One Night...Forever Changed (Reydan and LingeringDesire)

Matt Browning ran his hands through his short black hair as he waited for the old lady in the car in front to finally decide whether or not she wanted the parking space. This was, he mused, exactly what he had expected his first day back in Hammond's Cove to be like. After almost two years away nothing about his sleepy New England birthplace seemed to have changed. Well, he thought, watching a young couple go into a Starbucks across the road, maybe that hadn't been there when he was younger.

He grinned ruefully. The old lady had begun to reverse into the space at a snail-like speed, the old station wagon juddering with every minute tweak of the gas pedal. At twenty three he hadn't expected, or really hoped, to be back here. He'd left Hammond's Cove for College, concentrating on geography as his major, and had hoped that it would be the springboard to somewhere more exciting. His parents, a fisherman and a fisherman's wife, were Hammond's Cove born and bred. His brother Todd, too, was likewise a homebody. He'd left high school, found himself a job in the local hardware store, and solidly worked up the ranks till he owned the shop and the corresponding handyman business. Everyone knew Todd Browning was the man you called if your gutter leaked or your washing machine broke or...well...just about anything.

With a sudden, terrifying, lurch, the old lady finally pulled into the space and Matt was free to pull his small green Nissan into one on the opposite side of the road. It had, like many of the spaces, a little painted number on the tarmac. 21. His new shop. He stepped out, unfolding his six-foot frame and leaving his boxes and cases in the car for now, to survey the empty shop front. This wasn't what he had in mind, he had to admit, but finding out his father had cancer last month had meant coming home had suddenly shot up his priority list. He sighed. Well, with the internet these days, maybe he'd be just as good at making and selling maps and charts as he had been in his Chicago store. At least that early success had left him in pocket.

He turned back to the car, ready to unpack his belongings, when he spotted a familiar woman walking, with another girl, along the opposite sidewalk. It was Kenzie, his sister-in-law. He'd told his parents he was coming back for good two weeks ago, and texted Todd, but had only received a typically brief "K" from him. He had no idea if he'd told his wife or their little kids. Long conversations had not really been Todd's strong suit. Matt had sometimes found himself, a little unfairly, wondering how his brother had snagged such an amazingly gifted girl as McKenzie. He raised his hand to wave, shouting out "Hey Kenzie!", and then his eyes fell on her companion. A face he hadn't seen for a very long time. Keeley.

Keeley Frayne moved through the street, baby stroller in front of the petite auburn haired beauty. "Race you from the park..." She mumbled, more to her self then the bright eyes child staring back at her. "Auntie Kenz is crazy, mommy refuses to rush." The little girl smiled up at her, melting her heart all over. Sure it was hard, but she was slowly getting the hang of this entire thing.

The twenty three year old had dropped everything when she found out she was pregnant, school and her degree in marine biology was put on hold. No, it wasn't what she wanted or even planned, but she couldn't just toss the life away. It was a part of her... and a part of someone she was terribly fond of... or was. Honestly, she wasn't sure anymore.

Sighing she crossed the street, her sister smiling at her from her seat on the park bench. Double stroller parked at her side. "Cheater." She declared with a smile. "So I buy the lunch today, fine."

"Nope, I'm meeting Todd for lunch... you're welcome to come along." Kenzie said plucking her niece from the stroller. "She's always so happy... mine seem to only have slept and cried at her age..."

Sinking onto the bench she sighed. "I dunno, I have to finish up inventory for Todd and this was only supposed to be an hour long lunch break as it is..."

"He said things are slow, don't worry about it.." Kenzie said , cooing.

"Yeah she is such a good baby, I can't imagine her any different..." Keeley said with a smile. She loved that her family didn't push for a name and hadn't figured it all out yet. The timing of it all couldn't have been more perfect. Everyone had been home for summer break and had just been leaving when she announced her pregnancy, questions were asked at the time, but they were long since forgotten.

"I'm gonna snatch Todd, you taken her back to mom?" Kenzie asked, strapping the little one back in.

"Yeah, I just have to count the tools and then log them... then I get to go home." She said rising.

The duo started making their way toward the hardware store when Kenzie stopped to wave at a man just up the sidewalk. Keeley could have been knocked over with a feather, she glanced down to Maitlyn and then up to her father, her heart skipped a beat as her sister rushed forward to greet him and she slowed.

"Matty!" She exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. "Todd told me , but not really. How are you doing? you seen Pappy yet?" She turned to see where Keeley was. "You remember my sister, Keeley."

--
{Reference picture of Keeley}

{Reference picture of Maitlyn}

Matt was almost bowled over by the force of Kenz's hug. His sister in law had practically thrown herself across the street and into his arms. "He-hey" he gasped, a little winded, "how are you?" His nephew and niece, he saw, were strapped into a double stroller. THE double stroller. It had been his gift to Todd and Kenzie when they first announced they were pregnant. They'd been hard up then, but he'd already had a break through with his business and had been happy to splash out on the kids.

"No, no. Haven't seen dad yet" he mumbled, disentangling himself from her embrace. "I've literally just pulled up." He put his arm around his sister in law and turned to face the shop front. "This is it!" he announced. First stop, the new premises. Shouldn't take too long to get it up and running".

Then he turned to see Keeley arrive with her own stroller. She was gorgeous. Brown eyes and auburn hair just how he remembered her from the last time he'd seen her. At the Wilkins' party. He gulped a little, the memory awkward. "Hey Keeley" he said, a little lamely, unsure of whether to hug her or shake her hand. He was being weird, he knew, he could sense Kenz's confusion. He, Todd and the Frayne girls had been the closest of possible friends throughout childhood. They'd spent summers and Christmases and long, boring, school terms together. Although, to be fair, Matt seemed to recall that he and Keeley had actually enjoyed school a lot more than the other two.

He smiled suddenly, eager to break the awkwardness, and suddenly saw the stroller again, as if for the first time. Moving to Keeley's side of the stroller he knelt down, without realizing edging her out of the way before she could object, and smiled in at the occupant. "And this must be little Maitlyn. Hi there!" he beamed at the child. "I've heard a lot about you from your Aunt Kenzie and Uncle Todd. But its nice to finally meet you!" God, he thought, those bright little eyes and that mop of auburn curls really did look like Keeley. But there was also something oddly familiar about the face, something he couldn't place. He straightened up with a shrug.

"Where are you ladies off to this morning? Dare I hope you're looking for some lunch? I might tag along if so!"

Keeley watched her sister practically tackle the unknowing father of her child. Inside she worried he would know in just seeing her, but then she thought of how crazy that was. In walking up to them she felt the awkwardness enter, why did she ever have to hop into bed with him? A little smile flitted across her lips toward him as his eyes flit over her. She lifted her hand in a little wave and glanced toward the building so as not to stare at him.

Instead she scrutinized him using his reflection in the glass window of his new building. He looked good, just as she remembered. All tall and warm, strong and... her mind blanked. Was she really having these thoughts? She blushed and turned away a moment. She could remember every moment of that night, the way he held her close and the way he felt against her. even worse was the way it all felt the next day, when he couldn't look her in the eye. The way she cried in her car the entire way home and then again a month and a half later when he told her that he was leaving town.

She saw the smile, not realizing she was even staring at him. Then he was kneeling down and talking to Maitlyn. Her heart nearly stopped as she watched their daughter tilt her head to look at him. She babbled something and smiled, as if what she'd said had been understood. Keeley watched her daughter watch him, then turned to her sister.

"I'm meeting Todd, after dropping the sleeping beauties off at Mom's, Keel is going back to work and Mait is going to mom's too. I'm certain Keel hasn't had lunch, maybe you two could grab a bite before she has to be back to work..." She smiled and scurried off. "Gotta run, see ya later."

Keeley bit her lower lip, she could have killed her sister. She should have known she and Todd were still at this game. "I'm sorry about your dad... he's always been like a dad to be and Kenz... You don't have to go to lunch with me... but if you need something, you uh... you have my number." She turned her buggy toward the other end of the street. "We'll see you around."

