Chapter 15:

Weeks went by and during that time, the three of them had settled into a routine. Word had got around about Carla and Frank's engagement and their new responsibility. People were surprised at first but soon got used to seeing the three of them around the street together on a regular basis.

They seemed like the the perfect little family from the outside. However, behind closed doors things were a little different. Carla still had doubts about the upcoming wedding whilst Frank still quietly fretted over Carla's feelings for Peter every time he saw them interact. Rachel - whilst she was mostly a happy and carefree child - still had not quite warmed up to Frank fully but she started to gradually get used to him being around.

One morning, Frank was awoken by a tiny arm whacking him in the face. He grunted and opened his eyes. He carefully moved the appendage and sighed when he looked over at Carla who had Rachel wrapped up in her arms.

Frank nudged her slightly in order to wake her up, "Carla!" He whispered out. His fiancé groaned but made no attempt to open her eyes. "Carla!" Frank called a little more loudly.

Rachel let out a small whine, "no, I don't want to go to school today." She moaned now somewhat awake but not quite. She rubbed at her eyes and squinted. Rachel lifted her head and came face to face with Frank who gave her a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing in here, blondie?" He questioned her.

Rachel shrugged and snuggled back into Carla's chest so she didn't have to look at his disapproving face. "Couldn't sleep." Came her muffled response.

Frank huffed, "we've spoken about this, Rachel. You're a big girl. What would your friends say if they found out you slept in our bed almost every night? They'd call you a big baby." He lectured.

Rachel let out a louder whine which finally woke Carla from her slumber. "Morning, sweetheart." The dark haired women greeted and kissed the crown of the girl's head. "Did you sleep ok?"

The blonde child looked up at Carla and gave a small nod, "yeah."

Frank scoffed, "I'm glad someone did. For once it would be nice not to be hit in the face first thing in the morning." He announced pointedly.

Carla gasped and craned her neck to look at him, "Frank!" She scolded.

"What?!" He exclaimed but didn't shout, "this is the third time this week."

Carla sighed and looked at the girl in her arms, "baby, why don't you go into the living room and watch some cartoons? Frank and I will be out to make breakfast in a minute." She said softly.

"Ok." Rachel agreed and climbed out of the bed. She then trotted out of the room with a pep in her step.

Carla made sure Rachel had left before turning over to face her partner. "Do you have to be so insensitive?" She asked.

Frank shook his head in dismay, "I don't see how me wanting to sleep in our bed with you and you alone is insensitive. Kids Rachel's age don't sleep with their parents and you shouldn't be encouraging it." He told her.

Carla sighed and wrapped her arm around his torso, "I'm sorry, darlin'. She had a really nasty dream last night. I could hear her sobbing and I couldn't just leave her."

Frank grunted, "well I think we should start looking into therapists for her. We can't carry on like this. What if one day she walks in on us…you know…" he trailed off awkwardly.

Carla chuckled, "oh god, she would be scarred for life!" She stated. There was a moment of silence before she sighed and spoke her next words, "I don't think we need to think about therapy just yet. I mean, she is still getting used to being here. It hasn't even been a month yet. We need to give her time."

"Mmm," Frank hummed, "I suppose. It would just be nice to not have to worry about being assaulted first thing in the morning in my own bed." He joked.

Carla tutted and planted a kiss on his lips, "you are such a drama queen. Come on, we best go get some breakfast on. I'll make the coffee whilst you-"

"Do all the cooking?" Frank teased.

Carla gasped offended and swatted his chest with the back of her hand, "oi, cheeky! I can cook. I just choose not to." She quipped before getting out of bed and sauntering out of the room.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, they all had their own little activity. Rachel would look over at the TV every so often to catch bits and pieces of whatever cartoon she had left on. Frank read a newspaper whilst Carla got a head start on catching up on some work emails on her phone.

Carla glanced up from her phone and tapped Rachel's shoulder when she realised the child had been looking at the TV for far too long instead of eating her breakfast. The girl turned and tilted her head questioningly. "What?" She asked.

"Eat please or that TV is going off. You're breakfast is getting cold." Carla stated.

Rachel sighed but chose to listen as she scooped a mouthful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. She then focused back on Carla, "can we have Chinese for tea tonight? It's been ages since we've had Chinese." She enquired, a pleading tone in her voice.

Frank stepped in at this point, "you know the rule, blondie. Saturday is takeaway night." He told her, not looking up from his newspaper.

