Two weeks later.

"Please sit down.." Zak stressed walking behind me with his hand out protectively as I hopped around.

"Oh Zak if I sit down anymore my ass will get fat and my brain will combust!" I replied hoisting myself forward again.

"But I like your but-"

My head snapped in his direction making his words fade. "I'm bored. Look at me.. Zak I'm seriously bored." I whined.

He placed his hands onto my arms and gave them a gentle rub "I know, but I don't want you setting yourself back anymore. Just let me take care of things, relax whilst Avari is at school."

"Dude I'm so relaxed I'm practically reclined!"

"Just sit down."

I grunted loudly in annoyance before setting myself down on the couch. Pushing the crutches aside I folded my arms.

"Would you like some lunch?" He asked lifting my leg up slowly onto the foot stool.

"No." I mumbled.

"Would you like me to spend some time with you?" He asked.

My eyes shifted from my foot, up to him sheepishly. "You'd do that? For me?"

"Absolutely what do you want to do?" He questioned leaving me to smile.

...

"This wasn't what I had in mind." He grumbled.

"I thought we said slo-"

"Oh Scarlett I didn't mean sex, get your mind off my balls, I meant snuggling whilst watching some TV or maybe having a nap."

"But you said you wanted to help.." I trailed off.

"Well this sucks." He replied putting his head down in concentration as he painted my toes. "If you tell the crew..."

I snapped a photo and grinned when he looked up ready to throw down the polish and storm away.

"It's your caring side." I smirked.

Zak narrowed his eyes before muttering under his breath and continuing.

"What colour is this?" He asked finally taking an interest.

"Slut red." I replied casually making him choke on the air.

"Excuse me?"

"I said Scarlett sweetheart."

"Yeah right.."

"You gonna do my other foot too?" I asked hopeful.

"You're kidding.. Right?"

I pouted "Please? It's a long way down for someone who's practically incapable, be a babe." I winked.

"You're taking the piss." He grunted grabbing my other foot to carry on.

For the past two weeks, I had been at Zak's house, mainly for mobility reasons. Stairs were the worst and it made sense with getting Avari to and from school. I couldn't drive, he was here ready to lend a hand. So I accepted his invitation to bunk for a while. As for us? Well we have been taking things slowly.  Making up for lost time with talking and sharing a laugh or two.

I hadn't realised that in the first day of him collecting my things and bringing them to his house. That he had also brought Avari's memory box. I had woke up desperate for a drink, independency in me won as I tried to hop along with my crutches to the kitchen when I hobbled in on him in tears.

That's when I saw the screen..  The birthing of Avari was not a pretty one for me at least. But he was weeping.

I did ask if it was because he found it scary, but his reply of Beautiful had taken me completely off guard.

"There." He smiled proud of his work.

I looked down at my sparkling smaller digits and smiled "You did good!"

"Thank you, share that photo and I'll hide your crutches and make you bed bound."

My mouth gawped.

"You've been warned. Now? What's next?" He smiled confidently.

"Now we watch a documentary." I answered making room for him on the couch.

He sat beside me, throwing his arm over the back of the couch and pulled me a little closer to him.

"Comfy?" He asked making me nod.

"You're not watching the TV." Zak noted as I was hopelessly staring at him.

"I know."

Truth be told, I hadn't watched it from the moment it started, I had been looking at him the whole time.

"You gonna watch the TV? Or.." he trailed off looking over at me.

I leant up and gave him a small peck on the lips before settle back.

"What was that for?" He asked turning his full attention to me.

"For being you."

He smiled "Feel free to remind me of that, any time."

I settled back into my seat but I wasn't done. Chewing my lip I waited until the need to do it again got strong and as I looked over to do it, Zak's mouth took mine. My lips pulled into a smile as he turned the favour and more. Bringing my hands up, I took hold of his shirt and kept him in place as we made out.

My blood danced like fire under my skin as things got heavier. The small gap between us felt a mile wide making me arch my body to get closer to his. Sensing my struggle, Zak rolled onto mine cementing the gap closed instantly.

Things were going well, too well in fact as Zak forgot my injuries and dropped on my body making me wince and push him off.

"Sorry! Sorry, I uh-" he cleared his throat looking a little embarrassed.

"No it's me, it's my fault. I started it." I sighed pushing my forehead to his.

"Yeah you did." He mumbled making me smile.

"Sorry." I replied for pushing him off a little harder than necessary.

"Move in with me."

I blinked a little confused at what he just asked. Pinching the bridge of my nose I waited.

"It's not your painkillers. I want you to move in here... With me." He repeated.

I gulped "Seriously?"

Zak nodded "I really don't want to lose you again. Please say you'll think about it at least."