Could this get any worse, he could have called... he could have done any number of things. It was obvious he didn't want anything to do with her and she didn't need anything from him and Maitlyn was perfect. So why did it hurt so damn bad, still. She took off walking, the stroller before her. "Bye bye..." The little girl squealed out with a peal of laughter.

"Hey Keeley wait..." he called after her. He knew he had no rights on her time after treating her so poorly two years before, but he felt a sudden overwhelming need to reconnect with a girl who, regardless of what had happened that night at the party, had always been his best friend. It had always been Matt and Keeley, as long as anyone could remember in Hammond's Cove, much longer than, for instance, it had been Todd and McKenzie. Always together, always quiet and bookish, always laughing and hanging out and enjoying each others' company. His parents, her parents, their siblings and friends, had always expected them to get together. Some, particularly Todd and McKenzie, had even pushed them pretty hard in that direction. But Matt had never been able to screw up his courage, too scared of loosing what he had with this amazing girl, and then the party...

He couldn't let her walk off now. "Keeley" he said, catching up with her halfway down the street. "Look, I'm sorry" he began, a light blush rising in his cheeks, "It was crappy of me not to let you know I was coming back. After what happened when we left...and then not talking to you...then hearing the stuff about the little one...". He was rambling now, embarrassed by his thoughtlessness. He'd jumped at the chance to return to Hammond's Cove inside, hoping that, after so long away in Chicago, he might have a chance to return to his roots and the nice guy he'd always tried to me in high school. "Let me take you to lunch, please Keel" he said, inadvertently using his pet name for her.

Thankfully they were right next to the little cafe on the street, one of only two in all Hammond's Cove, and he steered her and the stroller inside before she could object too strongly. They ended up at a table in the window, Maitlyn gurgling happily in her highchair between them. He smiled apologetically at her mother. "Sorry to foist myself on you like this Keeley" he said with a gentle grin, "but I thought it'd be nice to talk. I owe you an apology for not giving you a heads up that I was coming back." He brandished the menu. "My treat. Honestly".

He was about to ask whether Maitlyn was onto solid food yet when the server appeared. Another old face. He'd never been particularly friendly with Becca Schultz in high school but Hammond's Cove was such a small place that you couldn't help but no everyone. He half rose in his seat to greet her when he saw her turn her eyes on Maitlyn and Keeley. Mother and child were distracted fussing with the highchair and Matt wasn't sure if Keeley heard Becca's next comment. "Can you believe that Keeley was the one to have a child with a one-night stand?" she whispered to him, eyebrows raised conspiratorially.

"I don't know what you mean." Matt said coldly, loud enough for Keeley to hear across the table. "I think Keeley's pretty remarkable for dealing so well with the cards life's dealt her. What's more, I don't see how its any of your business." This was what pissed him off about their home town. It was so small that everyone knew everyone's business. He felt like he was just getting a taste of what Keeley must have lived for almost two years.

Becca, chastised, hurried off to send over another server. After the order was placed Matt leaned in to speak to Keeley. "You know Keel", he said kindly, "I can't tell you how impressed I am by how well you've coped. You just seem so natural with her." He blushed a little, unsure of where to go next. "I'm sorry that her father just dumped her on you. Kenzie told me that he's never shown up to take any interest. You don't deserve that, neither does your little darling here."

The server arrived and took their order, starting with asking if there was anything Maitlyn needed. Then he turned to the two of them. "And for mum and dad?" he asked.

"Oh no...no...we're not...." the words came tumbling out of Matt's mouth, "I mean...she's mom...but I'm not...". He looked to Keeley for help, grinning in embarrassment.

She didn't stop, instead forced him to follow her a bit, let him do a bit of chasing. She'd let him go years before, she could have stopped him if she'd gotten the chance to tell him she was pregnant. But he scurried out of town with his tail between his legs all because he couldn't face her anymore... she was damn sure of it. They'd been friends once upon a time but that seemed so long ago now.

She kept walking, even after he caught up to her. Maitlyn babbled around the little thumb in her mouth. Stopping the stroller she turned to look at him. What was he apologizing for? She sighed. "Look, you don't owe me a thing... we both made our choices. I can deal with mine..." Sure it left a huge hole in her, but she could tolerate that... It took her a second to realize he'd continued her into 'Cafe on Main'.

Keeley found her way to the table, baby on her hip and stroller collapsed. Slipping Maitlyn into the highchair she pulled out a ring of toys and gave it to the child. "wouldn't be the first time..." She said with a teasing grin at his foist comment. "Well... since it's your treat..." She shook her head and lifted the menu to look at the options. Maitlyn started to whine a little, causing Keel to bend and look in her diaper bag for a small snack.

Sadly, she knew the waitress too and had words with her before in town about her child. She glanced up to catch Becca leaned in close and whispering to Matt and then Matt's exclamation. She blanched, then reddened as the girl scurried away like a scolded dog. It hurt, the comments and the looks. No one needed to know who the father was, why she wasn't with him or why she insisted on privacy. She wasn't ashamed of her choice to have Maitlyn, maybe of the conceiving her... but never of her.

Caressing the child's plump cheek she leaned forward and kissed the little ones brow. "Thanks.. it's not been easy with everyone making comments and assuming they know it all and what's best. I don't care anymore... Truth is, her daddy doesn't even know she exists and I'd rather keep it that way... less messy." She bit her lip at how harsh and cold it sounded... especially knowing he was right there.

Keeley went back to looking over the menu. The waiter approached and impressed Keeley, "She will have the grilled chicken tenders and rice pilaf please, can she have the fruit cup instead of the cookie? And water to drink since we are breast feeding still." She blushed slightly at the mention of breasts around Matt.

The next sentence caused her to laugh a bit. Let him squirm a bit. "Well, Momma will have grilled chicken, with rice pilaf and the steamed veggies. Thank you." She smiled, glancing at him across the table. "Just answer the man Matt. It's no big deal." She looked up at the waiter, "Maitlyn is my daughter and Matt is my friend, there it's cleared up. Happy?"

Gosh, that put him in his place. He reddened at the ease with which Keeley had handled the situation. She had always been the more capable of the two. That was partly why it had taken him so long, and several drinks at that party two years ago, to work up the courage to tell her how he felt about her. How he had always felt about his clever, funny, loving best friend.

"Uh just the burger and fries for me" he said. "What?" he asked, seeing Keeley's face across the table. It had been a long running joke that he had reached a culinary peak at fourteen and continued to eat like a hungry teenager ever since.

The meal was a little awkward. Conversation was difficult between the two of them. He'd never found Keeley hard to talk to, in fact they'd been inseparable friends, until that night. Now the awkwardness of it seemed to place a buffer between them. Instead they made small talk about family, friends, Hammond's Cove, anything, really, to keep it light. He'd forgotten how much he loved just talking to her. How much he enjoyed the sound of her voice. He tried to act cool, even though he was sure she might have caught him staring at her once or twice during the meal. It would have been really difficult if not for little Mait who giggled and chomped and gurgled her way through her lunch. At one point, seeing Keeley was struggling to get any of her own lunch eaten, Matt reached over and wiped the little girl's face with one of the wipes Keeley had put on the table. "You" he said grinning at her "are a little madam. Just like your mother. A handful". The child beamed at him. "But utterly lovely. Just like her" he said with a smile, wiping Mait's face clean. He froze, suddenly, realizing what he had said. Embarrassed, he continued to fuss over the little girl. For some reason he couldn't put his finger on he felt drawn to her. It just seemed oddly natural to be looking after her like this.

He paid the bill when it came, waving away Keeley's attempt to intervene, and then screwed up his courage. "Keeley" he said nervously "what are you doing tonight? This Saturday night? Because I'm having the opening of my shop. I'm not sure if Todd and Kenzie told you, but I want to make sure everyone in Hammond's Cove knows the shop is here, so I'm having a black tie reception. A bit swanky, but there'll be free wine and..." he tailed off but rallied a little seeing those deep brown eyes staring at him intently. "Please say you'll come. I know Todd and Kenzie have got a babysitter for the evening and you could leave this little terror with her too. It'd be so nice to see you again. Especially as you got me into this map business in the first place with all those charts you made me draw for your marine biology obsession!" he teased. "Please say you'll come."

