Steeling My Haart

by Lizzy Roberts

  As mid-January approached, with the pressure of work and trying to establish a solid routine for the children, Emma and Charlie struggled to spend a much time with each other as they would have liked. Since Adie enjoyed having Charlie around so much they decided after only six weeks of being back together he would officially move in. It was to be the most sensible option that gave them time to adjust to being a couple and gave them the opportunity of spending time with the other important little people their lives, too.

  They decided the house Charlie had started to build back in Glen Springs would eventually be their home. Once Bruce and Lou had completed purchasing the apartment in New York, Emma was going to pay for the rest of the house to be finished. She had already been in discussions with an architect friend of Charlie’s in town and had offered a lot of good ideas for the internal layout of the home. In the meantime, the family were happy and settled in her home in Edmond, but one day, hopefully not too far from that moment, they would have a fantastic new home to call their own. A home where bad memories were going to be erased and new ones built in their place.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Charlie

  Charlie also started to formulate a plan. It was going to take him a few months and a lot of help to see it through, but he knew what was left for him to do to secure Emma in his life forever. He enlisted the help of a few trusted friends and her family, along with bringing his mom in on the surprise, too. She had been over the moon when he had called to fill her in on his reconciliation with Emma and was even more overjoyed when he told her what he was planning. All he needed to do was figure out the perfect time and place for it to happen.

  It was early April by the time he had managed to arrange everything, and on that Friday morning as Charlie woke he knew it was early. There wasn’t a sound coming from either of the two precious kids that had propelled their way into his heart in such a short time. He slowly opened his eyes, as if he could barely believe that his greatest wish had come true. There she was, his Emma, snuggled perfectly in his arms sound asleep and looking so much more beautiful than he ever remembered. The presence of Adie and Leo just seemed to actually make his life more complete. She came to him with a readymade family that they could now build on and cherish. His heart broke to hear she had lost their baby. He felt like had failed her a second time by leaving her, but now he had a chance to do things right for them all.

  His heart was literally bursting with love right at that moment and slowly he leaned in and buried his nose in her hair. As he inhaled her familiar scent it caused him to sigh so deeply with contentment. He had plans for her for this weekend. Although he would have loved to savor this moment longer, he had things to do to make her surprise happen. They had three hours to get the two kids ready and to Emma’s parents place and then to the airport. He had managed to pack her a case of clothes and sort out the stuff the kids needed for the weekend already but there was still a lot to do to get all of them ready and out of the house in time.

  He began to slowly press tiny kisses all over Emma’s face and neck and whispered quietly in to her ear, “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, it’s time to wake up.” She murmured something intelligible but rolled over and as she slowly opened her eyes and focused, she took him in and her face spread into a beaming smile.

  “Morning Blaze, I love you. This is the best way to wake up but can’t I just have five more minutes, please?” she grumbled as she scrunched her nose in such a cute way that he couldn’t resist planting a kiss right on the tip.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we have to get moving. It’s going to be a busy day, and I need to get up and get the kids ready. So now is your only chance to grab a shower.”

  “But it’s not even light out there, yet. Please, just five more minutes?” she whispered as she turned over and ground her naked buttocks right into his groin.

  “Em, we really don’t have time to start this now and after the wait I have had to get you back, you aren’t making this easy for me,” he groaned as he kissed her head then reluctantly pulled himself away, adjusting his boxers over his now raging erection. “I’ve let you asleep as long as I can, but we really do need to get going.”

  “Are you going to tell me where you’re taking us this weekend yet?”

  “Not a chance, sweetheart, and all will be revealed soon enough. Although, it’s just going to be you and me. Your mom is taking the kids this weekend.”

  She immediately sat bolt upright and launched herself at him, “Seriously, Charlie? Oh my God! Much as I love being mom to those two beautiful kids, I am so excited you’ve done this! It will be amazing to have you to myself for a couple of days. I’ve missed you, but I’ve missed ‘us’ more. Please tell me where we’re going. I can’t wait. Have I told you how much I love you, Charlie Haart?”

  “No, not in the last five minutes at least.” He chuckled bashfully. “And you know I adore you. You stole my heart way back in high school. I just never want this feeling to end, Em. I’m never going to let you go again. I promise you that.” He moved over the bed and kissed her deeply, taking her into his arms and sitting her on his lap at the side of the bed. He kissed her deeply and savoured her lips on his. Then, effortlessly he picked her up and cradled her in his arms, taking a long look at her flushed face. He grabbed the baby monitor from his bedside cabinet and rested it between his and Emma’s chests, almost a symbolic gesture of how they were both so devoted and loving the precious two children it was protecting. Much as he was aroused and painfully hard, he set her down on the vanity unit and turned on the shower. Waiting for the water to warm up, the slowly stripped her naked and then peeled his own boxer shorts from his body. With any luck the kids would sleep for at least another hour before their usual wake up time and he secured the monitor on the vanity with the volume up to maximum, safe in the knowledge that it would alert them to any significant movement from Adie, long before they were disturbed.

