Thank you once again to the people that commented on the last chapter, they really are appreciated. This one has taken a bit longer as I've been getting other ideas and things. :-) I hope you all enjoy it, as always, comment please if you have time.
Part Six.
A week later, Carla had just got up and was stood in the kitchen making both her and Peter a coffee when he walked up behind her and kissed her gently on the back of the neck. Carla leaned into him with a gentle sigh as Peter rested his hands against her stomach underneath her top. "Morning baby."
"Is that to me or baby baby?"
Peter shrugged, laughing quietly "both?"
"I think we're going to have to find a new pet name for each other."
"Agreed." Peter leaned over and picked up one of the cups before taking Carla's hand as they walked over to sit down on the couch. "What is your plan for today?"
"I've got to go into work for a while and then I might pop into town for some stuff for the nursery so we can find out how much we've got and what else we need. What are you doing?"
"I've promised Simon I'll take him into town to get some things for his room. Why don't you come with us?"
Carla hesitated for a moment before answering, choosing her words carefully. "I'm not sure what time I'm going, why don't you take Simon and have some bonding time and if I think you're still there I'll text you or something to meet you?"
"Yeah alright love. Are you finishing work early today, Frank mentioned something about it."
"I think I'm going to finish at lunch regardless, I need to do some stuff and there's no meeting's booked for today."
"Is Michelle excited about the party?"
"She can't wait. She says she's nervous about meeting Frank's parents and nervous about him meeting her's." she sighed quietly before adding "she has a good right to worry about that though."
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever met Michelle's parents?"
Peter shook his head "no"
"well I think after tonight you will know what I mean."
"How do you feel about them coming over?"
"Strange..."
"Don't worry about it... Here, I tell you what is strange, that they aren't going to meet each other's parents until the engagement party."
"Yeah I suppose that is a bit weird..." Carla hesitated for a second, silently weighing up whether she should say what she was contemplating, before in the end doing so. "I don't want to go."
Peter frowned "why?"
"I am fat for one thing, I'm really tired and I would much rather curl up on the sofa and have a night in with you."
Peter smiled "you're not fat Carla, you're pregnant, and I'd prefer to spend the night in with you but I think we have to go, even if it's just for a little while."
"Right so we need a code."
"How old are you?"
"Old enough to know that you can get carried away and forget that your girlfriend, your very pregnant girlfriend can quickly get tired or bored and I think we both know who wears the trousers in this relationship..."
Peter nodded "I think I wear them very well."
Carla smirked and hit him in the arm playfully "don't start that argument Barlow, I am warning you now you will lose."
"Oh if you say so, Connor."
Carla laughed quietly and Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. "So this code..."
"Is that if I take my bracelet off, it means that I want to get out ASAP, deal?"
Peter nodded "deal"
Carla licked her hand and Peter did the same before they gave each other a high five, both laughed before sharing a kiss and spent the next hour curled up on the couch in a cuddle while drinking coffee.
-
Carla had showered and changed into a pair of black leggings with a pair of her flat boots and a sloppy cream jumper with a black vest underneath. She had tied her hair into a ponytail and put some make-up on before heading out if the flat and to the factory. On getting there she walked over to Hayley and was glad to find that afraid wasn't there.
"Hayley, can I have a word?"
"Yeah of course." she stepped through into the office behind Carla and let the door close as she waited for Carla to let her know what she wanted.
"There are no meetings for today are there?"
"No, the next one is for next week. All that we need to do today is finish an order but I think we're almost there."
Carla nodded, "right, if anyone asks will you tell them that I'm out and if anyone calls just take a message and leave it on my desk."
Hayley nodded "are you alright Mrs Connor?"
Carla nodded "yeah I just have a few things that I need to do." she smiled "thanks Hayles" she added, before turning on her heel, heading out of the factory and into her car.
-
Carla drove for around twenty minutes to get to a small coffee shop that she had used on more than one occasion, and where she had arranged to meet the one person she hoped would be able to help her out of the potential situation where Frank would buy into the Bookies. Her heart beat faster the closer she got to the shop and though she might be able to deny it out loud she knew that she couldn't deny the butterflies that were in her stomach to herself, that seemed to be getting stronger as each moment passed. She was unsure if why she was so nervous but she put it down to wondering what the conversation might consist of and whether she would get the help that she so desperately needed.
After parking the car, Carla walked over to the small shop and swallowed hard before taking in a breath, stepping through the door after doing so. Carla let the door close beside her and it didn't take her long to realize the person she had come to meet was standing by the counter, and from what she could make out flirting with a blonde waitress. The saying that some things would never change seemed very true at that moment in time.
