Once the food arrived , Paige shared the shrimp fried rice and prawn curry between two plates . She put prawn crackers in a dish on the kitchen island together with a plate of mixed appetisers of sesame prawns on toast ,won tun and a portion of dry spare ribs , she also put out dishes of mixed dipping sauces , Peking , bbq , and sweet and sour .
They both sat down at the kitchen island and began eating their meal . Very little conversation took place during the meal , it seemed they were both enjoying a meal for the first time in a long time .
Once the meal was finished and cleared away , Paige made a fresh pot of coffee , once she had poured them both a cup , they made their way back to the seating area . This time both sat on the sofa , but on each end of the sofa . Neither were prepared to make a mistake and spoil what had become a very good evening . Walter was the first to speak '
" In the spirit of Openess and honesty , i need to tell you . In my job i work with a lot of attractive ladies , none of them come near to you in comparison . However i can say in all honesty i have not asked any of them to come to any lectures with me . I have at times had lunch with some of them in the companies restaurant , mainly because there was no were else to sit .
In future i will also stick to my original mantra , i only will tell the truth , no more white lies , even if it means i offend you should it be about your cooking . But let me say now i think you are a brilliant cook . "
Paige was looking at him with a smile on her face , but at the same time a tear was rolling down her cheek . " Walter i know you will be working with attractive women , don't forget i did work there . I realized almost as soon as i walked out on you that you would never have cheated on me . At first my pride would not let me forgive you plus Toby's remarks . By the time i realized i needed you in my life , i could not find you . I will accept your criticism so you do not have to tell a white lie in your life again . "
At 9,00pm. Walter said he needed to go as he had work to do before he went to work the next day . Paige understood , although what she really wanted was for him to stop the night , however she knew he had said they should take small steps so she was more than willing to wait .
Walter asked if he could see Megan before he left , Paige was more than willing to do so . This time he was able to enter the bedroom without a panic . He walked slowly to the crib and looked in as a smile appeared on his face ." Good night my little angel sweet dreams . " He leaned in to the crib and gently kissed Megan on her brow , as he did it appeared as if a smile broke out on Megan's face . He slowly turned and quietly left the room .
As they approached the front door , Walter turned to Paige and pulled her into a gentle hug and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek . He stepped back and turned towards the door . His mind was in turmoil , what he really wanted to do was to pick Paige up in his arms and carry her to the bedroom , but he knew it was to early to even think about it . Little realizing that Paige was having similar thoughts .
He opened the door . " Good night Paige , thank you for an enjoyable evening , but most of all thank you for making me a very proud dad . "
All Paige could manage was . " You are welcome , please text me when you get home so i know you are safe . Thank you for letting me come back into your life , in time i hope that will be for eternity . "
Walter leaned over and gentle kissed her cheek , this time she responded and returned the favour and kissed him on the cheek . Both felt the electricty through their bodies ,even though they had only been kissed on the cheek
" I will text you . " At that Walter walked out of the door . Paige watched him every second he was walking away to his car . As he reached it he turned back to Paige and smiled at her and mouthed . " I still love you . "
Paige made the same mouthed words .
At that Walter got in his car and reversed out the parking spot and drove off , all the time Paige watched him until his car was out of view .
It had only been thirty minutes , since Walter had left but already she was missing his presence . She reached up to the cheek he had kissed and gently touched it with her fingertips , as she did she could still feel the electricty go through her body .
After about fourty five minutes she began to wonder . " Has he driven off into the sunset , never to return . " Her own insercurity was begining to surface .
As these thoughts were begining to go through her mind . Her phone rang , the I.D. showed unknown number , so with some trepidation she answered " Hello . "
As soon as she heard " Paige . " Her face lit up in a big smile . " Walter i thought you were going to text me , but it is much more pleasing to hear your voice , than read your words . "
" I was going to text you , but i wanted to hear your voice again before i go to bed . There is also something else i need to talk to you about , we touched on it in the hotel room , maintence for Megan . I still want you to phone Richard's secretary tomorrow and give her your bank details . I will send $ 2000 dollars a month to your account , the first payment will be for $20,000 , that is to cover any medical expenses you had before and during her birth , plus back pay since she was born until now . "
" Walter you cannot do that it is to much . " Replied Paige .
" It is what i want to do , the money is just sitting in the bank . Richard pays me a ridiculous salary and my outgoings since we broke up have been minimal . I intend to carry on paying for Megan until she turns eighteen or we get married . " Walter told her in a calm , clear voice .
Paige was silent for about a minute as she absorbed what Walter had just said ,
" Did you just say married ? "
" Yes, well in the future once we have sorted all of our problems out and most importent , Ralph agrees for me to be his dad . " Walter replied .
