Tandem

Nick Taylor-Gilbert

"How's the little guy been today?" Nick asked, lifting his young son up and placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

"He's been good. He started to whine this afternoon though, I think he wanted his daddy." Leah came over to stand by her fiancé and chuckled as Oliver wrapped his hand around her finger.

"Bless him, he's definitely a daddy's boy I think. How've you been?" Nick leant towards Leah and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"I've been fine, just hanging out with this sweet boy. It's weird not having you around all the time. It feels like it's been so long since we've been together, just the three of us. I really miss you when you're gone, we both do," she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I'm yours for five whole days until everything gets crazy again and I promise there'll be no interruptions this time. You two have my undivided attention from now until then," He turned his head to kiss her hand. "I can't wait to spend time with you."

"I'm looking forward to it." She knew how stressed he'd been recently. Not a day had passed when he hadn't been cross at her over something minor. She had taken it all in her stride though, she knew how much this all meant to him.

Leah did her best to appear interested in Nick's work. The truth was that renovations and restorations just didn't interest her, but she never failed to notice how his face lit up whenever he spoke of his career. That level of enthusiasm was infectious. As long as he was excited by what he was doing, she and Oliver would follow him anywhere. They were his own personal mascots, cheering him on from the sidelines and standing by his side with smiles on their faces at large business events. Most importantly, they were always waiting for him the moment he walked through the front door at the end of the day.

Leah had long said goodbye to her own career as an editorial assistant for a travel magazine. She'd worked hard to climb up the ladder after her internship to secure a position within the company, but that had all had to go once she met Nick. His earnings swallowed up her measly part-time yearly wage, but she was keen to carry on. The truth was, she enjoyed working. She loved her colleagues, and the hustle and bustle of a busy London office. Nick would travel around the world with work often and return to her every few months for some much-needed time off. It was difficult being apart, but the money flowed in, and Leah came to appreciate their time together even more. The balance they had managed to create changed once the baby arrived though.

Oliver came as a surprise to them both, but a surprise they were excited for nonetheless. They decided that they would continue as they had been doing, with Leah's parents taking care of Oliver on the days that she was working. Leah had really tried to make it work. She loved Oliver and she loved working, but she quickly realised that giving one hundred percent to both was exhausting. One had to give, and motherhood was not an option. She handed her resignation in with a tearful farewell and became a full-time mum. She knew it was the right decision for her son, but the loneliness very quickly consumed her. She'd spend hours on the phone to Nick just to hear his voice, but the feeling of emptiness never left her.

The decision to rent out their apartment and fly out to be with Nick was the best decision she had ever made. Wherever Nick went, she and Oliver would follow. He could support her with the baby, and she could support him with the business. Despite Nick being excited to see them when they arrived at the airport that day, she couldn't help but feel that she needed him slightly more than he was needing her. The most important thing was that they were together, and she wasn't alone anymore.

"I can't wait to spend time with you both but I'm also bloody excited to start this next project." Nick looked at her, searching for any hint of mutual excitement.

She caught his eye and looked quickly to the floor.

"You haven't even been away from work for half an hour and you're already thinking about when you go back."

"I'm not, I promise. It was just a fleeting thought."

"It's a bittersweet win for you though isn't it. You only have the land because somebody killed themselves. It's not like the others, you didn't win it."

"What a way to bring down the mood eh little man?" Nick held Oliver up to his face. Oliver giggled at his dad and waved his arms around.

Nick looked back to Leah who was looking right back at him. She looked disappointed, clearly feeling his reaction was an inappropriate one. He knew his next words could make or break these next five days together.

"You're totally right sweetheart, I'm being insensitive. Whilst this is one of the greatest projects that I'll probably ever be involved with, it's come at a great cost to Don and I shouldn't forget that."

Her expression lightened a little. "You have a chance to make him proud and finish what he started. Let's make this time together special Nick, this is the beginning of everything."

Nick looked lovingly at Leah, she was nothing short of perfect to him. Her chestnut waves cascaded over her shoulders, framing her face beautifully. She was more beautiful than he could ever have imagined her to be. Nick still couldn't believe that she had said yes to his proposal. No matter how long they had been together, he never stopped waking up with the feeling that he was the luckiest man alive. They were going to become a proper family very soon. This was only the beginning of the rest of their lives.

Leah gazed up at Nick. She was so proud of the man she was to marry. Ever since they had first met when she was twenty-six and he was thirty-three she had known about his love for restorations. At twenty, he'd set up his own business restoring neglected garden sheds and forgotten garages into amazing new spaces. Fifteen years later, he was buying abandoned six-storey buildings and turning them into five-star apartments and hotels. His latest acquisition was his biggest challenge yet but one that he had been desperate to prove he could manage.

It was an abandoned apartment complex in Ochre Valley, an uninhabited area way out in the Australian outback. It had been built by someone desperate to create a unique place in what many considered to be an inhospitable part of the country. The climate was way too harsh for a family attraction and so it fell to ruins along with its creator, Don Fayebeck, a friend of Nick's. When he passed away, leaving only a suicide note gifting the land to Nick, many conversations ensued as to what they could do with it. Nick's concept of building a brand-new holiday village, complete with a giant indoor rainforest, artificial beaches that were so realistic you'd forget you were surrounded by an endless desert and swimming pools with water in every shade of blue you could imagine, was born. There would be bars and restaurants and a gym; it was going to be one of a kind. Nick had dreamt about it for years, and now he finally had his chance. All he had to do was start building.

"How about we go and soak up some of that Australian sunshine now that I'm back? It seems a shame to waste it, seeing as we'd never get sun like this back in England." Nick playfully high-fived his son who was waving his hands around comically.

"Absolutely, it would be a crime not to," Leah replied. "Before I forget though, I want to give you something."

"A surprise present?"

"Yes, from Oliver and me. I've had them for a long time, but I wanted to wait for the perfect moment to give them to you." Leah left the room and returned with a small velvet box. "We are both so proud of you."

Nick lifted the lid to reveal two silver cufflinks in the shape of the Empire State Building inside. "They're beautiful," he said.

"For the empire, you're about to build," Leah said. "I wanted to get something that had some meaning behind it. Those were the best I could find."

"They're perfect," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead. "You're perfect."

"And so are you," Leah ran a finger over her son's cheek. "How about we catch those rays now?"

"Sounds good to me." Nick replied, sliding open the patio doors and stepping out into the sunshine.