Shattered Glass

[bradyell]

Oh my god!!! EEEEEEEEEK! Oh my god!!

I am sooooooooo happy right now!!

I've been waiting weeks for the disney thing

Awwwwwww Jamie in disney!!!

EEEEEEEEK

Racy fluff!!! finally Belle got her wicked way

It was all just so...so....so EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK

[Louise_2983]

LOVED the letter from Nic, sooo funny!

xxx

How did you know Nicole wrote it?

[Red Ranger 1]

Seriously loved all of that chapter.The banter between them was just great and Jamie as cute as ever. Glad you've updated again!

[adellejefferiesxox]

Because I love you and I want to marry you and have your babies...oh I already did that

Love that line have your babies

Great chapter

[KaiyaBlake]

“Geoff should have said something sooner!” Aden teased as Belle handed him one of the two fortune cookies resting on each top, silk pillow.

“And to think I’ve been suppressing my feelings for him all this time!”

“What?! You too?!” she threw her head back with a chuckle as they cracked open the fortune cookies in perfect sync and slipped out the tiny rectangular scraps of paper inside.

I don't think I can decide who is funnier!

Loved it. Loved them, loved Jamie, loved Nicole's letter, loved the chapter!

Seriously, Jamie in Disney Land. Enough said I reckon

Can't wait for more

[Louise_2983]

Thanks for the lovely comments guys

[Louise_2983]

Sneak peek:

“Hey” she smiled, genuinely happy to see them as they bundled into the kitchen.

“Excited yet?” she teased her son knowing that excited didn’t even begin to cover it.

“No! I don’t want to go to Disney World with YOU!” he announced spitefully plonking his swimming bag on to the table and charging into his bedroom. He slammed his door shut so forcefully behind

him that the whole house rattled as though it was at the epicentre of a minor earthquake.

“Ok” she exclaimed her heart bruised by the rejection as she looked up at Aden.

“What did you do with Jamie? Because that is not him! Jamie, my Jamie, is totally beside himself about going to Disney World and he loves me!”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him” Aden sighed in concern.

“He was fine until the end of the party but then he refused to say a word the entire way home”

“Well it’s obviously something I’ve done” she mumbled, warm tears instantly welling up in her dark eyes, stinging and painful, as the thought that she had unintentionally hurt her baby boy sliced through her like a knife.

[hitmanfan]

oh no I wonder what happened, also it's so sad that Belle always automatically thinks it's something she has done, the guilt is never going to go away, I just hope it doesn't come inbetween them

Can't wait to read the next update.

[bikinikill]

oh no. That sound so sad. I hope they work it out. Poor Belle, she is trying so hard.

[Louise_2983]

Chapter 57

“Argh!” she cried in frustration as she unsuccessfully attempted to yank the gold zip of the patterned suitcase shut.

Disobediently it flopped back open and with a dramatic sigh she began to remove piles of clothes and several pairs of shoes, tossing them into a heap on the messy, unmade bed as she tried to decide

which items to leave at home.

As she picked items from the pile, seemingly at random, and carefully folded then once more a deafening cheer from a small voice in the lounge aroused her suspicions, her movement ceasing instantly.

Abandoning her holiday packing she stomped in the direction of the noisy child only to find him perched on the very edge of the plush sofa, his attention focused entirely on a recording of the previous

night’s football game, as his father chilled out beside him, their baby girl snuggled up against his broad chest.

She coughed loudly and unsubtly but neither of the offending males as much as flinched.

“Erm excuse me?!” she called out in annoyance.

“There’s a little boy not too far from here who isn’t going to have any clothes to wear in Disney World if you two don’t finish packing them!”

“Finished” Aden told her, almost without moving his lips, as his gaze remained on the plasma screen before him.

“Finished?” she questioned the back of their heads doubtfully.

“That was quick!”

“I only need a few things Mummy” Jamie told her as he rotated his head to glance back at her.

