Sorry to everyone who has been waiting for this – I stupidly left my laptop power cable half way across the country after the Christmas break. I was going to post the rest as one chapter but thought I would split it into two so that I could get something posted straight away. The last chapter will follow this one.

Chapter Five: Anticipation

The hallway suddenly seemed narrow and constricting as Sam stepped back through the door and steadied himself. He felt the walls closing in on him as he thought of what lay ahead, he composed himself. He had to do this, he had to step up and be the man his mother had bought him up to be.

He found his mother alone in the kitchen drying up the remaining pots and pans from the meal. He grabbed a cloth and began to help.

"I told Naomi to go and spend some time with her granddaughter, she has done more than enough this evening." Marion smiled as she ran the cloth over the damp pan handle before placing it on the table ready to be put away.

Sam felt like a small boy again, pestering his mother in the kitchen and being called upon to help with the washing up. He wasn't a boy anymore, he was a man, a strong man, a man who was usually so sure and confident – that was what he needed to be now.

"Mom," Sam said as he took a large intake of breath "I'm going to tell you something and, and I need to you to realise that Naomi and I, we never meant to hurt you or disrespect you, that in not telling you we were trying to protect people that we care about, that we love."

Marion stopped what she was doing and looked at Sam, giving him her full attention.

"Naomi and I are divorced." Sam's voice came out stronger than he had expected, he sounded almost confident, decisive – he had expected his voice to be a whimper, just like it was when he was 12 and told her he'd punched a boy at school.

"I know," Marion replied with air of simplicity before reaching for another glass from the drainer.

"You knew?" the tone of Sam's voice had risen slightly now but was filled more with awe than surprise.

"Now you know Catholic priests are partial to a good bit of gossip Samuel" Marion's voice chastised him but never lost its kind tone. "and well, it was only natural that Maya turn to me when you and Naomi divorced"

Sam felt a burst of shame and regret – Maya had lived through the divorce too and of course she had needed someone to talk to.

"Why did you….why didn't you say anything?" Sam questioned as he watched his mother dry a fork and drop it into a nearby drawer.

"I knew you'd tell me when you were ready" Marion replied, in a voice that reminded Sam that she knew him better than he knew himself.

"But divorce, you always said…." Sam was surprised by his mother's reaction, by her non-reaction.

"I always said a lot of things Samuel," Marion said, a hint of exhaustion in her voice "and I believe in the sanctity of marriage but I also believe in happiness. I like to think I bought you up to follow your heart Sam, to be a good man and do the right thing – you could have stayed in your marriage, you could have carried on being unhappy for years but you were smart enough to know, to follow your heart and to give yourself and Naomi another chance, another chance to be happy."

Sam was shocked by his mother's words – it was as if in that moment he had suddenly come of age, as if he had been let into a place in her life that she had kept private and guarded.

"But you knew coming here would force me to tell you" Sam said, feeling his mother was open to discussing this with him.

"I came here to see my granddaughter," Marion corrected him "if you hadn't told me things would have been just the same – I knew you'd come to me when you were ready. I raised you to be independent Sam – and you always were"

"You raised me to be man, Mom and I'm grateful for that, I'm proud of who I am and where I've come from. Just the same as I'm proud of my family, of Maya and of Olivia," Sam wanted to tell her she'd got it right, that she'd bought him up to be all she had envisioned, that he was strong and independent. "And I follow my heart and my heart has lead me to my second chance"

"Well Maya certainly likes her," Marion said in a matter of fact way "although I hope she's usually more relaxed than she was this evening"

Sam smiled, after Marion's first reaction he had half expected that his mother already knew.

"So Maya told you about Addison too" he managed to smile as he felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders.

"Maya told me a lot of things," Marion smiled as she put down the cloth she has holding and moved closer to Sam. "You're exactly the man I raised you to be Samuel and I'm proud of you. You've put your family first and you've seized your chance at happiness." She said lovingly as she fiddled with the collar of his t-shirt "I did have my doubts back there" she smiled "sending Addison off to spend Christmas alone with only Amelia to share it with."

A grin spread across Sam's face – his mother really didn't miss a thing.

"It would be nice for me to meet her properly tomorrow – if she doesn't mind that is, I promise to lay off the questions about her ex-husband" Marion said with a glint in her eye. "Now go," she instructed in her best motherly voice "you can't put a girl through an evening like that and then just send her home alone" Marion smiled.

Sam dropped the cloth he was holding onto the kitchen table and leant forward to place a kiss of Marion's soft cheek.

"Thank you" Sam's voice was fuelled by the overriding respect he had for his mother. "Will you come to dinner at mine tomorrow?" he smiled in response to his mother's earlier request

"I'd love to" Marion smiled.

After taking the precaution of texting Addison, in order to prevent a repeat of the embarrassment he had suffered the last time he had tuned up at her house unexpectedly, Sam quietly pulled into Addison's driveway. He could hear the TV purring quietly in the corner as he entered the lounge.

"Hello" Addison's voice came from the kitchen where she was preparing two glasses and a bottle of wine.

Sam, happy to hear her soft voice, made his way around the kitchen counter "Hello" he smiled as he put his keys down on the kitchen side before standing in front of her and running his hands over her hips and along the side of her body.

Addison's skin immediately reacted to his touch as a tingling sensation swept across her body. Sam's hands began to explore her back and shoulders, he wanted to feel every part of her – sometimes he felt as if the past few months had been a dream and touching her reminded him it was real, reminded him that she was his, that he was allowed to touch her, to kiss her, to show her how much he loved her.

"I told my mom about us" Sam whispered as he moved closer to Addison, bringing their lips close to touching but maintaining a tantalising distance between them.

"and?" Addison's voice shook a little.

Sam couldn't help but let his award winning smile take over his face, he let out a small laugh before saying "Maya had already told her"

Addison couldn't help but let a laugh escape from her lips as Sam broke the news. They both looked at each other with relief and amusement plastered on their faces. Sam looked at Addison as she laughed, it hadn't thought it possible for her to be any more stunning but as he watched the way she laughed with her eyes he was taken aback once more by her beauty. He moved his lips even closer to hers and her lips changed from a smile to a tremble as they awaited his kiss. He could feel her jagged breath on his face and he was overcome with the need to feel her skin on his. He closed the remaining space between them and kissed her slowly and lightly, inviting her to kiss him back. Her lips responded almost instantly, she returned his kiss with giddiness as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. With unexpected force Sam lifted her off the floor and push her onto the kitchen counter she had been leaning against, he positioned himself between her legs as he undid the top button of her shirt and pushed it off her shoulders, revealing her tanned shoulders and black bra straps. Addison's breath snagged in her throat as Sam began to kiss her neck and shoulders, she was reminded of the time he had kissed her on the deck after she'd told him he was 'good cake', the night he had been unable to control his emotions and had thrust her against the fence before holding her firmly and kissing her with a passion they'd both been trying to hide. She was bought back to the present as Sam's tongue traced circles around her ear – they didn't have to hide their passion anymore, they were free, free to kiss each other, to be together, to make love to each other; they were free to spend the rest of their lives together.