They parted ways after that, Keeley heading off to work, Matt returning to his shop to ready for the party at seven.

When seven rolled around he was glad to see about two dozen people in suits and posh frocks already waiting on the sidewalk. Maybe it was just the free wine, but any publicity was good publicity. They were soon followed by his family. "Matty" his mother, Veronica, reached up to cuddle him. "Are you still coming to double family Sunday lunch tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course" he replied. Double family Sunday lunch was a tradition between the Browning and Frayne households, held at alternate hosues every Sunday.

"Good" she clucked, "Dad will be there. He was too tired to come this evening, but wants to hear all about it."

"Hey little bro!" Todd, looking surprisingly respectable in a suit and tie, grabbed him in a bear hug.

"Hey Todd" he grinned, slapping his back. "Thanks for coming man. I know this isn't exactly your thing, but if you make your way past the travel books section there's a little fridge of Bud with your name on it!"

"Oh real nice job keeping him presentable" teased Kenzie, kissing Matt's cheek as she passed by with Todd. "Good job little one" she smiled as she followed her husband's unerring quest for beer.

Matt turned to the door, hardly able to hope that Mr and Mrs Frayne, taking off their coats before greeting him, were blocking his vision of the one person he REALLY wanted to see tonight.

She gave him 'the look', the one she always gave him when he was predictable. The meal came and things drug a bit. One would think after sleeping together that they would be able to talk about anything, but that wasn't the case. Instead, Keeley let their daughter be the star of the show. Things flowed between them, besides the weird vibe. Maitlyn showed off, smiling, giggling and being the delight she was.

When the food came Keel cut up the chicken and placed some of it with the rice on a plastic mat she had tucked in the diaper bag. A few of her veggies were chopped and added to the mat and the bowl of fruit was gone through and the easy to eat pieces were added as well. However, she kept trying to steal from mommy and kept pulling at her plate.

It was a relief when he helped out, it pulled at her heart strings to watch them interact. The wipes were pulled out when Mait smashed carrots into her hair, Keeley loved her little show off but she much rather preferred the little one to put the food in her mouth rather than wear it. Keeley paused too, when he complimented her, a slight blush tinting her cheeks, however she played off like she hadn't heard because she didn't want to make it more awkward for them.

her attempt to snag the bill was thwarted and her companion seemed a bit flustered. "tonight... um no, they didn't.." She paused, peering up at him, hoping this wasn't leading to where she was sure it was. It did, secretly her heart soared. Even with a baby he wanted to spend some more time with her. She looked to Maitlyn who sat between them rubbing at her eyes. She smiled, "I'll come."

It wasn't that much later and she was aproned up and counting items in the back of the storeroom for her brother-in-law. Her mind was a few shops down and not on the packs of nails and screws she riffled through.

The babysitter took exactly one text, Kenzie was already on the alert and ready to beg if she knew that Matt had flaked on asking Keeley to the event. When she arrived home a fancy cocktail dress lay on the bed with all sorts of fancy accessories. Keeley bit her lip at the just above the knee, one sleeved teal dress that lay there, the black stiletto heels on the floor and the silver necklaces, bracelets and earrings that lay next to it, Kenzie had outdone herself with this get up. There was even a ripped out magazine page with a hairstyle on it.

Leaving it there she moved through the house to find her baby, she needed to feed her child before she leaked all over the fancy dress and ruined it.

It wasn't an hour later and she was pulling off a gray peacoat behind her parents. When they stepped away from greeting Matt she was there, smiling up at him. It felt almost normal, except the way her heart lurched at seeing him. Pain entered her eyes, she wanted more than just the friendship he offered. "Hi... the place looks beautiful... and look at you in your penguin suit, looking like a grown up." She laughed softly, hoping to break the tension a bit.

She looked amazing. More beautiful than he ever remembered. Even when they had gone to prom "platonically" together at the end of high school. A soft teal dress hugged her figure and silver jewelry sparkled at her throat and in her ears. The breath caught in his throat.

Keeley seemed a little nervous, but tried to laugh it off, complimenting him on the store. He could see the hesitation in her eyes, however, and wondered if she could see the anxiety mirrored in his own. Keeley had been both the biggest reason for his return to Hammond's Cove, deep down, and also his largest source of hesitation over the decision.

He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently, feeling his stubbly beard brush against her soft skin. She smelt great, a mixture of shampoo and a hint of perfume, and he came away with a lingering sweetness on his lips from her cheek. "Thanks for coming" he said quietly, his voice over-laden with affection. He didn't know quite why, but he was so desperate that she enjoy herself. That she be near him.

He offered her his arm and guided her through the party. People kept stopping to talk to him, to congratulate him or ask him about when he'd be selling some of the stuff, but he only had eyes for the woman on his arm. Finally they reached the buffet table.

"Do you want a drink?" he asked, unsure about whether mothers drank alcohol whilst breast-feeding. He grinned ruefully. "Are you allowed? I'm probably being dumb but I know so little about infants". He gestured to a row of glasses filled with orange juice before picking up one himself. Noticing her glance he smiled shyly. "Oh I don't drink anymore, not after" he paused. He was about to say not after that night. He'd been so ashamed of himself, bottling his courage and having to be drunk to confess his feelings to his equally drunk friend, a girl he had loved for most of his life. They'd tumbled into bed together, one drunken night of passion, and afterwards, so ashamed of having treated her like any other girl, Matt had been unable to look her in the eye. But he'd never drunk a drop after that. Never forgiven himself for screwing up the thing he wanted most in life. "Not anymore" he finished lamely.

He bucked up suddenly. Her surprise. He'd almost forgotten. "Come with me" he smiled and practically dragged her to the back of the store. "Look at this" he grinned, sweeping his arm in the direction of the back wall of the shop. You couldn't see it from the storefront because of the shelves but the back wall was painted in an enormous, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, map of the New England coast. Covering it were all sorts of diagrams and pictures. Sea patterns, rock formations, migration paths for seals and fish, even small images of the animals themselves. It was his homage to her.

"Had to get it up there!" he grinned, watching her earnestly for a reaction. "You always told me I should do something with all the doodles and maps I drew, so when I opened the shop here I thought I'd pay homage to my own little Hammond's Cove muse." He drew her attention to two tiny figures just off of the dot that was Hammond's Cove on the wall. The larger was a small figure of a scuba diver, auburn hair wafting in the sea, giving a thumbs up. "Its you" he added, smiling at the image, "when I told you in my first email after we both left for college that I couldn't hack it and you sent me an image of yourself on your diving training and told me that if you could do that I could manage anything".

He pointed to the smaller figure. It was a tiny mermaid, with curly hair and piercing blue eyes. "Painted that today" he added softly. "Felt like after seeing you two at lunch it wouldn't be right to part you here". He didn't add that he had wanted to put a third figure in. Himself. With them. Like some sort of perfect Hammond's Cove version of the sacred family. Mother, child and.... That was the problem. He wasn't father, and as much as he felt his old feelings for Keeley stir, he worried that her new life would leave her reluctant to commit to anything new with him. Especially after how he had treated her.

He was about to say something more when he felt a slap on his back. "Just checking to see that you're still coming to lunch tomorrow bro!" exclaimed his brother. Todd, Bud in hand, was clearly more than a little merry and had missed the wall painting entirely. Kenzie seemed more alert however, trying to follow her sister's gaze to examine what they had been looking at so intently a moment ago.

"You ok there Keeley?" her sister asked. "Matt treating you right?"

The kiss to her cheek was un expected and caused her skin to tingle. Keeley wanted to pull him to her and show him exactly how she wished to be greeted, they had a child together for crying out loud. "My pleasure," she said back to him, softly. Slipping her arm into his felt natural, the warmth from him radiated into her as she rested her palm on his forearm.

He made her feel as if she was the only woman in the room, it was always this way. She looked around at the maps and the items he had on display. Trying not to stare up at him, as much as she wanted to. "I'd love one..." She said, thinking he meant of soda or water. Her brow furrowed when he asked if she was allowed... but as he explained further, she laughed. Men...

Noticing his own choice she smiled, but his words slapped her across the face. After what... the most amazing night of her life? After they had created Maitlyn? After he broke her heart?