“My jeans and some t-shirts and my Superman cape...boys don’t need lots of things to look pretty like girls do”

“We’re pretty naturally aren’t we mate?” Aden smirked as he played with his daughter’s tiny fingers and nuzzled his nose gently against hers with a beaming grin.

“Lissia’s pretty” Jamie corrected him as though he were stupid.

“I’m handsome! Morag said it’s because we have very good genes but Lissia doesn’t wear jeans only baby suits!”

“Different type of genes mate” Aden let out a low chuckle as Jamie pulled at his dark denim jeans, turned up at the ankle, as he pondered how exactly they made him more attractive.

“Morag meant genes you got from me and your Mummy”

“But Mummy got me these ones too!” he protested, still confused.

“She used her credit card!”

“You’re gorgeous because your Daddy is gorgeous!” Belle giggled against his ear as she leant over the back of the sofa and wrapped her arms around his narrow shoulders, smacking an enthusiastic

kiss against his smooth cheek.

“Now are you two going to help me finish packing or do I have to do all the work around here?”

“You have to do all the work” Jamie responded cheekily, leaning forward and holding onto his tiny toes which were covered by multicoloured, stripy socks.

“But you’re very good at it Mummy!”

“Well that’s because I get a lot of practice, don’t I lazy boys?!” she teased, tickling him as he squirmed in a fit of giggles until he begged her to stop.

“We’re not lazy!” he protested adamantly, as her fingers stilled by his side, shaking his little head against her arm.

“We’re just bonding over the game Mummy it’s what boy’s do”

“Bonding?” she asked with a loving smile as her gazed fluttered over the two of them.

She felt her heart swell with pride and love as it threatened to burst out of her chest.

“I’d say that you two have been well and truly bonded for a long time now” she whispered as she ran her fingertips over their each of their heads in unison.

“We have to work at it though” Jamie told her, rolling his eyes as though she would never understand.

“It’s not easy Mummy!”

“Oh I’m sure watching footie together is very hard work!” she chuckled, pressing a kiss against her son’s fair hair.

“Daddy teaches me all the rules. He’s very clever you know” Jamie murmured softly, looking up at Aden with so much adoration gleaming from his piercing blue eyes that Belle simply wanted to

wrap her arms around both of them and never let go.

“It’s where you get it from son” Aden smiled proudly, looping his free arm around his boy and squeezing him gently.

“I know” Jamie grinned sweetly, baring a row of tiny white baby teeth as he cuddled closer to his Daddy.

So enamoured by the beautiful sight before her Belle didn’t even bother to suggest that Jamie might take after her a little too.

“I love you Daddy” Jamie told him with a saccharine smile.

“So I like being like you”

“I love you too little man” Aden smiled, dropping a kiss onto his son’s temple.

“And where does Little Miss fit into this male bonding session?” Belle interrupted reaching across to tenderly tickle her gorgeous daughter.

“We love Lissia too Mummy” Jamie smiled sweetly at his little sister.

“Even if she doesn’t talk to us much”

“We were just teaching her to appreciate the fine art of the game weren’t we mate?” Aden grinned as he held his daughter up in front of his chest so that she could see the television screen.

“But we think she’s only interested in the hot sweaty men in tight little shorts!” he teased as a tiny gurgle tripped over his daughter’s lips and she kicker her perfect, little feet against the pink logo

emblazoned across his grey t-shirt.

“See! I told you!” he chuckled in amusement as Alyssia’s outburst coincided with a camera close up of a hunky footballer.

“She so likes the blonde guy!” he laughed, pressing a kiss in the sweet spot just below his daughter’s ear as he snuggled her close.

“Just like your Mummy Liss!” he winked knowingly at his wife.

“Nah, I never really liked blondes” she dismissed his comment with a mischievous shrug as she pushed herself back of the back of the sofa into an upright position once more.

“But my hair is blonde Mummy!” Jamie pouted in heartbreak at her apparent rejection.

“Well you sweetie” she smiled before pressing a soft kiss against his lips.

