Chapter 160

I come back to the place you are

Noah looked at his son curiously as they pulled into the driveway. Patrick put the car in park and quickly opened his door, springing to his feet. Noah exited the car and followed him up the steps to the front door, admiring the wrap around porch as he did so.

Patrick had called him earlier, cryptically asking him if he was free later in the evening as there was something he wanted to show him. His attempts to get his son to reveal anything had been futile but seeing him now fishing a key from his pocket, it was abundantly clear what it was that he wanted to show him.

They stepped inside the entrance way and Patrick groped for the light switch, illuminating the hallway as he flipped them on. Smiling shyly, he stood in the hallway and gave his father an expectant look.

"So what do you think?" he asked, nervously shoving his hands inside his pockets

"You bought it?"

"No, I've just broken in and am thinking of squatting," he snarked. "Of course I bought it."

With a small smile playing on his lips, Noah held up his hands. "I surrender"

"Sorry" he muttered.

Noah walked from the entrance and walked into the living room, casting an appreciative glance around. Stealing a quick look at his son he noticed the far away, dreamy look in his eyes and felt such a sense of pride at how his son had matured.

"This is quite a place" he told him.

A smile appeared on his face. "Thanks. I think...it's got a good family vibe to it, don't you think?"

He nodded as he followed his son to the back of the house. "Absolutely. What does Robin think? Is she excited?" Noah immediately regretted his questions as he watched his son's face fall ever so slightly.

"I,uh...I haven't told her yet."

Leaning against the kitchen counter, Noah folded his arms across his chest and gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean you haven't told her? You bought this without her?"

"Well no..yes....kind of."

A small smirk crossed his lips and he shook his head. Patrick had always been someone who once he made up his mind charged ahead and expected everyone else to follow suit. It never occurred to him that others might not come to the same conclusions as him. And what he could see right now was that his son was terrified that Robin wouldn't come to same conclusion as he did and was trying to use a backdoor to get there.

"What do you mean kind of?" he asked carefully.

Sighing heavily, he leaned against the large island and pursed his lips together. "Robin loves this house. Almost every time we walked home from the hospital she would make us swing by here to admire the wrap around porch, the large oak tree in the front yard, the painted fence - anything. In my....when I...." He paused, taking a deep breath to steady his quavering voice before speaking again. "When I wrote my will, I made arrangements with the owners of the house to let Robin buy it and I left her the money to do so."

Noah's face remained impassive as he processed the information. Patrick had told him he had written a will and the role it had played in him recovering his memory but hearing him speak of it - of even one particular bequest threatened to stop his heart; he hated being reminded of how close he came to losing his son. Though he told no one, when he closed his eyes at night he could still see his son convulsing on the floor of the bathroom during the Nurses Ball, or banging his bandaged head against a door frame in the hospital as he had gone in search of Robin.

"And you bought it now, without her, because?"

He gave a small shrug. "Because she's not ready but I didn't want to wait. Because I...we...have a child coming and I don't want to bring
him or her home to an apartment. Because it was available."

"Okay," he told him quietly.

"You don't think I should have, do you?" he questioned.

Noah pursed his lips together. "It's not really for me to say. You know your dynamic with Robin better than anyone and while I think she will love the house, she may not be as thrilled with not being part of the decision to buy it."

"But we had talked about it" he protested. "We had talked about buying this very house but then she found out she was pregnant and everything changed."

He could hear the disappointment in his son's voice, knowing how difficult it was for him to be patient. He was, quite simply, a control freak – like his father – and he wanted things to happen on his timetable. It was a remarkable thing to see him struggle against his nature because of his love for another person.

"Do you know when you're going to show it to her?"

He shook his head. "We're….uh…it's….I'm jealous" he blurted.

Noah looked at him wide-eyed. There was little doubt in his mind that his son had experienced many emotions in his life, he had never really been sure that jealousy was one of them.

"Jealous? Of whom?"

"Everyone" he muttered.

"Everyone?"

"It just…it feels like Robin has time for everyone these days but me – she sees Lainey, she's shopping with Maxie, having dinner with Alexis – hell, I walked into Kelly's and she was with Darren." His arms flailed as he paced around the kitchen.

"And you're feeling left out?"

"More like left behind," he spat. "And it's a familiar feeling – one I don't like."

The words had their desired impact and Noah grimaced. No matter how far they would ever come as father and son he knew there was nothing he could do to every fully heal that wound.

He prodded gently. "Have you told her?"

"I'd have to see her," he replied, his face in full pout.

Pulling himself away from the counter he walked across the kitchen and stood in front of his son. "Sport, it is impossible to be all things to your partner in a relationship. You both need to have people to talk to and spend time with outside of each other – it will strengthen your relationship, not weaken it."

Slightly mollified, Patrick took a deep breath. "Did you and mom do that?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. She had her girlfriends and her cousins and I had my friends. There are times when you just want to talk with somebody else – Robin has a lot of friends."

"I don't" he said quietly.

