After awhile, Alex realized he was being watched and looked in Claire's direction, smiling. "You're up. We were being quiet." He talked to Charlotte again, the little girl grasping his finger. "Mum needed her rest, didn't she?" The baby smiled at him and Claire came into the room.
"You're good with her."
"She's a good girl. Yes, she is."
Claire smiled again. She was well aware that it had been a week and what she wanted his answer to be, but she had no idea how to ask. "Thank you...for this morning, this week." Admitting she needed help had never been her long suit, but being a mum was more difficult than she'd ever imagined. She couldn't have made it through without Meg, without Tess, and without him as well.
"Claire." He studied her. "I want to be the dad. For real this time, not just to keep the...nob...away."
"Really?" She'd been scared his answer would be no and wondered if this made it more difficult. She knew he loved Charlotte and the baby loved him as well, but they would share a child together. It was difficult enough pretending nothing had changed when they were just best friends.
He nodded, gently putting Charlotte back in her crib so that she could sleep some more as she started yawning. He returned to face Claire, who was still standing, and said, "I'm love you, Claire. Not just as a friend. I must have always,I just...I just never really realized it until this whole mess got started, until I almost lost you twice." Once to Peter, once in the riding accident. "That's why I volunteered the first time. Then, most of the time,I forgot that we weren't telling the truth, forgot that Charlotte wasn't mine.When my parents...I reverted to old habits. I'm sorry..."
Claire listened to him in wonder and amazement until he got to the apology and then placed her hand on his cheek. "It's okay."
"I did something awful, Claire..." He started again.
"You know what's sort of crazy?" He didn't answer. "I thought before you were just asking to marry me and being a good dad because when you lied to Peter, you got caught by your parents, everyone really. Or that you were just doing it to help me. The night you told me we were just pretending..." She paused. "That's when I found out I loved you. Timing kinda sucked, right?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her own around his shoulders, just holding each other.
Meg Fountain looked up as Tess came downstairs. "There you are. Haven't seen Claire and Charlotte this morning; she's usually sitting down here when I come in." Claire had looked so bad lately that she hoped Charlotte had given her a reprieve.
"Alex came over earlier to help with Charlotte so Claire could sleep in."
"I'll start on breakfast," she said, setting the eggs down, not particularly surprised about Alex's early and unannounced visit. She was more surprised when a meal went by without Alex or Nick dropping in. A few weeks ago, she would have said Dave as well, but she hadn't seen him since Charlotte was born. "Coffee?"
"No, thanks. I'm going to start on chores." She was anxious to see the red ute pull up, anxious for Nick to arrive.
She walked outside and did her morning chores before starting on some of Claire's. When she looked up, Nick was standing right next to her. "Didn't hear you come in." She smiled.
"I was quiet." He didn't smile back. "Claire's chores?"
She nodded. "She's been so tired lately. Alex came over to help this morning; I thought I'd help out here."
It sounded like Tess, always worried about Claire, just as Claire was about Tess. "You wanted to see me?"
"Dave and I broke up." She'd called him that morning, told him the 'it's not you, it's me', only this time, it was true. She could marry him, even if she did like him; it just wasn't enough. He wasn't Nick.
"I see." He was sorry if she'd gotten hurt, but he wasn't sorry that Dave was out of the picture.
"I didn't love him. Not the way it's supposed to be anyway." Nick nodded and she paused, getting very quiet, a rarity for her. "I've got some scars."
"What?" He thought she meant from the accident a week ago.
"I've got a few scars, but nothing I can't get past...with a little help."
He smiled, remembering the last time one of them had said that, and realizing what it meant, and coming up with his own reply. "It's a big project...but nothing I can't handle." She smiled, hugging him, kissing his cheek. He held her close, kissing her lips softly, and she gave into the kiss, remembering all the good things they'd shared together, none of the bad. She got the same feeling she had when she'd returned to Drover's after being gone so many years, a frightened yet warm, thrilling, feeling that rushed through her veins and heart. Nick was like being home, back where she belonged.