“Are the exception”

“Good” he grinned happily before turning his attention back to the game.

“Now haven’t you got packing to finish Mummy?”

“Still looking for a helper” she called back to them as she returned to the bedroom.

“There might be some Mickey Mouse ears in it for the generous person who offers to help”

Aden smirked at her tactics as she disappeared from the room and he watched his son silently debate whether to follow her or not, his body shuffling around the sofa, cleary torn by the prospect of

official Disney World Merchandise.

“Stay with me and forget the ears, I’ll buy you the whole outfit” Aden played Belle at her own game.

Instantly Jamie slumped back against Aden’s arm, his little face lighting up with sheer excitement as he grinned.

“Deal!”

***

“Thanks for doing this” Nicole smiled feebly as she leant back against the kitchen counter.

“Playing mediator”

“It’s nothing” Belle smiled sincerely at the blonde she had genuinely come to like over the past few months.

“Well you seem to be doing a lot of nothings for me lately” Nicole whispered softly.

“This, asking me to be your bridesmaid, taking my daughter on your honeymoon...”

“As if we’d leave her behind!” Belle laughed as she checked her plane tickets for at least the fiftieth time that day. She was beginning to think Aden was right when he said she was a little OCD.

“And I’m just glad that you’re letting this happen”

“I just hope I’m not going to regret it” Nicole let out a deep, whooshing sigh as she gazed dubiously at Belle.

“You won’t, trust me” Belle’s deep brown eyes pleaded as much as her words.

“I’m trying but you can’t blame me for being a little suspicious Belle. It was only yesterday that he was calling her ridiculous and saying that I should have aborted her!” she hissed in a whisper so the

beautiful little girl playing contently at the table wouldn’t overhear.

“He didn’t mean that” Belle murmured softly.

“Any of it, he’s just scared. But he wants to meet her now, that’s a big step forward for him Nicole!”

“But what if he changes his mind and I’ve put her through this for nothing?”

“He won’t change his mind. Look at her! She’s perfect” Belle’s lips kicked up into a smile as they watched Sophie piece together baby pinks blocks of Lego.

“And no doubt he was up all last night thinking about that and feeling guilty for what he said” she told her knowing full well that had been exactly what had happened. He had sounded genuinely sorry

when he had called her to ask her to speak to Nicole for him that morning.

“Well he won’t get a chance to feel guilty if he hurts again because I will kill him!”

“What have you told her about who he is?” Belle questioned hesitantly.

“The truth...I figured that at least I can be honest with her. That way even if he does turn out to be fooling us all and not really want this then at least she’ll know she’s got me and that I will always

tell her the truth and do my best not to let her down”

“Nic” Belle smiled genuinely, placing a comforting hand on her friend’s arm.

“She really is lucky to have you but never think that you’re all she’s got because she has so many people who will love her no matter what Drew does. Roman, Aden, Jamie, Morag...me”

“Thank you” Nicole mouth silently as Jamie hurtled out of his bedroom in his swimmers with bright orange arm bands covering each arm as Aden trailed after him laden down with his son’s things.

They were off to his friend’s pool party for the afternoon, Belle and Aden having decided that exhausting him as much as possible before their flight that night was their best option. That and Belle didn’t

really want Aden around when Drew was.

“Sophie swim too?” the little girl questioned as she looked up at them through her long, fair eyelashes her big blue eyes wounded.

“Sorry little Princess” Aden whispered, reaching down to ruffle her mass of thick blonde curls.

“I’d take you in a second but your mean Mummy says that you have to stay here”

“Aden!” Both Belle and Nicole scolded him in unison.

Sighing regretfully he dropped a kiss on Sophie’s head and whispered in her tiny ear.

“Next time sweetheart I promise”

“Next time Mummy?” she murmured, looking up at Nicole for reassurance.

“Next time I promise baby” the blonde sighed at her daughter just as Drew appeared at the kitchen door, his mass of dark curls hiding his nervous eyes.