Rachel rolled her eyes which didn't go unnoticed by Carla who gave the girl a pointed look. "None of that, miss sassy pants. Frank's right and anyway, it's yours and his day remember? Have you thought about where you might like to go after school?"

Carla's idea of setting aside an afternoon for the two of them hadn't gone down well at first but Rachel soon got used to the Friday afternoon outings. It helped that Frank always ended up spoiling her and Rachel would often return home with a small gift.

Frank put his newspaper down and looked at the girl, "I was thinking maybe bowling?"

Rachel scrunched up her nose, not liking his suggestion. "I don't like bowling." She deadpanned and then her eyes widened, "what about ice skating?! Faye went with her mum last week and she won't stop talking about it. I've never been before."

Frank didn't think ice skating had ever really appealed to him, even when he was a young lad. He was about to veto the idea when his eyes landed on the puppy dog expression Rachel was sporting. They may not see eye to eye and the atmosphere may have been a little awkward between them but he had to admit to himself that he had a little soft spot growing for the child.

He turned to Carla who just shrugged. She tried not to get involved when the other two discussed how to spend their time together. It was her way of trying to get them to bond. There would eventually come a time when they would have to figure things out for themselves.

Frank sighed and nodded his head in Rachel's direction, "ok. Ice skating it is."

Rachel let out a loud 'whoop' and did a fist bump. "Yay! I can't wait! Thanks, Frank."

Carla gave Frank a subtle wink before addressing the excited girl, "right, are you done with that breakfast? It's time you got ready for school."

Rachel glanced down at her plate which just contained a rasher of bacon and some little bits of egg. "Yeah, I'm done." She said and decided that was her cue to skip off towards the bathroom in order to get ready for the day ahead.

Frank swallowed his mouthful of coffee before commenting lightly, "you know, I think that's the most positive conversation I've ever had with her."

Carla gave him a soft smile in response. "See. What did I tell you? I think she's starting to come around to you being a part of her life. I think you've made her week by agreeing to ice skating." She then let out her infamous laugh as if something had just occurred to her.

"What? What's so funny?" Frank asked.

His fiancé waved her hand in his direction and was able to contain her mirth. "Oh nothing. I just had a mental image of you on the ice with Rachel trying to hold you up." She teased.

Frank scoffed, a tiny hint of defence could be heard in his tone when he replied, "oh please. It will more than likely be the other way round. I'll have you know I have impeccable balancing skills." He told her.

Carla hummed as if she didn't believe him, "if you say so. Just make sure neither of your fingers get sliced off if either of you do fall over. I could really do without a trip to A and E." Suddenly, another more serious thought popped into her head, "make sure you're back by five thirty at the latest. Jackie is coming round for a home visit. She was good enough to agree to an evening visit when I explained to her that you took Rachel out for a treat every Friday after school and I don't want to to let her down."

Frank mock saluted, "aye aye, captain. I'll make sure we're back by quarter past. How does that sound?"

The co owner of underworld grinned and nodded, "that would be perfect." She told him.

Frank wasn't lying when he said his balancing skills were good. He was standing on the ice with no problems and was able to keep a steady position. Meanwhile, Rachel - in her eight year old innocence - had underestimated how hard the activity of ice skating really was.

"Come on, blondie. Take my hand. I won't let you fall." Frank called over and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the little girl who clung onto the ice rink wall.

Rachel shook her head and looked around at all the other kids and adults on the ice. Faye had told her that skating was dead easy and that she had even managed to learn how to skate backwards. Why couldn't she even go forwards? Every time she tried, it felt like she was going to topple over!

"No. Just give me a minute. These boots are hurting my ankles. Maybe we got the wrong size?" Rachel eventually replied.

Frank gave the child a sympathetic smile and slowly skated over towards her. "You're feet just have to get used to them. Now come on. Hold my hand and we'll do a lap together. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time. Our session is only an hour and we've been stuck here for ten minutes already."

Rachel peeked up at the man in front of her before looking out on the rink once more. She took in a deep breath before closing her eyes and grabbing onto Frank's arm with both hands.

The factory co-owner smiled in triumph. "That's it. Come on just follow my lead. You kind of have to kick backwards but not too fast. We'll go slow at first until you get the hang of it." Frank told her and they slowly began to shuffle along the outskirts of the icy surface.