He hadn't changed too much and Carla took it as a comfort, his hair was still that raven black colour the same as her own though it was longer now, and it was styled in a messy yet stylish way. He was two inches taller than her, not that she could tell with the distance between them but it was something she knew from memory. Carla could tell that he was still working out, his physique was what most men would work a lifetime for, but after spending the majority of his time in a prison gym he had gotten it quicker than most. His face was chizzled and handsome, he had slight stubble there and he had a bad boy type swagger about him which had gotten him many female admirers.
Carla made her way over to the counter and she could hear him before getting there, she was sure his voice was deeper and she smirked at his words, he still had the charm that was for sure. Carla stood at the counter beside the man that she had been so close to as a child, but who she had drifted apart from as their lives took very different paths. Carla placed her hand on the counter before speaking, not thinking twice about interrupting the conversation.
"I'll have a cappuccino please, he's paying." she gestured to the man she had stood next to with a nod of her head and the girl behind the counter sighed before turning around and walking off to get the drink Carla had ordered.
On hearing her voice the dark headed male let a small smirk pass his lips and turned to the side before answering, noting that she still wasn't fully acknowledging his presence. "you ask me here for a favour and I'm paying for the drinks." he raised his eyebrow slightly "typical of you that, Car..." he added with a smile.
"Big brothers are supposed to take care of their sisters, so get your wallet out."
"Oh I have missed your bossiness." he shot back in a sarcastic manner.
"Well, you can't have missed bossiness in general, can you? What with you having been inside for the best part of ten years."
As the blonde headed back, Darren spoke again "why don't you go find us a table? I'll bring the drinks over."
Carla gave a sarcastic smile, letting him know that she knew he was trying to get rid of her to improve his chances with what she deemed as a rather average girl behind the counter. She walked over to sit down at a table by the window and leaned back against the chair while waiting for Darren to join her.
As far as Carla was concerned Darren had been taken away from her when he shouldn't have been, of course she knew that what he had done was wrong and that by no means should he have. But, with their lives as they were in the place that they were living she guessed that he hadn't had much of a chance. He had got in with the wrong crowd and had been stupid but he had never been given a chance to lead a life of anything other than crime and things that would get him into trouble and the knowledge of that made her sad.
Carla sighed quietly and pushed her fringe back gently with her hand as Darren made his way back over to the table. He placed the cappuccino she had ordered down in front of her and a coffee down for himself before sitting down opposite Carla. Carla raised the cup to her lips to have a sip of the drink and after doing the same himself, Darren took it upon himself to speak first. "Who'd have thought it, my little sis with a bellyful..."
"Not many. I never was thought of as Mother material."
"Who's the fella?"
"No one you know. How are things for you anyway?"
Darren shrugged "as good as they can be for an ex con I think."
"So not that good then..."
"What was the favour you wanted?"
Carla decided against questioning Darren about his not so subtle change of subject of the conversation and answered his question. "It's a big ask..."
"Well we're here, you might as well just ask."
"Have you got a job?"
"I'm meeting you here at half twelve on a weekday, what do you think?"
"A simple yes or no would have done." She had a little more of her drink before speaking up once more "I might be able to help you out with that for a while."
"How?"
"My boyfriend owns a Bookies, and he needs someone to run the place after I've had the baby so he can have some time off. He was going to ask his parents but they could probably only cover for around a few weeks and then he would have to go back to work and he wants longer off. We need someone there we can trust, so..."
Before Carla spoke again, Darren interrupted and spoke up himself. "So you thought of me? You need someone you trust and you thought of your jailbird brother."
Carla sighed "you're still my brother Darren..."
"Alright..."
Carla raised her eyebrow, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips "alright?"
"Alright I'll do it. You just let me know when you need me and I'll be there."
Carla smiled and nodded, biting down on the inside of her mouth for a moment "thank you..."
Darren had some more of his coffee and though he didn't say it he was really glad that he seemed to be making progress with Carla and he hoped that by helping her out it would be the first step to them building up a relationship again. "So I'm going to be an uncle?"
Carla nodded "in just over two months, yeah..."
"Are you excited?"
"Yeah, I'm getting more and more nervous the closer it gets though."
"Well you know if you need anything you've just got to pick up the phone..."
"I think I've already asked enough."
Carla had a little more of her drink and Darren shifted in his chair slightly. "How long have you got?"
"Not as long as I'd like, I've got to go into town and I've got to go to an engagement party tonight."
"Who's?"
"Paul and Liam's sister, Michelle..."
"Oh yeah, who's she marrying?"
Carla bit back a remark she knew she would regret. "My boyfriend's cousin, Frank."
Darren gave a subtle gesture to the waitress he had earlier been flirting with "I think she might think we're together..."