“Hi” he nodded sheepishly at Belle and Nicole in turn before raising his head and batting his unruly hair from his eyes to enable him to look Aden directly in the eye.

“Aden”

“Drew” Aden nodded curtly with a blunt, callous stare before turning to Belle.

“We better go, we don’t want to be late”

“Have fun sweetie” she smiled, trying to ignore the obvious tension lingering in the air as she kissed Jamie and he ran out of the house excited for the party.

As Aden followed he stopped abruptly, intimidatingly close to Drew as he hissed in such a low tone that only the other male could hear.

“I don’t like this one bit. So if you value your life in the slightest then you better not hurt Sophie or Nicole...or Belle”

“I won’t” Drew mumbled, uncharacteristically sheepish, but Aden was already out of the door and could no longer see or hear him.

“Ignore him” Belle smiled softly, having no idea what threat her husband had just delivered but being fully able to imagine it.

“I told him the bad boy act turned me on yesterday...that was probably just his idea of foreplay” she grinned cheekily.

“Taylor!” Drew visibly shuddered as she giggled mischievously.

“He meant it! And for future reference keep me out of your little sex games!”

“Spoilsport!” she chucked as Drew’s gaze fell on his daughter playing happily, her attention entirely focused on her building project as half a majestic castle sat on the wooden table in front of her.

“Talk to her then” Nicole ordered bluntly, suddenly unsure of how to handle the situation. Drew had given her the most important person in her life and she’d been as intimate with him as two people

could be but she had no idea how to act around him.

“After all that’s what you came here for isn’t it? Just please keep the topic a little more PG 13!”

“Nicole, she’s 3!” Belle laughed softly as Drew advanced further into the house towards his daughter.

“A mature 3 though!” Nicole protested just as Drew scraped back the chair next to the pretty little girl and lowered himself into it.

“Hey Sophie” he mumbled hesitantly, her little face turning to look at him as her curls bobbed behind her.

“What are you building?”

“A pretty princess castle” she replied in a whisper as she reverted her attention to the incomplete structure before her and concentrated on increasing the height of the tower nearest to her.

“It’s very impressive” he told her approvingly as he twiddled a block of pink Lego between his fingertips.

“Can I help?”

Her hands stilled, hovering over her girly castle in progress as her big blue eyes scanned his face dubiously.

“Mummy makes everything fall down!” she told him, flailing her slender arms around her as if to demonstrate the destruction Nicole’s inability at construction created.

“But Uncle Aden is good”

“Oh I bet he is” Drew grimaced slightly as Nicole bobbed down to Sophie’s level and placed a loving kiss on her soft cheek.

“Who are you?” the youngster suddenly questioned Drew as though it had only just crossed her mind to ask.

“Sophs” Nicole whispered quietly.

“You remember who I told you was coming to visit you if you were a good girl don’t you?”

“Santa?!” the little girl exclaimed hopefully, her face illuminated with glee.

“No sweetie” Nicole giggled at her daughter’s innocence.

“Christmas isn’t for a while yet and Santa only comes at Christmas. Do you remember who else was coming to visit you?”

“Daddy?” the little girl asked subduedly as she looked up at Drew, her eyes wide and expectant.

“That’s right” he smiled softly as he nodded in confirmation.

“I’m your Daddy”

“Like Uncle Adie is Jamie’s Daddy?”

“Yes, just like that” Drew told her but in reality he knew it was nothing at all like that. Aden had been devoted to Jamie since the moment he was born whilst he hadn’t known his daughter even existed

until a few months ago.

“I like Uncle Adie” she announced with a genuine smile.

“Well, I hope you’ll like me too” he whispered as he helped her fit an awkward piece of Lego into place, his fingers wrapping around her tiny ones.

“If you help me build” she nodded sweetly.

“I think I can manage that” he grinned setting to work fixing pieces of Lego into the appropriate spaces.

Belle gently tugged at Nicole’s arm and pulled her back into the kitchen to give the new father and daughter some space.