After a couple of laps, Rachel had picked up sufficient skating tactics for her to get the confidence to skate independently. She found herself skating a lap with Frank not far behind her. The smile on her face was like nothing Frank had ever seen before and he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of satisfaction.

"Can you take a picture so we can show CC?" Rachel asked when they had eventually stopped to take a small rest.

Frank nodded and took out his phone. "Ok but don't come too far away from that wall. I'm going to have to step back a bit more so I can get a full body shot." He told her.

The child plastered a teeth baring grin onto her face and was able to get herself into a position where it was obvious she wasn't holding onto anything. Frank took the picture and then skated back to her to show her the shot.

Rachel smiled up at him after seeing the photo, "that's so cool. Let me take one of you now!" She near demanded.

Frank chuckled and handed her the phone, "don't drop it." He warned.

The girl rolled her eyes in exasperation, "I won't!" She insisted and quickly took a photo of the man just as a couple where skating by.

The man and woman stopped and the female addressed Frank, "it's so nice seeing a hands on dad. Would you like me to take a picture of the both of you together? I'm sure your little girl's mother would love it."

Frank glanced towards Rachel who just shrugged. He then turned to the woman and nodded as a way of a reply. "That would be great. It's so kind of you to offer." He said.

Rachel handed the woman Frank's phone and said, "don't drop it!"

The man and woman laughed as did Frank when he realised the girl had just repeated the exact words he had said to her. He then proceeded to put his arm around the little girl's shoulders and although Rachel didn't immediately stiffen, she still did not make an effort to reciprocate the loose embrace.

"Ok, say cheese!" The woman called out to them and took a picture once the man and child had smiled in her direction. She then took a moment to admire her photography skills before handing the phone back to its rightful owner.

Frank glanced down at the small screen and smiled. He then showed the girl beside him who nodded as if to say 'that's a good one'. Frank looked over to the woman and gestured to the phone. "Thank you. I'm sure my partner will have these photos framed in no time." He said.

"You're welcome." The woman responded, "enjoy the rest of your daddy/daughter date." And with that the two strangers skated off hand in hand.

Rachel scrunched up her nose and looked up at the man beside her, "why did she keep calling you my dad? You could be my uncle or something." She pointed out. Although she had been having fun, she would rather have spent the trip out with Carla. She certainly wasn't ready to accept Frank as a father figure. In her mind, he was still just the man who her CC was going to marry.

Frank shrugged, "people just like making assumptions. They don't need to know our life stories." He told her. He then checked the time on his watch, "right, we have fifteen minutes left and you probably don't want to waste those minutes talking. I'm sure we could squeeze in a couple more laps in that time."

It was then that Rachel caught sight of a little girl a couple of years younger than her in the middle of the rink. The younger child was clearly in the middle of a lesson. It was safe to say that she had experience on the ice as she skated through some cones with practiced ease.

Rachel's eyes widened and she tugged on the sleeve of Frank's jacket, "look! That little kid is in the middle! I wanna try skating over there. If she can do it, I bet I can!" She exclaimed.

Frank shook his head, "no. You're staying by the wall. Maybe after a few times of coming you can try the middle but not today." The last thing he needed was for Rachel to get injured. Carla would kill him!

Rachel frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, "no fair." She grumped.

"Life isn't fair." Frank responded with the age old adage. His phone decided that was the right time to blare out his ringtone. He looked down at the device and sighed when he saw that it was a client calling. The man looked at the child and held up the phone. "I have to take this call. It's about work. Don't move from this spot." He told her before answering the call.

"Frank Foster." He skated over to the wall of the rink and leant against it so that he was looking away from the other skaters as he listened to the person on the other end of the call. Rachel watched him for a few seconds and once she was sure he was preoccupied, she skated towards the rest of the more experienced skaters in the middle section.

It all happened so quickly. One minute she was happily skating along at a leisurely pace but then she decided to attempt to go a bit faster. The blade of her boot got stuck in some ice and before she could do anything about it, she fell onto the cold surface. Rachel let out a scream as her ankle gave way from beneath her.

Frank finished up his phone call and turned, expecting to see his foster daughter exactly where he had left her. His heart stopped momentarily when he realised Rachel wasn't there. That's when he heard the loud sobbing and followed the sound with his eyes which widened after spotting Rachel sat on the ground clutching at her ankle.