Carla raised her eyebrow a little "she can't possibly think that."
"Why?"
"My taste in men might not be of the highest standard Darren, but it's not that bad." she smirked and he gave a sarcastic laugh. "Oh hilarious."
Carla out her jacket on and got up from where she was sitting, she placed her bag over her shoulder and stepped over to where Darren was as he got up too.
"Text me and let me know what's going on..."
Carla nodded "I will..."
Darren then wrapped his arms around her and she returned the cuddle before offering a small smile as she walked out of the cafe and back to her car. Carla was apprehensive about letting Darren back into her life and she guessed that it was due to what Frank had done. She hated herself for feeling like she did, he was her brother and she was second guessing whether she had done the right thing in getting back in touch with him.
Carla got back into her car and drove back the way she had come to go back into town, she hoped that she had made the right decision in asking Darren to help and she hoped that by doing so it would out a stop to Frank's plans of buying into Peter's business. As she was driving into down, Carla frowned as her phone buzzed against the passenger seat in the car to indicate that she had a message. When she stopped at some traffic lights, Carla smiled as she opened it, it was from Darren and it read:
"I meant what I said, if you ever need anything just text me. I've missed you."
Carla knew that Darren was by no means known for showing his feelings, he was labelled cold, a little like her, so the text meant even more to her. Though her life had seemed to get worse after Frank had been brought into it, she guessed that getting back in touch with Darren was her silver lining.
-
When Carla arrived back from town she had decided against saying anything to Peter about where she had been or what she had done that morning. They had to go to Frank and Michelle's engagement party and she knew that was more than enough for them to have to deal with for one night. After getting a shower, Carla had changed into a pair of black leggings with a white tunic style dress that flowed over her neat bump and stopped halfway down her thighs. She then curled her hair loosely and moved to sit down to do her make-up when Peter walked through into their bedroom with a towel around his waist after getting out of the shower himself. Carla spoke to him while he began getting dressed "how did your shopping trip with Simon go today?"
"It went well; I think we've got everything we need for his bedroom."
"So all you need to do now is to decorate it all."
Peter nodded "I just need to paint his room and then sort out the furniture."
"You have a busy day tomorrow then..."
"It would seem that way. Have you got plans?"
Carla shook her head "not really, I might stay in and help you."
They shared a smile through the mirror before Carla finished her make-up and Peter did his hair.
After doing her make-up, Carla slipped into a pair of black shoes that came to just above her ankle and had a considerable heel. After spraying some perfume Carla turned around and called out to Peter who was in the bedroom. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah." was all Carla got in reply and it was a few moments before he walked out of the bedroom and into the living area of the flat in a pair of dark jeans and a white shirt. He was met by a wolf whistle from Carla. "Very handsome." Peter laughed "you don't scrub up too badly yourself love..."
"Oh you have such a way with words."
Peter laughed once again as he put his black coat on "come on."
Carla put her own coat on before she left the flat with Peter and after locking it they walked over to the Bistro that Frank and Michelle had booked out for their party. Carla swallowed hard and held Peter's hand a little tighter as they stepped into the building, it having been changed a little too how it was on a normal day. The chairs and tables had been moved so there was a dance floor, Nick having been told to make sure it was how Michelle wanted and she had made it plain that having a space to dance was top of her list. The music was fairly quiet as they stepped inside, though it was loud enough to hear over the chatter of the people that were already there, it seeming that Carla and Peter were two of the last to arrive.
The girls who worked in the factory were sat with Sean, and Nick, Eva and Cheryl were making sure things were running smoothly. Carla noted that Norris was sitting with Emily, Rita and Mary, quite the ladies' man was her thought and at it she had to stop herself from chuckling. Carla offered a small smile as she was greeted by Hayley who was going back to the table with the factory girls after getting more drinks and she offered a small smile as Maria and Kirk made their way inside. Carla noted that the majority of people on the Street were there and she guessed it was due to the free bar, she wondered how many people would be there if it wasn't and more importantly who would still be if they knew what Frank was really like.
The table in the middle was the biggest one and sat at it were Michelle and Frank, beside was Michelle was her dad and beside him was Helen. Ken and Deidre were also sitting at the table and who she guessed were Frank's parents were just taking their seats. Carla noted there were two seats remaining which she guessed were for them and she sighed quietly, wishing they could have sat somewhere else and at least tried to make the night even slightly bearable. Just as Carla was thinking about sitting somewhere else she heard Frank speak in their direction.