“See?” she smiled rubbing Nicole’s arm reassuringly as they watched Drew and Sophie converse, laughing quietly together before Sophie flashed the sweetest of smiles at her Daddy.

“I told you it would be ok”

“She doesn’t even really understand who he is Belle” Nicole sighed worriedly.

“No probably not” Belle agreed with a simple nod of her head.

“But she will”

***

“Hey” she smiled, genuinely happy to see them as they bundled into the kitchen.

“Excited yet?” she teased her son knowing that excited didn’t even begin to cover it.

“No! I don’t want to go to Disney World with YOU!” he announced spitefully plonking his swimming bag on to the table and charging into his bedroom. He slammed his door shut so forcefully behind

him that the while house rattled as though it was at the epicentre of a minor earthquake.

“Ok” she exclaimed her heart bruised by the rejection as she looked up at Aden.

“What did you do with Jamie? Because that is not him! Jamie, my Jamie, is totally beside himself about going to Disney World and he loves me!”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him” Aden sighed in concern.

“He was fine until the end of the party but then he refused to say a word the entire way home”

“Well it’s obviously something I’ve done” she mumbled, warm tears instantly welling up in her dark eyes, stinging and painful, as the thought that she had unintentionally hurt her baby boy sliced

through her like a knife.

“Don’t be silly” Aden tried to reassure her although he was doubtful of his words himself.

“One of the other kids probably just told him that Mickey Mouse isn’t real or something”

“I don’t think that’s it” she sighed, biting back her tears as she shuffled across to Jamie’s bedroom and Aden followed her.

“Mate, what is it?” Aden questioned his son softly as they found him huddled up on the Disney bed, his jean clad knees hugged close to his chest, tucked under his chin, as tears streamed down his tiny

cheeks.

“What’s wrong Little Jefferies hey?” Aden asked again, perching tentatively on the edge of the bed as his heartbroken son emitted a loud sniffle and simply turned away from him.

“Come on Jamie” he tried again, reaching out a strong hand to tenderly rub his little boy’s arm.

“You can tell us”

The five year old whimpered softly as he turned to look at his Daddy, wiping away his warm tears with the back of his little hand.

“Ben said” he spluttered in between raspy sobs.

“Ben said that he heard his Mummy say that Belle went to America because she didn’t love me and everybody knows that except me!” he cried, his use of her forename painfully ripping Belle to shreds

like a lion feasting on its pray.

“Mate” Aden tried to console him, rubbing his hand in soothing circles over his son’s arm.

“He said that Belle didn’t love me or Lissia and that she was going to stay in Merica and never come back!” the little boy snivelled in distress, his pain roughly stomping on the hearts of both his parents.

A wave of nausea soared through Belle’s entire being at the confirmation that she was the cause, albeit indirectly, or her son’s tears.

“Jamie” Aden whispered, almost as heartbroken as his son.

“You know that’s not true. Your Mummy loves you, you know that” he coaxed placing extra emphasis on the word mummy.

“Aden?” Belle murmured quietly as she tried to make eye contact with her weeping son and he instantly flicked his head away.

“Can you give me and Jamie a few minutes alone please?”

“Are you sure?” he scanned her face dubiously, clearly uncertain that it was the best option given Jamie’s clear resentment towards her in that moment.

“I’m sure” she nodded, wiping away the few stray tears which had leaked down her smooth cheeks despite her determination not to cry.

“Ok” Aden mumbled leaning forward to press a kiss to his son’s temple.

“I’ll just be outside son, ok?”

Jamie nodded his head, a blunt contrast to his wide, misty eyes silently begging his Daddy not to leave him. Torn between the two, unsure of whether to comfort his son or his clearly broken wife, Aden

simply rose to his feet, brushed his lips against Belle’s cheek and left.

“Jamie” Belle whispered, the gush of tears flowing from her sad eyes refusing to be stemmed by her fingertips.

“Do you know why I’m crying?” she questioned as she hovered a few metres from his bed.