The panicking man wasted no time in skating over to the girl who, by now, was being seen to by the couple who had taken the pictures of the duo. "Rachel!" Frank called out.

Rachel's head snapped up in his direction. Tears were streaming down her face as small hiccuping sobs escaped her lips, "Frank, it hurts!" She cried.

Frank looked at the man and gestured to the kid on the ground, "could you help me get her up?" He requested.

The man nodded, "sure."

The two men then took hold of a little arm each and brought Rachel into a standing position. Rachel squealed and would have fallen once more if she hadn't of been held up.

Frank took that as his cue to hook one arm behind the back of the girl's legs and the other behind her back. He then lifted her up towards his chest. "Ok, I think we need to get you checked out. I'm sure there's a first aid room here." He mumbled more to himself and gave the man and woman a grateful smile as they helped him get off of the ice.

As soon as they got to the spectators area, Frank sat down on a chair with Rachel in his lap so that he could take off the skates on his feet. Once that was done, he lifted the sniffling child into his arms again and was on his way to find a member of staff.

Not long after locating someone, Frank found himself with a first aider who gently removed the skates from Rachel's feet. She hissed a little when the one on her injured limb was removed.

"I know, love. It must hurt." The female member of staff spoke as she removed a small sock.

Frank winced when he saw the huge bruise already forming around the ankle area and waited with bated breath as the woman examined the injury.

She looked up at him and gave Frank a reassuring smile, "good news, I don't think it's broken. It's probably just a really bad sprain."

Frank sighed in relief, "thank god. I would have been dead if it was anything worse." He admitted.

"I wouldn't worry too much. I see these things happen all the time. Your little girl should be back on that foot in a few days."

Rachel sniffled and looked at Frank, "can we go home now? I want CC." She whimpered.

Frank nodded and lifted the girl into his arms once again. It shocked him a little when her little arms went around his neck. "Come on then, blondie." He then looked at the first aider, "thank you."

The woman smiled and nodded in acceptance of his thanks, "you're welcome. Just keep a closer eye on her next time."

At this light hearted warning, Frank gave Rachel a pointed look and the girl looked over the man's shoulder so she didn't have to face him. She hated that he had been right and the fact that he had to carry her but she knew that she wouldn't be able to walk on her own. Her foot was throbbing and all she wanted to do at this point was go home and be with her CC.

Frank and Rachel arrived back at the flat just after five thirty. He managed to unlock the door one handed with Rachel still in his arms. The girl insisted on trying to walk but he wasn't having it. She was still clearly in pain and he would have only gotten a scolding from Carla if he allowed her to put pressure on her injured foot.

It looked like he was going to get a minor tongue lashing anyway by the look on his fiancé's face. The door opening had caught the attention of both Carla and Jackie. The social worker greeted the pair with a smile whilst Carla wordlessly walked over to them with her arms crossed.

"Where have you been? Quarter past five you said. It's now five thirty five!" She whispered harshly, glancing over her should to make sure Jackie hadn't heard her.

Frank closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before responding. "I know. We got held up." He whispered back.

Carla scoffed and shook her head disbelievingly, "held up? I can't wait to hear the excuse you've conjured up-"

"I fell over." Rachel spoke softly and held her arms out towards Carla who finally was able to register the fact that the child was allowing Frank to actually hold her.

The woman's mouth fell open as she took the girl into her own arms. She brushed some hair out of Rachel's face and that's when she saw that her usually pale skin was blotchy and her eyes were red raw.

"Spill." Was all Carla could muster as she focused once more on her partner.

Frank heaved a sigh and put his hands in his pockets. "I turned my back on her for two minutes and blondie here decided to take the opportunity to go wondering off on her own, didn't you?" He explained and raised an eyebrow towards Rachel who looked away from him and instead chose to play with the necklace around her neck. "She must have lost her balance and twisted her ankle." Carla opened her mouth to interject but he quickly held up a hand, "before you say anything, yes I got her checked out. It's just a sprain. No broken bones."

Carla let out a puff of air in relief and pouted at Rachel, "my poor girl, how about we get you settled on the couch and get some ice on that ankle?" She suggested and Rachel nodded in agreement.

Carla then walked over to the living area where Jackie was patiently waiting for the trio. "Sorry about that. I just needed a quick word with Frank." She told the other woman as she glanced over at the man in question who had gone over to the kitchenette in order to make some beverages and procure an ice pack from the freezer.

