Page 46 of Prognosis Do Over

And that pretending they didn’t exist, or that you could do without them, didn’t make them go away.

‘Oh, Lou,’ he said, watching her watch the baby, a tear rolling down her cheek. ‘I’ve been such an idiot.’

Lou heard his words, and her finger tracing the soft down of the baby’s cheek stilled. What exactly did that mean? She took a moment to steady her heart before she looked at him. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘You. And me. And Candy and the baby. I love you. I’ve tried to pretend I can do without that for the sake of the kids, but I don’t want to. I don’t ever want to be without you again.’

Lou took a deep breath. ‘What does that mean, Will?’

‘It means I want us to be together. I want to wake up to you every morning.’

Lou nodded, seeing her wonderful fantasy tantalisingly close, just out of reach.

‘We can’t, Will. The kids...I have a baby to think about. To commit my time to. One hundred per cent. I won’t have time to commit to us. That’s not fair to either of us.’

‘I know that, Lou. But we can make it work. We’re not new to this. We’ll have to skip a lot, I know.’

She shook her head sadly. ‘Even rekindled relationships need time, Will.’

Will understood what she was saying, and in normal circumstances he would agree. But this wasn’t normal. It was complicated — as they were both fond of pointing out. But that was just being defeatist. ‘None of that matters as long as we’re dedicated to each other and to making it work.’

‘It’s not that simple,’ she protested.

‘Of course it is, Lou. It’s only complicated if we let it be. All that matters is that we love each other. Do you love me, Lou?’

‘Of course.’

‘You’re one of the most dedicated people I know. You have this great capacity for devotion. Don’t tell me you don’t have enough for me? The man you love? For us?’

Lou looked at him. He was asking her to risk everything again and give them another try. ‘It’s too—’

‘Complicated.’ He smiled, interrupting her. ‘I know. But I love you. I want this. I need this. So does Candy, and so does this baby. We’ll both be better for them when we’re happy. And you, my darling, make me happier than I’ve ever been. I’ll be miserable without you.’

He was right. She knew he was right. The temptation was overwhelming. But could it really be as simple as he said, after denying themselves for so long?

‘There’ll be no time for romantic dinners and walks down the beach and sunsets.’

‘We’ve had that.’ He shrugged.

‘There’ll be two a.m. feeds and dirty nappies and sleepless nights.’

He grinned. ‘We’ve had plenty of sleepless nights.

Lou suppressed the urge to grin back. He needed to realise that getting back together wasn’t going to be remotely intimate, with an eight-year-old and a baby demanding their attention.

‘There’s probably not going to be time for sex, even,’ she pointed out.

‘I don’t need it,’ he dismissed quickly.

‘You don’t?’ she asked dubiously. Because she sure as hell did.

He shook his head. ‘We’ve done that too, Lou. A lot. And, as much as I’ve wanted you badly these last few weeks, it can take a back seat — because nothing is more important than us becoming a family.’

Lou heard the magic word and felt tears prick her eyes. It was all she’d ever wanted — to be part of a family with Will. She’d almost had it in the beginning, and then Delvine had come back and the sense that she belonged as part of a unit with Will and Candy had disappeared. And Will had been too distracted and busy and stressed to give her the assurances she needed.

‘A family, Will? Are you sure? You know you’ve never really considered me part of your family.’

Will frowned. What? ‘How can you say that?’ he asked, trying to keep the rejection from his voice. ‘I loved you. We lived under the same roof for five years.’

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