"Carla, Peter..." he smiled and Carla hated the smugness that was behind it. As they reached the table, Frank passed an orange juice to Carla which she reluctantly took and though she tried to avoid it, his fingers brushed hers as she took the glass. Carla had to bite down on the inside of her lip and had to consciously stop herself from flinching at the contact, the slightest touch enough to make her stomach churn and the nausea she felt that night come flooding back with a vengeance. Frank passed a glass to Peter who thanked him before making his way to the two seats that were left at the table. Peter's had fell to the small of Carla's back as she stepped in front of him to greet Michelle with a kiss on the cheek.
Carla was introduced to Frank's parents by Michelle and after she had been she turned to Helen and Barry to greet them as Peter engaged in conversation with his aunt and uncle. Carla gave a small nod of acknowledgement and as she had expected it was Barry who spoke to her first.
"Carla" he smiled, "how are you?"
Carla leaned over to kiss him on the cheek and nodded before speaking "tired most of the time." she smiled and he laughed.
"Congratulations love."
Carla smiled "thank you." she then turned to Helen and offered a small smile, unsure of how she would react with her, given that the last time they had spoken, Helen had told Carla that she hated her. "How are you?" Carla questioned, though it was directed to them both.
"As good as we can be with two of our sons no longer here." Helen snapped bitterly.
"Don't mum..." Was Michelle's reply as she heard what her Mother had said and Carla sat back slightly, deciding against trying to make any more conversation. Carla fiddled with her bracelet unconsciously and when Peter noticed he gave her a gentle nudge which caused her to frown. After a moment Carla realized what he was silently saying and she smiled as his hand found her own, lacing their fingers.
Carla turned to the side slightly as Deidre spoke to her, things weren't perfect between them but she was thankful that things were civil. "How's the nursery coming on love? Peter mentioned something about working on it last time he was around."
"It's alright. It took a while to separate it into two rooms but they're painted now, so it's just a case of setting things up and finding out what we've got and what we need."
"Well if you need a hand with anything let us know."
"Thank you." Carla nodded, the offer unexpected but appreciated nonetheless.
A couple of hours later the place was more lively and louder that it had been with people having had more to drink. Carla wondered if the night would have been more bearable if she'd have been able to have a glass of wine, though she knew she wouldn't have stopped at one, the way she was feeling she would have probably struggled to stop after one bottle. Frank playing the life and soul of the party was making her sick, but she could do nothing apart from sit and listen to it. Peter got up to go to the toilet and Carla finished what little orange juice she had left in her glass before getting up from where she was sitting after excusing herself from the table. She walked towards the bar but was stopped in her tracks when she felt Frank's hand on her arm. Carla moved back quickly almost as though his touch had burnt her "get off of me."
"Calm down, you don't want people getting suspicious now do you?"
"You what?"
"Well you are carrying my baby, by anyone's standards that's pretty big." he smirked and Carla had to bite back a reply as Peter walked over in their direction. "Alright mate?" was Peter's comment and Carla wanted to shout at him that Frank wasn't his friend that he was anything but his friend. As she felt Peter's hand on the small of her back she tried to get rid of her thought, she knew the trouble her revelation would cause would be unimaginable and though Frank was using that to his advantage, she was terrified of what the consequences might be if she was to tell Peter the truth about his cousin. "Do you mind if I whisk her off for a dance?"
Frank shook his head "I might take a leaf out of your book myself."
Peter laughed a little and then turned to Carla as Frank walked back over to where Michelle was talking to Helen and Anne. Carla turned around as Peter took her hand and led her over to the dance floor with a smile playing on his lips. She turned around in his arms so that they were chest to chest and let her arms drape around his neck, standing as close as she could due to her growing bump. They swayed gently for a few moments before Peter whispered into her ear "I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you."
Carla ran her hand over his hair gently "I love you so much."
Peter smiled and nodded in agreement at her statement before they shared a tender kiss.
Unbeknown to them, Frank had made his way over to the dance floor with Michelle and though he was slow dancing with her, he was taking more notice of what Carla and Peter were doing. It might not have been the case, but that didn't stop Frank from thinking whenever Carla and Peter were together around him that it was a personal insult to him, like she was rubbing his nose in it. Although he would never admit it to himself, since he had attacked her he had become more and more obsessed with her. He still wanted her, even after everything that had happened. It was like he craved her. Frank couldn't deny that he was jealous when he was around Peter and Carla, she was head over heels for him and it was plain. She tasted so sweet and the knowledge of how she was struggling with what had happened gave him an overwhelming sense of power, the knowledge that he could wreck two people's lives with a few choice words and break one of the strongest people he had ever met all added to the thrill of what he was doing and secretly got him going. Frank wanted Carla Connor again and he had every intention of making sure he had her, whether she consented or not.
A/N; I know we don't know too much about Darren yet, or even whether he is older or younger, so for this fiction I've just done what suited me. :-)