"Honestly Carla, it's fine." Jackie dismissed her apology with a wave of her hand. She then turned to Rachel who was now propped up on the couch with her legs resting on Carla's lap. "Hello, Rachel. I heard you and Frank went ice skating. Did you have fun?"

Rachel shrugged, "yeah but I fell and hurt my ankle." She said and promptly winced as she watched Carla take her school shoe and sock off of her injured foot.

Carla was able to withhold a gasp at the swollen and bruised ankle and panic set in when she saw that Jackie was examining the injury herself. What if the social worker thought herself and Frank were incapable of looking after Rachel? This would be the second time the little girl had gotten injured whilst in Carla's care.

However, relief coursed through Carla when Jackie spoke next. "That doesn't look too bad. I'm sure after a few days rest you'll be back to full health."

"That's what the first aider said at the ice rink." Frank commented as he came over to the seating area with a tray which contained some mugs and the ice pack for Rachel's foot. He handed Carla the cold package before taking a seat beside her. "Sorry for being a little tardy." He added on.

Jackie once again waved away the apology, "it's fine. Anyway, the reason for this visit today is more of a chance for me to catch up with the three of you. Think of it as an informal chat." She then turned her attention to Rachel, "how have you been, Rachel? Do you like living here with Carla and Frank?"

Rachel nodded, "yeah and I like my new school too! I have a best friend called Faye. She lives right next to CC's factory. Everyone's been dead nice. Uncle Sean and Auntie Julie - they work at the factory - are always making me laugh." She rambled excitedly.

The adults laughed at the child's exuberance and Jackie nodded along. "That sounds brilliant. I'm glad to see that you're settling in and meeting lots of lovely new people." She then turned to the couple, "what about you two? How have you both found the changes in your lifestyle? I know you're both busy running a business. Does that come with any challenges?"

Carla and Frank both shook their heads in the negative and looked at each other. Carla was the one to speak for the both of them, "to be honest it's been almost like a walk in the park. It definitely helps that we're our own bosses. We tend to alternate who goes to meetings and if one requires the both of us, Roy and Hayley have still been a great help as well as Faye's mother. It also helps that Rachel is a brilliant kid."

Jackie smiled and took some notes before she focused once more on the foster parents, "I couldn't help but notice the ring on your finger."

Frank grinned and wrapped his arm around Carla's shoulder's. "We got engaged the day Rachel officially came home. We've decided that we want to be a proper stable family and what better way is there than to get married." He told the social worker. Neither he nor Jackie noticed the small flash of discomfort that came across Carla's face. She was quick to cover up her trepidation with a wide smile of agreement.

"That's great to hear that you're both so committed to creating such a rock solid foundation for Rachel. Tell me, have you two discussed going down the route of adoption? I don't see why that can't happen. It would just make the little family you're creating even more official. You would both obviously have all the rights of any biological parent if you go down that path." Jackie commented offhandedly.

Carla and Frank shared a look of shock. Although they had discussed the adoption thing, they never would have thought that Jackie herself would be the one to broach the topic out loud.

Carla was the first one to shake herself back to reality, "are…are you serious? You make it sound so easy."

Jackie shrugged, "I don't see why you couldn't I mean…as long as that's what all three of you want?" She looked at Rachel, "what do you think Rachel? You would have a proper mum and dad."

Rachel looked between Carla and Frank. Although she didn't like the idea of Frank being her dad on paper, she did want Carla to be her mum. It was then that she realised that if that's what she wanted to happen, she would just have to accept that Carla came hand in hand with Frank.

The little girl shrugged, "I guess so. That means I won't ever be taken away from CC, right?" She asked Jackie. As she was only eight, she obviously wasn't fully aware of what adoption meant but she knew that being adopted was way more permanent than being fostered.

Jackie nodded and smiled, "that's right. You would get to live here forever…well, at least until you're all grown up."

Rachel nodded her head in agreement. "That's what I want. I want to live with CC forever!"

Carla couldn't help but grin and gently pulled the girl onto her lap. "I can't believe it. I couldn't be happier." She spoke her thoughts aloud and glanced between Jackie and Frank before placing a kiss to Rachel's cheek.

"Ok. Well this really was just a flying visit. I'll be in touch once the adoption paperwork is written up. That's if you all definitely want that?" Jackie asked as she gathered her belongings.

