Chapter Thirty-One

Kurt has spent the day feeling guilty for missing their dinner last night, so he decided to make up for it tonight. The lunch dates have turned out to be difficult to keep, but the evenings belong to them and he feels like it's time to bring some romance back into their marriage.

He appreciated that Diane didn't give him a hard time about staying with Miranda for so long yesterday, but he is also aware that it cannot happen again. He plans to talk to Miranda and ask her permission to bring Kenny with him the next time. He is his father, she has to trust him with their son. If Diane still doesn't feel ready to meet Kenny, she doesn't have to, but she will hopefully appreciate him not spending time with his ex anymore.

On his way home from the store he drives by the florist and it hits him that the last time he bought a flower there for his wife was on the day he found out about his son. Then he even left the rose behind and Diane never got it. He thinks it's time to make up for that too and makes a stop to buy that rose once again.

By the time Diane arrives home the dinner is already in the oven and the smell of the roast beef fills the air. He goes to greet her at the door and hands her the red rose, which brings a smile to her lips. He is sure she knows what the flower represents and she thanks him with a kiss he is happy to return.

Once they are sitting at the dinner table, enjoying their meals, Kurt feels it's the right time to say what has been on his mind all day.

"I finally realized something yesterday. I don't want to spend any more time with Miranda." He pauses for a few seconds, to give more emphasis to his words and it's easy to tell she likes hearing his statement. "I'm going to ask her to let me bring Kenny with me."

"You want to bring him here?" Her expression along with her voice reflects the panic that suddenly takes over her due to his ultimatum, so he rushes to make clear he didn't mean it that way.

"It's up to you. I'll only bring him here if you are okay with it. I won't force his company on you," he promises, hoping she appreciates the gesture, even though he would want her to be okay with meeting Kenny. She has been putting it off for way too long.

"I know I can't avoid meeting him forever. He is a part of your life and I'm sure it would be a pleasure spending time with you two." Her positive attitude gives him some hope and he is confident that it would only take a few minutes for Diane to learn to love Kenny. He has the ability to charm anyone as most kids do and she wouldn't be unaffected by that either.

"I'm sure you'll learn to love him once you get to know him," he says it out loud, his voice full of hope that the two most important people in his life would easily bond, which would make him completely happy.

"I know I haven't been coping too well with his existence and I've been giving you a hard time, but I'm willing to change. I want us to be happy again." She reaches for his hand on the table, restoring the intimacy between them with a single touch.

"I want nothing more." He presses her hand with a wide smile on his face and he fully believes they will be able to achieve that if they both take the necessary efforts.

They continue their dinner in silence and Kurt can hardly contain his excitement over the opportunity to introduce Kenny to her.

"Will wants to start his own firm and he asked if I'm interested in joining him." Diane's words sound hesitant, as if she isn't sure whether or not to bring up the subject right now. But this is exactly what they need to do, talk about things and he has counted with the possibility of something like this happening for quite some time now.

"What did you say to him?"

"I said I don't know. I have a job after all. One doesn't leave a Supreme Court seat just like that." He understands her confusion, that probably her mind and her heart would give two different answers.

"It's your decision," he says with a supportive smile, not wanting to influence her in any way.

"I know, but how would you feel about me leaving the bench?"

He appreciates that she asks, even though he wouldn't dare to talk her out of anything and she knows that she doesn't need his okay. But he is willing to give it to her nevertheless.

"Whatever you decide, I will support you," he promises and he can see that she acknowledges his reply.

"I miss being a lawyer, having my own firm," she admits with visible regret in her eyes.

"I know," he puts his hand on hers and their eyes lock for a few seconds. "Think about it," he tells her softly and she nods in reply.

While the finish their dinner he often rests his eyes on her, enjoying their time together. They needed to have a pleasant meal and talk about things exactly the way they did. He's glad the timing was right tonight and he believes that they were able to make a remarkable progress in a short while.

When both their plates are empty, he leans in to place a kiss on her lips that she returns with a passion that has also been missing from their relationship lately. The last time they made love is still a riddle in his head, he isn't sure if it was guilt that turned into passion on her side. But as he stands up and pulls her in his arms now there are no questions in his mind. He feels that tonight they made the first step to find back to each other, because they both want the same thing, to fix what was almost broken.

And once she is lying in his arms and he is enjoying the closeness of her body, listening to her breathing, playing with a strand of her hair, he is feeling a kind of happiness he hasn't felt in a long time.

A/N: And the end is almost here. I think you can all guess what happens in the last chapter, which is going to be posted soon. ;)

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the guest reviewer who only started reading the story this week. Your review made me really happy, thank you! 3