“Because I love you so much and it upsets me when you’re not happy sweetie”

She watched him intently, waiting for a response, but his head was bowed and the only sounds escaping from his were distressed snuffles.

“And I know you love me too Jamie or you wouldn’t be so upset right now”

His head lifted at her words, his pale pink lower lip quivering in obvious anguish as his watery blue eyes met hers.

“Can I sit down?” she asked hesitantly, nodding to the space next to him on the bed and he simply nodded, unable to speak through his tears.

Nervously joining him on the bed she took a long, deep breath and clasped her trembling hands together in front of her. She had always known that she would have to discuss this with him one day she

had just never imagined that it would be so soon.

“Ok” she began quietly, nipping her lower lip with her top teeth anxiously.

“What I have to tell you now isn’t the nicest or the least painful thing that you’ll ever have to hear but it’s the truth and big boys have to listen to the truth sometimes even if it hurts, do you understand

that?”

“Ye-” he answered, the final letter of the word disappearing amidst a muffle of tears as he nodded, his eyes roaming over her features as he desperately searched for reassurance that she loved him.

“And I know that you’re a big, brave boy sweetie, so I can tell you the truth can’t I?” she asked and this time he simply bobbed his head up and down rather than attempt to vocalise his confirmation.

Her fingers itched to reach out and comfort him, to shield him from reality and to smother him with love but she knew that he wouldn’t let her and the mere thought of his rejection almost destroyed her

as she pursed her hands so tightly together that her knuckles drained of their fleshy hue.

“When you were in my tummy Jamie I was so happy and excited and I loved you more that anyone or anything in the world, I really did. I promise you that baby” she whispered, the memories of her

pregnancy sending a happy flutter through her which she found impossible to manifest in a smile, her pale pink lips remaining straight and stern as tears dripped slowly over them on their journey from

her sad eyes.

“But when you were born I was sick, just like we told you. I was ill sweetie and it wasn’t a very nice illness at all”

“Did it hurt?” he suddenly questioned in a sniffle, concern radiation from his big blue eyes as her heart leapt into her throat as she witnessed his alarm that his mummy might have suffered.

“Yes it did” she nodded hesitantly, unsure as to whether he would be able to truly comprehend everything that she was about to tell him.

“But not physical pain, not like when you scrape your knee falling over in the playground or graze or your elbow climbing on chairs” she grinned finally at the memory of his one act of disobedience,

climbing on the bathroom chair when she had told him not to.

She glanced over at him and for the briefest of moments felt certain that his full lips were twitching to curve into a smile but, if they were, he resisted and all too soon they were still and frowning once

more.

“It hurt a lot baby but I didn’t have a cut or a bruise that anyone could see, it was all hidden away deep inside and it hurt most right here” she told him pressing a hand flat over her heart.

“In your heart?” he asked for confirmation and she nodded silently as her tears began to cascade down her face once more.

“I had an illness that sometimes Mummies get after their babies are born Jamie and it’s very confusing. It’s as though you can’t feel emotions like love and happiness anymore”

“Were you unhappy?” he questioned in a muffled murmur.

“Yes, yes I was Jamie” her lower lip trembled as she prepared to vocalise her next sentence.

“I was unhappy because I couldn’t feel love anymore and even though I had been so happy and excited waiting for you to be born when you were because I was ill I couldn’t remember how to love you

and it felt like I would never be able to” she gulped as she wiped away the ever replenishing tears gushing from her.

“So Ben was telling me the truth” he announced accusingly, his gaze diverting from hers once more.

“You went away because you didn’t love me!”

“No” she shook her head sadly.

“No, not really sweetheart because I did love you. Deep inside I loved you so much, I’d always loved you, since the first day I found out that you were in my tummy. I just...I was sick and my illness

stopped me from realising how much I loved you, it was like I couldn’t see anymore”

“Like when Uncle Roman had his car crash?” he questioned and she realised that her choice of words hadn’t been ideal.

“No, I could see. I wasn’t blind like Roman. I could see how gorgeous and perfect you were. I just couldn’t feel anything Jamie” she sighed unsure of how to explain.