Each of them fit, but she bit her lip, turned her head away and chose a glass of water for herself. "I can drink whatever I want, but I prefer to stay away from alcohol since... well, not anymore." She said repeating his line. She was embarrassed, they had been fuzzy, he more than her. She wanted him though and told him that when he said he wanted her... she didn't realize he was as wasted as he was, at the time.

It was the next morning, she woke up smiling at him. He looked her over, said, "Oh shit!" And ran from the room." She was gone when he returned. When he didn't call she knew it was a mistake, she figured he'd thought she was someone else the night before and hated himself when he learned the truth. It killed everything between them, even though it had created life... guilt struck her.

He drug her away from the table as she looked over the cheese and fruit. "Like I have a choice..." She smiled at him though, wanting things back at normal between them. Her eyes followed his arm, "what is... Matt!" She said, relinquishing her hold on his arm as she moved forward. Her fingers gently traced over drawings, doodles and lines she remembered well. She turned to look at him, wide smile lifting her lips at the corners. "It's amazing..." She whispered.

Moving closer to a little figure she felt tears coming to the surface. Even after all of this, he... Her eyes were drawn to the smallest figure, Maitlyn. She loved it, the beautiful way he'd included... unknowingly... his own daughter in the picture. All that was missing was him. Keeley wanted to kiss him, to grab him and shove him against the wall and kiss him until he saw how perfect he was for her and she for him. Then stop when they were breathless and confess her secret... but she couldn't ruin his life like that. Maitlyn was her choice, not his and he didn't need that... no matter how great of a dad she thought he'd be.

Her sister and brother-in-law were an unwelcome addition to the moment. She glanced at Kenzie and then away from the wall, but not at Matt. "I-I'm fine..." she shifted awkwardly away. "yes, a perfect gentleman..." Lifting her glass she smiled, "I'm going to refresh this, I'll be just a minute."

Kenzie was hot on her heels, she knew she would be. "What is up with you?"

"Nothing," She said grabbing a new glass of water.

"Then why the waterworks... was it over the mermaid Maitlyn?" Kenzie asked, grabbing a glass of red wine. "You are such a sap, always were... but even more now that you are a mommy. but seriously, it's a nice gesture.. deserves a dinner or a kiss... hell maybe even a blow job."

Keeley's eyes went wide and her wine glass teetered as her sister listed what the "nice gesture" was worth. She blushed and shook her head, trying to come back with something. "Well, we'll never know since you and Todd burst the bubble... I have to pee, be right back."

"I'm not done with this..." Kenzie called out behind her.

"Of course you aren't..." she muttered. She needed some fresh air, to compose herself and get things under control. Grabbing her jacket she stepped out onto the street and sighed.

"Should I go after her?" Matt said, suddenly worried, and looking at Kenz for advice. He hadn't wanted to upset Keeley, in fact that was the last thing on earth he wanted right now, but Todd's drunk arm was around his shoulders holding him back. She had seemed to like the mural. Almost speechless over the picture of Maitlyn. He felt like, if only their siblings hadn't arrived, something might have happened between them there. There seemed a spark, a hint of the old connection...

Kenzie pulled him out of his reverie. "Dunno" she shrugged "but you should definitely get going and see what's up with her. She's been so quiet since Mait was born. So withdrawn. I don't know whats got into her". Kenzie was clearly worried for her sister, Matt knew, but her words also caused him to suppress a grin. Both he and Keeley had ALWAYS had a reputation for being 'quiet' as people put it. If he hadn't just seen her hurry away he would have thought that Kenz's description was perfectly normal. Then she rallied with a wicked grin. "I think she needs a little TLC and I know a lovely little MR MB who could slip his arms around her and..." she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"I..." Matt began, but was cut off by Todd.

"Bro get out there and stick yer tongue down her throat" he slurred, a little loudly, causing people nearby to turn and look.

"Ok buster that's your last strike" Kenz said firmly, taking his arm from Matt and wheeling her husband away. "Its the passenger seat of the pickup and then bed for you".

"Go get her!" she winked at Matt as she wheeled Todd away. He wondered, as he crossed the shop to find her, when it had become Kenzie's mission in life to get her sister and her boyfriend's brother together. It had begun when they were in high school and never let up. Really Todd was the junior partner in this - Kenz was the real pusher.

He lingered outside the toilet for a moment, trying to act casually, but saw a middle-aged woman emerge. So Keeley wasn't here. There was only one toilet in the shop for customers and staff alike. Scanning the room he thought he saw a flash of teal from the sidewalk outside.

His path towards the door was blocked by Mr Frayne, however, busy tucking into a bowl of crisps. Matt slowed. He couldn't simply barge past the portly little man, with his Father Christmas beard and kind eyes, who had been his favorite teacher at high school. Mr Frayne had taught English, a subject Matt struggled with, but had been the soul of kindness and patience with the young man. He stopped.

"Hi Mr Frayne" he smiled.

Mr Frayne looked up, guiltily, wiping crumbs from his jacket. "Oh Matty its you" he sighed in relief. "I thought it was the Mrs. She's got be on another of those faddy diets. As if this little corpulence is going anywhere." He patted his stomach. "I'll always be more of a Micawber than a Uriah." He watched Matt with piercing eyes, those same eyes Matt had spent the day with in female and infant forms. It was a test, always was with Mr Frayne, and Matt dredged his memory under the kind but amused gaze.

"David...Copperfield" he tried, hesitantly, "Charles Dickens?"

"Very good Mr Browning" the small man chuckled. "Good to see something took." He leaned in, seeing his wife approach, and whispered to Matt. "I believe my youngest is outside. Be gentle young man. I've never pushed her on what happened with Maitlyn. To be honest I can't be cross when I look at that little bundle of joy. But whatever happened left her very fragile. She needs a friend now. More than anything".

Matt smiled warmly at his old mentor and then stepped out into the chilly Hammond's Cove air. There she was, hugging her leather jacket to herself, staring into the night sky.

"Keel" he murmured, drawing close. He settled against the wall, shoulder to shoulder with her. Or more accurately side by side given the height difference. Looking up at the perfectly clear New England sky he said "You know, I was an idiot that morning." No need to say which morning. "I woke up next to you, saw you all ruffled and gorgeous in bed next to me, and freaked. You were my best friend and I was worried I'd thrown that away. By the time I'd calmed down you were gone". He looked down at her, trying to see how he was affecting her. He reached for her hand with his, side by side, wanting to feel her fingers in his. "Can we go back to how we were Keel?" he asked softly. "Seems like you and I could both use a good friend right now".

Keeley leaned against the building, or rather the wall between the buildings and closed her eyes. Sadly the only thing that came forth in her mind was him and that night. Tears fell freely down her cheeks, she wanted to take it all back or edit parts of it out. If the morning after changed, then she'd still have Maitlyn and still have Matt. But without it altogether then Maitlyn wouldn't be.

Picking up her phone she called the sitter to check in...

She was off the phone before he came out, she knew it was him but figured it was her sister that sent him after her. Her face was clear of tears, though her sadness stayed in place. She glanced sideways at him as she bit her lip. Absently she nodded her head, agreeing with him. Her brows furrowed, ruffled and GORGEOUS, what the hell? She was confused, what was he saying...

Her hand was there, being wrapped up in his. Small fingers fitting perfectly in his like it always had. She chewed the inside of her lower lip. His tossing the friend word in there caused her head to drop a bit. Couldn't they just go back to that night, do it all over and then start fresh as... As what? He'd freaked the first time, who was to say he wouldn't do it again? Hell, who was to say he even wanted her in that way at all, it was a drunken night that brought her misery and Maitlyn.

"I... I don't honestly know if we can go back to how we were. That night..." She sighed, she didn't want to say anything more. "Just now... by the maps, if Todd and Kenzie wouldn't have barged in, I would have kissed you. And it wouldn't have been a friend kiss. What you did, drew in there, for me and Maitlyn... that is the most kindest thing and that gesture was the most romantic one ever made... for me. But if I wanted to kiss you and I tried, you'd have been freaked out and running again. Even with people needing you here, you'd probably have run..."

