Only You

Chapter 7

Her lips were as soft as her remembered. Her hands were in his hair, his on her waist and dangerously at risk of wandering – yet he schooled himself, focused on the way the feel of her lips on his, how it felt to have her so close, after waiting so long.

But then it was opened mouthed and their tongues were battling for control. Out of nowhere she was straddling him and his hands had relocated firmly to her backside. Months and years of repressing their physical desire for each other had come to a halt and it was almost as though neither of them were willing, or able, to stop.

Until, a flushed and breathless Natalie pulled away, shifting back to balance her weight on his thighs. He was well aware he was grinning like a fool and he loved that she couldn't help but smile back.

"Is it terrible of me to say that I'm glad you broke up with Nina?" She laughed, not trace left of the tears from before.

He chuckled, raising a hand to cup her cheek. "Probably."

She ducked her cheek, pressing against his palm. "I really do want this, Will." She clutched at his free hand, squeezing it tight. "I really want you and I really want us to work. And not just for me – for Owen too." She laughed softly. "He's very taken with you."

"And I with him." He felt as though there was a "but" coming.

"But for us to work, you need to be ready." Ah, there it was. "And I don't think that less than 48 hours out of your last relationship that you are ready for another one."

"Natalie –"

"Just listen. You need to understand that the baggage I bring to a relationship is pretty substantial. You'd be taking on another man's son, you'd need to put up with my mother-in-law who, helpful as she tries to be, is a whole barrel of trouble. You'd need to be okay with not always being my main priority because sometimes my son needs to come first. I need to do what's best for him, I owe him that much."

"Natalie," he cupped her face in his hands. "Nat, I know all of this. I know what I would be getting myself into, you know that I think the world of Owen and I already know what Helen can be like. I appreciate how important they are to you." He brought her forehead to rest against his. "I know that it'll be complicated and messy – but I knew that it was going to be this way when you came to me and told me you were pregnant. I knew what I would be getting involved with and I fell in love with you anyway. I know what I want – and it's you and Owen and everything else."

Their lips meet again, in a brief, chaste kiss.

"Okay," Natalie breaths, "okay, but still. You need time to get yourself together again and I need time to get Owen back to normal. So, whatever this is, however this plays out, we do it slowly."

"Slowly." Will nods in agreement.

"I won't be back at work till next week at the earliest, but if you want to start slowly and just hang out together, me, you and my kid, then maybe you could join us at the park sometime?"

He's grinning ear-to-ear. "I'd love to."

**CM**

She doesn't extend an invitation to the park until the day before she's due to return to work. But she keeps in touch and they talk on the phone a lot.

It's almost like they're rebuilding the relationship they had before he disobeyed the DNR and kissed her and it all went south. They're talking about every day, normal things, there's no more tension or holding anything back. It's easy and effortless and by the time Owen is well enough for a day at the park she's desperate to see him again. She misses him – and she's come to realise how much she missed what they had when she had been with Jeff and he with Nina.