"But what if things don't go to plan?" I asked playing with the end of his shirt.

"Then we work on what didn't go to plan. Scarlett, I wasted years, quiet frankly. I don't wanna lose anymore, I want you and I want Avari. I want a family, which is something I thought I would never say. But being here? Just me and Gray? It's lonely and there's only two people I want in this house now.. That's you and my little girl."

"I want to tell Avari." I replied making him sit back.

"Then let's do it. When do you want to tell her?" Zak asked.

"Today. When she finishes school."

"And the living arrangement?"

"We tell her tonight, then we tell her to pick a bedroom. I guess you've now got lodgers." I smiled causing a grin to break across his face.

"You sure? Like positive, cause I don't want you running the moment it gets too much. This is it yeah?" He asked for reassurance.

I nodded "Yeah it is."

I looked at Avari who was eating from a plate full of fruit. My heart swelled knowing this was the product of living with Zak for a few weeks.

Avari was a fussy eater, like most children. Fruit was the devils food and she would poke and prod at anything I placed in front of her. But keen to be like Zak and to make me happy, her eating habits had taken a U-turn and now every day after school she would pull Zak to the kitchen and a plate fruit would come back.

"Avari." I spoke making her look up from Peanut. "Can I talk to you?"

She nodded looking at Zak quickly "Of course mommy. Did I do something?"

I shook my head "No sweetheart, come here.."

She slipped off the couch and brought her plate to me sitting beside me on the couch and pushing the plate onto the coffee table.

"Remember when you lost Peanut? In the shop?"

She nodded gripping him tightly.

"And you cried for a long time until we found him?"

"I left him in the cart."

"That's right.. Well, remember when you said I cried when I used to see Zak on TV."

Her face frowned but then it settled "Yeah. You said it was dust."

I heard Zak chuckle behind me making my face flush.

"Well it wasn't dust. It was because I missed him very much. And there's two reasons for that." I explained.

"So it wasn't dust."

"No poppet. The first reason is because I loved Zak."

Avari looked at me before Zak and back at me. "Like love? But you said your love was all for me. Does that mean you don't love me no more?" She asked.

"No. No. See my love for you? Is always and forever there. Unlimited love for you. Zak has a different kind of love."

"So you still love me?"

"Of course sweetheart."

"Okay. That's good." She confirmed making me smile at her nature.

"So when I lost Zak..."

"You cried too."

"Exactly. And reason two. Well reason two is a little more harder to explain... reason two is because Zak. Zak is your daddy."

I watched as she stared at me for a while letting it sink in. I didn't want to push her for some reaction, I just needed her to blink or even eat a slice of apple!

"Pumpkin?" Zak asked softly from behind me.

She got up and rounded the couch to stand next to him. Zak had paled just seeing her stare at him for what felt like a lifetime.

"So Gracie is mine too?" She asked suddenly.

Both myself and Zak were taken back by her question and it was Zak who recovered a lot quicker.

"Yeah. Yeah she is."

Avari nodded before stepping away from his extended hands "If you're my daddy. Why didn't you want me? Mommy did it all. Were you too busy with Holly? Don't you love me?"

"Avari. Baby, Zak didn't know. He didn't know I had you until we met him at the museum remember, after the baddie in the car?"

Avari nodded. "But why not?"

"Because I was too scared to tell him properly."

"So your mommy is my nanny?" She asked.

"That's right." Zak smiled.

"But we don't live with you." She pointed out.

"Well I was hoping to ask for your permission. See I want you to move in with me, forever?" Zak asked making her nose crease.

"Well what about my toys? Mommy left the seahorse at home." She stated.

"You can bring all your toys here, you can chose what room you have too."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

Avari smiled for the first time properly and went over giving Zak a hug. "We can decorate it too." He added.

"I don't want it decorate." She replied making me smile at her vocabulary.

"It's decorated sweetie."

"Decorated. I don't want it... decorated. I want us to be happy. I want mommy to smile forever. You make her smile now."

Zak rubbed her back "That's good to know."

"Do I call you Zak or daddy now?" She asked looking at him for a real answer.

"You can call me either. Whatever makes you happy."

"Zak... Daddy." She tested making him smile widely.

"Whatever makes you happy pumpkin." He repeated.

"I have a mommy and a daddy. And a dog?"

I giggled "You do,"

"This is the best day ever! Can we have rainbow sprinkle pancakes now?"

This time Zak laughed "Yeah you're mine alright, straight back to food after an important chat."

I watched as they both had a chat about  the latest revelations and smiled proudly as Zak kissed her forehead when she continued to eat her plate of fruit.

For me? That couldn't have gone any better. We were finally a family something I had dreamt of from the moment I held Avari in my arms.