What Should Have Been

Part 44

Connie was woken by the sound of crashing coming from downstairs. Grabbing her dressing gown, she quickly wrapped it around herself before running down the stairs. Looking around she stopped when she saw Sam and Grace collapsed in a pile beside the sofa. "What the hell is going on!?"

Grace shot up pointing across the room. "Daddy did it!" "Hey! It was not all me!" "Was too!" Grace poked her tongue out as Sam pulled a face, Connie folding her arms tightly against her chest. "Someone explain what you were doing." Sam sat up grabbing Grace's waist as she tried to move away.

"We weren't doing anything, were we Gracie?" She shook her head with a smile as Connie pushed her tongue into her cheek. Falling down onto the sofa Grace leant back into Sam's chest. "Have you got to work today Mummy?" She shook her head leaning back. "Which is why I didn't want to be awake this early sweetheart." "Sorry Mummy-" "It's okay sweetie, I blame your father anyway."

Sam frowned looking to Connie who was smiling sarcastically. "Why don't you go get what you wanted from your room now?" Grace nodded getting up, heading up the stairs. "Beauchamp." She levelled her eyes at him as he remained sitting on the floor. "My fault?" "Umm, yes Sam your fault." He smirked before pulling her from the sofa onto the pile of pillows and blankets.

He leant down over her immediately, a smile on his face. "Still my fault?" "Always going to be your fault." She reached an arm up behind his neck as he pressed his hands into the floor either side of her. He crawled across her so that he was straddling her waist. Bending down her met her lips, brushing them over hers gently.

Connie moaned against his lips as his hands caressed her waist. "Sam-" He covered her lips again, deepening the kiss as she began to give in to his advances. Sam pushed the dressing gown open revealing the black lace underwear underneath. His lips dropped to her neck as she rolled her head backwards.

Her chest heaved up and down with the deep breathes she was taking. Sam's hands continued to roam across her body, running over the lace material of her underwear causing her breath to hitch. He laughed, his breath blowing against her neck sending shivers down her spine. Lifting his head once again he pressed a kiss to her lips.

Connie heard footsteps on the stairs before pushing her hands to his chest. "Tonight-" "Tonight?" She smirked pulling him back to her lips once more before sitting up, pulling her dressing gown around herself once more. Sam wrapped an around her, pulling her into his side. "Alright sweetheart?" "Yes Mummy, am I still going to Uncle Elliot's house today?" "Yes, unless you don't want to..."

Grace shook her head with a smile before sitting on her lap. "I want to Mummy-" "Okay darling... I guess I'll have to entertain Daddy on my own then." She grinned across at him as he mimicked her smile. "Guess you will."

Recently Sam's treatment had steadied and was beginning to have an effect. Things were improving, and slowly Sam felt he was regaining control of his life after nine months. Connie had been through all of it with him, and he was honestly unsure if he'd have ever been able to do it without her.

It was already mid-afternoon when Connie headed into the garden to join Sam who was laying across the swing. "Hey you-" "Hey... So I was thinking." She acted worried before he wrapped an around her, settling his hand on her thigh as he began to draw patterns. "Sam?" "When I stop this cycle of treatment, I wanted... I wandered if maybe, you would want to come stay at mine a while... You and Grace."

She levelled her eyes slightly stopping his hand from moving. "Sam are you asking me to move in with you?" He swallowed meeting her gaze unsure of how to take her reaction. "If I was asking? Theoretically?" "Then I'd say you were absolutely insane to ever think we could live with each other day in day out and not kill the other..." "Oh, right, yeah-" She watched his face drop before she placed a hand to his chin titling his eyes back up to hers. "But I'd also say that I'd like to die trying."

Sam's expression became blank as he pushed himself into a seating position. "Wait, you're saying you'd-" "Want to try, yeah I am." He searched her eyes for any sign of hesitation or reluctance but there was nothing there. "Really, you'd want to give us a try-" "Sam we've been giving us a try since you came back. I think it's safe to say we're past the trying stage now." She moved her hand to lace her fingers through his. "We're definitely in the, too late to turn back stage."

He laughed holding onto her hand as he pulled her closer to him. "I love you Sam Strachan and that's something I never imagined myself saying, in my head or out loud." She noticed how his eyes never moved from her, colour rising in her cheeks at the way he looked at her. "I'm starting to think maybe I could spend the rest of my life with you... Maybe-" "Oh of course, I wouldn't expect anything less."

She smiled at how easy he tried making this despite knowing it was anything but a light-hearted discussion. "So... Your place or mine?" Sam laughed with a shake of his head not sure how they had ever got to this point. "I can't ask you and Grace to leave your home-" "But your home is ours too, all of ours... Not somewhere me and Grace had before you arrived."

Grace was busying running around the garden playing as they sat with one another. "Mine it is then-" "Good-" "Good." Connie laughed before letting Sam pull her down to the pillows with him. His arms wrapped around her as she lay her head to his chest. "I love you, you know-" "I think your message has been read, loud and clear Beauchamp." She became comfortable wrapped in his embrace struggling to think of anywhere else she would rather be.