"That you, Em?" George called from the kitchen. I closed the front door behind me and put Dhani on his back on the floor so I could take off my coat and shoes. When I was done, I picked him up and cuddled him tightly, kissing the top of his head before I heard Julian.
"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy home!"
I beamed and went into the kitchen with Dhani. George was at the stove with Julian on his hip as he cooked, all the while mindful to keep Julian away from the flames as he stirred something.
I sniffed, "smells good," I said, coming into the kitchen. George turned at the sound of my voice and his entire face lit up. I loved it when that happened - yet another thing that he had always done, and something that I had missed during our time apart. John had never looked at me like that.
"You're back!" George said as he crossed the room and kissed my lips softly, then passing me Julian so that he could take Dhani from me. He was the best with Dhani - treated him - and Julian - like his own sons. I admired him a lot for that, because by all counts, he should resent Dhani. Dhani was the reason why I had chosen to make a go of things with John, and why I had stayed away from George for so long... but in that strange way that things often happen, Dhani had stitched us back together, and instead of being a couple as we had always been, we were a family of four; George and me, and then our two boys, Dhani and Jules.
"What're you cooking?" I asked.
"Dinner." George paused, "I rang mum for the recipe - I knew you liked it the last time she made it for you, and I wanted to do something special for you."
"Why?"
George bit his lip before replying, "because it's Paul's birthday, Em, an' I know the two of you are -"
"We're talking again." I interrupted happily, "and he invited us round for dinner... all four of us -"
"That's gear!" George enthused, kissing Dhani once more, "hear that, little man? You're comin' to Uncle Paulie's for dinner!"
I giggled, "and dad'll be there, too -"
"An' you're going to meet your grandad!" George continued to coo at Dhani.
I giggled, "Georgie, imagine how scary it must be to have two thick eyebrows staring at you!"
"Hey," he said in a serious voice, "I grew them myself, Em, don't poke fun at 'em. And he's got the same ones, anyway -"
Before my mind could think on what he had just said, Julian cried out, "Mummy home!" again, throwing his arms around my neck once more.
I smiled and nuzzled my nose into his neck.
"I taught him that while you were gone, an' now he won't stop saying it -"
I looked at George, "I think it's the cutest thing ever. We need to start teaching him some more words, anyway."
George nodded in agreement, "I should start 'im with the guitar soon -"
I chuckled, "you most certainly should not!" I paused, "Julian's not going anywhere near those nasty girls that wait outside gates all day and night."
George pouted, pretending to be offended, "you don't want 'im to end up like me?"
"Well I suppose he could do a lot worse..." I teased.
He shrugged, "I s'pose he could." George turned to the dinner which he had been cooking, "stew'll need a few hours, I'll turn it off before we leave for Paul's." He took my spare hand in his and led me into the living room. He put Dhani in the little highchair which we had set up for him, and then I put Julian on the floor. He toddled off to play with his toys which were in the corner of the room in a box.
I sat on the settee with George. I turned to him, and we both spoke at the same time, "I was just thinking -"
We cut ourselves off, laughing.
"You first." George insisted.
"I was just thinking about how much I love you." I bit my lip. Was it too soon to say that after all we had been through recently? We had said it to each other before, but now... I didn't know if he felt the same, or if he was spending time with me out of obligation, or a feeling of uneasiness. How did he feel about all of this? About us?
"Emeraude..." George said quietly, almost in a whisper, as he put a hand on my knee and I looked down at it briefly, noting the callouses which rubbed against my kneecap. "Emeraude, d-don't say that i-if you're not s-sure..."
"George," I put a hand on the side of his face, noting how his eyes were watering. My heart swelled and I bit my lip. "I'm sure. I love you. I always have, and I always will... no matter what happens."
I felt terrible for what I had put him through for the last nine months.
"Emeraude, I love you so much... God, it's so good to be able to see that again. After... after everything..." I winced, but George leaned forward and pressed a comforting, loving kiss to the corner of my right eye. "I don't care about whatever happened, y'know. I don't care that Jules is John and Cyn's, or Dhani isn't mine biologically, because it doesn't matter. Because they're mine. They're ours... an' I want, more than anything else, to be theirs."
I was crying, but they were happy tears. They were tears of love, and devotion, and so many more emotions that I would never be able to name or explain.
George felt the same as I did.
"Oh, Georgie!" I cried, throwing my arms around him and moving so that I could sit on his lap. I looked at him again as his arms went around my waist and he held me loosely but possessively.
"And... I was going to say before, but... I have to tell you before we move on any further."
"Anything, George." I promised him, "whatever it is, it's okay. You forgave me for everything, and you deserve the same -"
"It's nothing like that... it's... I dunno how you're going to feel, but..." he paused, breathing deeply as he gathered the courage to say the next part, "Em, I love Dhani and Julian, of course, but y'know I've always wanted one of my own..."
"Oh..." I looked into my lap. "I-is that all?"
He nodded, "and I know that you probably won't for another few years, but well, I always felt closer to my brother, Peter, 'cause we were only a few years apart. It was always hard to be close with Emu and Harry because they were on the next part of their lives -"
"George," I cut him off with a swift peck to his lips, "I know. I like being close in age to Paul and Mike, and Dhani and Jules are close. I... I won't deny you children, George, ever. I know you've always wanted a big family." We'd spoken about it at length during our years together. "And, um, as soon as I'm ready to have a baby again, then I'll tell you..." I paused, building the tension between us, "but until then..."
"We can try?" George asked cheekily, a smirk on his handsome face that I recognised as the same that I had fallen in love with just after I had arrived in Liverpool.
"We can try." I confirmed. George smirked and pulled me closer to him. I shifted in his lap and felt him stirring to life beneath me. I giggled and climbed off of him, going over to Dhani and picking him up, "but not now... the boys are awake, and we have to be at Paul's in a few hours."
George got up and picked Dhani up. "Come on, little lad," he said to him, "let's get you dressed for the day."
And he took Julian up the stairs, checking over his shoulder just once to see that I was following him.
And I was going to, but before I made for the stairs, I looked into the brown eyes of my Dhani, "soon, Dhan," I said, "you're going to be a big brother." He put his fist to his mouth and tried to suck on the whole thing. I just smiled and kissed his baby button nose, "I love you, Dhan."