She dropped his hand and scooted away a few inches, "I can't handle this coming back and going away. I was your friend Matt and you just tossed me away, as if I was nothing... as if what we did was nothing. I felt like some whore you'd picked up in a bar and woke up next to and saw as a troll!" She'd never let this out, no one knew and by god it was bound to come out... She forced it all back inside. "I will be your friend, but don't do things that treat me as more or make me feel more than a friend." Keeley fought back the urge to run. When things came up and freaked her out... it was what she did but it was also what she suspected he did as well.

Her words stung, his cheeks flushing in the cold air, his eyes wide in shock. Was that really what she had felt like after their night together? Cheap? A whore? Something to be fled from across half the country? He looked a her, shrinking back a little along the wall away from him. She couldn't meet his eyes but he persisted and, catching a glance from them, he saw them filled with the pain and heartache of two years of separation. He felt wretched then, like he wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Part of him wanted to run, wanted to get out of this situation as fast as he could. But another part of him anchored him there, on the nighttime sidewalk, the two of them illuminated in the golden light of the shop window. She had said something else. Something else before unleashing her feelings of hurt and pain on him. She had wanted to kiss him. Had thought he would reject her again. Had thought he would run a mile. But she had wanted to kiss him. "It wouldn't have been a friend kiss" - the words echoed and bounced around in his head. Not a friend kiss. A kiss.

He gulped, time seemingly slowed to a crawl. He saw he chew on her lip anxiously. He saw the light across her face shift as revelers moved inside the shop. Her brown eyes glittered as a beam of light played across her face. He could see the pain and the fear and the anticipation that, he was sure must be there. A mirror of his own heart. She was so beautiful. He'd enjoyed himself more in that half hour of lunch, in those snatched minutes by the map, even in the hours of waiting and hoping for her before the party, than he had in more than two years. He didn't want to hurt her, knew she had to live with him in Hammond's Cove for the foreseeable future, that this was her home still and he couldn't come back and just send it all flying into the air. He heard her say she would be his friend, nothing more, and it cut him to the quick. But at the exact same time his feet were, of their own volition, carrying him forward. He faced her, looking down at this girl who, whether she knew it or not, had cradled his heart in her hands since the age of thirteen. At least. He...he had to try.

"Keeley". His voice came out low and husky, so unlike the terror that clutched his heart. "Keeley" It was all he could mumble. Her back was against the bricks of the wall, her face tilted up to his but looking off to the side, to escape, still unable to meet his eyes. Suddenly he was overwhelmed by his feelings for this girl. No. This woman. He didn't want to hurt her but he had to try... "Keeley" he murmured, his cheeks stinging with the cold and the embarrassment, his whole body clumsy with nerves. "Keel I love you." Then he leaned in to kiss her. Would she let him? Would she run? Would this ruin everything? He didn't know, but every fiber in his being was screaming that he had to try before the door closed forever. The dice were up in the air. It was now up to her.

She didn't look at him, couldn't. Keeley didn't care to see his expression as she laid the groundwork for how this would HAVE to go. If he only thought of her as a friend then she didn't want anymore moments where he lead her to believe that wasn't the case. She heard him and felt him approach, more than saw him. Her eyes followed along the curb instead of looking up at him, even when he said her name.

The low husky notes of his voice, spoke to her, even when she didn't want to react. She closed her eyes, knowing what was going on, or at least thinking she knew. He was trying hard to talk some sense into her or convince her that wasn't his intention. She didn't want to hear it. When her name was whispered again, her eyes slid open slightly but still glanced to the side. She didn't want him to know her pain fully.

They breathed the same air, each pulling it in and letting it go as they stood there in the cold night. His I love you, was like a punch in the gut. She reacted, turning her eyes and face more toward him. But his lips were waiting. Keeley reacted more to him than she would have liked as their lips touched, tentatively at first. It seemed he left the ball in her court... and she didn't like that.

Her fingers slid up under his jacket and against his chest, "Oh Matt..." She sighed and pressed into him more. Her lips taking the lead and guiding the kiss, from sweet to tempting. Tongue swiping along his lower lip, tracing and begging for entrance.

It was here she realized that this wasn't what he wanted, or at least she suspected she had misunderstood his love. He loved her as his best friend, not in the way she wanted him to love her... She felt like a fool for reading too much into it. Keeley stepped back, and stared up at him, shock at what she had done on her face. "I'm sorry..."

Her eyes traveled to her family, Todd and the boys' mom smiling down at them from the window. Acceptance shone in all their eyes, while fear shone in hers. She backed away. "I'm... sorry." It wasn't what she wanted, to run away... but he hadn't stopped her. Probably too shocked at the kiss she gave him when he said he loved her. How many times had they spoken of love, they were best friends and nothing more.

She had crossed that line and he had yet to join her... this was messed up.

Keeley dashed to her car, started it and drove off. Or rather drove in circles trying to clear her head. She'd screwed everything up in reacting to his words and probably scared the hell out of him. That was the last thing she wanted to do. At least if he ran this time, she'd given him a pretty good reason to.

It was like a dream. He felt Keeley hesitate, their lips brush together, and then she stepped close. Pressing her small body to his. He felt her heart flutter through the teal dress. Felt her breasts, a little bigger than that time two years ago, press against his chest. His mind seemed to fragment, only processing small parts, little pieces of a jigsaw he was too overcome to understand. Unable to step back and see the full picture.

Fragments. His name on her lips. The taste of her tongue. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her close. Her small fingers on his chest. Her smell. Her presence. Her tongue tracing his lips. Passion. Desire. But also...sadness.

Then it was gone. All too fleeting. Fled like the stars in the morning. She was backing away, eyes darting, mouthing two terrible words that he never hoped to hear from her. "I'm sorry". He started to speak, but then saw her eyes travel upwards and widen in shock. Instinctively he pivoted, following her gaze. From the window of his apartment above the shop he could see the faces of his Mom, Todd, and all the Fraynes. He felt his face flush. They were smiling, clearly interrupted by events below during his mother's self-appointed inspection of his living quarters. He turned to Keeley, but she was gone.

His heart lurched. She was already across the street, fumbling with her car keys. He tried to step towards her, feet leaden, but then she was in the car and pulling out into the street. Within seconds the girl he loved more than anything else in the world was gone. Vanished from him. "Fuck" he murmured into the cool New England night.

The party broke up after that, Kenzie using the excuse of getting Todd home finally to usher her embarrassed parents out of the door. His Mom followed, worry clear in her face. She leaned in for a cuddle. "Now now my lovely boy" she whispered. "Worse things happen at sea." Her oldest, and wisest, piece of Mom wisdom. "See you tomorrow. Dad wants to see you so much. We all do." Then, with a final reassuring squeeze, she too was gone.

He locked up. His actions were mechanical now. Arriving upstairs, he grinned, still sad, but a little cheered to see that Kenzie and his Mom, and probably her Mom too, had made his bed. Pulling off his clothes, save for his boxers, he collapsed onto it, drained. He looked up at the peeling paint of the ceiling and felt the tears come at last. Fuck. Why had it all gone to hell? He loved Keeley. More than a friend. Had always loved her more than a friend. Maybe she had misunderstood? He replayed the events again and again in his mind but couldn't see how he could have been clearer. Maybe this was her revenge for two years ago. But he couldn't believe that. Keel wasn't vicious. He gave up, sleeping fitfully until finally giving up and waking at five.

Midday saw him pull up outside his childhood home. He clutched his presents in one arm and a bottle of wine in the other. His mother opened the door and hugged him again before bustling off to the kitchen. He grinned. Clearly she was still a little competitive with Mrs Frayne after maybe twenty years of double family Sunday lunch. His Dad was in a chair, reading the paper. Matt leaned over and wrapped his arms around the small figure. It almost broke his heart to see the once powerful fisherman now frail and thin, muscles gone as he struggled to stave off the cancer that kept returning. "Hey Pops" he said, trying to keep the emotion from his voice, "got a little something for you." He plonked a book in his Dad's lap and winked at him. "Page 44 is particularly interesting" he said. It was, officially, a book on the Great Barrier Reef, but inside, at page 44, were his company accounts. Richard Browning loved maths, had almost become a maths teacher if he hadn't been tied to a six-generation stake in the fishing industry, and had pushed his two boys relentlessly. Matt knew his Mom didn't want him stressing out going over the accounts, but also knew it would be cruel to deprive his Dad the pleasure he got from checking over his boys' maths. Tired eyes, his father looked back at him and grinned. "Thanks Matty" he said.