“You know when it’s foggy outside and all you can see out of your window is mist until it clears and then there’s the beach and the sea?” she asked him finally finding a way to put it that she thought he

might understand.

“Yep” he nodded slowly as he glanced out of his window at the beach.

“Well because I was sick when I looked at you I could only see fog and that stopped me from seeing and feeling all the love I had in my heart for you. But it was always there I promise, just like the

beach and the sea are always still there behind the fog. I just had to get better before I could see that”

“So you had to go away until the fog cleared?” he asked with a tiny smile as she sighed in sheer relief that he had understood.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I had to do but I never stopped loving you not for a second”

“You were just too sick to know that you loved me?” he whispered, searching for reassurance once more.

“Yes sweetie and that hurt so much because I wanted to love you more than anything”

“But you know that you love me now?” he asked, his little eyes full of hope as he looked up at her and she realised that his tears had finally subsided.

“There is no doubt in my mind Jamie, I love you so much and I mean that every single time I tell you. You’re my best boy and I will always love you”

“So the fog went away?”

“Yes it did. It took a long time but it went away and that’s why I came back because I knew that I loved you, that I’ve always loved you and I couldn’t stay away from you a minute longer”

“I’m glad the bad weather in your head got better” he told her sweetly as he inched closer to her.

“Me too baby” she smiled softly still not daring to make physical contact with him.

“But why did you only get bad weather when I was born and not Lissia?” he asked, his lower lip quivering once more.

“Is it because I was bad?”

“No! No sweetie!” she hurried to reassure him.

“You were never bad, you’re such a good boy. No one knows why sometimes mummies get sick and other times they don’t but it doesn’t mean that you were bad or that I love Liss more than you

because you’re not and I love you both exactly the same amount . In fact I don’t think I could love either of you any more than I do, it’s not possible. I love you both so much”

“To infinity and beyond?” he giggled sweetly.

“To infinity and beyond” she nodded a beaming smile spreading across her attractive features as he mirrored her gesture and her heart began to beat at a less rapid rate as her fear of losing him all

over again diminished slightly.

“But are you going to stay in Merica and never come back like Ben said?” he questioned, worry flashing over his features once more.

“Only if you stay with me, I’m not staying anywhere without you baby”

“But we live here in Australia!” he announced as if she didn’t know.

“Which is exactly why, in 3 weeks time, we’ll be right back here sweetie don’t worry”

“Good” he sighed in relief.

“I want to see Mickey Mouse again and go to Disney World but I don’t want to live there forever and ever because I would miss Uncle Roman and Aunt Nicole and Sophie and Annie and Geoff and

everyone else!”

“So would I Jamie” she smiled sincerely.

“So we’re definitely coming back?”

“Definitely” she grinned.

“But only if we actually get there to come back in the first place! We have to leave real soon Jamie”

“Ok” he whispered, wiping his tearstained face with his tiny fingers.

“I just need a minute in my own company”

“Alright” she nodded, getting to her feet as she realised he hadn’t called her Mummy once and her heart plummeted into the depths of her stomach.

“But are we ok?”

“I think so” he nodded with a weak smile as she left the room and joined Aden in the kitchen.

“What did you tell him?” he questioned as she looped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest.

“The truth” she mumbled against his grey t-shirt.

“Is he ok?” Aden asked, his tone brimming with concern.

“Are you ok?” he followed with another question but before she had a chance to respond Jamie came rushing out of his bedroom and threw his little arms around Belle’s bare legs.

“I’m sorry I said I didn’t want to go to Disney World with you, I didn’t mean it! I love you Mummy!” he announced against her kneecaps as Aden felt her heart pound against his chest in reaction.

“Instantly she pulled away and scooped her son into her arms, enveloping his tiny frame close to her and rested her head against his.

“I love you too baby, I always have”

“I know Mummy” he smiled pressing a kiss onto her lips.

“It was just very foggy at first!”