Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Will

L ouise chewed on her bottom lip and narrowed her eyes on me. She and Sam had been questioning and scrutinising me for over half an hour, wanting to know everything about Maya and the dates that we'd had. Since she'd stayed over two weeks before, we'd met up in Manchester for dinner one night and then I'd gone to Leeds just to spend her lunch hour with her, but otherwise we'd only spoken on the phone, seeing as the weekend in between she'd been on her future sister-in-law's hen weekend. When we had spoken, though, it had been every night for at least two hours, but it wasn't the same as seeing her in person. The coming weekend was changing that, though—she was coming to stay for the whole weekend, through to Monday. I hoped that we were going to take the next step, because I had to be honest, my balls were fucking blue. I was sick of throwing one out every night, it didn't replace the real thing, and I'd dreamed about what she was going to feel like beneath me.

"You hardly ever introduce anyone to Maddy," Louise said, sitting back in her chair at their dining room table.

"I know." I grinned. It was the same one that I'd had for the last two weeks.

"And he left you all night?" she asked her husband.

"Almost all night. Think he stayed with us for about an hour. Until he spotted her. Then that was it." Sam rolled his eyes and reached for a biscuit from the plate in the middle of the table, earning a raised eyebrow from Louise. "It's one flipping biscuit, Lou."

"One to add to the other three." She then turned sharply back to me. "And does Maddy like her?"

Louise and Sam loved my daughter as if she was their actual niece and had always been protective of her. I loved that they were, that they always wanted the best for her. To be honest, I doubted I'd be a half decent parent without their help, particularly Lou's. Her advice about female issues had been invaluable, and it meant I was prepared for every eventuality as Maddy grew up.

"Yes," I replied. "Maddy likes her. At least she told me she did."

"She told Liam the same," Sam added. "He told me that Maddy told him that she thought Maya was lovely."

"When did he tell you that?" Louise asked, pulling her shoulders back. "He normally tells me everything and he hasn't told me anything."

"It was on the way to football practice. I asked him if Maddy liked Will's new girlfriend."

"Well, I'd have asked him if I'd known about her." Louise pouted and stole Sam's half eaten biscuit from his fingers. "It would have been nice if you'd told me so I could have asked Liam."

"I didn't know if it was just one of his usual one night shags or not. What would be the point of telling you about that?"

"Please don't call women ‘one night shags,'" she complained, throwing him a look of disappointment.

Looking suitably reprimanded, Sam sighed. "Sorry. I just thought it was a lady who he'd never be seeing again."

I hid a snort of laughter knowing that he probably hadn't learned a damn thing. "The point is she wasn't a one night thing. I like her, a lot. Enough to want to introduce her to Mads. You know I wouldn't do that if I wasn't sure about her."

Louise patted my hand. "We know that love. But, even though Maddy is seventeen, it could still affect her if this doesn't work out."

I had a feeling in my chest, in my heart, in my bones. "It's going to be fine. Nothing is going to go wrong."

"You sound pretty sure," Sam said, looking surprised. I wasn't, seeing as he knew about every single one of my one night stands, most of them in graphic detail. He knew that someone permanent had never been my plan—until I met Maya. Maddy had always been my priority, still was, but if I could also have Maya in my life then I'd go for it. I'd try as hard as I could to make sure both sides of my life, both women, worked alongside the other.

"Maddy will always come first, but that doesn't mean I can't be with Maya as well." I sat up straighter. "However, if at any time I think my relationship is affecting my daughter adversely, well, then I'll have to reconsider whether it's the right thing."

"Christ, Will," Louise cried, "Liam and Darcy both think Sam is a knob head, but I wouldn't swap him for the world."

"Oi." Sam's eyes went as wide as saucers. "That's my kids you're talking about."

She narrowed her eyes on him. "But are they?"

I burst out laughing, and when Sam's mouth dropped open, Louise joined in.

"You stupid bugger," she said, giggling. "As if. Those kids adore you, for some reason I can't fathom."

Sam turned to me. "Ignore my stupid wife. It's her they think is a knob head."

The laughter around the table was loud, and it just added to the warmth I'd been feeling for weeks. I had an incredible daughter, fantastic friends and a gorgeous woman who seemed to think I was worth the effort.

As if thinking about Maya conjured her up, my phone shrilled out with her name flashing.

Louise almost dived across the table to get a look at my phone, while Sam bounced in his seat.

"It's her," he gasped, pointing at my phone. "Louise, it's her."