  With this in mind, he moved his naked body between her legs. Cupping her face he kissed her deeply, then peppered small kisses all the way down her jaw and her chest until he reached her pert nipples, and he licked and kissed them both in turn, making Emma shiver. He continued his gentle teasing all the way down her torso and to the apex of her legs. He then switched to gently kissing the inside of both of her thighs before sweeping his finger between her folds and teasing the sensitive bud inside. As Emma started writhing under his careful touch, she moaned loudly, making Charlie’s already painful erection even harder.

  He planted a series of kisses all around her folds, taking in her unique musky scent as he caressed her up and down with his tongue. He found her sensitive nub and nibbled on it before taking it between his lips and sucking it hard. The moans and whimpering that were escaping Emma’s mouth were turning him on immensely. With one further steady flick of his tongue, she came loudly and wildly above him, crying out his name in a hoarse whisper as she climaxed.

  As she began to come down from her orgasm, he slowly lifted her down from the vanity unit and into his arms before carrying her quivering body her into the cubicle with him, steam swirling all around them as he began washing her gently.

  He had never cherished anyone as he had in that shower. He could feel her desire for him was slowly burning its way to the top again as he caressed every inch of her hot body. He washed her in a smooth, circular motion, cleansing every inch of her creamy soft skin. He paid particular attention to her nipples and breasts, slowly rubbing them as he went. He washed down her torso then hugging her close to his chest, then paid equally as much attention to her neck, then down her back, and round her firm buttocks. Pulling her tight to him under the hot stream he took a moment to savor the skin on skin contact that his position gave him.

  He then turned his attention to the lower part of her body, lathering soap on his hands and slowly washing each leg in turn, sweeping his hands from her ankles right up to the apex of her thighs in long smooth strokes. His gentle touch heated her skin and she was becoming
increasingly aroused with every stroke. He needed to be inside her, to feel her intimately and he needed him now.

  She reached down and took hold of his hands, bringing him up from kneeling on the tile floor. As the soapsuds washed away from her body in the flow of water, she kissed him, and within seconds, the desire between them ignited. He knew as she kissed him it was with everything she had, pouring every ounce of the emotions she felt right into the embrace. Something between them shifted and as she began digging her hands right into his dirty blonde locks, he lifted her so that she was the right height to wrap her legs around his waist. Stepping over to the shower wall, he leaned her back against the cool tiles and then lowered her slowly onto his erection. Kissing her like it was the last thing he was ever going to do, he thrust into her rhythmically yet with such tenderness it almost brought tears to her eyes.

  As he began driving slowly in and out of her she arched her back and opened her eyes. He was watching her, his heart full of love for the beautiful woman beneath him. He rocked into her back and forth, sliding her back up and down the wet tiles with the motion. With every thrust, he could feel her second orgasm building. From the angle he was entering her, every jolt caused him to rub against her sensitive core, making them both inhale with pleasure. As he neared his own climax, he held her with one arm and reached down using the other arm and worked her with his fingers until she was shuddering on the brink of her own release.

  “I love you, Emma,” Charlie groaned as he thrust into her a couple of times. He saw her face twisting in pleasure as she fell over the edge and tightened around him. Charlie couldn’t hold himself and came hard inside her. He could feel every tremor from inside her as he rode out his climax. His face crumpled into a look of pure unadulterated adoration as he continued rocking into her. After they had both caught their breaths, he reluctantly let her down as his legs began to give way. They both stood there in the stream of the still hot shower, clutching each other in an attempt to stop from collapsing on the floor. Gazing deep into each other’s eyes as the droplets of water relentlessly showered them clean.

  “Wow,” was all Emma managed to say. Charlie merely smiled and turned off the water. Heading out of the cubicle he grabbed two soft towels from the heated rail and wrapped Emma snugly in one before drying himself off.

  “You could say that, sweetheart.” He chuckled as he took her hand and headed into the bedroom. “So you have ten minutes or we are really going to be late! And good morning to you, too, baby.”

  Within thirty minutes, Emma and Charlie were dressed and had the kids packed up and ready to head to Nicky and Mike’s. As Emma secured the two of them into the back of the new SUV she had bought, Charlie took their minimal luggage and placed it in the trunk. It was then Charlie noticed a familiar car parked at the end of their block. It was one he had seen several times before but it had driven away whenever either of them had made any movement towards it. It appeared to be empty this morning. Although from the distance it was hard to tell. It unsettled him again although he didn’t quite know what to do about it. The cops had confirmed it was nothing to do with them and their continued investigation into the deaths of Lily and Gary, but nothing had come back when they had checked the tags on the vehicle. The cops didn’t seem to be overly concerned and had promised to keep patrolling their neighborhood on a more regular basis.

  It took about fifteen minutes with the light, early morning traffic to safely deposit the still sleeping kids with Nicky, whilst Mike took over the driving. Within an hour and a half of waking, Emma and Charlie arrived at the airport, much to Emma’s surprise. Mike dropped them at domestic departures and as Emma hugged her father goodbye she turned excitedly to Charlie as he excitedly announced,

  “So, sweetheart, the next part of your surprise is a trip to New York. I have an important meeting that I need to attend about M’s Place and thought you might enjoy coming along with me for the trip.”