" After how this afternoon started , that is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me . "
" One other thing i need to say before i go . When do you want to tell Ralph , i need to ensure that he understands , even though Megan is my daughter , he will still be my number one son , even if once we are back together we have another baby , even if it is was a boy . "
" I think we should tell him together and just for now keep it a secret until we have had at least a couple of councilling sessions . " Paige replied .
" That involves a lie . Look what happened when a lie came into our relationship the last time . " Walter reminded her .
" You are correct , would you like to come for a meal tomorrow evening and we can talk to him together . "
All Walter could say was . " What time ?"
" Say 7.00pm. , i won't tell Ralph anything until you arrive . "
" Ok , look forward to that , i will have to go . Sweet dreams and i still love you . " Walter said .
" I am looking forward to tomorrow night , i love you to , sweet dreams to you my love . But for now goodbye . " Paige disconnected the call , then went to check on Megan and get ready for bed , a big smile on her face as she walked to the bedroom . But before she went she updated Walter's phone number on her contacts .
Walter's House .
Once he finished his phone call to Paige , he decided it was time things changed in the house . He walked from room to room and removed all the coverings from the furniture , folded them up and placed them all in the conservatory . He saw how much dust there was on the furniture and dirt on the carpets .
He decided tomorrow he would contact a firm of cleaning contractors to give the whole house a good deep clean . He looked out of the conservatory window and saw the pool . Another job that would need to be done .
As soon as he reached his desk , the next morning , he began looking for a cleaning company who did deep cleans on a domestic dwelling . After three phone calls he found a company who specialized in deep cleaning homes , they gave him a price subject to a vist to see the house and actual work required . He advised them if they could do the work on Saturday , he would double the quote they had just given him . They quickly agreed and E-Mailed a contract to him .
The second job was a pool cleaning company . As it had stood for over four years , it would need emptying , cleaning and general maintenance . He also wanted a remote controlled cover fitted once all the cleaning and maintenance had been done . He found a company that could provide a full service , it was agreed that a team could come on Saturday , who would empty the pool , then clean the inside of the pool . Sunday they would send a maintenance crew who would check all the lining of the pool , plus check all the filters and motors . They would repair or replace as necessary . They were also going to measure the pool for the cover and check how to connect the electricty to the motor , in order for them to give him a quote .
Once he had finished his phone calls , content now that he was going to have his house cleaned and checked out . He began making plans on when to invite Paige and Ralph over , hopeing that after tonight , Ralph will be more than happy for him to be included back into the Dineen family .
He quickly sent a text message to Paige . "Good morning , love of my life , i trust you slept well , cannot wait for 7pm tonight to come round , so i can see you again . Please give Megan a kiss and hug from me , her proud dad . Until tonight goodbye , with all my love . " Once he had hit send he left his office and headed to Richard's office .
Once he reached his office , he first spoke to his secretary Susan . " As Paige Dineen called you this morning ? "
" Yes Mr O'Keefe , she as given me her bank details she said you would tell me what to do . "
" Well the first thing i want you to do is to update my personnel file . My name is really Walter O'Brian , Richard is fully aware of the situation and my reasons for it . "
Susan looked a little shocked but smiled at him . " If that is what you need consider it done , Mr O'Brian . "
" Thank you Susan , next i want you to arrange for $ 2000 a month from my salary transfered to that account , that is to start with next months salary . This month i need to transfer $ 20000 to the account from my personal account , but i will have to do that , when i contact the bank to change the name on my account . " Explained Walter .
" She is going to be a very lucky lady . " Remarked Susan .
" No , i am the lucky one , i found out yesterday she had given birth to my beautiful daughter and as been trying to find me almost as soon as we split up . But that was made difficult by me changing my name ."
" Well congratulations on the new arrival . What is your daughter called ? " Asked Susan .
" Megan Louise O'Brian Dineen . " A proud Walter said .
" A beautiful name and i can see how proud you are . " Replied Susan.
" Thank you , is Richard available , i need to talk to him . Asked Walter .
" Hang on let me check . " Susan said as she pressed an intercom button . " Mr Elia Mr O'Keefe would like a word , sorry Mr O'Brian . "
" Send him in please , Susan . " Richard said .
" Good morning Walter , from the name change i assume yesterday your meeting went well ." Remarked Richard with a smile on his face .
" Well after a very bad start , it turned out really well . When she opened the door , i went to walk away , but Paige begged me to give her just ten minutes . At first she just stared at me , then told me about the time she had been looking for me . She did defend you when she finally told me how she found me and how she berated you for over thirty minutes , before you agreed to help her . She was full of apology but i still could not forgive her . She said she needed the bathroom , i told her ok but it would come out of her ten minutes . At nine and a half minutes i got out of the chair and started to walk to the door just as Paige came out of the bathroom carrying a bassenet which she put on the bed and said . " Meet Megan Louise O'Brian Dineen . your daughter ."
