The Only Way is Up

Part Twenty Nine

Nicole squealed, "I can't wait. Text me the details."

As she hung up, she turned to Maxim, knowing that there were still tears in her eyes.

"So a new baby?" He stood and walked towards her as she nodded, then pulled her into his arms. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

"On your bike? It's ok. I'll drive. Do you want to come with me?"

Suddenly he looked more than a little anxious, "Erm..."

"Mike'll be there, it'll be fine."

"Will you take me back to the gym so that I can change?"

She studied him for a long moment, "I kind of like you like that."

He laughed at that, then reached for her, tugging her into his arms, his lips finding hers. But there was less urgency, less desperation, but definitely no less passion and desire.

Max jogged down the steps from his rooms to the busy gym below. Waving to Carl, one of the trainers, he answered a few of his questions, then skirted the reception desk, not wanting to face the woman who'd watched him naked the day before.

As he stepped out into the sunshine, he smiled to see the small sporty black car across the road, it was the exact car that he expected Nicole to drive, but that didn't make curling into the front seat any easier.

When he was beside her, with his knees up under his chin, he turned to her, "I'll need the hospital by the time we actually get there!"

She was still smiling when they parked in the underground car park. As they approached the hospital entrance, Max offered his hand, and hated that it was a prolonged moment before she took it. She was still reluctant and resistant to him.

They found the room quickly, and Nicole dropped his hand and rushed inside, by the time he peered into the room, Nicole was sat on the bed arms wrapped around her friend and there were tears everywhere.

"Wanna come get a coffee?" He looked up to see Mike smiling at him.

"Do you ever get to understand them?"

Mike laughed, "women? Or these two specifically?"

Max shrugged, "I don't even know how to answer that."

As he led him from the room, Mike threw an arm around his shoulder, "of all the women I've ever known, those two," he gestured back to the room they'd left. "They are closer than any others I've ever known."

Max groaned, "this is starting to get complicated."

"And it's that that makes it worthwhile. She's an amazing and loyal person Nicole, there as few as good as her."

He looked up at Mike, "so there's a warning coming?"

Shaking his head Mike led him along the corridor, "not at all. It's been hard for Kim, seeing her so broken, but she's strong, she has overcome more than you can imagine, I mean even the fact that she's here today...so happy..."

"What do you mean?"

Mike shook his head, "not my place to say, but all I would say is, you do anything wrong, you lose her...then it's you that'll miss out. It's that simple."

Despite all that he said there was no threat in his voice, he was almost laughing, but it served to make Max even more curious about Nicole's past. She was as guarded as him, or so it seemed.

Nicole had the beautiful bundle that was Noah wrapped in her arms, and as she cooed at him, inhaled his adorable baby smell, Kim gave an attention seeking cough. That Nicole ignored.

"You can pretend that I'm not staring at you, I mean I may be biased, but Noah is a total distraction, but...I am here, and I am your best friend, and I am dying being kept in suspense." Nicole lowered her head to touch Noah with her lips on his downy forehead, hiding a smile as she did. Kim groaned, "Nicole Stark! You have turned up here with THE hottest man in the world, whilst I am looking like death in bed, I hasten to add, and you are looking thoroughly fucked. And you have NOTHING to tell me?"

Lowering herself to the bed, Nicole smiled as Noah gripped her finger, squeezing it tightly, "he's adorable."

Kim nodded, "are we talking about my darling baby...or the hot tottie that you turned up with?"

Nicole sighed, "this little man of course." Kim stared, eyebrows raised and she groaned, "ok, ok. He stayed the night."

Kim squealed, "REALLY?"

"Well let's just say that prior to last night I thought that the soundtrack of my life was chopsticks on an out of tune pub piano."

"And now?"

She smiled, "now, I know it's all seven of Holst's planet suite on a Steinway grand."

Kim slumped back against the pillow, eyes wide, "THAT good?"

Nicole shrugged, "it might have been a fluke, but...I don't think so."

Kim whistled, "so what happens next?"

"Haven't really discussed that...someone chose to have a baby when we were about to talk about things."

Rolling her eyes, Kim reached out and squeezed her shoulder, "perfect timing again. But you're seeing where this goes?"

She shrugged, "we planned to spend today together. That's as far as it goes."

"I like him Nicole, I like him a lot. And to be honest, I haven't seen you look so radiant in...forever."

Twenty minutes later Max pushed the door open for Mike to enter the room and rejoin his wife, but as he followed him into the room he froze, Kim and Nicole were smiling up at them, and he knew he had a smile on his face, but it was held there in almost panic. Because as he looked at Nicole his whole body surged, heat and blood flushed through him in an instant. She sat on the bed, looking as beautiful as ever, but with the swaddled bundle in her arms he suddenly had hot and heady thoughts about Nicole sitting there with HIS baby in her arms.

And he'd NEVER thought about children before. What the hell was she doing to him?