"Answer it, answer it."

I shook my head, picked up my phone and stood up. "You two are fucking weird. I'll be back in a minute."

Trying not to look like I was rushing, I walked into the hallway and answered the call.

"Hey, gorgeous."

"Hiya," she sounded breathless and happy. At least, I hoped she did, and I hoped it was because she was talking to me.

"I wasn't expecting you to call me." I glanced at clock on the wall, next to a large family photograph, where they were all dressed in white and laughing.

"I have ten minutes before a meeting, so what better way to spend it than speaking to you."

I blew out a breath, wondering how the hell I'd been so lucky. If I'd have skipped the stag do, or we'd left that bar a few minutes earlier… I didn't even want to think about it.

"I'm glad you did." I leaned against the wall. "I've missed you."

"I spoke to you last night." She giggled, and I loved the sound of it, loved the warmth it spread through me.

"Still missed you." I sighed, knowing I probably sounded like a stupid idiot, but I didn't care. "So how can I help you, Miss Mackenzie?"

"How do you know I want something?"

"I don't, just guessing. So, do you? Want something?"

She paused and let out a shaky breath. "Yes, but that's not something I think we should talk about now. Maybe leave that until the weekend."

Instantly my dick went hard at the prospect, at the idea of what the possibilities were. "Yeah, perhaps we should." I readjusted myself and leaned forward to look through the doorway to check that Louise and Sam weren't listening. I heard her hiss at him to be quiet, so I moved further down the hall towards the kitchen, where I could be alone, except for their cat, Dennis. "How's your day been so far?"

"Great. We got a new contract, but that wasn't why I called you."

"Why did you, then? And please don't say for phone sex because I'm currently in my best friend's kitchen, watching their cat lick its own arse."

She laughed again and then whispered, "It wasn't for that, seeing as I'm in the office kitchen, currently watching Jamie from accounts shovel a huge plate of noodles into his mouth."

"Wow, sounds delightful."

"It is. Very sloppy and extremely nauseating." She giggled. "What I really called you for is to ask you something."

If she asked me to marry her, I knew I'd actually think about it. When I thought about that, I blinked, wondering what the hell was going on in my head.

"Go on, then."

She took a breath and then said, "You know it's Charlie's wedding next Friday?"

"Yeah. It's a pretty fancy do from what you told me."

"It is. No expense spared. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to come. At night. We're staying over at the hotel so thought maybe you could stay… in my room, with me."

My heart seized and then jumped into over drive. "Yeah, that sounds good." I tried to sound casual but not sure I really managed it. "I'll look forward to it."

"Good, me too." She sounded relieved, and it struck me how much like a pair of teenagers we were. "Maddy will be okay on her own for the night?"

"Yeah, I can ask Louise and Sam if she can stay here."

Maya laughed. "Will, she's seventeen. I'm sure she'd like a night home alone."

"I'm sure she would, but I'm also sure her bloody boyfriend would like it, too." I rubbed a hand down my face and groaned. "I know I need to let her grow up."

"She seems like a sensible girl, Will, but you have to do whatever you think is best. She's your daughter."

She was spot-on. What was right was to let Maddy grow up and be a normal teenager. If that meant… fuck, I didn't want to think about it.

"I'd love to come the wedding," I told Maya. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes." She made a little squeaking noise. "All the family are desperate to meet you. Shit, I'm so sorry."

I laughed, amused by the fact that she was sure I'd be upset, but I wasn't. I loved that her family wanted to meet me. It meant that she'd talked about me. That she'd shared. That had to mean something, didn't it?

"And I'm desperate to meet them, too. I can't wait to hear all their stories about you.' The smile that stretched across my face made my cheeks ache, and I wondered what the hell I was turning into?

"Don't believe a word of whatever they tell you. It'll all be lies." She giggled, and my dick stirred again.

"Maya," I groaned.

She didn't speak, and all I could hear was her breathing. Electricity crackled down the line as we both struggled to find the words big enough. I didn't know what I wanted to say to her, but I knew I wanted it to be important.

"I know," she croaked. "The weekend can't come quickly enough."

Those words told me a lot. They told me that she was as desperate as I was. That maybe she had the same hope in her heart that I did.

"I'll be counting the days," I whispered.

"Speak to you later?"

"You definitely will, gorgeous."

As we said our goodbyes, I was already desperate for it to be time to call her back. Desperate for the weekend and desperate for the future.

Yep, I was turning into a fucking love sick moron!