Richard looked a little shocked at first , but then his face broke out into a big smile . "Congratulations , Paige never mentioned that when we spoke . "
As Richard finished speaking , Walter's phone pinged indicating a text . " Do you mind ? " He asked Richard .
" No go ahead and read it . " Replied Richard .
Walter checked and saw it was from Paige , a smile broke out on his face . Love of my life i slept well Megan is pleased with her kiss and cuddle i cannot wait till 7.00pm. how about lunch ? Paige ."
Richard saw the smile on Walter's face . " I presume it is from Paige . "
" Yes she wants to meet for lunch . " Replied Walter .
" Tell you what , take a two hour break , get Paige to pick you up and i will arrange for the kitchen to make up a picnic basket for you , it will be delivered to your office by noon . " Richard explained .
" Are you sure ? " Walter asked .
" Yes , now get out of here . " Richard replied with a big smile on his face .
Walter sent a text to Paige . " Meet me at main entrance at 12.30 bring a blanket and more importent bring Megan . cannot wait to see you, all my love . "
Almost immediatly after he had hit send , his phone pinged again , another text from Paige .
" Counting the seconds , all my love to you , Megan sends her love to . "
Walter was smiling all the way back to his office , he settled down to the work he had began yesterday before meeting with Miss Take . His mind was now a lot clearer than it had been for months . The work that had been causing him problems over the past few days , now seemed as easy has signing his name .
By the time he heard a knock on his door , his desk was cleared of all work . " Come in . "
A young lady in chef's white's came in carrying a large wicker basket . " Mr O'Brian . " Word had already began to spread that Walter had gone back to his real name . " Mr Elia asked us to prepare a picnic basket for two , we hope you enjoy it , we have also put in two flasks of coffee , flavoured with cinnamon , i trust that is correct .
" Thank you so much , i am sure we will enjoy the picnic . I know one person who will enjoy the coffee . "
The young lady left the office . Walter opened the basket and was amazed at just how much had been put into the basket , he was sure Paige would be very happy . He picked up the basket and made his way to the main entrance . , he checked the time , it was only 12.20pm. he decided to go and wait outside as it was a pleasant day .
He was surprised as he stepped outside , Paige's car was already there waiting for him . He walked out to her , she had seen him coming and got out the car , once he was close enough , she put her arms around him and pulled him into a hug and planted a kiss on his lips , he responded and put one arm around her ,the other hand still held the picnic basket .
Once they broke the kiss , Paige looked into his eyes a big smile on her face . " I know we said we should take things slowly and i agree we should not move at a fast pace . But after the peck on the cheek you gave me last night , i needed that . "
Walter looked at her a big smile on his face . " I think i needed it as well , i might need another one soon . Are you ready for a beach picnic ?"
"How romantic , i am more than ready for a beach picnic and i am sure Megan is going to enjoy it to . Put the basket in the trunk and we will make our way down to the beach ."
They were soon on their way ,as Walter began speaking to Paige as she drove towards the beach . He could hear a gurgling noise from the back of the car .
" It would appear Megan as realized you are in the car and is happy . " Paige said with a smile on her face .
" I cannot wait until we reach the beach so i can give her a cuddle . "
" We should be there in about five minutes . "
They set out the blanket on the sand , the picnic basket was put on the sand next to it and Megan in her bassenet was placed on the edge of the blanket . Paige made Walter sit on the blanket , she then removed Megan from her bassenet and put her into Walter's arms .
" You hold Megan for a while and i will set the picnic out . "
Paige had bought two blankets , the second she spread in front of the other one and began to spread the food out on it .Walter was not taking a lot of notice to what Paige was doing , he was more in favour of talking to Megan .
" I hope my little treasure slept well and you did not keep your mom awake . I had my best nights sleep i have had in months and i have been able to complete some work that had been causing me a lot of problems for a few days . I hope your older brother is behaving himself and not giving your mom any trouble . Do you know i am coming to dinner tonight , to tell him i am with your mom again , do you think he will be happy at the news . "
As he said this the smile on Megan's face seemed to grow bigger . Paige had been listening to Walter's conversation with Megan and smiled . Once she finished putting all the food out she sat down by Walter's side . " I am sure Ralph will be over the moon . "
Walter smiled at her , before looking back down at Megan . " I certainly hope your mom is right . "
Paige moved a little closer to Walter . " I think it is about time we started eating some of this food Richard had prepared for us . " Paige suggested .
" Well i cannot really eat while i am holding Megan , so you start , i am alright at the moment ." Walter replied .