  Emma looked a little put out, but replied, “Oh. And here’s me thinking you might have been taking me for a child-free romantic weekend away, but dressing up a business meeting as a trip wasn’t quite what I had in mind. Still a couple of nights alone with you will be worth it, I guess.” She huffed as Charlie smiled and congratulated himself at his craftiness. He hadn’t lied to her exactly, just not given her the full story behind the ‘business meeting’ they would be attending.

  They headed swiftly through the airport security and were on the flight heading to New York in no time. The short flight was uneventful and Emma managed to get a couple of hours of extra sleep, curled up on her seat with Charlie’s arm wrapped protectively around her.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Emma

  It was mid-morning by the time they had disembarked and cleared security in New York and Charlie hailed a cab to take them straight to M’s Place. They arrived at the diner with an hour to spare and Emma was excited to finally get a chance to see George again. As the cab wove its way downtown, Emma felt a slight pang of homesickness. Although she had never felt that New York was truly home, it had been a part of her life for so long it was hard not to miss the hustle and bustle and the routine her life here had brought her. She was, however, totally at peace with her life now and was excited to finally have Charlie back in her life and two beautiful children she was now responsible for. Despite the tragedy they had to endure, Charlie and Emma would be the only parents that they would remember, although she was adamant that they would know as much about their biological parents as she could tell them.

  They reached their destination in no time and Emma reluctantly pulled herself from Charlie’s embrace to step out of the cab. She immediately saw George was on the counter and kissing Charlie on the cheek as he was settling the cab fare, she headed straight into the diner. It was reasonably quiet, so she almost ran across to George and embraced him warmly.

  “Miss Emma, what are you doin’ here?” George exclaimed, hugging her tightly back. “It’s so nice to be seein’ you. How you keepin’ and how’s them darlin’ kids doing? Poor little souls?”

  “Oh, George, I have so much to tell you but they are fine and I’m actually here with my boyfriend for a meeting. He’s just paying the cab but can’t wait for you to meet him.” She smiled widely.

  “Well, Miss Emma, bein’ in love seriously suits you an’ I’m so glad you went and got what you wanted. So when do I get to meet him then?” George had heard a few details from Emma about what had been going on back home, but Emma knew he had no clue that the high school beau she had been telling him about was Charlie. The man who had literally saved him from the gutter, and the very same man he had tried to set her up with all those months ago. She could barely contain her excitement when the bell above the door rang and in walked Charlie.

  Quickly releasing Emma and adjusting the collar of his uniform, George looked shocked. “Goodness, Mr Charlie, we weren’t expectin’ a visit from you for a couple months,” George exclaimed, more than slightly taken aback at his arrival. “Hope you are keepin’ well, son. Oh, and ‘scuse my bad manners, please let me introduce you to one of our old favorite customers.” He turned back to Emma who was smiling as wide as a Cheshire cat.

  As George pulled Emma close and was about to do the formal introduction, Charlie cut in, “Good morning to you, too, George, but please let me save you a job. Emma and I have already met, haven’t we, sweetheart?” He beamed as he walked over and took her into a loving embrace and kissed her soundly on the lips.

  For a second, George looked between the two of them, puzzlement clouding his face. His head whipped from side to side as he regarded each of them and tried to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of him. “What… you mean? Emma… Charlie… Well, my goodness, all these darned years,” he stuttered then walked over and took them both in an affectionate embrace. “Well, I never…” were the only words he could choke out before the tears spilled from the corner of his huge eyes and began to trickle slowly down his ecstatic face.

&nb
sp; It took a while for everything to sink in and after calling Bobby out of the kitchen to spread the good news and at Charlie’s insistence, the four of them took a booth in the corner and let the lunchtime staff, who had just arrived take on the other customers. They all ordered food and coffee and settled in to an easy conversation. For the next hour Emma and Charlie filled both of the dumbstruck men on the last few months and told Bobby a little about their history. George finally found his voice again and turned to the beaming couple who were sitting close, and fondly took in the fact that Charlie’s arm was draped protectively over Emma’s shoulders. “Well, I kinda knew the edited version of Miss Emma’s story, but she didn’t tell me too much. And never in a million years would I have put two and two together. It all makes a whole lotta sense now why you Mr. Charlie never ‘greed to meet this precious lady here, despite ma best matchmaking efforts.”

  Emma leaned further into Charlie and sighed happily.

  “Ya know, it fills ma heart with joy that you have finally found the same sorta love me an’ my late wife had, God rest her soul. It the most precious thing and you have to promise this ol’ man you won’t ever lose it.”

  “I promise I’ll never let her go, George, I’m not sure even this hardened heart of mine could take it if I lost her again and trust me when I say I am never sending her away again,” Charlie promised, and this time it was evident to anyone hearing him that it was one promise he would be keeping.