Straightening up, he saw Kenzie looking at him from the couch. Her two little ones played on the floor at her feet. She was looking at him sadly, biting her lip in the way both Frayne girls did when nervous. He sat beside her. "Is she..." he could hardly muster the rest, "is she coming today?"

Sitting in the dark car she hit ignore on her phone, "No Kenz.." She said, turning the phone off and tossing it in her bag. The park was quiet and peaceful, Maitlyn was asleep in her car seat in the back, she'd picked her up after clearing her head, but she couldn't face her family. She didn't want to answer any questions. What went on between them was their business and not everyone else's.

Turning in her seat she looked back at her perfect little girl, sound asleep and oblivious to her mother's anxiety. Tomorrow was the Sunday supper, something they had done since the two families first met. It would be super awkward and she debated whether or not she should even go. But Richard Browning was Maitlyn's grandfather, even if he didn't know it. Keeley knew it and she also knew he loved Maitlyn and Maitlyn loved her Pappy.

She wiped a tear away. Wanting to tell them and actually doing it were two different things. Keeley wanted Maitlyn to have a daddy and a big family, but she wanted someone to love her more than just as a friend, someone that would marry her because he wanted to and not just out of some sick sense of obligation. She hated all of this, it was messy and complicated. Her heart ached, she was in love with Matt.

Keeley drove slowly home and put Maitlyn and herself to bed, sleep came, but Maitlyn woke up about an hour in, hungry. Sitting in the rocker next to the crib she fed her daughter, the door to their room creaking open quietly. She wasn't surprised to see her mother standing in the doorway. Maitlyn pulled her head back from her mothers breast to smile at her Nana before going back for more.

"How are you dear?" Helen asked, softly settling on the bed.

Keeley knew what her mother meant, but she wasn't sure how to answer her as she tucked a blanket around them, blocking herself from her mother. "I'm alright... a bit confused."

"I get that... you two are so close. Well, were so close and now you are older. Seems emotions are more adult and more involved... "

Keeley nodded, Maitlyn was asleep now, sucking on her thumb. Standing, she placed the child in her crib. "I'm in love with him, but I'm afraid... "

Helen sighed, "Your father and I thought this might be the case..."

Keeley turned to face her.

"You two need to sit down and talk..."

"I know, but I'm worried." Keeley answered.

Helen stood and hugged her daughter, "It'll work out, get some rest."

"Thanks mom.."

---

She heard him from the kitchen, Maitlyn babbling a hello from her highchair as she helped his mother with the cooking. Keeley loved cooking and this time spent in the kitchen was always calming. But knowing HE was out there made her nervous.

Kenzie smiled at him, pointed to the kitchen, "Already here, you should go say hello... at least to Maitlyn."

He looked an Kenzie for a long moment. She looked a little older than he remembered her being two years ago, but the face of a close friend still smiled in concern from behind those tired eyes. "I've effed it up Kenz" he said, conscious of little ears just below them on the carpet, "too much too early. I've probably scared her off." His eyes drifted to her little ones. He smiled. He loved his nephew and niece. They were little bundles of joy. He picked up Billy, bouncing him on his knee as he continued.

"You know I've held a candle for your sister for years" he continued in a low voice. "Loved her for years and years. Since we were kids."

Taking the infant from him, Kenzie calmly placed the kid back on the floor with his sister, and then, with a grin, punched him lightly in the shoulder. "We all have doofus. Or at least those of us with half a brain. Not sure about the men in this family, but me and the Moms have known you two were perfect for each other for ever." She smiled sadly at him. "I know Mait makes it complicated. I still can't believe my quiet little sister would have a fling with some random guy and then have the baby, but there it is." She shrugged. "Modern life is complicated y'know? But Keel needs someone almost as much as you need a good woman to keep you in line. Now go and man up and get her." She waggled her eyebrows. "Talking first and then you move those lips lower on her y'know?" She wiggled her hips suggestively and peeled with laughter as a red-faced Matt got up and hurried to the kitchen.

The kitchen was full of delicious smells. By his, admittedly poorly trained culinary nose, he thought it might be some sort of fish. "Hi hi" he called out, and the two women turned and waved, although Keeley didn't really meet his eyes. Not wanting to distract her from the hard work of preparing lunch for eight adults and three infants, he sat at the table next to Maitlyn.

The little child was a delight, her bright eyes lighting up as she saw him sit down, and babbling "hello" in her little voice.

"Hi there little one" he said, a huge grin spreading across his face. He felt a strange connection to this child, and everything else seemed to slip away as he leaned in to chat to the little girl. A picture book was on the table, covered with colourful images of animals, and he picked it up. The little girl clapped her hands in delight; clearly he had discovered a favourite. Placing it in front of her he began to chat with her, trying to coax her into making the animal noises after naming them, marveling at just how bright Maitlyn seemed. She did a great sheep, an even better goat, and even, with a little help, a rooster. She stumbled on the pig, little eyes looking up at him beseechingly for assistance, and he grunted and snorted down at her making her squeal with laughter. The kitchen radio, tuned to some local pop station, was ticking over to another song and he found himself, as if in a dream, lifting the little girl out of her highchair and into his arms. She grinned at him, evidently delighted in being the centre of his world, and he hummed and bopped around the table with her, staying out of the way of the cooking.

The song ended and he looked up. Keeley was looking at the two of them, her face full of something. Then he realised what an imposition this scene must have been to her. He had no right. He wasn't the father, wasn't even the uncle as he was with Kenz's kids. Gently he lowered a disappointed Maitlyn back into her highchair. "Keeley" he said, his voice anxious, "have you got a moment to talk?" He looked at his Mom for support.

"Go" said his mother, purposefully not looking back, "go, we won't be ready to serve for another ten minutes or so. Still gotta wait for your brother and Keeley's father to get back from the store with the wine".

Matt stepped into the hallway and, not sure if she was following, across into the study, ready to shut the door to give them some privacy if she did join him.

Keeley waved, nonchalantly his way. It was awkward and embarrassing to see him so soon after their kiss the night before. Her lips still tingled, hand lifting to them as she stirred the pot of noodles. She was in charge of the mac n cheese. Silently she listened to father and daughter interact quietly behind her as she worked.

It wasn't until she turned to pour the mixture into the baking dish that she saw what he was next up to. Maitlyn cooed and giggled as Matt spun her around, dancing to the song on the radio. The moment was crippling. It was a sweet gesture, by Keeley wasn't sure if he was just putting on a show for his family or if this was something he could actually handle.

Already she knew he would be a great dad, but there was no way she could spring it on him. Not like this, here. Quietly, she poured the mac into the dish and topped it as the song ended. Her eyes found his, she wasn't upset, just curious about his motives and what he would do if he knew the truth. Maitlyn squealed, "No!" At him and banged her little hand in the tray of her high chair. Keel laughed as she dug nto the diaper bag, producing a little ring of toys.

"Yes," she answered for herself, following him out to the other room as Maitlyn threw the toys.

Softly she closed the door to the study before sitting down on the plush couch. "I don't know what to even say to you Matt. Things are so confusing and... Messy right now. Heck, I don't know what you even want from me ... An apology?" She clasped her hands together over her jeans covered thighs. "I'm sorry..."

He stood, looking down at her, adoring eyes fixed on her. His emotions were all over the place as well. Messy? This was a car-wreck. A multi-pile up in their shared lives. He had to handle this right or he'd ruin everything.

He held his hand up as she started to say sorry. He smiled gently at her. "Keel" he said softly. "Keeley. I hardly think I should expect an apology from you. I mean, not only did I put a lot of pressure on you last night but, also, you gave me a richly deserved taste of how I treated you". He chuckled at that, his voice still quavering with nerves. She looked small now, her hands folded on her jeans, her green pullover snug around her. She looked afraid.