"You never did. You were popular – of course, I blame the dimple."
Patrick smirked. "But you have always been slow to let too many people close to you. I think – if you want my dime store psychological assessment – that because you let so few people in, when you do it's very special. It's hard for you to understand how another person can let a lot of people in and I think what you worry about it what Robin having all these friends means about her feelings for you."

Patrick looked at his father and carefully considered his words. There was simply no replacing the importance of having people in your life who knew you well and understood why you made some of the choices you did without you having to explain it.

"What do you think it means about Robin's feelings for me?" he asked curiously.

Noah smiled and patted his cheek. "I think Robin's feelings for you are separate from her feelings for everyone else in her life. If they weren't so important and special to her, she wouldn't be fighting so hard to get things in order."

"Thanks" he whispered. "I kind of needed that reality check."

"That's what fathers are for – even ones who walked away for a while." Noah let out a slow breath. "Patty I love you and I'm proud of you. This house is beautiful and your family is going to grow up surrounded by such love – keep your focus on that and trust that Robin loves you."

*****

Lying in his bed propped up against a stack of pillows Patrick found it difficult to concentrate on the medical journal in his hands as his thoughts continued to return to his conversation with his father.

Trust that Robin loves you

It wasn't that he didn't trust her love for him, he just worried if it was enough. Was it possible that too much had happened for them to make it and they would be reduced to being co-parents? He wanted it all and wasn't prepared to settle for less; the problem was it was not within his control to make it happen.

Hearing the door to his room creak open, he looked up from the journal and did a double take as Robin slipped inside.

"H-hey" he stammered. He blinked a few times to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

Closing the door behind her she smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Eric let me in."

"How was shopping?"

She nodded. "It was good. It's a good thing Maxie doesn't have my credit limit or she would be in debt up to her eyeballs."

He grinned as he thought of her cousin's taste for things outside her price range. "Did you buy anything?"

Stepping away from the door and towards his bed, she nodded again. "It's kind of why I'm here."

Raising one eyebrow, he looked at her curiously. "Oh?"

Her fingers moved to the buttons on her blouse as she deftly opened all of them in rapid succession letting the silky material fall away and her pink lace bra poke through. The blouse fell to the floor and her hands moved to the buttons on her jeans.

"Robin?" he queried.

With a feline smile she stepped out of her jeans, revealing a complete lack of underwear. "I've been thinking about you and how I want you to touch me" she said huskily, unhooking her bra and tossing it to the growing pile of clothes.

Patrick could feel his arousal harden inside his shorts as he drank in the sight of her standing naked before him; he let his magazine fall to the side as she cupped her breasts and winked at him.

"You're so beautiful" he whispered.

"So are you" she told him, crawling towards him on the bed. "And I'm going to make you feel amazing."

Patrick was not able to respond before she has seized his mouth, kissing him fiercely. Her tongue delved between his lips, sweeping through the velvety softness of his mouth as they tangled together.

He swallowed down a groan as she pressed her breasts against his bare chest. He cupped the back of her head and deepened their kiss before breathlessly breaking apart.

"I th-thought you wanted to wait" he panted.

Pulling back the covers, she straddled his legs as she worked his shorts away from his hips. "I don't want to wait any more" she stated. "I need to feel you hard inside me."

He stiffened almost painfully at her words. "God you're sexy as hell"

He lifted his hips from the bed as she finally pulled his shorts away and tossed them over the side of the bed. A whoosh of breath escaped from his lips as his erection sprang free.

Robin reached for the nightstand and retrieved a condom. Tearing open the small package, she held the top of it delicately between her lips and lowered her head. She wrapped her hand around his shaft and slipped the condom over his head before unrolling it with her tongue, dragging it against the sensitive underside.

"Shit" he hissed as he felt her warm breath envelope him.

Finally let go of him, she raised her and sultrily licked her lips. "I love feeling your hardness in my mouth" she teased.

Unable to take any more, Patrick grabbed her and flipped her underneath him. His lips hovered over hers, his brown eyes dancing with desire. "Any where else you want to feel my hardness?" he asked throatily.

She nodded. "Fuck me" she mouthed.

Not needing a second invitation, he groaned as he claimed her mouth. He thrust deeply inside her and he swallowed down her cry as she felt stretched around him. They moved together in unison, their hips undulating, and their mouths frantically searching each other out. She nipped at his skin leaving a tiny trail of bite marks along his shoulder as they pushed towards the climax.

He kneaded her breasts with a new urgency, desperate to feel her, touch her and taste her. He dragged his tongue along her collar bone before sucking hungrily at the hollow of her neck. She dragged her fingers down his back, urging him to thrust harder. He heeding her request and they filled the room with their cries of passion as they tumbled over the precipice and collapsed together.

They glistened in a sheen of sweat and both panted, sucking in as much air as they could.

"I love you" she whispered against his ear. "I love the way you make me feel."

"I love you too" he told her in a series of shuddering, serrated breaths.

Patrick suddenly woke up and groaned in disappointment at his empty room. He took the journal that had fallen against his chest when he had drifted off and tossed it against the wall in frustration.

Rolling on to his side, he grabbed the extra pillow and tugged it against his chest. He wished it was Robin in his bed and in his arms.

"Soon Robin" he whispered to himself. "Soon."