Back to normality?

Chapter 21

At just gone midnight, Peter slid into the bed as Carla turned over and opened her eyes; smiling slightly in the darkness, he brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Go back to sleep"

"What time is it?"

"Five past twelve"

"Happy Christmas" she whispered, falling back to sleep.

When she awoke again, and looked at the clock, it was 6.36am; feeling like she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, she carefully got off the bed and wrapped Peter's hoodie round her body. Entering the open plan kitchen, she poured herself a mug of tea before switching on the tree lights and sitting on the sofa, watching as they changed colours; looking at all the presents underneath, she realised they'd all probably gone overboard with each other but they all said it was a day to celebrate how far they'd come.

Thinking back over the last six months, they'd gone from been in a unit in Carlisle, her every movement been monitored to been back at home, settled in a stable relationship with Peter in their own flat with a baby on the way; her mind had gone back and forth with triggers and emotions and feelings of overwhelming thoughts. She'd tried hard to move on and find a new normal for her and Peter; she was surprised how easily they'd slipped back into a couple. In saying that, she knew she wouldn't have made it through any of it without him by her side; even when she was having a bad day or triggering, he was there, holding her, comforting her and making her feel safe and loved.

Hearing the bedroom door open, she looked up and saw her half asleep boyfriend rubbing his eye as he appeared; with a smile on her face, she stood in front of him and kissed him.

"That was a nice wake up welcome; someone is in a happy mood this morning?" He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Its Christmas and for the first time in God knows how long, I'm gonna enjoy it; I haven't triggered in months, I haven't had a bad day in weeks. I just realised how lucky I am, having you by my side; sticking by me through everything"

"You really are happy, aren't you?"

"I am, I have everything I could want and once our baby gets here, we'll be complete"

"Carla Connor, I love you"

"I love you too Peter Barlow" she grinned, kissing him again.

Once Simon woke up, they exchanged presents; Carla had felt well and truly spoilt by Peter and he felt the same about her. They had both wanted to treat each other as well as Simon; as Carla looked through the array of presents, she noticed Peter holding out one last parcel.

"Peter, you've already got me so much"

"This is for all of us; we've been to hell and back this year between my relapse and your illness and the gang but somehow, we've managed to come through it all, stronger than we ever was. I was stupid to ruin what we had five years ago but I promise to always put you first; I love you, I never stopped but I knew I had to earn your trust and your love back so..." he said, getting down on one knee with the box open. "Carla Connor, will you marry me...again?"

"Peter" she gasped.

"If it's too much too soon, I'll understand as long as you know, I'm gonna do everything I can to protect you both and love you for as long as i live"

"Yes" she nodded. "Yes, I'll marry you"

Slipping the ring onto her finger, he kissed her lovingly as Simon looked on; with smiles on their faces, Carla leant against him, admiring the simple elegance of the ring he'd chosen.

At lunchtime, they were sat around the table at the Bistro; Carla had told Peter she wanted to take the time to process the engagement before telling everyone so she had put the ring for safe keeping back at the flat. Sat between Michelle and Peter, she turned to her best friend and smiled; she knew Michelle was struggling with the idea of not been with Robert for the festive period as well as dealing with the restaurant.

"Has Peter been spoiling you?"

"He has, Simon too; I don't remember the last time I felt this genuinely happy. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay; working has kept my mind off it all. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good, the morning sickness seems to have eased off, hopefully for good; are you working tonight?"

"Nope; we're shutting at 4. I decided we weren't opening all day so I'm all yours"

"Fancy coming round? I wanna talk to you about something"

"Sure you're okay?" She asked, as their food was placed on the tables by the chef, Gary.

"I promise"

When the main and desserts were eaten, Michelle went to finish up the shift while Roy went home and Carla, Simon and Peter headed to Kens; with Tracy and Amy now over at Steve's, it was a quieter affair as they sat down with drinks after exchanging gifts.

"You're looking radiant Carla" Ken observed.

"Thank you Ken, I'm feeling okay today; and your son and grandson are taking wonderful care of me" she said, leaning into Peter's embrace.

"I should hope they are"

"They really are; they've been spoiling me" she smiled.

Later that evening, Peter had opted to go for a drink with Steve whilst Carla was sat with Michelle on the sofa.

"Peter proposed" she blurted out, showing her the ring that was now back on her finger.

"Wow, are you ready for that again?" She asked, taking a closer look.

"I hope so; he was so sweet when he asked me this morning. He knows he could've had the whole world with me and he ruined it; this time...he knows what he stands to lose and it would be for good. I think we've both realised how naive we both were; we used each other to get through our own problems and in hindsight, perhaps we weren't good for each other then. Things are different now"

"You don't need to convince me; I just hope you know what you're doing. You've got a lot going on right now; I don't want you to overload yourself"

"I know" she sighed.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not happy for you cos i am; you deserve to be happy"

"You and Simon are the only ones that know; I want time to get my head round it all"

"No one will hear it from me"

Carla nodded and looked down at her ring, hoping she was making the right decision.