" This is supposed to be a picnic for both of us , so i think we should be eating together . Let me fetch the bassenet and put it on the blanket between us , so we can eat and drink the coffee , Megan will know we are still here and she will hear our voices . Once we have eaten would you like to feed Megan ? "
Walter looked at Paige with a look of total confusion on his face . " I know i have little experiance with babies , but i also know for certain that my body cannot feed a baby . "
Paige smiled at him . " I am aware of that so before i left the house , i expressed some milk and put it in a bottle , that is inside an insulated bottle carrier in my bag . Something i do if i know i am not going to be at home when it is time for Megan's feed . " Paige explained .
Walter smiled at her response . " I should have known you would be well prepared and organized . I would love to feed Megan , if she will let me . "
" Hang on let me fetch the bassenet . "
Paige put it next to Walter , then gently took Megan from Walter and placed her in the bassenet , as Paige released her she started to grizzle . Walter immediatly looked over and began to talk to her . Megan immediatly stopped and her face broke out into a smile .
" You know something Paige , i've got a feeling that part of my sister's spirt as gone into Megan Louise . "
" Well she certainly responds well to your voice . "
Paige made up two plates of food and poured two cups of coffee , she gave one of each to Walter then sat down on the other side of the bassenet . Once they had both finished their meals Paige tided up the items and put everything back into the picnic basket .
She then pulled the bottle carrier out of her bag , reaching into the bassenet she picked up Megan and put her in Walter's arms , the smile came back on both their faces . Paige removed the bottle from the carrier and handed it to Walter , who looked a little lost in what to do . Paige knelt down by him and helped position Megan in a better position so she could take the bottle . Paige moved Walter's arm so that the bottle was close to Megan's mouth . Megan seemed ready as she immediatly put her mouth around the teat on the bottle .
" Wow , she must really like and trust you , it usually takes me three or four attempts before she will take the bottle . " Said a smiling Paige .
" Beginners luck . " Said a very proud Walter .
While Walter was feeding their Daughter , Paige began to fill him in on a phone call she had made that morning . " I have been speaking to a couples councellor , her name is Mary Curtes ."
Walter suddenly looked up from Megan and gave Paige a look .
" Don't worry no relation to Mr Harvard , she spells her surname with an E not an I . She knows of Toby , or Mr Harvard as she calls him . She actually studed at Brown University Providence , Rhodes Island and as been working as a couples counsellor for five years . I have given given her a general overview of us and she seems keen to help . I have not booked any sessions until i had spoken to you . She will accept evening sessions if that is of any use ."
Walter thought for a few moments . " But if you book evening sessions , what about Ralph and Megan ? "
" Ralph will be alright at home , and i could take Megan with us . " Was Paige's answer .
Walter still looked pensive . " No it would be past Megan's bedtime and that would be unfair . I would suggest a lunch time meeting , then if it goes over my lunch hour , i can stay behind on the night to catch up if it is necessary . Then we could still take Megan with us ."
" Are you sure Walter . I can maybe book 1.00pm. sessions , pick you up at 12.30pm. the sessions are half hour sessions , so you should be back by 2.00pm. " Suggested Paige .
" Go ahead and do that and i will speak to Richard ,but i am sure he will be ok with that . How many sessions do you think we may need ? "
" That is not a question i can answer , but i think maybe book ten sessions , then take it from there . " Paige replied with a big smile on her face .
Walter then went on to tell her about his phone calls about the house , saying he did not want her to see it until it was all sorted out .
By the time Walter had finished speaking Megan had finished her bottle .
" Now she needs to be winded . " Paige told him .
Walter's face was full of confusion . Paige smiled at Walter , 197 was completly in the dark on what to do .
" Give me Megan and watch what i do , then the next time you will know what to do and be prepared . Paige gently took Megan from Walter , put Megan gently against her shoulder and gently patted her back . Walter's eyes never left Paige's actions , he was filing the experiance into his mind for further reference .
Once Paige had winded Megan , she placed her back in her bassenet . Removed it from the blanket and began folding up the blankets . " Time to get you back to work my love . " Paige sweetly told Walter .
" I would much rather spend time with my two favourite ladies , but you are correct . "
They packed everything back in the car . Twenty minutes later she pulled up on the carpark she had left two hours previous . She gave Walter a kiss before he climbed out of the car , before he made his way to the office he opened the back door of the car and had one last look at Megan , who was fast asleep .
" See you tonight . " He called out as he walked towards the office block .
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LouBe96 GLad you enjoyed it . Hope you did not fall off your seat .LOL
Guest Pleased you are enjoying the story .
Pearligirl Thank you , i hope this chapter was worth reading as well .
Grykon Glad you enjoyed it with regard to your other question , i can promise some will be answered in later chapters . CP who knows .