Matt knelt, unsure of why, in front of her, face to face, but not too close. He didn't want to pressure her. He took a deep breath. "Keeley" he said "two years ago I fucked up. We got drunk and tumbled into bed and I screwed everything up in the morning." He stared at her knees, embarrassed, and continued. "Keeley, what hurts the most about that night is that it was almost everything I wanted. I didn't have the courage to say this then, Keel, but I do now so please hear me out." Another gulp. Another deep breath. "Keeley Frayne I love you. Not just as a friend. Not just as a sister-in-law. But as a woman. I've loved you since we were teenagers. Maybe even before. You've always been everything to me. Even when we were in High School I lived and died for your smile. But I was afraid. Afraid of messing it all up. I couldn't bring myself to tell you. That's why we went to prom as 'friends'. That's why I emailed you constantly during our first year of college, our first year apart ever. And that's why," he said, embarrassed, "I got drunk and kissed you at that party. It was easier than telling you how I felt. Putting everything out on the line."

He looked up at her face, intent on his, her long hair framing her freckled cheeks. "If you want to be friends, God knows I need one. If you want to take a step back, just see each other when we have to I could live with that too. It would break my heart but I don't want this to be awkward for you. Hammond's Cove is as much your home as mine. We both have to live here. But. But." He forced himself on, sure she could hear his heart pounding in his chest.

"But if you feel the way I feel about you, if you love me as more than a friend or think you could in time, then, Keeley Frayne, I need you to know that I want you. I've always wanted you. I came back here, partly, because I couldn't get you out of my head. I know you've got a child. I know you slept with someone else, that that will always be part of your life, but I don't care. She's gorgeous. Precious. A joy. Just like her Mom. And I want you both in my life, as much as you'll let yourselves be, for as long as possible. I love you Keeley Frayne". He leaned in, still unsure of how she felt but knowing that all his cards were on the table. There was no way she could have mistaken any of this. He would know now. Know her heart. He kissed her. Kissed those lips he longed for. Kissed, without knowing it, the mother of his child.

Tilting her head she stared up at him. She felt so tiny but safe. She listened to him, inadvertently leaning towards him when he knelt. Her heart thundered in her cheat, he looked so nervous and serious at the same time. Keeley wanted to reach out and hold his hands but was afraid to. She gasped in shock when he confessed he loved her. Oh how she wanted to tell him she loved him too, by the secret between them held back her words.

Then he brought her in, stating that she had slept with another. It wasn't true, he had been the only one. But he didn't know. She didn't know how to even tell him that. Her lips met his, there was no hesitation in this kiss. Her body moved forward on the cushion, fingers slipping along his shirt and up along his face to hold his lips to hers. Mouth parting eagerly for him, without his even having to ask.

Eventually she was off the cushion and in his arms, having knocked him on his ass and not caring. If she thought the door was locked she'd have taken advantage of him. But then there was Maitlyn. Pushing back, stopping the kiss she smiled at him, slowly at first. "I have loved you since that summer when we were fourteen, Joey Lofter made fun of me and you broke his nose... I knew then you were the one for me. But i couldn't say anything..."

"Can we start slow... I mean faster than friends but slower than hopping into bed. I would like that... A lot." She laughed, this was preposterous.

It was a bit of a blur. A wonderful blur. One moment he had leaned in to kiss her, fully expecting her to push him away, and the next moment he was flat on his ass, the woman he loved straddling him, pressing her mouth to his. He kissed her like his life depended on it.

When she broke the kiss, smiling down at him, he beamed. Her hair, brown and long, was falling around his face, curtaining her in with him. Her eyes twinkled, her freckled nose twitched, as she smiled. She seemed....happy. Keeley was happy and he was making her happy. He wanted to scream with joy. It took a while for him to register her words but then he grinned.

"Oh man! Joey Lofter!" he lay back, looking up at her, now stretched out on the floor with her still sitting upright on his lap. And he laughed. Laughed until their were tears. "Oh man! Do you even remember what he said to you? That you were a stuck up know-it-all bitch just because you refused to let him copy your biology homework?" He grinned. He reached up with his hands, gently stroking her sides over the the jumper she had on. She was divine. "I think I broke my fucking hand on his nose, and then he broke the other one in the fight afterwards, and my Mom had to come and pick me up from school and I was grounded for a month!" He grinned, staring at his best friend. His love.

"We..uh...we should probably get up" he said, lifting her off him and standing up with her help. He grinned down at her. "Joey Lofter. What a memory you have. Hey, wasn't that when Todd and Kenzie got together? When all three of you used to come over and sneak into my room to keep me company whilst I was grounded?" He smiled.

"Dinner!" yelled a voice.

Double family Sunday lunch was a Frayne-Browning tradition, a long favourite, but this Sunday Matt found himself wishing it could be over quicker. The food was delicious, the company great, and he loved chatting with his Dad. The seating around the table alternated Frayne-Browning, as always, kids an exception, and he found himself with Kenzie on one side (still a Frayne for seating purposes despite her married name) and Mr Frayne on the other. Keeley sat across the large mahogany table from him, feeding little Maitlyn. He tried to catch her eye a couple of times, feeling like a naughty schoolboy, but was aware of her sister watching the two of them like a hawk.

Finally the meal broke up and he used the excuse of helping to wash up to snatch a moment of time with Keeley. They stood next to each other, him washing and her drying, Maitlyn dozing off in her highchair, and as the afternoon sun straggled in through the window, bathing Hammond's Cove in a golden light, he thought how perfect this was. "Love you" he whispered trying to see if he could make her blush. Then, in a normal voice, after making sure no-one was around to overhear, he said "I agree with taking it slow. Any chance you could come over to my apartment above the shop this evening? Let me cook you some dinner? The way I see it I think I owe you about two years of dates, presents, home-cooked meals, and evenings in!" He smiled down at the soapy water. He would enjoy catching up on those. With Keeley. "You can bring the little madam" he grinned "to ensure no hanky-panky happens. I'm guessing she's got a travel cot or something in case she gets sleepy?" And, just before their mothers entered the kitchen to help, he leaned in quickly and kissed the top of her head.

Finally, around four pm, he said his goodbyes, hugging his Dad for dear life, and waving goodbye to everyone else. He cast one last, lingering, look at Keeley standing on the porch, and then drove home. He spent the rest of the afternoon desperately unpacking, trying to neaten up his tiny three room apartment. One bedroom, with new sheets just in case, one bathroom that was still a little pokey, and a kitchen-dinner-lounge thing that the main door from the shop's back stairs opened into. By 7 he was hovering around the window looking anxiously out into the street for her car. Would she come? And, he mused, would she have told her sister what happened? Those Frayne girls. He smirked. Joey Lofter, that poor big bastard, had been right about one thing. They weren't stuck up, or bitches, or know-it-alls, but they were, as he had delicately put it, "pretty fucking close".

She relaxed, her jeans covered bottom resting on his thighs as they laughed. "Is that what he told you he'd said...." Keeley shook her head. "He was a jerk..." She nodded down at him, they did but that didn't mean she wanted to get up. Placing her hands in his, she pulled him to his feet. "We did, they used to sneak off and make out... I kind of wished we had done that too."

Still a bit in shock she smiled up at him, how had it been that they were each in love with the other and neither knew it. Sitting across from him was hard, she wished to sit next to him or even place Maitlyn between them. She caught him looking at her a few times and bit her lip hard to keep from smiling at him. Feeding Maitlyn was an ordeal, she was a delight but the little one HAD to wear her food despite her mothers efforts to stop her.

Once she was finished Nana scooped her up and cleaned her off, letting Keel and Matt do the dishes. When Maitlyn started to get a bit fussy, Nana brought her to the highchair and gave her a few toys. Sadly, her cousins were older and a bit rough. Smiling at her daughter she gave her a sippy cup and watched her begin to doze.

Drying the dishes, she watched the golden light stream in and bathe them. She did blush as he said it, she couldn't even return the sweet little words. Continuing to dry she shook her head, "Coming to your place for dinner is taking it slow?" She asked with a laugh. Gently pushing her body into his side, "She has one, but can sleep on your bed between us if it happens..." She gave him a soft smile. "We could watch a movie, Mait has a favorite..."