"One hundred percent. Thank you so much, Jackie." Frank spoke as he stood up, "let me show you out."

The four of them said their goodbyes and Frank let out a puff of air as he sat back down beside Carla and Rachel. Carla leaned into his side and rested her free hand on his thigh. "Did that really just happen?"

"Yep. Soon it will all be official." Frank confirmed.

Rachel shuffled around so that she was laying on the couch with her head resting on Carla's lap. She looked up at the couple who were soon going to be her actual parents.

"CC?" Carla hummed and looked down at the girl as she ran her fingers through her blonde locks, a dreamy expression on her face. "What's for tea? I'm starving."

They spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV eating pizza. Frank realised the irony in their tea of choice considering it was only that morning that he insisted Saturdays were the only days they were to have a takeaway. However, Carla and Rachel were able to persuade him to give in on that occasion since the meeting with Jackie had gone so well.

It was around eight o'clock when Rachel let out the first yawn. This didn't go unnoticed by Carla who decided to call it an early night.

"Right girly, let's get you in that bathroom. A nice warm bath will do you good. I think it's time for bed." Carla stated.

Rachel whined and snuggled into Carla's side, "not yet. Nine is bedtime at the weekend and it's Friday today."

Carla chuckled and shook the girl to make sure she didn't fall asleep right there and then. "I know but you've had a busy day. You need as much rest as you can get if you want to be able to go to school on Monday with that dodgy ankle." Carla attempted to coax the girl into action knowing that Rachel actually looked forward to going to school. She stood up from the couch and groaned in an exaggerated fashion as she lifted the girl into her arms, "come on. A quick bath and then it's off to bed."

Rachel sighed in defeat when she realised she wasn't going to win this one. She rested her head on Carla's shoulder and let out another yawn as she was carried towards the bathroom.

Carla wasn't lying when she said the bath would be a quick ordeal. The child's hair didn't need to be washed as that had been done the night before. Carla's main goal of getting Rachel into the bath was to get her relaxed enough to settle down. The lavender bath oil she had put into the water had done the trick and by the time she had Rachel dried off and changed into a fresh pair of pyjamas, the little girl's eyes were half shut with drowsiness. Rachel was then carried out of the bathroom.

"Ok, this one is definitely ready for bed. She's half asleep already." Carla announced as she made her way over to the living area. She was about to tell Rachel to say goodnight to Frank when she stopped short upon realising the man was nowhere in sight.

"Frank?!" Carla called out.

"I'm up here!" Was the response she got. Carla frowned and was wondering why Frank would be in their foster daughter's room as she made her own way up the stairs. She let out a small gasp when she realised what he had d been doing.

Wrapped around the metal headboard of the child's bed were some soft fairy lights. They illuminated to room just enough for it to be cosy.

"I thought these might help to keep her in her own bed. I bought them whilst I was on the school run." Frank told her, a self satisfied smile on his face.

Carla smiled and made her way over to the bed. She gave Frank a grateful look when he peeled back the duvet which allowed her to lay Rachel onto the bed.

"They're perfect." Carla commented as she tucked Rachel in for the night. "What do you think, baby?" She asked the half asleep child.

Rachel examined the new addition to her bedroom and gave a sleepy nod. "They're pretty. Thank you, Frank." She rasped out, her words a little slurred.

"You're welcome, blondie." Frank responded.

Carla kissed Rachel on her forehead and stroked her cheek tenderly, "goodnight, darlin'. We'll see you in the morning." She whispered softly.

Rachel smiled and snuggled into the bed, "night, CC. Night, Frank." She trailed off.

Carla and Frank waited for a couple of minutes until they were sure the little girl was asleep before leaving the room. As soon as they were downstairs, Carla wrapped her arms around Frank's torso and gave him a kiss.

"Mmm…not that I'm complaining but what was that for?" Frank murmured.

Carla tilted her head to one side and cupped his cheek with one hand. "Think of it as a thank you. That was a really nice gesture you did." She replied.

Frank smiled, "well, I was being a little selfish. I'm just hoping they help keep her in her own bed from now on. That way I get you all to myself." He told his fiancé and gave her a cheeky wink, "speaking of which, seeing as our blue eyed angel is currently fast asleep why don't we get an early night ourselves?" He asked in a suggestive tone.

Carla giggled and but into her bottom lip seductively, "that sounds like a great idea. Lead the way, Mr Foster."