Seventeen.

Present Day.

Seventeen minutes past eleven, and this time Courtney was calm as she waited for her husband to come home. She wasn't angry that he hadn't called. She knew he was going to be late. He always was. She was just annoyed that it took her so long to realise.

As she sat there waiting patiently, she didn't worry about what or who he was doing. She didn't think to call him and ask where he was, because it didn't matter. Not anymore.

A few more minutes ticked by and Courtney heard someone fiddling with their keys at the door. She sat up straight as the door knob turned and Robert walked in, briefcase in hand.

"You're still up," he stated. Courtney gave him a thin smile.

"I wanted to talk to you," she told him simply. Robert sighed.

"This couldn't wait until the morning?" he demanded. "So I work late most nights, you knew this would happen when I took the job. What do you want from me?"

Usually his aggression would upset her and she'd feel the need to fight back, but tonight was different. He had no idea what was about to happen. "No that's not what I want to talk about," Courtney said calmly. "You can come home as late as you want. You can sleep with whoever you want."

Robert gave her a look of confusion. "I'm not following."

Courtney gave a short laugh. "I'm leaving you, Robert," she finally told him. "Neither of us are happy in this relationship. I want a divorce."

It was only now that Robert noticed little things that were missing from the house. Ornaments, photos and other décor that Courtney had brought into the relationship were all missing.

"Right now?" he asked, incredulous. It didn't make any sense to him for her to be in such a rush.

"I'm staying with Heather tonight. We'll discuss the terms of our divorce later." Courtney sighed and gave him a smile. "Thanks for three years of bullshit." She gave him a peck on the cheek and walked out the door for the last time.

Courtney took a deep breath as she walked up to Duncan's house. She couldn't remember a time she had been this nervous. There was still time for her to turn back and forget it ever happened. And go back to what? she thought. She finally reached the door and hesitated before knocking. She heard footsteps and shortly after, Duncan answered the door.

"Princess!" he greeted her, his usual smirk on his face. But she could see right through his cool façade. He was ecstatic to see her. "I was starting to think you wouldn't show." By which he meant he was worried she'd gone back to her husband and forgotten about him completely. It had been a couple of weeks longer than she had intended.

Courtney swallowed. "Can I come in?" she asked. The smirk immediately vanished from Duncan's face as he realised this might not be the visit he was expecting. He nodded anyway and moved aside to let Courtney in.

"Can I get you a drink or something?" Duncan asked as they walked to the kitchen. Courtney shook her head and sat down on one of the bar stools by the counter.

"I shouldn't stay long," she said. This made Duncan even more worried. He sat down next to her.

"Well are you okay?" he wondered. "I mean it has been almost a month since I saw you. I know you messaged me but you're freaking me out here."

Courtney took a deep breath and sat up confidently. "I broke it off with Robert," she told Duncan. "Neither of us were happy and I know that's what was best for the both of us."

"That's great!" Duncan replied, laughing a little. "That means we can be together."

Courtney gave him a look to say that wasn't all. He stopped smiling as he waited for her to continue, but she wasn't quite sure how to word what she wanted to say.

"The thing is, I just ended it with someone I'd been with for six years," Courtney began. "I just don't think I'm ready to go straight into another relationship."

Duncan nodded, disappointment in his face. "Right."

"But really, how would it have worked anyway?" she wondered aloud. "I have a job in the city and you have your mom here. Where would we live? Neither of us could leave and I just…"

"I get it," Duncan interrupted. She could tell he was sour about it. "So what now?"

Courtney hesitated. "Well there's something else," she continued. "I still want us to be friends. Or at least, you need to be in my life."

Duncan glared at her. "Why would I need to do that?" he demanded.

"I'm pregnant," Courtney blurted out. This caught Duncan's attention. He looked down at her belly and back to her face.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Courtney nodded.

"That's why I waited so long to come back. I wanted to know if it was a false alarm or if it was real," she told him, her eyes starting to fill with tears. She wasn't quite sure if they were happy tears or sad ones, or even if it was just the hormones. "But it's real, you're going to be a dad."

Any sadness Duncan had been feeling before instantly vanished. He stood up and moved towards Courtney to touch her belly. Courtney couldn't help but smile at his touch. "I still love you, you know," she whispered. "And I want us to be together again, some day."

Duncan nodded and she gently kissed his lips, his hand still on her belly. "I want that too."

Five Years Later

"Don't forget to pick Martha up from school today," Courtney reminded Duncan, the phone clamped between her ear and shoulder as she hurried around her office searching for case files and other important documents. "I don't want her waiting out the front of the school for half an hour like last time."

"That happened one time," Duncan told her, rolling his eyes. "I'll be there, don't worry. What time do you get off work tonight?"

"Five, but I have orchestra practise until seven. You don't have to worry about cooking dinner for me," Courtney said. Ever since she'd ended her relationship with Robert, Courtney had finally found balance between work and the things she enjoyed. She wasn't paid for being in the orchestra, but they often entered competitions and it was a good feeling to be doing something she loved, just for her.

"Great, I'll see you tonight then," Duncan replied. Courtney hung up the phone and collected all of her papers for the board meeting. She felt bad for dumping all of the parenting duties on him like that, but for the first three years of Martha's life, Courtney had been doing all of those tasks. It had been a real strain on her work performance. It wasn't until a year and a half ago when Duncan's mother passed away that they moved in together and he took over all of the menial parent work.

Besides, when she was at work she really didn't have time to worry about whether or not Duncan could handle running his record company, Joe's diner, and taking care of their child.

That night when Courtney got home from orchestra, she noticed that all of the lights were off. She knew Martha would probably be in bed already but it seemed strange that Duncan wouldn't be still up. She kicked her shoes off at the front door and placed her briefcase and violin down before walking to the kitchen to heat up some leftovers.

When she got to the kitchen, however, the dining table was decorated with candles and roses, and a hot meal was waiting for her. Duncan was sitting at one end of the table and he rose when she entered.

"Duncan, what is all this?" Courtney asked in awe. She couldn't remember the last time someone had done anything like this for her. Which made her very suspicious.

"Courtney," Duncan began. "I know you refuse to say that we're dating, even though we've been living together for over a year, neither of us are seeing anyone else, and we have sex sometimes..."

"I just don't want things to get confusing!" Courtney defended.

"They already are," Duncan countered. Courtney rolled her eyes and Duncan went on. "The point is, even though things aren't exactly perfect, you've been there for me through everything that's happened. When Ma died, when I was having trouble trying to be a parent... And I want to be there for you for the rest of our lives."

That's when Courtney finally realised what was happening. She gasped as Duncan got down on one knee and pulled out a beautiful diamond ring.

"Courtney Matthews, I love you so much," he told her. Tears had started forming in Courtney's eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Courtney put her hand to her mouth as the tears started flowing. She nodded, hardly able to breathe. "Yes," she managed to choke out. Duncan stood up, smiling, and gently slid the ring onto her finger. He pulled her into an embrace and she hugged him back as tightly as she could.

And in that moment all Courtney could think was how after all this time, she was finally happy.

So there you have it! Sorry it took me so long to finish, but it's done now so I hope you're all happy with how it ended. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and supporting me, you've all been great! Until next time, xoxo