She snagged the little one, curling up on the couch with the little doll in her lap. Though Matt's dad took her after a bit, the adorable duo napping in his recliner stretched out. She sat with her sister at her side. As soon as he left they were on her, what happened and what was going on. "nothing, we are friends... We are over that whole mistake of a kiss." She smiled, gathered her things and soon after, left.

Maitlyn "helped" gather things, crawling around grabbing toys from her bag and adding new ones. Keeley dressed the doll in leggings and a sweater dress with little boots and put a bow in her hair. "Can you say Daddy?" She asked softly. Pulling on her own leggings and sweater dress, then boots and she tied her own ribbon in.

"Momma!" Maitlyn yelled clapping her two hands together. "No."

Keeley gave her a laugh. She put her in her bouncy seat to finish packing up and making sure she had it all. Diapers, wipes, pajamas, bath wipes, blanket, stuffed animal, toys, movie, popcorn and baby. "Ok, lets go see Matt."

They arrived a few minutes after 7, she was nervous and excited. She kind of wondered why she hadn't just worn sweats and a tee shirt, instead of pulling out the matching outfits for her and Maitlyn as she retrieved the child from the car. Shouldering the diaper bag she helped the little girl ring the bell and watched as she joyfully greeted Matt. She wasn't sure when she would be able to speak of Maitlyn's parentage, or if she even wanted to, perhaps Matt would bring it up and perhaps he wouldn't. Smiling she followed the male into his house, her mind spinning every which way, it was all happening so fast.

He watched her step out the car, and then reach back in to get Maitlyn, and hurried down to help her with the stuff. A few minutes later, haven freed themselves of a tangle of accouterments, they had settled the little girl in a highchair at the table and Matt turned to Keeley. She looked gorgeous and he wished he'd made more of an effort. Her soft brown hair was tied back in a bow, a sweater dress, belted at the waist, accentuating her curves. Motherhood really agreed with her he thought with a grin. He leaned in, whispering low, to snatch a kiss. "You look gorgeous" he purred, savouring the taste of her lips on his. He knew he'd promised to take things slowly but he couldn't resist. Couldn't believe that she was his. At least a little. He held her a moment longer, just breathing her in, until Maitlyn called out to her.

He ushered her to a seat and, as he finished cooking, and chatted with her. Mainly about Maitlyn. He didn't pry into anything about her father or the circumstances of her conception, but instead asked whether she was an easy child. Whether she made friends at playgroup. How she got on with her cousins. What her favourite things were. He drank in Keeley's answers, beaming at her across the table whenever he could turn his attention away from the dinner. It just seemed so right to see her, smiling and chatting, in his apartment. It was as if, after two missed years, they were back on track. Living out their real future.

It was lasagna. He grinned at her surprise. "You know, I had to pick up some tricks here and there. Couldn't live on canned beans and snack food forever!" He had cooked Mait a small bowl of pasta with a very simple tomato sauce, having laboriously researched the right sort of meal for the infant online, and it only took a few minutes before his dinner lay abandoned and he lavished attention on the little girl. He fed her with her soft plastic spoon, making humming and buzzing noises as he endeavored, unsuccessfully, to prevent the child from smearing the red sauce all over her face. He mopped at her face, laughing with her, loving her tinkling little chuckle and shouts of "Nooo Nooo!". He looked up, grinning at Keeley, and said, only half joking, "I think sometimes this one is determined to steal my heart from you!"

He let Keeley deal with Mait after that, suddenly tired, and settled onto the sofa as Keeley prepared to join him. She'd suggested the DVD and, as Matt sank into the comfort of the weathered brown couch, he sighed in contentment. "So I'm eager to know what this little madam's favorite is" he smiled at Keeley. He patted the cushion next to him. He wanted both of these girls to settle down next to him. Wanted to feel their closeness. Wanted to, in some strange way, continue feeling the completeness that came from spending time with them.

"Thanks," She whispered back, her lips finding his in a sweet moment. That is before Maitlyn started fussing. "Drama Queen..." Keeley affectionately said, watching as Maitlyn giggled and pounded her hand on the tray of her high chair. Getting her down Keeley let the child explore within her line of vision. She sat on a blanket and played with her soft books and a teether ring.

"Yes, she is a really good baby. Kenz is jealous. The only time she is fussy is when she wants milk and needs to sleep. Always in the morning and at night does she get milk... I'm trying to wean her, but I love those special cuddles." She touched the child's head. "She loves playing with other kids but has to stick with her age, she's fairly docile and well Billy and Addison are too rough. They have bitten Maitlyn and Kenz just says ooh it's okay they are just going through a phase... I love em, but they are rather a pair of monsters."

The food was delicious and Maitlyn loved pasta. the lasagna noodles were cut up and the sauce had been cooled. "You know she can have what we have..." She gave him a soft smile and touched his hand. Maitlyn beamed at him, showing off her two lower teeth as she smudged sauce into her hair and laughed. Keeley loved he wanted to include the child, but silently worried.

"It's her favorite word, she says No and Momma and bye bye." She smiled and bent to kiss her kiddo's cheek. The girl put her hand up and smeared sauce on her mommy. "Thanks Mait." She laughed, then Maitlyn followed her.

With dinner over she washed off the child and put her in her pajama's handing her, her monkey and her blanket. Slipping off her boots and the belt in the middle of her dress she relaxed on the couch as the movie started. The older Disney logo and then the book, emblazoned with the words 'Robin Hood'. Maitlyn ignored it all, but the moment the rooster started whistling she perked up, smiling and laughed watching him cross the top of the book.

"I know he's my favorite, but I never expected her to love it so much." She laughed, leaning over the top of the child's head. "You think we can cuddle tonight... I can wear one of your shirts and then after breakfast we can go... Slow doesn't mean chaste.. we can try some kissing... I'd like that." She leaned her head on his shoulder as Maitlyn slapped her hand on his leg, giggling at the movie. "Oh, I forgot the popcorn!"

He grinned as the movie began to start. He recognised it from their childhood. It had been Keeley's favourite. She'd loved it. Always. In fact, he thought, hadn't her seventh birthday party been themed around Robin Hood? Well, she'd always been a bit of a rebel spirit.

Matt smiled, feeling Keeley move a little closer, sandwiching Maitlyn between the two of them. The little girl was so like her mother, even down to her favourite parts of the story, and he watched her wiggle away in joy, her little pink pajamas and plush monkey almost too sweet to bear. He almost missed Keeley's soft words about later and flushed a little at the thought. He felt her head nestle on his shoulder, her soft hair caressing his cheek, and smiled. What a promise for the morning. Mait's slap on his leg, however, was like a call to action. "Hey, no" he said gently, not wanting to disturb the little one, but leaning in to her as she started to withdraw and kissing her. "Stay here" he urged gently and, lifting Maitlyn into his lap with monkey and blanket, drew her mother close to him, pulling her against him. They stayed there, popcorn forgotten in the bag, until the little girl's head drooped and they carried her to bed.

Matt felt strangely tired. Drowsy. Everything seemed dreamlike as Keeley settled Maitlyn in her cot and tucked her in. Hadn't she said that she would sleep in bed with them his tired brain pondered? But then, the answer came, Moms and Dads needed space. He grinned. That seemed right to his sleepy mind. He reached out to her, already nestled in the duvet against the cool air, and smiled. "Come to bed Mrs Browning" he slurred, suddenly so tired he felt a little drunk. He felt her climb in but was asleep within seconds.

He woke gently, his eyes fluttering open as early morning light flooded into the apartment. It was morning. Monday. But the beside clock said 6am. Still early. Too early for the shops to open. He glanced over at Maitlyn but the little girl was sleeping soundly. He then looked down, his face splitting into a grin, at the figure nestled up against him. Keeley Frayne. Sleeping and stunning. He grinned. Hadn't she said something about kissing. He rolled her gently so that her back was to him and he spooned up to her. His lips found her neck, her ear, his breath hot. She was still wearing his shirt, the top buttons open, allowing a tantalizing glimpse of flesh, and a pair of a panties around her curvy ass. He felt his morning wood press against her backside. "Morning Keeley" he murmured into her ear.