Count On Me

Part Forty Four

Chapter Forty Four

Oscar couldn't wait to get home. He sat in the business lounge checking through his emails as he waited to hear his flight called. Then he slumped back in the seat in amazement. He'd thought of Lizzie's house as home...suddenly the old adage 'home is where the heart is' made sense. He had left apart of himself with Nate, but also a huge part of himself it that small house in the outskirts of Manchester. The screen full of emails didn't matter. He would do anything to stay with her, and his son.

Running a hand through his hair, he dropped his head slightly, he was grinning like a crazy man, he knew that his fellow business men were sneaking glances at him. So he dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone, and re-watched the video of Nate saying good night whilst curled up with Lizzie in her bed, he'd received it before he left the hotel for the airport. It had become a daily thing, with him working and the time difference, they found it hard to catch up. So they sent him videos, and he sent them back. Little clips of Nate eating breakfast, him in a yellow taxi heading over Brooklyn Bridge...

But it was the latest one, the two of them lying in bed, sleepy, telling him how much they missed him that tore at his heart strings, this was no gentle tug. After watching Nate dissolve into giggles, burying his face in the pillows, he was treated to a sneaky wink from Lizzie, before she pulled the duvet over them both, ending the video.

"Shit," he murmured under his breath, not only was he grinning like a buffoon; he was also sporting a rather obvious erection...from a wink. Rolling his eyes, he reached for his drink, then changed his mind, ignoring the coffee, he ordered a whisky from the bartender, then hid behind it, unable to wipe the grin off his face.

Twelve hours and he'd be in bed beside his family. His heart surged, not only at the thought of it, but actually at hearing the words in his own mind. His family, his home. He didn't recognise himself any more. And it didn't scare him anymore.

Lizzie stared down at Oscar. He'd arrived at the home whilst she'd been out with Nate, he had swimming lessons. When they got back he was unpacking and turned to catch a hurtling Nate. As the two hugged, telling the other how much they'd missed them, he was giving her hot stares over Nate's shoulder. By the time it was her turn for a hug, she was melting, and his eyes were smouldering. His hard hot body dragging hers close.

But a five year old didn't make for the most romantic of days, and as Nate had missed his father so much, he never left Oscar's side. So Lizzie was unable to even give Oscar a kiss. But she knew that it affected him just as strongly as her.

After lunch, Marcus her neighbour knocked the door, he'd just had two new kittens and he'd promised Nate that he could see them as soon as they arrived. She smiled gratefully as Nate squealed then disappeared into Marcus' house.

But when she returned to the lounge, it was to find Oscar fast asleep, still sat in the same place on the sofa. He told her he hadn't slept on the flight...and he'd been awake for the best part of thirty six hours. So she left him there, comfortable, and catching up. Not for long. She still had a few things to do in what was loosely termed Oscar's room, the irony being that since she'd started to clean it out properly, he hadn't slept in it. But it was still a job she needed to finish.

"I'm getting a sense of déjà vu."

Lizzie looked up from her place, cross-legged on the bedroom floor, to see Oscar lounging against the banister, watching her through the open door.

"I just really need to finish this."

He gave a small nod, "I know. But now? This very second?"