Chapter 47

"Did you get everything?" Roman asked them.
"Yes, popcorn three types, chocolate, marshmallows, non-alcoholic wine, assorted sweets and cakes, sodas, juices!" Nic said.
"Thank you." He told her giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Is she.." Annie started to ask.
"She's still asleep I checked on her five minutes ago." Roman told them. "It really is ok she just needs some extra rest, remember we didn't get home until nearly 4am and she was up cooking at 10am this morning." He told them.
"We did kinda wear her out." Ruby said guiltily.
"Nonsense," Ella said from the doorway of the bedroom. She pressed a hand to her belly. "It's this one that's doing that."
"Hey." He said to her.
"What's this? Have you been plotting something?" she asked.
Roman smiled at her.
"Nothing sinister. We thought we would have a night watching some films with you and not drag you out."
Her eyes flashed at him.
"We bought Chocolate." Nic told her. "We're going to change into PJ's and make dad watch chick flicks."
Ella laughed and walked over to Roman.
She held out her hand and he pressed a bar of chocolate into it.
"Anything except the Notebook." He warned.
Ella and Nic looked at each other and laughed.
"Now what pizza would you like?" Roman asked.
She glared at him some more before conceding.
"12" vegetarian." She told him.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before picked her up and placing her on the sofa. The girls covered her with a blanket.
"I don't have a say in this do I?" she asked.
"No." Annie told her.
She laughed and gave Annie a quick hug.
"Fine." She said unwrapping the chocolate bar and taking a bite.
She heard Roman ordering lots of pizzas and she smiled when he asked for Pete to deliver them.
The girls came back a moment later bringing out a couple of beanbags form Mike's room and wearing their night clothes and dressing gowns. They went back and grabbed blankets too.
"Dad are you going to get changed?" Nic asked.
Ella nodded.
"That might not be a good idea Nic." She told her.
"Why?" Nic asked then realised. "Oh!"
Annie and Ruby burst out laughing and Nic had to hand over money to them.
He chuckled at her.
They put on a film, selecting Gladiator to start off with.
Roman got them all drinks and organised the snacks before coming over and joining them.
"Russell Crowe?" he asked El and saw her blush.
"I think you might find the batman films there too!" she confirmed looking at him.
"Any Arnold Scwartznegger?" he asked.
She nodded.
"A couple. I have the Terminator Films." She told him smiling.
"I suppose you have some with George Clooney in too?" he said.
She nodded again.
"All of the Ocean's films and a few others. I like Brad Pitt too." She said softly trying not to grin.
He laughed and kissed her before leaping over the back of the sofa to sit next to her. He held out his hand and she put hers into it letting him hold her hand.
When the pizza delivery arrived, Roman got up to answer the door and Nic took his place on the sofa. She grinned at him when he frowned over at her.
"Hey Mrs Harris." Pete called from the door.
"Hey Pete." Ella replied.
Roman paid for the pizzas and brought them over to the low wooden coffee table. He returned to the kitchen and topped up drinks before bringing a pile of napkins and plates.
"Nic." He said.
She smiled at him.
"Yes Daddy." She said.
"Move." He growled.
"But I'm comfy." She murmured.
Ella laughed.
Roman leant over the back of the sofa and picked Nic up and lifted her out of the way before he leapt over the back again and took the place she had been in.
Ella giggled.
He mock growled and kissed her.
"You do realise that Nic has made plans to live with me in case we ever split up." Ella told him. "I don't know quite how Geoff will feel about the arrangement though."
Ruby and Annie laughed.
"In case we split up?" Roman asked raising an eyebrow. "Are you planning to leave me?" he asked.
"Depends on whether Christian Bale becomes available really." Ella told him giggling, "Or maybe if Brad and Angelina split."
"Fine. Be like that. But be warned I get custody of Miles." He told her.
"Ouh! You are playing dirty aren't you?" she told him still giggling. "Ok you get Miles but I get Summer Bay. You'll have to move. And I want a Half share of your portion of the diner!"
He laughed.
"As long as you know you'll have to pay me palimony for Miles." He told her.
"You just want to be careful I don't cite your other woman, Colleen, in the divorce petition." She said to him.
They looked over at the girls to see that they were laughing hysterically.
"Custody of Miles?" Ruby asked puzzled.
Ella laughed and explained.
"When we met up again Roman told me that he had sorta adopted Miles."
"What is this again business? I've been out of the Bay for a long time." Ruby told them.
"Ella and my dad met a long time ago." Nic told them. "Ella's brother was in the army same as my Dad." She filled her in. "And she has a son called Mike. Well he's her nephew really but she adopted him."
"That's so not any clearer!" Ruby told her.
Roman handed Ella a plate with some pizza on before getting his own.
They shared a look.
"Roman and I knew each other in Afghanistan a long time ago. My brother was in the same unit. We hung out. My bother was married and his wife was pregnant. But he was killed and just after the baby was born my sister-in-law died so I adopted Mike." Ella told them.
He leaned over and touched the dog tags she was wearing and kissed her.
Nic and Ruby shared a look.
"Are we supposed to believe that you just knew each other?" Ruby asked.
They helped themselves to Pizza.
Annie laughed.
"That's as much as you are going to get so you can hand over the money." Ella told her with a grin.
Ruby shrugged and handed over the money to Nic.
They finished watching the movie and the next one before Ella started to drift to sleep.
"Time for bed?" he asked her and she nodded to him.
"Ok Girls we're going to bed, Why don't you go into Mikes room if you want to watch more movies." Roman told them.
Nic stood and placed a kiss on Ella's head.
"Night Step-mama." She said.
The other girls followed suite before disappearing into Mike's room. Roman cleared away the debris of the evening before lifting Ella up and taking her into the bedroom.
She snuggled close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I'm never leaving you." She whispered.
"I don't care you aren't going to trick me into giving you Miles." He replied hearing her giggle.
He lay her in the bed before undressing and climbing in beside her. She turned and put her arms around him. He pulled the covers over them and found himself falling asleep with her in his arms.