morning. It was great," he told her as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It was totally worth the wait," he grinned.

"Definitely," Martha exclaimed. She then kissed him one more time before jumping up. "I'm going to go and grab a quick shower before Laila wakes up," she told Jack and practically skipped off towards the bathroom.

Jack sat up and reached down onto the floor for his boxer shorts. No sooner had he pulled them on, he heard a cry coming from the crib. "You deliberately waited until your mother left, didn't you?" he laughed as he pulled Laila out from her bed.

He rocked her in his arms until her cries stopped. He then moved back to the bed; lying down and placing Laila on his chest. He rubbed her back, and a few minutes later she drifted off to sleep again.

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Jack had to go to work later on that morning, so Martha invited Macca around for lunch and to keep her company. Not that he was paying much attention to her anyway; he was too busy cooing over Laila.

"You have got to be the prettiest girl I have ever seen," he smiled down at his niece as he held her in his arms. "I think we're definitely going to be beating the boys off with a stick," he said.

Martha laughed. "Hey, she has a cop for a father; we have a baton. I'm sure that will be enough to keep them away," she said.

"So, it's only a month to the big day," Macca started. "Getting cold feet?" he asked.

"No way," Martha shook her head. "This is what I've wanted my whole life. There's no way I'd get cold feet. Plus, I've got the greatest guy in the world, so I'm all good," she exclaimed.

"Well, if you're happy, I'm happy," Macca told her.

"I am," Martha nodded. "So, how long are you staying this time?" she asked.

"A month and a half," Macca answered. "I think that takes me to about two weeks after the wedding," he told her.

"And what about Greg and Davie; when are they getting here?" Martha wanted to know.

"They won't be arriving until about two days before the wedding," Macca replied.

"Good," Martha exclaimed. "I'm really looking forward to seeing them. And I can't wait until they meet Jack and Laila," she continued.

"They are going to love Laila," Macca said. "But I'm not too sure about Jack," he teased.

"Shut up," Martha poked her tongue out.

"I'm just kidding," Macca laughed. "Jack's a top bloke. You've done well," he told Martha.

Martha sat down next to Macca on the couch. "Oh, you put her to sleep," she smiled, when she noticed that Laila was now dozing. "Thanks. I think she really likes you," she said.

"She more than likes me," Macca smirked. "She loves me. All the girls do," he said in a matter of fact tone.

"You're such a loser," Martha exclaimed with a laugh.

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A WEEK LATER

It was early afternoon and Martha was at home by herself; folding up some laundry. Jack had just left for a walk; he'd taken Laila to the beach.

Martha heard a car pull up in her driveway. It sounded like her grandfathers Ute. Her suspicions were confirmed when Alf appeared at the door about a minute later.

"Hi grandad," Martha smiled.

"Hey love," he said as he walked in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How are you?" he asked.

"I'm good," Martha answered. "Actually, I'm great. Everything is just perfect," she told Alf.

Alf grinned. "Well, how about I make things even better," he said.

Martha looked at him suspiciously. "What have you got planned old man?" she said cheekily.

"I've brought a visitor with me," Alf stated.

"Really?" Martha was confused. "Well, where is this visitor?" she wanted to know.

"Right behind you," a cheerful voice said from behind her.

Martha smiled. She knew that voice. She spun around quickly.

"Mum," she squealed excitedly as she moved towards her.

"Hey sweetie," Roo smiled as she pulled her daughter in for a warm embrace.

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NEXT CHAPTER: Anotherreappearance. Who will it be?

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